Natsu was sitting in the chair in front of the cell, the file open on his lap, Finn standing against the wall behind him, when the prisoner was brought out in chains, tossed to the floor essentially at Natsu’s feet. The only thing separating the two was a specialized barrier similar to plexiglass. 

The demon’s chains were attached to the walls so his movements were limited as he was forced to remain on his knees. Natsu didn’t particularly care for such supplication usually, but he took advantage of it during times like these. 

He glanced up once at the demon, then back down to the file. “Been a while,” he said smoothly. “Hasn’t it, Walter?”

The former sous chef snarled at him, his eyes blazing, his marks covering every inch of his body, his fangs dripping with saliva. He’d been starved for months and was near to becoming completely feral, something that should have terrified Natsu but really had no effect on him whatsoever.

He’d already experienced the worst this world had to offer. A raging demon hellbent on murder was the least of his concerns. Besides, he still wanted to rip his fucking head off for what he’d done. Breaking and shredding Walter’s wings, forcing a spell onto them to prevent healing and constant pain, was as far as Finn and the rest were willing to let him go until the bastard finally broke.

Seven years, and still nothing.

Until now.

Natsu flipped a page in the file, not meeting the demon’s hungry gaze. “How are the wings?”

Walter growled at him but said nothing.

“You know, it still amazes me to this day how we never picked up on your subtle little spy tactics,” the High Prince said. “Asking about my relationship with Toji, why you were asked to join that initial meeting with the family, refusing the offer to return to, what was it…” he turned back a few pages. “Ah yes, the Sixth Realm of Hell.” He raised his cold green eyes to his former coworker, someone he had once trusted, a few strands of black hair dangling in his face, his small goatee like a shadow on his face. “Good job.”

Walter gave a sound like a laugh, his face splitting in a vile grin. 

“I didn’t realize it had been Gabby who requested you to be with me when Toji asked to see us that day to congratulate me on my promotion. It appears she had some concerns regarding your story of why you were exiled and wanted to see if any of the family could read something in your energy that might give them a clue. Havik told Toji later that you were like fog; dense and hard to see through. He didn’t seem to like you very much.”

“He was a rotten shit,” the demon growled, his grin shifting back to a nasty frown.

Natsu’s eyebrow ticked but he said nothing. He watched the demon, half-crazed from hunger and isolation. He had gotten to witness other demons eat in front of him, a tactic Natsu didn’t like using but one Finn insisted was common among their world.

“He might not break from it, but it’s still torture to watch something you can’t partake in.”

Ava had shuddered. “I heard Uncle Hawk went through that once. He said it was awful. Even Nox refuses to go into detail.”

Natsu looked back down at the file. “Why were you exiled, Walter? Did you ever say? I can’t recall.”

Walter’s muscles flexed and he pulled at the chains but they wouldn’t budge. 

Natsu never moved a single muscle, never looked up, his breathing never changed. 

Walter’s eyes bugged out as he felt all the air in his lungs begin to freeze, his heart slow, and his vision blur. He couldn’t breathe, the pain almost unbearable as the ice ran through his body, dancing over his skin like sharp razors before wrapping around his throat in a choker.

“Walter, I’m not sure if you know this or not, but I’m incredibly busy, and I don’t have time to waste on shitkicking filth like you all day.” He flipped another page. “Answer my question.”

“C-can’t…breathe…”

“Hm?” Natsu looked up. “Oh, right, sorry.” 

Walter dropped with a loud exhale, gasping for breath as the ice faded from his body, inside and out.

Finn swallowed but didn’t move. He was both proud and terrified at how quickly his boss had learned that trick.

“What were you exiled for?” Natsu asked again, his tone remaining level, his voice low and commanding.

Walter’s lip twitched. “Theft and revolt.”

“Oh yeah?” Natsu asked, his eyebrows going into his hairline, his lips turned up in a snicker. He closed the file and waved it at him, his eyes locked on to the demons, no trace of fear to be found. “That’s not what this says.”

Walter’s body stiffened, his face going white. 

