Work Text:
“This is where you’ll stay.”
The door swings open to Sasazuka Villa Rosa apartment 201, revealing its humble interior.
Lucifer wrinkles his nose. “This is where you live?” he spits. “I’ve seen dog shelters better than this hovel.”
He cowers when an icy gleam enters Satan’s eye, and his cheek aches with the monumental punch he’d gotten just an hour ago.
He’s prodded forcefully in the back by an equally irate Alciel. “Show more respect for the Demon’s Castle! It may not live up to the glory of our former fortress, but I have taken great pains in order to make sure it remains clean and organized! You should be grateful our lord is offering you any shelter to begin with!”
“What ‘Demon’s Castle’…” Lucifer grumbles as he gingerly shuffles forward.
“Ah, don’t forget to take your shoes off!”
“Okay! Okay…”
Lucifer goes to stand in the middle of the room. As much as it seems like he’s sneering at the state of the apartment, he also doesn’t seem to know what to do with himself. After a moment, he decides to sit against the closet, drawing his knees against himself and folding his arms across them.
Alciel closes the door behind him once all of them are inside. “I will prepare your outfit, Sire,” he says.
“Take care of yourself first,” Maou responds. Alciel nods and disappears into the bathroom.
All of them have ripped, bloody clothing. Though their wounds have long since healed, they’re dirty and exhausted from spending their energy on fixing Lucifer’s destruction. Just that memory sends a ripple of irritation through Maou. Once again he’d gotten enough power to return to his true form, and once again he’s had to waste it cleaning up after somebody else.
He goes to loom over Lucifer, who looks up at him with a mixture of defiance and trepidation. “What?” he snaps. That attitude is going to get tiring, fast.
Maou narrows his eyes. But all he says is, “You hungry? Want a snack?”
Lucifer gapes, taken aback. “A…snack?”
“Yeah. We don’t have much, but I can at least get you a popsicle.”
“...”
Maou sighs and goes to fetch one. When he holds it out to Lucifer, it’s left to hang there, at first. But then Lucifer slowly reaches out and takes it.
“You’re welcome,” Maou says pointedly.
“...Thanks.” Lucifer mutters.
As Lucifer nibbles at it, Maou says, “Listen up. I’ve been thinking this entire time what to do with you. You really caused a lot of trouble just now.”
Lucifer lowers his gaze sullenly.
“Not just that, but you’re a wanted man, thanks to all those holdups. That means I can’t just let you wander around outside. You need to have an eye kept on you.”
“Tch!”
“So I’ve decided. I’ll take you back as my subordinate.”
Lucifer looks back, eyes wide.
Maou holds up a finger. “On the condition that you don’t cause any more trouble. You try to pull anything like you did today again, and I’ll snap your neck quicker than you can say ‘Sorry!’.”
Lucifer seems to mull this over for a time. Then he mumbles into his popsicle, “Fine. I’ll stay put. Not like I have anywhere else to go anyways.”
Alciel comes out of the bathroom a moment later, wearing a new shirt. “Sire. Please be mindful of the time.”
“Ack! You’re right, I’m gonna be late. Okay, quick bath, then I’ll be off.”
When the door closes, Alciel turns his glare on Lucifer.
Lucifer’s steely gaze glares back.
There’s a moment that passes between them that seems to suspend time. Hundreds of years of history crackles in the span of a single breath. They had never gotten along. Two of the most powerful demons in the Demon World, connected only by a single purpose, without which they would have likely murdered each other ages ago. That purpose is currently sitting in the bathroom, human and soft, and completely oblivious to the tension just a few feet away.
“...If even one drop of that popsicle reaches the mat, I’ll snap your neck myself.”
“Geez, what’s with everyone’s obsession with my neck today? I’ve already said I won’t cause trouble! And what’s your deal with the mat? Since when did you care about stuff like that?”
Alciel doesn’t answer that at first, instead holding up his wet and wrung shirt, which, incredibly, doesn’t have a spot of blood on it. The massive hole in the front, however, is a different story. Alciel sucks his teeth.
“I’ll have to patch this up later.”
“What’s the big deal? Just get a new shirt.”
