Chapter Text
I was sitting in Alchemy 1003, attempting to maintain focus as the professor chuntered on about the Principle of Sulphur. It had been a week and a half since the shoot and life had essentially returned to normal, save for the fact that Mammon now got a little more slack from his brothers when he was on his D.D.D. I rested my chin against my palm and yawned; crisp air from a nearby open window drifted through the room and mixed with the monotone hum of the lecture, creating the perfect environment for my eyelids to gradually droop closed.
Ding.
My eyes opened instinctually at the noise and I glanced down at my D.D.D. in my bag, it wasn’t the source. The professor’s head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes, scanning the room for the perpetrator before slowly turning back to the board and resuming the lesson. In my peripheral vision I saw two demons whisper to each other, and was suddenly aware that I was being watched. I glanced over to them and they quickly looked away, resuming their gossip with stifled giggles. I felt a familiar sense of nervousness that I hadn’t experienced since my first days at RAD, they were talking about me . No, I’m just being silly; the novelty of the human exchange student had worn off long ago, no one had any reason to discuss me. I returned my attention to the professor and began to take notes.
Bzz.
The demon seated in front of me covertly pulled his D.D.D. from his pocket and checked it under his desk. He peered over his shoulder at me with raised eyebrows and a smirk. I was thoroughly confused and tilted my head questioningly at him, but he looked back towards the front of the class. I sighed and resumed my note taking, but the bounce in my leg gave away my anxiety. I wondered what had happened, if anything, and snuck a peek back to the two gossiping demons on my right - they both had their attention in their laps and were typing on their D.D.D.s.
Ping.
“That’s it!” The professor spun back around and snarled at us. “This is a no technology classroom, if you have a problem with that you can leave. Am I making myself clear?!” We all nodded timorously and his eyes darted to me. “No sleeping either… Don’t think I didn’t see you.” My classmates snickered and I dropped my gaze, blushing in embarrassment. It was 11:30 AM and the day was turning out great . I heard my name whispered from behind me and dared a look back at two demons exchanging hushed words as they took notes, but I couldn’t make out anything else they said. My chest tightened with dread, what the hell happened?
After what felt like years class finally ended and I stepped out into the hall. A group of demons loitering nearby spotted me and turned away to excitedly chatter as I walked by. Everyone I passed either averted their gaze with repressed giggles or blatantly stared at me, and I felt my face grow hotter with every step. I arrived at my Demon Law 1001 classroom and waited apprehensively for Mammon; this was the only class we had together and it had become a custom for one of us to wait for the other, usually me for him, so we could sit together. A few minutes passed with no sign of him and I sighed impatiently, class was due to start soon and I really didn’t need another tardy on my record thanks to him. Two demons walked into the room and side eyed me with a chuckle, only making me more restless. I spied Solomon making his way down the hall and returned the amicable wave he offered me as he approached.
“Hey, Solo! Have you seen Mammon?” I asked, knowing they shared the previous class due to Mammon’s constant complaining about him. Solomon smirked at me and crossed his arms.
“ Of course you’d ask where he is.” Mischief sparkled in the sorcerer’s eyes and I groaned, fed up with all the mystery.
“What do you mean by that? Why the hell is everyone acting so weird around me?” He raised his eyebrows and grinned eagerly.
“You haven’t seen?” I shook my head and he excitedly pulled his D.D.D. from his pocket, opening Devilgram and displaying his screen to me. My breath caught in my throat as my gaze fell to the newest post by Majolish - It was Mammon and me, tangled up in eachother, our lips almost touching. The caption read:
‘Tempt your lover with our new delectable collection... Coming soon.’
I hadn’t seen any of the pictures from the shoot up to that point and had almost forgotten the way I felt that day; overwhelmed, nervous, and excited . But seeing Mammon’s arm wrapped strongly around my waist flooded my mind with the memory of his touch, the smell of his cologne, the way he smiled when our faces were centimeters apart, and all at once those feelings came rushing back.
“Oh..” Was all I managed to say.
“Twelve different demons sent this to me in the span of five minutes.” Solomon laughed “You two are the talk of the town.” My heart was racing and the thought of going to class, knowing everyone was talking about Mammon and me, made me nauseous. Solomon must have sensed my panic and laid a sympathetic hand on my shoulder.
“Do you know where he is?” I asked softly and he shook his head.
“Sorry, no. He stormed out about halfway through the lecture, muttering something along the lines of ‘I’m never gonna hear the end of this.’” I sighed and nodded, there was no chance I was going to see him for the rest of the day. Even though we had been friends for a while I still was not privy to whatever Mammon got up to when he ditched school.
“Thanks, Solo.. I should get to class.”
“As should I, see you!” With a warm smile and a squeeze of my shoulder he was off. I braced myself and walked into class as the professor began the lesson. Every eye in the room was trained on me and I kept my head low as I slid into my regular seat, the empty chair next to me a glaring reminder of Mammon’s absence. A demon sitting to my left looked me up and down with a smirk, and I felt my whole body tremble with unease.
Class passed by in a sluggish haze. I couldn’t focus on the lecture and found myself obsessively checking Majolish’s Devilgram, every new like on the post sending pangs of anxiety through me. I made the mistake of checking the comments, and one in particular made my stomach drop to the floor.
‘Knew those two were gonna get it on.’
