#ozera request

Of course, it was so simple! Well, not "simple". Could Solomon recreate his potion or did MC have to become a demon? There was a story about a magic stone in the forest- Diavolo was so busy hashing out the logistics, it took him a minute to realize MC was grimacing. It had never occurred to him that they wouldn't want to stick around. His first thought was that they were unhappy; was it the Devildom? Was it RAD and the students? Was it him?

Diavolo didn't go home that night, talking with MC well into the morning. They liked the Devildom, they liked him, the brothers- nothing was wrong. They just didn't want immortality. They tried their best to explain; there's a comfort to knowing there will be an "end". No ghosts, no spirits, no after life and beyond. Just time spent to the best of their ability, and maybe a few good memories to carry with you in those last moments. Having a 'deadline' so to speak, made these moments more important.

MC didn't say anything when Diavolo turned away, brushing his hair to the side as he quickly wiped away a few stray tears. Instead they took his hands and told him about their dreams. Jobs they'd want to take, events they'd like to see, skills to learn. It wasn't the most in depth plan, wasn't world shaking and revolutionary, but it was what they wanted. Their piece of happiness. They mentioned specific moments they wanted to live with him and the brothers, laying out these moments right up to their death. Knowing that MC wanted him by their side until the very end mollified him and despite his reluctance, he promised MC to let them die human.

They had such a short future together in the grand scheme of things- so why had fate ripped it away? It wasn't supposed to end like this, MC was supposed to grow old, a head full of light hair and facing their end with loving friends and family- not these bulky machines, a cold room, and lacking the energy to hold their own head up.

The brothers were already stuffed into the room, and Diavolo couldn't hear most of what Barbatos was reporting to him.

"Accident... ruptured... escaped... can't heal..."

It meant nothing to him as he made his way to the bed. He stood where the others had parted for him, taking Mc's hand in his own. MC rolled their head to the side to look at him, running their thumb over his knuckles. Diavolo couldn't just sit here and watch them die, "MC, this isn't your time. You promised we'd have years together."

"Well I assumed we did, and you know what they say about assumptions." MC tried to joke, but their laugh came out a hacking cough.

"We can't heal you, but maybe we could-" Diavolo looks over to Barbatos, to Lucifer, but neither had an answer for him.

"Please MC, let us turn- " Mammon took MC free hand, begging. They all knew about MC's wish, and most put up a better fight than Diavolo had, but MC never budged. Even now, they still found enough energy to glare at Mammon and speak clearly.

"Don't. You. Dare." Mc couldn't hold this anger for long, and soon enough was pressing themselves back into the pillows. It seemed to take the last of the fight out of them, and with a final smile, they mumbled, "love you guys."

A long, monotonous beat filled the silence in the room. Mammon buried his head into the hospital bed, and Asmo held himself tighter, paler than his jacket. Someone was sobbing, but a siren's pitch had muffled Diavolo's hearing.

A handful of lunches and festivals, a couple more vacations. Maybe a date or two if he was lucky. Was that really too much to ask for?

No.

It wasn't.

"Turn them." The room jolted back to life as everyone turned to Lord Diavolo, but no one moved further. "Didn't you hear me? Turn MC immortal."

"Lord Diavolo-"

"I won't ask a third time." Diavolo waves off whoever spoke, "Human brains can survive up to 3 minutes after death without severe damage. Revive them and fix this."

"Mc made it well known that they never wanted immortality," Lucifer warned. "Would you really be okay with them hating you?"

"They'll be mad for a while, but they'll have an eternity to get over it. Are all of you really so willing to let them go?" Lord Diavolo looks at each brother, and Barbatos in turn, and no one tried to lie. They wanted MC to stay around a little longer, and Diavolo had known them best. If he was really sure MC would forgive everyone eventually, they would tolerate a few years of hostile stares and cold shoulder treatment.

--------------

Lord Diavolo hadn't stayed for ritual, already having spent an entire day in the human realm he was quickly falling behind on the tasks he needed to complete before tomorrow. Barbatos stopped by the study to give an update on MC's status. Neither spoke about the dark circles under Barbatos eyes, hair disheveled, and posture ever so bent. Diavolo dismissed him for the night.

Lord Diavolo was in the student council room the next afternoon, preparing for the council meeting when the door banged open with enough force to crack the wall. He turns to smile at MC as they ran into the room, he'd rather see this face full of anger and hatred than the cold empty stare he saw yesterday. He didn't even care that this anger was directed at him.

"Traitors! All of you!" MC pulled out a chair to knock to the floor, but the magic was still new in their veins so they sent the chair flying instead. Diavolo couldn't help but smile; with this strength MC would be even safer in the Devildom than before. Mc didn't see it that way.

"Is this funny to you?" Mc made a move for Diavolo, but Mammon and Beel flanked them in an instant, holding them back. "You swore to me! You promised you'd let me go!"

"I did. And I kept my promise, but you didn't keep yours." Lord Diavolo puts down a stack of papers and gives MC his full attention. "'Let you die human'", were the exact words you made me swear, and I did. You died and came back, humans are resuscitated all the time. You, on the other hand, promised me years together. And I intend to get them."

"If you think you're spending another minute with me after a stunt like this, you're wrong." MC pulls themselves free from Mammon and Beel, glaring at each brother as they made their way back to the door, "As long as I live, I don't want to see ANY of you ever again, and that's an order!" They slam the door behind them as they leave, and the brothers buckle at the knees. They share a look of alarm, never having considered that they'd be ordered to stay away from MC. The stagger to their feet and look to Diavolo, all the confidence in his words from yesterday gone.

