Chapter Text
It was a loud, booming crash that woke you up from your slumber. You immediately sat up on your bed, still feeling a bit groggy. You weren't a morning person. The analog clock on the wall told you that it was still 5AM in the morning.
Flashes of light had reached your room through the window, the glass covered with fresh droplets of water. The outside was too foggy to see anything clearly. It was clearly raining outside.
Grabbing the hoodie that was draped over the chair, you slid into your slippers and stepped into the hallway. Thankfully you never bothered with pyjamas and liked to sleep in your casuals, so it's not like you didn't look presentable except having bed hair.
You heard shouting from the living room and decided to go in that direction. Serenity Manor was huge, inhabited by a family of seven demons plus one human, so you weren't surprised when you ran into someone on the way.
Turning around, you saw Belphegor running up to you. Seems like the crash was exceptionally loud, if it woke up the Avatar of Sloth at dawn.
"You heard the noise too?" Belphie asked, falling into place beside you.
"No shit." you said, rubbing a hand over your face. You stifled a yawn, who the hell was causing a racket this early?
"Well, you're not the only one," a voice spoke up, and both you and Belphie whirled around to be faced with none other than Satan. The Avatar of Wrath walked up to them with his arms crossed to his chest and mouth set in a frown. He was probably not a fan of being abruptly woken up in the morning either.
And he wasn't alone.
Asmodeus emerged, still in his nightgown, his styled peach hair still immaculate as ever. He looked like he walked straight out of a fashion magazine. The Avatar of Lust let out a yawn, before noticing you and smiling in your direction.
Beelzebub appeared next, looking particularly solemn. It was no secret that any family argument caused Beel to be exceptionally worried. It was even more concerning when Beel made no comment about being hungry.
Belphie left your side to walk up to his twin and give him a pat on the back.
The twins made eye contact with each other, and the youngest's eyes conveyed a message to the Avatar of Gluttony, as if to say 'It'll be fine', which seemed to work as Beel visibly relaxed.
The last to join them was Leviathan, who looked the most well-presented amongst them all. Probably because, unlike the rest of them, he was an insomniac. He must've spent another night binging anime again.
Levi took in everyone's state. He hesitated for a moment, before speaking up "So....what do we do now? They're still yelling out there."
Everyone knew who he meant by 'they'. The only two people who weren't present here were the Avatar of Pride- Lucifer, and the Avatar of Greed- Mammon. Which only meant that the two eldest brothers were the ones responsible for the loud crash this morning.
Lucifer and Mammon clashed heads often, but it was usually due to Mammon's reckless financial habits more than anything serious, and most of the time it ended with Lucifer stringing him up from the ceiling. To think that a fight escalated to a full brawl would be rare, to say the least.
You let out a sigh. The feeling of wrongness was collectively present amongst everyone here.
"Let's go check it out," you announced, turning on your heels and walking off. Levi fell into step beside you. Satan and Asmo trailed behind, with Beel and Belphie bringing up the rear.
You all silently made it to the living room, unsure about what to expect, when an astonishing sight froze you all in place.
In the living room was a toppled bookshelf. Lightning flashed outside again, illuminating the room and highlighting the countless books and stray pages scattered across the floor.
And in the centre of it all were the two culprits- Lucifer and Mammon.
The two eldest brothers had stopped arguing the moment they saw a crowd had formed, and were now looking back at their audience. From the outside, they looked calm and composed, although the circumstances suggested otherwise.
Asmo tried to step forward, probably in an attempt to diffuse the situation, but a hand shot out. Leviathan looked back at the fifth born and shook his head. Now was not the time.
In the meantime, Mammon and Lucifer were having a staring contest, both glaring daggers at each other, and the tension present between them made it evident this was no usual bickering squabble.
Mammon was the one who broke off first, muttering something under his breath as he turned towards the fallen bookshelf.
Beel broke off from the crowd first and stepped forward to help him get it back to its upright position.
Satan was unusually silent as he walked forward as well, sparing Lucifer a glance which the eldest ignored, and started to pick the books scattered on the floor.
Levi and Asmo joined to help the Avatar of Wrath clean the floor, which only left you and Belphie at the door.
Once the bookshelf was back to its original position, Mammon dusted off his hands and stood there a minute longer, before abruptly walking past you into the hallway.
