The Life of Royals - His Side of The Story

Genre:Fluff + Hurt/Comfort

Pairing:Lucifer/F!MC

Summary:When you were seven, you held a fake wedding by the swings with a kid you met at a park. You never saw your childhood ‘spouse’ again after that day. Today you received a letter summoning you to a foreign country, where your wedding to the heir to the throne twenty years ago is seen as valid. -Prompt by @writing-prompt-s 

TW:Mentions of bullying [verbal] and also a bit stalker-ish behaviour. Also, this chapter is super long, so grab a blanket and some cookies and enjoy the story!

|First Chapter|Previous Chapter|

Lucifer didn’t understand why he was here, in this foreign house; in this foreign country; with these foreign people.

Lucifer didn’t understand why he needed to be separated from his parents, his brothers and his attendants.

Lucifer didn’t understand why the other kids didn’t like him, ostracised him, and verbally abused him with harsh words and insults.

‘You need to learn the commoners’ way of living in order to provide a better future for them’

Why? He didn’t understand.

All he wanted now was to hug Mammon; play with Levi; argue with Satan; have a mini picnic by the garden with Asmo and coo over his new twin baby brothers.

‘Why?

Why did Father send me here?

Did he not love me anymore?

Why can’t I see my brothers anymore?

Why am I the only one sent here?

Where is Jean?

Where is my favourite pillow?

Where is my favourite book?

Where are my favourite clothes?’

Lucifer sat down by the swings with tears in his eyes.

Once again, the kids at school threw insults at him. He didn’t understand why. All he did was order them around. He didn’t even punish them for their insolence this time. Should they behave in such ways in his country, he definitely would have their families fired from their jobs and lock them all in the dungeon.

“Hey!” Lucifer saw a figure crouching down to look up at his pathetic face, “Are you okay?”

'Who is this girl?’

“Do you want to play with me?”

Such seven words that he missed hearing after four months of living in this place, “Can I…?”

The girl smiled brightly.

Lucifer didn’t remember the last time someone his own age had smiled at him like this.

The only one who ever smiled at him during this period of four months was the old man who acted as his foster grandparent, and the teachers in the school—though it was obvious to him that such smiles were fake.

“What’s your name? Let’s be friends! My name is MC.”

'Friends?’

Lucifer felt his mood going down again after realising she might not want to be his friend after hearing his name. After all, the kids at school stopped acting nice after knowing his name.

'Is my name really that bad?’

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?” She looked at him with worries clearly depicted in her expression.

Such a refreshing expression to see after constantly witnessing many disgusted and loathed expressions from others.

“Aren’t you going to be mad at me?” Lucifer added, “My name is Lucifer.”

'Go, please go before I get my hopes high…’

But much to his surprise, the girl took his hand and beamed, “Well, you have a nice name and you look kind, so I don’t know why I should be mad. Let’s be friends, Lucifer!”

——-

“That’s so disgusting! Get that thing away from me!” Lucifer shuddered.

“Aww, come on! You’ll like it! It’s cute!” She handed him the frog she found.

“I said no!” Lucifer immediately slapped her hand away from him, causing the frog to fall down to the ground and quickly hopped to its safety back in the bushes.

The look on the girl’s face made Lucifer’s blood run cold.

Anger, disappointment, regret.

'I did it again… Now she hates me…’

“Hey! That’s not very nice!” She frowned. “My sister said, you should treat your friends with kindness!”

'Kindness?’

“Well, maybe I’m at fault too for forcing you…” She tapped her chin in confusion before beaming again, “Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t force things on you again.”

“Am I… not kind enough?”

“Well, if I compare you to all my other friends, no.”

Lucifer felt the similar pain of daggers stabbing into his heart as soon as the words left her mouth.

“But you’re okay. My father said, “if we treat people with kindness, then people will be kind to us too!”

“So… you don’t hate me?”

“No.” She shook her head.

Lucifer looked over to the girl’s figure as she was humming a song he didn’t know and scribbled something on the sand with a twig you both found a minute ago. He couldn’t explain the whirlwinds of emotion he was currently feeling but he was really grateful for the girl’s calming presence.

“Hey, we’ve been here long enough. Let’s go play somewhere else!” She grabbed Lucifer’s hand and took him to a nearby ice cream store.

——

It was a long day and for the first time ever, Lucifer really had fun.

“Bye! I’ll see you tomorrow!” The girl waved excitedly at him.

“Bye!” Lucifer smiled too. If he had the ability to levitate, he’d most definitely be walking on air right now.

Lucifer skipped happily to his home—or the place he’s been staying at for the past few months—and saw a familiar tall figure standing outside the front door.

He couldn’t believe his eyes as he went running towards the person.

“Jean!”

“Your Highness! Finally, you’re home! I’m worried sick!”

Jean lifted Lucifer into his arms and hugged the young prince tightly, “Where have you been, Your Highness?”

“Oh, I was playing with a friend down by the park.”

“A friend? Oh! This is good news! Your Highness made a new friend!”

Lucifer felt delighted to know that Jean was proud of his progress but his next words made Lucifer’s stomach drop.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to leave tonight, Your Highness.”

“Leave?”

“Yes, we’re going back to the Eastern Kingdom.”

'B-but! I made a promise to meet her again tomorrow!’

“His Majesty has requested your presence back home. I’m sure His Majesty will love to hear the great news. You’ve grown, Your Highness.” Jean put Lucifer down to his feet before ushering the young prince into the house so he could start packing Lucifer’s things.

“Can you believe Prince Mammon cried every day because he can’t see you every morning? It was really hard to soothe him from his cries. I guess he missed you so much, Your Highness.” Jean chuckled.

Jean took notice of the lack of joy in Lucifer’s expression, so he added, “Your Highness, do you perhaps want to say goodbye to your friend?”

Lucifer’s sorrowful expression was the only reply the butler got.

.

“You’re funny, Lucifer. I like you a lot!”

“You’re fond of me?”

“See? You used those words again! It sounds so funny.” Her laughter rang throughout the park.

Lucifer only shyly played by the swings while waiting for his new friend to calm down.

“Well, I guess I like you too…” He pushed himself upwards with his toes while tightly gripping the swing chain.

“Hey, wanna marry each other?”

The question made Lucifer frown, “Marry? What’s marry?”

“My sister said, it’s a promise made by two people who like each other. They’ll stay with each other forever! I want to see you tomorrow too, so let’s make a promise!”

The giddy feeling inside his stomach was foreign to Lucifer but he caught himself smiling and nodding to the girl.

“Okay then, let’s marry each other!” she said before running over to Lucifer and grabbing his hand.

——-

“This is the report for this month. Nothing much happened except she got accepted to work in XYW Group as an accountant. And she also successfully rented a house near GoldieCreditCard street. It is a small apartment house with a balcony.”

