Chapter Text
“Are you reading that again?” Satan asked, eyeing the newest volume of My Hero Academia Mc had.
“Technically, this is the first time I’ve read this volume, but yes, I am reading My Hero Academia.“
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why would you read that when you could read real literature?”
“Hold on just a minute,” Mc said, fully shutting the volume so she could face him, “What did you say?”
“Come on. You can’t tell me you find that more compelling and as well written as A Portrait of Dorian Grey.”
“I never said one was superior to the other. Just because on is good does not invalidate the other. By that mode of thinking, no one should make new literature because it would never be as good as the classics, which is, simply put, a stupid idea.”
“Well, what about the issue of the art itself. These over-idealized figures who couldn’t actually look the way they do in real life. ”
“Says one of the prettiest men I’ve ever met,” Mc muttered under her breath.
“Hmmm… what was that?”
“Are you talking about uber-boobs and uber-muscles?” Mc asked, hoping he honestly hadn’t heard her.
“Among other things, yes,” Satan said, though she could feel him trying to figure out what she’d actually said.
“Not all manga and comics are like that! It’s a trope in both genres. Before I started reading them, it’s something I thought too,” Mc said, not realizing that her voice had gotten very loud and fervent. Satan sat there, looking as if he was deciding whether to continue the conversation. Mc took a deep breath, her inner fangirl needing to quiet down in order to get through to him, “Have you read any?”
“Yes… Well, I tried once. Levi begged me to read one, so I conceded. Long story short, it was not to my liking.”
“Which one?”
“I believe it was called, That Time I Accidentally Fist Fought A Monster.”
Mc pinched the bridge of her nose, a habit she’d subconsciously picked up from Satan. He smiled softly as he recognized the imitation. That was a terrible anime or manga to start someone off on. It had a pretty good story, but it had far too many silly anime tropes for someone like Satan.
“That… That is not the one I would’ve started you out on.”
“And just which one would you have started me out on?”
Mc stopped, and started to think. Most of the anime and manga she liked were romance, and she wasn’t sure if those would be a good fit for him, especially since most of them didn’t have much of a storyline besides the relationship. Although, there was one she had been able to get her brother into…
“My first instinct would be Fruits Basket. I’m not sure how much you’d like it at first, but I think if you give it a real chance and read until… the third volume, probably… I think you’d really end up enjoying it.”
“What do you think I’d like about it?”
“Hmmm… You’d probably really appreciate the dynamics between Kyo and Yuki. I also think you’ll appreciate the character depth and development. There’s also a lot of plot intricacies and plot twists. I also agree with a lot of people online that it’s a good introduction to anime and manga.”
“I’ll try it then.”
“Wait… What?”
“I have a feeling you’ve had more success introducing people to new things, especially since you have specific elements you think I would enjoy. So, I will try out your suggestion.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with my impulse reaction? I probably know of one’s you’ll enjoy more,” Mc asked, suddenly feeling a little vulnerable. Fruits Basket was one of the first anime she’s found on her own, and it still stood as one of her favorites. If Satan, who’s opinion she really valued, ended up hating it…
“I find I can trust your intuition most of the time. We also have similar tastes in regards to literature.”
“Oh… Well, I do have a copy of the first volume in my room if you want.”
“You have a copy here in the Devildom?”
“Mmmhmm. I ordered the whole set off of Akuzon after I found out Levi hadn’t read it.”
“I see. In that case, sure.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
Mc smiled to herself the whole way back to her room. Though she was still a bit nervous, but after hearing Satan praise her tastes in literature, she was feeling more confident, “If I can at least get him to acknowledge it’s worth, I’ll feel accomplished.”
After grabbing the first volume, she thought for a second and grabbed the second. She put them in her bookbag, and started on the familiar route to his room. All the brothers had a defined smell to their room, though Satan’s had always been the easiest for her to find. The smell of books started the moment you turned down the hallway his room was on. Standing in front of his dark wood door, she took a deep breath, knocked, then entered.
Satan was not where she had left him, which was kind of odd to her. Carefully avoiding a stack of books she had knocked over on a previous occasion, she started looking around, “Satan?”
There was some shuffling, and then his voice came from above, “You’re back quicker than I thought you would be. Come on up.”
