There’s very little someone can do to turn heads while walking through the city of London. Unfortunately, wearing a full armor suit while carrying a baby in a pink onesie is something that people tend to stare at. Centurion is aware of all the eyes on him as he tries to tug his cloak over the sleeping bundle in his arms to shield her from view, walking quickly down the street. “Oi, Centurion, where are we heading again? You haven’t told us yet, an’ that’ll be a problem if Zed or I get lost.”

The giant of a man sighs as the shorter of his two companions catches up to him, having to move at almost a jog to keep pace. “I told you, Morrison, if I tell you that, it could endanger Seraphina. I know they will not be able to capture me, but I do not know if either of you will be able to keep your mouths shut if the society catches you. We must prioritize her safety over our own until we reach Devildom.” Nathaniel sounds annoyed and offended when he responds, “What are you on about, mate? We care about ‘Phina just as much as you do–don’t we, Zed?”

“Sure, Mo, but neither of us could hold a candle to Mr. Perfect Soldier here, now could we?” The amused sarcasm in Ezekial’s voice is apparent as he strolls behind the two, thumbs loosely hanging in the pockets of his jeans as he scans the crowd for any familiar faces. “Phi-phi would never have survived with just us knuckleheads around.”

“Say what you like, but I know you two would not have made it out of the hotel room without me.” Ezekiel snorts at Centurion’s comment. “We would have eventually. You just got lucky that she wanted you to carry her this morning. I didn’t hear either of you complaining last night when she’d only settle if I was rocking her.”

“That’s because no one likes the night shift, innit? Plus, you’re the best at bedtime routine. You could get sleep too if you didn’t insist on singing her to sleep the first few weeks we had her, Zed.” Centurion tries to tune out their bickering as he searches for the next street he needs to turn down. “Says the person who was jealous when I got to feed her this mornin’. I told you she likes it when I make her bottle better–I got my special ingredient.”

“I swear to god, Zed, if you’re drugging our baby–”

“Quiet, Mo,” Ezekial immediately drops his joking tone. “We got two tails on us. How far are we from the meeting point?”

Centurion can feel his heart start to pound as he starts to speed up his walk. “We will get there in about 10 minutes at the pace we are going. Is there anyone in particular we need to worry about?”

“Don’t know, I don’t recognize either of them. Mo, you know the society better than I do, do you know ‘em?”

“Oh bloody hell, they sent Rundas and Anderson. Y’think we could throw them off the trail if we split up?” Centurion curses under his breath. “Regent’s Park, the ​​Delphinium border in Queen Mary’s gardens. I can cover ground faster without you two needing to follow me, go.”

Ezekial and Nathaniel don’t argue, immediately splitting off from him in either direction in a dead sprint–Nathaniel has moved his back into his arms to mimic the bundled form of Seraphina. Falling for it, Anderson gives chase, leaving only Rundas as a threat. Centurion begins to run, praying fervently that the baby he’s carrying won’t wake up and cry with the change in speed and noise surrounding her. Nathaniel will be alright–the road he’d chosen to run down led towards Paddington Street garden, a perfect location for the Naturomancer. However, if Seraphina gives away that he’s the one carrying her, there’ll be very little he can do to stop Rundas. Ezekial seems to have also come to that conclusion, rejoining Centurion a few moments later with his bone knife in hand. Neither of them says anything, focusing entirely on dodging confused pedestrians as they come out onto Park’s Square. 

The pavement under their street quickly turns to grass as the pair make a beeline towards the gardens–as they get closer, Centurion can feel the weak thrum of magic filling the air. They’re too early. The two men stop, both breathing heavily as Ezekial closes his eyes, most likely looking for any nearby deceased animals to pull to their defense. Centurion isn’t optimistic since the only animals he’s likely to find are pigeons and squirrels. However, a shout from Nathaniel breaks the Necromancer’s focus. “Quit standing there, you idiots, they’re both on me! We need to go now.”

Ezekial gives Centurion a side glance. “Now would be a really good time for your friend to show up, yeah?” Centurion grits his teeth, feeling the magic around him grow stronger at entirely too slow a pace. “He will be here.” 

As if on cue, the portal opens, and Nathaniel blows past both of them as he dives through, Ezekial close behind. Centurion gives them both a few seconds before he throws himself through as well, turning so his back will be to whatever he lands on to shield the baby from the impact as he shouts, “Close it, Solomon!”

