Chapter Text
A young child-no older than 5 or so-sat pressed up against a wall. It was cold and dark, their skin prickling up with thousands of goosebumps. It was eerily silent, not a single gentle brush of wind filling the space-leaving their heartbeat to pound in their ears. It sounded like someone slamming against a door. The child-far too scrawny and small-curled up around themselves, closing their eyes and letting the darkness engulf them as the pounding got louder with every skip of their heart.
THUMP
THUMP
It felt like they were drowning. Water filling their lungs and leaving nothing else inside.
THUMP-
It had been three weeks since the incident. Button had been laid gently in Beelzebub’s bed, surrounded by piles of stuffed animals and wrapped in countless blankets. A new one seemed to be added every time one of the brothers visited them. But nothing really seemed to change. Their face would grow increasingly flushed on some days, or their breathing would quicken as if they were running from something-but they never woke up.
THUMP-
The House of Lamentation had become tense, halls quiet and breakfasts awkward. There was an unspoken blame that weighed heavily on the brothers, shoulders locked stiff and faces stuck in an uncomfortable grimace. Lucifer had opted to eating in his office or room. Beelzebub had started skipping classes, settling for remaining cooped up in the kitchen.
THUMP-
But Belphegor had yet to leave Button’s side, constantly sleeping next to the child with his hand tightly grasping theirs. The other brothers would visit-if not to check on the child, to sit and talk and pretend the tension in the rest of the house wasn’t suffocating.
The lights in the simple, symmetrical room were dimmed to a near blackness with an old bulky tv rolled in to play a various collection of human world rip off movies they had found in the attic. The volume was low and the audio was glitched and scratchy, leaving the room a gentle lull of background noise. 4 of 7 brothers sat on the floor against Beelzebub’s bed, basked in the blue glow-pretending nothing had changed.
THUMP-
Their throat filled with water, small body curling in on itself even further. They wrapped their arms tightly around their legs and pressed their face so roughly that colors danced behind their eyelids. Reds and blues and flies and brightly colored birds.
THUMP-
THUMP-
Asmodeus sat on his knees-pillow on his lap and Satan’s hand in his as he took his time painting each nail for the elder. His makeup barely hid his eyebags. Satan had his face in a book, ignoring the gentle light on the group and the weight of Leviathan laying on his shoulder. The third eldest was completely absorbed in his game, headphones on and completely oblivious to the way he rested against his brother or just how stiff Satan’s shoulder’s truly were. It looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Mammon had sprawled out on the floor in front of them all, mindless counting and recounting a pile of assorted grim coins without looking-eyes glued to the screen and filled with tears,”Bet I could kick that sorry vampire’s ass. Fancy stuck up asshole.”
Asmodeus blinked rapidly for a moment, pausing in his painting of Satan’s nails,”What?”
THUMP-
THUMP THUMP-
The eldest of the group sniffled, sobbed a little, and huffed,”She shoulda gone with Jared! He did so much for her! He’s-He’s been by her side since the beginning! They have so much history,” he dropped his coins into a messy pile, letting out a bit of a wail,”He was her first! First kiss, first love-! Why Dave ?!”
“I personally thought Dave was quite cute,” He lifted Satan’s hand absentmindedly, shifting it to double check his paint job so far-sighing pitifully,”Though he really should’ve gone with her In act 3. Bethany clearly wanted him much more than that stingy mutt.”
THUMP THUMP-
THUMP THUMP-
The child wobbled, arms shaking with pained energy. Their surroundings spun and shook. The poor thing felt beyond dizzy and overwhelmed, water pouring out of their mouth and nose like an uneasy waterfall. It hurt, burning their body and leaving them sobbing. It burned. It burned it burned it burned-
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
Mammon let out a strangled mix of pained sobs, sitting up in a flash,”I’ll fight th’ both of ya!,” he sniffed, rubbing at his eyes,”I could kick your sorry ass!”
The fifth born purred and laughed in that condescending manipulative way the second born had heard so many times-setting down the fourth born’s hand,”Can you even fight? I mean, with the way you're so afraid of Lucifer, hmm?”
