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

Demon's Subconscious

We return to the house, and I'm ecstatic to not have to listen to people's boring thoughts. Dark's mind still whispers in the back of my head, but it's become a comforting sound. I hate silence, anyways. I receive a text from my mom:

Mom: how are things going?

Me: pretty good actually

Mom: good to hear

Me: what about you?

Mom: they've kept me pretty busy but it's actually rather enjoyable

Me: that's good

Mom: yup. i have to head to a conference now. love you

Me: love you too mom

I'm glad that Mom's enjoying herself, since she's still going to be gone for a while. Though again, it feels like forever, it's only been a little over a week since she left. Dark's mind games have made the days seem much longer. Still, I don't really mind. It's entertaining.

I begin to scroll through apps on my phone, wondering how I'll spend the rest of my day. Mind reading was entertaining for a while, and I was able to laugh at people's thoughts for a couple of hours. It's 3:57PM now, and Dark and I left at around 7-something.

My legs are crossed along the length of the couch, so I take up the entirety of the seats. Suddenly, I'm forced to sit up. Dark takes a seat where my head used to be, then I feel myself falling back into his lap. I glare up at him.

"Was that necessary?" I ask.

"I decided it was," he answers.

Eyes returning to the phone screen, our brief discussion ends. The demon places a hand on my stomach, and the other goes to my hair. It's a comforting sensation, and his chilled exterior helps cool me in the summer heat. I appreciate the contact.

Soon, however, I become bored with my phone. The instant that the disinterest becomes aggravating, Dark speaks up:

"You're bored."

"Li'l bit, yeah."

"Alright, then."

With those words, I feel the fabric underneath my head change from a rough black denim to the silky fabric of Dark's fossil-tinted suit. Immediately after, I find myself sitting beside him in front-row seats in the Arena.

"You know me well," I grin.

This time, I'm the one to surprise Dark by scooting closer to him. I'd known that he'd wrap his arm around me, so I decided to just close the gap already.

I can still read minds, and it's interesting to hear what goes on in the contestants' minds. Most of them are merely panicking or have gone into primal mode. There are the one or two of them who are actually attempting to prepare themselves for battle.

As the bloodbath continues, I can hear the screams of anguish in and outside their minds. In all honesty, it's just as good hearing the second one.

Turning to Dark I say, "This is infinitely better now that I can hear their horror."

"Trepidation is always much more enjoyable when experienced inside the mind," he replies, holding me tighter.

I can hear the terrified surprise in the final contestant as the axe swings down to decapitate them. Throughout the battle, large sprays of blood just barely missed me, though a few drops landed on my right cheek. While I had been cheering, a bit landed in my mouth, as well. The old me would've wished that I'd been repulsed, but now I simply accept the metallic taste.

We return to the house, with me still laying in the demon's lap. His hands return to my stomach and hair. I relax in his hold, strangely comforted by the unusually gentle touch. I stare up at the ceiling, eventually closing my eyes and just listening to the sound of Dark's breathing.

I don't actually fall asleep – only my body feels tired, but my mind feels perfectly fine – I just sit and think. My mind wanders to Dark's. His thoughts have slowed significantly. I look up and notice that he's... sleeping, maybe. The demon has his eyes closed and his breathing is slower. 

Now that he's not focusing on things objectively, his thoughts are more abstract. Listening to them now, I get a sense of his subconscious thoughts more than his more prominent ones. As I sit and listen to simple thoughts of hatred for humanity, aspirations to become godlike – usual stuff – I begin to think about that conversation he tried to make me forget. Now's my best (and possibly only) chance to figure him out.

Then again, what do I expect to find? What am I looking for? I begin to wonder if I'm just going to end up hurting myself with his honest, unfiltered opinion of me. I mentally shake myself. I'd rather know the truth. Besides, I've already accepted that he's probably still just going to use me.

So, against my heart's pleas against it, I close my eyes and begin to search for my name.

Eventually, I find it. I see my face, accompanied by multiple memories of Dark and I together, and those times when he watched me and I didn't notice. It's weird seeing them from his perspective. There's one in particular where we're sitting on the couch and I'm staring off into space, probably thinking. When I had realized he was looking at me, I had turned to him, and I feel Dark's stomach drop at the eye contact.

In another, he's wrapped his hands around me and I'm leaning against him. I can feel my own heartbeat against his chest. It's oddly relaxing. Suddenly, I'm filled with a weird feeling. It's a good feeling, but it kinda hurts, too. I've felt this before: The blossoming feeling in the stomach, tightening chest, warm face. Dark doesn't have a heart – at least, not one that beats, anyway – but it feels like a hand is trying to tug the nonexistent organ from his chest.

I've always labelled that feeling as affection, but that can't be right. Why would he feel that way toward someone like me? Dark's a demon – charming, intelligent, powerful, analytical – so it makes no sense that there'd be any attraction to me. I'm just some human. Sure, I've proven to be a bit smarter and more accepting, but that's not too unique, is it? Am I really that different?

All of a sudden, I'm hyperaware of my own feelings for Dark. A strange sense of elation overcame me when I discovered his enjoyment of my company. Digging further, I try to find the memory of the moment he mentioned "resisting". Before I can, I feel Dark's thoughts pick up again. He's waking up.

I snap my eyes open and begin thinking of the conversation, making sure to avoid any thoughts of what I had just experienced. Dark's breathing quickens slightly, and one of his hands twitches with lucidity. I look up at him, finding him staring at me.

He appears to be in deep thought, analyzing me. I just stare back.

"Tell me how much you saw," Dark demands to know.

I decide not to deny my actions, but don't give him all of the information. "Not as much as I wanted to, in all honesty."

He gives me a glare. "You gave me the ability to read minds," I shrug. "I'm just using it to my advantage. It's not like you haven't done the exact same thing to me."

Though he's still mildly frustrated, the demon doesn't have a good argument. Dark sighs.

"I'm assuming you have questions, then," he relents.

"And I know that you do, as well," I state.

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