“Do you think the Demon King and I have such frivolous funds to spend on that kind of thing?” Alciel spits. “If it costs nothing to mend, why on earth would I waste precious resources?”
Lucifer sneers. “How pathetic. You used to worry about the command of armies and conquest. Now you’re reduced to scraping after pennies. Is this the Alciel that reigned over the Eastern Continent?”
“Is this the Lucifer who recklessly wasted his control over the West?” Alciel snipes back. “Do not forget who lost the war for the Demon King first. And now look at you. Sitting there in human clothes, eating human food. You may believe you are superior, but you’re stuck here now, just like the rest of us.”
“We don’t have to be stuck here though!” Lucifer leaps to his feet. “The Demon King said that you plan on returning to Ente Isla. But are you? As far as I can tell, you’ve gotten pretty cozy with the humans! If you’d just done what I did and taken advantage of the ‘resources’ around you, you would have had enough power to open up a Gate ages ago!”
“I already told you, that’s not how Maou-sama wants to go about this.”
“Maou-sama, Maou-sama!” Lucifer mocks. “You haven’t changed. If he told you to clean the apartment with your tongue, you’d do it with a smile, wouldn’t you? Think for yourself for a change!”
“You haven’t changed either. Who was it that got reduced to a sniveling mess the moment Maou-sama made his reappearance? The moment a stronger opponent shows up, you’ve always cowered and run.”
Lucifer growls, and one hand curls into a claw. It’s clear he’s attempting to use his magic. But all that happens is a fizzle of sparks.
Ashiya folds his arms. “See? What can you do? Even if you want to do anything, you can’t. What were we to do, powerless, trapped in these feeble forms? What can you do to me now?”
Lucifer grinds his teeth, but doesn’t answer.
“You deride my loyalty to my King. But I believe in him, as you should as well. We failed…yes, we failed. But we are still here. Against the odds, you are still here. Is the first thing you want to do with your second chance at life to throw it all away wastefully, again?”
“At least I was doing something! ” Lucifer swipes a hand through the air. “What have you done? Grind along day by day, submitting yourself to the creatures that once submitted to us! Worse, you’re even making friends with them! That Sasaki Chiho, she’s nothing, a plaything at best! Why should I care how I use them? Why do you care so much about them? It’s as if you, you’ve become one of them! You’ve spent so much time here that you’re acting just like them! Answer me truthfully! Do you even want to go back??”
“You think that we don’t?” Alciel roars. Lucifer takes a step back at that. Not even in the Demon World did he shout like this before.
“You think I enjoy the state that we’re in, slaving away for the barest scraps? I used to be a General! I used to be a King! I had a people! But where are those people now? Gone! And here we are, trapped in a world that saps our power as easily as water runs through a colander! We are doing the best we can with what we have! What did you ever know about anything like that? You always lazed around, never taking responsibility, always expecting others to do the heavy lifting for you! You never understood Maou-sama’s true vision! All you ever cared about was the next best thing! As far as I’m concerned, you were the weakest link from the start! No wonder we fell, when we were saddled with the likes of you! ”
“That’s enough, Ashiya.”
Before Lucifer can launch himself at Alciel and throttle him, the bathroom door opens, revealing a wet and dripping Maou wrapped only in a towel.
He uses a second towel to dry vigorously at his hair. “Honestly, how’s a guy supposed to bathe in peace with you two shouting outside?”
“Who cares about your—!”
“My apologies, Maou-sama—”
“Ashiya. Lucifer.”
Maou doesn’t seem remotely upset. In fact, he’s even got a small smile on.
“Wow, Ashiya. I didn’t know you could shout like that.”
“I-I’m sorry, Maou-sama, it’s just that—”
“No, no, don’t apologize. In fact, you should shout more.”
“...My lord?”
Maou’s smile turns sad. “I never knew you were keeping such feelings like that bottled up inside. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“That…Of course I could never burden you with…”
“A-shi-ya. I’m your boss, not your dictator. If I don’t know how my subordinates are doing, then what kind of boss would that make me? How am I supposed to lead you properly if I don’t know your wants and needs?”
