Chapter Text
It was a peaceful day at the usually blustering and chaotic household of the House of Lamentation; the 'humble' abode of the Seven Avatars of Sin and more recently the human exchange student - Mc.
Beelzebub and Belphegor were cuddling on the sofa with Mc, the human themself was nose-deep into a supposedly interesting novel gifted to them by Satan, Asmodeus was in his room; perhaps trying out some new skincare products, Satan was busy tending to his beloved cats while reading, Lucifer was fully focused on his paperwork, Leviathan was watching anime or maybe gaming and Mammon ?
Well, the second-born was nowhere to be seen.
Overall, everyone was engaged in some activity and there was an unusual quietness maintained in the normally loud household recently.
Just then, Satan entered the living room.
" Has anyone seen Mammon ? He said he'll help me out with a project today. " Satan said in a confused tone.
After all, the fourth-born hadn't seen Mammon since breakfast was over.
" Oh, he said he was heading to the Purgatory Hall to hang out with Luke and Simeon. He said Luke had invited him for lunch yesterday. " Mc said nonchalantly or maybe they knew what effect it had over the others in the room. Who knows ?
It didn't matter whether Mc knew the effects of the simple statement or not but it was shocking enough to startle Belphie awake; who had already begun to doze off a few minutes ago.
After all, wasn't Luke; the resident angel chihuahua, THE greatest hater of demons at this point ? He made it clear through the way that he almost always seemed to be barking at the demon brothers like an angry chihuahua everytime they attempted to converse with him, didn't he ? So why was HE out of all people, actively hanging out with Mammon out of all people ?
There wasn't anything wrong with it. It was just a little...odd…
" You know, he's been hanging out with the angels a lot recently, specifically Luke. Plus, he also seems to have developed a greed for knowledge recently due to him reading to Luke when they are hanging out, so if you want to find him any other time your best option will probably be Purgatory Hall or the RAD library. " Mc continued; giving Satan a sweet, close-eyed smile.
Nevermind. They definitely knew EXACTLY what they were doing.
" Oh…I see, I don't particularly need his assistance immediately. Still, thank you for the information Mc. " Satan murmured; returning MC's smile with a smile of his own.
However, the statement ' He also seems to have developed a greed for knowledge recently due to him reading to Luke when they are hanging out. ' did make Satan feel a little…different…
Mammon was the one that single-handedly raised Satan, took care of him and looked after him.
He was the one who introduced him to the world of books.
As Satan grew up, their bond became more distant.
Yet,
Mammon was always going to be HIS 'Mammy'.
So, the statement had visibly struck a chord in Satan.
Mammon should be reading to him, it should've been him who restarted the greed for knowledge in Mammon, Mammon was HIS Mammy NOT Luke's.
The statement made him feel…envy…
However, the incident wasn't mentioned again. Yet, it definitely had started something.
-
" Hmm ? Something smells nice...Wait, Mammon ? What're you doing ? " Beel asked in confusion.
Beel wasn't blind and neither did he have a cold. He knew very well that Mammon was cooking but wasn't he banned from doing so ? That too for good reason. The last time he had tried to cook, he nearly set the house on fire.
" Oh ! Hey Beel ! I was just tryna ta cook some celestial food. " Mammon said in a cheerful tone.
" Huh ? Didn't you say you forgot how to make celestial food ? " Beel said in confusion and a tinge of sadness.
Mammon had stopped cooking a long time ago and claimed that he had 'forgotten' how to cook celestial food. Yet, Beel loved and missed Mammon's cooking. It was Mammon who usually cooked their meals since Lucifer was often busy with his angelic duties. Mammon had those duties as well but he valued his siblings more. So, seeing his brother cook after a long time was unusual for him and made him feel a sort of betrayal. Was Mammon actually lying about forgetting how celestial food was prepared ?
" Oh, I honestly don' remember the recipe too well. Simeon said he actually misses celestial food so I asked 'im for the recipe to make some for 'im ! " Mammon said. There was a sort of buzzing excitement in his body.
