[Co-written by GorgingGeorge]

Ship: [N/A]

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Levi entered the mansion of his boss, Satan. It wasn't entirely sure what he needed, especially at the hour of 12 in the afternoon. "Ah, thank you for coming Levi." The tall orange wrath demon stated as he saw the rep of lust walk in. "It's nothing, lord Satan, but what is it that you needed me for?"  He asked before noticing a short boyish demon.  

He had light grey skin, but his ears weren't pointy, probably meaning he's a fresh demon. Not to mention the key things of his eyes lacking any pupils and that his hair black, which wasn't one of the seven sin colors. He was wearing rather dated clothing, button-down shirt, suspenders, and shorts. "My, he's quite an unusual fellow." It remarked getting closer. 

"His name is Damian, the angels found in purgatory, they say he's from the early 1920's." Satan explained. "He's rather shy, that's why I called you here by yourself. You're much more understanding than your co-workers." 

"Thank you, my lord. Now then-" Levi paused. Even though he didn't have pupils he could feel him staring. "Oh, is something the matter?" The red-haired sin asked softly. 

"You're showing so much skin." Damain stated bluntly still staring.

"Eh? Oh, I guess I forgot to change out of my work clothes. I represent the sin of Lust, so I tend to do a lot of porn shoots and sex work for anyone who summons me." It explained. "My name is Levi by the way, and I'm guessing you're new to hell?" 

"Well, I can't remember the last time I was on earth. I've been stuck in purgatory for as long as I could remember. For all I know I could have been born there." Damian remarked, keeping a bit of distance away from Levi. "If you don't mind, could you change into something a bit more... Modest? I'm sorry, I know you're the sin of lust but-" 

"Oh it's no trouble at all. Being Lust doesn't mean I want to fuck everything in sight." Levi went into his house, changing into a pair of red jeans and a maroon t shirt. "I think this should do, if you want, I can introduce you to the rest of the sins. They should be in the city square." 

"Um, sure. Hell isn't anything like I've heard about, I was expecting more lava and souls of the damned being tortured in fire." Damian admitted. 

"Oh, you must be referring to Hell One. That's only where the worst of the worst go, minor sinners stay up here. So don't worry, there won't be any torture or stuff going on here." Levi assured him. "Ah, there's Walt and Ava. He's the representative of Wrath while they're the representative of Avarice." 

The two sins approached when they noticed the oldest sin was with a new demon. "Hello Levi, who's this?" 

"Damian, he's been retrieved from purgatory."

"Ah similar to me then." 

"You were in purgatory as well?" Damian asked the blonde. "Yes, but from the looks of it, you've been stuck longer." the short demon said. "... You're wearing such feminine clothing, yet your voice is so masculine... Also, Levi referred to you as they but... There's only one of you?" The new demon stated. 

"Ah, you are indeed from the 20's. I dress feminine since it makes me feel nice, and I use they/them Pronouns since I don't jive with either He/him or She/her, y'know?" Ava asked. "I know you're confused; so was I when I came down from Purgatory. Especially with all the technology. But don't worry you'll get used to it." 

Walt just stared at Damian for a second before speaking. "Why does he have black hair?" 

"Oh, I actually didn't ask that. Maybe it'll change the longer he's in hell, like it needs to adapt to the setting." Levi stated. "We better keep going, there's still four more sins he needs to meet." He smiled and bid farewell to its coworkers.

Garrett was with his boyfriend, Sebastian, at the local cafe. The gluttony demon was stuffing himself with pastries Seb was staring lovingly at him, he found it adorable when he stuffed himself. "Huh? Oh, hey there Levi." Garrett burped, wiping some crumbs off his face. "Who's your friend?" 

"Damian, he's from purgatory since the twenties. Well since we're here how about some grub? This place has the best croissants, but their strawberry filled doughnuts are to die for too." Levi remarked. "Or we could just get some coffee if you're not hungry." 

"Doughnuts? Well, I can't remember the last time I had anything filling. I'll have one and some coffee." Damian replied. "Oooh, I'm feeling really hungry all of a sudden." 

