You both arrive at the hotel, it’s decent, not too fancy, and not shabby either, perfect for keeping a low profile.
“If I had known that you’d join me I would have gotten the fancy place instead,, but it can’t be helped now.” Mammon sounds like he honestly regrets it.
“This is much more to my liking anyway.” You wouldn’t feel right in a fancy place.
“Oh, by the way, you can take the bed.” Mammon seems to have just remembered the fact that it’s a single person’s room.
“I can sleep on the floor or couch too. It’s no problem.” You shrug your shoulders.
“No way. Just be grateful that I offered.” Mammon huffs, slightly offended.
“I can’t win here, can I?” You sigh and accept your fate.
“Now you know how I feel. Let’s go to the room." Mammon seems pleased enough with this outcome.
You follow after Mammon, who seemingly already has good knowledge of this place.
"So you come here often?"
"Yeah, this place has one great perk for folks like us. You will love this.” Mammon puffs his chest and opens a door.
The room in front of you is modest but clean and comfortable looking. There is even a pretty neat-looking couch. At least Mammon will likely be comfortable.
Mammon straight up walks to the bed and proceeds to pull the mattress down. You are confused until you see the magical chest under it. This will prevent anyone but the room’s owner from opening or taking the chest. A very good security system.
“Wow, that is a great perk.” You are impressed.
“Right?! I knew you’d like it. Don’t blame me if you are now falling head over heels for me.” Mammon chuckles.
You can’t find the humor in his words and look stone-faced at him.
Mammon sees this and is seemingly a bit hit in his ego. “Umm anyway, you can put all of your valuables in there. You can even keep Goldie, for now, so you know I’ll give it back to you."
"That is pretty accommodating of you. I will gladly accept that offer.” It would worry you greatly to walk around with all that money in your pockets anyway, and even if you just met Mammon you somehow feel like you can trust him.
Mammon seems a bit taken aback by your agreement and doesn’t add anything else.
You put most of the money into the safe, only keeping Goldie and a few coins for drink and food.
Mammon does the same. “Do you want to shower before we go?"
"Yes, I feel icky if I’m being honest. I probably reek.” You laugh.
“Nah, you smell great.” Mammon then realizes what he just said and adds, “I mean for a human.”
“Thanks, I guess?!” You giggle at his awkward compliment.
“Anyway, I will get my outfit together, so you go ahead and shower. I’ll do it later.” Mammon turns around and starts rummaging through his bag, he is obviously embarrassed.
You don’t mention it and take a well-deserved shower. It feels so good, and the soap also smells great.
You step outside, feeling reborn.
“Ah, that was great.” You stretch and wrap a towel around your head.
Mammon looks a bit flustered when he sees you.
“Actually, I have been thinking and there is no way you can go anywhere looking like this. So take this.” Mammon tosses you some clothes.
You catch them and look at them, they are pretty fancy looking. “So you are giving me clothes?” His actions confuse you.
“Yeah.” He seems a bit flustered.
“They don’t really look like they are your style.” Not that you are judging, but these clothes certainly don’t look like something Mammon would wear.
“I got them for someone else.” He huffs a little.
“Didn’t work out?” You can only think of that explanation.
“Well umm… something like that but anyway just dress it.” His eyes shift around like he is trying desperately to avoid the topic. For being a thief, he is very easy to read.
You raise your eyebrows. “The clothes seem to be my size, so why not.” You aren’t sure how to feel about it but accept them anyway. He is right about your current outfit is not suitable for going out. Not that this is a date or anything, but dressing up is nice sometimes.
“Great, I will shower now.” Mammon seems in a pretty good mood now.
“Alright, take your time.” You smile at him.
“Don’t worry, I won’t peek at you.” Mammon’s mind seemed to jump right onto that.
You weren’t even thinking about that until now, and your cheeks grow hot. “You better not!” You turn away from him to hide your face.
“What’s with that reaction?” Mammon seems unsure of what to think.
“Nothing, just take your shower before I force you.” You almost shout these words.
“Hey, hey, no need for violence.” Mammon lifts his hands in front of him. “I’ll be off now.” He walks backwards to the shower.
You huff at him and then hide behind the dresser door to change.
The outfit is very nice indeed. Much nicer than anything you own or ever wore before. It must’ve been expensive. Mammon has pretty good tastes.
You admire yourself in the mirror. Then you decide to brush your hair and make it look extra nice as well. Just to suit the outfit. It almost makes you want to put some jewelry on,, but that’s a silly thought.
After some time Mammon is also done, it looks like he was extra slow just to give you plenty of time. A sentiment which you are grateful for.
Mammon has also changed, he looks very nice now. You take a moment to admire his outfit.
Normally, this would have surely caused him to call you out. Not this time.
He stares at you like he has just seen a unicorn.
“What, do I have something on my face?” You feel a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. Maybe this outfit doesn’t suit you after all?
“No-nothing… I was just thinking that looks very nice on you.” Mammon mumbles the last part,, but you can still hear him.
Your cheeks start to burn again. “We should go before I starve…” You suddenly feel awkward.
“Um yeah, great idea.” Mammon seems to feel the same way.
It’s a pretty normal morning overall, aside from the fact that I have to eat alone.
What is making me very sad.
Barbatos ended up getting all the ingredients we need.
This means that they are top quality.
I head to school earlier today.
Cooking class is the first course of the day and there is much to prepare.
I meet with the rest of my group in front of the house of lamentation.
Asmo waves at me, looking pretty happy to see me.
Beel eyes the bag of ingredients that I carry.
Levi doesn’t even look up from his phone.
“Morning guys.” I cheerfully greet them.
“Good morning.” Asmo smiles.
“I can carry the stuff, if you want.” It’s nice of Beel to offer but somehow I feel like the bag is safer with me.
“I’m good, but thank you.” I start walking.
Beel and Asmo chit chat a bit with me, while Levi seems very busy with his smartphone game.
We arrive at the kitchen and claim a corner for us.
“I figured it would be best to divide and conquer. Asmo will do the measurements and Levi mixes. I will use the dough to make the cookies and use the other forms for our other cake. Beel will clean everything up.” I have thought long and hard about this and this seems like the best plan for me.
“Seems like a lot of work for me.” Asmo sighs.
“Wouldn’t Beel be better at mixing the ingredients?” Levi sighs and is equally unhappy.
“We can’t leave that to Beel, he would eat the dough and you can put everything in the forms too, but then your hands will get dirty. I have full confidence in your strength Levi.
"Oh, you thought about that? That’s sweet of you, in that case count on me.” Asmo sounds more motivated now.
“Well…I suppose I’m the only one you can count on in that case. ” Levi is a bit bashful but is getting everything prepared to mix anyway.
With that out of the way, I start to read out what amount of what we need and it goes relatively smoothly from there.
I later let Asmo read for a bit since he needed a break.
Beel is pretty happy just cleaning the dough with his tongue out of the bowls.
At least he washed them very thoroughly afterwards.
Finally our cookies and cake are done.
“Ohhh, they look great. I gotta take a picture of them.” Asmos eyes practically sparkle.
“You can decorate the ones you are taking.” I already have a bit of glazing and chocolate for them.
“I’m going to decorate them like in the anime, my love in the sky.” Levi is also pretty happy.
Beel has a hard time to not eat them all.
“I can save a few for Belphie if you want.” I know this must be hard for him, his stomach is pretty loud already.
“I want to make them black and white for Belphie but it’s hard without eating them all.” Beel sighs.
“I can see that. You can take these here. Barbatos and Diavolo don’t need to have all of them.” I give a portion of cookies to Beel.
“Thanks.” He eats them without hesitation. “Now I can finish the ones for Belphie.” Beel has found new energy, it seems.
“How doting of you. You can have a few of mine too. I can’t eat that many of them anyways.” Asmo shoves some of his cookies towards Beel, who eats them right away.
“You could’ve shared them with your brothers.” There certainly is enough for each of them.
“I’m still going to give them a few cookies, but look how happy Beel is when he eats.” Asmo giggles slightly.
“I can’t deny that.” He really is happy. “How are they anyway?” I sure hope they are good.
“Great. I can’t stop eating them.” Beel gives them his full approval so I take that as a compliment.
Finally we are all done, I take a picture of everyone’s finished cookies, the cakes and the cupcakes.
Everything looks so great. I look forward to eating them.
I hope they will help Diavolo to forgive Barbatos.
The rest of the classes seem to drag on forever. I can hardly wait to go home.
I’m very happy when the last bell of the day finally rings.
“Wow, talk about eagerness to go home.” Mammon comes from the other side of the corridor.
“I heard they got plans later so that’s why.” Belphie yawns loudly.
“Hey, guys are you out too?” I just smile at them.
“Yep.” Mammon stretches.
“The cookies were great by the way. Beel really worked hard on them.” Belphie seems happy at the memory.
“He definitely did. I’m glad you liked them too, though you also need to thank Asmo and Levi for their part.” I’m glad that my selfish plans are at least tasty.
Belphie just shrugs.
“Let’s go home, I need to do my homework before I hang again.” Mammon sighs deeply.
“That’s what happens when you never do your homework.” Belphie shakes his head.
“Like you do yours.” Mammon huffs.
“I do mine most of the time because it’s a hassle to do a lot at once.” Belphie doesn’t sound motivated at all.
“You both should just do them every day.” I can only shake my head in disbelief.
Both complain some more while we are going home.
I say goodbye and reach the castle. I did my homework during lunch break today so I have all the time for afternoon tea.
I’m nervous about it but I sincerely hope for the best.
I finish my tea and put everything back on the tray, I wonder where their kitchen is.
Then I see Simeon peeking into the room. “Are you two done? I just saw Solomon leaving the dorm.” He seems to be just as confused as I am.
“Yes, we are done. I was just about to bring this to the kitchen, mind showing me the way?” I’m just being polite. I probably intrude on them anyway.
“Oh, just leave everything here. If you have a bit of time, I’d love to know a bit more about you? After meeting Solomon, I simply have to know what regular humans are like.” Simeon seems curious.
“I have some time, my lesson was supposed to be much longer after all.” I smile and sit back down on the couch. “I doubt you can categorize me as a normal human anymore, though.” I giggle.
“I would love to hear how you even ended up being an exchange student, and no worries, I will keep whatever you tell me confidentially.” He sits down next to me on the couch, he even brought freshly brewed tea.
“I got kidnapped by the demon King, he declared me his child last week, and now I live in the castle with Diavolo and Barbatos. It was a culture shock, but I ended up enjoying it here very much. I really like Diavolo and Barbatos.” The story is very wild, and the surprise on Simeon’s face is very obvious.
“That must’ve been tough, but at least you found your place here. Don’t you want to go back home?” He sounds genuinely worried.
“I’m home.” I confidentially smile at him.
Simeon nods and accepts my words without another word. “I would still like you to come to me if you ever run into trouble. As an angel, I feel responsible for humans.”
“That is very generous of you. I might have something that you can help me with.” I wonder if he can offer me a different point of view about my situation.
“Of course, I will gladly listen to all your troubles, and if I can, I will help, however, I can.” Simeon smiles gently, it’s hard to tell if he is genuine or not, but I decide to tell him anyway.
“As you know, Diavolo and Barbatos are like a family of sorts to me, but I almost drowned the other day. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but Diavolo blames Barbatos. I just want them to get along again.” I lay it all out for him, drinking my tea with a heavy heart.
“That must be rough on you. I think if they had a good relationship before, then they will just need an opportunity to talk about their feelings.” Simeon seems slightly troubled, probably because he is helping demons in a way.
“I figured that too, and I was thinking of creating such an opportunity for them.” There are certainly the options the brothers mentioned.
“I think instead of forcing them, the situation should come calmly and naturally. I’m not sure what you have planned, but you might force them into a corner, not solving anything.” Simeon has a point.
Any contrived plan has the chance to backfire or will be seen right through.
“Do you think there is a way for me to support a natural conversation, then?” I’m not quite sure what situation would even be good.
“I personally prefer to have heartfelt conversations over a nice hot cup of tea. It is simply a matter of a calm time and space. I have some tea that is said to be extremely calming that might help a little.” Simeon pointedly takes a long sip of tea.
I can’t help but laugh a little bit. This is such a simple thing, but he is right.
“Is there anything funny in what I suggested?” Simeon looks slightly confused.
“Oh no, I just laughed because I didn’t think of this myself. Thank you very much, Simeon.” I give him a heartfelt smile.
“No problem. Please come to me any time.” He looks relieved.
“Do you have a suggestion about the kind of dessert that goes with that tea of yours?” I sheepishly smile.
“Ah, of course. I will give you a recipe that will fit perfectly.” Simeons eyes light up and in the end, he gives me both tea and a few angel recipes.
I know how much both Barbatos and Diavolo love treats and tea, so I can only hope this will put them in a great mood.
By looking at my school schedule, I also have the perfect opportunity to make sweets. The cooking class.
I text the brothers and find out that I share the class with Levi, Asmo, and Beel. They all agree to form a team with me. I’m very grateful for that. They also agree on the angel desserts. All for their reasons, but it’s nice regardless.
I’m heading back home after saying my goodbyes to everyone.
“I’m back,” I call out when I enter the castle.
“Welcome home, master, how was your lesson?” Barbatos appears right in front of me without a sound. I’m quite used to this now. “It went rather well. I have some interesting revelations to share with you and Diavolo.” I smile at him.
“It would be best if you’d tell me now.” Barbatos face twists.
I forgot that they don’t talk now. It makes my heart feel heavy.
“Alright…apparently I am somehow sucking mana from other things instead of producing my own.” I can’t say that I quite understand it.
Barbatos puts a hand on his chin. “That certainly explains some of the things that I experienced. At the very least it explains why my powers weaken when it comes to you.” It looks like the pieces have finally fallen into place for him.
“So it’s not your fault at all.” This is the first thought I have.
Barbatos smiles gently at me. “I wish I could believe that.”
“You should, or else I’ll order you to.” I want him to stop blaming himself.
Barbatos chuckles lightly. “Thank you, master, but this is something I need to solve myself.” He looks me in my eyes and pats my head with great care. My cheeks feel like they are on fire. “You should get some rest now and please enjoy your dinner.” Barbatos seems unmoved by my embarrassed face.
“I will, but could you please make sure that you and Diavolo are available tomorrow afternoon.” I need to make sure they are both there and have the necessary time.
Barbatos looks at me, probably wanting to protest but stopping himself. “I will make sure of that.”
“Great, you can look forward to it!” I smile to convince myself.
Barbatos is obviously intrigued and smiles back at me. “I am.”
I return to my room and prepare everything I need and rest a little before heading to dinner.
Meals have become quite a challenge now where Diavolo is on bad terms with Barbatos.
The atmosphere is all wrong. Despite Diavolos’ best efforts, it’s just all wrong.
“Good evening Diavolo.” I sit down across from him, we always eat alone yet somehow the room feels somewhat empty.
“Good evening. How was your training?” Diavolo pretends like it’s nothing, but his usually bright smile is somewhat dull.
“It went very well. Apparently I suck mana from things around me, so I suppose that explains a lot.” It’s kind of painful to know that Barbatos has not talked with Diavolo.
This is very evident by the fact that Diavolo doesn’t seem to know anything about this.
“It certainly does. I occasionally felt like you were doing that to me. That’s how I knew that you were in danger, too. I felt a constant energy being pulled from my body. It’s something that I have never experienced before.” Diavolo has a grave expression when he recalls the day.
“I didn’t want to use your powers for something like that. Especially without consent.” I feel very guilty about this and look towards my plate.
“I have so much mana, I barely noticed it, but it felt like it was you, so I had to take a look. I’d gladly let you use all of my powers to support you. Of course, you need to make sure that you don’t lose control.” Diavolo has very mixed emotions.
“I know you would prefer it if I’d never use magic, but I’m training now, so something like that will never happen again.” I still feel terrible about worrying everyone like that.
Diavolo sighs. “It’s very troubling to have a sibling sometimes.”
“You mean because I’m hard to control?” The word sibling stings, but I ignore it.
“No, following your own path is something I admire greatly. What I mean is that you love them, so you want to support them no matter what, but then you also want to protect them and keep them at your side. It’s very troubling. I wonder how Lucifer does it.” Diavolo looks honestly troubled, but his words are so sweet and sincere they make me smile.
“I’m glad you feel that way about me. I feel the same about you sometimes.” I admit this while awkwardly poking my food.
“Really? So my actions are troubling you?"
Diavolo looks like a kicked puppy.
"No, what I meant is that I want you to be happy, but I also want to stay at your side.” I quickly correct myself.
Diavolos’ face lights up. “Ah, I see now. There is no conflict there at all. Please always stay by my side."
Diavolo doesn’t seem to know the double meaning in his words, I on the other hand almost choke.
"I think we talk about two different types of staying by your side.” I feel a bit embarrassed somehow.
“There are different types?” Diavolo is genuinely confused by my words, and I’m too embarrassed to explain it to him.
There is a big difference between a sibling supporting you and a lover who is always there for you after all.
I change the subject.“ Before I forget, please make sure you have time tomorrow afternoon. I plan to make some nice treats and have them with you and Barbatos.”
Diavolo raises his eyebrows, he looks very conflicted. “You know that I have my issues with Barbatos right now.”
“I know, but I will make sweets for you and him. Also, there will be tea.” I sweetly smile at him.
“You certainly know that I can’t decline such an offer.” He sighs and sheepishly smiles.
“Great.” I feel very pleased.
“And just for the record, I know very well what you are planning.” He looks straight towards me.
“It’s not a secret, and I don’t plan on deceiving you. I just want my whole family back to normal.” It’s clear now that Simeon’s words are true. Being straightforward is the best way to go.
“It’s not as simple as that.” Diavolo looks onto the table.
“I think it is as simple as having a nice, relaxed conversation in a nice atmosphere.” I’m now more confident than ever in my plan.
Diavolo seems unconvinced. “I will come but only for you. I won’t make any promises."
"That’s all I want from you.” I smile, feeling pretty good about myself.
Diavolo slightly shakes his head, knowing he is defeated.
We finish our dinner, this is the first time I didn’t clear my dish. I guess I just wasn’t as hungry today.
I study a bit more before heading to bed. Tomorrow will be an important day.
The dogs follow you for a while, but you shake them off way before dawn.
The cave is hidden and hard to reach, which makes it a great hideout. You will need to treat your wound and split the treasure fairly. A bit of rest would also be great.
Finally, you reach the cave and just sit down.
You have lost a lot of blood and you are exhausted on top of it.
Suddenly you hear noises outside of the cave.
You force your body to stand up and position yourself next to the entrance, ready to knock the intruder out.
You almost do it until you notice it’s Mammon.
