Intro: The MC and their favorite demon were just trying to have a fun night out at The Fall. The lights were going, the music was blaring, and the two of them were by the bar but there was a problem. Their demon noticed a sketchy creep who'd been eyeing their human all night long⌠and that simply won't do. So when their human left to use the bathroomâŚ
It was time to take care of the problem.
Lucifer
Though Lucifer was usually less than into the club scene, the MC wanted a change of pace from their usual dates and he did so want to make them happy⌠At first, he thought he'd just be dealing with the loud noise and crowded atmosphere but then he noticed something elseâŚ
A demon had been following them through most of the night, always keeping his distance but staring at the MC far too much for his likingâŚ
This put Lucifer in a bit of an odd position. He didn't exactly want to leave the club because the MC didn't look tired yet, but he also didn't like seeing that cretin following them aroundâŚ
Yet, of course, it also rubbed his pride the wrong way to go tell him to stop directly. Lucifer would never admit to feeling bothered by some pitiful lesser demon⌠Never.
But by the time the MC left him to use the restroom, he was at his wit's end. He could see the man had taken a seat at the other end of the bar just to watch them and he was growing irritated⌠So he had to devise a new strategy.
It's unusual for demons to walk around in their true forms. It's not that it's frowned upon or anything, it's just that it's normally something reserved for big events⌠or for displays of dominance and control.
So when Lucifer slipped into his demon form in the middle of The Fall, it turned quite a few heads. Truthfully, there was only one head in particular that he wanted his way, and once he got it, he stared the guy downâŚ
It was a taste of the lowlife's own medicine, but so much worse coming from him⌠The feel of Lucifer's bloody-onyx eyes and chillingly cold smile from across the bar could have made even the strongest men run for the hillsâŚ
Needless to say, the demon didn't last very long under the eldest brother's gaze. In fact, he wilted almost immediately before slinking away as quickly as he couldâŚÂ
A guy not even able to stomach the firstborn's stare? Truly a pathetic coward if Lucifer ever saw one.
He was totally back to normal by the time the MC returned and went back to dancing with them like nothing ever happened⌠Though his human couldn't help but notice the crowd kept their distance from them for the rest of the night...Â
Eh, Hell is just weird sometimes isn't it?
Mammon
Look, Mammon had been trying to have some fun the whole night and for the most part he'd been succeeding except for one thingâŚ
He could sense that asshole still hadn't left them alone. He'd just hover near him and his MC like a hellhound stalking prey⌠It was annoying. It was creepyâŚ
And it was reeeaaallly getting on his nerves.
When the MC left for the restroom, he was leaning back against the bar scanning the room for their abhorrent admirer while using the tint of his sunglasses to hide his eyes.
It didn't take him long to see the gross fuck sitting alone at a table. Who knew what he was planning... following them home? Taking candid shots of MC? Either way, he wanted to sock him in the jawâŚ
But, of course, Mammon knew he had to play it just a little smoother than that to stay in the club.
Mammon sauntered over to the man's table and invited himself to sit, kicking his feet up to look casual but knocking his boots against the surface so roughly it made the guy jump... Pathetic.
"Oi, so I've seen ya lookin at my human⌠Real work of art, eh?" He flashed the guy a fanged grin and watched him sweat for a second before cutting off any answer.
"-'course they are. Don't need to tell me. But I gotta say, you're really ticking me off, bud⌠We're just tryin to enjoy ourselves but I keep seeing your ugly mug wherever we're at."
He pulled his legs back from the table and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a deck of playing cards.
"Tell ya what, I'm feelin oddly generous so let's play a game. You and me. If ya win, I'll let ya have a night with'emâŚ" He fought the urge to punch the guy when he saw his eyes light up, "but if I winâŚ"
Mammon put the deck on the table then leaned in real close, "I'll flay your skin off and gild ya skeleton in the 4th circle myself⌠Gold skulls are selling like hotcakes right now." He put every bit of malice he could into the threat, even barring his increasingly sharpening fangs.
The guy must of had a good head on him because he paled immediately before getting up and running from the table. If there's one thing everybody knows about Mammon, it's never play cards with him if he can make even a single Grimm⌠Chances are, you're gonna lose.
When the MC came back, Mammon flagged them down to their new table and pulled them onto his lap for a little chat before getting more drinks. They're his human. His.
Leviathan
Of course Levi noticed this creep the second that they walked in. He's Envy. He had been hyper-vigilant of all the attention the MC had been receiving since their first step inside. But this guy was⌠persistent.
He'd been tailing them all night, always finding spots with good vantage points, which of course was sketch as hell but...
