Eligos was still busy back in his region. Lucifer said the demon was brooding about it.
Benjamin didn't mind. He honestly forgot about him when he woke up in the morning.
Today was the day Lucy and him were going to go out and have fun, yet his sister had received a sudden call and left him once again.
It's like he minded. He understands. Benjamin is used to these Sunday mornings, when it's hard to get up and try to do anything remotely productive. He hasn't even started his homework.
Benjamin thinks he'll see those failing grades of his again on the report card. He hopes Lucy won't be mad. It's hard for him at school... but he should try and do the work anyway.
Very slowly, he struggled throwing the messy covers off his bed and sluggishly went over to his desk which was cluttered with many things Benjamin was sure weren't needed. He didn't throw them away though, merely scooting them to the side to make room for his homework.
And for the next two hours, he scribbled down whatever he thought and hoped to be right at a slow pace. Afterwards, he tried taking a shower and just ended up sitting in the tub for a long time until the water grew cold, his fingers turning into prunes.
Benjamin should be a lot more productive than this. Yet, after his homework, he just can't seem to do anything else. He doesn't know what to do.
Marcus and Emma should've told him what they wanted him to do. Their plans were his, and he had been fine with that for a long time.
Benjamin sighed a little when he walked out of the bathroom. It was nice having Eligos since the demon demanded his attention and always begged Benjamin to show him around, so he always had something to do. Without Eligos, he wasn't quite sure if there was anything to distract himself from the quiet and loneliness in his bedroom.
But surprisingly enough, Benjamin halted when he saw a letter on his desk. It didn't hold the seal of the Morningstar, and it wasn't from the Lord of the Flies.
It was from Eligos. His own seal which had an arrow and something of a snake inside of a circle.
Strange. Benjamin won't lie... he wondered if every demon had their own symbol.
The letter was long actually. Nearly a page, but it was written with exquisite penmanship, although Benjamin could tell it was a bit rushed seeing smudge marks here and there.
Eligos was complaining about how he was stuck having to do his duties for the whole day, and how he won't be able to see Benjamin until the next morning. The male had count how many times Eligos mentioned that he missed him, and it was a lot. Eligos could hardly stand being separated and wrote how he'll try to finish his work as fast as he can.
Benjamin doesn't mind waiting, but as he placed the letter down, another dropped down out of nowhere and startled him. He hurriedly looked over to see if it was Eligos yet again, but the contents were mostly about him reporting what he has to do and a lot of complaints.
He frowned, picking it up and folding it neatly. It seems like Eligos was having a tough time—
Four more letters dropped down and scared Benjamin once more.
He looked over them with a heavy frown, wondering why Eligos kept writing to him about every single occurrence so far. Eligos kept telling Benjamin about his activities and well-being, as if the boy was worried about him... Benjamin thought it was kind of funny.
But honestly, he should just remind Eligos to text him. If the demon keeps this up, his desk will be overrun by letters. Beelzebub and Lucifer should be notified, too.
Still, he grabbed the letters and carefully placed them inside of a container with the other letters he's gotten. Benjamin doesn't think about throwing them away. He thinks letters are sort of fun and strangely sentimental, so he figured it'd be a waste to get rid of them.
Just as he was putting the container away, another letter dropped on his desk. Benjamin sighed, wondering what Eligos was complaining to him about this time when he noticed how small the message was.
Don't forget to eat!
There was a smiley face at the end.
It should've made him crack a smile, but Benjamin simply stood there for a while, thinking about the demon's message.
How long has it been since he last ate?
He ate last night, but it wasn't by much. He was careful and didn't overindulge, otherwise Benjamin would've thrown it up.
It took him quite a long time to get up as well. He even stayed in the tub for who knows how long?
Benjamin placed the letter down and clumsily checked his phone, wincing at the time. 4:14 P.M.
He hadn't eaten any breakfast or lunch, and he was hungry.
But he can wait until dinner, can't he? Benjamin can wait until Lucy's back home, and she can make him one of his favorites... but Benjamin doesn't like food.
Benjamin gets up and goes out of his room, tiredly opening the fridge to find absolutely nothing. Typical.
He checked the cupboards and doesn't see anywhere there either. Benjamin doesn't even have the luxury of owning snacks or candy. Emma snatched them up a long time ago and advised him not to eat junk food. If he wanted some, Marcus could provide them himself.
He hasn't eaten any chips for a while despite Lucy's questioning looks. It was always strange seeing Benjamin so skittish in the grocery store, always buying just the necessities and never treating himself.
