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Belphegor knew a trap when he saw one. He wasn’t an idiot. This tea party invitation no doubt had ulterior motives. Sure his flamboyance and perpetual jolliness could fool his brothers and the others, but Belphegor wasn’t so swayed. Diavolo was a demon, first and foremost, and the worst of them all that too. He was their monarch. And he had the power to back his rule. As if that wasn’t enough his ‘daddy dearest’ was hibernating and he had no real family or true friends. People with no bonds were to be watched out for: they had nothing to lose….
Well Belphegor was going to take advantage of that. Even if he didn’t know how. Yet.
The butler guided him to the tearoom. Iron wrong lanterns dangled from the hall. Obscene statues, with mangled limbs stood in corners, trophies of the Demon King’s former glory. Their footstep clanked against the marble ground and soon gave away to the thumping of carpet. Not a single sound, beside their footfalls...It gave Belphegor the creeps.
As much as Belphegor preferred to sleep in silence, there was always some sort of rattling that rang in the halls of the House of Lamentation. Sometimes it was Beel sneaking munching on snacks, or Satan coddling a clingy cat or Levi dancing to some anime song when he thought no one was in the House or Asmo getting ready for a party, or Mammon whistling to one of his crows or Lucifer grumbling in his study or the human exchange student joining one of his brothers in their antics-one way or the other the House was lively. Belphgor enjoyed the echo of sound, even when he wasn’t always a part of it, like the salty fringe of a wave lapping at his toes. When he was still imprisoned...those sounds were the only things keeping him relatively together.
Honestly, he can’t imagine living in such a lifeless castle.
The Little Ds giggled as Barbatos and Belphegor passed them, like school children seeing a new teacher-in-training with the headmaster.
Barbatos led him up another stairwell as Belphegor groaned internally to himself.
Stairs. There just had to be so many stairs. Or did he purposely choose such a far location just to get under his skin?
“Do all guests have to climb fifty flights of stairs just to meet the Demon Prince or is this just special treatment?” Belphegor sardonically asked.
“Yes, very special treatment in fact,”Barbatos cooly answered, and turned his head slightly,”Only premium guests are allowed in the young lord’s close quarters.”
Close quarters...Was Diavolo trying to get on his good side? Or was he going to have a word or two about Belphegor’s...controversial opinions on his actions and rule? It was bound to happen...It wasn’t like he was exactly subtle or hush-hush about the matter.
Well whatever it was, he was about to find out. They entered a private garden. Glass hung the walls, letting in the eternal moonlight. Devil bunnies sniffed and nibbled at grass stalks. Flowers, crimson, violet, and ochre sprawled curled around the expanse. Apples hung from the trees, fresh poison dripping down from their ripe flesh. Star lights glowed from above, lighting the garden with a dusky yellow and pink..It seemed sensual and an awful caricature of the Celestial Realm.
The Prince himself was at the centre, comfortably checking his D.D.D, eyes impassive, concentrated...and bored. He sat on a cushioned red sofa chair, leg propped over the other, in front of a white clothed table, looking like the monarch he supposedly was.
It lasted for a moment. Then his eyes flashed to Belphegor. That earlier regal solemness snapped to that constant eagerness. Energy. Where did he get this much energy? Belphegor got tired just from looking at him, at times.
He shoved his D.D.D into his coat pocket and stood up.
“I’m so glad you could make it!” Diavolo beamed.
With all the vigor of a thunderstorm he took his hand in his. Belphegor could barely blink before he clasped his hand. Firm as a fiddle, he shook his hand. Belphegor could feel the tense muscles, stronger and more versatile than his own. Distantly it reminded him of Beel’s own large hands...but these were even bigger than his surprisingly.
He could snap his neck in half if he wanted to. One wrong move and the Prince could snap his neck in half.
This handshake wasn’t only a display in power, but a threat.
It wasn’t just for formalities.
“I wish I could say the same,” Belphegor evenly replied.
Diavolo blinked, a bit stunned, but...strangely happy about it.
Diavolo just laughed, ”Don’t worry, you will be once Barbatos brings out the tea and food.”
He unlatched his hand from his iron grip and sat back down on the sofa.
Apprehensively, Belphegor took a seat opposite of his. Barbatos wordlessly pushed the back of his chair, and with a bow left the garden. Belphegor almost wanted him to stay. It was uncomfortable by himself and so near to the Prince...Agh he should have asked Beel to join them. Maybe then this visit would be more bearable if he did.
