Archive of Our Own

Lucifer kept his eyes on the ground to avoid a worse migraine than the one that was currently wracking his skull. All around him, pink, red, and white streamers and hearts decorated the walls. It was one of the few tasks Lucifer himself had (thankfully) not been put in charge of. Lord Diavolo decided it was sufficient to assign the Little Ds, as Lucifer and his brothers had much more pressing matters to take care of. Due to the demon lord’s love of basically all human realm holidays, the Avatars were currently busy planning a Valentine’s Day dance. The human was helping, adding insight into what exactly humans used for such gatherings, hence why Lucifer was currently being assaulted with bright pinks and reds everywhere he looked on his way to the student council room.

Much to Lucifer’s dismay, there was no relent to this onslaught, even in the student council room. Asmodeus seemed to be enjoying decorating everything in sight with awful pink and red hearts and streamers. Diavolo was watching him graffiti the student council room with glee, only sinking Lucifer’s hopes further. Of course, Lord Diavolo, ever the romantic, would love this sort of holiday. It seems the prideful demon would have to deal with this attack of pastels for the entire week until Valentine’s Day had ended and Diavolo’s attention switched to the next holiday or event.

“Ah, Lucifer! You’ve arrived. How are you?” Diavolo’s tone was jovial as he noticed his right-hand man, despite the obvious scowl that was painted on his face. “Asmo offered to decorate the council room and I had to approve. We must get into the mood of the season, right?” The demon prince pats Lucifer on the back, nearly knocking the smaller demon forward.

“I suppose, if you enjoy such a season, my lord,” Lucifer’s tone was sour, battling his expression on which could show he despised this more as he straightened his uniform and glanced around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Diavolo frown for a moment.

“Are you not one of those, Lucifer? Do you not enjoy this season? It’s the season of love.” Diavolo sounded sad, even disappointed. Lucifer sighed, watching as Asmo stepped to the top of ladders to put up his various decorations, most showing cupid or a heart or perhaps both.

“Love is Asmodeus’s forte. Not mine. I’ve never been much of a romantic, I’m afraid. It always seemed so pointless. Why choose one day to show your love when you can always do it? It seemed like a sorry excuse for a holiday. Used for companies to fatten their pockets as humans rushed to buy things to prove their love. A holiday of greed and lust. Not of pride.” Lucifer’s tone was stern, a tone that would tell any normal demon to back off and drop the subject. Lord Diavolo, however, was no normal demon, and he had a knack for getting under Lucifer’s skin.

“Is there not pride in showing your devotion to others? Was it not you who told me pride can hide in every action you ever make?” Lucifer scowled, ever the one to hate having his own words used against him. Diavolo’s expression was set in determination, seeming to not want to drop this subject until he had convinced the fallen angel Valentine’s Day was a worthy holiday. Lucifer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Agree to disagree, my lord.” Diavolo frowned and opened his mouth to respond, no doubt with another argument — the demon lord did have quite the problem with letting things go — but Mammon quickly caught both of their attention, what with him screaming and running from a clearly angry Satan. Lucifer sighed and walked briskly to them, leaving an annoyed — and determined — Diavolo in his wake.

The meeting and subsequent decorating (which Lucifer regrettably participated in) seemed to drag on, but his brothers and Diavolo’s combined chaotic nature never failed to make even the most boring tasks eventful. Stressful, sure, but never boring.

The prideful demon was happy to be back in the comfort of his own home, where the only pink he'd see would be coming from Asmodeus’s room, which could be easily avoided. Without the pink imprinting onto his irises, Lucifer finally relaxed, settling into his armchair. He was free from paperwork tonight, having finished the last of it the night before. Without paperwork, he was unsure what to do. He could read, make dinner, text Diavolo. Or, of course, he could begin tomorrow’s work.

The Valentine’s Day dance was a project worthy of his attention, even if the holiday was not. Lucifer, ever efficient, was always one to begin work early. Better now than later, as he always repeated in his mind on those late nights spent signing papers, half asleep in his office chair.

Lucifer stood from his comfortable chair (much to his body’s annoyance) and began walking toward his office. He passed Mammon and Levi fighting in the living room and then passed Beel rummaging through kitchen cabinets while Belphie slept on his arm. Finally, he spotted Asmo testing new make-up on Satan while the blonde read. His family was busy – in destructive ways or not – and he was free to spend hours in his office, busying himself with work.

Lucifer Morningstar was ever efficient and he would work. Even if it killed him.

Lucifer felt like death as he walked through the hallways. An hour of work turned into two turned into five and he found himself pulling an all-nighter before he knew it. He had drank two monsters this morning – stolen from Asmodeus’s supply stashed under the sink – and was currently drinking his second or third triple shot espresso of the day. And he was still tired.

Bright pinks and reds assaulted his eyes as he walked through the hallways just like the day before, though this time the hallways were filled with students, humans, angels, and demons alike. Lucifer couldn't care less who they were, as long as they stayed out of his way as he made his way to his office.

Thankfully, Lucifer’s office had been spared from the vomit of pink and hearts. It was mostly due to the fact he scared off the human and Mammon with a hard glare when they tried to enter with pink streamers and cupid decorations, but a win was a win in his eyes. It let him rest his eyes from the onslaught of color and instead enjoy the much more monotone blacks and reds of his office.

Though, Lucifer found a surprise on his desk today. It was Monday, the Monday before Valentine’s, which fell on Friday this year, and someone had left him a gift. It wasn't unusual for a man of his status to receive gifts. It was the gift itself that felt like an insult.

It was the cheesiest gift you could receive on Valentine's Day, a stuffed bear holding a heart. Lucifer grimaced and crossed his arms in disapproval. Who would come into his office to leave such a gift? A prank from one of his brothers – or perhaps Mephistopheles since he recently joined the so-called “Anti-Lucifer League" – but none would be so bold as to risk his wrath.

As Lucifer stepped closer, planning on burning the thing, he saw a note sitting against the bear's leg. Much to his annoyance, his curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up. Written on the back, in beautiful cursive, was his name. The letter itself wasn't especially uncommon. A plain white envelope, sealed with a heart sticker. Once again, curiosity got the better of him and he opened it. Inside was a letter written on light, nearly white, pink paper.

“Dearest Lucifer,” the letter began, already causing the prideful demon to roll his eyes. "I have admired you from afar for far too long. I hope you enjoy my gifts.” Lucifer rolled his eyes. Many seemed to admire him from afar, it was only natural to. Beneath the note was a carefully written signature. “Yours, Beloved." The signature, of all things, had caught his attention. No name, no hint, a simple nickname they awarded themselves. Lucifer frowned. Whoever it was, they were clearly foolish, no doubt a lower demon.

“Lucifer, are you-” Diavolo began as he opened the door to the office. They both froze when their eyes met, with Lucifer holding the letter with a disgusted expression and Diavolo holding a heart-shaped box of chocolates with his normal smile. Diavolo's eyes wandered to the stuffed animal and he immediately burst out laughing. “Who gave you that? Or is it a gift for someone else?”

“It's regrettably a gift for me. I wish I could pass this monstrosity off to someone else. I mean, seriously, not only is it cheesy but far too flashy,” Lucifer said in disgust, placing the love letter back down on his desk. "I was about to burn it before you walked in. It's horrendous.”

"I thought you enjoyed flashy things,” Diavolo teased with a smile. Upon Lucifer’s argumentative expression, he quickly corrected. “Just messing with you, Luci. I know, flashy and fashionable are two different things." Diavolo spoke in an absolutely awful mimic of his accent for the last sentence. He smiled in his dorky Diavolo way before walking over to the desk. “There's a note as well.” Lucifer grimaced and grabbed it before the prince could pick it up, showing the neat cursive Lucifer written on the back of the envelope.

"They've given themselves a nickname. Beloved is what they're calling themselves. Their signature is unique. Yours, Beloved. But it does annoy me they haven't named themselves. It’s a coward’s move to not reveal who you are,” Lucifer said, putting the note back down. “What are the chocolates for?”

"Oh, Mephi gave me them. He gives me some every year. They're basically the only chocolates I'll eat during Valentine's since he'll normally get me one per day for the week. I normally give him a big gift at the end of the week. It's a system we've had for years now. Why?" Diavolo said with a smile, cocking his head. He reminded Lucifer of Cerberus, always with the cheerfulness and excitement of a puppy.

“No reason. Just curious. Are you asking Mephistopheles to the dance? Your first date to the first ever RAD Valentine’s Day dance?" Lucifer had a slight smile on his face, but there was a cautious look in his eyes. There was a possibility the demon prince was planning on asking the duke to the dance. For a reason Lucifer couldn’t quite place, he didn’t want Diavolo to say yes to the question. Much to his relief, Diavolo chuckled and shook his head.

“No, no. Mephi and I are only friends. And I’m not one to lead others on, if he likes me. I’ve always hated breaking others' hearts when they confess. I always felt worse for the few days following when they’d avoid me,” Diavolo said, a sadness in his voice Lucifer had only heard when they drank the night away at the castle. Lucifer reached toward him hesitantly, but quickly retracted his hand. He never was good at comforting people, so much to his thanks, Diavolo smiled again and opened the chocolates.

“Want one?” Diavolo offered the heart container forward. Lucifer attempted to peek at the key as to what each chocolate was, but Diavolo covered it up quickly. “Nope. No cheating Lucifer. I mean, come on. You try this every time we do this. Just pick. Random. Let the chocolate pull your soul toward it.” Diavolo’s tone was playful, as was his smile. Lucifer scoffed at his statement and picked a chocolate. “Was that the one your soul pulled to?” Diavolo asked teasingly. Lucifer scoffed again.