Lucifer skimmed through the report in his hand while leaning back against his chair. His eyes were speeding through the paragraphs of words until he arrived at a page where the investigator had clipped a photo of the target, walking inside XYW Group’s building.

'I’m glad you’re doing well.’

Lucifer traced the outline of the photo with his forefinger and tried his best to keep a straight face.

“Your Highness?”

“Yes?” He closed the file and laid it down beside the multiple piles of paperwork on his study desk.

“May I inquire with you about something?”

'Brave, aren’t we?’ Lucifer smirked before signalling him to continue with his question.

“I have been following this lady’s activity for a few years now. Is Your Highness suspicious about her behaviour?”

“No.” Lucifer took his favourite fountain pen from the pen stand and began writing details on the cheque.

“Then–”

“This lady is my wife .”

As if he didn’t just drop the most shocking news of the century, Lucifer handed the cheque to the private investigator and signalled Jean to escort him out with a nonchalant expression.

All the attendants in the room, including Lucifer’s secretary, were still in shock from the news.

“Jean!”

This startled Jean before he bowed apologetically and escorted the speechless man out from Lucifer’s study.

After shooing everyone from the room for some privacy, Jean approached the prince with teary eyes, “Your Highness…”

“Is it really that shocking to you?”

“Of course, it is, Your Highness! You never showed interest in marrying anyone even though you’ve passed the ideal age for marriage. The nobles are all talking but you keep rejecting your potential partners! I thought you’re not interested in finding someone.” Jean dabbed the corner of his eyes with his handkerchief.

“You’re being overly dramatic, Jean.”

“I only want what’s best for my Master.”

Lucifer couldn’t help but smirk a little while still going through the piles of paperwork. The King was resting in bed for the whole day after being sick yesterday, so Lucifer had to take over the workload.

“Your Highness!’ Jean whispered.

The grip on his fountain pen tightened as he tried to hide his annoyance to this butler of his.

“Why don’t you take her as your princess?”

“That’s impossible. We never really had a valid marriage. It was only a fake marriage, a child’s play.”

“A child’s play… Wait, is this the friend you made when you’re tasked to live in the Western Empire for a few months?”

The lack of answer from Lucifer confirmed Jean’s suspicion.

“No worries, Your Highness! You can just send a letter informing your situation to the High Priest. They can validate your marriage.”

Lucifer stopped his writing abruptly.

The long silence in the study room made Jean realise he had crossed the line and possibly incurred his Master’s anger. He was ready to apologise when Lucifer slapped his own desk, startling Jean from his standing.

“You’re an absolute genius, Jean!” The joy in Lucifer’s face made Jean heave a sigh of relief.

“Pass me a paper. I’ll write the letter now.”

“Right away, Your Highness.”

——–

“Yo, Lucifer! There’s a letter from the High Priest for ya. Got mixed into mine. Man, whatever is my butler doing? Mixing these letters around,” Mammon complained as he entered the room while waving the official letter around.

“May I, Your Highness?” Jean extended his hand to take the letter from Mammon’s hand. To which he complied and gave it to the butler.

“Anyway, why is the High Priest sending letters to ya? You’re getting married or somethin’?” Mammon flopped on Lucifer’s couch and grabbed a nearby cushion before laying down comfortably.

Lucifer didn’t answer his brother’s question. Instead, he was carefully reading the content before putting it down and slowly grinning.

“Jean, get that private investigator here. He’s going to have a lot of work to do.”

The butler could guess the content of the letter through his Master’s expression so he smiled brightly and got on to his feet, exiting the room immediately.

“Huh? What’s goin’ on? Why are ya hiring a private investigator?” Mammon got up and glanced back to the Crown Prince who’s still grinning widely behind his study desk.

“Mammon, you actually have an older sister.”

“HUH?”

——–

Did the sky really look this blue?

And has the grass always looked so green?

Did the flowers ever smell this nice?

Lucifer took a deep breath and exhaled contentedly before reading the reports again and again; noting your favourite food, your favourite colour, your favourite place, your favourite perfume fragrance.

With the occasional note he jotted down after his reading, he looked over to some of the photos taken by the investigator and smiled.

“Jean, furnish and decorate the room. This is her favourite colour and all the things she likes. Order the chefs to learn these dishes. Purchase furniture based on her favourite colour. Arranged the furniture based on her current home. Study her favourite flower and have the gardeners start planting those flowers in the flower bed. Make her feel welcome and at home.”

Poor Jean…

“We’ll be having a trip to the Western Empire in six months. Prepare everything before then.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Jean bowed before leaving the room.

Lucifer eyed the newly written message he wrote for his best friend, the Imperial Prince of Western Empire—or should he say, the Emperor of the Western Empire now—regarding his future visits to the empire.

Bringing his thumb and forefinger to his mouth, Lucifer whistled, calling for his messenger bird.

Patting the bird’s head gently, he tied the small paper to its leg and let the avian fly out the window to its destination.

Lucifer eyed the blue sky that seemed more vivid in colours again. He smiled to himself, noting the fast pounding inside his chest and deliberately ignoring the sensation.

“You need to learn the commoners’ way of living in order to provide a better future for them.”

'Well then, Father, what are better ways than to have a commoner herself as a ruler?’

———-

Being a Crown Prince means every order issued by Lucifer will be fulfilled, obeyed and followed without any complaints. He didn’t remember the last time someone defied his wants—his needs—and made a fool out of him.

Being a Crown Prince means everyone will swoon over him; finding him attractive, fantasising about him and silently wishing they were at his place. He didn’t remember the last time someone refused to be near him, or just didn’t like him at all.

So why exactly–

“Umm… I guess I admire the Emperor…?”

–is his own wife saying she likes someone else who is not a Mr Perfect like him?

(Emperor Diavolo is perfect too, mind you!)

Oh, the rage in him.

That bitter taste at the back of his mouth; and that heat silently creeping on his back.

Lucifer felt angry, surprised, depressed.

Jealous.

“You-! How dare you! I don’t care who you like! I’m gonna drag you back home with me!”

It’s not a threat, but more of a statement.

Lucifer would do anything to get you back to his side.

——–

And true to his words, you’re now sitting in front of him with a joyful smile on your face as you enjoyed your dinner.

Imagine the pride in him when he successfully has you back. The constant longing had disappeared after years of only learning about your progress and not having the privilege to see you face-to-face like this.

Lucifer was happy, truly.

His first friend.

His first love.

Finally, you’re here, in your rightful place, with the right person.

——-

Lucifer didn’t know what possessed him.

“Don’t you think it’s shameful to have the Queen misspelt your name and title in official letters? Listen to me, Princess!”

'No! What are you doing!’

“You should not slack off! It’s been two weeks and your progress is really slow.”

’ Stop! Stop this! Do not say another word! ’

“Do you really think you have what it takes to be the Queen?!”

It was then he knew he should’ve listened to his inner subconscious.

The look of pain and tears on your face tore his heart apart.