He lands with a loud clattering of armor on wooden floors. For a moment, everything is silent except for the panting of the three sorcerers. Then Seraphina, who had finally been startled awake from the dramatic post-portal impact, begins to cry. Centurion scrambles to his feet, automatically pushing the baby into Ezekial’s waiting arms–he’s the best at soothing her. Unfortunately, she continues to scream, tugging on one of his hair twists in distress. Ezekial doesn’t allow this to deter him as he begins to walk around in a circle, adding a bounce to his step as he coos to her. Freed of his parental duties, Centurion takes in their surroundings. It’s a large bedroom, with a desk covered in papers and walls lined with bookcases. The darkness outside the one window confirms to him that they are indeed in Devildom, and he lets out a sigh of relief before turning to their savior. “Thank you, master Solomon. Your portal came just in time.”

The white-haired wizard just stares at him incredulously. “You know, by now, I should know you’re not joking when you send me a message saying ‘I recently became a guardian of a half-demon baby who the Sorcerer’s Society is hunting and we need your help,” but I thought for sure you’d finally developed a sense of humor.”

He wants to respond, indignancy starting to bubble up in his chest, but suddenly the door is thrown open, revealing a human wearing a uniform very similar to Solomon's, accompanied by what appears to be two Angels. “Solomon, are you alright? I heard…”

Their voice trails off as they take in the bizarre scene in front of them. Solomon immediately runs over to them, and Centurion swears he can see sweat forming on his old master’s forehead. “MC, I swear I can explain. This is–”

The other human, MC, holds up a finger, and Solomon’s mouth shuts with an audible click of teeth. “I don’t want to know what you’ve gotten us into until our guests are settled and the baby has stopped crying.”

Solomon nods, hurrying to pull out his desk chair for Nathaniel as Centurion stares at MC with fascination. “In all my years of knowing Solomon, I have never seen anyone able to order him about without a fight.”

“Oh, shut it, Centurion,” Solomon growls as he stalks past him out of the room, most likely to retrieve more chairs. The taller of the two angels, a gentle-looking man with warm blue eyes, steps towards Ezekial, who instinctively shies away from the stranger. The angel holds his hands out in a placating gesture. “My name is Simeon, and I’m one of the Seraphim–I mean no harm to you or the child. What can I do to help calm her?”

Ezekial looks to Centurion, who nods, before returning his attention to the angel. “I know you probably don’t have formula on hand, but if you could get some, warm it up, and add a few drops of vanilla, that’d be perfect. She’s still too young for cow’s milk.”

“Vanilla? That’s your big secret, Zed?” Nathaniel sounds outraged at this discovery, and Ezekial smiles sheepishly. “It’s how my mom got my little siblings to drink when they were fussy. Phi-phi seems to like it.”

“That’s cheating!” Before the argument can devolve further, Simeon cuts in. “I’m sure Luke and I can find something. Come on, Luke.”

This last statement is directed towards the other angel, a younger boy with blond hair, big blue eyes, and an almost-comically serious expression on his face. Both angels leave the room, leaving the three sorcerers with MC, who looks at them reproachfully. “There is a good reason for this, right? I mean, you didn’t just break into Solomon’s dorm room or something like that?”

“Of course not. I was an apprentice under Solomon a long time ago, and I called him for help.” MC looks slightly relieved, but concern fills their eyes. “Help with what?”

“That’s a long story.” They seem content with that answer, for now, instead sticking their hand out towards him to shake. “I’m MC, the other exchange student from the Human Realm.”

Centurion goes to take their hand but recoils immediately as he catches sight of the familiar tattoo on the inside of their wrist. “You’re a member of the Sorcerer’s Society?”

They look at the tattoo with surprise, as if seeing it for the first time. “Oh! No, I just went through the exam to get my license. I was Solomon’s apprentice and his friend. Since he doesn’t seem welcome there, that’s not a place for me either.” Centurion allows himself to relax, which they seem to notice. “I guess they’re part of why you needed his help.”

Nathaniel answers for Centurion, “More like the whole reason. This was the only place where ‘Phina would be safe.” MC’s brow furrows slightly. “And ‘Phina’ is the baby?”

