Archive of Our Own

Demons didn’t get sick.

At least that’s what everyone believes. But every once in a while - once in a blue moon even - a few demons would catch the devildom cold, and sometimes something worse. So it was pretty concerning when one of the demon brothers came down with what they thought was a simple fever, only for it to be so much worse.
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Mammon woke in a cold sweat, body already going numb as he squirmed in bed. His chest felt weird, a dull pain making him feel uncomfortable and also quite difficult to breathe. He blinked slowly, taking a few moments to let whatever had awoken him calm down and simmer to a halt. He was still half asleep, and would have fallen back asleep if not for the weird sensation in his chest. After a few minutes of just laying there in the dark room, his mind finally started working again, and he blinked a few times, dumbfounded.

“Wha…”

He sat up sluggishly, rubbing the grit out of his eyes, and looked around. He was still in his room, on his bed with ramen cups and overdue bills scattered around, shoved aside by his tossing and turning.

“Ah.. Must have.. Passed out…”

Mammon yawned. He had stayed up late the night before, watching TSL movies with Beel and Levi who insisted he watch every single movie as punishment for selling his Ultra Rare Ruri-Hana Deluxe Cafe Kitty figure. Mammon had begrudgingly complied, mad at the bag of insults Levi had thrown at him, but happy he could spend some time with his brothers, who usually hated doing anything with him. He would doze off every now and then, only to be sprayed with corn devil oil and smacked across the cheek with a pillow.

Remembering the shared moments made Mammon smile unconsciously, even if it had happened mere hours ago and was nothing close to “bonding”. He was pulled out of his thoughts however, when he felt another tingle of pain in his chest, eliciting a pained groan and wince. Mammon took huge, slow breaths, his throat burning more with every inhale. Trying to clear his throat, he leaned over to grab a water bottle, noticing the clock and realizing it was just about time for breakfast. He sighed out in relief remembering they had no school today, and that he could laze the day away and hope whatever weird feelings he had would dissipate in the shower.

He got up, rubbing his chest in slow circles to try and soothe whatever was gnawing at his insides. Maybe it was the Devil Havoc Roast they  ate for dinner, not sitting well in his stomach. He chalked it up to that, and moved on, undressing and turning the shower handle to the coldest it could go.
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It wasn’t the Devil Havoc Roast.

If it were, he would have been throwing up a lot more than just bile. 

He was now situated above the House of Lamentations main bathroom toilet, heaving nothing but what should be in his body out into the bowl. He felt dizzy, tears trickling down his cheeks from the pain in his chest and now stomach. His body had heated up past comfort, now more like an eary rash across his whole body. The cold shower hadn’t helped at all it seems.

Hives. That's what the humans called it in the Human World, except he didn’t have that, because those did not exist in The Devildom. He heard a faint knock on the door, but didn’t have enough strength to get up and answer it. He had left the door unlocked, not thinking to lock it before running to the toilet. Another knock - a little louder this time - echoed through the bathroom, making his ears ring and stomach churn dangerously.

Then he heard the door opening, and he was stumbling over and slamming his body against  the hardwood. He hissed at the pain that shot up his arm from impact, feeling a little guilty when the person on the other side spilled out curses and grumbles as well.

“You could have just said you were in there!! Dumbass…”

Just a “little” guilty.

He waited, legs trembling as he waited for whoever was there to leave. Moments later, footsteps were heard fading away, and he sighed exasperated, slumping to the ground in a heap. His head was pounding fast just like his heart, a strong headache pursuing its goal to make his morning even worse. He had just woken up less than an hour ago, and he’s already having a shitty day.

As if on cue, someone else came to disturb him, this time banging on the door and making his headache worse. 

“Mammon, I'm coming in.”

It was Lucifer.

Had one of his brothers gone and snitched on him for hogging the bathroom? He groaned, crawling away from the door and huddling in the corner of the room. He curled in on himself, body trembling and in pain. His senses were failing him, not even able to catch the loud creak of the door opening and the clacking of his older brother's feet as he grew closer. Mammon held his breath, hoping he could either disappear or for Lucifer to just ignore him. Holding his breath turned out to be a horrible idea though,  since his throat was still burning and chest tingling. He broke out into a coughing fit, which quickly turned into gasping and choking as he clutched his chest, the pain intensifying.

His throat was burning, his ears clogging up as an echo of a voice kept banging against his ear drums. His vision blurred, and he scrunched his eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears that found some way out his eyes and staining his clothes.

His body slumped to the side, but instead of feeling cold tiles, he felt something warm and big wrap around him. Something cold pressed against his chest, helping in slowing his pulse. Mammon leaned into the touch immediately, trying to get as much of it as possible. His body was hot as  a furnace, but something about this warmth was good. Intoxicating even. He wanted more of it, his greed shining through even while he rasped in his brother's hold. He tried scooting closer, but his legs wouldn't cooperate, so he put all his strength into clinging onto the warm fabric that covered him and the cool touch that soothed him.

It was soothing, and he felt himself grow drowsy. He couldn't tell what was going on, but he felt himself being moved and held even closer to the warm sources. He leaned his head into it, basking in the unfamiliar glow. When was the last time he felt this… safe? 

Back in the Celestial Realm, when he was just a tiny baby and only starting to have memories, he would remember looking up at Lucifer in all his glory, being held in those arms as he was carried to bed and sung lullabies to sleep.

He would open his eyes now, but he was too tired, so instead, he hoped and silently prayed that it was his too strict, prickly and prideful big brother who was carrying him to comfort and safety.
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When Mammon awoke again, he wasn't in any bedroom or bathroom, but instead the couch in the living room. The same warmness he felt from before was still cuddling him, and he let out a small contented sigh, focusing more on the cool ice bag resting on his head. He sat there - he doesn't know how long - until the thought that it could have actually been Lucifer who had helped him popped into his mind.

Lucifer. The Lucifer.

The realization hit Mammon harder than he thought, but just to make sure, he looked down.

Yep, there it was. The infamous black coat that The Avatar of Pride carried everywhere, usually draped over his shoulders and flowing behind him like a cape. Mammon always thought he looked cool with it, but he would never EVER voice that thought out loud - at least, not in front of the man himself.

Speak of the devil - said demon walked into the room carrying two large trays with food that made Mammon’s mouth water and stomach roar. The two demons made eye contact, and a light rosy blush painted Mammon’s face down his neck, clearly embarrassed by the sound his stomach somehow learned how to make.