“Gee, what a nice welcome.” He is justifiably angry.
“Sorry, I thought you wanted to attack me.” You apologize sincerely to him.
“Well, whatever.” Mammon sighs and then he notices your wound. “That looks painful…” His face seems to crunch up.
“It’s not that bad. I’ll treat it in no time.” You shrug with one shoulder.
Mammon sighs and looks very unhappy. “That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll do it. Where did you put the medkit?"
"I can deal with it, you don’t need to bother.” You are used to doing everything on your own and this is no different.
Mammon clicks his tongue.
“Come on, put your darn pride away for a second and let me help ya.” Mammon seems upset and grabs your bag and starts searching.
“Hold on, you are making a mess. Let me get it out.” You feel embarrassed, knowing well that you have underwear and other personal items in that bag.
Mammon awkwardly kicks the bag towards you.
You get the medical supplies out and hand them to Mammon, you still feel a bit reluctant.
Mammon gets closer to you, while you sit back down.
He looks at you, his eyes shift nervously to your arm and shoulder. “This will definitely hurt.” His face twists when he sees the bloody arrow.
“Just give me the leather to bite on.” You know how much this will hurt.
Mammon nods and gets the leather out from the box. He then produces a small flask from somewhere. “Drink this, it will help.” He holds it straight in front of your face.
“What’s that liquor?” You look at the bottle with suspicion.
“No, it’s a health potion.” Mammon seems a bit reluctant to admit this.
“Healing potion? That’s super expensive. Are you sure that you want to give that to me?” You know it’s very pricey and not always easy to get.
“It’s fine, I took it anyway and you are my precious partner so I can’t just let you be in pain like that you know,” Mammon says this in such a shy and cute manner it’s hard to not smile at him.
“Thank you Mammon, that’s very sweet of you.” For the first time, you feel some warmth towards Mammon. Sure he has issues, a lot of them, most of them are caused by himself, but still, he can be charming if he wants to be.
“You are gonna make me mess up by smiling like that at me…” He looks away from you, blushing very hard.
“So umm… take a deep breath and bite the leather while I pull this sucker out.” He touched the arrow with slightly shaking hands, if anyone needs liquor right now, it’s him.
“I will be alright, Mammon.” You encourage him before biting down.
Mammon takes a deep breath and then pulls the arrow out.
This seems to hurt him more than you.
It starts bleeding right away.
“Umm… I think you need to remove your top…” Mammon looks away from your face.
“Give me a second.” You take the leather out of your mouth and carefully start to undress. You aren’t topless by any means when you are done.
Mammon can barely keep his mouth closed when he looks at you.
“See anything you like?” You smirk at him.
Mammon starts to stutter, but can’t manage to form a word for a bit.
Then he takes a breath. “I just didn’t expect you to get naked before we even start dating."
"Is that an invitation?” You ask him, not expecting him to wish to date you.
“Umm… let me treat you before you distract me more.” Mammon seems to be taken aback by your response.
Mammon doesn’t wait for your response and starts to carefully disinfect your wound. He is very careful as if treating a precious treasure.
You wince a bit from the stinging sensation.
This makes Mammon stop in his movements. “Just a bit longer.” He sounds uncharacteristically serious.
Then he bandages your shoulder. He wraps it a bit too much, but you really appreciate it.
“There ya go. Now take that health potion.” Mammon pats your arm for a second before jerking his hand away like he just realized that he touched you.
“Thank you, Mammon. This will heal very nicely thanks to you.” You smile at him before drinking the bitter potion.
“No-no problem. Better make sure you drink it all.” Mammon then leans back, towards the wall.
You empty the entire bottle and then dress your top again since Mammon is still not able to face you.
Then you also lean onto the wall, right next to Mammon.
“You are pretty close.” He almost mumbles this.
“It’s going to be cold, and we can’t make a fire here, but don’t worry, I won’t do anything unruly.” You giggle.
“You better not,, and I could say the same to you.” He huffs.
“Good night Mammon.” You laugh quietly and then close your eyes.
“Good night, partner.” He whispers the last part,, but it makes you smile regardless.
Mammon surely has issues, but being with him feels pretty good.
I stand up, remembering the hot springs that Diavolo mentioned.
A bath sounds good, after climbing the mountains and the drinking session I need it.
Diavolo told me in great detail about it, so I find it very easy.
The only way I can mark it as occupied is with a towel.
I take note of taking my sword with me, just in case.
The bath takes away all my tension. It feels great being clean again.
So many strange things happened to me yesterday. My life has been turned upside down. Yet I can’t help but feel excited.
It’s a strange feeling.
I wonder what kind of solution Diavolo will come up with.
If dragons and humans are truly able to work together then, this is the test for it.
After I put my armor back on I find Diavolo in the kitchen, he is preparing food.
“Good morning. I hope you are up for some eggs this morning.” He smiles brightly.
I almost feel like I’m in a strange Inn.
“Sounds great.” I give him a polite smile and sit down. It’s almost like he didn’t reveal that he is a dragon last night.
“How have you slept?” He asks as he puts plates with omelets on the table.
“Pretty good considering everything.” I fill my cup with some water and look at the delicious smelling meal.
“I should have carried it to bed, but it didn’t feel appropriate to me.” Diavolo looks a bit troubled.
“I appreciate that.” I think it was the best decision to make.
“Let’s eat. I got these extra for us.” Diavolo smiles proudly.
“That is very nice of you. You are a great host.” I start digging into the omelets, it tastes just as good as it smells.
“Thank you, coming from you this means a lot.” Diavolo is rightfully proud.
“Where did you learn to cook?” I doubt that dragons usually do that.
“I learned it from a very nice human. He took me in when I just started learning about humans. A curious fellow, but he taught me a lot.” Diavolo smiles at the memory.
“Sounds like a great guy.” I smile at him and finish my portion.
“I wonder what I should bring to our journey.” After eating Diavolo ponders over this.
“Some provisions, a first aid kit and camping equipment are a good start.” I have listed a few necessary items.
“I can just share a tent with you right?” Diavolo asks innocently.
“No.” I simply refuse him. “I’ll help you pack.” I sigh, feeling like this won’t end well otherwise.
So I pack a backpack for him and we are ready to head out.
“Do you know where that fire dragon lives? I followed the route it took, but all the dragon marks just led me to you.” I still have no idea how that happened.
“It’s probably the one that has its territory right next to the mountain. It likely used the mountains to hide its true goal.” Diavolo seems to know the dragon; this will be helpful.
“Okay, in that case we should head down again.” It shouldn’t be too hard to go back down the path I came from.
“There are a lot of vicious plants on the side you came from. Let’s go through the forest on the other side.” Diavolo makes a great point.
“Makes sense. Let’s do that.” I have no objections, fighting plants can be a bigger issue than the dragon itself.
Diavolo seems very happy about this. It’s a bit strange, but I ignore it for now.
“Sweet, we are going to use the big entrance. I usually use it to fly out, but I suppose that’s out of the question while I’m hiding my true identity.” Diavolo is somewhere between happy and sad.
“I guess you are disappointed that you can’t show off?” I can only guess.
“Well, I thought it would be cool if you would ride on my back and I’d impress you with my flying skills.” Diavolo smiles, sure of himself.
“Maybe another time, for now it’s best we don’t draw unnecessary attention.” I wonder how it is to ride a dragon, but that has to wait.
Diavolo nods a bit sullen.
With that he shows me to a path down the other side of the mountain.
“Now I believe that you’re not the culprit.” I put my sword away as a sign of goodwill but still keep distance between us.
“That’s all you are going to say?” He seems surprised.
“What were you expecting?” I have no idea what he wants.
“Well panic? Screaming? No idea to be honest.” These are at least normal reactions to dragons.
“I have seen earth dragons before, even when they were smaller. I mean I have never seen one turning into a human before. That changes quite a bit for me personally, but it has nothing to do with my current assignment.” I give my words some thought. It’s honestly something that will require me to rethink a few things.
“I see that you are indeed quite an interesting human. With someone like you I might be able to figure out how to solve the issues for both of our people.” Diavolo suddenly smiles.
“What are you talking about?” I’m clueless.
“You see the fact that you are willing to listen to a dragon and aren’t scared, even after seeing my true form, means that humans and dragons might be able to get along after all.” Diavolo sounds like he has been looking for something like that for quite some time.
“If a dragon talked before we might have prevented unnecessary deaths on both sides.” It certainly would be a start.
“I agree on that, sadly dragons can be very stubborn and stuck in their ways. They refuse to listen or learn.” He sighs deeply.
“There are humans like that too.” I have seen plenty myself.
Diavolo nods knowingly. “I went through a long and hard process to change my form and to learn what I can about humans. Many of my fellow dragons laughed at the idea of a conversation with a human. But look at us now.”
“I’m certain no dragon would listen to me anyway and I honestly doubt that many humans would trust you. I’m not even sure if I can.” The blood of dragons is on your hands, regardless of their guilt to them you must be a monster. Especially now that you know that at least some of them have human intelligence.
“I guess we have to prove to everyone that it’s indeed possible for us to work together. For that purpose I’d like to accompany you to the fire dragon and bring it to justice.” He seems so calm when he says these words.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “You would kill a fellow dragon?”
“If I have to, I will.” His conviction is clear to me. “I’d like to try it my way first. I want to talk to the dragon and the villagers to find a different way.”
“I won’t stop you, but if it’s attacking the villagers or me, I won’t hold back.” I carefully observe him. His words move me, his eyes seem so honest. Not a single lie is found.
“That is fair. I want to fully disclose to you that I have killed humans in self-defense before.” Diavolo didn’t need to add that bit but yet he does.
“If what you say is true I won’t fault you. I killed dragons for work when I was hired, but every last one killed humans.” We both have sinned in each other’s species and yet morally we both were right.
Diavolo nods. “I believe that you had no choice at that moment.”
“I still wonder why you chose to reveal yourself to me. A dragon knight seems to be a rather silly choice.” I can’t help but ponder about this question.
“Haha, I think it was that look in your eyes. So full of fire. I’m glad I was right.” Diavolo laughs.
“Seems to be a rather silly reason.” I shake my head but smile despite everything.
“Ohhh, what a lovely smile you have.” He smiles at me, now I notice that he is standing rather close now.
“T-thank you.” I’m rather startled by the compliment. Usually, people are intimidated by me. I guess I had similar experiences to Diavolo in that regard.
“I think we should drink to our partnership. Are you up for it?” Diavolo stretches and smiles at me.
“I definitely need some alcohol after today.” A lot of news was just tossed at me for sure.
Diavolo nods. “In that case let’s celebrate.”
We then head back to his cooking room, where he fills our cups once more to the brim with alcohol.
We both drink some and the mood relaxes.
“Ah, I almost forgot but if you want to bathe I have my own hot springs. I’d ask to go in together, but I already feel like I know your answer.” Diavolo chuckles.
“That be a definite no, and I might go after you are asleep.” I sigh.
“Too bad. I was kinda curious about what you have under your armor.” Diavolo leaves this offhand remark, like it means nothing.
“I wear clothes under my armor.” I blush at his obvious trouble meaning. “I could say the same about your armor.”
“So you are curious about it? It’s all part of my body. Humans seem to be worked up about clothes for whatever reason. I can show you if you want, though.” Diavolo is absolutely serious.
“Please don’t. Keep that armor on!” My cheeks are on fire by the mere suggestion.
“Hahaha, you have quite the cute side, did you know that?” Diavolo has too much fun with this.
“I will kill you.” I playfully reach for my sword.
“Oho, feisty. I was just joking, but tell me when you change your mind.” Diavolo takes another long sip of his alcohol and fills his cup right back up.
I’m unsure if he means him or me undressing, but I can’t stop myself from getting hotter by the minute.
I need a cold shower at this rate.
We continue to drink and have a bit of playful banter.
Before we both somehow pass out by the time we reach the 3rd bottle.
“Now where we are drinking buddies, how about you tell me why you became a dragon knight?” Diavolo seems in a great mood now, after finishing his first cup.
“It’s not a big story. I wanted to become someone to protect people and during testing I was recommended to be a dragon knight.” Most have some grand reason, like revenge, but I simply want to help with my abilities.
“That is a pretty unique story to be sure.” Diavolo fills his cup again, and I do the same.
“Not as unique as living up here in a cave.” I giggle. “I’d love to hear the story about that.”
“Maybe later. I’d much rather talk about you. I mean it’s pretty lonely up here sometimes you know.” Diavolo shrugs me off.
“I hope you don’t mean to shack up with me. I’m on a mission, you know.” I laugh, as I know that can’t be the case.
“Too bad, I’m kinda curious as to what your body looks like under that armor of yours.” Diavolo eyes me with a playful grin.
“I’d say pretty toned, much like you are.” I’m not embarrassed about it; I’m pretty proud of my trained body.
“Ah, so you noticed. I’m glad.” Diavolo winks at me. The alcohol must make him flirty. I’m not opposed to it. He is very good looking, and it’s not every day that people flirt with me, much less in my armor.
“You are an unexpected flirt.” I fill my cup yet again, deciding this will be my last.
“Haha sorry, I couldn’t help it. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask if that dragon killed anyone?” Diavolos’ tone suddenly shifts.
I’m surprised by the sudden change of subject.
“Yes. That’s why I was called. There have been incidents before, like stolen cattle or destroyed property. Things that are much expected when you live close to dragons. It escalated this time.” My gaze is somber. Despite not knowing any of the deaths were unnecessary.
Diavolo nods.“Do you think there is any other way to deal with dragons?”
“Well, as long as they stay away from humans, we can leave them alone.” I sigh.
“That’s true, but what if the dragon doesn’t want to leave their home?” Diavolos’ expression becomes unreadable.
“Sadly we cannot talk to them. So we can’t come to an agreement or understanding.” I think for a moment about this.
“I agree on that but what if you could communicate with dragons? Would you want to listen?” His questions seem strange to me.
“I don’t see why I wouldn’t want that. Dragons don’t wish to die either, and I don’t like senseless slaughter.” I have fraught enough dragons to know that.
“You have killed some before?” Diavolo seems a bit somber.
“Yes, but only after they killed humans.” I’m not ashamed of it.
“You are an interesting one. I’m glad it’s you that went into my cave.” His smile returns.
“What’s the matter with all of these strange questions anyway?” It seems strange to me. Usually, people don’t care at all about dragons.
“You see, the one thing I always hated was the liar revealed plot line. You know the one where one character lies or hides something very important. This will then lead to drama. I don’t want that. So I will just put it bluntly. I’m a dragon.” Diavolo calmly drops this bomb.
My jaw almost drops to the floor. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” I can’t believe it. “That is impossible. You are a human.”
“I look human right now, but I can show you, if you follow me.” He is still way too calm.
I draw my sword. He must be crazy. “I will not follow you anywhere.”
“Fine, I can’t fully turn here. The space is too small. I’ll just show you my horns and tail.” Diavolo steps back, with his hands up.
I get into a stance, ready to strike him.
He takes a breath, and I can’t believe my eyes. Horns start to grow from his head.
I step towards the wall. I have never seen anything like this. “What the hell? Have you attacked the village?” I’m confused, but my mission is coming back to my mind.
“No. I have not left this mountain for weeks, and I’m not a fire dragon.” Diavolo is still calm as before. He doesn’t make a single move.
“Show me.” I can’t tell what type of dragon he is without seeing his whole body.
“Okay, follow after me.” He doesn’t seem to be concerned about my sword at all.
“Aren’t you worried that I will kill you?” I can’t help but ask.
“No, are you?” His question sounds genuine.
“I’m positive that I can kill you if I have to.” I don’t feel any fear, just confusion.
Diavolo just smiles and turns his back towards me.
I could stab him, but that would go against my principles.
Diavolo leaves the room, and I follow him with some distance.
He goes to a huge part of the cave.
I keep my distance, sword ready to pull.
Diavolo looks at me, I have no idea what he is thinking.
Then in the blink of an eye he is a massive dragon.
It’s by far the biggest one I have seen. His body is black, with gold and red. It’s beautiful in a way.
I stare in awe at the massive beast.
Diavolo is telling the truth. “You are an earth dragon.” Despite his unique coloring it’s obvious to me.
Diavolo nods. “That’s right.” His thunderous voice almost blows me away.
“Turn back.” I yell at him.
Diavolo turns back into his human form. He looks a bit guilty.
The village in front of me is burned down to a pile of ashes.
“The dragon went too far this time. It burned down the entire village. Will you help us?” The village elder begs me, down on his knees.
“Don’t worry, as a dragon knight it’s my job to hunt and kill dragons that harm humans. We were already paid by the king in advance. You have nothing to worry about.” I smile at him to reassure him.
“Thank goodness. We can’t thank you enough.” He bows once again.
“Please tell me in what direction the dragon flew after it did this?” I try to be patient, but one can never be sure if the dragon might attack again.
“Of course, it went towards the mountains. We aren’t sure exactly where it went. Probably Mount Doom.” The old man points towards the peaks behind the village.
Of course the dragon had to hide in the mountains.
“Thank you very much. I will be off now. Please stay hidden until the dragon is slain.” I give him a warning that he will likely ignore and make my way to the mountain.
Luckily enough I had plenty of training so even my heavy armor isn’t much of a hindrance for me. I was also coming prepared for this hike.
I tighten my sword on my back and walk up over steep paths and reach Rocky territory before nightfall.
I camp and look for any signs of a dragon in the area.
Signs like burned bushes, claw marks, carcuccues with marks maybe some excrements.
A few trees have some old claw marks but nothing fresh.
I rest the night and continue my track upwards.
I find relatively fresh marks on the side of a cliff. The dragon certainly is big.
The path up that particular mountain is steep and in bad shape. It’s proof that the locals avoid this mountain.
The weather up here is rather unsteady. It will be hard to fight the dragon in this area.
Well, any area is bad, due to their size, strength and durability. They are not easy to defeat.
I should try to find it’s nest if I can, if it has one.
The difficult path ends on a small platform.
I scout the area and there is a cave entrance on the other side.
The entrance is too small for a dragon, but I can see a few bite marks on surrounding stones. This is proof that the dragon comes here regularly.
Maybe this will make a good spot for an ambush.
I need to check the cave. I might be able to hide there until it comes back. Or at least make a base for me.
If the dragon is living even higher up this mountain, Imountain, Imountain, I will need to climb.
My thoughts get interrupted by a sudden gust of wind. The weather is changing. I guess I have no other option than to use the cave tonight. It’s not that bad.
I hurry and enter the cave. It’s bigger than I initially thought.
Outside, the storm starts to rage. At least it’s safe now.
I go a bit farther into the cave and noticed that someone smoothed the walls.
Before I can ponder over that I hear steps approaching me.