“Come on now. Be reasonable. We both know I don’t have a soul.” Lucifer smiled as Diavolo let out a loud laugh, nearly dropping his chocolates. When Diavolo finished his laughing fit, he punched Lucifer’s shoulder lightly.

“That was a good one. I like that.” Diavolo was smiling brightly and Lucifer thought if Diavolo could glow, his smile would be the most blinding thing about him. Where his eyes were sharp, his smile was wide and all encompassing. Even if Diavolo’s smile was blindingly bright, Lucifer didn’t think he’d ever be able to look away from it.

“My lord. May I come in?” Barbatos’s voice pulled Lucifer out of his thoughts and switched his gaze — and the prince’s — to the door. Diavolo threw an apologetic smile to Lucifer and opened the office door, beginning a quiet conversation with his butler. Lucifer turned his attention back to the giant teddy bear sitting in his office chair and the plain letter on the desk. He sighed. Perhaps Asmodeus would like another oversized stuffed bear for his bedroom.

When Lucifer had finally returned home after a long day of gifts and confessions from lower demons and getting pulled into meetings with a very bored Diavolo, he found his brothers missing once again. They had no doubt already eaten — it was nearly 9pm and Beel never waited past 7 to eat dinner — and were off to their own rooms. He did his standard patrol, walking past each room. Mammon’s room was empty, but Lucifer heard him yelling at Levi in his room. As he walked past, he saw Levi and the human laughing at a very angry Mammon who seemed to have just lost whatever game they were playing. The human saw him and waved, but he decided it best to ignore them. Asmodeus’s door was closed, but the prideful demon could hear Solomon’s voice inside and grimaced. He hated that the sorcerer could teleport inside the lustful demon’s room, but per the rules he set, he had to allow it.

He passed the twins room as well, finding them studying of all things. Perhaps a test in one of Beel’s classes — Belphie never studied, preferring to sleep and fail the class — one he didn’t wish to fail, as to not be kicked off the Fangol team. Though Beel couldn’t match the intelligence of Satan or Lucifer, that didn’t mean the ginger was necessarily dumb. He just didn’t prioritize his studies like the others did. He was much more content to exercise and eat in his free time. Lucifer walked past their room to get to his office, but made sure to find his way past Satan’s room as well. The blonde was reading on his bed, door half-closed. Based on the title, it was a detective romance novel, no doubt one recommended by Asmodeus. The fourth born glanced up and scowled upon seeing the first born outside his room. He shot him a middle finger, but seemed to have no fresh insults today. Instead, he chose to throw the nearest book he wasn’t reading at his older brother, who successfully avoided it, which only seemed to anger Satan more.

Lucifer decided it best to leave the doorway before any more sharp or breakable objects were thrown his way. He heard an insult shouted after him once he left, one in another language Satan was no doubt currently learning, but decided not to translate it. It was probably better to not know what insult the fourth born was hurling at him that day. Or any day, for that matter, but normally the insults were said in common so Lucifer had no choice but to know.

When the prideful demon finally made it to his office after his detours, he found half as many papers on his desk as there would be normally. Lucifer smiled to himself, happy with the workload on his desk. It seems he was, for once, rewarded for spending all night working. He sat down in his chair and picked up his pen. Before he could begin signing papers, however, his phone began to ring. Lucifer sighed at the familiar ringtone. He only ever changed his ringtone for one contact and that was Diavolo. It was logical, the demon lord could be calling him for something important. But Lucifer had come to learn the prince liked to call him when he was bored. Either way, he still answered the ringing phone.

“Lucifer Morningstar speaking,” he answered, putting the pen back down on his mahogany desk. Based on the way Diavolo laughed at his formal greeting, this would be a long conversation. “What do you need, Lord Diavolo?” Diavolo chuckled again at the other end of the phone.

“Is there a brother in your office or are you just choosing to be formal with me? Have I wronged you somehow? Are you trying to make me sad? You know I could arrest you.” Lucifer barked out a surprised laugh at his last sentence, making Diavolo laugh as well. “Just kidding. I mean, I could because I’m the crowned prince and I could murder half of Devildom with a spell and no one could arrest me for it, but I wouldn’t.” Lucifer could almost hear the smirk on the other side of the line as another laugh made its way past his teeth.

“What did you call me for, Diavolo,” Lucifer asked, leaning back in his seat, phone to his ear. “Important or simply because you like the sound of my voice.” Lucifer couldn’t help the swell of pride he felt at his own comment. The feeling only grew when Diavolo chuckled.

“I like the sound of your voice. And I wanted discuss the dance. I told you my latest plans, yes? At the meeting?” Lucifer cursed himself silently. Due to the blinding bright pinks in the student council room, he had been completely distracted and unable to focus. And it seemed the information being discussed was, for once, important for him to know. Normally, his brothers (and Diavolo) tended to be causing havoc during the meetings so they rarely got anything done.

“You must forgive me, but I’m afraid I was distracted during that. The decorations were far too bright. There was nowhere I could look without being attacked.” Lucifer smiled at Diavolo’s surprised laugh on the other side of the line.

“Really? Attacked? You are dramatic, aren’t you?” Diavolo teased. Lucifer hummed in agreement. “You have such a hatred for Valentine’s Day. Is it due to a past event or is it because you hate the color pink?” Lucifer rolled his eyes at the words. He didn’t hate pink, necessarily. He hated having hearts and cupids and love and that horrid shade of hot pink shoved in his face for a week. The holiday had always been useless to him. Useless gifts, useless food, useless decorations, an inflated ego for just telling your partner you loved them. Lucifer hadn’t had many serious partners — he was far too busy to be managing that as well — but he was still a firm believer that Valentine’s Day, in the shortest words he could manage, was absolutely stupid.

“I’ve already shared my feelings on this topic, remember?” Lucifer answered. “I think lower demons could benefit from something like this — half of them are mindless sin creatures, after all — but I do not. Higher ranked demons such as you and I shouldn’t have to be told when to love their partners. It should be a year-round thing, not just for one day. The whole holiday is manufactured. I've never understood it. I mean, it was originally a saint’s holiday. Why do we even celebrate it in Devildom?” Lucifer paused his rant, only to be met with silence from Diavolo. “Sorry. That was out of line, my apologies.”

“Don’t apologize, Lucifer. I think your comments are interesting. But, I must say, though Valentine was once a saint, those who celebrate his holiday are not. Valentine’s Day, though once pure, has been corrupted with sin, just as all things do. Valentine’s Day is a holiday of lust and greed, just as you said. That’s why I celebrate it, at least.” Diavolo’s voice was thoughtful, but Lucifer could hear the smile at the end. “Anyways, no more distractions. The plans for the dance.”

Lucifer sighed to himself as Diavolo began to tell him the newest plans for the dance. Further comments could wait. He had work to do.

Tuesday came far too early for Lucifer’s tastes. Diavolo had talked his ear off last night and Lucifer had finished his paperwork at 3 in the morning. He barely got out of bed at his normal 7am time, nearly fell asleep in the shower multiple times, did fall asleep waiting for his hair to dry, and had to rush out of the house at 9. His hair was a mess, his uniform had creases, and he felt completely and utterly like death.

When he saw Diavolo in the hallway, the prince was very clearly trying to stifle his laughter. Lucifer gave him a glare — though he would’ve made a rude gesture if they weren’t in public but that's neither here nor there — and attempted to fix his tie. The action was in vain, however, as it only seemed to set his uniform in a further set of disarray. Diavolo seemed to nearly be laughing by now. Lucifer simply looked up and hissed a simple “don’t” from behind his teeth.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, my friend. Though, I must say, your hair looks absolutely exquisite today.” Lucifer was about to hit him — lightly, of course. His pact prevented him from doing any real damage — when Mephistopheles happened to walk over, box of chocolates in hand. Lucifer gave Diavolo a look that said “If he wasn’t here, I would kill you,” to which the prince answered back in a smile that said “You wish.”

“Lord Diavolo,” Mephistopheles said respectfully. He turned to Lucifer with a sneer and said, “Fallen angel.” Lucifer paid him no heed, fixing his uniform jacket instead. “My prince, your gift.” Mephistopheles handed over the box of chocolates, a smile on his face. Lucifer frowned as Diavolo took the box, that same feeling coming over him again. He still couldn’t place what the feeling was, but he didn’t like it.

“Thanks, Mephi!” Diavolo opened the box and turned to Lucifer. “Chocolate?” Lucifer smiled, the feeling disappearing immediately at Mephistopheles’s frown. Lucifer nodded and grabbed a random chocolate, popping it into his mouth. “What flavor is it?” Diavolo asked, smiling at Lucifer’s surprised expression.

“I believe it's caramel,” Lucifer said, once he had swallowed the chocolate. “Not a huge fan myself, I’m afraid. But I can see the appeal.” Mephistopheles sneered at Lucifer’s satisfied expression as Diavolo laughed.

“Ah, well. Lucifer and I have work to do. Thank you for the gift, Mephi.” Diavolo handed Lucifer the box of chocolates to free his arms up for a quick hug. Mephistopheles made a noise that sounded like something a dying animal might make when Diavolo squeezed him, causing Lucifer to stifle a laugh. Mephistopheles mumbled his goodbye and walked off, leaving Diavolo and Lucifer to themselves.

“My lord, shouldn’t we be heading to our offices? As you said, we have work to do,” Lucifer said, attempting to wake the prince from his thoughts. He was successful, getting a smile from Diavolo and a look that said “you first.” Lucifer sighed and walked past the taller demon, towards his office. Diavolo followed for a while, but didn’t leave his side when he was meant to to split off to his own office. Lucifer could only sigh. They would be getting no work done, it seems. The demon prince wanted to chat about something. Something of no importance, but something nonetheless.