“Mammon, you’re awake. Are you feeling better?”

“Uh, y-yeah…”

Mammon didn’t know what to say, but that was quickly shoved out of his mind when he got sight of the large trays, colored with all his favourite foods. His mouth starts to water again, but then his stomach starts to hurt and he realizes he hasn’t eaten yet.

Lucifer puts his tray on the table, puting Mammon’s own in his lap before taking the ice bag and checking his temperature. Mammon just lets it happen, mainly because he’s awed by the whole situation. Lucifer was… offering him food? And looking after him..?

Suddenly Mammon felt nauseous, the food no longer looking appealing but instead all yellow and beige, the same ugly colors of his bile this morning. Mammon felt his stomach start to churn, and his hands went to rest on his stomach, hugging it tightly. Noticing, Lucifer quickly took the tray off Mammon’s lap and crouched down, looking up at him with a shockingly concerned look you’d practically never see on The Avatar of Pride’s face.

Mammon bit his lip, looking anywhere other than the other demon’s deep red eyes. It made him really happy, knowing his older brother actually cared about him and didn’t think of him as some useless demon who always embarrassed him and stole stuff. On the other hand, he knew it must all be too good to be true. Any minute now the rest of his brothers will walk in and laugh at him for being so weak.

‘Demons don’t get sick!’

‘So pathetic.’

‘If you die, I'll laugh at your funeral!’

The thoughts were getting to him, and as he was too busy hoping those didn’t become a reality, his sickness started up again. He gagged, a hand shooting up to his mouth as his stomach lurched, and then he was being hauled off to the bathroom again by the eldest. Collapsing in front of the toilet again, Mammon coughed and heaved, nothing but spit and bile coming out his still empty and hurting stomach. God, he felt like shit, and he probably looked just as bad.

Lucifer simply rubbed his back, brows knitted together with worry and concern. He always prevented people from reading his emotions, but since no one could see him except Mammon, he didn’t worry about that, all his focus was on his sickly little brother. After a few minutes of dry heaving, Mammon ‘s stomach finally complies to his wishes and calms down. He slumps back against Lucifer’s chest, letting out a tired sigh when he feels that same warm heat from before. It’s only when he’s calmed down and cleaned his face with a cloth that he realizes his chest isn’t panging and his throat isn't on fire. Lucifer chuckles at his brother's confused look, and lets out a sigh, seemingly letting out a breath he had been holding the whole time.

“Lucifer, what-”

“I used one of Satan’s books to cast a spell on you. By tomorrow you should feel fine if it's just a fever or stomach  bug.”

“...” Mammon pierced his lips, thinking. As if Lucifer could read his mind, he pulled out Mammon’s D.D.D, handing it over to him and making Mammon even more confused.

“Levi had come complaining about you hogging the bathroom, so I had come to get you, but then you started… reacting. I picked it up after carrying you to the living room.”

Ah, that made sense, even though Mammon can only remember about half of what had happened after Lucifer entered the bathroom. His mouth contorted into a frown, eliciting one from the eldest demon as well.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing nothing! I just… I'm surprised ya even cared-”

“Why wouldn’t I care?”

Lucifer’s retort was immediate, voice wavered close to irritation, making Mammon shy away. Lucifer’s lips thin out again, and silence engulfs them for a moment. Mammon just stares at the white tiles, tiny cracks starting to push them apart. They need cleaning.

“Mammon… I know I don’t act like it, but... I do care about you. I care about all of you and only want what's best for you all.”

‘Then why do ya always set such high expectations for me?’ Mammon wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to, those words spoken from the eldest already breaking his heart in a way-too-good way.

“Because I know you can reach those expectations. There's a lot of things I believe you can do.”

Oops. Did he say that out loud? A heavy blush coated Mammon’s cheeks again, this time out of embarrassment AND unexpected relief. His eyes were wide, shock and confusion coursing through his veins. Lucifer cared about him. He cared and he loved him and oh did Mammon wish the others felt the same.

But they didn’t. He already knew they didn't.

Without saying a word, he slowly rises from the floor, Lucifer’s hand jerking out when he stumbles. Mammon’s quick to steady himself, but still leans his weight on the counter, which is replaced with Lucifer’s shoulder as he helps them back to the living room. Mammon still doesn't say anything, thoughts too jumbled up to think of proper words to say. The one thing he could definitely figure out though, was that he was starving. It’s not till a few minutes later when they're half way through their lunch that Mammon asks, “Where are the others?”

“They went out to buy medicine in case the spell didn’t work.”

Lucifer takes another bite of his hellfire mushroom curry, ignoring the shocked - and slightly confused - look on his little brother's face. In the end, Mammon decided not to retort, instead stuffing his face with another bite of ramen and focusing on filling his belly until he couldn’t eat anymore.

He then thinks back to what Lucifer said in the bathroom, and something tells him he’s lying.
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The door to The House of Lamentation creaked open, almost like a haunted house. It was weird, how Mammon could practically sense his brother's presence as they came closer and closer to his bedroom. After lunch, Mammon’s stomach had started acting out again, so Lucifer had ordered - yes, ordered - him to go rest while he got a bucket and some sleeping medication. This time, Mammon compiled without complaint, wanting to get some rest and sleep till dinner.

He had been waiting for Lucifer to come back, when instead of only one, he heard multiple footsteps coming closer. Of course, the first thing his mind thought to do was panic. If they already knew he was sick, then they were surely following Lucifer to come tease him, and that was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. He quickly huddled under the covers, covering his ears with a pillow so he didn’t have to hear his brother's rude remarks. It was getting hot under the blankets already, but he didnt care. As long as he didnt hear the names, he would be fine. He heard the door open, and braced himself.

“Mammon?”

He held his breath, scrunching his eyes shut to try and imagine they weren't there.

“Mammon... are you awake?”

Seconds passed, and he didn’t move a finger, but then his throat decided to betray him and clog up again, making him choke on his own breath. He tried to stay quiet, but his chest suddenly exploded in pain, and he curled on himself, clutching his chest so tight his knuckles paled. He opened his mouth to speak but instead he was coughing and gasping and suddenly too hot because the bed sheets were suffocating him and all he could think about was the voices-

Lucifer ripped the covers off him, his muffled noises now filling the room for everyone to hear. His mind started getting foggy again, his vision blurring and chest on fire. His back hurt too, and at this point he couldn’t tell where he wasn’t in pain. He felt something even hotter touch him, and he jerked away from it like it was the Devil's Plague. The feeling only grew stronger, spreading across his body and pulling him close, he whimpered at the feeling, which turned into a choking sound. A mix of coughs and sobs kept flowing out his throat, making him grow dizzy with the lack of oxygen.

