So I gave Mammon a crash out over Lesson sixteen so I'll give Satan some complicated feelings since he hadn't experienced the death of a loved one before the way the brothers had and trying to understand Belphegor's actions. Ahh suffering my beloved.
TW: Lesson sixteen, existential crisis vs poor grieving skills
Satan was curious demon, born unknowing he grew with the urge to understand everything. He could never understand how he was born, not even Lucifer knew, but he couldn't get an answer from Belphegor on why he killed Mc. Satan had never experienced the death of a loved one before, he couldn't understand why his brother would try and take away the first person he ever felt fully comfortable opening up to. It was cruel, and Satan started to understand Lucifer's actions which used to be as understandable to him as Mandarin to an American toddler but now it was Belphegor that was so foreign.
Satan slipped along the hall until he came to the attic. Belphegor had stopped sleeping in the same room as Beel since not even his twin knew how to act around him anymore. Satan looked around until he spotted a lump of blankets on the bed which would contain one sleepy demon. Satan walked over and shook the pile to summon a demon from his sleep.
"Belphie, wake up please."
Belphegor slowly crawled out of the pile "Huh wha?"
"Belphie, are you coherent?"
Belphegor groaned and stood up, moving a few steps to the door just to prove he was awake enough "Yeah."
"Why did you kill Mc?"
Belphegor fully woke at Satan's query and spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world "For Lilith."
"But why Belphegor? Killing Mc wouldn't bring Lilith back, it just means another person to bury."
"Because it's humans fault satan."
"It was angels who shot that arrow, not humans. Her lover probably didn't even know what she was doing. Why do you want her back? It's been years, shouldn't she be allowed to rest? Am I not enough of a sibling for you?!"
"What? No, Satan-"
"Do you regret the war?" Satan started crying, experiencing a level of personal sadness he had only ever read about "The only reason for my existence? If you resent humans so much how do you not resent me for replacing her?! Who even was she?!"
"H-Huh?"
"Did she crave knowledge as I did? Did she also love cats? Did she love the smell of books and the words on their pages as much as I do? Did she hope to understand connections? Was she also angry because no matter what she did she couldn't connect to you and the others because you always saw someone else? And what of Mc?! Was killing Mc really worth it when this woman that is dead remains dead and the rest of us have to lose a loved one? What of us Belphegor?!" Satan's voice quieted but held a gentle crack "What of us?"
Belphegor backed up, he backed right into Lucifer. Lucifer made sure Belphegor was standing stable while everyone else was peeking their head in, Lucifer the only one that entered. They had been spying since Asmo saw Satan go up to the attic and everyone wanted to make sure things were ok considering the last time. Lucifer moved past Belphegor once he was certain the youngest would not fall and went straight to Satan to give him a hug. Satan accepted it although he didn't hug back.
"you're not a replacement for Lilith, Satan, you are my child. I'm sorry we made you feel that way, we never stopped grieving because she's still going to be dead but we should have made sure it didn't affect you as it did, I'm sorry Satan."
Belphegor stared at Lucifer holding Satan who wasn't resisting. They really had grown closer while Belphegor was locked away. Belphegor stood there alone as the others started piling into the room to cuddle around Satan. The others spoke their apologies around Satan since he really didn't deserve to feel so awfully as Belphegor stood aside unsure of how to act now. It felt more to Belphegor now that he was watching an event in which he didn't exist. The others started to guide Satan out, taking him to see the cats so he could feel better. Lucifer remained a moment to look back at Belphegor who was watching with a gaze almost like an apology before he turned and disappeared as well. Belphegor whispered one single "I'm sorry", but mo one was there to receive it.
(We could also assume that the IkeVil cast all gave their nipples to demons, and that’s why they’re all nip-less, but with seven demons and twelve Cursed, that leaves ten extra nipples… I think Belphie took an extra set and the rest were a secret OBMTDDUP Kickstarter reward.)
all of the demon bros' 2025 birthday posters finally dropped!! + i am obsessed with how they all came with "instruction manuals" from the year prior and i just wanted to include them—
Ahhh. AHHH. It’s gonna be infrequent for a while. My sincerest apologies, my buggy friends.
Rated G for demons being jealous and dumb about it. Maybe hurt/comfort type dealy.
—————————————————————
There was little fanfare upon your return home, and you couldn't stop the disappointment as you entered the living room. Every brother was laid out on a couch or on the floor, talking amongst themselves or otherwise preoccupied, which might explain why they hadn't noticed you, but that wasn't good enough right now. Dropping you bag to the floor loudly; you plant your fists on your hips and glare at the group of demons as they finally seem to acknowledge you.
"Welcome home" Satan offers, seemingly unperturbed by your stance and scowl. "Did you enjoy your outing?" The way your eyes narrow seem to catch him off guard but before he can clarify your mood, Mammon brushes it all off like he'd rather not hear about it.
"Of course they did, they've been gone for hours. Probably spenidn' time with that one demon they're all buddy-buddy with." His eyes catch yours for a moment before darting away with a pout. It might have made your heart melt if you weren't so spun around by the current events. Their greeting seems to set off a domino effect, because now everyone's chiming in about how they assume your evening had been.
