Chapter Text
It's no different really from what he'd been told before.
From how humans portrayed this place.
Loud, chaotic, hot. Oh and of course he came here empty handed; hands reaching into his pockets to fish around uselessly before he huffs.
He's in Hell. Granted, he had a rather interesting life that made sense in why he was here but he at least wished there was a map.. He recognized nothing, had no clue of where he was right now. He moves to get to his feet after sitting in a bit of rubble, there's buildings on each side of him as he takes in the alleyway. It's dark, as if he's been swallowed up by shadows but after standing, he takes a step.. and then another.
He stumbles a little, in all honesty something feels wrong but perhaps it's his old clothes.. his aching body.. how heavy his head felt. He moves to rub it, a hand moving up to place itself on the brick walls to keep himself stable while the other moves as if to rub his temples.
He freezes.
The slide of.. 'skin' being different from what he vaguely remembers, strange... as though it doesn't belong there and when he takes another step, wetting his shoe in a puddle.. he looks down.
Then he tumbles to the ground in shock seconds later, a startled cry leaving his lips. What.. what was that? Was he seeing things? Was he high? Now that he really thought about it how... Did he even get here? He shakes his head, he doesn't know that answer just yet but what he does know is that the glimpse that he caught in the puddle was far more different than he initially thought it would be. His chest is rising and falling, he's been sitting here for a couple seconds now and he wills himself to move a little.
He climbs onto his hands and knees, shakily moving to the puddle again and when he slowly looks over it.. his eyes widen at the view.
'i..is that me?' he wonders, his voice soft though that seems to be something that also went through a bit of a change, a little lower.. scratchy..
He stares for a second, then two and then three and eventually he moves his hands. He stares at them, at their features.. his skin being different, navy blue in color aside from.. what? Are these claws?
What.. what had happened? Why could he only remember maybe a second or two before actually waking up here? Why was he in an alley, why.. was his head a television?
Big, boxy, old timey in nature.. They had only just started making these from what he knew but still, such a fact wasn't important at this time. What was important what figuring out what exactly was going on. He clambers to his feet and they feel weak, shaky, as if he's been sitting for too long, like they fell asleep on him. His hand gripping at what he could to pull himself up until he's slouched against the broad, brick wall.
Was it just him or was his body exhausted? Granted he was wounded.. as if he'd been tossed down twenty eight different flights of stairs or so but he doesn't want to stay here. Doesn't want to do so and not know anything about this place or himself. He needs to get to a different place, maybe there was a room or hotel available? Even so.. as he thinks on his empty pockets he remembers that most places won't accept without pay.. he hopes he doesn't have to stay here, in this alley and as he limps forward, heading to the exit of the space he quickly finds that he doesn't want to stay outside the alley either.
Its explosive, the amount of noise around. There's many buildings and people.. creatures? Their bodies come in various forms; horns, wings, tails, claws, fangs.. and even with all of that he finds no one with.. features like his own.
A television for a head.
If he was where he was starting to think he was then he was starting for feel a little mocked.. whether by God or the Devil himself he wasn't to sure but the long he stood here watching others go by the more he started to feel a sense of bitterness build in his chest.
He yelps when suddenly shoved, his already weakened stance leading him into falling against the building for a moment, wincing with a little hiss before turning his gaze back at his perpetrators.
They're a group of ghouls, foulish looking beings that almost made him leap out his skin when he raises his gaze to them.
"Woah boss look! What a fucking freak, I've never seen a head like that before!" The creature says, pointing and the man with a television for a new head all of a sudden feels like there's a million different eyes on him. It's.. uncomfortable, more so when others look over at the commotion as well. How rude.. even if he did look weird surely he didn't need to be called out in the middle of the road and with such a tone.. as if he was a pony at a circus, an animal in a zoo. He can't resist the way he shyly moves to cover his face, a saddened frown now forming on his screen only for another beast to come from beside him and take hold of his wrists.
He gasps and they crowd him, the biggest in the group leering forward now to the box headed demon.
"L..Let me go.." he says softly now, gritting his teeth a little because of there was anything he didn't want right now it was to be touched.. grabbed.. manhandled by a mob of creatures he's never seen before. His already racing heart had now grown faster, pounding in his chest and at those words another impish looking being giggles haughtily.
"'l-l-let me g-go..' HA! Get a load of this guy!" The smaller creature grins wickedly, clearly tickled. "Boss! We should keep him or beat him up? Who knows what he could have on him?" He suggested but a few other voices speak as well. Some mentioning pushing him around, making him do work for them, even keeping him like he was a pet. Each idea that was spewed only worsened to worried feeling in the newcomer's gut, a horrid stirring that made him feel sick. He yanks to get his wrist free, stumbling back and tripping back into a trashcan.
It's embarrassing, more than just embarrassing.. the way he moves as if he's never walked a day before in his life or the way that when he falls back he can feel some new wetness, cringing when he thinks of the many different substances it could be that he feels soaking his pants. It makes him feel sick and it feels familiar as well, the feeling of becoming a laughing stock as well as the distant feeling of.. tears building in the corner of his eyes.
