Chapter Text
You were, in every aspect, unextraordinary.
You kept your head bowed as you went about your business, never liking to draw attention to yourself (they see you they see you they see you ---) or do anything out of the ordinary. You attended college, made acquaintances, and continued with your life like you were completely normal.
If anything, the parts of you that weren't normal made you worse, not better. Bobbin was your other half, true, and you didn't regret him for the world... you just wish you didn't need him in the way you did.
You just wish that you were capable of providing for a dog so you could have him registered instead of the painstaking training you put Bobbin through that you couldn't even reap the benefits of in public.
Not like you ever would, because that would also ruin your image.
So why, you think, dazed, is this happening to you? The idea that it's all just a dream has easily been overthrown by the overwhelming sense of realism of it all, and the fact you're about to have a panic attack. Everything is fuzzy and far away, people looking small. You hear without listening, the words just washing over you.
"Welcome to the Devildom," one man announces, sitting in a chair resembling the Chief Judge's seat. He says your name, too, which is - grounding and terrifying at once. How does he know your name...?
He must see your shock, because he continues. "Oh, pardon me. Feeling a bit shocked, are we?"
Which is one way to put it because you're about three seconds away from a panic attack, struggling to breathe. You need Bobbin but then everyone here would know you need Bobbin and you bury your problems super deep for a reason.
"Well, that's understandable. You've only just arrived, after all. As a human, it will probably take a little while for you to adjust to things here in the Devildom."
As a human. In the Devildom. You do not like where this is going. Why are you panicking in a dream? It's a dream, right? It's too crazy, too insane, to be real. But you know it is real, that this is something that is happening right now.
"I suppose I should start by introducing myself," the man says congenially, "My name is Diavolo. I am the ruler of all demons, and all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom."
Oh, okay, so you're talking to a prince. That's great. That's wonderful. You probably look like a complete and utter fool, silent with your mouth partially opened and growing paler by the second.
"This is the Royal Academy of Diavolo, though we just call it RAD." He chuckles, all cheer and pleasantry. "You're standing inside the assembly hall, the very heart of RAD. This is where we officers of the student council hold our meetings and conduct our business. I'm the president of said council."
He's staring at you, he's waiting for you to say something. Someone else is, too, but it's just two of them, thank God. Two is overwhelming enough, but it's also a small number, a manageable number, of people to have their attention fully on you. But you can't say anything. Your throat feels sore, you're trembling.
"Um," you manage, inarticulately. You need Bobbin, fuck you need Bobbin, you need anything to ground you because right now you just don't know what's going on. The world fades in and out around you as you struggle to breathe, your hand running along the air like it's fur, and next thing you know you're on something soft (oh, a bench) with a concerned face looking at yours. Diavolo, still.
"You're awake," he says, relieved, "You fainted... are you alright?" There's your name again, soft and feathery, and you swallow around a lump in your throat as you ease yourself to sitting. You're not panicking, but there's a little bit of numbness there, and the lack of emotion is concerning to your logical mind because it usually is a prelude to a huge emotional crash.
"You're, um, Diavolo, right?" you say finally, mind putting fragments of memories together, far too slow, "RAD... that's, um. I was offered a scholarship and applied for it. And now I'm here. In my pajamas."
He smiles apologetically. "Clearly it was timed poorly," he says, "But there isn't an exact hour-to-hour linear time between the Devildom and the human realm."
"I thought the Royal Academy was somewhere in London in the human world," you admitted. "But the Diavolo should have tipped me off. I didn't think I'd get in..." You clench and unclench your hands. You don't look at him, seeing his red hair in the corner of your eye.
"Sorry for the fright," he says, gentle. Someone else clears their throat and your eyes flicker over - black hair, clothes that match Diavolo's except black instead of the prince's - oh God - bright red.
"I will explain everything to you," the man declares.