"Oh? Did you finally get intimate with member of your debate club?" Lucifer's voice carries something dark and flat and just the sound of it makes you feel guilty for something that isn't true.
"They're not in debate, stupid. It was some math thing." Belphie doesn't even lift his head from his laid-out position.
"That doesn't sound right either... what little group did you join, hon? Something lame and nerdy, but I don't think it was math?" Even Asmo was being pointed and if you had to listen to one more of them jab at you for doing someone a favour, you might actually cry.
"Shut up, all of you." That seems to catch the group of them off guard, but you can at least see a bit of guilt in Mammon and Leviathan. Marching to the center of the room, you offer them all a glare before clearing up their dumb misconceptions. "First of all, I haven't joined any clubs. I've been staying after school as a favour to Diavolo and Barbatos." Satan looks like he might argue with that, but you point at him with a warning and he closes his mouth quickly. "Some fortune reading club was supposed to do a tournament, but it seems some members got sick. They needed numbers so I was thrown at them at the behest of your fucking prince." They all seem to deflate, their anger dissipating in lieu of the new information. "I have not been out 'having fun' or 'getting chummy' with anyone. I've been practicing my butt off just to lose a competition for R.A.D, and now everyone here is mad at me because you don't listen when I tell you what I've been up to?!" There are absolutely tears in your eyes and this isn't worth it anymore.
Turning on your heel, you trudge out of the sitting room towards yours. Everything was too much and you just wanted a shower and sleep. Originally, you'd wanted a hug and some head pats but seeing everyone had made you feel even worse. Not only did they not listen to any time you'd explained what you were doing, they also got mad at you for having fun with other people- as if there was any fun to your third, consecutive wrong prediction in front of an auditorium of demons, all sneering at your novice mistakes. Even the team had been disheartened, though they tried desperately to hide it from you. Standing in the shower, you mutter into your hands about not even wanting to have participated as you scrub your face clean. Today was awful and you weren't sure how you could face the fortune telling club again, let alone Diavolo and Barbatos.
Though you were always being shoved into ridiculous situations, you were always earnestly trying your best. Sometimes support was what you needed, sometimes it was tutoring, but you'd always managed to make your way through somehow. This time, without any net at all, you failed spectacularly and it just keeps playing in your head. No part of you enjoys losing, but more than that you had hoped for sympathy and consolation. Coming home to that atmosphere, none of them even bothering to show up to the event itself, it all hurt twice as much. Maybe if you'd seen even one of their faces in the crowd, you might have snuck out a miracle. Instead, you were using the shower to mask the sound of your soft hiccups, trying to get through the misery before you needed to step out of the bathroom.
Half an hour later, you manage to slump your way into sleep clothes and back to bed, only to find that there's a plate of cookies and a few notes on your neat blankets. Part of you wants to throw them to the ground and just go to sleep but you're a curious person and pick up the folded paper. As you'd expected, it's a series of apologies from the brothers. They all take turns repenting in their own ways and you feel that familiar guilt in your chest that makes you want to forgive them immediately, but you hold strong all the same. Moving the plate to the table, you re-read the papers and then crawl underneath your blankets. With the lights off, you try to focus on nothing, letting your mind wander as you hope for sleep to take you.
It's because the room is dark and you're trying to free your mind that you notice the sliver of light across your wall instantly. The tell-tale sign of someone cracking your door open and peeking in. If the light didn't alert you to their presence, then their inevitable squabbling takes over until they're not even pretending to whisper anymore. When you can hear every word and everyone clearly, you roll over to face the door, an unimpressed frown on your tired features.
"Hey." It's a warning and seems to catch a few of them off guard. They all immediately hush and the door creaks open to reveal the lot of them crowding it. Clearly, they were hoping you'd be willing to talk to them again, after their peace offering, but you're tired and hurt and just want to sleep. Still, that annoying pull in your chest forces you to sit up and you let them in despite the weight in your bones.
At once, they clamber to you, like children lost without the direction of a parent. You pet heads and accept apologies, but it all feels thin until Beelzebub lifts you into a huge bear hug and buries his face into your shoulder. There's a quiet that spills over everyone and when he speaks, you feel the rumble of his deep voice against your back. "I'm sorry. We all missed you when you started coming home late. It wasn't fair that we didn't listen to what you said and assumed the worst." Another apology, but something about this one flicks a switch and you feel yourself tear up again. It seems to set them off again, and instead of holding back your upset, you let it play out in front of them.
While the brothers could be selfish and juvenile, they were still your family here in the Devildom. Being thousands of years old didn't stop them from making mistakes and it feels obvious how much they truly love you when they all rush to dry your tears or take responsibility for each sob or finger jab. At one point, Lucifer even offers to discipline Diavolo for putting you in this position and it'd tempting. It had started rocky and had been a struggle, but despite it all you managed to crawl your way home and into the arms of your demons. Being honest had opened you up to them and now, as you continue to whine about your experience, you feel safe and heard for the first time in a while in their presence. Sleeping could wait a little longer, or maybe you'd just fall asleep like this.
