Up All Night
Belphegor x reader
~Belphie gets splashed with Night Cricket essence and is cursed to hear their calling all through the night.
W.C: 3.5k
Warnings: Brief mention of Obey Me Chapter 16, slight angst, Belphie being crabby and kinda mean since he is tired.
Poor Belphegor can hardly keep his eyes open. It may be the early afternoon, but the Avatar of Sloth just arrived back at the House of Lamination after taking a make-up test at RAD. The reason he had to retake the test was not because he got a poor grade or anything; he just was too tired the day off and chose to sleep through all three of his alarms and, subsequently, the exam.
But now that that's over with, he can finally take his afternoon nap,
His head hangs low as he sluggishly trudges through his home. Searching for the perfect place to rest his head. His favorite cow-printed pillow secure in his arms as he pokes his head into your room.
Much to his disappointment, he sees that you are still out running errands or doing something equally as exhausting. Normally, he would have no problem falling asleep in your bed, but today, he is feeling a bit adventurous.
Today, for some reason. He is home alone which means he is presented with with rare opportunity to fall asleep anywhere.
But where should he go?
Lucifer's office?
Leviathan's Bathtub?
That really comfy carpeted spot in Asmodeus' closet?
All this thinking only tires him out more as he wanders into the quiet living room. And when his violet eyes come to rest on the long plush sofa, he knows what he must do.
'I haven't slept there in a while," he says to himself. His legs feel like they are made of lead as they carry him toward the rose-scented cushions. He doesn't even bother to pay attention to the Akuzon package that rests on the little side table that he passes.
His pillow bumps the table and sends the little package tumbling to the ground. The box rolls a bit, and the sound of breaking glass reaches his ears.
'I hope that wasn't important,' he yawns, shrugging off any concerns he had and plopping down onto the couch and falling into a deep sleep.
Unaware of the nightmare he has created for himself.
~
The front door had just shut behind you when you heard a shrill screech of horror coming from the living room. Your breath hitches as you drop your floral printed tote bag to the ground and rush towards the sound, magic brimming at your fingers, ready for anything.
But as you rush through the doorway, you see the purple-haired Avatar of Envy on his knees, hunched over a fallen Akuzon package. The magic at your fingers fizzles away, and you sigh, seeing that Belphegor still sleeps comfortably on the couch despite his older brother's meltdown.
"Belphie, what did you do to my package?" Levi screeches, reaching over the couch and shaking his youngest brother roughly from his slumber.
He stretches out like a cat and smacks his lips sleepily as he sits up. "Oh, hey Levi. What's in the box?"
Levi sighs and looks down at the open box. Pulling out what looks to be the neck of a broken bottle. "It was the night cricket essence I ordered, but you broke it."
The Avatar of Sloth looks lazily between the box and his brothers. "Oh? I guess I did. I'm sorry, Levi."
"What's night cricket essence?" You ask, stepping into the room and sitting on the edge of the sofa where Belphie's legs are.
"Night crickets are a special kind of bug known to keep demons up at night; I wanted to put a few drops of their magic into my energy drinks so I can stay up all night to play games."
Your eyes widen at Levi's explanation; the Otaku hardly gets enough sleep as it is; he doesn't need some hardcore magical caffeine supplement to keep him wired. "No, you definitely should not do that, ever."
He crossed his arms and huffs, "It's not like I can anymore. He broke the bottle, and the shop I got it from just got shut down."
"I wonder why?" Belphie chimes in, sitting up just a bit more to grab your hand. Even though you are seated on the same couch as him, he feels like you are too far away.
Levi's face is a deep crimson color and he looks like he is ready to burst. "That's not the point. You broke my package and now I won't be able to play through my new game all in one sitting. Everyone is going to find all the hidden items before me, and I'll look like a complete loser on my server."
"Yeah, that is what will make you look lame." The avatar of sloth quips back with youngest sibling-level sass. You bite the inside of your cheek as you try to keep a straight face and not damage Levi's already fragile ego.
"Anyways," you clear your throat, trying your best to desolate this situation. "Levi, you really shouldn't buy things like that. It could really mess you up. And I hate to see you uncomfortable."
