Where Life Begins and Love Never Ends

by HarmlessGhosty

Summary:

Beel and his wife Sage decided it was time to have a baby together, something that Beel had wanted for a century or more. Now that the pregnancy has taken, they need to prepare for the incoming chaos.

Will they have multiples, or just one? Wings or a tail? What kind of horns? All Beel knows is that their baby will give him even more to love.

Follow Beel and Sage on their pregnancy journey through the months as they get a little extra help from Belphie and his wife Rosemary too.

Chapter 1: The First Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Sage is a demon OC I made to be with Beel. She’s one of my precious darlings, and I hope you enjoy her!

Thank you for reading! ❤️

~Beel~

“Are you really sure?”

“Yeah. You’re pregnant.”

“But are you sure you’re sure?” 

Beel blinked, thinking as hard as his brain would let him. “You’ve been asking me that a lot this week.” 

Sage pouted and bowed her head over the dinner table, her long aqua ponytail falling over her shoulder and her round glasses dropping down on her nose. 

They were alone in the House of Lamentation for the first time since their pregnancy took a few weeks prior—something that Beel realized at the moment of conception, but apparently Sage couldn’t tell on her own. 

“I don’t feel different though,” she muttered. “What’s so special about you that makes you know but not me?” 

“I can smell it,” he explained, rubbing the back of his neck to soothe his confusion. “You smell a thousand times sharper than usual, like the difference between mozzarella and Limburger.” 

“I don’t want to be Limburger cheese!” Her head snapped up to face him, her body fighting not to turn her pout into a laugh. “Does that mean I taste like cheese too?” 

He thought for another few seconds. To tell the truth, it had been a while since they were last intimate, even with kisses. Sure, they held hands everywhere they went if he didn’t already have one on her back—not usually on the waist due to her being a solid foot shorter than him, but as close as he could get to it anyway. 

“Hm. I haven’t noticed,” he mumbled, staring at the centerpiece plate of afternoon-snack cookies that Sage made for the family the night before. They were delicious. Beel already had a dozen that morning, and another dozen fresh from the oven, not to mention the dozen on the walk to the House of Lamentation itself. “Should I taste you now to check?” 

“I don’t know…” Sage turned to look at the open double-doors to the dining room as though thinking someone was peeking around the corner. “What if one of your brothers catches us? They could come this way any minute since they know I brought cookies for them.” 

Beel shrugged and pushed away from the table. “Does it matter?” he asked, heaving himself to his feet and strolling over to her with a grin. “You haven’t kissed me first in a few days. Why?” 

The closer Beel got to her, the more her body soothed and melted into her chair. It always surprised him how his presence relaxed her so much. He didn’t have to do a thing. All it took was him being nearby. 

It was nice feeling like a stable rock against her tidal excitement. 

She flushed as he leaned down to her, one hand on the dining table and the other on the back of the chair to support himself. 

His head cocked to the side, curious why she hadn’t answered his question. Obviously if something was wrong, she’d tell him about it, right? 

Then why was she avoiding kissing him? 

Taking the hint, Sage shook her head a tiny bit from side to side. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I think…Maybe I’m jealous…?”

Narrowing his eyes and furrowing his brow, Beel tried hard to understand what she meant. No matter how much he thought, he didn’t really get it. Why would Sage be jealous of him over anything? Sure, in the past, they had rivalries over exercise goals and recipe experiments, but never anything that stopped them from intimacy. 

She averted her eyes back to the plate of cookies. “You know I’m pregnant,” she said. “I still can’t tell at all. It’s super unfair.” 

“Ah.” 

Beel’s face relaxed. So that was all it was about. 

Well, if she couldn’t sense it, and she was the one carrying the baby, then was she really pregnant? That was probably why she worried so much. 

They had talked for decades about starting a family together before spending another century to conceive, and now that they had begun, maybe she worried that she wasn’t holding up her end of the deal. After all, it took both of them to have a baby, but actually carrying one was up to her.

He leaned forward and firmly kissed the top of her head. 

“Stop,” she whined, drawn-out and full of fake annoyance. “It’s not fair.” 

“What’s not fair?” he asked, nudging her head until she gave in and bent it over to reveal her neck to him. 

“You’re still treating me too nicely after what I’ve done to you,” she muttered. “You shouldn’t want to kiss me when I haven’t been kissing you.” 

“I want to though. If all I need to do to get a kiss is take one, then that’s what I’ll do.” 

“But why would you want to?” 

“Because.” He bent lower and nuzzled his nose behind her ear. Taking in a deep breath, he allowed his eyes to close and focus on what he smelled. “We’re married and blood bonded. You’re the one I want to kiss, so I’m gonna do that until you tell me to stop.” He paused, then smiled. “And you have to mean it if you say to stop.” 

At the reminder of their marriage, his scarred palms tingled and warmed. The wedding felt like so long ago, but he loved her like it was only yesterday. Though she’d been upset for the previous few days, she still snuggled up to him at night and climbed over him during the day like always. 

Nothing between them had changed. She just needed extra emotional support. 

Beel wasn’t a genius, but he recognized that much. 

He ran the tip of his nose down her neck, happy that she wasn’t ticklish for once, and took another deep breath. 

Yep. Nothing smelled stronger than that pheromone of breeding. 

It smelled like sex tasted—at least, to him. Something briny, fresh and hot, but different than the bedsheets after a night of lovemaking. 

How else could he describe it to her when it was just…sexy? The words didn’t really exist for what he sensed. 

It was peaceful to him—something he was glad he’d have the next nine months to enjoy anytime he wanted. 

Not to mention, it unlocked an unfamiliar urgency in his chest. The scent demanded that he protect her above all things, whatever that looked like. If she needed anything at all, then he would have the instinct to get it, come hell or high water. 

“Mm. Yep. You’re pregnant,” he stated, his lips pressing hard on the top of her shoulder. “I know you are. Trust me.” 

“Okay, but do I smell like cheese?” she asked, anxious and terrified. 

He huffed out a short laugh before leading his lips up her neck, slow, to savor every inch of skin she let him have. “No, but it’s hypnotizing,” he replied, shifting from foot to foot as his heart began to pound. “I doubt Belphie is in our old room. Can we go?” 

The calmness of Sage morphed into starstruck realization within a split second. “Now?” 

Humming, Beel heard his stomach rumble in interest, but not in hunger. “Yeah,” he breathed, eyes half-open as his hands reached for hers to lift her to her feet. “I want you.” 

“But what about the cookies? Your brothers might not share them if I don’t make sure everyone only takes a couple,” she said with a cute little frown. 

No more playtime.

Beel wasted no time taking her wrists and tugging her upwards. Despite her squeak of surprise, she fell against his chest and looked up at him with those bright green, saucer-wide eyes beneath her circular glasses. Then, she settled, cuddling into him with her hands released so that her arms could wrap around his waist. 

“Well, maybe they won’t see the cookies until we come back,” she said with a smile. “What if Belphie is there though? He might even be with Rosemary.” 

“We’ll go to the attic.” 

“What if someone is there too?” 

Beel shrugged and pulled back, taking her hand again to lead her out of the dining room. “I’ll think of somewhere.” 

“We got caught last time we did anything in the hallway and in the bathroom…” 

“So?” he asked, quickening his pace toward the twins’ bedroom. The sooner he crawled over Sage’s warm body, the better. 

Warm…and bred…

He had half a mind to take the first offshoot of a room in the House of Lamentation but decided that Sage’s comfort mattered more than a speedy hiding spot. She was pregnant. There was no telling how much discomfort she would experience once the baby grew, and especially as she got larger. 

Beel stood tall and hefty; though Sage was stout, Beel was positive that his own genes would take precedence over hers. Being a high level demon put him in a totally different category in comparison. 

Well, that was the risk they took when they decided to date all those years ago. 

“Oh, hey, Beel. You going somewhere?” 

The familiar voice piqued his ears, but he refused to acknowledge Belphie and his wife Rosemary with more than a grin and a sharp nod of greeting. 

Sage, meanwhile, tried to tug back on his grasp. “Belphie! Rosemary! Good to see you! It’s been…H-hey, Beel, wait…!” 

Beel gave her only two seconds before taking her down the hall to the bedroom. 

She called out toward the snickering couple behind her. “There are cookies! On the dining table! Only take two each!” 

The way she cared about all of his brothers getting some of her baking turned him on beyond belief. 

And her scent…

He thought he might die if he didn’t get her underneath him in the next minute. 

Once the door shut and locked behind them, Beel swept Sage into his arms. Her automatic motion of hugging her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist made his muscles burn with heat. 

It was so much easier to kiss her this way, and she really wasn’t that heavy—not to him, anyway. Sure, she wore a size that most stores didn’t carry on-site, and finding prettier styles in her size was hard, but she was beautiful. He could be rougher without feeling nervous that he could break her, though he still worried that she was too small and fragile despite her weightlifting numbers shocking him. She didn’t physically look like a lifter, but when she got going…

He turned and pinned her against the wall, shaking one of the metal decorations to the floor. He couldn’t tell which one with his eyes closed and his mouth busy tasting her tongue. 

Every moment was perfect. 

Every touch was perfect. 

Every inch of her was perfect, and it always would be, no matter what she looked like. 

Over the years, Sage had gotten better at keeping up with his pace even when he was starving. 

But this was different. 

He wasn’t just starving. He was staring down at a feast with a long-empty stomach and delicious smells wafting through the room. 

Leading the way, he brought her over to the bed and carefully placed her down; they’d broken the frame a few too many times for Lucifer’s taste. Against her chest, he leaned her down and ran a firm grasp up the sides of her yellow sundress to her cheeks and crooked glasses. 

“Beel…” 

Her voice whispered so gently that he had no choice but to pause. 

But she smiled, her eyes a little teary and her lower lip quivering. 

“I love you so much,” she said, tangling her fingers into his hair. 

He smiled in return and leaned his head into her soft touch. She knew she could be rougher, but the tender brush of her nails on his scalp was nice too. “I love you too, Sage,” he replied automatically, like it was the truest fact in the whole world. 

“No matter what?” she asked, seeming uncharacteristically nervous. 

With a swift, deep kiss, Beel stole her worried words and awful concerns—at least, he hoped he did. He was never really sure if making out helped her forget about tough things, but it always seemed to stop her ruminating out loud, so it was worth a shot. 

He pulled back just a hair’s breadth away. “Mhm. Always,” he promised in a whisper.

Notes:

Most of this story is prewritten, so the next chapter should be within the week. If you liked this, check in for the next chapter later. Thank you for reading! ❤️ I hope you enjoyed it!

Chapter 2: The First Month (Part 2)

Notes:

Please note that this fic is for entertainment purposes and isn’t intended to be super realistic to real-life human pregnancy! There’s lot of magic involved, which is to say I made it up as I went along based off of my own cursory research of what it’s like to be pregnant.

Enjoy! ❤️

~Sage~

“Of course you’re pregnant!” Rosemary gasped. “You can’t tell? How?” 

Sage pouted and placed a hand on her round stomach. It wasn’t from the baby, but rather her normal body size. “No…” 

The two best friends—practically twins themselves, with how long they’d been together—walked side by side from the House of Lamentation back to Sage and Beel’s house only ten minutes away. After a teasing wink from Rosemary, they left Belphie and Beel to meet with the other brothers while they caught up. 

Rosemary, being the curious demon she was, had a million or more questions for Sage, most of which couldn’t quite be answered by either of them. Though they wouldn’t call themselves “dumb” by any stretch, they weren’t RAD-educated nor straight-A students. Due to Rosemary’s medical condition, she missed as many classes as she attended while she went to school, and Sage often skipped with her on the excuse of, “Someone has to take care of her, and that someone will be me.” 

Their knowledge was based more in experience, and since neither had experience with pregnancies, neither knew what exactly to expect. 

A sharp breeze tangled Rosemary’s pink choppy bob and made her squint her striking gray eyes. “Well, that’s no fun,” she muttered. “I wonder when you’ll be able to tell for yourself.” 

“What about you? Can you tell?” 

Rosemary laughed. “The second I saw you after you did the deed, I knew right away.” 

Whining, Sage flung her arms across her chest and pouted even harder than before. “Why does everyone else know, but I don’t?” she asked. “Shouldn’t the pregnant person be the one who has to reveal they’re pregnant? It’s so unfair.” 

“Either way,” Rosemary said, “you’ll be able to tell soon enough, I bet. You’re only a few weeks along.” 

“Yeah…” 

With a loud sigh, Sage bowed her head and kicked at the pavement. It just wasn’t right that she didn’t get to tell other people she was pregnant. It wasn’t right that she didn’t even know she was for sure! But somehow, everyone else knew already. 

“Aww, it’s okay, Sage. I’m here for you,” Rosemary offered, nudging her side gently. “You have me, and Beel, and Belphie when he’s up for it. Once you start feeling signs, you can tell us everything—and I mean tell me everything, every detail. I want to know what you’re going through!” 

Fighting back a small wave of tears, Sage took off her glasses and blew onto the fogging lenses. Despite having strolled down this ten minute path thousands of times, this walk was a little more difficult. She sweat in places she normally didn’t sweat, and her breath was a bit heavy. For someone who jogged as much as she did, this was definitely unusual. 

Rosemary noticed and hopped for a few steps. “See? You can tell something’s different!” she exclaimed. “Look at you! You’re so sweaty!” 

Rolling her eyes, Sage tried to stop herself from smiling and failed. “I guess so,” she said, “but I thought being pregnant would be more glamorous than sweating in the first few weeks.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Rosemary replied. “Hey, but next month, I heard you can get some kind of check-up that will show you the baby inside your belly. The doctors do it all the time to look for good development. Then, you’ll be able to see your little one and have proof!” 

“Really?” Surprised, Sage’s eyes widened and the drag of her feet morphed into a slight skip. “They can show me what the baby looks like?” 

“Not the whole baby, but kind of! I heard it’s like…mostly to listen to the heartbeat and to show that they’re actually in there.” 

“They’ll already have a heartbeat by next month?” 

“I don’t know, to be honest, but I feel like they wouldn’t do the exam if there wasn’t anything to see or hear, right?” Rosemary mulled over her thoughts for a moment before continuing. “Either way, next month for sure, you’ll know they’re in there. I can even go with you to the appointment, if you want.” 

“I think Beel will take off from his RAD work to go with me,” Sage hummed. “It’s scheduled out pretty far. As long as nothing happens before then, I don’t need to see them until late in the month.” 

Nodding, Rosemary turned her gaze toward the dark Devildom sky as she passed under a warm streetlight. “You’ll be okay,” she promised. “If you need anything, you’ll call me?” 

“What if you’re not feeling well? You need to make sure you’re getting enough rest, especially when you have a pain flare-up.” 

But Rosemary waved off Sage’s concerns with a flick of a wrist. “Painkillers are pretty useful,” she said, “and Belphie helped me learn a bunch of ways to stretch when I need to. You’re only pregnant for a year, and this is your first baby. I wouldn’t miss a second of it for the entire world.” 

Sage smiled, her eyes gathering with tears again. “You really mean it?” 

“Of course I mean it,” she replied. “Even if you don’t ask for me, I’m going to be banging down your door if I think I can help.” 

Laughing, Sage knew it wasn’t a joke but rather a promise. Rosemary was the type to bust down the door even if it was just to bring over a spare sheet of cookies. The good thing was that they lived so close to each other that visiting the other’s house was as easy as stepping out the door. 

Belphie and Rosemary lived in their own three-bedroom home, with Beel and Sage in a matching layout across the street. Funny enough, their rooms had similar layouts as well—the kitchen cabinets were laid out in the exact same way, as well as the living room furniture and much of the decor as well. 

Sage and Rosemary had almost as much in common with each other as Beel and Belphie did. 

It made for an interesting conversation, talking over each other just to say the same things in similar phrasing. 

But they all adored each other as family, and that was what mattered. 

Rosemary didn’t leave Sage when they got to the house. In fact, she stuck to her like glue until Beel and Belphie came through the door around five o’clock to a large spread for dinner cooked by the two wives—mostly by Sage since Rosemary wasn’t used to making huge meals for Beel. 

Beel grinned as he swung Sage into his arms and in a circle. “Mine.” 

Giggling, she burrowed her face into his chest and embraced him more tightly. “No, you’re mine.” 

He pulled back, leaned down, and cupped her cheeks in his slightly clumsy hands. With the heat of a fireplace, she gazed at him with crooked glasses and an open mouth. 

With a hum, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yeah,” he said. “That too.” 

Notes:

Thank you for reading!

The relationship between Sage and Rosemary is probably one of my favorite things. They’re so kind and gentle to each other and can definitely finish each others sentences without trying.

Next chapter, Sage gets an ultrasound-like procedure to see the tiny babyyyyyy ❤️

Chapter 3: The Second Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Content warning: morning sickness and vomiting in the beginning of this chapter.

~Beel~

Sage fell backward into Beel’s strong arms, tears streaking down her cheeks and hands over her stomach. “I hate this,” she whined, shaking her head violently. “I hate this so much!” 

Unsure what else to do, Beel took a fresh, damp washcloth and wiped her face, tossing it into the tub afterward. At this rate, they’d go through their entire stash of towels and napkins by the evening. 

“I don’t want to get sick again,” she cried between gasps for air. “I want it to be over.” 

How long had she been bent over the toilet now? At least an hour, not to mention the fact that she woke up at seven o’clock to vomit too, and now it was noon with no sign of the nausea stopping. 

At this point, he knew better than to bring up eating lunch having already seen how the slightest food seemed to have always come up half an hour later. The pain of watching her be unable to cook without the smells upsetting her stomach made Beel’s own belly ache and grumble with discontent. This time, he wasn’t hungry, but more scared than he had ever been in his life. What was going on with his wife? 

This wasn’t right. 

He needed help from someone who knew more about this stuff. 

“Sage, I’ll be right back. I need my phone.”

She opened her eyes with a fierce glare that soon softened into an exhausted, understanding nod. 

By the time he returned in a rush with Belphie already dialed, she’d been wiping her own face with yet another washcloth and chucking it into the stack of the other dirty ones. 

“Belphie,” Beel said, putting him on the speaker, “she’s really sick.” 

“Again?” Belphie asked, incredulous. “That’s the third time this week.” 

“Yeah. I’m worried.” 

Sage fell onto her butt on the cold tile and crossed her arms. “I don’t know what to do,” she mumbled. “Is it bad? Should I get help?” 

“Probably,” Belphie replied. “If you’re this sick, wouldn’t your first choice be seeing a doctor?” 

“Yeah, but what if it’s nothing?” 

“Obviously it’s not ‘nothing’ if it keeps happening,” he said. “Do I need to come over? I can help you rest, but that’s about it. Or I can ask Rosemary to keep you company, but she’s out getting groceries.” 

She groaned and rubbed her worn-down face. “I can’t walk all the way to the doctor’s office like this.” 

“Then call them to your house. Duh.” 

“That’s expensive.” 

Belphie sighed, loud and obnoxious. “Sage, don’t be stupid. It could mean…” 

A heavy pause filled the air. 

Beel swallowed, doing his best to stay strong but fearing for the worst. 

It could mean…

What if her body was rejecting being pregnant? 

What if their baby was…?

He threw the phone on the bathroom counter and scooped Sage’s half-limp body into his arms. “We’re going.” 

She squeaked and fought for a few seconds before grasping around his neck and getting more comfortable. By now, she knew there was no fighting when he made a decision. 

With a moment of thought, she snatched up Beel’s phone before he hauled her toward the front door. “He’s taking me now,” she said, leaning her whole weight against Beel’s chest and burrowing as much as she could into him. “You’re right, but…I don’t want to think about that.” 

“Yeah.” He paused, the only sound on the other end a silence then a long heave of a sigh. “Yeah, I’m worried too. We don’t know how normal this is.” 

Sage huddled even more against Beel’s chest as he kicked the door shut—leaving it unlocked in their rush—and started in a dead sprint toward their doctor. They’d gone once before to confirm the pregnancy, but not since then. There wasn’t any need to waste the time and energy taking Sage in for no reason except a vague sense of concern. 

But the sicker she’d gotten over the last week, the more they all worried—even Belphie and Rosemary. 

Belphie had had conversations alone with Beel, congratulating him on the incoming baby and letting him know how excited he was, though he wasn’t as outwardly excitable as the other siblings. 

That didn’t even take into account Rosemary, Belphie’s wife of a few years, who screamed so loud at the news that Sage was pregnant that it shattered a crystal centerpiece on her dining table. She hadn’t noticed; all she did was launch herself into Sage and swing her from foot to foot with such joy that Beel was almost jealous Belphie had only given him a firm pat on the shoulder. 

In the end, Beel knew for a fact that Belphie and Rosemary were the happiest for them, and he knew that Belphie was the right person to call for help. A level-headed person mattered during times of stress—not that Rosemary wasn’t stable, but she would have been banging down their door with a few doctors in tow within five minutes. 

Beel and Sage didn’t know what was best to do. Neither of them were particularly book-smart nor did they like to read and research much. Asking for advice from others was easier than skimming page after page of contradictory information. 

Go to the hospital? Or this sickness is normal? 

It wasn’t like either of them knew what was the right choice. 

But Belphie confirmed what they’d been thinking for days: 

Sage may have not been able to carry this baby. 

When they reached the emergency doctor’s office just after 12:30 in the afternoon, Sage moved to hang up the phone. 

Beel shook his head. “Let him stay on.” 

But Belphie interrupted. “This is something you need to do together, Beel,” he said. “I’m gonna hang up, but call me when you’re home. Later.” A beep sounded, and just like that, Sage and Beel were alone again. 

From her perch in his arms, Sage signed the paperwork on a clipboard and offered a shy smile to the receptionist. “This is normal behavior for him, don’t worry,” she said, trying to make light of the situation to the staff. “He’s just nervous, you know?” 

Silent, Beel watched the receptionist file away the papers. He wished they’d move faster before Sage got sick again. She’d have been humiliated throwing up in a public bathroom.

Taking a seat in the waiting area, Beel relaxed his arms slightly and allowed Sage to rest in his lap. Still, most of her weight leaned against his chest. 

His heart pounded beneath his sternum and into his ears. He burrowed his chin into the crook of her neck and held her close as though it would protect both her and the baby. 

But there was nothing else he could do. 

“Do you want something from the vending machine?” he asked, noticing it in the corner of the room. 

“No, thank you.” 

“Water?” 

“I’m fine,” she replied, her eyes bleary and her body heavy. “You should get something for yourself though.” 

“I’m not hungry.” 

“That’s a lie,” she huffed with a laugh. “Get something to eat.”

He shook his head. “After this.” 

“You’ll feel nauseous too.” 

“I don’t care,” he said firmly, narrowing his eyes at the clock on the wall. Why was it taking so long to get help? “We can go to the buffet after. I need to know you’re okay first.” 

Above everything, Sage herself needed to be in good health. 

Finally, after a whole ten minutes, a nurse called them into a clinic room where they waited for another ten minutes for the doctor. Despite his concerns, he placed her on the examination table, the protective paper beneath her crinkling loudly. 

The doctor looked nice enough, her long auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail like Sage’s and her calm gaze drawing over them with kind professionalism. Beel didn’t catch her name, and it seemed neither did Sage. 

Once again, Sage explained her symptoms—violent nausea and vomiting, constant trips to the bathroom, extremely sore breasts (something even Beel didn’t know about), among several other things. 

Listening intently, the doctor nodded along before pulling out a device to check Sage’s heart and lungs. “Everything so far checks out fine,” she said, making notes on a clipboard. “These symptoms began early this week?” 

With a fierce nod, Sage leaned forward to pay closer attention. “About five days ago. I haven’t kept food or water down since. Am I going to waste away?” 

“We’ll get you fixed up for the nausea,” she promised with a smile. “Perhaps some fluids here first to make sure you’re hydrated before sending you home. But first…” She motioned Sage to lie down on the examination table. “I want to check on the baby and make sure they’re nice and happy in there, okay?” 

Again, Sage nodded and instantly fell onto her back. Her hand reached for Beel’s, which he offered with a flail, and squeezed so tightly that he thought it might get pulled off. 

Using the same device for Sage’s heart, the doctor placed it on her bare stomach. She winced at the cold metal, then looked toward Beel for reassurance. All he could manage was a firm nod in return, his concern too high to speak. 

The minute lasted forever. 

Finally, the doctor pulled her hand away. “I’m going to do a scan with a medical potion to see what’s going on in there.” 

“Is something wrong?” Sage asked, her voice a squeak. “Is the baby okay? Can you hear them?” 

“Oh, yes. I hear healthy little heartbeats.” 

Sage and Beel sighed in unison, relieved. 

Then, Sage sat up slightly in curiosity as the doctor pulled several different tubes of concoctions from the cabinet. “What are you going to do to see inside?” 