Wait… What? Up the spiral staircase? For real? Everyone knew how rare it was to be allowed up to the second story of Satan’s room. No one went up without express permission. Even Mammon stayed out after being hexed so many times he’d lost feeling on the side of his big toe. Mc had only been up there once, and that was because Satan had wanted to show off his newest rare book. She had only been allowed to sit in the single armchair he had up theorem and she couldn’t touch anything, and for good reason. Satan kept his oldest, rarest, and most important books up there. He had even put a spell on every book up there to preserve them, and, if rumor was correct, a barrier that stopped him from going up there was he was upset. Aside from the few grimoires and numerous magic books he had up there were rare human finds as well, all originals or first editions. One of Shakespeare’s folios. DaVinci’s Codex of Leicester. The Babylonian Talmud as well as an exemplified copy of the Magna Carter, both copies that the rest of the world didn’t know existed. A Gutenberg Bible, though his brother’s had no idea he had it. A collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Even an original copy of the Kama Sutra, which Asmo had given to him as a birthday present.
Getting to the top of the stairs, Mc stopped, not wanting to get too close to any of the books. Looking around, she couldn’t repress the sigh that emerged unbidden to her lips. Soft lighting that was perfect for reading with the spines of all the ancient books facing the world. Scrolls rested in their holders on the far wall. And there was the fourth eldest, crouched near one of the shelves, hand to his mouth and a furrow in his brow, thinking hard about something. His blonde hair had an almost golden hue in the light and his green eyes sparkled.
At the sigh, he looked up and smiled, “Go ahead and have a seat.”
Mc nodded and started over towards the chair she’d sat in the one other time she’d been allowed up here, but stopped halfway. The chair she sat on last time was still there, but now there was another chair. They looked fairly similar, being big reading chairs, but the new addition was much less worn and was more feminine in design. Having found the book he was looking for, Satan walked past Mc, and sat in the larger of the two chairs, effectively showing Mc which chair to take. After sitting down, she had to take a moment. It was by far, the most comfortable chair she’s ever sat in.
“I take it you like the chair then. Good, I’m glad,” he smiled, “I made sure it was large enough that you can curl your feet up on the seat like you do when you’re reading.”
“Wait… This is for me?”
“Of course. You need your own place to sit and read when you’re up here.”
Mc was at a loss for words, the gesture speaking volumes, “I don’t know what to say.”
“Just promise you’ll keep coming over for our reading nights; that’s all I ask.”
“That’s the easiest promise in the world to keep! Of course I will!”
Satan smiled again, one of the real smiles she’d been gifted with more and more frequently, “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Now, where’s this book you were talking about?”
“Yes, hold on,” Mc turned and grabbed it from her bag, “So, these are collector’s editions, so I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to be careful, but…”
“No problem,” Satan replied, taking the book, “If you’d indulge me, I also have a story I want you to read,” and he grabbed the book he had gotten from the shelf, “Do you remember the mystery author I told you about?”
“Yeah. Isn’t his name A. Cohen?”
“That’s the one. Well, I was wondering if you’d read his books while I read yours? I know mystery isn’t necessarily your favorite genre, but -” Satan cut off, looking down at Mc’s hand on his arm.
“I’d be more than happy to,” Mc beamed.
Satan smiled, “Glad to hear it. Now, these books are hard to come by in the Devildom. Please be careful with them. I happened to find a box set of his complete works, so replacing it would be pretty hard. The first one is Blind Intrigue.”
“Got it. Not that I wouldn’t be uber careful with anything you have up here.”
Satan laughed, “Well, I appreciate that,” and he opened the manga volume.
“Oh, did anyone tell you the way to read manga?”
“You read it right to left, correct?”
“Yes, including the speech bubbles. So, you’d read a page like this,” and Mc proceeded to show the way a page should be read.
“Ah. That would have been helpful last time. Thank you.”
“No problem,” and with that, they both started reading. Mc found Blind Intrigue very intriguing, enjoying that it wasn’t just another run-of-the-mill murder mystery. As she got further into the book, she subconsciously slipped off her shoes and curled her feet up next to her. She almost forgot about the demon next to her. A sudden shift next to her brought her back to reality.
“I finished it.”
“Ah… W… What do you think?”
“It is much better than Levi’s suggestion. I am interested in continuing the series.”
“… If you want, I did bring the second volume with me…”
“You did?”
“Mmmhmm. I was hoping you’d like it enough to want the second volume…”
“Well, you did ask that I read until the third volume, so sure.”
“Mc beamed as she grabbed for the second volume, after safely tucking the mystery novel between the chair and her legs.
“So, are you enjoying Blind Intrigue?”
“Yes! It is really good. I like that it’s an actual mystery novel, a lot like the Sherlock Holmes stories. Most mystery novels revolve around a murder, but since this one doesn't, I like it more.”
