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Sounds of soft breathing filled the room, a tiny snore here and there. They were enough to slowly lull you to sleep, eyes beginning to fall shut – how long have you been sitting there now, waiting for him to wake up? Mammon’s head was rested on your lap, a calm expression on his face that you weren’t quite used to seeing. All the more reason to enjoy this moment, you told yourself, as you gently let your fingers run through his hair. You were surprised to find it softer than you expected his hair to be.
You could feel the fatigue growing stronger with every minute that passed, fighting to stay awake until Mammon would finally wake up. Not only because your current position proved itself to be very uncomfortable to fall asleep in, but also because your worry wouldn’t stop gnawing at you.
You hadn’t noticed your movements slowing until your hands came to a full stop, your eyelids feeling just too heavy to keep them open any longer. Closing them for just a couple of seconds couldn’t hurt, right?
“Eh, why are ya’ stopping?”
The voice coming from your lap startles you, almost forgetting to be quiet as to not wake Asmodeus nor Simeon up. As realisation dawns on you – Mammon had been awake long enough to notice you playing with his hair! – you feel the blood rush to your cheeks.
“When did you wake up, Mammon? And how are you feeling?” You whisper, trying to change the subject.
“My head hurts like a motherfucker,” he grumbles. You take note of the way he ignores your first question, but stay silent. A wave of curses falls from his lips, all of them directed at the source of his headache – Lucifer. It’s not the first time that you wonder if demons had better eyesight in the dark... If so, Mammon could definitely see your red cheeks if only he bothered to look up at you. Would anybody hear your silent prayers while you’re in the Devildom?
“Are you… not going to get up?” You quietly ask. He abruptly stops cursing, and you feel him turn his head to the side.
“I don’t think I can… It feels like – like the world’s spinning, ya’ know? I gotta keep laying down,” Mammon mumbles with a stutter, “Don’t go ‘round thinking I wanna stay like this... ‘cause I don’t! I could think of a hundred – no, a thousand! – more comfortable places to rest on then on some human’s lap!”
And if you didn’t know Mammon so well, those words would’ve stung. But by now, you feel as if you know him like the back of your hand. You know his vehement denial is just a façade, a pretence to hide how fond he really is of you.
“I could get you a pillow from the bed,” you begin to offer, but he shuts you down almost immediately.
“NO!” He’s a bit too loud, earning him an annoyed grumble from one of the occupied beds. “No, ‘cause… ‘cause if ya’ did that, you’d have to move and it’d make it more difficult to get comfortable again.” His words cause a smile to appear on your face, and this time you believe he’s the one blushing. Even though your eyes have adjusted fairly well to the darkness of the room, you can’t make out such fine details – you’re a bit sad that you can’t see him blush right now.
“All right, all right,” you whisper and slowly rest your hand back on his hair, slender fingers running through the soft strands. For a second, his whole body stiffens, but then he begins to relax once more. Neither of you says another word as you continue playing with his hair: he’s too focused on not passing out from pure bliss and embarrassment, and you’re simply enjoying how close he is to you. Sure, he’s fallen asleep in your bed a bunch of times already, his face only a couple of inches away from yours the next morning. But the way he let you caress his hair felt much more intimate than that.
The silence between you two lasts for a few minutes, and you begin to wonder if he’s fallen asleep again.
“Mammon?” You whisper slowly, trying not to wake him up if he did fall asleep again. But your worry proves to be unnecessary.
“Y-Yeah?” His voice cracks as he replies, seemingly surprised that you started talking again.
“Did you really start that fight because you were jealous of Asmodeus?” Although you feel nervous bringing this topic up, you try to focus on the soft sensation at your fingertips instead. You swear you hear him gulp before he answers.
“Pff… Me, jealous? No! I just… Thought you didn’t want him that close to ya’! You never know what he might do if you’re not careful around him…!” The demon sounds more flustered than before, trying to deny how much his jealousy affected him. Slowly, you begin to nod. You don’t think he’s at the point where he can admit to being jealous, and you don’t want to force him to admit it, either. It’s enough for you to know, and you believe that he’s aware that you know it, too.
