As soon as I saw this, I just imagined a romance between Mammon and MC that's just them calling each other "dude" and "bro" and I kinda really love that actually 😅
Y'all ever read something so bad it makes you wanna write and fix it?
Nightbringer (up to) lesson 60 Spoilers under the cut.
Yeah, like... someone posted the meme of the sign that says "Our expectations were low but holy fuck"
And that's kinda exactly how I feel.
Through the fuck-all pacing and general messiness, I can see the vision and I think that's what makes me the most upset. I wish it all hadn't been cut so short.
I feel like we still know too little the Celestial Realm to really understand why the genetic stunt with Simeon suddenly allowed him to be invited back for a meeting with the potential of getting his wings back. Honestly, that's one of things I don't like. Like, in a world of magic, where Simeon was just made to be human, why couldn't he just be made to be an angel again? If he was being good and decided he wanted to stay in the Celestial Realm, why did it matter if he had any demonic cells? Why couldn't they just be changed like he was for his punishment?
And that's not to say it's all bad, I like the idea that humans could naturally change to be anything given the proper influence. And that angels and demons can't change without a powerful external factor (i.e. God or the Demon King). But with regards to Simeon and how they handled that, it was not great.
I also really liked the moon idea actually (maybe it's just because I like Majora's Mask lol), but again, that in particular was just a fumbled mess. That was probably the worst because it was introduced and then taken care of so quickly, of course. But something in particular that bothered me was how when you're up there trying to cast your spell, and then it does the weird cracking, absorption thing, and it seems like it goes wrong! It doesn't work, and your chosen boy gets hurt trying to protect you. And the lame, generic way you heal him aside, your spell did work?? I think? They don't address it again, so I can only assume it worked.
But it didn't give that vibe to me. When a solution hurts somebody, but doesn't kill them, that doesn't give the vibe of the solution working. Just in any plot of anything I can think of.
And I just felt there were lot of blanks to fill in with that part of the story. Which, I kinda have always felt that way with Obey Me (hence why I ever started writing for it in the first place), but I always chalked that up to being a feature of an otome game. There are choices you get to make, and they wanted to make it more inclusive, so I was never mad about that. But these last few lessons, the gaps are WIDE.
And don't even get me started on not learning anything new about Nightbringer, for pretty much the whole season!
All that bitching to say, I'm gonna write something to make this better. I'm gonna focus on this moon plot line first, because I like the idea of it and I've got ideas to make it better, and then I may move on to writing a good satisfying ending to Nightbringer as a whole.
I've seen several other writers and creatives talk about creating a good ending, etc. So I'm excited to see what ideas other people have. If you have your own idea, please write it. Don't think you shouldn't because other people have ideas. More cake is always a good thing.
Long time no write. Not sure what compelled me to finish one of the 50 million wips in my notes, but I did. So here ya go!
Mammon was in his room counting some freshly acquired Grimm when Asmodeus burst in.
"Mammon!" Asmo screeched as he entered the room.
Mammon jumped, startled by his intrusion. "Asmo, what the hell do ya think you're doin'?!"
"What are you doing, Mammon? Counting some money?" Asmo asked, his tone sarcastic and scathing.
Mammon looked at him suspiciously. "Uh, yeah...?"
"And where did you get this money, Mammon?" Asmo asked as he walked closer towards his brother, his threatening demeanor on par with Lucifer's.
Mammon took steps back as Asmo took steps toward him. "Uh... w-why...?"
"Did you perhaps get it from selling the diamond earrings that I left on on my vanity?" Asmo's tone was suddenly very severe.
Mammon swallowed thickly, terrified that he had now been found out.
"Well... uh... yeah..." Mammon stammered.
Asmo suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him close. "You idiot! Hoshiko gave those to me!"
Mammon stared at him briefly. "... Are ya tellin' me that those earrings are from the human world? I could've gotten twice as much for 'em..." He mused.
Mammon winced when Asmo suddenly smacked him upside the head.
"Are you even listening?! Hoshiko gave those to me to borrow."
"Oh..." Mammon finally realized how badly he had fucked up.
"Those earrings were an heirloom from their great aunt," Asmo further informed him.
"Oh......" He had fucked up even worse than he originally thought.
"Yeah, 'Oh'," Asmo mocked him. "Now you're going to go get them back." Asmo shoved him back then examined his nails to make sure he hadn't ruined them.
Mammon stumbled back a bit before catching his footing, then straightening out his jacket. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Mammon walked towards the door.
"Us? Why should I go with you?" Asmo asked as he perched his hands on his hips.
"Because..." Mammon looked back at Asmo. "You haven't told 'em yet; and ya don't want 'em to find out that they're gone. So ya definitely don't wanna be around when Hoshiko starts asking for 'em back."
Asmo bit his lip nervously. "... Okay let's go."
Mammon sighed coolly, glad that Asmo hadn't called his bluff.
They headed out together and Mammon led the way to the pawn shop that he had sold the earrings to.
Asmo grimaced. "A pawn shop? Really?"
Mammon looked at him. "Oh shaddup. Let's just get this over with."
Asmo huffed but followed Mammon into the shop without another word.
"Hey, hey, hey! Basal! My man!" Mammon exclaimed excitedly as he walked up to the counter.
The demon behind the counter looked up at his name being called. "Mammon, back again so soon?" He asked with a knowing grin.
"Yeah... so here's the deal," Mammon spoke as he leaned on the counter. "Those earrings I sold to you earlier? I, uh... I actually need them back."
Basal glanced at Asmo briefly. "Do you now?"
"Yeah, I do. So if we could just make a little trade, that'd be great," Mammon was trying not to sound too desperate.
Basal shook his head. "Sorry, no can do."
"What?! Why not?" Asmo exclaimed.
Basal looked at Asmo. "Because I've already sold them."
"How?! It hasn't been that long since I sold them to you," Mammon pointed out.
Basal looked back at Mammon. "One of my regulars came in right after you left. As soon as he saw the earrings he just had to have them. He didn't tell me that he knew they were from the human realm until after I had the cash in hand, sneaky bastard."
Mammon snorted. "Right, so who'd ya sell it to?"
"Nuh-uh, I'm not telling you that. They're still a loyal customer and I'm not gonna let you go and harass them," Basal insisted.
"Basal, man, I don't think you understand. I need those earrings back or my human will kill us," Mammon had stopped caring about not sounding desperate.
Basal couldn't help but grin. "Oh yeah? Did those earrings belong to your master?" He teased.
"Hoshiko ain't my master!" Mammon was quick to argue.
Asmo rolled his eyes and walked over to the counter and pushed Mammon out of the way. "Basal, sweetie," Asmo spoke sweetly as he leaned closer to the demon.
Basal raised an eyebrow. "I'm not telling you who I sold it to either."
"Why don't you look into my eyes and tell me that again?" Asmo purred as his eyes started to glow a bright pink.
Basal couldn't help but to be enchanted by Asmo. A stupid grin grew into his face. "Tell you what, beautiful?" He asked as he leaned forward a little bit.
Asmo grinned. "Tell us who you sold the earrings to."
"Oh those? I sold them to Azazel. What else do you need, gorgeous?" Basal asked, with a lovestruck look in his eyes.
"Nothing more, thank you," Asmo told him as his eyes quit glowing and he released Basal from his charm.
Mammon grinned wide. "Nice goin' Asmo!"
Basal groaned and rubbed his eyes. "What the...?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go!" Asmo exclaimed as he ran out.
Mammon quickly followed him.
"So... now we just gotta find Azazel," Asmo declared.
"Don't worry, I know where he lives," Mammon told him as he took the lead.
"How do you know that?" Asmo asked as he followed him.
"I've picked Hoshiko up from his place before," Mammon answered, sounding annoyed.
"Wait, Hoshiko is friends with Azazel?" Asmo asked, suddenly worried.