When Lucifer stepped into his office, he was greeted with paperwork, but there was also a neatly placed envelope resting on a box of candy hearts. In the same cursive handwriting from yesterday, in the same gold color, on the same white envelope, was the word “Lucifer” written on the back. Another note from the coward from yesterday.

“Ooo. Another gift for the Avatar of Pride. You must be thrilled!” Diavolo’s teasing voice came from behind him, nearly scaring Lucifer out of his skin. He had forgotten he was there. Much to Lucifer’s dismay, the prince walked right over to the letter and picked it up. He opened the heart sticker and took out the paper. It was the same pale white-pink color as before, though Lucifer couldn’t see the letter this time. Diavolo ran his eyes down the paper, reading the note, his smile growing ever wider the longer he read.

“Isn’t this interesting. Shall I read it to you?” There was a self-satisfied smirk on Diavolo’s face when he caught Lucifer’s annoyed expression. His golden eyes turned back to the paper. “Dearest Lucifer,” Diavolo paused, looking up at Lucifer, trying to read his expression. All he found was annoyance and anger, which caused him to smile. His eyes turned back to the letter once more. “You have stolen my heart time and time again. I hope one day to steal yours. With love, yours, Beloved.” Diavolo looked up from the letter, a smile on his face. “Now isn’t that sweet?”

“It’s horrendous. A coward once more,” Lucifer answered with ease. He swiped a finger across his mantle, it coming back covered in dust. He grimaced and wiped the dust on his uniform. It was already ruined anyways. “I don’t know who this Beloved is, but they are clearly a rank below mine. My brothers wouldn’t keep a prank up for this long, so it must be a foolish lower demon. Or perhaps a particularly stupid human. Either way, no one of importance. I don’t understand why you even care.” Diavolo frowned putting the letter back down.

“We’re friends. Am I not allowed to be interested in your romantic affairs?” Diavolo asked, stepping closer. “You’ve never shown interest in basically anyone, forgive me if I’m interested in another flirting with you. Perhaps they want to ask you to the dance.” Diavolo smiled again at the mention of the dance. “Your secret admirer.”

“Demons offer me gifts every year. This one is no different. When I reject them at the dance, they’ll forget about me in a week and go after the next shiny thing that catches their attention.” Lucifer spoke matter-of-factly. He had dealt with lower demons pursuing him before. They were rejected and eventually forgot about him. He didn’t much care. He was too busy to deal with his brothers and the new human, much less a romantic affair.

“You’re acting as if you believe they’re a greed demon. Greed demons gift jewelry and shiny objects, not candy hearts.” Diavolo motioned to the box of candy on the prideful demon’s desk. Lucifer had forgotten it was there. He sighed and picked up the box. He examined it, checking for any charms or curses, and upon seeing none, tossed it into his trash bin. The demon prince frowned at the action. “Lucifer, now you’re just being cruel.”

“It’s their fault for being unoriginal. Besides, I don't like them. Their strange texture and taste doesn’t feel right in my mouth. As you put it, I’m a picky eater. If you want them, you may have them,” Lucifer offered, sitting down in his office chair. “Do you need something or am I free to work?” He asked, though it wasn’t really a question. His eyes gave away that he really just wanted to work. He had a mere 20 minutes to finish the remaining paperwork on his desk before more would be dumped on him during lunch. Diavolo shrugged and sat in the comfortable couch leaning against the wall opposite to the fireplace.

The demon prince kept mostly quiet — save for the occasional crack from the heart candies he was eating — leaving Lucifer to work in peace. It wasn’t until the smaller demon looked up that he saw what was keeping him busy and silent. He was reading the newest note. Despite the short nature of the letter, it was keeping him occupied. Lucifer sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Do me a favor and toss that into the fire. I didn’t have the chance to burn the one from yesterday. It disappeared from my person sometime after lunch,” Lucifer said, turning back to his paperwork. He missed the prince’s disappointed expression.

“It’s such a sweet note and you’re going to burn it? That just seems cruel.” Diavolo was clearly disappointed at his disregard for the letter. “They probably spent time on this and you’re just going to burn it?”

“Yes. Yes I am. If you won’t do it, I'll do it myself.” Lucifer stood from his chair and walked over to the couch. However, the demon prince refused to hand over the paper. “Diavolo. It’s my love letter. Give it to me.”

“No. You're not appreciating it so it's mine now.” Lucifer scoffed and leaned against his desk. He stared at the prince, hoping he would cease this childish behavior and hand over what was rightfully his. Diavolo did not, engaging in a stubborn stand-off with Lucifer. Eventually, the prideful demon sighed.

“Fine. Keep the damn thing. What do I care? We need to leave for class soon.” Lucifer ignored the demon lord’s victorious smile as he stuffed the letter into his pocket. It seems Lucifer would have to finish paperwork later. Diavolo never did make things easy, did he?

Tuesday ended quietly, excluding Asmo’s incessant squealing due to some gift Solomon had given him. A few confessions from lower demons — all swiftly rejected, of course — but besides that, uneventful. Lucifer had come to RAD early today, to get work done before Diavolo bothered him. In getting here early enough, however, Lucifer had neglected to make himself any coffee. Even so, he got to RAD later than he wanted, so he didn’t have time to make any now either. He walked slowly to his office. Lucifer had never been a morning demon — it was why he always made coffee — and that certainly didn’t change now. He was disgruntled and annoyed at everyone who passed. A lower demon, a lust demon part of the cheerleading squad, if Lucifer remembered correctly, ran past him in fear. He was no doubt giving off a dangerous aura, keeping everyone away from him.

Lucifer stepped into his office after what felt like forever. A note caught his attention. Cursive gold lettering spelled “Lucifer” on it. He couldn’t help but sigh. Another message from the coward. He walked over to the note, just about to throw it into the fire when the gift beneath it caught his eye. Chocolates. A giant heart full of chocolates. Almost instantly, he thought of Mephistopheles and Diavolo’s little exchange. The smile on the duke’s face turning sour when the prince offered him a chocolate. Perhaps this “Beloved” was worthy of his time.

Lucifer opened the envelope and pulled out the paper. In neat handwriting, there was a message written. My foolish heart. Belongs to you. My guiding star. But I wonder who. Your heart belongs. And if you know. Who I am. And how I love you so. It was a poem. A beautiful one, at that, causing a smile to blossom on Lucifer’s face. At the bottom of the page was a sketch of him. It was well done, drawn in one of his classes, based on the focused expression on his face. At the bottom, they signed once more, Yours, Beloved.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t have disregarded this,” Lucifer thought aloud. He grabbed a chocolate from the box, finding it to be dark chocolate. Lucifer smiled again. Far better than caramels he’d been getting from Diavolo’s boxes lately. He sat down in his seat and grabbed a paper from the stack.

He spent two hours working on paperwork and snacking on the chocolates. Normally, Lucifer wouldn’t be one to be snacking on something so unhealthy, but he hadn’t eaten breakfast, so he figured it couldn’t do any harm. Eventually, a knock came from his door. Lucifer sighed and stood, pushing the chocolates out of view. If it was Beel, he didn’t want him to take any. It was his gift, after all. Beel had plenty of admirers who’d give him candy, he didn’t need to take Lucifer’s.

When Lucifer opened the door, however, he wasn’t greeted with a brother, but with Diavolo. The prideful demon frowned and stayed in the doorway, refusing to let him in. “You never knock.” Lucifer had an unamused expression on his face. If Diavolo was faking being polite, he wanted something out of him.

“I wanted to be nice, Morningstar,” the taller demon answered, a smile on his face. Lucifer wasn’t an idiot. Between the knocking and the nickname, Diavolo wanted something. “May I come in?” The fallen angel sighed and nodded, moving out of the way. Diavolo followed him inside and when Lucifer turned around, the prince was quite close to him. Lucifer attempted to step back, but ran into his desk. He sighed and looked back at the taller demon. It seems he would have to deal with the close proximity.

“Luci,” Diavolo began to say. Lucifer couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He definitely wanted something. “Now, that was just rude.” The prince stepped closer, body nearly touching the smaller demon below him. Lucifer’s skin prickled at how close he was, but it wasn’t unlike Diavolo to be clingy in the mornings. Especially since Lucifer had been avoiding him yesterday evening.

The prince placed his hands on either side of Lucifer’s body and leaned closer to him. The fallen angel sighed, finally realizing what he was getting at. He rolled his eyes, causing Diavolo to pout. Lucifer gave him a look before sighing again. “That wasn‘t a no. I was wondering why you locked the door. And now I know. You have until the bell rings. That gives you five minutes. After that, nothing.” Lucifer’s words were commanding, but Diavolo still smiled. Once he was done with his rules, Lucifer reluctantly wrapped his arms around Diavolo’s neck. “Well go on then. You know you want to.” Lucifer teased, a smile tugging at his lips.

Diavolo leaned forward and kissed him. Lucifer sighed for the thousandth time that day and didn’t pull away. He made the prince do all the work — this whole thing was his idea after all — not bothering to kiss back or pull away. Diavolo’s hands switched from the desk to his hips and the fallen angel jumped, not expecting the change. The taller demon chuckled against his lips and Lucifer opened his mouth in protest. Much to his annoyance, Diavolo shoved his tongue in his mouth instead. Lucifer pushed him off and wiped at his mouth.