I turn around and see a rather impressive looking man. He wears strange armor that I have never seen before.
I get into a defensive stance, just in case.
He lifts his hands next to his head. “Hey there, no worries I won’t attack you. I was just wondering who my visitor might be.” He seems friendly enough.
“So you live here?” It seems rather strange to me.
“I suppose I’m what you’d call a hermit.” He seems so nonchalant, despite my full armor.
“A hermit? What’s with that armor then?” I eye him with suspicion.
“The mountains can get dangerous. I don’t know if you are aware, but this is dragon territory.” He explains with a smile.
His explanation makes sense to me.
“In that case have you seen a fire dragon around here?” I continue to question him.
“That’s the most common type isn’t it?” He surely knows his dragons.
“That’s right. I’m looking for one that burned a village down the mountain.” I come straight to the point.
“There are no fire dragons in here at least, but mind telling me if you are going to kill them once you find them?” He asks me a question in return.
“I’m a dragon knight so that’s my job.” I think that’s pretty obvious with my armor.
“I thought so. How about some dinner then?” He just nods and moves on.
“I should move on when the dragon isn’t here.” I can’t believe he just invited me to dinner.
“You are free to do so, but it seems the storm will rave until morning at least.” He points out the obvious. “So feel free to stay in my humble home.” He is generous I suppose.
“Thank you for your hospitality. May I ask for your name?” It would be pretty impolite not to ask at this point.
“Of course. My name is Diavolo, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He offers me a smile and his hand to shake.
I feel a bit reluctant, but I shake his hand anyway. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Let’s go into my kitchen.” Diavolo seems friendly, but I can’t bring myself to fully trust him.
I still follow him, while being on my guard.
He leads me deeper into the cave, it looks like multiple rooms have been carved out alongside the long corridor. It looks old and it’s so much bigger than expected.
One of the rooms is indeed a place for cooking. It has a small hole in the wall, so we don’t have to worry about suffocation.
Diavolo has prepared a soup. It smells surprisingly good.
He gives me a bowl and scoops one for himself. He also grabs a bottle and two cups.
“There you go, I got no chairs, but you can sit on the stones over there.” Diavolo points to a group of stones that indeed resemble chairs and a table.
“Thank you.” I go and sit down. Then I remember the bread I have and decide to share it with Diavolo.
I take it out of my bag and break it in half. “Please take this as thanks for the food.”
“Ohh, that is very kind of you.” Diavolo takes the bread with a big smile.
The soup is warm and fills my stomach very nicely. “That was very delicious.”
“You flatter me. I enjoyed today’s meal more than ever. So I should thank you.” He seems genuine.
Maybe my distrust is misplaced.
“So now that we are friends, let’s drink.” Diavolo fills a cup for himself.
“I wouldn’t say that, but I’ll take a cup.” A bit of drink can’t harm.
Diavolo fills my cup with a honey colored liquid. “What is this stuff anyway?”
“It’s Mead, I made it myself.” He seems rather proud of it.
I carefully take a sip. “It’s good.” Better than expected to be sure.
After finishing all of the baked goods it’s now time to clean up.
“Let me at least help you with cleaning up.” Barbatos gives me puppy dog eyes, probably well aware that I can’t resist them.
“Okay. I’ll let you do this much.” I can’t decline.
“I wish I could help but there is this pile of papers on my desk.” Diavolo had originally planned to work all night but now that he is on better terms with Barbatos again he will probably get scolded for that.
“It would be wise to catch up on them.” Barbatos sounds more like his usual self again as well.
I feel great relief about this.
“I can’t have you come back just to slack off now can I?” Diavolo sighs.
“Go ahead, we’ll finish everything here.” It’s not a lot of work anyways.
Barbatos nods and starts to put the dishes on the cart.
Diavolo leaves us, somehow he seems sad that he can’t help us. I feel like he must really hate his paperwork. Not that I blame him.
Barbatos calmly stacks all of the dishes while I remove the other decorations.
“It’s a shame to take them all off.” Barbatos is looking a bit sad at the small pile on the table.
“They wouldn’t be special anymore if we always kept them. It’s like Halloween decorations. Wait, do you celebrate Halloween?” Suddenly I realize that they may not even know about it.
“I heard about it. It’s a human-world tradition. I think these days humans dress up to party or go trick and treat.” Barbatos gives me a summary of what he knows.
“Yeah, but the most important thing is the spooky decorations. Well, I personally always celebrate with snacks and a scary movie.” I laugh.
“I see we should celebrate Halloween then this year together. I’m sure Diavolo will go all out for this.” Barbatos chuckles lightly.
“I’m already looking forward to it. Maybe we should have a haunted castle party.” I started looking forward to it.
“That sounds interesting. We also should make some human delights. I saw some bat-shaped cookies that I’m curious to try.” Barbatos smiles at the idea.
“That sounds great. We also need to dress up.” I can already picture it somehow.
“Yes, there are many lovely costumes that I’d like to see you in.” He has some ideas already, it seems.
“I also have some ideas for you and Diavolo.” I laugh.
“I’m looking forward to those as well.” He smiles and I now notice it’s an honest and truly happy smile.
“You really look best smiling like that.” I can’t help myself from saying this.
His cheeks flush pink. “Thank you.” He sheepishly accepts my compliment.
We head to the kitchen and put all the dishes into the washer.
Our work now is done. I somehow feel a bit reluctant to leave just yet.
“Do you have free time after this?” Barbatos asks me an unexpected answer.
“Of course, I have the whole day off.” I wonder what he could need me for.
He smiles. “Great, there is this place I’d love to show you.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” My curiosity is awoken.
Barbatos looks very pleased and soon I go beside him towards a place in the castle that I haven’t seen yet at all. It looks older than the part we are living in.
He unlocks a door and I find a spiral staircase in front of me. “What is this for?”
“It’s one of the towers. What I want you to see it’s at the top.” Barbatos remains mysterious.
With growing anticipation, I climb the stairs until we finally reach another door. Barbatos opens it for me with an elegant motion. “After you.”
I step through the door and find myself at the top of the tower.
A gust of wind hits me. I notice that we are pretty high up.
I go closer to the huge windows. Then I see the city sprawled out in front of me. It’s a magical sight. The lights of the city seem to dance in front of me. I stare at it in awe. “This is amazing.” I turn and smile at him.
“I’m glad you like it. I was thinking of the garden at first but seeing this reaction I was right to bring you here.” Barbatos smiles proudly.
“I love the garden too, but I have never seen the devildom like this. It’s truly amazing.” The lights continue to sparkle and I can’t stop looking.
“The truly amazing what you manage to accomplish in such little time. I could have never seen such a thing. Even when my ability worked fully.” Barbatos steps next to me. His eyes look towards the horizon. I follow his gaze. I wonder what this looks like through his eyes.
“You are much more amazing than me. I only do what feels right to me.” I feel a bit sheepish.
“That is one of the things that make you amazing. Even when you sometimes could put more thought into your actions.” He smiles slightly ruefully at me.
I can only imagine how much trouble I caused him. “I’m sorry. I will try to do better.” I bow towards him.
Barbatos chuckles. “I would appreciate that, but I think I’d also lose a piece of you. So just stay as you are.” He looks at me with warm eyes. I don’t think they were ever this warm.
“I can do better without changing who I am.” I already work on that after all.
“If I may speak frankly for a bit?” This is a strange request from him.
“I thought you already did that, but go ahead.” I can’t help but chuckle.
Barbatos nods. “I’m sometimes scared of where you might be heading towards, but at the same time, I also can’t wait to see what you might be able to achieve. I have done a lot of thinking especially ever since I was so close to losing you.” He takes a deep breath. He seems to recall that day so clearly. His fear is so clear to me.
I put my hand on his. It feels cold.
His eyes look at my hand over his. His expression is very serene. “I wouldn’t be able to lose you. That’s why I have come to a decision.” Suddenly he removes his hand from mine and before I can react to that he kneels in front of me. His eyes look up at me. “Master please enter into a pact with me.”
My breath stops for a moment. I didn’t expect this, especially not like this.
“Are you sure?” I ask the first thing that comes to my mind.
“Yes, I have never been so sure about anything else.” His eyes gleam with determination.
“Don’t get me wrong there is nothing that would fill me with greater pride and joy, but you know I can’t even control Diavolos’ mana.” I can’t even imagine how much more power I’d gain with him as my partner.
“I understand that completely, but I have full faith that you can master using both of our mana within no time. Despite a pact between us would mean that you only need to think of me and I will know. I will know whenever you are in danger. If you say my name I can appear right away to be at your service.” Barbatos has put much thought into this.
“Your support really means everything to me. I will gladly enter into a pact with you Barbatos.” I can’t argue against him. Especially not now.
Barbatos is delighted. “I’m truly happy, thank you very much, master.”
He takes my hand. I start to feel a bit nervous.
Barbatos places a kiss on the back of my hand.
It makes my whole face burn.
A sensation starts to sprawl from my hand into my body. The pact between us is formed.
Color starts to appear in front of my eyes. A calm and gentle green. A green much like Barbatos eyes. An image starts to form in my mind.
A wide and spread out forest. Old mysterious trees overgrown with moss and vines. Serene, quiet but also strong and filled with much life and energy.
This is what represents our pact.
The image doesn’t disappear until Barbatos lips leave my hand.
“Wow, that felt so different.” I feel somewhat strange, like everything has changed but also feels the same.
“It was truly an experience.” Barbatos gets up from his knees and calmly smiles at me. Then he looks past me. “It looks like our pact has made quite the impact.” He chuckles.
I turn around and see vines have spread behind me.
“What? How did that happen?” I look at it in awe. They look just like in my vision.
“I guess I somehow tapped into your earth element. Quite interesting. I guess we are a great match.” Barbatos smiles a bit mischievous.
“I had no clue something like this could happen.” Not that I have much experience, but it makes me happy.
“I will name these after you.” He chuckles.
“Is it really okay to leave them like this?” It looks like they reach far down the tower. They might become an issue.
“Of course, they are quite beautiful. I will take great care of these plants.” He looks fondly at the plants.
“I’m fine with that, as long as they don’t become a nuisance.” In the end it’s Barbatos’ decision.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go back down now before you catch a cold.” Barbatos smiles warmly at me.
“Yeah, let’s go.” I suddenly feel a bit jiggly in my legs.
“Oh, you used too much mana. I will carry you.” This is clearly not a request.
“I think I will be fine on my own.” I feel a bit self conscious.
“You aren’t comfortable with me carrying you?” He looks like a beaten dog. He really has mastered this technique.
“No-no, I just don’t want to inconvenience you.” I almost take a step back from his attack.
“You don’t have to worry about that at all.” He takes a step towards me and before I know it he carries me like a princess.
I’m so embarrassed that I can’t protest. So I just reluctantly let myself get carried all the way to my room.
It’s not bad at all of course. The way Barbatos carries me feels very nice. So nice in fact that I could get used to it.
It’s just really embarrassing and I hope nobody sees me.
Barbatos lets me down in my room. He looks very happy.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” I say with my face still red.
“No problem.” Then he peers into my eyes and leans closer to me, just to touch my forehead. “You aren’t hot, that’s a relief.”
“I don’t have a fever.” I feel embarrassed.
“Rest anyway. I will bring you dinner later.” Barbatos doesn’t even let me reply.
He just leaves me a blushing mess.
Sometimes I wonder if he knows what he is doing.
———-
Finally, we got to the pact with Barbatos. I hope this was satisfying to everyone who was waiting.
“I see you are in good spirits, master.” He smiles gently. His eyes then fall on my bag. “Shall I carry that for you?”
“No, this is for later. I just need to use the Wintergarden if you would lead the way?!” I have a good idea of where it is but going with Barbatos will make this much faster.
“Alright. Follow me.” Barbatos is slightly disappointed but moves on without complaining.
He leads me through the maze-like palace with ease.
The Wintergarden looks very nice, it’s a perfect place for relaxing.
“I will now prepare everything. I will call you once I’m done.” I look at him with a smile.
“Master… I can assist you if you want me to.” Barbatos seems unhappy to be left out.
“Sorry, not now. You just go and do your other duties.” As much as I love his assistance, I need to do this.
“I could at least prepare the tea.” Barbatos is disappointed by the fact that he is left out of preparing anything for our tea time.
“I got it all covered so don’t worry.” I pat him reassuringly on the shoulder.
Barbatos has an unsure expression. “I have no doubt that you can do this.”
“Good, so be off now.” I shove him out of the room and close the door.
Barbatos is baffled by my actions, but eventually,y I hear him walking off.
Now I can put all my efforts into making this look great.
I decorate the table with some flowers and a few candles with a nice and relaxing smell.
I put the cake and cookies in the middle.
Everything looks even better than anticipated, it’s good that I asked Asmo for some advice.
Then I start to prepare the tea. Simeon gave me some advice on this specific blend. My training with Barbatos also pays off greatly.
I’m very happy with the outcome.
I text both Diavolo and Barbatos to come now.
I don’t have to wait for long, lucky enough. My excitement wouldn’t be able to take that anyways.
“Wow, this looks amazing.” Diavolo is the first who enters, he is awestruck.
“You outdid yourself.” Barbatos looks fondly at the decorations.
I feel proud. “You have seen nothing yet. Please sit down.” I smile at them, mimicking Barbatos’ movements when pulling the chairs out.
“Thank you.” Barbatos smiles at me. He isn’t used to being served either but he seems to enjoy it.
Diavolo sits down across from Barbatos, eyeing the desserts. “These look amazing.”
“That is right. It’s hard to believe that you made these yourself.” Barbatos looks at the nicely decorated sweets.
I pour both of them their tea. I know by now how they enjoy it. It feels funny to be in Barbatos shoes.
“Very nice, at this point, you are a serious competition for Barbatos.” Diavolo looks very proudly at me.
“Haha thank you, but I could never even dream of taking his place. He is so amazing it’s hard to believe that he is real.” I give him a genuine compliment. Barbatos cheeks flush with color. He seems to be embarrassed.
“I have to agree Barbatos always does a fine job.” Diavolo agrees with a smile. Then he realizes that he is still mad at him and his face turns to stone. “I mean, at least until that incident.”
“I will give you each a slice of cake.” I try to ignore the awkward atmosphere. It was going so well until now too.
Barbatos shoots me a guilty smile.
“Please enjoy the baked goods. No fighting at the table.” I glance at Diavolo and sit down in between them.
Diavolo takes a sullen bite of the cake.
“It tastes amazing.” He can’t help but compliment me.
“It truly is. You need to share the recipe with me.” Barbatos also enjoys his first bite.
“I think Simeon will be okay with that. I will ask him later.” I want to make sure even when Simeon seems to be a generous guy.
“I’d love to try more angel desserts.” Diavolo is happy about the food, at least.
“I think we should bake together at some point. Making desserts together is truly fun.” I smile at both Barbatos and Diavolo.
“That is a splendid idea.” Barbatos looks a bit sad, like he is only saying this to make me happy.
I let it slide for now.
After the cake, they both try the cookies.
“All of them are very nicely decorated.” Diavolo smiles at the assortment of different designs.
“The brothers all gave me a few of them. They said it’s to help us.” I giggle at that.
“That was very nice of them. You seem to have a good influence on them.” Barbatos smiles at me.
“I expect nothing less from you.” Diavolo agrees.
“That would be great, but I think they don’t like the awkward atmosphere either.” They all complained about it at least.
“Haha that might be true, but it’s not typical for them to help someone when they aren’t moved in some way.” Diavolo seems to be relaxed again.
“Now to the muffins,” Simeon told me these are especially relaxing.
“They look quite interesting. They somehow remind me of a unicorn horn.” Barbatos looks at the two colored and spiral patterned muffins.
“I bet this was hard to make.” Diavolo looks at his muffin with great curiosity.
“There is a trick to them, but I will only reveal that in our joint baking session.” I smirk at them. If sweets don’t get them to agree then I don’t know what will.
“I see you studied the weaknesses of your enemies well.” Barbatos has a great sense of pride in his voice.
“I guess I have no choice do I?” Diavolo sighs and smiles.
“Exactly.” I smile and finish my own plate off. It was so tasty. I feel full and sleepy.
“You seem to always have one over us somehow.” Barbatos doesn’t seem to be bothered at all.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I playfully laugh.
“I guess you also won’t be satisfied until we address the elephant in the room?” Diavolo looks intently at me.
“You are right about that.” There is no reason to deny the obvious.
“I wonder why you are so adamant about this?” Diavolo is seemingly clueless.
“It’s not that hard to guess. I just want my family to get along. I just recently learned that in a family you talk about your issues and then makeup.” I truly feel so strongly for both of them, family is the only word that fits.
Both men seem equally surprised and happy about my words.
“So that’s how you see us.” Barbatos smiles gently at me.
“You said the same thing before and each time I hear it it still surprises me. I’m truly blessed.” Diavolo smiles the same way as Barbatos.
“I don’t just mean me towards you, but to each other as well.” I feel like I need to clarify.
This causes Diavolo to think for a moment. “In that case I shall try your method of making up.”
I’m not sure what caused his slight shift but regardless I’m glad he is willing to do it.
“I honestly appreciate it even though I’m not quite sure I deserve it.” Barbatos is still ridden with guilt. I doubt this will change anytime soon. I don’t expect miracles either but at least they are talking.
“I think we both know why I got so upset. I have to admit that I probably reacted harshly, but when I imagine what could have happened I just get so angry.” Diavolo starts by laying his raw emotions on the table.
“I was always one to be able to trust my abilities. I grew accustomed to them. When I didn’t see any danger I thought it was fine. I will for the rest of my days regret this decision. I’m ashamed and I truly don’t think that I deserve your kindness.” Barbatos looks almost heartbroken.
Diavolo seems just as surprised as I am by this admission.
“But Barbatos…” My attempt at speaking gets interrupted by a motion of the hand by Diavolo.
“Nobody can always know everything. Not even a demon as powerful as you. At the very least we know what to expect with my sibling now. As bad as the situation was. I honestly don’t ever want to repeat that, but at least now we can plan accordingly.” Diavolo seems to know just the right words.
“You might be right. The knowledge of what I can’t see might also be an asset, regardless we both have to double our efforts. In order to protect what’s important.” Barbatos fondly looks at me.
“Exactly. I doubt that I can do this all by myself. A treasure just as important as this one needs more than one guard.” Diavolo looks just the same way at me.
My cheeks are burning. At least they agree so I just take the embarrassment.
“I agree with that statement. Let’s triple our efforts. I also propose the formation of the little sibling support squad.” Diavolo lifts his tea cup, like it’s beer.
Barbatos agrees with him, it seems.
“Hey you two, cut it out, I’m right here.” I can’t take the embarrassment anymore.