Diavolo rests his hand on your shoulder briefly and you tense up all over because you weren't expecting it and why is he touching you is he going to - He pulls his hand away as soon as he feels you tense, and you break off any unproductive thoughts.
"This is Lucifer," he says. "He is a demon and the Avatar of Pride. He's also the vice president of the student council and my right-hand man... and not just in title, I assure you. Beyond that, he's also my most trusted friend."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Diavolo," Lucifer scolds, but you're pretty sure he's flattered despite himself. You're good at reading people. He turns to you, smiling, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Speaking on behalf of the entire student body at this great and storied school of ours... I offer you a most heartfelt welcome." He says your name, too, and it's grounding but you don't like the way he says it. Diavolo is far more welcoming, far more warm. But you know something of the seven sins, and pride will keep distant.
"Diavolo believes that we demons should start strengthening our relationship with both the human world and the Celestial Realm. As a first step toward this goal, we've decided to institute an exchange program. We've sent two of our students to the human world and two to the Celestial Realm, and we're welcoming four students to our school: two from your world and two from the Celestial Realm. So I take it you've probably put two and two together at this point, right?"
He pauses, his serious expression informing you of the standards he holds you to simply because you are here. "You've been chosen from among the people of the human world to participate in this program of ours. You are our newest exchange student. Your period of stay is one year. You will have to work on the tasks that you will receive from RAD in addition to your school assignments. After one year, you will write a paper about your exchange here in the Devildom."
You were barely keeping up with school as it was. And now you're - here, and - This time the panic attack bowls you over. You make a keening noise that you barely register, gasping for breath as all your synapses fire fight-or-flight-emergency-panic adrenaline throughout your entire body, leaving you trembling and cold and you need Bobbin, okay, you need him, no use hiding it you need your cat -!
Furry paws press against you, furry head shoved into yours, rough sandpaper tongue licking at you. You are yanked back to reality, grounded by your furry companion.
"Bobbin," you whisper in a hoarse voice, picking up the cat and cradling him against you. He purrs, low and rumbly, continuing to ground you with his head to yours just like you trained him. Your shoulders slowly relax, your body unwinding slightly.
"How'd you know?" you choke out, looking at the two men.
Diavolo, for his sake, looks extremely concerned. "You said you needed your cat Bobbin," he says, "I was able to get Barbatos to fetch it for you."
You look at the person he gestures to, someone who just screams butler with green hair.
"Thank you," you croak out, "I could use some water..."
Diavolo looks at Barbatos, and in a moment he has left and then returned with a glass of water. You sip it. Bobbin remains in your lap, calm and collected like always.
"Are you... ill, in some way?" Diavolo asks, his voice gentle.
Well, your reputation is already ruined. You might as well go all in. So you take a deep breath. "I, um, have some mental issues. Bobbin's my service cat. He helps yank me out of panic attacks - which is what was going on there - and helps ground me for my anxiety or if I'm overwhelmed or whatever else. He can do some cool tricks, too." You pet the cat, drawing strength from your little gray-and-black tuxedo-tabby. "I don't, um... I have autism, and then some kind of anxiety or trauma disorder - I'm diagnosed with like three different things that I don't think any professional agrees on. So I don't... I'm not..." You trail off, taking a deep breath.
But Diavolo just nods. "I see. This wasn't mentioned on your application," he says.
"I try not to share it," you say, your voice tight and quiet, "I don't like how it makes people treat me. I don't like how it makes me feel, that I have issues like that. I'm not fragile and I'm not disabled. I just... am different. I see things in a different way. Need... certain allowances in school." Even if you tried to avoid those allowances.
"We'll see what we can do about that to make the task easier on you," Lucifer interjects, "And you clearly need someone to look after you, and I think that someone should be my brother Mammon. He's the Avatar of Greed and... how should I put it...? Oh well. You'll understand soon enough."
Lucifer hands you a device that looks exactly like a smart phone. "Here, take this device. It's called a DDD. It's a lot like the cell phones of your world." Called it. "This will be yours to use for as long as you're here. Now, go ahead and try calling Mammon with it."
