#if someone usurps the throne. the queen/consort have to stay in their role and remained married to whoever holds the throne

[princessozera]

Devious Licks pt 2; MC's devious lick

((Long post ahead))

MC paced their room, alternating between tapping a pen against their fingers to staring at the makeshift bulletin board on their wall. They were never one to back out a of a challenge, and now just about every student in RAD had stolen something. Most had only stolen smaller items; textbooks and classroom desk/chairs, one of MC's friends had even stolen a pair of gargoyles from the library ("THEY'RE A COUPLE MC, IF I ONLY TAKE ONE THE OTHER WILL HAUNT OR KILL ME." MC's friend has always been a little eccentric, but considering they were in the Devildom, MC didn't know if they were joking about the sentient gargoyle statues.)

It was 2 am, but MC couldn't sleep as they planned their own elaborate devious lick. While they knew their magic wasn't strong enough to do something like Mammon's double staircase or even Lucifer's library statue, they HAD to be better than Belphie's couch and Asmo's bathroom lamps. But the question was; what is something cooler than a couch and lamps that HADN'T already been stolen or pre-hexed by Lucifer? MC paced around their room for another 5 minutes before a picture on their desk caught their eye. It was a group photo in RAD's entrance foyer, MC and Satan had just hosted the first ever R.A.D science fair and all the winners and student council got together for a celebratory photo. They stared at the photo for a while, trying to find exactly why they were so drawn to it, when a lightbulb went off.

That could work. My room needs some new décor anyways.

The plan was easy enough to form since it mirrored what Luke had done, but MC made sure to pack a second backpack and a plastic tarp to maximize their chance of success.

Everything was straightforward and MC was actually kind of disappointed in how easily they pulled off their plan. No one had questioned the large item in their arms and no one noticed it was missing all throughout the school day. Maybe it wasn't as important as they originally thought. They were trying to figure out where to stash their loot in their room when Asmo burst in, dragging Belphegor with him. Whatever request he had started to make gave way to curiosity, asking about the tarp.

"Oh, I wanted to do the devious lick trend too so I stole the Demon King's old horn. You know, the one that was next to the award display case?" MC unwraps the horn and lets them see, surprised when they both stagger a few steps back.

"MC! That's not a horn, that's one of the Demon King's claws!" Asmo looked paler than normal and even Belphegor couldn't seem to find a snarky comment to make, clutching his pillow just a bit tighter. MC balks and looks back at the 'horn', immediately sticking out their hand.

"IT'S BIGGER THAN MY ENTIRE ARM. I- it-!!!" MC can't take their eyes off the claw, mystified at the revelation. The demon king had always seemed large in portraits with Lord Diavolo but he'd been a baby so of course his dad had been huge, but not THAT huge. What kind of eldritch horror size-

"MC I know you think this trend is fun and all, but you should put that back-"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'll do it tomorrow mor-"

"No way!" Asmo shoves the discard tarp back into MC's arms and waves them away. "If Lucifer catches you with that or Barbatos realizes it's gone we're ALL getting suspended for a year, we'll cover for you but go put that back NOW!" MC wants to complain, but it's probably for the best. If this had been more fun to steal maybe they'd be putting up more of a fight but for now they'll return it.

"Time for a new lick," MC mutters to themselves as they strap the claw onto their back, using the round trip from RAD to come up with their next brilliant stunt.

Why steal from a school when you can steal from a castle?

------

MC had gone alone over to Diavolo's castle a few times before, and on days like today knew that Diavolo and Barbatos would be too busy to entertain them so MC could go anywhere in the castle. Considering that there is a gala that's going to be held in a week, maybe even the Little D's would be too busy for Barbatos to order one of them to watch over MC.

MC's target this time was even larger than the claw, and they had to sneak a few tools from RAD's workshop just in case, so if anything this was a double steal. Diavolo had so many beautiful paintings in his castle, he could spare one or two. And with no laser technology or video cameras, MC didn't have to pull any tricks from the countless spy/heist movies they'd seen with the brothers.