Lucifer scoffs. “Not a dictator, my ass.”
“You–!”
“Say, Lucifer. I think I understand, now.”
“...What are you talking about?”
“What the hell could be taking those guys so long?”
“...What?”
Maou tilts his head to the side. “They’re definitely coming back, right? So what could be taking them so long? Are they dead? Oh? They’re not dead? Then why aren’t they back already? What’s this? They’re working with the enemy? Worse, they’re working with the Hero? Have they abandoned the cause? If that’s the case, then what’s to stop me from taking over?”
Lucifer’s face twists when he realizes what Maou is doing.
“Don’t you dare,” he hisses. “Like you understand—!”
“Lucifer.” Maou comes to stand in front of him. “You were waiting a long time for me, weren’t you?”
There’s a thick silence that falls. Lucifer looks murderous, while Ashiya has become stone-faced.
“Where were you?” Lucifer finally asks, bitingly.
Maou drops his gaze. “When Ente Isla fell and we—”
“Not then. When I fought the Hero and lost. Where were you?”
Now Maou looks confused. “In the Castle, of course. Why do you—?”
“When the Hero plunged her sword into my chest, when I was falling and cast into flame, when I was dying, WHERE WERE YOU?”
“Lucifer, I—”
“You promised.” Maou shuts up again. “You said that you’d show me a new world, a world for us, something great and incredible. Where is that world, Maou-sama? Where are your promises? Is this what to look forward to, a sad excuse for a living space, powerless bodies, humiliation every day? Is this what we fought for?”
Is this what I died for?
The unspoken question hangs in the air like a blade waiting to be dropped. The desperation of Lucifer’s questions makes Maou’s throat tighten, and for the first time, he doesn’t know how to answer.
He looks to Ashiya instead. “Is this what you also feel?”
Ashiya looks uncomfortable. “Maou-sama, I…”
“Answer truthfully.”
Ashiya reluctantly dips his head. “Maou-sama, in this instance, as loath as I am to do so, I must agree with Lucifer. I have always stood by your side, and I will continue to do so until my dying day. But I cannot deny that these questions have gone through my head as well. Is this what our brethren have sacrificed themselves for, for you to give up on our dream and fall victim to, no, become the very enemies we sought to destroy? I have never once doubted your vision, Sire. But even I find it difficult to understand at times what your goals are, and I wonder if you yourself really know.”
Maou winces. He can’t deny the painful accuracy of those words, but what can he say? Trapped by the gazes of his Generals, he says the only thing he can think of.
“I know I haven’t given you reason to trust me. It’s a lot to ask of you, to believe in me when there appears to be no reason to. Even so, I’m asking. I ask that you trust in me once more, and work alongside me. I can’t explain everything, but I promise you that I haven’t given up on our goals. I will create a world for us, where we can live our own lives the way we want.”
He gives a deep bow.
Ashiya looks startled. “Maou-sama, please, you don’t have to…”
Lucifer just sniffs.
“Relying on your charisma to get you by again, huh? I would have thought you’d outgrown those kinds of things when you were a kid,” he says.
Maou lowers himself more. “I’m aware that I’m acting shamelessly, but please believe me when I say my words are genuine.”
Lucifer glares at him. Ashiya looks horribly torn, but doesn’t say anything either.
Finally Lucifer sighs. “Fine.”
Maou peeks up. “Huh?”
“You’ve already beaten me and shown me your power. I can’t argue with you. What choice do I have then? I’ll follow you.”
Maou breathes out and straightens. Even Ashiya looks relieved, though the expression he wears is complicated. When Maou turns to him, however, he nods. “I am with you to the end, Maou-sama.”
Maou gives a relieved smile. “All right then, I’m off to work. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Of course, my liege.”
Maou hurriedly dresses and goes for the front door.
“Ashiya. A word with you outside, real quick.”
When the door closes and Maou and Ashiya are alone in the hallway, Maou says in a lowered voice, “Listen, I know you two don’t get along, but try to accommodate him, okay? It’s complicated, but…I get it. He thinks we abandoned him, all those years ago. And now he’s kinda stuck here with us…it’s a lot to adjust to.”
