Chapter Text
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵
Solomon had been staring at the passerby from the window while he waited for MC. It had been three months since they returned to the human realm. He was surprised but happy that MC wanted to meet him. Honestly, he missed her, too. Their time together in Devildom was limited since the demon brothers rarely let her out of their sights. A soft chime of the bell on the door turned his attention and whatever thoughts he had previously was forgotten. He looked on in shock, mouth slightly opened. Closing his eyes tightly, he hoped he was just seeing things but no, what he saw was real.
MC was very much pregnant and by the looks of it, she seemed to be ready to give birth any day now. So many questions raced through his mind. The day they returned to the human realm was only three months ago and back then, she had shown no sign that she was with child. His line of thought was cut short when MC looked around the café and found him. She smiled at him and he stood up from his seat while she made her way to his table. He pulled the chair for her.
"Thank you, Solo." Her voice was much gentler than it used to be as she settled on the seat across from him.
"No problem." A rueful smile on his face. "I guess I will get to hear the full story."
She chuckled quietly. "Most likely if you would be willing to hear it."
He sighed. "You know I can't refuse you."
She hummed as the waitress came to take her order of warm chocolate. Her long wavy hair was flowing freely behind her. The brown coat she had on barely hid her pregnancy. Despite having no make-up on her face, she looked radiant. A little tired but happy.
After sipping his own coffee, he scanned her briefly. "You look.."
"Ready to pop," she joked light-heartedly while cupping her hands around the mug.
He shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "I was going to say, you look well."
She nodded. "I am." After taking a deep breath, she continued, "I'm sorry for not giving you any warning, but I really need your help."
"No worries, MC. I did say that you can ask for my help anytime you need it."
"Thank you."
"I take it this is the reason you told the brothers that you will be on vacation for the year."
A nod. "I have the feeling they would want to meet me sooner than later if we are in contact and seriously, I cannot let them see me like this."
It was not hard to imagine the chaos that would ensue once they found out. He wished to ask who the father was but had the feeling she would tell him herself soon.
"So..." He encouraged. "Fill me in whenever you are ready."
She took a short glance at the window before looking at him. "Have you ever heard anything about a demon child born from a human?"
With her current state, it made a lot of sense that the father was a demon. "Never in history as far as I know. You could say they are not meant to carry a demon child to begin with."
She nodded. "I thought as much from all the readings I had back when we were still in Devildom."
He tilted his head in wonder and she seemed to sense what he wanted to ask. "No. I wasn't particularly interested in the subject. Just a curiosity."
"Right."
"You remember the Pudding incident a month before we left?"
His breath hitched as his eyes went wide. She was carrying Diavolo's child. A lot of questions ran into his mind and as much as he wanted answers, he waited still.
She stared at her mug. "I found out two weeks after we came back. I.. I had the chance to get rid of him but.. I couldn't do it."
A frown started to show on his face. This was more serious than he thought. For her to carry a demon child was already rare enough but then again, it could have been because she was a distant descendant of a former angel that made it possible. Regardless, to carry the future heir of Devildom made a huge difference to what would happen to her if anyone found out.
Sitting back straight, she put her hand on her belly. "Even though this is the result of more indulgence than love, I still couldn't do it."
And he was glad she did not do it. Killing the future heir was no small crime in Devildom.
"Well, as you can probably guess, this is no ordinary human pregnancy."
He nodded mutely.
After a short silence, she went on, "I know I have to tell him eventually, but I cannot dismiss the possibility that he would be taken away from me."
She had her arms around her belly, as if trying to protect the baby. "If.. if I'm going to lose him, then I want to keep him to myself as long as I can till that day comes."
The sight of her on the verge of crying hurt him. "Please do not worry too much, I understand."
"Thank you. I really appreciate this."
He sighed. "I guess the help you need from me is an amulet, then."
One that would hide the demonic features of the baby.
She nodded. "From my last visit to the doctor, everything is normal but just in case.."
He understood. "I will have it ready next week and please, let me know if you need anything else."
She was a dear friend to him and at this time of need, there was no way he would abandon her.
Barbatos cast a glance at the future Demon King when he heard another sigh while he was preparing the afternoon tea. For some reasons, his young master was restless, and this was quite rare to say the least.
"If I may, Young Master, saying what is bothering you will be better than sighing every other minute."
Diavolo was not surprised that Barbatos was worried about him. Honestly, he could not even explain it himself. The moment he woke up this morning, something felt off. He could not put his finger on what it was but he felt some kind of anticipation in his belly.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he gave out another sigh. "I do not understand it myself. I just feel something is happening but I'm not sure what."
Barbatos would likely be able to see the future and tell him what he wanted to know but he was not the type to give such an order. After pacing back and forth by the window of his office, he finally sat down on his desk as Barbatos put his favourite blend of tea in front of him. The soft steam relaxed him a bit and his mind drifted off to a certain human.
