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You tried to hide your smile as Mammon walked down the stairs, late as usual. You were prepared to wish him a happy birthday and expected the others to do so, considering how much attention Lucifer got.
“Mornin’,” Mammon directed at you, sliding into his seat. You opened your mouth, but before you could say anything, Lucifer’s voice rang out.
“Mammon.” You noted how Mammon sat up the slightest bit straighter, an improvement to his lax form. He seemed almost expectant. “I heard you failed another quiz. I’m disappointed in you.”
Mammon’s expression soured, but he didn’t say anything. You were confused. Lucifer was going to jump straight into the scolding without even sparing a moment to wish Mammon a happy birthday? While on-brand for him, it still seemed a bit rude.
“It was a pop quiz,” Mammon muttered. “If I coulda had time to study I woulda done well.”
Lucifer scoffed. “That seems highly unlikely, considering the pattern present here. You are one of the Seven Demon Lords. Do not bring dishonor to our names.”
Holy shit, that was severe. The stick up Lucifer’s ass seemed bigger today.
Mammon picked at his food. The table was silent for a moment before Asmo spoke up, talking on about some new trend. Usually, you would pay more attention to what he was saying, but you were more focused on Mammon, watching him out of the corner of your eye.
No one, not one of them, wished him a happy birthday. You wondered if you had somehow gotten the date wrong, but a quick check-in with Karasu, who you had set to automatically alert you to everyone’s birthday, showed it was, in fact, Mammon’s birthday.
September 10th.
He hadn’t mentioned it at all. When you thought about it, Mammon seemed like the type of guy to shove his upcoming birthday in your face in the days leading up to it, but that had never happened. In fact, you probably wouldn't have remembered without the alert.
After putting your dishes away, you paused for Mammon, who needed a moment to gather his things. He quickly joined your side, and the two of you were the last out the door, walking a little behind everyone like you normally did.
Maybe he didn’t want his birthday mentioned?
No, that definitely wasn’t it.
Even in September, it was hot. You didn’t yet know what the beginning of winter looked like, as it was only your first year, but it seemed as if the seasons were timed a little differently down here, with spring hitting around the middle of April, which was odd.
You rolled up your sleeves, wishing you didn't have to wear the uniform jacket.
You loved the walk to RAD in the morning. It was pleasant, but not hot enough to be sweltering like it was in the afternoon. This morning, there was a slight breeze, just enough to ruffle your hair and feel nice against your skin.
Mammon was uncharacteristically quiet beside you, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. You weren’t sure what to do. You had planned to run into the store after school to get him something, but that didn’t seem like enough, what with everyone forgetting. Well, you assumed you were forgetting. To purposefully ignore their own brothers’ birthday was cruel, even for them.
Maybe they were doing a surprise party?
No, you would’ve been involved in it.
You and Mammmon’s hands brushed and without letting yourself think too much of it, you linked pinkies with him. He blushed, but curled his finger around yours willingly, staring straight ahead.
Forcing yourself to think of something other than Mammon and his birthday, you thought about the school day ahead. It was a block day, meaning you had half your classes for twice as long, and since today was a B-day you had Curses and Hexes first, followed by Mathematics, then lunch, then Seductive Spellcraft and Magical Potions to finish it off.
You had a quiz in math, and you were going to copy off Solomon during lunch for potions, but other than that it was a pretty easy day, which was always nice.
Walking into the gates of RAD, you all split up to head to your separate classes. You had none of the demon brothers in your first class, but you did have Simeon, who would always wait for you. Spotting him un your usual meet up spot, you reluctantly let go of Mammon’s pinky, calling out a “goodbye!” over your shoulder.
“Good morning, MC,” Simeon greeted warmly, flashing you a smile.
“Morning, Simeon.” The two of you fell into step, heading towards your classroom.
“How are you? You seem a little down today?” Simeon turned towards you, eyes reflecting concern.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” you waved him off. “Just thinking.”
“If you need to talk I’m always here,” he offered, and you smiled. He truly was an angel, in every sense of the word.
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The two of you split up, heading towards your respective seats. Placing your bag by your feet, you pulled out the materials needed, waiting for the class to start.
