Thread by @LionessNapping

Keith doesn't really mean to summon a demon in his tiny studio apartment on Friday night. He certainly doesn't mean to bind him in a way that the demon interprets as a proposal without so much as kissing the (very extremely attractive) demon.

(a #sheith thread w/ demon!shiro)

It's an accident, honestly. Keith is just barely tipsy and decides to try and read the label on the beer bottle that is in a different language because Hunk gifted it to him.

He mutters the unfamiliar words, butchering them with his repentantly American tongue and then fumbles

the mostly empty bottle. It shatters on the tile floor and Keith curses lightly before crouching down to try and pick up the glass.

An edge slices his finger open and he curses again, not nearly drunk enough to excuse his clumsiness.

A drop of blood hits the floor and a moment later -- a rushing noise.

Keith's head whips up and in front of him, crouched on the floor admidst amber glass shards, is a gorgeous stranger. With black curved horns. And a tail.

He's not drunk enough for this.

"What the fuck," he mutters.

The man (demon?) (what the /fuck/) blinks at him, mildly annoyed. "You're the one who summoned me. I'm supposed to be the one asking that."

"Summoned you?" Keith repeats, stunned into stupidity at this point.

The way this stranger looks isn't helping. He looks like he walked straight out of one of the fantasies Keith pretends not to have.

His eyes flash silver in the harsh light of the kitchen and there's a slash of a scar over the bridge of his nose.

Two matte black horns curve up and back into sharp points and strands of white hair frame his face, a stark contrast to the rest of his black hair that falls to his shoulders. His lips are plush and Keith drags his eyes away quickly only to stick on the breadth of his shoulders.

The stranger is big. Tall, even while crouching down still.

His right arm is metal instead of flesh and Keith yanks his eyes back up before he can be caught staring.

The stranger is watching him warily. "Yes. Summoned me."

"Explain," Keith says.

The stranger's tail lashes and he visibly gathers himself, smoothing all traces of irritation from his face. "I'm a demon. You summoned me with the incantation and blood and now I'm here."

Keith thinks back to the butchered words from the beer bottle and winces. "I'm sorry," he rushes to say. "I didn't mean to."

A complicated expression crosses the demon's face, settling into resignation. "Oh." He rubs at the join between metal and flesh on his arm.

"Let's get out of the glass and we can talk about this?" Keith says. It comes out as a question without meaning to.

Keith gets to his feet and holds out his non-bleeding hand to help the demon he apparently summoned up off the floor.

He looks up at Keith, all wide surprised eyes and slowly extends his hand. Keith grips it firmly and pulls him up. The demon stumbles into Keith's chest, tail wrapping around his leg before he untangles himself and steps backwards.

He hisses and Keith looks down and winces at the combination of glass and the demon's bare feet.

"Come on," he says, picking away around the glass. It's the least of his worries now. "I'll get something to clean us up and then we can talk."

"Talk?" He asks, following Keith. He sounds puzzled instead of annoyed now. "You're not sending me back?"

Keith turns to him with a furrowed brow. "No? Is that an option?"

The demon hesitates and then nods.

Keith sighs. "Just come sit down and let me stop us both from bleeding and we'll figure this out."

He guides the demon to his bed because it's far more comfortable than his fourth-hand couch and then digs out his first aid kit.

He sits down next to his guest (?) and quickly digs out a bandaid and antibiotic cream and takes care of his own finger first.

"Let me see your foot?" Keith asks.

He hesitates again. "It will heal fine on it's own. You don't need to-"

"Yes I do. You cut yourself open on glass that I dropped because I brought you here on accident. Let me fix one thing?"

The demon props his foot up on his knee so Keith can see the lightly bleeding cut on the sole of his foot.

"Accident?" He asks softly.

Keith nods and swipes a cotton ball over the cut, noting that demons are ticklish too with a repressed smile. He quickly bandages it up and closes his first aid kit, setting it aside. "That's why I was so surprised."

The demon takes his foot back and Keith settles crosslegged, facing him.

"So you don't want me here." He bites his bottom lip and Keith catches a glimpse of fangs. "Should've guessed that."

"I didn't say that," Keith blurts out.

Something in him just wants to see this man smile, wants to erase this doubt and resignation that seems to permeate his whole self.