He mustn't. There's no way he could let such emotions out here, even though when the group points at him, giggling and laughing at the scene, it definitely becomes an option. Even though he couldn't remember too well right now.. he had these moments before..of being seen as someone to mess with but he truly found himself hating it right now. The TV headed demon scoffs, quickly trying to clamber out the can, rocking it until it falls back and trash tumbles out with his lean body. His cheeks are flushed, humiliation surging through his entire body as the streets seem to fill with laughter and before he can stop himself he forces his body to move. One foot before the other and he gets to his feet again in a rush before scurrying away, running like he stole something.
Damn those things. Coming out of their way to mess with someone they didn't even know in the slightest, who's done nothing to them but be in their presence.
They yell after him, the clattering of the trashcan as it hits the ground alerts the group of his esape but now that he's back on his feet who would he be to stop now.
That wobbly feel he has before quickly melting away as he goes, feet hitting the group in haste. When he turns his head; sweat starting to stick to his skin, his breath a little ragged he can see them, chasing after him like predators would after prey. His heart feels like it's threatening to throw itself right out of him and it's just for a moment, a split second that he closes his eyes and collides harshly into what seemed like stone and honestly it hurts a little. He wheezes a little, the air being knockout of him and when he takes a little step back his head feels like it's spinning like one of those old cartoons with some pitiful character who had something heavy dropped on them. When his step back a hand comes out, taking hold of his forearm.. gripping him firmly to stop him from meeting the ground once more today and honestly he's a little grateful for the hold. It takes an extra second, the TV demon having to shake his head a little before he quickly looks up at the force he's been met with.
His eyes widen.
Those eyes of his connect with crimson ones, dark and red as blood themselves and as he looks a bit longer.. the person's whole outfit seemed to consist of such. He stares for a moment before the other opens his mouth instead, pulling the TV demon closer to leer close to his face, his screen.
"Ohohoh~ I don't think I've ever seen someone like you around here before.." the man in red coos. His voice makes the TV demon perk; it's interesting, unique.. much like.. a radio. He attempts to respond but between being on the run, being new to this place, being dirty.. and now being in the grasp of this stranger he can't allow himself to get distracted even though it's very much tempting now that they've ran into each other.
"Where are ya box head! You can't hide forever yeah?" A rugged voice rings through the air and the TV headed man turns to look in the direction of the voice before trying to wring his arm free a second later. He's panicked, worried and the man in red stands before him, watching such expressions closely with an everlasting smile on his own lips. He can see it, the state of this demon and though usually he doesn't decide to get in the middle of business others have he moves to pull the other before him, standing in front now and.. shielding him? It surprises the TV, makes him feel like this really was just some horrid dream but one with.. perhaps a hero?
No, nonono.. he shouldn't think like that. Not when he just crashed into this man while knowing nothing about him and yet.. when that group comes rounding the corner and face to face with the man in red they all collectively come to a halt. A full stop.
"Good day gentlemen."
The TV demon hides behind him actively now, he can't help shake a bit but when silence fills the air he slowly opens his eyes which he hadn't even realized he snapped shut to look over the man in red, past his form to see the group look as white as ghosts. It sends a wave of shock through him, the way that just like that they had gone from unpredictable hooligans to.. small, shaky pussies just.. from the presence of this man?
"It seems as though you all are looking for something. Maybe I could offer some assistance?" Comes that voice of his again and it really is something that the newcomer has never experienced before, never heard of but by the looks on the others faces it's like they've run into the devil himself.
"A-Ah no.. that..that's fine." The leader of the group spews and he almost gasps just from hearing him, compared to moments ago that demon sounds like he'd just pissed himself. The tension is thick, a shiver runs down the TV demon's spine and he has to wonder why.. why did it seem like a switch had been flipped? He looks to the man in red in front of him, a ball of sweat rolling down his spine.
"Good answer, so get out of my sight." Comes that voice again and as the last word fills the air, so does a flurry of.. tentacles. Thick, long and only black in color and along with their screams the TV demon lets out one as well, especially when a tentacle all on its own takes place of the man's hand on him, grasping him and quickly moving to surround his body, closing around him and if he thought his hand on him was firm the hold of this limb was practically indestructible. It moves to wrap around his head, covering his mouth and in his surprise the TV demon can't be bothered to pay any much needed attention to the scene in front of him anymore as the man in red chuckles. He makes quick work of them; bloodcurdling cries filling the air and though he can't see he finds himself being more scared than he was before meeting this man and then.. there's nothing but silence.
The TV demon squirms as much as he can, thrashing as the tentacle squeezes him until he's moving, being moved. Lifted off the grown to be held with ease right before the man in red and his eyes are so blown open, especially when the brick walls around them suddenly looked red.
What was going on? What had happened? His head was spinning with so many thoughts so many worries, he couldn't see the scene from here but he had a scarily bad feeling that he knew nothing good had led to that silence though maybe it wasn't something bad either? Maybe the police had come or some of their friends had told them to back off? Maybe that red color that cling to the walls had always been there and he just didn't see it prior? Maybe-
"You don't mind speaking with me for a while right?" The man in red hums as they look at each other, his gaze friendly.. at ease..
"It gets awfully boring around here you know?" He sings and feeling as though his life could be in danger, he nod quickly and watched as the man grins wickedly in response.
"Good, very good, little picture box."
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Basically a preface, a starter to the start of this story. Corrections may be made later. Comment and like to encounter for more. Next chapter will be a lot longer, at least 5k so keep tuned.~