Both of them laugh full-heartedly and then ruffle my hair.
Even when I got humiliated they are at least on the same page again.
Mammon leads the way to a nice bar that has small booths and serves food too. It’s almost like a restaurant, but with a more lively atmosphere.
“This place is nice, have you been here before?” It seems like Mammon is very familiar with this whole town.
“I’ve been around a lot. With my work it ain’t a surprise, I suppose.” Mammon sounds nonchalant, but you can tell that it’s bugging him.
“Sounds kind of lonely. I couldn’t imagine having nowhere to go.” You feel empathy towards him.
“You are pretty lucky, you know. I mean not the part of havin to take care of everything but having a home, must be nice.” Mammon quickly corrects himself.
“You are right, it’s very lucky. Though I wish…” You wish your sibling wasn’t sick, can you say that to Mammon? You carefully weigh your options. “I just wish that they were all healthy.” In the end, you tell him.
Mammon looks sullen. “That’s bad, is there anything we can do about it?”
He says we so casually, it makes your heart feel warm. You smile at him. “Thanks to our job, I can buy medicine for months, but thank you for caring.”
Mammon seems relieved to hear that. “Maybe we can get better jobs and get even better medicine or something.”
“Sounds like you want me to keep being your partner.” You smile softly at him, feeling tempted to take his hand that is laying on the table.
“Of course. I mean, I’m the best partner any person could ask for.” He puffs his chest. “You are pretty good, too.” He clears his throat.
“Pretty good? I’d say I’m awesome.” You smirk at him. “But being partners on a more permanent basis might be good. Since you aren’t too bad at this partner thing.” You don’t even have to think about it too long.
“You could word it nicer, you know.” He puffs his cheeks. It’s quite cute when he looks like this.
“I could, but I won’t.” You tease him, hoping to get a few more cute expressions.
“You can be brutal, good thing that you are so cute, or I’d be mad.” He quietly mentions the last part, but you still understand him.
“You think that I’m cute?!” This honesty surprises you. Nobody ever calls you cute. It sets your face on fire.
“Well umm…” Mammon’s face lights up red, and he searches for an escape. “Oh, food, I’m starving.” Mammon is saved by the arriving food.
You feel equally embarrassed and start to eat as well. The food is very delicious,, but it’s hard to forget Mammon’s words.
“That was delicious.” You feel very satisfied after eating. It feels great to have a full belly.
“I’m happy that you enjoyed it. Now it’s time for the real fun to start!” Mammon has a blinding smile on his face and gets some coins from his pocket.
You glance at them and then look at Mammon with a stern face. “Mammon, these are fake.”
“Well, yeah, so what?” He doesn’t see the issue at all.
“First of all, nobody is going to be filled with these, and secondly I won’t let you scam hardworking service people.” Your eyes narrow at him.
He sighs. “I worked very hard to make these, but fine. I’ll put them away.” A bit deleted, he is about to collect the coins.
You stop his hand and then take the coins yourself. “I will take these.”
Mammon blushes and pulls his hand away, this causes your cheeks to heat up as well.
“Fi-fine, I got enough money anyway.” Mammon huffs slightly and puts some real coins on the table.
“As a member of the service industry, I thank you.” You smile slightly at him, this seems to please Mammon enough to not mention after this.
Next you head to a more lively pub with dancing, and you can spot a few people playing cards in the back.
Despite that, Mammon’s eyes never quite leave you.
“What do you want to drink?” Mammon heads straight for the bar.
“I usually just get some juice or beer.” You look at the menu behind the counter. None of the names seem familiar to you.
Mammon shakes his head. “You really don’t know how to party, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, I don’t.” You feel a bit embarrassed about that.
“Let the great Mammon take care of that. I’ll order for us.” He proclaims, filled with confidence.
“Alright, but no heavy drinks.” You are definitely considered a lightweight.
“Don’t worry, we get you virgin options later, meaning without alcohol. But for now we gotta let loose.” He lightly slaps you on your shoulder, before realizing it and blushing. “Anyway, just trust me.” He coughs and tries to act like nothing happened.
“I’ll leave it to you.” You ignore his awkward moment and feel a bit adventurous anyway. It’s probably because Mammon is here with you.
Mammon seems relieved and orders colorful cocktails for both of you.
You move to a table a bit away from the bar.
Your drink looks like a sunset, while his is blue and yellow.
You take a small sip. “Wow, this is incredible.” The juice they used blends well with the bitter taste of the alcohol.
“See told you. I knew you’d like it!” Mammon smiles and you feel blinded.
“How is your drink?” You feel pretty curious.
“It’s great. I’ll get you a virgin version of it later if ya want.” Mammon is happy that you also want to try his choice.
“I can just take a sip of yours.” It seems pretty unnecessary to you.
“That would be like umm ya know… just let me get one of your own.” Mammon seems to be uncomfortable with this.
“Alright, I’m sure I’ll like it anyway.” You smile, feeling slowly a bit bolder now where most of your drink is done.
Mammon seems to feel the same way, he comes close towards you and grabs your hand. For a moment you think that he might be going to kiss you, but instead he smiles and pulls you towards the dance floor.
Suddenly, you realize that you might want to kiss him.
You shove that thought back into your head.
It’s time to let loose for once.
Mammon starts to dance to the music, its good music to dance to. You start to dance on your own.
At first, there is a good distance between you two.
More and more people come to dance so you move slowly closer towards each other.
Matching moves without touching at all. It still feels nice. Mammon is an unexpectedly good dancer. He has so much fun, it’s infectious.
You laugh and smile the entire time, especially when you try to emulate some of his more outrageous moves.
He has a load of fun himself. It feels great to let loose.
You aren’t sure who started it but at some point, you dance together. Getting closer, touching while you dance. The music is still fast but you both are just looking into each other’s eyes. Each of you seems to be waiting for a move from the other.
The mood is right too, the air between you is electric. Your faces naturally move closer towards each other.
That is when suddenly you feel freezing cold air surrounding you both. You start to shiver. “What the?”
“Oh no, we gotta run.” Mammon becomes pale as a sheet.
“What is going on?” You already get pulled by Mammon outside the place.
“No time to explain we gotta run.” He nervously looks around.
He sees a figure all clad in white.
His pull becomes stronger, and soon you are outside in the dark of the night.
You only manage to run a few steps.
More and more white figures seem to surround you. They are scary and emit a strange chilly cold. You have never seen anything like them.
“What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” You whisper, yell at Mammon.
He seems surprisingly meek. “They are servants of my big brother. I owe him big time, and they are here to collect.”
“Goldie.” One of them moans.
Mammon’s face scrunches up. “I dunno what ya are talking about.”
“Goldie!” It repeats.
They move closer, they give you goosebumps. You move closer to Mammon. How are you supposed to get out of this one?
“Over my dead body!” He still refuses.
The white-clothed things move even closer, they have surrounded you both.
They start to look at you. “You, give Goldie!”
Do they know that you have the coin?
“Come on guys, they’ve got nothing to do with this!” Mammon isn’t happy that you are being targeted now.
“Goldie!!!” They scream in unison.
Mammon makes a bitter face, clutching your hand. “Fine, give them Goldie.”
You can’t believe your ears. “Are you sure?” You know the coin means a lot to him.
“They will freeze you to death if we don’t.” Mammon’s words touch your heart.
“Alright, give me a second.” You start to rummage through your clothes. Suddenly you have an idea.
You pull a golden coin from your pocket.
“My poor Goldie.” Mammon looks like he is about to cry.
One of the creatures takes the coin and looks at it.
They seem happy enough about it and start to drawback, though not without hissing a few times at the distraught Mammon.
“Can they sense Goldie?” You whisper at him.
“Huh? No, only if they are close.” He looks confused.
“Alright, then we should get away from them as soon as possible.” You slowly start to move, they don’t seem to pay any mind to you.
Mammon has questions, but he trusts you and nods.
“When I say now you start to run, we meet at the harbor if we get separated.” You take a few more slow steps.
“No way are we getting separated, but alright, I’m ready.” Mammon looks at you with determination.
You pass the line of white creatures and then nod towards him. “Now!”
You both start running like mad, Mammon is holding your hand tighter, not letting go.
The white creatures are left behind, seemingly confused.
You run and run until you both feel like you have lost them.
At some point, you finally slow down and silently hide in a small street.
There is no sign of the things that surround you.
“They will go away as soon as the sun is up. But we better hide until then.” Mammon looks onto the street next to your location.
“That was a pretty close call.” You are out of breath, but somehow can’t help but laugh.
“How is this funny?” Mammon doesn’t seem to get it, but chuckles regardless.
“It’s probably adrenaline,, but that was fun.” You are completely beat, but regardless it felt just so good.
“You got a strange sense of fun, you know that?” Mammon starts laughing too.
“I know.” You lean onto the wall and look at Mammon.
He is out of breath, his hair is a mess, but somehow he just looks beautiful right now.
“What?” He looks at you, his cheeks are flushed.
Then you give him the real coin. “Here you go. I saved it for you.” You smile at him, feeling a bit bold and shy at the same time.
He holds the coin in his hands with a fond expression on his face. “You did that for me? But it still was a gold coin?”
You chuckle. “Apparently I was wrong, and your coins could fool someone.”
“Of course, they can, and wait, you gave them a fake coin?” Mammon seems astonished.
“Sure did, but did you expect anything else from your partner?” You grin at him.
“You are the best, I could kiss you.” Mammon smiles like the sun.
“Why don’t you then?” You smirk and then realize that maybe you want him to kiss you. Your cheeks start to heat up again.
Mammon seems equally baffled by your words. “Wait what?” Then he looks away. “Why would I want that?”
“Because you like me?” You feel a bit standoffish. Then you quietly add. “I mean, I like you.”
“Wait, hold on a moment. You like me? I mean of course, you do, but seriously, you like me?” Mammon is confused.
“I do.” You look him straight into his eyes, leaving no room for doubt.
Mammon bites his lips, seemingly waiting for it to be a joke or dream or who knows what.
“Are you sure?” His usual confidence is nowhere to be seen. Mammon seems very vulnerable right now.
You lean closer to him, his eyes waver. You don’t.
Your lips touch his, just for a sweet moment, until you pull back. It felt better than you expected. “I’m sure.”
Mammon looks at you wide-eyed. He is quiet for a long time. So are you.
“That was… wow, it just was wow…” He finally speaks up and still seems to be lost.
“It was.” You feel a bit shy. Your whole relationship with Mammon just shifted, and you don’t know what it means. Heck, you don’t even know if Mammon likes you too.
“You know, it’s crazy that you like me. I mean, you are perfect and beautiful and cool and awesome… Yet here you are messin me all up. I mean, what the heck are you thinking, just kissing me. I wanted to be the one to be all cool and sweep you off your feet and kiss you. You beat me to it.” Mammon talks like he is somehow offended, but yet he can’t hide his smile.
“So you wanted to kiss me?” This is the point that interests you right now.
“Ever since I saw you in that bar. Not that I thought it would ever happen.” Mammon admits this shyly.
“Wow, you’ve been pining for me that long?” You find it sweet and funny,, and it relieves you.
“Come on, no teasing, I’m tryin to be honest here.” Mammon frowns slightly.
“Sorry, I can’t help it.” You sheepishly smile at him.
Mammon huffs. “You think you can get away with everything, don’t you?”
“Well because I do.” You grin at him.
Mammon frowns deepen, but then he suddenly becomes serious. He seems to ponder something.
You wonder what it is.
Suddenly he leans closer and kisses you, his cheeks are on fire. So are yours.
It feels sweet and just right somehow.
Mammon hugs you, you hold him back. The kiss breaks and he looks into your eyes. “I like you too.” He says almost inaudibly.
You smile brightly at him, kissing him again.
You keep giving each other small kisses until the sun rises.
New adventures are waiting for you two right beyond the horizon.
Now you’re not facing any of them on your own anymore.
Both of you know that. Your hands hold each other tightly. Looking at the sunrise together.
We only stop a few times, mostly due to Diavolo wanting to show me alongside the path. Pretty flowers and cute animals are seemingly irresistible to him. It’s unexpected but also something I like about him. His childlike expression causes me to smile as well.
Finally, we reach the main road around lunchtime.
We are extremely lucky and manage to hitch a ride with a farmer.
We eat in peace on the back of the cart.
Everything seems just more fun with Diavolo at my side.
Now that we are so close to our destination I feel a sense of loss. Knowing that our time will come to an end soon.
“Is there anything that is bothering you?” Diavolo eyes me with worry. “Not really, I was just thinking about meeting the dragon.” I’m not even lying. “Are you worried about the upcoming battle?” Diavolo looks deep into my eyes. Almost as probing into my head. “No, I’m quite confident in my skills. Actually, I wonder that you seem so calm about it.” This must be bothering him. Diavolo smiles at me. “I know what I have to do. I’m just grateful for this opportunity.” I look over at him. He is so calm but I sense that he is uneasy. I put a hand on his shoulder. “We are in this together, don’t forget that.” He looks at me surprised and then chuckles. “You are right, thanks for reminding me.”
Then the cart stops on the edge of the forest.
We thank the farmer and make our way towards the dragon’s nest.
The forest is rather overgrown. Not a surprise. I’m sure most will avoid a dragon’s nest.
The temperature is rising when we get closer to the nest.
Both of us are tense, focusing on what is ahead of us.
A part of me still hopes that we can somehow resolve this situation, but I know the odds are more than low.
Soon we reach a hill that is completely covered in ash. The dragon’s nest.
Fire dragons need a lot of heat. Ash is the perfect ground to lay eggs for them.
The dragon approaches it. It’s natural for it to defend its territory.
It glares at us, puffing itself up. Ready to shoot fire if we don’t run away.
Diavolo nods at me.
I’m ready to fight but my sword stays where it is.
“Firedragon, I’m Diavolo. I came to ask you about the destruction of a village on the other side of the mountain. Did you do that?” He asks in a firm voice.
The dragon seems to glare at Diavolo. It lets out a single loud roar.
I don’t need a translation for this response.
“Why did you do it?” I ask the dragon. It turns its flaming eyes towards me.
It roars with much vigor. It almost blows me away. It seems to be a painful sound.
Diavolo has a solemn expression. “I’m very sorry to hear that.” He then turns to me. “They destroyed her eggs.” I can’t imagine how painful that might be. “ You have my sincere condolences. But regardless you can’t just destroy a whole village because of that.”
The dragon doesn’t sound happy with my response. I can’t exactly fault it. “Exactly did you even get the humans that did that?” Diavolo stands firmly at my side.
While the dragon seems to get more irritated now. Its roaring gets angrier. “It doesn’t sound like she cares. All humans are the same for her. She just wants them all dead.” Diavolo seems pretty sad when he translates these words. “I understand that you hate humans for what they did, but you killed innocent people. There are only two choices left. Either you go or you die.” This situation is past the point of negotiations. I can understand her reason but it doesn’t excuse her actions.
Her response is to let smoke escape her nostrils and to try and claw me.
I easily avoid her attack and draw my sword. Her decision is clear to me.
I steel my resolve and get ready to slay her.
Diavolo stops me with his arm. “Please let me handle this.” I look at him surprised. “You don’t have to do this.” This must be painful for him. Diavolo shakes his head. “No, I have to understand this part as well. Even if it’s painful.” His resolve is clear as day. “Alright, but if you get in trouble I will intervene.” With that, I step backward. Still having my sword ready, just in case. “Thanks, I appreciate that.” He smiles weakly.
Diavolo is at the very least tipsy, but it’s hard to tell. He only seems to get louder and starts to sing with the other people.
It’s very fun and honestly I wouldn’t be opposed to drinking all night, but sadly we have a mission.
At some point I wander over to Diavolo. Who is discussing the pros and cons about different apple ciders. It’s a pretty heated discussion.
“Hey, Diavolo, it’s time for bed.” I have to speak slowly so as to not slur my words.
“How bold of you, but sure.” Diavolo winks at me, or at least he tries.
“Not like that, it’s time to sleep.” I roll my eyes.
“Aww can we cuddle at least?” He looks at me with puppy eyes.
Everyone around us starts teasing us.
“Just come.” I don’t have the patience for this right now.
Diavolo gets up. He has a pretty hard time walking.
He is completely drunk.
I have to help him to the room.
Of course it has a huge bed. One single large bed. I groan.
“You better keep your hands to yourself, or I’ll kick you.” I just can’t think too much about this right now. I’m tired and drunk.
I practically plop onto the bed.
“Won’t you undress your armor?” Diavolo sits down next to me. Studying me with hazy eyes.
“No. This armor stays on.” I drunkenly refuse.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable?” He lays down next to me. Looking at me.
“It is, but I’m used to it.” It’s common for dragon knights to be always ready while on the hunt.
“I won’t let any dragon hurt you so you can be comfortable.” Diavolo looks at me with gentle eyes.
My cheeks grow hot. “You only want to see me without my armor.” I defect away from my feelings.
“ I bet you are very soft, but it’s still true.” Diavolo touches the side of my chest plate.
“I’m pretty muscular.” I feel somewhat offended.
“I bet that feels very good to touch too."
"You should sleep instead of saying stupid things.” I turn away from him, hiding my growing embarrassment. My heart beats wildly. He can’t be serious, can he?
Diavolo sighs but doesn’t add anything else.
Soon I hear him snoring and pass out soon after him.
In the morning I wake up feeling very warm and comfortable.
I feel something soft and big at my front.
Feeling still sleepy I slowly open my eyes.
Much to my surprise I have closed in on Diavolo and spoon him.
I move away in a sudden rush of adrenaline. Feeling very hot in my face. Why must I always snuggle up to him in my sleep?
“Good morning sleepy head.” Diavolo sits up with a big smile and stretches his body.
“G-ood morning.” I try to just ignore how I slept.
“You can come back and cuddle me some more, you know.” Diavolo sounds calm about it, even when his cheeks look a few shades darker.
“We got work to do.” I’m unsure how to respond to this, so I try to change the topic.
“Awww too bad but does that mean you want to when work is done?” Diavolo winks at me.
I just can’t with him! He teases me too much.
I simply ignore his comment and refresh myself in the bathroom.
When I’m back, Diavolo has gotten us breakfast and packed everything. He can be quite efficient.
But when I think about last night my heart starts to pound loudly. I might be attracted to him after all.
I have no room in my head to really think about this for right now. So lock all these confusing feelings in my heart.
Female reader due to reasons that will become apparent during the fic.
Please enjoy.
In this tale the reader sleepwalks and ends in Barbatos bed.
2.7 k words
———————-
Barbatos pov
At night once everything in the castle has finally calmed down I finally lay down to rest.