“Seraphina. These two never call her by her full name.” Ezekial snorts. “Because it’s pretentious and long. I don’t know what we expected when we let a guy named Centurion name a baby.”

“Why wasn’t Seraphina safe? What could they want with a baby?” Centurion weighs how to answer carefully. “Because they want her dead.”

There’s a clattering of plastic on the floor–Simeon had returned with the bottle, which he dropped upon hearing those words. Luke scoops it up, pushing past Simeon and walking up to Ezekial. Centurion can see the concern in his eyes as he holds out the bottle of formula. Ezekial takes the bottle with a smile, cooing to Seraphina again as he holds it to her lips. Luke continues to hover next to him, watching the baby eat, which doesn’t escape Ezekial’s notice. “Do you want to feed her?”

“Yes! I mean, I’d enjoy that, thank you.” The sorcerer and the cherub walk over to Solomon’s bed, both sitting down so Ezekial can carefully place Seraphina in his arms. Simeon seems like he appreciates Ezekial’s gesture, but his expression is still predominantly horrified. “Who could want a baby dead.”

Nathaniel scratches the back of his head awkwardly, and Ezekial avoids eye contact, focusing on teaching Luke how to hold the bottle properly. Centurion expected this, but he’s still disappointed at the display of cowardice. “She’s half-demon. They tasked us with testing her magic abilities–when they weren’t as strong as the Society wanted, they declared her an abomination that needed to be killed.”

MC’s face twists to one of pure rage, and Simeon hurriedly places a hand on their shoulder in a calming gesture. They shake him off, turning to Solomon, who had just returned with two more chairs. “You knew this was happening and you didn’t tell Dia?”

The great sorcerer Solomon the Wise shrinks under this human’s gaze, mumbling something about how he was going to get around to it, and MC doesn’t seem convinced. “You have a pact with his butler! There’s absolutely no excuse for not telling him. You know he would have sent Lu or Beel to bring them here, if not me and all of the brothers, to keep them safe!” 

Centurion realizes with a start that they’re referring to the seven lords of hell, and he decides he can tolerate this bizarre human who calls two of the most powerful demons in existence ‘Lu’ and ‘Beel’, refers to the ruler of Devildom as ‘Dia’, and makes Solomon cower like a scolded child. MC stops their tirade, taking a deep breath before turning back to the three slightly-stunned sorcerers with a sweet smile. “I’m sorry for Solomon’s stupidity. When you’re ready, I’ll take you to Dia so we can sort out somewhere to stay for you all.”

Ezekiel has never been more stressed than he is while watching the ruler of Devildom coo at his baby from his seat on the throne in the Student Council chamber. “My lord, please remember to support her neck properly. She’s starting to sit up and crawl on her own, but it’s safer that way.”

Diavolo nods absentmindedly, not even sparing a glance at Seraphina’s distraught guardians as he bops her nose before moving one of his hands to support her neck as she sits on his lap. Seraphina seems to find this very amusing–she lets out a scream of laughter before grabbing one of the fingers on his free hand with both of her tiny ones, much to the prince’s delight. MC nudges Ezekial’s side with their elbow. “This is going perfectly so far–I think Diavolo’s in love.”

“Has he never seen a baby before?” Nathaniel’s interjection draws a snort from Ezekial, but MC’s expression turns somber. “He’s been isolated for most of his life, so probably not. I’m just glad to see him enjoying himself–plus, it’ll make it easier to convince Lucifer with both of us on your side.”

Ezekiel is about to ask why Lucifer would need convincing, but he’s interrupted by the oldest of the seven lords of hell striding into the room. Lucifer takes one look at the baby, happily teething on Diavolo’s finger, and the prince’s puppy dog eyes and says, “Absolutely not.”

Ezekial reflexively puts an arm out in front of Centurion to stop him from attacking the Avatar of Pride, hissing under his breath. “Let Diavolo and MC handle this. Fighting won’t make him want to let us stay.”

The prince frowns, “But Lu, look at her! She’s so precious, and they said she’ll be killed if we send her back.”

“And if we don’t send them back, we risk a war between the Sorcerers’ Society and Devildom, which would undo all of our work on the exchange program. It could jeopardize relations with the human realm and put MC at risk.” 

