Book 1: The Wrong Girl in the Devildom

Compromises

"Beelz, please stop eating the ingredients! You shouldn't be eating canned fish." Alicia pulled the bowl away from Beelzebub and sighed. "Lucifer told me Lord Diavolo is coming over for breakfast and I need to make sure everything is perfect. If the croquettes are more dough than fish, that won't be perfect."

"Sorry, it just smells so good." Beelzebub placed his hand on his stomach and watched her work. "Where did you learn this recipe, anyway?"

"Got it from my mom. Tweaked it over the years because I knew it could be better." Alicia grabbed a packet of potato mix and dumped it in the bowl. "I used to use flour, but the potato mix gives it a better crunch, and it doesn't end up doughy if I put too much."

"What are the breadcrumbs for then?"

"Flavoring and added crunch."  She handed him the cutting board with fire peppers and onions. "Can you chop these up for me? They're a little too much for my eyes." 

"You could invest in goggles." Beelzebub moved over to a clear space in the kitchen and started to cut up the peppers. He was silent for a minute, trying to figure out what to say. "Alicia?"

"Yeah?"

"....I'm sorry about Belphie." He peeled the onion and discarded the skin in the closest trash can. "I know he hasn't been the easiest to deal with."

"That's the understatement of the century." 

"He has his reasons for not liking humans, but it isn't your fault and you shouldn't have to carry the weight of the past on your shoulders." 

"Then can you please tell me what happened?" Alicia turned on the stove and kept the flame on the oil low. She pulled down some seasoning from the cabinets and pouted. "I feel like he just watches me most days."

Beelzebub sighed and started to tell her about the story of Lilith, how she got hurt during the war, and how he blamed humans for what happened to her. He briefly went into how he felt responsible, how he should've saved Lilith and he knew Belphie blamed him for what happened to her. He had tears in his eyes, and Alicia felt horrible. She wiped her hands and pulled Beelzebub in a tight embrace. 

"Beel...I'm so sorry." She felt him wrap his arms around her and tears spilled on her shoulder. "I doubt Belphie blames you. He clearly loves you to death." 

"I know but I feel so guilty...I should've saved her. She's was our little sister, I was supposed to protect her." As Beelzebub held her, Alicia's face fell more. She hated being a hypocrite, but she hated seeing this giant teddy bear hurting. 

"You couldn't be everywhere at once. You saved the person you were closest to...If you tried to save Lilith, the three of you could've died." Alicia rubbed his back a little and rested her head on his. "You shouldn't assume that Belphie blames you and shoulder the weight of something you're not sure about. You did the best you could, and I don't think Lilith would want you beating yourself up like this." 

Beelzebub took in her words and held her tighter. She was right...but it was so difficult to not think about everything that's happened. "Sorry." He slowly let her go and rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "This was supposed to be me explaining why Belphie treats you the way he does, not you comforting me."

"We can do both. I'm good at multitasking." Alicia smiled and stepped back from him. "If you need a second to compose yourself, we can take a break."

"No way, if Diavolo shows up and you haven't finished everything on Lucifer's list, he'll punish you." 

"Right, good point." Alicia looked around the kitchen and finished mixing the batter when Beel finished cutting up the onions and peppers. "I need to go dress the table, form balls with the dough about the size of your hand. There should be enough for two dozen croquettes, put them in the oil, and don't let them get too dark." Alicia reached up into the cabinet and pulled out all the elegant tableware Lucifer put to the side for Diavolo.