It had over a thousand likes and below it hundreds of replies in agreement. I didn’t recognize any of the usernames, which only made it worse. I hastily closed the app and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but I could feel the gossip swirling around me and it made me dizzy. Could today just end already? Finally the professor finished the lecture and, with no other classes scheduled for the rest of the day, I swiftly made my way back to the House of Lamentation, eager to hole up in my room and hide from everyone.
***
I was ascending the ancient stone steps to the front door when I felt my D.D.D. buzz in my pocket. I froze in fear of what I might find and hesitantly pulled it out, a message from Mammon sat on my lock screen.
‘Come to my room.’
While it was no different from the way he normally invited me over, something about the message sent waves of nerves through me, and it took longer than necessary for me to type out my response:
‘Ok.’
Making my way through the halls of the mansion felt like what I imagined walking the plank of a pirate ship felt like, and as I arrived at Mammon’s door I took a beat to steady my shaking breath before knocking lightly, half hoping he wasn’t there. My heart fluttered when I heard his voice from inside the room,
“Come in.” I opened his door and let myself into the spacious bedroom. Mammon was sprawled out on his bed staring at the ceiling, still in uniform, and as I walked over to him I noticed the distress on his face. I set my bag down and took a seat on the corner of his bed, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my chin atop them.
“Hey..” I whispered to him and he exhaled deeply, his gaze not leaving the ceiling.
“Majolish… Those fuckers..” I laughed softly and nodded in understanding. Even though realistically I knew the photos would be published eventually, actually seeing one and the response to it was astounding. Mammon huffed and pulled himself up to his elbows. He wouldn’t meet my eye as he continued, “Why’d they have to go and post that picture.. Now everyone’s thinkin’ we...” His voice trailed off and he blushed, dipping his head so his alabaster bangs covered his eyes. My cheeks went pink in kind and I sighed, restlessly fiddling with a loose thread on my uniform.
“Yeah..” I muttered “You’re lucky you skipped.. Everyone was being super annoying about it…” He sat up with a groan and tossed me his D.D.D.
“Tell me ‘bout it.” I caught the device and his lock screen lit up; it was packed with messages, all asking about me and us. My heart skipped a beat and I set the D.D.D. back on the bed, clearing my throat.
“Damn, I’m sorry..” He drew his knee up to his chest, turning his head away from me to rest his cheek against his shoulder, and sighed irately.
“It’s just…” He took a deep breath, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s bullshit!” He stood abruptly and started angrily pacing, I was motionless as I watched him. “They’re all gossipin’ and laughin’, sayin’ I-I’m in love with ya or somethin’!” He suspended his movement and looked at me, his expression earnest. I felt my cheeks flush red under the intensity of his gaze, and looked down to my shoes.
“People talk..” I said gently, trying to calm him down “It’s kind of understandable I guess.. With that photo and everything-”
“Well I don’t like it!” He cut me off, the severity of his voice making me flinch. Beginning to pace again, he spun away from me and laced his fingers on the back of his neck. I looked up and could see he was trembling, the way he often did before involuntarily taking his demon form, and I stood, taking a concerned step towards him.
“Mammon..” He came to a stop, still facing away from me, his head down. The air hung heavy between us, and when he spoke again his voice was low.
“It’s embarrasin’...” He tapped his foot against the dense carpet floor, the dull thud matching the frantic beating of my heart. I was uneasy, unsure of what would happen next, but something within me needed to know, so I asked.
“Why..?” I had heard plenty of rumours about Mammon in the past and, while some bothered him, I had never seen him this worked up over gossip before. It was just a photoshoot, right? We were just working and people got excited and overreacted because of the work, right? At least that was what I had been telling myself to try to cope with the crushing weight of the day. He froze, the tapping of his foot ceasing and plunging us into suffocating silence.
“W-well, uh..” the words were barely a whisper, and I took another step closer to hear him better. He let his arms fall to his sides and nervously fiddled with one of his rings.
“They’re just rumours..” I said, walking over so I stood behind him. He must have sensed me and shifted in place, and I watched him take a deep, shaking breath.
“T-they’re not, though..” Even though I was only inches away I had trouble hearing him.
“What?” I whispered. He balled his hands into fists and spoke again, his voice a little stronger.
“T-they’re not just r-rumours.. Ok?!” My heart skipped a beat and I felt my breath catch in my throat. My head was spinning with thoughts and emotions and I couldn’t put together a coherent sentence.
“Mammon.. I-I don’t… W-what do you mean?” I was paralyzed in suspense, heart racing, adrenaline surging through my veins. Mammon looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath before turning around, staring deep into my eyes with unusual fervor.
“They were right.” I gasped as he took my face in his hands, pulled me close, and kissed me deeply. Butterflies erupted in my chest and I melted into his embrace, closing my eyes and reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck. I felt him smile against my lips and his hands fell to my hips, gripping me tight and holding me against him, every touch sending tingles throughout my whole body. His lips were soft and I tangled my fingers in his hair, parting his lips with mine. He pulled away slightly to look at me, his face red and eyes full of passion, lips curled into his signature smile. Another wave of adrenaline hit me and I looked down, trying to hide the goofy grin that was most definitely on my face. Mammon exhaled a breathy chuckle and placed his finger under my chin, lifting my head to face him, and kissed me again. He held me like life depended on it and I felt his racing heart against my chest. I broke the kiss and laughed in spite of myself, giddy with fluster, and asked with a giggle.
“Now what are people gonna say?” He grinned at me and laughed as well, his thumb stroking my jaw.
“Honestly? I don’t care.” We both laughed and he lifted me up, pressing our lips together once more.