Work Text:
Sigh.
How did it end up like this.
A crowded indoor place with dim lighting.
The sound of upbeat music with barely understandable lyrics reaching your ears amongst the noise.
And a familiar drunkard next to you.
Why were you even here.
"Now thas what I'm talkin' 'bout!.. A visit to the human world's always the best!"
Maybe you might have not been able to turn down Lord Diavolo's kind invitation to keep them company after hearing that he and Lucifer had business to attend to that just happened to be in your hometown. It would've been rude to decline when there seemed to be no apparent reason to. After all, you could as well tag along and take a look at how things have been like while you weren't around.
Well, or so you thought.
The next thing you knew, you were resting in an expensive bar accompanying Lucifer and the future king, with your little troublemaker sitting right beside you in a completely messy state.
"Weren't you the one whining about not wanting to run into those frightening witches every time you set a foot in here?" you asked, not expecting a reasonable answer in the slightest. "Wait- Mammon, wasn't that your seventh cup just now?!"
Honestly, was it that obvious that Lord Diavolo was the one paying? You quickly turned to do a double check after that last audible gulp. Much to your concern, he couldn't even seem to carry his head with the situation he's in, making you wonder what amount of booze consumption from the human world it'd normally take for a demon to get intoxicated, and how far past the point he was right now.
"Sigh, and to think that I allowed him to come here believing that he could lend a hand."
"I did lend ya lots of hands!" Mammon opposed, barely being able to put the words together.
"Now, now. Don't be hard on him, Lucifer. After all, he did help us out plenty today. It might be in his nature to act carefree but he tried his best to be of support, isn't he rather reliable? I'm sure you know that better than I do."
"Well, agreed," you concurred with the lord, "considering you trusted him enough to let him come with us in the first place."
"I should've known it would come to this," complained the black haired man closed-eyed, ignoring the knowing meaning in your commentary. "We can't continue our business with him in this state. He needs to rest."
His speech was interrupted by a notification sound from his D.D.D., followed by a sigh escaping Lucifer's lips.
"What happened?"
"Unfortunately, it seems we need to get back to our job right this instant."
"Then what do we do about Mammon?" Diavolo asked with unease.
You felt Lucifer's dark red gaze on you, sensing some hesitation behind it. "MC.. can you please accompany Mammon to his room?"
Accompany him?
Well, realistically speaking, it was gonna be quite a pain in the neck for you to reach there with him being like that, but you thought you could do this much at least. Besides, you didn't miss the worry for his little brother in Lucifer's voice, even if it sounded awfully close to his casual commands.
And maybe you also didn't want to let this chance to be with him to slip away, but no one needed to know that. "Alright then."
"Thank you, MC."
Smiling at his appreciation, you managed to slowly get Mammon up from his seat and held him close as all four of you exited the bar without creating any suspicion. Once you've found a more secluded place, Lucifer opened the portal back to the Demons' World, ready to see you two home.
"Let's go home, Mammon."
The red haired man waved behind your silhouettes, "Have a safe trip!"
"Thanks, good luck on your business!"
There you two were, within the borders of House of Lamentation's fancy entrance in the blink of an eye. What a fascinating thing magic was. The Devildom welcomed you with its usual dark sky and quiet atmosphere. If you weren't quite used to it by now, you surely would've been distracted by the eeriness of the environment. You took one look at the house, only to see that all the lights -except the ones that illuminated the hallways- were off already. Seemed reasonable that everyone would be asleep at this hour, well, maybe everyone but Levi. Nonetheless, you didn't want to disturb anyone by asking for help nor were you in the condition to.
Since you considered the possibility that Mammon could be too heavy for you to be able to lift him bridal style, instead you just decided to carry him with your one hand holding his torso from the side and the other pulling him closer over your shoulder.
You could feel his side muscles underneath the baggy clothes he wore from where you were touching. It suddenly hit you how built his body was. Remember, didn't he say something about working out and taking care of his body for the job? He may not be a Beel 2.0, but it wasn't out of the question to think he might've had a sixpack, right? He probably did, given the model he is. Or maybe an eight pack even..?
Anyways, trying to shake off the vivid image that just appeared in your mind, you found yourself thinking back to all your life choices that had led you to this very moment. Come to think of it, it was just Diavolo and Lucifer at the start. Why had Mammon of all people been so eager to come to the human world to begin with?
"Mmhm... you, smell so shweet."
You heard the man in question groan like a five year-old in your arms. A faint blush made its way to your cheeks at his sudden and uncharacteristically straightforward remark. Well, that caught you a little off-guard, alright. You looked slightly down at him from above your shoulder to see if he was sleep talking or something.
Although it was a little bit of a chore to carry him all the way to his room, you felt all your complaints disappear into the void at the sight in front of your eyes. Mammon the Avatar of Greed, with his puffed cheeks and flushed face from alcohol, yet wearing a relaxed sleepy expression in your presence, looked probably the most vulnerable you've ever seen him. Not to mention how this grown man who was supposed to be one of the seven rulers of hell, had the sweetest drunk accent in all three realms that made you try your hardest not to squeal this late into the night.