"They're chemistry buddies," Mammon told him in a mocking tone.
"Mammon, that's bad."
"I know! How dare Azazel try ta swoop in and-"
"Mammon!" Asmo interrupted. "What if Azazel knows that those earrings are Hoshiko's? What if he-" He stopped when Mammon's DDD started to ring.
Mammon stopped walking and pulled his DDD out of his pocket. He paled when he saw who was calling, then slowly answered the call.
"H-hey Hoshiko, what's up?"
Asmo's eyes widened in fear when he heard Mammon say Hoshiko's name.
"Oh me? I'm out... with Asmo. We're uh... shopping!"
Asmo stepped closer to Mammon and leaned his head towards the phone to try and hear Hoshiko as well.
"You wanna go on a date? Tonight? Oh well, I'm a lil short on cash... Oh? Your treat? Well... shit, how could I refuse?"
Asmo smacked his chest.
Mammon winced and rubbed his chest but managed not to make a sound.
"What was that?" Mammon asked into the receiver. "Earrings? What earrings?"
Asmo gave Mammon a severe look.
"Ones you let Asmo borrow? Oh... lemme ask... oh look! He's wearing them now. He'll give them back to you when we get back."
Asmo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, relieved that Mammon had come up with a believable enough lie.
"Yeah, yeah... love you too, see ya later." Mammon hung up his DDD and breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, I bought us a little bit of time."
"Yeah, but we gotta hurry!" Asmo goaded.
Mammon nodded and led the way to Azazel's house.
Mammon knocked on the door when they arrived.
A yellow-eyed demon answered the door with a devilish grin. "Mammon! Ready for me to kick your ass in poker again?"
Mammon just grinned, trying to appear friendly. "Hey Azazel, how'ya doin' man?"
Azazel raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why're ya being so cordial?"
"Alright man, Ima cut to the chase. A lil birdy told me you just bought some earrings from the pawn shop."
Azazel grimaced. "What? You got your crows following me around?"
"What? No, its just an expression," Mammon explained.
Asmo groaned. "Azazel, look. Those earrings you bought, actually belong to Hoshiko. So we really need them back."
"Really? Damn, I wish I'd kept them now. I could've been their hero, returning their stolen earrings back to them." Azazel grinned teasingly at Mammon.
Mammon growled and lunged at Azazel.
Asmo quickly grabbed his brother and kept him from attacking Azazel. "Wait... did you say 'you wish you had kept them'?"
Mammon immediately calmed down. "Do you not have the earrings anymore?"
"Yeah, it was the weirdest thing actually," Azazel started. "So I'm headed home, and I run into the demon prince."
"You ran into Lord Diavolo?" Asmo asked for clarification.
"Yeah! Weird right? I'm like 'what's he doing on this side of town?' But he starts talking me up and I figure he's trying to be the cool prince or whatever. So I tell him I just bought these awesome earrings and he's like 'cool! Can I see?' So I show him and he's instantly in love with them, he's gotta have them. I'm not so sure but then he says he'll pay me double what I paid for them! And who am I to deny a hundred percent profit? So I sell him the earrings."
Mammon groaned. "Fuuuucccckkk..."
Asmo sighed. "Well, thanks anyways." Asmo started to walk away.
"Yeah, no worries. Tell Hoshiko I said hey!"
Mammon growled and lunged for Azazel again.
Azazel quickly closed the door in Mammon's face.
Asmo groaned. "Mammon, let's just go. We gotta get to the palace."
Mammon huffed and walked over to his younger brother as he straightened his jacket.
They started walking to the Demon Lord's Palace together.
"... look on the bright side," Mammon tried to console Asmo.
Asmo scowled at him. "What exactly is the bright side here?"
"Diavolo's not strapped for cash so there's no reason he would sell the earrings off to anyone else. The trail should end with him."
Asmo sighed. "True."
Mammon stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked quietly until they reached the palace.
Asmo went to knock on the front door of the palace when they arrived, but Barbatos opened the door before they could.
"You know it's really creepy how you do that, right?" Mammon asked him.
Barbatos just smiled at them with a smile that seemed to know too much. "Can I help you with something?"
"Yes, is Lord Diavolo here?" Asmo asked him.
"He is. Do you wish to see him?"
"We do, please."
Barbatos nodded and stepped aside so that they could walk in. "Come in and I will go announce your presence to the young master."
The brothers walked in and waited in the foyer while Barbatos went to go talk to Diavolo.
"... ya think Diavolo will be mad at us?" Mammon asked quietly.
"It's definitely a possibility," Asmo replied tersely.
Mammon pursed his lips together and nodded.
They both looked at Barbatos when he entered the room again.
"The young master will see you now," Barbatos announced before leading them to Diavolo's study.
Mammon and Asmo followed Barbatos to the study.
Diavolo was in there, sitting at his desk, working on some paperwork. He looked up when Barbatos and the pair of brothers entered.
Diavolo smiled at them. "Mammon, Asmodeus, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
The brothers looked at each other, unsure of how to approach the topic.
"So... Azazel told us that you bought some earrings off of him..." Asmo started.
Diavolo raised an eyebrow. "Now why would he tell you that?"
"Because..." Asmo looked at Mammon.
Mammon sighed. "Lord Diavolo, look. Those earrings are actually Hoshiko's, so we need them so we can give them back to Hoshiko."
"If they belong to Hoshiko then how did Azazel end up with them?" Diavolo asked curiously.
"Because he bought them from the pawn shop..."
Diavolo raised an eyebrow.
"That... I sold them to," Mammon finally confessed.
"Ah, I see." Diavolo looked at Asmo. "But how do you fit into all this?"
Asmo blushed. "Hoshiko let me borrow the earrings, and I just didn't want them to know that I lost them..."
Diavolo nodded. "Interesting... Don't you think so?" Diavolo asked as he focused his gaze beyond the brothers.
Mammon and Asmo turned around to see what he was looking at.
Hoshiko was standing there in the doorway wearing a beautiful black party dress and the diamond earrings. "Yes, very interesting," Hoshiko's tone was cool enough to send shivers down the brothers' spines.
Hoshiko walked over to Diavolo's desk and sat down on it, making sure not to block Diavolo as they did.
"Alright, what do y'all have to say for yourselves?" Hoshiko asked as they crossed their arms and their legs.
Asmo looked at Mammon expectantly.
"Asmodeus, what do you have to say for yourself?" Hoshiko asked him directly.
Asmo looked back at Hoshiko. "I'm sorry I lost your earrings but it's really not my fault, if Mammon hadn't-"
"Wrong answer," Hoshiko interrupted.
Asmo scowled. "What? What do you mean?"
"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you noticed the earrings missing?"
"Oh, well... I was afraid that you'd be upset with me," Asmo averted their eyes.
"I definitely wouldn't have been happy, but I would've been way less mad than I am right now. If you had been forthcoming with me I could've fixed this sooner, but now you're got yourself all caught up in Mammon's shenanigans and so you're in the dog house too."
Asmo whined.
Hoshiko turned their sights on Mammon. "And you," their voice was dripping with venom.
Mammon swallowed thickly. "Y-yes?"
Hoshiko just stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Mammon became more and more scared the longer Hoshiko was quiet.
Hoshiko sighed. "I don't even know where to start with you. I'll have to talk to you later." They stood up and looked at Diavolo. "Do you have anything you want to say?"
Diavolo shook his head. "You're in charge on this one."
Hoshiko nodded and looked at Barbatos. "Do you have some chores or something they can help you with?"
Barbatos grinned. "There's always work to be done."
"Excellent." Hoshiko looked back at the two brothers. "You will help Barbatos with whatever he needs help with for the rest of the night. Diavolo and I are going out to dinner."
"What?!" Mammon exclaimed, equally upset about having to work for Barbatos as he was about Hoshiko going out with Diavolo.