Levi looks at you with a grateful smile. "Oh, Mc, you really do care. Even if I am just a pathetic little shut-in. I'm going to make my avatar in the game look just like you as extra motivation to stay alive." he grins, rushing down the hallway, ready to play his game.
Now alone, you look to Belphie, who looks like he is about to fall back asleep holding on to your hand. "Don't you dare," you scold, taking your hand out of his. "You are on dinner tonight, and you are not sleeping through it again and buying takeout."
"But everyone loves Hell's Kitchen." he yawns, looking at you with a pleading expression.
Standing strong you ignore his puppy dog eyes and give him a knowing look.
"Fine, you win Mc." He sighs, taking your hand. "But you have to help me since it's too tiring for me to do it all on my own." You fight the chuckles as he leads you into the kitchen to be his sous chef for the evening."
~
Hours later, Belphie finds himself in his bedroom. His stomach is full, his teeth are brushed, and he slips on a cool pair of pajamas.
He may be able to fall asleep anywhere, at any time, in any condition, but it always feels better to slip into something cool and soft against his skin at the end of the day.
Beel emerges from the bathroom, a tired smile on his face as he wipes a bit of toothpaste from his lips with the back of his hand. "The Roasted Cockatrice you made tonight was delicious; you should make it more often, Belphie."
He smiles at the taller demon as he slides under his lavender-scented covers. The softness of his quilted down, embracing him like an old friend. "Thank you, Beel; if you like it so much, I can make it again for you sometime, and you can eat as much as you want."
Beel gives him a big, happy smile as he gets into his bed on the other side of the room. "I think I am going to dream about it tonight."
Belphie laughs as he sets his DDD down on its bedside charging port. "Careful Beel, the last time you dreamt about dinner you ended up eating your pillow in your sleep."
He frowns and looks at his mattress, "I really liked that pillow too," recalling the memory foam pillow you got him from the human world. He sighs and slips into his sheets. "Goodnight Belphie."
"Good night, Beel." With a flick of his wrist, he turns the bedroom light on and lets his head rest against the pillow, ready to head off into dreamland.
Minutes turn to hours as his cool sheets heat up uncomfortably, and the enviable sound of Beel's soft snoring can be heard from the other side of the room.
This feeling of restlessness is unknown to the Avatar of Sloth as he tosses and turns, waiting for sleep to take him, but it never comes…
~
The next morning, you find yourself at the breakfast table sipping on a chilled glass of freshly pressed blushberry juice and basking in the early morning shenanigans of the Avatars of Sin.
Next to you, Beel is devouring a mountain of protein waffles after what you can assume to be an intense early morning workout.
Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Mammon sneakily trying to pluck all the blood strawberries out of the communal fruit bowl without anyone catching him. And so far, no one has. Especially since Asmo's flash keeps going off as he takes and retakes pictures of the adorable latte art Satan made for him.
At the table head, Lucifer reads the newspaper, the ghost of a smile on his face as he tries to hide his contentment with this family time.
All of a sudden, Asmo drops his phone and lets out a gasp. "Oh Belphie, what happened to you? You look horrible hon."
Your head snaps to the doorway, and your gut fills with concern as you take in Belphie's appearance. His skin is sickly pale, his hair is ruffled beyond what one would call bedhead, and his usually bright violet eyes are framed by deep dark circles.
Had he slept at all last night?
"Shut up, Asmo," he grumbles, dragging himself to his seat and grabbing the pot of coffee from the center of the table.
You could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone watches him pours an impossibly tall mug for himself. He completely ignores the thick wisps of steam that dance on the lip of the mug and inhales the entirety of the dark roast-like air.
Beel swallows the waffle that had been caught in his throat and gently places a hand on his twin's shoulder "Belphie, are you okay?"
"Does it look like I am okay?" he snaps, jerking his shoulder out of his grasp "I heard you stomping all over the place this morning. It's impossible to get any sleep when I have to listen to you all night long."
Your eyes widen. Did Belphie really just say that to his twin? His favorite being in the three realms? Beel's face falls, and he is about to utter a small apology, but he is interrupted by a firm cough from Lucifer, who sets his newspaper down on the polished table.