“Very good,” Satan said while handing her the first volume back, “So, who’s your favorite character?”
“Huh? In Blind Intrigue or Fruits Basket?”
“Fruits Basket.”
“Ah, Momiji.”
“He reminds me too much of Mammon.”
“I… Guess? Just… give him some time. He’s really great.”
“So… who’s your second favorite?”
“Well, Momiji is my overall favorite. Kyo is my main character favorite.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I have a feeling you’ll really end up liking him.”
“Ah, well, good to know,” Satan said, as Mc handed him the second volume.
There was silence for a while until Satan burst out laughing. Mc looked up expecting him to share, but he kept reading; a sign he really liked the story. Pretending to go back to reading, Mc snuck a glance at Satan. He had a content smile on his face and was even further along in the book than she had thought he would be. She smiled, feeling satisfied and a little vindicated in her choice.
Mc was about halfway through Blind Intrigue when she heard Satan shift on his chair. She looked over to find him sitting with the second volume closed and eyes on her. She in turn closed his book, waiting for him to speak.
“If the rest of the series is this high of quality, I definitely want to finish it.”
Satan helped Mc transport the rest of the volumes to his room that day. Though he really loved the series, he would only read it when Mc was around. As she now had a chair upstairs, Satan suggested they read up there, and he began sharing all the amazing books he had up there with her. It was nice for Mc, especially since none of the other brothers knew she was allowed up there. Satan finished Fruits Basket fairly quickly, not quite gushing about how much he loved the characters and story, asking Mc if she had any other manga recommendations. She was more than happy to oblige. Soon, Satan was reading manga whenever Mc was in his room, but only when she was in his room.
He didn’t like manga that were all trope and no substance, but he would try anything Mc brought him since she usually brought “good manga”. One of his favorites was Jo Jo’s Bizarre Adventures. It came as a surprise to him when, one day he declared a series to be his second favorite, after Fruits Basket, and Mc told him it was a series that Levi had gotten her into.
“You know, I’m sure he’d love discussing it with you…”
“Wait. You think I should go waltzing into his room and say, ‘Hey Levi, I really enjoy The Watchman’s Spell and am all caught up on it. We should talk about it’?”
“Well, yeah, basically. I’ll be there to referee, so I can help if needed. I almost never see you two hanging out together, and I actually think you two have more in common than you realize.”
“He just gets so long-winded about… whatever. He also acts childish at times.”
“I do those too.”
“You will apologize though. He will not,” Satan paused a second, and then continued quieter, “Plus, it’s different when you do it.”
“Have you ever considered that he doesn’t back down or stop because he feels like no one cares what he thinks or what his interests are?”
Satan stopped, his retort lost. Was that really why? He considered again, and then turned to Mc, “Okay, I’ll do it, but he’s not invited to our reading nights.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Levi didn’t take the news the way Mc would’ve liked.
“Wha… Mc, w-w-what are you t-talking about?”
“I’ve been showing Satan some manga and he’s liked some of them. I think you should show him some too since you know waaaaaaay more than I do. He really loved Watchman’s Spell.”
Levi seemed scared but also irritated, “You had him read Watchman’s Spell?! Why?!”
“I… I thought he’d appreciate it and when he did, I thought you’d be excited to have someone new to talk to about it…”
“I have the entire internet to talk to about it, plus you. Why would I want-” Levi broke off, scowling as he turned away, but then rounded back on Mc, “Are you doing this to make fun of me? Are you tired of me, and so you’re trying to pawn me off on someone else? What, are you using your pact to make Satan act like he’s interested in talking to me?”
“No, Levi, listen to-”
“Glad to hear it, because you’re not getting rid of me, ya normie! You’re the one that wanted to make a pact, so you’re stuck with me! We’re also best friends so you better-”
“Levi!” Mc grabbed his face with both hands, worried as she saw his tail appear. She had expected some jealousy, but nothing this bad.
Levi stopped. Having Mc this close to his face made his mind go completely blank.
“Just because I expanded Satan’s literary horizons does not change the fact we’ve already discussed our wifeoo’s. It doesn’t erase all the time we’ve spent watching and discussing TSL. All the raids we’ve gone on, owning all the noobs… Though I’m kind of a noob… The point is, Lord of Shadows, your Henry is trying to get the Lord of Masks and you to become friends, just like with the Lord of Fools.”
Levi screwed up his face, bringing up his hand to hide behind. Mc let go, feeling the tension leave the room.
After turning and composing himself a bit (Did Mc just hold my face?!?!?!?), Levi turned, lifting his eyes to Satan, who was simply watching him, “Who’s your favorite character?”
