Chapter Text
The twins were out the door and halfway to school, Belphie over Beel’s shoulder. Belphie was just getting to sleep when the ambulance sirens in the distance filled his hearing. ”Ugh.. can't somebody be dying at a different time?” He groans, trying to cover his ears, but the noise is far too loud. Compared to Beel's silence, all noise simply stops. ”Beel?” Belphie asked, trying to fight the sleep. “Mm.. I'm just worried about Mams.. he doesn't usually do things like this..” He sighs sadly. “I'm sure he's fine. I probably was out all night partying again..”
Carrying on his jog, Beel begins to slow down a little. A similar feeling of hunger hit his stomach, yet this wasn't hunger, but worry. The sirens seem to tune out of their minds until Belphie looks up. “Beel.” He shakes Beel’s shoulder, getting a hum out of him. “No, Beel. Stop.” He pauses, the whining of the ambulance getting louder and louder before they see it. Right in front of the house. Beel sat Belphie on the ground before they took a look at each other and ran.
This was probably the fastest Belphie had ever run—or just run in general—barely even behind Beel. They ran until they hit the house gate, Belphie hitting the concrete instantly and falling asleep. When Beel saw the ambulance, he also found the most terrifying and heart-wrenching sight.
Lucifer is crying.
Although crying was a bit underestimated.
He was hysterical.
“Lucifer, you have to calm down.” Diavolo comforted, patting the back of his dearest friend amid his breakdown. “Luci, he's okay, he'll be okay.” He hugged him, not caring for the tears that stained his coat. Beel simply watched before getting Belphie off the cold concrete and stepping up to Lucifer.
“Lucifer, what's going on? Is Mammon alright?” Beel asked, resting a hand on his disheveled older brother. Lucifer immediately looked up, and his eyes, the pain in his eyes, spoke much louder than words could. The paramedics pulled a stretcher out of the HoL, a corpse bag that contained the body of his dearest brother. Lucifer couldn't even take a look without collapsing to the ground in a fit of screaming sobs. The pain was so deep in emotions. It woke Belphie, who was confused at first but soon joined Beel beside Lucifer.
With the horror they felt, even Diavolo couldn't help but tear up. Sobs wracked Lucifer’s entirety before he was joined by Beel, who clutched onto him for some sort of comfort. Belphie awkwardly stood there, unaware of anything that happened before he was awake. He took a look towards Diavolo, who looked just as disheveled as the other two.
Wow, today wasn't a good day to have low empathy, was it..?
He stood there, just watching. He felt the absolute anguish Beel did, but.. no tears, no pain of his own. Empty.
When Beel pulled him down for a hug, he froze. His brother was more important than his emotions—or lack thereof. He picked up his D3 and messaged Levi and Asmo. “Get home, now.” He turned it off and went back to his second half. His face was red, extremely red. A river ran down his face, and his nose trickled down with blood.
While Belphie may be void of emotions, Beel is the opposite. Full of many feelings, while his twin sat dull and cold. “Beel, your nose is bleeding.” He grabbed some spare tissue from his uniform pocket, rolled it up, and stuck it in the bleeding hole—that totally didn’t sound weird. Beel didn't even bother fighting back. He didn't bother helping either. It's like he was a puppet, with nobody controlling his strings.
He simply sat on the concrete crying, crying in his twins' arms. Footsteps behind them, stomping at a quick pace, soon came closer. Ah, finally. “What happened? What's going on?” Asmo asked. He was entirely confused. He attempted to piece together some order of events, but nothing.
“Is Mammon alright” Levi haphazardly asked. He seemed nervous for an answer. They didn't wanna know the truth in case it ended up hurting them. “.. Mammon.. Mammon's gone.” Belphie responded, in return, were two gasps from his siblings.
“Like, m- missing..? Or gone.. gone?” Levi asked, of course, they were nervous, about the response. Who wouldn't be? Either option of news is.. shocking.
“..He's dead.”
Belphie speaks, coldly. No emotion in his voice. Asmo was already gone, speaking with the main officer. He couldn't accept it, but honestly who would? Levi stood in silence, growing an uneasy pale. Diavolo sighed, as Lucifer's sobs came to a steady halt. He stood up and sat on the stairway of the house.