Phone calls. Great. Cool. You were not good at phone calls. Lucifer can clearly see it on your face, because he sighs and goes to take the phone from you, but you yank it back and open up your contacts - there it is, 'Mammon'. There's several other contacts already put down, including Diavolo and Lucifer.
The phone rings. "Yo, who's this?"
You say your name. "Um. Lucifer wants you to... come here?" You look at Lucifer uncertainly, who nods. "To the... student council room..? You're supposed to be my, ugh, caretaker for the year?"
He snorts. "You sound as disgusted as I feel about that idea. No thanks."
Lucifer leans in close, making sure that Mammon will hear him. "Come to the student council room now, Mammon."
He makes a squeaking noise. "Alright, fine, whatever! I'm on my way!"
"Okay thanks -" aaandd he hung up.
You end the call and then turned towards Lucifer. "You look even more worried now," he chuckles, seeming to take some amusement in your anxiety. Bobbin tenses up, glaring at the demon in the malicious way only cats can manage.
"Well, if you were suddenly brought to a strange place and then get told that an unfamiliar face will now take care of you, you'd certainly feel anxious," Diavolo scolds Lucifer. Oh, so the feeling that you were going to die was normal? Yeah, right.
However, Diavolo turns back to you. "Mammon isn't the only one to help you out," he declares, "We still need to introduce you to Lucifer's brothers." His gaze glides over to Lucifer. "And it's probably better that you do that instead of me, wouldn't you say?"
"Yes," Lucifer sighs, "as much as I dread the idea of doing so, you're right."
Another person enters the room, and you jump when he speaks. "Oh, come now. Really? You should be honored that you get to introduce such a sweet and charming little brother like me!" You cuddle Bobbin closer. You were a mess, holding your cat to keep from panicking again, still in your pajamas, absolutely a disaster in every way. And this guy was... he was aesthetically pleasing, the very definition of attractive. His hair looks silky and shiny, his uniform is immaculate, his eyes are piercing like they can see right through you. You feel very, very small and very, very ugly.
"This one here is Asmodeus," Lucifer sighs, "He's the fifth eldest. He is the Avatar of Lust."
"Wh... I can't believe you just totally ignored what I said!" scoffed Asmodeus. You couldn't help but feel that his offense was good-natured, perhaps even playful. "And not only that, you referred to me as this one. How rude!"
It was only when he spoke that you noticed the person standing next to Asmodeus. "Hmph. At least he didn't ignore you altogether," the blonde-haired man grumbled, "How do you think I feel?"
"That one there is Satan, the fourth eldest of us," Lucifer continues, doing his best to ignore everything his brothers say, "At first glance, he may seem like a responsible demon with a good head on his shoulders, but looks can be deceiving."
"Aha, so I'm that one, am I? Nice to meet you," he chuckles, saying your name. Like Diavolo, there is something grounding and familiar in the usage of your name, perhaps because so few people use your given name. "I am Satan, the Avatar of Wrath."
Of... wrath? You look at him skeptically, not quite believing it. He just smiles back at you. And unlike Lucifer, his smile isn't predatory or cruel; unlike Diavolo, it isn't inherently warm and welcoming. It's just a simple expression of how he feels. The honesty in it makes you feel like he's someone you can trust.
Asmodeus is steadily inching closer to you, trying to draw your gaze to his and make you meet his eyes. Habitually you look away, stiffening.
"I should probably warn you; you'd best be wary of Asmodeus's gaze," Satan says cheerfully. "He can charm and manipulate people and use them to his own advantage. If you're not careful, he'll charm you. And once you're under his spell, he'll eat you."
Eat you? Your breathing starts to quicken, but Bobbin is there with his head against yours, bringing you back down to the moment. The air is rushing past you, all around you, and it's like cotton has been stuffed in your ears, but you can still hear.