Diavolo holds up Seraphina, who has shifted into her tiny demon form–this often happens when she senses an argument in the room. Little curved black horns jut out from her dark hair as tiny dark-feathered wings flutter behind her. She seems startled by her sudden ascension into the air, causing her scaly tail to wrap around Diavolo’s forearm for support. “Please, Lu, she’s adorable! She looks just like you too!” His smile turns mischievous for a moment. “You know, I’m certain that MC told me her parents are unknown…”

Lucifer’s expression remains unamused, one brow raised as the baby happily burbles at him. “Unless my master has been keeping secrets from me, I can assure you that I am not her father.” MC clears their throat, cheeks darkening slightly, and Lucifer has the good sense to look vaguely repentant for his words. “Besides, none of that changes the dangers of protecting her.”

“Those dangers rely on the Sorcerers’ Society wanting to chance war with us. Human sorcerers have long relied on demon pacts for power, and a war would put that in jeopardy. In fact, I believe they’d avoid conflict altogether if the child were under my and your brothers’ protection.”

Diavolo’s tone leaves no room for argument, his expression hardening as he holds Seraphina closer to himself. Lucifer meets his gaze unshaken, and the two powerful demons continue their staredown. Ezekial can hear his heart pounding–Centurion is deathly still, and Nathaniel’s face has gone pale. Finally, Simeon breaks the silence. “What if there was a guarantee of safety from the Celestial Realm as well? I doubt the society would want a war with both realms.”

Lucifer turns to the Seraphim, skeptical. “How would you go about attaining such a guarantee for a half-demon child?”

“Luke and I will vouch for her to Michael. I’m sure an allowance can be made just this once. She’s still an infant and has done nothing wrong. It would be wrong of us to turn a blind eye in allowing them to kill her simply for not being of use to them.”

MC steps forward, placing a hand on Lucifer’s arm and looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Luci? I can’t stand the thought of sending Seraphina back, not when I know what they’ll do to her.”

Lucifer deflates slightly, sighing as he pulls the exchange student into an embrace. “You know I can’t say no to you, my love.”

Ezekial sees Nathaniel mouthing the term of endearment that the demon just said, utter confusion in his eyes. Even Centurion tilts his head slightly. They turn to Simeon for an explanation, but he just shrugs, a slight smile on his face. “MC has us all wrapped around their little finger. The decision was made the moment they laid eyes on the child.”

Diavolo’s face lights up, turning Seraphina around to look at him. “Lu said you could stay! Isn’t that exciting?” The baby blows a raspberry at him and giggles, causing the demon to throw back his head and laugh.

Centurion clears his throat, pulling the prince’s attention to him. “Pardon, my lord, but does that invitation of safety extend to us three as well?” Ezekial is glad that he didn’t have to ask this question–it seemed somewhat dangerous to press the generosity of these demons. “Of course it does! Lucifer, I believe you have a spare room in the House of Lamentation–you four can stay there so the rest of the brothers can get to know this little lady.”

His tone shifts to baby talk at the end as he returns his attention to Seraphina, bouncing her on his knee as she squeals with joy at this new game. Lucifer looks less amused. “I don’t believe we have the room or food for four more guests, Diavolo. I assume this is only a temporary placement until other accommodations are sorted?”

Diavolo stops playing with the baby, a slightly forlorn look on his face. “Yes, I’ll arrange a more permanent living space as quickly as possible. I’d wanted to have them stay at the castle, but Barbatos said no.” The butler, who had been silent up until that point, chuckles softly. “It’s already difficult enough to get the young master to focus on his work. I do not believe adding in such an adorable distraction would help with that.”

He pats Seraphina’s head with one gloved hand, and the baby blows a spit bubble at him in response. The prince of Devildom beams, completely enchanted by this display of entirely normal baby behavior. “I suppose you’re right, Barb. Still, I’ll work time into my schedule to come see her and get to know the rest of you as well. Do any of you have pactmates that you’d like us to alert to your arrival?”

Both Ezekial and Nathaniel look at Centurion expectantly, and he sighs. “I have a few, but I am capable of seeking them out myself. Thank you, my lord.”

“Well, that’s all settled then!” Diavolo resumes playing with Seraphina until MC clears their throat again. “Dia, I think our guests would like to take Seraphina to see where they’re staying. I’m sure she’ll need a nap after all this excitement.”