"Well Garrett here is the representative of gluttony, I'm Sloth meanwhile." Seb introduced. "Maybe Damian could be a new type of sin? It would explain his hair not changing color while he's down here." 

Two doughnuts alongside a black coffee and a cappuccino were placed on the booth, Damian was taken in by the scent of the pastry. "Wow, these are really good. I guess hell won't be so bad to live in." He thought as he ate. 

"A lot has changed through the years. All we have left to meet is Preston and Evan, they're Pride and Envy. They're also longtime boyfriends."

"Boyfriends? They're allowed to date each other?" Damian asked, surprised since he last remembered the marriage laws were against gay marriage. "Yeah, practically everything is allowed here. Why do you ask? Do you want to be in a relationship with another man?" Levi asked. "No... That's not bad, is it?" He asked, getting a bit concerned.  

"It's not bad in the slightest, you just might be aroace." It explained. "Arrow... Ace? I mean, I'm not sure how my skills with a bow and arrow can tie into my lack of desire in the bedroom, or out of the bedroom." Damian stated, sipping his coffee. 

"No, no, not Arrow ace, aroace, meaning your aromantic and asexual. Which in itself means you don't feel romantic or sexual attraction to any gender." the lust rep explained. "Oh, I see now. I was always told I was confused for not wanting to be in a relationship by my parents. but they just wanted grandchildren..." The black-haired demon uttered. As he reminisced on his blurry memories of childhood, a small black orb came from his head. 

"Oh? What are these?" Levi asked as he poked one, causing it to pop like a bubble. Levi's vision goes blank for a bit before being flashed with the most despairing memories he ever had. Dying and watching his sister cry out for it to wake up. They only lasted a minute.

"Oh, I have a feeling you're Despair. Some say there's only seven sins, but the devil did mention something about an eighth." Levi remarked. "You have the ability to show people their worst moments of their lives, wait. Do you see my hair turning black?" 

"Um, more like a black streak. Is this what happens whenever a sin is influencing someone with their powers?" Damian asked. 

"Well Garrett does it by releasing pheromones from his hair, yours might be by creating bubbles that materialize from the memories of whoever you're with." He theorized. "Satan and Lucifer would need to hear about this." 

"Wait, I thought they were the same person. And what about Beelzebub?" 

"Oh, Beel used to be the ruler of hell, he overthrew some guy called Iblis. That's when Hell one and two were formed. Am I going too fast?" 

"Huh? Oh no, you keep explaining. Since I'm here I might as well know everything about hell and its history." 

"Alright, well each of the modern sins here were once humans who died from something related to the sins."

"I see. I think it's odd that I go to hell after giving up." 

"Well, that's because heaven is more of a gated community. Even if you mess up a little bit, they toss you down here." Levi stated as they walked. "Okay so I don't know where Preston and Evan are, so we'll have to wait for them to come to us." It stated pulling out a cigarette. "Want one?" 

"Ah, no, I don't smoke... Um... May you please not smoke around me...? I'm sorry if that's a lot to ask, but it makes me uncomfortable..." Damian quietly asked. "Does it remind you of your parents?" 

"My father specifically." Damian uttered. "Well, alright, I won't smoke around you then." Levi sighed, putting his cancer stick back in its case. "... If you don't mind me asking, why do you smoke?" 

"Ah, well, there's this girl on earth and she means the world to me, but I can't be with her, since demons can't interact with humans in positive ways... That girl is-" 

"Your little sister, Chara, right?"  

Levi paused for a moment before sighing. "Yeah... I guess you saw that with your ability, huh?" It chuckled lowly. "Did you have any siblings?" 

"I had a brother... But he died in the war as a medic... He was the only one who supported me, even if he was three years younger than me... His name was Hope, since he was a baby born with white hair to ravenette parents..." Damian explained softly.

"Hope huh? I have a feeling he might be up in heaven; they take in anyone who was killed during a war." Levi told him. "Angels and demons unfortunately are unable to meet up unless they happened to be summoned at the same time by someone. But even then, it's rare." 