“Are you enjoying your classes at RAD?” Diavolo asked.
Weird question to start with, but okay decent icebreaker.
“As much as I can enjoy in school, I guess,” Belphegor shrugged, “I kind of wished I did have to wake up so early though...The timings need changing.”
“But classes start at 10:30 am?”
“Exactly. Too early.”
Diavolo put a hand on his chin,”I can make arrangements for separate schedules for students to choose from...Everyone has a different biological clock and tasks to complete after all.”
“Also can you think of giving more breaks...Not only for naps, but Beel gets hungry a lot during class.”
Diavolo smiled at that, “You love your brother, dearly don’t you?”
Ah shit. Now he knew of his number one weakness: Beel. If anything happened to him…
“I love him like all my other brothers, nothing special,”Belphgor sipped his tea casually.
“Aaaaw you don’t have to shy! Barbatos said the two of you twins are extremely attached to each other!”
Ah so Diavolo knew even before this conversation...Knowing the Prince, he was definitely going to use this to his advantage in the future. Just like he did with Lucifer at the beginning. He asked for his assistance when he was at his lowest…
Barbatos walked in with a cart, demure and regal, with more grace than a debutante in the human world’s 1920s. A large stand, mostly used for pastries and tea snacks was on the upper layer while the second layer had the tea.
The butler unlidded the glass covering of the white stand to reveal tarts...No just any tarts either.
Belphegor gasped when he noticed the toppings, “ Quetzalcoat l brains?”
Even if he wasn’t even half as enthusiastic when it came to food as Beel, Quetzalcoat brains were an exception. There was just something about them that made everything they touched absolutely wonderful. When Belphegor wasn’t in the mood to take a single bite, Beel was there to give him some of it. Well to be honest, Belphegor always did look forward to whatever Barbatos whipped up. Barbatos wasn’t exactly trustworthy, but Belphegor had to admit his sweets were divine...The title as the best pastry chef in all three realms wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Yup! Barbatos said you loved them!” Diavolo chuckled as Barbatos placed the tart onto Belphegor’s ceramic plate.
“Beelzebub informed me...He certainly talks about you quite a bit, I must say, ”Barbatos set the tea party stand in the centre of the table as he began to serve the tea.
The golden brown liquid poured down the white tea-pot as Diavolo whispered something to his ear. It was too muffled for Belphegor to hear, but he was aware they were talking about him. But eh...he wasn’t going to try and find out. Why bother?
Barbatos nodded and side-eyed Belphegor from the side. Amusement sparked in his green eyes and something else...Something Belphegor couldn’t exactly describe or place, but he had seen it before.
“Thanks Barbatos! If we need anything, we’ll let you know!” Diavolo said and dismissed home with a wave of a hand.
“Of course…” Barbatos nodded, “And if anything were to be an issue, don’t hesitate to ask for my assistance...But do not fret, I am keeping a close eye on the both of you.”
Belphegor did not miss the implications or how his smile stretched slightly in his direction.
More than the Prince of Hell, Belphegor was more terrified of coming face to face with his Royal Highness’ shadow. With enough grovelling (though he would never do it even if his life was at stake), Belphegor could still survive Diavolo’s wrath. Barbatos wasn’t nearly as merciful. Belphegor could barely blink and he would be thrown to the chasm between space time and continuum- ceasing to exist….And that was when he was in a pleasant mood.
Belphegor sighed as Barbatos closed the door, leaving the two of them alone.
“He sure is overprotective,”Belphegor blew over his tea, ”It’s like he’s your mom or something.”
Diavolo chuckled at that. Not his usual pompous chuckle though.
“I guess you could call him that at times,”Diavolo nodded and sipped his tea,”I don’t know what it's like to have a mother if I’m being honest.”
Of course the Prince of Hell had parental issues. Hell Belphegor had issues with his own Old Man.
“It’s fine. Everything's different now, right?” Belphegor bit into his tart.
As always it was amazing. The Quartinal brains were wonderful by themselves, but only Barbatos could bring out their true, slightly buttery consistency.
His expression must have changed, since Diavolo chuckled at him.
“I see you like the tart,” Diavolo grinned.
“It’s good,” Belphegor said. ”As expected from Barbatos…I like his sweets too.”