The ruler of Devildom actually pouts at this. “Are you sure, MC? Can’t I keep her just a little bit longer?”

Ezekial is equal parts bemused and morbidly curious as to why the most powerful demon in this realm is begging a human who he obviously isn’t in a pact with for permission to do something. Said human approaches the throne, kneeling next to it to look Diavolo in the eyes as he avoids their gaze. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to visit her later, Dia. You can even come over after you’ve finished your work to see if she’s still awake.”

“And if she isn’t?” Diavolo’s voice sounds oddly hopeful, and MC places one of their hands over his. “Then you’ll get to see me instead. Only if you finish your work, though.”

“Deal!” The prince shoots up out of his seat, carrying Seraphina over to Ezekial, who accepts the baby happily. She pulls one of the twists in his hair and then rests her little head on his shoulder, making him thankful that she’s already left her demon form. As much as he loves the little one, he dreads being poked by her horns. MC smiles at the three sorcerers, linking arms with Lucifer. “Come on, then! It’s a bit of a walk to the House of Lamentation, and we’ll want to get there before the rest of the boys get home. Belphie and Levi should be quiet enough to let her nap.”

A loud crash and the sound of arguing demons shake the House of Lamentation, startling Seraphina from soft fussing back into insistent screams of discomfort. Nathaniel wants to bury his head in the pillows of the large bed in their guest room, hiding from the infant’s distress in the luxurious bedding, but he knows he can’t abandon Ezekial. Centurion has never been good at the nighttime routine, so he’s currently sitting in the chair he’d dragged over from the simple desk that had been pushed against the wall, staring into the flames of the small fireplace. The room was comfortable but a little snug for two grown men and a baby. It was obviously designed for one, maybe two people maximum. However, after weeks of sleeping on the ground and in cheap motels, the bed and couch are incredibly inviting. MC had even managed to procure a cradle for Seraphina, meaning they’d finally be able to give her her own bed to sleep in.

“Come on, Phi-phi, please stop crying? You need the sleep.” Nathaniel shoots a glare at Ezekial. “We all do, Zed. It just so happens that we can’t sleep until ‘Phina does.”

The necromancer’s shoulders sag as he continues wandering around the room with their baby in his arms. “Maybe I should take her out on a walk. It’d get her away from all this noise and give you and Centurion a chance to rest.”

“If it comes to that, I will take her. You both require more rest than I do.” Centurion’s offer surprises Nathaniel–he usually doesn’t offer to take Seraphina alone unless absolutely necessary. Before he can make the same offer–after all, he won’t be outdone by a grumpy Roman soldier with a superiority complex–there’s a knock at the door to their room. “Come in!”

MC opens the door after Ezekial’s words, Beelzebub close behind them. “How are you four settling in? I see that Seraphina still hasn’t gone to bed.” Nathaniel decides to answer for the harried Ezekial. “The room’s great, no complaints there, but ‘Phina can’t sleep with all the racket downstairs. Makes me wish I’d put time into learnin’ a soundproofin’ charm.”

His companions murmur in agreement with his statement as Seraphina screeches loudly in time with another crash from downstairs. MC’s welcoming smile gains an almost dangerous edge to it as they turn to the Avatar of Gluttony. “Beel, would you be a dear and go get the rest of your brothers for me? I’m sure Lucifer will be happy to help wrangle them.” The massive demon nods, leaning down to kiss their forehead. “Sure, sweetheart, I’m on it.”

Nathaniel notes the physical affection and endearment with fascination. Of all the demon pacts he’s heard about, he’d never seen one that seemed to form any relationship beyond friendship. However, at least two of MC’s pactmates seem also to be romantically involved with them. It makes him glad that he hasn’t made a pact so far–if this is part of the expectations of a pact, he’s not ready for that. True to his word, Beelzebub returns with his brothers, Levi and Mammon being dragged by Lucifer, much to the latter’s irritation. “Oi, Lucifer, let go, that hurts! I haven’t even done anythin’!”

MC taps their foot impatiently, glaring daggers at Mammon, and the second oldest of the seven lords falls silent so they can speak. “In case you’ve forgotten, we have guests right now,” they walk to Ezekial, holding out their arms to take Seraphina. Once the baby is situated, they carry her back to the seven demons. “You see this adorable baby, right?”

They all nod silently, and MC smiles. “Good. Does she look happy to you?”

