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Mammon was hurtling towards you at incredible speed, the office chair’s wheels nearly spinning out of control. He grabbed the corner of a desk as he went by it, propelling himself even faster. You crouched behind the Majolish couch, laugh-screaming at a higher and higher pitch as he came closer.
He whooped, pulling his legs up into the chair. “MAMMOOOOOON--”
The chair slammed into the bottom of the couch and he came tumbling out, flung into the throw pillows that cluttered the couch’s surface. You gasped, standing up to lean over him. It was hard to speak between your giggles, but you managed. “Are you okay?”
“I’m harder to hurt than that,” he said, sitting up but still touching his head tenderly. “How cool did that look?”
“Not very.” You glanced at the chair, which was still lazily drifting through the office. “At least the chair didn’t break.”
“It’s made of tougher stuff than your flimsy human chairs.”
You raised an eyebrow. You moved a throw pillow to sit next to him. “Like what?”
“...Plastic.” He waved a hand, dismissing any objections before they began. “But DEMON plastic!”
You both laughed, laying your heads against the back of the couch and staring at the Majolish office ceiling. You were both interns for the publication rather than the modeling section. Majolish had hired you for every Wednesday and Thursday, when they normally needed help exporting their magazine for print on Friday. Mammon loved this place, but you didn’t care about it at all. You just took the job to spend a few nights with him where he wasn’t scheming or getting beat up by his brothers. Usually the staff kept you busy, and the two of you just exchanged exasperated looks across piles of paperwork.
But this week they’d gone to a conference somewhere else in the Devildom, leaving the two of you alone in the office, with your only job being to pick up the magazines on Friday and hand them off to the delivery company for Saturday distribution. It had been an amazing two days--the two of you talked and joked and messed up the office and showed each other stupid videos. You kept getting the urge to talk to him about romance, to ask him if he was after any of the girls that modeled for Majolish, but you held yourself back. You were dying to know, but you also really didn’t like the idea of him using his playboy handbook on any of the girls here. Maybe any girl at all. You shook the idea off time after time--talking to him about it would open a can of worms you didn’t want to get into. He wasn’t into you because he treated you like a friend, and THE Mammon never was subtle when he flirted. So you kept yourself contained, always telling yourself to not cross that line.
“I hate that we have to come in tomorrow for like, twenty minutes,” you complained, rolling your head to look at Mammon, still resting on the back of the couch. “We won’t even get paid for it.”
“I’m still going to log it, they owe me my ten Grimm!” He turned his head too, face coloring a little pink. Blue eyes met yours. “We could do something, while we’re away from RAD.”
“Like what?”
“I dunno…” He chewed his bottom lip. “Get food, see a movie?”
“Oh.” Sounds almost like a date, you thought, and then sighed internally. You crossed your legs to give yourself a moment to stuff the thought down. He’s not subtle, you’d know if he wanted to go out . “I don’t have money for that right now, Levi convinced me to buy some stupid ticket for a raffle and now I’m broke.”
“I’ll pay,” Mammon said, sitting up.
“What?” You smirked sideways. “What kind of trick is this, hm? Is this another con? Are you trying to get me to sell more tea?”
“No tricks.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the floor. “I just, y’know… Wanna… go out. Get out.”
“I get that,” you said, tipping your head side to side. “I get stir crazy if I don’t get out of RAD every once in awhile too.” You clapped a hand onto his shoulder. “I won’t complain then. Let’s do it.”
He grinned. “Hey hey hey, you won’t regret it!” He jumped to his feet. “Don’t be late!”
* * * * * *
Friday at six, you stood outside the Majolish doors, scrolling through Devilgram. The delivery had gone smoothly, with the pickup guys coming just a few minutes after the magazine had been dropped off. There was no sign of Mammon though, so you handled it all on your own and you were just twiddling your thumbs. You had thrown on boots, a skirt, and a blouse, but now you were regretting the choice a bit. It was colder in the Devildom as it got closer to the winter. You crossed your arms, lifting your head. Don’t be late? Mammon, you’re the one making ME wait.
“Hey,” came his voice as he rounded the corner, the puff of his white hair showing up in your peripheral. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Making me wait is gonna cost ya,” you said with a theatrical sigh, and suddenly stopped. He was wearing a black sweater with little gold beads and a red scarf, with a blue coat you’d never seen before. He wasn’t wearing his signature glasses either. He looked… softer, all his chic edge rounded off. Cute... You took on a teasing tone to cover how flustered you were, pulling at his clothes. “Did you dress up?”
