Chapter Text
The first time you'd seen the rising purple wisps indicative of an opening portal, you'd instinctively stomped down, letting loose a wave of raw magic to disperse it before it could fully form. It hadn't been the most elegant of solutions but it had done the job and considering how long it had been since you last tapped into your powers it wasn't too bad.
The second time you were a little more prepared, actually throwing out a spell to wash away all traces of the foreign magic circling on your floor, the purple mist vanishing in a brilliant burst of light, leaving you to finish your dinner in peace.
By the third time it happened you were more than a little irritated, taking the time to weave together a few spells in the hopes of not only dissipating the forming portal but also giving whoever was on the other side a reason to think twice before trying again. You'd watched with no small amount of satisfaction as the half-formed portal seemingly folded in on itself, vanishing from your sight with a small pop, and if you had done your calculations correctly (which of course you had), opening back up in the local junkyard. The thought of whoever was on the other side having to deal with the sudden rush of broken appliances, abandoned furniture, and other detritus brought you no small amount of satisfaction.
The next few tries fell along the same lines, the individual (or was it individuals, plural?) on the other side trying to contact you, you going out of your way to inconvenience them in as harmless but annoying a way as possible. By the time finals had rolled around, the portals abruptly stopped showing up, a fact you were thankful for and too busy to stop and question. Letting down your guard like that ended up being your downfall and when you'd gone to collapse on your bed after finally finishing the last of your schoolwork for the year, rather than falling onto your bed amongst your crumpled sheets, you'd fallen through the gap between time and space, freefalling through endless darkness interspersed with the faint light of distant portals winking into existence and fading away once more. You knew firsthand that traveling this way was instantaneous though it always felt much, much longer and you braced yourself for the inevitable impact as the tail end of your detour grew closer, the light emanating from the other side illuminating you in a soft glow. You squeezed your eyes shut and the alien sensation of something cold trickling down the length of your spine indicated that you were finally passing back into the physical realm. Rather than hit the ground with an almighty splat, as you expected, there was a grunt as someone caught you, hardly shifting at all even as they took the brunt of the impact.
You took a moment to orientate yourself, always a little woozy after going through a portal, while doing your level best to ignore the very firm, very muscular arms wrapped around your shoulders and under your knees, cradling you to an equally firm, equally muscular chest. You inhaled deeply, holding your breath for a few seconds before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"What in the fresh hell do you want?” You’d finally opened your eyes, settling into a glare as you batted at the hands still firmly wrapped around you, squirming angrily until you were finally set down. You made a show of moving away and brushing down your clothes, deliberately avoiding looking at the perpetrator just to drive home how beneath your notice they were at the moment. You may have been wildly out of practice but in terms of raw power, there were very few who could beat you, regardless of technique, so you were hardly worried about your safety. You were mostly just irritated that your post-finals nap had been interrupted before it could even start.
A polite cough drew your attention away from picking at your clothing and you looked up sharply. Standing before you was a trio of well-dressed men, the two in similar black uniforms flanking a man wearing a vivid scarlet coat. He seemed to be the one who had cleared his throat and judging by his proximity to you he was probably the one who had caught you as well. Seeing that you were finally looking his way his already bright smile somehow kicked up a notch.
"It’s so good to finally meet you. Welcome to the Devildom." He held out a hand for you to shake and his smile didn't falter when you eyed it then turned your head up, defiantly crossing your arms. The man to his left however seemed to take offense on his behalf, his deadpan expression narrowing into a pinched look of thinly veiled anger. The smiling man let his hand drop, tucking it behind his back with its twin in a smooth, practiced motion.
“You’re an incredibly difficult person to get a hold of, you know.” He had yet to let the veneer of polite, detached happiness drop, but the other man’s rising ire was clear.
“Yes well I try to be impossible to get a hold of at all…” you trailed off, eyebrow raising expectantly as he tilted his head, processing your unspoken question.
“Forgive me, I’ve forgotten my manners. Allow me to introduce my companions, to my right here is Barbatos, my steward.” The man with the teal fringe ducked his head in greeting. “And my companion on the left here is Lucifer, avatar of pride, my right-hand man, and my closest friend.”