It eventually did, and thankfully you were only taking notes, so you didn’t have to focus too hard. Dutifully copying down the theories and instructions listed on the board, you tried not to think about Mammon and his birthday.
You just felt bad.
He was someone you cared deeply about, and to see his, well, existence, go basically ignored seemed wrong. You wanted to do something for him, but you had limited supplies and capabilities, especially on such short notice.
The bell rang, startling you. Was it already time for your next class?
Waving at Simeon, you headed to mathematics. You were in the middle of a group project, so you put all of your efforts into that, forgetting about Mammon for the class. Your project was to plan a road trip and calculate the cost of gas, living expenses, and food. Since you had limited knowledge of the Devildom geography besides the places you had been to with the boys, you let the others plan the route and calculate miles while you worked on living expenses. It was a fun project, but it involved a lot of steps.
By the time lunch rolled around, you were hungry. Walking quickly to beat the crowds and avoid the lines, you made it to the cafeteria when there were still few people there.
Getting into line, you decided what to choose out of the options presented. Levi joined you, cutting the people behind.
“Hey, MC, did you hear about the new show coming out? I can’t wait to see it!” Levi was tapping away at his D.D.D, probably playing some game.
“I saw the trailer for it, but I’m not sure how I feel,” you answered truthfully. “Levi, is there anything special about today?”
He looked up at you. “Not that I can think of. Why? Was there some sort of game release or something?”
You frowned. So they, or at least Levi, had forgotten. “No, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Willing to take you at your word, Levi shrugged, grabbing a tray. You followed after, grabbing your food. Sitting at your normal table with the rest of the brothers, you playfully knocked Mammon’s shoulder, stealing a few fries off of his plate.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, guarding his food. “What was that for? Eat yer own food!”
You grinned, showing the fried in your mouth. “No.”
Feeling your phone buzz in your pocket, you answered it, surprised to see Barbatos’ name on the caller ID.
“Hello?” Scanning the lunchroom, you made eye contact with him. Why hadn’t he just come up to you?
“MC. I know you want to do something for Mammon’s birthday.”
“How do you-”
“All-seeing time lord, remember?” His tone held a note of humor. “Anyway, I have a plan. There is a car in the parking lot of the school, that has swimming suits, a picnic, and everything you’d need for the beach.”
“Diavolo's?”
“Yes. Now, as a responsible person, I shouldn’t be suggesting you skip school, but I also know Mammon is deeply upset, and the sooner you head out the better. You will know the car when you see it. It is by the back of the lot.” Barbatos gave you a small smile. It was nice of him to do this for you. The two of you had formed a small bond, with you going over to the castle to bake and spend time with him often.
“I see. Thank you for doing all of this.” You felt like a weight had been lifted off of your shoulders. This was a perfect surprise, and obviously, only you and Mammon would be going, which was nice since lately the two of you hadn’t been able to spend much time one-on-one lately.
“It’s no problem. Leave the car at the House of Lamentation and I will pick it up tonight. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” you echoed, watching as he hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Satan asked, kicking your foot under the table.
“Oh, someone in History of Magic needed my help with something,” you lied, maintaining eye contact. He seemed skeptical, but dropped it, returning to his book.
You were supposed to copy off Soloman, but if you weren’t going to potions, there was no need. You finished lunch, throwing your tray away. Sitting back down at the table, you sighed, tapping your foot anxiously. Lucifer was going to be pissed that you skipped.
“Everything cool?” Belphie asked, looking up sleepily.
“Yeah, you’ve seemed a little off all day,” Beel agreed, and you grit your teeth behind your smile.
“Oh, no, I’m fine. Just woke up feeling a bit off.” So they could notice your weird attitude but not the reason behind it? Wow.
“We’re here for you if you need something,” Lucifer vowed, and you resisted the urge to scoff, smiling at him brightly.
“Thanks, but really, I'm good.”
Tapping your foot as the table fell into an awkward silence - the tension coming from you was palpable, even as much as you tried to suppress it - and the brothers could obviously feel it.
When the bell rang, you stood up fluidly, waiting for Mammon. It was lucky that the two of you shared the next class without any others, so you could pass of making your great escape as heading to class.