"Mammon, wait." You grabbed his wrist on instinct and felt his pulse racing beneath his tanned skin. Whatever the fight was about, it left him more agitated than usual.
You rubbing soothing circles on his hand using your thumb. It didn't feel right for you to leave him alone right now.
Mammon didn't pull away immediately, but he didn't look back either. You tried to catch a glimpse of his face and saw his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I'm fine." he spoke, and his voice sounded restrained, like he was holding it together by sheer will alone. You watched as he slipped his hand free from your grasp and walked off.
There was a moment of silence before Belphie, blunt as ever, spoke up "Okay....what the hell happened?"
You slowly turned your head towards Lucifer, who let out a long sigh and massaged his temple. You knew asking them about the fight would be a lost cause right now, but you weren't willing to let them off the hook either.
"I'm going after Mammon, and you-" you pointed at Lucifer, who just raised a brow in response "-are going to come up with a way to fix this mess- IDK how- by the time I get back."
You briskly made your way towards the direction Mammon went. Problem is, you didn't find him anywhere inside the manor.
By the time you finished checking the rooms, the others- sans Lucifer- had already joined you. It was Asmo who was the one that finally spotted him.
A slender hand tapped on your shoulder and the Avatar of Lust pointed out the window to the backyard. Everyone lined themselves to look through the glass and- low and behold- there was a lone figure sitting on the steps just outside the Manor.
"Can someone hand me two umbrellas?" At your request, Beel was the one who gathered the item and handed it over to you. You thanked him and made your way outside.
Thank god the stairs had a shade, otherwise both you and Mammon would've been soaking wet. Still, to prevent the stray drops of rain from hitting you, you opened your umbrella and walked down the steps to where Mammon was sulking.
Crouching beside him, you opened the second umbrella and held it over his head. The sudden appearance of a shadow over his head made him look up, and he saw you softly smiling down at him. Mumbling a thanks, he took the umbrella and held it by its handle.
"Not planning to come inside...?" You gently probed.
Mammon sighed as he buried his face deeper into his arms "Not now. Just...- it's complicated," he let out a groan of frustration "It's stupid. I don't wanna face Lucifer right now."
You hummed in response as you wracked your brain for ideas to cheer up your sulky boyfriend.
It was still dawn, and you weren't equipped to be at 100% efficiency this early, but you can't ignore him either when there was something that was clearly bothering him. If something ever upset Mammon, he usually complained loudly about it, but rarely did he ever shut everyone off like this.
Staying at the mansion right now wouldn't do him any good either, with how tight-lipped Lucifer was right now. There was no way the greed demon's mood was improving if he stayed home. Which meant…
"Hey, let's go out right now." you proposed, slightly tugging on his arms. He looked up at you in slight confusion.
"Right now....but isn't it, ya know, dead in da morning? And it's raining cats and dogs?" Mammon straightened up as he saw you stand up.
You offered him a hand which he took to stand up as well.
"Not really. Let me show you how a rainy morning in the human world looks like," you winked at him, and when he still didn't look convinced, you tugged on his sleeve again.
"C'mon, my treat."
You stepped into the rain, umbrella in hand, and intertwined your hand with his. Mammon yelped as he was dragged along, stabilizing his umbrella just in time to avoid getting plastered by the rain. Though he allowed himself a tiny smile at seeing you so enthusiastic about this.
Devildom rain doesn't look the same as it did in the human world, Mammon had realised when he had initially isolated himself outside.
At first, he had come outside and sat down on the steps to clear his head, he didn't care about getting wet in the rain. It wasn't his biggest priority then. But as he had gradually steadied his racing heart, he took the time to notice his surroundings as well.
Mammon had been more accustomed to the human world compared to his brothers, due to several summoning rituals by witches, but it was usually in... less than favourable circumstances. And the witches surely did not summon him during bad weather either. Rarely did he have the time to take in the natural beauty, per se.
But this time it was different. The rain felt... Calming, in a sense.
Hence, he had kept sitting there, head buried in his arms, listening to nature sing its tune around him.
The smell of moisture soaked earth, the soothing cold wind, the chiming of tiles as pellets of iridescent rain hit them- it had its own charm, he'd admit.
Snapping back to the present, his eyes were glued to your smiling face as you pulled him along into the rain.
He had been feeling down in the dumps, sure, but there was no way he could refuse you when you were trying so hard to cheer him up.
So, he'd decided that he'd be willing to humour you, but just this once.
