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The Crown Prince was considered a precious royal asset. As the only heir to the throne, he had been treated with kid gloves his whole life - if at all. His father, the Demon King, had not been the most touchy-feely creature. Not surprising for a demon. Diavolo struggled to form genuine connections and even when he did, many didn’t tend to initiate with him. It was always his hand going to somebody’s shoulder, his arms bringing somebody into an embrace.
But that very much changed upon the arrival of the human.
Ophira was an intimate creature. It sent tingles up Diavolo’s arm when she first grabbed his hand to lead him to the other side of the room to show him a plant that she’d discovered for the first time in order to share her awe with him. His heart soared when he went away on business for a week and she greeted him with a giant hug.
It took a bit longer than Diavolo would like to admit to realise that he might be touch starved. This was information that he didn’t really know what to do with. He had asked Barbatos for a cuddle, but the butler had firmly declined.
Many weeks later, the castle had hosted Ophira for a weekend sleepover. Unfortunately for Diavolo, some pressing business came up on Friday afternoon that meant that he wasn’t able to play host as thoroughly as he would have liked ; they walked home together from R.A.D., had tea and later dinner but no more than that. The prince had been relegated to his office to continue with the necessary paperwork that, in theory, would allow him freedom on Saturday and Sunday to socialise with their guest.
He hated it.
Barbatos brought tea at regular intervals which provided short, albeit much needed, breaks through his different tasks. They were short lived. The demon butler was a stickler for things being done properly and on time and so made sure that Diavolo wasn’t dallying before leaving him in peace once again to continue with the work.
Just before midnight, he heard the doors open again and the wheels of the tea cart. The demon prince was far too tired to realise that hearing footsteps indicated that it was very much not his right hand demon.
The clink of porcelain against his desk made him respond in the most pavlovian manner, “Thank you, Barbatos.” A very feminine giggle had him looking up with owlish eyes before a wide smile cracked his serious demeanour, “Oh! Ophira, I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Clearly! I can’t decide whether I find it offensive or a compliment to be mistaken for Barbatos… But I suppose I’ll have to forgive the future Demon King for such potential trespasses.” Her smile twisted into a small frown, “And if you’ll forgive me this particular trespass, you look exhausted. How about you take a small break? It looks like you’re through the vast majority of your paperwork.”
Diavolo pretended to think it over, as he knew Barbatos would be deeply disappointed if he just immediately said yes, “I think that’s a fantastic idea! Will you join me?” He was already eagerly pulling a chair over to the desk to allow his human guest to sit beside him, and Ophira wasn’t going to decline such an offer.
So she pulled the tea tray a little closer before happily taking her spot beside Diavolo and pouring tea for the both of them. Diavolo didn’t wait for her to strike up conversation. Ever boisterous, he began to talk about what a pleasure it was to have her there, how nice it had been to have extra company at dinner, and so on. Ophira listened, ever attentive, as the prince prattled on in his joyful manner and they both sipped on her tea.
“You know,” She did eventually interject, “I really do think you ought to get to bed. You look exhausted.”
The demon grinned widely at her, genuinely pleased by her words, “Thank you for looking out for me - but I do wish to get it done tonight. The sooner it’s done, the more time we’ll have together this weekend!”
“A cat nap, then,” She readjusted her seat, “C’mon. You can rest on me for a few winks to get a little more energy to finish off.”
He couldn’t help but blink at her, “Is this a common thing in the human realm?”
“Very,” There was something mischievous about her smile but Diavolo didn’t wish to question it as it seemed to be working in his best interest, “So come on, move your chair so that you can rest your head on my chest.”
With pink cheeks, the demon complied. While he was certain that he must have done this as a child, he didn’t have any memories of it - but it was oddly soothing. Her body was warm, the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat comforting, and her bosom was surprisingly comfortable. Diavolo didn’t realise when he’d actually fallen asleep.
He woke to gentle strokes of his hair and the cooing of his name. To wake to her beautiful smile was… Well, he didn’t know what. But he knew that he liked it. Even if her face was upside down.
And so this was what started Diavolo’s regular invitations for their human guest to join him at the castle. She would eventually, rather indulgently, invite him to nap with her. Over time it moved from the chairs at the desk to a chaise lounge that Barbatos had suggested some months in.
To Diavolo, there was nothing as blissful as the two of them entwined on the chaise lounge. His arms easily encapsulated her soft body and he adored that it was her heartbeat and fingers in his hair that would lull him into deep sleep.
Maybe one day he would pluck up the courage to invite her to stay with him permanently.