“Ready?” you chirped, and Mammon followed you out of the cafeteria. Once you got out of sight of Lucifer, you grabbed Mammon’s hand, pulling him along.
“MC, what’s goin’ on?” Mammon asked, coming easily enough. You grinned, your bad mood fading as you got closer to the doors.
“C’mon!” Exiting the school, you scanned the parking lot, smile growing when you spotted the cherry red convertible in the back of the lot. “We’re going to the beach.”
“Seriously?” Mammon gawked at you, disbelief all but dripping off of him.
“Yep!” Climbing into the driver’s side, you found the keys in the center console. Mammon trailed a finger along the shiny siding, but with a little prompting, sat in the passenger side, buckling up.
“Happy birthday,” you finally said, starting up the car. Mammon laughed, a stark, raw sound.
“This is for my birthday?”
“Duh.” You pulled out of the parking lot, pushing your phone at Mammon. “What else? Now find me the address of Diavolo’s Beach. Barbatos texted it to me, I think.”
Mammon did as you said, directing you to the first turn. Tapping your hands on the steering wheel, you grinned, feeling the wind whip your hair into a mess.
“Hey, put on some tunes, won’t you?” You gestured to the stereo, and without hesitation, Mammon turned it on. It was already set to CD, and Mammon’s eyes widened when he heard the first strains of music.
“This is my favorite album! MC, how’d you know?” Ah, you owed Barbatos big time. Instead of answering, you turned it up.
A few songs and turns later, you made it onto the highway, or at least the Devildom's version of one. A song came on that you knew, one Mammon had played for you before, and you turned the volume up, shouting the lyrics.
Mammon joined in on the chorus, and even though neither of you had a magnificent singing voice, you couldn’t help but admire the sound of his voice blending with yours. When you glanced at him, he was looking out of the windshield, eyes bright. He looked over, perhaps sensing your gaze, and smiled, eyes bright in the sun that was still mostly overhead.
Eventually pulling into the private beach’s lot, you turned down the music, looking around. Like the last time you had been, it was empty, with beautiful blue water and pale sand. Up a little bit was the line of trees you and the brothers had rested in, the shade nice and welcoming.
“We’re here,” you saung, turning off the car. Turning around to find the swimsuits, you dug in the bags, finally finding them and the towels.
“Where am I supposed to change?” Mammon asked as you handed him his shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Oh yeah. You hadn’t thought of that.
“I guess just face away from me and I’ll face away from you,” you shrugged, watching his ears redden. It really was the only solution, besides heading up to the trees, but that would take too long.
“Really?” Mammon yelped, looking at you in disbelief.
“Yeah, I mean,” you frowned. “Unless you don’t want to turn away from each other?”
Mammon sputtered, and you bit back a laugh. Sometimes teasing him was just too easy.
Getting out of the car and turning away, you quickly pulled your suit on, folding up your uniform. When Mammon announced he was done, you spun back around, throwing your clothes into the seat. Grabbing the other bags Barbatos had packed for you, you looked through them, deciding to leave the picnic stuff in the car for now, as you both had just had lunch.
Giving your D.D.D one last look, noting all the missed texts and calls, you held the power button effectively turning it off. They could deal with it.
Gathering the umbrella, towels, hammock, blanket, and inflatable raft into your arms, you smiled at him. “Ready?”
“Uh, yeah.” Mammon led the way to the water, sunglasses perched jauntily on his nose. Stopping, he eyed the sand, having found a flat spot. “This work?”
He helped you set up, settling the umbrella firmly into the sand. You spread the blanket beneath it, already a little sweaty. The water was going to feel great.
Blowing up the raft took a few minutes, but once done with that, you eyed Mammon. “Race you to the water?”
Without waiting for an answer, you took off, laughter floating behind you in the soft breeze.
“Hey!” Mammon called indignantly, chasing after you. He caught you when you were about knee-deep, tackling you into the water. You gasped as the coolness of it enveloped you, putting a hand up to your face so your sunglasses would stay on.
Spitting out water as you surfaced, you watched him pop up, hair covering his eyes. He pushed it back, and you realized he must have left his sunglasses on the blanket, as there was no way he’d let them come off.
