Chapter Text
“The results of tonights's Blood Moon assembly are in.” Diavolo announces. “The most honored and respected demon, as determined by all of you, is... ASMODEUS!!
James and I give Asmodeus a great big hug and smooches on his cheeks, but he just stands there as if he can't believe it.
“Hey! Aren't you happy?” James shakes him.
Lucifer laughs. “What's with that look Asmo?”
“Lucifer...” Asmodeus starts and to our surprise his face falls. “I mean... I mean... I don't understand! Why?!”
“Hey Asmo, calm down.” I touch his arm carefully. “What's wrong?”
But in the heat of the moment he shakes me off, making me lose my balance and fall. Ugh! Why are all these demons so strong? They make me look so clumsy! He gets in Lucifers face and starts yelling. “Why did you vote for ME?! Did you feel bad for me? Is that it? I don't want your pity-vote! It will just make me look pathetic!”
Lucifer helps me up from the floor. “Be careful with our humans, Asmo.” He starts threateningly, sending him a dark glare.
“It's fine Lucifer...” I tell him, trying to calm the tension. “I'm fine.”
“Did you really think I would vote for you out of pity, Asmo? Me?” Lucifer continues to Asmodeus. as he releases me into the arms of Satan, who is inspecting me for injuries. As I'm trying to convince Satan there are none, Lucifer explains his reasoning behind his vote. “Whenever I'm out shopping, I see products you designed everywhere. Beautiful products. At parties, you're always the center of attention. And on top of all that, there was yesterday's fashion show. Which was outstanding. Both the clothes you designed as the show itself.”
“It's impressive. Isn't that right, Leila?” Lucifer smiles at me, as he knows that's the reason I helped Asmodeus. “And I respect you for it, Asmodeus. So don't accuse me of voting out of pity.”
“Exactly. You charm almost everyone you meet, Asmo.” I agree with Lucifer and go back to Asmodeus in support, careful not to get pushed again. “You deserve this. It's your own achievement.”
Asmodeus suddenly flies to Lucifer and flings his arms around his brother in the tightest hug he can manage. James and I look on laughing. Finally! Asmodeus is finally happy! We hug each other too.
Hours later, back in the House of Lamentation again, we're having a party in Asmodeus honor. But Asmodeus is actually still a sobbing mess ever since he won the Blood Moon competition.
“I just can't believe iiit!” He cries out emotionally, again. Trying to hug Lucifer, again. “I love you! I LOVE YOOUU! Lucifer, I love you with every ounce of my being! I love you so muuuch!”
“Ugh... That's enough Asmo.” Lucifer grumbles as his his cup of coffee was almost knocked out of his hands for the umpteenth time. “Don't shout in my ear. Quit getting snot on me. And stop trying to hug me every five seconds.”
Asmodeus practically sits on his lap. “But... butbutbut I can't help it! You're just so amaziiing!”
“I told you, don't shout into my ear!” Lucifer tries to look threatening to his brother, but since James is practically rolling on the floor, laughing, it's hard for anyone to keep a straight face.
“I can't believe you said those things, Lucifer. About me!” Asmodeus gets tears in his eyes again.
“Yeah, yeah.” Belphegor rolls his eyes, stretched out on the sofa, his head on my lap and Shado on his stomach again. It's his favorite way to be lazy, these days. “We were all there, Asmo.”
“I mean, we're happy for you.” Satan sighs, sitting on the armrest of the sofa, as he wraps his arm around me. It's his way to relax these days as well. “But how many times are you going to make us listen to that story?”
“But... But... I'm just SO BLOWN AWAY!” Asmodeus shouts again, making Lucifer wince, because it was right in his ear again. “I'm happy about winning the Blood Moon competition. Naturally I am... But to think that LUCIFER would give a compliment like that! I just can't believe iiit!”
“I guess we just have to wait until he runs out of tears...” I giggle. “How long does that normally take?” I hear a lot of groans. It can probably take a while...
“At least this thing is over and done with.” Mammon is counting money. Hey. Since when does Mammon have money? “And thanks to Asmo winnin' my wallet's feelin' nice and fat, right now.”
“What did you do Mammon?” Lucifer wants to know.
“Did you put money on Asmo in a bet?” The brother's are slightly surprised.
Mammon snickers. “Pff, nah. This time I was the bookie. The bookie always makes money!”
“Allright, Let's go out to eat!” Beelzebub beams. “Somewhere good and expensive. Mammon's treat.”
Lucifer nods with a wicked smirk at Mammon. “Excellent plan, Beel.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! My treat? But... My poor sweet money!”