“I--no, no, I just always look this handsome. You’ve just never noticed, human.”
“ Human, huh? Been awhile since you’ve called me that,” you said. Though you were still teasing him, internally you worried. Uh oh. He usually only does that when he’s upset or feels insecure. Should I not have teased him about his clothes?... “You look good,” you added.
He smiled a little. Were his cheeks pink from the cold? “Damn straight I do. C’mon, we’ve gotta eat before the movie. I already got the tickets.”
The two of you walked through the Devildom streets, slowly slipping back into your normal banter. The lights that hung above the cobblestone had been painted red and orange and gold to resemble leaves. Every once in awhile you’d sneak a glance at him when he laughed or did a theatrical gesture. You liked him softer like this-- he seemed to have taken down most of his facade for you, and in the warm light, you couldn’t help but see how sweet he looked when he smiled.
Despite the lights, the night got colder and your arms became permanently wrapped around your shoulders. While he was lamenting the prices of a novelty pen, he noticed your strange pose. “Are you cold?”
“Just a little, it’s fine,” you reassured him.
“It’s still a walk to the theater and the restaurants.” He took his jacket off, holding it out to you. “Here.”
“Oh Mammon, you don’t have to--” he shook it, looking away from you with his face turned downwards. “...Thank you.” You took it from him, sliding it on. It was pretty big on you, and it was already warm from his body heat. As you wrapped it closed around you, you couldn’t help but smile behind the high collar. It smelled like him, like gold and warm desert stones and leather. And… “Are you wearing cologne?”
“C’mon human, let’s go. Before I freeze to death.”
You hurried along behind him, burrowing deeper into the jacket. What did I do to upset him? He seems pretty mad… He was hunched, hands shoved deep in his pockets and walking so fast you almost had to jog. If he was just cold, he wouldn’t keep calling me that old nickname. Oh Mammon, why don’t you just TELL me what’s wrong?
He only slowed down when you got to the front doors of the little diner. He held the door for you, face still turned down. You sat and both of you ordered and it felt painfully quiet. “Mammon?...” You extended a hand across the table, your fingers barely poking out of his jacket sleeve. “Are you okay?”
He looked at your hand and then crossed his arms, nodding. “I’m fine, yeah. Just mad about the price of the milkshakes here. It’s a scam, I tell you, them charging this much!”
His spirit was back, but you could tell it was somewhat forced. Something was bothering him, but he was trying to keep it to himself. Which either meant it was very serious, or it was about you. Mammon aired his grievances with all the demons in the Devildom, but not with the humans. He refused to tell you when you’d hurt his feelings, trying his best to look cool and tough whenever you were around. You could only wait it out and hope you’d overhear something, or that he’d get over it.
Dinner was rushed and awkward. You were worried enough about him that you were forcing it too, and you knew he could tell. You walked into the movie theater in his jacket, feeling so close to him but equally far away.
Mammon pulled tickets from his pocket and showed them to the usher, who pointed both of you to a theater. “Which movie is it?” You looked over posters as you walked by: Devil’s Baby Momma, The Great Impish Caper, Raising Razor, and Burn Scars. You’d wanted to see Raising Razor for weeks, and as you approached the end of the hall, you gravitated towards the theater.
Mammon didn’t follow you. You turned back to see him standing sheepishly at the door to another theater, hand on the handle. “Burn Scars? The romance?” You blurted, and then felt awful. He was on the verge of storming off, and you really wanted to make sure he was okay. “How did you know I wanted to see that?”
He raised his head a little, some of his sparkle coming back into his eyes. “Cause I’m smarter than anybody gives me credit for.”
You smiled, a genuine smile for the first time in the last hour. “You sure are.”
The theater was mostly empty, with a large bachelorette party near the front that chattered in a high whine. As you climbed the steps, you wondered why Mammon had picked a chick flick. He hates romance films, and you normally did too. Did it mean something more? Could it be that he… No, no way. I would know if he was flirting with me, it would be like trying to ignore a yacht. He must have picked it cause he thought it was girly enough, he thought I’d like it. But despite what you told yourself, you could feel your chest tightening a little, heat to the surface of your cheeks.
