Archive of Our Own

After you calm down enough to quieten, the silence isn't broken until you both are significantly awake enough and your cups are half-empty.

"So what's the plan today?" You question as you settle down the empty vessel, and the demon brightens up immediately. You know he'll announce his plans whether or not you ask the question, but when you do, his voice takes an excited edge to it.

"The Great Mammon has a busy day! I've got some plans today!" He answers as he beams, an excited smile forming on his face as he downs the last of his coffee.

"I've got a meeting with the witches today and because of that I'm going to become filthy rich! They'll fall into the traps of the Great Mammon!"

"And you're coming along!"

"Obviously." You quip and watch Mammon fish out his D.D.D., checking the time before putting it back.

"You'll finally see how awesome I am!" He adds the last part as his hands card through his hair, which never seems to tangle.

"Awesome as in running away from debt collectors and colliding with me?" A deep voice from the doorway makes Mammon freeze.

Lucifer's strict tone has an immediate effect on Mammon, who starts quaking in his boots when he sees the first-born's scowl.

The dark- haired demon grabs his own cup of coffee, and when he passes you he gives an affectionate pat to your head, humming as he takes a sip of that 'sweet, sweet liquid' and walks out again, in a better mood than he was before.

Coffee really does wonders to even a demon, huh?

Breakfast is the usual affair, for Beel inhales his food and you've prevented Belphegor from falling asleep more than once in his bowl of soup. Satan and Lucifer bicker as they usually do, while Asmodeus periodically checks his face for any traces of extra makeup, or just to admire himself.(The demon pulled out a mirror from a pocket once, and from that moment onwards your suspicion that the latter is true was set in concrete), and Levi arrives late as always, to find out Beel has eaten his food.

Mammon flashes you a grin as he bites into his bread and you wink, for today's plans are industrious. Hopefully, you won't end up coated with egg or other foul substances, this time. Or have to run away from geese.

The walk to R.A.D. is short, and you and your best friend` discuss subjects ranging from his hatred of curses and hexes to superiority of cats or dogs. Mammon claims crows are the best. You're yet to see how.

Everything goes smoothly, until Curses and Hexes class pops up and when you're about to settle in your seat and pull out your notes to revise, someone becomes very insistent on poking your back with a pencil.

"What?" You hiss as you crane your neck to see Mammon fiddling in his seat with a look of helplessness on his face. Immediately, you turn around, and just as you open your mouth to ask what's wrong the demon beats you to it.

"I forgot to study for the test!" Mammon confesses as he stares at his textbook in bewilderment and when the Latin doesn't make sense, he chooses to rest his head on the textbook, as if osmosis might do the job. You sigh as you shake your head, taking out the notes you made with Satan. This isn't the first time this has happened, but hey, you got each other's back.

Turning behind so that you're facing the white-haired demon, you chide him softly. "Of course you did. I warned you to study for it, didn't I?"

Your best friend groans. "Sorry." He mutters, already planning to accept defeat and another scolding from Lucifer. He looks guilty, and you can't help but open your notes. When Mammon sees them he beams, an adorable smile forming on his face.

"I knew I could count on you!" He cajoles, and the happiness that emits from him makes you raise an eyebrow but you shake your head and begin a quick summary of basic spells, one that will ensure Mammon passes at least. Thank Satan for tutoring you. Curses and Hexes passed smoothly, without having to not mutter answers, and not risk being caught.

After you both get home, the second thing you do after taking a shower is a nap. Because R.A.D. is exhausting and also because your collective antics wear you out. When your head hits the pillow, you sigh in blissful relief, the plushness already making you feel relaxed.

You chuckle when you remember how a demon was very confused on learning that all his pens and pencils were 'disappearing' one by one. They weren't vanishing into thin air, but instead being chosen as high-quality 'sticks' by a crow. The pens were shiny, and of course the crow would be attracted to them.

Mammon's always been attracted to shiny things, you reminisce as you finally drift off to sleep, a sense of tranquility washing over you.

Almost.

Because you can hear footsteps approaching and the door opening.

You pretend to be asleep.

You can feel the mattress dip under new weight as a hand comes to violently shake your shoulder. "Oi! MC!" Mammon's voice rings out loudly, and when someone's shaking you that hard, you can't pretend to be asleep unless you're Belphegor.

The scowl on your face is terrifying as you stare at Mammon through half-lidded eyes. "What?" You hiss, and the demon shakes his head before pulling the blanket away from your body. You try to clutch to it in the hopes you won't be separated, but you don't stand a chance against his grip.

"We were supposed to go together!" He whines, shaking your shoulders even more violently as he urges you to sit up, which you do begrudgingly, and gape at the demon.

You grumble. "Let me sleep—"

And you immediately shout in surprise because Mammon has literally swung you over his shoulder. You forgot how determined he could be when it came to his interests.

