Ben has just finished explaining every detail of what happened, which lasted about fifteen minutes.
To say they're astounded would be an understatement, with Gwen being the exception.
Grandpa Max: "Huh. Can't say I expected this to happen."
Gwen: "Honestly, I'm not surprised you managed to get all friendly with actual demons."
Upgrade: "I....I don't know if I should be offended by that or not."
Carl: "Probably not. I'm honestly quite impressed."
Sandra: "Of course you would be." She rolls her eyes. "Anyways, when will we be meeting these fine ladies?"
Upgrade: "Likely any moment now, considering they have probably watching us this entire time."
As if off que, a red portal opens up behind Upgrade, each of the girls walking out of it one by one.
Upgrade: "Well, guess it's time to introduce each of them now."
Cerberus crowds around the chair that Upgrade is sitting in, sending death glares at Rex. However, Rex seems unbothered by the looks and continues to sit still on the floor.
Upgrade: "These three here are obviously Cerberus."
Upgrade pours coffee out of a tendril into three cups, handing them each to Cerberus.
Upgrade: "Would you like anything else in your coffees?"
Cerberus: "Some sugar please!"
Upgrade grabs three packets of sugar with his tendrils, tearing them open, before pouring one into each cup. Three tendrils form spoons at the end, mixing them up.
Cerberus: "Thank you!"
Upgrade: "You're welcome."
Upgrade passes out each cup of coffee, introducing each of them at the same time.
Upgrade finally ends the introduction with Monica, handing her the coffee at the same time.
Upgrade: "The last, but not least, would be Monica. Who is the one that prevented me from dying, and protected me through Hell."
Monica takes the coffee and takes a sip of it. She lets out a long, drawn-out sigh as her horns elongate. Monica eyes become more focused and sharp, staring down at her coffee.
Monica: "Ahh~ This has got to be the best coffee I have ever had~."
Upgrade: "Happy to hear that I didn't disappoint."
Lucifer: "It is quite the pleasure to meet all of you." She takes a sip of her coffee. "Now, I believe a discussion on living arrangements should be in order."
Carl: "That is true. With how things will be now, certain matters will have to be discussed."
Sandra: "I agree. With more people in the house, how will we deal with expenses?"
Lucifer: "I don't believe that will be a problem."
Lucifer waves her hand in the air, and a second cup of coffee appears, suspended in the air.
Lucifer: "I am capable of duplicating anything you purchase. So expenses on food won't be an issue."
Upgrade: "Then what about space? The house is pretty big, but there definitely isn't enough space for fourteen people."
Lucifer: "Again, won't be a problem. Along with duplicating any item, I have some slight reality warping abilities."
Upgrade: "So you can basically make a room bigger, even if it wouldn't make sense from the outside?"
Malina: "What? Like the Tardis from Doctor Who?"
Lucifer: "Precisely, Malina."
Upgrade: "I'm not too surprised you watch Doctor Who, Malina."
Zdrada: "Exactly!" She wraps her arm around Malina. "Makes sense that a nerd would like nerd things!"
Malina: "S-Shut up, you bitch!" She shoves Zdrada off of her. "Will you ever stop bothering me!?"
A shrill sound fills the air, the sound emitting from Upgrade, getting everyone's attention.
Upgrade: "Yeah, that's another thing we need to talk about. Getting along with one another."
Malina: "What!? You're asking me to get along with HER!?"
Upgrade: "Not asking. Telling."
Upgrade unmerges from the coffee maker, placing it onto the coffee table, before pressing the Omnitrix and reverting back into Ben.
Ben: "Not only are you two sisters, you'll both be living under the same roof for a while." He sits back down in the chair. "So you both need to at least try to get along with one another."
Malina: "But-!"
Ben: "No buts." He sighs, rubbing his temple. "Look, I know Zdrada can get on your nerves, but she cares about you. And you care about her."
Zdrada: "And what makes you think I do care?"
Ben: "A gut feeling, I suppose." He pets one of Cerberus's heads. "Just because you're a bitch doesn't mean you don't care."
Zdrada grunts, rolling her eyes while leaning against the wall, a small blush on her face.
Modeus appears to be observing the bookshelf seemingly looking for something.
Ben: "Hey, Modeus?"
Modeus stops looking at the books and turns around to look at Ben.
Ben: "Are you looking for a romance book?"
Modeus's blush intensifies, and she nods her head.
Sandra: "That would be the bottom shelf. There's quite a few to choose from."
Modeus nods her head rapidly, instantly searching the bottom shelf.
Justice has gotten behind the couch, leaning over it behind Gwen.
