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Every once in a while Mephisto realized with shocking clarity that Faust had studied medicine.Usually it was easy to forget, after all he had studied all kinds of subjects in his ill-guided search for what truly held the world together and what might give him total satisfaction. Though nuclear physics had been a pretty close shot at the previous, he had to admitToday however, Faust was basically shoving his medical training up his chest, quite literally.„I want to listen to your heart.“Faust was standing in the doorway with a stethoscope around his neck when he voiced that request. Arms crossed, brows furrowed, he probably knew that he sounded at least a little ridiculous.Mephisto had been sitting on the living room couch, studying a newspaper clipping listing this weekend’s events at local clubs when Faust had appeared.„Um. Okay?“ It was a strange question and socially awkward in the way it was voiced, but he wouldn’t couldn’t deny Faust, no matter how weird and socially awkward he was being. And, bless him, he was weird as fuck more often than not.Faust trotted over to him, pulling the stethoscope from his shoulders. „Don’t you want to know why? Why I want to listen to it?“Mephisto just barely supressed rolling his eyes. He really didn’t. He didn’t care why Faust did things, in a way he was just as incomprehensible to him as all those new timey inventions were. Like that „Goo-gle“. Maybe he should care more though. Knowing how Faust ticked might help him with his goal after all, eventually.„Tell me, Faust.“ He said and tossed the newspaper onto the coffee table, sitting up straighter.„Well, you’re a demon!“ He stated and sat down on the couch, the „Duh!“ apparant in his voice.„So?“„So! You are not human! Your anatomy probably greatly differs from mine, I am inclined to study it!“Eye rolling was easy to suppress, raising both his eyebrows was very much not. He was not sure if Faust was entirely aware how „Studying anatomy“ could be understood as, but he didn’t even seem to notice Mephisto’s amusement, so he in turn decided not to address it. Besides, him being interested and motivated in something was better than his usual unmotivated, unhappy bitching about and being lethargic.„Ah. Go ahead then,“ he said instead, opening his arms with a sly smile.„You need to take your shirt off first. The fabric would make it impossible to listen properly.“ Faust stated matter of factly, putting the stethoscope‘s earpieces in.That in turn did surprise Mephisto, a little. Maybe Faust wasn’t as unaware of his words implications as he seemed to be…? Nevertheless, he had sworn an oath, it wasn’t as if he even could say no. Not that it particulary bothered him, anyway.He quickly unbuttoned the black dress shirt and carefully laid it over the couch backrest, then leaned forward towards Faust, exposing his chest.Faust raised the stethoscope‘s end piece, careful not to touch it with his thumb, and gently placed it on the left side of Mephisto’s chest. He barely felt the metal’s cold.He smirked when Faust began to frown.Faust pressed the stethoscope to other parts of his chest as well, the spaces between his second and third ribs, the fifth intercostal space on his left side, to name two, his brow furrowing further and further, all the while Mephisto’s grin deepened.„Something wrong?“ He asked with his grin tainting his voice.„Yes,“ Faust muttered, his eyes fixed on the spot where the apex of his heart should be just barely visible with a regular heartbeat.„Mephisto, I am not sure how to tell you this, but I’m afraid you don’t have a heartbeat.“ He looked up at him and, in a way, it was almost adorable how his surprise was tinted with just the slightest bit of worry.„Duh. Obviously it’s not beating.“ Mephisto reclined onto the pillows on the armrest behind him and now openly grinned up at Faust, showing teeth that were just a little sharper and longer than what would pass as normal. „You’re not a stupid guy, you can figure out the reason.“Faust blinked at him and pulled the earpieces from his ears. His gaze wandered down the other’s chest, lower and lower, before he eventually caught himself with a slight shake of his head. Mephisto’s grin widened even further. Interesting.„Your heart is not beating…“ he said slowly while the gears in his head turned and his eyes now remained firmly locked on Mephisto’s neck. „Because obviously you’re not human, that’s the entire point, but if your heart is not beating then that means… that you are technically not even alive?“„Correct. Good boy!“ Mephisto praised and watched Faust huff in frustration. For him, something still wasn’t making sense.„Okay, obviously you are a demon. But how are you not even alive?! You’re walking, talking sleeping, you regulary singlehandedly empty my refrigarator, you breathe…“„I don’t breathe though.“„Yes you do! You’re breathing right now! I can see you breathing in this moment! Your chest is moving!“„Very interested in my chest today, aren’t you?“ Mephisto said as Faust chose to ignore the little jab. „ I don’t have to breathe. I don’t even do it out of habit, only because it would freak people out if I wouldn’t. And by „people“ I mean you.“„Wow, okay,“ Faust murmured, as if it had never until this moment really occurred to him that he was actually sharing his living space with a being that was absolutely, definitely not human in any way. He took Mephisto’s shirt from the backrest and threw it at his head, resulting in a slightly offended „Oomph!“ as the garment found it’s target.He was stomaching his surprise rather well though.„Is there anything else about you that could potentially freak me out ?“ He asked and looked honestly curious.„Well. My eyes can turn red, my teeth grow into fangs, I am extremly strong and agile, which you already know about though, I don’t have to blink, I only sleep and eat because it’s pleasureable and if you should ever see my true body, the one that is not constantly hidden in this fragile, breakable flesh sack it would burn the eyes out of your skull and toss you into everlasting insanity.“ Mephisto answered in a sing-song voice.„YOU ONLY EAT AND SLEEP AS A HOBBY?!“Mephisto couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He really couldn’t. Faust certainly had his priorities sorted out straight.The man in question had grabbed a sequin pillow and was seemingly testing it’s ability to function as a weapon.„Then how come it’s always my favorite junk food that’s missing and my pillows that are being slept on?!“Mephisto could have easily swatted the pillow that came flying towards his face away, just as much as he could have done it with the shirt earlier. His reflexes could have slowed it down to almost slow motion. However, he decided to indulge Faust and let it hit his face, again.The entirety of this bet of his was supposed to make Faust happy, so happy that, for even one moment, he would admit to being truly completely content. If having to have his heart listened to shirtless or getting his face thrown at with pillows might lead him somehow closer to this goal, he would very gladly absolutely comply.