Belphegor, as of late, often takes to the attic for his afternoon nap. Naps, usually. These days, heaviness sits in his bones and lead weighs down his chest.
But even his sin isn’t friendly anymore, because he dreams in his sleep. He dreams of universes - infinite universes - where he meets you and falls in love in any way that isn’t the same as the reality he comes from. Sometimes, he doesn’t step towards you that day at the top of the stairs - and his eldest brother swoops in to deliver the truth about his sister’s death before he can make his biggest mistake. Other times, he lives as a human; and he gets his long-awaited meet-cute with you in a scene that looks oddly-familiar to the dating sim he had played with Levi last week.
Most of the time, though… he closes his eyes. Then, he opens them.
And you’re there, sleeping next to him, murmuring that you’ve forgiven him for all he’s done.
“ - phegor..? Belphegor?”
No, no, not yet - he doesn’t want to wake up yet. Dream you still hasn’t gotten to the part where you tell him you love him.
“Gosh, Belphie - Belphegor, it’s time to wake up!”
His eyes fly open. Like a catapult, his posture snaps upright - and you recoil, hands up defensively.
“Woah, there - I’m sorry! Lucifer wanted me to call you downstairs.” You explain. He blinks at you, dumbfounded, but you don’t notice in your hurry to wake the others. You only babble something about Lord Diavolo, an emergency meeting, Lotan - and scurry out the door. A few moments later, Belphegor hears the patter of your feet and the knocking of your knuckles again, for another of his brothers. Then, the same babbling. Then, footsteps, and it continues.
But what was it you had said? ‘Belphie’?
Surely not. You haven't called him that since...
He lets his eyelids flutter shut. The line between reality and dream goes as blurry as his vision.
That’s right. He must have been dreaming.