_
The city was quiet in the morning. Quieter than usual, as it was raining right now. The smell of wet asphalt hit his senses as Mammon and you walked side by side on the crosswalk.
The rain was strong enough to reduce visibility on the road, and the fog didn't help either.
Still, there were a few people on the street other than you both. Vendors had their shops covered by a plastic sheet. Some people took shelter under the shade of a shop or a tree. Some were stuck inside their own cars.
Some joggers didn't care about the rain at all.
"People like to run around even in this kinda weather, huh?" Mammon inquired as he watched one particularly enthusiastic human sprint down the road
"Some folk like going on morning walks in the human world, ya know?" You explained to him as you looked around to see what shops were open "I would've too, but I'm just not built for mornings, man."
"The privilege of having a day and night cycle, am I right?" Mammon teased with a soft smile.
Good, that was good. You were glad to see him in a better mood now. Going out did seem to help him a bit, then.
"So...where are ya takin' me to?" Mammon inquired as he watched you scan the area.
There must be something in this area that you can use to cheer him up. There has to be, even if it's dead in the morning right now with a tempest blowing over your heads. There has to be something....
"While I appreciate yer kindness and this impromptu trip, I dunno if this is the right weather for it-"
"There!"
You cut him off as you pointed at a food truck in the distance.
Mammon squinted towards the direction and saw that it was parked inside the nearby park. He then turned to face you with furrowed eyes, waiting for you to explain.
"Let's go have breakfast" you said, tugging his arm and leading him towards the food truck.
As you both neared it, Mammon read the print on the truck. It was a "South Indian" food truck. Was this some kind of weird human world dish?
Mammon knew his knowledge on human food cuisine wasn't as vast as Satan's or Beel's, so he didn't press further yet and let you make the order.
He stood a bit away in the distance as he waited. He took the opportunity to look around a bit.
The sky was still cloudy, and kind of dark. Leaves were flying along with the wind. The fountain in the park was overflowing with water.
Around him were a few puddles of mud. He watched tiny little frogs hop and play in them.
Looking up and around, he saw a pair of kids hiding from the rain under the roof of their home, standing at their doorstep and then gently releasing two paper boats into the waterlogged streets.
The children watched the boats flow with anticipation, and shrieked with joy whenever one overtook another, like it was a race.
Mammon let out a chuckle at that. Kids...they find joy and beauty in everything, don't they? Even if it's a scary, greedy, scumbag of a demon…
"I'm back! Here, this is yours." he turned to face you when he heard your voice.
You were holding two big containers and one small one. Mammon took one of the big containers from your hands.
The food smelled....nice. It was aromatic, with a hint of spices and....was that bread?
He didn't realise how hungry he was until his stomach let out a growl. He cheeks had a reddish tint to them when he heard you laugh.
"Gr...laugh all you want, hah...." Mammon pouted and looked away. You rubbed tears off of your eyes.
"Heh, sorry, but you're adorable sometimes." you teased him, enjoying how his cheeks got even more red as he gave you a weak glare.
Though, focusing on the food, you both needed shelter to eat peacefully.
You spotted a nearby shop which had a nice big overhang "C'mon, let's go there. I bought us food that I used to eat in my hometown."
"Wait, yer hometown? Ya weren't born here?" Mammon inquired as you both walked towards the shop and stood under the shade.
"Nah, I moved here later on. I'm from a different country." You replied as you closed your umbrella and set it aside.
Mammon did the same as he asked "Wait, so... different countries in the human world have different food? It varies from place to place, region to region?"
You nodded in response. You set the small container aside on the small barricade near you before speaking.
"Yea, kinda like that. So it's hard to find authentic local food once you move... But then once in a while you’ll be blessed by the presence of immigrant food trucks!" You explained as you opened the container.
Mammon followed you and did the same. Inside the container, there was a plastic bowl filled with some kind of red curry topped with some chopped onions.
So that was the source of the aromatic smell from earlier. Beside it were two pieces of small buns cut in half horizontally.
"That's pav bhaji" you explained to him, and he saw that you had already started to eat. "The curry is called bhaji, the bread is pav. You dip the bread into the bhaji to eat it"
Mammon did as told. After observing you for a bit, he tore off a piece of the bread and dipped it into the bhaji then ate it.
