Chapter Text
6 months. It’s been 6 months since Author joined company 8. Fresh out of the academy, cocky and ready for anything he became a soldier for the fire force. Where that confidence was promptly stripped away. After his lovely battle with Maki (where she wiped the floor with him), he quickly realized he was far from done training. Everyone else made it clear he had a long way to go as well.
Luckily, Arthur grew on the team (or else he wouldn’t have survived).And they grew on him too. They figured out his dismissive attitude was for show and his cockiness was something they were just gonna have to live with.The lack of honorifics still throws most people off but what can you do? As his new teammates taught him about their abilities and more about his, Arthur developed a love for his company and all its occupants.
Even when Tamaki loses another outfit to the fire or the Lieutenant wears an outfit everyone wishes he’d lost to the fire. He’s happy here. He’d accepted all the Companies weird habits and traits. He was satisfied with his new castle and his new royal court(He’s king of course).Well, he was.
“New mission!” Captain called. It was a normal night. The sun had just set and no one was expecting or wanting to fight an infernal. But that was the job and Arthur had been here too long to object now. Everyone quickly geared up, and prepared for a long fight.
The drive was quick as to be expected of a militarized car. In the beginning, it seemed like a run of the mill mission. The building was mostly in flames and the infernal was supposed to be on the third level. A weak and tired soul, ready to be put to rest. They heard screeching and yelling on the 2nd floor. It was for a moment but it made them run faster. Trucks outside put out the large fires and the squad pushed through doors and upstairs until they reached the third floor.
Arthur had expected to hear the continued agonized yelling, whimpering, or something along those lines. But he didn’t. Instead, he and his team heard… muttering. Almost like praying. It was quiet and stutter-y. Like the one speaking wasn’t sure about their words. Ōbi gestured for them to move closer. Cautiously they stepped closer and closer until all that hid them was a door frame.
The mumblings were definitely prayers but how? No one had heard of an infernal doing their own prayer and no one else would be doing it unless they planned to kill the infernal themselves. It didn’t take a scientist to realize which of the 2 options was happening.
Usually, someone doing his job for him sounds nice but Infernals can become extremely aggressive on a dime and rather difficult to kill with no experience. This poor citizen was probably terrified and just wanted to help. But doing wrong could cause a bigger issue for the force and a fatal injury. Having realized what was going on he didn’t wait for commands.
Was rushing in probably a bad idea? Yes. Did he do it anyway? Absolutely. He raced around the corner followed by an aggravated team, tired of his hero stunts for one night. However, Arthur didn’t lay eyes on a scared, powerless, beautiful damsel in distress.
He saw an ink black cloak with red markings, Arthur couldn’t make out, and a slowly disintegrating infernal. A clean and quick pierce to the heart. The person’s prayer was broken and unsure but his strikes weren’t. It was the type of clean and peaceful end that academy students struggled with. And by the state the room was in, the infernal put up quite a fight. Books, folders and all types of supplies were burned and thrown about the room. It’s body laid strewn across the floor. Including the evidence of the screaming earlier it seemed this infernal fought. And it seemed to have lost in a matter of minutes.
“Turn around!” The Captain ordered. Everyone was still on high alert and the cloaked stranger wasn’t helping.
The mysterious figure finished their quiet prayer before turning. And everything in Arthur came to a screeching halt.
Arthur knew those eyes.
Eyes he’d seen from fighting, from bandaging wounds, from late-night conversations. The eye that burned the most beautiful shade of crimson. The color of a candle you just want to watch flicker and burn. Eyes he never wanted to see again.
He wanted to believe it wasn’t who he thought it was but the eyes weren’t the only thing. When Arthur first looked the figure looked calm, but within a second they tensed and a devilish grin spread across their lips. A smile that caused everyone else to wince. It was a smile they all thought meant a fight. A smile that meant they were facing a maniac. Arthur knew better. He knew that smile. He knew it meant nerves. And nerves meant-
“Hold on, wait!” He yelled but it was too late the figure already stood at a window preparing their escape. The cloak tossed with the winds out side as he jumps out the window. For a moment he swears he sees a silent I’m sorry.
For sometime everyone just stared in confusion until the Tamaki spoke. “Was that him?”
“Him?” I swirl around to look at my squad.
“Indeed it was.” Ōbi said, turning to Arthur with a mischievous smile “Congrats newbie, you finally got to meet the Devil. How’s it feel?”
Arthur stared blankly. The Devil. Unbeknownst to his new teammates he knows the devil better than any of them. He spoke with him, fought with him, and unbeknownst to even Arthur himself, started the chain reaction that created him.