Satan offered Asmodeus his other hand, shifting his book in his lap so he could keep reading. He didn’t even look up from the thick, heavy novel-face entirely unphased by anything happening on the screen-nor Mammon’s disgusting sobbing,”I watched him run away from an old human lady last month. I don’t think she was a witch, either. I think I recorded it, actually.”
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
“Oooh, You’ll have to show me later, Satan!”
“Oi! When are y’all gonna start treating me with respect? How many times do I gotta tell ya I’m older than both of ya!”
The blonde finally looked up and away from his book, looking Mammon up and down in a way that made sure the elder could notice before raising a brow with a disappointed scoff,”Wipe your face, it’s hard to believe you’re even related to us when you look like that.”
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
It burned it burned it burned it burned it butned it burned it burned it burned it burned it burned it burned it-
"OPEN THIS GOD DAMNED DOOR, WILLIAM!"
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
"WILLIAM!"
THUMPTHUMP-
They coughed and choked, every pound on the door another gag and choke on the water in their lungs. Their body, far too scrawny and far too small for any of this, tried desprately to suck in as much air as possible-but the water grew and grew. It forced itself out in a painful twist of coughing, bursting out like an inky fountain that left them curling up on their side. The floor was so cold on their body and their chest burned like molten lava. Every desperate gasp for breath left them coughing up more water. Bubbles escaped up and into the air with every wheeze. It burned.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
"WILLIAM! YOU GODLESS CHILD-!"
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
Belphegor groaned and closed his eyes even tighter in a frustrated scowl from his spot on the bed, nearly hidden completely in the piles and piles of blankets. He rolled over and scooted closer to the child-the small human breathing in a hitched panic, face flustered and red and tears pouring down their face.
Mammon glared at them both with as much built up hatred as his puffy eyes could let him before he whimpered and sobbed again-sniffling up as much run down snot as he could,"The hell did I do to ya??"
“You’re going to get wrinkles from crying at this rate. I can already feel them on my own face just watching you,”Asmodeus sighed, shaking his head with genuine pity in his expression. Satan joined in with another condecending sigh, flipping a page and shifting to get back to reading the brick before him.
"DON'T IGNORE ME!"
The youngest of the brothers practically growled, sitting up in a dizzy haze. His hair was a mess of tossing and turning and the bags under his eyes made the constantly sleeping sin look like an insomniac,"Shut up..! No one cares!"
Mammon stood up, cheeks flushed a bright red and hands balled into fists so hard his hands paled,"OI-!"
Belphagor rolled his eyes as obviously as he could and just let himself fall. His head landed on the child's chest and he wrapped his legs around them like he would to his pillow-grasping their hands with his. He shut out the sound of the second born's frustrated yelling in favor for the frantic beating of the human's heart and their desprate gasps-like air was some rare delicacy they couldn't get enough of no matter what they did.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
The floor was cold against their feet. Their feet hurt. Their legs ached. Their lungs burned. Every breath had them coughing up more water.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
They ran faster, stumbling and hacking up more water. Their entire body shook with the force of it. But the steps got louder. Faster. The child scrambled back onto their feet, pushing off the ground like some animal gone crazed. It burned. Their skin felt frozen, like they had been plunged into ice water. Like they had been in a blizzard. Run a marathon in the cold. It burned.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT-"
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
They could smell the alcohol in the air. They could feel it on their skin. It was cold. More water forced it's way out of their lungs. They couldn't stop running. It burned. They couldn't stop running. Their legs begged for it to stop but they continued and pushed themselves faster. Faster. Maybe the alcohol was what was pouring from them. Maybe. It burned.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
They pushed themselves faster, tripping, stumbling, desprate to get away. The skin on their feet had ripped, sore and burning. They kept slipping on their own blood. They were so young, so tiny. They couldn't breath. It burned. This wasn't fair. It burned. It burned. It burned. This wasn't fair! They were just a child! It burned. It burned it burned it burned-it wasn't fair. It burned.