Honestly? Levi just didn't like him looking at them. Not at all. In fact, he'd hazard to say he truly hated this complete stranger for how much real estate his eyes were taking up of his precious MC⌠What gave him the right??
By the time the MC had to use the restroom, he was sitting at the bar seriously contemplating whether or not to just carry them home⌠He didn't like night clubs anyway, but they seemed to be having fun and they always looked so cute while dancingâŚ
No. He couldn't just take them home. But once they left, he had a much better idea.
It was easy for Levi to slip away from the bar. The asshole was leaned back against a nearby wall and pretty much pulled his phone out the second the MC was out of sight. From there, Levi only had to do what he did best, blend into the background, until he was right next to the guy...
He didn't say anything. He didn't give him any warning or threat. No, no he was far too ticked to be that charitableâŚ
The only indication the man got of how royally he fucked up was the searing pain of Levi's fangs digging into his shoulder, the thirdborn's gloved hand muffling his screams until the venom took hold of his prey.
The last thing that man ever saw, propped up and paralyzed against the wall, was the MC coming back to their docile otaku, who now pulled them into his arms⌠still shooting the occasional smirk in his victim's direction.
And the last thing he ever heard was the same word his killer whispered to him after his throat became too tight to scream⌠"Mine."
Satan
This always seemed to happen whenever he took the MC places⌠They could be walking together in the park and he'd still see lesser demon eyes following them around...
Frankly, it did piss him off to a degree. He knew they never asked to be stared at like a piece of meat, but if he'd go on a rampage every time it happened then they'd never have a quiet date again. So he learned to put up with it⌠to an extent.
The demon that had been following them that night was really testing his notoriously short patience...
He had tried several tactics to shake the guy as they were dancing but he'd always come right back. He even got more handsy than normal to show, "Hey, this one is mine!" but that had gotten him equally dismal results⌠It was bordering the line of disrespect now.
He did his best to keep up a friendly face while the MC was with him, but they must have noticed he'd gotten tense. They told him to try and relax a bit before they left for the bathroomâŚ
Oh, he was going to relax alright.
The second they were out of sight, Satan's smile broke into a glare he leveled right at the offending scumbag's table. Of course, seeing the MC had left put the guy's attention elsewhere, but that was his funeral.
Satan knew his time was limited, so he skipped the pleasantries and marched right over to him, slamming his foot down onto the edge of the table with such force it threatened to tip it over then grabbed him by the neck.
"Back. OFF."
It really didn't take much, his reputation preceded him. He felt the guy's pulse skyrocket between his fingers before he let him go.
It was hard not to get a little satisfaction when watching the worthless creep scramble away from him like his life depended on it (as it very much did). He almost considered giving chase just to amp up the fun, but the MC returned sooner than he expectedâŚ
A pair of arms around his waist and lips against his cheek were enough to evaporate his anger right then⌠but it didn't settle his sudden need to mark them in the slightest.
Ultimately, the real question was whether he could wait until they got home to show the world that they were his or if they needed to find somewhere⌠quieter. No promises, MC.
AsmodeusÂ
Asmo had dealt with his fair share of admirers, the stalking kind included. Fortunately, dealing with them had always been relatively easy for him (he is a ruler of Hell after all) but one targeting his beloved human� That was far less acceptable in his eyes.
He caught sight of the beady eyes of the creep while he was dancing with the MC. At first, he thought the guy was looking at him (who wouldn't?) but then he followed his eyeline right to his lovely human companionâŚ
Though he couldn't exactly blame him for staring, he and MC made a fantastic looking pair, he definitely couldn't sit idly by either. People like this are usually bad news and he refused to let any harm come to his MCâŚ!
He was as tactful as ever, though. He liked The Fall and would rather not be banned from returning⌠He waited patiently for the MC to go to the bathroom before making his way over to the creep, his perfect smile still sitting on his face.
"Excuse me, cutie." He waited for the stalker's eyes to leave his phone and settle on Asmo's own. "Ah, there you are! Good. I had a question for you, I think⌠oh no, I must have forgotten it! Silly me."
Though he could see the demon was growing annoyed, Asmo stalled for just a few moments longer⌠just long enough for his bewitching charm to set into his victim's mind.
"Ah! Now I remember. Do you like dogs?" He smiled in satisfaction to see the creeper's head nod slowly. "Oh good! Because I know a very hungry dog right now⌠Cerberus is his name and I don't think he's had a meal today. Would you be a doll and go feed him for me? He lives in the cave behind the House of Lamentation. You can't miss him."