Lucifer felt his own throat choke on him, limiting his oxygen supply. His blood ran cold and the extreme guilt washed over him, consuming his every being.

The words you mutter after that only worsen the pain. He was breathless, speechless and powerless as he concluded what he had done.

He hurt the woman he loves.

“If you really want your queen to be perfect, why don’t you just find a noble who’s certainly more suited for this!”

'No… don’t say that… please…’

Maybe he’s viewing himself in the positive light too much to even know that some people might not agree with him.

Maybe he valued himself too much to realise that some people don’t even like him.

Maybe he thought of himself as someone with enough power to rule over people to even comprehend that love cannot be forced.

So when you left the room with tears flowing down your face, you took half his soul away.

You’re so cheerful yet so blue.

So strong yet so fragile.

So free yet so loving.

So close yet so far.

——–

After reconciling his relationship with you, Lucifer moved on to the next agenda he had in mind. Still pretty much on-air after knowing you’re not mad at him anymore, he tried to focus on the new task at hand.

"Jean, we’re having a wedding ceremony in three weeks. Organise everything. And call my secretary over the first thing in the morning tomorrow.”

Lucifer put stacks of paper on the coffee table before continuing, “This is the concept the Princess and I had agreed to. Match everything and make sure every request she wants is fulfilled.

Also, here’s a list of the expected guests, work together with my secretary and send the invitations. But place a hold on the invitations for the nobles in the Eastern Kingdom til the last week.

Arranged the syllabus for the Princess’s class and ensure she has a dance class with Madam Leela every day. Inform this wedding details to her personal maids. Let them know they need to prepare too.”

“Your Highness, if I may speak?”

“Yes?’

"Isn’t three weeks too short of a time to prepare for a grand wedding? A royal wedding?”

“You can manage.” Lucifer kept his expression straight, never letting any emotions pass through.

“…Is this my punishment for this morning?”

“Oh? You mean when you deliberately set me up to meet the Princess in my drunken state? Oh, no no. You know I won’t punish you. Right, Jean?” Lucifer slowly smirked behind his cup of coffee.

“Oh, and another thing, starting tomorrow, make this coffee with the exact temperature of 80℃.”

…

You need a hug, Jean?

——

The longer he spent time with you, the more he found himself having trouble keeping his hands to himself. Hence, the incident that happened that night.

“Your Highness, I didn’t know…” Jean brought his hand to his mouth and feigned surprise.

“Shut it, Jean! It was a mistake!” Lucifer covered his blushing face with his hands, trying so hard to calm down and forget the incident.

'What is wrong with me? Why am I like this? I’m a Prince! A Crown Prince! A calm and composed Crown Prince! The Ice Cold Prince!’

Inhale.

Hold it in.

Exhale.

'That’s it, Lucifer. Calm and composed.’

After all, it’s okay, right? You’re his wife. He has every right to touch you or hold your hand.

Yes! He’s your husband after all.

(Lucifer, the Avatar of Consent)

Sitting straight again, he ordered, “Update.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Tomorrow will be the last lesson Her Highness has with Madam Leela. The wedding dress will be ready in 2 days after they receive Her Highness’s measurements. They will come by after that to test it on Her Highness and make some alterations should Her Highness feel the need.

The rings are still in the making. The venue is almost ready. Around 95% of the guests have responded and they’ll be here a day before the ceremony. An invitation letter for the High Priest was sent this morning and His Majesty will be making an appearance during the early time of the ceremony.”

“Good. What about my brothers’ tuxedos?”

“They’re all ready.”

“Excellent. That’s all. I won’t be needing you again for tonight. Take a rest.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. And please, sleep early for today. You looked very tired. Should I run you a bath before I go, Your Highness?”

“Yes, that will be very much appreciated. Thank you.”

Lucifer took off his leather gloves before flexing and stretching them. The sight of his bare hand brought him back to the incident during dinner. He felt himself blushing again from the faint sensation.

Soon, he will be able to hold your hand freely, whether on the palace grounds or in public.

——-

Well, he certainly had his wish granted.

Lucifer can now hold your hand for as much as he ever wanted, while he stared at your flushed complexion.

Your breathing was shallow and your eyes remained shut. The sight of you fighting for your life made him squeeze your hand tighter, trying to find comfort in you; and to know you’re still alive by the warmth of your hand.

The physician unclasped the velcro of the blood pressure monitor before standing straight and giving her reports, “Your Highness, Her Highness is having a fever. Based on the blood test, it wasn’t due to infections or poisonous material.

However, her high blood pressure suggests that she’s a bit stressed and might have been overworking herself. I recommend Her Highness stay in bed until the fever wears off. I will prescribe the appropriate medicine and come by again tomorrow morning to check on her progress.”

“Understood. You may leave.”

The physician bowed before leaving Lucifer alone in the room with you.

You haven’t gained consciousness ever since Lucifer found you, so the anxious feeling inside him didn’t subside even after hearing the report from the physician.

'Overworking? Stress?’

Was it because of the expectations he forced on you earlier during your first week?

“MC, I’m so sorry… This is all my fault.” Lucifer brought your hand to his cheek and leaned to it, praying silently for you to wake up.

He refused to leave your side even after Jean and his brothers told him to rest. Being in the same room with a sick person could increase his own chances of getting infected but Lucifer didn’t care.

He was blaming himself for not noticing your rapid progress these past few days. He should’ve told you to go within your own pace, to not force yourself, and to not listen to his delusional ideal.

As much as his throat constricted at the thoughts of your weak condition, his pride as the Crown Prince refused to let him cry. Lucifer felt the need to stay strong and patiently waited for you to wake up.

It’s alright, he believes in you.

You’ll come back to him.

You have to.

After all those efforts he went through just to have you by his side again.

And now that you’re here, you can’t leave him.

Right…?

The grip on your bed sheet tightened as Lucifer forced himself to throw those negative thoughts away.

Suddenly, Lucifer felt a hand brush against his gloved hand and shot up to sit straight.

There you were, still weak and in need of rest, “Lucifer…? What are you doing in my room? It’s nighttime…”

Your voice was hoarse.

“MC, are you feeling okay?” Lucifer brought his hand to your forehead to check your temperature.

You grabbed his wrist and weakly lifted his hand from your forehead, “Don’t touch me, Lucifer. I’m sick.”

“It’s fine. I was too worried about you to even think about myself.”

“Don’t say that, please. Take a rest, Lucifer. I’ll have Rose and Marie to take care of me.”

Respecting your decision and also wanting you to rest at ease, he complied with your request, “Alright. Rest well, my Love.”

He grabbed your hand and planted a soft kiss on your palm before tugging you in properly and leaving the room.

Now that he thought about it, he rushed to your side after a very busy day and didn’t leave afterwards. He also hadn’t eaten a single thing today.

No wonder Jean was worried.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Lucifer went back to his own chamber.

|Masterlist|

The Life of Royals - Anything for You

Genre:Fluff (Second-hand embarrassment incoming!)