“I do not understand the depths of your generosity, my lord, but…I shall do as you say. Though, may I ask, what has gotten you so jubilant?”
Perceptive as ever, Maou thinks, unable to hide a grin blooming across his face. He takes Ashiya by the shoulders.
“ He’s alive, Ashiya. All this time we thought he was dead, and Lucifer’s alive!”
“He tried to kill us, my lord.”
“Yeah, but he’s done that in the past. We can forgive him this once, can’t we?”
“I…I suppose so, but Maou-sama—?”
“He’s my General, Ashiya. Mine. Just as you are mine. I vowed to protect what was mine a long time ago, and for a long time, I thought I failed that vow. To know that he’s been alive all this time…If you had been lost and returned to me, I’d feel exactly the same.”
Tears sprang to Ashiya’s eyes. “To know that I am valued by you, Sire…nothing in this world brings me greater happiness.”
“You’re my most valued and loyal subject. I honestly would not have made it in this world without you, Ashiya. Never doubt how much you mean to me and this household.”
“Maou-sama…”
“If ever you do come to doubt me again, tell it to me straight. I don’t want you hiding these feelings of doubt from me. Otherwise they fester into resentment. I’m your leader, I’m supposed to take care of you. If I don’t realize that my troops are going to turn on me, that makes me a pretty poor leader, doesn’t it?”
“I would never turn on—”
“As honored as I am by the sentiment, Ashiya, we both know you’re too smart for that. If I ever turned out to not be the same leader you thought I was, you’d make the smart decision and leave. Don’t worry, I’m not mad. In fact, I’m telling you to do so. If I ever seem to be going too far, or I don’t seem like someone worth following anymore, do yourself a favor and cut the line.”
“Maou-sama!”
“Alciel.” Maou’s eyes gleam. “Promise me.”
An internal war seems to grip Ashiya, but he finally bows. “It will never come to that. But…as you say, my lord.”
Maou beams. He claps Ashiya on the shoulder. “Right! I’m off.”
Ashiya watches until Maou has disappeared behind the wall, then turns to go back inside.
Lucifer has sat himself back against the closet door, chewing sullenly on the popsicle stick. He looks like trouble already. He looks skittish, listless, and utterly unsure of what to do with himself.
Ashiya remembers feeling that exact same way when he first arrived in the human world.
He sighs, and picks up the trash can from the corner. “Here. Dispose of your garbage properly.”
Lucifer gives a sidelong glance to the can, and after a moment drops the stick into it.
“If you’re hungry, I can make food.”
Lucifer seems to perk up at that, though he snarks, “What sort of food could you make from that sad-looking fridge?”
Ashiya quirks an eyebrow. “Just wait and see. If you like, I can teach you.”
Lucifer makes a face. “No way.”
“Hm.”
As Ashiya is tying on an apron, he feels Lucifer’s eyes following his every move. It’s uncomfortable, being watched like this, but he doesn’t challenge it. He understands; there’s simply nothing else to do.
“If you’re bored, there’s books in the corner.”
“Whatever. You got any games in here?”
“Preposterous! As if we have the funds to spend on such frivolous things.”
“Seriously? Not even any board games?”
“Maou-sama and I were sure to consider every yen before we spent it. We simply couldn’t afford such luxuries.”
“God, and I gotta spend the rest of my time here, like this?? I’m gonna lose my mind! At least invest in a computer or something! Anything!”
“Hmph. Why would we invest in such a financial waste of time?”
“...You don’t know how to use a computer?”
“Of course we know how to use a computer! What do you take us for?”
“Then why don’t you have one? They’re way more useful for things like research, if that’s what your focus is. It’s not just for games and online shopping.”
“Online shopping?”
“...You’re even more hopeless than I thought.”
A tick appears on Ashiya’s forehead. “We can discuss this when Maou-sama returns. If he deems it a proper investment, we will consider it.”
When he doesn’t receive an answer, he looks back. Lucifer is looking out the window, bored but perhaps slightly happier. As he looks on, a positively devilish grin splits Lucifer’s face in two.
Ashiya shudders. Maou-sama , he prays, let this not be a mistake to take this demon into our household.