"Still sure about your plan?" Satan words dripped venom, already feeling dread building up for having agreed to this plan.

"I sure didn't hear any complaining yesterday." Diavolo goes back to organizing the files, undeterred by the scene that had just played out. "MC has never been able to hold a grudge for too long before, even when they should have. Their anger will fade as their human memories do, we just have to wait it out. They'll grow to be grateful for this gift, and will always have a place at Royal Academy of Diavolo."

Even if they wanted to, they couldn't regret it now, they had no way to undo the immortality. So during the meeting that no one was paying attention to, the brothers made their own plans; keep MC's room clean for them, don't touch their things. Leave gifts and notes in places they used to frequent and hope that one day MC would remove their command.

Very very optional ending:

(Tone of the extended ending: You go low, I go to hell)

---------------------------

"Take me."

"MC, baby, take me out to dinner first." Thirteen didn't look up from the cup of tea she was stirring, having heard MC running here from the second they entered the cave.

"You know what I mean," MC storms over to stand in Thirteen's line of sight. They looked kind of cute like this, mad and winded, but the image was soured by the knowledge of something unnatural at work.

"I do, and I was planning to come see you later this week. Solomon tried to hide your death and resurrection," a quick pause to sip her drink, " but he hasn't quite mastered how to conceal life forces."

"I don't want to be immortal."

"That rings a bell, you might have mentioned it once or twice."

"Thirteen-" there was a warning in MC's tone, but Thirteen gestured for them to take a seat and took another sip of her drink. "You were always a funny one MC. No one could tell you what to do, no one could impose their will on to you. I like that."

"We had a deal." Pain from the betrayal leaks into MC's words, but the shaking hands accept the cup Thirteen offered. "I plan to see it through even if he doesn't. I never cared for breaking a promise. "

"Amen to that, but I hope you don't mind if I steal a few more minutes with you." A lie, but a sweet one for MC's sake. Even when humans willingly walk to their death, although it wasn't usually so literal, there is always a desire to extend the final moments just a little bit. "Any reason you came to me?"

"I figured that if you could take Solomon's immortality away, mine shouldn't be a problem. And you might be the only person that completely supports me having to 'leave'." MC doesn't drink the tea, but let's the cup warm their hands. They sat in silence for a few minutes, with Thirteen sipping and humming in peace before MC spoke up again. "... Will they try to hurt you for helping me?"

Thirteen snorts, and swallows her tea before she can choke on it. "MC, there are plenty of forces stronger than Lord Diavolo, and even stronger than that butler of his, in this universe. And I happen to be the guard to one of them- he isn't putting his hands on me no matter how badly he'll want to."

MC nods, clearly relieved, "That's good. Thank you thirteen."

"Really I should be thanking you. Why are so many people hell bent on breaking the natural laws?" Thirteen finishes off her tea and stands up, leading MC out of the room.

"Will they know I'm gone?" MC holds on tightly to the rope bridge as the wind makes it sway, finally recognizing where Thirteen was leading them. "Or will you have to tell them?"

"The pacts breaking is a pretty obvious tell. It won't hurt them, but they'll know immediately. That's probably for the best." Thirteen holds their hand out for MC to grab and leads them into the candle room. Reversing the spell would be easiest here, and it's one hell of a final view. Thirteen leads MC to the center of the room, giving their hand a squeeze before stepping away. "How do you want to go?"

"Dealer's choice. Can't be worse than the first time."

"Then I'll make it painless for you."

"MC-"

"Fine fine, I'll save them for breakfast, if Beel doesn't break into my room first."

Lucifer normally checks on his brothers in the middle of the night to make sure they haven't snuck out or raided the fridge, and now it seems you also need to be checked on. Lucifer will be too busy to join your baking most nights, but he does go out of his way to make time for it if he notices you've been down lately. He comes to appreciate these few hours with you, idle chatter but no real pressure to hold a conversation. You simply enjoy each others company as you work in tangent, passing ingredients and cleaning as you go. However, you two work a little too well together; you're so comfortable in this pattern of working together that if you're not careful you end up with enough cookies to feed the entire Devildom, AND Beel.

Mammon

"Ok, it's midnight, I've got half an hour to get to the casino before the real money starts moving-" Mammon mutters to himself as he slicks his hair back, double checking the silver watch on his wrist. Lucifer was out on business and he intended to make use of these next few nights. Mammon knows his brother well enough than to walk out of the front door- it was probably hexed- so he opens a side window to sneak out instead. Right as he sticks his head out, something slams against him and forces him back in. He's ready to curse Lucifer out under his breath, only to see you rubbing your head- having just failed at sneaking into his room.

"MC? What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to bake some cookies with me, but now maybe I need to go to a doctor, hell, why is your head so hard-"

"Cookies? It's midnight, you should be asleep."

"So should you." He sticks his tongue out at that, and considers your offer. It's about a 50/50 chance that he'll accept, sometimes he's just too pumped to go out for the night so he'll offer to bring you along instead of staying in. When you manage to convince him to stay in with you, he won't change out of his nice clothes, even if you're in PJs. Rolls up his sleeves and takes his rings off, he insists you make his favorite cookies every time- they just taste better when you make them together. Mammon is the type to throw a bit of flour or batter at you, tossing you a few chocolate chips or nuts here and there as you bake. You two joke easily and sometimes you get so wrapped up in your little bubble that you forget it's the middle of the night so Lucifer has to come down to yell at you two for making too much noise.