Justice: "You're pretty good at magic, kid. You definitely have potential to be even greater. Would you like to learn some more magic?"
Gwen: "Wow, really? I mean, how could I say no? Learning from an actual demon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
The two begin talking with one another, then both being excited. Judgement begins to feel a bit jealous, sulking a bit.
Ben: "Oh~! It seems Judgment is getting jealous~!"
The girls quietly snicker to themselves, with Judgment's face becoming bright red.
Judgement: "I-I am not!"
Ben: "Sure, sure." He looks over to Azazel. "Do you need anything, Azazel?"
Azazel: "No thank you! I'm good!" She's scribbling in her notebook while observing various parts of the house. "Just documenting more information for my report!"
Ben: "Alright then." He stops petting Cerberus, standing up from the chair. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna take Rex out for a walk."
The word "walk" gets Rex very excited, who darts up and runs right to the front door.
Cerberus: "Can we go too!?"
Ben: "Only if you three can shapeshift to look like actual dogs." He gets to the front door, clipping a leash onto Rex's collar. "Because I am not walking you three while you look human."
A puff of smoke appears around Cerberus, and it reveals three Samoyed dogs. Each of them are wearing a spiky, leather collar.
Ben: "Yeah, that'll work." He looks over at Lucifer. "Hey, do you have leashes for them?"
Lucifer: "Oh, yes. Of course."
Lucifer snaps her fingers, and three red leashes appear in Ben's hands.
Ben: "Thanks, Lucifer."
Ben clips the leases onto Cerberus's collars.
Ben: "Okay, I'll be off! You girls can hammer out the details of staying here while I'm gone, okay?"
Demons (+Azazel): "Got it/Understood/Mhm."
Ben: "Great. See you guys later."
As Ben is about to leave, Judgment suddenly stops him by grabbing his arm.
Ben: "Eh? Judgment?"
Judgment looks nervous, and she avoids Ben's gaze. After taking a deep breath, she gains the courage to speak.
Judgement: "C-Could....could I go with you?"
Ben: "Sure."
Judgement is a bit surprised by Ben's quick answer, but she quickly composes herself.
Ben: "But you should probably put on some more clothes." He leans over and whisper in her ear. "Otherwise some people may stare at you with....bad intentions."
Judgement looks down at her clothes, realizing why.
Judgement: "O-Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."
Carl: "You can raid our closest for something to borrow if you want."
Judgement: "That would be much appreciated." She bows slightly. "Thank you."
Judgement runs upstairs in a blur, coming back only a few moments later.
Judgement is currently wearing a pink sweater and a pair of blue jeans.
Ben: "Nice outfit." He hands two leashes to Judgement, both of them for a Cerb. "Now let's go, or they'll start getting restless."
Judgement nods her head, following Ben out the door.
=============================================================================================
After a while, Ben has made his way into town. The three Cerbs are a little rowdy, barking at everyone that passes by and being very protective of Ben.
Rex, however, is very well behaved and only barks when someone gets a little too close.
Ben: "Cerberus, you need to behave!" He lightly pulls on their leashes. "You need to stop barking at everybody!"
Cerberus whines, but she complies.
Judgement: "Impressive. She doesn't usually listen that well."
Ben: "Well, Rex here didn't learn how to behave on his own. Besides, I seem to be a dog whisperer of sorts."
Judgement: "A what?"
Ben: "Dog whisperer. It basically means that I have a special skill when it comes to communicating with a dog."
Judgement: "Ah." She looks off ahead. "That makes sense."
As their walk through the city continues, Ben notices that Judgment seems a bit off.
Ben: "Hey, Judgement?"
Judgement suddenly focuses again, looking down at Ben.
Judgement: "Yeah? What is it?"
Ben: "Why did you want to join me out here?"
Judgement looks away from Ben, before looking back at him.
Judgement: I guess....two things. One: To protect you. And two: To spend more time with you." She hesitates for a moment. "The other girls have spent a lot more time with you than me. And the first time we met was when I tried to kill you."
Ben: "Well, it was your job. Can't really blame you for that." He chuckles. "Besides, it's nice to have someone actually regret trying to kill me."
Judgement: "I guess so. I still can't believe how many people have tried to kill you."
Ben: "I try not to remember how many people have tried. It's.....a little bit much to think about it sometimes."
Judgement: "That's understandable. You've pissed a lot of people off."
Ben: "That couldn't be more true."
Ben laughs a bit.
Ben: "Anyway, what do you do in your free time?"