Their prize was left of the entrance hall, 4 corridors down and past 5 doors. MC passed gilded vases and artifacts older than the castle itself until they came into view of their favorite painting. It wasn't the largest or most extravagant in the castle, but MC had found this when wandering the halls- avoiding yet another party of elites that Lord Diavolo had insisted they attend. It was a full body painting of Lord Diavolo's father, the demon king. Even in shadows, the dark colors of the painting radiated power and commanded respect. There was something comforting about the painting, and Diavolo often found MC staring at it, telling them a new story of his father's triumphs and accomplishments as king. MC always came to see it whenever they visited the castle.

Thankfully, MC didn't need any of the tools they stole to take the portrait off the wall, but it was larger than they originally thought, so all plans of sneaking it out in an art portfolio bag were out the window. Now their only hope was to waddle out of the castle before Barbatos or Diavolo came looking for them. They made it as far as the entrance of the grand hall when a voice called out.

"MC, you know it's not stealing if I can see you and I'm letting you walk out the door with it right?" Barbatos appears from around a column near the stairs, and for a second MC wonders how long he's been waiting there to catch them leaving.

"YOU SEE NOTHING, I AM SIMPLY WALKING WITH A LIMP BECAUSE I SPRAINED MY ANKLE DOING A BACKFLIP," MC yells back, not stopping out of fear that they would lose their grip and drop the portrait, but they did try to keep it perpendicular to their body so if Barbatos calls for them to turn around they could keep it hidden behind them.

"You don't know how to do a backflip."

"You cant prove that!"

"Bring the painting back by tomorrow or I'll make Solomon cook you a buffet."

"THAT'S COUNTS AS A DEATH THREAT-" MC yells back to cover up how much they were straining to keep a straight face- this portrait weighed A TON. They manage to shake the door shut behind them before finally dropping the picture for a minute, groaning in sweet relief as they let their arms rest. The 15 minute walk home turned an hour long, having to stop frequently to rest amd MC considered rolling the portrait at one point, but they decided that they liked living.

"Great. 2nd failure," MC groans as they prop the portrait against their desk, making sure to lock the door before flopping down on the bed. MC couldn't help but admire how handsome the Demon King looked. This must have been painted eons ago but MC was willing to bet he still looked f-i-n-e. Since they had to return the painting soon and the brothers were all gone, MC spent the rest of the day talking to the painting as they did their chores and homework. Inconsequential things, school work, the devildom's best features, their favorite food. But as MC went on, they couldn't help but think back to Diavolo's stories and wondered how the actual demon king would respond to a human in the devildom. As much as they tried to see it, the eyes in the portrait just never seemed cruel to MC.

"I'd love to get to talk to you before I leave. You might kill me, but it'd be interesting none the less," MC gave a wistful sigh as they continued staring at the painting. "But you'd have to be alive for that. Or at the very least back in the Devildom- Diavolo never told me what happened to you." When MC took a second to step back, they suddenly recognized exactly where this portrait had been painted. The elevated walkway, and 4 stairs cases cascading down to the next floor- that was where MC and the brothers had been sucked into the painting the first time they ended up in the snake-Labyrinth! MC remembers that there were another 3 floors to go down from there, but they'd never had the chance.

What were the odds the Demon King being closer than anyone expected?

----------

"Ah Barbatos, I thought I'd find you here," Diavolo smiles as he steps into the palace kitchen. "What are you baking today?"

"Midnight velvet cupcakes and lemon-blueberry scones with an herbal tea," Barbatos said as he closed the oven and set a timer for the cupcakes to cool. "MC should be here soon to study, so I decided to make some human desserts as well."

"I can't belive MC's been over twice a week for a month now just to study," Diavolo let Barbatos turn around before snagging an unfrosted cupcake, which Barbatos courteously pretended to not notice was missing from the cooling rack. " I considered if we should lower their work load, but since they only really need the palace library and not our help, I guess they're fine. MC is so quiet when they study that I even forget they're in the castle."

