Chapter Text
“Lucky you, Rimuru, getting to leave on time~” Tamura said with a hint of tease in his voice, but he is quite obviously jealous that his junior does not have to work overtime unlike him. Rimuru only stifled a chuckle, packing up his briefcase. “It’s no different to me, I’m breezing through this work anyway.. good luck with that pile, Tamura.” He shrugged, adjusting his coat and then grabbing the briefcase, leaving the office for today.
What a tiresome job.
Rimuru exited the building and pulled out the hair tie in his hair, letting the blue locks free, but creating a headache in the process. Why did I decide to keep it long…? He didn’t know, but it felt right. His manager had pulled him aside when the growth was becoming noticeable, but had surprisingly brushed it off after a bit, saying that as long as Rimuru kept it clean that it was alright. He has to admit, the blue hair looks kinda sick, if you have the right mindset… but to most he just looks like a girl, the short stature not helping his case.
Whatever.
It’s not that big of a deal.
This is special to me.
Other people’s opinions didn’t matter. Rimuru is one of the guys and is accepted by his co-workers despite his.. quirks. They go out drinking, doing karaoke, visiting hostess bars on occasion as well as complaining about their home lives. It’s almost sad how many of these older men live with their mothers, but if being coddled by your own mother in your 30s and 40s is what does it for you then who is Rimuru to judge? He has his own preferences. Plain and simple.
He walked through the streets of Tokyo, the sky was already dark and the streets were illuminated by the lamp poles. Rimuru is glad he doesn’t have to rush to the busy, crammed trains, or take an even more busy and crammed bus, to get home. It’s a simple, calming walk, allowing him to breathe in the fresh air for a good 15 minutes before he stays crammed in his apartment till tomorrow morning.
Passing by a few shops and some groups of people already enjoying the nightlife, he got to his apartment building. He walked up the stairs all the way up to the third floor and rummaged through his pants and jacket pockets for the keys, eventually fishing them out and messily unlocking the door… and immediately, something was off.
Rimuru took about three steps inside and closed the door behind him, placing the keys onto a nearby shelf and dropping the briefcase on the floor. “... did I leave the lights on before I left? What a waste of electricity..” He muttered to himself, rolling his eyes at his forgetfulness. He kicked off his shoes and walked into the kitchen, gazing inside to not only see that the lights were on but there was also something… no, someone in his damn kitchen!
“What the fuck?! Who are you??” He yelled, scrambling to grab a pan, a knife, ANYTHING in this fucking place to defend himself with from this.. strangely emo-looking intruder. As Rimuru was trying to discreetly grab a possible murder weapon, the stranger turned around, and the sight made the man freeze.
A tall male, taller than Rimuru that is, and wearing something that Rimuru could only describe as ‘anime butler cosplay’... or something like that. He has fancy clothes on! Other than the strange clothes, he also has black hair.. and very strange eyes? Why is the sclera black? Why are the pupils almost glowing red?
What the fuck?
“Lord Rimuru, I see you’ve.. forgotten me.” The man with strange eyes said, sounding just a tinge upset, but it also seemed like he had expected this? Why is he calling me Lord?? What is going on… “‘Forgotten’ you? I’m sure I’d remember those devil-lookin’ eyes you’ve got.” Rimuru said awkwardly, not too sure if this guy that’s in his home is a cosplayer or some sort of weird inhuman creature.
The guy in the butler outfit smiled slightly, like he was happy to hear what Rimuru had just said. “No, no, you don’t understand, I mean.. you don’t remember your other life, perhaps you’re not even aware of it. I had assumed you would’ve known, but it seems that I was wrong, my apologies.” He said with a slight laugh, trying to play off his sadness by the sound of it.
Hidden sadness aside, what the hell does this guy mean by ‘other life’? There’s other dimensions or something?? Am I a reincarnation…?
This is not real.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I seriously have no idea who.. or what… you are. I’d appreciate it if you left my apartment…” Rimuru said with caution, not wanting to piss off whoever this was. It seems like he was successful as the mysterious man sighed, sounding defeated… but he wasn’t. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, I had sworn to be by your side, Lord Rimuru, don’t make me leave, please.”
Oh.
This crazy guy is begging to stay.
Fuck.
“Oh, man… I mean, how am I supposed to know if you’re.. the actual thing? You could just be a weirdo cosplayer or whatever, trying to dillude me into letting you live with me because you’re apparently some guy who knew me in my other life.” Rimuru said, crossing his arms, a more serious expression on his face now. He can’t simply believe this guy! Not with some sort of proof at least… I mean, who can even travel in time? This isn’t fucking normal. “I understand your reluctance to take a stranger into your home, my lord.” The man said, giving him a slight nod, before teleporting closer to Rimuru, leaning down enough for them to be at eye-level, causing Rimuru to still, eyes wide and his face just a tinge red. A smidge red. Nothing more.