Judgement: "Well, I typically work out or train with Justice when I have time." She scratches the side of her head. "Though, I do occasionally like to read from time to time."
Ben: "Really? What kind of books?"
Judgment: "Usually Science Fiction novels. Though I also like horror/mystery novels from time-to-time."
Ben: "Oh, then I think I have a book you would enjoy. It's the Jurassic Park novel."
Judgement: "What's it about?"
Ben: "It's about this park that brings back dinosaurs, and they get loose and start killing people. It's full of gore and violence."
Judgement: "Ooh~ That sounds interesting. Could we read it together sometime?"
Ben: "Sure! I would love to read it with you. What about tomorrow night?"
Judgement: "Sounds like a plan."
Shortly afterwards, the group begins to make their way back to the house. Along the way, they have to cut through an alleyway.
Halfway through, two tall men block the way. Ben looks back, and two others also block the way back,
Judgement's grip on the leashes tightens, growling quietly. The dogs are also growling, teeth barred and ready to pounce.
Thug 1: "My, my. What do we have here?"
Thug 2: "A couple of idiots trying to go through OUR alley." He pulls out a gun. "Think we should teach em a lesson."
Thug 3: "Yeah!" He cackles. "And maybe we could have some fun with the chick~."
The four thugs laugh as they start slowly approaching the group.
Ben: "Judgement?" He whispers to her. "Wanna take care of this?"
Judgement: "Definitely."
Ben: "Just don't kill them."
Judgement grunts as she hands Ben the leashes she was holding.
Thug 4: "Aww~ The girl wants to fight!"
Thug 2: "Oh, this should be fun!"
The second thug points his gun at Ben, but Judgement dashes forward and grabs the barrel of the pistol. She then crushes it, making it explode, the shrapnel spraying into the thug's hand.
Thug 2: "GAH!" He grabs his hand, backing up. "Crazy bitch!"
The first thug picks up a lead pipe off of the ground, going to swing at Judgement. But she grabs the pipe, pulling it away from the thug, before hitting him across the face.
The first thug falls to the ground unconscious, scaring the other thugs.
Being closer, the second thug tries to punch with his good hand. Judgement, however, grabs his fist before kneeing him in the stomach. She then punches the thug, hitting him hard into the ground and knocking him out.
Thug 4: "Holy shit!" He and the other thug start backing away. "She means serious business!"
Thug 3: "Let's get out of here!"
As the two thugs run away, Judgement summons chains and they wrap around the torsos of the thugs.
Thug 3: "What the fuck!?"
Judgment pulls on the chains, launching the two thugs back toward her. Once close enough, she grabs the thugs by their heads before slamming them together, dropping them to the ground unconscious.
Ben: "Remind me to never make you mad." He chuckles. "It was definitely weird watching someone fighting while I'm on the sideline."
Ben hands Judgement two leashes, and they continue their walk in peace.
=============================================================================================
The group makes it back home, taking the leashes off of the dogs. Almost instantly, Cerberus shape-shifts back into her human form.
Cerberus: "That was a great walk, master!"
Ben: "You're welcome, Cerberus."
Ben grabs a bag of treats from the closet, opening it and pouring four treats into his hand.
Cerberus and Rex get excited, sitting at Ben's feet with their mouths wide open.
Ben: "Here you go!"
Ben tosses the treats into their mouths, and they happily eat them.
Cerberus: "Mmm~ Bacon!"
Ben chuckles, patting each of their heads, before making his way into the living room. He's followed shortly by Judgment and Cerberus, Rex walking past them.
In the living, Ben can see Malina, Zdrada, and Modeus sitting on the couch. Malina is playing a video game on the TV, with Zdrada attempting and failing to distract her. Modeus is not even paying attention and is quietly reading a romance novel.
Ben: "Hey, girls!"
Malina/Zdrada: "Hey!"
Ben gets up behind the two, watching as Malina plays. He then turns his attention to Modeus, before moving behind her.
Ben then pokes the back of Modeus's head, getting her to look back at him.
Modeus: "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you." She holds up the book. "I've gotten pretty invested in this book."
Ben: "I can see that. Is it any good?"
Modeus: "Yes, it's very good." She goes back to reading. "There's a lot of lewd stuff in it. Like hand-holding, and cuddling." She shivers a little. "It's so.....hot."
Ben: "Whatever you say, Modeus." He pats her head. "I'll see you three later."
Malina/Zdrada/Modeus: "See you."
Ben moves into the dining room, which appears slightly bigger than he remembered. In fact, the dining room table was much larger as well.
Monica and Azazel are sitting at the table, each of them working on something. Justice and Judgement, who are sitting next to each other, are talking to each other.