“It’s similar to what the human world calls an ultrasound, but a tiny bit less involved,” she explained. “We apply the essence of…Well, I won’t go into specifics, but the potion mix along with a bit of spell work will raise a picture of the inside of your womb. We’ll be able to observe how well the baby is developing. Routine procedure around this time of a pregnancy, actually.” 

“Oh.” Sage thought for a moment and slowly lifted her blouse to reveal her bare abdomen to the doctor again. “So, it’ll be like a TV screen?” 

“Exactly.” 

Once again, Sage cringed at the freezing feelings on her stomach and squeezed Beel’s hand even harder. He watched the doctor closely, monitoring whether she caused any pain outside of the discomfort. If there was an inkling of it, Beel swore he’d stop the procedure. 

“Ready?” the doctor asked. “You’ll feel a warmth deep in your organs. That’s normal.” 

Both Beel and Sage nodded. 

Then, with glimmering palms, the doctor hovered her hands over Sage and cast a strange spell in demonic tongue. In moments, a fuzzy image about the length and width of a buffet plate lifted into the air above her body, high enough for them both to see without craning their necks. 

Honestly, to Beel, it looked like nothing more than the slop of organs in greyscale with a rhythmic heartbeat shaking the screen. He really didn’t see anything in the squiggles. 

But the doctor seemed to notice something different. 

Despite all her discomfort, Sage leaned up and pushed up her glasses. “What do you see?” she asked, looking toward the doctor for an explanation. 

She lifted a hand and pointed at the image. “There’s your baby,” she said, pointing to what looked like a lump to Beel. 

Then, she moved her finger a few inches to the left. “There’s baby number two.” 

With that, Beel’s heart stopped, and his jaw dropped, and his hands began to sweat. 

“Twins?” he asked, stunned just slightly less than Sage, who remained speechless. 

The doctor shifted her finger downward and right. “There’s baby number three,” she said. 

Shaken, Sage flipped her head toward Beel, who could only stare at the image a little more. Try as he might, he only saw blobs of nothingness. How did the doctor know for sure that there were three—three babies? Three whole babies? Inside his wife? 

“Let me show you,” the doctor said, moving her palm in a circle over Sage’s stomach to shift the focus of the image and make it slightly larger to look more closely at the first baby. “Right there, in the center, is the heart. Do you see it beating?” 

With a more careful eye, Beel did indeed see a tiny pulsing. 

The doctor did the same with the other two babies, pointing out little details that Beel didn’t quite understand. His only focus was on the heartbeats. Three souls. Three entire demons. Three children entering the world through himself and his precious Sage. 

“Triplets…” Sage dropped her head heavily on the thin pillow beneath her neck. “Triplets…in our first pregnancy…” 

“Often, with pregnancies involving multiple fetuses, uncomfortable symptoms are heightened,” the doctor explained calmly, showing no particular signs of either happiness or sadness at the revelation. “Morning sickness, aching, and general nausea can be worse throughout their development. You’re at higher risk for an early birth as well.” 

Sage nodded blankly at the ceiling. 

Noticing her spaciness, Beel turned his attention to the doctor. “Then what do we do about the nausea?” he asked. “She needs to eat for the babies to grow, right?” 

“Yes, and more than for a typical pregnancy,” the doctor replied. “I’ll send you home with a daily anti-nausea medication. Take it in the morning with or without food, and the symptoms should subside within half an hour. If not, give us a call, and we’ll try a different treatment. Do you have a primary doctor to whom we can transfer your medical records?” 

“Yeah.” He took out his phone and relayed the information from his own notes. More than anything, he knew how important it was that he kept these records straight, so he made a list of serious information that he could access easily. It wasn’t something he did well, but the very least he could do was know her main doctors and medications with treatments when this was something serious. 

Not fifteen minutes later, they were sent on their way with a bag of nausea potions and released into what would normally be a boring avenue of shops and facilities. 

But their entire world had turned upside down. 

Triplets. 

They wouldn’t only have one baby. Not even two, like Beel and Belphie themselves. 

But three. 

“I feel sick,” Sage mumbled, leaning against Beel’s arm and hugging it to her chest. 

“The first dose of the nausea stuff should work soon,” he replied, reaching around her to gently rub her back. It had taken years of practice to get good at comforting her without being too rough or awkward. “Do you wanna sit here until you feel better?” 

“No, it’s not that kind of sick,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m…shocked-sick.” 

Beel understood. 

But he had already compartmentalized the information into the back of his mind to run over when they got home. 

All he knew was that he needed to eat away the gnawing excitement in his stomach. 

“You need food. I see it in your eyes. It’s so late for lunch.” 

“You need food too,” he responded. “Let’s go to Hell’s Burger. They have those fruity teas you really like.” 

Face turned toward the ground, Sage sighed, and off they walked, slowly, with her hand over her stomach. 

Beel’s mind spun more and more the closer they got to the restaurant. Triplets. So, three names. Maybe they would be a mixture of boys and girls, or maybe there would be three of one or the other. 

The plans to get a single crib went out the window. Did they need more than one nursery? Their house wasn’t small, but three bedrooms weren’t enough for five people once the babies got older. For owning a starter home, they’d expected to have at least two children out of the toddler years before having to move to something larger. 

Plus, where would Belphie and Rosemary sleep overnight if they didn’t have a guest bedroom too? Right now, the guest room only had a single twin-sized mattress, with the rest of the room full of gym equipment. The other room was emptied out for the nursery that hadn’t been thought about yet. 

And what about feeding the babies? Since they were Beel’s children, Sage wouldn’t carry enough milk to satisfy three babies at the same time, and she only had two boobs. Were there different formulas and things like that for feeding, or did they need to find someone else who made a lot more milk to fill that role? Which was better for the kids anyway? 

The more he thought, the more hungry he felt. He needed to distract himself with a buffet before his mind really did explode. 

Though he’d pushed the idea into the back of his mind in the doctor’s office, now he began to think of details. 

At the door to Hell’s Burger, he stopped and turned toward Sage, who gazed up at him with watery eyes. 

He bent down to her level. “What’s wrong?” 

She swallowed heavily and wiped under her eyes. After not eating for so long, she was unstable and emotional, more than usual. He wasn’t sure whether she was happy or sad at the news.

But Beel couldn’t bring her into the restaurant like this. 

He pulled her against him into a tight embrace and rested his chin on top of her head. “Yeah,” he mumbled, tucking her body into his chest as though protecting her from an onslaught of arrows at his back. And maybe to her, the revelation felt like that. 

“It’s just…” She sniffled and rubbed her baggy eyes again. “It’s a lot to take in right now.” 

“You need to eat. Food will make it better.” 

“Yeah, I know,” she muttered. “I just…I’m overwhelmed.” 

“Should we go home?” 

“No…No, I want my iced tea.” 

He couldn’t hold back a grin and squeezed her tighter. “Tea first then,” he declared, “and I’ll get three challenge meals.”

“Yeah. Three.” 

He paused, then rubbed her back and let his grin turn into a calm smile. “Let’s call Belphie and Rosemary tonight,” he said. “Telling them will help you feel better too.” 

“Yeah.” 

He led her into Hell’s Burger and ordered food to-go, stacking the bags high up his arms and following Sage back to the house with his mind still revving. 

They made three babies together. 

None of them would be lonely growing up. 

Each child had the most loving family. 

They were blessed. 

The moment Sage and Beel entered the house, he wasted no time dropping the to-go containers on the floor and yanking her into his arms. Automatically, he lifted her into the air and swung her in a circle. Her drink nearly spilled on his back as she squirmed then laughed heartily along with him. 

Now that they were home and comfortable, he could celebrate. 

He didn’t bother setting her down, instead shifting her mostly into one arm with her feet barely touching the ground to support herself, and sweeping the food bags into his free hand. 

“Beel, what’s this all about?” she asked, wrestling playfully to be placed back on solid ground. “You’re a totally different person than you were five minutes ago!” 

He hauled her into the kitchen, set the bags on the counter, then lifted her onto it as well. His arms caged her in on either side of her body as he leaned forward and took her lips in starving kisses. 

She was carrying their precious little babies all by herself. His heart felt fuller than ever, and he wasn’t sure how else to express it. 

Through giggles, Sage cupped his cheeks and tried to hold him in place. All it did was keep him away from her lips long enough to run kisses down her face and against her throat. 

“Beel!” she laughed. “You’re so touchy!” 

“Can’t help it,” he replied with a shrug. 

“You’re excited?” 

“Mm…” He tugged at her blouse’s collar with his teeth, wondering whether he wanted to have her before his late lunch or after. He wished he could think up a way to combine the two. “Yeah. I am.” 

“Because of the triplets?” she asked, her voice a little low and nervous. 

“Yeah.” He spoke as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I’m excited about the babies.” 

“We didn’t expect three of them at the same time though…and that’s a lot of work for first time parents, isn’t it?” 

“I like that there’s more than one,” he replied, nuzzling into her breasts to feel how soft they were against his cheeks. Then, remembering that she mentioned they hurt, he pressed firm kisses to the tops of them as an apology for making her wince. “They won’t be lonely growing up because they’ll always have each other to play with.” 

Sage placed a hand on the back of his head and absentmindedly fiddled with his hair. “It’ll be a lot of diapers and bottles,” she said with a slight laugh, “and probably no sleep.”

“Belphie will help with sleep, I’ll do the diapers, and Rosemary will heat up the bottles,” he said, nipping at her collar again. “You focus on making food for them and growing them in your belly.” 

Giggling, she drew his face back upward to look him in the eye. Her expression was one of softness and love, as always, but more open than usual. 

“This is a huge deal,” she said. “Are you sure you really want to go through all of this with me?”

Confused, his eyes widened and a frown popped over his features. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?” he asked. “This is what we wanted.” 

“Well, not triplets.” 

“I’m happier that there’s more than one,” he reassured her. 

“Even though it’ll be that much harder?” she asked. 

He blinked, his mind trying to piece together what she meant. “Wouldn’t it be harder if we didn’t do this together?”

“Yeah, but…if you didn’t want to have triplets and deal with all the work once they’re born, then—“

He’d heard enough. His lips enveloped hers mid-sentence and stole whatever terrible words she was about to say straight from her throat. 

He kissed her again and again, leaning her backwards on the kitchen counter until he needed to hike his leg on the edge to reach her. 

The moment her body relaxed beneath him and her arms found their way around his neck, he pulled her into a tight embrace. “Sage,” he said. “You’re my wife, so we’re raising the children together. That’s what I want.” 

A little dazed, she nodded and pulled away to smile at his lips; it was weird that she did that all the time, but he did the same thing when she ate something really delicious. 

“I want them to have parents who love them,” he continued. “No one else will love them like we do. We can’t raise them without each other.” 

“You’re right,” she responded with a cute, lopsided smile. 

“You’re strong,” Beel said. “I don’t get how you’re awake when you haven’t eaten a meal in days.” 

“I’m a little hungry,” she admitted, glancing at the to-go boxes next to them. “You need to eat before that gets too cold. Let me up so I can heat up leftovers.” 

Stunned, he cocked his head to the side. “Leftovers? But we just got Hell’s Burger.” 

“I only asked for iced tea. The rest is yours.” 

Leaning off of her, he carefully led her into a sit and helped her hop down from the countertop. “I’ll share with you.” 

“You don’t have to. I know you’re starving.”

“So are you,” he argued, tearing open one of the bags and pulling out utensils and a styrofoam container. “Here. This one is sticky rice and chicken. That’s supposed to be easier on a sick stomach.” 

She pushed it back toward him. “That’s yours.” 

He pushed it toward her again with a grin. “It’s fine. You won’t eat much anyway since you’re nauseous,” he said. 

Laughing, she took the box and flipped open the lid. The second the scent wafted up to her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Wow…This is the first time food has smelled good for a week.” 

“Do you want it all?” he asked, calculating the rest of the food to make sure he could at least take half. “You can have it.” 

“Is that okay?” Frowning, she stuck a fork into the rice and debated whether or not to eat at all. 

The thought that she questioned his offer upset him beyond normal. After days of her being unable to hold anything down, her one chance at eating anything at all was passing by, and she had to ask for permission to take his food? Sure, sometimes he was stingier with it, but in this case, he could never deny her even his heartiest meals. 

Whatever she wanted, she would get, even if it hurt his soul to get it. 

But sharing his food with her never hurt him—not really, anyway. It felt like a way to share a piece of himself. 

Besides, this was for their babies too. They needed to grow up strong and healthy inside her. To do that, she needed to eat plenty. 

He took the fork and lifted a huge pile of rice to her mouth with a smile. “Here,” he said, only slightly sad that he didn’t get the first, best bite. “Start with this and see how you feel.” 

A flush skittered over her cheeks, but she took the bite regardless of her embarrassment. 

He gave her another, and another, until she shook her head and pushed his hand away, giggling that she couldn’t eat any more. 

“That’s it?” he asked, worried. “That’s not enough.” 

“If there’s any left after you’re finished with the rest of it, I’ll have a little more.” 

Though he frowned, he set down the to-go box and moved to his own food—the bags and bags of meat, vegetables, and sweets. In silence, he ate, trying his hardest to make as little mess as possible so that Sage didn’t feel the need to clean afterward. 

She managed a few more bites before saying she couldn’t eat more. Beel decided, even though he could have eaten another dozen plates of food easily, to put away the container and keep track of her food intake from then on. 

After a few minutes of settling on the living room couch, they dialed Belphie from Beel’s phone. It rang only once before he answered. 

“How is everything?” he asked, a feigned mood of nonchalance in his voice. Beel knew for a fact that the hint of fear was only a fraction of Belphie’s true concerns. 

Sage looked at Beel, giving him permission to relay the good news. 

He took a deep breath and shifted in his seat. “There’s three babies,” he said, the words somehow both light and heavy in the air around him. 

There was a clatter of Belphie’s phone falling onto a hard floor before his voice returned. “There’s…three? Three actual babies?” he asked, fully awake. 

Sage spoke before Beel could continue. “We’re having triplets,” she said. “The doctor showed us all the heartbeats.”

Belphie paused, then with a slightly nervous tone, added, “How do you two feel about that?” 

She looked toward Beel again, who couldn’t hold back a grin. 

“I love it,” he said. “It’s like us, Belphie.”

“We’re twins, not triplets,” Belphie chuckled, sounding relieved that they weren’t upset. “I thought you’d be scared, but you’re really into this, aren’t you, Beel? I had a feeling you’d be.” 

“But when Lilith was alive, we were three too…” Beel hesitated to continue. Even after all these years, it was a sore spot. To compare his children—Belphie’s incoming nieces and nephews—to themselves with their long-gone sister…

Belphie seemed to smile on the other end of the call. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s like the three of us.” 

Sage leaned her head on Beel’s shoulder and hugged an arm around his waist to offer comfort, but Beel wasn’t sad. Not at all actually. He couldn’t have been happier. 

“Do you know if they’re boys or girls yet?” 

“Not yet,” Sage replied. “I think that’s a month or two from now. Then, it’s the species of them.” 

“You’re going to be starving with three of Beel’s kids sucking the life out of you,” he laughed. “Is there a plan?” 

“What kind of plan?” she asked. “The only plan I have is to have healthy babies this year. What other plan do we need?” 

“I don’t know. I’m guessing triplets are way different than just one kid,” Belphie responded. “I know neither of you are big readers, but maybe you should go to the library or talk to Satan about what to expect.” 

“The doctor said the symptoms will be harder, and I’ll get bigger faster,” she said calmly. “Plus, I need more check-ups, and I might deliver early.” 

“There you go then. Sounds more complicated.” 

Beel felt a weight drop in his chest. Complicated. Did that mean the risks of Sage…not making it through pregnancy…were higher too? Or, hell forbid, the babies as well? 

“You’ll be fine. Just hang in there and give one of us a call when you need anything,” Belphie continued. “Don’t worry about it, Beel. We have your guys’ back.” 

“Thanks, Belphie.” Sage adjusted her fogging glasses; how had Beel not noticed her eyes tearing up? “For now, can you tell the others for us?” 

“Yeah, sure.”

“Can you do it in-person?” she clarified, knowing that Belphie would likely text in the group chat that she’s pregnant with triplets then fall asleep while his phone blew up. 

He sighed, faking frustration with a smile. “You got me,” he admitted. “I’ll tell them at RAD tomorrow. You aren’t coming over to see Rosemary tonight, right?” 

“Not tonight. I still don’t feel very good.” 

“That’s fine. We’ll be here if you need us.” 

Beel nodded, the weight in his chest growing a bit heavier with each passing second as the idea of a rough pregnancy started to fall on him. 

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Belphie,” Beel managed before hanging up the phone. The moment the house drifted into silence, he embraced Sage close to his side and closed his eyes to take in the emotions rolling through his head. 

“We’ll be okay,” she reassured him. 

He repeated her verbatim. “We’ll be okay.” 

Not thirty minutes later, Sage’s phone blew up with texts from her longtime friend Rosemary asking if it was true. 

She smiled as she confirmed. 

The most beautiful smile in all of Devildom. 

And it was all his. 

Notes:

Three?! Three babies?!?!?! I can’t imagine having one, let alone three at the same time. Poor tiny Sageeee… ❤️ But Beel is so happy, and so is she, so that’s all that matters!

Chapter 4: The Second Month (Part 2)

~Sage~

A text late in the evening jarred Sage from eating her pile of ice cream.

“Are you feeling better yet?” asked Rosemary. 

“Not really,” she replied. “I’m eating though. I’m sure I’ll be back to normal tomorrow.” 

All Rosemary responded with was a saluting emoji and a heart. 

The following morning, after Beel left with Belphie for work at RAD, the door didn’t have a chance to lock before it slammed open against the stopper. 

Sage looked up from the open kitchen area, her plate of food scant but enough to be regarded as a meal. “Rosemary?” 

“The one and only,” she replied, grinning as she locked the door and shifted the insulated bag over her arm. “I brought you something.”

“You’re never awake this early unless it’s an emergency.” A bit nervous about the intrusion, Sage placed down her silverware and turned the attention to the bag on her friend’s shoulder. 

Rolling her eyes, Rosemary plopped the bag on the counter. “It’s not an emergency at all, unless you count finding out my best friend is having a set of triplets as an emergency,” she said. “Do you know how hard Belphie had to hold me back from coming over yesterday? I have bruises!” 

“Why did he stop you?” 

“He said you two needed the day to yourselves, which is fine and all, but you wouldn’t have minded if I came over for a teeny-tiny while, right?” she asked, grinning ear to ear. “You don’t have to answer. I know you two like the back of my hand.” 

Sage turned her attention to the bag once again. “So you brought something?” 

“Oh! Of course I brought something!” Rosemary hunched over the unzipped bag and dug through what sounded like tinfoil and wrapping paper. “Since I couldn’t visit, I put together a few things to celebrate. First of all, here’s this.” She tossed a bag of nausea-easing cookies on the counter. “You probably have the good medicine now that you went to the doctor, but I saw these and thought they would help. You can save them for the next time you’re a little sick.” 

Curious, Sage checked the ingredients, finding them to be all-natural herbs, spices, and minerals mixed with an oil-based potion instead of butter. “It sounds interesting.” 

“Right? Kind of gross, but if it works, then…” Rosemary shrugged with a smile, then rooted back through the bag. “Anyway, I bought these at the store too. Look! They’re cookie cutters!” She pulled out a linked set of metal shapes and laid them on the counter. When she unclipped the pieces from each other, she placed them side by side. “There’s six here: bows, booties, pacifiers…Everything you need to make sugar cookies. I know how much you love decorating those when you’re feeling good.” 

Sage smiled, blushing at the thought of so many baby things soon to be lying around their house. Soon enough, there really would be bows, booties, and pacifiers all over the place. If she thought it could get messy with Beel by himself, it would only get worse with a baby crawling all over too. 

Not just one baby, she reminded herself. 

Three of them. 

The thought made her head spin, but she didn’t particularly want to show it around Rosemary—not now, anyway. She’d rather chat about anything else aside from her worries about having triplets. 

“Thank you,” she said, dragging the cookie cutters toward her and tracing her fingertips over the shapes while fantasizing about how to design them. 

“What are you thinking about?” Rosemary asked, her second sense picking up on Sage’s melancholy as it always had. 

“What if…What am I supposed to do about names?” she asked, still skirting her fingers over the cold metal cutters. “Plus, three babies means three times as much stuff. We only have one room for a nursery.” 

“Well, having one nursery for three babies sounds convenient, to be honest,” Rosemary offered. “I feel like you’d rather have everything in one place, right?” 

“I guess you’re right,” she replied, “but what about when they get older? They’ll need their own rooms eventually, and then we’ll have to house shop, and it might not be as close to you and Belphie. If that happens—I mean, not that I’m expecting you to help us all the time, but if that happens, I won’t have you and Belphie around if we need something, and it’ll all just be the biggest disaster.” 

Rosemary let Sage finish her rambling before tilting her head back and forth in thought. “Isn’t that a long ways away? The kids will be in diapers for the next hundred years, so it’s not like there won’t be time to look for a new place. Who knows? Maybe we’ll move in with you in a big mansion, kind of like how Belphie and Beel were living before they moved out with us.” 

As much as Sage would have loved living in a house with all of the family readily at hand, it wouldn’t be fair to ask others to watch her own kids without some sort of payment in return, even if the “others” were Rosemary and Belphie. Especially if it was those two, she thought, because the two of them weren’t obligated to watch children that weren’t even theirs. They didn’t even want their own kids, as far as Sage knew. 

“Let’s not worry about that now,” Rosemary said, digging back through her bag. “I brought over a few other things we can do together. What do you think about starting a baby registry?” 

“I don’t know…” 

“Well, it’s smart to think about it,” she said. “You’ll need one for your baby shower.” 

“Isn’t it a faux pas for me to give out a registry?” 

“How else are people going to know what to get you and the babies?” 

Sage stacked and unstacked the cookie cutters as she thought. “I guess I figured we’d buy all our own stuff,” she said. “It’s not fair to ask people to get us triples of everything. That’s too much to ask.” 

“Oh, Sage…” 

Rosemary reached across the counter and took her hands away from the cutters. The touch made tears spring to her eyes, and she pushed up her glasses to try to hide them. 

“Ask for things, okay?” she said. “There’s no harm in putting things on a list for your friends and family to look at. I know you. You’re not going to ask for anything extravagant, like diamond studded socks or gold plated binkies. You’re too practical.” 

“I’m low maintenance is what you’re saying,” Sage laughed, swallowing away the tears with a joke. 

Rosemary kept her gaze firm and kind, not accepting the playfulness in a moment of reassurance. “We love you so much, Sage,” she said. “Anything you need, you have a whole family looking out for you ready to work with a single text. Let the people who won’t step up as much to help raise the kids buy you something special, okay?” 

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sage nodded and sucked in her dry lips. “Okay.” 

“Okay?” Rosemary asked with a leading nod. 

“Yeah. Okay.” 

“Good.” With a firm squeeze of Sage’s hands, Rosemary released her and turned her attention back to the bag of tricks. “Now, I found these too, but you don’t have to use them.” 

“How much stuff is left in there anyway?” Sage asked, bewildered by the things Rosemary kept pulling out—everything from baking supplies to snacks to baby clothes. “We don’t even know anything about what the babies are yet.” 

Shrugging, Rosemary dumped the rest of her stuff on the countertop in a heap. “Nothing much. I just found all of this when I went shopping earlier.” 

“Yeah, but we don’t even know if they’re boys or girls yet.” 

“What, like you won’t put a cute blue bow on your baby boy’s head for the hell of it?” 

“I mean…” Sage’s cheeks flushed. Of course she would put bows on anything that looked cute enough. Even Beel wasn’t immune to her ribboned hair bands or the frilly scrunchies she used to keep his hair out of food sometimes. 

Rosemary laughed, sorting through her pile of packaged goodies with expert movements. “Exactly,” she said. “I mostly brought food anyway. Here. We’ll do a taste test for what cake you’ll get at the baby shower. If we wait for Beel to get home, he’ll eat it all and not be able to choose just one flavor.” She slid over a box of mini cupcakes. “If your stomach is up for it, at least.” 

Sage smiled, opening the box as her stomach began to rumble. “You’re the best.” 

“Thanks. So are you.” 

Notes:

They’re so sweet together as besties, I’m jealous 😭

Chapter 5: The Third Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Demon babies can make noise, did you know that? ☺️

~Beel~

Sage did a cute dance while sitting across from Beel at the dining table in their home. It wasn’t that large a table—only for six people, maybe eight if they squished chairs together—but it was enough to spread out each nightly feast. In a three-bedroom house this size, it was all they could fit comfortably. Beel would have rather had enough seats for all of his brothers and their partners, but this was okay too. Sage promised, when they got out of their starter home, they would have more than enough room for everyone. 

Today’s feast was different, twice the size as usual. 

Beel had gotten home from his student council duties at RAD to Sage bouncing around the kitchen, stirring various pots, peeking into the oven, and changing timers as they sounded. The smells surrounding him were familiar but conflicting. He smelled beef and vegetables along with apple pie in addition to a hog roast and…Was that gourmet chocolate cake? 