He felt his jacket being yanked off, and as he gasped to catch his breath, he felt something sharp prick his shoulder. He yelped, trying to move away but was being kept still by the burning force. It was pulled away after a few seconds, and now he felt extremely tired. His world was spinning, but the pain and burning slowly started cooling, ironically making him seek warmth.

And there it was.

That great, comforting feeling returned, and Mammon relaxed before passing out completely.
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“So that was the second time now?”

Lucifer nodded. “At first I thought it was a simple fever or stomach bug, but this was way more… extreme, then what happened in the bathroom.”

Everyone was now gathered around Mammon’s bed, said demon sleeping in the middle. Belphie had laid down beside him, claiming he was tired from looking for medicine. He seemed unaffected by the situation, but he clenched his pillow tightly, so tight it might actually tear. Asmo was seated on the other side by the nightstand, hand carding through Mammon’s slightly damp hair. He would make sure to wash and moisturize it when Mammon was better, whenever that would be… Levi, Satan and Beel were all standing to the side in front of the stairs, Satan with a face of irritation and the other two a face of concern. Then there was Lucifer, standing off to the side and staring at Mammon like he was just a dead corpse. He didn’t voice nor show his concern, but he was anxious. Extremely anxious.

“...Shit.” Satan ran a hand through his blond locks, scratching the scalp so hard Asmo feared it might bleed. “And you’re sure it’s not just a stomach bug?”

“If it was, ‘just a stomach bug’, he wouldn’t be reacting the way he is. It has to be something else.” Lucifer’s tone and certainty only pissed Satan off more, not to mention him mocking the 4th born, but he kept his cool, not wanting to worry his brothers any more than they were now.

“It could be that rare disease everyones going on about.” Levi mumbled, which caught the attention of all of them. Levi just continued to stare at Mammon, who looked pale and fragile, nothing like the energetic, loud brother he was used to.

What Levi said could certainly be what was causing Mammon’s sickness. The sickly disease had popped up in The Devildom recently, making it to the top of news stations. It had been around for about a week, and there was already a vaccine, though it had yet to be mass produced. Lucifer had found out from Lord Divaolo, and had made sure his brothers were at least educated on the matter. It seems even with all those meetings and preparations, they weren’t ready, and now one of his own brothers had fallen sick. He had allowed Mammon  to fall sick to such an unknown disease, and now he was struggling because of it. It all put a bitter taste in his mouth, but he shoved those thoughts aside, instead going to feel Mammon’s forehead again. It was still hot, even his hand on the demon's head pulling a bothered groan from his unconscious mind.

“Can’t we go ask Lord Diavolo for the vaccine?” Beel asked, gnawing on a candy bar. In any situation, the others would find the action normal, but they all knew it was just out of stress, and it worried Belphie even more.

“What about the people who've had the disease longer? If we did that, everyone else would have to wait even longer.” Asmo chirped in, fiddling with the hem of Mammon’s shirt. It became quiet again, everyone either thinking of what to do or waiting for someone to share a possible solution. Finally, Lucifer spoke.

“We have no choice but to wait for the vaccine. Until then, we’ll take care of him.”
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It was weird, falling asleep and waking up again only for it to still be the same day. To Mammon, it feels like multiple days have passed already, while in reality, it’s only late afternoon. He wakes up again, this time feeling just as bad as he had this morning, except this time it's hard for him to even lift a finger.

The first thing he notices is the cool cloth on his forehead, which he immediately starts basking in, temporarily forgetting the burning heat covering the rest of his body. He also notices he’s naked, which is odd. He’s been stripped down to his yellow boxers, a fan from the attic blowing cool air directly to his sticky skin.

Instead of questioning what happened, he simply laid there and enjoyed the cool air, eyes fluttering closed again only for them to fly open when the door slams open. Mammon jerks up, which was a bad idea because his head starts hurting and his stings. He groans, hand going to touch his chest only to shoot away because it’s too hot.

“Ah..! Sorry, did I wake you?”

Asmo quickly walked over to the other, placing his hand on Mammon’s forehead and frowning.

“You’re still super hot - the oven hot - though you are hot in general, but do you feel faint? Are you hungry?”

Mammon winces at his brother's onslaught of questions, rubbing his eyes before getting a clear look at who it is. Asmo’s standing in front of him, half leaning over and staring at him with those magic eyes of his. Mammon blinks, confusion being the only thing on his face. Well, other than sweat. He takes a second to fully wake up, and a frown appears on his face when he processes his brother's words.

“...Why do ya care? Shouldn’t ya be doing... ya makeup or something?”

Mammon’s voice was hoarse from all the coughing and heaving, and he was still sleepy, voice slurred. Asmo just stared at him for a moment, frowning, before smiling again and jumping at Mammon for a hug. “Mmmm, you sure say the weirdest things when you’re tired!”

“Geh- Asmo- Dammit! Let go, I’m sticky!--”

“I'm sorry.”

Mammon freezes, body going numb, and Asmo’s hold tightens just a little.  

“I'm sorry, for everything. For teasing you and calling you names and-”

“Woah woah woah..! Where’s all this comin’ from? Did Lucifer tell ya to come apologize for somethin’?”

“NO!” Asmo shrieked, pulling away to look Mammon in the eyes.The other is shocked, staring wide eyed back at Asmo.  He wasn’t expecting Asmo to react like that, or for his voice to start echoing. It made him dizzy, and he must have spaced out again, because the only thing he hears after a few seconds are quiet sobs and “Im sorry.” on repeat. He looks down, Asmo hugging him and crying into his chest like one of his admirers had called him ugly.

All Mammon can do is rub his back and tell him it’s okay, because what can he do in a situation like this? Soon, Asmo calms down, pulling away from Mammon’s sticky stomach. He wipes his eyes, mascara smearing across his face like he’s a hard core rock star. Mammon waits for his little brother to collect himself, almost in a daze the whole time till Asmo finally speaks.

“...Mammon, I really do love you, okay? I do… and so does everyone else. We just want you to get better...And you will, alright?”

Asmo sniffled, wiping his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Mammoon bit his lip, trying to keep his own emotions in check. They loved him? Really...?