Angel or demon, how could someone be so lovable? This wasn't fair. At all.
Ouch.
Dragging the little himbo up stairs was especially hard, you had to admit. But you couldn't think of giving up now, because while you were distracted by this cute creature in your arms, your feet had already made their way in front of Mammon's room.
He yawned. "...Are we there yet?" he managed to ask with one eye barely kept open.
You felt him starting to move. Was he sobering up a bit? Maybe it was tonight's chilly breeze doing its job.
"Yes we are. Now if you'll excuse me," you replied him, stepping into the arrival destination and lifting off his bedspread with your now free hand. The blue eyed man mumbled something inaudible in the process, mixed with a few groans leaving his mouth.
Finally, there he was on his bed. Congrats! The mission had been completed successfully. A drunk Mammon, having been brought back home safely, was now laying tiredly on sheets as white as his soft hair.
He didn't look like he was tremendously bothered by all that drinking from before. Was it possible that the ones made in the human world affected demons differently?
You covered him with the blanket as you stared down at his pretty face and more or less started to scan his innate features.
Sigh. He was breathtakingly handsome. No wonder he was a top model. Aside from supposedly making a pile out of his looks, this little show-off probably also liked displaying his charms. You suddenly wonder how he'd react if you called him out on his attractiveness. Would he act all cocky and smug in agreement, or would he get bashful and immediately lose his cool on the spot?
Visualising that caused a soft giggle to come out of your lips and ruin the tranquility of the room for a short moment. Maybe now you should leave and not bother the worn-out guy any further.
"...rry."
Hm? What was that?
You turned back to face him properly, only to be met with an arm covering his upper face.
"...Sorry, MC."
His lips were trembling in an attempt to bury his guilt, shame, whatever he was feeling at this minute.
Your heart shattered at the sight, you couldn't help but sit on the empty corner of his bed and hear him out. "What are you apologizing for, Mammon?"
"I..."
His lips parted and closed with hesitation as if he waited for the words to come to him on their own.
"I'm sorry.. for taggin' along and caushin' trouble for ya."
Oh Mammon, you simply thought to yourself, not wanting to interrupt him when he was already having a hard time.
"I just.. I dunno, when I heard that you were gonna spend a whole day with those two again, I jus' couldn't leave ya alone."
Oh.
"To tell you the truth.. I can't bear to see others stealin' ya from me. Watching you smile so happily at 'em and stuff... It's pathetic, I know, how afraid I am of losin' you, MC. Havin' to endure all these feelings just 'cuz I ain't good enough.." He slightly turned away from your gaze before mumbling the last part, "..'m too shy to even be honest about my feelings for you.."
Oh.
You felt your eyes widen and heartbeat quicken at his utterance.
What did he just say?
He could talk much easier now, though you weren't sure if his venting meant the effects were indeed wearing off or the actual opposite. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his beautiful blue orbs still refusing to show themselves behind the arm they were hidden by.
Had he just..confessed to you?!
Mammon did?
Okay, to be quite honest, it wasn't as if you had completely dismissed the possibility. His actions could easily be interpreted as someone who was pretty much in love. That is, if this weren't your own story and didn't leave you questioning and doubtful about the issue every damn time, which just added to your current and gradually growing happiness at having your feelings reciprocated.
Having your feelings reciprocated, huh.
You were sure the crimson tint threatening to take over his whole face wasn't caused by just the inebriant from earlier now.
Your heart was practically pounding in your ears.
Gosh.
He was the cutest.
Mammon would remind one of a nervous middle schooler who didn't know what to do with his first ever crush. He was completely smitten with you. The guy just wanted you to love him back. You've become his whole world ever since the start of that exchange program. His greed would never be enough for him to want to trade your company for anything else. He hated himself for how much he needed you, how selfish he was when it came to you, and how he couldn't do anything about it. He hated feeling so hopeless, hated drowning in his insecurities, was embarrassed to show his weaknesses. He wanted the best for you, wanted to be enough for you. This dork loved you so deeply that he grew painfully afraid of the likelihood of your absence.
At this point, he was convinced his feelings for you was making him go absolute crazy. It was exceedingly overwhelming that he just wanted to hide away sometimes. You were the only human, no, only one who made The Great Mammon™ feel so vulnerable.
He loved you so purely. So strongly.
Oh boy, wasn't he absolutely whipped.
You lazily laid down next to the endearing demon, melting in the serenity of the mood and feeling the effects of sleep deprivation finally kick in little by little. His bed was so comfortable, it smelled like a mixture of his scent and, yes, must be his favorite Devilish No.5. Howbeit, it may have also been reeking of liquor now, as a matter of fact, but it was a small detail to tolerate.
Your eyes softened and the corners of your lips uncontrollably curled up into a smile as you examined the view before you. He finally fell asleep huh. The back of your hand gently brushed off his smooth cheek on its own that was unsurprisingly warmer in comparison.