“That was mean!” you accused, wiping water off of your face.
Mammon shrugged. “I gotcha, though, didn’t I?” Dancing away from your reach, he gave you a smirk, and you couldn’t help but laugh.
The sun was warm on your shoulders, making the water glitter, the light glancing off it every which way. It was almost too bright, even with your sunglasses.
The two of you played in the water for a bit, just letting loose. Occasionally, one of you would splash the other, laughing as the other tried to retaliate. Your limbs grew heavy, and Mammon might have realized this, as he made it to the shore, bringing back the floatie. It was an abnormally large one, so the two of you could both lay on it, relaxing as you talked.
Chatting aimlessly, your thigh warm against his, you couldn’t stop the wave of affection that washed over you. Mammon was truly an amazing person, willing to be there for you, even he tried to pretend he wasn’t. He had his fair share of troubles, just like you did, but you felt the two of you could defeat anything, as long as you were together.
“We’re pretty far from our stuff,” Mammon observed, and you looked to the shore, realizing he was right. The gentle waves had brought you a ways away, pulling you down the shore.
The two of you walked back in knee-deep water, pushing the raft. By the time you were able to drag it onto shore, your stomach was growling, and you could tell Mammon was getting hungry as well.
“I’m gonna get the food basket,” you told him, starting towards the car. The cooler was a little heavier than you expected, but you managed to carry it, along with a bag of food that didn’t need to be cold. Setting the food down, you grabbed your towel, joining Mammon in the shade made by the umbrella.
Handing over a bag of chips and a sports drink, you reminded Mammon to keep up his hydration as you took your own, grateful Barbatos had included your favorite flavor.
Time passed lazily, and eventually, Mammon’s head was in your lap. He was telling a story, and without thinking, you brushed a hand through his hair, making him stop talking, a blush covering his cheeks. You repeated the action and he sighed, relaxing completely as he let himself like the feeling.
“Hey, MC, thanks for doin’ all this,” he said, and you bit your lip.
“This was Barbatos, actually,” you admitted, and he waved your words off.
“I figured you had help, but intention is enough. Ya wanted to do somethin’ for me, ya wanted to remember my birthday.” He paused. “I dunno what I’d have done if everyone forgot again.” His voice broke, and you cupped his cheek with your hand, leaning down so he could see how sincere you were.
“I would never,” you vowed. “You’re my first man, after all. I’d do anything for you, which in all honesty isn’t some great feat. It’s what you deserve.” Your throat was a little thick, and Mammon’s eyes were glassy.
“I don’t think just anyone would directly defy Lucifer, though,” Mammon joked, and you smiled, sitting back up.
“Well, I don’t think Lucifer can do much about it. I have power through the pact, after all.”
Silence followed your bold but true declaration, and you looked down to see Mammon watching you in wonder.
“Yer my favorite person,” he eventually said, and it was your turn to blush, hand stilling momentarily in its actions.
“I’d hope so.” You raised an eyebrow. “You only know two humans.”
Mammon scowled. “You know what I mean. I like you best out of everyone.”
“Wouldn’t you know, I like you the best too,” you admitted freely, and he looked torn between pride and embarrassment, settling for a mix of the two as he lightly batted your side with a “don’t just say stuff like that, stupid!”
Laughing, you defended yourself, exhaling contentedly. This was the perfect outing.
Deciding to head back into the water, Mammon pulled you along. The water was colder now that you had adjusted to the outside temperature, so it took a moment to get used to it. Mammon had no such reservations, instead diving headfirst, body visible in the clear water.
“Let’s see how far out we can go!” Mammon decided, and you shrugged, swimming after him. The water grew steadily cooler, and pretty soon, no matter how deep you dove, you still couldn’t touch the bottom.
Treading water took energy, so you turned on your back, staring at the impossibly blue sky. It was getting later, and you realized sunset would soon arrive, bathing the horizon in pink and orange hues.
Mammon ended up floating next to you, his shoulder occasionally brushing yours. You encouraged him to tell you stories and felt an irrational surge of anger every time he apologized for rambling. As if you wanted him to stop talking.
