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"Yo, Satan!"
Satan glanced his eyes from the corner of his book before focusing back on it as he realized it was just Mammon.
"What?" He replied, to which his older brother just grinned, albeit nervous.
"Can I take one of yer old books?" Satan cocked a brow at his brother's words, to which Mammon quickly elaborated, "The ones from when ya were still little! Not the old ancient books ya have now..!"
"..Why, though? Their common Devildom children's books." Satan put his book down, brow still arched, they weren't ultra rare books that were hard to find. Practically every demon child in the Devildom owned copies of the same book.
Even the poor.
"You can't make a quick buck out of them, so why?" Satan asked once more.
"I just.." Mammon sighed and huffed, giving up on lying, "I want to gift them to Luke, ya know.. Like a souvenir for when he's back in the Celestial Realm."
Spotting no lie in Mammon's tone and body language, the blond demon lord went back to his book, disinterestedly shooing Mammon away.
"Fine. Don't touch anything else, they're somewhere in that pile."
Truthfully, liar, Satan didn't care what Mammon was going to do with those old books. They held no meaning, they were just regular old books from Satan's childhood.
THEY WERE MAMMON'S GIFTS!
Those old books were also taking up too much space now, so it was good riddance. Luke could have it.
Satan didn't care, even when he's throat clenched up and his palms got itchy. Wanting to stop his Mammy older brother from giving it to another kid.
Satan didn't care.
And Satan still doesn't care that Mammon is splurging his grimm on Luke, spoiling the angel with new books and trips to carnival's.
Really he doesn't. Liar!
The avatar of wrath sat in his chair, waiting for the class to start before hearing a small screech of a chair and a plop down with small jingles of gold.
Satan turned and held back a scoff, seeing Luke –who was pouting, trying to look angry was failing as he really only looked like an angry, harmless kitten– sit next to him.
The older blond payed no attention to the angel only other than a quick, uninterested maybe snarky side glance.
Minutes passed.. Class was starting later than usual, something about the teacher running late because of a stomach bug.
Satan had almost fallen asleep if it weren't for the sound of something making a mild thud on the desk next to him.
On Luke's desk, he raised a brow when he saw Mammon who seemed oblivious to him at the moment as the avatar of greed grinned at the angel.
A stack of seven books, wrapped ever so nearly in an elegant blue, gold, turquoise, and white each separately.
And there was a bento box next to all of that.
Did Mammon buy all that? And for Luke?
Why?
What did he gain from this? What did Mammon gain in spoiling Luke with all the things the angel liked?
Satan couldn't wrap his head around it.
And he couldn't wrap his head around this feeling he was feeling, he wasn't jealous, he couldn't be. Mammon was still his brother, it's not like Mammon could replace him. Right?
He wouldn't get abandoned again, would he? Mammon wouldn't abandon him like Lucifer, would he?
No.. Mammon wouldn't, he promised! Mammon promised he'd always be Satan's Mammy.
So..
Satan held back a sigh before turning back to the board, he didn't care. So what that Mammon was spoiling Luke?
He didn't care.
"MAMMY!!"
Satan froze.
It was the end of the school day and they were headed to a student council meeting, when Diavolo had opened the meeting room door.. Some guests decided to show.
"LUKE!!" Mammon was practically tackled into a bear hug by Luke, was then greeted –awkwardly– by Raphael who Mammon just ruffled his twin's the angel's hair, then Simeon swung his arm around Mammon's shoulders.
Satan saw the way Lucifer's fists clenched, saw the way Leviathan's jaw clench and how the avatar of envy just overflowed with.. well, envy, how his other older younger brothers seemed to tense as Mammon pampered Luke.
It didn't matter, he didn't care– LIAR!
LIAR
LIAR
LIAR
LIAR!!
Satan cared, he cared so much. Satan was a liar, he was a liar because he was scared. Scared of it happening again.
So he thought..
He thought if he'd dived himself into his studies, he'd at least wouldn't be completely useless, he wouldn't be completely worthless.
Satan was a coward. A pathetic, little coward.
He's breath hitched, Luke's voice repeated in his head, Mammy.
It didn't sound right anymore, Satan was the one supposed to call Mammon that– And only him!
Mammon was his Mammy first! Luke shouldn't be able to call Mammon that, why did Mammon even allow it in the first place??
Mammon should–!
"Mammon.." Lucifer tried to warn but was stopped once Lord Diavolo put his hand up, smiling, a glint of something mischievous in his eyes.
The demon prince was telling them not to interfere.
Satan bit his lip.
"Lucifer, where's Mammon?"
"..He should be in the living room, Simeon asked him to babysit Luke."
Satan hummed, holding back a groan of frustration, ever since the day that made Satan realize he did care Luke had been popping up and the avatar of wrath couldn't even escape the angel anymore as it was all Mammon would talk about.
The blond made his way to the living room, stoping when he hears Mammon with his reading voice.
"–atch this." He turned to the front. "Sorry, coach! I was having trouble hearing you. Could you use your megaphone, please?"
Coach Hedge grunted like he was pleased to have an excuse. He unclipped the megaphone from his belt and–" Mammon recited as Luke listened and read along with his eyes, a glint of curiosity and interest in his eyes.
Satan didn't dare enter the living room, Mammon was.. reading? To Luke?
Luke and Mammon sat together on the couch, giving Satan a sense of Deja Vu, like he'd seen this exact moment before.
Ah, yes.
When he'd drag Mammon to read a book with him only to end up falling asleep on his lap. In Mammon's embrace.
Damn Luke.
Damn Luke for having to experience that, Satan had thought he was the only one who had, had thay kind of treatment from Mammon.
Satan had always thought he was the only one Mammon ever read storybooks to as the other younger brothers were never into books all that much.
Damn Luke for talking thay away.
Satan then heard their laughter, he couldn't do it, he couldn't stay there. So he bolted, forgetting what he was going to ask Mammon.
Satan bolted to his room.
Maybe..
Maybe he did really, really, really, really care..