"Hey, don't go around saying things like that," Asmodeus pouts, "Not like they were looking at my eyes anyway..."
"Hurts," you say vaguely, "Eyes are the window to the soul. There's too much in eyes. It hurts." That's not it. It's impossible to explain but your lack of eye contact was the number one thing that convinced the psychiatrist to diagnose you with autism when you were a pre-teen.
You feel more than see the demons in the room exchanging glances, and you wonder if they have any idea about people who don't fit the status quo.
"Are you done?" Lucifer asks his brothers, heaving another heavy sigh. "Now..." Lucifer gets your attention and gestures at a tall and broad man. "The one there with the very grumpy look on his face is Beelzebub. He's the sixth oldest."
"Lucifer," he complains, crossing his arms, "I'm hungry." If it weren't for Bobbin, you'd be panicking again. Demons eat humans sometimes. Not regularly, but... being around a hungry demon definitely makes you nervous. Unlike everyone else, Beelzebub's uniform is a bit messy and unkempt.
"That's too bad," Lucifer says with no sympathy, "Now behave yourself."
Beelzebub sighs and turns to you, bowing slightly. "I'm Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony," he grumbles dutifully, his expression drawn and forlorn. He holds his growling stomach.
"There are seven of us brothers in all, and I am the eldest," Lucifer explains, "Mammon, the second oldest of us, will be here soon. My other brothers aren't here at the moment, but... well, we can get to them later. All in good time."
"During your stay in the Devildom, the seven brothers will lend you their strength," Diavolo says with a smile, "To keep you safe, you are to stay with them at the House of Lamentation."
Just then, a white-haired man strides into the room, making a disgusted face. "Just who do you think you are, human? You've got a lotta nerve summoning the Great Mammon!"
He's loud and in your face and you swallow harshly, trembling as you squeeze Bobbin maybe a little too tight. For his part, Bobbin swipes at Mammon, hissing. The demon dodges back, but the two of them glare at each other for a moment before Mammon puts his hands on his hips and looks back at you. If you thought Beelzebub's uniform was messy, Mammon's is an absolute wreck - the jacket is almost falling off his shoulders despite the perfect cut, the shirt is wrinkled, and the tie is crumpled.
"If you value your life and the life of that cat, then you'll hand over all of your money now! And anything else of value, too! Or else I'll start eatin' you! Startin' at your head and working my way down, until -"
"Mammon, shut up or I'll punch you," Lucifer declares. And then punches Mammon anyway.
"Gah, oww! Hey, what's the big idea?! I thought you were actually gonna give me a chance to shut up before punching me!"
You can't help it; you giggle. It's just - it's so ridiculous, and exactly like siblings, and something warm and light. And, hell, after his initial introduction... Mammon doesn't seem so bad. He's just loud. But even his threats aren't that scary.
"Mammon here is the Avatar of Greed," Satan says, smiling with an amusement that's probably similar to yours. "He governs and oversees all forms of it. Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash in money. But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They're left without a Grimm to their name."
"And he's also a masochist," Asmodeus adds, his voice almost flirtatious. "That part's important."
"Indeed," Lucifer agrees smoothly. "And it just so happens I have a job for my masochist of a brother."
"Ya'll, stop telling lies!" Mammon complains, "I ain't asked for that punch, and I AIN'T a masochist!"
"Mammon," Lucifer says again, "you are going to be in charge of seeing to this human's needs during the whole exchange. I expect your full cooperation." Lucifer is smirking now, all arrogant.
Mammon looks shocked. "What?! Why me?!" he demands.
Asmodeus pouts again, clucking his tongue. "Aww, lucky you, Mammon! I'm so jealous..."
"All right, then why don't YOU do it, Asmodeus?!" Mammon demands, eager to pass your care off to someone else. You really don't blame him. You wouldn't want to be stuck with a weird malfunctioning human either.