“I’m home,” he announced, speaking loudly to counteract the boiling pots and dinging timers. “What are you making?” 

She laughed, hovering over to him for a welcome-home kiss before fluttering back to the stove. “A little of everything,” she said. “You can tell by smell, can’t you?” 

“Is someone coming over?” he asked, setting down his shoulder bag and leaning over a sizzling skillet of bacon. He actively stopped himself from using tongs to suck down a piece when Sage wasn’t looking. At this point, if it was something she was cooking in the kitchen, he figured it was a craving. 

And messing with Sage’s food cravings meant an upset Sage. 

She never reached an anger like Beel’s, but her eyes filling with tears and her pout were enough to stop him in his tracks. 

If she wanted to eat those two dozen bacon slices, then he’d leave it to her. It wasn’t like all of the food in the kitchen was for her anyway. She couldn’t eat that much in one sitting…right?

“No one’s coming over. I was hungry, so I started dinner early.” 

He leaned over a pot of soup and took the ladle to try a taste: egg drop with a strong taste of garlic and ginger. “I don’t mind, but this is for dinner?” he asked, curious. “Did you skip lunch?” 

Even considering her cravings, the amount of food seemed to be twice as much as usual. Though he wasn’t quite as hungry since dating her, he still ate everything on his plate and then some. Leftovers needed to be placed aside and labeled specifically for Sage to protect them from his grasp; even that wasn’t enough sometimes. 

“I ate lunch,” she replied. “I had a sandwich with chips and fruit. Oh, and a protein shake with extra caramel syrup. And for a mid-afternoon snack, I steamed a bag of carrots.” 

He blinked. That was a lot more than earlier in the month, but if she was hungry, it needed to be done. As long as she ate enough, he didn’t mind at all. 

In fact, he grinned and moved to a platter of sugar cookies from the day before, grabbing two and shoving them into his mouth while Sage had her back turned. They were shaped like little bows and dresses, cookie cutters that Beel was sure they didn’t already own before she fell pregnant. Maybe Rosemary bought them for her before they knew the babies’ sexes. It wasn’t like the shape made them taste much different anyway. 

“Are you eating enough then?” he asked. “You’re not nauseous with the medication anymore, right?” 

“A little bit, but it’s so much better,” she said with a smile, checking on her rapidly-blackening bacon. It reached the point that it smoked, and even Beel thought it might have too much char. 

“You have a lot of energy today. That’s new.” 

“I woke up ready to go.” 

“Did something change overnight?” he wondered aloud. He hadn’t noticed anything unusual when they woke up in the morning or while they slept. Sage had begun sleeping with her back to him due to her body heat being higher than usual, but that started several days prior. 

To his surprise, she froze for a second before a crimson blush rolled over her full cheeks. 

If he hadn’t been used to paying attention over the years, he might have overlooked it, but knowing her so well, it was easy to tell that there was a secret hiding between them. 

“Sage.” He spoke with narrowed eyes. “Did something happen?” 

She continued checking on the various dishes, avoiding all eye contact. “No…” 

“Sage,” he repeated, knowing that the blush wasn’t from the heat in the kitchen. 

Her eyes darted around the room for a few seconds before she shoved a giant bowl of salad into his chest. “Here!” she said, her voice a squeak. “Put this on the dining table, please!” 

“But—“ 

“Everything will be ready soon!” she promised with an anxious smile. “I’ll tell you about it when we sit down. You must be starving after such a long day.” 

Knowing he wouldn’t win the fight, he shrugged and carried the bowl into the dining room, where there was already a pile of homemade bread rolls in the center. 

And now, watching her shovel bite after bite of food into her mouth with hardly any time tasting it first, Beel waited for the right moment to ask what had happened during the day. Her lack of manners didn’t bother him at all; it was similar to his own habits anyway before he met her, and he loved to watch her eat happily. 

Finally, after she finished a first dish and reached for spoonfuls of more, she caught his curious gaze and froze with her hand hovering over the bread. “What?” she asked, playing nonchalant. 

“You never told me about your day,” he said plainly, passing over a tray of butter for her. 

The room grew quiet as she looked down at her plate. “I…heard them…last night. The babies.” 

His ears twitched as he listened more closely. “Huh…?”

“Well, I mean, I heard one of them,” she added, her face shooting up to look him in the eye. She begged quietly for reassurance. “There were some…some peeps. Like little birds!” 

“Peeps?” His mind momentarily wandered to a sugar-coated marshmallow before he redirected it. “You mean the babies? They’re making noise already?” 

“You were getting ready to leave, so you didn’t hear it, but I swear it happened and I swear there was at least one of them making noise and I swear that’s the first time I’ve heard it. I would have told you if it already happened, so please don’t be mad.” 

His brow furrowed. “Why would I be mad?” he asked, surprised. 

“I thought you’d…be upset you didn’t hear the first time they made noise,” she replied, “but I didn’t want to keep it from you because I thought you’d be more upset that I didn’t tell you that I heard them, so—“ 

He pushed himself back from the table and flung himself around toward Sage, falling into the seat beside her. In silence, he placed a hand square over her belly, where it had yet to be obvious that she carried children except a distinct firmness different from her prior softness. 

Leaning down, he pressed his ear against her collarbone and listened. 

“B-Beel, they’re not…It was only a few peeps, so I doubt you’ll—“ 

“Shh.” He closed his eyes and begged—prayed, even—that they would make a sound. Any sound. Tell him that they’re in there, that they’re really alive, that they’re developing healthily. 

But all he heard was a rumbling, starving stomach. 

After a minute or two, he leaned off of her chest and shook his head. “You’re right,” he said. “I didn’t hear anything.” 

Trying to hide his disappointment, he picked up a spoonful of stew and dumped it into his mouth. Suddenly, it tasted bitter and oily. 

“I was so excited,” she said, her voice tender. A hand slid onto his thigh beneath the table and ran in long stripes over his slacks. “I got even hungrier than I’ve been in decades from all the excitement, so I walked up to the market and grabbed everything I was craving. I thought you wouldn’t mind a big meal out of nowhere.” 

“I don’t,” he said, shoving a piece of bread into his mouth as well. This time, it seemed floury and burnt. 

He wasn’t upset that the babies made noise. In fact, he was probably as excited as Sage was. 

But…

But he wanted to hear them too, especially before anyone other than Sage heard it. 

“Did you tell anyone yet?” he asked quietly. 

She shook her head with fervor. “No! I only want to tell people things we both already know.” 

He nodded, still disappointed.

She sighed and ate alongside him, much slower than earlier. “They’ll do it again,” she reassured, though that wasn’t his concern. 

Of course they’d make more noise, but what if it was around one of his brothers or a friend of hers instead of Beel? He was their father. He deserved to hear it first. 

After eating, Sage dropped her heavy body onto the sectional couch in the living room, leaving behind the empty dishes while she took a break. Usually, Beel would offer to do them, but he didn’t want to leave her side. 

He’d wait for her to get back up, and they could do the dishes together. That way, she was never out of his sight—or his hearing range. 

For a while, he simply laid his head in her lap and scrolled through his phone, looking at nothing in particular. His eyes focused only on the lighted screen, and his ears tuned into the sounds of digestion from her stomach. 

Sage leaned back into the cushion and rested a hand on top of his head to brush his hair away from his forehead. “I love you,” she said with her cute little smile. 

He replied instantly. “I love you, too.” 

“A lot,” she added sweetly. 

“A lot too,” he replied, a smile forcing through his budding frustration. “You only heard one peep?” 

“There were three in a row. Like ‘peep peep…peep.’ And then nothing.” 

“Mm.” He shifted his weight to lean his ear against her abdomen once again. 

She took in a deep breath and held it for so long that Beel worried whether she’d faint. Eventually, she released it and did it again, hoping to keep quiet enough that any sound from the babies could be heard. 

He frowned. “You don’t have to do that.” 

“I don’t know if you can hear them if I’m breathing,” she said. “If I could stop my heart for you too, I would.” 

“It’s okay, Sage,” he replied with a calm smile. “You shouldn’t hurt yourself. It’s probably not good for the triplets anyway.” 

“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want you to miss it when it happens again.” 

“I won’t.” 

“What if you’re not home?” she asked. “I’m here all day.” There was a heavy pause. “Actually, I’m here all the time, just a housewife. I don’t know if you want me to go back to work before they get here or how long to wait after they’re born.” 

“I want you home,” he said, stern. “You don’t need to work. Triplets will be enough work for both of us.” 

“They’ll be expensive though right out of the gate.” 

“We make enough,” he promised. “I want you to stay home with the kids as long as you can. They need nurturing…” A flash of memories fluttered through his head—his sister, though younger, helping Belphie and Beel sneak into the human world. 

He shook the thoughts of Lilith away and nuzzled into Sage’s stomach. “They need their mom and dad when they’re little. Everyone else will understand that I’m busy.”

She opened her mouth to speak when Beel heard something…different. 

Something extraterrestrial? 

Something that sounded like a weird creature playing around in the depths of the woods. 

It happened again, a little louder. 

Sage gasped and held her breath again until her face went scarlet. Just as Beel went to scold her, he realized the sounds came from inside her stomach…or, well, her womb. 

Screeches like little foxes hit his ear like a blade into his brain. 

That was…

Those sounds were from their babies. 

“They’re loud,” he mumbled, reaching his arms around Sage’s hips to hold her more tightly against him. “What does it sound like to you?” 

Finally, she allowed herself to breathe properly, in and out in slow rhythm. “They’re inside my head,” she replied. “I don’t hear them muffled at all. It’s like they’re talking right to me, but in my brain.” 

“Can you sleep through this?” he asked, worried. “You sleep through my snoring as well as Belphie does, but this is like a fangol whistle.” 

“I…don’t know? They haven’t done this enough at night yet.” 

Shifting, she placed a hand on the back of his head and ruffled his hair gently. With the little shrieks from their babies echoing around his ears, he felt as though he’d gone back to the Celestial Realm. 

After a minute or so, the noises settled into nothingness again, and with it, Beel sat up. 

Now, it seemed more real than ever. 

There was proof, more than a blurry image from a doctor’s spell work. This was a physical thing that wasn’t normal to a non-pregnant demon. He’d rested his head against her stomach a million times or more and hadn’t ever heard a noise like that. 

“Maybe they’re still hungry,” he said, hoping to make them screech again out of his own greediness. Rushing into the kitchen, he pulled a full plate of cold food from the fridge into his hands and hurried back to the couch, then lifted a bite of beef to Sage’s mouth with a smile. 

She took it, just as happy as he was. 

The babies didn’t make any other noises that night, but Beel noticed that Sage wasn’t in bed when he woke in the morning. Instead, she had cooked an entire spread for breakfast before he would leave for RAD. 

Even though it was strange, he only made a mental note to keep an eye out for any other odd patterns to her behavior and enjoyed his pre-workout feast. 

The darkness under her eyes didn’t lie. 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! ❤️ It must be so amazing as a parent to know for a fact that your babies are developing healthily and following all the milestones. Beel should probably cry more, and I’m sure he does sometimes when he’s in the shower or exercising really hard 🤭

Chapter 6: The Third Month (Part 2)

Notes:

Short lil chapter with Sage and Rosemary chatting again ❤️

~Sage~ 

“They already chirped?” Rosemary exclaimed, throwing the cloth she was using to wipe her hands onto the floor. “And you didn’t text me?” 

“It just happened the other day!” Sage argued, resting her chin on her free hand. The other laid on the coffee table, across from which Rosemary sat with a bottle of nail polish, a buffing block, and a dozen soaked cotton balls. “Pay attention to what you’re doing. This much polish remover can’t be good for my skin.” 

Rosemary rolled her eyes but honed back into painting a base coat on Sage’s index finger after having removed the nail polish three times already. “I’m sorry. I thought we were besties,” she quipped. Looking up through her lashes with a smile, she scoffed playfully. “So? Did Beel get to hear them yet?” 

Trying to stay as still as a doll for Rosemary’s sloppy work, Sage hummed an acknowledgement. “Yeah. He’s been trying to hear them again, but they only make noise late at night and early in the morning.” 

The brush stalled at the tip of her nail, making Sage take her hand away to avoid ruining the work once again. 

After a pause with a hard stare, Rosemary took her hand back and continued with the painting. “That’s why you’re starting to look so tired,” she said. 

Sage gasped. “Is it obvious?” 

“Well,” Rosemary started, but then paused to blow on Sage’s mediocre manicure. 

It wasn’t like Sage could do much better, and she wouldn’t have done her nails at all if Rosemary hadn’t insisted it would look pretty when she opened the envelope talking about the sexes of the babies. It was a choice she and Beel decided so that they could react with their entire family. Not to mention, Rosemary had been experiencing a series of “bad pain days” stopping her from leaving the house. All she managed was to walk across the street to check on Sage, rest for a few hours, and walk back home when Belphie arrived in the evening. She wouldn’t be able to be present, so this was the next best thing. 

“You look…worn,” she said gently. “Your eyes aren’t as bright as they usually are. That’s all I was thinking.” 

“Oh.” Sage swished her ponytail over her shoulder and nudged up her glasses with the back of her free hand. “I’ve had a few rough nights, but it’s part of being pregnant, I think. As far as I know, most moms don’t sleep so well when they’re carrying a baby.” 

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay for you not to get a full night of sleep,” she countered. 

Sage shrugged. “Beel hasn’t noticed, and it’s only been a few days. I’m sure the babies will start to settle more once they get on my schedule. It’s not like they won’t realize it’s bedtime when I’m horizontal, right?” 

“I guess that makes sense.” Still, Rosemary hesitated before checking Sage’s other nails for dryness and sighed. “It’s still ridiculous. You’ll need to let me know if it gets worse.” 

“What would you do?” Sage asked, genuine. 

“It’s not me. It’s Belphie,” Rosemary replied with a smile. “That demon will stay up all night if it means you’ll get a good rest while you’re pregnant. He’s been worried sick about them being healthy for weeks.” 

“R-really?” Sage’s jaw dropped. “But…But he hasn’t told me anything like that!” 

“That’s the thing! I had to pry it out of him myself!” 

“No way! I don’t believe you.” 

“Believe me, I wouldn’t tell you if I wasn’t a million percent sure that’s how he feels,” Rosemary said firmly. “When Beel had to rush you to the doctor because you were sick, he wandered the house all day, pacing until you called to tell him everything was fine. And—And!—he’s been asking me if I know what you two need help with, to—Get this!—to come over and do things for you. Isn’t that crazy?” 

More confused than ever, Sage shook her head in disbelief. Belphegor? The Avatar of Sloth? Offering to do chores for Beel and Sage on his free time? 

“I’m speechless.” 

“I know! I know he’s like that with me, but I didn’t think he would go too far out of his way for you and Beel. At least, he never makes it obvious that he would.” 

Shaking her head, Sage checked the nearest clock for the time and sighed. “I’ll let you know then,” she said. “I just can’t think of anything we need right now.” 

“You’d better start thinking of stuff, Sage, because according to Belphie, everyone is already asking for a baby registry.” 

“Ugh, no, I haven’t even thought of that yet!” 

“Well, by the time I throw you a baby shower later this year, you’ll need to think of a little list,” Rosemary replied. “If you don’t, you’ll get the ugliest combination of things. Imagine Lucifer getting you an antique wardrobe, and Mammon buys some golden baby shoes, and Satan brings a bookshelf’s worth of books? You’ll have so much clutter of things you didn’t want!” 

“It’s the thought that counts though. Things don’t need to match…right?” 

“But you have the opportunity to ask for things you want.” 

“I don’t want anything.” 

“Then think of what you might need!” Rosemary countered with a laugh, nail polish dripping off the brush onto the paper towel-covered tabletop. With a curse, she picked up the towel and placed a fresh one to avoid stains. “You don’t have anything in the nursery except paint on the walls, wood on the floor, and a window. Think up a few themes, and we can go online together to make a list. It’ll be precious.” 

Unsure, Sage still forced herself to nod. It felt uncomfortable asking the family for things, especially for babies who only needed a solid place to sleep, diapers, and food. Everything else wasn’t important—or, it was, but not as much as having the love of a family surrounding them. 

Well…Maybe a few dozen clothes hangers for the closet would be nice. 

And, if it wasn’t too much trouble, someone to install more rails for all the baby clothing. 

Not to mention a decent dresser or two to put everything else in. 

“Yeah, that would be nice,” she said. “I definitely need help thinking of what’s appropriate to ask for.” 

“There’s the spirit,” Rosemary replied with a grin. “Whatever you think you need, make a note of it. When you get further along, we’ll start looking things up and making a real registry, okay?” 

“Okay.” Sage grinned in return. 

As Rosemary finished her nails, Sage wracked her brain for necessities other than diapers and baby bottles. How much could three babies really need? Probably three times as much stuff as one baby needed. 

She had her work cut out for her. Worrying her lip between her teeth, she watched in silence as Rosemary worked. 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! ❤️ The more I write these two, the happier it makes me to have another pair of OCs who are total best friends. It’s just so cute~

Chapter 7: The Fourth Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Another reminder that this fic is for funsies and not meant to be realistic to an actual pregnancy ❤️ I’m literally mostly going off vibes and having fun with a demon birth cycle!

~Beel~

Beel and Sage gathered with his six brothers at the House of Lamentation for an early supper after their appointment with the doctor. At the office, they’d gotten a paper with their babies’ sexes, but they decided not to look without the family present. 

Throughout the pregnancy so far, Beel leaned heavily on his brothers for support. Each morning, he gave Belphie an update on Sage’s development, then spoke with all of the others during the rest of the day. He bragged so often about his future children that Belphie mentioned he’d had to tell Mammon off for whining about it. 

It didn’t bother Beel. He talked about his love for Sage whenever he felt like it. It just so happened that he loved her more than ever at the moment. 

For dinner, Sage insisted on bringing piles upon piles of homemade desserts she’d baked over the course of the week. Despite her belly beginning to grow, she used all of her energy to cook. (Cleaning, not so much, but Beel was okay with licking the plates and taking care of the floors.) 

The size of her abdomen started to get in her way here and there. She couldn’t push herself against the counters to reach for things anymore, and she struggled with bending over to pick up anything she dropped—a lot more than usual, actually. Anytime Beel left to exercise for an hour or used the at-home gym, he’d come back into the kitchen and find Sage squatting uncomfortably to pick up a recipe card or fallen utensils. 

She never admitted to any discomfort or exhaustion, but Beel knew. 

No matter how much he tried to help her rest, she was up before dawn and falling asleep wherever she deemed fit at the time, not unlike Belphie. 

The issue grew to the extent that Beel wondered whether the babies had taken on some of his twin’s traits as well and given them to Sage. It made sense. They were so closely bonded that surely some of Belphie’s genes would find their way into Sage while she carried their babies, just like Beel’s starving hunger. 

She hardly slept through the night anymore—mostly in catnaps throughout the day. 

After dinner, they mulled around the dining room until Lucifer leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. “Well, Beel?” His voice crossed with amusement and curiosity. “Don’t you have something to share?” 

Beel’s spine straightened, and he grinned wider than ever as he dug into his jean’s pocket. 

Sage hugged him, smiling and dancing in her seat. “Ooh, I’m excited!” 

“Are you sure you want us to be here when you open it?” Satan asked. “The results may not be as you expected.” 

“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” Sage said, waving her hand in dismissal. “All I want are three healthy babies.” 

“Beel, don’t you want at least one girl?” Asmo inquired. “You used to say you’d always name one after Lilith.” 

The room grew quiet for a few moments, waiting for the sensitivity of Beel’s answer. 

But nothing could dull his shine. He shrugged. “I want three healthy babies,” he repeated. “Having a girl isn’t what matters to me.” 

Sage nodded eagerly. “We don’t have any names picked out yet,” she said, “but it’s probably going to be hard if there are three girls or three boys.”

“What about naming one after yours truly?” Puffing out his chest and sweeping fingers through his hair, Asmo smirked. “They’ll all be as beautiful as I am, so it’s only natural to want one to take after your older brother, right? And it could be a boy or a girl! I don’t mind!” 

“No, thanks.” Beel shut him down quickly and simply. “We aren’t ready to decide that.” 

“Well, you’ll keep it in mind, won’t you?” Asmo pressed, though Beel knew he wouldn’t be offended one way or the other. 

“Can ya open the envelope already?” Mammon snarled, smacking his palms on the table. “I got a thousand grimm on the line if there’s at least two girls!” 

Beel’s eyes widened. To think his brothers made bets on something as serious as their children’s sexes…

He didn’t want to think anymore about it. Instead, he ignored the brothers’ continuous bickering and passed the envelope to Sage. “Here,” he said. “You open it.” 

“Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes glued to the paper as she flipped it in her hands. 

“I’ll look over your shoulder,” he replied. “I want you to be the one who holds it.” 

Resolved, she nodded and slipped a manicured nail underneath the opening flap. Rosemary had done them for her the night before because she couldn’t be at the announcement in-person due to her condition. The paper ripped unevenly through the entire back to the point that she pulled the declaration out of the side, wrinkled and mangled. 

When she opened it, Beel’s eyes morphed into dinner platters, and Sage threw a hand over her mouth as she jumped to stare at Beel in shock. 

“Oh, my gosh,” she breathed. Then, her voice grew louder. “Did you think it’d be…?” 

He had no words, taking the edge of the page and pulling it closer to his face to make sure he knew what he was reading. 

“What is it?” Belphie peeked up from his position sleeping on the tabletop. The concern coated his face, but his tone held nothing but kindness. 

“They’re three boys,” Sage said, gaze zeroed in entirely on Beel. 

The room devolved into chaos, and someone snatched the announcement out of Beel’s hands to pass it around the room. 

He didn’t think he’d get dizzy finding out the babies’ sexes, but his head spun like a carousel. Shaken and confused, he turned to Sage and blinked a semblance of asking for help understanding what happened. 

All boys? 

Sage seemed just as speechless. 

They’d talked before about what genders they both thought there would be, but they’d shaken off any chance of there being three of one or the other. It was so rare to have identical triplets. Maybe they weren’t identical, but Beel had a feeling they might have been. If it seemed impossible, it had to be real. 

“I’m not upset,” she reassured, patting his thigh in comfort as well as an anxious twitch. “I just didn’t think we’d have three boys or girls.” 

“I didn’t either,” he said over the ensuing chaos. “Do you think they’ll be the same?” 

“That’s my luck, right? We wouldn’t be able to tell them apart if they’re identical.” She laughed a bit forcefully. “I have no idea. Do you?” 

“I don’t know either.” He wished he’d been more of a researcher so that he knew the odds. 

Once the conversation died down and reality set in, the brothers gave opinions on names, decorations, and symptoms to consider. Boys tended to cause more side effects from the pregnancy, according to Satan, but Beel couldn’t imagine Sage being any worse. 

They left the house with a facade of joy. 

Beel knew better. 

Both of them were scared, Sage more than Beel. He was used to having several brothers, and she was used to dealing with those brothers on a relatively frequent basis, yet having three boys of her own was frightening. If they were as rowdy as Beel’s brothers, they were in for a hell of a ride. 

At the house, she dropped onto the couch in the far-too-quiet living room and stared at Beel once again. “What do we do?” she asked. 

“What do you mean?” His brow wrinkled in confusion. “We raise them.” 

“No, I mean…” She hesitated. 

Swallowing down his heart in his throat, he sat beside her and leaned her into his calming chest. “What is it?” Worried about the answer, he steeled himself for the worst. What if she was upset about all of the boys? What if she regretted the pregnancy? What if she didn’t like being pregnant anymore? 

“I…” 

She took a deep breath. 

“I don’t know enough boy names.” 

“H-huh?” Beel shook himself to attention. “Boy names?” 

“You and your brothers took a bunch of good ones, even though they’re from when you were angels, and we can’t pick anything too royal that Lord Diavolo would use,” she explained, breathless and teary. “I just can’t think of one I want, let alone three! They’ll end up with something ridiculous if we can’t think up anything, like naming one Asmodeus, and—“ 

Beel listened until he began to get distracted with thinking through what he would have for dessert. Sage had made more cookies not long ago, and a cobbler with blushberries and nuts not long before that. She had saved half of it for when they got home, just in case she craved something sweet and gooey, but she probably wouldn’t care if Beel had it. 

“—I love your brothers, but I don’t want to name our kids after them, you know what I mean? Unless it’s Belphie, or Lilith, but even that feels like we’re not giving our babies their own identity,” she continued, rattling off more and more worries. 

Finally, Beel nuzzled a kiss on top of her head, and she stopped speaking. “I love you, Sage,” he said, smiling softly. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. We always do.” 

Though she pouted, she leaned more heavily into his chest. “You promise you’ll help think of names too?” she asked softly. 