The demon looks at him, surprise writ large on his face. "But--"

"Look," Keith starts. "I don't know what's going on, but it doesn't mean I don't

want you here."

"Oh."

"What's your name?" Keith asks. "Or what can I call you?"

The demon ducks his head, breaking eye contact again as his hair falls forward.. "I'm the demon Shirogane," he says softly.

"Is that what you go by?" Keith presses.

Shirogane peeks up through lashes that are dark and thick and Keith is /so/ fucked. He's /so/ gorgeous.

"You can call me Shiro. If you want."

"Okay Shiro," he says with what he hopes is a reassuring smile. "I'm Keith."

Shiro stares at him, something close to adoration in his eyes. Keith squirms a little. "Can I-" he swallows hard and his hand tightens on his knee, "can I call you that?"

"Yeah," Keith assures him.

"Okay, Keith," Shiro says. He seems to savor Keith's name.

"So, what does it mean that you're here?" Keith asks.

"You summoned me," Shiro repeats again, still watching Keith with bright eyes. The tip of his tail is flicking back and forth like he's working to keep the whole of it still.

"And?"

"And that means that I am at your disposal," Shiro says. "Most people are looking for power and influence when they summon a demon."

Keith can see that with the strength written into every line of Shiro's body, with the charm he obviously possesses.

"And why did you think I was going to immediately send you back?" Keith asks gently. He rests a hand on Shiro's knee to soften the question.

Shiro draws in a breath at the contact. "The last few people who summoned me have," he admits.

"No one wants to rely on a demon who's down an arm and bears the marks of failure for strength."

Keith doesn't think before he moves his hand to cup Shiro's cheek. "They were idiots, then. That only proves how strong you are to keep going."

Shiro's mouth drops open a little and Keith's name escapes on a breath. He cautiously reaches up to rest his hand on Keith's wrist. "Thank you."

Keith drops his hand, cheeks burning. "Of course," he mutters.

"What do you want?" Shiro asks. He reaches out and rests a hand on Keith's shoulder. The touch seems to come easier this time and Keith fights back a shiver.

He also has to fight back the answer of 'you' that wants to come out. A strange weight hangs on his answer, he feels.

"What do /you/ want, Shiro?"

He freezes. "That's... that's not how this works."

"Have I followed the rules in the fifteen minutes you've known me?" Keith retorts.

Shiro shakes his head.

"So, what do you want, Shiro? If you don't want to be here, just tell me how and I'll let

you go. Or if there's just something you've always wanted to do that I can help with or whatever."

"You don't want anything for yourself?"

"I didn't summon you for power or anything Shiro. What do you want? Please?"

Maybe giving Shiro the puppydog eyes Hunk has deemed Unfairly Effective is playing dirty, but Keith plays to win and he wants to see Shiro happy.

"I want... I want to stay here," he whispers. He ducks his head again, hiding from his own request like it's too much.

It's the easiest request Keith has ever acceded to.

"Okay," he says. "Stay here then, until you want to leave."

Shiro whips his head up and stares at Keith like he just brought down the moon for him. "You mean that?" Shiro's voice is shaking.

"Of course."

Shiro keeps staring at him, so Keith continues. "I mean, I brought you here. If you want to stay, you can stay, and if you want to leave, you can do that."

Shiro pitches forward and pulls Keith into a tight hug, tail thumping against his thigh. Keith doesn't even try to escape.

"Thank you," Shiro whispers against his ear. "You are very kind, Keith. I will stay here with you."

Keith has no idea what he's just gotten himself into, but with Shiro's big warmth engulfing him, he doesn't quite care at the moment. He just hugs back.

(It's not until later that Keith finds out that the offer he made Shiro -- that he could stay or leave as he chose -- was something akin to a proposal. That offering his name and letting Shiro use it was practically a declaration in and of itself.)

(Keith really doesn't mind.)

// fin 💕

(for now)

(if there is interest in more of this verse.... just let me know!)

thanks for reading! here is my obligatory notice that i have a ko-fi and i accept both tips and bribes to write more of these two! (or other threads) (commissions are also open if that's a thing you're into)

ko-fi.com/perfectlyrose

next thread in the #demonshiroverse is shiro's pov of these events 👀

https://twitter.com/LionessNapping/status/1162908000190963712?s=20