𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯

SEVEN

WITCHES have this thing with knowing when disasters occur before they happen. Every tsunami that crashes against shorelines and every hurricane that rips through lands is guaranteed to be foretold much before the event actually happens. First, it's the constant feeling of paranoia that never fails to be forgotten then, it's the chills that coarse through their bodies, and not long before the chills settle in do the dreams follow. 

That night Salazar thinks he dreams of hell but the hell in his dreams is all wrong. Hell is a replica of Earth bathed in red, red fire, red lava, red suns but wherever it is he dreams of is a blackened Earth where a dense forest weans out to create a path towards a large looming figure. It calls to him, literally, it calls out his name and edges him forwards. He doesn't move, his body's suspended atop a large building's edge so if he does he'd just freefall to the ground below. 

It doesn't have eyes but he knows it's looking at him. In that dream, he had frowned and titled his head at the being confused as to why he felt as if he knew it, was familiar with it. It's the first of many irritating dreams that keep him from getting proper sleep causing his eye to twitch at any sound that creaks in his house. 

He's about to mix a potion for headaches when there's a knock at his door, in his half-awake state he isn't prepared for the noise and drops the glass vial he's about to fill with the potion. He huffs knowing that the crash would have made a sound loud enough to be heard from outside. 

"Steve Harrington," Salazar leaned against the threshold of his door eyes widened with interest acting as if he didn't already know it would be him, "To what do I owe this visit?"

The high school senior smiles at him and rubs the back of his head, "Hey Salazar, you got time to talk?"

Salazar almost purrs the next few words, "For you? Always."

Salazar moves his body to the side enough to let Steve in past him not at all concerned about any of the things that would give him away as being anything less than human. All those things are conveniently hidden to human eyes and he's 101% sure that Steve is only human. 

"I called Nancy bullshit," Steve blurts out before Salazar can get a word out, falling onto his couch to bury his head in his hands. 

"Girlfriend Nancy?" Salazar asks and Steve nods, "Then what's got you upset? she called you bullshit too. Isn't this a perfect example of, 'An eye for an eye'?"

Steve runs a hand into his hair and Salazar has to fight not to focus on the way it caused the once perfectly styled hair to become a mess. He reminds himself that humans are boring, but annoyingly can't let that thought apply to Steve. He'd play along with the passing interest he had in the male convinced it wouldn't last very long. 

"It's just," Steve starts and he's looking up to Salazar who is mid-swing from drinking something that looked like cranberry juice, "I think I really meant it."

"Good," Salazar snorts and sets his glass down, "She is bullshit."

Steve narrowed his eyes although the look isn't harsh, "Hey, man."

Salazar grins and waves a finger back in forth in enjoyment, "You said it, I'm just repeating." He crossed the room and sat down in the chair in front of the one Steve sat in, "Don't you have those friends to talk to about this?"

He grimaced and avoided the pointed look Salazar was giving him. Their conversation obviously isn't going to be interrupted so he has no choice but to answer back, "And get laughed at? No thanks, besides everyone's all focused on that Billy guy."

Salazar doesn't know who Billy is and doesn't really care to find out, his attention is all on Steve and the way he looks like he's seconds away from bolting out his house and over to wherever Nancy Wheeler is. Frowning, he stood from his chair and sat next to Steve, hands carefully placed onto his lap and body close enough to Steve that their shoulders brushed lightly. Humming to himself he watched the nerves vanish off Steve in a quick second and grins in satisfaction, a little devil powers never failed to work. 

The now calmed down Steve breathed out, ears taking on a light red colour the more Salazar leaned on him. Ever so more devil than witch caused Salazar to bask in the emotions that came unfiltered towards him from the small contact they were making. 

"Then," Salazar finally speaks, "Stop feeling so torn up over calling her bullshit, she is―ah!" He cuts himself off noticing Steve make a motion to speak, "Let me finish. She is because she doesn't appreciate you and all your pretty boy glory. Stop acting like you're going to lose something, it's her who is."

He almost wants to vomit at the kind words that pool out of his mouth, it's unfamiliar and definitely not something that he wants to revisit. It reminds him of being back home and calming Zelda down when she would cry, terribly disturbing to think about. 

Steve smiles at him tentatively and Salazar's heart does an annoying thump.

Make it really disturbing.

━

"NOT this shit again." Salazar groaned from his place on top of the large tower. 

The creature is looking at him again, body shifting slightly when a crash of red lightning tumbles from the thick clouds. The other Earth is darker than before―if that was even possible and a thick smog is stretched all along the greying ground. A part of Salazar wishes his premonition could have been about something more enjoyable than this, maybe something to do with Eve having her head impaled on a stick for all those entering the gates of hell to see. 

There's a moment of prolonged silence, ruined when it screeches and thunders down legs made of black smog.

Nothing could have been worse than the coherent words that broke in between the screeches, "Master."