Nodding, Beel slid his arms around her waist and effortlessly hauled her over his lap, a leg on either side of his hips. “Yeah,” he said, reaching up to cup his palms over her filling-out cheeks. “I’ll think of some too.” He wasn’t sure how, but he would try. 

Sage blinked back the tears that had been growing while she rambled, then collapsed into his shoulder, her arms hugging around his neck as she cuddled against him. 

The following morning, Beel forced himself to get out of bed at the same time as Sage. Despite her outward gratitude and morning kisses, she frowned and grimaced when his back was turned. Sometimes, she placed a hand over her abdomen and took several deep breaths, but when he tried to catch her, she’d pretend she was all smiles. 

He decided to forgo his morning workout to help with breakfast, standing at the stove making scrambled eggs while she did all the harder work. Admittedly, she couldn’t trust him not to eat anything that was cold or room temperature—even food straight from the heat of the stove wasn’t entirely off-limits to him. 

He wanted to help more. 

Sitting in barstools at the counter, they ate quietly until Beel chose to speak. 

“You’re sick,” he said plainly. 

“Who’s sick? I’m sick?” Sage turned to him, confused. 

“The cuts of the fruit aren’t uniform,” he observed, “and you keep taking deep breaths. Something isn’t right.” 

To his surprise, she bowed her head in defeat at being caught. “I mean, I can’t sleep much,” she admitted. “The boys start to whine for breakfast at five o’clock every morning, and they don’t stop until I eat.” 

He thought he might have heard noises but had written them off as the babies being typical, not irritating. 

“Every day?” he asked. 

With a nod, she sighed. “Every day, yeah.” 

“For how long?” 

“It’s like when they figured out they could make noise, they talk all the time,” she said, leaning back and closing her eyes. “I’m on their schedule now, so if they don’t want to sleep, I don’t have a choice.” 

Damn. How he wished he could take that agony away; if anyone knew how hard lack of sleep could be, it was Beel. Whenever Belphie didn’t rest enough, they both became nightmares as though bonded from their relationship to each other. 

“Can I help?” he dared to ask.

Shaking her head, Sage offered a tired, pained smile. “I’ll be okay,” she replied. “I distract myself until they finally relax. You should be happy since you get big meals now.” 

“I don’t want big meals if it means you’re exhausted.” 

He glanced down at his empty plate, unsure how much he meant what he said. Her cooking was always amazing, and he craved it as much as he craved her. If she disappeared for any length of time, he’d rather starve…for a few hours, anyway. 

“It’s fine. It’s really okay,” she reassured him, leaning forward again and picking up a bite of puff pastry. Instead of eating it, she held it to Beel’s mouth with that gorgeous smile of hers, hiding any semblance of discomfort. 

Well, if she was offering, then…

As he took the food from her fingers, she giggled. “I do have one idea,” she said, taking more of the pastry and feeding him again like she was trying to keep him from talking. 

It definitely worked because all he responded with was a hum and a nod. 

“It’s kind of a weird request,” she added, her ears flushing pink. 

He swallowed and held off on the next bite. “I’ll do anything if it helps.” 

“That’s the thing,” she said. “It’s not something you can do. I need you to ask someone else for something.” 

His head cocked to the side as he gulped down a spoonful of breakfast gravy. “Who?” he asked, muffled by a full mouth. 

“Um…” Her hesitation worried him, but she quickly continued. “Belphie?” 

“Belphie?” Stunned, he pushed aside the next spoonful of eggs. “What do you want me to ask him?” 

“It’s silly…” 

“No, it’s not,” he replied. “Belphie would do anything for you too.” 

“He’ll do anything for you or Rosemary, but not me,” she laughed. 

“That’s not true. You can ask him for help, and he’ll help.” 

“I guess he’s changed a lot since we first met, but…” She shook her head and offered the spoon again, which Beel took this time. “He’s the only person I can ask.” 

“Mmph…What is it?” 

“Can he…come over during the day?” she asked. When Beel responded with another confused expression, she added, “I know you’re both working at RAD all day, so you’d have to ask Lucifer or Lord Diavolo to let him visit, but we’re only ten minutes from the campus, so it’s not like he’d be gone from work for more than a couple of hours. Even thirty minutes! But he’s the only person who can really help because I don’t want to take sleeping potions every night in case the babies really do need me to wake up early, so—“ 

Beel grew more confused as she spoke. “What can Belphie do?” he interrupted. 

“He can, maybe, help me sleep better…?” she mumbled, turning away. “Remember when he’d fall asleep on my shoulder at parks or during movies, and I’d start to nod off too? Those were the best naps in my life.” 

“You want Belphie to take off from RAD to come to our house for a nap every day?” he clarified, doing his best to understand her motives. 

“Just to see if it works!” she exclaimed, shooting her face back to Beel and waving her hands in defense of herself. “It’s not anything suspicious or weird! I mean, okay, maybe it’s a little weird asking your twin to take off work to nap with me every day, but I’m desperate!” 

There was that word. 

Desperate. 

He had been waiting to hear her beg for help with something, and now was his opportunity. 

An idea popped into his head. 

Grinning, he leaned an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. “Why don’t we invite him to move in for a while?” 

“What?” Her jaw dropped. “We’d have to move the gym equipment in the guest bedroom to fit an actual mattress instead of a thin pull-out couch. On top of that, you wouldn’t be able to work out in the mornings without bothering him.” 

“He wouldn’t wake up if I dropped a thousand-pound barbell. Plus, I could wear headphones for the music,” he offered, “or I can get a gym membership for a while. It’s a five minute sprint away. That’s good cardio to warm up and cool down.” 

“I guess we could blow up a temporary mattress in the nursery,” she mumbled, “but it’s so empty and drab in there. He can’t sleep where there isn’t a little scenery!”

“He would probably need to be in the bedroom with us if he’s casting sleep spells on you all night long. His powers don’t work as well at a distance.” 

Sage opened and closed her mouth a few times, disbelieving what she was hearing. 

But Beel smiled and waited patiently for her response once she calmed. 

Eventually, she shook her head. “What if he isn’t comfortable with the idea in the first place?” she asked. “Asking him to take naps with me is asking a lot, and asking him to sleep in the room with us is even worse.” 

“Not really,” he replied. “If it’s you, he’ll say yes, especially since you need it. I don’t think he’s ever turned down a good nap partner.” 

For a moment, she chewed her lower lip, then took a few deep breaths and rubbed her stomach. “I guess, if he’s okay with it.” 

“Do you want him to move in with us?” Beel clarified. 

She thought for another moment before nodding. “If he wants to,” she said, “then I’d like the extra help around the house.” 

He huffed out a laugh. “I don’t know how much he’ll help with chores, but he’ll help you sleep. He knows a bunch of spells.” 

“Won’t that take a lot of his time and energy?” 

Beel shrugged. “For you, I think he wouldn’t care.” 

“Why for me?” she asked. “What makes me special?” 

Giving a gentle smile, he slid off his chair and hugged his arms around Sage’s front, resting his hands over her growing belly as the boys began to chirp at the warmth. “You’re special to me,” he said, “so you’re special to him too.” 

“Does he even like me for me though?” she muttered. “I don’t want anyone to love me because I’m associated with other people.” 

“He does.” He let the words sink into her scattered brain for a moment before kissing her shoulder to settle her worries. “As much as he cares about me. I know it.” 

“How?” 

“Because I know him, and I can tell.” 

Though she didn’t seem convinced, she nodded and dropped back against his chest. 

Beel remembered when the two first met, how much Belphie struggled to accept that Beel could love someone else as much as his twin—more than his twin in some ways. They spent years trying to cooperate and tolerate each other until finally, something clicked. 

Now, being the best of friends, Sage and Belphie could have spent hours—even days—together without killing each other. In fact, they’d enjoy the extra company. 

“Are you still nauseous most of the time?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “That keeps me awake too.” 

“Should we tell the doctor about it?” 

“Let me try to sleep more first,” she replied with a small, forced smile. “I think that’s what I need. I’m pushing myself too hard.” 

“You don’t need to,” he countered. “I can stop by restaurants for more breakfast.”

“But I want to cook for you…and for me,” she whined. “It’s what I want to do more than anything else. It’s the absolute least I can do.”

“The least you can do is stay healthy for yourself so you can have healthy babies,” he said, taking his phone to dial Belphie right away. Priorities first. “Let me call him. I bet he’ll come over within the hour.” 

Though the sour expression crossing Sage’s face killed him, Beel held the phone to his ear and listened to the ring in patient wait for his twin to answer. 

Notes:

Three boys~! ❤️ What are their names? What will they look like?

Chapter 8: The Fourth Month (Part 2)

Notes:

Family bonding ❤️

~Beel~

“It’s Friday night. Are you really going to be difficult about this when none of us have work tomorrow?” 

Downtrodden, eyes averted to the floor, Sage shrugged and hugged her arms over her chest. “It’s not weird?” 

Belphie tossed his unkempt hair, though it fell back into the exact same spot. “Why would it be weird?” he asked. “You’re the only one here who thinks it’s weird. It doesn’t matter what anyone else outside of us thinks anyway.” 

She glanced at the larger-than-life bed in their master bedroom, calculating how much room there would be left if all three of them gathered together. A flash of exhaustion fluttered over her eyes before it disappeared back into worry instead. 

After a moment, Beel dropped himself onto the mattress and offered her a kind smile. “It’s fine, Sage,” he promised. “If you’re not asleep in thirty minutes, we’ll try again tomorrow night.” 

Belphie dropped on the opposite side of the bed. “I don’t even need to touch you for the spell to work,” he said. “You can lay however you want, but for hell’s sake, just lay down already.” 

Beel held out a hand to lead Sage into bed, a motion she appreciated with a tender, melted smile and raccoon eyes. 

Exhausted, but beautiful. 

“I’ll lie between you both,” he said. “That way, when Belphie starts to cuddle, it’ll be with me instead, and you won’t get too hot or uncomfortable.”

“Yeah. He does hold you in place when he sleeps, doesn’t he?” she laughed, nervous yet trying to hide it. 

Belphie scoffed and crawled under the sheets, adjusting his personal pillow to his desired fluffiness before opening one eye directly at Sage. “Hurry up before I pass out.” 

“Come on,” Beel goaded, sliding back on the center of the bed and pulling her with him. 

Finally, after hours of resisting, she slid under the covers on the edge of the mattress, keeping her distance from both Beel and Belphie. She placed her glasses on a special dish on the nightstand soon after.

As much as it pained him, Beel didn’t allow the position to upset him. He loved snuggling up with Sage at night, but with her constant change of temperature, she’d lost most of that drive. Aside from affecting her ability to sleep, it affected their relationship—no cuddling meant less time spent physically together, which pained them both. 

He missed the way she slept on top of him, but she could hardly manage that anymore with three babies in her belly. 

Beel used a simple spell to dim down the lights until just barely lit. Unfortunately, his lack of finesse caused a total blackout instead of the gentle warmth. “Oops.” 

“Beel…” 

“Honey…” 

Belphie and Sage spoke at the same time, probably with the same eye roll. When they realized, they broke down into a mutual laughter for a moment. 

The heaviness of the air lifting, Beel reached out a hand toward Sage, who clung to his fingers not unlike a baby herself. 

A swirl of glowing, violet smoke flew past Beel’s nose—lavender and jasmine, neither of which were particularly tasty on their own. While the scent had a calming effect on him, it didn’t make him sleepy. Instead, the smoke drifted toward Sage and puffed around her head. As it built up, it covered her entire body, then collapsed in on her as though trapping her immobile. 

Her hand went limp after a moment, and her familiar snoring began. 

He let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t often he paid attention to whether she got deep sleep, but the past weeks forced him to wake up occasionally in fear that she was awake. When silence would greet him, he knew she hadn’t been dreaming like he had hoped. 

“Hey. Beel.” 

“Hm?” His ears pricked at the sudden whisper. “Belphie? You’re awake?” 

“Yeah,” he replied, shifting to face his twin. “I have to be, or else she’ll wake up.” 

Beel blinked into the darkness, barely able to make out Belphie’s silhouette beside him. “You can’t sleep?” 

“It’s fine,” he promised, but Beel didn’t think so. 

It wasn’t fair that both of them couldn’t sleep at the same time. Did he have to choose between his brother and his wife when it came to who got to rest and when? That sounded complicated, and Beel wasn’t exactly smart enough to calculate how many hours of sleep both Sage and Belphie shared, especially when he wasn’t home all the time. 

“You’re worrying too much,” Belphie said. “It’s okay. I’ll sleep during the day so she can sleep at night.” 

“But what about the RAD student council?” Beel asked. “Lucifer still expects us to work until the pregnancy is further along.” 

Belphie shifted, a clear shrug and sigh. “I always find time for napping, and it’s not like I’m doing a whole lot anyway. I just have to show up.” 

“He won’t like that.” 

“He’ll live. Plus, it’s temporary. A few more months and things will be back to normal.” 

“What if she needs your help after they’re born too?” Beel asked. “You don’t want to be here all the time with the babies. They might be loud.” 

“Let me decide what I want to do. You both asked me to help, and I’m helping the only way I know how,” he replied. 

“There are other ways you can help that won’t make you sacrifice sleeping…” 

For a few seconds, Beel wracked his brain for anything else Belphie was good at doing and, to be honest, came up with blanks. Belphie wasn’t a great cook, he didn’t like to clean, and making last-minute grocery trips would drive him to madness. 

“Well, maybe not…” Beel admitted softly, realizing that Belphie’s only way of going out of his way for them would be to help with sleep-related tasks. 

“Exactly,” he said. “I’m not going to make meals or go shopping, so let me do this for you. It’ll be my baby shower gift to you two.” 

“Then don’t buy us anything.” 

Though Beel hadn’t even begun to think of what to put on a baby registry, let alone what a baby registry was even supposed to include. That was all up to Sage, who hadn’t been capable of thinking far beyond where the nearest bathroom was and whether she’d faint from hunger while doing dishes. 

“Relax, Beel. I just wanted to let you know that she’s asleep,” Belphie chuckled, giving Beel a tired kick to his shin. It barely felt like a bite. “Seriously. You need rest too. Now that Sage can sleep, you can stop worrying so much.” 

Resolved, Beel nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Thank you, Belphie.” 

“You’re welcome.” A pause, and then, “Goodnight.” 

Beel kept hold of Sage’s hand as lightly as he could manage, half-afraid she might fall off the bed with how close she was to the edge. But she wasn’t moving an inch, her body melted to the sheets like chocolate to a mold. 

Comfortable and too tired to argue with Belphie this late at night, Beel closed his eyes. 

When he woke in the morning, Sage still slept by his side, having not moved much from the night before. Turning a sleepy gaze toward Belphie, he noticed that he lay awake scrolling through a book on his phone. 

He felt terrible, but at the same time, relieved. The conflicting emotions devoured him inside. He didn’t want to hurt his brother to help his wife, even if it meant—

“Mm…Morning, Beel,” Belphie mumbled, stretching his legs long in the bed. “Sleep well?” 

“Yeah.” He hesitated, wishing he could ask the same. 

“I’ll stop the spell soon then,” he replied with a yawn. “No one told me when to let Sage wake up, so I figured I’d wait until you got up first.” 

“What time is it?” 

“About six o’clock.” 

Beel debated in his sleepy brain for a few seconds before sitting up and rubbing his face. “Yeah,” he said. “You can stop now.” 

Behind his back, the violet wisps from the previous night that suckled on Sage’s body lifted into the air and returned to Belphie. His once wide awake expression grew heavy and droopy with the exhaustion of staying up all night. Until the spell ended, he’d appeared ready to start a brand new day. Now that it was complete, Beel wasn’t sure if Belphie could make it to the guest bedroom, not that it would be a big deal if he slept the Saturday away in the main room. 

It would take a while to adjust to the new schedule, but they would. 

They always managed, or at least, Beel thought so. Granted, this time, Beel felt almost helpless in managing either of his loved one’s situations. 

…And that really bothered him. 

Before his thoughts could wander much further, Sage shifted and hummed. His attention quickly snapped to her, worried she might have been uncomfortable or startled waking up so suddenly. 

But nope. Her eyes opened, glittering and excited just like the old days. 

She smiled at Beel, then rolled onto her side to face Belphie. “I feel amazing!” she said, reaching out to shake his arm. “Belphie, thank you! I don’t feel totally awful, just a normal kind of awful. I mean, it’ll probably take a few nights for me to catch up on sleep, but I feel so much better.” 

“You woke up too fast. You’re so loud,” Belphie mumbled, pulling his pillow over his eyes, but not before smiling in return. 

“Oh. Sorry,” she replied, covering her mouth as though that would stop her from talking even more. It was like everything she wanted to say over the past week had to come out in the next minute or she would explode. 

Beel liked when she talked, even if it was too much sometimes. 

Interrupting their conversation, Beel’s stomach began to roll with hunger. He clasped a hand over his abdomen when Sage looked at him as though having forgotten he existed for a moment. 

“You must be starving,” she said, flailing to untangle herself from the blankets. “The boys are starting to make noise. Can you hear them? They’re not loud, but they’re—“ 

“Noise, huh?” 

Beel and Sage snapped toward Belphie, who’d woken up from his half-sleep entirely. The pillow laid forlorn next to his chest, and his body sat up slightly on his elbow. 

Sage responded before Beel thought at all. 

That was right. Belphie hadn’t ever heard a demon baby make noise before. 

She goaded him over with frantic waves of her hands. “Yeah, here, listen!” she said, lying on her back like she knew she wasn’t supposed to do. It was bad for her heart, but Beel guessed that it was still early enough in the pregnancy that it wasn’t too big of a deal yet. 

With no hesitation, Belphie slid his body like a snake around Beel and rested his head on Sage’s stomach. Even from his distance, Beel heard a few peeps and chirps, so they must have been loud to Belphie and even louder for Sage. 

“Wow…” Belphie held his breath for a long while before speaking. “They’re really…there, huh?” 

“They’re really talkative, especially overnight and in the mornings. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they only slept an hour or two a day,” Sage replied. Like a good sister, she rested a hand on top of Belphie’s head and brushed back his hair like she knew he liked. 

Belphie set a hand on her stomach over the slowly growing belly, waiting for a kick that wasn’t likely to come too soon. “They take after Beel then,” he joked. “Then again, you never stop moving around either. I could’ve guessed they’d all be little athletes.” 

“You think?” Sage perked up, curious. “Even athletes need sleep. Beel’s the best athlete I know, and he sleeps as hard as you most nights.” 

“I guess they’re growing boys then,” he replied. “When Beel was growing, he’d eat a whole fridge every day.” 

“The whole fridge?” 

“Yeah, like…the actual fridge.” Belphie shook his head and smiled. “I remember Lilith used to protect him from Lucifer getting angry, but she’d scold Beel too. It wasn’t like we couldn’t get more appliances. It was the gluttony, you know?” 

“Right. You weren’t supposed to act sinfully up there,” Sage said. “I still don’t know what the big deal was about that, but I guess I can’t relate since I’ve been a demon my whole life. It’s such a different world in the Celestial Realm.” 

“All of us had our vices,” Belphie said. “They got more obvious after the Fall, but we all had them. Lucifer’s always had a stick up his ass. Actually, I think he’s more lenient now that we’re in Devildom, don’t you think so, Beel?” 

At his name, Beel popped back into reality. All that was at the forefront of his mind was breakfast and going to the gym. It wasn’t that he wasn’t listening, because he was. This was such a poignant moment between Belphie and Sage, plus the babies, that he was drawn so deep that he forgot he could join the conversation. 

“Yeah, he’s not as strict,” Beel replied, sliding himself off of the bed. “I’ll start breakfast. You two can relax for a little while.” 

“Oh, there are eggs that need to be cooked on the top shelf!” Sage called as Beel walked toward the master bathroom. 

“Okay.” 

“And the candied bacon in the drawer is for lunch, so use the bacon strips on the bottom shelf!” 

“Got it.” He shrugged out of his tank top to change into an exercise shirt for his workout. 

“Oh! The leftover potatoes from yesterday would make a great hashbrown casserole in the cast iron pan, but it hasn’t been seasoned for a while. Maybe I should—“ 

“Sage.” Beel peeked his head out from around the wall with a grin. “I got it. Hang out with Belphie for a minute. I’ll come get you in half an hour.” 

“But the pan—“ 

“Hey, can the babies hear me if I talk to them?” Belphie asked. 

That was all it took to redirect Sage’s attention back to the task at hand. Beel dressed in his workout clothes and sneaked his way into the kitchen while she and Belphie wondered aloud whether the boys could actually understand them. 

Beel listened to the muted conversation while he cooked—not as well as Sage could, and certainly with fewer ingredients left when he actually finished due to his lack of self control in eating most of the food while preparing it. When he finished, he gave a knock on the bedroom door as he entered. 

There, he found Sage and Belphie still chatting, but more quietly and with more giggles. 

When Sage noticed him cocking his head to the side in curiosity, her face flushed crimson and she grinned. “We weren’t talking about you!” she defended. 

Belphie rolled his eyes and smiled too. “We weren’t. She’s telling the truth.” 

To be honest, Beel didn’t care whether they were or weren’t. All he cared about was seeing his twin and his wife getting along so well together after everything the family had been through. He’d never considered having a partner for this many years, and he’d never thought there’d be someone who’d outweigh his own twin…And there didn’t have to be. 

Beel had both—a twin, and a wife—who loved each other as much as he loved them. 

He grinned. “Breakfast is done.” 

“Is there any left for us?” Sage teased. 

Nodding, Beel leaned against the wall to wait for them to get up. “I cooked everything I could find that looked like you saved it for breakfast.” 

“Oh, that means you probably cooked the sausage too,” she said, worrying her lip for a moment before patting Belphie’s head gently. “That’s fine. I’ll go out to the market for more this afternoon. I feel like I could run a marathon!” 

“How many have you run so far? Feels like millions,” Belphie mumbled, painstakingly pulling away from Sage’s body only because he knew she needed to eat before getting sick from an empty stomach. 

“Tons! I have a whole storage bin full of participation medals. I never won any like Beel did, so they aren’t on display like his, but I ran one last winter.” 

“I still think you should put your favorites on the wall,” Beel interrupted. 

“They’re nothing to praise me for. They’re just participation trophies. I didn’t win anything.” 

“I don’t know,” he said. “Getting to the end of something you participated in is a really important goal too. It shows strength following-through.” 

“Beel’s right,” Belphie said. “Don’t you want your kids to see how important it is to finish what they’ve started, even if they’re not the best?” 

She flushed further down her neck. “Not you too.” 

He shrugged. “Dunno. The kids should know their mom is as hardheaded as their dad.” 

“I guess, but…” She trailed off, looking at the abstract painting of an ocean on the wall. She always had enjoyed hanging out near water, and one of her more recent marathons had included swimming a distance in Typhon Lake too. It was her favorite part, she said, and she planned to do more races like that once she trained for it a while longer. 

“We have time before decorating the nursery,” Beel said calmly. “Breakfast. Now.” 

At the firmness of his order, both Belphie and Sage hauled themselves out of bed and past Beel into the kitchen, with Sage running a hand across his abs on her way by. 

He jumped, then blushed, then smiled as he watched her walk to the messy spread of food across the kitchen island. 

His beautiful wife was back. Slowly, but surely, her personality would return with proper rest. 

He hoped it would last a while longer, at least until the babies got there. The worst thing in the world was watching her live in discomfort. 

Owing Belphie the biggest favor of all, Beel took a minute to check the spare bedroom to make sure Belphie would have enough pillows and blankets, then joined the two for a hearty breakfast. 

Notes:

The way I had to have a urinalysis done today and was like, “I swear if I’m pregnant, I would NOT be as happy about it as my OCs would be.” 💀 As much as I love the stories behind people who really want to be pregnant, I very much would not be one of those people irl. Fantasies stay fantasies please 😂

Chapter 9: The Fourth Month (Part 3)

~Sage~

After breakfast, Belphie moseyed off to the empty nursery, Beel locked himself away in the guest room with the gym equipment, and Sage cleaned up after breakfast. Beel wasn’t the best at doing dishes while cooking, so there were tons of plates and pans to scrub. 

Sage didn’t mind. In fact, she relished the thought of a fresh kitchen, cleaned down to a spotless sink and sparkling stone countertops. It had been ages since she had the energy to truly deep-clean anything, let alone wipe down the counters or the stove at all. 

A good night of sleep, or at least a whole week’s worth, would surely set her back on the right path. 

Suddenly, a knock on the door stirred her from her thoughts. “Weird,” she mumbled. “I don’t remember any deliveries or inviting any guests.” 

Thinking it might have been Rosemary coming over to see where Belphie was, she answered the door only to find a giant cardboard box with her name and address. 

As she wondered what Beel might have ordered from Akuzon, her phone pinged in her pocket. Sure enough, a text from Rosemary lit the screen. 

“Did my package arrive? I just got a notification that it’s on the doorstep.” 

Blinking in confusion, Sage took a picture of the box and sent it back to Rosemary. “This huge thing?” 