Every time Mammon will joke about starting a cookie business with you, one that could rival Madam Screams, and every time you have to remind him that he and Beel would eat most of the inventory. Mammon's ever the smooth talker so he'll help you bake, but he also tries to trick you into cleaning the dishes yourself. Nothing could beat fresh cookies with you at 2 am, even if he knew he'd feel the lack of sleep tomorrow morning. Mammon is one of the few brothers that might come to wake YOU up for a midnight baking session, especially once he realizes you've been inviting his other brothers to bake when he goes out.

Leviathan

Waking him up isn't the problem- it's pulling him away from the game/series of the night. He's always been strict with his gaming, and even the chance at getting some alone time with you doesn't completely waver his dedication. If he's in co-op, there is an almost zero percent chance he's coming with you. Otherwise, you're pretty successful at pulling him away after the next episode/ battle, assuming he doesn't convince YOU to stay.

Levi will often join you, but if he isn't making something specific he sets a timer. The second it dings he's picking up his snacks and going back to his marathon, but of course you're welcome to come chill in his room once you're done baking. If Levi wants to make something with you, his baking tends to be complicated and he's fickle over the designs- mostly replicating food from the last show he watch or in honor of his favorite videogame characters. His hands are steady as he pipes chocolate, never blinking as he keeps watch on the thermometer to avoid burning the caramel he's making, demanding absolute silence for 'fragile' desserts like macaroons and cheesecakes- all while you're here just trying to enjoy a simple batch of snickerdoodles.

Oh, and good luck with clean up because Levi dumps it all on you while he goes to hide his creations.

Satan

"psst pssssssst. Satan, are you asleep?"

Had it been anyone else in the three realms, you might have been obliterated on the spot. Satan's sleep schedule is a bit irregular- between his schoolwork, social calendar, and reading binges it's a little difficult to get sufficient rest, so he tries to make the most of the few hours he can before class. He's glaring at you from between his covers, his green eyes and the most horrendous cow lick the only things visible beneath the blanket.

"Yes."

"Then how'd you respond?"

"Whhhhaattt do you want MC?" His voice is whiny with sleep, so it was a little hard to tell that you were in danger, instead trying to tug the blankets off.

"Come on sour puss, let's make cookies."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT."

Satan puts up a fight, and if you keep pushing he's just going to pin you under one arm and go back to sleep, and now you're trapped there for the night- at least you can cuddle him. Like Asmo, Satan isn't one to compromise his sleep unless he absolutely has to, so if you want to make cookies with him you need to catch him while he's reading late into the night, or coming back from an event.

When you can get him to bake with you, he always goes by the book until he memorizes the recipe. He'll want to make your favorite cookies, but if neither of you can decide on what to make, he'll ask to make cat biscuits to donate to the cat cafe tomorrow. Satan talks about his books, and asks about your schoolwork and other friends while you two bake, keeping a mellow atmosphere since it's late into the night. If the mood is just right, he'll hum a song under his breath as he roams the kitchen, taking a minute to inspect each spice and ingredient before throwing some in for the hell of it. Satan puts on a timer and will let you lean against him while you wait for the cookies to finish baking. He probably won't eat any if it's late, not wanting to brush his teeth again, but he'll make sure to save them for when he goes back to reading later on.

Asmodeus

When you wake him up that first night, Asmo was up in a second, and scared. You never really came into his room late at night unannounced, and when you did you just rolled into bed and fell asleep- so was something wrong? Were you hurt?

Once you reassure him you were okay, he finds your offer of cookies very cute. He'll join you once in a blue moon, but proper beauty sleep is one of the Asmo's essential necessities in life. He'll compromise with you if you want to make cookies a little earlier (when he would normally be at parties) and schedule it with him ahead of time so he can work it into his routine. It works best if you have a few set days in the month to night baking so he's always dressed up for you and might even have a few recipes he wants to try- most of them are cupcakes.

Beel

You think you're waking HIM up? That's cute. Beel was already on his way to the kitchen when you run into him, and he agrees to join your baking mission. He gives you first dibs on the fridge so he doesn't feel bad about eating the rest. Even then, you have to prepare separate batches of cookies because raw cookie dough is one of Beel's favorite desserts. He takes care of all the cleaning while you make sure the cookies don't burn, and prevent Beel from eating them straight out of the oven.

Belphegor

MC tries to take some of the load off his shoulders, offering to summarize the less important paperwork and help with filing, trying to get him to relax enough so he can feel comfortable enough to ramble about his stress- anything to get it off his chest. Lucifer clearly see's through their efforts and insists that being in their company is help enough.

MC isn't discouraged, they knew he wouldn't give in so easily, so instead they learn to realize when he had a smaller workload or was starting to reach a peak level of stress, and prepared a routine of demonus and music to get him to trust them.

MC wants to be able to have intimate moments like this with him in the future, without it necessarily starting a dump session or always bringing up bad feelings- that would push Lucifer away more than anything else. So they pick very specific drinks and even buy a brand new record for them to listen to together during these little talks. They also make a point to always mark a turning point in the conversation with a few key phrases ("You seem to be-", "Have you been getting enough rest-").

It takes a few repeated nights like this before Lucifer can really start to open up and realize that these moments will always be confidential, and most importantly he will be safe with MC. They fall into a pattern- a lull in the work, an offering of wine. Dim lights, and background music, MC carries the conversation until Lucifer is relaxed enough to join in. A few lines from him, a few questions from MC, and soon Lucifer is leaning on their shoulder, or has them placed against his chest as he talks to his hearts content.