"Clearly someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he says, staring down his youngest brother with a gaze of fiery crimson. "You should think about what you are about to say next, Belphegor, or you will deeply regret it."
"Whatever, you guys aren't worth my energy." he gets up and walks out of the room, leaving the room in uncomfortable silence. You glance over to Lucifer and meet his gaze. His jaw is clenched, but he gives you a nod of encouragement that has you exiting the room to try and find Belphie and figure out what has gotten him so upset.
You don't have to go very far. Belphegor's steps are unenergized and painstakingly slow, allowing you to easily catch up to him in the hallway. Gently, you reach for his hand to stop him.
"Belphie, what is wrong with you?" you ask, "You never get mad at Beel like that."
His gaze narrows, and he rips his hand out of your grasp way harder than he usually would. "Well, maybe if he learned how to function without sounding like a stampede of elephants is marching through the room when I'm trying to sleep, I wouldn't have to get mad at him."
"Belphie…"
"And why did you follow me?" He says, his features twist into a cruel smirk that has you taking a hesitant step backward. "Is the nosy little human trying to make themselves feel all important by getting involved in our business? Why don't you get out of my face and get back to the human world where you belong."
Ouch…
Pain flashes in your gaze and he finally realizes that he went way too far. "Mc, I-i didn't mean it~" he tries to come closer to you, to apologize, but it's too late."
Your reply to him is cold and dismissive. "Just go get some rest Belphegor. You obviously need it." You glare at him and turn to walk back towards the dining room.
"Mc, wait." He tries to call after you, but you're gone. And when you sit back at your seat at the table you notice that your breakfast tastes far less sweet than it did a moment ago.
~
You have avoided Belphie for the better part of the day, and you have tried not to think of his cruel words. You want to give him time to fix his cranky attitude, but honestly, you don't know if you want to talk to him right now.
It is now way too late in the evening you are hunched over at your desk working on something for RAD when you hear a weak knock on your door. You glance at your little clock. It's 3:45 in the morning.
Who would be knocking on your door at this hour?
You pad across the carpet and open the door slowly to reveal the disheveled (and honestly pathetic-looking) Belpheghor.
"What do you want?" you say, tightening your grip on the door, ready to shut it in his face if he says anything rude, but you freeze when you take in his appearance. He looks worse for wear than he did earlier. Clearly, he did not take your advice and rest earlier.
"Please," he murmurs out. "Please let me in"
He looks so pitiful, your cave; opening the door wider to allow him inside. His head hangs low as he drags his feet across your carpet in a zombie-like fashion.
He slowly sits himself down on the edge of your mattress and stares down at his hands as if there is some kind of apology tattooed on his fingers.
"M'sorry." he mumbles at last, his voice raw from frustration. "After what happened last time… I told myself I would never do anything to hurt you ever again. I just wasn't thinking, and it slipped out."
"Clearly," you huff sourly, still licking your wounds from yesterday morning. "If that's really what you think of me, then that's fine, but Beel doesn't deserve to be snapped at either."
He opens his mouth in protest, "It's not like that; you know how much you mean to me, Mc. I'm just not acting like myself." He looks like he is about to cry, and it tugs at your heartstrings. "It's no excuse, but I'm tired."
"Then how about you just go to fucking sleep already then?" you respond. You may just be a human, but the demons aren't the only ones capable of inflicting hurt.
"Because I can't." he raises his voice, and you flinch under the sharp edge to his voice.
Immediately, he steps back for your comfort. This small act of consideration, even in the heat of the moment, makes you see him not as the monster in your mind but as a piece of your heart.
You think about what he is trying to say.
He can't sleep.
How is that possible?
He is literally the Avatar of Sloth.
One time he fell asleep on a rollercoaster because it took too long of a pause at the top before zooming downward.
"What do you mean you can't sleep?" you ask softly. Your feet move on their own, gently closing the distance between your bodies as you sit down next to him on the edge of your firm mattress. "What's going on Belphie?"
Your proximity is like a weighted blanket to him, and he leans in closer to your touch. "I haven't slept at all since that nap I took two days ago by the fire."