“That’s it! It’s a mattress pad,” she replied. “Can you have Beel bring it in for me?” 

“To our house?” 

“Yeah! I’ll be over in a few hours, okay?” 

“You ordered us a mattress pad?” 

“Well, I need more cushion if I’m going to sleep on an inflatable mattress or a futon, don’t I?” 

Even more confused, Sage reread the conversation before shrugging away the feeling of not knowing what was happening. “I’ll have Beel bring it in then,” she replied simply, earning a thanks from Rosemary as the conversation died. 

She walked to the gym room only to find Beel in the middle of a set of one-armed push ups with his headphones blaring rock music so loudly that she could make out the lyrics.

“Beel?” But he didn’t reply, too focused on counting to hear her. 

So she did the next best thing and rounded him to hopefully get his attention. It worked, and he looked up while still exercising. 

Using his loose hand, he tore off one side of his headphones. “Hey. Is something wrong?” 

“Nope, but there’s a big package we need to take care of.” 

His face flushed a little redder as he smiled, and hers quickly followed. 

“I mean on the front porch,” she clarified. “A box. A cardboard box. It’s from Rosemary.” 

The innuendo faded as he lifted himself to his feet. “What is it?” 

“She said a mattress pad?” 

“Huh. Did you tell her we needed one?” 

“No, she just bought us one,” Sage said, shrugging. “I guess it’ll fit on either the futon or the thing Belphie’s sleeping on. I don’t know where she’s expecting us to put it, so could you just bring it into the dining room?” 

“Oh. Sure.” Beel wiped his forehead by lifting the hem of his shirt, showing off his defined abs and strong arms through no effort of his own. 

Before she could stop herself, Sage licked her lips and drew her eyes down to his own package out of sheer curiosity to see whether he was visibly excited beneath his workout shorts. 

The moment he took away the shirt from his face, her eyes snapped up to meet his. She forced a smile and pretended she hadn’t been tempted. After all, Rosemary planned to arrive anytime in the next few hours, and Belphie was right next door, so it wasn’t like they had time or space to fool around. 

Beel acknowledged her with a sharp nod before leaving the room to get the delivery. 

While he was gone, Sage took his bottle of water and chugged down a few gulps to settle the warmth rushing her body. A slight rumbling in her tummy startled her, and her hand flung to cover her growing belly. She had only just begun showing through her abdomen, her former clothing now replaced with even larger dresses or maternity leggings when she wanted to be most comfortable. 

A slight wave of discomfort settled in her stomach and refused to go away despite reminding herself that everything was fine. 

Beel still loved her, right? Even though she’d get even bigger than this? 

At the thought of his name, he reappeared in the doorway. His gaze landed on his water bottle in her hands. “Are you thirsty?” he asked, sounding worried. 

She looked at the bottle, then nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Just a little thirsty.” 

Without hesitation, he rounded back down the hallway. “I’ll get yours from the fridge,” he said. Then, he called from the kitchen. “Do you want the lemon-cucumber one, or the honey-cayenne one?” 

She sighed and headed into the kitchen with a heavy heart. There wasn’t a chance that she’d tell him how nervous she was about her body changing. He wouldn’t understand anyway because he would say he’d love her all the same. It was just how he was. 

She wasn’t sure how much she believed it though, especially knowing that her stomach would be huge by the time she gave birth. Not to mention her appetite, and her energy levels, and even her attitude lately. Everything in her world seemed a little darker and sadder despite the joy of their babies arriving in a few short months. 

It bothered her. 

But she couldn’t tell Beel. 

She didn’t want him to worry. 

“The lemon one,” she replied, sitting on a barstool. “I’ll be here if you need me, okay?” 

As he handed her the water, he grinned. “Okay.” And off he went back to the gym equipment. 

When she heard him start to count off reps, she groaned and heaved herself off of the stool. 

Not thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and there on the other side was Rosemary with an enormous suitcase rolling by her side. 

She pushed past Sage while talking a mile a minute. “First things first, we’ve got to figure out the layout of the nursery so we know what furniture you want to get. I already measured the matching room in our house, but we’ll double-check yours again to make sure. Where’s Belphie?” 

Sage closed the front door and set her hands on her stomach, trying to keep up with Rosemary’s words. “Um…in the nursery? Sleeping.” 

“Of course he is,” Rosemary replied, rolling her eyes. “Was he up all night then? Did he actually do what he said he was going to do?” 

“Huh? Oh!” Sage grinned. “Yeah! I slept all night long, no problem, thanks to him.” 

Rosemary released her luggage and gave Sage a tight hug, squeezing her shoulders firmly enough that she almost thought her head would pop off. “Perfect,” she said. “I’m so glad! I was worried he’d give up halfway through the night when he got too bored.” 

“No, not even a little. I didn’t even dream. I was out cold.” 

“Good. Very good.” 

Letting go, Rosemary dug through her purse while Sage took deep breaths now that she could regain composure. 

“So, what are you doing here?” Sage asked, nodding to the boxed mattress. “And why are you spending money on stuff like this for my own house?” 

“Belphie didn’t tell you?” Pulling out her phone, Rosemary tapped away on the screen and shoved it back in her pocket. “I’m moving in too.” 

Though Sage had already gotten that idea, hearing it put so simply made her jaw drop. “For how long?” 

“Well, how long does Belphie get to be at the sleepover?” 

“It’s not a sleepover,” Sage responded. Then, she shrugged. “Well, okay, it’s kind of a sleepover, but it’s not a very fun one. We’re all actually sleeping, you know.” 

“Well, I know that!” Rosemary said. “That doesn’t mean I have to stay home all alone though while Belphie gets to have all the fun time with you two. I feel so left out.” 

Frowning, Sage took Rosemary’s arm. “I don’t mean for that to happen,” she said, honest. “You’ve been a great friend this whole time already. I just don’t want to ask more from you and Belphie than what I really need.” 

“Sure, I can’t put you down for a nap, but I can fold laundry, and you know you’re bound to have tons of tiny onesies and socks in a couple of months.” Listing things off on her fingers, Rosemary continued. “I can make Beel extra snacks, I can clean the floors, I can pick up anything you drop…Think of me as a handmaiden or something.” 

“Rosemary, that’s a lot of extra chores…I don’t want you hurting yourself.” 

Rosemary pouted. “Well, maybe I can’t do everything every single day, but having an extra hand around the house for chores will be useful,” she said. “Even on my most painful days, I can still be here for moral support, right? Remember when we lived together for all those years, and we’d always go to each other for advice and comfort. When we moved into our own places too, we called each other all the time just to talk! I remember when you first met Beel, and we laughed all night about the hunky demon you ran into before we started realizing it was the literal Avatar of Gluttony himself. That’s not even mentioning when—“ 

“Okay, okay, I get it! You can stay!” Sage laughed. 

Rosemary smiled. “Are you just saying that for me to feel better?” 

“No, I really, really would love for you to stay here with us,” Sage replied, feeling the all-too-familiar sensation of tears springing to her eyes. For a while, her emotions began to run a little rampant. “I need my best friend for this journey.” 

“Aww, Sage…” Seeing the tears welling up, Rosemary embraced Sage again, much more gently this time. She rocked her back and forth on the balls of her feet and rubbed her back gently. “Is something the matter? You might have slept well, but you still look tired.” 

Sage sniffled and rubbed beneath her glasses, trying desperately to not cry so that Beel wouldn’t see her puffy eyes. “I am.” 

Without hesitation, Rosemary pulled Sage further into the house to the living room couch. Before sitting down, she listened for the telltale sound of Beel’s exercising and Belphie’s white noise machine down the hallway. 

Then, she took Sage’s hands in hers and squeezed them. “Do you want me to guess, or do you want to tell me?” 

Sage’s lower lip quivered, but she shook her head. “I’ll tell you,” she said. “I’m worried about Beel.” 

Rosemary’s brow wrinkled. “What’s wrong with him?” 

“Well, it’s not so much him. It’s…me.” She looked down at her stomach covered with a flowery, shapeless gown. “I’m starting to look like I’ve let myself go.” 

“What? No!” Rosemary let go of her hands. “You’re carrying three—three!—babies. Of course you’d need different clothes that aren’t as much your style.” 

“But I look huge,” she argued. “I’m not even in my fifth month yet, and I’m like a balloon. I might even float away!” 

“Don’t exaggerate. It’s not even that noticeable yet.” 

“Yeah. ‘Yet.’” 

“Well, you’ll definitely get bigger, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still beautiful. I’m pretty sure Beel fell in love with you partially because you were a bigger demon,” Rosemary countered. “Plus, you’re gaining weight because you’re carrying three babies—and not just anyone’s babies, but Beel’s babies. Of course he’d love you the same, and I bet he loves you more today than he did yesterday!” 

“You’re saying that to make me feel better.” 

“No way, I mean it!” Rosemary huffed, crossing her arms. “When’s the last time you talked to him? Like, really talked to him?” 

Sage flushed and averted her eyes. “I don’t know. A while?”

“Then you should tell him what’s on your mind.” 

“Well, when’s the last time you and Belphie had a heart-to-heart?” Sage didn’t mean to accuse, but to be curious. 

Fortunately, Rosemary took the question in a positive light and smiled. “Every night,” she said. “When we go to bed, we talk about our days and enjoy the moment. It’s relaxing for both of us. You and Beel don’t do that too?” 

“I mean, we used to, but since the pregnancy got more difficult, it’s been harder to find the time,” Sage admitted. 

“Then you’ll have to make the time, Sage,” she stated, gentle but firm. “I know you’ll find the time to be together if you start looking for it, and I’m sure Beel wants that too. He must be going crazy if you really haven’t been giving him attention…especially physically.” 

“What makes you think that?” Sage asked, face flushing beneath her glasses. “We’ve been fine physically.” After a pause, she backtracked. “Sort of…” 

Rosemary’s face scrunched in a way that ugly-wrinkled her brow in sympathy and pity. “Oh, Sage…” 

“It’s been hard! I’m pregnant with triplets!” 

“I totally understand!” she said. “The thing is, I know you two as always hanging off each other’s arm, so it’s weird to hear you’re not even doing that.” 

Sage sighed and shook her head. “I know he’s happy with anything I do, but he’d be happier if I spent more time with him.” 

“Exactly.” 

“Then I’ll try,” she decided, newfound energy coming from a night of good sleep and a conversation with a friend. “I want it too, so I’ll go for it.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Rosemary patted Sage’s lap a few times before standing. “Now, I notice the sink isn’t scrubbed, so I’ll do that while you find us something to watch on TV together after I’m done. Preferably something mindless so we can start getting together a registry for everyone.” 

“Is it already time to make a whole registry?” Sage asked, a wave of nervousness creeping through her veins. 

Offering a calm smile, Rosemary shrugged. “I haven’t seen the nursery, but I bet it’s empty other than Belphie and a blow-up mattress.” 

“You’re right, but—“ 

“We’ll work together to get you what you need,” Rosemary promised, sauntering into the open kitchen. “See if you can find that show with the hosts who give demons a full home makeover. It might give us some ideas.” 

Notes:

Friends ordering stuff to your house because it’s easier than carrying it over from theirs is such genius behavior.

Thank you for reading! ❤️

Chapter 10: The Fifth Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Content warnings for sex talk and intimacy. Nothing too explicit, but definitely implied.

~Beel~

With three babies growing rapidly inside her, Sage began to move a bit more carefully through the house. For some time, Beel wondered why, even with her growing belly, he felt even more attracted to her. 

Maybe it was because he loved her all the time, but…

This was different. She’d always made him plenty of food, and she’d always offered affection physically and emotionally, but…

But he just felt different now. 

“Belphie.” 

The moment Sage left the room to use the restroom, Beel spoke. 

Looking up from his lunch plate, Belphie dropped his chin onto a hand. “You want Rosemary and me to go back home for a night?” he asked with a smirk. 

Twin telepathy working as it should, Beel nodded. “For the weekend,” he said. “Friday and Saturday night.” 

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll let you have a date weekend. I wanted to grab some things anyway,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “I can tell you’re getting pent-up lately.” 

“Is it obvious?” Beel asked, shoulders drooping at being easily read. 

“Not really. I just know you.” Belphie shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich, prepared with love and care by Sage herself from total scratch. “I doubt Sage has noticed. She’s been wrapped up with everything else going on.” 

“Right.” 

Like her clothes not fitting anymore, and making a registry, and the babies starting to kick. 

Oh, he definitely felt them kick a few times, and he’d been able to feel them hiccup once too. 

Everything was…weird, but somehow Beel still felt so ridiculously attracted to his wife that he wasn’t sure he could wait for Belphie to leave. 

“Focus, Beel. You’re drooling.” 

He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth roughly. Food wasn’t on his mind anymore. “Sorry.” 

To Beel’s shock, Belphie pushed himself away from the dining table. “I’m heading out,” he said, smiling softly. “I’ll grab Rosemary and be gone in ten minutes. At least wait that long.” 

“You only ate a few bites though.” 

“I’ll bring it with me, unless you want to have it. It’s really good.” 

Beel stood. “I’ll pack it in a lunch box for you then.” 

On his way into the guest bedroom, Belphie passed by Sage, who suddenly smelled like a new perfume. 

As Beel packaged up Belphie’s lunch, Sage leaned on the other side of the counter and watched. “Is he not hungry yet?” she asked, concerned. “I know it’s only eleven o’clock, but I thought everyone was ready to eat. This is when I usually make lunch, and he hasn’t complained for the last few weeks since he moved in. Rosemary already finished too.” 

“He needs to pick up some stuff from home,” Beel said, zipping up the lunch box and sliding it to the edge of the counter. “They’re spending the rest of the weekend there.” 

“They are?” she asked, more confused than before. “Don’t you two have to go back to RAD after eating for work? He’ll be carrying around a backpack of sleepover things all day. Why doesn’t he come back afterwards to grab his things instead of taking them with him?” She paused. “And what about Rosemary? She said she ordered some swatches for me to look at for the baby shower invitations, and they should get here today.” 

Beel rounded the counter and swept her into an embrace from behind. His hands landed over her stomach, which had begun to grow noticeably. She had even insisted on measuring her waist to keep tabs on how quickly it developed. 

“You smell good,” he said, leaning down and nuzzling his nose into her hair. “Mm…Dry shampoo? No…Show me your wrist.” 

Obedient, she lifted her hand into his and let him lead it up to his nose. 

With a deep breath, he released a shaky hum. “Not here either. Is it your neck then?” 

He ducked down lower, trailing his lips down her aqua hair and pulling the ponytail off of her shoulders. A blast of delicious perfume nearly dropped him to his knees. “Mm…There,” he mumbled, hypnotized. “It’s new.” 

She leaned her head to the side, teasing Beel, who knew he still had several more minutes to wait until Belphie and Rosemary left. “It is,” she replied. “What does it smell like?” 

“Cotton candy,” he instantly said. “Licorice…Raspberry…Mm…” His mouth opened against the side of her neck, and his tongue lolled across her skin. 

Gasping, Sage tangled a hand into his hair and leaned back against his chest. “Beel…We’re not alone.” 

“Mhm.” His eyes drifted closed as he nuzzled his nose against her throat. Delicious. Salivating, he kissed beneath her ear, which jostled her glasses. “So? We will be soon.” 

“You need to go back to RAD,” she pressed. 

“Mhm.” 

He wrapped his arms firmly over her chest and yanked her back against his body. Though she’d always loved when he pulled her around, he sometimes wondered whether he’d need to be more careful as she progressed through her pregnancy. As long as he didn’t press on her belly, he figured it was okay to play a little rough. 

With a squeak of surprise, Sage clasped her hands over his forearms. “B-but you’ll miss work,” she said, voice so soft that he could hardly hear it over his own heavy breathing. 

The sound of footsteps knocked him out of his stupor, but only enough for his gaze to roll behind him and catch Belphie waving over his shoulder on his way to the front door. He snatched the lunch box so fast that Beel didn’t even register it was gone. By the wrist, he dragged Rosemary who waved frantically with the biggest grin across her face. 

“See you Sunday night or Monday morning,” he said, hiking his pillow under his arm as he opened the door. “I’ll let Lucifer know you’re running late for an emergency.” 

“W-wait, Belphie—!”

“Have fun you two!” Rosemary sang, blowing a playful kiss toward the couple. 

Sage fought Beel’s hold, but it was much too tight. “Rosemary!” 

The front door shut and locked, and Beel spun Sage around and hugged his hands beneath her glutes. “Jump.” 

“Beel, I—“ 

With a grunt of exertion, he hoisted her into his arms, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist if she wanted to stay steady. As quickly as he lifted her, he placed her down on the kitchen counter. 

Like a starved man, he embraced around her hips and pulled them tight against his, then devoured her at her collarbone. Between his kisses and her moans, he found room to praise her for being the perfect woman. “I love you,” he breathed hot against her throat. “I love you…Mn, I want you…You did this on purpose, yeah?” 

She hummed, clutching around his shoulders to stay upright. “Mm, maybe…” 

“Where did it come from?” 

“There’s…ahh…There’s a pop-up boutique selling human world trinkets…Mmm…Near the street market…” 

“Why this one?” he asked, transfixed by the scent of sugar on her skin. He took a deep breath and nearly shuddered. For a Mortal Realm scent, it lingered more than most Devildom ones. 

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, goading him on with a giggling tease. “Isn’t it sweet like candy?” she asked. “I wanted you to want me.” 

His ears pricked with confusion. “Want you?” he repeated. “I already wanted you before the perfume.” 

“Really?” she asked, jolting slightly in surprise. “I thought you wouldn’t be interested in me once I started getting bigger.” 

He backed away from her neck and stared directly into her eyes. “I’m interested.” 

“Are you really?” 

He nodded once. “Always have been.” 

“Even though I don’t fit in my cute workout clothes anymore?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And even though I’m hairier than ever on my legs and…other places?” 

“Sure.” 

“But I’ll gain more weight until I look like a balloon,” she added, blinking in confusion. “I’ll be wider than I am tall in a few months. You won’t want me when I look that silly.” 

“Yeah, I will,” he promised, gaze flitting down to her cleavage in her cozy day dress. It was frilly and pink, kind of reminding him of how the perfume smelled.

Her brow wrinkled. “You don’t know that.” 

“I want you more now than I did yesterday. I don’t know why. I just do.”

“That can’t be true.”

“I know that I’ll want you as long as you want me too,” he said. “If you’re comfortable when you’re bigger, I’ll still want you as badly as I want you now.” 

“Even…for sex?” she asked, averting her eyes. 

Immediately, he brushed clumsy knuckles under her chin and turned her gaze back to him for her full attention. The little opening of her mouth in surprise only made her cuter. 

“Yeah,” Beel said with a smile. “For that too.” 

“You think so?” Her emerald eyes behind her glasses were big as dinner plates when she asked the question. 

He nodded again. “Especially for that. I’ll eat you until you tell me to stop,” he promised, “no matter how big you get. You’ll always be sexy to me.” 

“And pretty?” 

“You always are.” 

A deep flush across her cheeks heated her face until the nosepiece of her glasses fogged. “I hope so…” 

Smiling, he stole her lips in a deep, long kiss, only pulling back when her shoulders relaxed. “I’m not good at lying,” he said. “All I know is that I’ll love you no matter what you look like because you’ll still be the woman I fell in love with. It’s kind of that simple.” 

She laughed, leaning her head forward for him to automatically kiss her forehead. “You’re such a simple man,” she said. “I guess I thought a demon like you would require something more than what I can give.” 

“Guess not.” He shrugged, then grasped her hips in a tight hold. “Are you wearing underwear?” 

Her mouth opened wide. “Huh?” 

“Can I eat you out here, or is it better in the bedroom?” he asked. “If you’re wearing underwear, I want to be careful not to rip them since they’ll be your good ones, right?” 

“Oh! Yeah! They’re my good ones,” she replied, laughing again. “Let me take them off then. It doesn’t look like you’d be careful enough right now.” 

Shaking his head in disappointment at his own libido, he helped her hop down to the floor. From a higher angle as she bent over to remove her panties, he noticed that, maybe, her boobs were bigger too. 

Milk? This early? Or was it the weight gain? Either way, he wanted them in his mouth and covered in bite marks. 

Damn, how much had he been holding back while Belphie and Rosemary lived with them? 

The second Sage folded her panties on the nearest chair, he swept her back into his arms and straight into the master bedroom. 

Until she didn’t want him anymore, he’d take every ounce of her that she was willing to give. 

Somehow, now, more than ever, he needed her physically and emotionally. He yearned for the connection through sex that they’d developed over the years more than any other time in their relationship. 

He needed to be careful as she grew more fragile, but they’d figure that out when they got to that point. Eating her out was probably okay for every step of the pregnancy, right? It was intercourse that got uncomfortable as her belly got bigger, or so he assumed. 

Well, he didn’t have to worry about it now. All he needed was to please his wife and thank her for bearing his children in the best way he could. 

It wasn’t like he could make her more pregnant…but, if he could…

He growled, more out of sexual frustration than to excite Sage. 

Fuck, he needed her. All of her. Every crumb. 

As the afternoon turned to night, and night into morning, Beel doted on his wife more than ever—with the promise of her making it clear when she was interested in sex, which seemed to be often. Not that he wasn’t satisfied with the course of the weekend, but he wouldn’t have minded if Belphie and Rosemary stayed at their house for a while longer. Good thing they both slept heavy; Beel was sure there would be more nights of them sleeping in the guest room and letting Sage get exhausted through different means. 

On Sunday, a constant rattle woke Beel at six o’clock in the morning.

Strange. The only thing that rattled like that was…

He shot up in bed and flung off the sheets, startling awake Sage. 

But not the same Sage who had fallen asleep naked beside him. 

The demonic Sage—with a rattlesnake tail and stout, pointy black horns. 

First, she stared up at a dumbfounded Beel with her mouth cranked open and her eyes wide. Then, she too noticed the rattle of her tail—something she didn’t always control. 

Sitting up as quickly as her growing belly allowed, she reached up to clutch onto her horns. “I’m a demon?” Her hands slid down her nude sides to grasp the tip of her tail, which only stopped rattling once she took hold. 

Beel nodded, debating whether to respond with concern or elation. 

His body decided for him—elation it was. 

He snatched Sage up into a hug tight around her chest and loose around her abdomen to give the chirping babies room to discuss the joy between themselves. Grinning, Beel kissed her temple again and again. 

If she had transformed totally without her knowledge overnight, then that meant she had gotten far enough in the pregnancy that she wouldn’t turn back for a long while. Demons, when pregnant, would shift into their demonic form by instinct around the fifth or sixth month—Beel wasn’t exactly sure on the specifics. Apparently it had to do with an instinct to protect the babies while inside the womb, which made enough sense that Beel didn’t ask any other questions. 

Though she couldn’t breathe well, normal for when he hugged her when he was this happy, she clutched him against her and burrowed into his bare chest. She even shifted closer so her stomach touched his body a lot harder than if he had a say. 

“Beel! That means I’m doing well!” she exclaimed. “They’re healthy and happy!” 

“Yeah, and so are you,” he replied with a grin. “You’re doing great.” 

Her tail ticked back and forth, the rattle more like a grandfather clock. At least her horns were short and straight so they didn’t stab into Beel’s throat when they hugged in demon form. 

Her body shuddered, and she shifted to wipe her eyes. 

“Are you crying?” he asked gently, pulling away only far enough to rub his knuckles across her cheeks to make sure. 

Yes, she was. 

She nodded. “I’m just so happy,” she said. “I was scared it’d never happen.” 

“All of our check-ups have been fine though. I thought you were on the right course, anyway. At least, the doctors weren’t worried, so you didn’t need to be.” 

“Yeah, but what if I was weird and didn’t change until they were born?” she asked. “I was worried triplets made things happen differently, but…but it looks like I’m totally on track, right?” 

“Right,” he responded quickly to lessen her fear. “You’re normal.” 

For once, that was fine to say. She wanted to be normal, just like every other pregnant person out there. No surprises. Just following the typical track of a demon having babies. 

But…She wasn’t exactly normal. Triplets were pretty rare, Beel learned, and they were risky the further along she got. 

As long as they were careful, then it would be okay. Beel knew it deep down. 

They’d finish the next few months with three baby boys at the end, and that would be perfect. 

With a little jolt, he realized that they were already halfway through development. It was month five, which meant the babies would be here no later than the ninth month—probably sooner.

Still, they’d only barely worked on the nursery—painting the walls and scrubbing the floor clean. As far as Beel knew, there weren’t any solid plans for a baby shower, which he still wasn’t sure what that involved as far as his input. They hadn’t picked out names, and he had promised to help Sage think of some weeks before. Plus, the doctors had been pushing for them to make something called a “birth plan”? 

And worse, her symptoms would keep escalating until the babies were born, which meant she wouldn’t be able to walk all the way to the market and back in one afternoon anymore. As much as she feared being “wider than tall,” it would affect her physically far more than either of them were ready to deal with. Yes, she was always active when she wasn’t pregnant, but could she keep jogging and weight lifting safely when she gained weight? 