Benjamin slumped down on the couch, mindlessly turning their junky TV on and ignored his gnawing stomach. He'll wait for his sister. He doesn't want to go and buy anything from the market with Lucy's money if he can help it.
But hours pass and Benjamin's stomach began hurting. He's still on that uncomfortable couch of his, though the TV has been long turned off since he wanted to save electricity.
It's almost nine, and the sun has set. This is the time where Benjamin should get up and prepare the table for Lucy, but his sister hasn't come home yet.
She's swamped with work and texted him how she might spend the night at the office.
He needs to eat something. Anything really. Benjamin didn't even have any food to pack for lunch tomorrow. If doesn't eat anything now, he'll starve for some time.
But out of everything he can think of, just one item runs through his mind. It makes Benjamin clench his jaw, growing jittery and depressed.
He gets up and finds himself back at the fridge, looking through it once more until he realizes he's already done this earlier. Benjamin searches through the freezer and every cupboard again, but he doesn't find the thing he's looking for.
There's nothing for him in the house. Because of that, Benjamin stalks back into his bedroom, not even bothering to properly fix himself up before walking straight into the mirror, and right in the bedroom the devil had gifted him.
He doesn't stop here though. He goes outside into the hallway, still sluggish with his stomach churning. Benjamin thinks he's getting a bit of a headache, too. It's kind of hard for him to focus where he's going.
He tries not to think about it and ends up finding exactly who he needed to see.
"Behemoth."
The demon stopped fussing over the other servants in the great hall. This is where Lucifer's throne resides, and barely any demon is allowed to walk in this place except for his personal cupbearer and watchmen.
Lucifer made an exemption to Benjamin though, thinking it'd be good to just outright share whatever he had with the boy. Everyone else had been informed of it, but this was the first time they actually saw Benjamin willing to come out and look around.
Everything has been changed since Benjamin came along, so nearly everything exterior and interior-wise was removed and had been replaced. It had already been grand and lavish before, and the demons only with the greatest skills of craftsmanship and architecture designed this place eons ago.
And then they were called back, making it more excessive and unrestrained. It was wasteful to human eyes, and the sight would have made any king and emperor in history gape at the sight.
But demons are fathomless creatures of greed and overindulgence, and they lived off of wealth and precious material. It doesn't matter how Lucifer demanded them to upgrade the palace, they'd do it no matter what and prided themselves off the image of his home being unreserved and extremely grand.
Yet, Behemoth didn't have the time to properly show Benjamin the main area of the palace. The boy came up to him with heavy bags under his eyes, grabbing him by the arm with some desperation.
"Where... w-where do you keep your food?"
He looked pitiful and grim. Benjamin looked a lot more terrible than before.
Behemoth looked over him once and already noticed how poorly conditioned his clothes were. His shirt seemed to be a little small, as if it should fit someone some years younger. Plus, his hair that was always choppy, had tangled and knots. He looked sickly.
He felt a little cold as well.
They just saw each other not too long ago. How was he in this state?
"Behemoth," Benjamin tried getting his attention. "Where do you keep your food?"
Behemoth felt like he should report this to Lucifer, but the master was too busy dealing with another one of his sins inside of his office. They couldn't be disturbed. Instead, he plastered that kind and goofy smile of his, carefully placing a hand on the boy's back as he led him through the palace.
He took Benjamin down to the servant's quarters, a place that Behemoth specifically took meticulous care in since this was the place where many demons worked. Especially if they were helping Behemoth prepare the devil's food. But it was mostly Behemoth making them. He had been making all different kinds of feasts for thousands of years, and it was a skill no other demon can really match up to. Maybe Beelzebub could, but the Sin of Gluttony was too focused on sweet candy to make anything anymore.
Lucifer hadn't eaten yet, so there were plates upon plates of delicacies waiting to be served on the table. Behemoth took some of them, happily wanting to give them over to Benjamin instead. He didn't think about Lucifer at all and received subtle, but fearful looks from the other demons trying to get the plates out of the way.
The devil was picky about food. The ones Behemoth took were his favorites. They could try and tell him, but he was too preoccupied wanting to feed Benjamin instead. Plus, they doubted their words would get through his thick skull. He was too stupid to talk to sometimes.
But when Behemoth offered the delicacies, he and the other demons were shocked seeing the human desperately looking everywhere for something. Benjamin had to rummage through their storage, ignoring the looks he got.
"Young master?" One of the servants spoke up. He loomed over Benjamin, trying to take a peek. "What is it that you are seeking?"
"Where do you keep your drinks?"