"But, Barbatos is just as sadistic as Lucifer!" Asmo argued.
"I know," Hoshiko replied plainly.
Diavolo smiled slightly and stood up. "Ready to go, Hoshiko?"
Hoshiko looked at Diavolo and held a hand out to him. "Yes, let's go."
Diavolo took Hoshiko's hand and led them out.
Asmo and Mammon watched them leave.
"Are we ready to get started, gentlemen?" Barbatos asked.
Mammon looked at him with a grimace.
Asmo whined.
Lucifer was pacing in the foyer of the House of Lamentation, continuously checking his DDD, when Hoshiko and Diavolo walked in.
Lucifer looked at them. "Where have you-"
"Luci!" Hoshiko exclaimed as they threw their arms around Lucifer.
Lucifer wrapped his arms around Hoshiko and studied their face. "You're drunk."
"Drunk on your love," Hoshiko sang.
Lucifer suppressed a grin then looked at Diavolo, expecting a explanation.
"They talked about you the entire way here," Diavolo told Lucifer, careful not to sound disappointed.
"I missed you!" Hoshiko told Lucifer.
Lucifer looked down at Hoshiko. "I missed you too, I was worried about you."
"I went out with Diavolo. We had dinner and then went drinking and dancing. Did you know that Diavolo has started importing alcohol from the human world down here to the Devildom?" Hoshiko spoke as they tried to dance with Lucifer.
Lucifer let Hoshiko swing his arms but didn't move his body. "Yes, I did." He looked at Diavolo, seeming a little annoyed.
Diavolo grinned sheepishly.
Lucifer looked back down at Hoshiko. "You should go get ready for bed. I want to talk to Diavolo alone."
Hoshiko pouted. "Will ya come snuggle with me afterwards?"
Lucifer smiled slightly. "Yes. Now go get cleaned up."
"Okay!" Hoshiko stood up on their toes and kissed Lucifer's cheek before sauntering off to their room.
Lucifer watched Hoshiko leave before looking back at Diavolo. "Alright, what happened?"
"I had to help Hoshiko retrieve their heirloom earrings because your brother sold them for some quick cash," Diavolo informed him as he crossed his arms.
Lucifer furrowed his brow. "Mammon stole something of Hoshiko's? He usually leaves their stuff alone."
"Well apparently the earrings were in Asmo's room when he stole them. Hoshiko had let Asmo borrow them, but then Asmo didn't tell them when he noticed the earrings missing. So he's in trouble with Hoshiko too."
Lucifer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where are Mammon and Asmo now?"
"At the palace doing chores under the supervision of Barbatos. Hoshiko had intended on taking Mammon out on a date tonight but obviously they didn't want to do that after they found out that he had stolen their earrings, so they asked me instead."
Lucifer nodded. "And after the day they had they wanted to drink."
Diavolo nodded. "I kept an eye on them and made sure no one took advantage of them," Diavolo knew Lucifer needed to hear that to feel at ease.
"Thank you." Lucifer ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm sorry you were caught up in my brothers' nonsense once again."
"Don't worry about it. All's well that ends well."
Lucifer snorted. "If you say so."
Diavolo chuckled. "Well I'll leave you be. Have a good night."
"Good night," Lucifer replied.
Lucifer closed the door behind Diavolo before going to check on Hoshiko.
Hoshiko's bedroom door was open and music was drifting out into the hallway from inside.
"Hoshiko?" Lucifer called as he entered the room.
Hoshiko's dress, bra, and heels were on the ground, obviously left exactly where they were taken off at.
Lucifer shook his head and picked up the garments and put them away; after he finished, he followed the music into the bathroom. "Hoshiko?"
Hoshiko was sitting on the edge of the tub, face in their hands, crying.
Lucifer frowned and walked over to them. "Hoshiko?" His voice was gentle.
Hoshiko quickly wiped their eyes. "Lucifer! I... I thought you'd talk to Diavolo for longer."
"And I thought you had a good time tonight."
"I did, Diavolo is fun to hang out with..." Hoshiko didn't look at Lucifer.
"So why are you crying?"
Hoshiko sniffled, but was otherwise quiet.
Lucifer leaned over and picked up Hoshiko. "Could it perhaps have something to do with the fact that Mammon stole and sold your heirloom earrings?"
Hoshiko sighed. "Yeah..."
Lucifer nodded. "I thought so." He walked over and set Hoshiko down on the counter then took off his gloves.
"You're too smart sometimes..." Hoshiko told him as they turned off the music that was playing on their phone.
Lucifer chuckled. "Too smart?" He picked up a pink bottle that was sitting on the counter. "This one for eye makeup, right?"
Hoshiko looked at the bottle. "Yeah."
Lucifer opened the bottle and poured some of its contents onto a cotton pad. "Do you want to talk about it?" Lucifer asked he grabbed Hoshiko's chin. "Close your eyes."
Hoshiko did as they were told. "What is there to say? Mammon took something that wasn't his, again."
Lucifer hummed as he gently wiped the cotton pad over Hoshiko's eyelids. "Yes, but this time it was something of yours, which I believe is a first for him."
"I mean, he's taken like pens and pencils from me to sell once he figured out I had a fan club at RAD."
"Hoshiko, you know what I mean," Lucifer chided.
Hoshiko sighed. "Yeah..."
Lucifer threw the cotton pad away. "Now we need to wash your face."
Hoshiko opened their eyes and looked at him. "I can do it, you don't have to help."
"I don't mind helping you, especially if it keeps you from being irritable in the morning because you forgot to take off all your makeup."
Hoshiko pouted. "I don't get irritable over that."
"I once heard you and Asmo get into it because you didn't remind each other to take off your makeup after a night out," Lucifer reminded them as he grabbed a wash cloth and wet it.
Hoshiko sighed.
Lucifer ran the wash cloth over Hoshiko's face, making sure their face was thoroughly dampened. "How upset are you with Asmo?"
Hoshiko closed their eyes again. "Not terribly, I'll get over it soon enough. I'm just upset that he wasn't up front with me."
Lucifer rinsed out the wash cloth and grabbed Hoshiko's facial cleanser. "And Mammon?"
Hoshiko groaned. "I don't know... I feel like I'm a hypocrite if I stay mad at him because of how much shit I give you guys for not being understanding of his sin..."
"But...?" Lucifer knew Hoshiko had cut themself off. Lucifer squeezed some facial cleanser onto the wash cloth and then started to gently scrub Hoshiko's face with it.
"Being on the receiving end of his deviance isn't fun. I feel really betrayed, even now... Lucifer, if I didn't get my earrings back, I was ready to break our pact."
Lucifer stopped what he was doing. "Hoshiko."
Hoshiko opened their eyes and looked at Lucifer. "I know, it's extreme and irreversible but that was how I felt. I thought I was special because he hadn't stolen from me before, and it turns out I wasn't... maybe I'm just stupid and naïve."
"You're not stupid," Lucifer assured them.
"... just naïve?" Hoshiko asked teasingly.
Lucifer hummed as he rinsed out the washcloth again.
"Hey!" Hoshiko smacked his arm playfully.
Lucifer chuckled. "I have no doubt that Mammon cares for you and would not have stolen those earrings had they been in your room and not Asmo's."
"That doesn't make it hurt any less," Hoshiko argued.
"I know," Lucifer replied as he used the washcloth to remove the suds from Hoshiko's face. "I just think you should keep that in mind when you talk to him again."
Hoshiko was quiet and didn't look at Lucifer.
"I also think that you should tell him how close he was to losing you," Lucifer continued.
Hoshiko grimaced. "You don't think that seems kinda mean?"
Lucifer shrugged as he rinsed out the washcloth for the last time. "Perhaps it will shock some sense into him."
"You think so?"
"Maybe, I've tried everything at this point; the only thing that makes him any better is you."