In response to his worries, he embraced her more firmly and patted down her long hair with rough, slow strokes. 

They’d be okay. They always were. 

Notes:

I need a relationship like this! I need a man like Beel to look me in the eyes and tell me he loves me forever and ever regardless of my appearance and that he’ll always want me more than anything else in his life and and and— 😭 ❤️

Beel is SUCH a sweetheart! I love him so much~!

Chapter 11: The Fifth Month (Part 2)

~Beel~

The same doctor who told Beel and Sage that they were having three children performed the procedure to determine what the babies’ demonic species were. As they waited for the telegraphic image to appear over Sage’s belly, Beel held her hand tightly. Sure, there wasn’t a fear that anything was wrong, but wasn’t there a possibility that a wing, horn, or tail wasn’t developing properly? What happened then? 

Of course, Beel didn’t voice his concerns to Sage. Instead, he listened to her own—worries over most anything but the health of the boys, like the baby shower or the birth process itself. She said time and time again that she knew the triplets were safe and sound, coming along nicely, just by a mother’s intuition. 

With this appointment, Beel hoped she’d be proven right. 

When the picture faded into reality, Sage craned her neck. For the first time since getting the sex of their children, she was able to see them. 

Beel squinted. The former blobs looked more like babies now, but with so many limbs between the three of them, he wasn’t sure how anyone could see a definitive species. 

The doctor smiled and pointed with her index finger at a foggy shadow. “Look at that,” she said. “That’s one of their sets of wings.” 

“Wings?” Sage asked, always surprised by anything the doctor said about the boys. 

Beel moved a little closer to the image. “They look like bug’s.” 

“They’re long and narrow, sort of triangular,” Sage said. “Cicada wings?” 

“I would agree,” the doctor replied, pointing to a more defined shape on the baby’s head. “And those are the beginnings of his horns.” 

“Will they get bigger than that before the birth?” Sage asked. 

Beel hoped they wouldn’t grow too much more or he worried they’d poke their way out of her womb, even though several of his brothers and the doctors assured him that a demon’s body was built to push out the sharpest of appendages. 

“They will, but they’ll come out with the texture of rubber,” the doctor said, moving along to the second boy. “This one is similar, do you see? The horns are only a little longer, but they’re beginning to curl forward.” 

“He has wings too,” Sage observed. 

The doctor nodded. “The third boy does as well. They may be identical triplets, if this check-up is any indication.” 

Jaw dropping, Sage turned to Beel. “Identical triplets!” 

He squeezed her hand and looked more deeply at the image over her body. No way was he going to be able to tell a difference between the boys by sight alone, especially not on a blurry hologram. 

They couldn’t really be identical, could they…?

“Something to prepare for, but very rare indeed,” said the doctor. “You can see they’re growing quickly as well. You’re likely to go into labor early at this rate, but all of your other health records look perfect.” 

“Thank you,” Sage said. “I’ve been trying to exercise more.” 

“Only as much as you can handle,” she replied sternly. “Though all of our tests are cleared, I don’t suggest signing up for any marathons.” 

“Oh, no, that’s fine! I just like jogging.” 

“Jogging is fine for now, as long as you’re comfortable, but be cautious of overdoing exercise. No bending at the waist or heavy lifting.” 

“Okay! Easy.” Sage turned to Beel with a smile. “I told you everything would be perfect!” 

Overwhelmed with information, he nodded, a dumb smile crossing his face. “Yeah. You’re right.” 

So far, everything was perfect. 

And because of that, he had no reason to think anything bad would happen. 

The doctor sent them away with some paperwork going over the appointment results, along with a form they signed that explained the observations might not be accurate. Sage didn’t seem to pay attention to that part, swinging Beel’s hand like a little kid as they walked toward the nearest restaurant to celebrate the good news. 

“If they all have wings, that means they might take after you more than they take after me,” she said, carefully dropping down on a chair that Beel steadied behind her. “I had a feeling your genes were stronger than mine, but I hope they have my hair or something too.” 

He sat across from her at the table and smiled. “They might have your eyes.” 

“I hope not! I don’t want to curse the kids with bad eyesight.” 

“We could tell them apart by what glasses they wear,” he offered, half-teasing. In reality, he thought babies with goggles might be kind of cute, especially if they looked like a mix of Sage and himself. 

A possessive feeling stirred in his chest. He chalked it up to being hungry—at first. When it didn’t go away at the free appetizers placed on the table, he narrowed his eyes at his stomach. 

“Is something wrong?” Sage asked after ordering a second whole bowl of bread for herself. “You look upset at something.” 

He shook his head, his gaze flitting around him at the other restaurant patrons. Was it possible someone out there planned to hurt his wife, or looked at her in a weird way? He swore the old demon with beady eyes in the corner stared at her belly for a second too long, and that young demon across the room batted her eyelashes at him when he walked in. She’d seen that he was with his blood bonded partner, so she should have had the common sense to keep her eyes to herself, but…

“Beel?” 

A wafting of fresh baked dough drifted toward him. It took a minute for him to realize that Sage waved a piece of bread under his nose to get his attention. 

One hand on her stomach, the other feeding him the bread he eagerly chomped down, she cocked her head to the side. “It looks like you’re about to go feral,” she said. “Eat something quick before you turn.” 

“It’s not that,” he replied, eyes still glazing around the room for any sign of danger against his wife and children. 

“What is it then?” She began to look around the room on her own. “I don’t see anyone we know.” 

“Yeah…” 

Beel drew his attention back to her—how small she seemed, how vulnerable she was in this state, how easily taken advantage of. 

He had no choice but to follow his own instincts. 

He shifted into his demonic form with a pop, gathering the attention of the guests around him. 

And especially the attention of Sage. 

She gasped, hands flailing to cover her mouth. “Beel!” 

His fly-like wings fizzled for a few seconds behind him before he grew more comfortable. The sensation of others judging Sage began to wane. He felt more confident in his ability to protect her from someone attacking her, whether with words or actions, when he was in this form. 

Sage, on the other hand, slapped her hands on the table and stood in a rush. “Oh my gosh, Beel, I didn’t know you were that hungry, we have to go before you tear this place down, I’ll apologize to them later, let me get the server to bring out whatever they have ready, please give me five seconds and—!“ 

“Sage, I’m okay,” he said, smiling as he tore his teeth into a piece of bread. “You can sit down.” 

Unsure and confused, Sage raked her gaze over Beel with great suspicion. “You’ve gone demonic though,” she said, eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, but I feel better like this.” 

“Why?” 

He shrugged. “You’re demonic too, right? Maybe I feel better if I match you.” 

Slowly, she dropped back into her chair, ignoring the whispered conversations going on around them in favor of being cautious about a demon-form Beelzebub, Avatar of Gluttony. 

“You don’t have to be scared,” he promised, eating a roll in a single bite and speaking with his mouth stuffed. “Mmph…’m jus’ more comf’table this way.” 

“You’re not about to tear down the building?” 

He gulped down his food and smiled. “Nope.” 

Still careful not to push him, Sage nodded and reached for her glass of water instead of food. Though it upset Beel to see her being overly careful about eating food he would usually deem as “his” when he was demonic, he understood her reaction. Still, his senses were heightened in this form; he’d be able to tell of any kind of attack from miles away with no problem. 

A shaky server brought them a half dozen plates of food they hadn’t ordered. Despite Beel’s insistence that he didn’t need as much as he would normally need, he took it gratefully. Sage ate with one eye on Beel and the other on the patrons around them as though worried someone might complain about them showing their deeper selves. 

Nothing happened out of turn, and they left with full stomachs. At least, Beel felt full enough, and he’d monitored Sage’s eating to know that she’d had plenty for her current state. If she didn’t eat again in the next hour or two, he’d have to bring her back out for one of her latest favorite cravings, but he didn’t expect that to be an issue once she realized he really wasn’t going to destroy anything around him. 

Even so, she took his arm in hers as they walked toward home. It was silent, but comfortable for Beel. As long as Sage was safe by his side, he really didn’t mind if she wasn’t speaking. 

When they arrived at the house, Sage went straight into the kitchen and gathered a strange array of ingredients. 

Immediately, Beel’s stomach made room for more food. “What are you making?” 

Saying something he didn’t hear, she bent over deep into the freezer, and Beel’s hunger shifted at the sight. Before he could stop himself, he rounded the counter and took hold of her hips, pulling them back firmly against his. 

She squeaked, then laughed. “Beel!”

“Sorry.” He wasn’t. “I like when you bend over.” 

She lifted a container of ice cream from the deepest part of the freezer. “Can I have dessert first?” 

“We could have bought dessert from the restaurant.” 

“Yeah, but I wanted my own brownies and ice cream. My recipe is better than theirs.” 

He eyed the counter with several other so-called ingredients, including sugar, vinegar, hot peppers, chocolate fudge, and smoke extract. It wasn’t something normal people would eat, but Beel was curious about the taste. 

As though it were a family recipe, Sage mixed a bowl full of her cake batter ice cream and the other ingredients, gave it a mix, and took a giant spoonful into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back and she nearly fell to her knees with a moan. 

Beel salivated. “Can I try?” 

Excited, she pushed the bowl toward him and handed over a separate spoon. “Yeah! It’s good!” 

As he took a bite, he realized that what Sage currently considered “good” food wasn’t what he would consider the tastiest of dishes. In fact, the curious mixture of seasonings hit his tongue like a brick. The spiciness alone could have knocked a normal demon to the floor. 

But he smiled and took a second bite just to make sure. 

Laughing, Sage dug back into the bowl, close to crying with satisfaction at her made-up meal. “Everything at the restaurant was great,” she said, “but I kept thinking about something like this the whole time.” 

“Really?” He tried a third bite and still couldn’t see why someone would crave something as spicy as hell itself, let alone chocolatey and sour. 

“Yeah, really!” 

The door to the nursery opened, and out walked Rosemary in leggings and a long t-shirt, followed by Belphie in one of Rosemary’s larger nightgowns and sweatpants. 

Rosemary stopped in her tracks at the entry to the kitchen. “What’s that?” she asked, nose crinkled in disgust. 

Embarrassed, Sage hid the bowl against her stomach and turned away. “Nothing.” 

“It smells like ghost peppers and vinegar,” she pushed. “Kind of rotten. Do you want me to take out the trash?” 

“It’s a pregnancy craving,” Beel explained, not understanding why Sage seemed so bothered by her concoction. “It’s not that bad.” 

“You’re eating that?” Rosemary gasped. “Sage, that could make you so sick! It’s really heavy on the stomach.” 

“I’m fine!” Sage argued, hugging the bowl tighter to her chest. 

“It’s really not that bad,” Beel reassured, setting a hand on Sage’s back to show support. “It’s spicy, but it’s even better with a spoonful of sugar on top, right?” 

“Sage, really?” Rosemary moved forward to verify the disaster of a dessert. 

Panicked suddenly, Sage dodged Rosemary and ran—or more like waddled—into the nursery, slamming the door behind her and clicking it locked. 

Confused, Beel looked toward Belphie, who looked at Rosemary, who stared at the nursery door in utter shock. 

“You’re making fun of me!” Sage yelled. “You don’t understand what it’s like!” 

Stunned, Beel listened to the sound of his wife crying behind the closed door. 

“You’re judging me for what I’m eating like it’s weird or something, and that’s just…that’s so mean! I thought you were my friends, but the first words out of your mouth were rude and tasteless and…and…I don’t want to see you anymore if you’re going to behave like that around me!” 

Belphie rubbed his eyes, the edges of his nap still caressing his mind. “What happened, Beel?” 

“I don’t know,” he said. “We went to the doctor’s appointment, then to lunch, and came back here.” 

“Why are you in your demon form anyway?” 

Having already forgotten about his change, Beel looked down at his outfit and fluttered his wings. “Dunno. Felt better if I was like this while Sage was stuck in her demon form too.” 

“Maybe she’s stressed?” Rosemary asked. “You’re only ever like that when you have a reason.” 

“It could be pregnancy hormones too,” Belphie added to Rosemary. “You came out of the room ready to judge what you smelled.” 

Rosemary huffed and said in a whisper, “Well, it actually does smell gross.” 

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to tell her that.” 

“I didn’t know it would set her off. Usually she has a sense of humor,” Rosemary argued. Then, with a sigh, she moved back toward the hallway. “I’ll try to talk to her. You two…Maybe go outside? She might keep yelling at me.” 

“Will you be okay?” Belphie asked, hugging his arms over his chest. “You’re not the most held-together yourself when someone yells at you.” 

“I’ll be fine. It might take a while anyway. I need to apologize.” She paused. “Even though the food really does stink.” 

“I thought it tasted okay,” Beel offered. 

Shaking his head, Belphie led Beel toward the back door into the porch while Rosemary went off to calm Sage. “You think anything tastes okay,” he said, sliding the glass door behind them. 

“Yeah, but it was just spicy,” Beel said, excusing the powerful smell of hot peppers and vinegar.

On one hand, he missed sharing the food with his wife. On the other hand, he missed his wife. It pained him to see her lose herself at a comment that normally she’d take with an eye roll. 

“Pregnancy hormones are rough, huh?” Belphie mumbled, collapsing onto an outdoor couch and curling against the arm rest. “Sage’s emotions are getting harder to predict now.” 

Beel sat beside his twin and leaned back, spreading his legs and reaching up his arms to stretch before settling. “Mm. Yeah.” He paused. “I don’t know what to do when she’s like this.” 

“You probably could have warned her before changing into your demon form in a restaurant. She has bad memories from all the other times you’ve done that.”

“But there were demons judging her, and I think one wanted to come up to me to flirt,” Beel argued. “I couldn’t let that happen around Sage. I needed to protect her.” 

Belphie was silent for a long while before sighing. “I don’t think anyone’s out to attack Sage,” he said, “but I bet your own hormones make you think others are about to.” 

Beel cocked his head to the side. “I’m not pregnant though.” 

“Yeah, but you’re blood bonded to Sage, who’s carrying your own kids. You’re probably connected through some kind of weird magic, and it makes you feel like everyone is out to hurt her,” Belphie explained. “Kind of like our twin telepathy thing. I don’t know.” 

“Maybe.” Beel thought for a moment. “I don’t feel that way about you or Rosemary though, or the rest of the family…like I need to protect her around everybody.” 

“I guess because you know we’re safe,” he offered. “Deep down, you know that you can trust us with Sage, but strangers are different.” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

“Just…try not to startle Sage again,” Belphie said. “I’m guessing she was really scared when you suddenly shifted, right?” 

Nodding, Beel frowned. “She was, yeah.” 

“Talk to her tonight about it and see if it helps,” he said. “Rosemary and I talk every night before bed, and it makes us a lot more calm. You’re both stressed from all this pregnancy stuff that you haven’t had time to yourselves much, and you only have a few more months before you have triplets added to the house too.” 

“You’re right, Belphie.” Though he wanted to go to Sage that exact moment, he held himself back. It was a good idea, because he heard something crash inside the house. “Should we check on them?” 

“Nah. They’ve fought worse. We’ll find them cuddling up together in an hour.” 

Notes:

Thank you for reading ❤️ I’ve been having a rough time lately, but I still love all these cute relationships in this fic~

Chapter 12: The Sixth Month (Part 1)

Notes:

Content warning for fade-to-black sexual content at the end of the chapter

~Beel~

All of a sudden, Sage called out to Beel from the spare bedroom. 

From the kitchen as he prepared her a special lunch of her current craving—cheesy tortillas dipped in honey with a side of poison apple and tomato soup—he dropped the ladle into the pot and sprinted to the open door. There, as he leaned on the door frame, he found Sage jogging on a treadmill with her D.D.D. covering the workout screen. 

Taking a deep breath, Beel straightened. “What is it?” he asked. “I thought you got hurt.” 

“Huh?” She lowered her speed to a casual stroll. “Oh, I’m fine! Did I scare you?” 

“A little, yeah.” 

“I didn’t mean it to sound like something bad happened,” she explained, rosy cheeks dripping with light sweat. “I just wanted to ask your opinion on a few things.” 

His pounding heart began to settle. “Like what?” 

She passed over her phone to him. “What do you think?” 

Staring at the screen, he saw a long list of names in a note. Very long. The scroll bar wasn’t more than a millimeter big. 

“They’re all the boy names I came up with,” she said with a grin. “Okay, some are kind of neutral, but most of them are especially for boys, and a lot of them are super cute.” 

“I thought you couldn’t think of enough boy names,” he countered, taking a seat on the nearest workout bench and scrolling through the list without reading. Just how many names did Sage find? 

“I haven’t narrowed down the list yet,” she said, “so this is every boy name I found online, plus some that your brothers and my friends recommended through text, so there are tons.” 

The name “Asmodeus” popped out at him as he swiped. He thought that one was off the table, but more than likely, Sage hadn’t decided on anything yet. Knowing her, she put it on the list to give Beel a chance to name one of the babies after any of his siblings. 

He wasn’t going to, but she gave him the option, which he appreciated. 

“I can’t pick right now,” he said. “The soup will boil off.” 

“That’s okay! I just wanted to prove that I had a list already.” 

He glanced up as she slowed her speed to a crawl, then to a stop as she stepped down from the treadmill. Even with her stomach growing, she felt comfortable jogging, albeit much slower than usual. 

“After lunch, I’m going to the store to look at some maternity clothes,” she said with a beautiful smile, her glasses slipped down her nose from her sweat. “Can you help me stretch when I get home? My calves keep cramping.” 

“Your calves?” Then, he processed the rest of what she said. “Wait. Shopping alone?” 

“Did you want to come?” 

“If you want me to go with you.” 

She shook her head and took back her phone. After a few moments, he heard his own ping in the kitchen with a text. “You stay here and look at the list,” she stated. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a fifteen minute walk there and back. Sometimes we’re lucky we live so close to the main strip.” 

“You’ll take breaks?” he asked, nervous. “You just ran a couple of miles, right?” 

“I feel completely energized, and I’ll feel even better after lunch,” she replied, patting his cheek gently. Without hesitation, she leaned down and pecked his lips in a sweaty kiss. 

He always liked those. 

“I’ll call you if I don’t feel well,” she promised. “I know you’ll come to my rescue.” 

Forgetting his worry, he smiled and nodded with a slight hope for even more kisses despite soup burning on the stove. 

“Let’s eat, okay?” She wiped her face with a cloth and tossed it over the arm of the treadmill to wash later. “Then I’ll be on my way, and you can focus on the names.” 

To his surprise, Sage rushed through eating as quickly as he did and skipped out the front door on the lightest feet, leaving Beel with a monstrous list of baby names and nothing else to do. 

The spare bedroom, also the gym, was comfortable enough for him to focus. He placed his phone beneath him as he counted pushups, then scrolled down the list as he switched which arm he used. 

After a few hundred, there was a knock on the door. 

He glanced over his shoulder and saw Belphie half-asleep, having woken up from a nap in the master bedroom. On Sage’s worst nights, they asked for him to join for a night of cuddling and spell work, and usually he’d sleep until dinnertime. 

Today, he woke up around one o’clock. 

“Morning,” he yawned. “Where’s Sage?” 

“Shopping for clothes.” 

“Alone?” 

“Yeah. Where’s Rosemary?”

“Rough night. She’s down for the count all day. Too much pain.” 

“Oh. Sorry.” Beel stopped his pushups and stretched his legs ahead of him with his butt on the floor. Calf stretches. What were the best ones for a pregnant person that wouldn’t bend at the waist? 

“It happens. She’ll be okay,” Belphie said, skirting around Beel only to collapse onto the twin sized bed on his side. “What’s that? Looks like you’re reading modern poetry.” He nodded to Beel’s phone. 

Beel looked at the screen with a frown. “Baby names Sage came up with.” 

“There’s a lot.” 

“Yeah. Hundreds, I think.” He sighed. “She’s letting me narrow it down.” 

Laughing, Belphie stretched and groaned before giving Beel a cool smile. “Sounds rough.” 

“Yeah. I like almost all of them.” 

For a moment, they were quiet, and a heavy pause fell onto them. 

Belphie broke the silence. “Are you naming one after her?” he asked, and both of them knew exactly who the “her” was meant to be. 

“I don’t know,” he said softly. “I don’t know if I want to or not.” 

“Do you?” 

He thought for a long moment. 

Lilith. 

What would be a boy equivalent anyway? Sure, they could name him one thing and nickname him something based off of Lilith. Even more, they could have children until they had a girl they could name after Lilith directly. 

But…

Was that fair? 

One of the triplets would have a name after a relative, while the others wouldn’t have the same kind of story. Would the other two have distaste for the one with a special name? Would the rest of Beel’s brothers treat him differently too? 

He made a decision. 

“I don’t think so,” he mumbled. “I want them to have their own identities and make their own paths.”

“You’re not just saying that because you think I should be the one naming my kid after Lilith, right?” Belphie asked. “I don’t really want kids anyway—not as much as you do, at least. Don’t save a special name for me if you want it.” 

“No, I don’t want it,” he replied, scrolling through the endless list and praying names would stand out. “I know Sage put a lot of similar ones on here, but I think I want them to be special on their own.” 

Belphie smiled and reached out a hand. “Here,” he said. “I’ll read them out loud, and you tell me how they sound. We can get through the whole list before Sage gets home.” 

Smiling in return, Beel nodded an okay and stretched his back. “Let’s do this.” 

By the time Sage returned with bags of mostly food sliding down her arms, Beel and Belphie had settled on ten names that stood out to Beel most. Despite Belphie’s help, he gave no input on what he thought of the names other than, “It’s up to you, Beel,” when he wasn’t sure whether to keep it or not. 

When Sage saw the narrowed-down list, she squealed and hopped in place. “Perfect! You did so well!” Excited, she leapt into Beel’s arms and gave him no choice but to spin her around in a circle. From the dining room, Belphie rolled his eyes and smiled behind his palm. 

“Let’s sleep on it then,” she decided as she laid out pile after pile of delicious take-out. “Maybe we’ll decide overnight.” 

And, though Beel didn’t believe it was possible, Sage woke up in the morning with a grin and hugging Beel’s arm against her round belly. 

“Beel,” she sang. “I decided.” 

Groggy, he hummed and tugged her closer in hopes of falling back asleep before his stomach started growling. “Mm…Decided what?” 

“Their names,” she replied. 

His heart stopped for a second at the gravity of the decision. 

This was it. It was done. 

More and more lately, the decisions they made felt precious, defining, important. 

She traced his fingertips over her abdomen as though she knew exactly where each baby rested. Almost like they began responding to his warm touch, they moved and kicked and chirped. 

“Dominic,” she said, and one boy peeped. 

“Dominic,” he repeated, enjoying the name on his tongue. 

She skimmed downward to another one. “Vincent,” she added, and a different baby chirped. 

“Vincent.” He nodded, nuzzling into her neck and kissing her throat tenderly. 

For the last one, she drew him toward her left side. “Leo,” and a final boy responded with a swift kick. 

Beel smiled. “Leo.” 

That was that. 

“What do you think?” she whispered, nervous. “Do you like them?” 

“I love them,” he replied immediately, “and I love you.” 

She hugged him as best as she could with such a big stomach. “I love you too,” she replied. “I wish I could lay on your chest, but it’s not comfy right now.” 

He shifted, sitting up against the headboard and pulling her onto his lap. Praying his stomach wouldn’t start growling, he let Sage adjust herself in between his legs similar to the pregnancy pillow they’d bought once she started showing. 

Running fingers through her long, aqua hair, Beel leaned back and closed his eyes to take in the silent morning hours with his beloved wife. Dominic, Vincent, and Leo were quiet, allowing the moment of peace. 

“Beel?” 

“Hm?” He opened his eyes and looked down on Sage, who for a moment looked like a real angel on his lap. 

She smiled, reaching up to caress his cheek. “I really do love you,” she said softly. “I can’t wait for the baby shower.” 

Right. The baby shower. “This coming Saturday, right?” 

“Yeah, it’ll come quick,” she replied. “I hope we’ll have everything ready by then, and that everyone can come and have a good time with us.” 

“Me too.” 

“Do you think they’ll all feel obligated to get us presents?” she asked. “Because I don’t want presents. Not really. I just want the family together to celebrate the boys.” 

“Me too,” he repeated. “I told them all not to worry about gifts.” 

“Good.” She cuddled against his thigh and smiled. “I hope we don’t get too much stuff. I’d feel bad that they spent so much money on us.” 

“They want to support us,” he said. “We would do the same for any of them if they had kids too, so don’t feel bad.” 

“Mm, you’re right.” Yawning, Sage nuzzled his leg. “I’m overthinking.” 

“Maybe a little.” 

She giggled. “I love you though.” 

Grinning, he swept back her hair off her face and took a second to miss kissing her, but she looked too comfortable to ask for one. “I love you too.” 