Pairing:Lucifer/F!MC

Summary:When you were seven, you held a fake wedding by the swings with a kid you met at a park. You never saw your childhood ‘spouse’ again after that day. Today you received a letter summoning you to a foreign country, where your wedding to the heir to the throne twenty years ago is seen as valid. -Prompt by @/writing-prompt-s

|First Chapter|Previous Chapter|

You woke up earlier than usual the next day. You showered and dressed up on your own, feeling a bit better now and more motivated to learn.

By the time Marie and Rose came into your room to wake you up, they were met with a neat, empty room.

The bed was made, the curtains were open and there was no sign of you in the room. They both panicked, fearing that something bad had happened to you.

Only to see you already in your study, working hard.

“Your Highness, please call us should you feel like waking up early again. It’s our job to attend to you,” Marie scolded you after pouring you a cup of tea.

“I’m sorry. I was afraid you’re all still resting. After all, it’s still early.”

“Your Highness, should the others know that our Master wakes up earlier than us, we’ll be punished. Besides, we are already up during that time, so please do not hesitate to call us for help,” Rose added.

You nodded and smiled.

These two had been helping you with adapting to royalty life from the start and you were really grateful for their help. They filled you in on the information that your teachers didn’t tell you. They even gave advice on things that you’re not familiar with.

Now, you’re more familiar with how nobles think and do.

“However, I do need to advise you on your sleeping schedule. We don’t mind if you want to wake up early should you feel the need to study but please go to bed early. You have been staying up late because you want to study and it is not good for your skin, Your Highness.”

“Marie is right, Your Highness. I also heard from His Highness that there will be a wedding ceremony in three weeks? Therefore, we will monitor your diet until then.”

“Yes, Your Highness. And we will also monitor your condition and prepare well for your wedding dress.”

“You also need to take care of your skin and your hair. And also—”

So this is what Satan meant yesterday…

By the time Marie and Rose finished explaining about the things you need to do and monitor, you could only blink blankly.

“I hope you don’t run away from us, Your Highness.” Rose smiled.

Is it just me or did her smile give off some strange vibes just now?

——–

“You look elated today. Something good happened?” Lucifer put down his cutlery and focused solely on you.

Your smiles were radiating throughout the room during the whole dinner time and it cheered Lucifer up from his stressful day. So he couldn’t help but feel curious about your unusual bubbly self.

A Queen should be calm and composed all the time; never wavering or showing any emotions when she’s exposed to new things or feeling discomfort from anything.

Your open book behaviour was probably not what the old Lucifer would want. But he had decided to throw that excessive ideal of his away and savour these moments with you.

After all, you’re his wife first, before you are the future Queen.

And having his wife being the exact opposite of him wasn’t something terrible after all. It’s nice to spend time with you after a full day of never-ending paperwork, field trips and constant issues to be solved in the country.

“I learnt how to do embroidery today. It was fun!”

Lucifer smiled, glad that you seemed to be enjoying the lessons, at least. He heard from Madam Leela—your etiquette teacher—that you made tremendous progress these past few days. You’ve also kept up with the other lessons and are now progressing further into the syllabus.

Maybe pressuring you wasn’t the best choice to take. And Lucifer learnt it the hard way.

“Is that so? I hope you don’t prick your fingers when you practise embroidering.” Lucifer reached out to grab your left hand and rubbed your fingertips softly.

He eyed your ring finger, empty and bare of no jewellery at the moment before letting out a small smile. The images of seeing a shiny ring on it after the ceremony filled him with joy.

Lucifer was too caught up in his imagination to even realise he had intertwined his fingers to yours, causing you to be completely frozen by his action. Even Jean and Marie were trying their best not to let their mouth agape from witnessing a new side of the Crown Prince.

“Your-Your Highness…” You were blushing profusely.

Upon hearing himself being called, he focused back to reality and realised what he had done.

Lucifer let go of your hand, retracted his own hand from the table and cleared his throat before saying, “Apologies for my indecency, Princess.”

Now, he’s blushing.

And now Jean and Marie were also slowly blushing from the second-hand embarrassment.

Oh my God! Someone stop this! Please! This is so embarrassing!

———

Similar to the narrator, you were still flustered by Lucifer’s actions. Marie had helped you change into your nightwear without mentioning the incident in the dining hall during dinner.

“Sleep well, Your Highness. You have a very busy day tomorrow. The royal designer, as well as the jeweller, is coming to get your measurements. And you also need to polish your dancing skills with Madam Leela tomorrow,” Marie reminded you.

You thanked her for the reminder and lay down on your massive bed, trying to calm your pounding heart. You tossed and turned, trying really hard to fall asleep but failed miserably.

The light touches as he massaged your fingertips.

The way he traced your ring finger.

The way he squeezed his own fingers in between yours.

The warmth from his hand.

You immediately sat up, wanting to scream and throw your pillows at the wall—or more accurately, at the images of Lucifer you see when you look at the wall.

‘I’m crazy! I’m going crazy!’

———

Sure enough, Rose and Marie nagged you about sleeping late, yet again, the next day, “Your Highness, this is an important time for you! Please ditch your studies for a while and sleep early.”

In truth, you weren’t actually studying last night. You were far too distracted to calm down and sleep so you decided to embroider a handkerchief.

You weren’t sure if Lucifer actually wears a handkerchief but you decided to just go with it anyway.

Yes, you were embroidering a handkerchief with Lucifer in mind.

At first, it was to show off how good you’ve become after hours and hours of practice but after the incident last week, you decided you want to give him something as a gift.

Madam Leela had shown you how to embroider emblems from the Houses in the country. According to her, in the past, women would show their embroidery skills to their potential suitors as one of their many qualities to be married into the family. If the embroidery is neat and lovely, the higher the chances of them being chosen as the partner.

Nowadays, it’s more of a hobby and doesn’t hold any hidden meanings. Though it wasn’t a crucial thing to learn at such times where everything needs to be learned in a short amount of time, you were grateful to Lucifer for giving you the chance to learn this skill.

He could definitely cut it from the syllabus, but he didn’t. And because of that, you’re going to show him your appreciation by embroidering the Royal family’s emblem.

Since you wanted this to be a surprise, you didn’t say anything to your maids, in fear that they might spill the news to Jean and eventually let it travel to Lucifer.

———-

“That’s brilliant, Your Highness. Your movements are sharper now. You’re doing really well.” Madam Leela squeezed your hand with a smile on her face.

“I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress! The public will surely love you, Your Highness.” Madam Leela clasped her hands together and brought them close to her chest. Her eyes were filled with nothing but adoration towards the Princess.

Who would’ve thought after learning from her for almost a month, you would’ve gained a new mother figure.

Though she was strict, she showed true patience and care when she was teaching. Madam Leela became one of the few people that you confided in and you’re glad she’s proud of your progress.