Ben: "What are you doing, Azazel?"
Azazel: "Oh!" She jumps, looking back at Ben. "Oh, Ben! You spooked me." She clears her throat. "I am working on some research for my paper. Pandemonica was kind enough to provide me with some Demon Tomes. They're filled to the brim with information!"
Ben: "Really?" He turns to face Monica. "That was nice of you, Monica."
Monica: "I guess so." She takes a sip of coffee. "I mainly did it so she wouldn't distract me with her never-ending questions."
Ben: "Yeah, that makes sense. Just be nice to her, okay?"
Monica side-eyes Ben, before looking back at her work.
Monica: "I'll consider it."
Ben: "That's the best I'll get from you, huh?" He chuckles, patting her shoulder. "Anyway, I'll see you later."
Monica softly grunted as Ben walked away, over to Justice and Judgement.
Ben: "Hey, Justice. How have you been?"
Justice: "Pretty good!" She pats Judgement's shoulder. "Judgement here just told me about those thugs she beat up!"
Ben: "Yeah, it was pretty fun to watch her kick some ass!"
Judgement blushes from the compliment, hiding her face with her coffee mug.
Justice: "Hey, you should check out the kitchen." She laughs. "You'll see something pretty funny."
Ben: "Okay? I'll....I'll go do that."
Ben leaves Justice and Judgment and heads into the kitchen. There he sees two people: his mother, and Lucifer. Both of them are wearing aprons as they're preparing dinner.
Ben: "You look pretty good in that apron, Lucifer."
Lucifer is startled, blushing a bit while almost dropping the knife she was holding. Sandra looks behind her and smiles at Ben.
Sandra: "Hello, Ben." She looks back at the food. "Dinner should be ready pretty soon."
Ben: "Got it."
Ben walks over next to Lucifer, leaning back against the counter.
Ben: "So, how did mom convince you to help her?"
Lucifer: "If you must know, we all discussed how everyone should perform at least one task around the house each day. And I decided helping to make the food would be best."
Ben: "Hm. Nice." He says while nodding his head. "What are the others going to do?"
Lucifer: "They haven't decided yet, but they'll figure it out tomorrow."
Ben: "Got it." He stops leaning. "I'll let everyone know that dinner's almost ready."
Lucifer/Sandra: "Thank you/Thanks, sweetie."
=============================================================================================
After some time, everyone eats their dinner in the dining room. A delicious meal of steak, green beans, mashed potatoes, and corn.
Shortly afterward, it was about time for bed. Everyone found the time to bathe before putting on some night clothes.
Ben has finally finished his shower, his hair still wet, wearing a basic t-shirt and pajama pants.
As Ben enters the living room, he notices a massive glowing door in the middle of the room, which disappears shortly after he sees it. The only other person in the room is Lucifer.
Ben: "Hey, what was that?"
Lucifer: "That would be the doorway to their bedrooms." She sits down on Ben's bed. "It's a pocket dimension, of sorts."
Ben: "Oh." He rubs his eye. "Then why aren't you in there?"
Lucifer: "Well, me and the other girls discussed something while you, Judgement, and Cerberus were gone."
Ben: "Did you fill her and Cerberus in?"
Lucifer: "Yes, do not worry." She unties her hair, letting it fall. "We all agreed on an....additional sleeping condition."
Ben: "And that would be?"
Lucifer: "Who gets to sleep with you at night."
Ben is a bit caught off guard, but isn't entirely surprised.
Ben: "Ah. How...did you decide when who sleeps with me?"
Lucifer: "A drawing. We draw names from a jar, and when a name is chosen we remove it. When the final name is drawn, all the names are put back into the jar and it all starts over again."
Ben: "Wow. You girls talked about a lot while me, Judgment, and Cerberus were gone."
Ben yawns, turning off the light in his bedroom. The only light source left in the room is a lamp next to Ben's bed.
Ben walks over to his bed and gets under the covers, Lucifer getting in as well. The bed is large enough for the both of them, but Lucifer gets close behind Ben, spooning him.
Lucifer: "Goodnight, my dear mortal."
Ben: "Goodnight, Lucifer."
Ben reaches for the lamp, but suddenly stops when Lucy squeezes his torso.
Lucifer: "Lucy." She nestles her face in Ben's neck. "You can call me Lucy if you want."
Ben smiles, outstretching to the lamp and running it off.
Ben: "Goodnight, Lucy."
It didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep together, their heartbeats slowly starting to beat in unison.
That's the end of the chapter. See you in the next one!