Natsu looked over at Finn who nodded, removing himself from the wall to disappear around the corner. He turned back to Walter. “Kidnapping, murder, treason, and rape. All the greatest hits of shitbaggery. How you managed to avoid going to prison is beyond me. I thought you weren’t supposed to lie to the public records office?”

“Apparently you can,” Walter said, grinning. 

“Apparently.” Natsu stared at him, unblinking, his expression impassive. Coming from the direction Finn had gone, someone was yelling behind a mouth gag, his words muffled and indistinct but the intention clear; he wanted to be let go. Finn appeared, his hand around the neck of a man who was gagged and bound, fear dripping from every pore. He was dropped to his knees just behind and to the right of Natsu, a black tendril of energy stabbing into his chest, making him instantly go quiet. He wasn’t dead, just sedated.

Walter stared at him, eyes wide, breath ragged, gulping back mouthfuls of saliva.

“Hungry?” Natsu asked.

Walter nodded jerkily.

“Yeah, me, too.” He leaned forward, dropping the file on the floor at his feet. “I don’t eat as often as I should, either, and it annoys my mother to no end. Same with my best friend. She’s threatened to strangle me if I don’t eat at least once a day.”

“Maybe she should.”

Natsu sighed, giving a one-shoulder shrug. “Yeah, maybe. Except I’m far too valuable to lose. You on the other hand…” He used another ice rope to force Walter to look at him. “You aren’t shit.”

“So fucking kill me, then!”

“Trust me, I would absolutely love to do just that,” Natsu said, letting loose a loud, humorless laugh that made Finn wince. “Unfortunately, someone, not me, but someone seems to think you have some purpose left to serve for me.”

“What could I possibly have that you would even want?”

“The one thing we’ve been trying to get from you for years.” Natsu rested his chin in both hands, his elbows propped on his leg. “Information.”

Walter snorted. “Good fucking luck, guy.”

Natsu’s black tendrils were just as vicious as his ice magic, sharp and electric. He wrapped them around Walter’s arms and neck, one curling around his body, shocking him over and over. Natsu simply sat there calmly, unblinking as his “eels” did their work. After a minute, he released the demon, waiting as he panted, trying to overcome the excruciating pain.

“Speak to me correctly or I do it again.”

Walter’s eyes rolled up to meet his, dark and hateful. “Apologies, Highness,” he spat.

Natsu nodded once. “Better.” He sat back, folding his arms over his chest. He continued to stare down the demon, his eyes studying every move and muscle twitch. “Lev.”

Walter’s eyes jumped. The reaction was slight, but it was still one Natsu wanted. 

“What’s your relationship to him?”

Walter eyed the prisoner at Finn’s feet, swallowing once. Natsu grinned. 

“Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere. You talk, I feed. You don’t talk, you continue to starve and I let my executioner have as much fun with you as he wants.”

Finn grinned at the prisoner, licking his fangs, a few marks spreading over his face before he pulled them back. 

Walter shuddered, his eyes going back to Natsu. “That sounds unpleasant,” he said in a somewhat defeated tone.

“So I’ve heard,” Natsu nodded. “I heard him torture one angel for so long, the bird just gave up and slit his own throat after spilling everything we wanted to know.” This wasn’t necessarily true, but Walter didn’t need to know that.

Walter gulped. 

“What is your relationship to the demon Lev?” Natsu asked again.

“He was my contact with the Purities.”

Natsu sat up a little straighter. “What the hell are the Purities?”

“The Divine responsible for cleaning up all the trash that were thrown out of the Realms.”

“The exiles.”

“Vermin.” He snarled, a drop of saliva sliding from one fang to the floor at his knees.

“You’re one of those vermin,” Natsu reminded him. “What makes you think you wouldn’t be ‘cleaned up’ when it was all done?”

“Because I made a deal,” Walter chuckled. “Give you up, I go free. Simple.”

Natsu shook his head. “And you honestly believed they’d hold up their end once they finished the job?”

Walter stared at him.

“You’re fucking stupid as hell, aren’t you?”

“Fuck you—ahhh!” Natsu wrapped another electric eel around the demon’s throat, choking him while he screamed. He released it, letting it hover nearby just in case Water decided to disrespect him again.