...
This was going to be a bad few months..
When Satan woke up, it wasn't pleasant. The loud sirens ceased, but the heart-ripping cries didn't. Maybe there was more than just Lucifer. If he was being honest, seeing Lucifer cry was scarier than seeing his brother dead in front of him. His body felt cursed. He couldn't sit up. He couldn't get out of his bed.
Held down by grief.
He sighed, picking up his phone for the time. Already past midday. He groaned, his headphones knocked off the bed. He felt.. tired. Even though he slept for an extra five hours, he couldn't help but feel his bed call back to him. He reached for his cat, looking at it.
He wanted to throw it, rip it to shreds, tear its poor little button eyes out, or yank its fish-wire whiskers out.. but he couldn't feel bothered to. He felt anger towards the stuffed animal. He wanted to cut it up and throw it in the dump, burn it, anything to get it away from him. He stared for a little longer, feeling a tear run down his cheeks.
...
He felt sadness towards the stuffed animal.
“I hate you.” He hugs the cat plush, attempting to swallow the sadness forming in his throat. It was useless, and more tears fell. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..” He mumbled until his words became nothing but gibberish.
The poor cat's gaping neck wound tore a bit more as Satan squished the delicate plush, crying while holding it. He was used to being consumed by anger. He just needed to break, on top of Mammon being dead in the room next to him. Everything was slowly driving him mad. His phone dinged with notification as he wiped his tears away. It was Lucifer.
“Lunch is ready if you're hungry.” it read. He sat there contemplating. He was hungry, but.. he felt stuck. Like somebody was holding him down or he was underwater, weighed down by rocks. He looked to the ceiling, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He opened, peering into what was like a different world.
Water. He was in a pond, or.. perhaps an ocean? Fishes swam around him, goldfish specifically. He watched, bubbles floating above him, colourful coral and plants waving around. He watched one specific fish. Beautiful yellow colour and blue accent stripes. A knock on the door interrupted his imagination. Everything collapsed, then disappeared.
He frowned, rather upset that the underwater haven vanished before his eyes. There was a knock on the door again. He sat up and opened the door, the brightness of the outside lights momentarily blinding him. He squinted, seeing Lucifer standing in front of him.
Tears stained his cheeks, but he still looked as prideful as ever—or really, as much pride as he could even muster at the moment. Satan stood there, confusion falling on his face. Was this about lunch..? Suddenly, Lucifer hugged him. Holding him tightly, he nuzzled his face into Satan's shoulder, the fact he was at least four inches taller made it even more awkward. Hot tears hit his neck, yet Lucifer’s grip didn't weaken whatsoever. If anything, he held on tighter.
“..you know I love you, right? I love you, Satan..”
Satan felt his body weaken, his legs wanted to give out. He wanted to curl into his older brother's arms and bawl. He wanted to yell about how painful it felt, the burning ache of guilt swallowing any emotion he felt whole. He wanted to fall to the floor and curse the world for taking the person he loved most from him.
But nothing.
He knew no matter what he did. No matter how many lambs he'd sacrifice. No matter how many virtues he acted upon. No matter how much he begged like a child.
Nothing could bring his brother back.
He could sacrifice himself, but not even that could fulfill God's demands.
He stood there and hugged back. How could he refuse comfort when he needed it most..? He felt his tears rise in his eyes, yet he held them back, forcing them down. He'll hug Lucifer all he wants, but there was no way in hell he'd cry in front of him again. He tried taking deep breaths to calm his emotions, whatever he could do to keep from bawling like a newborn.
They probably stood like that for a few minutes, at least five. Lucifer let go, looking him in his emerald green eyes with his tearful obsidian-ruby mix. It hurt them both. They were the first to witness his body. “..Sorry. I just thought you'd need something to help feel better.” Lucifer sighed, wiping the falling tears. “I'll leave you alone now.” He walks off. Satan wanted to stop him and ask for another hug.
He couldn't bring himself to speak up.
He remembered the message about lunch, deciding he needed something to fill his empty stomach. Or maybe just emptiness. Was this what Beelzebub meant by an overwhelming emptiness..? He sighed, his head hurt. He made his way to the kitchen, hoping to find something to help his grief.