In response, she kissed his inner thigh, and a shudder ran up his spine. He felt himself twitch by complete accident. It was just that…she would kiss there when they were having fun together, and often one thing led to another and…

She pressed another kiss to the hem of his boxers. “It’s early, but…” 

He blinked, feeling the blood rush to his hips. “Are you sure?” 

“Mhm…If you want.” Sliding out from his legs, Sage carefully kneeled on the floor at the foot of the bed. “It’s been a while since we’ve done this while we’re both in our demon forms. I hope I don’t disappoint you.” 

Adrenaline pumping, he sat on the edge of the mattress with Sage between his legs. Instantly, her hands slipped up and down his legs in a tender massage. 

“You couldn’t mess it up if you tried,” he promised. 

She laughed, pecking his knee before leaving lengthy kisses up his thighs. “I’m glad I can give you this much, at least.” 

“You’ll let me return the favor?” he asked, more excited daydreaming about being between her legs than having her between his. 

Nodding, she reached for his waistband. “Okay,” she said, “but only because I love you that much.” 

Notes:

They have naaaaaaaames 😭❤️ I think they’re adorable names too. I do wonder if Beel had a girl, if he’d use a “Lilith” related name though. I really don’t know!

Chapter 13: The Sixth Month (Part 2)

Notes:

Content warning for fade-to-black sexual content at the end of the chapter. Also a mention of Beel being interested in breast milk.

❤️

~Sage~

Answering the door for all of their welcome guests, Rosemary played the perfect host. She had ordered catering for dozens, though only a fraction of that sent an RSVP. 

The food was half-eaten by the time the last guest arrived, mostly by Sage and Beel together. She couldn’t help herself in the face of so many dishes from one of her favorite restaurants. Beel kept bringing her plates stacked high with food, and she ate them without giving a second thought because she felt hungry. That was all there was to it. 

The bottomless pit that had become her stomach wreaked havoc on her size, or at least she thought so. She hadn’t measured recently, but surely she’d gained a waistband size since their last doctor’s appointment. 

Between all of her exercise running around to prepare for the baby shower and generally walking in the home gym, she thought she could maintain her weight by that point. 

But the babies needed food. Craved it. Demanded it, even in the middle of the night. 

It was to the point that Beel borrowed a mini-fridge from Levi and set it up in the bedroom so that Sage didn’t risk waking Rosemary and Belphie during her late night kitchen binges. Aside from that, having food stocked nearby stopped her from devouring every ingredient in the pantry. 

To his credit, Beel didn’t judge. He didn’t even bat an eye at the suggestion from one of his brothers when he brought up her nightly snacks. All he did was ask Levi for help, and the next day, the refrigerator was set up in the master bedroom. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she figured he enjoyed having food so readily available at nighttime for his own cravings. 

Of course, on the nights that she did wake up to eat, he was right there by her side, snacking along on oatmeal bars or peanut butter, some things she couldn’t stomach anymore. He saved the really good food for her and was happy to spend the time together. 

That was all to say that Sage’s jogging from earlier in the month had turned into a waddling walk by the time of the baby shower. More and more, Beel had to be creative with her stretches and weight lifting to protect not only the babies but herself. 

It bothered Sage, but there was nothing much she could do about it. 

Sometimes, she cried. Those were the bad nights when she thought herself a failure of a mother already. If she couldn’t handle herself now, would she be able to regain control after the babies were born? 

Would she be a kind mother? Or would she turn into a sleep-deprived, lazy monster? 

“Sage! Everyone’s here!” Rosemary called as Lucifer entered carrying an armful of pristinely wrapped boxes. They weighed heavy against his chest. 

She plastered on a smile and stood, careful to use the back of her chair for support while getting up. Beel, standing nearby, placed a hand on the arch of her back to keep her steady, and she offered him a nod of acknowledgment. 

It always made him grin, now more than ever. 

It was almost like he loved her more with each day, but that was impossible. Beel loved wholly and innocently with no room for question. If he could really love her more, she thought she might not deserve that much. 

Raising their children together was enough for her. 

Spending the rest of her life with him was enough. 

Enjoying each other’s company every day was enough. 

She clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention, but the moment they all quieted, the boys in her womb decided to cheer in their place. The chirping sent the group into a flurry of movement; some of the brothers hadn’t heard a demon baby make noise before. 

Sage found herself sitting on the middle of the couch with the guests taking turns to listen to the babies. 

Within seconds, the chaos around her made Sage dizzy. She turned in a panic to find Beel, who stood behind her back in his demonic form, protective as ever. 

With his shadow overhead, her stress began to settle. 

He placed strong, heavy hands on her shoulders and fizzled his wings for a moment. 

“Oi! Beel! What’s the big idea stirring up a wind?” Mammon growled, flailing to gather up the plate of grapes that fell to the floor. 

“Oh. Sorry.” 

“Watch where you’re flappin’ those things next time,” Mammon mumbled, tossing the plate onto the counter. “Gonna make your kids go flyin’ if ya ain’t careful.” 

Forehead wrinkling, Beel squeezed Sage’s shoulders. “I never thought of that.” 

“Me either,” Sage said, leaning her temple against his forearm as Asmo pressed his ear to her belly. “Do you really think your wings could do that?” 

“They can knock over a building if he ain’t careful!” Mammon said. 

A sharp burst of anxiety filled Sage’s chest at the idea that the three cribs could scatter through the walls with the boys inside them. There was no way Beel would intentionally do that, right? If it happened, it would be an accident, wouldn’t it? 

So why was she nervous? He’d never lost his temper at her, or even in this house—not even once. The odds of it happening were practically zero, especially since food was always abundant at home. 

Well, she hoped it would be after the babies were born. She couldn’t imagine going to the market every day or two for the first year of the children’s lives, let alone just after giving birth. 

Was there even the slightest chance that Beel might hurt the kids? 

As Mammon argued with Lucifer over the appropriate things to say at a baby shower, Sage pondered whether she herself could hurt her children. 

She was a demon too, after all, with far less self-control than Beel despite not looking like it. Sure, it seemed like he could lose composure if a restaurant ran out of his favorite dish, but really it wasn’t like that—not since before they’d gotten married anyway. 

But Sage…

She was known for being emotional on the best of days. Crying and pouting at little inconveniences before snapping back to a bubbly reality was expected with her. She clung to Beel for support when things weren’t going her way. If he wasn’t available, she’d call Rosemary to vent, sometimes for an hour at a time. 

Being pregnant had only made her emotions worse. 

Ignoring Asmo caressing her stomach, she stood—carefully, which was unfortunate because she wanted to make a statement that she was unhappy. “I need the restroom,” she said. No one seemed to notice her mood shift and instead ventured into conversations once again without her involvement. 

Footsteps followed rapidly behind her, and a hand brushing the small of her back led her into the master bathroom. 

There, she fell against Beel’s strong chest, clasping the collar of his button-down shirt to hold herself up. 

She hated that she couldn’t get closer because of her stupid stomach. It was so big, especially now that the triplets were gaining weight alongside herself. She wanted nothing more than to sink into his body, fall on top of him on the bed or the couch and embrace him like the old days before it was uncomfortable. 

A rush of tears filled her eyes. She used the back of her hand to wipe them away, worried that they might leave marks on Beel’s clothes. 

Clearly confused but willing to comfort, Beel held her close to his chest and swept her long hair off her neck. “Sage, you’re warm,” he observed, balling her carefully styled, curled hair into his hand and holding it at the top of her head. 

The cool air that touched her skin soothed her instantly. “Thank…you,” she sniffled, nuzzling into his shirt. To hell with the crying. He could change clothes if he needed to hide a stain. “It’s…busy out there.” 

“Yeah. You’re doing great though,” he replied, calm and relaxed. 

She drew her eyes up to his. “I am? Really?” 

He nodded, using his free hand to hold her chin upward. The reason, they both knew, was to ground her into the present rather than let her slip away into a state of panic. Over the previous few weeks, they learned that it really did help. 

“I don’t know how you can handle it,” he said. “Usually you don’t like loud crowds.” 

“But this is family,” she said. “I love our family.” 

“Mm, but you’re almost seven months pregnant with three babies, so that probably makes it less fun, right?” 

Though he smiled, she caught a hint of pain behind his gaze—a pain that called out for her to be strong and hold on for both of their sakes. 

He was right though. The baby shower was a celebration for the triplets as well as for the parents. Family and friends came over to bring gifts to help with the babies’ lives after they were born. 

To her surprise, Beel gently pulled himself out of her grasp. At her confusion, he held up a finger to tell her to wait and disappeared out of the bathroom. 

While she stood dumbfounded at his absence, she wondered whether she had time to actually use the toilet. 

He returned after shuffling through the bedroom closet for a minute with a closed shoebox, one of his large ones that held his most recent pair of sneakers. Grinning, he held it out to her. “Here.” 

She took it and immediately almost dropped it to the floor. “What is it?” she asked. “It’s as heavy as bricks.” 

“Open it.” 

Curious, she set the box on the counter near the sink and peeled open the lid. 

Inside was an assortment of wrapped cookies, each labeled with a different colored sticky note. “For when you’re hungry.” “For when you need to make milk.” “For when you miss me.” “For when you feel alone.” 

He reached out and picked up a cookie with a blue note—one that read: “For when you’re overwhelmed”—and expertly ripped open the plastic wrap. Without hesitating, he pressed it to her lips and said, “Ahh,” with his mouth open wide. It smelled like chamomile and honey, and tasted like pure sugar with the texture of a cake. 

Smiling, he took a small bite of the back end. “I was hoping I’d get to try this one again,” he said. “It’s more delicious eating it with you.” 

“Beel, what are these?” Sage asked, taking another bite from his hand without asking for permission to have more. With a full mouth, she continued, “That’s a lot of cookies.” 

“Asmo said you needed a gift for the baby shower from me,” he explained, looking at the shoebox. “The bakery had lots of specialty flavors. They have a spell on them to stay fresh for a year though, so you’ll have time to get through them all.” 

“What about the sticky notes?” 

“I borrowed them from Satan and sat at a table in the bakery writing on them,” he said. “I thought of all the reasons I like to have snacks with you and all of your moods, then chose which cookie I thought would help you most.” Pausing, he let her finish off the cookie in his hand and smiled broadly. “Did it help?” 

She nodded. Now she wasn’t crying, but she wanted to kiss him until he couldn’t breathe. “Beel, that’s so thoughtful!” she exclaimed, sifting through more of the box. “Aww, I didn’t think about getting you anything. I haven’t even been able to wear any of the jewelry you bought me forever ago because I gained too much weight. Oh! Tomorrow, we can go to—“ 

“I don’t need a present,” he interrupted. 

Her jaw dropped, her body frozen in place. “Huh? But…But you did all this. It’s probably the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” 

“Your present to me is carrying the boys,” he said, still smiling. “You’re putting in all the work. All I did was buy you snacks.” 

“Aww, but you labeled them too!” she argued, pulling out several cookies in both hands. “Look at all this work! And you did it all for me without anyone making you!” 

“Sage, I think you’re giving me too much credit,” he joked. 

Pouting, she banged a fist gently against his chest. 

With a laugh, he took her wrists and held them between their bodies. “I love you.” 

“Well, I love you too,” she said, a smile cracking.  

“I know you do,” he replied. “Seriously, you’re doing a lot already. This is the hardest workout you’ve ever done.” 

“It doesn’t feel like a workout though. I’m fine!” 

His eyebrows raised, but he kept his soft smile. “Well, you’re doing great at it either way.” 

“Really?” she asked. “You promise you’re not just saying that to help me feel better?” 

“I promise.” He released her wrists. “Do you want to go back to the party now?” 

She debated for a moment before agreeing. “Let me use the bathroom first. You go ahead.” 

As he left out the door, he brushed his fingertips along her back. 

Before returning to the baby shower, Sage pinned up her hair and straightened her bra, trying to look as presentable as possible. Her gaze fell onto the shoebox of cookies, and she smiled. 

Beel always knew what to do to make her feel better. 

Only a few minutes after rejoining the guests, Sage was placed into a lounge chair beside Beel and brought present after present. Some were envelopes with orders for larger furniture to be delivered later in the week, others were boxes of clothes, shoes and diapers, and the rest were things she wasn’t sure how to use but knew would be important. 

A changing mat with straps to keep flying babies from wandering off. 

Special bath soap for insect-like demons so that their wings wouldn’t dry out. 

Clothes built to withstand several years of wear, made especially for babies with large appetites who grew rapidly. 

By the time she and Beel finished opening the gifts, Sage was crying with gratitude. She hugged Beel’s arm to her chest as she stammered out a speech of thanks that probably no one understood except her. 

When everyone left—including Rosemary and Belphie, who wanted to give Beel and Sage the night to decompress after such a busy day—Sage looked around at all of the baby supplies. Her hands rested tenderly on her stomach as the boys kicked and squirmed, still excited from all of the activity. She wondered whether they knew somehow that the party was to celebrate them, and maybe that was why they wouldn’t settle down. 

Sensing her oncoming emotional outburst, Beel brought Sage into the bedroom and sat her on the bed while he gathered her night clothes. 

“The diaper incinerator was a really nice thought from Asmo,” she said dreamily. “I feel like the trash cans would fill up really fast if we didn’t have that. All we need is to get more of the potion to fill it up, and it’ll work great.” 

“Mhm.” Beel rooted through one of the dresser drawers. 

“I guess we’ll have to keep an eye out for the cribs at the door. I hope there’s enough room for three of them. We measured before we put them on the registry, right? Oh, I’d hate to have to return them for something else. Lucifer was so proud to buy us those.” 

“They’ll fit,” Beel promised. “We made sure they would.” 

“I feel bad that Belphie and Rosemary will still be sleeping on that mattress on the floor,” she continued. “I know they made it super comfortable for both of them, but they’ll be surrounded by baby stuff by the end of the month. It’ll be so crowded. Maybe we should clear room in the gym and see if we can fit them in there instead.” 

“If that’s what you want to do, sure. I’ll add it to my list.” Carrying a nightgown to the bed, Beel smiled. “You looked happy today.” 

Taken out of her stupor, Sage blinked for a few seconds before regaining consciousness. “Thanks? I felt pretty happy too.” 

“You worried all week,” he said, motioning for Sage to undress herself so that he could pull on her nightgown. She peeled off her day dress and allowed Beel to place the collar opening over her head. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,” she mumbled, stretching into the gown before crawling back on the bed. The triplets, though not close to being born yet, still didn’t seem to realize it was bed time. She assumed it would take another hour for them to calm. 

“It’s okay. I was worried today.” 

She stopped adjusting herself under the blankets. “You? Why?” 

“Because you looked stressed,” he explained, “and I didn’t know what I could do to help.” 

“Oh, Beel, you did plenty! You bought me all those cookies. That was perfect!” 

He sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped on his lap as he stared at the floor. “Are you scared I’ll hurt the babies?” he asked, voice soft. Before she could even gasp, he added, “Be honest, Sage.” 

Stunned, she furrowed her brow and shook her head. “No…Oh, Beel, sweetheart, I know you’d never hurt them.” 

“Even on accident,” he clarified. 

“I know you, Beel. You couldn’t hurt anyone!” 

He paused, letting the words sink into his skin. “I don’t always have control over myself as a demon,” he said. “I’m worried…I’ll become more protective once they’re here.” 

“Protective is good though,” she said. “I want you to protect us!” 

“But I don’t know if I’ll keep the family away from the babies and you,” he continued. “Will I trust everyone enough to let them help? We’ll need it. Triplets aren’t easy.” 

“Beel, you’ll be fine,” she swore, scooting closer and massaging her hands deep into his shoulders and neck. “Everything will be okay. You know you can trust your family with me and the boys.” 

“I can trust them now, but what if I don’t trust them later?” 

“Then we’ll figure it out. We always do.” 

Putting all of her strength into the massage, Sage ground her knuckles into his muscles. Finally, after a minute or two of silence, they lost some of their tension.

Taking a deep breath, Beel leaned back into her touch and stretched his neck. “I guess I’m not really worried as much as I’m thinking too far ahead, kind of like you do sometimes.” 

“I know for a fact that you’ll always trust your brothers,” she said. “Even if you’re totally demonic, I’ve always been able to break you out of the spell, right? So trust me, and trust yourself, okay, honey?” 

He sighed again and nodded, his eyes closing in exhaustion. “Yeah. Thanks.” 

“We’ve made it this far together.” 

“Yeah.” 

“We can make it through the rest of this together too.” 

“Yeah.” He nodded again. 

Smiling, she pressed a kiss to the back of his head. “I love you, Beel,” she said. “Nothing you do will ever tear me away from you. I’ll always be by your side, no matter what happens when you lose yourself.” 

After a moment, he turned and hugged Sage into a firm embrace, his face burrowed into her chest. “I think I needed to hear that,” he admitted in a mumble into her breasts. “That helps.” 

“Would it help if I told you that I think you’re going to be the best dad ever?” she asked, sweeping her fingers through his hair. 

“Mhm.” A kiss graced her cleavage. 

“And that I think you’ll be so good at making sure they’re well fed and having fun?” she added. 

“Mm…Yeah, that helps too.” 

“I’m glad.” 

For a minute, she caressed him and held him, letting him listen to the sounds of his boys still making noise in her abdomen. 

Then, he shifted, teeth grazing the low collar of her nightgown. “Are you making milk yet?” 

“Milk?” Confused, she glanced at the fridge in the bedroom before it dawned on her. “Oh! No, not really, I don’t think so, but I’m sure it’ll happen soon. The doctor said it usually starts during the second trimester, but I’ve only had a little bit.” 

“Maybe I can help if I suck on them every night,” he offered. “I heard the stimulation can help you produce more.” 

Instantly, she flushed crimson. She expected him to ask for a taste, or at least to joke about it, but she didn’t expect him to suggest something so hands-on. 

“You used to like when I did that before you were pregnant,” he said, nipping at her clothes again. “I bet it would help them feel less sore too, as long as I’m careful, right?” 

“Are you just saying in a roundabout way that you want to suck my boobs?” she asked with a laugh. “You don’t have to talk around it. You can just ask, and you know I’ll say yes.” 

Chuckling, Beel shrugged and nudged his head underneath her chin. “It’d help me feel better too, as long as it doesn’t hurt you or make you feel used,” he said. 

She shifted away far enough so that she could lie down on the bed. As she got comfortable, Beel waited like an impatient puppy for a go-ahead. 

This was their relationship, as silly as it was sometimes. 

She really, truly loved it. 

Notes:

HE IS SUCH A SWEETHEART, I COULD DEVOUR THIS MAN UNTIL HE IS A STUMP 😭 ❤️

Chapter 14: The Seventh Month (Part 1)

~Beel~

“Ouch!” 

Beel perked to attention, as did Rosemary and Belphie, when Sage gasped in pain. 

She shifted in discomfort, her hand over her abdomen as she backed her chair away from the dining table. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “They’re fighting again.” 

“Again?” Rosemary sighed. “Don’t those three ever learn that they can’t just get more room if they’re squirming around?” 

“It feels like they’re telling each other to move,” Sage replied, wincing at another obvious kick that showed on the outside of her baby blue maternity dress. 

Beel listened with a barely hidden anxiety. Were they going to get along when they were no longer inside Sage? What if the boys didn’t like each other once they arrived into the world? 

More importantly, did all of the movement mean that they would be born sooner rather than later? Was it possible for them to kick their way out or cause damage to Sage’s body? Well…More damage than already expected for a pregnancy with triplets. 

After another minute of trying to return to eating dinner, Sage groaned and pushed away again. She stood slowly, her hands rubbing her stomach, and silently walked into the living room in hopes that the movement would settle the boys. 

Frowning, Beel watched her leave, then turned his attention to her half-eaten meal. Still, her diet consisted of nearly as much food as he ate himself, but today, she hardly found time to sit and eat. 

He dragged her plate toward him and began cutting the mostly raw steak into bite-sized pieces. Then, he piled on potatoes, vegetables, and more protein before standing. 

“Hey, Beel.” 

Jostled from his focus on his wife, Beel turned toward Belphie, who moved food around on his full plate as though not enjoying it. 

“I think you need to start putting together the nursery,” he said. 

Confused, Beel furrowed his brow. “But she isn’t nesting yet.” 

Rosemary nodded, sliding her chair closer to Belphie and setting a hand on his leg. “He’s right,” she said. “It sounds like the boys are getting ready for the birth.” 

“You think so?” 

“If they’re this active, maybe she’s further along than any of us thought. It’s almost like they could be here any day,” Rosemary explained. 

“I wouldn’t say that soon,” Belphie corrected, “but I’d give it a few weeks. I don’t think they’ll wait all nine months.” 

The nursery, where Rosemary and Belphie continued to sleep, hadn’t been touched more than to shove their boxes of furniture and supplies against the walls. None of the cribs were put together, let alone the dresser. It was as unfinished as unfinished could be. 

Damn. 

For now, Beel’s priority rested with making sure Sage got enough to eat. Then, he’d take stock of the nursery and start sorting through the boxes for necessities. He’d heard that newborns didn’t need much aside from diapers, bottles, and beds. Other than that, everything else was extra. 

“After dinner, Rosemary and I will start going through the stuff,” Belphie offered, and Rosemary nodded excitedly. She had been wanting to sort through all of the clothes and decorations for weeks, but respected that it was Sage’s job first and foremost. 

But with the risk of the babies coming early, they didn’t have the luxury of waiting too much longer. 

“Yeah. Thanks, you two.” 

Rosemary moved to stand, only to be pulled down by the arm by Belphie. “I said after dinner,” he repeated, rolling his eyes with a smile. “You can wait fifteen minutes to play with baby toys.” 

“It’s not the toys I want to see. It’s all of those cute little outfits!” she laughed, lightly pinching his cheek. “They all need to be washed and put away. It’s so tedious that I’m sure Sage won’t mind if I start sorting through them.” 

Beel left them to their conversation and moved to the living room only to find that Sage had wandered onto the back porch for fresh air. When he slid the door closed behind him, he didn’t expect to see her pacing back and forth like a caged animal. 

“Sage?” 

She acknowledged him with a cringed smile. “O-oh. Is that for me?” she asked, forcing a laugh. “You can set it…nngh…on the table there, honey.” 

Something about her stance didn’t look right. She hunched over, one hand on her belly and the other on her lower back. After a few seconds, her face crumpled and her body curled into itself and a groan came from deep in her chest. 

Beel dropped the plate on the nearest surface, trying not to spill it much, as he rushed to Sage’s side. “What’s wrong? Should we call the doctor?” 

“I-I don’t know,” she said. “One of them kicked so hard…I feel like he almost broke through me.” 

Beel hugged her from the side, his hands falling over her stomach as he pressed an ear to her shoulder. Inside were constant chirps and peeps, almost as deafening as a sporting event. Beneath his palms felt like a rumbling battle of movement, so squirmy that Beel wasn’t sure how Sage could keep standing. 

They really did seem to be fighting in there. 

Beel didn’t remember the doctors talking about anything like this, and he’d taken tons of notes over the months. This was something new and unexpected…and kind of scary, he thought. Didn’t the babies start to develop finger nails and toe nails? Sure, they might have been a little softer than he’d expect, but couldn’t they still slice her from the inside if they moved wrong? 

“I’ve been trying to calm them down, but they’re not stopping,” Sage whispered as though the boys could hear their parents talking about them. “I don’t know what to do differently. I feel like they want out.” 

“They’re not done developing yet though,” Beel said, hugging her more tightly. 

“I know. At the last appointment, the doctor said to limit my activity, but I thought I was doing fine,” she said, voice cracking with tears. “I didn’t even lift weights today. I just went for a jog and cooked all day.” 

“Maybe even that’s too much when you’re this far along.” 

“Beel…” Sage began to cry. “I’m scared. I’m not ready!” 

He kissed her shoulder and held her as another one of the boys shifted. Somehow, it seemed less violent than when he first came outside. “Let me try something,” he said, swallowing down his own fear to be strong for his wife. 

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, slowly rocking Sage back and forth, back and forth like a cradle. His hands cupped beneath her belly and held it up, taking some of the heft off from Sage’s back. 

Calmed by the pressure relief, she sighed, but tears skirted down her cheeks as she looked at her stomach and sniffled. “Please…” Her voice was a strained whisper. “Please…wait a little longer, babies…” 

Beel continued rocking back and forth, back and forth, working on soothing both Sage and the boys into a peaceful state. Why Sage’s calm pacing hadn’t done the trick, Beel wasn’t sure. Usually between moving gently and talking to them, they settled. 

He hummed a tune from a commercial for a local restaurant, just loud enough for Sage to hear. Then, he sang along with the words: “Balthazar’s pizzeria…Fancy food for you and me-a…Say you saw the ad on TV-a…Tastier than the black dahlia…” 

Sage leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. “Does it have to be that song?” she asked, shaking her head with a teary smile. “You know nursery rhymes, don’t you?” 