It was true. Mammon really didn't remember how to prepare celestial food but when Simeon said that he missed eating that stuff, he felt like cooking the stuff was the least he could do to repay the kindness he and Luke had shown him recently. He was pretty excited to know what Simeon thinks of his cooking.
" Huh ? So, you're making this for Simeon and Luke... " Beel trailed off.
Mammon; however, didn't hear him as he trailed off.
.
.
.
" Er...Can I have some of it…please ? " Beel asked timidly; looking at Mammon with puppy eyes, like he used to back when he wanted his older brother to cook his favourite dishes in the Celestial Realm.
" Why not ? I'll save some for ya ! After all, I am THE GREAT Mammon ! " Mammon said in a jovial tone.
' I can't exactly resist that look now, can I ? ' Mammon thought fondly, softly smiling to himself. Afterall, no matter what. He loved his brothers a lot. They did too. It was just…they didn't exactly show it too much…
" Thanks Mammon ! Beel says happily.
Yet, when Mammon packs the food and takes it to the Purgatory Hall for the Angels, something in Beel's mind pesters him.
Mammon could've asked for the recipe from Simeon earlier and made some for HIS own brothers.
Yet, he didn't.
Beel felt a bit guilty for feeling like this. But…
That definitely made Beel feel a bit…envious…
-
Belphie walked into the living room, hoping to find a good spot to nap.
What he didn't hope for, was to witness HIS older brother cuddling with the chihuahua instead of him.
Belphie didn't mind the peace in the house.
He, in fact, enjoyed the silence.
But,
What he did mind was that Mammon wasn't present in the house very often anymore.
Mammon staying in the house meant more quarrels. More noise.
But,
Mammon staying in the house also made the building feel more like…'home'.
He honestly enjoyed cuddling with his older brother.
Mammon was the one who mainly raised him, Beel and…Lillith…
After their fall, It was Mammon who comforted them while the others were grieving.
He knew for a matter of fact that, if it wasn't for Mammon, everyone would've fallen into deep despair and unable to recover.
Belphie loved his brother a lot. Even though he never openly admitted it, he did love Mammon.
So seeing HIS Mams hanging out with, spending more time with and cuddling with the chihuahua rather than him and his brothers, definitely strung a sore spot in Belphie.
Despite the conflicting feelings, he decided for the best to leave the greed demon and the angel alone.
Yet,
Belphie had to admit it, He felt…
.
.
.
Jealous…
-
It was; yet again, another peaceful day at the House of Lamentation.
This time however, Asmodeus was applying some makeup on Mc while sitting on the couch in the living room. Satan was also seated comfortably on the couch; enjoying the company of his brother and Mc while reading a novel that Mc had gifted him as a return gift.
Satan was trying quite hard NOT to question Mc about Mammon's whereabouts.
He was quite successful in doing so too.
That probably won't remain the same for long but still.
The blissfully quiet atmosphere was broken like a glass vase that crashed onto the floor, when a certain blue-haired aquatic demon came rushing in with a loud shriek.
" Ugh ! Has anyone seen Mammon !? That stupid scumbag stole my Ruri-chan limited 'blast to the past' edition figurine! Again! " Leviathan seethed.
" Um….Levi ? You might have misplaced it somewhere in your room. Mammon left for a sleepover at the angels' after dinner yesterday. Oh wait. He only informed me and Lucifer. Whoops- " Mc said calmly.
If one could view the human's mind currently, they would witness them laughing hysterically.
Sigh. There goes Mc. Being the little shit they are…..
" Angels ? As in Simeon and the chihuahua ? Why the hell is he hanging out with them ? " Levi asked with a confused frown.
He felt his envy rise.
' Now's not the time for this ! " He internally shrieked and smacked himself.
While Levi was having a internal battle, Satan's right eye twitched.