Lucifer, who had spent the entirety of the introduction making a displeased expression at you, seemed torn between continuing to look at you with disdain and responding to the other man’s declaration, face spasming for the briefest of moments before he settled into a weary frown. “Please, flattery will get you nowhere.”
The man in red just laughed, reaching back to pat Lucifer’s shoulder before letting his hands fall behind him again as he turned to face you, with a much more serious expression than before. “And I am Diavolo, the lord of all demons and soon to be king of the Devildom.”
Your lips, pressed together in a firm scowl, went slack with surprise before you schooled your expression back to one of minor indifference. As confident as you were in your natural abilities, there wasn't much you could do besides defend yourself against the lord of all demons, even if you had kept up with your practice. There was also very little you could get away with without facing serious repercussions, though if he had sought you out knowing who you were then he was also aware that that was a two-way street; Diavolo couldn't do much more than try to intimidate you unless he wanted to invite trouble. “And what does the future king want with a college student?”
Like a switch had been flipped he smiled again, laughing joyfully as he gave you a knowing look. “But you’re not just a college student, are you?” You flinched but he didn’t pause to comment on it, continuing on as if you hadn’t reacted at all. “That’s precisely why I wanted to talk to you. You see, I have a proposition that I think you’ll find most agreeable.” For the first time since you’d arrived, he let his glamour slip, horns materializing as his wings unfurled behind him, narrowly missing his companions. His clothes seemingly melted away, leaving him in nothing but a loose pair of black pants lined with gold and a fur shawl draped across his shoulders, clasped together with a large, golden brooch, along with matching bracers and a choker. There was the slightest flicker of hellfire in his eyes as he spoke and the power of his presence filled the room. “Lucifer can explain the details but the basics of it are this; I want to bring the Devildom, the Celestial Realm, and the human world together.”
At this point he stepped back, making room for Lucifer to move closer, his demonic form falling away and with it the excess of magical energy that hung in the air after his display. "As Lord Diavolo has already said, we wish to strengthen our ties with the other two realms, and at this point in time, we aim to send two pairs of exchange students to each realm and in return welcome two sets of students to the Devildom. We are not so unfamiliar with angels as to be unable to accommodate them but humans are another matter entirely. This is where you come in."
You held up a hand to signal for him to stop, waiting to speak until all three were looking at you expectantly. "Listen, before you go any further, I'm telling you right now that I'm not going to accept."
Lucifer, who'd already looked rather sour at being interrupted, moved as if to step close enough to loom over you, but the third demon placed a placating hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention away from you. "I understand you may be reluctant to work with demons, but I promise you we mean you no harm."
"Please, there's nothing you can do to me that would not be returned twofold, that's not even a remote concern. Let me be clear then; there's nothing you can say or do to sway me. I want nothing to do with magic, demonic or otherwise, and I've already got responsibilities back in the human world."
Lucifer, having previously relented under Barbatos' unspoken reprieve, spoke up once more. "And what could be so important that you'd reject a missive from the prince of Hell?"
You frowned at him, gaze equally hostile. "A master's degree in library sciences."
Lucifer stared at you, a single eyebrow raised in disbelief. Diavolo, either unaware or uncaring of the way you two were staring each other down, clapped his hands together excitedly. "Ah but you see, we can help you with that! A sort of tit for tat, if you will."
You snorted, tearing your gaze away from Lucifer to turn it towards Diavolo instead. "If I'd wanted to just magic up a degree and credentials I would've done that already and I'm not about to sell my soul to get into grad school."
He laughed, looking far too delighted in the face of your disdain. "No, nothing like that at all. Despite what you may think, we do have legitimate means of helping you to pad out your resume. If you agree to come aboard as an advisor, then we can sign off as you having been interning for a very prestigious learning institution." You eyed him warily, and he seemed to sense your doubt, as his megawatt smile somehow brightened further. "We will also pay you quite handsomely for your services."
You visibly wavered before sighing and letting your shoulders slump slightly from their rigid position. “Fine. Give me your whole spiel. But if I don’t like what you have to say, then we’re done here.”
Diavolo nodded, gesturing for Lucifer to step forward once more. “All I ask is that you listen.”