"..Mammon," you almost whispered. You wanted to say so many things to him, you wanted to shower him with affection all over. Unfortunately you knew how exhausted you both were, therefore you figured just this much would be enough for now.
"I love you."
"...Mmhm."
A pair of arms embraced you tenderly in response.
If this place was demons' homeland, why did it feel like heaven right now?
Mammon wished this blissful dream of his would never come to an end.
The clocks indicated the beginning of yet another eventful day in Devildom.
The second born slowly opened his gorgeous blue-golden eyes in frustration. He was so damn sleepy, and why was his head hurting like hell first thing in the morning?
Just when he was about to bring a hand to his fluffy white locks, he realized that a certain someone was blocking him from doing so.
Blocking as in hugging him loosely, that is.
Just like the position he himself was currently in.
Thump.
His eyes went wide. He felt a rapid heat creep up and land on his upper cheeks.
Huh.
What?
What was up with this proximity?!
Why were you in his bed. Hugging him.
And why was he hugging you back.
He was too in the middle of a crisis to realize you leisurely opening your eyes shortly after, only to catch his own ones staring right back.
Mammon's face erupted.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!"
Clearly not expecting that, he instinctively pushed you away in fluster, luckily weak enough to prevent you from completely falling off the bed.
Now what the hell. Why was he so jumpy at the crack of nonexistent dawn?
"W-w-why are you in m-my bed, MC?!" the poor guy pointed at you bewilderedly as soon as he gained a bit of his composure back. "W-what in the Devildom happened last night?!"
Last night..? Oh yeah, last night. Maybe you shouldn't have fallen asleep next to him.. but you weren't going to back down now.
Getting a bit closer, "You really don't remember?" you teased, that damned smug expression visible on your face.
The tone of the question forced even more blood to his tanned cheeks. "Wha-?"
You chuckled at the innocent reaction. "Don't worry, we didn't do anything of that sort. You were drunk."
Drunk?
Come to think of it, he currently had his stylish human world outfit on him, while he was supposed to be sleeping naked like usual.
"Do you remember what happened after we got to your room now?"
Oh god.
He does. Now he does.
All those sappy shit he'd said. That ridiculous amount of oversharing. All his embarrassing confessions. All of them washed over him right that moment.
This was too much for him to handle. He couldn't function. Mammon.exe has stopped working.
"Mammo-?"
If he wasn't blushing before, he could swear his whole face to the tips of his ears was practically steaming now. He quickly got back into his sheets and relied on nothing but his blanket to hide him from the rest of the world, covering his head like an ostrich while shouting his embarrassment in his pillow.
A loving chuckle escaped your lips once more.
"Shaddup! Quit laughin'!"
Adorable.
"...Ahem." You felt the need to cough into your fist to mentally prepare yourself for what was about to come next. "You know, I just figured I needed to tell you.. that I was being honest when I said that."
Honest? What were you referring to this time?
You timidly looked aside even if you knew he couldn't see your current state with his eyes practically digged into the bed. "You know, when I confessed."
Hold on.
That wasn't a dream?!
With the intention of measuring how real it was, he rapidly got up to check for your reaction. As the troublemaker saw your nervous body language and the pink hue adorning your face, his majestic eyes widened once again in the span of five minutes.
No way.
You..had feelings for him?
It wasn't just something his mind made up out of desperation?
Mammon wore his perplexity very clearly on his fuming face. Don't misunderstand, he was happy, quite frankly way too happy that he had zero idea what to do.
"S-so, you mean that you, l-like me?"
Your confidence came back at his stutter, though the faint blush remained. "Like is an understatement. I've been in love with you for god knows how long. Everything about you is enchanting to me. You're all I think about during the day. You light up my whole world, Mammon."
Oh. You do.
Seriously, how could you say all this as if it was the most natural thing? Should you really be spilling this kind of stuff to him? Did he deserve to feel this.. flattered and delighted?
"..Well, what about you?"
The baffled lovesick countenance was replaced with a deeply reddened complexion yet again.
He looked aside. "I already told ya."
"I just wanna hear it one more time. Properly."
He groaned. You were gonna be the death of him.
Though it was a sensible request, one he was going to, nevermind, had to fulfill just for your sake.
With a determined look, the demon gently placed his both hands over your shoulders and looked you straight in the eye, trying his best to eat his nervousness away.
"I.. I l-like you, okay?" he internally punched himself for the voice crack. Aaah, screw it. He took one long breath before deciding to pour his heart out.
"Alright, I love you so much it's crazy. You're the only single thing on my mind all day. I don't even remember how my life was like before ya came, neither can I imagine one without you in it after all this time we've shared together. You really mean the world to me, MC. Everyday's so fun with you by my side. I.. want us to be together eternally."
He couldn't help but avoid your gaze towards the end. The words felt too narrow to express how important your very existence was to him, and he still cursed himself for how much he struggled at this.
However, the Avatar of Greed concluded that none of those mattered the moment he felt the sensation of your soft lips on his own tremulous ones, followed by the warmest smile the universe has yet to know.
"Me too, Mammon. Me too."