‘If I wasn't sick, you wouldn’t care.’

That thought instantly sobered Mammon’s mind, bringing him back to the cold - or in this case hot - reality. The fact he was sick and his brothers were going to “take care” of him already made him uneasy, doing nothing to help his odd ball of a stomach.

He wanted to scoff and call it all bullshit, because he already knew they were just lying to make him feel better. Lucifer must have done the same thing, to get him all puckered up and feeling great so when he was well again they could throw insults at him left and right without guilt. In fact, Mammon wouldn’t be surprised if any of his brothers still insulted him now, calling him weak and ugly after breaking down in front of them like he did. But for now, he’d just follow along with them. When they tell him what’s making him sick, Mammon will be able to hide it and pretend he’s fine, and then things can quickly go back to normal.

The “I'm your personal punching bag and you only acknowledge me unless I mess up” normal.

After taking  a moment to compose himself fully, Asmo grabbed the fallen cloth from the bed, dipping it in the water left by Beel and slapping it back on Mammon’s head. Mammon winced at the feeling, frowning when Asmo mumbled another apology. 

“I'm just gonna go back to sleep alright? You can come get me for dinner.”

Asmo shook his head. “I'd rather get you before dinner so you can have time to clean up, or would you rather do that now?” Asmo’s voice was more firm, opposite of the wobbly display he showed just moments ago. It made Mammon wonder how easily Lucifer could have faked those worried looks and soft words, scoffing in disgust when Mammon wasn’t looking.

The feeling made him sick. Quite literally.

His vision started to blur again, but he could still hear this time, his shoulder’s feeling like lead as they slumped down. Asmo quickly noticed the change in posture, sitting down beside Mammon to rub his back.

“Mammon!? Hey, Mammon?? A-are you not feeling well again? Hold on, I’ll go get Lucifer-”

“No..! No.. I just- I’m... Just tired…” Mammon bit his lip, hoping his voice sounded convincing enough with the already slurred accent of drowsiness.

Asmo seemed to buy it, and without saying a word, slowly guided Mammon back to his position on the bed, moving him so he wasn’t laying back down in sweat. Mammon let himself be manhandled, suddenly too tired to do anything other than lay there and sleep.

He felt Asmo kiss his temple, whispering softly, “Nigh-Night Mammon”, before moving away and letting the fan blow onto his still too warm body. Mammon relaxed again, not caring if Asmo was still in the room or even staring at him. He just wanted to sleep.

Sleep and sleep and sleep…
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Asmo heads back to the kitchen, dirty bed sheets in hand, and immediately catches the attention of the other five brothers in the room.

“How is he?” Belphie asks quickly, a surprising amount of emotion evident in his words.

“Better, but still weak… He spaced out and went back to sleep after a few minutes.”

“Oh, okay.”

“...” All of them could tell Asmo had more to say by the way he gnawed at his bottom lip, and also the splotches of leaked mascara on his cheeks. Satan grabbed a washcloth, going over to the fifth born and silently wiping his cheeks, a softness that was rarely seen in the wrathful demon. The simple gesture made Asmo tear up again, and then he was one again sobbing into someone's chest. The mascara from Asmo’s eyes had been smeared, now staining into the fabric of Satan's sweater. Satan absently rubbed Asmo’s back, deciding against saying anything to try and calm him.

He couldn’t understand why everyone was being so emotional. Yes, Mammon is very sick, but the news stated multiple times the disease wasn’t deadly. Their source was from Lord Diavolo himself, so there was nothing to worry about!

Even so, all his brothers had been on edge, and Satan could understand his brother's emotional balance being distraught. Even he was freaked out by the whole “Mammon being terribly sick” thing, but he was quick to compose himself. He can only imagine how they felt though...
‘No wonder Asmo was so hesitant to go check on Mammon alone.’

Asmo sniffled, and carefully, Satan led Asmo out of the kitchen, leaving just four brothers left to deal with dinner. They all stood there in silence for a moment, the sound of the cauldron roaring and timer ticking being the only helpful distraction. Almost robotically, the twins continued to cook, but Lucifer stopped both of them, earning confused and dazed expressions from them both.

“Go rest. Me and Levi will finish up here.”

Those simple words seemed to push them over the edge as well, but they didn’t show it as much as Asmo did, who wore his feelings on his sleeve. They both mumbled words of affirmation and left the kitchen, leaving only two. The whole ordeal reminded Levi of an anime he watched not long ago, but he kept his mouth shut, the atmosphere growing thicker with just the two of them there. He didn’t think he and Lucifer had a good relationship, mainly because their interests were so different, but nevertheless, Levi puffed up his chest and tried starting a conversation on a whim..

“Uh, Lucifer-”

“Hm?”

“...Uh…Uhm..” Shit. Levi was regretting his whole life right now. He wanted to tell Lucifer about the anime he remembered, but with the current situation, that might not be the best idea, and anxiety creeped into his body. He fiddled with the hem of pants, not wanting to look the eldest in the eyes out of embarrassment. Lucifer stared at him for a moment, then went back to preparing dinner.

“Is there something you want to talk about, Levi?”

“Uh, y-yeah, but.. It’s probably not-”

“It’s fine.”  Lucifer cut in, “I'm quite intrigued with what you have to say right now, it would be a good distraction as well.”

And with that sentence alone, Levi was on with his rants, a big smile on his face as he told Lucifer about all the theories and possible futures that could come their way based on a simple anime. Then, when he had run out of theories, he switched to TSL, and talked about the amazing Christopher Peugeot who wrote it. All Lucifer did was listen, humming in affirmation every now and then to let Levi know he was still listening. Lucifer didn’t know how much time passed, but by the time they were getting everything set on the table, Levi had told him the plot and lore of fourteen manga’s and eight anime’s, which he did his best to remember. They would come in handy if he ever needed to chat with Levi, and might help strengthen their own personal bond.

“Oh! And there was also the part where Hirikaga-Kun ran out of the castle, which was a pretty big part of the manga series because-”

Levi’s rant was interrupted by the door to the dining hall opening, Mammon stumbling in. Both brothers' attention was immediately drawn to him, all words dying in Levi’s throat, and both brothers instinctively scrambling to help the second born. Lucifer was quick to go over and help him to his chair, Mammon mumbling a “Thanks…” before huffing in exhaustion and leaning back.