A tiny smile graced his lips. "I hope she is doing fine."
A couple weeks ago, he had heard that MC had told the brothers how she wanted to travel around and wished not to be in contact for the year.
Barbatos hummed in agreement. "I'm sure she is, Young Master."
He chuckled softly. "I'm surprised the brothers actually honour her wishes."
"After what they put her through during her stay here, it goes without saying that she needed the break from them all." Noticing the melancholy look on his young master's face, he continued, "And I'm sure she missed you, too, Young Master."
Diavolo blinked before turning to look at his butler. "I wonder."
Neither continued the conversation as Diavolo thought back to the one night with MC before she left. He felt regret, not at what happened but more at the fact he did not say anything to her afterwards. Despite having a mutual understanding that they both wanted it to happen, he still wished he could say something even though it would have been very out of character on his part. If he had said anything, perhaps, just perhaps MC would consider staying in Devildom. She captivated him like no other, and he wished to explore more of her. For sure, he would look forward to the day she could come for a visit. Maybe after her vacation?
Barbatos, who seemed to be reading his line of thought, simply stated, "It can be arranged, Young Master."
Diavolo laughed. "I'm lucky to have you by my side, Barbatos."
The butler let out a small smile. "It's always been a pleasure, Young Master."
Unknown to the future Demon King, his restlessness was due to MC giving birth to his son, Zen.
Solomon was anxious, for MC. Today was the day of their visit to the Devildom since they left over a year ago, and this would also be Zen's first visit to Devildom. Due to their current situation, they could not very well let him stay with anyone. For now, though, they would go with the story that Zen was his nephew. It helped that he had regarded the boy as one ever since he was born. He would go on ahead to the Devildom without MC as she had to take care of her jobs first. Sending Zen along with him had been their attempts to ease the shock so to speak, but of course, the identity of Zen's mother would be kept as a secret till MC herself made it to the Devildom. The little boy was not even informed that his mother would join them after a couple days. Still, they both knew the story would not last for long once MC made her appearance, but there was nothing else they could do. Truly, it was inevitable.
As soon as he opened the apartment door, a cheerful voice greeted him, "Uncle Solo!"
What he saw was a blur before he felt the collision with the red-haired boy, who, by human standard, looked like a five-year-old.
Gently, he ruffled the boy's hair, careful with the small horns on top of his head. "Hey, kiddo."
Zen, still hugging his legs, looked up and gave a big grin. His amber eyes were sparkling with happiness.
"Are you ready for our trip?"
"Yes, Sir!" Excitement was pouring out from his voice.
He chuckled. "Remember to stay close as we do not want you to be lost in there."
He happily nodded his small head. "Yes, I remember."
Looking at the child, except for the wavy hair he obviously inherited from his mother, Zen was, without a doubt, a carbon copy of his father. He knelt down and pulled a newly enchanted necklace from his pocket. As expected from the future Demon King's son, they had to regularly change his amulet as it could not stand much of his power even at this young age.
"Uncle," he called softly.
Solomon looked at the boy. "Yes?"
"Why do I have to wear this when we are going to the Demon realm?"
After Zen was born, it took only a couple months for him to speak and walk on his own. His rapid growth was not that unexpected since he was a demon but MC had lamented the fact that he did not stay as a baby long enough for her to enjoy it. He still remembered the day when MC gave birth to Zen. MC was crying happy tears when she held the child for the first time. Despite their short time together, he, too, had considered MC as a sister he never had.
Deciding to tell the boy a little bit of truth, he looked into his amber eyes. "There will be demons out there that might harm you if they know you have a human mother."
Zen titled his little head. "But are we not going to meet your friends, Uncle?"
The boy was smart. "Yes, we are, but we are not supposed to tell them who your mother is. If they know you, a demon child, living in a human realm, they will try to take you away from your mother." The child was about to protest, but he was quick to add, "And we do not want that to happen. We don't want your mother to be sad, do we?"
Determination filled his amber eyes. "I will not allow anyone to take Mother away from me."
"I know." He patted his little head. "Don't worry. In time, you will be able to reveal who you are."
"Okay."
Glad the boy would not give anymore objections, he put the necklace on him. A soft light appeared on the necklace for a moment before the boy's red hair changed into brown. His amber eyes were replaced by brown, his horns and the demon markings that were visible underneath his shirt were hidden away.
Just then, the door was unlocked and opened to reveal MC.
"Mother!" The boy ran towards his mother, and MC grinned as she readily accepted him in her arms.
"My cute little demon." She showered him with kisses while he pouted. "Don't call me cute, Mother!"
"Ah, but I will. Even when you are all grown-up, you will still be my cute little demon." She tapped his nose.
Glancing at Solomon, who was giving them a gentle look, she smiled. "It's time, isn't it?"
He nodded.