The demon's head nodded slowly yet again as he rose from his chair and walked out of the club quietly. Quick, painless, and with no messy cleanup!
Well⌠none that Cerberus wouldn't clean up for him anyway. Asmo returned to the bar with a newly giddy grin on his face... His MC wouldn't be seeing that man ever again~!
BeelzebubÂ
Beel is very patient. Beel is very kind. Beel is very forgiving. Beel is⌠really not about this right now...
Unlike his brothers, Beel's easygoing nature made him less quick to pick up on the lingering glances that the MC gets from others. Even when he does notice, he can usually let it slide if looking is all they do (he's the only one who can touch after all).
But even he couldn't miss how wolfishly that demon was staring at them⌠It made him uncomfortable and the guy just refused to leave them aloneâŚ
By the time the MC left Beel at the bar to use the restroom, he was on a level of irritated usually only reserved for when someone denied him food⌠It was like that jerk had taken a cheese grater to his patience and it was wearing thinâŚ
As much as he knew he could deck him, he didn't want to get them kicked out⌠The MC was having such a good time, despite the creep's ogling, so he used a different approachâŚ
Being so high up in Hell had its perks and one was that anywhere in town that offered food also had a secret menu⌠A Beelzebub Only menu (as a precaution so that he wouldn't wreck the place whenever he stopped by). Anything on his menu always had huge portions and The Fall was no exception.
The bartender didn't seem too surprised when he ordered a Drakon Leg, but he was very surprised when he asked to get the full bone too⌠Not with the meat on it. Just the bone.
Fun Fact: the bones of Drakons are supremely thick and strong enough to be used as clubs.
Even More Fun Fact: it takes an incredible amount of force to snap these bonesâŚ
...which Beel did without breaking a sweat⌠and maintaining eye contact with the creep The. Entire. Time. The sound of the bone snapping in two was almost as deafening as a gunshot and he didn't even flinch.
The demon went running out of the club with his tail between his legs and quickly got swapped out for the MC running back, worried about what made such a loud noiseâŚ
Of course, by that time Beel had the bone thrown away and was chowing down on the meat like nothing ever happened so they dropped the subject soon enough...
He may not be as open about when he claims someone as the rest of his family but that's because when push comes to shove, who in their right mind would want to challenge Beel anyway...?
BelphegorÂ
Nope. Nope. Nope nope nope, he's not having this. Not one bit.
Belphie lacks a lot of the good-natured patience of his twin... Chances are if there's something happening and he's not stopping it, it's just because putting up with it is the path of least resistanceâŚ
But there are always exceptions and those are usually reserved for the MC.
Strangers trying to get close or even imagining themselves being with MC really makes his blood boil⌠He knew them the most. He loved them the most. On just what grounds did some random moron think he could take his place?? Wishful thinking? Keep dreaming, buddy.
So, of course, he wasn't happy when he noticed some asshole staring at the MC like Beel does when he sees a havoc roast...
He kept his poker face up while he was with the MC, but he was devising a plan to take care of him the entire time⌠One he finally got the chance to enact once the MC went to the bathroom.
He's even better at going unnoticed than Levi, so sneaking his way over to the asshole was a piece of cake. He didn't notice until Belphie casually draped his arm around the guy's neck, hanging his clawed hand dangerously close to the scumbag's heart...
"Having a good time�"
He could feel a shallow swallow against his arm as he began to slowly apply pressure to his trachea.
"I bet you were⌠and I was too until I saw you following us⌠Care to explain yourself?"
"I-I uh-Gah!"Â
The guy's voice gets cut off by Belphie's arm getting even tighter, the sharp tips of his claws drumming directly over the man's thundering heart.
"Ugh, that's what you actually sound like? Never mind, it's not worth knowingâŚ" His fingers stopped drumming and slowly began to dig into his skin...
"I'm only going to say this once⌠If I ever see you tailing my human again, you won't be needing this-" his claws drilled a little deeper into his chest, "-anymore. Am I clear?"
The demon's head nodded as much as his strangled throat would allow and Belphie finally retracted his claws, wiping the blood off on the guy's shirt before letting him go. He fell forward onto all fours before attempting to scramble away as fast as he could...
Belphie watched him go with disinterest on his face, but satisfaction in his heart. Yet another threat to his human dealt with⌠And they could go back to enjoying their evening together. Alone. Just where his human belonged...
I have lots of thoughts on what demon courting rituals and demon culture might entail, but here's one of the tamer ones just to, uh, test out the waters.
Okay so you know how you can ignore Diavolo and Barbatos in surprise guest interactions and they'll take that as a positive sign? You gain affection with them for it.
