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AT THIS POINT DELILAH had grown to know Niccolo enough to anticipate that his presence always meant chaos. She would have said he didn't mean for it to happen, but that would be a lie. After all, he seemed to thrive on the mess he caused, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at the professor. His gaze flicked towards her then, catching her staring, and when she smiled his expression wavered for a second, back again to his usual carelessness a moment later.

Still, she knew everything would be fine. Helio was here, though he still hadn't told her why yet. It didn't really matter that much to her, she was glad to have him close. Somehow he always made her so calm and most of all, he was able to diffuse the tension out of any situation. Delilah offered him some papers to write on and he actually diligently started taking notes, occasionally glancing at Niccolo to keep him in check. The oracle however didn't seem to care at all, only continuing to distract Theresa as he whispered to her.

"It seems you are not only late, but also rude," the professor said, turning around towards them," surely you can share with the whole class what you've been talking about this whole time?"

"Yeah, Helio," Niccolo said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at him accusatory," fess up."

"He's talking to you, idiot," the Reaper replied.

"It's nothing, sir," Theresa said, obviously trying to remedy the situation.

Niccolo however didn't seem to have the same idea in mind, rising to his feet as he looked at the professor, eyes ablaze.

"I can tell you," he said," but you wouldn't be happy to hear the answer."

"Arrogance does not suit you," the professor scoffed, obviously growing tired of Niccolo," take your leave, I do not permit students to be here who don't respect me."

Niccolo jumped across the table, slowly walking towards the man, Helio's eyes following him all the way. For a moment Delilah could practically see the ruins in his all-seeing gaze. It must be terrible, to always see the ending of something before it begins.

"That's where you're wrong," he said," arrogance does suit me very well. Without it, I'd have gone insane."

"There's the door," the professor said, pointing at it," you heard me, this childish attitude does not do well with me."

Helio already sighed before Niccolo leaned forward, a ring of fire burning golden in his eyes, smile without any humor at all.

"You should keep quiet," he said," I can smell your sins from here. I would ask you if your wife knows you're cheating, but she'll throw you out of the house in a month. You've gotten so used to lying you don't even remember yourself anymore, do you?" He grabbed the man's neck then, applying pressure as he watched him choke amusedly, voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you want to know what your death is like? Your bones are aching under the weight you carry, I can tell you exactly how they'll break."

Students were starting to shout, some of them filming as others grabbed their stuff, but all of them looked alarmed. It was Helio who spoke up, somehow silencing the whole room with his words alone as he stared at the oracle.

"Niccolo," Helio warned," it is not yet his time, let him go. I didn't come for your games."

"You did though," Niccolo said as he turned his head towards him," what else do you think brought you here? I can see right through you, Helio, do not lie to me."

"Nico," Delilah said," that's my professor, I'm supposed to have five more classes from him."

"That's not the main point to focus on right now," Theresa said, a frown on her face as she looked at the scene in front of her," Jesus, I've had my share of aggressive dudes, but did he take something?"

"What does it matter?" Niccolo said, tipping his head back as he inhaled the panic in the room like smoke. When he turned towards Delilah, he looked positively crazy. "All these prophecies I see, do you know when they'll stop? There are only two options, so you'll guess it right."

"When you die," Delilah said, the answer so obvious in the way he was searching continuously for that silence, for a peaceful night's sleep.

"Or when everyone around me does," he smiled," what do you say? The first option is not working out, so perhaps I should just let this whole world burn."

Helio was out of his seat and beside Niccolo as soon as she blinked, the lights shattering when he spoke. In the shadows his eyes glowed like a graveyard at night, words haunting.

"Watch your mouth," he said.

"Why?" Niccolo exclaimed, seeming to be balancing on the thin line between insanity and divinity," what are you going to do, oh almighty fucking Reaper? You couldn't even do anything when she died, you think you can do anything now?"

Helio's expression darkened at once, but Niccolo continued on, letting her professor drop to the floor carelessly as he turned towards Delilah.

"Do you know why he's here?" he said," it's because I mentioned I'd be visiting you and he wanted to keep you safe. Isn't that sickening, the way you pretend to care when you're not capable to do so? How else could you have moved on from her, Helio. Tell me, how else?"

"You loved her."

Delilah's voice was clear despite the shouting of the students behind her who were running out of the room, freezing Niccolo in place. He turned towards her, gaze undecipherable as it lingered on her for a moment too long.