You and Mammon sat near the back, and you took off his coat. “Do you want this back?”
“Keep it. It’s cold in here too.” He put his feet up on the seat in front of him. “Money-making idea number eight hundred and seventy-six: Movie theater with big lounge chairs. Everybody wants to put their feet up, and you could get ‘em to stay for multiple movies. Charge an exit fee instead of an entrance one.”
“That’s genuinely a good idea,” you said as you draped his jacket over your front like a blanket. “I’d go there.” You tried to settle into your seat but the arms were too close. You shifted to the left and then to the right, unable to find a good spot.
Mammon raised his eyebrow. “What’s with all the squirmin?”
“The seat’s too small for me to sit comfortably,” you whined, trying to pull your feet up under you, “I like to have my legs up.”
“Lucky for you, Mammon knows the secrets of the movies. Watch and learn.” With a dramatic gesture, he took the armrest between you and raised it, pushing it back into the seat. “Voila.”
You let out a “oooooh,” lifting the one on the empty side of your seat too. “That’s nice.”
Mammon draped his arm along the back of the seat, smiling. “Good thing you’ve got me with you, or you wouldn’t have figured it out.”
Time slowed for a few heartbeats--you could have sworn several hours were passing, but you could see a trailer was playing in slow motion on the screen. Something came over you. You brought your legs up onto the empty seat, and then gave yourself a little push. You slid into the space under Mammon’s arm, resting your head on his chest. AHH! WHAT AM I DOING?!
You felt him get stiff, and heard his heartbeat race. You were tense too, your heart running its own marathon. You were simultaneously aware of every inch of your body and having an out-of-body experience, trying to engrave every little thing into your brain but feeling the adrenaline make everything speedy and numb. Both of you held completely still, scared to shatter the moment somehow. Very, very slowly, he relaxed, sitting back comfortably into his seat. His heart rate didn’t slow though, and yours was keeping pace. You swallowed, mind racing too fast to form sentences. You just kept taking shallow breaths feeling the warmth that radiated from him. You caught another whiff of his scent, mingling with the cologne he had put on. It smelled like spiced cocoa. You zoned out past the screen, just taking in the sensations.
The last trailer was one for Raising Razor, and for some reason, you would much rather have been right where you were than in another action flick.
And then the film started. Burn Scars was a story about a demon who had been hurt by love before falling in love with a demon who had fire powers. The two of them started on opposite sides of the devildom, with the fire-power-girl moving to the big city to try and make her way. Her city friend set her up on a blind date with a guy, and at first, they really didn’t care for each other. The first date was incredibly awkward; the guy got her name wrong, he didn’t hold the door for her, and the waitress ended up being somebody who knew his ex. The bachelorette party was still chattering full swing, but you could make out what the characters were saying regardless.
You glanced at Mammon when he didn’t laugh at one of the jokes. His white hair had been restyled with stress, spiked into the air. He had covered his face with a hand, cheeks bright red, wincing. “What, you don’t like awkward comedy?” you whispered, looking up at him.
“I don’t like bad first dates,” he grumbled, pulling away from you and crossing his arms.
You sat up, pushing his jacket to the side. “What do you mean?” Your blood was rushing through your face and almost roared through your ears.
“Don’t be stupid, you know that tonight sucked. I could tell you were having a terrible time at dinner.” His face was the reddest you’d ever seen.
“Mammon,” you murmured.
“And you didn’t even want to go see this movie, I took you to some dumb chick flick that you hate and it’s an awful movie--”
“Mammon.”
“And I’m sure you only said yes cause you have nothing better to do and I’m just some random idiot who--”
“MAMMON!” You whisper-yelled, smacking him on the arm. He jolted, unfolding his arms. “I didn’t freaking realize it was a date!”
He blinked at you. “Huh?”
“I didn’t know it was a date! I thought we were just like, going out as friends! I don’t know, I didn’t think you’d be into me like that-- hey, why are you laughing?!”
It started as short exhales, then it grew into a chuckle, and then a full-blown belly laugh. He put a hand on his stomach, eyes squeezing shut in merriment as a huge grin overtook his face. You tried to be mad at him-- it wasn’t funny Mammon, it was embarrassing, it was awkward, you had to talk about it-- but by the Devildom he looked so cute like that, just letting go. Your upset melted away, and you started to laugh too. You let the tension and fear go out of you in a hearty laugh, finally quieting the group of girls at the front.
