Pleased to be with you

Pleased to be with you - Chapter 1

It was late at night and you were doing the finishing touches to your school project, life at RAD had been comfortable so far, you were getting used to the locker mechanics and how the school generally works, you were also hanging out with the 6 demon brothers a lot and was getting along pretty well, you've noticed Lucifer is usually less strict when it comes to you, Mammon gets a little more overprotective and clingy around you, Leviathan is less shy compared to the first time you two met, you and Satan usually get together and read some books together, you and Asmodeus usually do each other's makeups at least 18 times a week due to Asmo's stubbornness but you usually don't even mind, Beel usually comes into your room late at night with food to just binge eat, you were getting along quite well with the 6 Demon Brothers despite being warned by the angels to keep your distance away.

You were quick to be snapped out of your day dreams when you hear a faint knock on your window door, you quickly look to the side and see.. Barbatos? You and Barbatos usually don't talk as much since he's mostly with Diavolo to accompany him as his royal butler, so you were confused on why he's suddenly knocking at your window.. Speaking of which, you open the window door and let the butler in.
"Sorry for the random intrusion MC, I know this is sudden but it is very urgent." Barbatos then said as he hops into your room, holding a little pouch sticking out of his pocket. Barbatos then quickly takes the little pouch out of his pocket and gives it to me, "I made some biscuits since i've heard that you've been overworking yourself on school projects quite lately" Barbatos says, "Thank you for the kind gesture Barbatos but, I still have some projects and assignments to finish, I appreciate the gesture though" You replied with, you've never really had any contact with Barbatos and he just randomly popped in from your window and you were still processing what's happening since it's 2:43 A.M and you were running on autopilot.

"I admire your dedication to RAD but we also strongly value our student's mental health, if you keep overworking yourself on our schoolworks then there will be a high chance that it takes a toll on your mental health..." Barbatos keeps on speaking, giving you an unexpected lecture on why you shouldn't overwork yourself but all of it goes in one ear and comes out another as your mind is still on the spell tables and incantation phrases that you have to memorize for your upcoming test.

"Do you understand, MC?" Barbatos says, finally finished on the 20 minute lecture, yet you didn't really listened so you just lazily nodded your friend, unfortunately Barbatos catches on the fact you zoned out 80 percent of the lecture, Barbatos sighs and proceeds to say "Perhaps you should take a break or go to bed, since it's 3 in the morning." suggesting that he can also help you clean up your project "That idea sounds nice, Barbatos but-" You said, but quickly got cut off by Barbatos.
"If so then perhaps we can take a quick stroll around the chilly Devildom parks" Babratos suggests "Well, I mean that would be lovely but... are you sure about this? Maybe it would be better if you go back to the castle and attend Diavolo?" You say, you're not quite sure on Barbatos's suddennes, him going to your dorm room and the reason being well... mental health reasons? You understood that RAD strongly values this student exchange program but, wouldn't it be more reasonable for the student council to take care of the exchange program student's mental health regarding schoolworks? And not the Royal Butler of Diavolo? You were completely second guessing everything but it was reasonable cause, after all, this is the first time you and Diavolo ever had an interaction together.

                                                                                   ★★★

You feel a light breeze on your skin, somehow you were now outside taking a walk with The Royal Prince's Butler, and not in your room studying for your upcoming tests. "Feeling a bit cold? Perhaps you should wear my scarf, so you don't catch a cold? Human skin exposed to a small devildom breeze can catch them with a high fever." Barbatos says, wrapping his dark hunter green scarf around your neck, you mumble a soft thank you as he chuckles. Although, you enjoy Barbatos's sudden gestures but you're still stuck on the reason behind that, almost like you have to know so the curiosity doesn't overwhelm you. Finally, you start to speak, "Hey Barbatos... if you don't mind me asking, what's with the sudden well.. Uh, sudden gestures, since like, we never talked ever and now you're suddenly doing all this" you mumble out, Barbatos quickly glances to you and replies with "I'm not sure myself, i'd also want to find the answer to your question." He says, as he lets out a cute chuckle. It didn't really help clear your curiosity and just led you to second guess stuff more.

"Ah but, whenever I see you at RAD or the Demon Lord's Castle, I can't help but feel like I'm obligated to start a conversation with you. But, I never have the chance to due to my duties as a butler, but now, I'm finally speaking to you.. Feels like a miracle but now that I think about it, it must be very confusing for you." Barbatos says letting out a soft chuckle once he sees the light pink tint on your cheeks. No one has ever said something that kind to you, it was cheesy but you still appreciated it, as your heart gets more rowdy and starts beating up by the second.

"Oh, seems like it's already been 47 minutes, we should get you back to your dorm room, wouldn't want the brothers to worry" Barbatos chuckles out, taking his hand out from his pockets and offering them to you. As you and Barbatos intertwine hands and head back home, you start making small talk. "So, Barbatos, what's it like being The Royal Prince's Butler?" You ask, awaiting for an answer. "Well to start off, it used to be quite troublesome, but as time progresses, I quite enjoy attending to the Prince's needs. It's peaceful in a way." Barbatos replies with a small smile on his face.
"That seems nice, but isn't it hard at times? After all, sometimes Diavolo seems too... much, in a way, he pushes on what he wants and usually doesn't care about others opinions, but that's kinda just my opinion on it." You quickly say, since you've heard that the butler hasn't gotten a good night's rest in years, his eyebags are clear evidence of it. Plus, Diavolo does seem obnoxious in a way but he's still bearable. As you patiently wait for the answer between Barbatos's long pause, you two arrive at the House of Lamentation. "Looks like we've arrived. Make sure to get a good night's rest and just finish your project tomorrow, I'll see you at RAD, MC" Barbatos says, quickly taking his leave before you point out how he still hasn't answered your question.

Accepting defeat, you sneakily enter the dorm room and quietly head your way to your room, until you hear a very loud and aggressive ahem coming from behind you. Turning around, you see Lucifer with a not so happy look. "Oh.. H-hey Lucifer.. Didn't see ya there.. Do you need..something? Like uh some tea?" You nervously said, trying to figure out a way to escape the punishment of going out late at night passed your curfew. "Flattery will get you nowhere MC. Let's see here... You're up late at night at 4 in the morning and I kept hearing you earlier making your project when I strictly said not to overwork yourself, then I saw that you were out with Barbatos, doing god knows what. So may I ask, will you give me an explanation for this?" Lucifer firmly says, looking at you with a tired expression, you weren't really expecting to be in trouble since you thought no one saw you entering the dorm room. "Well uh.. You see... Barbatos kinda uh... gave me a sudden visit, yeah" You say, trying to find the correct words to escape Lucifer's wrath. Though, he doesn't seem too satisfied with your answer. "I'll take accountability and take.. Whatever punishment it is" You whimper out, knowing that if you turn yourself in, the punishment will be less severe. You're quietly praying that this sadist won't give you an insane punishment like feeding Cereberus for a week straight but surprisingly, your punishment is quite small. "Skip breakfast tomorrow. That's your punishment. Now go to sleep, and don't make a ruckus." Lucifer said, letting out a groan as he points his finger on my room door, and he quickly turns around and heads to his study. You roll your eyes and let out a sight. He's giving me a lecture about overworking myself yet right after that he just goes back to his study.. Goddammit you thought, as you enter your room and get a good night's rest.