It burned it burned it burned it burned it burned it burneditburneditburneditburned-
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
They ran out of room to run-slamming into a wall and falling to the floor. They slammed against it again-wishing it would go away. Maybe if they hit it again. It burned. They couldn't breathe. More water forced itself out. It was black and icky and sticky and clung to the back of their throat-suffocating them worse than before. It burned.
Their lip bled, blood trickling down. They couldn't see out of one eye, sore and blackened. They couldn't tell what was water and what was tears. Dizziness took over them-pressing against a wall. It was cold. It burned.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP- THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
A glass bottle shattered. It dripped to the floor. Water. Blood. Ink. Alcohol. Blood. Their blood? Flashes of red and blue glimpsed out of the corner of their eye. It dripped. It burned. A woman stumbled closer. She towered over them, faceless and featureless. Ink dripped from the broken bottle. Blood dropped from the broken bottle. Their blood? Maybe. It burned.
She slurred, speaking in a soundless voice. Their heart throbbed in their ears. It burned. They couldn't breath. They were alone in the darkness. She stumbled closer, shaking the bottle at them. It dripped. Water. Blood. Ink. Water.
"You little monster. Devil child. Godless-why were you born? WHY DID YOU CURSE ME LIKE THIS?"
She cried a deadly wail. Her tears filled their lungs. It filled the room. Water pooled around their body, rising over their head as they coughed and choked. It burned. They couldn't breathe. It burned. She stumbled closer, raising her arm in the air-was there air? The bottle glinted in the lack of light. It burned. They couldn't breathe.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
They closed their eyes tightly, curling up as small as they could. The water was so cold. It burned. It burned. It burned.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP-
The battle shattered. But it never hit them.
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP
They shifted, heart running marathons in their chest. It burned so badly. A tall man with a cows tail stood before them, swaying tiredly. Between them and the woman. The woman stumbled back, looking up in fear with that faceless terror. The man was horrifying. Massive. Warped in a nightmarish illusion of a monster. He snarled. She screamed. She cried.
THUMP THUMP-
She stumbled and ran away. He grinned. Their body remained stuck in terror, shaking. Ink dribbled from their lips. But then his shoulders slumped in exhaustion and the threatening lash of that tail slowed to a calm sway. Their shoulders began to loosen, heart slowing. He sighed and looked over his shoulder-staring down at the child with tired eyes,"You humans are such a pain."
THUMP THUMP
THUMP…
"You ok?"
Air!
The child's eyes snapped open as they gasped for breath. Sweet sweet air! They sucked in as much as they could, sitting up in a rush before their throat burned and they coughed up a storm. Their body ached-every muscle sore and burning. Sweat stuck to their body, clothes sticking to skin uncomfortably. Their chest heaved aimlessly, unsure of what to do with their newfound of air.
Not a single light was on in the room-the little television had been unplugged and the sounds of the devildom night echoed from the other side of the wall. Satan fell asleep leaning against the bed, arms crossed and legs awkwardly positioned, one under Mammon and the other rested on top of his chest as the elder demon sprawled out like some form of misshapened demonic starfish. Asmodeus was asleep on one shoulder, arms wrapped around Satan's neck and legs shifted uncomfortably. Leviathan had slumped to have his cheek squished against Satan's arm and his hand rested in Mammon's hair. They all looked so peaceful, completely oblivious to the awkward pile or the fact that the movie marathon had stopped hours ago.
Button looked around, exhaustion rested heavily in every limb-gold tracing veins under their skin and eyes shimmering with it. The air was heavy and thick now that they had gotten it into their system, hands trembling. But somehow it felt ok. They breathed in. Out. In. Out. Their little body sighed and slumbed against the headboard of the bed, closing their eyes calmly. Somehow they knew it was going to be ok.
The door creeked open, light filtering in gently as the youngest of the 7 demon brother stepped in with 2 plates of food balanced in his arms. He yawned and stepped over the tv cord and around the cuddle pile on the floor-sitting on the foot of the bed with a slight smile and a tired look to his eyes,"I managed to sneak these past Beel. Eat up."