Archive of Our Own ^beta

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  While it was distinctly obvious to anyone with half a brain and a pair of eyes, Nathan still seemed not to get it. “But why does Abbadon hate him so much?” He asked again, watching as the demon in question paced the foyer, hands clenched behind his back and eyeing the hotel entrance. “He seemed like a perfectly nice fellow.” 

  Katherine gave him a tired look and pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh. “He’s a priest. A priest that just so happens to look incredibly similar to Abaddon.”

  “Okay??”

  “He sealed me in the vessel and had I not killed him he would have killed me!” Abbadon shouted across the room at Nathan. 

  “Ohhhhh! You did mention a priest did that, didn’t you?”

  “Who else could have?” Kathy asked incredulously. 

  “I don’t know. Anyone with a cross and a knowledge of the Bible?” 

  “No.” Abbadon said clearly, “Only priests have such power.” 

  “Okay.” Nathan nodded, tucking away that bit of knowledge in case it was ever needed again. He doubted it would be but Abbadon was a demon and any guest that might be religious could call a priest on him.

  “Whatever the case,” was Kathrine’s interjection, “Why would you bring any kind of priest to the hotel— the hotel filled to the brim with ghosts and a demon?!” 

  “He’s a ghost! And he looked so sad wandering the woods all alone, I thought he might enjoy it here.”

  “Well we do not need anymore ghosts— especially not ones with gaping holes in their torso’s— to terrorize the guests.”

  “He’s a priest! I doubt he’d be terrorizing anyone.” Nathan argued, hands on his hips.

  “He’d terrorize me.” Abbadon retorted, coming up to Nathan to point a finger at him, “You know very well ghosts are above demons.”

  “Does that work?” Katherine asked, “Since you are in a human’s body?”

  “I know not and I wish not to test it. So leave that foul priest out of this establishment!” 

  “Okay. Okay.” Nathan held up his hands placidly. “I won’t bring him around anymore…”

  “But?” Katherine raised her eyebrow as he trailed off, knowing there was a ‘but’ coming.

  “But that doesn’t mean I can’t go out there and befriend him!”

  “I forbade it!” Abbadon snapped, eyes glowing red.

  “But he looks so lonely!” 

  “I care not! I don’t want you fraternizing with my sworn enemy!”

  “How many sworn enemies do you even have?” Nathan pressed.

  “Many.” 

  “Alright. Well I’m going for a walk outside for no reason. No reason whatsoever.” Nathan walked past, hands in his pockets and heard Abbadons, “Very well.” Before he phased through the door and immediately broke into a sprint to chase after the priest. 

Chapter Text

  “Father? Uh priest sir?” Nathan called, looking around the forest. “I’m sorry about that introduction! I forgot Abaddon was a demon.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He really should remember that but it was hard sometimes when the boy looked and acted like a real child. He wondered briefly if Abaddon maybe was a child? Like in terms of a demon's lifespan he was young? Whatever, not the point. Point was the priest had run away in a hurry and Nathan felt just *awful* about that when he had invited the other into the hotel in the first place. 

  He had been on his morning walk, listening to the birds sing and watching the golden sun beams flicker through the leaves overhead, when he saw him. The man was tall, clothed in black and wearing a brimmed hat. At first Nathan had thought he looked awful murderous but when he turned around he had a sad look and a cross around his neck. From this perspective he didn’t look like a murderer by any means, just a sad man. His shoulder length hair had draped over the sides of his gaunt face and he had looked at Nathan with what could almost be fear.

  Nathan had approached kindly, been polite, and invited him to the hotel with promises of new friends and a place to stay instead of wandering the edges of the forest for all eternity. And the man, to Nathan’s utter delight, had accepted.

  To be perfectly honest Nathan really wanted a new face around the hotel. The same old people got boring after a while— don’t get him wrong he loved everyone there but sometimes it would be nice to make a new friend…

  So he called for the man until he finally spotted that silly hat. The priest was sitting on the edge of a cliff, approximately where he had found the first time. 

  “Ah there you are!” Nathan sighed in relief. “I’m really sorry about that, are you okay?”

  “My son…” the man breathed, looking down at his hands.

  This was pretty much the first thing the man had uttered to Nathan, as before it was just polite nods.

  “Abbadon. Yeah.. I figured that out…” Nathan sat beside him, legs swinging over the edge. “I’m sorry.” He said again.

  “Abbadon.” The man drawled, as if feeling the name before repeating it with vitriol. “He still has possession of my boy! That demonic filth!”

  “Whoa, whoa. He’s not that bad.”

  “NOT THAT BAD?!” The man turned on Nathan with a roar, causing him to shrink back, “He took over my son's body, he killed me! He’s the reason I’m still stuck in this eternal damnation when I should be at the fathers right hand!”

  “But he’s changed!” Nathan cried, “He’s better now. Even since when I first took him in he’s improved quite a bit— and ever since the cultist he’s been even better. He’s not the same demon that possessed your son.”

  “I don’t believe you.” 

  “Then come back to the hotel, see for yourself.”

  “I’d rather not. I must come to terms with the reality that my son is still imprisoned in his own body.” 

  “That’s fair.” Nathan nodded and leaned back on his hands. “What’s your name, by the way? I never caught it..?”

  “Samuel.”

  Nathan cracked a smile and nodded. “Very of the time. I don’t suppose I can call you Sam?”

  “That would be… acceptable.”

  “Really?!” Nathan lit up, he didn’t think that would work! He threw his arm around the other and pulled him close, “Alright Sam, I think we can be good friends.”

Chapter Text

  Samuel shooed Nathan’s arm off his shoulder, tensing slightly. He didn’t like the way his heart froze when Nathan touched him. Nathan seemed to understand that he had overstepped and kept his hands firmly to himself. 

  The priest stared down at the bottom of the cliff, the sharp spikes that had impaled him had long since been weathered down or crumpled to dust but he remembered that day like it was yesterday. The feeling of falling through the air and the pain searing through him when he landed. The last thing he had seen was his son's face, eyes red and glaring at him. That would forever haunt his memory. And just now, seeing that same hate filled expression, it made his heart ache.

  His hand clenched over the hole in his stomach as he thought, eyes narrowing. 

  “Hey.” Nathan’s voice broke him of his own lamentation and he looked up, hand relaxing.

  Nathan looked back, concerned, “You okay?”

  “Yes.” Samuel said swiftly but that face— that concern— it made him soften and he further explained, “This is where that demon pushed me over the edge. He was the last thing I saw before I passed.”

  “Oh.” Nathan blinked before continuing. “I bet that was hard…”

  “Very. And the gaping wound is but a bitter reminder.”

  “Yeah.” Nathan trailed off. “I’m lucky I don’t have much to remind me of my death. I think the biggest thing is just the bags.” He touched under his eyes gingerly before lowering his hands and laughing tightly, “But most people don’t notice those. And I can't really see em so… I guess I should be thankful for that.”

  The priest watched Nathaniel, listening as he continued to ramble. Was it inappropriate to ask how he died? Possibly. But now he was curious. “How did you die?” He interrupted as the other was saying something about mirrors.

  Nathan stopped short and gave him a sad look. “I was told I choked watching my favorite movie but recently it came out that I had killed myself..”

  Samuel opened his mouth to ask why but Nathan was already talking again, “I know it’s a sin, father. And had I realized I’d be stuck here I would have never done it. I’m kinda a touchy person and now I can’t even hug my family or rustle the kiddo’s hair.” 

  Grunting, Samuel just nodded, “I’m sure you’ll be forgiven when your punishment ends. If you aren’t already.”