" It's almost like they are his siblings and not us. " Satan grumbled aloud with a frown on his face.
Screw acting like he didn't care.
" I can't believe I'm saying this but…I kinda miss his presence in the house too you know… " Asmo said with a dramatic sigh; internally, he too felt a little jittery, he too had come to a certain conclusion….
…
" Like I swear, she had the audacity to say that ! - MAMMON ?! Are you even listening ?! " Asmo exclaimed.
Mammon and Asmo were having their regular ranting sessions regarding the various day-to-day incidents that they encountered at Majolish.
Currently, Asmo was ranting about a demoness who had copied an idea that he originally had and when she was confronted, claimed that it was mere 'misunderstanding'.
Mammon didn't know when he received a message from Simeon, requesting him to order some knitting supplies for him from Akuzon. For he was unable to do so and Luke was at Lord Diavolo's castle with Barbatos. But, he did know that he got distracted and started typing away…
He chewed his lip in guilt.
" Gah ! Sorry Asmo ! I was just- ". Mammon said hurriedly.
He genuinely feels like a shithead right now.
" What were you doing Mammon ? " Asmo asked suspiciously.
He had heard from Satan about how much he was hanging out with the angels.
He'd also noticed his absence himself.
He didn't want to admit it but he was pretty darn sure he was feeling jealous.
Which was pretty stupid and petty ( to him ) but, Mammon was THEIR brother.
Their Mams.
They were the ones whom he raised and whom he protected.
He still remembered how he cried when he saw that Mammon had preserved the flower crowns he ( Asmo ) had made; for their silly little tea parties, by drying and pressing them.
It still made Asmo smile when he thought about it.
So it was fair enough that he was a bit jealous. Wasn't it now ?
" Oh ! Uh- Simeon texted me ta order some knittin' supplies 'im ! So yea, Sorry Asmo ! I promise I'll also get cha the eyeshadow palette you needed to make up for this ! '' Mammon said apologetically.
" Hmmm…Alright. But you gotta listen properly this time ! " Asmo chide.
Mammon chuckled a little and Asmo shook his head with a small laugh of his own.
He was going to let this slide. For now.
But,
He wasn't going to forget this. Oh hell no.
…
" Well, according to what he said, Mammon and Luke will be at Lord Diavolo's castle right now. So if you want to see him, you can head over there. " Mc said happily.
" Thanks Mc ! " Levi said with a forced smile.
He was really struggling to keep his unpleasant envy from showing.
…
Levi LOVED Mammon with all his heart.
Even though he was probably going to be caught dead while saying it.
He did berate and insult the greed demon relentlessly, yes.
But,
He also genuinely enjoyed Mammon's company.
He loved how, despite losing continuously, Mammon continued to play his favourite video games to make him happy.
He loved how Mammon watched anime with him every once in a while when a new one got released.
He loved cuddling with the greed demon.
So,
When Mammon started being absent from the house, Levi was less than unhappy.
He tried to ignore it by holing up himself in his room as usual, gaming, watching anime, making cosplays and so on.
But,
He still wasn't able to ignore that weird feeling he had.
He might be holed up in his room 24/7, yes.
But,
He was well aware of the fact that Mammon was constantly hanging out with the angels instead of him or their brothers, mostly him though.
There was nothing wrong with it but….
He did NOT like the fact that HIS Mams, HIS older brother, was hanging out with that chihuahua more than him.
He knew his sin well.
He was The Avatar of Envy afterall.
He knew what he felt about all this.
He just didn't want to admit it.
He didn't have time for these 'normie feels'.
Deep down; however, he knew he wasn't going to let this stay this way. Nope.
…
" It's decided then ! I'll grace him with my beautiful face ! How dare he not visit to see his gorgeous baby brother ! " Asmo chirped.
Satan simply smiled.
Levi nodded.
With that, the 345 trio bid Mc goodbye and headed to visit their older brother.
Mc silently laughed until tears formed in their eyes after the room was emptied.