Mammon reread Lucifer’s text and exhaled loudly. Things were going the way he wanted for once, but that demon had to go and ruin everything. Another sigh escaped his lips as Mammon let his hand fall to his side along with his phone. He knew he shouldn’t have picked a fight inside a cafe, but was he really the one at fault? Everyone saw the violence, but why didn’t they feel the need to ask the reason behind his actions. Then again, he shouldn’t have expected anyone to take his side – he was Mammon the clown and troublemaker, after all.

After carelessly tossing his phone on the bed, the Avatar of Greed quickly removed his ripped jacket and chucked it to the ground but instantly regretted his actions.

“Dumb demon and his freakin’ annoyin’ words. What was his problem?” Mammon grumbled as he dragged his heavy feet towards the closet area to look at himself in a mirror. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, his skin and clothes were colored red, and his muscles were screaming in agony. “Man, I look like a mess. How am I gonna hide this shiner? Whatever…too tired to worry…”

Not caring about red staining his sheet, the Avatar of Greed fell back on his bed with his arms stretched out on the mattress. He closed his eyes, rethinking the conversation with his brothers, the royals, and you. ‘Levi might’ve been right when he said I jinxed it. The owner got mad at me for hittin’ a customer back…what was I supposed to do? Stay quiet and let him treat me like a punchin’ bag? Was it my fault? Was it my fault? Was it my fault?’

That question echoed through his mind nonstop to the point where Mammon was starting to get desperate for an answer. Ignoring his mind’s protests to rest, he began recollecting the entire incident from the point when he approached the customer to the end when the owner fired him.

—-

“Hey there. Welcome to the best cafe in Devildom,” he greeted a tall and muscular demon with fierce lemon-colored eyes and flaming red hair. “I’ll be your server today, and my name is Mammon. What’ll you have?” 

“Mammon?” The customer snorted. “You’re one of the seven lords, ain’t ya? What’s a lord doing workin’ at a cafe? You broke or somethin’?”

He was not the smartest in Devildom, but it didn’t take a genius to know that this demon was trying to ruffle his feathers. Mammon thought the guy must be having a bad day, so he didn’t pay him much mind; instead, he shrugged his shoulders and brushed off the comment with ease. “Hey, everyone’s gotta work if they wanna make a few bucks. Nothin’ wrong with that.”

The yellow-eyed demon stared at the second brother with parted lips as he was expecting more of a riled reply. Irritated by the cold response Mammon gave, the fiend smirked, “So you’re as weak as they say. Ain’t the lords ranked by the power? You’re number 2, ain’t ya? You look like a weak newborn to me.”

“What’s my rank got to do with anythin’? How about orderin’ somethin’ instead? This is a cafe, and the food and drinks here are next to none. If ya can’t think of anythin’, I can give suggestions.”

Mammon ignored him to the best of his abilities, but in response, the customer laughed. “Weakling’s tryin’ to run away by changin’ the subject. The hell does (y/n) see in ya?”

Hearing your name coming from the fiend’s mouth caught Mammon off guard. As far as he knew, you would never give attention to an ass, so how did this guy know you? “(Y/n)? How do you know ’em?”

“They’re in a few of my classes, but I don’t see what a worthwhile person like them sees in a worthless demon like ya,” he scanned Mammon up and down as if harshly judging every little thing about him. “(Y/n), deserves better.”

“Too bad ’cause (y/n) likes me, and I like them. Now, mind tellin’ me what you want? I’ve to check on other customers.”

“They should ditch you and come with me,” the demon poked him further, completely ignoring Mammon’s question. “I’ll show (y/n) a good time, much better than you can.”

“I’ll ask one more time.” The Avatar of Greed’s patience was wearing thin, but he forcefully maintained his cool. “What do you wanna have?”

“(Y/n).”

The blunt reply surprised Mammon, temporarily causing his mind to freeze. “What?”

“(Y/n). I want (y/n).”

The last bit of his patience shattered, and anger started to coarse through his veins. For the last time, Mammon tried to defuse the situation solely out of the fear of losing a job that paid him well. “I’ll send someone else to take your order.”

“I’m goin’ to kidnap (y/n).” Those words made your boyfriend freeze in his tracks, and thinking he got Mammon where he wanted, the demon took the final shot. “I’ll take them from under your nose, and you won’t be able to do anythin’ about it.”

Spinning on his heels, the second brother decked the demon right between his eyes. After that, Mammon remembered hitting a few walls, punching back, then getting slammed against a couple of tables, taking a chair and whacking the demon across his face, and lastly, the screams of the panicked customers. The owner, a giant demon, managed to pry them apart, but it was too late, as the damage had already been done.

“Mammon, you, of all demons, hitting a customer? Boy, you had a talent for the service industry; that’s why I hired you. But now…I regret my decision.” The owner talked down to him like a teacher giving a lecture to a misbehaving kid they are tired of dealing with. He tried to explain his side of the story and how the “customer” was not there to order anything; his only intention was to pick a fight.

