Work Text:
Mammon remembers the exact moment when he falls for y/n. Every detail was inscribed is his memory. The smell of wood crackling in the fire in the living room, the softness of the plaid on the sofa, the low luminosity of the lights that marked this end of the ordinary day… the voices of his bothers which resonated on some mean words, maybe deserved, maybe not, and the color of her eyes who roamed the page of an old century book…
Mammon didn’t remember the subject of the argument he has with his brothers, neither why they were so mean against to him. “ Pain in the ass ”, “ Moron, capricious kid ”, “ Dumb ”... So many unpleasant nicknames to talk about his person. Mammon has the habit. He always responded to these acerbic jabs with humor and a casual, comic attitude. Still, it was frequent enough to be painful. Frequent enough for sometimes, alone in his room, he ends up believing that the words of his brothers had a basis of truth. Maybe he was stupid. Maybe he was horrible to live with. Maybe his brothers will be happier if he wasn’t here.
How long had his brothers' relentlessness lasted? Mammon didn’t know anymore. Time seemed to get distorted when this kind of moment happened. He was there without being there, he answered without really listening, staring at a fixed point in the room and plastering a stupid smile on his face. Letting his brothers see that even one of their words could reach him was out of the question. It was necessary to maintain confidence to safeguard a share of pride.
Frequently, Mammon had hoped that someone would take his side. Just a phrase, an exclamation of someone. No need for a long monologue, only an " It's unfair " would have been enough... but no voice had ever come up…
“ Maybe because they are all right. ”
Suddenly, Mammon was brought back to reality by a book violently thrown between him and these brothers. Lucifer had almost taken it in the face. The projectile came from the sofa in front of which sat Lucifer, Asmo, Satan and Mammon. On the other, the twins and y/n. The sudden throwing movement of the young woman had suddenly awakened Belphie who was sleeping on her knees, and Beel jumped, almost choking on his handful of chips.
“ THAT’S ENOUGHT! ” y/n's voice resonated with a power that was uncharacteristic. As if she had pronounced a collective order, everyone looked at her without saying anything, their eyes wide open. Even Lucifer couldn't seem to compel himself to this angry summons.
Everyone could only wait for the rest of her words and at the sight of the human's angry gaze, she seemed to have a lot to say. Mammon could feel the heat emanating from the mark of Satan the young woman wore in her left palm. In truth, they could all smell it. It was the first time that so much heat had come out of it. Alice seemed to be pumping the power of the Avatar of Anger at full speed. Burning ashes enveloped her body and swirled around her in irregular waves. Y/n embodied the expression “ Fulfilling with rage ” perfectly at this moment.
“ What high, unwarranted esteem of yourselves you can have to dare speak in this manner of your own brother? Are you stupid or just a huge bunch of pieces of trash? ! As far as I know, you are not exempt from all defaults. On the contrary, you are full of them, each with your own annoying and problematic little quirkiness! ” This first sentence had been transmitted with a very slow and mean tone. She was looking at them like they were nothing but a piece of garbage.
Nobody says anything. It would have been easy to think it was because they had nothing to say, but it would have been known to them wrong. The reality is that they couldn't say anything. Y/n was an easy-going, teasing, but never mean person. Anger was not an emotion that often showed on her face. Even less when she looked at the seven brothers.
A few seconds passed, seconds where everyone understood that y/n was making a superhuman effort to contain an explosion of her powers. With the amount of power she was drawing from Satan to fuel her rage, the damage would have been expensive.
Once calm enough to not cause any damage, y/n pointed an accusing finger at Lucifer.
“ Lucifer, your closed-mindedness and your sadism make us suffer. Your way of protecting us is suffocating, and you expect too much of us. You fuel your pride with each of our successes, but you never take the time to tell us how proud of us you are! You said Mammon is a pain in the ass, but YOU are a pain in the ass for all of us, all the time! ”
“Asmo, you are superficial and self-centered. For you, beauty matter more than anything. So ugly peoples did not deserve to be listened. You said Mammon is dumb, but you are the dumbest in this place! Life is not only about being the most popular or the most longed for! At least, Mammon see peoples for who they really are! ”
“Satan, you like giving the impression you are calm and collected, but we all know you are capricious. How much furniture in this place you have destroyed with your incessant tantrum ? Living with you is like walking on eggs! You said Mammon is a moron, capricious kid, but at least HE controls his emotions better than you! And emotional control is a proof of intelligence, so watch your words when you talk to your older brother ! Calling him a moron while he can brainwash people for his own benefit is a huge proof of stupidity and disrespect ! ”
Y/n was the kind of person who know how to hurt someone’s feelings. She also was too kind to not do it, but kindness has no place at this moment.
She turned her attention to the twins watching the scene, dumbfounded.
“ You Belphie, you didn’t say anything this time, but you are not ousted of reproaches either. You know, I heard all the mean words you threw at Mammon’s face the rare moments you do not sleep. What was it the last time? “ A stupid, lazy ass ”? How cheeky! Did you know Mammon was the person who take notes for you in class? Just for you not being bother despite YOUR laziness! And you never say thank you! Learn how to be grateful and not project your defaults on others! ”
“Beel, you are the most measured of all this piece of trash. However, you do not defend your brother the way he deserved it. If you were protective with Mammon like you are with Belphie, the others wouldn't allow themselves to be so comfortable. You say nothing, but your silence makes you a follower and that make you guilty just like everybody else! ”
Her angry tirades had left her breathless, and she took a few seconds to catch her breath. Seconds when she glared at the assembly with a look that suggested that her rage was not extinguished at all and that she was far from finished. No retort would be tolerated. The fire that had formed in her hand was a clear and visible threat. At the first word, it would explode, and the mansion would be in a mess.