“What have I said about doing that. I barely allow you to kiss me here as is. Keep doing that and maybe I won’t.” Lucifer glared, but his words had no bite to them. He wouldn’t actually stop these exchanges from happening. Lucifer, as much as he would never admit it to Diavolo’s smug face, did enjoy these exchanges. It fueled his pride to have the prince want him like he did.

“You taste like chocolate, darling. Had any lately?” Diavolo’s tone was teasing, attempting — and succeeding — to draw the pink right to Lucifer’s face, causing him to look away. His face nearly matched the wretched decorations strung around RAD right now.

As much as Lucifer enjoyed these exchanges, they both agreed on one thing. It wasn’t fueled by anything more than a need to take out their lust on something. Diavolo had no royal as a partner and Lucifer was far too busy. So it was easier to just use each other, when they had the time. Despite knowing their “relationship” was purely contractual, Lucifer couldn’t help but love moments like these. When it was just the two of them. It made him hope for something more. But Lucifer, as always, crushed those dreams as soon as they came up. A fallen angel and the demon prince would never work. Diavolo needed a proper demon to rule beside him, a proper queen, not whatever Lucifer was. He was content to stay by his side as an advisor and right-hand man. He knew better than to even dare to dream of anything more.

“The admirer, Beloved, they gifted me some. They’re on my desk. Want one?” Lucifer answered finally. Diavolo glanced up and spotted the box. He smiled and saw the note at well, sitting on Lucifer’s desk. He moved over to the chocolates, releasing Lucifer to move from his position of being pushed up against his desk. The prince grabbed a chocolate from the box and picked up the letter. “Quite curious about the letters, are we?” Lucifer teased, but there was a hint of seriousness beneath it.

“I like to watch what admirers of my friend are doing.” Despite the countless times Diavolo had called him friend, somehow the title stung more today. Lucifer kept up his expression, refusing to let something so frivolous cloud his judgement. “After all, maybe it would inspire my gift to you. You aren’t the easiest to buy presents for, you know.”

“My lord, I can assure you there’s no need to give me a gift. You should be focusing on other things, like actual romantic partners, not me.” Lucifer’s own words stung his skin, but he ignored it. Diavolo frowned, but didn’t respond, turning to the work on the fallen angel’s desk. He knew best not to argue when Lucifer was like this. No matter the point the prince made, the prideful demon would never agree. Instead, he changed the subject.

“You should be focusing on other things too. I mean, have you even considered pursuing this Beloved person? Perhaps someone to occupy your time would be good for you. I know you don’t want to consider it, but sometimes it's okay to take a break. You don’t always have to be a workaholic,” Diavolo advised, looking up from the note. Lucifer had his back to him and his arms crossed. The prince frowned, wishing for him to turn around. It was much harder to tell if Lucifer was lying if he couldn’t see his eyes.

“What do you know?” Lucifer answered, his voice quiet, but dangerous. “All you ever do is party and find excuses to get out of your work. I’m stuck with everything you don’t want to do.” Lucifer’s voice sounded angry, but also hurt. And yet, Diavolo detected no lie in his tone.

“Do you truly think so little of me?” Diavolo asked, pride wounded. He had always thought of Lucifer as a friend — perhaps even more at times — and he never expected his feelings weren’t returned. “Do you think of me as nothing except a demon who shrugs off his responsibilities? Do you not wish for time away from your duties as well? Don’t you want to spend time with your family?”

“Fucking of course I do!” Lucifer cut him off, turning around quickly and slamming his hands on the mahogany desk. “Of course I want to spend time with them! Of course I want to be there when they’re all together, messing around, causing havoc. They’re my brothers. The only reason I put up with you for those first hundred years was because of them! Because I wanted to keep them safe! Don’t you speak to me of wishes! You have had everything you wish for handed to you on a silver platter, simply because of your blood! I have had to work for everything I have! My status, my power, my pride, my family. Everything. So don’t you dare speak to me of wishes.”

When Lucifer was finished yelling, he glared at Diavolo as he fumbled for an answer. An apology, a remark back, even just the tiniest comment. He found nothing. Eventually, the prince resorted to placing a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder, as an attempted call for peace. “My friend,” Diavolo began to say. Before he could get out another word, Lucifer shrugged him off.

“Get out,” he said, fury in his crimson eyes. The demon lord frowned and stepped forward, opening his mouth to say an apology. “I said get out, Lord Diavolo. Now.” There was no weakness in the fallen angel’s voice. Just cold, calculated anger. Diavolo stared at him for a moment, the formal title punching through his normal barrier and landing the perfect hit to his heart. Without another word, the prince left the office, shutting the door behind him.

It was only then Lucifer allowed the tears to leave his eyes. When had he gotten so fragile?

Throughout the remainder of the day, Lucifer had ignored Diavolo. His attempts at conversations, his texts, his offers to do something after RAD, everything. At the student council meeting, the prideful demon had been all but silent. He left the council room quietly and quickly, ignoring the prince’s request to talk afterward. Given no pact order had been issued, it must’ve not been important.

Lucifer chose to walk on his own, ignoring his brothers as well. He ignored Mammon yelling for him to slow down, he ignored Beel walking beside him, desperate for his attention, he ignored Belphie taunting him, he ignored his phone buzzing in his pocket, he ignored everything.

When Lucifer reached the door, he ignored Satan’s shout of protest as he shut it loudly behind him, he ignored Asmo yelling at him for making him ruin his hair by running, he ignored Levi running up to him, asking if he was okay. He was fine. He’d be fine.

Lucifer shut his bedroom door behind him. He tried to ignore everything. The wet feeling of tears running down his face, the way his voice hurt from screaming, the pain of scratching his skin raw. He wanted to ignore everything. He had to ignore everything.

He was fine. He didn’t care that he could hear a brother knock on his door. He didn’t care that he could hear that special ringtone he set for Diavolo. He didn't care that his arms were bleeding. He didn’t care that his throat burned from overuse. He didn’t care his eyes were annoyed from tears flowing down his face. He didn’t care that he was slowly self-destructing because that's what he did best. He didn’t care.

He needed to ignore everything. He needed to be fine. He needed to not care. He wanted to drown everything out. The urges to answer the phone and apologize to Diavolo. The thoughts of yelling at his brothers to fuck off. The need to scratch at his skin and pull at his hair.

He needed a drink.

Shakily, Lucifer undid the ball he had contorted himself into during his breakdown. He walked over to the cabinets in his room, leaning on other objects for support. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet to the right and a bottle of Demonus from the left. He forced his hands to stop shaking long enough to pour himself a glass, despite the urge to drink the alcohol straight from the bottle. He was having a breakdown, not becoming an animal. He still had dignity.

“Oi! Lucifer! Why haven’t ya been answerin’ us!” Mammon’s loud voice filled Lucifer’s ears and he flinched. “Ya know its rude to ignore yer brothers!” Lucifer sighed and turned to him, drink in hand. He saw Mammon frown at the wine glass, a hint of sadness behind his tough guy persona. “Why’d ya leave us behind. Satan is plottin’ to kill ya. He was mumblin’ about it since ya slammed the door in ‘is face.” Mammon kept staring at the wine glass in Lucifer’s hand. “Why ya drinkin’ anyway? Ya normally do that for special occasions or when yer… ya know.” Lucifer frowned at the hint to his current mental state and distantly wondered if his eyes were red from crying.

“I’m fine, Mammon. And tell Satan to stop being such a baby. He slams doors in my face all the time. He’ll be fine. Is there anything else?” Lucifer asked, trying to get the younger demon out of his office as soon as possible. He’d prefer to wallow in his own sorrows and drink until he couldn’t remember tonight alone.

“No, no. Just… don’t go and destroy yerself drinkin. Ya know ya can get carried away. If ya need anything, we’re here for ya. Ya don’t have to always be the one holding us all together.” Lucifer knew Mammon’s words and cautious tone were supposed to make him feel better, but it just felt like pity. Lucifer hated being pitied.

“I assure you, I am fine, Mammon. If there is nothing further, I would appreciate it if you would leave my room,” Lucifer kept his words even, but allowed his eyes to convey his annoyance. Mammon took one glance at him and nodded, scampering out of the room quickly. Lucifer shut and locked the door behind him with a spell and sat down in a comfortable chair.

His body shook as he picked up the glass, nearly spilling the alcohol. He took a drink and sighed. He would need more than this to forget tonight, possibly even today. All he wanted to do was forget. He just needed a drink.

Lucifer awoke still in his chair, empty wine glass and bottle beside him on the table. And the absolute worst hangover. And his arms hurt. And his eyes. And he still remembered everything from yesterday. So now he was injured, hungover, and angry.

His phone buzzed on its charger. When did I plug that in? Lucifer thought, reaching over to grab it. An orange sticky note was set beside it. The message written, in Beel’s handwriting, was “You fell asleep and Lord Diavolo was blowing up your phone. I plugged it in. Stay home if you don’t feel good. Coffee will be waiting in the morning, made by Satan so be careful. <3 Beel.” Lucifer smiled as he grabbed his phone. He locked the door, but Satan must have used magic to unlock it. Beel must’ve come along to check on him, but there was probably a prank waiting somewhere in his room. He’d have to be careful, but he appreciated them taking care of stuff for him.

He was an idiot yesterday. He yelled at Diavolo and ignored him for no good reason. He was passive-aggressive to Mammon, who was just checking on him, for no good reason. He was a jerk yesterday. While he wouldn’t outright apologize to any of them — his pride would never allow that — he could reward them. He still had Goldie and Satan had been begging to borrow some old spell books. Beel would probably just appreciate breakfast. Levi had been complaining about not having the latest figure from some anime, so perhaps Lucifer could pay for that. Asmodeus was a simple case, either allowing him access to his closet for a week or allowing Solomon to visit for a week should suffice. Belphegor was the tougher one, but he could think of something later, when his head wasn’t pounding.