“This is my last lesson with you. You’ve grown into a true Lady”

“Madam, I couldn’t have done it without you..please don’t cry… I’m tearing up as well…”

“Your Highness, you have every quality to be a ruler. Please don’t forget that. I will support you my whole life and you shall have my loyalty,” she gave you a smile before you wrapped your arms around her, hugging her close.

“Thank you for everything, Madam. I will always remember you. And please feel free to visit me again. You are not just my teacher, but also like my mother. I’d love to keep in touch with you after this.”

Madam Leela gave you one last smile before wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.

Watching her back turned against you made you reminisce about the journey you’ve been through to get through today. You left your family, your home country and your comfort zone to be a princess in the neighbouring country.

It seemed crazy to believe but you’re still here after all the things that happened to you.

But it didn’t change the fact that you have been missing your family so much. You couldn’t really keep in touch with them all the time as it’s still not safe to communicate before the public announcement. You could only call them during the weekends, but it’s also time constricted.

You made a mental note to ask for Lucifer’s permission to visit them after the ceremony later.

——–

The Princes had invited you for a tea time together near your private garden during the evening. Considering you’re almost done with your lessons for the day, you agreed.

You arrived at the scene with all six of them already waiting for you at the table. They were still a rowdy bunch, although they’ve toned it down considering they were in public at the moment.

When they saw you walking towards them, they gave you a smile and all stood up to greet you but you stopped them by putting a hand up.

“It’s alright. No need for formalities.”

With the permission granted from the Crown Princess, no one would dare to disobey, right?

A good choice. Now everyone can have fun without thinking about etiquette!

A butler pulled a seat for you in between Asmo and Levi. Although the fifth born seemed overly excited to have you sitting beside him, the third born didn’t seem so much.

You gave a glance to Levi to make sure he was comfortable but caught him shying away and looking in the other direction.

“I’m sorry. Did I perhaps make you uncomfortable, Leviathan?”

“Don’t mind him, he’s always like that with anyone new,” Asmo said, sipping his tea calmly.

“Is that so? Then, maybe I should change my seat? I wouldn’t want you to–”

“Wait wait! No! That’s not what I-! I mean, no, I’m okay with you sitting there. It’s okay…”

“Why’re ya actin’ all shy anyway? She’s our big sis now. It’s not like she’s a potential candidate for your marriage. Wait! Do you like her?”

“No! What nonsense are you talking about!” Levi glared at Mammon with seething anger.

“And there they go again.” Satan shook his head in disbelief.

You couldn’t help but give a smile when they started arguing with each other. They reminded you of your friends back home.

“Anyway! You don’t need to call me by my full name. It’ll only make me more nervous. Like I just did something wrong that needed a scolding or something,” Levi said.

“Yeah, just call him Levi. You can call me Belphie too. And Beel here will be Beel to you too.”

“Me too! Me too! Just call me Asmo! Cute name, right? Well, I am cute. And pretty! But my name is cute too! Can you believe that–”

“Dammit Asmo! No one wants to hear ya talkin’ about that!”

“Hey! You take that back!”

And now it’s Asmo’s turn to argue with Mammon.

‘Wow! What a cheerful family this is!’

You were laughing quietly when you felt a hand brush up against your cheek and slowly trace your skin. You quickly looked back and saw Lucifer standing behind you with his infamous expressionless face.

Again with that unreadable expression!

“The Prince Charming is finally here. I see,” Satan scoffed.

The argument died down soon after as they all looked over to the eldest. It may look like they were communicating telepathically because it was followed by a long silence after.

You started to shift uncomfortably on your seat so you held his gloved hand that was still on your cheek and tugged it slightly, “Will you be joining us, Your Highness?”

“Yeah, have a seat Lucifer. It’s been a long time since we had tea together,” Beel said.

You instructed the butler to grab another chair for Lucifer without hearing his replies, to which he didn’t say much and just sat between you and Levi.

“Did you just finish your work, Your Highness?”

“Yes.” His reply was curt and short, very typical of Lucifer.

The atmosphere cheered back up as they all conversed with each other with the occasional reply from Lucifer himself.

You were having fun getting to know the Princes, but unbeknownst to you, someone else was just not having it.

“Belphie, could you pass me the scone?”

“Satan, about that book you recommended earlier…”

“I never knew about that. Thank you for telling me, Beel!”

“But Levi said it’s fine, no?”

“That’s beautiful, Asmo!”

“What do you mean, Mammon?”

Lucifer’s frown was getting deeper every time you said something. He couldn’t believe his ears.

“Why the scowl, Lucifer?” Asmo asked.

You quickly turned your direction to face him after Asmo said it. You blinked curiously before asking, “Are you not enjoying yourself, Your Highness?”

Your Highness…

Yet…

The sudden glare directed at you made you lean back in surprise.

'What’s wrong with him??’

The long silence was broken by Levi’s cheerful laughter, “I think I know what’s going on here.”

Satan and Asmo followed through and soon after, all of them were laughing. The ones who were not were you and Lucifer.

Although by now, Lucifer would’ve ceased his brothers’ laughing fest, he didn’t. He was still giving that glare to you, but you could only sit there and wonder why.

“Your Highness? Did… Did I do something wrong?”

The brothers laughed once again.

——–

You were on edge. You’re not sure why Lucifer seemed furious this evening when he’s sitting right in front of you with a small smile.

Was it because he’s jealous?

If he’s jealous, then why did he give permission for you to join the mini tea party in the first place? Besides, he didn’t seem to mind anytime his brothers came by to your waiting room just to talk.

He even once let you go horse riding with Belphie alone, without any knights supervising you two.

Lucifer seemed more complicated than you thought.

“Your Highness?” you tried speaking.

The slight downfall of his smile didn’t go unnoticed by you, “About this evening–”

Lucifer waved his hand as a signal for Jean and Rose to leave the room. As soon as the door clicked, he turned his full attention to you, eyes slightly glaring at your whole being.

“Did I perhaps… Did I do something wrong …?”

“MC.”

“Y-yes?”

“Try calling me by my name.”

“Huh?”

“My name.”

“Lucifer?”

“Good.” He resumed his eating and left you there, still confused for your own good.

“Your Highness, I don’t-”

“Lucifer.”

…

You finally put two and two together.

This jerk!

“You don’t seem to have a problem with calling my brothers by their names, yet why is it so hard for you to call me by my real name?”

Because I’m trying to respect you, you asshole!

“I thought I’d said this to you before, no?”

.

“Your Highness this! Your Highness that! I have a name too! ”

“Lucifer! Call me Lucifer… Please…"

.

“You were drunk at that time! I didn’t know you’re being serious!” You couldn’t contain your anger any longer.

“Well, I’m sober now.”

This man is really driving you crazy.

———

After mentally checking all the preparations, Lucifer leaned back on his throne and listened carefully to the issues presented by the nobles in the meeting hall.