It's not always sad or dark topics, sometimes Lucifer just wants to hear MC's opinions on things, or pose silly questions that get him weird looks from others. Sometimes those questions hide darker meanings, so MC makes sure to guide the conversation carefully and keep an eye on the amount of demonus Lucifer drinks during a session.

Lucifer can't handle personal talks like this as well as MC, but that's to be expected, they are trained after all. So instead he shows he cares with acts of service; taking over chores, inviting them to lunch, offering to help with any problems they might encounter.

MC makes it clear that Lucifer can come speak to them whenever and continues to stop by when they can spare the time, for who will care for the care giver?

Mammon

No matter how close of friends Mammon and MC become, there are some things he just refuses to talk about, and they're often the things that need to be said the most.

He's been the distraction, the emotional punching bag of the family and it didn't take a trained therapist to see it or worry about the damage it was doing to him, demon psychology be damned.

MC tries to broach the topic with him one day, and quickly learns that he's a deflector. Mammon changed the topic immediately, and every time after that when MC tries to gently push him to talk about it. But Mammon hadn't reacted hostile to the questioning, so MC decided to let him come talk to them on his own terms.

It happened after a night of drinking- liquid courage and all that.

While he'd never put a label to it or talk to his brothers about it, Mammon is the most open about talking with MC about these things. He'll almost always be the one to come to MC first, kicking it off with a quick "Hey, could we talk later?" instead of his usual "Are you busy right now?" or "Where are you, we're going out!".

Mammon likes to pretend it isn't happening, like it's any old thing. He'll ask to have a movie playing in the background that neither is watching. He'll play with MC's hand, their hair, poking fun at their clothes between serious statements. But the one thing he always refuses to let MC see him crying. So instead MC offers an alternative- they will turn around and he'll cry into their back, and oddly enough it works for them. He's comforted by them and their presence, without the shame he feels at being vulnerable like this when he knows his brothers would never let him hear the end of it.

Mammon also makes it a point to be around if MC ever needs to talk. He wants them to know they can trust him too, so if he ever thinks they're holding something back from him, he'll try to take them out on a fun day to see if they'll be willing to talk afterwards.

Levi

MC's methods with Levi are indirect. Considering that asking him regular questions about love and "normie stuff" send him into a tangent of grumbles, it's not hard to imagine Levi shutting down almost immediately if MC were to try to talk about his self depreciation in any sort of seriousness.

So instead, MC speaks to him in the language of video games and manga.

He'll be in the middle of an intense gaming session when an innocent question is posed. What does he like about his favorite characters? Why are they so amazing? MC insists it's okay if he's mentioned it a hundred times before, they want to hear it again. And Levi's great at multitasking, so he'll go into his passionate speeches about the great Henry and the undefeatable Ruri chan. He feels silly at the bit of pride he feels when MC tells him that he has some of the same characteristics he praises in these characters, but Levi thinks they must be bluffing, so he tries to change the topic around on them.

MC also asks about Levi's least favorite characters, and when he starts to bash and berate them can't help but pose another "random thought"; did Levi see a bit of himself reflected in them? Is that why he hated them?

If Levi stops playing his games entirely to stare at MC, they reassure him that it was simply a hypothetical; you don't really need a reason to hate a character, so they meant no harm in that question. MC points out characters they hated for that reason- seeing the worst of themselves reflected- to try to ease Levi's concern, and so he'll resume gaming and he's finally more open to a conversation.

It's all video game and manga characters, comparing each other and their traits, good and bad to keep it even.

Satan

"If any of my co workers saw me do this, I'd get fined and my license suspended immediately."

Satan was a tricky case, he was more analytical of the media he consumed, so MC couldn't pull the same trick as with Levi. There was also the possibility that if he figured out what MC was trying to do, he'd start to ignore them altogether, or in an extreme case, threaten them. So what did MC decide to do?

Get him a drink.

Fine, 3 or 4 may be more than "a drink" but the gentleman brother had few other vices MC could use to their benefit. Similar to Lucifer, MC picks a very specific drink to have Satan associate with trust and opening up, and works very had to set the atmosphere just right for Satan to want to talk about his doubts and fears.

It was a balancing act at first, the first time was too many drinks and Satan had been inconsolable about the cat he hadn't seen in a week. The next time, he hadn't been relaxed enough and when the topic switched to Lucifer and his birth, he'd became so enraged that he smashed the bottle they had been drinking from. He hadn't flown into a blind rage, but it had been enough for MC to decide to leave that topic after a longer build up of trust.

These talks with Satan often ended up with Satan laying across MC's lap as he let the weight of the devildom crush the words out of him- disjointed, ugly, messy, and more than a touch acidic. Once MC had posed a question or topic, Satan ran with it until the exhaustion from thousands of years of pent up anger started to catch up to him.

MC never let him fall asleep like this though, always bringing conversation back to lighter topics before he drifted off to sleep. They'd run a hand through his hair and assure him that he was not just a by product of Lucifer, or an accumulation of his sin. Satan was his own demon, and he wasn't defined by the actions of those before him.

Satan often didn't remember the contents of the conversation the next day, only feeling a weight off his shoulders and his steps a little lighter. He always made sure to take MC out to lunch for 'inconveniencing' them the night before, but thanks them for keeping him company when he was less than amicable. Satan goes out of his way to set up similar sessions for MC, thinking that destressing with conversation must be one of the ways they show affection, so he wanted to show he was paying attention to their 'love language'.