"Well MC has always been serious about their studies, but it would be good for you to check on them between tasks- as their host. Try as I may I can't seem to find the time so I usually send the Little D's to check on MC." Lord Diavolo nods as he continues to nibble on his cupcake, lost in thought. These less formal moments with Barbatos were special to him, but the heavy air he's been feeling all day has ruined the moment. He wanted to ask Barbatos if he's also felt a change in the air, but maybe he was just being paranoid- Barbatos would have mention if anything was wrong. Lord Diavolo and Barbatos continued to make small talk, and Diavolo even tried his hand at decorating a few cupcakes.

Before Lord Diavolo could make his way back to his study, the ground in the kitchen began to shake and both he and Barbatos grabbed the counter to keep upright. He flashes back to the "earthquakes" that MC told him about once, but nothing like that has ever happened in the Devildom. Once the shaking stops, little D number 2 runs into the kitchen, in such a panic he slams straight into Barbatos's legs and doesn't even think to apologize. He's breathless, rambling something about MC and the brothers and tugging on Barbatos's leg, so Lord Diavolo and Barbatos follow him out. They expect to head to the foyer, thinking the brothers may be in the courtyard or the entrance hall, but say nothing as the little D drags them to the throne room.

There, in the throne that was so massive it managed to dwarf Diavolo's demon form, sat the Demon King in his full 25 foot, ""human"" form, clearly visible over everyone's heads. Diavolo didn't pay attention to the brothers as he made his way forward, eyes glued to the borderline arrogant smile that Diavolo had only ever seen a handful of times outside of a portrait . As his father's dark amber eyes finally met his own, Diavolo reached to the front of the throne steps and caught sight of MC- sitting happily to the King's left, a ruby betrothal necklace nestled against their chest.

Bonus/the actual request/:

Diavolo reacting to MC's devious lick of stealing his dad ((I put some of my own HCs in to fill in Barbatos/Simeon's backgrounds))

Diavolo

Absolutely dumbfounded

There was no graceful, crown-prince appropriate way to handle this, and in his utter shock he resorts to smiling and nodding along to whatever his father was saying.

He had to be hallucinating right? How many times had he dreamt of this? Coming back from a stressful say at RAD, or taking a break from his paperwork to find his father back like he'd never left. Although his father's words were falling on deaf ears, his voice still resonated in Diavolo, a heavy vibration in his chest that was the only indication right now of the King's true power. It was like the weighted blanket MC had once brought over; it was welcome and so comforting that Diavolo felt tears prick the edges of his eyes.

But he couldn't understand the image in front of him. He'd spent a few good sleepless nights early on- worried about the program. Diavolo imagined his father would think unfavorably of it, of seeing humans on equal footing as humans. Of course he'd always hoped that it wouldn't be the case, be he'd never talked about such things with his father before he left. But here he was now, the Demon King lounging around with an easy smile, one arm thrown around the chair MC sat in to bring it closer, with warm and adoring eyes.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of MC or that necklace either. Did MC know exactly what they were wearing? Did they understand the implications? They had to, MC never did anything haphazardly in the Devildon, and they were far too relaxed in the face of the brothers' anger to not know.

When Diavolo said he wanted to use the exchange program to unite the realms and hoped his father would approve whenever he returned, this was probably the farthest possibility from his mind. He'd come to terms with his father's disappearance years ago, and had believed that the program would be 10 to 20 years in before the Demon King caught wind- far too involved for him to put a stop to it.

"When did they even-" Diavolo couldn't even finish the question in his head when the answer hit him square in the face. The biweekly visits. MC had been using their work as a ruse to come visit and hang out with father. Diavolo felt a little hurt, not even that MC had knowingly lied and kept this a secret from him, but a lie that could have been so easily discovered- like they didn't think Diavolo was smart enough to catch on. But in the end, he really wasn't since he and Barbatos had no idea this was happening right underneath their noses.

The clashing stress of a millennia ruling alone, elation at seeing his father, MC's seeming betrayal, along with darker emotions he didn't want to acknowledge were jarring, and Diavolo started feeling sick to his stomach- it was too much to process at once.

So for now, Diavolo accepted his father's hug graciously, feeling no shame in how strongly he hugged him back. Diavolo returned power over the Devildom back to his father with no resistance, and when Barbatos was sent to cook up a feast for the Demon King, he took the chance to escape the suffocating throne room.