Lucifer stood up — much to the protest of the rest of his body — and managed to make it upstairs to his bedroom. He grabbed a uniform and walked to the shower. He turned the water on, charming it with a healing spell, before finally checking his phone. He had around 50 messages from Diavolo, ranging from angry to desperate to resigned. He also had around 6 missed calls. After a moment of debate, he clicked the call button and put the phone to his ear. It only rang once before Diavolo answered.

“Lucifer? Are you okay? Why are you calling me? I thought you were mad at me. Are you injured? Should I teleport to you? What's that sound in the background?” Diavolo barely let Lucifer process before he was onto his next question. Once he paused, Lucifer chuckled and answered very carefully.

“I’m fine, I don’t have much time to talk because I have to get ready and I’m about to shower. I’m calling you to ask if…” Lucifer trailed off. He never did this. He had to swallow his pride, but he’d never been very good at doing that. He opened his mouth multiple times but words never came. Thankfully, Diavolo said something before it became too awkward.

“It’s fine, Luci. We were both in the wrong. I know how stressed you are and I shouldn’t have said what I said. We both overreacted. We’re good, promise.” Diavolo’s voice was kind and Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if he was still mad at him. “You can shower, I won’t be at RAD today, so you’ll have to finish up dance stuff by yourself. I’ve got some stupid Prince of Devildom duties to take care of. I wish I could come, but I’ll be busy all day. Let me know if you get another note or gift from Beloved. Okay?”

“Okay.” Lucifer smiled slightly. He much preferred being on good terms, even if they were arguing for only a day. Diavolo, as much as the fallen angel would never admit it, was his best friend and one of his favorite people. “I’ll talk with you after school about the dance. Bye.” Diavolo said his goodbye and then hung up, leaving Lucifer to his responsibilities. Almost immediately, the family group chat began blowing up — something about Mammon stealing something expensive from Asmo — and Lucifer sighed. He never got peace, did he?

It turned out Mammon had stolen a ring given to Asmo by Solomon. Lucifer — once he was out of the shower, dressed, and presentable — had taken the ring back, but given Mammon Goldie. Asmo cried about unfairness, but quickly shut up at the offer of allowing Solomon over for the week. Levi had been overjoyed at the money for his figure and Beel had greatly appreciated Lucifer’s offer to cook dinner that night. Satan attempted to hide his excitement at old spell books — ones full of charms and hexes that weren’t too high level — and Belphie was happy with his washed blanket.

When they arrived at RAD, Levi rushed off to go tell his gaming friends about the new figure, Beel and Belphie went off to Fangol practice, Asmo spotted Solomon and ran off, Mammon went about flaunting Goldie, and Satan rushed off to the library to practice spells. It left Lucifer to his office. The school felt weirdly silent. He was so used to Diavolo’s constant loud presence that everything seemed so quiet without him. The student chatter buzzing around him, all excited for the dance tomorrow.

Lucifer suddenly realized he’d never asked anyone to the dance. Plenty of lower demons had asked him this week, and to all, he had denied. He would obviously attend the dance. But shouldn’t he have a date? No, no, he assured himself. That's nonsense. I've never asked anyone before, why start now? Still, the thought nagged at him. And he couldn’t help the urge to text Diavolo and ask him to the dance. Though, that would be foolish as well. Diavolo had plenty of demons who would ask him to dance. He ought to have chosen one by now.

But perhaps not.

It didn’t have to be romantic. It could be as friends. Because that was all they were. Friends. Despite how desperate he was for more, Lucifer would never ask for it. That was Diavolo’s decision. If by tomorrow afternoon, neither of us have a date, I'll ask him. As friends, Lucifer resolved in his mind.

Finally, he reached his office. Inside, he found a surprising sight. Flowers. Not just flowers, in fact, but one of his favorites. Morning Glories. The vase was plain, but perhaps it was for the better. The colors of the gorgeous flowers were bright, but didn’t burn his eyes like the wretched pinks on the walls. No, these colors reminded him of the sky in the Celestial Realm when the sun set.

Lucifer removed a glove and ran a hand along the petals of the flowers, ever so gently as to not hurt them. They were soft and had no trace of magic on them. They were fresh, no doubt bought this morning from a florist boutique — a specialty boutique at that, these flowers were quite rare to find in Devildom. They grew in the human realm and were among the flower fields in the Celestial Realm. Lilith loved the flower fields when she was younger, as did the twins. He would watch them — from afar, of course, even as an angel, he was a busy man — and they would toss around the flowers, making crowns and pretending to use them for spells.

The fallen angel removed one from the vase, admiring the colors. With one swift movement, he cut off the longer part of the stem with a claw. He then tucked the shortened flower behind his ear. Who could this gift have been from? Very few knew Lucifer enjoyed such a gift, much less knew he loved Morning Glories. An admirer given a hint from one of his brothers, perhaps? Or maybe it was Diavolo’s doing.

Lucifer quickly ruled out that possibility. Diavolo was out of town, or at least stuck at the castle, and had been all day. He wouldn’t have had the chance to put these in his office. Besides, he would’ve talked about them when he called earlier. Unless, of course…

Lucifer turned around and began looking in his office for a familiar white envelope. He found one almost immediately, laid against the vase, with that same beautiful gold cursive written on the back. Another note from this “Beloved.” He couldn’t help the smile on his face. They had to go through quite the trouble to get this to him. And the flowers were quite the hint. Whoever they were, they were someone he knew. Diavolo wouldn’t know who it was — he liked to keep the facts he knew about Lucifer, including the fallen angel’s favorite flowers, to himself — and his half his brothers wouldn’t know what flower to tell said admirer to get. The options were narrowed down to three. Beel, Satan, and Asmodeus.

But the witch-hunt could wait until after Lucifer had opened the letter. After all, perhaps today was the day this “Beloved” revealed themselves. Lucifer’s conscience knew better than to believe that, but this admirer was slowly making a fool of him and the prideful demon was starting to like it. When he opened the letter, another poem met his eyes.

In the silent ballroom of our shared sphere. A solitary heart guards love held dear. A solo dance, veiled in a silent grace. Passion whispers, yet leave no trace. Through the shadows, a yearning persists. In the dance of hearts, emotions resist. Unspoken words, a love that subsists. Denied yet felt, in the moonlit mist. The poem was beautiful, but far more complicated than the last. It spoke of denied love, yet not rejected. Who were they? A friend who denied their attraction to him? A foe who did the same? This was all so confusing.

Lucifer put the note back down. It seemed to narrow down the possibilities somewhat, but Lucifer still had no idea who “Beloved” was. Asmodeus wouldn’t have a clue — he gave away gift ideas for the eldest like candy, if you asked — and Satan would want something in return for his information. That left Beel, the only other brother that might remember Lucifer telling him what some of his favorite flowers were. The ginger had asked because he was going to make a bouquet of all the brothers favorite flowers and put it in the kitchen, enchanted to never die. It was a sweet idea, if Mammon hadn’t accidentally set them on fire not even a week after they had been put there. Beel was devastated, but what could you expect from a house full of morons. There was a reason no one — excluding Lucifer and Diavolo — could enter Lucifer’s home office uninvited. He had nice things — old artifacts, gifts from his brothers, his favorite pens — in his office that he didn’t want ruined.

A knock came at the door, causing Lucifer to nearly jump. He had been zoned out, focused on his own thoughts, completely unaware of his surroundings. When a second knock came, Lucifer sighed. Beel and Levi knocked, Satan just opened the door, Belphie would text him if he needed something, Asmo would have said something already, Mammon normally busted the door down unless he wanted something, in which case, he would knock. The fallen angel supposed he wouldn’t mind the company, so he answered with a calm, “You may come in.”

When no one opened the door, Lucifer turned around confused. They knocked, didn’t they? He hadn’t just hallucinated that? After a moment of waiting, he walked over to the door. He paused for a moment again, waiting for another knock. When none came, he reluctantly opened the door.

“Oh, hello. I didn’t think you were here today. After the disaster yesterday with the prince and all.” Well, fuck. Lucifer’s smile dropped at the sight of the duke before him. Mephistopheles was in his normal attire with his normal attitude, but seemed to be hiding something behind his back. “I thought the embarrassment of your little hissy-fit might keep you away. It certainly kept the prince. Maybe he finally realized what a bitch you are.” Mephistopheles hurled insult after insult his way, but Lucifer couldn’t help but not be bothered. In all honesty, he reminded him of Satan, before he got creative.

“Good morning to you too, Mephistopheles.” Lucifer attempted to close the door, but the demon’s cane blocked him from doing so. This is going to be a long conversation. Where’s Diavolo when you need him? “Look, I have work to do, so unless this is urgently important and not just an excuse to childishly insult me, please leave.” Lucifer did his best to keep the annoyance out of his voice, but Mephistopheles never failed to make him want nothing more than to land a good punch to his face.

“What work? I thought student council finished plans for the dance. Unless the Avatar of Pride is running behind? Isn’t that embarrassing?” Mephistopheles had a cruel smirk on his face, one that meant he would definitely publish that new rumor in the next issue of the RAD newspaper if Lucifer didn’t shut it down quick.

“Lord Diavolo isn’t attending school today. He’s off on prince business, so I have to take care of his portion of the paperwork. Now, unless the next words about to come out of your mouth are a love confession or an offer to help, I would appreciate it if you would leave.” Much to Lucifer’s joy, he had flustered the duke with his comment. A string of half-sentences managed to make their way past his confused demeanor, most consisting of “I would never!” and “How could you even assume!” They did result in the smile coming back to Lucifer’s face, which was nice. He leaned against the doorway, watching Mephistopheles attempt to fix his composure.