By the time the two of you pulled yourselves out of the water again, it was nearing sunset. You pulled out sandwich stuff and the two of you sloppily made some, using your fingers to spread [your choice of condiment, if any] on the bread.
Settling back into the sand, you watched Mammon make his sandwich, face screwed up in concentration.
“Why’re ya lookin’ at me?” he asked roughly, turning towards you to meet your gaze.
“Sorry,” you said carelessly, obviously not sorry at all, and he rolled his eyes fondly, going back to his task. Now that it was nearing sunset, it was a little cooler, and as the wind hit your skin, you shivered, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by him.
“If yer cold my shirt’s over there,” he offered, and you grabbed it immediately, sliding the yellow button down on. Mammon gave you a once over, and you spread your arms, showing off.
“What, don’t I like good?”
He blushed, closing the lid of the cooler. “Ya should just be grateful The Great Mammon is lettin’ ya wear his clothes.”
“Oh, I am,” you said sincerely, already warmer. Mammon moved next to you, and you both ate for a bit, watching the sky fill with bright colors as the sun went down. Right before it slipped beneath the horizon, you pulled out the cake from the bottom of the cooler, brushing the ice off of the packaging.
Pulling the plastic top off, you grabbed the candles and lighter Barbatos had packed in a different bag, sticking them in the cake. Mammon watched you quietly.
Obviously, you couldn’t do all of the candles to represent his age, so you stuck with ten, lighting them one by one.
“Here you go.” You held the cake in his direction. “Make a wish.”
He didn’t ask you to sing for him, and you didn’t offer, not even sure if the Devildom had a birthday song. Instead, he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. With one good blow, all of the candles were extinguished, barely noticeable tendrils of smoke drifting up from them.
“I’d tell ya my wish but,” Mammon trailed off, and you finished the thought.
“Then it wouldn’t come true, I know.” Setting the candles aside, you handed him a fork, gesturing for him to go ahead. Who was going to stop you from eating it how you wanted?
Mammon grinned, teeth flashing in the fading light. Taking the fork from you, he scooped up some cake, basically inhaling it. “It’s good,” he confirmed, mouth full, and you grinned.
“It should be, it’s a Barbatos original.” Taking your own forkful, you shoved it in your mouth, abandoning your manners.
“I know I said this earlier, but really, thank you,” Mammon’s voice was small, and you turned to look at him as the sun finally slipped below the horizon, bathing everything in a hazy blue. “Before you came to us, my life was so dull. I spent my time and money on things that didn’t matter, hoping to fill that void in me, not realizing I was just making it worse. But then you came,” he paused, swallowing. “and it felt like the greed inside of my was finally sated. I had finally found the thing I had been wanting my entire existence as a demon.”
You pushed the cake off of your lap, sliding closer to him. Wrapping your arm around his shoulder, you waited patiently for him to get his thoughts in order.
“And you just kept getting better, even willing to take the blame for me and stand up for yourself and others. You helped us improve our relationships even though we weren’t the best to you, never asking for anything. I just want you to know how much you mean to me and how absolutely honored I am to be your first.” He pressed his cheek to yours, tone reverent.
Welcoming the contact, you pressed back, physically showing you were there for him. “It has been crazy and hard to be down here, and sometimes I want nothing more than to scream, but I wouldn’t change being here for anything. I wouldn’t change you for anything.”
The two of you sat in silence for a moment more, but as it grew later, you knew you should pack up and head back, even if you didn’t want to. Briefly wondering if demons had night vision, you took care of the food, while Mammon gathered the umbrella, towels, and deflated the floatie.
Putting everything back in the convertible, you grabbed your clothes, deciding to leave your suit on and pull them on over it. Reluctantly shrugging out of Mammon’s shirt, you handed it to him, grabbing the keys from your uniform pocket.
You’d need your D.D.D for directions, so you booted it back up, quickly turning down the brightness.
[18 missed calls from ‘Lucifer’]
[2 missed calls from ‘Satan']
[1 missed call from ‘Beel’]
[1 missed call from ‘Belphie’]
[4 missed calls from ‘Asmo’]
[3 missed calls from ‘Levi’]
[106 text messages]
“Oh shit,” you whimpered. “We’re dead. Lucifer’s going to kill us.”