There’s a hiccuping sob from the baby as the brothers shake their heads. “That’s because she can’t get to sleep because some demons can’t keep the noise down to a reasonable level. So, if you can’t be quiet and well-behaved so our guests can get some much-needed rest, I’ll have to make you be quiet. Lucifer, you’d be happy to help with that, wouldn’t you?”

The Avatar of Pride smiles, obviously amused by MC's saccharine tone and the shiver of fear it brings from several of his brothers. “Of course, my love.”

“Good! Alright, off you go.” MC gives Seraphina back to Ezekial before shooing the demons off to their respective rooms. Ezekial closes the door behind them, slightly shell-shocked as he bounces Seraphina in his arms. “Mo, did you understand any of what just happened?”

“Well, Zed, I think we just watched a human successfully intimidate the seven lords of Hell.” Ezekial nods, still looking incredibly confused. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“I think we shouldn’t question it. If it works, we can get ‘Phina to sleep.” The house remains almost eerily silent, with the quiet only being broken by the occasional cry from Seraphina as she calms down, exhaustion starting to wash over her tiny body. It takes only a few minutes for her to stop completely, resting her head on Ezekial’s shoulder. He continues walking around until he’s sure she’s asleep, placing her in the cradle they’d dragged near Centurion’s seat. When he speaks, it’s in a hushed tone. “Who’s taking first watch?”

Centurion raises his hand, and Nathaniel nods vehemently, already making a beeline towards the bed to claim the left side, kicking off his shoes in the process. Ezekial sinks down onto the right side with a sigh of contentment, tapping the naturomancer’s arm twice, a silent method of asking Nathaniel to take the second shift. He gives Ezekial a thumbs up–after all, Ezekial was the one who most often sacrificed an unbroken night’s sleep for Seraphina’s sake–before turning his back to the other sorcerer, eyelids already heavy and drifting closed.

His dreams are chaotic, balancing on the boundary of mundane and nightmare. Lush, green fields and peaceful streams melt into rivers of blood and the kiss of cold, sharp steel against skin. One moment he’s leaning against a tree in the cool forest near the Sorcerers’ Society, the next he’s holding a broken body in his arms as he screams. Whether it’s Seraphina’s, Centurion’s, or Ezekial’s doesn’t matter to him, which he knows is something he should probably dedicate thought to when he wakes up. However, that would require realizing  there’s people close enough to hurt him, and he hasn’t allowed that since he was young.

“Morrison, wake up.” Nathaniel wakes up, eyes blinking and bleary as he focuses on Centurion’s armored form, one of his gloved hands on Nathaniel’s shoulder. “It is your turn with Seraphina.”

Nathaniel grunts and tries to get up, but he finds himself trapped in Ezekial’s sleeping death grip. “Little help here, Centurion?”

Centurion gently pries away Ezekial’s arms, leaving enough room for Nathaniel’s escape. The Necromancer curls in on himself, expression tightening as his breath becomes uneven–he relaxes when Centurion places a hand on his shoulder, the weight allowing Ezekial’s body to return to peaceful sleep. Neither of them fully understood what happened in his brain when he was asleep, but they’d eventually fallen into a routine of physical contact–or at least tolerating contact from the sleeping man–to help Ezekial rest. 

Nathaniel creeps over to the chair by the fire, praying that none of the floorboards will squeak and wake up the baby, who’s still fast asleep. The room is silent except for the crackling of burning logs and soft snores from Ezekial. Then he hears a gentle cooing from cradle, and one of Seraphina’s hands rises into the air, grasping at nothing. He scrambles over to pick her up–Seraphina would usually give them about five seconds to get to her before she’d start crying. Tiny hands grasp his shirt as the infant rests her head against his shoulder and he whispers, “Hey, ‘Phina. Sleep time’s over, huh?”

Of course, she doesn’t reply, just drools onto his shirt before gumming on the fabric. “Hungry? I dunno if they have anything for you here, but let’s go check.”

After retrieving one of Seraphina’s bottles from Ezekial’s bag, he opens the door as quietly as possible, socks padding his footfalls against the wooden floors as he tries to remember where the kitchen is. MC had taken them on a tour, of course, but all he’d been thinking of was finally getting to sleep in a real bed again. As Nathaniel reaches the ground floor, he hears the clinking and opening of cabinets. This finally leads him to the kitchen, where he comes face to face with the Avatar of Greed who seems to be attempting to fit an entire cake into his mouth.