In the process, he caught a glimpse of what the duke was hiding behind his back. A valentine. At first, Lucifer assumed to be another of his futile attempts to court Diavolo. While Lucifer loved the man and he was his best friend, Diavolo was absolutely oblivious to Mephisto’s infatuation with him. It was something that never failed to make Lucifer laugh.

That was, until Lucifer saw his own name scribbled on the envelope. This one wasn’t as pretty as Beloved’s — no one could top that beautiful calligraphy besides maybe Lucifer himself — nor was it written in gold. Still, Lucifer couldn’t help but smile at the familiar handwriting. A prank from the Anti-Lucifer league, given Satan’s cursive letters. He always did have the best cursive out of the rest of the family. And instantly recognizable, given how often Lucifer read the insulting sticky notes left around the house for him. Still, the note did give him the perfect opportunity to make Mephistopheles’s life hell for a good 20 minutes.

He reached forward and grabbed the letter, much to the dismay of the duke. Lucifer glanced at the back of the letter and faked a shocked expression. “Is this for me, Mephisto? Did you make this?” The prideful demon took a glance at the smaller demon stammering and looking like he desperately wanted to take the letter back. “You have good handwriting. I didn’t know you even knew cursive. I figured there was some demonic equivalent, I always thought this was an angelic practice.” Lucifer was lying, of course, but it did make the red on Mephistopheles’s face ever more sweet to see. With one good rip, Lucifer opened the letter. Inside was far more saturated pink colored paper than Beloved’s. And the handwriting was still Satan’s. The prideful demon wondered if it was delivered by Mephistopheles just to not raise suspicion.

The letter itself was good. A better confession than Lucifer normally received by letter, but nothing compared to Beloved’s poems. It was sweet and almost did sound like a real confession. He’d have to tell Satan later that he almost believed the love letter. At the end, it was signed with a basic signing. Secret admirer. Lucifer hid the frown with the letter. It seems Beloved had made him arrogant and quite the critic when it comes to love letters. Oh well, just another one to add to the list.

“This is sweet. Is this from you? Or perhaps a friend? Are you delivering your own confession or someone else’s? I’ve never known you to have many friends outside of the other dukes and maybe Yearbook Committee. Is this from one of them?” Mephistopheles frowned at his insulting comments. He probably wasn’t a huge fan of Lucifer leaning down to get on his eye level either. The duke attempted to take the letter from the avatar’s hands, but Lucifer easily kept it out of reach by straightening and stepping back, accidentally opening the door to his office more. Mephistopheles caught a glimpse inside before Lucifer realized his mistake and closed the door partly again.

“Were those flowers? Are they for the prince? You know, those aren’t his favorites. Azalea’s are his favorites. They grow in the castle gardens. How could you not know that and claim to be his friend. It’s embarrassing.” Lucifer was quickly losing his patience with the smaller demon. He was slowly earning a punch to the face. “Unless, of course, those are for you? In that case, its a horrid vase and even uglier flowers. Are those your favorite? That must be so embarrassing, liking such ugly flowers. I mean-”

“Mephistopheles!” Lucifer shouted, causing the duke to freeze in his rant and every student in the hallway to freeze in their tracks. Lucifer mumbled a curse in Celestial and yanked the demon inside his office, shutting the door behind him. Lucifer turned sharply to the disoriented demon. “You will shut your mouth. I deal with it when Diavolo is here because of my respect to him, not to you. I would love nothing more than to beat you to a pulp, but I don’t. Diavolo respects you. I can’t imagine why, but he considers you a friend. So, while he isn’t here, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and keep your rumors to yourself, unless you want a trip to the infirmary. Do I make myself clear?” Lucifer had gotten closer to the smaller demon — uncomfortably close, some might say — while he spoke. When he received no response from the duke, Lucifer grabbed his uniform’s collar. “I said, do I make myself clear?” Mephistopheles shakily nodded and the prideful demon released him.

Lucifer ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down. He wasn’t even sure where the wrathful outburst had come from. He had insulted Beloved and something in Lucifer snapped. He had never felt like that with anyone else. This “Beloved” was making him crazy. He needed to know who it was. When he turned around and found Mephistopheles still in his office, he frowned.

“Get out of my office. Now.” The duke wasted no time getting out of the room. Lucifer sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Beloved was truly making a fool out of him.

The school day seemed to go by too slowly. Without the constant buzzing presence beside him, Lucifer felt lonely and classes felt longer and boring. He had grown so used to the prince’s constant chatter everything felt quiet and desolate without it. He didn’t realize how much time he spent with him until he wasn’t there.

Sometimes, he would have a class with Mammon or Asmo and the chatter would return, but with Diavolo it was always different. His chatter was easier to listen to, instead of his brothers, where he tended to zone out. But the day ended eventually. Levi had some kind of gaming tournament today and Mammon was no doubt off to a nearby casino with Goldie. Satan had apparently been asked out at some point, so he would be at a local cat cafe until around 6. Which left Asmo, Beel, and Belphie with him as he walked. Asmo was happily gossiping to Solomon and some new demon he was dating and Beel was eating one of the many boxes of chocolates Asmo had given him from his leftovers.

The eldest chose to walk alone. He pretended to focus on his surroundings, but he was secretly running through a list in his head of all the possibilities for Beloved. It had to be someone close enough to know one of his favorite flowers, but still foolish enough to buy him such an awful present as he gifted on Monday. Out of friends and acquaintances, he had narrowed the list down quite a bit — and to be honest it wasn’t all that large in the first place.

Most royal friends were out of the question, as most dukes he knew already had dates and Mephistopheles was enraptured with Diavolo, not him. There was the possibility of Simeon, but Lucifer never believed him to think of him as anything more than a friend, and he certainly didn’t show any signs of romantic interest. Solomon could be an option, but Lucifer chose to believe the sorcerer didn’t have a romantic nor poetic bone in his body, so he ruled out him as well. His heart allowed him to mark Diavolo as an option, but his mind quickly shut that down. He hadn’t been at RAD today, therefore couldn’t have put the flowers in place. And he didn’t know of the letters beforehand, so it was safer to assume he wasn’t.

As if the prince knew Lucifer was thinking of him, the prideful demon’s phone began ringing with a familiar tune. He answered, as he always did, and was met with familiar happy chatter. Diavolo was talking about some hellhound he saw in a store window, gushing about how adorable it was and how energetic it was. His voice then became disappointed as he told him Barbatos refused to allow him to get it, despite him begging for it. Lucifer laughed at the story, waiting for the demon lord to pause.

“I thought you had princely duties to tend to today, my lord. Why were you anywhere near a pet store?” Lucifer finally answered once Diavolo paused his talking. The prince then launched into another story about his day, causing Lucifer to smile ever so slightly. He had missed this.

Diavolo had talked Lucifer’s ear off yesterday, first about his day, then about plans for the dance, then scolded him for not having a suit for the dance. Lucifer fell asleep at an early 11pm, causing him to be unusually energetic today. The House of Lamentation itself was buzzing with excitement. Satan’s date had apparently gone well yesterday and he had asked her to the dance. Asmodeus was asked by Solomon the day before, so he was only focused on finishing their matching suit and dress. Beel and some guy from Fangol were going together, Mammon and the human were going together, and Levi was currently very nervously making a Valentine for who he was asking to the Valentine’s dance. They were a friend from a coding club who had apparently beaten him yesterday at his gaming competition named something Lucifer couldn’t remember at the current moment. Belphie was being dragged along to the dance by Beel, leaving Lucifer as the only one in the family without a date.

He didn’t mind. He shouldn’t mind. He almost never had someone to go with to such meaningless social activities. He was a supervisor normally, keeping his brothers — and Diavolo — out of trouble. But he couldn’t help wanting to ask Beloved. It was a stupid wish, they were probably just some lower demon who was a friend of Asmo’s. Hell, they may just be doing this to up their status.

But Lucifer couldn’t help the way his heart ached to have them. He’d foolishly attached himself to words on a page, a fictional person made up in his head, yet he couldn’t help feeling as if they were real. Today was their last day to confess.

Lucifer desperately hoped they did.

“Hey, old man, asked your crush to the dance yet?” Satan’s voice made Lucifer nearly jump. He had been silent all morning, reading the latest novel in his favorite cat detective series. Lucifer refused to look up from his half-finished coffee and phone, as he was currently texting Diavolo.

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about. I haven’t had a crush on anyone since the Celestial Realm,” Lucifer answered calmly, making sure a smile didn’t make its way onto his face. Diavolo was currently trying to convince Barbatos to let him go to RAD in a dress and Barbatos disapproved, due to the dress being apparently revealing.

“Haven’t had a crush, my ass! Everyone knows you’re in love with Diavolo. You should just ask him out and make it official.” Satan’s comment was meant to anger him, and on any other day, it would. But today, Lucifer was cheery and he wouldn’t allow his angry wrath child dampen his mood.

“Perhaps I will. He probably wouldn’t object.” Lucifer glanced up quickly enough to see Satan’s shocked expression. “Close your mouth, I was merely joking. I have someone else in mind for my date to the dance. Besides, Diavolo most definitely has a date by now. He’s the crowned prince, demons are practically falling over themselves to court him. I mean, look at Mephisto.” Satan stared at him suspiciously at his comment, as if to say “how did you know that?” with a simple look.