Hoshiko sighed and nodded.
"Moisturizer?" Lucifer asked as he pointed to a particular squeeze bottle.
"That is the moisturizer, but I need the toner first," Hoshiko told him as they pointed to the clear bottle next to it.
Lucifer grabbed the bottle they pointed at and picked it up questioningly.
"Yes, that one," Hoshiko verified. "You put it on a cotton pad too."
Lucifer nodded and did as they instructed. "But this goes all over your face?"
"Correct."
Lucifer wiped the cotton pad all over Hoshiko's face.
Hoshiko smiled at Lucifer. "You're so good to me."
Lucifer kissed Hoshiko's forehead. "I know."
Hoshiko chuckled. "Alright, now it's time for moisturizer and then we're done."
Lucifer nodded and handed Hoshiko the moisturizer. "I think you can handle this one."
"Oh yeah? Ya think so?" Hoshiko asked teasingly as they took the bottle from him and squeezed some moisturizer onto their fingers.
Lucifer pinched Hoshiko's thigh. "Behave," he warned.
"But whenever I look at you, I just wanna be bad," Hoshiko told him with a grin as they spread the moisturizer all over their face.
Lucifer smirked and leaned closer to Hoshiko, placing his hands on the counter on either side of them.
"Yes?" Hoshiko asked as they started to loosen Lucifer's tie.
Lucifer glanced down at their hands briefly. "You are a brat," he declared.
"What are you gonna do about it?" Hoshiko asked with a grin.
Lucifer hummed thoughtfully. "I will-"
Then there was a knock on the door to the bedroom. "Hoshiko? Are you in there?" Asmo whined.
Hoshiko groaned. "... can I just ignore him?"
"You could," Lucifer murmured as he dragged a finger up the center of Hoshiko's torso.
Hoshiko shivered.
"Hoshiko!" Asmo whined. "I can hear you in there!"
Hoshiko sighed. "But he's only going to get more annoying."
Lucifer snorted. "Yes, he almost definitely will." He stepped back from Hoshiko.
Hoshiko slid down off the counter and headed into the bedroom to answer the door.
"What do you want?" Hoshiko asked as they opened the door.
"I wanted to... apologize..." Asmo's eyes trailed down Hoshiko's body as he realized that they were practically naked.
"... You're doing a great job," Hoshiko told him sarcastically as they crossed their arms over their chest.
Asmo's eyes snapped back up to Hoshiko's face. "I can't help that you're just so sexy," he told them with a grin, trying to save himself.
Hoshiko rolled their eyes. "Okay, I'm not really in the mood to talk right now."
"No wait, wait, wait! I really do want to apologize! I feel really bad about everything that happened earlier. I don't want you to be mad at me," Asmo whined.
Hoshiko sighed. "Look, I am still mad and I don't think I'll stop bein' mad at least until tomorrow morning."
"Oh..." Asmo teared up. "Okay."
Hoshiko frowned. "Hey, I don't want you to worry though. I just need a little more time to feel my emotions and then we can talk and it'll all be okay, okay?"
Asmo smiled slightly. "Okay."
Hoshiko smiled back. "Good night, Asmodeus."
"Good night, Hoshiko," Asmo told them before leaving and going up to his room.
Hoshiko stepped back into their room and closed the door.
Hoshiko sighed and looked at Lucifer who was standing in the doorway to the bathroom.
"I suppose I'll leave you alone to 'feel your emotions' then," Lucifer teased.
Hoshiko walked over to him and rest their forehead against his chest.
Lucifer stroked their hair. "I think it's time for you to go to bed."
Hoshiko sighed. "Yeah."
"Come on." Lucifer guided Hoshiko over to their bed, then tucked Hoshiko in.
Hoshiko smiled up at him. "I love you."
Lucifer smirked. "I love you too, sleep well." He turned and left, making sure to turn off the light and close the door behind him.
Hoshiko's sleep that night was restless and intermittent.
When Hoshiko decided to get up the next morning, they had to practically drag themself out of bed; the thought of coffee in the kitchen being one of the few driving forces behind them actually getting up.
They pulled on their robe and slipped on their sheep slippers, not caring for much more clothing than that.
When they opened their door to leave their room, they were met with a vased bouquet of Hellfire Roses and Sunflowers sitting right outside their door.
Hoshiko looked down at the flowers, then looked both ways down the hall to see if anyone was there before bending down to pick them up.
"These have got to be from Asmo or Mammon... but where did they get the sunflowers?" They asked themself quietly as they gently caressed the petals of one of the sunflowers.
They carried the bouquet with them as they walked into the kitchen, where they were greeted by the smell of breakfast being made.
Mammon was in there, currently making pancakes.
Hoshiko walked in as quietly as they could, hoping to not disturb him, but they were no match for Mammon's demon ears.
Mammon turned to look at Hoshiko almost as soon as they walked into the kitchen. "Hey! Ya found your flowers, good."
"Well, it was kinda impossible to not see them..." Hoshiko told him as they went and sat down at the island.
"Right..." he turned his attention back to the pancakes. "Well I'm making blueberry pancakes right now, but there's plenty a' breakfast already ready for ya if you're hungry."
Hoshiko looked at the spread that Mammon had already prepared, and was actually pretty impressed. They grabbed a piece of bacon and started eating it. "Oh... this isn't shadow hog. This is pork bacon, like from the mortal realm."
"Yeah, everythin' for breakfast is from the mortal realm," Mammon informed them.
Hoshiko looked closer at all the food and discovered he was right. "Oh..."
"I wasn't sure whaddya want ta eat this mornin' so I just grabbed everythin' you ever told me ya liked," Mammon's voice sounded a little shy at saying that.
Hoshiko looked at the food again and noticed that it was all only stuff that they liked. "I see biscuits... do you have gravy?"
"Yeah, it's here on the stove stayin' warm."
Hoshiko walked over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pot with the gravy in it to inspect it. "White gravy with sausage in it, good."
Mammon smirked and finished up the pancakes.
"So... how did you get all this stuff?" Hoshiko asked as they sat back down.
"I uh... did extra work for Barbatos."
"Oh okay."
Hoshiko jumped when the oven timer went off.
Mammon put on oven mitts before pulling a nearly whole salmon out of the oven.
"Wha... Is that salmon?" Hoshiko asked, thoroughly confused.
"Yeah," Mammon replied simply as he set the pan down. "There's also rice in the rice cooker and the scrambled eggs were s'posed to be omelets like you said ya dad made but they didn't quite work out." He chuckled nervously.
Realization ran through Hoshiko like a bolt of lightning, and they teared up from it. "Wait... you... you..." They couldn't hold it in anymore and just started crying.
Mammon started to panic. "Hey, wait, why're ya cryin'?" He walked over to Hoshiko. "Did I mess breakfast up?"
Hoshiko shook their head. "You did really good... but I..." They wiped their eyes even though they continued to cry. "I don't even remember when I told you about my dad making breakfast, but you did."
Mammon grinned and blushed. "Well... yeah."
Hoshiko sniffed. "... you really love me."
Mammon's blush spread to his ears. "What? No, I... The Great Mammon-" He looked away, seemingly unable to decide on how he wanted to address the accusation.
Hoshiko just watched him quietly, their crying finally ceased.
Mammon glanced at Hoshiko. "I do. I do love you."
"Then why did you take my earrings?" Hoshiko asked, almost too calmly.
"I didn't know they were yours, I swear!"
"That doesn't make it okay! You shouldn't be taking anyone's things!" They yelled as they jumped up from the stool they sat on.
Mammon took a couple steps back, suddenly afraid of Hoshiko.
"Your actions make it hard to believe your words because they so often contradict each other. How can you say you love me and your brothers and continue to cause us so much grief?!"
"But, you-" Mammon started to protest.
"Don't talk," they commanded, calling on their pact to make him be quiet.