Damian sighed, he hoped to at least see Hope again since they had both passed away. "I guess I'll have to find some other way to meet up, if he even recognizes me that is." He mumbled. "I miss him a lot, I don't even remember how I passed away. God... I really am Despair, aren't I?" 

Levi noticed he was having a panic attack, it quickly got up. Although he didn't know what to do, Levi was sure Damian needed someone to support him now in hell. "Uh, here. Let's get you to Satan's mansion, he and Lucifer will get you a home of your own." It suggested. 

"Uh... Don't leave." He mumbled, uncurling on his side of the booth. "What's happening? Why am I shaking? Why can't I calm down?" 

"Oh, it sounds like you're having a nasty panic attack. It'll go down in a while, but you clearly need some comforting." Turning around the cafe, Levi found an abandoned teddy bear at a nearby table. He picked it up and placed it in Damian's arms. 

"Uh, is that helping?" 

Damian didn't respond, but his breathing slowed as he cuddled the teddy bear, slowly regaining some composure. "A bit... Can you take me to the mansion?" 

Levi gently took his arm, walking with him. Along the way they found the last two sins. "Preston, you should really be more careful with that hot rod of yours." 

"Aw come on, it wasn't even scratched!"

"Pres I nearly fucking died the last time you drove, and I'm already dead!" Evan exclaimed. "Damn, alright I'll be more careful, just for you pookie~." Preston said before noticing Damian. "Levi, you had a kid!?" 

"No, he's a new demon, and he really isn't in the right mind space to be talked to. I am trying to get him to Satan's Mansion and-" 

"Oh, dawg I can totally give him a ride there." Preston stated. "... Can Levi come too...?" The black-haired demon uttered. "Yeah, sure I guess if you really want him with you." 

Once in the pride sin's car, Preston was given the death glare from Levi, basically threatening him that if he were to go over the speed limit, he would beat his so hard he wouldn't be able to walk.   

Soon the duo made it to Satan's mansion. "Ah, Levi, you're back so soon?" 

"Yes, I found out a few things about Damian. Basically, he's the sin of despair and he can make people see their worst memories just by remembering his past." Levi explained. "I see... Anyway, we should get him housing then, don't want him living on the streets." 

"C... Can I live with Levi...?" Damian asked.

"You want to live with me?" Levi looked surprised. "Are you sure? I do have a spare room for guests, but I often film in the living room. I don't want you to walk in on anything explicit. I'll be sure to tell you whenever it happens, if you're sure." 

Damian just nodded, there was something about the demon that felt comforting to him. "I promise I won't put you out, I'll pay my share of the rent and get a job too." 

"Hey, don't worry about all that, my housing is paid by the state, we just need to get you some clothes your size and I need to know all of your allergies." Levi assured him. "It's not much but it's got everything we need." 

Its house was in sight, it was a bungalow with a large lawn. "I'll show you your room, um. Excuse the mess, I didn't get the chance to clean up when I was on my way over." Levi led the younger man around the house, making their way into the room. 

"It's perfect to me, back in purgatory all I had was a single sleeping bag and a couple dried meat packages." Damian remarked. "The bed looks comfy, uh. Is it alright if I can stay for a while?" 

"Hey, stay as long as you want, I've got enough food for the week for both of us. Speaking of which. When was the last time you ate? You look like you missed a couple of meals." 

Damian didn't know what to say, he never had anyone care about him this much. Not since Hope took him in, Levi had some sort of warmth that helped him feel comfortable around it. "Um, could I have some mac and cheese? If it's not too much to ask?" 

Levi just smiled and went to the kitchen to cook.

Damian just awkwardly followed him into the kitchen to watch it cook. "I hope you're fine with boxed mac and cheese, I'll make fresh mac and cheese when I go on my next grocery trip." The rep of Lust said, cooking up the pasta. "So, if you don't mind me asking, did you have any hobbies?" 

"Ah, not really... I did paint but... I wasn't that good at it..." The despair sin mumbled. "Oh? You couldn't be that bad. Y'know, I have some gouache somewhere if you want to try to paint again." 

