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"Belphie, look!"
"Hm? What is it, Lilith?"
"These are hydrangeas." She very gently touches the petals of the flower bush.
"They symbolize gratitude for being understood. But," her hand recedes from the flowers. "they also symbolize frigidity and heartlessness."
"Huh. A bit contradictory, don't you think, Lil?"
"I suppose so. But don't you think they're so pretty? They're in season this time of year in the human world."
"Yeah, they are really pretty."
Belphegor slowly opened his eyes. It was that dream again.
He lay there. Tears pricked his eyes. What month was it, even? He didn’t even know.
Let’s see, he was imprisoned about a week before the exchange students were scheduled to arrive, which must have been…? Midsummer? So that must mean it has to be… late summer?
“They’re in season this time of year in the human world.”
When did she say that?
Belphegor wracked his memories for the answer. It was bright and sunny in the Celestial Realm, but it was always that way. When they went to the human world together, it was also bright and sunny, and really hot. Wait, where did they see those flowers again? Was it the human world or the Celestial Realm?
Late summer.
That’s right, it was late summer when he and Lilith saw those hydrangeas. She said that they were in season then, as well as mid-spring and early autumn. He suggested picking them and keeping them in a vase at home. Belphegor thought that having them there would make Lilith happy (though, she was already a very happy angel as is, but he always wanted her to be happy). But Lilith shot him down, saying that they would be hurting the bush if they did so and it would be better to leave it be. Actually, was it Lilith who suggested taking the hydrangeas home? Or was it him? He couldn’t remember.
Like the late summer, his memories of her were slowly fading away.
He balled up his fists.
Why? Why was he forgetting? He couldn’t forget. His brothers had already forgotten. He couldn’t forget! The tears welling up in his eyes spilled over.
…
Does ⬜⬜⬜ like flowers, too?
The thought lingered for a moment.
He imagines what it would be like to walk through a flower field with you. Maybe even go to the botanical garden. He liked the botanical garden. Yeah, definitely go to the botanical garden. Belphegor could show you all the plants and tell you about the natural landscape of the Devildom, hand in hand, and avoid all the flora that could possibly be dangerous for humans. It was a nice thought. It would be the perfect date.
A date.
…
You were his only solace.
…
Enough of this.
He gets up and makes his way over to the bathroom. Before he had been imprisoned in the attic, Lucifer had installed a bathroom there. Possibly in preparation for Belphegor’s imprisonment. Lucifer was cruel, but not so cruel to deny his own family basic hygiene.
His own family.
That he imprisoned.
…
Belphegor turns the shower knob, waits for the water to spurt to life, and gets in.
…
What would your lips feel like if he ki-
No.
…
Belphegor tried to silence his mind.
…
What would the water look like cascading down your naked body?
Stop it.
What would it feel like to kiss your soft lips so sweetly in the rain? What would it be like to have you in his arms, sleeping soundly next to him?
…
He gives up.
…
When Belphegor gets out of the shower, he turns toward the bathroom mirror and…
What?
How had he not noticed it when he undressed?
Flower buds littered across his collarbone, chest, and stomach--some were creeping up his neck and shoulders, too.
Were these…?
He remembered reading about it while studying demon anatomy.
Decoration Syndrome -- A phenomenon in which flowers blossom on the skin of a demon whose love is requited, known colloquially as “decor”, especially among younger demons. Though this syndrome has mostly been observed in demons, it has also appeared in angels on rare occasions. No cases of it in humans are currently known. The reason for this is thought to be that Decoration Syndrome is a magical disorder, and humans are generally not susceptible to magical diseases except in exceedingly rare cases. The flowers appear when a demon is unable to, for one reason or another, express their love to their object of affection. The longer a demon goes without communicating their feelings, the larger the blossoms grow. The only known cure for Decoration Syndrome is when mutual feelings are acknowledged, or when love is no longer requited.
…
…
…
He couldn’t deny it any longer.
He could no longer deny the dreams, the fantasies, of holding you, touching you, kissing you softly--even what it would be like to live with you alone, with his brothers no longer there to interrupt him. Sometimes he even thought about children.
He loved you, and that was the simple truth of it.
He kept denying, denying, denying, because it was the only thing he knew how to do. The only way he felt he could keep Lilith’s memory alive. He couldn’t forget her. And remembering her meant shunning any vestige of humanity.
He dried his hair and lay in bed naked, his sheets covering his lower half. He traced along the flowers, gently fondling them.
He fell asleep.
…
When he woke up, the hydrangeas had begun to blossom.