Today has been eventful. Additionally, to the young master, I served all the inhabitants from the house of lamentation.
This was due to the young master’s insistence to celebrate the human exchange students’ latest accomplishments. A well-deserved treat in my humble opinion.
As always they have the tendency to exceed expectations.
After some of the brothers managed to pass out drunk everyone else stayed the night.
I predicted this, even without my skills.
It wasn’t unpleasant, due to one simple fact: you, the human exchange student.
Strange how such a simple human could steal such a big space within me.
As I muse about this I hear my door opening.
There you stand, walking closer to me without a hint of hesitation.
Brazen but so very like you.
You step closer to my bed. I wonder what sort of fuss the brothers are making this time. They are prone to do something that ends up being a hassle for me or you.
As you step slowly towards me I sense there is something strange about you.
Not only are you just wearing a shirt but your eyes are closed, and you seem in some sort of trance. Maybe some sort of spell has been cast?
No, that’s not quite right.
You are sleepwalking, a condition I had never much concern about.
The young master never had this issue.
You, however, are showing me never before seen sights once again.
You casually climb into my bed, likely mistaking it for yours.
I heard somewhere that it’s bad to wake someone up from this state.
This puts me in quite a predicament.
It’s not that I mind your company, quite the opposite, but you are asleep and unaware of where you are.
You lay down beside me while I still ponder about this sudden development.
Waking you up isn’t an option. So I should bring you to your bed.
Somehow this makes me feel uneasy. What if you start to walk again and end up in a dangerous situation or on one of the brother’s beds?
The second thought almost bugs me more.
In this case, you are safest with me.
During my thought process, you made yourself comfortable.
You shiver slightly, tugging on my blanket.
I chuckle, so you are a blanket thief.
I cover your body and your breathing calms down.
I suppose this isn’t so bad. Sure, it’s a bit of a temptation to have you this close but surely you will appreciate how much of a gentleman I am.
With this thought, I’m laying down.
Shortly after your body shifts and your arm lays on my stomach. Nuzzling closely to me.
I’m quite surprised. I never expected you to be so bold in your sleep.
Luckily I can keep my composure. It’s truly a blessing that it’s me. Other men in my position could not resist touching your soft skin that is ever so slightly peeking out from under your shirt.
I’m about to close my eyes again when your arm is traveling lower on my body.
This is certainly something that I need to stop. I carefully take your hand and move it up again.
“Now, now be a good girl and leave it there,” I whisper to you.
You shift slightly. “Barbatos…” For a moment my heart stops after my name leaves your lips.
It seems like you have woken up but you still breathe deeply.
I can’t help but wonder what you dream about. Of course, I wouldn’t do that, but I somehow hope you dream about me.
You start to move again, turning away from me. Leaving me feeling strangely lonely.
I feel tempted to turn you back towards me, to touch you, but I hold myself back.
But then you shift more and are about to fall out of the bed.
I transform in an instant and wrap my tail around your waist. Making sure you stay safe.
You once again don’t wake up. I’m slightly impressed by this.
Instead, you start to stroke my tail. It sends shifts down my spine.
You certainly know how to tempt me. “You are such a bad girl,” I whisper to you, well aware of the fact that you can’t hear me.
You turn once more and wrap your legs around me. “I’m not a pillow, you know,” I whisper once again to you. Your skin is even more exposed now, I feel your naked skin on my tail but I can’t move it either. It’s quite dangerous no matter how I look at it.
This will be a very long night.
——–
Your pov
After being invited to the castle the celebration for my success turned wilder than expected.
Not that I mind, it was a lot of fun.
In the end, Mammon and Asmo had way too much to drink. Beel and Belphie also passed out. Beel from the delicious food and well it was expected from Belphie.
So Diavolo offered us to stay in the countless guest rooms.
Lucifer was pretty grateful for this and when else do I get to sleep in the castle.
It’s somewhat exciting. Especially since I get to spend a little extra time with Barbartos.
Soon enough I fall asleep in the huge comfortable bed.
When I come to be I feel something wrapped around my waist and something warm and soft next to me.
I slowly open my eyes and then have to blink a few times.
Where the hell am I? I gasp when I notice the man that is practically under me. “Barbatos!?” I move away from him.
“Good morning, though it’s still the middle of the night,” Barbatos answers me promptly. At least he doesn’t sound mad.
“Barbartos, oh my lord, I’m so sorry. Did I sleepwalk?” This is such a huge surprise to me that I have no idea what to say.
“It does seem so.” He calmly replies. I’m truly glad it’s him I woke up next to.
“This hasn’t happened to me since I was a child. I’m sorry if I caused you trouble.” I feel guilty.
“You caused me much trouble. I had to stop you from falling out of bed.” He talks in a low voice.
Barbartos normally doesn’t talk this way to me. It’s different but exciting.
I also just now realize that Barbatos’ tail is tightly wrapped around my waist. It’s hard to describe the feeling, it’s warm and slick but not in a bad way.
“Is there any way I can make up for this?” Surely I can repay his kindness somehow.
“Well you see I was just planning to let you peacefully sleep all night, but you caused me quite a few issues so I fear I must punish you for this.” His last words are more of a low growl that send heat right into my core.
I feel his tail on my exposed skin slithering across my back.
His actions make me want more. “What sort of punishment?” I can’t quite hide my excitement.
His eyes glisten in the dark. Barbartos smirks at me. “Why don’t you wait and find out."
His voice makes me so weak. Barbatos reaches his fingers out and touches my cheek. I make a sound that is almost a moan. I never knew a single touch could make me this weak.
His tail keeps traveling lower across my body. Sliding alongside my butt.
I shiver, having no idea what his plan is. Only one thing is clear, I want him.
The tip of his tail is sliding between my buttcheeks, slowly shoving my panties down.
"Barbatos…” My words are a whisper filled with confusion and want.
He smirks at me, licking his lip. I’m feeling like prey, and yet I don’t mind being devoured by him.
His finger touches my lip, as to tell me to stay quiet.
He traces my lip with hungry eyes. They quiver in anticipation.
These eyes of his are speaking of danger but I have never wanted anyone this badly.
His tail glides into my lowered panties. Touching my bare butt.
One of its tips touches my back entrance. Putting soft pressure on it. I feel slight wetness, a slime-like substance that is left behind by his tail.
Now I realize what his plan is. “Wait, Barbatos!"
"Don’t you want me?” His movement pauses. He looks disappointed.
“I do, but this is my first time like this.” I feel a bit awkward admitting that.
“Don’t worry it will feel great.” Barbartos voice is soft and soothing but his eyes are filled with lust and greed.
I have a feeling that he won’t back down and if I’m being honest I want this.
“Do you want this?” He asks as if he doesn’t know the answer already.
His tail is nudging my back entrance.
“Yes,” I whisper with a moan.
Barbatos smiles at me, pleased with my response.
His finger parts my lips ever so slightly as his tail starts to push its way into me.
Then his lips meet mine just when he enters me. Filling me with sweet pain.
I gasp at the unusual feeling. His tail is soft and knows exactly what to do to make me moan and become wet.
Barbatos locks eyes with me, watching my reaction with a delighted smile. He seems to enjoy this a lot.
He pulls me on top of him, I think he wants to study me even closer.
His hands slide under my shirt, revealing my chest to him. My shirt soon lands on the floor. His eyes hungrily roam my body, while his tail is relentlessly moving in my butt.
It’s hard to hold my voice in.
“Come, let me hear your sweet voice.” He encourages me or maybe it’s an order. I don’t care either way and with his permission, I moan.
The more he moves the more I feel my need to awaken in my other hole. “I want you.” My voice is barely coherent.
“Your punishment has only begun.”
His other tail tip responds and touches my burning hole. But it’s not enough, it only wants me to have him more.
“Barbatos, please more,” I beg him. Usually, he is so good at serving others but tonight he has different plans.
“You are such a greedy girl.” He teases me with his words and his tails.
Both are driving me mad. The heat in my core becomes unbearable. I rub my body on him seeking friction.
My lips meet his with greed that I have not experienced before. My tongue invades his mouth and he accepts it with a moan.
My hand tugs on his shirt, ready to rip it off him.
His eyes gleam dangerously. “You are so bad."
"Barbatos, please.” With a heated breath, I beg him for my sweet release.
“You caused me so much trouble. Are you willing to take responsibility for that?” Barbatos voice is almost a growl.
At this point, I’m willing to do anything for him. “Yes just, please give me more.” I moan at him, pleading with him.
“You better not regret this in the morning, because I won’t let you go until then.” As to emphasize his words his tail tightens around my waist.
His lips capture mine with heated breaths our tongues mingle.
I continue to rub my body on his, showing him that I’m ready for anything.
Then his tail lifts me, it’s like I weigh nothing to him. I’m confused until my body is laid on my stomach.
Barbartos moves and I hear the rustling of closes being shed.
The excitement is rising in my body. I lift my butt to show him how much I want him. His tail is still in my butt but has seized all movement.
“That’s a good girl, show me how you want me.” Barbatos sounds pleased.
I can feel my juices are practically running down my needy hole.
His hand firmly grabs my butt and squeezes it. This speeds me open for him.
“Looks like you are ready,” Barbatos growls.
I feel a sensation on my entrance. It’s warm and I just know it’s his member.
My heart quickens with anticipation. I can’t wait for him to enter me.
His member teases my entrance. I groan, wanting him now.
“You are in real trouble, you know that?” His body hovers closer.
I can only moan in response.
Moments later his member finally enters my body. His hands grip my hips firmly, holding me in place.
It feels so good, I gasp.
As soon as his member has filled me up he starts moving and soon his tail starts to join in the rhythm.
I’m filled with Barbatos and it feels so good.
I moan and say his name, moving my hips as much as I can.
Barbatos soon picks up speed, ramming his member into me.
I yell out. My mind goes blank, all I feel is pleasure.
I cum hard but he has no intention of slowing down. Instead, he chuckles and slaps my butt. “You came too fast."
I only make animalistic sounds in response to him. I can only think of his member in my body. Wanting more, wanting to come again and again for him.
He rams into me, grunting, my hole makes wet noises.
I blank out again. My insides are squeezing his member.
"You are so tight.” He moans. I can feel him getting harder.
The friction is killing me. I come again before he shoots his seed into me.
Gasping for air I fall onto the mattress.
“Already beat? Too bad we have just started.” Barbatos snickers. His tail leaves my body and unwraps itself from my waist.
Then he pulls his member from my body.
Despite being beat, my body still wants more.
He turns me to face him. His eyes seem to glow.
I look at his naked chest, glistening with sweat.
His hands touch my body. He gently squeezes my breasts and nibbels on my nipple. I moan and reach out to touch him. Feeling his skin under my hands. He moans and feverishly kisses me.
I feel his member rubbing at me, still hard. This fills me with heat once more.
He must notice my want and smirks at me.
“Open your legs,” Barbatos orders me with lust in his tone.
I do as I’m told.
“Good girl.” He strokes my cheek. His member is slowly entering me once again.
I moan with pleasure. Barbatos is the only one that ever made me feel this way.
With a groan filled with pleasure, he starts to move. I moan alongside him.
His eyes are fixated on me. Enjoying my reactions as he keeps hitting my sweet spot.
“You are so beautiful.” He whispers into my ear.
I clasp my arms and legs around him, wanting him more and feeling him even deeper.
He obliges with a faster pace. Making me moan for more.
I want him to make me cum again. My body moves along with his.
The room is filled with our lewd sounds.
I’m out of breath but I still want more. I can’t get enough.
Barbatos groans, getting closer to his orgasm.
I’m close to my climax as well. Suddenly I feel him sucking on my neck.
“What are you doing?” I speak in between moans.
“Marking you as punishment.” Barbatos is breathing hard while pumping his member into me.
I dig my nails into his back, earning a surprised moan from him.
Then I get sent over the edge by his hard movements. I cum, yelling his name.
Barbatos groans, being stimulated by my orgasm he moves even faster and finally releases his load into me.
I grab tightly onto him feeling my consciousness fading. He made me cum again.
When I come back to my senses Barbatos is still on top of me sucking my skin, holding me close.
“Barbatos.” I moan softly, still exhausted.
“This is punishment for passing out before I was done.” Barbatos teases my nipples with his fingers.
It takes me a moment to realize that he has left marks all over my body. It will be very hard to hide them all.
“Don’t think that I’m done just yet.” He licks his lips, and his eyes glow even brighter than before.
A strange condition leaves you cold as ice. Only Diavolo can warm you up.
Gender-neutral reader insert.
Adult-only content.
3.6 k words
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You wake up on a regular morning. Everything is as usual in the devildom.
Except for one little thing.
“Is it just me or is it cold today?” You sit at the breakfast table shivering. Despite wearing a hoodie.
“We are basically in hell love, it’s rarely cold here.” Asmo crooks his eyebrows.
“Let me feel your head.” Beel, who sits next to you, interrupts his meal to feel your forehead. His eyes narrow. “You are cold."
"Let me check.” Lucifer swiftly stands up and walks with long steps towards you.
His eyes are filled with worry and this only worsens when he touches your forehead. “You are indeed very cold. It might be a curse or a cold.”
“I don’t feel cursed.” You feel fine other than the fact that you are cold.
“We can’t take this lightly.” Lucifer’s tone is stern but filled with worry.
“For once he is right. I will call Solomon.” Satan quickly pulls his phone out.
“I will warm you up while we are waiting.” Asmo flings his arms around your shoulders.
“That’s strange, I don’t feel any warmer.” This alarms you.
“Sounds like a frost demon might be responsible.” Satan has a stern expression.
“Now where you are mentioning it, there were frost demons in town last week for frost con. ” Levi chimes in.
“How do you know about that?” Mammon seems confused.
“Not that it matters, but they had a Ruritan ice sculpture.” Levi buffs and mumbles something that you can’t understand.
“I remember that convention, they had so much ice cream.” Beel starts to drool.
“That seems to be a worthwhile lead, but first let’s see if we are right.” Lucifer seems concerned about the possibility that it could be something else.
After a while, Solomon comes to verify the theory.
It’s indeed the work of frost demons.
“This means tracking down the demon in question will be necessary. Let’s not waste time and head to the castle.” Lucifer is in a hurry, time is of the essence. He wants to save you before you turn into ice.
Everyone gets up without a single complaint. This just shows you how serious the situation is.
Finally, you arrive at the castle. You are shaking from the cold, despite your winter coat.
Barbatos is quick to guide you all to the living room.
Diavolo arrives just shortly after him. Both are aware of the dire situation at hand.
Strangely, you start to feel slightly warmer as soon as Diavolo enters the room.
“I heard some about the situation, so in summary you want me to contact the frost demons to come here and remove the curse.” Diavolo has already spoken to Solomon who gave him a quick rundown.
“Yes, but it will be quicker if we just go to them.” Lucifer feels time is running out.
You meanwhile open your coat after Barbatos tea makes you feel even warmer.
“Are you alright?” Asmo sits next to you, still trying to keep you warm.
“I feel kind of better.” This fills you with relief.
“You might have hypothermia.” Asmo checks your temperature. “Hm? Your temperature has risen.” He is baffled.
“Maybe it was the hot tea?” Beel asks while stuffing his face with cake.
“As much as would please me, it is just regular hell rose tea.” Barbatos furrows his brows.
“When did you start to feel warmer?” Lucifer is very interested in this new development.
“It was right when Diavolo entered.” You recall the moment.
“His strong aura must somehow overwhelm the curse.” Barbatos sounds confident in his words.
“That wouldn’t surprise me. The frost demons regularly ask me to stay away from their events. It’s a huge shame, to be honest.” Diavolo sighs deeply.
“In that case, it would be best for you to stay here.” Lucifer seems somewhat conflicted about this but has to say it anyway.
“That would probably be an inconvenience for Diavolo.” You aren’t against the idea but you know how busy Diavolo is.
“Nonsense, it would be my pleasure to help you. We will make it work.” Diavolo’s smile is assuring you.
Barbatos nods in support.
Everyone looks at you with mixed feelings.
“Alright, then I will go and get what we need.” Lucifer is about to get up.
“I think you mean we.” Beel gets up and everyone else agrees with a nod.
Lucifer sighs. “Alright, let’s go then.” He can’t quite hide his smile as he gets up.
“We will take good care of you so don’t worry.” Barbatos smiles at you while the brothers leave.
You feel calmer now that your body heat is more stable.
You finish your tea time while having a light conversation with Barbatos and Diavolo. It mostly revolves around cake and tea.
“So now that my break time is over should I skip work and spend some time with you? We could take a walk in the garden or go to town.” Diavolo is very enthusiastic about this.
His energy is affecting you, causing you to imagine all kinds of fun adventures.
Barbatos clears his throat, cutting your daydream short. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Your desk is stacked high with paper."
Diavolo sighs heavily. His whole energy is disappearing.
"I don’t mind helping you a bit if I can.” You offer with a smile.
“You are my guest, there is no way I can make you work.” Diavolo shakes his head.
“Instead, you should just do your homework and I think there is a test coming up soon for you as well.” Barbatos gives you his signature smile.
How does he know these kinds of things? It sometimes gives you chills.
“Looks like our work is cut out for us.” Diavolo smiles full of sympathy.
You nod in defeat.
You both work quietly on your respective duties, the silence is only filled by the rustles of paper and the sound of pen on paper. It’s somehow relaxing. Much quieter than doing homework in the house of lamination. Though you are used to the constant noises by now.
Suddenly you feel cold again and start to slightly shiver.
Diavolo notices right away that something is happening and looks over at you.
He notices that you look pale. “Are you alright?” His voice is filled with concern.
“I’m feeling cold again.” You rub your arms to stay warm.
“Seems like the curse is getting stronger.” With this Diavolo gets up and moves next to you on the couch.
He puts a stack of papers in front of him.
Immediately you feel warm again.
“Better?” He still looks worried.
“Much better. Thank you so much. Want me to help you with this?” You feel a bit bad about interrupting his work.
“I’m grateful that you ask, but it’s my job and you have homework to do. That is what you should focus on.” Diavolo smiles gently at you.
“I’m already done and besides if I help you we are faster.” You help Lucifer all the time too.
“Well, in that case, you can help me a bit.” He has no agreements left and he is also hoping to spend time with you relaxing.
Together you finish his stack of papers just in time for tea time.
Diavolo is smiling, making sure to stay close to you.
Barbartos has naturally everything ready to go.
Everything looks delicious.
Diavolo sits closely next to you.
“It looks like the curse got worse and no word from the brothers yet.” Barbatos has a frown on his face.
“Looks like you have to stay for the rest of the day.” Diavolo looks happy about this.
“I hope I don’t get in the way of your plans.” You know Diavolo is a busy man.