“Ooo. Is it your secret admirer? Beloved, was it? Their note was so cute!” Asmodeus commented, managing to come out of his daydream long enough to register the conversation going on. Lucifer turned sharply to him. How did he know about Beloved? “It fell out of your bag on Tuesday. I gave it to Diavolo, but not before reading it. And I saw the flower in your hair. They have to be someone close, right? I wonder who it is!” Asmo practically squealed his last sentence, causing Lucifer to cringe.

“Asmodeus, please refrain from interfering with my non-existent love life. I don’t need you messing with my already limited options or giving anyone hopes of courting me. Demons do not need encouragement to ask me out, they already have it, and if they don’t, they aren’t worth my time.” Asmo scoffed at his words.

“If you say so Luci.” Lucifer frowned at the nickname, but decided not to comment. He was still distracted by Diavolo’s texts, as the subject had changed to suggestions for his outfit to the dance. Some were quite outrageous and others were actually a little sensible. “Who are you texting, Luci-Goosey?”

“What have I told you about that wretched nickname? And besides, who I’m texting is frankly none of your business. Shouldn’t you be at purgatory hall with your date?” Lucifer’s words caused Asmo to jump up from his seat. He immediately rushed off, grabbing a pink fur coat on his way out. Lucifer sighed and shook his head. His phone buzzed again and he turned back to it. Today was going to be a long day.

When Lucifer arrived at RAD, students were already filling the halls. He had to dodge giant stuffed bears and volatile spells and hearts full of candy. He had to keep his eyes on the ground as well, making it even harder to dodge. Lust demons were normally shameless, but with it being Valentine’s Day, they were especially bad. Even while staring at the floor, Lucifer got glimpses of the inappropriate activities they were engaging in.

Lucifer wasn’t a prude, per se. He was fine with people having sex. They were demons, all demons felt lust, it was only natural for sex to happen. Hell, it was a way of life down in Devildom. He just didn’t want to see it. He never wants to see it. Those sorts of activities should stay in the bedroom, not in a school hallway where everyone can see it. It was disgusting, unsanitary, and rude.

“Hey Lucifer?” Diavolo’s voice broke Lucifer out of his attempting-to-block-out-everything-from-his-vision motion. A dark hand tilted his head up and Lucifer’s hands — which were curled around the corner of his eyes to block out everything except what was directly in front of him — made it so he could only see the prince’s smiling, slightly confused face. “What ever are you doing? You’re walking around, staring at the ground.”

“The lust demons. Don’t you see them?” Lucifer hissed, motioning vaguely around him. Diavolo glanced around and shrugged.

“Eh, just looks like the first starts of an orgy. Or a normal day in the lust ring,” Diavolo said casually, causing Lucifer make a disgusted expression despite himself. The prince chuckled when he saw his expression and bumped his arm lightly. “Don’t be such a prude, Lucifer. Haven’t you ever been in their position? Everyone has sex. No shame in it.”

“But they don’t have to do it in public. It's disgusting and rude,” Lucifer hissed again. He refused to look anywhere except the prince’s face and not just because he had pretty eyeliner on. "We both know I've never approved of such affairs. There's a reason I make one of my brothers go to the lust ring on business instead of me.” Diavolo chuckled at his response.

"Okay, prude.” Lucifer opened his mouth to bite back a response, but he was distracted by the hand holding his chin up moving to grab his hand. "You can close your eyes, I'll get you to your office.” Diavolo's tone was warm and Lucifer to had to push down the feeling in his chest. He had to ignore it. Focus on Beloved, he told himself. Not Diavolo. "You trust me right?” Lucifer looked away from Diavolo's smile and nodded slightly. He then closed his eyes and allowed the prince to lead him through the hallways.

After a few minutes of walking, Diavolo stopped abruptly, causing Lucifer to bump into him. He felt Diavolo turn around and laugh. “You can open your eyes. We're alone in the hallway."

“I swear, if you are lying to me, I'm going to hit you," Lucifer said, not opening his eyes quite yet. He made sure Diavolo chuckled before he did. He didn't doubt for a moment that he would tell him he could open his eyes when they were, in fact, not alone. Diavolo seemed to enjoy getting under his skin.

“See? Told you we were alone," Diavolo said with a smile when Lucifer opened his eyes. “I don't appreciate your totally true and justified assumption I would lie to you about such a thing.” Lucifer smiled and punched his shoulder lightly, causing the prince to laugh as well.

“Well, I have work to do, as do you, Mr. Skipped-school-and-definitely-didn’t-do-paperwork-last-night." Lucifer’s tone was playfully condescending. Diavolo smiled at his words, causing the prideful demon to smile as well. “Get. I have work to do and you are nothing but a distraction."

“Because of my rugged good looks?" Diavolo asked playfully, motioning to his face with a smile. Lucifer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Because you have a knack for sticking your head where it doesn't belong and sooner or later, it's going to get you smacked. By me or someone else, I don't care. But you will be smacked.” Diavolo put up his hands in surrender and backed up.

“Okay, okay. The strikingly hot prince is leaving. See you at the dance!" Diavolo shouted as he walked away. Lucifer felt a pang of guilt. He didn't ask if he had a date to the dance. Or if he wanted to go with him. Or literally anything. He basically just told him to go away. Lucifer knew Diavolo didn't take his cruel words seriously, but he still felt bad when they accidentally slipped past his carefully curated barrier.

Lucifer chose to ignore the guilt in favor of escaping to his work. He opened the office door, only to find the paperwork missing from his desk and three gifts in its place. He stepped closer, confused by it. He then spotted familiar gold writing on a white envelope and smiled.

Beloved.

Sitting on his desk was a Morning Glory, looking like it was freshly picked. Beside it was a small, bottom heavy stuffed animal. Palm Pet, was it? Asmo received a few over the week. Lucifer picked it up and placed it in his hand. It was a tiny blue peacock. And he absolutely loved it.

Beside the note and flower was a plate of brownies. They were definitely handmade, based on the uneven texture. Lucifer said a quick spell to determine their contents and ensure they weren't charmed. It seemed to be just normal brownie ingredients, not unlike something he'd make for Beel. And besides, this was Beloved. They were in love with him, not trying to harm him. He decided it was safe to eat one.

The brownies were surprisingly good, especially for being homemade. They didn't compare to Barbatos or Lucifer’s baking skills, but they had potential. The fallen angel was tempted to eat more than one, but he stopped himself. He was the Avatar of Pride, not the Avatar of Gluttony. Even if the brownies were incredible and he wanted to eat the whole plate, he didn't wish to make himself sick. Instead, he resolved to work. Of course, he grabbed a brownie before he sat down, but when has a little self-indulgent sinning ever hurt him?

The day didn't take long. Most classes didn't do much work, as demons were preoccupied with finding dates to the dance or planning outfits or gift giving or, much to Lucifer’s dismay, fucking in the corner of the classroom. Much to Diavolo's laughter, he sharply turned his head away and covered his ears everytime he happened to spot one. And once the prince had stopped laughing, he would make some perverted joke about wanting to do that with Lucifer and be promptly hit.

Overall, a horrid day. And by the end of the day, Lucifer realized he never read Beloved’s note. He had been distracted by the sweets so much he had simply stuffed it into his bag and never read it. He was attempting to shoo Diavolo off, who almost hadn't left his side all day, and was failing miserably. He just wouldn't leave. And then Lucifer saw Mephistopheles walking down the hallway towards them. He had never been happier to see the duke.

“Mephisto! Over here! Diavolo needs to speak with you!" Lucifer shouted down the hallway. The smaller demon looked over in confusion, but made his way over anyway. "Diavolo, I have work to finish. You tell Mephisto what you were going to say. Bye now!” Lucifer rushed off before either demons could question him. He wanted to be alone to read Beloved’s final note.

He made it to his office quickly and shut the door behind him. He grabbed the note out of his bag and ripped the envelope open quickly. The same paper met his eyes. He smiled at the familiar handwriting.

"Dearest Lucifer, the week has come to an end. I attempted to work up the courage to tell you this to your face for months. To ask you for your hand. To ask for your heart. Anything to ensure you were mine. But I'm afraid I am, indeed, a coward, just as you said.” Lucifer paused reading. When did Beloved find out about him calling them a coward at the beginning of the week? Was it one of Diavolo's royal friends? He ignored his racing thoughts, attempting to deduce who, in fact, Beloved was, in favor of reading the letter.

“You're the most beautiful, intelligent, perfect being I've ever seen. A radiant light in my life. My North Star. I apologize for not telling you sooner. I hope you forgive me for taking so long. I wanted to ensure you were comfortable in my realm. And then I wanted to ensure you could welcome Satan into your family. And then it was simply my fear of rejection. So here I am, taking the coward’s way out and explaining my love for you in a letter."

"My dearest Lucifer. My Morningstar. I love you. I have since that day in the Celestial Realm. At first, the unattainable beauty of an angel. Then, when you fell, for the trophy. But as I have grown to know you, I've discovered you're so much more. Yes, your intelligence has no match and you are the most beautiful thing in all of Devildom, but there's more to you than that.”

"You're the only demon I know who can always make me laugh. You can down a bottle of Demonus in 10 seconds. You care for your family more than life itself. You're stubborn and strong and absolutely perfect. You’re so many things. So I wanted to ask you to be one more. Mine.”

"My heart belongs to you, I only wish for you to give me yours. I am not requiring you to say yes, I'm not requiring an answer at all. Take a second, take a thousand years. I will forever wait for you, for I can love no one else. My dearest love. I am forever your beloved.”