Looking back at her son, she put him down on his little feet. "You are a big boy now. Please listen to Uncle Solo while you are there, okay?"
The boy was close to rolling his little eyes since they had this same conversation for days. "Yes, Mother, I remember. I will stay close to Uncle Solo at all times."
"I will miss you." She kissed his forehead.
Zen gave his mother one last hug before Solomon took his hand and teleported away to the Devildom.
The demon brothers were surprisingly friendly to Zen. Solomon did not know if they could actually sense the boy was a demon like them. Interestingly, Diavolo seemed to be hovering Zen, as if studying him. It might have been because he had never really interacted with a human child before. Zen, for the most part, was well-behaved around them all, and he did take note how Zen would often spare Diavolo more than one glance at a time. Knowing how smart the boy was, he had no doubt that he would figure out that Diavolo was related to him in some ways. For now, all seems to be going well.
Or so he thought.
He had felt the piercing eyes on him from Barbatos ever since he arrived with Zen. Zen was happily reading a book that Satan had lent him by the fireplace in the common room when he decided to face the music. He moved himself to the other table, where Barbatos was in the middle of preparing tea for them.
"If there is something you wish to say, please do." He hoped his voice was low enough not to be heard by the occupied Zen.
"What is there to hide, Solomon?" replied Barbatos, his voice was equally low.
Feigning innocence might not be a good move but he could not help it. "I'm not sure what you are talking about."
Barbatos faced Solomon properly. "The amulet on the child."
Ah, as expected from the future Demon King's butler, Solomon thought to himself. He hummed. "You will see."
His cryptic answer made Barbatos narrow his eyes at him.
The silver-haired sorcerer sighed. "I promise it's not going to harm anyone." Physically, he added into his mind.
He could imagine that some of the brothers might have a mental breakdown once they knew MC was Zen's mother. Barbatos seemed to be satisfied with his answer before serving the tea and left them. He watched the butler leave before turning to Zen, who was surprisingly, staring at him with a worried look. He sighed to himself. It was likely Zen had heard the conversation between him and Barbatos.
He slowly moved to sit beside Zen. "Don't look so worried, kiddo."
Zen seemed to want to say something but after a while, nodded and returned to his book.
As expected, MC's arrival drew a lot of attention from the demon brothers at the House of Lamentation's gate. Diavolo did not have the chance to greet her properly yet but she gave him a smile while he watched them from the entrance. He noted how she had become even more beautiful since he saw her last. He would invite her for tea later, so they could catch up properly. Unfortunately, that tea time never really arrived since as usual, the demon brothers clung to her like a magnet till late evening. He also noted how Solomon and Zen were strangely missing when MC arrived.
Zen.
That boy had somehow occupied some of his mind ever since his arrival. There was something about the boy that bothered him but not in a bad way. Deep inside, he could feel some sort of attachment to the boy, and he did not know why. Keeping his stride slow, he made his way to MC's assigned room for the visit. If possible, he would like to invite MC for a night walk. When she was still the exchange student, it had happened by accident that they met one night before it slowly became a sort of nightly routine for them. He was about to knock on the door when he heard a loud crash from within the room. Worried that something had happened to MC, he opened the door immediately. What he saw next would temporarily make him forget how to breathe.
Zen was half-naked, water dripping from his hair while holding a broken amulet on his little hands and MC was holding a towel in front of him.
Surprise was on their faces when they saw him, clearly not expecting someone would barge into the room.
MC felt the blood drain from her face when she noticed Diavolo was staring at Zen. The amulet that was supposed to hide Zen's demonic features was broken. She had wanted to dry Zen after the shower but her son had adamantly refused. Zen forgot the fact that he was still wet, tried to run and obviously slipped before crashing into the cabinet and broke the amulet in the process. His red hair, amber eyes, horns as well as the black demon markings on his small body were visible as day. Noticing how Diavolo had not moved from the shock, MC quickly pulled him into the room and shut the door. They did not need extra audiences.
This move seemed to snap Diavolo back to reality. He felt like he was watching his younger self and the interaction between MC and Zen made him want to snap in a different way.
Zen looked at his mother, who had returned to his side, helping him dry his wet hair. "I'm sorry, Mother."
His mother tried to hide it but he could see it. The sadness in her eyes despite the smile on her face. "It's okay, Zen."
After Zen was dressed properly, she immediately made a call to Solomon. "Hey, I'm sorry for calling this late but you don't happen to have a spare amulet for Zen, do you?"
Solomon obviously gave an affirmative, to which she replied, "Thank you."
After a while, they heard a knock and Solomon did not hide his surprise when he saw Diavolo was with them. Switching glances with them all, he sighed. Well, the cat was out of the bag. Solomon approached the boy before pulling out the spare amulet he had for this trip.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Solo."
Zen looked really remorseful that he patted his little head. "It's okay, kiddo. Accident happens."