While Lucifer starts lecturing Mammon, Beelzebub starts musing about what he can eat from all that money Mammon has earned. James starts a conversation with him, asking questions about luxurious Devildom food.
I'm relaxing in Satan and Belphegors attention. Satan is looking at the picture I took from a kneeling Asmodeus and smirks and Belphegor is just relaxing his head in my lap, until Asmodeus walks up to us.
“So, guys.” He starts with a charming smile that has once again no impact on his brothers. “I want to thank you two for your help and I also want to talk with Leila, if that's okay.”
“Why.” Belphegor is suspicious.
“I think we know why, Belphie.” Satan says. “But you're not going to talk to her in private, Asmo.”
Asmodeus pouts. “Oh come ooon! Something like that should be discussed in private, you know that!”
I don't really understand what they talk about over my head, but I think they're overreacting anyway. Asmodeus won't hurt me. So I decide for myself. “Don't listen to them. I go with you, Asmo.” I glare at them both as they won't let me go at first. “Guys! I can do magic. Whatever you think Asmo will do to me, I'll be fine. Seriously...”
I stomp off angrily, while Asmodeus casts a triumphant smirk at his two brothers who had no choice but to let me go with him, if they ever want to sleep in my room again with me.
Asmodeus takes me to the portrait gallery. Satan and Belphegor had followed us, but are sitting on the top of the stairs, leaving us to talk in private. “Look, Leila.” He says. “This is a portrait of Lilith. We painted it from memory. We didn't exactly have time to pack our bags before we fell. You understand...”
I take a good look at the portrait. Lilith was very beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Asmodeus. She had long golden hair, like Satan. Skyblue eyes, like Mammon. One set of wings that were as long as her whole body. They seem to radiate a golden light. She looks like I always imagined angels would look like.
“Did she really look like that? She was beautiful, Asmo. Did you all radiate light like that?”
“We did when we transformed in our angel forms.”
“So the glow you have when I enhance your angel cores, that really is your angelic glow?” I ask.
“Well, in a way.” He says. “We're still demons. We all radiated light. Now it's just a glow, and tainted by our Sins. Oh, don't worry, Sunshine.” He says as he sees my face fall. “It's allready really special that you can find it in us. We're not angels anymore and never will be again.”
“Yeah, I guess...”
“Anyway, Sunshine.” He continues. “Do you see that golden light Lilith had?” I nod and he continues. “That's the exact way your souls shines to us.” He hugs me tight with his one arm he has wrapped around my shoulder. “Golden and bright like the sun. Like sunshine.” He laughs musically and I laugh as well. Guess I really deserve that nickname. Who knew?
“Really? Satan said something similar to me as well. That I have a soul of gold. What about James?”
“James soul is just as beautiful as yours. Only different. His soul tells us he's calm and gentle. Not much can really shake him up. You are a lot like Lilith was. Spirited, stubborn, a bit silly, and so, so warm and sweet for the people you love, just like James. You are each other contrasts, but you balance each other as well. We love you both so much.”
“I'm glad to hear that, Asmo.”
“Leila, I had to think very long about what I feel for you. And why I want a pact with you. My Sin gets in the way when it comes to you. I love you. I really do. And so I also feel this lust for you. But lately I have tried to put that aside, to see how I feel about you without it. If I also wanted a pact with you if I didn't want it out of lust... I definitely do. You are my sunshine. This little spark of light in my life that I missed so much since we fell. I never realized I missed it until I saw your soul that radiates exactly like Lilith used to be. I love you so much. I want to protect you however I can.”
I was quietly listening to him, then I ask. “So you don't want a pact with me out of lust for power or otherwise, like you said before?”
He chuckles. “Of course I do.” He kisses me. “But it's definitely not the main reason, anymore. I hope it is enough to accept me, Leila. Apart from my Sin and my beauty, I thought I wasn't worth much to you. But the competition showed me I have more in me than just that. Don't you agree?” He looks tense and vulnerable as he asks that.
“I definitely agree, Asmo. You want to hear my reasons why I would want a pact with you?”
He looks surprised then nods eagerly. “Hit me. Only, don't hit me.”
I laugh. “Well it starts with that. You always make me smile. Asmo, you have so much cheerful energy. I know your brothers think it's over the top and exhausting, but I think I get a demon who can energize me when I'm feeling tired. Who can lift my spirits and make me laugh. And you're on top of that so talented and sensitive. And after what you just said, I think you will protect me with all that you can, if needed...”
