I'm Here to Help You (Darkiplier x Reader)

Return to the Arena

A cold sensation remains on my lips as I head down the stairs. I grab breakfast as early morning light streams through the patio window. Dark sits on the couch, staring out of the window. He leans so that his elbow rests on the arm of the couch and his chin rests against his balled fist. I make myself a bowl of Cheerios, then sit on the floor in front of the couch, leaning back against it.

"Hey, Dark," I ask. His eyes instantly flick in my direction when I speak. "Do you eat?"

He turns back to the window. "I can, technically. I find no reason to."

I nod and return to eating my cereal. When I finish, I set the bowl next to me and let the back of my head rest against the seat of the couch. I close my eyes. Though I definitely should be tired, my mind feels wide awake. Physically, yes my body lacks sleep, but my mental state is sharp and aware, like I got an incredible night's rest. Weird, I think.

My eyes open to see Dark sitting forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His eyes flick to his clasped hands. Had he been looking at me?

"Can we go to that arena, again?" I ask, hopefully.

The man turns to me, mildly surprised but slightly smug. "I thought you didn't like murder."

I sigh. "Go ahead, you were right. Can we go or not?"

"We can, but I refuse to take you if you'll act so rude," he smirks, appearing above me. Dark stands with his hands behind his back, feet together, leaning so that he can look me in the eyes.

"I'll be polite," I promise. Dark hums in thought, which isn't a good sign.

"I've done so much for you, yet I get nothing in return. How inequitable." I feel like I know where this is going. "What can you give me?"

"If I knew what you wanted from me, I'd gladly give it to you and you could be on your way," I mock. Dark gives an unamused look, receiving a shrug from me. He squats and places his forearms on the couch seat in front of him, folding his hands together behind my head. Leaning closer, he keeps the serious look. I fight a chill that runs down my spine, as his cold breath flows past my left ear.

"You know what I want, [Y/N]," he sighs into the crook of my neck. This time, I can't suppress the shiver that causes me to tremble temporarily. Dark laughs at my body's response, causing more cool air to dance across my skin. Goosebumps rise on my neck and limbs. The demon's lips gently brush my shoulder, making my heartbeat's speed double.

Jesus, this is affecting me way more than it should, I scold myself.

"I'll stop if you just give me want I want, [Y/N]." Light kisses trail up to my jawline, then he stops and lingers just as our lips would meet. Dark gives me a questioning and seductive look.

"Fine," I sigh, redness alighting upon my cheeks.

Dark's smile grows as he presses our lips together. Again, I don't resist. A relaxing cool washes over me. When he breaks away and I open my eyes, we're already in the stands of the arena. We're much closer than before, sitting with front row seats. When the axe comes down to "reward" the final contestant, I might even be splashed with blood. I grin. Dark sits to my left, his right arm wrapped around my waist. I don't particularly mind.

"Welcome, contestants. The rules here are simple," I hear the voice saying for the third time. "Only one of you can leave this arena alive. We leave it up to you to decide who that is."

I can't help but sit forward. This time, I have a perfect view of the contestants' frightened, panicked, and – occasionally – grimly determined expressions. Dark sits back and watches, smiling deviously. Admittedly, my smile is most likely manic, as well. There's really no way to smile at the beginning of a death match without looking absolutely unhinged.

Maybe I am completely unhinged. Who the hell cares, if I enjoy myself? I think. Maybe embracing insanity isn't such a bad thing.

My train of thought pauses as the contestants begin to move. The bloodlust is as glorious as ever, and the violent display deeply satisfies me. At some point, Dark had also sat forward, so that we're shoulder to shoulder. Finally, the contestants begin to drop, one by one. It's similar to the others: lots of bludgeoning, occasional use of the flames, some use their teeth. A particularly strong contestant took two others' heads and crushed them together. One survived the impact, attempting to crawl away with half of its skull caved in. They were quickly eliminated.

In the end, the final contestant was still taken out by the axe that swings down. They received their "reward", just like the winners before them – except for me, of course. When we return to my house, I've been adequately entertained. We appear back where we had been before, sitting on the ground in front of the couch.

"It's weird," I say to Dark, "seeing all those people fight after having been in the ring, myself."

"You seem to still have enjoyed it," he comments.

"It's like playing a really good video game, and then watching a let's play for it later. You can still enjoy the video, even though you've already experienced it," I explain. Dark nods thoughtfully at my response.

I tap his arm and he reluctantly lets me move off of the ground. Moving up, I sit on the couch and grab the remote. I decide to watch tv for a while, eventually finding myself sitting on the couch upside down again. Dark sits next to me and places a hand on my upturned stomach.

After about five episodes, I slide off of the couch. Stretching, I move to the stairs. When I return to the living room, I've fixed my hair and clothing. Dark looks at me quizzically, then appears in front of the door, blocking my path.

"Where are you going?" he demands.

"I'm just going out for a walk. I'm all excited now, I can't just sit around," is my answer. Dark folds his arms over his chest, and looks at me skeptically. "Oh, come on. I've learned not to let people kiss me. It won't happen again... most likely. You can come with, if you really want to."

"I'd rather not," he mumbles. Sighing, he relents, "You can go if–"

"Let me guess: I have to 'give you something' in return."

"You know me too well," he grins, leaning closer to me.

Rolling my eyes, I don't wait for Dark to initiate contact. I quickly rise onto my toes and press my lips against his. He's completely shocked by my forwardness. I use his moment of surprise to brush past him and hurry out of the door, laughing to myself.

"See ya, Dark."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "I'm Here to Help You" as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and votes are super appreciated. Thanks for reading! ~Blue