But Asmodeus laughs. "What? Hell no, I'm too lazy."
"I thought you said you were jealous of me?!"
"Just give up, Mammon," Satan says, although he at least looks sympathetic. "There's no getting out of this. You know you can't refuse a direct command from Lucifer, correct?"
"But why does it have to be me?!" Mammon insists, "What about Beel? Why can't he do it?!"
"This isn't a job we can entrust to Beel," Asmodeus snorts. "If we did, we might as well ask him to eat this human."
"Mm, yeah, I can't promise I wouldn't," the orange-haired demon says with a shrug.
You eye Beelzebub warily, but at least you're not panicking this time.
"You're useless, you know that?!" Mammon says with a groan.
Lucifer clears his throat. "...Mammon?"
"Wh-what?" Mammon asks nervously.
"Surely you're not going to tell me that you object to this arrangement, are you?" You flinch at Lucifer's display of power, burying your head into Bobbin's fur. You can feel it radiating off of him in waves, an overwhelming amount of force that leaves your eyes watering. Bobbin's claws prick at your pants, sharp tips pressing just slightly against your skin.
Mammon audibly gulps. "Ugh... I hate you guys! Every last one of ya! Fine... FINE! I'll do it, okay?!" He approaches you again, roughly grabbing your shoulder only to get bitten by Bobbin. He lets go and glares at the cat for a moment before continuing.
"All right, human, listen up. As much as I don't want to look after you, I've got no choice. It's a huge pain in the ass, and I'm too important for this kind of thing, but Lucifer told me to do it, so I will. But in return, you better make sure you don't cause me any trouble, got it?!"
You nod.
Lucifer once more speaks up. "We have decided who will take care of you, so on to the next subject: your tasks. Or, rather... task. Your task is to polish up your soul nicely and to acquire the power to resist demons. Demons will use their wisdom and abilities to tempt humans so they can get their hands on their souls. Other demons at RAD also have tasks assigned to them just like you. In other words... either humans will be tempted by demons, or demons will lose against the shiny and noble soul of a human and make a run for it. You could say it is an experiment to find out who will win.
"Since you don't have any magic, my brothers and I will lend you our power to help you defend yourself. And you won't have to worry about us working against you." Lucifer looks around, giving everyone there a sharp glare to emphasize his words. "With that, my explanation has come to a close."
"I want to make one thing clear right now: Don't blame me if someone gets eaten, 'cause it ain't my fault," Mammon declares, quick to clear himself of worries.
"Lucifer," Beelzebub says solemnly, "I'm hungry."
Lucifer shoots him a quick glare to shut him up.
"From now on," Diavolo declares, saying your name to get your attention, "You'll be living at the House of Lamentation. You'll be staying there with Lucifer and his six younger brothers. Humans, angels, demons, I imagine a universe where each accepts the other. Where we are brought together as friends. This is my dream, and I'm asking you to be the foundation for it."
He looks so eager, so hopeful. Your heart drops to your stomach. What a wonderful dream...
"One year, that's all I ask of you," he adds softly, "Good luck." Once more he says your name, and then he leaves - off to do important princely things, no doubt. Mammon sighs.
"Come on, let's get you and your beast to the House of Lamentation," he grumbles. You quickly get up and follow him, carrying Bobbin with you. He weaves through the corridors of the building, leaves the building, heads to a house. "Ugh, I don't believe this. Of all the rotten luck," he grumbles, "why should I have to look after some human? It's insulting, that's what it is!"
"I'm sorry," you say, your voice soft.
Mammon pauses. "What?"
"I'm sorry," you repeat louder, "It... it really isn't fair. I shouldn't be here. Literally anyone else would be a better choice. I'm a pain, I won't be able to do things properly... I should've put that stuff on the application." You bury your head into Bobbin's fur, the cat perfectly calm despite the awkward way you're now holding him. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me. They were... really mean to you."
He doesn't seem to know how to respond.