"Over there. At the other side of the-"
Benjamin got up from the ground, rushing over to where the demon pointed and opened the doors to another storage. He gritted his teeth when he felt cool air seep out, hitting his skin. He glanced at everything, passing the soda and briefly noticed that the only drinks in here are mostly water and Pepsi.
Behemoth worriedly stood behind him, wanting to say something until the servant from earlier commented, "The master always keeps this stocked with your favorite drinks. He doesn't drink anything else really, so this is mostly for you. Is there something else you're looking for?"
"... No," said Benjamin, looking directly at what he wanted.
He grabbed the container and an empty cup, pouring the dark purple liquid in with a grimace.
Behemoth frowned, watching Benjamin gulp it down with distaste.
He didn't think Benjamin liked grape juice.
Eligos had warned the others not to serve it. Eligos said it was bad for Benjamin, but it seemed like he was wrong... maybe. Benjamin didn't look like he particularly enjoyed it.
After drinking three cups of it, Benjamin sniffled and wanted to have some Pepsi to get rid of the taste. He feels full though, somewhat. Grape juice was enough for his stomach to stop grumbling in the meantime, no matter how much he detested it.
Benjamin thought about returning and briefly apologized to everyone for the small commotion, but the demons merely shook their heads and said it was fine. Though Behemoth didn't allow Benjamin to return just yet.
He took Benjamin to another place. Outside of the palace where he wasn't so cooped up.
Lucifer's garden.
The devil wasn't exactly interested in flowers, but one of the sins brought up gardening as an idle way not to get bored. Lucifer had tried gardening once and the flowers he bloomed were beautiful, yet he was quick to lose motivation and had someone else take care of his gardens for him.
Though this very garden was the closest thing to what the humans had lost long ago. The tree at the very center, producing apples so large and red, was a piece of Eden. The very Eden the first two humans had been kicked out of.
After Adam and Eve lied to God and the civil war in Heaven occurred, someone snuck inside of the crumbling garden and stole one of the apples. They kept it ever since, keeping the fruit of sinful knowledge alive and well until one of the seven deadly sins brought up the idea of Lucifer having a garden. That demon even planted the seeds themselves and made sure to bring back the original flowers, planting them around here as well.
Benjamin sat on the patio right underneath the tree, still holding onto the container of grape juice. He wasn't focused on it though, his eyes stuck on the tree before roaming around the garden.
The place was gorgeous. The garden was large, and he thinks there's thousands of flowers here he hasn't seen before. Despite having no actual sun, there was some sort of light illuminating around the place and brightening up the flowers even more.
Behemoth and the servants he brought placed the food down in front of Benjamin, as well as a fancy cup full of Pepsi. The demon butler also scooted over some water just in case, making sure Benjamin gets all he needed this dinner.
Benjamin could see them expectantly waiting for him to take a bite. They were full of smiles and tried encouraging him to eat whatever plate they thought had the best food before Behemoth waved them away, wanting to be alone with Benjamin himself.
He was thankful for it. As nice as they surprisingly were for demons who should bring humanity down to its knees, they spoil him a lot.
But even without them attending, Benjamin was struggling to eat. He cut up his food into very small pieces, swallowing them with that grimace of his. He needs to eat slowly, otherwise his stomach will hurt later in the night and he might throw up again.
He paused for a second when he saw a spoonful of soup in front of his mouth. He glimpsed up at Behemoth, grinning widely with a gleam in his eyes. The demon clumsily pushed his glasses up on his nose and tried feeding Benjamin himself since he thinks the human can't.
It was... awkward, Benjamin won't lie. He thinks Behemoth's kind though and doesn't reject the offer. He opens up his mouth and allows himself to be fed. He should be ashamed with the way he struggles to eat something so simple, but without Marcus, Benjamin keeps having a hard time.
Now, with Behemoth doing it, he finds himself a lot more relaxed and thankful Behemoth's patient enough to deal with his issues. Benjamin found himself a little grateful the demon can't really speak. He has a feeling Behemoth would question him why.
After eating the whole bowl, Benjamin found just a tiny bit of pride welling up in his chest. He hasn't finished one before. He found himself smiling, happy that he won't go hungry. Behemoth mirrors him and cheerfully stands beside the human, also proud that Benjamin accomplished finishing. He takes another plate and tries feeding him that, but Benjamin jerks back, stating that he's full.
Behemoth raised an eyebrow, not quite sure if he heard right. Was one soup all it takes? He's stupid when it comes to demon matters, and he was even more dumb when trying to take care of his master, so maybe this is alright... but Behemoth takes everything and plans on bringing Benjamin just a bit of dessert before he leaves.