He beams and he is more beautiful than ever before. “So then, let's make the pact, yes? And for the record, I'm not asking for your soul. A soul like yours should get the chance to be reborn and hopefully meet with us later again.”
“Wow, that's really a beautiful thing to say, Asmo. You're not trying to seduce me now, are you?” I tease.
“I'm not going to lie. I will always try doing that, Sunshine.” He now has a mirror in his hand and goes to stand behind me, so I see him looking up at his two brothers who are watching us in silence. He has one arm wrapped around my waist. “I want to be a part of this relationship you have. Maybe one day you accept me as a new mate as well.” He whispers suggestively in my ear while looking towards his brothers, who are still sitting on the top of the stairs, with a smirk. They look back with dangerously dark expessions on their faces, having heard every word Asmodeus said to me.
“Stop teasing them.” I elbow him in the stomach and he complains, half laughing. “Why do you have this mirror?”
“So you can watch as I look for my place and draw my seal. Because my two brothers up there will probably rip off my head if I try to climb on top of you, as if I were your mate allready.” I laugh and nod. Yeah, a very possible scenario. He gives the mirror to me and holds me tight against his chest. “Are you ready?” He asks permission.
When I nod, he kisses my neck and lets the fingers of his other hand run gently over my face, jaw and throat. He stops when he's just beneath my collarbones on the middle of my chest and smiles at me in the mirror.
“Here. Front and center, just how I like it.” He says and I laugh. “You know me so well, Sunshine.” He starts tracing his pattern with a manicured fingernail, while I can watch him in the mirror. It looks a bit like a pendant. He says his rite in Demonic. “I am Asmodeus, Avatar of Lust. I pledge myself to you, Leila... That we may be bound by an unbreakable pact. This I swear to you on both my name, as well as the very blood that runs through my veins.” When he's finished, the seal tingles and glows and disappears.
I can immediately feel my connection with Asmodeus: I was right. I feel happy, cheerful and energized. I can also feel that he really does love me. And that he really wants to have me as his mate. But I know I can't return those feelings to him. At least not now.
When I turn around in his arms, to look into his eyes, I can see that he knows it too. He looks disappointed, but he is still happy as he can sense I do love him. “Maybe not yet, Sunshine. But one day.” He whispers in my ear and then he kisses me tenderly on my lips. “Don't think I'm discouraged that easily.”
Suddenly I'm aware that Belphegor and Satan had stood up and had come down the stairs, ready to rip me out of Asmodeus arms. Asmodeus holds me possessively against him, as if challenging them. I see their eyes flashing with warning as I look from one to the other with big eyes. What's up with them, all of a sudden? Asmodeus has kissed me like this before, right? No reason to lose your head over... Just as I'm about to tell them to stop acting so weird, we all can hear Mammon shouting through the House as if he's on fire or something. We can also hear Lucifers thunderous warning that he will lock Mammon up with Cerberus if he won't stop shouting immediately.
“Uh... I guess you guys can really sense me making a pact, then?” I ask innocently and that breaks the tension between the three demons that are with me right now. We all burst out laughing.
“We can. It makes us feel very possessive over you.” Satan confirms. He has felt it for the first time, I realize. “But Mammon got it the worst, I think. It must be his protective nature.”
“More like his greedy nature.” Asmodeus sneers. “Really, screaming bloody murder like that? How embarrassing.”
“When she makes another pact after you Asmo, you will talk differently.” Belphegor says lazily, his voice disinterested, but his eyes still flashing. “Mark my words. Especially if you, as you claim, really love her.”
“GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”
Suddenly we hear a blood-curdling scream. We all look at each other.
“What the hell was that?!” Asmodeus wonders. “Did that sound like Levi to you, too?”
A few days ago, elsewhere in the Devildom...
“My young mistress has made the pact with a fourth Avatar, My Lord.”
Lord Diavolo, who was looking pensively out the window towards the moon that was slowly turning normal again, turns around to look at his butler, who had appeared in the doorway. His golden eyes light up. “Ah, she did? Just as you expected it would happen during the Blood Moon.”
“Correct.” Barbatos nods, his hands folded behind his back. “And immediately after that, the events were set in motion for the next. Although this one is uncertain.”
“That's why you put that charm on the game, did you not? They only get out of the time-loop when the pact is made...”
“Indeed, My Lord. Indeed.” You couldn't tell from Barbatos face how he feels about that. He regretted it, even if he knew it was necessary in this case. But tricking his young mistress like that felt wrong. If she was to find out about this, he could only hope she would forgive him one day and that he could regain her respect. He is going to make sure his Lord does not get another one of those ideas...