Lucifer stared at the signature at the bottom of the page for what felt like hours. The same signature he'd seen scribbled on receipts at restaurants. The same signature he'd seen written on countless school papers. The same signature he'd seen scrawled on official documents. The signature in golden pen that marked it as official, royal, and true. Signed beneath the note, exactly replicated as Lucifer had seen a thousand times, was a name.

Diavolo Rex.

The prince of Devildom. His best friend. His boss. His ruler. His Beloved.

Diavolo was Beloved. Lucifer dropped the note at the realization. The person he'd complained about on Monday, the one he'd called a coward, the one who had slowly crept into his heart and stolen it. Diavolo.

It made sense, of course. The prince knew everything about him. His favorite flower, his favorite chocolates, his everything. But it felt impossible. Diavolo didn't love him. He couldn't. It was as Mephistopheles said. Lucifer wasn't fit to be his queen. He wasn't good enough to rule by his side. He wasn't worthy to be his lover. This was impossible. A prank. A fraud. A forgery.

But the gold made the evidence impossible to believe. That signature was Diavolo's, written in his royal pen, signed under a letter written in Beloved’s, Diavolo’s cursive handwriting.

“Uh, Lucifer? Why'd you sic Mephi on me? I already gave him his gift. If you wanted to be alone, you could've just…” Diavolo's voice trailed off as he stared at Lucifer. He could clearly see the paper on the floor. The paper written in his color. In his handwriting. Signed with his name. He locked eyes with the fallen angel still stuck in his own shock.

Tears gathered in Lucifer's eyes. This was impossible. A lie. Forgery. Anything! This wasn't true. It couldn't be!

If it was true, it meant Lucifer had been pushing away the man he loved for hundreds of years because he didn't realize he loved him back. He refused to acknowledge his feelings after spending a night in bed with him. He told himself it was purely of lust, nothing more. Every denial and pushed away thought for nothing.

“Lucifer, I… I'm sorry I never told you. I was so worried about losing you. I would rather have you as a friend than nothing at all. And with our deal, I got greedy. I wanted you more. If all the deal was to you was fulfilling lust and need, then that's fine. We can go back to being friends and forget all about this. I swear. I just-”

"Shut up, Diavolo.” Lucifer cut him off. The prince thankfully did. "Just, let me process things for a moment.” Diavolo nodded and watched Lucifer pace in silence. A million different options ran through his mind. He could reject him and have things go back to how they were. But did he want that? Did he only want him as a friend? Diavolo only watched silently as he paced, waiting anxiously for his answer.

After a minute of pacing, Lucifer finally stopped. Diavolo’s heart jumped in his chest, immediately jumping to the conclusion he was going to reject him. Lucifer mumbled a curse under his breath and walked towards him. The prideful demon grabbed the prince’s collar and pulled him down to his height.

And kissed him.

After a few moments, Diavolo finally reacted, pulling Lucifer closer and kissing back. The fallen angel was first to pull away, mainly to adjust his arms to the prince’s neck.

“Is that a yes?" Diavolo teased, holding Lucifer by the waist. He wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them again – Lucifer was a great kisser, after all – but he had to get the teasing out of his system first. Lucifer merely rolled his eyes at the comment.

“Just shut your mouth and be glad I'm allowing you to kiss me," the smaller demon bit back. Diavolo smiled and mumbled an agreement before kissing him again. Lucifer sighed happily, tangling his fingers in familiar red hair.

Of all people to have been Beloved, he preferred this option.

The Valentine's Dance was well attended. The lights were dimmed and, with help from Lucifer and Barbatos, Diavolo converted a classroom into a dance room, equipped with a stage for a DJ, places to take photos, games, and a concession stand. The concession stand was selling a number of items, most drinks being alcoholic and one of the items being literal pot brownies. Sometimes, Lucifer disapproved of the things Diavolo approved. But Diavolo was the prince, he had supreme approval.

The dance floor was filled with pride demons attempting to prove themselves or greed demons pick pocketing. Lucifer was standing off to the side of the dance floor, supervising. He wasn’t really supervising, of course, he was mainly watching his brother’s dance with their partners. Mammon was dancing with the human in matching gold suits and jewelry. Solomon and Asmo were swapping spit in the corner, so Lucifer was pointedly ignoring them. They had arrived in their perfectly tailored, matching outfits, danced for a little while, and then hadn’t left the corner since. It disgusted the prideful demon, but Asmodeus was free to do what he liked, so Lucifer didn’t intervene. Even if what he wanted to do was Solomon and Lucifer found that disgusting.

Satan’s date had abandoned him for some other nerd from his book club. Given Satan hated school parties nearly as much as Levi, he was previously awkwardly standing off to the side. But, after some encouragement from Diavolo, some of the dukes, including Mephisto, got him into planning a prank with them. Levi and his date were off competing in a gaming tournament off to the side, away from the party and music. They had come in matching blue suits accidentally, turning both of them a bright shade of red. Beel was dancing with Belphie while his date got snacks for him. The smaller twin was begrudgingly doing so energetically, though it was no doubt going to stop the moment Beel’s date returned.

Mephisto and Diavolo were also dancing together, but Lucifer felt no twinge of what he now realized was jealousy as he watched. It was subtle, as all lover’s things should be, but it made Lucifer’s pride swell. A simple silver pin on Diavolo’s suit in the shape of angel’s wings. Mephisto kept looking at it in disgust as they danced. The duke knew exactly who the prince’s date was and he hated it.

Lucifer also had something of his own. He didn’t like the implication of being owned by the prince, but the mutual pendants made it much better. And Diavolo agreed to let him have his in a less noticeable place. Lucifer looked at wrist for the billionth time that night. He found the same golden cufflink in the shape of a crown. He had seen it a million times tonight and yet, he couldn’t help staring at it again. It brought a nice feeling to his body. It made him smile at the redhead dancing with his former rival. It made him happy to be at a loud school party. It made him grateful he didn’t throw away that bear or burn that note.

“You aren’t being a very good supervisor,” Diavolo whispered in his ear, nearly making the prideful demon jump. Lucifer hadn’t noticed him peel away from Mephistopheles on the dance floor to stand beside him. He snaked an arm around his waist, careful not to draw attention to them. Lucifer’s own brothers didn’t know about them yet and they could always brush it off as Diavolo having too much Demonus and becoming a bit too touchy (a situation that has happened far too much for Lucifer’s taste.)

“I was looking at my present. I mean, don’t I just look amazing in royal red and golden jewelry,” Lucifer teased, knowing it would get to him. Diavolo nuzzled into his neck, holding onto the fallen angel tighter. “What? Tired? Or is this your way of disagreeing with me. I can always change or take off the jewelry if you don’t like it.”

“Don’t play these games with me, Lucifer. You know that I like you in my colors. I've told a billion times tonight. Don’t you dare threaten to take it off again or I swear I will kiss you in front of everyone.” Lucifer merely laughed at the threat, as all the words came muffled given Diavolo’s head continued to be nuzzled in his neck.

“Such a strange threat. Fine, I’ll stay in this, since you seem to like it so much.” Lucifer smirked, enjoying Diavolo’s admiration for the way he was dressed tonight. He was in, per the prince’s request, his house colors. A very specific shade of red named Rex red after Diavolo’s last name and golden jewelry. “Was Mephisto a good dancer?”

“I wish you would agree to dance. I would love to have you twirling in my arms. But no, you have to supervise so I have to settle for Mephi. It’s unfair. Aren’t you supposed to be my-” Lucifer made a shush sound. “What? I’m not allowed to say-” Diavolo was cut off again by Lucifer shushing him. “Are you going to do anything except make that annoying sound?”

“Just don’t say that word,” Lucifer said simply.

“Make me.” Diavolo was no longer nuzzled in his neck. Instead, he was facing him with a teasing smile on his face. There was a challenge in his words and Lucifer was a prideful demon. He had also had one too many drinks that night, which made him slightly stupid and very bold.

Without another word, Lucifer grabbed the prince’s hand and dragged him off. Past the Photo Booth and concessions, past Levi winning his tournament, past Satan scheming with Belphie, into a secluded, dark hallway in one of the many twisting turns of RAD. “Luci, what in the world are you-”

Before Diavolo could finish his sentence, Lucifer wrapped him in a kiss. The prince wasted no time kissing back, but broke away quickly. He cocked his head, slightly confused, but still smiling. “I love it, but what is up with you?”

“It’s probably the alcohol. But since you seem to like it, who cares? What, not in the mood to act like immature teenagers?” Lucifer smiled too, his voice teasing. Diavolo grinned and leaned forward, face inches apart from Lucifer’s.

“I’m always up to act like immature teenagers. You’re the mature one. Or is Mr. Prideful gone tonight?” Lucifer quickly shut the cocky tone of his voice up with a kiss. Diavolo was more than happy to kiss back, even pushing the smaller demon against the wall. Lucifer moved to tug at the prince’s hair, though it wasn’t to get him off, but more as his version of showing the prince who was actually in control.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, acting like Asmodeus and Solomon were, though this one wasn’t in public view, where everyone could see, so Lucifer deemed it not as disgusting as theirs. Eventually, Lucifer pushed him off to breathe, causing Diavolo to laugh.

“Can’t handle that, darling? Then I suppose I won’t take you back to the castle and we won’t have some fun. If you can’t handle simple kissing-” Diavolo was cut off by being wrapped in another kiss. This one was broken quickly by Lucifer, who had a smug look on his face. “I love you."

Lucifer stared at the prince for a moment, unable to respond. He had said it so easily. Lucifer had never been able to do that. Still, he managed a "Me too.” With the agreement, Diavolo wrapped him into another soft, loving kiss. Lucifer closed his eyes and kissed back.

He could get used to this.