Mammon's lips pressed against one another against his will.
"I go up to bat for you so much, I have done everything to try and help you... and I get repayed like this..." Hoshiko covered their face with their hands when they felt tears well up in their eyes again.
Mammon stepped close to Hoshiko and gently grabbed their shoulders.
Hoshiko sniffed. "Why...?" They moved their hands and looked up at Mammon, tears streaming down their face. "Why would you betray me like this?! I feel so hurt and sad and angry and... and... I wanted to hurt you, I wanted to break our pact." They looked down at the ground.
Mammon's eyebrows shot up and he squeezed Hoshiko's shoulders.
Hoshiko wiped the tears from their face. "I don't anymore, but I was really upset. I felt like I couldn't trust you so what was the point in having a pact with you?"
Mammon whined through pursed lips.
Hoshiko looked back up at Mammon. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. You can talk," they released their hold on him.
"I'm so sorry!" Mammon exclaimed as soon as he could move his mouth again. "I didn't mean to hurt ya, please don't break our pact!"
Hoshiko reached up and held his face in their hands. "I'm not going to break our pact. But you can't do this anymore."
Mammon pulled Hoshiko into a tight and desperate embrace. "I won't, I swear."
Hoshiko laid their head on his chest. "I don't just mean for me, you can't be stealing your brothers' things either."
Mammon laid his head on top of Hoshiko’s. "I gotcha, no more stealin'."
"Pft, how long do you think that'll last?" A voice quietly asked from just outside the kitchen.
Hoshiko narrowed their eyes and looked towards the door.
Mammon looked with them.
Hoshiko pulled away from Mammon and walked out into the hall, with Mammon following close behind.
Asmodeus, Satan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer were all in the hallway eavesdropping on the conversation.
"What in the seven hells do you all think you're doing?" Hoshiko was livid.
"Oh! Hoshiko! Uh..." Asmo looked to Satan for help.
"We were just waiting for you to finish your conversation before going in to get breakfast," Satan supplied. His tone was cool, but wavering, revealing his nervousness.
"Uh huh," Hoshiko didn't quite believe him. "Well your commentary isn't necessary." They looked at Beel. "You can go ahead and eat."
"Yes!" Beel cheered quietly before going ahead into the kitchen.
Hoshiko looked at the rest of them. "And you can all serve breakfast to me and Mammon."
Lucifer, Satan, and Asmo all grimaced.
"You can't be serious," Lucifer stated.
Hoshiko looked up at him, eyes glowing blue. "I most certainly am."
Lucifer rolled his eyes. "And what would you like to eat, Master?" His tone was venomous.
Hoshiko still grinned wide at being called 'Master' though.
Asmo looked Hoshiko up and down before going into the kitchen with a soft giggle.
"I want the scrambled eggs, rice, and salmon please," Hoshiko told Lucifer.
Lucifer looked at Mammon expectantly.
"Oh! Uh, I'll just have tha same as Hoshiko."
Lucifer nodded and went into the kitchen.
Hoshiko held out their hand to Mammon.
Mammon took it without hesitation.
Hoshiko led him to the dining room, where they took a seat at the right-hand of the head of the table.
Mammon sat down next to them.
Satan, Asmo, and Lucifer all attended to Hoshiko and Mammon, bringing them food, drink, and silverware before getting their own breakfast.
Hoshiko thanked each of them as they sat down to eat.
"I'll get you back for this later," Lucifer replied, though his tone was much more good natured than earlier.
Hoshiko chuckled. "I'm sure you will, you big softie."
Lucifer rolled his eyes before beginning to eat.
Levi and Belphie made their way down to eat after a little while.
Hoshiko looked around at their family eating and conversing, and smiled.
Mammon grabbed their hand gently.
Hoshiko laced their fingers together and leaned on his shoulder.
Mammon grinned and laid his head on top of theirs.
Hey everyone. So, I wanted to make a post about something I've seen in AO3 comments recently and I wanted to let y'all know so you can be careful.
Today, on two separate fics of mine, I got comments from guests with different names that had what looks like a key smash followed by a weird link. They looked like this:
Now, it is possible that these are legit comments and these links lead to nothing bad. But, in my experience, this looks like a classic phishing scam or a link to a virus. Honestly, I never open links I see online unless I know for sure I can trust the source. And even then I'm a bit hesitant, since I know that accounts can be hacked. I actually deleted the first email and comment immediately and didn't really think about it again. However, after getting another comment that was almost identical but from a guest with a different name, it makes me think that this might be something bad.
So, if you see these kinds of comments, unless you know exactly who sent it, I'd recommend just deleting them and not clicking on the links. Honestly, even if you know who sent it, I'd still be careful just in case they got hacked. If someone wanted to send you a legit link, they would probably do it with some kind of comment beforehand saying what the link actually leads to. This seems to me like they're trying to prey off curiosity and it can lead to some nasty stuff. Since I know some AO3 writers and readers follow me, I thought I'd post about it here. Similarly, if you see a comment like this on someone's fic, maybe don't click on it either. Again, I can't guarantee this is anything bad, since I definitely did not click on the links, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If y'all could reblog this to spread the word, I'd appreciate it.
Anyway, be careful out there guys! I got burned a few too many times as a kid, so I'm extra careful with links and things now, ha.
EDIT: Apparently, these links are indeed malicious. I checked them in an online link checker, and it detected one malicious source from the link in the second message, but 12 malicious sources in the link from the first message. So, it's pretty clearly a virus or phishing scam. Please be aware!
Shout out to the lovely and talented @dimikira for gracing my eyes with this beautiful art that I commissioned of Hoshiko and Lucifer!
As per usual, I wrote a little story to go along with my art. It takes place at the end of season 1, like right before the last party at the Demon Lord's Palace.
story under the cut.
Lucifer searched the halls of RAD for his brothers' favored exchange student. It was Mammon and Asmodeus who had informed him that they couldn’t find Hoshiko anywhere; and though he would admit it to no one else, he also had become worried for Hoshiko. They hadn't mentioned to anyone about any plans after school, and the lack of information allowed for worried minds to wander to the worst case scenarios. He was about to give up searching on the school grounds when he walked past the ballroom and heard music coming from inside.
He opened the door and peeked inside. He was simultaneously relieved and surprised to find Hoshiko inside practicing traditional Devildom dances.
Lucifer stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Your practicing would probably be more effective with a partner."
Hoshiko jumped, startled by Lucifer’s seemingly sudden appearance. They turned around to face him. "Hey..."
Lucifer walked over to them. "Is this where you've been all this time?"
"Yeah, I wanted to practice the traditional dances for Lord Diavolo's upcoming ball. I know I haven't done so great with them in the past..."
“Well you should have told someone, we’ve all been worried about you.” Well, Lucifer would admit it to one person.
“We?” Hoshiko asked with an almost mischievous grin.
Lucifer only hummed as he pulled Hoshiko into his arms and started dancing with them.
Hoshiko blushed and fumbled a little at first, but quickly fell into step and followed his lead; all thoughts of teasing him about being worried about them having fallen by the wayside.
"You've gotten better,” Lucifer noted after a few moments of them dancing.
Hoshiko smiled slightly. "Thank-" they stopped speaking and cringed as soon as they stepped on Lucifer's foot.
Lucifer only sighed as a reaction.
Hoshiko pulled away. "I'm so sorry!"
Lucifer pulled them back to him. "No, let's try again.”
Hoshiko nodded and took up the proper stance again.
Lucifer led them in the dance again, this time watching Hoshiko's feet to see where they went wrong.
Lucifer was able to dodge having his foot stepped on a second time since he was actively watching their feet this time.
"I see what you're doing wrong," he told Hoshiko as he stopped dancing and looked at them.
Hoshiko looked up at him, eyebrows turned up in genuine curiosity.