“Why did you come down here alone?” Lucifer asks, scanning his brother for any possible injuries that could have been inflicted on his way. “Asmo said he’d come get me for dinner, but never showed up.” Mammon states simply, and Lucifer nods in understanding.

Just like Asmo, Levi is quick to bombard him with questions, Mammon simply grunting in response to each. While Levi was attacking Mammon with his onslaught of questions, Lucifer stared at Mammon’s attire. He seemed different - more composed maybe? - but that wasn’t what caught Lucifer’s attention. Mammon’s eyes seemed glazed over, full of an emotion he couldn’t put into words. It wasn’t till Mammon’s stomach growled in protest that Levi stopped asking questions, and went to go get the others for dinner instead.

Without saying a word, Lucifer serves Mammon large portions of everything on the table, suppressing a chuckle when his brother's expression turns from glum to excited. As soon as his plate was placed down, Mammon dug into his food like a starving animal, only remembering to properly chew when Lucifer said so. He’s about half way through his pork roast when he realizes Lucifer has just been standing there, staring at him.

Slowly, he lowers his spoon, trying to swallow the large clumps of rice in his mouth as he looks up at his older brother. “Wat tiz it?”

Lucifer continues to stare, unfazed by Mammon’s question, and silently wipes some grains of rice off Mammon’s cheek, a small smile growing on the eldests face. Said demon just sits there, wide eyed and shocked at the eldests actions. As if realizing what he did, Lucifer clears his throat and quickly cleans his glove, a light tint covering his pale skin. They stand there in a moment of silence, and then Mammon’s bursting out laughing, rice particles flying everywhere. Lucifer grimances at the mess, but can’t help but smile allite more at the sound of Mammon’s wheezing laugh. That smile is quickly replaced with worry however, when Mammon’s light laughs turn to shallow coughs.

“Breath, breath..” Lucifer mumbles, patting Mammon’s back and offering him water which he gulps down as fast as his stomach will allow. For a moment Lucifer thinks he’ll collapse again, but Mammon gives him a wobbly thumbs up as he takes another large breath.

Suddenly, the rest of the brothers barge in, concern clear as the moon decorating their faces.

“We heard coughing, so-”

“He’s fine. He just put too much food in his mouth.”

Lucifer is quick to reassure them, and it seems to work, given their shoulders slump down and they now look more relaxed. Going over to the dining table, everyone takes a seat, dishing their own share of food and officially starting dinner.

Mammon finds it funny really, how less than a day ago he had sat down in the same spot as usual, conversing with his brothers like any “normal” family would. Now, not even a day later, he’s been limited to his bed, and wherever his brothers are, suffering an illness he was barely aware of. It put a heavy feeling in his chest, and he didn’t like it. He became even more worried when the feeling turned to pain, and he subconsciously brought his fist up to rub at the area.

He felt all six eyes on him immediately, watching intensely. The eyes grew bigger, as if staring him down, waiting for him to mess up instead of breakdown. It was suffocating. Oh so suffocating. They were waiting - for him to do something stupid or make a fool of himself - and Mammon felt his throat constricting.

Just when Asmo is about to speak, Mammon abruty stands up, excusing himself to the bathroom before taking strong strides out the room. He hears his brother's voices behind him, but refuses to answer nor look back. When he knows none of his brothers can see nor hear him, he slumps down to the ground, legs shaking and chest tingling. Was it happening again?

Mammon took long deep breaths, wishing he had something cold to sooth the heat rising from his body. Tears pricked his eyes, threatening to spill over. When had he become so weak? Was he fated to be the useless, scummy brother that everyone hated?

The pain only grew, and Mammon whined at the feeling, hissing. Looking around, he saw one of the extra tables left out in the hallway, and crawled underneath it’s low surface, curling in on himself.

He wishes he could just disappear.
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It’s not till later that he realizes he fell asleep, and for the third time in one day to top it all off.

Mammon rubs his eyes, letting them adjust to the light before looking around through the little hole of the table. He couldn’t hear any of his brothers, which was a relief. They were the last people he wanted to see right now, especially with everything that's going on. At this rate, he might as well leave the house; going back to his room to sleep seemed worse considering he’s already slept for half the day. He considered going out to the same casino from yesterday, but decided against that as well, remembering the amount of guys who wanted to “punch his teeth in” for beating them at hookey.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair and ruffling it, the white locks bouncing back into place. It always took him a jar of hair gel and-then-some to style his hair a certain way, otherwise it would be stuck the way it's always been since birth. He had only been inside for a day, but already felt too cramped, the desire to breakout into the moonlight and breathe in that fresh air was intoxicating. 

Mammon peeked out the hole one more time before crawling out, being as quiet as possible while he walked in the direction of the entrance. He would just take a short walk around to clear his mind, and also think of a way to ask his brothers what type of sickness he had without being too suspicious. He was tired of them babying him and acting like he couldn't do a darn thing on his own, so if faking being better was what it took, he’d do it. He makes it to the entrance no problem, but just when he thinks he’s home free -

“MAMMON!”

He flinches, turning around so fast he almost gets whiplash, and looks to see Satan coming down the stairs, Levi right behind him. He grimaces, knowing he’ll have to come up with some excuse for suddenly disappearing. When Satan starts getting too close - and even raises his arms - Mammon flinches again, expecting some sort of pain to erupt wherever Satan decides to strike, but instead of pain, he feels warmth, and slowly opens his eyes.

Satan is... Hugging him. He’s hugging him, and now Levi’s hand is on his forehead.

“Woah woah woah - timeout! What are ya guys doin’?”

Satan pulls away, no anger evident on his face. “What are we doing? What have you been doing!? You just took off during dinner and didn’t come back, and then we checked the bathroom and your bedroom but you weren’t there! so we’ve been looking for you all over the house!”

Mammon blinks, confused. “Why would ya be looking for me..”

“Why wouldn’t we be looking for you? With your condition-”

Oh.

Oh.

He pierces his lips, and that same glazed over look returns to his gradient eyes. When Satan realizes Mammon isn’t listening to a word he’s saying, he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Come on, let's head to the kitchen and get you your leftover food. Or would you rather take a bath? Asmo was complaining about not giving you one yet.”

…

“I’ll go talk to Asmo.” Mammon deadpans, and walks past his brothers without batting an eye. Both Satam and Levi exchange worried glances, watching Mammon disappear up the second floor.
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The walk to his little brother's room takes longer than necessary, the greedy demon making sure to drag it out as long as possible. Maybe if he took too long, Asmo would grow tired of waiting and change his mind, then Mammon could go out on his walk and stay out in the cool air for hours. Or days, or even months. Anything to get him away from this fake ass family and not be so damn hot.