Asmo

Working with Asmo is a trade off and a battle of wits.

He's not stupid, the first time MC tried to push him into sensitive territory during one of their spa nights, he called them out on it. Asmo's also smart enough to know that MC wouldn't just drop it because he asked, so he agrees to their little therapy sessions, on his terms.

The sessions were to be held at most, once every 2 weeks, and MC had to let Asmo pamper them while they talked. Skin care, nails, hair, full 9 yards or it was a no go.

While Asmo never turned down a chance to spend quality time with MC, showing off his multiple talents, there was another purpose to the self care routine. Asmo planned to carefully manipulate the version of himself he shows MC, the perfect role of vulnerable and trusting, to make them believe they were leading the therapy sessions without actually revealing too much about himself. Can't have them seeing that ugly side of him after all.

But Asmo's met his match in MC. They came prepared with their own little turn around, letting Asmo believe he was leading them by the nose but every so often MC would ask him for advice and opinions, theoretically, "asking for a friend."

MC was careful in wording the situation for each "friend" to get a feel for Asmodeus true nature, and if they suspected that he was catching on, they'd make the next question a little more personal so he'd believe the "friend" he was asking about was really themselves.

It's a good thing that DDDs came password protected because trying to stay 3 steps ahead of Asmo's lead took some careful planning and there was an entire subfolder dedicated to MC's 'game plan'.

Beel

MC comes to Beel directly, explaining their line of work and if he'd ever want to speak with them about how he's doing and about his everyday life. Beel's a little confused, he doesn't think anything was wrong per se, but he was always down to spend more time alone with MC so he would entertain these little talks they suggested.

Beel was surprised when MC invited him to the gym late one night for their first "therapy visit". The gym was abandoned, but he'd missed his workout earlier in the day so it all worked out.

While MC stretched and did light workouts near him, Beel went about his usual routine. He didn't understand how this would be considered a therapy, but working out did always make him feel better, so he answered any random question that MC asked him.

MC asked about his brothers, why he loved the food he loved. Silly little things, but he indulged them.

What had he felt about Belphie being gone? Was he still mad at Lucifer for lying?

These questions were heavier than the weights he was bench pressing, and for a second, Beel lost his grip and was pinned under the bar for the first time in his life. He caught his breath quickly, and managed to lift the weights, unsure if MC had caught his slip. He holds them up for a moment before continuing his set as usual, mulling over their questions.

Working out helps him think through his feelings and gives him an excuse to pause before answer MC's questions, but he never tried to hide anything from them.

MC leads the first few months of workout therapy, working through the problems they knew most about, and after that Beel took the lead, inviting them out to the gym late at night when he needed to talk, if MC was down for it of course.

Belphie

Another deflector. Conversations that could venture into sensitive topics weren't rare with Belphegor, far from it in fact. So by now MC's noticed his usual patterns. His brothers, his memories, pillows, astronomy. Belphegor will talk about anything that isn't actually about himself.

MC takes a similar approach as to the one with Leviathan, pulling Belphie into conversations with astrology and constellations. MC tells him stories associated with constellations, some ringing a little too familiar to moments from Belphie's life, but he didn't know about human mythology so he couldn't call them out on it.

Belphegor has some inkling of what MC is trying to do, but he's seen the good it's done for Beel so tries to humor the idea for a bit. He starts off in control, a bit distant and cold in his critique of the myths MC told him, but as the night drags on, anger colors his tone.

Betrayal, humiliation, the bitter taste of realizing you were wrong.

Belphegor doesn't know when he switched from 3rd person to first, but he's shocked to hear his own voice fume over the way his brothers treated him when he first came back, how quickly everyone had tossed months of secrets away as if there weren't at least 4 treasons mixed in there.

Levi and MC often work on the same wavelength- below operating level. "HURRY UP WE'RE LATE!!" A miracle of miracles happened, and all 15 of Levi's alarms failed to wake him up this morning and now they were running late to the release of a new video game he hadn't been able to preorder. He followed close behind MC as they ran down the hallway, doing quick mental math to figure out how far back they'd be in the line. "Okay, we can save some time if-" Levi doesn't get to finish his sentence as MC flings themselves down the stairs, and doesn't think twice before throwing himself down the stairs too. "Brilliant! This will save us at least 30 seconds-" Levi tries to imitate MC's tuck and roll method to minimize the damage, but ends up getting tangled with them. He sprains his wrist and MC sprains their ankle, both being reprimanded for an hour and to add insult to injury, Levi has to beg Mammon to get him a copy of the video game.

Satan never fails to be surprised by human ingenuity. And stupidity. MC had taken a particularly hideous photo of Satan, and while he normally wouldn't care, something about MC's mischievous grin told him that he shouldn't let that photo live to see the light of day. He had chased them out of his room , down the hall and halfway up the stairs to the attic when he finally grabs MC's ankle and forces them to trip. Satan takes a minute to catch his breath, there's no way they could out run him now- DID THEY JUST JUMP OFF THE STAIRWELL. Satan tries to grab MC but their momentum pulls him over the railing too, and it's only by turning into his demon form and using his tail to grab the railing that they're both saved from taking a nasty fall to the ground.

