Chapter Text
“Would you like to test out my latest invention?” The blinding son of light called Nikola Tesla had called out to him on the first day that Beelzebub was accepted into Gematria Academy, the prestigious site for Valhalla’s top scientists, despite the rumours that trailed him like a lingering shadow. A monster. A demon. Cursed. Who knows how many bodies he’d made disappear, or what despicable experiments Beelzebub had done in his lifetime?
Nikola was truly an idiot, like that damned Icarus who flew too close to the sun with a pathetic invention of wings. Why did the blue-eyed chatterbox willingly subject his reputation to such scrutiny by breathing the same air as the goth? The darkness will only strangle him, drain him of the joy that lit up his face every time Beelzebub begrudgingly agreed to accompany him in his experiments…everytime he saw a spark of reaction on the shorter man’s face…every time he started the conversation on his own, like he wanted to be with the physicist, like he wanted to bathe in the other’s presence.
The sun never felt so warm. He feared to bathe in its light for too long, to be addicted and happily burned by its rays.
But it was Nikola Tesla, and Nikola was simply the kind who could never harm a fly, living in his own bubble of science and optimism that seemed to grow endlessly.
Beautiful…Beelzebub wanted to embrace his world, to be lost in the ocean eyes that held so many answers and questions at the same time. The perfect equation to be his saviour.
But he must not forget, hope will eventually lead to disappointment – Lucifer, Azrael, Samael…Lilith. The day of bloodbath held a grip on his throat, ready to strangle him awake to the harsh reality. He came to the academy on the recommendation of his godfather, Hades, with the intention of investigating their deaths, to pay back the most atrocious sin to whoever murdered them. The son of light had no right to be tainted by the insect’s personal goals of vengeance.
Beelzebub was only strong enough to kindly reject some of Nikola’s most outrageous requests, but he was a weakling and succumbed to the majority of them.
No doubt there were instances of miscommunication, such as Beelzebub only attending the academy’s first evening dance because Tesla looked at him like his eyes were replaced with stars, only for the man to leave him waiting in humiliation. Ten minutes stretched to an agonising twenty…
“Please forgive me, dearest Beel!” Nikola burst through the doors to a grumpy Beelzebub who was half-sulking and half-ogling the physicist’s appearance in a suit he had half-buttoned with a loose tie, “I’ve gotten injured from another failed experiment, but it yielded great results for further investigation, you have to listen to what revelations I discovered, like…”
And did he listen voluntarily, soaking every word like a sponge? Yes, he did.
Not to mention the slow dance with Tesla, half-murmuring his theories whilst keeping his angelic eyes on Beelzebub made his heart skip several beats – isn’t that dangerous to his health?
From sneaking into the grand library at unpermitted times, to laughing on the floor in soot-covered lab coats and quiet nights on their dorm rooftop (Nikola magically caused his dorm to have irreparable damages, and moved into one next to the goth), it was truly experiences that Beelzebub treasured with the same fondness as his lost friends.
Science is the future! The Serbian abused his motto too many times.
He could be part of Beelzebub’s future too…sitting under cherry blossoms and peeling pears that he had a weird obsession with, whilst drinking their hot coffee in unused specimen tubes because they broke all the mugs when experimenting with vibrations.
He told Nikola of his intentions of finding out the culprit of his friends’ death…because at the crime scene, when he awoke was a badge of the academy’s symbol, and Beelzebub nearly broke it with rage when he picked it up.
“Tesla…do you understand now? It’s best not to get involved with a being like me any further,” the goth replied stoically to conceal the turmoil if Nikola actually agreed, “I love science, of course I do…and you enhanced my feelings, but I’m here to avenge the lost, it's not as genuine as you think! I’m no angel, I might be worse than a human, you must’ve heard all the gossip, and yet you stay!”
Why, Nikola…why?
“It's no rocket science, Beel, I don't need an equation to explain my feelings for you, and you ask why I stay? Simply because you’re fascinating, you hold a universe in your heart that you’re not aware of. You truly care about the people close to you, and you never judge my weird habits or terrible conversation skills, because you understand me!”
And I, too, understand you, my firefly.
The goth would yank the others' half-loosened tie into a sloppy first kiss of teeth clacking and tangled up tongues – that’s what he deserves for his tear-jerking confession after all.
If only that actually happened.
Instead, Beelzebub froze up, his voice lodged in his throat as if being choked, because Nikola looked at him with an agonising fondness and an absolutely adorable blush creeping on his cheeks. But the doubts in his mind screamed, ringing in his ears. You will regret this. Nothing lasts forever. It's a curse to be around someone like you.
“N-Nikola…I…can’t– you fucking bumblebee! Take responsibility for saying all that gibberish and get out!” Seriously? Couldn’t he have said anything better? Beel was mortified.
As unfazed as ever, the brown-haired man’s grin widened, “Oh? I’m very good at managing my responsibilities, my dearest!”
And it did happen. A sloppy kiss with all the gross descriptions in Beelzebub’s fantasies.
Time flew by in a comfortable breeze as the blooming couple soared through the academy year – it was the summer when they received an invitation to Valhalla’s castle to visit the most formidable wizard, known as Satan. Mystery still surrounded the old man, but he was well-respected by everyone.
Apart from Nikola and Beelzebub. After much searching for clues of the culprit, they had placed their suspicions on Satan, and with developing a thorough plan to expose the vile creature of his sins whilst disguising the ordeal as a presentation of their latest success – the antigravity boots – they were more than ready to carry this through till the end.
“Are you sure you’d want to accompany me, Nikola? There’s no turning back,” Beelzebub muttered into his neck with budding fear as they sat on the dorm rooftop, potentially for the last time.
They will be branded as criminals if it backfires, and all their efforts will dissipate like wasted energy in the surroundings. For himself, he couldn’t care less, but for Nikola…it meant his whole life. If the Son of Light lost his shine for someone like him. Someone who couldn’t afford to give him the world if he tried. There was nothing to his name, and none of his discoveries had been properly credited.
“No non nein, my sweet Beel! When will you admire yourself the way I admire you?” Nikola kissed the top of his fluffy hair, “The truths to all of physics combined would not deter me from walking the same path as you. So I promise with my whole heart I will not let go, as long as you want me to stay.”
A bittersweet kiss was shared in the moonlight, and Beelzebub knew he never saw himself in the light of Nikola Tesla, and that wasn’t changing.