Everything hurts.
Azazel's eyes slowly fluttered open as his hand moved to his waist. He could feel the fabric of the bandages underneath his fingertips. He brushed his fingers across them.
Emma rushed over to his side. His vision was still blurry, but he could tell it was hers from her light floral scent. It was a scent he had quickly grown very fond of.
"Emma?"
Emma had noticed Azazel opening his eyes. She stood up and walked to the bed. She looked down at him, focusing her gaze on his. Her hand gently brushed against his arm as his vision began to clear.
"Azazel!" She exclaimed. "You finally woke up. I've been so worried."
Azazel looked down at his abdomen and noticed the bandage, which had blood soaked into it. He didn't remember how he had gotten the bandage.
"I don't even remember everything that happened," he whispered.
I fell into a deep trance. I can't remember a thing.
The last thing he remembered was Greg being utterly annoying. He had wanted to smack the annoying smirk off the man's face. He couldn't remember anything past that point. It seemed his anger had intensified, then he blacked out.
"Did we get the hammer back? Azazel asked Emma.
"Yes," Emma responded with a subtle nod. "Zeus told me he was never going to put the Mjolnir down again."
Azazel chuckled lightly, which made him wince from pain.
Apparently, even laughing is going to hurt right now. I really do need to take it easy.
"Take it easy," Emma stated, frowning down at him.
Azazel sighed and laid his hand down on the side of the bed. When he did, Emma placed her hand on top of his.
"How long was I out?" Azazel asked as he stared up into Emma's eyes.
"It's been about two weeks," she stated with a frown. "I was worried. Granny and I patched you up as soon as we could."
Emma smiled gently and looked to the corner of the room.
Luke had fallen asleep in the corner and hadn't noticed Azazel wake up. The scholar had been working diligently to create new manuscripts about not only Lucifer's words and his becoming king, but also Azazel's exploits. He was a man dedicated to the pursuit of all things hellish.
"Why is he here?" Azazel asked as he looked over at the sleeping Hell Scholar.
As Luke snored in the corner, Emma walked closer to him. She poked his shoulder, but it seemed he was deep in sleep and didn't notice it. She looked down at the document he had been working on and held it up, showing it to the demon.
Azazel focused his eyes on it. Curious as to what it said.
Perhaps reading it could refresh my memory.
"It looks like he documented everything," she stated. "The entire battle is documented here, plus everything that happened in the aftermath."
Azazel raised a brow. He couldn't believe Luke was that dedicated to the study of demons. Surely the battle wasn't that intriguing. "Let me see it."
Emma walked back over to Azazel and handed him the document.
The demon took it from her. He held it up above his head and read through the entire thing. It didn't take long, as he was a swift reader.
Even though it did go into detail about what had happened during the battle against Greg, he couldn't remember the majority of the night. Azazel was just pleased the battle was successful and nobody had died that night, even if he did feel Greg would have deserved such a fate.
"Interesting," he muttered as he handed it back to her.
Emma placed the document back on the table beside Luke. She then walked back to the bed and looked down at Azazel with her hands folded in front of her. She had desperately missed Azazel while he was in a trance.
"What?" Azazel asked.
With a smile, she leaned down as she tucked stray hairs behind her ear. She moved closer, pressing her lips against Azazel's in a quick, gentle kiss.
This surprised him. He looked at her as she pulled away, a mischievous smirk forming on his lips. If he didn't have the wounds, he would attack her. To hell if Luke woke up and saw. It was a shame his physical condition wasn't good at the moment.
"Too bad my condition doesn't allow for more tempting activities, my kitten," he hummed as he raised a hand up to brush his fingers across her cheeks, which flushed pink as soon as his touch met her skin.
"Too bad," she whispered back in response.
Luke began to stir as he heard the two of them speak. He opened his eyes and looked at the bed. He took a moment, but grabbed his quill and began to jot more down on the manuscript.
Emma quickly stood back up straight. Her eyes darted to Luke's position. She watched in amusement as he furiously scribbled on the document. His focus caused her to wonder what else he could possibly have to include in it.
Azazel took a deep breath. He slowly sat up while bracing his abdomen with his arm. He attempted to not disturb the wounds too much as he sat on the side of the bed, but he could feel the pain in both his abdomen and back as he moved his body.
He winced and took a deep breath. It was harder to move than he imagined.
Emma watched him with concern.
"Don't push yourself."
Azazel nodded. He looked at her and noticed the concern in her gaze. He didn't want to sit idle and waste time, but he also didn't want to concern her.
Emma sat down on the bed next to him, her hand gently rubbing his back.
"Does it hurt?"
"It does," Azazel admitted. "It seems like I had quite the scuffle on the little bridge."
"It's a good thing I documented everything," Luke chimed in as he continued to write.
"Were you watching the entire thing?" Azazel asked.
"Of course," Luke stated excitedly.
"How could I not make sure to witness a demon in a demon battle? It was glorious!"
"Lucifer should just take you down to hell," Azazel frowned as he thought of Luke's possible reaction.
Luke perked up in his seat. He always dreamed of seeing hell, but he never thought it would be possible to go there while he was still alive. In fact, he never even thought to ask Lucifer if he would be willing to take him there.
"Do you think Lucifer would be willing to give me a tour?"
Luke hurried out of his seat and sat criss-cross applesauce in front of the bed. He removed his glasses, looking at Azazel with a glimmer of hope glistening in his eyes.
Azazel thought about it for a moment. He was sure Lucifer would make him go and monitor Luke while he studied the underworld.
"Perhaps," Azazel replied, looking down at the brown-haired man. "I suppose we could ask for a tour."
Even though Azazel was a demon, he had never been there, so he was curious.
"Are you sure it would be a good idea?" Emma asked nervously.
"No," Azazel admitted with a grin.
Azazel studied Luke's face. The Hell Scholar looked full of excitement at the prospect. Azazel was sure the man would have a field day going down to hell but would end up treating it like a school field trip.
Something about the way Luke studied demons always irked Azazel, and he couldn't put his finger on the exact reason he found it so unsettling.
"As soon as you recover enough, let me know," Luke began. "I want to see the pits of hell with my own two eyes as soon as humanly possible."
As Azazel thought about it, he was becoming more and more curious about what hell really looked like.
"Sure thing," he agreed.
He looked over at Emma. He could see a look of concern in her eyes. He reached over and gently stroked her arm with his fingertips.
"If you decide to go, please be careful," she whispered. "You are already injured."
"I'm sure it will be fine," Azazel stated reassuringly. "If we go, we'll be with Lucifer. He is hell's lord, after all."
"Still," Emma stated, puffing out her cheeks. "Be careful."
Luke stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. With a smile, he walked back to his chair and took a seat. He began to work on the document again.
A sudden, loud knock on the door caused Emma to jump up. She looked at Azazel and then at the door.
"Come in," Azazel commanded while looking at the door.
Slowly, the door crept open, and an unexpected person entered the room. He was not wearing his usual armor and was patched up with bandages of his own. The blonde demon stepped forward, clutching his own bandaged wounds.
"Greg?"
Azazel furrowed his brows and looked at Greg, who took a seat at the table where Luke was parked.
"What are you doing here?" Azazel asked.