"Two days?"
You may not know the ins and outs of the effects that each brother's sin has on them, but you know that Belphie doesn't just sleep all the time because he wants to; he has to. Two days for him must be agonizing.
Thinking back to the other day you try to think of any little details that may lead you to why the poor demon next to you is unable to catch a wink of sleep.
You remember sitting next to Belphie on the couch…
And Levi was screaming about a package…
The Night Cricket Essence!
"I think I know why you haven't been able to sleep," you say, reaching for your DDD and pulling up your browser. Searching for anything you can about the demonic caffeine supplement thingamabob.
The effects pop up instantly, along with several warnings about the consumption of the product. You make a mental note to talk to Levi about his purchase history later, but you continue to scroll about the product.
"What are you looking at?" Belphie asks, leaning over your shoulder. He is so exhausted he slumps into your side, but you don't mind in the slightest.
"The effects of Night Cricket Essence," you reply. "It says here that you should only add a few drops into a drink to keep you awake, but it must've vaporized when you broke the bottle.
"So I inhaled the whole bottle?" he blinks.
"I think so," you muse; it seems to be the only way to explain how someone as powerful as him could be affected.
"When will it wear off?" he groans, leaning back onto the mattress.
"No clue, sorry. I'll keep looking," you murmur, trying to find some kind of a cure.
You scroll and scroll and scroll until you stumble across something that sounds promising.
If consumed in excess, the effects of Night Cricket Essence may be counteracted with a cup of chamomile tea.
Is that all it takes? A cup of tea?
It's worth a shot
"Come with me, Belphie, I want to try something to help you." Despite his restless exhaustion, your soft voice and kinder eyes are able to coax him onto his feet. He follows you out your bedroom door and into the kitchen.
He sits down at the counter as you scamper about the room, grabbing everything you need to make the both of you a nice cup of tea.
For demons, getting ahold of human world tea is next to impossible, but you had just come back from a trip with Barbatos to stock up on some hard-to-find blends. Chamomile included.
It doesn't take long for the tea kettle to whistle as you pour him a cup. You hand it to him carefully before pouring your own.
"Let's hope this works," you mumble, blowing on your own glass, but he wastes no time. He drinks it desperately, and a few droplets strip down his chin and onto the tabletop.
By the time he comes up for air, the cup is empty, and you know this is an immediate difference in his appearance. His eyes droop, and he looks at you with a sleepy smile.
"Thash goose" he stumbles out. You may not have the same twin telepathy that he and Beel have, but you know what he means as he sets the cup down clumsily.
"How are you feeling?" you ask, sliding around the counter and pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of his head.
"Tired," he mumbles, tilting his head up so you would kiss his lips. His movements are sluggish, but the sensation of your lips on his is enough to keep him going a bit longer. “Can I has slee in yer ruum?”
"You want to sleep in my room?" you ask, watching as his lids get heavier and heavier.
"Yesh, wanna cuddle."
You smile as he clings onto wakefulness, waiting to hear your answer. "You can stay with me." Your acceptance brings a smile to his face as he sinks onto the tabletop; his head hits the wood with a thud as he finally dips into his well-deserved rest. His soft breathing fills the room as you finish your tea. Once your little tea break is over, you will have to put him on your back and carry him to your room.
~
Three days later, you are once again at the breakfast table. When Belphie finally emerges from your bedroom looking extremely well rested. The others, having been made aware of the situation, breathe a sigh of relief when he takes a seat next to Beelzebub.
"Good morning Belphie." Beel smiles hesitantly at his twin through his breakfast sandwich.
"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier; I hope you're not too upset with me to go out for lunch."
The smile that appears on Beel's face makes your heart melt as he nods eagerly. "Can Mc come with us too? Food always tastes better when I eat with both of you."
Belphie glances over to you as you nod and directs his attention back to his brother. "I think that can be arranged."