Your fists come to pound at his back in an attempt to make him free you. "Let me go Mammon—all right I'm coming, but for the love of everything that is unholy let me down."

Mammon laughs as he puts you down, and tells you to meet him at the entrance as he secures Goldie, so that his brothers can't reach it.

~

You regret this.

You wish you had stayed at home, wrapped up in your blankets.

Staring at a flower growing from a crack has become so boring.

Mammon hasn't come outside since an hour. The building itself is shady, but Mammon paid no heed to your words or concerned look, smiling and merry as he went inside with the witches.

The laughter died down quickly, and was replaced by faint whispers, which quietened down too. You've considered screaming for Mammon and bolting, but you won't, not yet. But Lucifer's number is on speed-dial, a precaution for when shit breaks out.

A text from Mammon breaks you out of your reverie.

Huh?

Your face twists in confusion as you stare at the text, as if gaping at the screen will make you understand the meaning of 'hellfire naked.'

Devildom has..particular ingredients when it comes to their cuisine. Like hellfire mushrooms and newt, or a boar leg the size of your torso. Mammon likes dried blackbelly newt legs, and scorpion in some kind of sauce. You would prefer sticking to desserts that won't burn your esophagus.

A scream makes your head snap toward the iron gates.

It's Mammon's voice.

He's never sounded so terrified, not even when Lucifer hung him from the chandelier for a whole day.

He's in danger. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, you run forward and attempt to open the gates, but they don't budge, not even shaking as you try to channel your meagre human strength into opening them.

A growl escapes your lips as you pull up your sleeves, and do the only thing you can come up with. Climb the gates. It's stupid, but it's worth an attempt.

So, with determination in your head to save your best friend you climb the iron, barely managing to reach the top. You cheer, giddy as if having climbed a mountain, but an iron gate is an impressive feat too.

But when you look down, only then you realize how tall the gate is, and what parts of your body would bruise if you jump.

Shit, shit, what do you do now? Your D.D.D. lies on the bench were you were sitting, and now calling one of the brothers also seems impossible.

But the glowing pact on your body reminds you.

Mammon, you close your eyes. Mammon, where are you? Are you okay?

You feel his answer in the back of your mind, even if he isn't speaking you can feel the message as you sigh in relief.

But your happiness is short lived, because the next thing you know is that the window has been shattered due to a figure slamming into it, and you almost fall due to the shock.

The blur of white-hair tells you it's Mammon.

Screaming, but it's Mammon.

"You idiot." You begin, numerous scoldings already threatning to spill past your lips at having given you such a fright and being the reason for your predicament but before you can even speak the first syllable, the demon has already climbed the gates like a monkey and is now standing on the other side. huffing and panting.

"How," You begin, eyes widening in disbelief. "It took me a hell lot of time to get here and you've already scaled it twice." Mammon shakes his head as he shouts for you to get down.

One look at the height has you reeling.

You mutter in denial. "Not in a million years, nope. Have you seen the height of this thing?" Mammon shouts in frustration as he motions behind you. "What?" You frown in irritation, and when you turn your head, a curse escapes your lips.

Hellfire snakes, more than twenty of them.

Goddammit.

You can't jump, nor can you let the snakes catch you, because they climb things quickly. But you don't want a bone to be broken too.

Hopelessly, you stare at Mammon for any solution.

The demons open his arms. "Jump!" He screams. "Jump and I'll catch you!"

Already, a noise of protest is about to spill past your lips, but when you see a snake coil itself around the gate, with a scream you're off.

The fall is short, thankfully, because you've latched yourself onto Mammon, who nearly topples over at the force you've jumped at him with, but sets you down as he shouts at you to run.

You barely manage to ground yourself, adrenaline still thrumming through your veins as you pocket your D.D.D., and when you see Mammon in the distance, you cry in fear, because the snakes are almost near.

You're frozen in place, shaking as a snake approaches, fangs bared and malice in its eyes as it prepares to strike.

But then you register someone's hands pulling you on their back.

"Mammon?" You whisper, and the demon grunts in response as he adjusts your posture, and instructs you to hold tightly, which you do, and in a moment he's off, scrambling with you on his back.

He's rushing through alleyways and passages you never knew of.

"I told you to run!" He mutters harshly as you finally escape the alleyway and into the streets, where Mammon ungracefully drops you on the ground, and you huff as you try to brush the dust off your clothes.

"I'm a human! I can't run as fast as you!" You retort back, fuming as you sit on a chair in front of a cafe. "You fucking own me."

Mammon says nothing, instead opting to pull another chair and sit besides you, sighing as he rests his head on your shoulders, and just when you're about to ask what happened this time, the ringing of your D.D.D. interrupts you.

"Whose it?" Mammon slurs, already half-asleep as he glares at the screen.

"Shit," You mumble. "It's Lucifer."