"Devil's Foods and Cakes? Yeah," Beel said before he swallowed an entire cupcake into his mouth. Early let out a relieved sigh, grateful that he had been so quick to answer. Madame Screams had yet to open and the current restaurants and bakeries were just as new to them as they were to the brothers - though they were the only ones having any trouble remembering where they were.
Early stood next to him and began to reach for the package before pausing at Beel's expression, teeth bared and not in a simple action of taking another bite. Laughing uneasily, they reached further and focused on grabbing the handle of the fridge rather than the cold stare Beel had given them. It wasn't the first time Early had tripped up in front of them, and they wouldn't do it again flailing for the fridge. This one was smaller, a model not yet designed for the capacity of Beel's stomach, and they nearly grasped at empty air.
Beel had stopped looking at them the moment they stopped acting like they were going to take one of his cupcakes, and Early sighed again. How many more times were they going to slip before it got them in danger? It was easy to remember that they were in the Devildom, filled with magic and demons and evil, but it was hard to remember it wasn't the Devildom they knew. Beel would eat their hands off if they hadn't remembered he wouldn't share his newest culinary adventures. Levi had nearly threw them through the wall after Early had stared at it for too long, not knowing that this was the first time they had seen it without Henry 2.0's tank there. Even Satan had barred his door with spells after he found her scouring his beginnings of a personal library.
"You look as if you're more concerned about today's weather than the tasks Lucifer has assigned you."
Early jumped. They supposed if one thing had stayed the same, it was Barbatos ability to appear from thin air. They wished they could feel the same comfort and safety at his presence as they had - would? - but after the look Beel had given them, Barbatos small smile only made them feel empty. He wasn't smiling at them, after all.
"I guess I'm just used to it..."
"Oh?"
They trailed off as Barbatos' brow rose and Early quickly pursed their lips. Eyes darting for a distraction, they settled on the bags the butler had carried into the kitchen with them. Early pulled one close and began unpacking the items. Once, or was it soon, Early had, would, unload the groceries just because they liked to. Beel would hover, breath heavy until Early caved and snuck him a snack from the grocery run while one of his brothers, selected for dinner duty, pretended not to notice. Sometimes it was Barbatos, accompany them on errands and following them back to the House to continue their conversation, brewing tea while Early put the items away. Now, however, he simply sorted through the rest of the bags, his bemused hum and Beel's next snack hanging between them.
"I'm not, you know, used to Lucifer," Early tried to explain, wincing. It was so difficult to lie when the people they loved where in the same room. It was distracting and disorienting and...painful. It hurt to think about the tasks Lucifer usually gave Early. They had watched over Mammon while he fell into the middle of another scam; spent time with Levi after he'd holed himself up alone for a few days; worked as Asmo's model after a new line of clothing was announced at Majolish. They were tasked with similar things but Mammon didn't trust them to keep them close. Levi hadn't been introduced to streaming yet, leaving Early lost as to what to do, and Early was sure Asmo wouldn't be sponsored for another few...millennia. "I'm just used to chaotic families."
Barbatos nodded, the same small, polite smile on his face. Early didn't want to keep looking at it, but the sound of something clattering onto the counter brought their attention back to him.
They blinked.
The kettle Barbatos had pulled from the last bag was new, bright and shiny and likely never been used, but it was familiar.
There was no dent in the bottom from where it had been thrown at some point and the indicator light clicked on without a hiss earned with age, but it was the same color as the one Early knew was stocked in the lower cabinets. And the one Barbatos kept here to make teas when he visited.
The chair scraped as Beel finished his meal and Early snapped out of their memories. When Barbatos passed a cup to the other demon, Beel waved it off, and he settled it back onto the counter with a second mug. Early watched him trudge off, sorrowful.
"It will be some time before they come around," Barbatos said, pouring hot water into one of the mugs and passing it over. Early grumbled as they took it.
"It feels like it'll take forever."He laughed, gently, and Early felt a shiver run up their spine as his mouth curved up into a familiar shape.
"It may be sooner than you believe."