Giving his opinions and solutions once in a while, he was ready to end the meeting. The reason was mainly due to him feeling eager to break the news to the heads of the Houses.

Considering you rarely went out from your study during the day, it was easy for Lucifer to hide your existence in this huge palace. The only House that was aware of your presence was the House of Gillwell, where Madam Leela was from.

They did a great job of concealing the news from spreading out so Lucifer reminded himself to grant them a reward in return.

“Your Highness,” Jean whispered from behind him.

Jean approached Lucifer and leaned closer, “Her Highness is waiting for you in your waiting room. It seems like she wants to talk to you.”

The more reason for Lucifer to end the meeting early.

“Entertain her for a while. I’ll be there shortly.”

——-

Shortly was definitely not two hours.

Lucifer exited the meeting hall with a deep frown.

He didn’t think the last issue was going to take so long to discuss. It’s not fair to cut the meeting short only for his personal matter so Lucifer calmed himself down and sat through all the discussion and gave his appropriate decision. He did, however, say that he’d look further on the matter so as to not stretch out the time.

By the time he was at his wit’s end, he just dropped the news of the royal wedding ceremony in a week’s time before exiting the hall without further explanations.

Whatever the nobles did or said after that, he couldn’t care less.

He had kept you waiting for a long time now and the guilt was gnawing at him.

“Did you give her some refreshments?” Lucifer asked Jean.

“I did. However, Her Highness told me to leave her alone and do my other jobs. I insisted on accompanying her but Her Highness also insisted that I leave and get things done. I don’t know what to do.”

“So you left her alone for two hours?” Lucifer raised his voice while still walking fast to his waiting room.

“No, I did not, Your Highness. I accompanied Her Highness for about an hour before she told me to leave.”

You must have felt bad for keeping Jean from doing his other work around the palace.

Lucifer fastened his pace and within seconds, he was already at the door. He pushed open the door to see you, sleeping soundly on one of his couches.

You were leaning to the end side of the couch and tugging your hands under your head. You did, however, keep your feet to the ground so your sleeping pose wasn’t too inappropriate to be seen by another man in the room—and by another man, it was only Jean.

Lucifer’s heart clenched by the sight so he approached you slowly.

'Sorry for making you wait so long, MC.’

He kneeled down to have a closer look at your peaceful face. A smile was drawn on his lips as he extended his hand to tug your loose locks behind your ear. Lucifer then cupped your cheek softly and said, “MC?”

You didn’t answer. Lucifer’s grin was wider as he discovered a new cute side of you.

But, the longer he touched you, the more his joy started to disappear as fear slowly crept into his whole being.

He bit the tip of his glove and aggressively took it off with his teeth before touching your cheek once again. His heart skipped a beat as he frantically touched your forehead next.

“Jean! Call the royal physician! Now!”

|Masterlist|

Catnap {Diavolo x Reader/MC}

A/N: a fic in which i wanted diavolo to experience PAIN but also know he is L O V E D because i couldnt help but remember that he once said asmo never invites him to parties and it broke my frozen heart,

{Diavolo x Reader/MC}

Diavolo’s eyes were downcast as he walked along, listening to Barbatos drone on about his schedule for the rest of the day. Of course, he knew it was important and definitely something he needed to do as it was his duty, yet, he couldn’t help but long for a sense of freedom. He longed for a time he could simply be himself, not worry about his princely duties—he longed for something, he just wasn’t quite sure what. Of course, he knew Barbatos was simply doing his own job, but it didn’t stop the prince from zoning out. He could hear the shorter man give an exasperated sigh before repeating his last few sentences. Maybe a walk around R.A.D.’s campus would help him focus.

It wasn’t helping. He sighed during the entire walk, each time getting a little more dramatic; he hunched his shoulders and slouched a bit more with each heave, dragging his feet along the ground as though he were a toddler throwing a temper-tantrum. His pitch was whiny, and he secretly did feel bad for his unbecoming behaviour towards Barbatos, but he couldn’t help himself.  

As though it were a beam of light on a cloudy day, something had caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and turned his entire mood around. Without raising Barbatos’ suspicion—or so he thought—his gaze honed in on a small, stray kitten walking along the path behind the shorter man. His face instinctually turned to one mixed with shock and adoration, both attempted to hide behind the thin veil of collectiveness. Golden eyes kept flickering from his butler to the tiny mammal behind him.

“As I said before, after meeting with Lucifer to go over the budget for…” Barbatos scrunched his nose before interrupting himself. “My lord, you aren’t paying attention again.”

“What?” Diavolo’s shoulders stiffened as he let out a half-hearted laugh, “Of course I am!”

“…..What are you distracted by?”

“It’s nothing! Wait–”  

Before Diavolo’s outstretched hand could stop him, Barbatos turned to lock eyes with the kitten that had caught his liege’s attention. He held his stare as if the two of them had a contest going without so much as a word, until the kitten had meowed up at him.

“It’s talking to you!”

“I wish it wouldn’t.”

“Don’t be mean to it, it’s cute!”

“My lord, we do need to get through this schedule for the day–”

“I’d much rather sit with this kitten.”

Diavolo quickly jumped at the chance to get down on all fours to level with the kitten, ignoring Barbatos’ pleas for him to not ruin his uniform. He cooed as the kitten rubbed against his face, meowing softly at him in response to his badly-attempted meows, and rolled onto its back to play with one of the pendants hanging off of his coat. A genuine laugh erupted from the man as he pet the creature.

“I’m glad you’re thoroughly enjoying yourself, Lord Diavolo, however we do need to get going now–”

“I’ve decided to keep it!”

“Absolutely not.”

“What!”

Like a child who was told no in the toy store—or a better comparison would have been a kicked puppy—Diavolo looked up at him with pleading eyes and a pouting lip. He mumbled to himself, about being the prince and frankly doing whatever he’d like, as though he truly were a child.

“My lord, a cat in the castle would be a terrible idea. You are too busy to see to one–”

“You could do it!”

“–and I’m too busy ensuring you’re taken care of to worry about the cat as well.”

Diavolo groaned and rose to his feet, keeping his back towards Barbatos. After agreeing that he would be right, he attempted to walk off and change the subject towards the schedule Barbatos was so adamant about, only to jolt to a stop as the butler cleared his throat.

“My lord–”

“I thought you said we were busy!” Diavolo chuckled, attempting to continue again, “Let’s go!”

“The cat, my lord.”

“It ran into the bushes–”

“Please take the cat out of your coat pocket.”

Hanging his head as he was caught, he placed the kitten gently onto the path, watching it scamper away, chasing after some sort of bug. He crossed his arms and jutted his lip out into a pout, keeping his glare just a tad icy towards Barbatos. Again, he was aware he was just doing his job, but the kitten was so adorable and just the distraction he felt that he needed, and his friend simply just wouldn’t allow him to have it; so, he listened. He listened intensively, absorbing each word Barbatos had thrown him and repeated key points to prove he had listened. His eyes, however, flickered to the small animal who kept running in and out of the bushes, tempting his willpower and attention an embarrassing amount.