“Nonsense, we love having you, right?” Diavolo looks expectantly at Barbatos.
“Naturally. I’m quite grateful that Diavolo is done with his work ahead of schedule.” Barbatos smiles politely.
“So what shall we do now? I have so many ideas but with your current condition…”, Diavolo for a moment.“ Ah, I got it. Hellspeak, it’s very hot there."
Barbatos sighs loudly. "It’s too far away plus it’s too hot for humans.”
“It’s too bad. In that case, how about the hot springs?” Diavolo has another idea.
“My lord, I doubt the brothers would be very pleased with that and they are also too far apart. Please limit your plan to the castle.” Barbatos surely has a lot on his plate as well. You feel sympathy for him.
Even when Diavolo looks dejected.
“I’d love to see the garden. I still haven’t seen all of it.” You come up with a solution that works for everyone.
“That is true. The fire roses are in bloom right now. They are such a lovely sight.” Diavolos mood has improved with lighting speed.
“I will get you a coat just in case and make sure you stay close together.” Barbatos sounds like a worried mom, which makes you chuckle a little bit.
“Of course.” Diavolo nods and once you have dressed in the coat you both head to the garden.
“Let’s hold hands.” Diavolo holds his big hand out towards you.
You reach out and your hands interlock. It makes you feel warm inside and that’s not just because of his body heat.
Maybe this curse isn’t all that bad.
You two walk at a slow pace through the garden. It’s rather pleasant.
Most of your focus is on Diavolo, his bright smile, and his big hand that covers yours.
After a while, you return to the castle for dinner.
“I fear the brothers are still busy but I got a bit of potion to keep you from freezing.” Barbatos has done some work as well.
“In that case please stay the night.” Diavolo extends his invite once again.
“Thank you for being so considerate.” It’s not like I have a choice but I also could imagine things way worse than this.
I drink the bitter potion that Barbatos prepared for me.
“No Problem though that leaves us with a small problem.” Suddenly Diavolo realizes something.
Barbatos nods as he understands right away. “I have been thinking about this as well and the only option is for you two to share a room."
My eyes widen."Wait?! What?” I can’t believe my ears. Sure it’s something I’ve secretly been wishing for but this is happening so suddenly, I can’t quite prepare my heart.
“Is that an issue for you?” Diavolo looks at me, he looks somewhat disappointed.
“No, I was just surprised.” I hope he doesn’t notice my burning cheeks.
“I’m relieved to hear that. So will you stay with me for the night?” Diavolo asks me with a sincere expression.
“Alright. I will stay with you.” Feeling a bit embarrassed, I agree.
“Don’t worry, I will keep this confidential.” Barbatos seems to smirk at me. I look awkwardly away from him.
The food is tasty as always but it’s hard to focus on it with the prospect of spending the night all alone with Diavolo.
“We should have a glass of Demonus to celebrate. Barbatos open us a bottle, please.” Diavolo is in a very chipper mood.
“Very well, my lord.” Barbatos bows and goes off without even looking at me.
Soon our glasses are filled and you spend an enjoyable evening with Diavolo.
You almost forget all about sleeping in the same room as Diavolo.
At least until the time comes.
Diavolo brings you to his room. It’s very elegant and the bed is huge.
“I will sleep on the couch. So you take the bed.” Diavolo offers his bed without hesitation.
“But I’m your guest. I can’t accept that.” Even his couch looks very comfortable and is as big as your bed.
“There is no way that I let you sleep on the couch.” Diavolo promptly refuses but as soon as he steps away from you the next issue arises.
“This won’t work, Diavolo. I’m feeling cold already.” You say while already shivering.
“In that case, we have no choice but to sleep together in bed.” Diavolo smiles at you, looking rather happy.
Maybe he was hoping for this? To be honest, you were as well.
“Sure, looks that way.” Feeling just a bit shy, you agree.
“I’ll turn so you can change. Barbatos has put some sleepwear out for you.” Diavolo points to the neatly folded clothes on top of the bed.
“That was very thoughtful of him.” You turn and change as quickly as possible, and slip under the covers.
You peek at Diavolo but he looks done as well. It’s just a bit disappointing if you are being honest.
“Aww, you are already covered.” He sounds disappointed. You look at him, feeling confused.
“I wanted to see your sleepwear,” Diavolo confesses without any shame.
“I see.” You smile and show him a glimpse.
“Looks great!” Diavolo’s eyes wander over your body, almost like you are naked.
“Thanks, your pajamas look great too.” I
You compliment him with a smile. His satin pajamas suit him very well. It seems to hug his body just right.
“I’m glad you like it. I chose our outfits hoping for an opportunity like today.” He seems a bit sheepish when he admits this.
Your cheeks flame up when he says this.
Diavolo gets comfortable next to you in bed. Despite both of you laying in it, there is still plenty of space left in between you.
“Are you feeling comfortable?” Diavolo smiles gently at you.
“Yes, very.” If the circumstances were any different you would enjoy this so much more.
Diavolo turns the light out and you can only hear the rustling of the sheets.
Your heart beats faster as if anticipating something. You nervously start to shift around.
“You can come closer if you want to.” Diavolos voice is lower than usual. You feel like he is not just casually inviting you.
You follow his call and slowly shift your body closer to his.
You feel more of his body heat. Being so close you can smell him musky but pleasant.
It awakens a desire within you.
Feeling just a little bold, your hand lands on his chest. His silk pajamas feel great and you can feel his body through the thin material.
Diavolo growls quietly.
You feel tempted to remove your hand but his growl motivates you to continue.
Boldly you move your hand across the fabric, your hand feels tempted by the buttons. Wanting to touch his bare skin.
Diavolo shifts closer toward you. “Can I touch you?” His question is uttered with heated words.
“Yes.” You want him to touch you. Finding yourself craving his warmth.
He puts his arm around your hip, pulling you even closer.
You find his collar bone exposed. With your fingertips, you trace his hot skin, feeling his bones just beyond it.
His hand glides along your spine, sending shivers along with it.
Your desire grows every second.
When your hand lands on his buttons you don’t hesitate to open them. Slowly but surely his chest is exposed to your exploration.
His body feels so good, he is so warm. You just want to keep touching him.
Diavolos hand finds its way under your pajamas top. Feeling his hand on your bare skin makes you moan slightly.
Your hand finds its way to his soft side. You can feel him tremble slightly. “Are you ticklish?” Your voice is a whisper. Much lower than anticipated.
“No, your touch feels very good.” He answers with a growl in his voice.
“I feel the same.” Your heart beats faster as he moves his hand lower. Feeling a need awakens deep within you.
You feel his body shift closer once again as your hand trails across his back. You feel his hot breath near your face.
Your heart is beating loudly waiting for your lips to meet his. The wait is nearly impossible to bear.
“Do you…?” His question is cut off by your lips.
In the end, you couldn’t wait. “I do.” You are sure that he can hear the need in your voice.
He kisses you again, more heated this time.
Your hand travels even lower, pulling him towards your body.
His hand is lovingly squeezing your butt.
You moan at him.
“I don’t think I can hold myself back tonight,” Diavolo says with heated breath.
There is no more denying how much you want him. “I don’t want you to hold back.” You give him a feverish kiss.
His tongue invades your mouth and you surrender to it with pleasure.
Diavolo pulls you on top of him, greedily opening your pajamas. Admiring your naked body before touching you, feeling your body with his hands. Every inch of you is touched by him.
You let out pleased moans. Returning the favor, opening his shirt and running your hands across his chest. Enjoying his reaction to your greedy touch.
You can feel him getting more worked up with your touch and needy kisses.
It’s the same for you. You feel more and more need for Diavolo. Feeling the heat rise to your core.
Between kisses, you moan. “Diavolo, I want you.
Diavolo responds by removing every piece of cloth that is currently covering your body.
Admiring the new sight in front of him. Touching your legs and then finally reaches the source of your heat. Touching it makes you feel even hotter.
You move against his hand, showing him how much you want him. His eyes flicker with want.
You can feel his growing need. Pulsing in his pants. You free his member and rub it slowly.
Diavolo growls like an animal. Kissing you once more, pressing you closer, making you feel his member pressing against you.
You want him so much, moving your needy hole closer to his tip. Wanting nothing more than him in you. Despite his massive size, you are more than ready to take him.
"Are you sure?” Diavolo is barely able to say it, feeling such a deep need for you it’s painful for him to bear.
“Yes, I want it.” You kiss him deeply, showing him your need for him.
Feeling his tip teasing your entrance.
These words are all that Diavolo needs to enter you.
An almost desperate groan escapes his lips as he enters you.
Slowly he pushes you down while you let him slowly enter you. He feels so good inside of you. It drives you crazy.
You moan his name. Diavolo squeezes your body and gives you fever-filled kisses while you start to slowly move. His member is filling your insides.
You groan like an animal riding him slowly. Savoring the feeling. Holding onto his sturdy shoulders.
Diavolo is becoming dissatisfied with your slow movements. Moving your butt with his hands, giving you a loving squeeze. His hips move with yours. It feels so good.
You want more and more of him. Moving faster, feeling his hard member makes you feel like melting from fire.
Your moans grow louder and suddenly you get pushed down to the bed. Diavolo is now on top of you and before you can complain over the missing situation sensation of his members he fills you up once again.
You moan his name, his lips crash into yours.
He starts to move, his moves are hard and fast.
Making you moan loudly at each thrust.
You claw at his back, feeling him deep in you.
You can only think of this feeling. It’s pure ecstasy, you have never felt anything like this.
Your insides are tightening as if to trap Diavolo inside of you.
The only word that leaves your mouth is his name. Like a prayer along with ever louder moans.
Followed by Diavolo’s moans and groans. Your name leaves his lips with pleased noises.
It fills you with even more desire as your insides grow hotter.
You want more and more. You beg him and he responds to your pleas.
You feel your orgasm coming. It washes over you like being hit by a typhoon. Your mind goes blank.
There is nothing only him.
Moments later you feel something hot being shot deep into your body.
Diavolo came inside of you, the sensation is almost sending you over the edge again.
His lips seek yours again. Your kiss is sloppy but filled with so many emotions.
His member leaves your body. Diavolo still holds you tight and rolls back to his back. Keeping you close to his chest.
Your bodies are sticky and hot but you feel fulfilled and lay on his chest, enjoying the closeness.
You find it almost hard to believe what just happened. Diavolo snuggles your back. He doesn’t want to let go and you share a similar feeling.
In the end, you both pass out in this position.
In the morning you are awoken with his loving arms still wrapped around your body. There is no sign of him willing to let you go.
You give him a kiss and his eyes flutter open.
“Good Morning, did you have a pleasant sleep?” Diavolo smiles at you like always.
“Yes, thanks to you.” You smile and he kisses you.
“Glad to hear that. Now let’s get some breakfast and see if we can break this nasty curse.” He holds you close.
“Just a bit longer.” You look at him with pleading eyes.
“Sure, but only if you are fine with Barbatos finding us like this.” He kisses you again, having no intention to move.
“I don’t mind.” You lay back down, enjoying his hands on your body.
We have to do a bit of climbing, but it’s not too bad overall. There are a few nice views along our way down.
We make fast progress, it seems like Diavolo has unlimited stamina and his strength is enough to carry all of our supplies with ease.
This makes the tedious path easier on me.
We make it to a small village by the time it’s evening. There is a small pup that also serves as an inn.
“We should rest here if they have empty rooms, don’t worry about the payment.” I have enough money on hand for a couple of weeks if needed.
“I hope they have something to eat too.” With that Diavolos stomach rumbles.
I laugh. “Same here.” Walking this much made us both hungry.
I open the door, and we are greeted by the laid buzzing of the place. It’s a huge difference to our treacherous travels all on our own.
We find a table in a corner.
“What a lively place. I wonder what kind of food they serve.” Diavolo seems extremely pleased.
“As long as it’s food, I have no complaints.” I’m not very picky.
The waitress comes to our table. “What can I do for you tonight?” She seems pretty nice.
“We would love dinner and a room for the night.” I give her a polite smile.
“We only got our daily meal, but I vouch for it and we got a room, no issues.” The waitress looks almost sorry.
“Sounds great, we will have two of those and some beer. Or would you rather have something else for a drink?” I just ordered without a second thought.
“Sounds splendid. Can I have a double portion please?” Diavolo smiles with a hint of embarrassment.
“Don’t worry, for a big boy like yourself, the cook will add extra anyway. If you’re still hungry, we’ll double the order. ” The waitress wInks at Diavolo. Probably an attempt to flirt with him.
“How very nice of the cook. Please thank him.” Diavolo doesn’t pick up on her flirting at all.
The waitress doesn’t seem to mind either way.
We don’t have to wait long for our drinks.
Some people are shooting curious glances at us, but mind their own business.
Diavolo seems to enjoy his beer way too much, since it’s empty by the time our food comes.
The portions are both huge. Diavolos’ portion easily rivals a small tower.
“I hope this will be enough to feed a big boy such as yourself.” The waitress continues her relentless flirting.
Diavolo still seems clueless about it. “Thanks, it looks great.” His eyes sparkle at the sight of the food.
My stomach is also rumbling.
We both start to dig in. It’s just as delicious as it smells.
Diavolo has a big smile the entire time he eats. It’s like he is eating the most delicious meal he ever had.
It’s a very enjoyable sight.
We both clean our plates.
“Was that enough for you?” I say in a slightly teasing tone.
“Yep, I’m all full now. The food here is amazing.” Diavolo leans back and finishes his beer.
The waitress comes back to clean our table. She seems to be very pleased that we both finished our plates. “Can I offer you some dessert? We got some fresh apple pie."
Somehow that sounds amazing. "I’d like a piece. How about you?"
Diavolo chuckles. "Aren’t you full? Well, I have a slice too then.”
“Well we need a lot of energy for our upcoming battle.” I don’t like to think about it right now, but we aren’t here for fun.
“Are you two soldiers?” The waitress has caught on to my comment and uses the opportunity to feed her curiosity.
“No, I’m a dragon knight. He is my travel companion.” I quickly correct her.
“You aren’t here to defeat the mountain king are you?” She looks at us with vary eyes
“I don’t know who you are referring to, but we are here to defeat a fire dragon that destroyed a village.” I never heard of a mountain prince before.
Diavolo seems quiet awfully all of a sudden.
The waitress seems relieved. “All right then.” She doesn’t even bother to explain anything.
“Have you heard of this mountain king before?” Diavolo is the only one I can ask.
“Well…” He seems a bit uncomfortable with my question.
Then someone from the table next to us chimes in. “The dragon king is the great protector of this mountain. He is a huge but gentle dragon. He is somewhat of a local deity."
"I have never heard of that dragon, sounds impressive, but don’t worry I only hunt dragons when they kill humans.” I assure the locals.
He nods at me. “Dragon knights do important work. I know some people whose house got destroyed by a dragon."
"There are some good ones and some bad ones. Just like with humans.” Diavolo seems still a bit different from his usual self but his words are the same as always.
“Let’s drink to that. A round for them it's on me.” The local man gives me a pat on the shoulder.
I smile, feeling slightly awkward.
Soon enough others start to share their stories of dragons.
Some are just sightings others are of random destruction but also tales of great feasts the mountain king did. Like freeing the river from a huge boulder that fell into it.
All of these stories are told with a healthy amount of alcohol.
A/N:This is really late- like wow, I am a slow writer
Lucifer:
It’s a simple day spent with him out in the market, a simple explanation that he just needs to get out of the house for a moment, and with a frown pulling at the corner of his lips, and ears hot as he mentions that he doesn’t want to be alone. Of course, you couldn’t deny him, so here you are with him, arm in arm, as you walk through the dense sea of demons and others alike. Lucifer has you pulled close to him, taking each step in a slow pace to extend the time he has with you. You don’t seem to mind, clinging close to him, your head turning and peering at all the stores that you pass by, and of course, he could offer to go into one, make a mental note of what had caught your eye, but he rather have you ask for it, looking up at him with a sheepish grin and nervous lilt in your voice. But you never do, choosing to walk arm in arm with him, exchanging small talk. Passing by a bakery, you stop in your tracks, and he comes to a slow halt, turning to you and with a sheepish grin, and you tilt your head over to the shop. Without you uttering a single thing, he nods, holding the door open for you.
Still in Devildom, it’s common to find things that you’ll find less than appetizing. You’ve expressed it before- cringed and paled when something that looked so odd came before you. He’s managed to find food that you’d like- an imitation of flavors back from the Human Realm. At least, the pastries are something that you find that you can stomach even if you have the habit of taking a quick picture of it first. He’d never understand the need for it, but you take a picture of him and you together afterwards, and he quite likes that part. You ask him about a menu item, and he hums, his attention to you as you question the baked good that contains a “soul” and he waves it off- an imitation or perhaps a part of a soul from a being long dead. And then you question something that has him giving you a raised look. Would you- or rather your soul ever show up on a menu? He doesn’t know why you would ask something like that- it’s not as if you’d- and midway through his sentence does the realization of you being human hit him. It’s a cold feeling that washes over him, one that makes his skin crawl and twist at his stomach. Suddenly, he’s lost his appetite.
You’re beside him, sleeping peacefully, and unbothered by the fact that he’s still awake. He won’t cry. It’s inevitable that you will die. He knows that. He’s threatened you more times than he would care to admit. He knows you can die, and that you will. And yet, it doesn’t stop the horrific loss of breath, something stuck in his throat and vision being blurred. Lucifer can’t lose you. Not you. He’s been perfect. He should be allowed to have you, to keep you with him. His hand covers his mouth, tears slipping between his fingers, and eyes closing shut as he lets out a muffled cry. His chest shudders, and he wants to cry. You’re lying beside him, asleep and unknowing as Pride collapses into feeble crying, whimpering and trying to make himself smaller. You won’t be here one day. He shakes himself. There’s no use crying over it. Not now. Not when you’re still here. Not when he can wake you and cause you worry. He wants whatever time that you have with him to be nice- to be something worth remembering and he knows that if you were to find him crying, you’d never go back to sleep- you’d never stop looking at him with such sad eyes. He can’t be the cause of that. Not anymore.
With a whisper, a candle lights beside his nightstand, and then the room glows in a faint orange hue, as he rises from the bed. He is entranced by the still flame, and he remembers the Reaper’s Cave. He remembers your candle. He hadn’t expected to see it- he wasn’t even searching for it, or perhaps he was, but he hadn’t yet realized it. He didn’t want to see the horrific truth that perhaps it was already nearing the end, but there it was. He stared at it for a second and now it haunts him. Going back would prove to be a pain, but he’d do it for you. He’d lift his candle and pour his wax onto yours. He’d stain his hands if it meant that you’d get just a little bit more time. There would be consequences, but it’s nothing he couldn’t handle. He could handle whatever it is as long as you’re there by his side.
