i'll be there | cyan [c]

♕ | humans

     Ryan held on to my hand as we walked down the street. It was a rainy day, but that didn't seem to stop anyone from going about their normal routines, including one of the few street performers I've seen around here. His act makes more sense now that it's apparent to me that he's a fear demon. Or, at least Ricky tells me he's one. There are too many types for me to fathom.

     Spencer always struck me as a little bit of a weirdo, but I guess it's a relief to know he's not actually in any danger when he's shoving swords down his throat and having spiders crawl back out in place of the metal, eyes white like snow. It's sort of a wonder how many people are willing to be scared shitless by someone like him. The ironic part is how shy he is when he's not coughing up blood and wasps.

     I don't know how he convinces people it's fake. Especially when it isn't. He doesn't ask for money, since, well, feeding off of human fear is payment enough, I guess. Ryan seemed interested, and he tugged me to a stop as we were walking past. He kept us back a bit from the crowd, watching Spencer carefully.

     "He's good at that," Ryan murmured. "There aren't any kids here, notice that?" He looked up at me. "Even demons have enough courtesy not to do awful things around little kids.. Why are humans so.. so messed up?"

     How am I supposed to answer that? I guess I'd never noticed how Spencer acts with an all adult crowd versus a crowd with even one kid. I don't think I've ever seen him scare anyone around a child. That's pretty bad, when a demon is more polite than most humans are.

     They can't see Spencer's horns. They can't see his sharp teeth or the barbed tail that was scraping the sidewalk; but I can.

     Spencer leaned forward as he slowly pushed a sword down his throat, grinning like the maniac he pretends to be. A few people winced or looked away. "They're afraid because they worry he'll hurt himself," Ryan spoke softly, squeezing my hand, "Because they'd feel guilty if he died in front of them."

     It's odd.

     Just as odd is Spencer. Terrifying, horrifying, Spencer, standing out here in the pouring rain with a sword down his throat. Spencer, the petrifying street performer who coughs up wasps and lets spiders crawl all over him to feed off of a crowd's fear. The same Spencer who spends his spare time uptown volunteering at the animal shelter. The same Spencer who comes to the library every Wednesday evening and just reads whatever book Ricky recommends that day.

     People are strange; demons are stranger.

     Ryan tugged my hand, and we kept walking. "Chris..?" He spoke up as we arrived at the library, both of us soaking wet from the rain. "Yes?" "Not all humans are bad, are they?" He asked me, "Not all of them do bad things? I know you don't do bad things.."

     I just shook my head and ruffled his hair up. "No," I told him. "Not all humans are bad. And no, not all of us do bad things. Well, we do bad things, sometimes, but not horrible things. Do you understand what I mean, Ryan?"

     The little fox just nodded. "Mhm.."

A/N: short update. (sorry (not) for being so obsessed with spencer lately lmao)