He’s sure they would much rather get rid of him than be forced to take care of him. It was probably Lucifer who ordered them all to do so, so Lord Divaolo’s reputation isn’t damaged for letting one of the strongest demons in The Devildom fall horribly sick and disappear. Mammon hates it. The way all his brothers pretend to care when everyone knows they don't.

It itched Mammon a certain way he just couldn’t wrap his mind around.

After ten long minutes of walking, Mammon finally makes it to Asmo’s door, feeling out of breath and slightly dizzy. If he broke out into one of those coughing fits now, then hopefully he’ll pass out again and be able to get this darned day over with. He was even tempted to punch his own chest, hoping that would make his throat flare up and maybe even stop him from breathing all together so he could just get out-

The door opens, and Asmo welcomes him in. with a smile.

“I'm so glad you came, Mammon!”

‘As if.’

“I have a bunch of different bath bombs and shampoos you can try! Not to be mean, but you reek, and I refuse to have one of my brothers walking around while smelling foul.”

‘You’re just using me as a guinea pig.’

“Ah, wait, take a shower first. I don’t want sweat in my tub!”

‘If you want me to leave, just say that.’

“Mammon? Everything okay? You’re just standing there..”

‘Ill leave, and never come back.’

“Mammon..?”

‘Then you all can be happy.’

“Hey, Mammon!”

‘Happy…’

“MAMMON!”

Mammon’s throat squeezes, and he chokes, breaking out into an ugly chough. He holds his stomach and crumbles to the ground, all energy lost as his throat starts to  burn, struggling to pull in oxygen.

Guess he should have been careful what he wished for.

He slumps to the ground, feeling disgustingly relieved that he won't have to deal with this all anymore, and squeezes his eyes shut. Asmo’s mind flashes back to how horrible Mammon looked when he first collapsed, his tanned body practically choking him. Betraying Him. He begs his body to move, to move and help his brother who could be literally suffocating-

But his body betrays him too, and stays there, leaving him to stare in shock and panic.

Mammon glances up at his brother, and mentally scoffs, feeling his heart squeeze with a heartbroken feeling. It hurts - hurts so much - to see his own brother standing there and watching him suffer. Watching him die. Mammon starts to cry uncontrollably, because damn - his heart is really broken now. Mammon reaches out with a shaky hand, vision filling with black spots as he silently pleads for his little brother’s help. It was stupid to even try, but the thought of dying in such a pathetic way - ironiclly - made him want to live alittle longer.

It's right before he passes out that he realizes Asmo really isn’t going to help him, and that in the end,  they really do want him gone. His eyes shut slowly, bright blue pupils filled with grey clouds as he loses consciousness.
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It’s dark, but at the same time bright. Mammon can see the blackness surrounding him, almost like it’s meant to be. He feels light, like he’s floating, and for a second he thinks he actually died. He can’t remember what happened, but he was reaching out to someone, and they looked a lot like someone he knew. He just… couldn’t remember.

Maybe with a little rest, he’ll be able to remember, because damn, he really didn't want to die.
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“How could you let this happen!”

“I-im sorry-- I froze, I didn’t--” Asmo choked on his words, Beel steading him when he stumbled over a few loose stones in the road. His own vision is blurred with tears, and he wonders if this is how Mammon saw everything before passing out.

After Mammon had blacked out, Asmo had fallen to the floor, finally snapped back to reality by Mammon's lifeless body, and he started sobbing, yelling for help and for Mammon to wake up. Hearing his pleas, his brothers had stormed in, to be met with a sight they will never ever forget. Now here they are, Mammon wrapped in Lucifer’s arms as they run towards The Demon Lord's Castle in search of help.

Asmo tripped on another stone, this time Beel being a second too late and the demon crumbled to the ground. Tears rack his body as he lets out a pitiful whimper, and Satan stops to help him. “Just keep going, I’m gonna take him back to the house.” His voice is uncharacteristically soft, but it's grown onto him now, trying his best not to freak anyone out more than they already were.

“N..N-No..! Mammon, he-” Asmo gasped and coughed, clutching his chest as he tried to catch his breath. This made all his brothers stop in their tracks, looking back at Asmo with concern and slight shock. Asmo’s body started growing hotter, bothering him to no end while he continued to gasp and cough. Belphie and Beel rushed over to steady their trembling brother, and Satan felt the pink-haired demon's forehead, only to yank his hand back and mutter a curse.

“Shit- He’s burning up!”

Levi’s eyes widened, “Y-you don’t mean-”

“Satan, carry him, we need to hurry.” The eldest ordered, tone rushed and firm. His words sounded harsh, but they all knew they held no malice. In fact, the brothers would say Lucifer sounded more worried than anything else, which wasn’t an emotion seen on The Avatar of Pride… Well, ever. Satan took Asmo’s shaking body and shifted him only his back, running to catch up with others.

As he ran, he felt Asmo’s cold breath tickle his neck, still wheezing and barely awake. In any other situation, Satan would be irritated by his brother's breath on his skin, but right now, he was glad he could still feel it, knowing Asmo hadn’t gone and died on the spot.

After a few more minutes of frantic running, the castle finally came into few, and they all climbed the steep steps to the entrance. They were met with Barbatos, who’s pleasant smile disappeared immediately after seeing the brothers state.

Both Asmo and Mammon were out cold now, sweating feverishly and trembling. No words had to be said between any of them, the whole group rushing down the many long corridors to the medic room. Barbatos opened the heavy door with ease and swiftness, Lucifer and Satan quickly coming in first followed by the rest. They placed Mammon and Asmo down on two of the many hospital beds, immediately moving back to make room for Barbatos - already equipped with supplies - to examine the two. He had many questions, but what needed to come first was the reassurance that both demons would be alright. As he examined Mammon’s eyes, his expression quickly soured, but still stayed the same blank stare.

Lucifer was the only one who noticed.

Moving over to Asmo, Barbatos spoke up, “It would be for the best if you all left the room. Please help yourselves to any of the guest bedrooms and necessities in the kitchen.”

It was a polite dismissal, asking to leave for the sake of everyone else - especially themselves.