They just stare at each other for a moment, before Nathaniel breaks the awkward silence. “Do you know if there’s any formula? ‘Phina woke up hungry.”

Beelzebub points to one of the cabinets, and Nathaniel shifts the baby to his hip as he opens it and pulls out a fairly normal-looking box of baby formula. The slight clang of metal on metal draws his attention back to the demon he’s sharing the kitchen with. Beelzebub has put a pot of water on the stove–he looks guilty when he notices Nathaniel’s eyes on him. “It needs to be boiled first, right?”

“Yeah, and vanilla, if you have it.” Now that he’s aware of Ezekial’s secret, he’s going to milk it for all it’s worth. He takes over the pot of water, standing awkwardly to keep Seraphina’s curious baby hands away from the hot stove. Beel awkwardly hovers nearby for a few moments after delivering a small bottle of vanilla extract before he clears his throat. “Do you want me to hold her while you’re making the bottle?”

“Oh, uh…” He really doesn’t, but he also knows that this demon has offered to protect his baby, so they might as well get acquainted. “Sure.”

Beel takes the baby from him with the careful restraint of someone picking up a priceless glass vase. He seems almost afraid to be holding her, quickly walking to sit on one of the stools lined up near the counter and putting Seraphina on his lap. He keeps one massive hand against her back, supporting her neck and keeping her upright as he just stares at the tiny being in his lap. Once Nathaniel is sure that the infant isn’t in any danger, he focuses on preparing the formula properly, turning off the fire once it’s boiled for a bit and setting the pot aside to allow it return to room temperature. Once it’s cool enough, he mixes in the formula, adds a few drops of vanilla, and pours a small amount into the bottle he’d brought with him. After he lets it cool down to a good temperature, the bottle is ready.

He hesitates as he approaches Beelzebub. “Do you want to try feeding her?” The demon nods, and Nathaniel reluctantly hands over the bottle. Seraphina gulps down the lukewarm formula greedily, finishing it quickly. When she realizes there’s nothing left, her little lower lip sticks out slightly, and Beel looks at Nathaniel. “She’s still hungry.”

“That makes sense. We haven’t been able to get a bigger bottle, so she takes two of these to get her fill.” Nathaniel takes the bottle, refilling it with the now slightly cooler formula and returning it to a delighted Seraphina.

Beelzebub looks fascinated by the baby. “She just drinks this? No other food?”

“Well, she’s old enough to start on solids, but we could never get anything baby-safe while we were on the run, y’know?” He still feels guilty about that. However, Beel’s expression lights up. “What counts as baby-safe? We might have something for her to try!”

Nathaniel wracks his brain, wishing he’d learned more about what foods would be good for Seraphina when Ezekial was explaining it. “Got any fruit? Human world fruit, I mean.”

“Sure, we’ve started keeping some for MC. We’ve got apples, oranges, bananas–” 

“Bananas would be perfect.” He remembers enough to know that he wouldn’t have to cook banana, just mash it up. He instructs Beel on this, watching as the demon diligently turns a banana into a bowl of mush. As Beelzebub goes to offer the first spoonful of banana mush to the baby, Nathaniel realizes something. “Shi– I mean, shoot, Centurion and Zed’ll kill me if we do this without them. Stay right here, I’ll go get ‘em.”

Nathaniel runs up the stairs, not caring for the noise he makes on his way to the room. He flings open the door, and the sound of it crashing against the door wakes up both Centurion and Ezekial, both of whom go into defensive mode. Nathaniel founds himself flung out into the hall by a gust of wind–he probably deserved that. Ezekial hurries to help him up, “Christ, Mo, what was that for? Just because you had to wake up doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t get to sleep.”

“Zed, ‘Phina’s about to try her first solids!” Ezekial’s eyes light up. “Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!”

That’s how the three men find themselves gathered around Beelzebub, waiting with baited breath as the demon offers a spoonful of banana to the baby. She accepts it skeptically, but her eyes widen at the sweet taste. She swallows it quickly and looks at the rest of the bowl expectantly–Beel is absolutely ecstatic. “She likes it! Is there anything else she can eat?”