It tasted.... Fantastic! The flavour was a burst of spices. It was tangy, spicy, and flavourful, and the onions added a nice crunch too. And the bread was just perfectly moist and soft…
"This is amazing!" Mammon exclaimed as he ate another bite, practically starry eyed.
Gosh, he understood why Beel was so fascinated by food sometimes. This felt elite.
You giggled at his obvious excitement, it was just so adorable, especially when he noticed you staring and got even more flustered about it.
You just told him you were glad that he's enjoying it.
"Try this too" you took the small container and opened it, showing him two saucer-shaped... things inside, submerged in a light green liquid.
"That's Idli, you have it with chutney, which is a sort of sauce you can say, I guess? I used to have this for my school lunch all the time"
Mammon took one of the two Idlis and took a bite. It was soft, easy to bite, a bit salty on the tongue, and the chutney gave it a nice soothing flavour, it felt less rich than the previous dish but was tasty nonetheless.
"This is good! Your hometown had good stuff, man!" Mammon happily chirped as he ate his meal.
Thank Diavolo he went out with you today. It felt so nice to be able to spend time like this, getting to know you more, sharing in your history...it all felt so intimate for him. He liked it.
But there was something that was still nagging him at the back of his mind. And, well, curiosity had always been his thing, be it good or bad.
His greed always made him want things.
Maybe he should've thought it through, but he couldn't help himself when he ended up asking you a very personal question.
"Say...why did ya leave yer hometown if ya miss it so much?"
Mammon waited for an answer, and a weird feeling crept in when he was met with silence.
He stopped chewing and swallowed his food to look at you and noticed you had stopped eating as well.
Mammon wasn't an idiot, he knew when he messed up things, and he didn't want a misunderstanding with you of all people, so he wanted to apologise before things escalated.
He already had a fight with his stupid older brother this morning. He didn't need another.
"Look, I'm sorry, I overstepped. Ya don't need to-"
"Sometimes for freedom you have to have a few sacrifices,"
Mammon clamped his mouth shut as you heard you speak.
He hadn't expected you to actually do it, but if you trusted him enough to share with him, he'll make sure to listen intently.
"And when people don't accept you for who you are, you...leave. Even if it hurts."
Mammon listened quietly "is that...why ya weren't bothered by staying in Devildom forever?"
You let out a quiet chuckle, but he knew it wasn't a happy one.
"Honestly, meeting you all had been a blessing. Especially you. I know that I'll always have a home with you all. That's why I don't like seeing you all fight with each other"
You both delved into silence after that. Mammon, done with his breakfast, took both yours and his empty containers and set them aside.
Slowly, he reached out to hold your hand in his. He studied your nails, head down cast as he spoke.
"I woke up early this morning. Couldn't fall asleep, took a walk out, and bumped into Lucifer." Mammon started to recount his tale. You watched the silver strands of hair sway in the wind as he spoke.
"I honestly don't remember what started it. I think I was too groggy to really take in his lecture. I was honestly still sore from eating Solomon's cooking."
"So, big ol’ Lucifer started yellin' at his adorable little brother, like usual. And... maybe it was the mornin’ blues, but I talked back. Then lucifer used a buncha fancy words at me, like stupid, useless, reckless, and like-"
Mammon let out a groan of frustration as he lifted his head up and ruffled his own hair as he hissed out.
"I get that I'm difficult, greedy, and what not! I deserve it half the time, I know that! But that prideful prick needs to have a sense of time and place, man! Can he not do that when I ain't feelin' like shit at 5 in the morning?”
"Also, it was 'useless' that ticked me off the wrong way. There, that's yer reason."
Mammon let his hand drop with a sigh. He leaned back and craned his head up. The overhang of the shop was made out of tin, so it chimed as the rain hit it.
"I'm usually not that irritable, I swear. But today... I just let it get to me." he ran his hand over his face.
"And... I was the one who caused the bookshelf to fall. Accidentally, but yea, it was me. Lucifer tried to calm me down but I... didn't listen. I... shouldn't have done that."
Mammon let out a long sigh as all the pent up emotions depleted out of him.
It felt nice, to vent it all out to someone who was willing to hear him out. He was...good lord, he really was an idiot, wasn't he? He should've done this sooner. This...talk your feelings out thing.
"I want to apologise to Lucifer." Mammon admits, looking down at his feet, the water was pooling around his crocs.