All of them hesitated, only focused on Amso and Mammon unconscious on the beds, so Lucifer took the initiative to open the door, holding it for his brothers. They stared at him, a lost expression on their faces as they slowly exited the room one by one, none of them willing to look the eldest in the eye as they left. Lucifer left last, but not before giving Barbatos a knowing glance, getting a nod in return.

He closed the door behind him, and turned to look at the other four who stood awkwardly in the hallway. Satan and Levi had perplexed looks on their faces, while the twins looked more dejected. Lucifer thought to himself the best course of action at this point - something that will both calm the brothers and help them rest for the night. Based on Barbatos’ words, they’ll most likely be staying the night. They had already had dinner, but Beel would probably still be hungry later, if not already.

His mind thought back to his other little brothers for just a second, but it made his heart crack just as strong. Everything was happening so fast, and it was clear they all needed a change of pace if not only for a few minutes. Mulling it over, the best course of action would be to get everyone a snack before taking them to their rooms. Then, he’d come back down and stay the night with his ailing brothers. Just as he was about to voice his 5-second-thought plan, a horrendous sound erupts in the hallway, echoing off the high walls like an earthquake. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise before looking over to the sixth-born, Beel’s face a light pink, and he bit his lip.

“I'm hungry…”

“...” Everyone stared blankly, Beel keeping his gaze glued to the ground as the embarrassed blush grew deeper with each passing second.

“Pfft- Hahahaha!”

Everyone burst out into chuckles and laughter, which only made Beel turn redder as he held his stomach. “After everything that happened, it’s good to know the old habits haven't been affected.” Satan chuckled, struggling to calm himself down. Everyone agreed nonchalantly, and it was almost as if everything was normal.
As if two of their brother’s weren’t fighting for their lives in the room beside them.

That thought alone quickly sobered all of their bubbly feelings, and Belphie grabbed the sleeve of Beel’s jacket, tugging lightly to get the others' attention.

“Come on, let's go get something to eat.” Beel nodded happily, pleased by the appetizing offer.

“I'm heading to the room then.” Satan commented.

“Same.”

And just  like that, they all split off, Satan and Levi going towards the guest chambers while the twins headed for the royal kitchen. Lucifer watched all of them go, and let out a sigh of relief. It seems he didn’t have to worry after all. Well, for the most part. Now… to find Diavolo and figure out just what was happening in this city.
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He really had to stop falling asleep like this.

When Mammon opens his eyes after yet another “nap”, he’s met with a bright light and two green eyes staring at him intensely. His first reaction would be to yell and sit up as fast as possible, in case this person is some evil scientist his brothers decided to sell him to, but he could barely move a finger, even his eyes stinging from being open. The urge to close them and go back to sleep was strong, but his curiosity was stronger. He blinked a few times to clear his greying vision, apparently getting the strangers attention, and the light was moved away. He brought a shaky hand to his eyes, rubbing them for the nth time today. Or was it the next day? He couldn’t even keep up with how slow the day seemed to pass with all the passing out.

His vision finally cleared, and the next thing that he noticed was the extreme headache he had, as well as how sweaty he was, and the fact that he wasn’t in Asmo’s bathroom, nor his own room. He turned his head to the side, trying to figure out where he was, when he saw Asmo. His eyes widen, dread filling his entire being  as he stares at his brother laying a few feet beside him, panting and wheezing.

Had he done something after passing out? Did Asmo freak out and pass out too? Or what if he ended up infecting him with whatever weird ‘disease’ he had!?

Overwhelming guilt filled Mammon’s soul, the thought that he had brought harm to his own brother made him tear up. He tried to sit up, but his body felt like lead, and his vision blurred dangerously as tears threatened to spill over. He groaned when the headache racked his head with steady thumps, but flinched when a hand that wasn’t his rested itself on Mammon’s shoulder.

The second he saw the culprit, he was filled with relief.

“Barbatos.” Mammon sighed, voice all ragged and hoarse. Barbados hummed in acknowledgement, bringing a few pillows for Mammon sit up. When that small task was done, Barbatos went over to Asmo, getting straight to the point. “Fortunately, he just has a fever, so he’ll be fine after a bit of rest. The stress could have also added to him falling ill, so don't worry too much.”

‘The stress of having to take care of me.’

“Oh…” Was all Mammon had the strength to say. His family was struggling because of him, and instead of just leaving him, Lucifer's forcing them to take care of him. The thought of it hurt more than his headache, and he slumped back down into the pillows, unmovinging. Barbatos was concerned by the sudden change of state, but decided against speaking on it, replacing the quickly warming towel on Asmo’s forehead with a cool one. He would wait until Lucifer came back, hoping he would have better luck in cheering Mammon up than he could.
Speak of the devil - the eldest of the brothers opened the door, making his presence known for the other two conscious demons in the room. Piercing Red eyes met glazed honey blue, and Mammon looked away.

“Lucifer, how are the others?’ Barbatos asked, hoping for a good response.

“They handled things better than I imagined. They're all in their rooms now.”

Lucifer moves closer to talk to Barbato, most likely to stop the second oldest from hearing their conversation. He pouts, suddenly feeling left out, which was extremely childish - even he would admit that.

After a few moments, Barbatos nods, and curtly excuses himself so they can have some privacy.

Lucifer walks over to Mammon, hand reaching for  his forehead but stopping when he sees the look in Mammon’s eyes. There distant, staring down at the light fabric covering his lower body. 
His fingers fiddle with the hem, twisting and untwisting, and it makes  Lucifer's face soften considerably for reasons even he doesn't know. He looks over to Asmo, still unconscious and wheezing quietly. “Barbatos said it’s just a fever.” Mammon mumbles, catching Lucifer off guard by how hoarse he sounded. His lips shift into a thin line, and for just just this one time - just for this moment - he knees down on the bed and wraps his arms around Mammon’s shivering body, a deep chuckle - or giggle if you listen carefully -  slipping past his lips when Mammon leans in and wraps his own arms around Lucifer immediately.

Mammon hiccups, tears streaming down his face and soaking into Lucifer's vest. He doesn't care though, and with a little bit of maneuvering, he’s pulling Mammon close into his arms and rubbing his back, whispering words of comfort as the other sobs louder. Soon “I'm sorry!” joins the mix, and all Lucifer can do is comfort him, because he doesn't have the power to take away what his brothers are going through. If he could take away Mammon’s disease - take away all the pain and exhaustion - he would do it without hesitation.