"Really? I don't see why but... Okay... I'll try for you... Thank you, Levi." Damian said, a small smile appearing on his face. Soon the mac and cheese was finished and was placed in a bowl. "Alright enjoy." Levi said, eating the leftover mac and cheese straight from the pot so it can just clean it afterwards.

"Thank you..." Damian said before eating. It felt so nice having something warm after ten decades of not eating. Levi just smiled as it watched him eat. But then it noticed something finally. "Oh? You have tears in your eyes, is everything alright?" It asked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I just have permanent tears. I don't know why though." Damian stated.

"It could be related to you being a sin, unless you had them ever since you were alive too." Levi suggested. Once the younger sin was finished, it took the pot in to be washed. "I'll make sure your stay here is as comfortable as possible, if you want anything I'll get it for you." 

"Um, you're sure? What if something is-" 

"Hey, nothing's too much to ask for. Especially not for someone who was stuck on his own for as long as you were." Levi insisted. "You want anything to drink now? I've got mostly wine, but I think I can find something nonalcoholic in here." 

"Erm, no I'm alright. I think I'll turn in early if you don't mind. Do you have a spare toothbrush I can use?" 

It softly smiled, leading Damian to the bathroom and picking out a brush for him to use. "I'll give you some privacy as you get washed up. If you need anything else, just call for me." He said, heading back into the kitchen to get some food for itself too. 

Damian just smiled back as Levi left, hell seemed a lot more welcoming than his old home. "This demon, it's almost like a father. I never really had any support until now, I don't think anyone had ever been this nice to me before, or ever since Hope..." He thought as he brushed. 

As he went into the spare room, he found a pair of pajamas just his size. "That was fast, it would really do anything for me."

Once changed and in pajamas, The black-haired sin got comfy in bed, immediately passing out from how comfortable it was. That slumber didn't last long however since at 3 am, the sound of moaning was heard. As lovely of a place Levi's home was, it had pretty thin walls. And for the next hour, Damian couldn't sleep. 

"Well, better stay up then." he thought aloud as he looked at his alarm clock. Its red lights intrigued him, since there wasn't anything like this in purgatory, let alone when he was alive.  

Soon, it was 7 AM, and Levi entered the room. "Morning! Sorry if there were loud noises last night, I was filming an adult film. I didn't wake you, did I?" 

"...You did but it's fine." Damian yawned softly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 

"Hey, I mean I did warn you. Though I suppose I could get you some earplugs." Levi thought as it planned the day's activities. "Alright well, I have nothing else on my schedule, how about we go clothes shopping?" It suggested. Before noticing that his hair was different. "Oh? Has your hair always been this fluffy?" 

"Ah! uh... Yeah, I usually slick it down and tie the excess into a ponytail. I don't like doing it, but it helps me look more masculine."

"Oh well why don't I take you to the barber? They can cut it down to as much as you'd like, and then we can get you some new clothes too. You can pick out whatever you like." Levi offered. "Unless that's too much to do in one day, I just figured I-" 

But before the lust sin could finish its sentence, Damian pulled it into a hug. "You've done so much for me, and I appreciate it all. No one had ever been this kind to me, I always thought I'd end up alone when I lost Hope..." He admitted. "Um, sorry about the hug. It's just I... Uh... I never really had a real paternal figure." 

Levi didn't know what to say, it would have never expected one day to adopt a demon. "Well, if you want, I could be your parent down here. I'm not sure if I'll do a good job though." 

"I think you've done more than enough to prove you're a way better parent than my dad ever was! Um, I think I could use that haircut now." 

Levi smiled, taking his hand and leading him to the local hair cutters. "There's plenty of different styles for you to choose from, I often come here whenever I need a glow up for a new film." It explained. "And here comes my man Hugo with the cuts." 

A demon walked in, dressed in a blue dress shirt and black jeans. He had tiny horns poking out of his head and a pastel blue tint to his skin. "Hello there Levi, a new photoshoot is in session?" 

"Nah, my boy Damian here wants a new do. Something masculine to fit him. Do you have any particular style in mind?"

"I uh... I'm not sure." Damian said, looking at all the modern styles and not really vibing with any one the male looks. They just looked ugly to him, or just didn't think they'd suit him.