"I'm mad at him- yes. But I also shouldn't have blown up- and we should have a heart to heart- and....yeah," he let out a small laugh.
God, he wasn't good with expressing himself verbally. His brothers always teased him for being easy to read, but that's only when he's actually trying to be- what did Levi call it again? Ah, a tsundere. But yes, things became complicated whenever he put in any kind of conscious effort.
"I think you should apologise, yes." You spoke up after sensing that Mammon was done talking. It made him realise how long he ranted, and that you kept listening to him despite that.
You knew Mammon loved Lucifer, and Lucifer loved Mammon. They both felt guilty, and it was hard for you to watch both of them blame and hurt each other over this.
You knew Lucifer felt bad too. Other times, the Avatar of Pride would've seemed to gloat in his glory after punishing Mammon.
Today, he just seemed kind of....tired and sad, like he knew he crossed a line but wasn't willing to admit it yet.
"I, kind of, uh, scolded Lucifer and told him to come up with an apology before I left to find you. He looked like a sad cat after you left, actually."
Mammon lets out a loud snort at that, letting go of your hand to press a hand over his mouth.
"PFFT- no way- man, now I feel like I missed out!" he said, rubbing the stray tears off of his eyes before looking at you with a sincere smile.
The streetlight fell softly on his white hair, the swaying tuffs of hair reminded you of clouds for some reason.
"Thank you" Mammon takes your hand and kisses your knuckles. He then shoots you a dazzling grin "Man, ya've done so much for us. Yer the only person I don't mind being indebted to for life."
"Is that a marriage proposal?" You challenged, leaning forward with a smirk.
"Only if ya want it to be." Mammon teased back, his voice lowering an octave and taking a seductive tilt as he looked you through half lidded eyes, looking absolutely breathtaking and serene.
You swore the wind was a paid actor.
However, whatever intimate moment you both were having was broken up by a thunderous roar that shook the skies.
Mammon yelped and instinctively held your hand tighter. You barely reacted- you've experienced worse with your headphones.
The rain fell with increased strength, and you both turned to see the streets being absolutely flooded with water. The wind picked up a notch and blew like a hurricane had hit the city.
Leaves, whole branches, plastic sheets from vendor stalls, garbage- they were all being blown away by the unforgiving wind. It was harder to even see your surroundings now.
Mammon dropped down to his knees in defeat, head held in his hands.
"We're never gonna make it back to the Manor high and dry at this rate" he whined, ruffling his head. He expected you to join him in his misery, but was surprised to find a lack of response.
Looking up, he was surprised to find you had left his side to walk out of the safety of the shop and into the flooded streets, and were happily kicking the water everywhere.
"Oi! What're doin'!? Do ya plan on gettin' sick or what!?" Mammon yelled as he stood up and lingered at the edge of the steps.
But then he heard your loud melodious laughter as you skipped along the streets like a child, spinning and splashing in the knee-deep water as rain poured around you.
"Mams! C'mere, it's fun!" You said, waved at him.
Mammon stood there, unsure if he should indulge, but then you walked up towards him to grab his sleeve and dragged him out into the rain anyway..
Mammon stumbled as he stepped into the water. Before he could gather his bearings, he was splashed in the face.
Wiping the water off his face, he regarded you with a devious smirk "NOW you've done it, get back here!"
He made a grab for you only for you to slip from his grasp and run away giggling.
However, a sudden wave crashed into you from behind.
"Oh, now it's war! Prepare to surrender!" You turned around for a counter attack, and just like that, the two of you were playing in the streets like little children without a care in the world.
Mammon laughed cheerfully as another wave smashed into him. He kicked the water and twirled in it, letting pellets of rain hit his face and run down his chin.
Drops of rainwater fell into his mouth at times, and the smell of submerged bricks and mud filled his nostrils.
He could spot a few other groups of humans in the distance, who had taken after them and were also playing with each other.
And for a moment, Mammon let himself forget about this morning. About his greed, about his desire to want, to have anything and everything, no matter the cost or the consequences.
He'd go home after this, back to the Manor. He'd even let Lucifer lecture him about letting you play in the rain despite the possibility of getting sick.
He'd listen, and then he'd apologize. He'd be more honest about why he was hurt, and then he'd reconcile with his older brother.
But for now, he let himself flow with the rain, with you, as you both danced under the drizzle hand in hand.
And for a small moment that mattered more to him than it should, everything was okay.