“I am not interested in hearing any excuses. Mammon, you are fired! Get out of my sight, and don’t come back to my cafe ever again.” Even though the owner attempted to sound stern, his voice couldn’t hide his regret of losing a star server.

—-

“Mammon, what happened?”

You stared down at your phone’s screen, waiting for him to reply to your messages. Was there a hint you were missing? Did he say something you might have missed? Returning to the group chat, you carefully read over the messages again, but to your dismay, there was nothing. The worst part was Mammon didn’t say much, which meant he was upset. Then again, who wouldn’t be if they were expected to pay damages for wrecking the whole cafe? Shuddering at the thought, you jumped to your feet, grabbed a first aid kit, and hurried to Mammon’s room. You couldn’t leave him alone, not at a time like this.

Quietly entering his room, you slowly made your way down the staircase, not wanting to alert him. You expected Mammon to be injured, but when you saw the condition he was in, you audibly gasped and nearly dropped the first aid kit.

“(Y/n)?” He forced himself to sit up and gave a small smile, “Don’t gimme that look. Remember I’m Mammon the Great? These injuries are nothin’.”

You swallowed your urge to cry as you took a seat next to him and began taking items out of the kit. While you tended to his injuries, you remained silent out of fear that your voice might crack and he might figure out how you were feeling. The last thing Mammon needed right now was to worry about you and console you while you cried. As you patched him up, the Avatar of Greed stared intensely at your face, recalling the demon’s words at the cafe.

“I don’t see what a worthwhile person like them sees in a worthless demon like ya. (Y/n), deserves better.” 

‘Am I the right person for them?’ The question that Mammon didn’t want to think about had finally reared its ugly head. ‘I know they love me, but…am I good enough for them?’

“Mammon? Whatever you are thinking about, I want you to stop.” Your words brought him back to reality, but you didn’t wait for him to respond. You knew Mammon staring expressionlessly at your face only meant one thing – his mind was drifting towards darkness, having thought you didn’t want him to think about. “Remember we promised we would tell each other everything? No matter how bitter or sad the truth is, we won’t hide anything? So, what happened at the cafe?”

“It’s like Lucifer said. I got into a fight with a customer, broke everythin’ in the cafe, and the owner fired me.”

“Right, but what happened?” Seeing that he didn’t want to tell you the details, you rested your hand on his thigh, avoiding his injuries. “Look, if someone told me that Satan got into a fight and broke things or Beel got into a brawl over food, I would believe them. But you? What did the customer say or do to anger you to that level?”

He lowered his gaze to your hand on his leg and told you everything, except the part when the demon told him he wasn’t good enough for you. Much to Mammon’s surprise, a warm smile appeared on your lips, “This protective side of yours is one of the reasons I love you. No matter the cost, you always think about your loved ones first.”

He jerked his head back as he struggled to find words to express his feelings. You were okay with him picking a nasty fight and getting fired? Weren’t you going to lecture him or give him an earful like the others?

“You want to know the other reasons I love you?” You playfully chuckled and leaned close to his face before planting a kiss on his uninjured eyes. “Your eyes. They remind me of a setting sun melting into the ocean.”

Mammon’s eyes softened as you gently pressed your lips on his bruised cheeks, “Your cheeks. I love pinching them. More than that, I love seeing your expressions when I pinch your cheeks.”

The corners of his lips slightly twitched, prompting you to kiss them. “Your lips are fun to kiss, and they’re really soft. Not to mention, your lips always taste good.”

You raised your right hand and toused his hair, earning a slight frown from him. “Your hair reminds me of the moon. Maybe the next time I’m lost in the darkness, I’ll use your hair as a guiding light.”

Mammon laughed at your cheesy joke and wrapped his arms loosely around your waist. Resting his chin on your shoulder, he whispered, “What else do ya like about me?”

“I’ll save that for another time. You’re not in the condition to handle those compliments.”

He lifted his head to look at you, confused by your reply. “What do ya mean?”

You pressed the tip of your right index finger on the area between his collarbone and began sliding it down his bare sculpted torso. “What I mean is if I compliment other parts of your body, you might not be able to control yourself. Right now, you need to rest, but…once you feel better, I will shower you with compliments.”

Light red dust spread across his cheeks, and though he knew you were right about needing rest, Mammon felt a little disappointed. “But once I recover, I want my reward.”

“Deal! Oh, about the damages you have to pay. I want to help you. That way, we can pay it off quicker.”

Mammon lightly touched the palm of his hand against your cheek, flashing a soft smile. “I don’t know what I would do without ya. Thank you, (y/n), for understandin’ me…you are the only one who sees me for who I am. I…love you.”

“I love you too,” you whispered, leaning your cheek on his palm and touching the back of his hand pressed against your cheek.

Mammon now knew that the demon was wrong in every way. You loved and understood him, and he loved you, and that was more than enough.