"Well, I could see what your soul wants." Hugo said. "My soul? I didn't know I still had it." Damian stated. "Well of course you do, your form on the outside is just a container for your soul, can't just have it loose." The barber demon stated as he concentrated. Once the soul bound hair was found, Hugo got to work.   

Washing and rinsing, trimming and cutting, hair landed on the floor and soon enough his hair was just done. "So, how do you like it?" 

Damian looked himself in the mirror and stared. His hair was the same floofy texture, just now shoulder length. "I like it... But... Do you like it?" Damian asked, looking at Levi. "I mean, it shouldn't matter what I think of it, it's your hair." The rep of lust stated. It then had a realization. "Did you only want to appear masculine to please me?" It asked. "... Yes." 

Levi sighed and took Damian's hand. "Damian, you don't have to be masculine if you don't want to. I will still love you if you want to be feminine. Hell, I'm barely masc most of the time. So why should it matter to me?"  

"Well, it's just my dad. He told me I wasn't a real man, he said I would never be one." He admitted. "It seemed like nothing I did could ever please him, I could only do whatever he approved of..." 

The older demon helped him outside after paying, sitting with him on a park bench. "So you were worried that if you didn't look a certain way, I'd end up just like your dad?" It asked. "It sounds like you have a bad case of family trauma." 

"I...Is it bad?" 

"It can be hard to deal with, but it doesn't make you a bad person for having it." Levi assured him. "Plenty of us down here have issues we still have a long time to recover from. Especially if they involve what happened just before we passed on." 

Damian still looked down at his feet, it was a lot for him to take in. He had a new father figure of sorts and didn't want to disappoint him like he felt he did to his old dad. "I... I'm sorry.. I shouldn't have said all that. I should just-" 

The ravenette was about to leave when Levi held onto his shoulder, gently placing him into a hug. "Hey, you didn't mess up anything if that's what you were about to say. It just means you need a little more help; you'll get everything you need down here." It assured. "And I promise I'll never be mad at you, no matter what." 

"You... you promise?" 

"Hey, take it from me. I know what it's like feeling like a failure."

"Wha- What do you mean?" 

"Well, I also had daddy issues... Well, more like stepdaddy issues. My mom married a man when I was 12 years old. I knew immediately that he didn't like me." It started, sighing a little. "He wanted to have a child with my mom so he could have his dna out... But the child would cause her to die in childbirth, mainly due to my father wanting to not have a c-section done. And to him it was worth it... Then he abused me and my sister, since he had custody of both of us. And when I turned 18, I moved out with Chara and raised her, selling my body to afford to live together." It added. 

Tears started forming in its eyes as it remembered. "And then... It happened... I caught an STD, and I couldn't afford treatment... And I... I died... I failed Chara..." It stated, a small sob coming out of his mouth.   

Damian felt bad for making him think about his past. "You didn't fail her... You did your best to raise her and I'm sure she was grateful for the time you had together..." He uttered holding onto it, trying to console him.

"Heh, I guess we both could use a little therapy, huh?" Levi joked, hugging back. "Sometimes I wonder how Chara is doing up there. If she managed to find a family or at least a good adoption center to stay at." 

"Well, I'm sure no matter where she is, she's thinking about you and all the good times you both had together. When people care they will never forget you. That's what I think anyways. Um, do you know anyone who can help?" 

"There's plenty of doctors down here, we each have a specialist whenever we need to pull through a nasty episode. I'll introduce you to mine." Levi offered. 

After an hour-long session with the therapist, it was back to Levi's mansion they went. "And this time I got the ingredients to make some quality mac and cheese, want any bacon bits on yours?" 

"No thank you. I like it best when it's creamy." Damian smiled. "I had no idea there were so many different issues one could get with their mental state, but it doesn't sound so scary now." 

"Oh?"

"Well, now I have someone who can help me get through it all. Uh, thank you Levi."

Levi Smiled softly at him. "No problem, Damian."  

Over the course of a few years, Damian became adjusted to his surroundings, as well as himself. And it was all thanks to Levi being there for him.