Chocolate! (on hiatus)

Ch 21: Things Change.

A/N this chapter is brought to you but the song 'I eat Cannibals' by Total Coelo 

Because only in eighties could you sing about eating people

I love really strange 80's songs.

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Lola POV

I tried to focus on making the rice crispy treats but the very intimidating demon casually leaning against the wall as things flew around the room and cleaned themselves up was making me nervous.

This was a Lava Cake I didn't know. 

I didn't like it.

"...Axel.."

He looked up from his magazine, "what?"

"..could you maybe not make things fly around the room."

He frowned, "Why?"

"because its scary."

He blinked, "demons are scary, deal with it."

I looked down at the pot of melted marshmallows and cereal.

"What? no ridiculous comeback or rainbow haired attack?"

I didn't reply.

"Fucking hell Lola didn't I tell you this you was annoying as fuck?"

I bit my lip, "s-sorry."

He sighed, "Its nothing demonic, it how I have always cleaned the shop. Its a simple spell."

I looked around, "simple?"

"Yup. your gramps used it all the time."

he did? "oh.."

"..Do you want to learn it?"

I spun around shocked at his sudden nearness, "me?! lean magic? oh no, no, no. I'm happy with my frosting and gumdrops thank you Mr cake from hells hairy arm pits."

He frowned, "hells hairy...what the fuck? You can say that to me but you can't even look me in the eye?"

"...you said one look was all it took for you to-"

"And one touch or even just my voice if I wanted. For  fucks sake if I wanted to control you I could and you wouldn't even know what hit you."

I grit my teeth, wrapping my arms around myself for comfort. I didn't know how to act around him anymore. "Oh."

"Lola. look at me."

I looked up at him reluctantly.

"Do I look like a demon to you?"

I shook my head, "But you are a demon."

"True. Very true. but I was also your old mans familiar." He shot me a pointed look, "And despite my dislike for you, I respected him and I was working under him voluntarily. It would be stupid of me to spit on that mans grave for hurting you without reason."

I processed this for a long moment, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you volunteer to become grandpas familiar?"

He frowned at me, "Because I respected him?"

"why?"

He shrugged, "I had never seen a mortal man that determined to do whatever it took to help another. I was not the demon he meant to summon but he worked with what could and never broke down. He was a desperate man but not for his own selfish whims everything he did he did for another. Originally we struck a deal that was meant to kill him. I was satisfied with it, thinking he should die, thinking he was an idiot. But things change."

I blinked, brows furrowing in curiosity, "Why did it change?"

Axel eyes met my own briefly, "because Lola as a demon I am a naturally selfish man."

That didn't make any sense, "but-"

"Your treats are burning."

"Oh!" I turned to remove the pot from the stove less I do anymore damage, Looking over my shoulder I meant to thank him but went quiet at the look on his face. 

He was staring down at the pendant around his neck, one I had never really noticed before, a sad look on his face. He didn't notice me staring as he turned the intricate thing in his palms the lilac stone trapped in twisting black metal.

Suddenly I remembered seeing that pendant on him before, when I had jumped on him the day we went to the mall. I recognized the stone he wore moments later. Its lavender glow was the exact same as the stone on my grandfathers ring he had worn everyday, the ring we buried him with.

The stone axel wore in that beautiful pendant was larger but definitely the same.

He closed his fist around the intricate piece of jewelry and I turned away feeling suddenly like an invasive stranger.

Curiosity burned inside of me and I may not be good at social skills but one thing I did understand.

He missed my grandpa.

Just like I did. 

So I stayed silent, busing myself with candy making while he had his moment.