Lucifer suddenly found his voice caught in his throat, and his mind only focused on how cute Hoshiko appeared at that moment.
"Lucifer? Are you alright? "Hoshiko asked, suddenly concerned.
Lucifer shook his head, now able to clear his thoughts of Hoshiko's appearance and get back to the matter of their dancing. "Yes, I'm fine. Anyway, you're mirroring me for too long. On the fifth count you're supposed to step to the side so you can pivot out on that foot."
"Oh, I didn't realize we were already to that part of the dance."
Lucifer nodded. "Let's try it again."
Hoshiko nodded excitedly. "Okay!"
Lucifer couldn't help but smile slightly as he took Hoshiko's hands and started dancing again.
Hoshiko was able to perform the next few steps flawlessly this time around and beamed up at Lucifer once they did
"You did very well, "Lucifer praised. "Let's keep going."
Hoshiko nodded and they kept dancing.
Lucifer made sure to help Hoshiko on any moves they got stuck on.
They eventually got through the full dance, ending with Lucifer holding Hoshiko in a dip.
Hoshiko was blushing softly.
The pair found themselves staring into each other's eyes, and even Lucifer felt his face get warm.
"Lucifer..." Hoshiko spoke softly.
"Yes?" Lucifer asked, matching their volume as he pulled Hoshiko back into an upright position.
“I-"Hoshiko was cut off by the sound of Lucifer's DDD ringing.
Lucifer sighed and pulled it from his pocket, then looked at the screen to see who was calling. "Excuse me, it's Lord Diavolo."
Hoshiko nodded understandingly.
Lucifer took a couple steps away to answer the call.
"Lord Dia- Pardon? … No, Hoshiko is right here with me... We've been practicing dancing... I don't think it's been that long..." he looked around for a clock.
Hoshiko showed him the time on their own DDD.
Lucifer looked at it. "Oh... my apologies, it has been a while."
Hoshiko giggled.
Lucifer glared at them, but there was no real intent behind it. He turned his attention back to his call. "Rest assured that Hoshiko is safe and well. We'll be heading back to the House of Lamentation shortly... Yes. I’ll talk to you later," and he hung up.
"I didn't mean to cause such a fuss," Hoshiko told him by way of an apology.
Lucifer shook his head. "I should have told my brothers as soon as I found you, though I am surprised that any of my brothers told Diavolo."
Hoshiko chuckled. "Perhaps they were just that worried."
Lucifer nodded. "Anyway, was there something you were going to tell me before we were interrupted?" He asked, having remembered that Hoshiko had been interrupted.
Hoshiko blushed. "Oh... I- I just wanted to thank you for today."
Lucifer nodded. "Of course, it looks good for all of us that you know the traditional dances."
Hoshiko nodded and glanced away for a brief moment. “We should head home.”
“Yes, we should,” Lucifer replied as he offered his arm to Hoshiko.
Hoshiko grinned and held onto his arm with both of their hands, just as a proper lady would.
A sudden scream rang out from the kitchen and Hoshiko ran in there to investigate.
Asmo was cowering behind Beel, screaming: "Get it! Get it! Get it!" while he pointed at a spider on the floor.
"Hold on, I'II get it," Beel told him while he searched for something to kill the spider with.
"No, wait! Don't kill it!" Hoshiko pleaded.
"Uh, yes kill it!" Asmo cried.
"Beel, you better not," Hoshiko's tone had suddenly changed to something more threatening.
"Uh..." Beel opted for not doing anything, unsure of who to listen to at this point.
Hoshiko walked over to the spider and knelt down next to it.
"Hoshiko, what are you doing?" Asmo asked, scared for them.
"I'm just gonna put it outside." They placed both of their hands down on the ground, palms up, and tried to coax the spider onto their hands.
"Don't touch it!" Asmo cried.
"Hoshiko, I think that's poisonous," Beel told them.
"Well then it's a good thing I didn't plan on eating it," Hoshiko told Beel before looking back at the spider. "C 'mon 'lil guy. Let's go outside."
"What does eating it have to do with anything if it bites you?! "Asmo cried as they looked on in horror while the spider crawled onto Hoshiko's hands.
Hoshiko stood up once the spider was in their hands. "If it bites me and I die that makes it venomous. If I bite it and I die that makes it poisonous."
"A very astute distinction. Good job, Hoshiko," Satan spoke as he walked into the kitchen. "Now, what's going on?"
"Hoshiko is trying to carry a spider outside!" Asmo cried, obviously distraught.
Satan looked at Hoshiko and the spider in their hands. "Hoshiko, that is a Shadow Blood Tarantula; They are incredibly venomous. Would you let me take it from you please?" He suddenly seemed very tense.
"No, I think trying to move him too much will frighten him and make him attack," Hoshiko told him before heading to the backdoor.
Satan, Beel, and Asmo all followed behind closely, fearful for Hoshiko's safety.
"Will someone please open the door for me?" Hoshiko asked sweetly.
Satan quickly moved to get ahead of Hoshiko and open the door for them.
Hoshiko walked outside and into the garden and looked for a good spot to release the spider.
"Hoshiko, just put it down!" Asmo whined
Hoshiko shot Asmo a nasty look.
Asmo shut his mouth and ducked his head a little.
Hoshiko knelt down and set their hands on the ground so that the spider could walk off on its own. The spider carefully crawled off of Hoshiko's hands but then quickly scurried off into the garden
Hoshiko smiled and stood up then looked up at the three brothers who had followed them outside.
"Hoshiko, why did you do all of that?" Satan asked.
Hoshiko looked at him. "Because he was just a little spider running off of instinct. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Satan smiled slightly and nodded.
"You're very kind, Hoshiko," Beel commented.
Hoshiko blushed a little. "I just want to treat everything how I would want to be treated."
"Just please be careful doing so," Satan told Hoshiko. "Like I said, that spider you were handling is incredibly venomous, a lot of things down here in the Devildom are."
"Or they might be harmful in other ways! "Asmo interjected.
"Yes, I know," Hoshiko replied exasperatedly. This wasn't the first time the brothers had reminded them that most things in the Devildom could kill them, and they somehow knew that it wouldn't be the last. "But I find that if you treat things with respect and care they tend to return the favor. I mean, you all could kill me but I'm sweet to y'all and so y'all're sweet to me."
"I couldn't imagine ever being mean to you!" Asmo cried as he threw his arms around Hoshiko.
Hoshiko chuckled and hugged Asmo. "Maybe not anymore, but it wasn't always that way."
Asmo hummed and looked at Hoshiko. "True, but you're so charming that I think you could change anyone's mind."
Hoshiko grinned. "So you're not going to ask anyone to kill a bug for you anymore?"
"Oh of course I will. Bugs are gross."
Hoshiko rolled their eyes but still grinned. "Don't ever change, Asmo."
"I wouldn't dream of it." And he kissed Hoshiko's cheek.
I got this lovely art from @moinstar, a while ago actually, but I wanted to post it with a cute story so here it is!
This story takes place in-between the MC getting Asmo's and Satan's pacts.
"Hey Mammon?" Hoshiko asked one day as Mammon and them sat in their room just enjoying each others' company.
Mammon didn't look up from his DDD as he answered with no more than an inquisitive hum.
Hoshiko looked at Mammon. "Will I ever get to see you demon form?"
Mammon snapped his head towards Hoshiko, taken off guard by their question. "Huh???"
"Well I've seen Lucifer's, Levi's, Beel's, and Asmo's at this point. So when do I get to see yours?"
Mammon turned his whole body towards Hoshiko. "Might I remind ya that for three outta four o' those you were nearly killed by them?"
Hoshiko chuckled. "Yes, I remember... But you'd never hurt me, right?"
Hoshiko got their answer from Mammon's face before he even spoke. "Of course not! The Great Mammon will always protect ya!"
"Then show me your demon form," Hoshiko requested.