“They’re lovely aren’t they...I heard the Angel Luke is his apprentice baker. Barbatos occasionally talks about him. It’s cute isn’t it?”
Beel told him about this. Sometimes the two of them would give Beel their successful and failed pastries. Even the ones that didn’t turn out so great were Heavenly(heh). He even shared some with Belphegor.
“I guess so,”Belphegor nodded and sipped into his tea.
“I’m glad that Barbatos is enjoying the exchange programs and making friends,” Diavolo sipped his own tea, “He might seem unapproachable at first, but he’s quite warm, isn’t he?”
“He is...Doesn’t he seem like he would make a perfect ruler? Punctual. Dependable. Intelligent.” Belphegor listed.
Diavolo laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest, “You stole the words right out of my mouth...There was a big scandal when he decided to be my butler. The entire Devildom was shocked...He is one of the highest Dukes of Hell.”
Then an idea struck Belphegor. It was simple, yet genius. Diavolo put his hand on the table and Belphegor held it. Not tightly, but tight enough to think that he was sincere/
“How about I help you become one of the best rulers in Devildom? I know that Lucifer or even Levi are better options with ruling, but I used to have my own legion back in the Celestial Realm. Plus I have my own army of demons now...I can help you.”Belphegor clutched his palm.
Diavolo widened his eyes at him, stunned.
“And why do you want to help me?” Diavolo asked him, so genuine it almost made Belphegor feel guilty for what he was about to do.
Almost.
“I just want Devildom to be safe for all my brothers...If it had a reliable ruler, wouldn’t that benefit anyone? And anyways, would you want my help in the first place? I am the weakest out of all my brothers after all.”
Half-truths were always the best option. So then, no one could accuse him of lying. Not entirely.
“Belphegor...You might be the weakest compared to your brother in terms of physical demonic power, but what you lack in brute strength, you make up with cunning.” Diavolo said, “You know how to play your cards right, something which I greatly respect.”
“Hmmm.” Belphegor fiddled with his overgrown bangs.
He wasn’t used to praise from another person. Of course Beel did it. Sometimes he even overdid it.
“We can begin lessons next week, if you want…” Belphegor shrugged, “For now let’s just enjoy the food.”
The Prince may seem good-natured to others, but he was definitely not easy to fool. Definitely not. Belphegor had to plan accordingly to understand his motives and future actions.
“I like the sound of that.” Diavolo said, “These moments with friends matter, don’t they?”
Unwilling memories of Lilith Belphegor’s mind. They would sing and have tea parties like these with Beel, and the others back in the Celestial Realm. She would laugh and pull his cheeks, under that nostalgic sunlight if he was being too cheeky. And they would laugh. Laugh so much...But those days were gone and never coming back...Just when Belphegor was dry of grief, it came flooding in.
“They do…” Belphegor bit into his tart.
“I’m glad I’m making more of them lately…” Diavolo chuckled.
“You didn’t before? What about your family if you don’t have friends? Don’t you have anyone else in your life, besides Barbatos and Lucifer?”
His gold eyes darkened as he just laughed. Belphegor cringed at the laugh that was a bit too syrupy sweet, like sugary soda in a funeral parlor.
“You would be surprised,” Diavolo said.
He swished his tea, that aggravating smile still glued to his face. Belphegor had always been able to see through people. Asmo saw the good in others, but Belphegor could find the qualities people desperately try to hide. He saw how loneliness sometimes stiffened Diavolo’s broad shoulders or how a simple act of kindness could make him absolutely crumble. Like right now..
…. Oh. Diavolo had his own melancholy...Just like him and everyone else….
Belphegor wasn’t going to stop his plans, but he was...going to be a little less merciless than he normally would be. That was all.
“Want to do this some other time?” Belphegor asked, “Have some tea and chat and stuff?”
Diavolo’s eyes lit up at that, like a kid in a candy store.
“Sure I would love to!” Diavolo clapped his hands, “We can even go out if you want to! Whatever you want!”
“Then it’s a deal.”
Belphegor held out his hand. Diavolo grasped it. His hand was strangely soft, like the inside of the fleshy core of a cinnamon apple cake. It warmed Belphegor’s cold fingers, half his size.
And so started this arrangement, Diavolo would call it a friendship.
For Belphegor it was a dealership, a contract.
Unbeknownst to them it was going to be more than either of those things.