Back in the quiet of his own room, Diavolo couldn't help but try to see only the positive in this. But for every time he tried to conjure up the imagined pride and happiness from his father, he could only remember his favorite moments with MC. He tried to tell himself it was going to be okay, now he could enjoy more time with Lucifer and Barbatos! He would still have full control over the student council and exchange program, but anything above that could be handled by his father again. He'd get to hang out with everyone and perhaps make more friends- but MC couldn't be one of them anymore.

As he focuses more on MC and their time together, he starts remembering how alone he'd felt before the program. Yes, Lucifer had been his friend before all of this, but he'd always been a bit detached, keeping Diavolo at arms length all these years. After MC came along and Lucifer's relationship with his brothers had improved, Diavolo had also become closer with all of them. MC's influence over all of them was not lost on him. But now MC had to stay with the Demon King. At any moment the King could order MC to stay in the castle, and if they wanted to learn, he'd get a private tutor for them- extend the library to an entire wing, fund research and all the little experiments MC wanted to do- as long as they stayed by his side.

Diavolo ignores the anger, the resentment, pushing it down as he's done so many times before. It use to be easy, anytime he started to get mad at his father leaving him, Diavolo could reason it away and go back to being excited at the prospect of seeing him again.

By morning, Diavolo is himself again, cheery and congratulating MC and the King on their relationship, much more receptive to his father's comments and praise. Diavolo fills him in on anything MC hasn't told him already, and tries his best to take it all in stride.

Everyone knows Lord Diavolo is happy for his father's return, but those who saw the newest family portrait couldn't help but wonder why it seemed that he was painted just a bit too far away, in colors just a bit too muted to match the loving couple next to him.

Barbatos

Rebellious

Of all the path's he'd seen for this program and MC's life, this was one he hadn't seen before.

He'd come to care for MC; he's prevented a handful of incidents for them and likes spending time with them. He did come to terms that they probably couldn't be together and that the brothers and even Lord Diavolo had a better chance with them, but this was uncalled for.

Barbatos couldn't help but feel a bit offended, but it was mostly because he was caught off guard- the Demon King coming back wasn't the sort of thing that would just "slip through the cracks", and for the King to have not annihilated MC on sight was nothing short of a miracle.

Since Barbatos had previously served under the Demon King, he caught himself right as he was about to take a step to be at the King's side. Always to his right and 6 steps behind, the omnipotent butler cloaked in shadows.

But if he was being honest with himself, his loyalties lay with Lord Diavolo now, so he stayed by the prince's side and hope the King wouldn't call for him.

Once Barbatos gets over his own disbelief, he keeps glancing back to Lord Diavolo, trying to figure out how he's taking it. The prince had come to master that easy smile, and even Barbatos was struggling to understand how deeply Diavolo was taking this to heart. He saw the way Diavolo looked, confused and a bit hurt between MC and the King, and if Diavolo challenged his father to the throne in that very moment, Barbatos knew whose side he would take.

Angels + Solomon

Luke is at risk of getting a heart attack right then and there. He wants to be mad at MC, to yell at them and shake some sense into them, but he can't even bring himself to stop shaking. The Demon King wasn't even trying to be intimidating, but Luke couldn't make himself look up to see where MC was. How could MC sound so bright and unbothered in this moment??

Simeon couldn't help but admit he was impressed; he'd always said MC was amazing and so charming in their own unique way, but getting the Demon King around their finger was something else entirely. However, he does think this is all some weird nightmare dream that he got from trying out Solomon's recent kitchen monstrosity. It takes a week and formal wedding announcements to let the shock subside into mild panic. He wasn't worried about the Devildom citizens, but Simeon couldn't help but wonder how the Celestial Realm would take the news. MC was a human and had no hold in the Celestial Realm, but human-demon marriages and subsequent hybrids could start a precedent that he thinks they would fight over. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that again.

Solomon: "I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not-" And if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know if it was because he'd rather be in the King's place or MC's.

Brothers:

going through the 5 stages of grief except most of them are stuck on denial or bargaining

Lilith, watching from the ghost realm: "HELL YEAH, GET IT MC!!! YOU'RE KILLING IT! "