He can’t fall asleep and he goes to his study papers in a neat order, and his pen uncapped. The chair creaks under his weight, and he grabs at a sticky note, scrawling the pen over it, and it remains untouched, pure from the ink and indented from the tip of the pen. The pen goes into the trash and Lucifer takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and his hand curves over his mouth. His vision is focused on the opposite end of the room, fixated on the door, waiting for the handle to turn and for you to appear with sleep caressing and making you appear so much softer. He waits for you to wrap your arms around him and lull him back to bed, your lips nothing more than a phantom against his neck. But you never appear. The door remains closed and he remains alone in his office with his vision growing bleary and eyes beginning to burn with tears. His tears curve down his face and drip onto the desk, sullying the pristine wood. His shoulders shake, and he’s crying alone in his office. And he hopes, so selfishly, that you would sense him and come rushing to his aid, and yet, he’s alone. He grieves for a future love lost, and his chest hurts, hollow and ruined. And he wonders how it was you, a human, that could have stirred such emotions in him, enough to make the vision of Pride glossy.
It’s such a long walk when you got somewhere to be; I just thought maybe you were gonna walk with me (chapter five)
story summary: MC decides all of the student council is going to therapy and hell hath no fury like a prepared human. They’ve got highlighters and they’re not afraid to use them.
chapter summary: MC has a one-on-one meeting with Rissa
pairing:Lucifer/reader
rating:m
chapter wc: 3k
note: Please keep the theme of this story in mind before you read on. This may get uncomfortable, especially if you have any past history with trauma. In my opinion, no one would be fine and dandy after what MC experienced in season 1. There will be fluff and comedy in this story, but “angst with a HEA” means we have to suffer too.
warnings:angst&trauma; small text only for description; gn!reader; possible spoilers; not proofread/betaread; descriptions of violence/death; author takes liberties with canon
It’s such a long walk when you got somewhere to be; I just thought maybe you were gonna walk with me (chapter six)
story summary: MC decides all of the student council is going to therapy and hell hath no fury like a prepared human. They’ve got highlighters and they’re not afraid to use them.
chapter summary: Barbatos has answers. Belphie and MC meet with Rissa.
pairing:Lucifer/reader
rating:m
chapter wc: 3.4k
warnings:angst&trauma; small text only for description; gn!reader; possible spoilers; not proofread; descriptions of violence/death; author takes liberties with canon
a/n: many thanks to @abberant-butler for the barb help; he’s 100% your OC and i am but an unworthy worm dragging the butler into my sandbox
If you’re a Demon lord with neverending family issues who like to participate in dance battles for potential good treatment at the end only to reward said treater and tend to posses weird tendencies to kiss humans whom you’re not even officially dating and later on compare them to your dead sister, may I ask if you’re free on February 14th?
***As an apology for Come Back To Me, I have come with offerings of fluff. This is my first poly!MC fluff fic that I’ve written in a while (if ever) so I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you to the Hive for helping me get ideas together -B***
Summary: MC decides that, for once, they want to be the one to surprise and plan an outing for their significant others. Follow MC and the lords of the Devildom on their journey out into the human world and all the shenanigans that follow. Poly!MC
Dating the seven Avatars of Sin was something that you never saw coming, but something that you would never trade for the world. It was a constant thrill of guessing what surprises the day would hold for you this time. You were so grateful for them and the love that they gave you.
But sometimes you wished that you could be the one to spoil them for a change.
Since there were seven of them and one of you, it seemed like you were the one who was constantly on the receiving end of gifts, profoundly planned dates, and sentimental exchanges. It was nice and you definitely appreciated it, but you wanted to show the boys that you loved them just as equally.
So, you talked with Diavolo and with a little secretive planning, you were able to put together a day where you could do exactly that.
You bounced on your toes as you watched the brothers stumble through the portal with their eyes closed.
“Do we really have ta keep are eyes shut? I mean, it’s not like we ain’t gonna find ou- Ow!” Mammon complained as Belphie elbowed them.
“Stop complaining! Just keep your eyes shut. They put a lot of work into this, so if MC says they want it to be a surprise, then let it be a damn surprise!”
You rolled your eyes at the bickering and gently lead the brothers a little bit away from the portal. “Actually, I was just about to tell you to open your eyes, but I appreciate the backup, Belphie.”
One by one, your boyfriends opened their eyes and loudly groaned before shutting them.
“Too bright!” Levi shouted while guarding his face with his hands. “How in the world did you find somewhere this bright in the Devildom?”
You smiled as you delicately lowered Levi’s hands with your own. “Well, we aren’t exactly in the Devildom.”
Levi’s eyes instantly snapped back open as he looked around himself with the expression and enthusiasm of a kid in a candy shop. “No way! You brought us to the human world?!”
“What do you have to say for yourself?” Lucifer prodded. “You’ve been acting strange for a week now. You fell asleep in the mirror maze causing a scene, you don’t even show up to classes and now THIS?”
Belphie said nothing. He stared ahead at the big painting behind Lucifer. It was all the brothers and you standing in the middle.
Beel stood by, ready to protect his twin if Lucifer lost his temper and tried to hurt him. Even he had noted Belphie’s difference but no matter how many times he asked about it, Belphie went quiet and simply dozed off to sleep again.
“I NEED AN ANSWER BELPHIE! This sort of behavior cannot be tolerated any longer!”
Lucifer banged the table with his fist. There was an audible creaking of wood splinters.
Belphie couldn’t answer. On the painting before him now, he saw a shadowy hand move. It moved around until it found you.
It stopped right under your face, the dark fingers twitching before wrapping themselves around your throat. You remained unmoving in the picture but he heard someone cough.
He looked around. Neither Lucifer nor Beel did it. Then who? The sound never stopped. It kept growing louder…until he recognised it was you. Your face in the picture was turning blue.
“Lucifer! Out of the way now!”
Belphie leapt up and snatched the picture of the walls. He growled, “Get lost! Get away, you little- URGHHHH!”
His fingers tried to scratch the shadowy hands off your neck, but it kept moving around now and by the time Belphie was done, he realised he had scratched out your entire face.
Lucifer and Beel were to stunned to react. All they saw was Belphie violently scratching out your face from their family picture. It left a dreadful impression on them.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Things got worse as Mammon and Satan appeared in the doorway, along with you in the middle.
“Hey guys, Simeon just said that the set is ready so we can go and-” You stopped in your tracks. You saw what lay on the floor.
And it seemed like bad news no matter how you looked at it.
You took steps backward, hiding behind both Mammon and Satan. “If you want me gone, you can just say so…” You said.
“No MC, this isn’t what it looks like-” Belphie had the gall to get up and reach for your hand.
“Hands off. Don’t dare touch, MC.” Mammon was the first to slap it away. When was the last time anyone had seen Mammon this angry?
Satan simply glared at him before ushering you out of the room. The first priority was to keep you safe and away from him.
“MC are you okay? You’re trembling.”
“Thank you, Satan. I’ll be okay. I’m okay.” You were more than okay. You were trembling with sheer excitement of seeing on his knees, eyes pleading.
The hurt and lost eyes who don’t know where to look anymore as his brothers antagonize him for nothing, one by one. The same eyes you had when you died.
“Let’s get outta here. They’ll come if they want.” Mammon said, bolting out the door next. They accompanied you diligently to R.A.D.
“Go back to the attic. And don’t step out until I ask you to.” Lucifer’s eyes could barely hold back all the rage he felt.
“Beel you are welcome to join him. But if you dare letting him out… you’ll be making the wrong choice again.”
Belphie looked horrified. “I was trying to protect them! I heard them coughing and I saw something on this picture right here near Lilith’s neck-”
“MC.” Beel finally spoke up. “MC, not Lilith. Stop that already. MC gets sad when you call them Lilith.”
“Sorry… sorry yeah… I meant MC-”
“I’ve been by your side no matter what, Belphie. But I cannot let you hurt MC, anymore. Please stop it already.” Beel let out a tired sigh, leaving out the door. Lucifer left too, slamming the door behind him.
Belphie stood there bewildered. An emptiness and dread filled inside of him. For the the first time since you came here, he felt truly alone.
He should have told them. He should have told them everything.
How your reflection turned into Lilith’s and stared at him with crazed eyes. How he’s been seeing glimpses of Lilith’s face on yours everywhere. How in Levi’s room, all those little figurines started moving and whispering horrible things to him.
“You lost her. And then killed whatever was left of her. She loved you, but you only hurt her. You hurt both of them. So they’re going away.”
He heard it in his head, every other waking moment. And it was driving him crazy. But how was he supposed to explain this to anyone, anyone at all?
You, maybe you would. But you were scared of him now. Compliant but scared and distant. But who else could he blame for it except himself?
.
.
“I heard what happened at the house today.” Solomon said, once you both were in a secluded corner.
“Atleast we know that our illusion skills are improving.” You said nonchalantly. “Wanna see something funny? Look there.”
“Over there? Where Lucifer seems to be wagging his finger at Mammon?” Solomon followed your gaze.
“Yes watch this.” A couple of RAD students were hauling spare wood planks. The carpet Lucifer stood on suddenly snagged on it, and Lucifer fell on his ass. Mammon and Diavolo laughed as they helped him up.
“Wow. He could usually avoid pranks that, he’s terribly shaken on the inside. Bravo, MC.” Solomon clapped a little before looking concerned. “Wait… MC your horns are showing.”
You touched your head. No not there. Solomon was pointing at the big shadow you cast. Two talk horns rested on your head there.
“Shit. Ugh I guess I can’t just use magic Willy nilly anymore because a large part of it goes into keeping these hidden. What a pain-”
Crash. Crack. Splash.
You and Solomon looked to the source of the sound. A broken plate of cookies and tea lay on the floor. And above it stood, Luke.
His mouth gaped as his hands shakily pointed towards your shadow. “M-MC…?”
Obey Me Mammon Angst Skits: Angstober 2021 Edition
Day 3 (Late): Mark of a Killer
Warnings:
This Angstober Prompt is going to be short. I don’t have much of an idea for it. However, I still will be trying to get out an idea that HOPEFULLY does not feel rushed.
There will be blood, death, and bodily harm in this.
There may or may not be mentions of moderate to severe depression. However, there is more likely to be mentions of it, so tread carefully.
As usual, this is Mammon-Centric. When is it not?
Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy your short read.
-
See you later!
It is strange, what love does to a person.
Such intense love and hate can be so confusing… everything surely spins in the world of self involvement. Perhaps it is the constant truth that life was ever changing, and yet some things remained the same.
The Avatar of Greed didn’t know how to feel about his role.
His feelings.
They were all a muddle of broken emotions and strong resistence to impulse.
Such feelings were messy.
They caused him nothing but grief, and yet, he sat here, not changing a single thing. Not even when he had the chance.
Mammon looked at himself in the reflection of his phone as he stood in the alleyway. He waited for his target to arrive. It was… astounding… just how much this job helped him with his stress. His burdensome emotions that tugged at his mind, no matter where he went, or what he did.
He felt somewhat… content. If not, foolish, from time to time.
Soon, there was a text coming through. The phone was on silent, so the target didn’t hear it. One of the few things that Mammon was smart enough to get done beforehand. Who would have thought, right?
‘Is your assigntment nearby?’ the text was simple.
Were they?
Looking around the corner, the hooded avatar pulled his mask down over his face, and started to type on his device.
“Yeah. They are here. What do you want me to do with them?” he asked the voice over the line. Not even a few seconds after the text was sent, there was another message from his ‘employer’.
‘I need you to strangle them, and pull them into the alleyway. Barbatos will meet you there. Understood?’ the voice prompted via text again, to which Mammon let out the slightest sigh. He needed to keep his head, and remember why he was doing this.
First… he did it.. because killing them… it felt good. He felt… a relief of stress. He felt like he could get some tension off of his chest, with minimal regret… though… his barrier of emotions took a while to build.
Second, he did it, because it helped his Lord and Friend.
Diavolo.
Mammon started to walk by the woman, noticing that no one was nearby. It didn’t take long. He brought out a needle, and a spare belt that he had found in his room. After which, he would surely burn it, to dispose of evidence, that way.
The white haired man had nearly been caught before. Diavolo had to cover up for him, which the man was more than happy to do, but it did make Mammon feel guilt.
‘Don’t forget that he practically owns you now… he has more control over you than he did before.’ Mammon looked down to his hand, noticing a lightly glowing demonic symbol that he agreed to let Diaovlo place on him. The Lord of the Devildom needed to keep tabs on him, after all. Just in case anything went awry.
The blue and gold eyed demon closes his eyes, before wrapping the belt around the womans neck, and quickly cutting off her air, before pulling it tight enough to crush some part of her throat.
She died fairly quickly.
Some more stress was released from his body. It still felt nice…
He could direct the pains of his own woes onto the victims that Diavolo gave him. Those that thwarted his plans, or didn’t go along with the idea of his perfect kingdom. Barbatos went along with him, as the kings servant. He was content with his role.
Mammon remembered why he was sought.
He had been sought out, because Diavolo could smell his rage.
He could just sense Mammon close to snapping. He would likely end up hurting one of his siblings. He didn’t want to do that… no matter what. So.. he would just use others. Others that he didn’t care about. He could spare his own feelings of guilt that way. He did, spare them well.
This mark that Diavolo put on him was going to be there forever.
So it’s not like he could back out now.
Mammon looked to the mouth of the alley, and saw a familiar green eyed demon, who smiled to him.
“Did you do what he asked of you, M?” he questioned, before walking forward.
The avatar of greed nodded, before picking up the body, and handing it to the other, who knew what to do from there.
“Good work. See you tomorrow.”
Mammon took out a cigarette, before nodding, and stuffing the belt into his pocket. He looked at the symbol on his hand that Diavolo had given him a while back. The thing glowed, which sort of stung, but soon, the glowing dimmed down, and the symbol vanished, as if it was never there.
It would surely be in the same place tomorrow…
The tanned man smiled to himself, almost feel ing as though he lost another piece of himself, in a way.
However, he dismissed it.
He would just drown out any remaining negative emotions in liquor, anyhow.
Obey Me Mammon Angst Skits: Angstober 2021 Edition
Day 2 (Late): Delusions
Warnings!
Delusions are usually linked or associated with Mental Disorders, or other sensitive topics that can often/usually get intentionally/unintentionally misrepresented in media.
I am warning everyone reading that I am not too familiar with the concept of experiencing, or prolonged research behind the causes of, behind, or surrounding stuff that surrounds ‘delusions’.
I did a little research before I actually started writing.I am not saying that it makes my information correct. However, I am saying that I did try to look into it, because I know stuf flike this can be a sensitive topic sometimes.
The specific kind of ‘delusion’ or ‘category’ of the delusion spectrum I am going to be writing with is the ‘Somatic Delusions’.
From what I gathered on the internet, ‘Somatic Delusions’ are usually ones that have to do with perception on appearance, or a means of personal perceptions of things to do with one-self in one way or another.
‘’A somatic delusion is a false belief that a person’s internal or external bodily functions are abnormal. This belief may also extend to viewing one’s physical appearance as very irregular.’’ - This bolded statement is one I copied and pasted from the internet as a reference. and the following bullet below will be a copied reference of ‘examples’ of said delusion type.
‘’Common somatic delusions are that the person is infested by insects or parasites, that he or she is emitting a foul odor, that parts of the body are not functioning, or that certain parts of the body are misshapen and ugly even in the absence of objective evidence.’’
-
Lastly, of course, there will be mentions of depression, and what can be considered emotional abuse from Mammon’s siblings. If you do not want to read this, and understand, feel free to continue. If not- please don’t.
I don’t want to upset anyone, and if I accidentally represent this ‘delusion’ in a way that is extremely harmful to the community that may suffer from some of these things- don’t hesitate to let me know.
I will apologize in advance.
-
Thank you for understanding and have a safe read.
Mammon stood in the bathroom, looking at his reflection.
It was him…
Himself.
He had been getting more and more anxious as years went on. He knew he was. However, he wouldn’t ask for help, as he would likely be denied what he needed anyhow.
The white haired man brought his hands up to his hair, and his eyes. He hated them.
He brought his trembling fingers through his slightly knotted hair, unable to find peace, even in sleep. His own looks haunted him sometimes. He just looked so… wrong. Why couldn’t he look more… like his broters? Why did he have to look so different?
He then started to feel his own skin- shivering… one of the biggest things that made him look different. His tan. He didn’t look like he resembled them at all..
He once read on the internet, that sometimes, those that people are close to- will often gravitate toward those that they are more familiar with. They look for comfort in familiarity. They look for kindness in common-ground. Mammon was quite different in comparison to his siblings for many reasons.
They all had their differences, but… somehow… he was still the ugly duckling.
That was because his stupid body was just… wrong.
It had been wrong from the start… and yet… he had only started to realize it in recent years. His white hair… all of his brothers had either dark hair.. or some kind of color within it… the only one who had a bit of white was Belphegor…
His eyes… he always got comments about how these stupid eyes of his looked angelic… how they looked unnatrual, for a demon to possess. They didn’t look the way they should. They were insufficient.
Mocking him every single time he looked at himself.
He hated it.
He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, and look away, most days…
Then, his skin.
The biggest organ in connection to the body. One of the other many things he just cannot hide.
Mammon grit his teeth in frustration. The anger had been building up for a long, long time. He couldn’t take it. The frustrated demon of Greed balled up his fists, and he shook his head. He felt so gross. He felt so unnatural, looking at his reflection.
That wasn’t really HIM. It didn’t deserve to be. It didn’t need to be.
The demon of greed soon punched the mirror in the bathroom, yelling out in frustration as his negative emotions lead to his outburst. The man continued to shout obscenities at himself, punching the ground, far past the point where his knuckles bled.
His brothers wouldn’t hear him… it would be a while before they got home.
Mammon had been sent home because of a freakout at RAD, and his items were confiscated by Lucifer on his way out the door Though, it wasn’t the black haired man he was frustrated with right now. It was himself.
He did everything wrong, and it wasn’t hard to realize that.
Maybe if he could just change himself. Make himself feel better about everything that his genes denied him, he could finally start to improve himself as an indevidual. Maybe changing himself, would finally be a solution to his internal aching, and constant contemplations.
Finally finding an idea, Mammon scrambled to his feet, before going to run around the house.
He was going to steal. He was good for nothing for it… maybe… just maybe… this would be the last time…?
He found deep red hair dye, a set of gray contacts, and some special foundation, that would make his tan at least lighter… hopefully..
An hour of preperations, and changing later- and Mammon looked in the mirror in the hallway- since he had broken the mirror in his own bathroom.
He stared at himself.
Him.