Before he had realized it, however, one of the seven brothers had also been walking along campus. Noticing the two of them talk, Satan minded his own business and only stopped as a kitten randomly appeared in his path. Without so much as a second thought, he scooped the animal up and kept on his way, not realizing the heartbroken, utter shock that had washed over the Devildom’s prince.

“That seems to be the end of it, Lord Diavolo. Shall we move on to our meeting–”

“Did you see that!”

Barbatos tilted his head and looked behind him where Diavolo had been pointing; he used all of his might not to raise an eyebrow at his boss.

“See… what, exactly?”

“The–”

“If you’re going to mention the cat again, then please forgive me for cutting you off. We simply cannot have the cat.”

“But Satan took it!”

“Ah, then you should take solace in knowing that cat is well taken care of. Now, moving on to our meeting, my lord.”

Without so much as another word, Barbatos ushered Diavolo off towards their next location, the cat never left his mind.

***

By the end of the day, MC had noticed something weighing on the prince. He seemed sluggish, lost in thought, a million miles away in those eyes as they sat across the room from him. During the rare moment he sat alone, MC approached him casually.

“Hey,” they leaned against the edge of his desk, “something on your mind?”

“Oh? Was it obvious?”

“I’m just a really good guesser.”

Diavolo leaned back in his chair and shot them an award-winning smile, the hearty, whimsical laugh he’s known for followed suit.

“Then that must be your version of magic, interesting. I’ll admit there is something on my mind that I just can’t shake.”

“Care to tell me what it is?”

Before MC could even get the last syllable out, Diavolo slammed his hands on the desk and stood instantly. He leaned in towards them with wide eyes and a slight pout, not noticing that his sudden closeness caused MC to swallow hard.

“Satan took my cat!”

“….. I’m sorry, what?”

“My cat! He took it!”

“You… had a cat?”

“Yes! No! Kind of?”

“Diavolo, not to sound rude but… I’m really not following.”

He sat back down and bit the inside of his cheek, sighing heavily before explaining himself.

“There was this kitten, outside, it was absolutely adorable. The roundest little face, big eyes, soft fur—it was tiny, too! Just the perfect little thing, and I wanted to take it home! Take care of it! But–”

“But?” MC dragged out their syllables.

“But,” Diavolo mimicked their actions, “Barbatos said it was impossible to take care of a cat as of now. He refused to let me take it, and not only that, but I had to watch in silence as Satan came along and took the cat as his own!”

“Well, if Satan took it–”

“Then it’s in good hands, yes, Barbatos said the same; that isn’t the point!”  

Diavolo held his tongue on what truly bothered him, hoping that MC-the-great-guesser wouldn’t take notice that his burst of emotions dug much deeper than just a little cat he met outside. A thought passed his mind and it clicked for him—a plan—he’d have to think more about. He composed himself, stood up and straightened out his coat before shooting another large, fake smile towards the human.

“Anyway, I have other meetings to get to, unfortunately. It is my duty, after all. My apologies for being so… emotional, but thank you for lending me your time.”

MC’s eyes followed as he stiffly walked from the room. He may have been the prince of Devildom, but MC couldn’t hide the smile on their lips towards his childish behaviour they grew to find endearing. They did wonder what deeper emotions were hidden behind his need for the cat, however.

***

Relaxing by the window, MC was startled to hear a light knock against the glass in the middle of the night. Terrified, they very slowly turned their head to meet face to face with a disheveled prince, smiling from ear to ear. Tossing fear and confusion aside, they rushed to open the window and called out to him in a hushed tone.

“Diavolo? What are you doing here? I mean… here, and also, at my window.” They grabbed his hands and helped him start to climb in. “There is a front door, you know. I’m pretty sure Lucifer wants you to use it. Should I let him know you’re here–”

“No!” Diavolo cried as he fell forward through the window. He sat up as though nothing had happened. “I’m here in secret, please keep it between the two of us!”

“Al…right, but why exactly are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but it is the middle of the night, and you know it seems…” They couldn’t finish their statement due to nerves and turned away to keep the red on their cheeks hidden.

“Hm? Oh, about that!” He stood up suddenly, “I’m going on an adventure! Come with me!”

“Shh! You’re the one who said this was a ‘secret visit’, so keep your voice down!”

“Right!” He lowered his voice, “I’m going on an adventure, so come with me.”

“Where exactly is your adventure going to lead us? Does Barbatos know–”

“No, he does not and he doesn’t need to!”  

Diavolo’s eyebrows were drawn together, nose scrunched in irritation. He sighed and shook his head, forcing an apologetic smile on his lips.

“My apologies, I mean, this isn’t a matter that concerns Barbatos. I came to you for assistance this time, I thought perhaps we could have some fun; what do you say?”

MC twisted their lips to the side, eyeing whatever the tall man was hiding; it didn’t take much to see that he was, in fact, hiding something… but what was it? They nodded, agreeing to whatever plan he may have, knowing they couldn’t just let the prince of Devildom run off and make childish mistakes on his own. MC would get in trouble with Barbatos at that point, and they shivered at the thought of being on bad terms with him. Once they silently agreed, Diavolo captured their hand in his—blind to the eruption of blush across their face—and quickly slipped into the hall.

They were dragged along as Diavolo tiptoed dramatically, peeking around corners and hiding in the shadows. MC was flung around as though they were some sort of paper doll. Diavolo seemed way too out of his element to sneak around properly, so MC called out to him quietly to have him take a moment and explain just what he was doing.

“Stop, stop. You’re terrible at this. Where are you going anyway? The front door isn’t up the stairs–”

“Our destination is, though!” He said in a hushed shout, his movements a bit antsy. “We have to go up.”

“To where, exactly?”

“Hush!”

He covered their mouth with his hand, oblivious to how it caused their heart flutter, he focused his attention to the sound of walking in the hallway behind them. Diavolo rushed them along, stopping at a door and quickly attempting to jiggle his way through the lock. MC faced the hallway, wary of the approaching footsteps and faint voices as they kept watch; Diavolo simply used magic to unlock the handle, and pulled MC in so quick he literally swept them off of their feet. Both of them held an ear against the door and heard as two of the brothers made their way back to their rooms. Before MC could give a sigh of relief, they could hear Diavolo cooing at something in a baby tone. A light bulb went off in their head as they slowly turned to face the room, a look of distaste, disbelief, and irritation graced their features.

“We broke into Satan’s room.”

“Yes!” Diavolo held the kitten up to his face, laughing as it give his cheek a few kisses.

“A cat.”

“Yes!”

“We broke in… to Satan’s room,” MC put heavy emphasis on Satan being the owner, “to steal a cat.”

“Yes.”