Asmo doesn't tend to miss much when he goes out on his shopping trips, mostly because there is a pattern to his family's madness. Mammon gambles, Satan and Belphie do pranks, Lucifer is grumpy, Belphie is asleep and Beel eats the inedible. It's always the same old thing. However, what wasn't the same old thing was when he arrived home today, calling out to MC to show off some new devilgram worthy product he had bought. He sees MC run to the staircase, but before he can tease them about being so excited to see him, the throw themselves down the stairs. He barely stiffles his scream, running to the base of the stairs to catch MC who's just tumbled to a relatively harm-free stop. It's clear they've done this before, but Asmo still proceeds to cuss them out for stressing him out like that. That's how people get wrinkles MC! Just look at Lucifer!

Beel, wasn't sure why he was chasing them, he still wasn't sure what ghost tag was either, but MC seemed to be having fun so he went along with it. He could easily outpace them, but wants to keep the game going so he gives MC an advantage and trails just out of their reach. Beel is about to tag them before the reach the end of the hall, presumably going to hide in their room, but to his horror, MC turns tail and jumps off the stairs, losing be damned. Like Lucifer, Beel reaches out to grab them but only manages to grab onto their ankle, leaving MC to fall down face first into the staircase.

Then, a surprise.

MC stepped in to save Luke AND him from Lucifer's wrath after that misunderstanding. Their legs were shaking, voice unsteady, but they used their full body to block Lucifer's path and stood their ground, actually taking a hit for him in the process. It would have been far easier for MC to agree with Lucifer and let him take the beating- he was a demon after all, he would have been fine eventually no matter what Lucifer did. Was it pride or loyalty that made MC strong and weirdly nice? Were they just like this with everyone? Regardless, he felt indebted to them and the pact was formed, a bit of respect earned.

After forming the pact, Beel started spending more time with MC and found himself going to them whenever he had some free time. They didn't complain as much as the others about his appetite and almost always tagged along when he went into town. He found himself starting to pick up on their food preferences and started carrying around snacks he knew they would like, even making an effort to keep Belphegor from eating them. When Beel went out alone, he couldn't help but notice small trinkets in stores and think of MC, and soon he was wracking up bills almost half as long as his dinner orders .

It was one of these days in line, holding a small ceramic figure and imaging how happy you'd be that he realized how badly he'd fallen for their charm. The realization of loving MC hit him so hard he couldn't speak when he went up to the register, and instead of going home, he took a seat outside of a nearby cafe to clear his head. The waitress was stunned when Beel waved her away; the only thing he wanted right now was to see MC's smile and that thought made his face turn into a bright red that went down his neck and reached up to blend in with his hair. When he was able to keep his heart from fluttering just at the thought of you he started to realize just how much time he spent with MC or seeking them out. But no, they're just a good friend. MC is nice to everyone, and being funny was a bonus- a great friend, that was all. He sat there for so long, he actually managed to convince himself he was overthinking things so he went home. But when he gave them the trinket and they smiled up at him, his heart skipped a beat and he knew he was done for.

Beel isn’t stupid, he knows that his brothers also have feelings for MC and they’ve actually been making advances for months now while he was worried over Belphie. He saw how often MC spent time with Mammon, and never turned down a walk through the town with Satan, so instead he resigned himself to loving and protecting them from afar. But that didn’t stop him from making it clear that he was available and just as impressive as his brothers.

Beel shows off his strength any chance he gets. If MC's okay with it, he’ll randomly pick them up and carry them around, especially if MC's being too nice to walk away from his brothers being annoying. When they went go shopping together he’ll take every single bag in one hand so MC wouldn't have to carry anything, and he still has a hand free to offer them. Did they need help rearranging everything in their room? He’s your man, MC. Did they buy an entire blast furnace at the store and need help getting it home? He has no idea they sold those in the Devildom, but cool, he’ll be there in 10 minutes.

--

“Oh MC, I found your pencil, it was under the bookcase.”

“Thank you Beel!” MC grabs the pencil casually, feeling fully assured that he wouldn’t let the bookcase drop on them, even though he was holding it high up with one hand.

----

Beel starts fighting to spend more time with them. Not physically fighting of course, but he knew how to push his brothers into his favor. Of course MC needed to come to the store with him, what if he ate the food on the way back? No, Belphie’s asleep, it has to be MC.

"MC, you should come to the gym with me. No, a shirt would limit my range of motion so I’m not going to wear one- unless it makes you uncomfortable? Oh, you want to read? What about you sit on my back while I do push ups? I feel like I have more energy when you’re around to encourage me."

Beel doubles down on old habits with MC; making them snacks while they were studying and doing homework, buying seasonal items, carrying extra snacks to offer them that not even Belphegor was allowed to touch them. Beel was true to his birthday promise to MC, every week he treats you to a new restaurant or cafe and shows them all of his favorite places around the Devildom. It’s totally a coincidence that there is always an event or interesting store near the restaurants and now you spent the entire day together. He would cherish every moment he could steal you away from his brothers, and one day would work up the resolve to steal a kiss too.

smaller notes:

asks his brothers for advice but doesn't mentions that you're his crush, so everyone is eager to share their knowledge.

Satan suggests writing and leaving love poems in secret, but Levi is the one who helps Beel write it. It's 4 pages long and so god awfully cringey, filled to the brim with references that Beel didn't understand but Levi had been so excited to get to show off his craft that Beel still accepted the letter. He didn't give it to you though.

Mammon offers to ask out this mystery person then break up with them so Beel could be their night in shining armor and comfort them afterwards, which Beel also declined for obvious reasons.

