Work Text:
“Lucifer, have you seen Beel?” The eldest turned to look at you, “It’s just that he’s not answering my texts - we were supposed to have lunch together.”
“Ah,” Lucifer closed his book, “He’s likely in the workshop.”
Your surprised expression made Lucifer smile, “You didn’t know that we have one? It’s not used often…it’s at the very end of the garden, so it’s not very convenient. Anyway, I think it would be best if you let Beel come to you when he’s finished. He can get very…” A gloved finger tapped the cover of his book thoughtfully, “Focused.”
You thanked Lucifer before blatantly ignoring his advice. Surely the Avatar of Gluttony would appreciate some snacks in the middle of his tinkering. So you prepared an impromptu picnic. Nothing fancy; some sandwiches and snacks, a few different drinks.
This would be your first time going all the way to the end of the back garden - you’d never had any reason to, and there had been an assumption that there wasn’t anything behind the decorative hedges. But now that you were purposefully looking, you could see that there was an opening just about the right size for someone like Beel to walk through...although it clearly wasn’t used often, as Lucifer had suggested, and was nearly overgrown. The large footprints of Beelzebub were clear on the ground and so you followed the trail for some minutes before getting to the large workshop. It looked more like a small bungalow, but you weren’t sure if that was typical here.
Gently, you rapped on the doors before stepping in. You smiled brightly at Beel’s shocked expression while holding up the picnic basket, “I bring an offering, oh Great Beelzebub!” Normally food and a joke would make the redhead beam with joy and practically vibrate like some great overgrown, overexcited puppy...but your gentle giant shyly looked away instead.
Your gaze moved to the work table and you couldn’t quite believe what you were seeing.
“Beel...is that...a coffin ?”
A shy nod was his first reply, and he awkwardly brushed some of the wood chips from his t-shirt. “Yeah,” He refused to turn and look at you, instead cradling his arm to his chest.
It wasn’t the right size for you, as your first panicked thought had wondered. Clearly he had poured a lot of love into it, if the intricate details on the one side and general craftsmanship was anything to go by.
You stepped forward and put the picnic basket on the end of the work table before reaching out to touch the wood, running your fingertips over his work. It was genuinely stunning, and it was hard to believe that the Fifth Born could make something with such delicate carving, something so feminine. “It’s beautiful.”
His cheeks flushed at your praise, amethyst eyes finally looking to you, “Thank you.”
The silence stretched for a little longer before you plucked up the courage to ask, “Who’s it for?”
Beelzebub didn’t answer you right away. “Lillith. Our sister.” Ah. Good. You’d managed to stumble on a subject that you knew was incredibly sensitive. Excellent. Not at all awkward.
“We didn’t get to bury her. So, sometimes I make her a coffin. Belphie and I fill it with...things. Like letters. And we burn it.”
Tentatively, you moved toward Beel and put your hand on the arm that he was cradling. It was clear that he missed his twin, but to be without Belphegor during such a delicate time...well. Words couldn’t convey exactly what you wanted to say, but you tried. “I think it’s beautiful and I’m sure that she’d love it. It’s a lovely way to celebrate her memory.”
A large hand moved to cover yours, giving it a firm squeeze - the same kind of squeeze he’d give it when you stayed with him to keep away the nightmares. “Thank you.” His low voice barely came out, clearly emotional.
You let a few moments pass before you gave his hand another squeeze. “How about a break, big guy? I brought this picnic for the both of us, and those sandwiches aren’t going to eat themselves.” That brought a genuine smile to his face and he gave you a nod, “That sounds like a good plan.”
With that, Beel moved some of the tools out of the way and repositioned the coffin to allow you space to lay out your meager feast and somewhere to sit.
As the both of you ate, your eyes wandered around the space. It was clear to you that this was the first time that anyone had been in the building in some time, although you spotted a new item on one of the shelves.
“Did you carve that too?”
When Beelzebub looked up you pointed at the bookends and he nodded, replying around a mouthful of sandwich, “Yeah. For Satan,” A loud swallow of his food broke off his sentence, “Carved them for his birthday. He was saying that he needed some.” Noticing that you were still looking at them, he shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and reached up to bring the set down for your inspection.
Just like the coffin, they were beautiful. A dark wood with little details around the edges...and a graceful silhouette of a cat in a different position on each one. “Aw, Beel! Satan’s gonna love them!” His cheeks flushed pink and he smiled, eyes crinkling at your words, “I hope so.”
Soon enough, the two of you were tidying up your makeshift picnic space. “Do you want to come back to the house with me?”
Beel shook his head, “No. I still have some work to finish.” You nodded and made your way back toward the door.
Before you left you turned around and Beelzebub smiled at you.
“Beel?”
“Hm?”
“If you’d like any...help with your preparations this year, let me know...okay?”
His smile wavered but, surprisingly, he beamed at you. “Okay. Thank you.”
A few weeks later you found yourself in the back garden with Beel, cuddled close as his bonfire burned through the night and wondering what his twin and his sister would have thought if they could have been there with you.