“Diavolo!” MC shouted before quickly quieting back down, “We’re dead if we’re caught in here! Well, I will be. You’re the prince of Devildom, you probably won’t be. But I will be. Satan is going to get pissed, oh my god, I’m going to die, aren’t I? I am. I’m going to die. I’m–”

Diavolo held the kitten up to MC’s face, the latter stopping their rant in their tracks as the kitten gave their nose a few kisses. They couldn’t stop themselves from getting red at how cute the prince seemed to smile at them, but they forced disapproval on their features.

“He had the kitten I wanted. I couldn’t simply ask him for it, even if he agreed, Barbatos would make me return it.”

“What difference is that opposed to stealing it?”

Diavolo sat on the ground and stared at the kitten in his hands, a faraway look of longing replaced his usual cheerful smile. MC refused to let him play it off again.

“What’s actually eating at you?”

“The difference, I guess…” he couldn’t meet their eye and instead focused on petting the cat, “is the adventure. The ability to do something so ridiculous for the thrill and fun of it all. Throwing aside the fact that I’m the prince, for once. Just being a person, since people don’t tend to treat me that way. I thought… if I could have this cat, even after being told no, I could have a sense of freedom. It sounds absolutely ridiculous hearing myself say it out loud. Definitely not the presence a ruler should have, huh?”

His sad smile broke MC’s heart in two. Without a word, they moved next to him; he thought they were going to pet the cat so he offered it to them, but their hand landed on top of his head instead. Their voice was quiet and filled with honey, each word dripping with sincerity.  

“I dunno. I think you’re pretty neat. I like hanging out with you, as you are.”

It was Diavolo’s turn to look dazed with wide eyes and a blush across his face. He quickly composed himself with a tender smile and a whimsical laugh; there were quite a few things running through his mind that he wished he could say to MC, but nothing would come out clear enough. Instead, the two of them resided in a peaceful silence, his smile and relaxed shoulders showed how thankful he was to hear that from them. They had gotten lost in the peace, petting the kitten and playing around with the spunky little thing, they hadn’t heard anything come up behind them, nor had they felt the frightful aura shift in the area.

“What are you two doing in my room?”

Sweaty Palms. {Beelzebub x Reader/MC}

A/N: i just think holding hands with beel would be so NICE and to slowly realize you fell in love with him through the presence of said hands? HHHNNNGGG

{Beelzebub x Reader/MC}

The way their hands fit in his was like a dream.

His was much larger than theirs, but it fit perfectly so that he could wrap his around in a protective manner. Theirs was always so soft while his was rough. His warmed their cold ones each and every time. He’d rub his thumb over their knuckles, they’d draw circles on the back of his. His hands felt empty if theirs weren’t there too. They held his hand each time they slept near one another, walked next to each other, or any time he didn’t need both hands to snack or otherwise, really. It was as though they were meant to be together. Their hands were pairs, please do not separate. He learned that meme from MC, too.

Beelzebub never thought much about it—it was simply something they did. It was a comfort, to him at least, and he hoped they felt the same way about it. It became natural, to constantly find his hand occupied; he was so used to it, he would fumble if he were to use two hands for something.  

One thing MC did not anticipate, however, was how dependent they would become on the presence of their hand. Would they always get this cold before? How about this lonely? The idea of “empty” was something Beel could not wrap his head around, but MC felt what they could only describe as such a hurtful feeling whenever the spaces between their fingers were bare. It was a slow realization; feelings crept up from corners of shadows inch by inch and met their eyes before they could even think about it. If he didn’t see the same level of intimacy within their hand-holding anymore, how were they supposed to face him?

Their hands started to get clammy a lot more often, having the need to excessively apologize and break away to wipe it off on their shirt. They grew nervous with each questioning glance, and brushed it off as they were just stressed about something else, or it was simply just too hot in there. They’d hesitate to offer their hand, take far too long to grab onto his in public, and “pretend” to already be asleep if they were napping together to avoid holding his hand. They felt horrible as they started to notice the flicker of sadness pass through his eyes before they gave in each time, but couldn’t bring themselves to bring up the topic. What if they caught feelings for him, but he didn’t feel the same way back? What if they ruin the relationship the two of them have because of it? What if it ruins the idea of holding hands for Beel forever? What if—their hands were sweaty again.

Beel wouldn’t stay quiet forever. He’d take notice of their behaviour and start to wonder—did he do something wrong? Maybe they didn’t like holding his hand anymore? No, that didn’t seem to be it, because they still would if he offered it. Did he make them feel uncomfortable? That seemed more plausible, but why? What did he do? He’d intertwine his fingers with theirs, only to notice they not-so-subtly refused to let their palm rest against his.  

“MC, you know, we always hold hands.” He let go and turned to look them in the eyes, determined to fix whatever he had done, “Why are you acting weird?”

Their eyes grew wide and they blubbered like a fish, opening and closing their mouth as they struggled to come up with an answer only to stutter what half-baked excuses they could think of.  

“Was it… something I did?” he looked like a kicked puppy, eyes almost brimming with tears though it were obvious he was holding them back. “What can I do to fix it?”

“No!” their shout startled him, so they sheepishly recoiled and rubbed the back of their neck. “I mean, no, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s… it’s stupid; it’s a problem with me. I mean, it’s a problem I’m dealing with. It has nothing to do with you. I mean, it does—not in a bad way, I mean–”

They continued rambling, noticeably getting more and more bothered by whatever was on their mind as well as how terribly they kept eating their words trying to explain themselves. Beel thought long and hard about their actions and facial expressions rather than focusing on the words coming out of their mouth. The flushed look to their skin, the way their eyes seemed to focus on anything but him all while seemingly longing for something they wouldn’t speak about. He paused a moment as the shock set in, and simply gave a gentle smile before grabbing their hand once again, tighter than he normally did, and made sure they held his back and simply turned and continued walking, tugging them along despite their cries.

“It’s okay MC, I like you too.”

Pride.

A/N: Not me sharing a creative writing class assignment from last semester that i wrote about lucifer because i am a simp and im fairly certain my entire class and professors thought i was some devil worshipper. Nuh uh. Not me. Wrong bitch

anyway HELLO i’ve been gone a while due to life but i have a handful of stuff for you! ★

Ghosts roam these halls, though they all look like her.

His eyes still haven’t adjusted; shadows creep away to hide

but for some reason, they all seem to look

like either of them. Perhaps they were? Were they the scorched

remains of their passion that illuminated against the walls?

His feet were heavy, dragging along the floor

the panels of wood creaking like the post to that

old bed of his. He was pride embodied,

chest puffed and chin up, a lazy smile across his lips;

he was graced by the goddess herself,

allowing him a sinful dance with the devil

for the night as the moonlight made her look

so beautiful. As warm as their bodies had been

together, his body felt so cold now that the sunlight has

touched his skin, and her hands were no longer there

to provide the burns. Her ghost was the only thing left

to haunt him in the morning.