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Something was up. Beelzebub had looked down all day and even on the way home he only pocketed the candy bar you offered him, not even taking a bite. Sometime between the time you got home and dinner you found him in the entryway of the dorm leaning against the doorframe to the hallway. He didn’t even notice as you approached, lost in thought. You put a hand on his arm to draw his attention.
“Hey, Beel? You feeling okay?” Your tone was gentle, in case something really wrong was happening with him. His eyes refocused and he looked down at you, offering a sad smile. He seemed to think for a moment before he answered and you knew he was weighing whether he should tell you or not about what was troubling him.
“I’m fine.” He started, “I just… Belphie told me he’ll be sleeping in the attic room from today on…” A small ‘oh’ sound left you before he continued. “It hasn’t been long since he came back…”
You stood next to him trying to figure out what to say. Obviously he was feeling lonely. You’d seen this expression on him before when talking about Belphagor before he’d come down from the attic.
Beelzebub sighed somewhat heavily as his gaze returned to the floor then back to you, looking over your face. “Would… you mind staying the night with me?” At your curious expression he continued with, “I just don’t want to be alone tonight.”
So you agreed. Of course you’d spend the night. It wasn’t like you two hadn’t shared a room before. And if something simple like this would help him feel better you were more than willing to help. He smiled wide and gave you a hug, thanking you.
After dinner you tell him you’ll be in his room after you grab your bookbag and some clothes. He offered to let you use one of his shirts to sleep in and you accepted, not thinking much of it.
You take a bath in his bathroom and dress in the large shirt he put out for you to borrow as well as a pair of clean underwear you brought with you. Expecting the arrangements to be like the last time, or maybe it was muscle memory from that time, you walked towards his bed when you came back into the room only to be startled when Beel is already there.
He was on his D.D.D. but when he saw you round the corner he smiled and put it away on the nightstand, holding up the blanket for you to get in beside him. He only had pajama pants on, exposing his very chiseled chest and abdomen - I mean you knew he worked out and that he was cut and muscular, but you hadn’t ever SEEN him this exposed before. Your brain short-circuited for a moment before you looked back up at his face, apparently haven taken a minute as Beelzebub was tilting his head quizzically at you.
“What’s wrong?” His expression told you that he didn’t see anything wrong with you two sharing a bed. It seemed he didn’t even realize why you’d hesitate either, placing his head on his pillow and stretching his lower arm out to you with a smile, the other still holding up the blanket.
“Hop in.”
Beelzebub was strangely innocent, you thought, taking tentative steps forward. You’d flirted with him before, trying to test the waters to see if he might’ve been attracted to you like you were immediately attracted to him, but his responses were always confusing to you.
He’d accept whatever food you held up to his lips with a smile, not seeming to notice his lips making contact with your fingers. If you were cold he’d happily offer his jacket on your way back to the dorm together. There was even one time when you were reading on the couch in the common room and he dropped to sit next to you and stretched his arm on the back of the couch behind you as he ate a bag of chips. He even offered you some, holding it up to your lips. Actually, the others had mentioned before that him even just offering his food to you was remarkable.
Maybe this was his normal though. Out of all the brothers Beelzebub was the one that had initiated hugs when he felt so happy he couldn’t contain himself. When he found out you had helped Belphie, he hugged you. Even finding out you had made a pact with him with ulterior motives he forgave you immediately. When he found out that Lucifer put Belphie in the attic to protect him from Diavolo, he hugged Lucifer too. Maybe this kind of skinship was just… normal for him?
Even with the thought that maybe this was his normal, you still stopped at the edge of the bed to ask, “You sure?” His gaze didn’t waver from your own as he nodded and you continued. “W-we didn’t share a bed last time I was in here.”
Now his smile faltered and he looked self conscious as he looked away and down at the floor, glancing at your legs, his shirt that you wore, then back up to your face with a sheepish expression. “Do you want me to go to the couch? I thought, since there’s enough room, it’d be fine to share the bed. But I can move if you want.”
He started to sit up, as if to get out of the bed, and you held your hands up to stop him.
“No! No, it’s okay.” You say, placing your knee on the bed, blocking his path so he’d know you were okay with this. “I was just a bit surprised. I don’t mind sharing a bed with you.” At. All. Your mind provided, dipping a bit into a lewd place before you cleared that away and tried not to read too much into this.