“It’s not that funny,” one of the bachelorettes called in your direction, but you ignored her.
“And everyone thinks I’m the stupid one,” Mammon said as his laughter died down, the grin still plastered all over him.
“I’m only smart to a point, I can’t be a genius all the time,” you pleaded, still giggling.
He sobered a bit. “So you really didn’t know?”
“I just… didn’t understand, I guess.” You pulled the jacket back over you, feeling like you needed a defense. “I never thought you liked me, cause you go after all those other girls and you never treated me like that.”
“That’s ‘cause you’re different. I like you a lot more than any of ‘em.” You finally made eye contact, the deep blue of his eyes seeming invisible in the dark theater.
“Really?” Your heart was so fast you didn’t even feel it anymore, face hot.
“You really are stupid huh? You never noticed?”
You shrunk into the jacket a little. “Noticed what?”
“How I do crap for you all the time? How I wanna spend all my time with you? How I took a freaking desk job at Majolish for you?” On screen, one of the characters fell, and the group of girls laughed.
“What?! I took the Majolish job for you! ” You grinned again, smacking your forehead. “By the Devildom…”
He smiled a little, but it was weak. Nervous. “So you wanted to spend time with me?”
“Of course I did. I still do.” Your body felt like it was melting.
His voice was softer. “So are you okay with this being a date?”
You nodded, unable to find words. “Mmhm.”
Without telling your body to, you leaned closer to him. Both of you were deep in each other’s eyes. His shoulders turned towards you. Though you didn’t think the words, you knew that tiny little motion, that body language meant he was, for sure, into you. In that moment, everything beyond the two of you ceased to matter. The sounds of the movie and the girls were gone. Mammon raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, a silent question. “Can I kiss you?”
You shut your eyes and brought your lips to his. Everything boiled over inside of you, heat and excitement filling up your chest and zapping up your neck through your face and into your skull. His lips were soft, and they just fit with yours like they were meant to be there. You felt his fingertips touch your skin, sending another electric response through you. His hand slipped over your cheek, holding you gently but creating another explosion of feeling that washed over all of you. You remembered to take your first breath and smelled him again, feeling the warmth of him flood over you.
You wanted more of him, you wanted to be closer to him--you brought your hands out of the jacket, one touching his chest and sliding up to his hair and the other wrapping around his torso, pulling him closer. His hair was soft and you could feel that it was still spiked up from his nervous shuffling, and you smiled into the kiss as you wove your fingers into his hair.
“What’s so funny?” He asked, lips still pressed against yours. He traced his thumb along your cheekbone, prompting you to half-open your eyes for a second.
“Your hair is spiked.” You ran your fingers through it to punctuate the point, seeing him melt a little under your ministrations. You smiled more. “And you like when I do that, hm?” His eyes drifted shut as you open and shut your fingers, toying with him. He dropped everything that he held between you, letting himself be utterly vulnerable as he leaned into your touch. You took the opportunity to shrug the jacket off, looking over the both of you.
You decided, right then, that you wanted more.
In one fluid motion, you pressed your hand flat against his head and then pushed yourself up and over him. You sat down again on his lap, knees on either side of him, bringing his head with your hand. He opened his eyes again. You expected alarm, but his expression had shifted. The gold in his eyes glinted, seeming to take over his irises.
He wanted you too. And he wanted you bad.
(I wrote a NSFW chapter which is what happens AFTER this scene, if you want to go read it here.)
Your DDD rang, jolting you awake out of your half-sleep. You were in Mammon’s room, sprawled across his couch, wearing just his sweater. You pawed around, looking for your phone. Eventually your hand landed on it and you raised it to your face. “Hello?”
“Hey! Just wanted to say we’re back in town and the delivery company said everything went smoothly. How was everything?”
Your eyes shifted to the other side of the couch. Mammon was sprawled out, mouth open, a snore rumbling up from his chest. He was wearing crumpled silk boxers, with little money signs on them. His hair was like a dandelion. You smiled a little, slowly laying your fingertips on his leg. The snoring paused for just long enough for him to smile, and then he rolled over.
“Amazing. It was amazing.”