The seven brothers are kinda outliers in that they were all once angels (or at least part of an angel - Satan was conscious from within Lucifer before he was even born).
Barbatos and Lucifer are also sort of yes-men for Diavolo. When Diavolo wants to do something, Lucifer might complain or say it's a bad idea, but he always eventually caves.
[Lesson ehh 14-16-ish spoilers under the cut]
When Belphie doesn't like the idea of the Exchange Program? He tells Luci to go against Dia, to speak out in opposition. And then he threatens to straight up KILL the human student AND go after the entire human world??
So what if, culture-wise, demons don't like... have passive opposition the way we do? In a demon's eyes, if you aren't actively stopping them from doing a thing, then you agree for them to do a thing.
Hence, in the surprise guest interactions - if you ignore Dia or Barb, they assume that's a positive reaction. If you're not doing something they actively dislike, then they think it's all good!
Demon courting rituals don't have "hard to get" - it doesn't matter if you reciprocate, a demon will go through with their courting unless you physically stop them or TELL THEM you don't want it.
So maybe in the Devildom, "take a hint" isn't a thing. If one demon isn't interested they say "No" (or physically attack/destroy the other demon LMAO) - otherwise, a pursuing demon can take that as a yes.
"But Elsey, that would cause so many problems-"
That's EXACTLY why you gotta go with this shit!!
Don't tell me demon culture is identical to human culture!! Human cultures have shitty, strange, or unfair norms that cause problems and misunderstandings!!
Diavolo instituted the exchange program for a REASON! Gimme some cultural differences here,,, especially if they affect Diavolo on a personal level >:)
So what DOES it mean in demon courting when your partner ignores you? If they didn't like it they would make it VERY clear. So they are interested....
...they just want you to impress them some. It's why someone like Diavolo would enjoy being ignored - no one's ever done that to him before! What an amazing opportunity for him to show off to you!
Naturally, from the perspective of many human cultures, a LOT of that could come off as uncomfortable and threatening.
Diavolo casually displays his power after you politely ignore his advances, cheerfully oblivious to the fact that you're not into it, or just intimidated and his efforts to impress you are exacerbating that.
What other demon flirting methods should there be, hmmmm~
OMG THAT'S RIGHT I JUST REALIZED.
So. Surprise Guest interactions. What's another thing that all the pure demons we know of - Diavolo, Barbatos, and Satan - have in common in their surprise guest interactions?
THIS BAD BOY RIGHT HERE!!
All three of our romancable demons who were (presumably?) born demons have BIG HEARTS reactions to the Whip of Love. So does Simeon, actually.
So the next obvious thought, of course, is that whipping/physical violence is actually a pretty normal part of demon courting rituals.
And hey - why wouldn't it be? Mammon mentions early on that if Lucifer would "completely destroy" him or smth, it'd take him 200 million years to recover... from? Being completely destroyed???
It feels pretty strongly implied that demons can recover from pretty much ANY kind of injury, and Mammon more or less confirms they have much higher tolerances for pain.
They're all thousands of years old and though they don't get into it now, early Devilgrams and chats have mentions of the brothers straight up murdering lesser demons for minor offenses.
Every so often you'll get the chance to call Lucifer or someone else out on being wicked or evil (usually when they're just being a dick). And they will often respond with "I'm a demon"
Demons!!! As DEMONS!! Let them be lustful! Let them be depraved! Let them be kinky!! Let these assholes be the reason BDSM has a bad rap!!!
You think it just got a bad rap on its own? Bro all the BDSM folks I know are genuinely lovely folks who are more aware of consent than ordinary people, not less!
Now ofc the demons do all know that you're a human, and you're super fragile, which definitely keeps them from accidentally murdering you in a flirting attempt (it WOULD be a funny way to die tho).
But WHEN YOU WHIP THEM??? Barbatos, Diavolo, and Satan are enchanted. You're speaking his language!!!
This also puts an absolutely HILARIOUS spin on the sequence leading up to the lesson 16 event.
Lucifer comes downstairs to rescue you all from Cerberus and you have the option to hug him... or to hit him.
Secretly though. Either option is flirting. The hug is just more platonic. No wonder everyone is shocked by it, huh?
Lucifer grabbing your arm extra hard at the dance bc he wants to threaten you but also flirt. He's saying he thinks you're strong! You can take it! You are worth threatening <3
Satan's threat to cut you up and feed you to lower level demons? That's just pillow talk babe. ...do human limbs grow back...?
When Diavolo imprisons Belphie you'll notice he DOESN'T make any threats. He isn't even being tortured, as far as we know, just imprisoned. No flirting for him!