After some back and forth and a mountain of promises, MC caves and agrees to help Mammon. Mammon gives them a tight hug and a kiss on the top of their head, thanking them a million times before telling them about his game plan to convince the witch. When MC realizes they're about to spend their weekend taking and doctoring a years worth of 'secretly dating' photos, they're tempted to back out. However, they knew Mammon was right to a point- there was almost no one else that could help him without his punishment being just as bad as getting married to a random witch. It wouldn't be so bad, right? They only had to publicly fake date for a month and maybe be seen shopping for wedding attire to completely convince the witch.

After their little photoshoot all around the Devildom, Mammon breaks one more piece of news to MC- his brothers can't find out about ANY of this. If they knew the truth, Lucifer might actually force him to take the pact or worse. So they spent the rest of the day learning to edit photos and coming up with a game plan to convince the brothers. They'd have to pretend to be a couple both in and out of RAD and hoped that openly spending more time together would convince his brothers.

Monday morning came and they couldn't put it off any longer. Mammon and MC trailed behind everyone else, lurking at the edge of the doorway out of the house. They exchange a look, and Mammon extends his hand, MC taking it and giving it a little squeeze of reassurance. He leads MC out and keeps holding their hand down the stairs and across the yard, ignoring the shocked and open mouthed looks from his brothers.

"Aww, I want to hold MC's hand too!" Asmo runs up to MC's left side and reaches for their hand, but pulls back like he's been burned. "WHAT IS THAT!" MC and Mammon turn around to face the brothers and MC places their left hand on Mammon's chest.

"Hey, we're gonna walk ahead, alright you guys? I really just want to spend time with Mammon right now." MC makes sure to move their left hand a bit, drawing everyone's attention to the ring. Even Lucifer was at a loss for words, no one else spoke.

"Come on babe," Mammon stumbles over the pet name, but gently turns MC around, hugging them close to his side and walks with them like this all the way to RAD and even up to MC's first class. After the brothers, it was pretty easy to ignore the staring.

"I'll see you at lunch, we can go to Madam Scream's, my treat." No matter how many times MC rehearsed the script in their head, they couldn't quite meet Mammon's eyes when they spoke.

"Yeah, see you." If anything, they were relieved that Mammon seemed to be struggling as much as them. Mammon starts to turn but hesitates. Before MC could ask what was wrong, he gives them a quick kiss on the forehead and walks away. MC couldn't tell what burned more, their face or the stares of their classmates on their back.

This was going to be a long month.

--------------

“It’s like watching a soap opera. Horrible and exaggerated acting,” Asmo fake whispers to Satan, and giving MC a wide grin when they turn around to glare at him.

"Asmo, you went to help me find a wedding outfit, I don't know what more I can do convince you. I love Mammon and we're engaged!" MC protested loudly, trying to cover up the sound of mammon taking in a deep breath at the declaration of love. Asmo looks between MC and Mammon, they were sharing the love seat sofa, but still managed to not even touch legs. For 2 people "in love", they sure wouldn't touch each other.

"Kiss. Right here, right now."

"Pervert," Mammon and MC said together, only sharing the briefest smile before turning on Asmo again.

"i have to side with them, that's a weird request Asmo."

"Keep your head in your book Satan, maybe you'll learn to pick up on hints. They're CLEARLY not dating!"

"Obviously," Satan shoots him a quick glare over the top of his book. "But if they want to be delusional, let them."

"I'm not delusional!"

"Fine, MC finally got Stockholm syndrome-" Belphegor didn't bother to dodge the decorative pillow that Mammon shot at him, and he didn't need to- it flew clear over his head by a mile.

"I don't! Mammon is nice to me and he buys me things and takes me out-"

"But MC, you do that with all of us too." Beel points out. He didn't believe their little act either, but MC was making it too easy to tear their defense apart.

"We're leaving! I'm not going to sit here and let you slander our relationship anymore!" MC gets up in a huff and drags Mammon along with them. The next few days were filled with the brothers bribing and sympathizing with MC and harassing Mammon. This was clearly a ruse and if they kept pressing, one of them was bound to break.

-------2 weeks later------------------

"Slow dowwwnnn MC, I'm tired," Mammon whined but let MC pull him into his room, half heartedly closing the door behind him. MC dropped their school bag and started to stretch, starting to feel the stress of this whole fiasco catch up to them.

“Mammon, you need to ease up. If we can't even convince your brothers that we're dating, word might get back to that witch and you'll be married off- AGAIN. Then all of this was for nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘ease up’, my acting’s been perfect!” Mammon tosses his jacket onto the pool table before throwing himself on the couch, draping over it and looking exhausted. "Those bastards would be in denial if it was real, so we're doing fine."

“Fine? Dude, you stutter anytime I hold your hand first and the ONE time we kissed in front of them, you didn't speak and turned so red I thought you had a fever. Absolutely none of that screams ‘chill’.”

“Well what do you want me to do about it!? How can I just be ‘casual’ about kissing?” Now it was MC's turn to blush, because they'd given the idea some thought, but had only come up with one solution.

“Well… then let’s practice until you can keep your cool.” MC took a sudden interest in the wall behind Mammon as he sputtered and stood back up.

“WHAT?? Practice kissing-"

“DONT LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. IF YOU HAVE ANY BETTER IDEA ID LOVE TO HEAR IT!" MC stared at Mammon, but he was clearly out of ideas. "So? Final answer?" Mammon shrugs and walks over to MC, putting his hands on their shoulders and looking them in the eyes. His face burned, but he managed to hold their gaze.

"Sure, there are worse ways to practice acting."

"Oh how you flatter me, love," MC rolls their eyes and Mammon does have to look away now, the pet name catching him off guard. When he was composed again, he looked at MC patiently waiting for him.