Tagging: @enchantedforest-network
132 notes
·
View notes
At long last...
baby girl has finally fell ass over tea kettle asleep
A non-comprehensive list of things Ari has accomplished on this longest of days:
Started investigating the Open Hand Temple murders in earnest
including interviewing everyone, speaking with the dead, and generally doing 1000x better as a detective than a flying elephant
Located the crypt underneath the temple
Freed the soul of a cursed monk by personally breaking Shar's laughing curse by pure willpower
Found the hidden tunnels underneath the temple and fought a bunch of shapeshifters on the trail of the serial killer
Got drug into the middle of a turf war between two criminal factions
Gave herself the alias Daisy Dewdrop Fluffington to try and outwit a Steel Watchman.
Nearly got arrested and was saved by the Ironhand Gnomes
Found Barcus again! Whose boyfriend tried to rope them into some light domestic terrorism
Ran into some of Astarion's "siblings" who fucked off before we could talk to them
Found another victim of the serial killer, found out it was the serial killer's mama
Visited a brothel, where everyone came onto Ari, and the incest twins tried to convince her and Gale to have an orgy while Gale nearly expired on the spot
Talked to the most useless flying elephant ever and got a pass into the lower city
Accidentally wandered into fantasy!ao3, aka the Elminster's Sexy Library
Astarion kept rolling nat20s on locked doors in a brothel, one of which contained a nymph and a surprise!mindflayer
The nymph gave Ari a +d6 buff to all ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls for the rest of the day
Talked to Raphael who perved out over the Crown of Karsus
Went with Jaheira to talk to some Harpers and got jumped by more shapeshifters
Did battle with an evil blob disguised as a cow
Got invited to Gortashs's coronation where Wyll had to confont some Daddy issues, Karlach had to not do a murder, and Ari learned they have a spy at camp
Talked to Counselor Florick who we're totes def going to break out of prison any day now (but surprisingly not this day)
Got ambushed by Mizora who decided she's going to just hang around our camp now just because
Went into the Lower City and was immediately beset by a newspaper lady who let them know the National Enquirer was going to to print a smear piece on us
Got banned from the National Enquirer
The one man vampire elf wrecking crew snuck into the National Enquirer to sabotage the presses, and in a fit of petty pique, stole everything not nailed down in the basement.
And then the editor's office for further measure. We're running dangerously low on spell slots at this point.
Talked to the thus far only non-useless member of the Flaming Fists who deputized us to find the serial killer
Talked to a bunch of murdered corpses (some quite sassy) all around the city, investigate some really sketchy ritualistic murders in some basements, and warned several still living potential victims to watch the fuck out.
After all that hard work went to a wine festival to unwind (and warn another murder victim) but PSYCH -- the wine of the intended victim was poisoned and we found our serial killer who dimension doored out leaving us to fight a bunch of his shapeshifting duplicates. Astarion is nearly one hit killed with a sneak attack (now he knows how it feels). The group survives by the skin of their teeth (and burning through scrolls and potions because we REALLY should fucking sleep now), but successfully save all the civilians at the wine festival
But now they have to run across town to a very sassy tailor who we already warned to close up shop but apparently he didn't listen. We arrive literally just in time to stop him from getting his throat slit (and save our Flaming Fist partner) from the serial killer and this seemingly endless well of shapeshifting accomplices
After a long and harrowing fight where every last spell slot is burned, and Ari has to actually use that extra Tasha's Hideous Laughter I was making fun of earlier for crowd control, the serial killer and accomplices are finally defeated and it seems the victims are safe
Ari & co stumble back to the Elfsong Tavern and rent a room, ready to collapse. Ari finally hits the button to long rest
EXCEPT SURPRISE -- Mizora says it's still plot time and tries to get Wyll to sell his soul forever and ever amen in order to have a shortcut to find his dad. Ari's like "we can do this without her" and encourages Wyll to break his pact.
Everyone acts like this is somehow the absolute worst thing and that Wyll has done the absolutely unthinkable and resigned the city to flames and death, and how could you do that to your father Wyll??? Your father would totes want you banished to the hells for eternity my god where is your moral center Wyll??? -- except for fucking Jaheira who was like "I'm pretty sure Wyll's dad wouldn't want his son to sell his soul in exchange for his safety"
Ari falls face first on a pillow in an actual bed for the first time in the game, and sleeps for an eternity. Who knows what the next day will bring
13 notes
·
View notes