Pride, with Oga and Beel! This is the next of the 100 Confessions Competition's one shots, still for the team Remedy Darkness. It is an attempt of humor from a very heavy angst and tragedy-writer, so please be kind and tell the truth of my stupidity and where I make my mistakes and go too far. I have no humor, so I need as much guidance as possible!
Disclaimer: Own nothing from the manga Beelzebub.
It was Saturday, and for once, Oga and Beel were not out on the streets chasing some trouble. Both of them were still lying in their bed, sleeping in for the day, until the younger one stirred. The baby sat up slowly, yawning and rubbing his eyes sleepily. He then turned his head towards the bottle of milk lying beside the bed, reaching out his hand.
"Dah!" he said stubbornly, crawling to the edge of the bed and reaching out again, trying to use his super-hero-powers to make the bottle fly into his hand. It did not even wobble or move. "BaDAH!" he growled, his naked butt closing in on Oga face as he got ready to launch his body at the table.
The young man wrinkled his nose, turning his face slightly in his sleep. The baby backed a little farther, extending his run-up a little more. His one foot hit his parent on the mouth, finally opening his eyes, and a hand shot up, hitting the little baby-demon on the stomach and lifting him up into the air. "What the hell are you doing?" he grumbled, his mind still asleep.
"BUUUH!" the baby said, fending towards the bottle of milk. Oga growled and sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes in a manner much like the one Beel had just done a few minutes earlier. "Abuh!" he continued, annoyed that his food did not reach him immediately after having gotten his parent's attention.
"Keep your mouth shut," Oga said, yawning and scratching the back of his head, obviously trying to drag himself out of the unconsciousness that still clouded his sleepy mind. A clock inside his head began alarming him, and he turned his eyes onto the baby fast enough to see the tears building up in his eyes. He might be going to cry. "Okay, okay!"
The panic was audible in his voice, the thought of getting electrocuted not fitting him this early in the morning… or day. He grabbed the bottle and gave it to the boy, knowing he could eat without his help. Then he stood up and took on his clothes slowly, ignoring as the baby slowly emptied the bottle. It was first when he was putting on his shirt as the final act of decency that he forced to turn to it.
"Bah!"
"What?" he asked, mildly irritated.
"Mah-ah!" Beel said more urgently, slamming the bottle into the blanket of the bed to let his actions speak for him. Only a parent or another person spending a lot of time with the small boy would have a chance of understanding his actions.
"No, you won't get anymore!" the young human said, sticking his head out of the shirt he was still trying to get on. "This is all you need for breakfast. If I give you more, you are going to get fatter, and I don't want an even fatter baby on my back, so beat it!" He finally managed to get the shirt fully on and turned to the baby again, who was trying to make a puppy-dog-face without ever having encountered a puppy. "That is not helping."
He scooped the baby up and turned as it settled on his back, going down the stairs to fetch breakfast. Hilda sat at a chair on the other side of the table; waiting for them to arrive to make sure that her young master was well when he awoke. The baby was grouchy, still not having forgiven the young man for his lacking kindness, and this immediately alarmed the wet nurse.
"What is it, young master?" she asked, her eyes filled with a dangerous mixture of worry and anger towards the dark-haired human as she took the baby away. The bad mood of her precious master was in her head always caused by bad parenting on Oga's part. The baby just growled annoyed and made the most irritated face he possibly could, just to prove that the doings of the world was not going to his favor.
Oga ate while ignoring her words, working on plans for the day. At the last bite his eyes narrowed slightly, before he stood and pointed at Beel. "We have an important task to do!" he said, his face looking much like the green-haired baby's determined one. Even if he had no idea what his parent was about the do, he was sure he would love to help!
Hilda, on the other hand, was not impressed. "What are you up to today?" she asked, looking at him suspiciously. "If it causes the young master to be in danger, you know I won't take it lightly."
"Oh, it is none of that," Oga promised. "I am just going to show Beel how to be a man! A man can't go around crying all the time and pouting and acting stupid, no, he is standing tall all the time. That is what I am going to teach him!" Beelzebub's smile faltered, and he crossed his arms with an expression that claimed he had everything the dark-haired had just said.
"Beh," he commented, making it sound like as finishing remark, but none of the two elder persons seemed to consider it so. No matter what, the idea was not stopped, and Oga brought the young boy onto the street with Hilda following at a safe distance. She even looked mildly amused as the baby was put on the ground, naked as always, with Oga in his front.
"First, you have to stand well!" the teenager said, straightening up and taking up his chin. "No one shall be able to push you and make you trip or fall. A man is only as good as his stance!" He kicked out with his foot, gently for his person, but still hard for a small baby like Beel. The baby fell to his butt, tears welling up in his brightly green eyes.
"No tears!" the delinquent said, pointing a finger at the small face. "Feel your heart beat, feel the pride fill you, feel the strength! You are a man, not a weak, little boy, understand?"
The baby stood again, his eyes still filled with the tears of hurt as he tried once again, a stubborn look in his young face. He spread his legs as far apart as his small, fat body could handle, as if it would make his balance better. Even before Oga could say anything, he lost his footing and ended on the asphalt, his butt getting very red on impact. He cried, new tears filling his eyes, but without even getting a finger from Oga, he began trying to hold them back.
Then, with a lot of dramatic effects in the form of overly large movements and his own, mouthmade sound effects, he got back on his feet and tried his stance again, this time actually succeeding in staying on his own feet. He balanced himself better this time, crossing his arms and straightening his back as much as he possibly could. Though looking stupid, his actions made Oga smile.
"That is the first step for me to let you stay by my side! You are becoming a real man." He did not notice the crowd beginning to form around them to see what the hell was happening and why a naked baby stood on the sidewalk. "Now, walk like a real man."
"Ah," the baby answered, walking towards him. His straightened back made it hard for him to walk straight, making him stumble every few steps, but he kept walking nonetheless.
"Are they trying to teach him to walk?" a concerned woman asked her shopping partner, watching them from twenty meters away. "And why is he naked?"
"I don't know," was the answer she got from the other woman. "It doesn't look healthy."
"Come on, three more steps, you can do it," Oga commented after Beel began being more steady on his feet and having his body under control. "One… Two…" The baby nearly wobbled, the last step taking longer than the rest, but suddenly his right foot ended on the ground for the second time.
The human howled with excitement, feeling happier about the achievement that the baby had made than he had thought he would. His insides bubbled pleasantly, filling him nicely to a surprisingly high state. As he threw the green-haired baby around the air, as though those step actually were the boy's first steps. "You will end up a real man some day, kid!"
On the side, Hilda found herself feeling surprisingly secure about the actions of the young human. As soon as she realized this, she sought for the reason and found the expression on the human's face the reason for her calmness. The normal violent teenager had the face of a true parent having experienced a miracle in the upbringing of his child.