Everyone should have something sweet after eating. That's what Beelzebub once said before the demons banned him from having candy.
As Benjamin waited, he poured himself another cup of the grape juice and slowly sipped on it as he looked back up at the tree. It gave him a weird vibe. Maybe something not so sinister, but more like... he shouldn't be sitting here so close to it. Plus, it was sort of strange having it be the only tree bearing fruit.
He takes another look in the massive garden and notices not even the bushes producing fruit. Was this tree the only one?
He jumped when he heard someone taking a seat in front of him. He nearly dropped his cup, but when he looked back and expected Behemoth, he was shocked to see a child reaching out and taking the container of grape juice.
"Why drink it if you don't like it?" The child softly mused. He looked up at Benjamin, crystal blue eyes sparkling. "How peculiar... to see a human standing underneath the tree of knowledge once more is nostalgic. I'd say to be careful and not eat it, but you humans have already sinned, haven't you?"
"Wait, I-I'm sorry," Benjamin stammered, finding it hard to see a literal child down here. "Who are you?"
If he could describe the little boy, he'd have to say how utterly adorable he was. He had pale blond hair, all curled up and looking as soft as a cloud. He was fair skinned without blemishes, and the clothes he wore were rather cute with some frills and bows, too. Not to mention, with the way he looked at Benjamin, he seemed innocent... but Benjamin tries to avoid thinking about it. This child was a demon, wasn't he?
Despite how cute he seemed, there was a crown sitting on the top of his platinum gold curls and a hollow look plastered on his face.
He was kind of eerie now that Benjamin thought about it.
"You're the human the master keeps raving about, are you not?" The child asked, putting the grape juice down.
"Benjamin Hawthorne," he nervously introduced himself.
The child raised a hand, extending it over to Benjamin as his other one gestured to himself. Benjamin hesitantly took hold of his hand, shaking it with a smile. The child didn't smile back, but only introduced himself as well.
"Asmodeus, Sin of Lechery," he finally said. "It is nice to meet you."
Asmodeus? Another sin?
Benjamin shouldn't have waited for Behemoth. He should've taken his chance and ran back home, but now he's stuck with an unfamiliar demon who might eat him even if he looks like a child!
But... it's weird, right? How come the Sin of Lust, the very embodiment of debauchery and desire, has the looks of an innocent little boy? He didn't even have an ounce of an expression on him face, too!
Are all sins like this? Lucifer was supposed to be arrogant, but he seems more like a coward than Benjamin thought. Even Beelzebub gets hurt when indulging himself with food and only has candy as his sustenance. Was this right? Should Benjamin be more concerned?
No, wait... he hasn't seen all the sins just yet. Surely, the rest of them acted like actual sins.
The child sang, "I saw you."
"What?"
"Being fed by Behemoth. A sight to see. That demon is stupid and doesn't know what boundaries are, so if he's taking up your personal space then just hit him. He won't mind."
"N-No, you're misunderstanding. I let him do that."
Asmodeus tilted his head. "Because you're scared to say no?"
"Because... I have trouble eating. I-I don't eat very well by myself."
"Are you defective?"
Benjamin blinked. "Um, no. I don't think so."
"What is the problem then?"
Benjamin doesn't think about sharing his personal life story with the demon, but he vaguely told him how it was just hard to eat without someone feeding him. Asmodeus took one look at his glass full of Pepsi he hadn't touched and grabbed it, carefully raising it up to Benjamin's lips.
"Drink and live," Asmodeus commanded. "Do not worry. I won't let you die. If you're dead, the master will be sad and start crying. It'll be disgusting to watch."
"Oh, um... I-I'm fine. I'm full."
"Are you really?"
"Yes?" It sounded more like a question than an answer, but Asmodeus pulled the cup away and sat it down.
Asmodeus won't pry then. The human was uncomfortable enough. He thought just a simple talk would be enough to satiate his curiosity but seeing Benjamin like this with his old clothes and terrible expression, he wondered what Lucifer saw in him to go through with the deal. Benjamin wasn't particularly beautiful like they were, nor did he have a lot of confidence in himself. The male honestly looked like such a mess.
He seemed similar to Belphegor though. The two of them had that same, tired look in their eyes.
"Is the master treating you well?" Asmodeus bluntly questioned, wondering if Lucifer was actually torturing this person.
"Yes, he is..."
Oh, perhaps the demon was wrong then. Lucifer sounded enamored when he talked about his newly acquired companion, so he couldn't imagine the devil not taking care of Benjamin.
"Excuse me? M-Mr. Asmodeus, sir?"
"What?"