The close proximity made his heartbeat accelerate, his breath to get caught in his throat, and Rimuru wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t the bravest guy, sure, but what the fuck? It’s like he’s paralyzed.
Those inhuman pupils set him on edge, made him want to run.
So… this is legit?
As if sensing Rimuru’s understanding, the man stood up straight, eyes more calm, but they still made a shiver run up the human’s spine the more he looked him in the eye, so Rimuru averted his gaze for his own comfort. “Alright, you’re special.. or something. Mind introducing yourself, then?”
“Ah! Right, I had completely forgotten to do so.” The… creature said, a smile on his face. It was slightly unsettling, but also weirdly charming? If that makes sense…
It’s not like this guy is ugly, he’s pretty handsome, actually.
He bowed slightly, gloved hand flat on his chest. “I’m Diablo, your loyal secretary, Lord Rimuru.” Diablo said, prideful, very obviously proud of the title that Rimuru had seemingly ‘bestowed’ upon this guy in another life. “I’m a primordial demon, I was known as Noir before you had given me a name. I am eternally grateful that I’m able to be at your side yet again.” He said, eyes sparkling with contained joy as he looked at Rimuru with something akin to affection, fondness, it made Rimuru flustered.
He’s not used to such attention.
“A-Alright…gotcha. Demon secretary.. Diablo, huh? That name reminds me of something..” Rimuru hummed, digging in his mind for a second before he remembered.
Diablo is the name of a supercar, isn’t it? Lamborghini Diablo… seems like something I’d name a powerful demon…
The man gazed at the demon, a somewhat eager expression on the non-human being’s face, like he was waiting for something, but… what is he waiting for? Does he expect Rimuru to act like the ‘lord’ he supposedly was?
No, no, I can’t order this poor guy around…
Unless…
“Diablo, do you know how to cook?”
“Of course! What would you like?”
…
To say the least, Rimuru won’t ever go hungry again by the looks of it. This demon makes some pretty good food! Who could’ve thought? Not Rimuru, that’s for sure.
This demon secretary butler whatever-the-fuck is seemingly skillful, and pretty useful.. and very eager to please, like a puppy seeking attention from its owner. This could be viewed as cute, but telling a grown man that he did a ‘good job’ feels a bit weird coming out of Rimuru’s mouth, he isn’t used to it, that’s for sure. Yet, at the same time, he can’t lie to the demon… Diablo is doing a very good job so far, having made a meal for Rimuru and now cleaning up the messy apartment, saying that his lord has to live in the best possible conditions.
Of course, the man didn’t protest, it’s not like he could. The demon is a bit intimidating, an almost dreadful aura surrounding Diablo, alerting Rimuru that this one is dangerous, that he shouldn’t be messed with… it’s… strange. Rimuru has strange feelings about this to begin with! A butler serving HIM??? That’s not something you experience just any day unless you’re one rich ass bastard.
Rimuru, very obviously, is the farthest thing away from a rich ass bastard. He makes a decent living, yes, but not enough to pay for a butler, or a maid for that matter. Such services are expensive as hell!
This makes me think… how the hell do I repay all these… services? Is that what someone would call this? What a headache…
“Hey, uhm, Diablo.” Rimuru started, looking over to where the demon was, rearranging the bookshelf and wiping off any dust. He turned to look at Rimuru, that same smile on his face as he spoke. “Yes, Lord Rimuru?” Diablo asked, eyes focused on the human’s seated form, posture relaxed. It’s almost like the demon is in his element when doing such mundane chores.
The man took in a sharp breath, and then exhaled, mentally preparing himself for the… rather cringe question he was about to ask. “How will I repay you for all that you’re doing, I mean.. you’re staying here indefinitely, surely the ‘other me’ had some way to thank you for your work.” Rimuru said in a more serious tone, obviously concerned about whether his soul would get eaten or not.. who knows? He’s never dealt with a demon before, not in this life anyway. “There is no need to ‘thank me for my work’, Lord Rimuru, I’m doing this because while you may not be the Lord Rimuru I know, you are still a part of him. I’ll be doing this for free, I promise you that.” Diablo said, his tone full of fondness, full of… admiration? Not quite. Rimuru can’t pinpoint exactly what it is.
He can’t REALLY believe that Diablo is doing this for free. Surely there’s some sort of gain from this for the demon. Surely the other ‘Lord Rimuru’ pays him something, whatever the currency is in that dimension. Rimuru isn’t too sure about this whole arrangement, it’s… weird, strange, anything but normal.
He has to pay back the demon somehow.
He’ll find a way.
Eventually.