"Uh, right now?" Mammon asked with a blush.
"Why not?"
Mammon set his DDD down and stood up. "Yeah, why not?"
Hoshiko sat up straight and turned to face him fully, grinning in excitement.
Mammon took a deep breath and changed into his demon form.
Hoshiko watched in complete awe of him.
Mammon felt himself grow self-conscious and blushed deeper as a result of it. "W-what's that look for?" He asked, avoiding eye contact.
Hoshiko didn't say anything as they stood up and walked around Mammon and looked him up and down.
Mammon knew that Hoshiko couldn't hurt him, wouldn't hurt him, but couldn't help but feel threatened by their actions.
He growled as he spoke. "What are you doing?"
Hoshiko jumped at his little growl; when they spoke their voice was softer. "Sorry, I just wanted a good look at ya... Ya look really cool."
Mammon eyed Hoshiko for a moment, digesting their words; and when he determined them to be true, he grinned.
"'S'alright. Of course you'd want a good look at The Great Mammon."
Hoshiko looked up at his face and grinned, a small blush on their face as they spoke. "Yeah, you are pretty hot."
Mammon blushed a deep red. "R-right! O-of course you'd think The Great Mammon is attractive!" He looked away and tried to hide how embarrassed he actually felt.
Hoshiko walked back around to his wings and ran their hands along them.
Mammon shivered at their touch.
Hoshiko glanced up to his head. "Oh sorry, are they sensitive?"
"N-no! I just wasn't expectin' you to touch them!" He half-lied.
Hoshiko chuckled. "Sorry. I like them though, they're really cool. Can you fly with them?"
"O' course I can! I'm the fastest flier in the whole Devildom too!"
"Really? Even faster than Lucifer?" Hoshiko asked teasingly as they walked back around to Mammon's front.
"Tch! O' course I'm faster than Lucifer! I'll even show ya!" Mammon grabbed Hoshiko's hand and practically dragged them outside.
Hoshiko giggled as they followed him outside to the garden.
"Okay, now watch closely 'cus I'm gonna move fast," Mammon warned, but with a grin on his face.
Hoshiko nodded solemnly.
Mammon took a couple steps away from Hoshiko and looked up towards the sky. Then with a swift flap of his wings he was up in the air and flying around.
Hoshiko watched in awe as he sped through the air.
Mammon showed off for a couple minutes before flying up high and then taking a nosedive, his wings pulled close to his body for less resistance.
Hoshiko would've sworn that they felt their heart stop when he did that. They knew exactly what he was going to do, but couldn't do anything to stop the anxiety from welling up inside of them.
And just as Hoshiko had predicted, Mammon outstretched his wings at just the right moment to catch enough air to slow him down and allow him to land safely enough.
Hoshiko breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Mammon. "That was really cool, you looked like you were going really fast."
Mammon grinned. "I was. Wanna see what it's like for yourself?"
"What?" Hoshiko felt their heart skip a beat. "You mean like, you take me up into the sky with you?" Hoshiko asked for clarification.
"Yeah! C'mon!" Mammon suddenly picked Hoshiko up bridal style.
"Oh! I dunno-" Hoshiko started to protest but before they could finish, Mammon propelled them both up into the air.
"Mammon!" Hoshiko squealed as they clung tightly to Mammon, their face buried in his neck and eyes shut tight.
Mammon chuckled. "C'mon, The Great Mammon would never let ya fall."
Hoshiko slowly opened their eyes but only looked up at Mammon's face; they could tell that Mammon wasn't flying nearly as fast as he previously had been though.
Mammon looked down at Hoshiko and flashed him his signature grin. "Look around, you'll be upset if you miss the view."
Hoshiko gave him an annoyed look, but then slowly looked out in front of them. Hoshiko gasped and momentarily stopped breathing, in awe of the sight in front of them.
Mammon squeezed them gently. "Don't forget to breathe."
Hoshiko snapped their head toward Mammon. "Right." Then looked back out in front of them.
Mammon watched Hoshiko for a moment. "It's nice, yeah?"
"It's gorgeous," Hoshiko corrected.
"Yeah, it is," Mammon agreed, his eyes still on Hoshiko.
Hoshiko finally loosened their grip on the demon and allowed themself to really take in the view.
Mammon flew Hoshiko around to see all the best sights of the Devildom before flying them both back to the House of Lamentation.
He landed carefully and set Hoshiko gently on their feet.
Hoshiko's legs were a little shaky and they would have collapsed had Mammon not quickly caught them.
"Are you okay?!" he asked, suddenly panicked.
Hoshiko chuckled. "I'm fine. The adrenaline leaving my body just always leaves me shaky."
"Oh... well I'll just carry you in then," Mammon told Hoshiko as he picked them up bridal style once again.
"You don't have to," Hoshiko told him, though they still wrapped their arms around his neck.
"Nah, can't have ya fallin' over and hurtin' ya'self. What kind of protector would I be then?"
"A pretty shitty one actually," Hoshiko played along with him despite really knowing why he had offered to carry them.
"Exactly! And I ain't shitty, I'm great!"
Hoshiko chuckled. "Of course you are, baby."
Mammon blushed and looked down at Hoshiko. "'Baby?'"
Hoshiko blushed as well. "Oh. Uh... Sorry, it just... slipped out, I guess."
Mammon nodded and looked back straight. "It's okay... Just not in front of anyone else."
Hoshiko smiled slightly and nodded. "Alright."
Mammon and Hoshiko were both quiet the rest of the way to Hoshiko's room.
Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus were all in Hoshiko's room when they walked in there.
"What're y'all doin' in Hoshiko's room?!" Mammon yelled at his brothers.
The three brothers all turned and looked at the couple.
"There you are, Hoshiko!" Asmo cried.
"Mammon, why are you carrying Hoshiko?" Beel asked. "Are you hurt?" He addressed Hoshiko.
"And why are you in your demon form?" Levi asked.
Hoshiko climbed down from Mammon's arms. "I'm fine, y'all calm down. We just went for a little flight around the Devildom."
Levi, Asmo, and Beel seemed to all look at Mammon at the exact same time.
"You took Hoshiko flying?" Beel asked.
Mammon blushed at everyone's attention on him. "Yeah, why?"
"That's really romantic," Asmo told him longingly.
"It's some normie shit is what it is," Levi corrected disdainfully, though it was obvious that he was actually jealous.
Mammon and Hoshiko both blushed at the brothers' implications.
"Wait, wait, wait! It wasn't like that!" Mammon protested.
"Then what was it like?" Beel asked sincerely.
"It was just... ya know!" Mammon was flustered and unable to find the words he so desperately needed.
"No, we don't know," Levi told him.
"Uh... I think I hear Lucifer callin' me." Mammon looked toward the door.
"I don't hear-" Beel started to correct him.
Mammon suddenly ran out of the room, hoping to avoid anymore interrogation.
Hoshiko snorted and shook their head.
"He's such an idiot," Asmo commented.
Hoshiko sighed dreamily. "Yeah... but he's my idiot."
Nothing particularly bad has happened, but you're all out of spoons and bones.
You've hardly left your bed and whenever someone has come to check on you, you don't have a good answer for when they inevitably ask "What's wrong?"
Everyone will leave you be, save for one.
Asmodeus is not his usual cheery, excitable self when he comes to get you. He's still smiling but it's softer, calmer. He doesn't say anything as he picks you up and carries you upstairs to his bedroom.
Normally, you might've protested just being taken to his room while you were in this state, but his unusual demeanor put you at ease this time.
Asmo carries you to his bathroom where he has a hot bath ready for you. Steam and soothing aromatics fill the air, already doing well to lift your spirits.
Asmo sets you on your feet and looks in your eyes as he asks you: "May I undress you?"
Something about the look in his eyes tells you that he doesn't have anything lewd planned so you nod by way of telling him yes.
