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“Took ya long enough.”
Mammon gives you his usual greeting as you walk into his room, carrying a bag with the snacks and drinks. You set the food down carefully and admire it. This was your first shopping expedition on your own without one of the brothers escorting you. “I think I got everything you asked for.”
You have only been in the Devildom for a few weeks, but Movie Night with Mammon is already becoming one of your favorite traditions.
He grabs his share of the snacks and a drink and flops down on the bed. “What’re we watchin’ tonight?”
“One of my favorites.” You smile at him and hand him the DVD case.
His bright smile fades quickly as he scans the title and cover art. “Uh…so what’s it about?”
“That’s a surprise. I hope you like it.” You get your snacks and join him on the bed. At first, you had used one of the beanbag chairs scattered on the floor while you watched movies with Mammon, but after a few times he had muttered, “Ya don’t haveta sit that far away, you know.” You had taken the hint and have been lying next to him on the bed ever since.
At first, you had been nervous that he would use the closeness as an excuse to get handsy with you, but he has never touched you, except accidentally. On those occasions, he usually blushed and mumbled, “Jeez, why’re you takin’ up so much space? I’m tryin’ to relax here.” And you rolled your eyes and scooched closer to the edge of the bed.
You lay down on your side, placing the bag of Devil Chips in front of you and your soda on the table. Mammon props himself up on his back and begins to chew noisily. “Ugh, can you keep it down? We won’t be able to hear the movie,” you laugh as you press play.
At the first sound of the sinister music, Mammon stops eating. “Hey! What kind of movie is this?”
You turn around and grin. “A scary one. You’re not already frightened, are you?”
“Pffft, no! I just wanna be ready in case you get scared.”
He stuffs another handful of popcorn in his mouth with elaborate nonchalance and looks back at the screen. You sigh and turn back over.
As the killer makes his first appearance, you feel a light spray of liquid and food particles on your cheek as Mammon yelps in your ear.
“Hey!” You swipe at the debris and look at your hand. “Yuck.”
“Uh…sorry. Lemme get somethin’ to clean ya up.” He hastily retreats to the kitchen to grab a towel.
He jogs back into the room, lays back down, and starts to rub the towel on your face. A blood-curdling shriek as the killer closes in on his victim, and Mammon screams and throws his arms around you, burying his head in the back of your neck.
You freeze. The noise of the movie fades into the background as you become acutely aware of Mammon's arms around your chest and his body pressed against your back. You feel his hair tickling your cheek and his short breaths on the nape of your neck.
“Hey there…,” you say softly. “Are you OK?” You close your arms over his, squeezing back.
He stiffens as he finally realizes what he is doing. He moves to pull away, but you tighten your arms, holding him in place. “It’s OK. You can hold onto me if you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared.” His voice is muffled in your hair. You turn to look over your shoulder and see him hiding behind you, eyes shut.
You laugh softly and hold his hands. “Ok, well, scared or not you’re fine right where you are.”
He opens his eyes and looks at you. The blue swirls with the gold as you see him struggle to accept this gift. His greedy impulse to hold you and not share you with anyone at odds with his instincts to never let anyone get too close, especially this human.
His gaze falls to your warm, welcoming eyes and smile, and he finally relaxes. One time couldn’t hurt the Great Mammon.
He presses himself against you, head resting next to yours. He loves how warm and soft and comforting you feel. The harsh music and shrieks from the movie don’t bother him now. One hand strays down to wrap around your stomach, pulling you even closer to him.
You let out a small hum of contentment and stretch a hand back to stroke his hair. “Ready to keep watching?”
“Yeah.” His lips brush your ear and his cheeks turn crimson. “Let’s keep goin’.”