Later in the day, Mammon found himself in front of the House of Lamentation. It was late in the afternoon, dinnertime if he were to guess. He tried to open the door, but his hand fazed through the door knob. Confusion filled his ghostly body, and he tried to stick his head through. He put up a fight, trying to shove his body into the house.
Pop!
He got in but hit the floor. Even as a ghost, he was a klutz. He groaned, standing up and looking around. The house looked.. dead. He thought it would've been much more livelier with him gone. He walked around in the dining room. Everybody sat in their regular spots, and four spots were empty at the table.
Lucifer, Beel, Belphie..
His.
He was a little shocked at Beel and Lucifer's absence. Belphie was always late to dinner unless Beel dragged him out. The remaining three just picked at their food, moving it around, looking bored. He felt.. guilty. They were sad, and it was his fault. It was all his fault. He thought they would've been happier without him.
All they ever did was make fun of him, call him names, shout at him, hurt him.
Hate him.
Why were they so upset..?
Suddenly, Asmo stood up, tears already streaming down his face, and stormed out. Levi and Satan watched but stayed quiet. The silence was so loud that it was almost deafening. Mammon followed behind Asmo, chasing him up the stairs. He ran into his room and closed the door, sliding down the door and crying his eyes out. Mammon stood there and listened for a few minutes. He walked away, but where to now? He didn't wanna go back downstairs to Levi and Satan. He wouldn't be able to handle seeing them. He couldn't face Lucifer yet. He was.. far too scared. The twins. The only other option.
He sighed and made his way to their shared room. He stepped—err, fazed through the door?—in. The room was dark beside the night light on Beel's side. He always needed a night light even when he was little. Soft snores filled the silence in the room, coming from Belphie. He walked over and smiled. He looked so.. calm. He went to cup and caress his cheek when he felt a rush.
Something.. was pulling him in?
He panicked, unable to escape the odd force, pulling him into his baby brother, until he was fully engulfed.
He groaned, waking up in a different place. A room filled with plushies, pillows, and blankets. A room that screamed Belphie. Purple decor, cow-print decor, purple cow-print decor. And the roof was an entire galaxy?! The room looked like a safe place for Belphegor and Belphegor only.
“Mammon..?”
He heard muttered, being brought out of his trance. He looked up. “Belphie..?” He mumbled, he was so confused. Where the hell was he, and what the hell happened? “You just died today, and you're already in my dreams..?” Belphie's expression turned sour. He walked up to Mammon and harshly slapped him in the face. “You fucking moron.” Mammon grabbed at his burning cheek. Normally, when Belphie hit him, it didn't hurt. “Are you stupid?! Do you know what you did?!” Belphie looked mad, actually, no. He looked pissed.
“..I- I'm sorry.. I-” He felt tears rushing down his face. He couldn't stop crying, he felt terrible. As if he was grieving over his death. “Get out of my head!” Belphie attempted to kick him out of the dream, having full control over it, but he couldn't.
He paused looking at Mammon. "..Who are you? Another dream-demon? What type of sick prank is this?!" He shouted, gripping his own skull tightly. "Doesn't matter, you have no power in here." What the fuck was Belphie on about? Mammon stood up, trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. His vision was extremely blurry, that was his own fault however. “Belphie.. it's- it's me..” He sniffled, only for Belphegor to scoff, he didn't believe it. Maybe he didn't want to believe it. “Who the hell are you really?”
“I- It's me, Mammon..!” He couldn't help but cry, he felt awful. His own brother didn't recognise him. “..You're sick. Stop pretending to be my dead brother! Get out!” Suddenly, Mammon disappeared. It was dark, and he was in the void again. His own baby brother didn't know who he was, and it hurt. He closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself. He opened them again, finding himself standing in front of Belphegor’s bed. He was awake and fuming. His body was shaking angrily, he heard a creaking mattress, and then Beel’s voice. “Calm down Be-Be..” He hugged Belphie tightly, tears welling up in the youngers eyes.
Mammon left the room before he could witness anymore. It hurt him enough knowing Belphie didn't even recognise him, he couldn't bother seeing him cry.
What has he done to his family..?
Did he really hurt them this much?
…
Maybe he should've let Thirteen reap his soul.