And your perception is correct; he touches you more than necessary but every caress is gentle and sweet. There's nothing but love behind the kisses he places on your skin.
Asmo helps you into the tub once you're undressed and sits on the edge and starts to massage your shoulders and scalp.
You lean back against the edge of the tub as you start to relax more and more.
"I love you, MC," Asmo says after a few moments.
You lean your head back so that you can look at him.
"I love you when you're happy and smiling, but I still love you now when you're feeling down. I want you to feel your best hopefully all the time, but if not, then as often as you can... I just want you to know that I'll support you no matter what."
You can't help but to tear up at his words, even if they are simple, they're just what you needed to hear.
"My love, dont cry," Asmo coos as he kneels down next to the tub so he can look into your eyes and stroke your hair.
"That was just exactly what I needed to hear today," you tell him.
Asmo smiles slightly and kisses you. "... I love you, MC."
So @hetalia-secretary said "I'm here to further trouble/confuse information. It was because of Diavolo that the demon brothers survived right? And Lucifer has like, a deal with Diavolo. What if that's why Lucy's eyes glow red and not blue because he's under [Lord Diavolo's] influence?" on my previous post.
And holy shit did that get me thinking.
So we can all agree that Diavolo is currently the strongest illustrated/animated character. And he's definitely the strongest demon, save for maybe/ probably his father, the king.
So I kinda already hc'd that the (current) Demon King would have red eyes, and thus when exhibiting his power his eyes would glow red. But what if, every king's eyes glowed red regardless of natural eye color? What if that was one of the identifying traits of being the demon king?
What if the powers of the demon king were inherited not through genetics but through spell and ritual? (think kinda like in the movie Black Panther)
I think that the royal line would be inherently stronger than most, if not all, other demons. But thinking about some of the things that Diavolo can do, i.e. literally stop time, I think that would be a power that would be passed down from king to king in a very deliberate manner. (It'd be pretty bad if some angsty teen prince could stop time, etc., yeah?)
"But FanimeSensei, Diavolo isn't the actual king yet..."
Yeah, I know. Again, think back to Black Panther (and Civil War). T'Challa wasn't king yet but he still had the powers of the Black Panther because his father had gotten too old and was unable to fulfill the duties of the Black Panther.
We know that DK is currently in some hibernation state, but we're not sure why or for how long. But I'm sure that before he went into said state he passed on whatever kingly powers to Diavolo so that his son could properly run the kingdom while he slept. But of course, DK would keep whatever power was needed to properly identify himself as the one and true king. But other than that, Diavolo currently has all the powers of the king.
So bringing it back to what hetalia-secretary said about Lucifer's eyes...
In the flashback in season 1, we see Lucifer asking Diavolo to help Lilith right after they fell, which is also the point in which Lucifer pledges his loyalty to Diavolo. And as nice of a person Diavolo is, I have a hard time believing that Diavolo would take Lucifer's pledge of loyalty at face value (I know I wouldn't).
So what if other demons could make a sort of pledge or pact with the king to prove their loyalty and in turn this "pact" doesn't physically allow them to turn on said royal family (member). In this case, Lucifer is not physically able to turn on Diavolo even if he wanted to. (Not that I think Lucifer ever would, I just think Diavolo had no reason to trust him that much at that point in time.)
So perhaps, because Diavolo has the powers of the king and magic isn't sentient like that to know that he's not the king yet, when he made this deal with Lucifer it changed his eyes to red to mimic the King's eyes. A sort of brand to anyone who would make this pact.
And his brothers would never know, glowing eyes like that isn't an angel thing so the whole experience is new to them who just fell. They wouldn't have any idea what makes Lucifer's red compared to Mammon's being yellow.
And perhaps after years and years of proving his worth and loyalty, Diavolo releases Lucifer from his pact and then they become true friends (because I also hate the thought of Diavolo only having friends because they're forced to be around/ nice to him).
So I headcanon that when demons are showing off their power, their eyes glow. And with the seven avatars of sin especially, their eyes glow the color associated with their sin. e.g. Satan’s eyes glow green, Asmo’s glow pink, etc. with the only exception being Lucifer, whose eyes would glow red despite his sin color being blue. I also think that the twins would be a sort of exception. If either of them exhibit their power alone their eyes would glow their respective colours, but if the twins are getting riled up together, because of their bond, their colors would mix and their eyes would glow a red-violet or magenta colour.
Demons who are not the avatars of sin however, their eyes would just glow their normal eye color. e.g. Diavolo, despite his power level, would have glowing yellow eyes.
All this being said, I also headcanon that when a human with a pact draws on the power of said pact their eyes would also glow. And should they have a pact with an avatar of sin, their eyes would glow with the color of the sin just as the avatar’s eyes themselves would. So MC’s eyes would glow yellow if they were fighting alongside Mammon, green if they were fighting with Satan, etc, etc…
So this begs the question: Would MC’s eyes glow red or blue when fighting with Lucifer?
So I headcanon that when demons are showing off their power, their eyes glow. And with the seven avatars of sin especially, their eyes glow the color associated with their sin. e.g. Satan's eyes glow green, Asmo's glow pink, etc. with the only exception being Lucifer, whose eyes would glow red despite his sin color being blue. I also think that the twins would be a sort of exception. If either of them exhibit their power alone their eyes would glow their respective colours, but if the twins are getting riled up together, because of their bond, their colors would mix and their eyes would glow a red-violet or magenta colour.
Demons who are not the avatars of sin however, their eyes would just glow their normal eye color. e.g. Diavolo, despite his power level, would have glowing yellow eyes.
All this being said, I also headcanon that when a human with a pact draws on the power of said pact their eyes would also glow. And should they have a pact with an avatar of sin, their eyes would glow with the color of the sin just as the avatar’s eyes themselves would. So MC's eyes would glow yellow if they were fighting alongside Mammon, green if they were fighting with Satan, etc, etc...
So this begs the question: Would MC's eyes glow red or blue when fighting with Lucifer?
The sheer amount of emotions you feel by the sight in front of you is nearly overwhelming. You've never thought you could feel happiness right alongside with sorrow- until Lucifer showed you his back.
It was an intentional action for him, like when a cat closes its eyes in front of you for the first time.
You've heard the little snippets and anecdotes from his brothers about what he did and why, but you never dared to ask him about it yourself.
And though you've been naked in front of each other before, engaged in intercourse even, you'd never seen his back before now. Thinking back on it, you realize that him pinning you to the bed might have had another reason behind it besides just kink.
But here he is now, on full display for you to see, scars and all.
You sit behind him and gently run your fingers over the pair of scars, knowing exactly what used to be there before he even gets to tell you.
Lucifer shudders but otherwise doesn't move. "I used to have six wings," he tells you. "Before I..." he hesitates.
"Before you fell," you finish for him.
"Yes," he confirms. He's already facing away from you but it still feels purposeful that he's not looking at you.
You study the scars for a moment, taking in their roughness despite knowing they've possibly been there for millenia.
You wrap your arms around his waist and gently hug him from where you currently sit behind him.
Lucifer doesn't hardly react.
"I know these scars are probably a source of shame for you..." You speak and you notice Lucifer's head lower, almost as though he's confirming your statement. "But I think they should be a source of pride," you continue.
Lucifer raises his head only slightly, obviously confused by your statement. "Excuse me?" He asks.
"You may have lost that battle, but the only reason you were in it to begin with was because you were standing up for something you believed in. You were fighting for your family, and I think that's very noble of you," you explain.
Lucifer chuckles softly and places a hand over one of yours. "That is certainly a new way of thinking about it."
"I know you probably won't change your way of thinking just because I said something, but I want you to know that I don't think of you any less because you've told me about this."
Lucifer grabs your hand and pulls it up to his lips so that he can kiss it. "Thank you, I appreciate you saying so."
