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You’re walking down the halls of the House of Lamentation when there’s an arm thrown over your shoulder and a voice in your ear. “Heya, human.” You immediately recognize Mammon’s voice and send him an annoyed glance. You told him days ago to use your name, but he seems intent on not doing so. Sensing your unfavorable thoughts, the demon huffs. “I was thinking—” Suddenly, Mammon freezes. You raise your eyebrows and stop in your tracks, turning to face him.
“What?”
“You’re bleeding,” Mammon remarks, gaze flitting about your face. You bring a hand up to your cheek, but you don’t feel anything. On a whim, you put a hand under your nose. When you remove it moments later, you find droplets of blood against your skin. You have to resist a laugh at the irony. You had never gotten nosebleeds back at home, but the Devildom seems to be impacting your physical state.
“It’s just a nosebleed; I’ll be fine,” you’re quick to explain. Unfortunately, Mammon doesn’t seem to be paying attention to what you’re saying. His eyebrows are furrowed and he crosses his arms over his chest.
“Is this normal for humans?” You’d be honored at the concern in his voice, but you’re too focused on trying to stop the bleeding. It doesn’t seem to be working very well, as your hand begins to turn bloodstained.
“I think so,” you remember to respond moments later. You move to lean against the wall ever so slightly, feeling exhaustion tugging at your core. Since when were you so tired? You rub your eyes roughly with your free hand. Your eyelids sting, you note detachedly.
“You think so,” Mammon repeats sarcastically. His gaze has yet to leave your face and you’re beginning to wilt under the sheer pressure of it. Mammon has been one of the least intimidating brothers, what with his near constant supervision of you. The insistence of his gaze now is rather intimidating, though, you must admit.
“I’m not an expert on humans, Mammon,” you sigh, moving to push yourself off the wall. Something about the quick movement throws you off balance. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you’re hit with an intense wave of vertigo. You blink and your vision is blurred. Colors swirl before your eyes and you lurch forward. Just before you fall to the ground, you’re unceremoniously tugged back up.
“You almost fell over,” Mammon states, staring at you with an unreadable expression on his face. His hands have yet to fall from your waist, despite your little tumble being several seconds ago.
“Oh, ha, sorry,” you mutter, weakly grasping at Mammon’s extended forearm for support. Despite your proximity, the Avatar of Greed’s face is still blurry and hazed. You can't make out any of his facial features. The dizziness from earlier seems to be flowing and ebbing. “Hey, Mammon?”
“Yeah?” You can't discern the tone of his voice. It almost sounds worried. You frown and try to get the words out, but they're stuck in your throat. Your vision is still filled with swirling shapes. Bringing a hand up to your face, you’re surprised to find more blood. You had thought it to be gone. You say as much to Mammon, but he just frowns and says something in a distorted voice. Before you can process what he’s saying, your knees are buckling from under you and everything is falling to black.
When you wake, you nearly hit Mammon in the face. He recoils quickly, with an uncharacteristic shriek. He is quick to criticize you, to which you respond that he was leaning over you with only a few inches between the two of you. Mammon growls, but he sits down at your side without any more complaints.
It takes you several moments to realize that you’re reclined on the sofa in the common room. You fainted in the hall. Does that mean that Mammon carried you here? The Avatar of Greed exhales slowly.
“I carried ya here,” Mammon remarks, crossing his arms over his chest and averting his eyes. His bronzed skin has the slightest hint of pink, as if he’s a bit flustered. Before you can assess that observation any further, the demon continues to speak. “It wasn’t hard for the Great Mammon, of course.”
You raise an eyebrow and look down to find your hand in Mammon’s. Even when you bring this to the Avatar of Greed’s attention, he doesn't let go or sputter in embarrassment. Silence stretches between the two of you once more. You’re too exhausted to try to fill it. Fortunately, Mammon speaks before you can truly stew in the awkward tension.
“You scared me,” the demon says, in a bout of uncharacteristic honesty. Mammon isn’t one to speak his mind, instead preferring to dodge around things and speak vaguely. It’s surprising that he’s being so upfront right now.
“I did?” you ask, unable to keep your surprise from your voice. Mammon doesn’t say anything, but he inclines his head ever so slightly. You frown at the realization. That explains his sudden clinginess. “Sorry.”
“Just— Don’t do it again!” Mammon exclaims. “Stupid human. Hmph.” Motivated by a sudden burst of spontaneity, you squeeze his hand in reassurance. The demon’s head whips up comically fast and he stares at you. Before you can ask him just what he’s doing, the Avatar of Greed is leaning impossibly closer.
Your heart begins to race in your chest as Mammon’s gaze flits down to your lips. The demon tilts his head to the side, as if asking a question. You nod and he quickly breaks the distance between you. His hands bracket your jaw as he nearly pushes you back into the sofa. Just before you can begin to reciprocate, the doors to the common room open with a loud clatter. You and Mammon burst apart, but it’s far too late. The damage has been done. You chance a glance at the doors, only to find Satan standing in the doorway.
“Just get a room, you two,” the demon says, rolling his eyes. Mammon turns an interesting shade of pink and stammers out excuses, which only makes things worse. You chuckle under your breath. Mammon sends you a betrayed look, but it doesn't last very long. You send him a grateful smile in response and he murmurs something under his breath before running away. Satan then sends you a knowing look, which you valiantly pretend not to notice.