His smile returned almost immediately and he leaned on one arm, sitting up to hold the blanket open again as you climbed in. You settled with your head against the pillow, curling your arm around your waist so that it wouldn’t fall onto him, and he made sure the blanket covered you properly. He didn’t lay all the way down afterwards though, putting his head into his hand to sit up a bit while laying on his side, looking down at you.
“You look happy,” you commented, a small laugh flittering out of you after. He joined you in the small laugh.
“My shirt looks really cute on you.” His hand pulled the shirt up your shoulder and you couldn’t help the heat that came to your face at both the compliment and the small touch. “It’s falling off your shoulder a bit.”
“Well… you ARE pretty big compared to me.” You shrugged. You looked up at him and he was looking up at the light in the room. His hand waved in the air and suddenly the lights were off. What a casual use of magic , you thought.
Laying down fully now, he slid his arm under your pillow and let out a contented sigh as his other arm laid loosely over your waist. Your eyes needed a minute to adjust to the darkness of the room but you could somehow tell he was looking down at you as he asked, “This okay?”
NOW he realizes how intimate this is?
You weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, and nodded. Cuddling with Beelzebub was definitely something you wanted. A small noise of surprise left you as he pulled you against his chest and you swallowed thickly, moving your arm to wrap around him as well. Maybe… maybe he did actually like you and this was his way of letting you know. Or it was the skinship thing you thought about earlier... You wagered that he and Belphagor would share a bed from time to time, considering how close they were, and told yourself not to think about it further.
Breathing him in with a deep inhale, you willed your body to relax against him and shifted slightly. You’re unsure who moved first but soon your legs interlocked and the pillow that was between your head and his arm slid up and out of the way so that you were laying on his arm fully. He relaxed around you, the arm over your waist moving to lightly make circles on your back.
This was… really comfy and surprisingly intimate. Not at all what you expected when he’d asked you earlier to spend the night with him. You found yourself nodding off within minutes and sleeping peacefully in his arms the whole night.
When morning came you were still wrapped in the warm cocoon of his arms, legs still tangled together and your head tucked under his chin. His breathing suggested he was still asleep and you couldn’t help smiling to yourself and hugging closer to his chest, leaning up and pressing closer into his neck.
The deep chuckle that shook his chest startled you and you pulled back, caught. But he put his hand to the back of your head to press you back where you were, hugging you fully and nuzzling the top of your head with his cheek.
“Good morning,” He husks, your name falling out of his lips in a lazy drawl as he quietly yawned. You can hear the smile in his voice as he continued. “That was nice. You hugging me like that.”
Your infatuated little heart can’t take how genuinely happy he sounds and before you could rethink the words coming out of you, you ask,
“Beel… do you like me?”
“Of course I like you.” He answered immediately, running his fingers through your hair and gently massaging your scalp. That would’ve made your head a bit foggy with relaxation if you weren’t so determined to get a clearer answer out of him.
“I mean more… Do you like me? Um… Like-like me?” You tried to sit up, regretting it a bit when his hands fell away from you. The one that was in your hair fell back against the pillows and the arm that had been around your waist drew back between you as you half sat up to look down at the demon’s face. A bit insecure now that the question was made, you start to suck your lip between your teeth before realizing and letting it go. Biting your lip after asking that might be too much.
Beelzebub looked over your face for a moment, making sure he understood what you were asking, before placing his hand along your jawline to cup your face. His thumb stroked your cheek and you unconsciously leaned into it, making him smile. He breathed your name before answering,
“I like you.” His smile stretched wider and when a smile blossomed on your face, realizing he felt the same way about you as you did about him, he gave a soft chuckle.
You practically leapt at him, wrapping your arms around his neck to hug him tightly.
“I like you too! Like, a lot!” His arms wrapped around you, holding you just as tightly, and you sighed happily as he buried his face in your hair and nuzzled at your neck.
But then a loud grumble erupted between you and you leaned back just enough to see him sheepishly look away, one arm pulling back to rub at his stomach.
“I’m hungry.”
You laughed. “Let’s go get some breakfast then.”
“Wait, before that-” Beelzebub cupped your face again and before you knew it his lips were on yours in a gentle kiss. Your eyes closed and you leaned forward, placing a hand on his chest as you tilted your head. It didn’t last long but both of you were grinning when you parted.
“You look happy,” You commented, mirroring your words from last night. Beelzebub sat up, tucking some hair behind your ear as he looked at you with the warmest smile.
“That’s because I am."