“A few,” he admitted. 

“Try one of those.” 

He cleared his throat and lifted a little more weight off of Sage’s back. “Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can.” He smiled, thinking of the lemon cake Sage had baked him earlier in the week. “Pat it, and poke it…” He thrummed his fingers on her stomach. “…And mark it with a B. Then put it in the oven for the babies and me.” 

She giggled, and the sounds from the babies seemed to lessen further. “Try another.” 

“Ten fat sausages, sizzling in the pan, and if one went pop…” He poked her tummy. “…And the other went bang…” He poked her again, making her laugh and wriggle. “There’ll be eight fat sausages sizzling in the pan.” 

“Do you know any others?” 

“Hot cross buns—“ 

“Mm…Maybe a different one?” 

“Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold—“ 

Sage laughed, her crying now halfway dried. “Do you know any that aren’t about food?” 

He thought for a few moments before shrugging. “Maybe one or two.” 

“What about a lullaby?” she asked. “You’ve hummed a bunch of different ones against my stomach over the last few months. Do they have any words?” 

Hesitating, Beel nodded. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t like the words.” 

“If it’s a lullaby, it’s okay,” she replied, nuzzling into his body at the promise of the babies calming down. “Maybe they want to hear you sing. You always had such a pretty singing voice.” 

He took a minute to think of one of the least offensive lullabies he remembered from his life as an angel. Mammon or Lucifer would sometimes sing Belphie and Beel to sleep using them, though hymns and religious praises weren’t things he particularly wanted to teach his own children. 

Finally, he decided on one, as long as he skipped a few of the latter verses. 

“This little light of mine…” 

He carefully massaged his fingertips into her stomach. 

“…I’m gonna let it shine.” 

His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. 

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” 

Sage followed his rhythm with nods of her head and sighed, finding peace in Beel’s voice. 

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…Let it shine, let it shine…” He smiled. “Let it shine…” 

Sage placed nearly all of her weight against his chest as the boys’ peeping relaxed. “Keep going,” she whispered. “They just wanted to hear their daddy, I think.” 

So he continued down the verses, finding it nice that each line repeated three times—once for each Dominic, Vincent, and Leo. When he finished, skipping the more awkward lines about the Father in the Celestial Realm, he started the song over again. 

Sage grew heavy in his arms, then hummed a harmony with him because she didn’t know the words yet. 

After several long minutes of Beel falling into his own trance, he opened his eyes and gazed lovingly down at his hypnotized wife. The boys had stopped moving so much, leaving behind only the occasional chirp to let him know that they were still awake and listening. Always listening, it seemed. 

He led Sage to the outdoor couch and helped her to sit gently on the cushion. “I’m sorry your food is cold,” he said, picking up the long-forgotten plate that dripped with spilled gravy. “I’ll go heat it up for you.” 

Leaning on the armrest, Sage rested her chin on the back of her hand. “Don’t be long, okay?” 

“Are you still in pain?” 

“No, it passed,” she replied, nodding like she needed to reassure herself that everything was okay again. “The next time we see the doctor—I think the day after tomorrow—maybe we’ll…” 

Beel waited, but she didn’t continue until he cocked his head to the side and asked, “We’ll what?” 

Taking a deep breath, Sage drew her eyes up to him. “We can schedule the birth.” 

Oh. 

That meant…

“Is that what you want to do?” he asked, glancing at her abdomen, so swollen and heavy. He didn’t blame her for wanting a planned date for the birth, especially considering the babies had begun hurting her with all of their movement. 

“I think so?” It was a question looking for approval. 

So Beel smiled and nodded. “I think that’s a good idea then,” he said. 

The light returned to her eyes. She was happy, and so was he. “You really do?” 

“Mhm. Belphie and Rosemary already said they think the boys will be early too,” he said. “After what I saw tonight, I agree. Let’s see if they can schedule the birth.” 

“Yeah, let’s do that,” she said, letting herself grin if only for a moment. “I love you, Beel. Thanks for believing in me.” 

He nodded. “Yeah, always. I love you too.” 

As he heated up the food in the microwave, he thought about the idea of the babies arriving early. There was still so much left to do in the nursery. Down the hallway, he heard Rosemary and Belphie shuffling through boxes, but was that going to be enough? Did they have time to putter around washing clothes when the cribs weren’t even put together yet? 

But Sage needed him first, before any of that. They’d figure it out tomorrow. With help from his family, they could get to the birth without anything terrible happening in between. 

A few weeks. 

That was all that remained of the pregnancy. 

Then, Dominic, Vincent, and Leo would arrive. 

Notes:

How many nursery rhymes and lullabies are food related?? I swear almost every one I know of grew up with is about food 😂

The boys are getting so rowdy. I’d be so scared they’d bust through. Sometimes I’d see or feel a pregnant relative’s baby kick and just think, “omg how do you function through that??”

Thank you for reading! ❤️

Chapter 15: The Seventh Month (Part 2)

Notes:

Content warning for implied sexual content

~Sage~ 

Sitting in the assembled rocking chair, Sage took a moment to watch Beel and Belphie drill together the third crib and Rosemary organize clothes onto hangers in the closet. They’d worked hard since early in the morning to complete as much work as possible now that doctors scheduled a procedure for the birth. 

August twelfth at seven in the morning. 

They had four more weeks. 

Due to the boys’ propensity for rough play, they agreed the earlier the better. Nowadays, compared to centuries prior, professionals used potions and spells to rapidly develop a baby’s systems if they arrived too early. If all went to plan, Sage would receive a C-section early on August twelfth, the boys would spend a few days in a specialized care unit to make sure they were developed enough, and then, everyone would come home. 

Amazing how the hospital would just…send new parents home with triplets without any mandatory education or nursing aid. 

Beel asked for a nurse to check in every day for the first week, at least by phone if not in-person, and they accepted. Though he offered to pay extra for their services, the nurse insisted that they were paid properly through their job and that, if anything, a fresh meal available for their visits would be more than enough. 

So, that was the plan. Sage thought about prepping food ahead of time, but already, all of their refrigerator and freezer space was stuffed full. Even now, she had to shove the doors closed with her hip and hold it for a second to ensure that it latched shut. Surprisingly, for a household where the Avatar of Gluttony lived, they’d never had so little space in the fridge. Sage never needed to meal prep so far ahead before. 

In the end, they decided to order from a restaurant on the days the nurse would visit. It was easier that way, and it offered Beel the chance to get extra food for himself from outside of the house. 

He’d insisted on staying home following the birth. No arguments, not that Sage wanted any differently from him. Even going out for a jog or to pick up food was out of the question. If they wanted something from outside of the house during that first month, then Belphie and Rosemary would have to get it for them. 

Of course, their two temporary roommates planned to stay in the house with Beel and Sage until they got into a solid routine. As much as Sage tried to offer phone calls to check in instead for their own sakes, they refused. 

“We’re not leaving you two alone with three newborns after a major surgery,” Belphie said more sternly than Sage expected. “Beel might be like a superhero, but he can’t do everything. Anyway, you’ll need sleep every second you can get, so I can help.” 

Rosemary raised her hand to interrupt. “And I‘ve been watching tons of videos on how to bottle feed and change diapers. Plus, I’ve got the laundry down to a science, and I have every local food joint logged and on-call,” she announced. “All you’ll need to do is cuddle the babies and say thank you.” 

So that was that. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Rosemary asked Sage, catching her staring at the seemingly endless pile of baby clothes. “You look spaced out. Can I get you some water?” 

“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just…watching.” 

Rosemary held up a tiny sailor suit, made for older babies. “Won’t one of them be the cutest in this little thing?” she asked. “You have triples of it, so they can all match if you want.” 

She shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “I don’t know if I want them to match all the time. They’ll probably have different tolerance for things too.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh! Like, one might not like things on his head, or another might hate booties,” she explained. “We won’t find out what they like until they get here.” 

“I thought most babies sort of take whatever they get,” Rosemary laughed. 

Sage thought for a moment. “I don’t think they all do. Some of the babies I’ve seen at the doctor are a lot more picky with their clothes than others. They’ll be wearing the most adorable outfit, then half of it is off within ten minutes. It’s so silly. Half of the parents try to dress them up again, but it doesn’t work, so I think our boys will all be different like that too.” 

“Good point. I wonder.” After a second of staring at the outfit, she hung it in the closet and moved along to kick some boxes of diapers closer to the wall. “Let me get you something to eat. It’s been a while. What do you want?” 

“There are a few plates of brownies left from yesterday.” 

Sage started to stand, only for a hand on her forehead to push her back down into the chair. 

“I got it, I got it. And milk, right?” Rosemary asked with a grin. She unclipped her pink bob from its clasp and shook out her hair. “Ugh, that’s better. I was starting to get a headache from my hair being pulled too tight.” 

Snickering came from across the room. Rosemary frowned at Belphie and, in the middle of his laughter, yanked him by the sleeve out of the room. 

“And you’re coming with me, just for that outburst,” she decided, smiling playfully. 

Beel, frozen with one wall of the crib in hand, cocked his head to the side. “We were almost done though.” 

Sage laughed and waved him over. Like a puppy, he scampered to her side and crouched by the arm of the lounge. Brushing back his hair, she leaned over to give him a kiss. 

One kiss deepened into another and another before she pulled back, clasping a hand over his mouth. “Beel,” she scolded, smiling broadly. “They’ll be back any second.” 

Despite his mouth being covered, his eyes showed his sense of humor. A muffled, “Mm, so?” came from underneath her palm. 

She took away her hand and offered one more firm kiss, then turned away to face the cluttered nursery. “Do you think we’ll have this done in time?” 

Unable to be distracted, Beel didn’t even look at the room. “Mhm. By the twelfth.” 

“Rosemary and Belphie deserve a break, don’t you think? They’ve been working hard for us this week.” 

“We can send them home for the weekend,” he offered, taking her wrist and nuzzling his face into her palm. “You’re right. They deserve a break.” 

“They do,” she sighed. “Maybe after dinner, we’ll mention it.” 

Beel wasted no time. He lifted his chin and yelled across the house, “Hey, Belphie!” 

From the kitchen, a dreamy and clearly distracted voice responded. “What’s up?”

“You two can go home. We want the weekend together.” 

Sage swatted Beel’s shoulder. “Beel! You’re making it too obvious.” 

“You sure?” Belphie called. “The crib isn’t done yet.” 

“We’ll finish it on Monday.” 

There was a shuffling from down the hall, then Belphie yelled back. “We’re leaving now then.” 

Sage moved to stand, but Beel’s arm blocked her in the rocking lounge, not that she’d have been able to get the momentum to stand on her own anyway. “We need to say goodbye, honey,” she argued, pushing on his forearm with no possibility of moving him. 

“Why?” he asked. “They were just making out in the kitchen anyway. Let them leave with their dignity.” 

Her face flushed. She had no idea. “Well, they sure didn’t make it obvious,” she whispered. “I didn’t know they wanted time alone too.” 

“Mm, yeah. Belphie mentioned it this morning,” Beel said. “Something about seeing us getting cozy started rubbing off on him. He was complaining it made him too soft, and now Rosemary keeps wanting to cuddle all day and night.” 

“Isn’t he usually the cuddly one?” 

“Yeah. He likes Rosemary initiating, but I guess it’s more than that.” Shrugging, Beel nudged his nose against her palm again. “Doesn’t matter anyway. They’re happy. We’re happy. And now we’re alone.” 

Her expression softened, her eyes gentle and peaceful gazing at her loving husband. He always doted upon her like nothing else mattered in the world, even before she was pregnant. More and more, once they had both shifted into their demon forms, he’d clung to her like food dye to icing. 

As much as she wanted to get used to the clinginess, she knew it couldn’t last forever. 

But she could enjoy it while it did. 

She swept his bangs aside and smiled. “You’re so silly.” 

Leaning his cheek into her hand, he smiled back. “That’s okay,” he said. “You look really pretty when you laugh.” 

She tried to get up again, but Beel stopped her. “I need to stretch though,” she whined. “Help me up.” 

Once he stood, he took hold of her wrists for support and pulled her to her feet with ease. Her body nearly tipped forward at how quickly he lifted her, but he was ready to catch her. 

Raising her arms high above her head, she closed her eyes and groaned. To her surprise, the weight on her abdomen lightened. Beel had slipped his hands underneath her belly and held it up a little bit to give her relief. With all of the weight she’d gained over the course of the year, having even a fraction of it off her feet eased the swelling, if only for a second. 

“Does it help that much?” he asked, curious. 

“Yeah, it’s a big help. Thank you.” 

He thought for a moment before speaking. “I guess there’s no way to do this all the time,” he said. “I want to do more for you though.” 

“Aww, Beel, you’re doing plenty. You’ve already put together most of the furniture. I could never do that myself,” she reassured, cupping his cheeks. 

Nodding, he sent a gaze down to her that nearly brought her to her knees with adoration. He didn’t need to say that he loved her, but he did in the next breath, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. 

She pulled his lips toward hers and took them so tenderly that Beel moaned for more. The give-and-take between them was so different while she was pregnant compared to before. Lately, he treated her like a fragile wine glass, full to the brim and ready to drink. 

And she felt as though she were cherished down to the last drop. 

She nudged him back a tiny bit to breathe out how much she loved him, to offer anything in return for his attention, to praise him for all that he’d done and all that he was planning to do…

Until he stopped her, of course, with a fierce kiss that led him onto his knees. His hands skimmed around her waist to her ass, then back around to her stomach where he pressed kiss after kiss. 

He mumbled it over and over again. “I love you, Sage. I love you.” 

The tenderness sprung tears to her eyes that soon skirted down her face and neck. She sniffled, brushing her fingers through his hair as he kissed every inch of her body from over her clothes and continued whispering praise. 

He carefully sat her back on the rocking chair, making sure the cushions hugged her lower back just right and she was comfortable enough. 

Then, he bit the hem of her dress and tugged. “Only if you want to,” he promised. “You can say no.” 

She smiled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Please,” she whispered. “I want it.” 

Though it took finagling and adjusting, Beel and Sage figured out an easy enough position in the chair. She thought she saw the universe in that moment, and fantasized that her world would always be so pure and full of love.

The weekend passed quickly, and soon, Rosemary and Belphie were back picking through the boxes of baby supplies with Sage and Beel. 

Sage took her time with each item she held, imagining it on one of her newborn baby boys. 

Her imagination began to run wild the more time she spent on the nursery. Sometimes, it took one of the others placing a hand on her shoulder to lead her out of her thoughts. 

And then, before they knew what had happened, the nursery was complete. 

She stood in the center of the room by herself late one night, the others asleep in their beds—Belphie and Rosemary on the futon in the gym room, and Beel snoring in the master bedroom. 

For a while, she wandered from crib to crib, running her fingertips over the cool wood and straightening the sheets taut over the mattresses. The decorations on the walls surrounded her with joy and admiration; she picked those especially for the babies, and there they were. A mobile over each of the cribs had suns and moons spinning with incessant magic. 

And she smiled. 

Everything felt just right. 

When the clock struck five in the morning, she pulled herself from the room to begin breakfast, her energy abundant and her willpower strong. 

Notes:

Thank you for reading! ❤️

Chapter 16: The Eighth Month

Notes:

Content warning for Sage going into a successful C-section procedure for her triplets. No blood is shown. Sage is given a potion to numb all the pain and has a few mild side effects.

~Beel~

The night before the procedure, Sage lay in bed with her back against Beel’s chest, his hands gently massaging her abdomen to calm the boys. It was like they knew they were about to get a fresh taste of the world in less than a day, but they didn’t kick or fight. For once, on this late night at the witching hour, they rested. 

Beel thought their peace was welcome after many months—especially the previous four weeks—of activity. Being restless made sense to him; after all, three babies were cramped up inside Sage’s belly, and given her height, there wasn’t much extra room to force themselves into. 

He stayed awake, listening to Sage’s snoring in quiet reflection of the chaos that was to come. Would he hear the babies crying all at once when the doctors opened her up, or would they call out one by one? How soon would he be able to hold them? He had planned to wear a button-down shirt to the hospital until Sage suggested he could simply remove a comfortable t-shirt instead. 

In the distant past, him going around shirtless in public made her jealous and overprotective, but nowadays, she truly believed any flirting from others meant nothing to him. As a matter of fact, since he’d turned demonic during the pregnancy, what others thought about him had mattered even less. He didn’t even notice if someone was flirting anymore. 

All attention was on Sage and her comfort. Beyond that, nothing bothered him. 

Her tail rattled in her sleep, showing that she’d drifted into a deeply restful dream all on her own. As usual, Belphie offered to make sure she got a good night’s sleep, but Beel and Sage decided they wanted their last evening alone. 

By the next afternoon, they would be parents to three beautiful baby boys. 

Wasn’t that weird? Beel, a dad. Sage, a mom. Something they’d dreamt about for centuries that finally came true. 

He embraced her a tiny bit more tightly and fluttered his wings for a moment to stretch. 

He hoped the boys were healthy. Nothing in any of their tests showed anything unusual excluding that their wings seemed to be crunched and crinkled. The doctor said they’d straighten within a few days of drying, but Beel worried about damage caused from the C-section itself. 

Then again, with wings as delicate as a bug’s, it was probably safer to give birth that way than the other way. Not to mention, he shuddered thinking about her having to push three whole Beel-related babies through there all on her own. This was definitely the right choice for them. 

He pressed kisses to each of her stubby horns and leaned his forehead against her hair. It smelled like coconuts and hibiscus flowers, but also like the chemical potions the doctor had given them to make sure she was sanitized. 

It scared him, but he knew Sage was scared more. 

No matter what, he wouldn’t leave her side. Not until he had no other choice…in at least a year, maybe two. 

Lucifer had already spoken to him about working during the pregnancy, let alone after the triplets came. Really, it wasn’t much of a conversation. He’d ordered Beel not to return for at least a year, no excuses, and Beel accepted the terms. Simple. 

The only expectation was that, after the first couple of months when things began to settle, they had to allow the family over to celebrate with a meal. Beel wasn’t sure how well that would go, but he wanted it to happen, and so did Sage. In fact, she already began planning out something to cook. 

Beel didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wouldn’t let her lift a single pot or pan to cook for at least six other demons, not including his brothers’ partners and children. Besides, she wasn’t allowed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of water, which already stopped her from lifting a roast big enough to feed everyone. 

As much as he loved her cooking, he loved her health more. If that meant he needed to be strict, then he would. 

But he really hoped she would be selfish and let him do all of the heavy-lifting. 

Especially if the babies were on the bigger side. 

Looking at her stomach, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they were, even as triplets. Though everyone expected smaller, Beel knew better. Some instinctual part of him knew they’d be big-boned right out of the gate. 

Well, he would find out soon if he were right. 

The morning was surprisingly quiet once the alarms went off. They gathered their small suitcase of supplies for the hospital and set off at a slow walk, Belphie and Rosemary seeing them off from the stoop. 

Sage held around Beel’s arm like twine tied around them, every step deliberate and cautious. The last thing they needed was an incident on their way to the operating table. 

In the hospital, the nurses placed her into a room of her own. Beel sat by Sage’s head, one of his hands constantly and awkwardly sweeping over her tied-back aqua hair, jostling her glasses with every other caress. 

She didn’t pay much attention to him, eyes darting around the room at each of the machines and tools. 

Beel tried not to think about what the procedure entailed. Sure, it had already been explained to him several times by professionals before they even arrived at the hospital, but he didn’t want to dwell on it. They knew what they were doing. 

Around seven-thirty, a nurse gave Sage a thick, syrupy potion to drink. “This will numb your body,” they said, “so we can begin.” 

As she worked on chugging what she claimed was the most disgusting concoction she’d ever tasted (which Beel was tempted to lick off the container, but the nurse took the cup away before he could—probably for the best), the nurse set up a curtain around Sage’s waist, blocking her lower half from view. 

Within another ten minutes, Sage’s body seemed to sink into the bed. “I can’t feel anything,” she said, eyes darting over to Beel. “I’m still here, right?” Her words slurred slightly as though she were about to fall asleep after weeks without it. 

He knew she couldn’t feel him, but he continued brushing back her hair and took hold of her hand, placing it on her chest. “Yeah,” he said. “They’re starting soon.” 

“Okay…Okay. I’m ready.” 

“Do you want me to play music?” he asked. “Maybe that would help.”

“I’m fine…No, it’s okay.” 

And just like that, the doctors began. 

Beel listened for any sign of complications, soon realizing that his grasp on Sage’s hand must have been cutting off circulation. He stared at the blank curtain blocking the view for a minute before turning back to his beautiful wife. His trooper. His good sport. 

“You’re doing great,” he said, though he assumed as much since the doctors weren’t giving much indication. They worked diligently as Sage drifted in a strange in-between world of that powerful, painkilling potion. At least she didn’t feel anything involved in the procedure. Beel wasn’t sure he would have been able to handle her being in pain without blowing up the hospital in rage. 

Suddenly, after what the clock on the wall said had only been several minutes, there was a cry. 

He leapt to attention, jaw dropped open like a blubbering fish. 

Then, he saw the baby being handed to a nurse, who moved away from the hospital bed to measure and weigh them. 

His heart pounded in his ears, and his wings tingled with a buzz. He felt his pupils narrow into slits signaling his protective nature appearing. 

Soon enough, during the melody of the first, he heard a second cry, and another nurse took that baby. Not long after that was the third healthy baby, shrieking like a banshee. 

And Beel turned to Sage with a grin. “I think you did it,” he whispered. “They’re here. They’re all here.” 

Her head wobbled to the side, her eyes distant but her lips curved into a beautiful smile. “I did it?” she asked, voice cracking. 

“You did it, Sage. Can you hear them?” 

“Mm. Yeah,” she mumbled, clearly trying to crane her neck to see beyond the curtain. “Where are they?” 

“The nurses are taking care of them. I think they’re checking their size first.” 

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, three nurses returned with all three babies, and Beel saw them for the first time. Lumps, not unlike the blobs he’d seen in all of the pre-birth pictures, but they were his babies. His and Sage’s babies. 

He whipped off his shirt and let one of the nurses show him how to hold the baby. Before he leaned the boy against his chest, he held him close to Sage’s face. 

She smiled, managing the smallest, most tired kiss to the baby’s head. 

Beel took the boy back. “This is Dominic,” he said, handing the baby back to the nurse and taking the next to show Sage. “Vincent,” he added, knowing in his heart that he was right. He didn’t know how, but he knew by the sound of their cries and the weight in his arms that he just knew. The youngest, he did the same. “And this is Leo.” 

“Babies…” Sage whispered, her body shuddering unintentionally. Beel wasn’t sure if it was from the painkiller or from raw emotions, but none of the professionals seemed concerned, so neither was he. “My babies…My boys…” 

The nurses mentioned their weights, but Beel didn’t catch the details. Something about “big enough to go home in a few days” or along those lines, which is all he needed to know. They cried, their lungs worked, their bodies were warm and wrinkly. 

He leaned back in his chair and adjusted himself to be able to hold all three boys against his bare chest—Dominic on the left, Leo on the right, and Vincent in the middle. Though they looked so small and weak, they weighed him down to the point that he felt like a boulder rested on his body. He couldn’t move aside from his fingertips massaging their blanketed backs. 

Why the nurses had handed them all to him at the same time, he wasn’t sure. It couldn’t have been safe, right? But he didn’t complain. They clearly knew what they were doing. 

“Hi, babies,” he mumbled, leaning his neck forward to kiss each of their heads, punctuating each one with his name. “It’s daddy. Daddy’s here. Mommy’s right over there. She can hold you soon, okay?” 

In that moment, the entirety of Devildom could have exploded, and he wouldn’t have cared as long as he had his wife and children by his side. 

After a while, the nurses took the boys into a separate room where they would stay for a few days, at least until Sage was also ready to go home. Some time after that, she regained feeling in her arms and was allowed to eat and drink again. The doctor had stitched her up, and the curtain covering her lower half disappeared. 

Once she stopped shivering and finished eating, the nurses brought the babies back into the room for her to try breastfeeding. Beel actively stopped himself from commenting on how much they suckled, instead hypnotized by how immediately they took to eating and how natural Sage made it seem. While she fed one, he held the other two, and the nurses helped them swap. 

While at the hospital, Beel learned how to change their diapers and feed them from a bottle. After all, with only two boobs, it would be hard to time feeding three children. Sage was more than a milk-maker and deserved some time without a baby or a pump on her chest. 

He stayed the night, holding Sage’s hand as they slept, a blanket covering his body as he leaned back in the hospital chair. 

And to him, everything was going to be perfect. 

To him, a miracle had happened. 

Notes:

Not me forgetting it’s been weeks since I updated this because I’ve been stupidly depressed and also started a Mephisto/OC fic, so I was distracted 💀

Thank you so much for reading!

The final chapter, the babies will be here during a little postpartum epilogue ❤️

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Beelzebub and Sage’s Story
• Part 2 of Belphegor and Rosemary’s Story