“Good,” you begin, feeling your lips curl into a gentle smile. “Because there’s no reason for you to be jealous – after all, you’re my first man.” Mammon suddenly begins to cough, flustered to hear you say those words; his words. You can feel the heat as your fingers brush up against his ear, proof enough to know he’s a blushing mess. You expect him to say something back, an attempt to be witty, perhaps, but he remains quiet. Did you go too far by saying that?
You feel the slightest hint of guilt – you didn’t mean to tease him! Instead, you wanted to reassure him, to let him know how deeply you cared for him. Based on how the others treated him, and the first impression he made on you back then, you know he’s not used to such open kindness. Which is why you wanted to get him used to it… if not from his brothers, at least from you.
“You don’t have to compete with the others to gain my affection, okay?” You finally mumble, deciding to let it be for now. You’re about to close your eyes and try to nap before morning breaks when you feel his warm fingers wrap around your wrist. He doesn’t say a word as he guides your hand closer to his face, resting his cheek against the back of your hand. You almost think you felt his lips brush against your knuckles, but surely that was just your imagination… right? Instead, you notice his cheek burning up and you know it’s because of you. It melts your heart to witness him as soft as this.
“Sh-Shut up. You’re too kind for your own good...” He nuzzles his cheek further against your hand, almost desperate for your touch. It’s clear that he doesn’t want to leave you tonight, his jealousy and your words keeping him bound to you. You let out a quiet chuckle, wishing there was some way to capture this moment in a photograph.
A couple of minutes pass, Mammon quietly revelling in your gentle touch and your soft skin, before you have to stifle a yawn.
“I know you’re comfortable like this, but… I think I’d be more comfortable if I could lay down in my bed. Is that okay, Mammon?” After a couple of seconds, the warmth of his skin disappears from your hand.
“Y-Yeah, you humans need your sleep more than us demons, don’t ya’? ‘cause you have so little energy, and what not...” His voice trails off, trying to regain his usual cool composure. He sounds a little defeated, having to let go off your touch. It makes your heart yearn to keep him close.
“We do, yes,” you begin to say, not wanting to let him go yet, either. “We also get cold more easily. Do you think you could stay here? So I don’t get cold?”
“Pfft, I guess you leave me no other choice… I can’t just let my human freeze to death, can I?” He’s not facing you as he speaks, waiting for you to get up and lay down in your bed. His heartbeat is racing, and for a moment he wants to curse himself – you’re inevitably going to notice how fast his heart is beating! And then you’re gonna think it’s because of you! Which it is, of course. But if it was up to him, you didn’t have to know that.
As soon as you’ve gotten comfortable in bed, he walks over and sits down on the mattress. He’s a bit unsure what to do next – should he just hold your hand to keep you warm, or do you expect him to do more? But then you pat the spot next to you and he lays down, almost obediently. You’ve closed your eyes already, but he’s still staring at your face, wondering why he’s the only one blushing furiously. He keeps opening his mouth, then closing it again, trying to think of something witty to say – but then he notices your heartbeat slowing down ever so slightly. Had you already fallen asleep!?
Well, better for him. Now you won’t notice how much of a mess he is. Mammon waits a few more minutes, begging his heart to slow down before he carefully places an arm over you. You did ask him to keep you warm! And he can’t just disobey you, what with your pact and all…
“Ohhh, what are my beautiful eyes seeing~? Mammon’s finally gotten to snuggle up to her!” Asmodeus’ giggles, trying not to wake you up. He couldn’t care less about waking Mammon, but surely you’d end up waking up if he did and… well, that’s not something he wanted to happen. Instead, he smirked at Simeon, taking a quick snapshot of the two of you. The demon brothers’ group chat received the image within seconds, getting immediate responses from the others.