"I love her," he said," of course I do. I would never be able to love someone who could love me back."

He turned towards Helio then, neither of them speaking for a moment. The silence was so tense it seemed to have it's hands wrapped around their necks, like a broken heart was the price they had to pay for breathing now. The jagged pieces seemed to be stuck in both their lungs, when Helio parted his lips his voice tasted of blood.

"Do you want me to grief like you, Niccolo?" he said," do you want me to fuck up and pull everyone in my mess? It doesn't matter for you, does it? You'll still be worshipped regardless of what you do."

"I am," Niccolo said," this responsibility you carry is useless. You are literally the most powerful entity in this universe and yet you still hold onto morals and rules like they mean anything."

The room was empty now, even the professor having managed to escape, the only ones in there the four of them. Theresa was pulling at Delilah's arm to get her to come along, but somehow she couldn't get herself to follow. This wasn't her business, that she knew, but it felt like she would be abandoning them by leaving now. Mist had appeared, clouding the room, Helio still visible through it all, an uncharacteristic anger on his face. It lit up his irises like lightning, made it's way in his clenched fists and set jaw, his tattoos seeming to darken.

"You want me to let go of that responsibility?" he said, his chuckle humorless," I can ruin this whole world with a single thought if I do, but I suppose that doesn't matter to you."

"It doesn't," Niccolo said, spreading out his arms," come on! Kill me, Helio, fucking do it. End this whole world."

"I won't," Helio said, voice reminiscent of laughter in an abandoned town, stinging of lost memories and forgotten places," she loved this word. It's the only thing of her I have left."

His scarred hand closed around his scythe, which had formed out of the smoke, the silver flashing dangerously.

"However, I seem to have gotten soft lately, for you to think talking to me like this is an option."

"Helio."

He froze in place as soon as Delilah placed her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't planning on stopping him, not when this was clearly a matter she should not interfere in. The last thing she wanted to do was belittle his grief, but she had heard the faint tremble of anger in his voice, the way his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white, the way his tattoos had seeped red like blood.

"Are you alright?" Delilah simply asked.

When he stared at her he looked almost surprised, like he had forgotten everything but the fire in his veins for a moment. His lips parted, closing again a second later as he lowered his head, dark locks brushing his forehead. The scythe disappeared into smoke again as he opened his hand, nails having marred his palm with crimson crescents.

"I apologize," he said," I shouldn't have done this, not here, not with you closeby."

"It's okay," she said, holding his hand in hers as she looked him in the eye," there's no need to apologize, I would never be angry at you for allowing yourself to feel something, whether it be fury or anything else. You're entitled to those emotions."

He didn't speak as he looked at her, expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry," she said," for your loss." Her gaze flicked towards Niccolo, whose gaze was focused on her as well. "The both of you."

Niccolo took a step back like he had been burned, looking like he wanted to say something, but no words leaving his lips. So instead he turned and walked out of the door, leaving only Helio, her and a the wound he had ripped open to bleed behind.

"Delilah," Theresa said, seeming uncomfortable as she looked at Helio, at his anger," come here, we should leave."

"I would never hurt her," Helio said, reading her mind easily as he turned towards her.

"Can you promise the same for the other guy?" Theresa said.

Helio responded immediately, no hesitation in his voice.

"He wouldn't either," he said," because he knows what I would do."

"What do you mean?" Delilah blinked.

"I know better ways to break Niccolo than violence," Helio said, hand opening as he absentmindedly glanced at the smoke curling around his fingers. "I was close to using it just now, before you stopped me. Thank you for that, I know what it does to him."

"What it does to him?" Theresa said, obviously growing more confused.

"It's a punishment room to stick divine entities in," he said, a small cage forming from the wisps as it floated above his hand," one they can't leave without my permission. There's nothing he hates more than being alone with his thoughts."

"What about you?" Delilah asked.

His scythe seemed to involuntarily form out of the smoke again and he caught his reflection in the silver, gaze unreadable.

"I wonder."

When she blinked he was gone and she was back in her seat, everything restored to normal. The professor was teaching again from where he had been interrupted, the students were back in their seats, Theresa was yawning. A look to her left proved that he was gone, the only evidence that he had been there a stack of organized notes on her table, on the top right a small scribble.

"For the whole course, as an apology."

"Why are you smiling?" Theresa asked her," this is the most boring lesson ever."

"It's nothing," Delilah said.


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