The new him…
Deep brown hair, and dark gray eyes. Lighter skin, and a beauty mark or two…
Mammon smiled at himself, before feeling a tightness in his chest.
Did he finally do it?! Did he finally fix his problems? All of the mistakes that his genetics had made him? Was he finally going to be better? Or maybe feel better about himself?
“I… I…” he started to say to himself, before bringing his hands to his face.The smile was genuine… only for a couple seconds.
No.
This new look.
This new style…
It was him..
No matter what he did… it was still him.
It wasn’t natural.
It didn’t fit.
Because.. no matter what he did…. he couldn’t shed his own skin. His own abdnormailies and flaws. He couldn’t cover up what his genetics had given him forever.. his own natural appearance was going to always haunt him… it was showing through the disguise he put in.
The stupid white hair… and those ugly gold and blue eyes…
His dumbass tan, and stupid fucking messy mop…
No matter what he did, he would be flawed.
He was always going to be an eyesore.
In frustration, Mammon pulled at his hair again, before also punching the hallway mirror, and in the end… it all had been worth nothing.
The avatar of greed covered his face, and started to cry, his emotions building up in his chest. He would never be able to make himself tolerable… if not perfect.
He was always going to be himself…
and….
that was the problem.
He was Mammon.
He WAS the abdnormailty…
All of his flaws her HIS.
HE stared back at HIMSELF.
because that… is the one thing… that he can’t change with some die, makeup, and a pair of contacts….
He would forever be a flaw.
He would forever be burdened.
He would burden others.
Eventually- he gave up. He just leans against the rail of the stairs, covering his eyes, and refusing to look to the shards of glass on the floor nearby, because the only thing he would see staring back at him, was the very thing he didn’t want to see.
He rested, and let his tormented thoughts trample him.
Obey Me Mammon Angst Skits: Angstober 2021 Edition
Day 1 (Late): STAB in the BACK
~
Warnings:
This will be angst, as most of my stuff tends to be. That, and on the count that I am using the Angstober Calander, I would assume you all know what is going on here.
There will be descriptions of blood in this short fic.
Typical emotional angst, family drama, and mentions or references of depression may or may not be present.
There will be a ‘Keep Reading’ UNDER the Angstober PNG. Only continue if you really want to.
Make sure to be safe. Thanks for stopping by.
-
Have a good day.
There was many things people could use to identify the Avatar of Greed. So many choice words that others could have for him.
As everyone was- Mammon was prone to flaw, and prone to make mistakes. It was part of being alive. Part of being a conscious being. Nobody and nothing is perfect. Because perfect isn’t a thing that is set in stone.
Even so… on top of being what people would classify as the Scumbag of Hell- the loser- if one must- there was one thing that he had that anyone could find admirable.
Despite his scummy nature, and his outbursts, and his terrible selfishness- the one thing that everyone knew Mammon to be- was Loyal.
How could he not be? If he wasn’t- he wouldn’t have stuck around as long as he has. On top of everything- he would always make sure his family came first- no matter what it did to him. At the expense of his comfort, and safety, and his happiness. He would give up everything, if it kept them safe, because that is what good brothers did.
It’s too bad… that he knew that they wouldn’t do the same.
-
It started off as an argument. Didn’t it always? No matter what he did, he proved to be a disappointment, or an embarrassment. They looked down on him, because he was who he was.
He wasn’t smart, or good looking. He wasn’t talented in art, or emotionally stable, and competant. He wasn’t everything they could be. The only thing he was- was a fighter.
NO matter what context it could be taken in.. he fought his hardest. He tried his best.
He would be damned if he ever failed when his brothers in a situation where they lives would be in danger.
He would always help them… and he would never have betrayed them.
That is the one thing he could be proud of hismelf for…
…
The white haired demon rolled over on his bed, and grunted, as he heard his name being called. Without a moments hesitation, he stood up, and walked down to the first floor of the house, before stopping at the front door, where all of his brothers stood.
“Is he here?” a voice asked from the other side of the door.
The black haired man nodded, before stepping to the side, to reveal Mammon. The white haired sibling looked at all of his siblings, who stood there- giving him looks that could be seen as … regretful?
“Hello, Hello, Mammon! It is nice to meet you! Very nice indeed!” the man grinned, as he stepped into the place, grabbing the man’s hand in a firm handshake. Mammon, in return, slid his hand away, looking unamused, and rather weirded out.
“Who are you?” he asked the figure, before the man grinned back.
“I am a local collector… and you see… I am here… to collect YOU.” The man smiled, before tipping his hat. “Neutralize him, boys!”
Mammon felt alarm starting to flow through his veins. He stepped back, before looking around at his siblings, who all maintained a rather unphased, or partially hurt expessions.
More of them teetered on the lines of being uncaring, though…
“What… what the hell is going on?! You guys know something, don’t you?!” he looked at all of them accusingly. “What the fuck are they here for?!” He grabbed the near lamp, and quickly used it to hit one of the men upside the head, while his brothers all moved to one corner of the area to watch.
Lucifer walked forward, all of the other siblings staying behind.
“Mammon… please don’t fight it. You are going to make this worse than it needs to be…” the red eyed demon stated, before he got closer to his sibling, who, in turn, turns the lamp on the eldest.
“What the fuck are they trying to do, huh?! Tell them to leave!!” he nearly pleaded, just to feel a hand on his shoulder, from one of the strangers. “Let me go! Get off!”
Mammon started to shift into his demon form, but Lucifer used his own magic to cancel it out. The eldest sibling of pride shook his head. “One more minute with Mammon… then you can go…” he looked to the men, before they nodded.
Mammon looked up at the older sibling, tearing up. His panic, and fear, and pure adrenaline were coursing through him, despite magic keeping him stuck in place.
“Just who do you think you are?! Huh?! What is going on?!” he demanded to know, trying to struggle. It was pointless, his fear continued to grow, as well as an overwhelming feeling of betrayal, and apprehension.
“You know how you said that if you coud… you would go back in time… and save Lilith? That if you could… you would do ANYTHING to bring her back…?” Lucifer asked down to his sibling, maintaining a somewhat saddened, but still cold gleam in his eyes. “Now… now we can.”
Dread fell over Mammon,
Would… would they all really have-?!
Yes.
They would…
“You… fucking bartered me… TO GET LILITH BACK?! How fucking stupid are you?!” Mammon yelled out to his sibling, before trying to thrash around again. “Why the hell would you dow this?! Huh?!”
Lucifer’s face soured, before he shook his head, and looked down. “Stop being so selfish, Mammon. You take stuff from us all the time… the least you could do… is finally do something and give back to us.” he stated, before nodding over to the men- who started to drag Mammon away.
Mammon started to thrash, but he was significantly weaker. It wasn’t until now that he felt a small pain in his neck. He must have been drugged when he was paralyzed and distracted.
The white haired man looked around at all of them, before tears started to fall from his eyes. He grit his teeth as energy continued to leave him. He barely processed Satan and Beel moving forward, to make objections, but Lucifer looked at them, and they stepped back into place.
As he was dragged out to the sidewalk, Mammon felt himself getting dropped on the ground, and a circle of sorts was constructed of blood, and golden shavings.
The man that had greeted Mammon at the door just a few minutes ago started to speak again. “Your barter is much appreciated, Dear Pride. Now- I shall deliver!’ the man grinned, before stepping down to where Mammon was, pulling out what looked like a holy object. It seemed to be a dagger.
Mammon felt it getting plunged into his back, and twisted several times, which make him choke back a yell of pain.
The Avatar of Greed’s world continued to get darker and darker as he heard some words prayed or yelled off in the directions of the heavens… and a beam of light flowing into the summoning circle that had been drawn before.
Within a small blur of light… a young girl appeared. She seemed to be unconscious.
“Now… to seal back the realm of which we have retrieved your kin… I am afraid we need to finsih of the host of the pathway that was used to acquire your request.” the man chuckled.
He walked over to Mammon, and grabbed the white haired man’s head.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you, MorningStar. Let me know if you would ever want another sibling up for trade” The stranger looked down to Mammon, who struggled to breathe.
‘I… really did mean nothing to them..’ Mammon thought as he teared up more, looking down. The knife in his back used for whatever sick ritual this was- was just an ironic inconvenience. somehow… he didn’t turn to dust when it was used on him.. ‘I hate them….”I hate them, I hate them, I hate them…” he cought hismelf thinking bitterly as he bit his lip. ‘Those bastards…’
With a quick movement- the man snapped the avatar of greed’s neck, and Mammon’s eyes grew larger as the golden color left them- leaving plain, darkened iris’s and an unfocused pair of pupils.
Fate truly was cruel… in the end…
The rest of the demon kind ended up being more Greedy than Mammon had been.
They got Lilith back… and they sold their brothers life to do so.
Mammon leans back on the couch, reading a small book. As of late, he had been restless, and found a lot of comfort in staying awake in a room that wasn’t his. Overall, his mood had been a constant dragging sensation. Nothing but annoyances, or grief.
The tired, white haired demon flipped a page in his book, and soon, felt a small nudging on his arm.
Looking down, he smiled, seeing the Little Devil of Greed. also known as ‘Lil D No. 2′. The small devil grinned at him in their typically mischievious way, before floating down, and plopping down on Mammon’s chest.
“Papaaaaa” the small devil whined playfully to the Demon of Greed. “Papaa, I’m bored…” the small devil continued.
Mammon groaned, and put the book down. However, he maintained a pretty soft expression. “Lil G. It’s late, there’s not much i can do with you right now. What do you want me to do?” the white haired man asked,
The small devilish creature smiled as it moved it’s small stick like hands a bit. “Read?” he asked, before crawling up closer to mammon’s head, and looking up at the book. “I like hearing you tell stories.” the devil said, before settling down again.
Naturally, Mammon’s older brother instinct took over, and he sighs- a small smile crossing his lips as he sat up on the couch. “Fine, Fine. Come ‘ere goofball.” he pat the small pillow right next to him, the little golden eyed devil letting out a small cackle-like laugh- though it more in playfulness. It plopped down on the pillow and looks up, seeing a few small drawings on the book.
The avatar of greed started to read the modest book with enthusiasm, smiling down to the devil, then turning the page to read again. He made sure to read somewhat silently, that way he wasn’t waking anyone up- but in about ten minutes, the other visiting little devils were all on the couch with him and Lil’ G- listening to the story.
The rest of the night went by quickly, all of them enjoying their family-like activity together.
“Once, in a far off land- the skies were stained black with unknown auras of the night sky- burning stars pierced the darkness- and from them- a guardian was borne. He was calm, and fair. One might say that he was an image of arguable perfection. Noble, and pure, this guardian was. He could pierce enemeies with his sword- romoured to be white-hot to the touch. Every monster he slain fell from the skies- leaving behind a trail of light. Thus- ‘Falling Stars’ were discovered.”
//Someone said that they would be interested in this AU being turned into a fanfiction. If you know who you are, well, here you go, dear reader.//
-
It was funny.
The cost of not abiding by one’s own nature was usually dissatisfaction. It usually was a sense of emptiness. Lack of self identity, if their nature was that big of a part of themselves. However, with time, you will either get eaten alive by it, or you will surpress, and control it. It depended on determination and the will or drive to accomplish such a difficult task.
Try as he might, Mammon usually failed at self control.
He had a hard time controlling his sin, because he was too busy trying to help his siblings with what they needed.
The sin rested within him, and was acted on as it started to set the buzzing off in his mind that he wanted something. ‘That flower looks so pretty. Take it. Take it for yourself, no one is looking.’ It almost always resulted in theft.
It started out so small at first. So seemingly insignificant.
So miniscule and laughable.
Like most things, though- flowers became objects of value. Objects of value became actual money. He tried. Really he did. He tried so hard to make the urges go away, but even so, he doesn’t have time to try and seek help to slow his sin down.
He doesn’t help, or the patience, or the energy for it.
That brought him to the pit of constant annoyance he was within now. He had pulled himself to a hault. Trying desperately to ignore his sin as he barracaded himself in his room, covered himself in blankets, and blocked his view from anything other than the dakrness.
The darkness, though, didn’t stop his yearning imagination.
Gold. Gold and jewels, and glimmering objects. Love, and affection, and attention. There were so many things he was greedy for. Physically, and emotionally. No matter what he did, he wasn’t satisfied in life. Both because he was incompetant, and because of his constant yearning for MORE. He can’t be happy with 'some’ or 'enough’. He can’t be happy with 'for now’ or 'later’.
He wants it.
He longs for it.
He does his damndest to acquire it, at the cost of his brothers and sometimes his friends’ patience. He tried to gain what he yearns for any way he knows how, because that is the only way he will get it.
Stopping these sensations feel worse that being caste down to the depths of the devildom by his father, and the angels of which serve him. He will always say that he doesn’t regret following Lucifer down here. Lucifer is his brother. They are all his brothers. He would do it again, even if he had a chance at a better life, and better treatment.
He knew damn well that the way he was treat in his family was not fair.
However, he has no room to complain… does he?
He would have to endure whatever pain he could so he could better himself. Even if it meant that he would suffer. He could do it for them. He WOULD do it for them.
Closing his eyes, he made a silent promise to himself, and he clenched his hands together. He wasn’t going to act on his greed anymore. If he did… he would severely punish himself.
No matter what.
-
Resting under the covers of his bed, Mammon kept his hands under his rump, the tingling in his fingers had not ceased and it had been over a month. They twitched and jolted. He desperately wanted to take anything that wasn’t his. The gnawing in his mind from the sin that was a part of him mocked his every move. It tried to nag on him, and persuade him to give up.
He felt cold.
Too cold.
Everything hurt.
It spun, and made him feel nauseus.
'Come on, steal something. You know you want to. Treat yourself, for working so hard… there is a snack cake in the freezer Beel got. Don’t you think it looked good?’ a small voice coaxed in his mind. 'Go and take it for yourself, It’s not like he doesn’t have anything else to eat~'
Mammon shivered, and bit his lip, before digging his nails into the mattress under him. He shook his head no, which only agitated him. The buzzing getting louder and louder.
As his internal turmoil continued- the man only knit his eyebrows closer together, and grunted. Any and all thoughts he was having before that point were halted for a mere few seconds as he heard a voice calling out to him from the hallway.
“Mammon, get out here. Lucifer is complaining about you not doing something and it’s getting annoying. Get it done so he will shut up.” Good to hear from you too, Satan.
The second eldest brother merely dug his nails into his mattress again, and bit back a groan- before pulling the blankets off of his head, and inching his way toward the door of his room. He stood in front of it, just staring for a few seconds as he fidgets his hands in his pants pockets. Tapping his fingers on his legs, grasping ot the cloth- anything to keep them from being out in the open, where he could just grab whatever was in the open.
He quickly took his right hand out of his pocket, opened the door, and put it back in his pocket, before using his foot to push it open the rest of the way. He didn’t bother acknowleding the blonde sibling, who stood there looking at him in annoyance.
he just walked past, and started to make his way to Lucifer’s office. Sadly, that was one of the biggest broblem areas for him. On top of that… his chest was starting to feel funny.
There was a small burst of what could be described as congestion..? But then it subsided again. Mammon’s fingers were grasping at the cloth in his pockets again, trembling not out of fear, but still out of self restraint.
He opened the door to Lucifer’s office, and walked into the room, keeping his eyes on the floor as he avoided looking around the well decorated space. He could almost hear the subconscious voice within him again, the buzzing in his head spiking as he just knew how much cool and pretty stuff was in this room.
'Stop thinking about it… stop… stop… no.. don’t look around.’ he was talking down to himself mentally, profusely sweating as his nails dug at his protected flesh
“Mammon. I asked you to go and get something earlier today. Care to tell me why you didn’t get what I asked of you completed?” the man glared to his younger sibling, who, in turn, kept staring at the ground.
“S-sorry. I forgot…” he tried to leave the excuse brief. He felt like he was going to throw up.
His chest was starting to hurt again.
'Come on, steal something. Take it. He has all of these cool things, you need to treat yourself too, you know. It’s not like your brother is going to.’ the idea coaxed. It mocked him.
The white haired demon leans forward, feeling pressure in his throat, and a splitting pain pulsate through his head as he bit back a bit of a yelp. He shook his head, and kept his hands in his pockets, feeling it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
“Mammon! Answer my question!” a stern, annoyed voice interjected. It slashed through his thoughts with a mighty tone, and made the white haired demon flinch. That, though, was a mistake. The second he leans forward from flinching, he felt as thought he was choking. There was something in his thraot- he could feel it there.
But how? He wasn’t getting sick. He didn’t eat anything recently..!
He quickly looks up to the red eyed demon with teary eyes, not willing to try and ask him for help. Instead, he dashed out of the room, and slammed the door behind himself- before making a b-line to the bathroom that rested in the hallway between a closet, and another room that was hardly used.
Locking the door behind himself, and falling to his knees, Mammon started to gag, and wheeze, trying to get his air back. His face had darkened, and his eyes wouldn’t stop watering from the lack of desired oxygen. His head was pounding, and he coudl feel his heart racing. It hurt. It really fucking hurt. Fuck!
He struggled, and struggled, gagging, and choking on the slightest bits of air that were coming through.
Eventually, he coughed up a mass of blood into the toilet, and something heavier made a firm 'tinkk’ noise as it hit the whitened porcelain.
After taking about half a minute to breathe, and clear his clouded vision- Mammon concentrated on the bloodied water of the toilet, and spots what had made such a heavy noise.
There, resting int the water, and washed of the blood that had followed it from the ailing demon’s throat- was a brilliant golden pearl.
Friendship… what comes to one’s mind when they hear that word? Just what do they picture when they think of a ‘friend’.
Everyone’s ideal version of this word varies. It differs, based on the beholder.
There is always needs, and wants, or requirements. There is desire upon desire upon desire. Yet, somehow, the subject is always changing. Fleeting, in a way. When someone says that they want a friend… they are trying to find comfort, or find something, someone to confide in.
Someone that you can trust with secrets, and stress, and grievences.
Someone who can tell you that you are wrong, without belittling you. Someone who makes you be the best versions of yourself, because they are willing to help you as much as you are willing to help them.
Though…
When Mammon said he made friends… Lucifer didn’t know what he was expecting..
Looking to the bloodied bodies of demons that rested in a strange house now… he was even more confused. Confused, and horrified.
There, in the center of them, holding a pleasant conversation as he sewn one of the mouths of the demons shut- was his brother, who was rambling away to the bodies with a lot of enthusiasm. He was laughing away, telling some secrets to them.
He was brought from his happy stupor, looking up and locking eyes with the eldest of the demon brothers. “Luciii, therre you are!” he chirped out. “You’re just in time! I wanted you to meet my friends! I made them myself!”