Before Solomon could put the amulet on Zen, they all froze as they heard Diavolo growl disapprovingly but said nothing. Surprisingly, the one who made the move next was Zen himself and he put the amulet on.
All his natural features melted away as he turned to Solomon. "Think it's time for us to leave for your room, Uncle Solo."
Solomon only shook his head at how cool-headed Zen was before nodding. It was obvious Zen knew his mother needed to talk to Diavolo alone.
Zen went to hug his mother and kissed her cheek. "I will see you tomorrow, Mother."
MC kissed her son back. "Have a good night, my cute little demon."
Zen pouted but opted to say nothing before taking Solomon's hand as they both left the room.
Once both MC and Diavolo were alone, an uncomfortable silence settled in the room. It felt like forever before Diavolo sighed. There was so much he wanted to ask but the puzzle pieces finally fit in. The day he felt so restless was obviously the day his son was born, without his presence. He clenched his fists at the thought of missing such an important event. Then, the unexplainable attachment he felt towards Zen finally made sense now.
"Why?" He said out loud. Why did you never tell me anything?
After a while, she sighed. She might as well let out her thoughts on this. "I had the thought that if you knew about Zen, you would take him away from me."
She could see from the corner of her eyes that he was not happy to hear that before she continued, "But then again, you are too much of a gentleman to do such a thing in the first place."
That answer seemed to placate him. "Still, our union was not that of love. I do not want to burden you with that kind of responsibility. You are the future Demon King, Diavolo, while I'm just a mere human woman."
He frowned. "Whatever have I done that gives you the impression I do not think of you as my equal?"
She blinked before glancing at him. "It is not about what you have done but more about your reputation. I will not want anyone to talk badly about you."
While it was really endearing of her to think about his reputation, he did not need that especially from the mother of his heir. His heir, Zen. For the past couple years, he had worried himself over the fact that he had to choose a demoness to bear him an heir. While he understood the need to procreate, he could not seem to find one that was suitable for the role. Now, thanks to MC, he would not need to worry about it anymore.
At last, he sighed before looking at MC. Once she returned his gaze, he gestured at her hands. "May I?"
After he received a nod, he took her hands, holding them gently. "What's done is done. I'm still upset that I missed the birth of my son but I have no one but myself to blame."
Confusion filled her eyes.
"After that night, I should have said something. I had wanted you to stay after the program was over but could not bring myself to say it."
Her breath caught in her throat.
"I had you taken away from the human realm without permission. The least I could do is to let you go home as promised."
A small smile graced her lips. "I see."
"As I said, what's done is done. I will hesitate no more for the future, so I will ask you this, will you let me properly court you as my future bride?"
His face was so full of adoration as he said those words that tears started to fill her eyes and she threw her arms around him.
He laughed and hugged her back. "Can I take that as a yes?"
She laughed tearfully. "Yes. A thousand yes."
Once they let go of each other, he wiped her tears away before kissing her lips to seal the deal.
Barbatos hid a smile as he heard his master mutter unhappily under his breath while looking at the never ending paperwork. As per usual, he was preparing the afternoon tea. By his count, it would be any second now as he walked towards the door.
3
2
1
Then, came the knock. He opened the door wide with a small bow. "Good afternoon, My Lady, Young Master."
Judging by the hurried footsteps behind him, he knew his master had abandoned his paperwork.
MC had a pleasant smile as she replied, "Good afternoon, Barbatos. I still can't get used to you calling me that."
It was not long before his master was right beside him and scooped young master Zen into his arms and kissed MC on the temple. "Good afternoon, my love."
"Good afternoon, love," she replied and kissed him on the cheek. She smiled as she watched her future husband chatting away with their son.
The announcement of their engagement a month ago was chaotic to say the least. Mammon had thrown a huge tantrum when he found out she had a child with Diavolo. Most of them had reluctantly accepted the news and she knew they all would come around eventually. Aside from that, some high ranking demons had opposed the idea of Diavolo marrying a human to rule beside him but the proof of their union, namely Zen, was not something they could ignore. Only the blind would think Zen was not Diavolo's son.
The saving grace had come from the unexpected, Diavolo's father. Upon hearing the news he had a grandson, he had paid them a surprise visit and to say he doted on Zen would be an understatement. It was then he happily stepped down as the Demon King and let Diavolo rule the demon realm. This action alone was enough to tell the world that the Demon King himself had given his blessings.
MC turned to Barbatos. "I didn't get to say thank you to you."
Barbatos sent her a confused look.
She giggled. "You do realise that if it was not for the pudding you prepared for Diavolo, we would not be where we are right now?"
He blinked before letting out a rare chuckle. "Indeed."
"No, seriously, thank you."
"It's no problem, My Lady."
With that being said, they both joined Diavolo and Zen for their afternoon tea break.
︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