“Zeke.”
“He’s actually my second favorite.”
“Who is your favorite then?”
“Brielle.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that she seems like the type of character you’d enjoy. She’s not bad. In fact, I enjoy the dynamic she brings to the tower.”
“Well, she became my favorite when she stopped the entire colony from starting an uprising against Charles when they thought he was keeping them from going home.”
“That was chapter 5 right?”
“Y-yes, actually!” Levi smiled, his eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree, as he started discussing the plot and fan theories with his brother. Satan responded to all his prompts or listened quietly, occasionally adding his own thoughts. He was being more patient than Mc had ever seen him be with Levi, and even seemed to be enjoying himself.
Good, Mc thought, watching the two bond, They both needed someone to get them out of their own head. At least I know I can leave these two without too many regrets.
Mc hadn’t brought up the fact her year was almost up to any of the brothers. She didn’t know if any of them had realized how close it was. She was not looking forward to leaving, but she knew she couldn’t let them just revert back to the way they had been, especially Satan. They had all come too far.
“Mc has an interesting thought on this subject actually. Mc, what are you doing over there? Come over here!”
“Coming!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Satan traced his fingers along Mc’s chair. Of course he’d gotten the chair for her so she could be more comfortable, but also to have a piece of her after she’d left. He hadn’t realized how much it would come to mean to him.
He pulled out his DDD, starting to flip through all the photos he’d snuck of her. Her, next to him. Her being so careful with his books. Her, sleeping in his bed, hair splayed across the pillow. He couldn’t count the number of times her scent had kept him from going after one of his brothers since she’d left.
He knew he was being reclusive, and she wouldn’t have liked that. But, weren’t they all being reclusive?
He sat down, head sinking into his hands, DDD put on the arm of the chair. Why did she have to leave? She had been such a breath of fresh air, so willing to discuss anything and everything with him. He had been able to open up to her, and she’d accepted him just as he was. No strings attached. For the first time in his life, he’d felt unique. Wanted. Needed. No longer alone.
He knew she’d been that way with all of them, but… It felt like she’d specifically picked him. He hadn’t been particularly interested in the human living with them, other than to see what she was doing to his brothers. She had been the one to approach him about books. She had been the one to pick his brain. She had read almost every book he’d suggested. He was special… Right?
He hadn’t noticed the tears until he opened his eyes and only saw a blurry floor, “If I’m special, why didn’t she…”
Mc had given each brother a gift when she left. When it was his turn, she’d whispered something in his ear, but she’d been crying so her words had caught. He couldn’t make out the words then, and even though he’d run them through his head more times than he could count, he couldn’t figure out what she’d said. She’d been so beautiful standing there, fresh tears ready to fall. And then… she was gone.
He had isolated himself for a week afterward. He hadn’t been in the House of Lamentation though. Too many memories. In some small shack in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere he could release all his feelings and hurt no one.
As he was about to get up, a white blur caught his eye. Blinking, he bent over and picked it up. It was a letter. He turned it over, his heart jumping when he recognized Mc’s handwriting. He traced the letters of his name, hands shaking. He then carefully opened the letter and started reading,
My Dear Satan,
Seems you were able to hear what I said when I left. Good. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get it out.
Anyways, I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t give you your gift in front of everyone else. Not only is it too heavy, but you’re too special to me for them to be part of the gift.
I wish I could tell you everything in my heart right now, but I don’t want to cheapen anything. I will return to you so please be patient and wait until then.
If you would, please go check on Levi for me. I can tell you right now, he’s not okay right now. He gets so lost in his own head and I worry about him. I leave him in your stead until I get back.
Satan, always remember: You are important. You deserve every ounce of love you can get. You also have the right to feel whatever you are feeling. You are not your brother, and I never want you comparing yourself to him, because you are an individual. I may not always be there with you, but never forget: you may not have had control over your birth, but that is not what defines you. You are so much more than a word.
Love,
Mc
P.S. I just realized you never told me. Who is your favorite Fruits Basket character?
Satan had never moved so fast down his staircase. Why had he chosen a spiral staircase? He was so eager, he almost knocked over the book pile he was looking for. When he saw what was behind it, he sank to his knees and gathered every Fruits Basket volume in his arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Levi was moping around his room when there was a knock on the door. For a second he thought it was Mc, but then realized she was gone, making himself sad all over again. He shuffled over to the door and opened it.
There stood Satan with… manga… and, puffy eyes?
“Hey, can we hang out?” Satan asked.
“Sure. I’d like that.”