And hey, Lesson 16 makes a lot more sense now, doesn't it!!
Solomon feeding demons his cooking comes across as an extremely crass manner of flirting but he's so endearing about it.
;kljdfgdghj OH MY GOD AND THAT'S RIGHT. Remember Mammon's absolutely pathetic tough guy act when we first meet him?
Don't be a pain or he'll EAT you! He's a big bad demon! He could devour your soul without a second thought, you know!
No wonder everyone realizes Mammon has a crush on you - he is blatantly flirting with you from the very start.
You ignore him so he steps up his game by turning into your sidekick and helping you out with literally everything you ask.
But even in a culture of directness (where you decline/destroy unsatisfactory advances) there will be points of awkwardness. And misunderstandings. GOD the misunderstandings!!! I LOVE EM!!
So much!! Cultural exchange!!! To be done! Stop flirting with threats you massive douchebags! XD
And ofc they do after season 1 which is such a shame bc I could take some more threatening flirting. Just... a little. And I'd be happy to DO some threatening flirting, too, which will maybe be Part 3 (with some season 2/3 spoilers) SOOO...
okay sorry about this but folks were talking about. romantic gore and it activated my kink card so.
i'm just gonna go full nuts, pls feel free to ignore bc i know i am a bit extreme sometimes dw
this involves uuhhh light gore/horror themes, i've had this idea in my head for a while now but I started typing this stuff up bc of @house-of-laminations and the anons there who are of unbelievable taste
[full disclosure this 100% fits into my devildom culture headcanons and i have a joint WiP with a friend on Ao3/Twitter that contains these themes as well hehehe,,, one day, ]
So. I hc that demon body parts grow back (mostly bc of luci's wings - a devilgram specifies that he tore ALL SIX out, so they must have grown back, at least four of em), and demons are regenerative to the point that they're basically fine unless killed with some very special demon killing thing.
Satan cutting off his own tail and presenting it to you as a whip. Possibly with a poison tip, or super demon strength to it that adds to the force if you ever use it.
Levi granting you snakeskin gloves. Boots. Anything, really. He's quite the tailor, after all, and the scales shimmer so dark and brilliantly, but where did he get so much of it...?
Belphie gives you a fur... is it a pom-pom? it's clearly some weird low-effort thingy, like it was torn off the top of one of those stupid winter hats. But it is soft to the touch, so smooth, and you keep it at your bedside, running your fingers through it for comfort.
When Mammon gives you yet another gift it doesn't seem like much, either, it's a leather coat - where his normal coat is brown, this one is black, with the white as well, lined with gold studs here and there, and you only notice it because it's especially stylish.
Usually Asmo gives you beauty products but you laugh it off when he gives you a set of bondage equipment, winks at you, tells you it's for you or him~ the leather is soft, so soft, flexible almost like skin, but it's quite tough and stands up very well to any kind of stretching.
And you don't think much of it, but there's these shiny, shimmery flakes that you find in places; pearlescent in that oily way, like dragonflies. You find it near snacks, treats, and drinks left on your table or bedside. Maybe it's just a weird Devildom food topping thing?
Even Lucifer gets in on it, because yes. Of course he would. You never notice, though, never realize. But one night your pillow seems especially soft - you were just very tired.
You lay your head down on it and it feels like a cloud, you rest so easily and so well, waking up bright and eager and feeling wonderful - like you could destroy anything that comes in your path~
you ask lucifer what has him in such a good mood and he turns his hand over to show you a receipt, detailing a grocery run for which he got roughly 80% off in vouchers and loyalty points. you look back up to him and he's beaming like a school boy and i, watching from the fifth dimension, feel goodwill towards him for the first time in my life
Lucifer spending time at his piano in the music room, composing music. You don't know if he's figuring out an existing Devildom song or crafting his own personal creation. You just like to listen.
He'll plink at a few keys, seemingly at random while he hums to himself. His deep voice is an instrument of its own. It contrasts nicely with the high melodic notes of the piano.
When he's on to something, he'll strike several keys at once and begin singing in earnest. Just one or two lines. Over and over, fine tuning it to perfection.
When he finally finds what he's looking for, Lucifer starts from the top and launches into a full performance. His fingers effortlessly glide over the piano. He stops vocalizing and lets the piano sing for itself, filling the house with a beautiful cadence for all of thirty glorious seconds until he hits a key that sounds slightly off.
The music abruptly stops and his experimental plinking begins again.
the sorcerer who isnât very happy when he finds his darling apprentice out in the rain, trying to perfect their latest spells theyâve been learning to impress him
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