"Okay, I'm going to kiss you so don't hit me." He leans to MC, turning his head and pulling them into the kiss by their shoulders. They stay like this for a bit before MC groans and pulls back.

"Mammon, my friends have kissed me better than that. You're still really tense."

"You should be honored to kiss me"

"I've been alive for fewer millennia and I can still kiss better than you"

"Hardy har MC. Well what other brilliant ideas do you have?"

"Well... Here, let me-" it's MC's turn to step up. They wrap one arm around Mammon's neck , the other reaching up to wrap their fingers in his hair. MC pulls Mammon closer, first kissing him on the corner of his lips- once, twice, and once on his jaw before fully leaning in. They start gently, and Mammon hums against their lips, finally stepping up and moving his hands from MC's shoulders to their waist. He reciprocates the kiss and only pulls back when MC does.

"Not bad first man. Well, we're not stammering and neither of us looks mortified, so that's something... But maybe we should-" MC tightens their grip on his hair and Mammon understands.

"Keep practicing," Mammon nods and pulls MC back into him.

-----------

(At the same time, in the living room)

"I'm telling you, they're up to something!"

"I'm with Asmo on this one, it's all too sudden," Satan looks up from the book he was holding. "Do you think Mammon's holding something against MC? Or vice versa?"

"I tried talking to them but MC insists that it's been going on since last year and that they were messaging even when MC was in the human world." Levi continued to type on his DDD and looks up to meet each of his brother's eyes. "Whatever they're planning they're sure trying to see it through."

"Even Barbatos didn't see this coming," Lucifer sighs and shakes his head, putting down a folder with documents he needed for tomorrow. "How did MAMMON of all people keep it a secret from us?"

"Not a hard secret to keep if it isn't real. Come on, I bet you they aren't even together right now!" Asmo leaves the room and they all follow behind, wanting to test Asmo's theory themselves. In front of Mammon's door, Beel spoke before Asmo could open the door.

'We shouldn't peep on them like this," Beel protested.

"It's not peeping if they're not actually together, MC is probably reading a book or something and Mammon's watching a movie! I'm calling them on their bullshit." Asmo and Beel bickered quietly, completely missing as Levi opens the door instead.

"Err, Asmo, I don't think they're faking it." Everyone turns to Levi and look past him into the room. Mammon and MC were in the middle of the room, too focused on each other to see the door was clearly wide open and that they had an audience.

"Okay, we're done here," Beelzebub pulls Levi and Asmo away from the door by the collar and Belphegor closes the door again. They all walked away grumbling something or other about forgotten homework, or late appointments and part ways at the living room, never questioning Mammon and MC again.

------after 1 month------------

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS FAKE-" Asmo shook MC so violently, Beel worried they'd get whiplash. Satan didn't even bother to look up, catching MC's glass before it tipped over and spilled onto the dining table, but he was clearly drawn to their conversation too.

"Sorry," MC laughs, not apologetic at all. "It was kind of a desperate plan.

"BUT IT WORKED! You should have seen how mad the witch was! I thought I'd have to protect MC from an attack or something!" Mammon cheered and reached across the table, giving MC a high five.

"Come on, she was nice! Super pretty to boot. If I had known, I would have tried to fake marry her instead," MC smiled as they dodged a fried bat wing Mammon threw at their head.

"But we saw you kissing!"

"You literally made us kiss in front of you like twice to prove it, which is giving creeper vibes my dude."

"No, I mean we all saw you in Mammon's room, making out. THAT didn't look like acting," Asmo jabs his fork threateningly at MC.

"Well we had to convince you guys it was real, and it looks like it worked. But now that I think about it, we still have one more thing to do." MC nods to Mammon and his eyes sparkle, knowing their inside joke.

"MC, I want a divorce!"

"HA! Jokes on you, I already packed up my things, and I'm taking goldie with me!" MC gave a villainous cackle and Mammon gasped, tossing another wing at MC's head. They laughed for a minute, but Asmo finally stopped pouting and leaned towards MC.

"Well now that it's 'official', let me know if you ever want to practice your 'acting' again MC, I'd love to help," Asmo winks and grabs MC's arm, "Here, I'll even feed you to show you what a good husband I could be!"

"OK-" Levi and Satan protested at the same time and Lucifer just took a long drink from his wine cup as the others started to bicker. MC and Mammon smile at each other from across the table, something softer in their eyes.

A Little Too Real (nightmares)

Arrested with the brothers

Asmo as a fire dancer

Assassin MC learns to open up

Bare Necessities

Bothers react to snake in boot meme

Fake dating Mammon

Fight Diavolo

Fight Diavolo; The aftermath

Finding MC snuck in their girlfriend

Finding out MC is a Lesbian

Finding out MC is asexual

Friends with the Devil

Give me some space AKA Bippity Boppity back the fuck up

"Giving my boyfriend my hand to see what he does with it" (⭐)

Knee jerk reactions

Letters from Above and Below

LFAAB Spin off: The Real Threat

MC casually showing off lingerie (Brothers)

MC casually showing off lingerie (Side characters)

MC is a tiger (Luke, Dia, Barb)

MC simping over Lady Dimitrescu

MC that loves to journal (⭐)

No one plans a murder out loud

Obedient

Power Ranger MC showing off Zord (⭐)

Secret Admirer Beel (⭐)

Sleep In The Artic

Treasure Hunter MC

Wheelchair bound MC (PT 2)

Navigation, other masterlists:

Fics and Scientist MC

Memes/Commentary