"Did you say this was the tree of knowledge? As in... those apples were the forbidden fruits from the Garden of Eden?"
Asmodeus leaned back against the chair and gave an indifferent nod. "Yes, that's right."
Benjamin didn't know whether he should ask more questions about it since he was literally sitting underneath the actual fruits of forbidden knowledge, or throw up because he was so startled. Asmodeus noticed the tense look Benjamin had and frowned, deciding to explain further.
"This isn't the original tree. Rather, someone took one of the apples and planted its seed down here. Consider it the very last one. There's not much meaning to it down here, but I suppose it makes a good centerpiece in this garden. Even the flowers here came from Eden," Asmodeus murmured out as he pointed to one of the apples. "Want to try a bite?"
"O-Oh, no... I think I'm okay..."
"If your ancestors ate it, it's okay to eat it now."
"No, really," Benjamin refused, "I don't think it's appropriate."
Asmodeus shrugged. "You're in Hell. Nothing is appropriate."
That's right. There's no real reason to not eat it, especially since this unknown demon was offering it to Benjamin. But eating an apple that originated from the tree of forbidden knowledge? Benjamin might have damned his soul when he took Lucifer's hand, but it still felt sacrilegious to do such a thing!
Asmodeus watched him fidget around, trying to stammer out a reasonable excuse when he reached over the circular table and placed a hand on Benjamin's forehead. Benjamin stopped, wondering what the demon was doing and if he should question him, but he stood perfectly still and watched Asmodeus raise his hand up higher to rake his fingers through his matted hair.
He combed through Benjamin's knotted-up locks with that dead expression of his. He did it only a few times though and finally pulled away.
"Your hair is in bad shape." There were dead and split ends, and it felt sort of bristly. He wasn't taking good care of himself.
Maybe Lucifer watching over the human isn't such a good idea. Perhaps his master is useless when it comes to his companion.
Benjamin jerked back and found himself lowering his head, somehow feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He knows that. He can even tell just how bad he looks, but he's always looked like this for years.
"I won't keep you for long anymore," Asmodeus suddenly commented, hopping off the chair and briefly fixed himself up. "I think it's almost midnight up in the human world. Get back home safely and try to depend on other demons more than Lucifer if necessary. He's not... that reliable."
Asmodeus has to hold in a sigh at the mention of their master. When has the devil been reliable? He's lost his touch.
Benjamin nodded though, watching the young boy neatly fix his frills until he promptly left.
He let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Asmodeus didn't stay for too long. It was too awkward around him, knowing that he was the sin of lust, but didn't look anything like it. Plus, he never cracked a single emotion on his face! It's like he doesn't know what a facial expression is.
When Behemoth returned with a tray full of dessert, Benjamin found himself unable to accept any of them and turn the tray down. Behemoth looked at him in worry, wondering if he should go back and get something else until Benjamin briefly commented about Asmodeus' arrival.
Behemoth blinked, wondering why Asmodeus was over here when he had his meeting with Lucifer. He didn't question it though, simply giving the desserts over to a nearby demon before politely escorting Benjamin back to his room.
He stood by the mirror, gesturing for Benjamin to go through with a smile when the boy abruptly plopped himself down on the grand bed. He's never used this room properly. He hasn't really spent a night here at all. Benjamin thinks it might be a good idea to sleep here just once.
He doesn't go to sleep straight away since Behemoth hurriedly shakes him, giving Benjamin a note to wash up first. Benjamin ignores it, not wanting to get up and just go straight to bed.
The demon butler frowns but doesn't do anything else. Instead, he pulls the covers over Benjamin and tucks him in happily, thinking this was the best way to say goodnight. He even pats the human on the back a few times before hearing him murmur out something.
"I have school tomorrow... can you wake me up at six?" Benjamin was afraid of asking, but Behemoth doesn't mind and gives him a thumbs up.
He stays with him for a little longer thought, silently fussing about to make sure Benjamin was comfortable until he realized the human had gone to sleep. Behemoth looks over him once more, still smiling widely before leaving with a pep in his step.
This was good. It's Benjamin's first night staying here.
Still, he wonders about Asmodeus. He knows of Lucifer's plan to slowly introduce all of the sins of Benjamin, but some of them might not accept Benjamin staying down here. If he had to pick which one Benjamin should stay away from, it'd had to be Asmodeus and Belphegor.
Belphegor was too unruly and causes pandemonium wherever he goes while Asmodeus doesn't consider other demons, nor does he take care of his own legion like the others. Surely, wouldn't it be better to leave Benjamin in a smaller group?
Behemoth shakes the thought away. What does he know? He'll leave this all up to the master.