“ You know what all of you are? A bunch of ungrateful ! Without Mammon, you would still be just fallen angels in the eyes of all the Devildom. You would be no better than the most pathetic of lesser demons. You constantly mock and belittle Mammon's plans and ideas, but I remind you that it was one of those plans that gave you the position you all hold today. Learn to be grateful. There is an obvious line between joking and meanness. Don't tell me you're all too stupid to not recognize her? No, the truth is that you enjoy being mean to him! You don't deserve a thousandth of what Mammon gives you. He is far more deserving than any of you. ”
She returns her attention again to each of them in turn.
“ Asmo, who is the person who stood in line for hours in the rain, in a line full of annoying and superficial demons, just to bring you back that limited edition makeup palette you love so much and bragged about for weeks on FabSnap? It's Mammon! "
“ Satan, who bought you, with all his savings, that curse book you still use to annoy Lucifer? It's Mammon! And he worked for months to get enough money to buy it for you. I know it, I was there! And I assure you that it’s cost more than any of his “ useless cars ” that you like to criticize so much for their flashy styles. ”
“Beel, who is the person who always give you his part at restaurant ? Who is the person who always planned an Akuber command for your midnight cravings? It’s Mammon ! And trust me, feed you cost A LOT !”
“Belphie, beside the notes Mammon takes for you in class, he always makes sure nobody disturbs your sleep or wake you up. He also covers you among the teachers for you not being caught. Have you ever wondered why Lucifer didn't know how often you're unconscious in class? Because Mammon ensures your impunity! ”
She turned her gaze to Lucifer, her rage seemed to increase even more.
“And you, Lucifer, you are the most ungrateful ! When YOU decide to go against your Father, when YOU decide to cause the Celestial War, who was the person who was the first to go on your side? Who was the person who abandon all to go on your side? Without a second of doubt ? Ready to sacrifice his life, all his possessions, his rank and his magnificent wings? IT’S MAMMON! No matter how much money he spends with your bank card, it will never be a big enough reward for what he lost by placing his destiny in your hands!”
Nobody said anything, everyone had lowered their heads in turn with flagrant shame plastered on their faces. Even the so proud Morning Star looked at the ground, on which he couldn't even find a crumb of repartee. Y/n's words had the effect of a club with which they had been knocked out without any ceremony. Seeing the effects of her words, y/n calmed down a bit, the surrounding fire was gone, but no regrets were visible on her face. Quite the contrary. Her gaze was still authoritative and accusatory.
“Yes, Mammon is greedy. He also is selfish, most of the time. He is materialist and ready to do the most awful things to obtain what he wants. His plans are ridiculous and foolish, most of the time. He always causes a lot of problems. Yes, he has defaults. But he also has a lot of qualities. Just like all of you. He is generous, kind, honest, determined, talented and loved all of you immensely. You will surely never be able to love him as much as he loves you. So the bare minimum you can do is to treat him with respect and be grateful for the things he does for you. No words or apologies can fix your pathetic behavior towards him and all the horrible things you may have said to him. I dare to hope for all of you that everything I have just told you will make you change your behavior. Because otherwise, I don't know if I will still be able to love you as I do now. Because in my eyes, you will no longer deserve my love.”
On his words, she started to leave the room and just before going through the door, stopped in the frame to add a last sentence, which had the effect of a punch in the face.
“ And before I hear anybody complain about how much I was hurtful, remember the pain I inflict you is just a firm of the pain Mammon’s feel when he heard you talk about him like you did. ”
With that, she slammed the door behind her and stomped out of her remaining anger to go to Levi's room and quell her remaining rage over some fighting games and surely lecture him too.
Mammon remembers everything about that special moment. The scent of wood crackling in the fire in the living room, the softness of the plaid on the sofa, the low luminosity of the lights that marked the end of this ordinary day... And all the emotions that had crossed him deep within himself : joy, euphoria, pride, gratitude… and this feeling, this very specific feeling that appeared to him clearer than any light he had ever seen when he was still an angel.
“ Y/n was meant to be his. ”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, even for someone with an eternal life. The feeling that everything had lined up for this person to appear. From the moment Mammon had seen y/n for the very first time, a strange feeling had gripped his insides. He had never been able to put this feeling into words, but at this moment he knew. Y/n had been born to be his .
Lucifer turned his head towards his brother, anyone could have felt the guilt deep in his eyes. Yet the only thing his eyes met when looking at his brother was a bright smile.
“ Mammon ? ”
“ Mh? ” Mammon turned his attention to him, but even the heavy atmosphere of the room couldn't take away his smile and the joy in the back of his pupils.
“ Mammon, we are- ” He didn't give him time to finish, answering simply.
“ Oh this? Don’t worry! It’s not important ! I need to go! ”
And he left like that. No one understood. His aura of happiness and bliss was the biggest anomaly of this evening rich in emotion. Probably the power of y/n's words had fried some neurons in his brain. Probably it was the backlash of having someone come to his defense for the first time. Or maybe, his brothers' remorse was far less important than the thing he’s feeling right now.
The happiness of knowing that he had the most fervent of admirers.