Meanwhile deep in Mammon's mind, he’s fighting himself. Fighting and screaming at everything to just stop and give him peace. And just finds it ironic really, how someone who supposedly hates him can make him feel so safe and cared for in the blink of an eye.

It takes a few minutes for Mammon to calm down, sadness being taken over by exhaustion, and easily falls asleep after, body too tired to even greive. When he knows Mammon is fully asleep he gets up and goes to pick Asmo up, carefully placing his warm body beside Mammon’s cold one. He finds it amusing how Mammon moves to cling onto Asmo’s arm in search of warmth, and Asmo curls up into Mammon as well, seeking the cold even though both are unconscious.

After a few moments of watching his adorable brothers, he leaves the room, heading towards the large red doors of Lord Diavolo’s room.
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When he opens his eyes, he doesn't see his lavish bathroom ceiling.

He doesn't see anything really.

Whatever he’s looking up at is a color so bright he almost mistook it for white, but it's just a tint more blue. He takes fashion very seriously, so it’s no surprise he was able to spot the difference.

He turns his head, and it's like he’s in water, his movements slowly and languide. It’s then he realizes he’s floating, and that below him, it's a darker shade of blue, more pastel.

Wherever this place is - whatever this place is- it's amazing, and he would gladly stay if it means he gets to gaze at this beautiful scenery for a bit longer. He’s so comfortable too, his head at just the right angle as if he’s lying down on a cloud.
He’s so caught up in the moment, unaware of anything else other than himself and blue.

After a few seconds of basking in the new feeling, he looks back down, where the blue is more potent, and stares. The color is familiar. Too familiar. It's beautiful and gradient...

His brows knit together, thinking. Where has he seen that color before?

It takes a few minutes - of just… staring, but then it clicks. It hits him harder than he ever imagined, body slowly starting to sink down towards the color. As he does so, the room starts changing, the light blue at the top slowly being consumed just like he is now. He sinks further, almost as if he’s drowning, and looks up. The whole room is blue, with gold clouds forming here and there. 

Mammon.
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Asmo opens his eyes in one motion, big and orange pupils staring at similar shocked ones.

“EEEEEEE--” Levi jumps back a few feet, shaken to the core by Asmo’s undead action.

Asmo blinks, and sits up slowly, only spooking Levi more. His head is spinning, but his mind feels surprisingly clear. His whole body is numb, but he’s able to easily register his shooken up brother in the far corner of the room. Weirdly, only one thing pops up in his mind, and with a monotone voice - “Boo.”

“...” Levi  stands there, mouth agape, then he bolts out the room,  and then in a loud, cracking voice,

“G-G-GUYS! GUYS!! ASMO’S COME BACK FROM THE DEEEAD!!”

Asmo blinks. “Pfft-”

He giggles, hand coming up to cover his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle a snort. He’s shocked really, how Levi can believe in such supernatural stuff so easily. He cracks his neck, stretching his stiff muscles letting the tension seep from his body. He sighs before yawning, and it feels like he’s waking up after a great night's sleep. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he really passed out and slept through the night, except that wasn't the case at all.

He doesn't even get a chance to take in his surroundings when Satan bursts into the room. Asmo jumps, not even able to get a word out before Satan slams into him for a hug, Asmo grunting. It takes Asmo’s mind a second to catch up, but then he realizes Satan is hugging him and he can't stop the joyous laugh that flows out his mouth like water.

Like a deep blue ocean filled with golden clouds.

“Aww, did my sweet adorable brother miss me that much?”

Satan’s grip tightens for a moment before pulling away, and the playful grin on Asmo’s face is quickly replaced by shock. He expected Satan to glare at him for using such adjectives to describe him, or anything else really - other than this. A few tears fall down Satan’s face, the rest gathering at the bottom of his eyes. He quickly wipes his eyes, sniffling. “Satan-”

“I can’t believe you…”

Asmo blinks, confused. “Wha…”

“You pass out after getting infected, then you go and sleep for two days straight and we’re starting to think there's something wrong, and now here you are, waking up and joking around like nothing happened!” Satan yells out, exasperated, and Asmo stares at him wide eyes, trying to comprehend what his brother just said. 

Two days? He’s been asleep for two days!?

It’s only until Satan looks away - to not be affected by Asmo’s sprectful gaze - that Asmo finally gets sent back to reality. What felt like a several minute dream turned out to be two whole days, and he doesn’t even want to think about all the shit he’s missed. Then he remembers - Mammon’s sickness, the disease, his brother's upset and shocked faces, him sobbing and passing out - it all comes back to him like it was yesterday, and he holds his head because it was yesterday. Well, he thought it was, but it seems time had played a cruel trick on him.

He takes a shaky breath and rubs his temples, relaxing further when Satan hugs him again but this time softer, as if he was now one of Satan's most prized novels. The door to the room opens, and Satan quickly removes himself from Asmo’s side as the rest of his brothers come in - minus one.

“Asmo..!” Belphie exclaims, running over and hugging him the same forceful way Satan had moments ago, except he’s lighter and easier to catch, and Asmo hugs him back just as tight.
Beel joins in, practically scooping the both of them into his arms and hiding his face in Asmo’s shoulder. “You’re okay…” He mumbles, and Asmo giggles again, this time more serine. It breaks his heart in a good way, seeing his little brothers show so much emotion towards him, especially Belphie, who is more or less neutral about everything.

“Of course I'm okay! That disease is gonna have to do more than that to take me down.”

There's pride behind those words, but also reassurance, telling his little brothers that he’s okay and that they don’t have to worry anymore. Both their grips tighten, and he knows they understand.

“Asmo, are you sure you’re okay? No headache or dizziness?”

Lucifer’s voice is heard from across the room, arranging the bottles Levi stumbled into when backing up earlier. Asmo nods, and he sees how everyone relaxes, stiff posture gone just like that. The twins soon pull away from him, purple eyes still filled with worry but also rejoice. It relaxed Asmo too, getting to hug his brothers without them complaining or telling him to stop being clingy.

“...It’s been awhile since i’ve got to hug you all like this.” He blurts out the words on accident, eyes widening when he realizes what he’s said. “I mean-”

“Sorry.” Everyone turns to look at the fourth born, own head tilted down towards the floor.

“I shouldn't have pushed you away all those times.”

“We shouldn’t have pushed you away.” Lucifer corrects, stepping closer to the bed, “I’ll admit - it would be for the best that I indulge you all more, especially with your pranks.” He glances over at Satan and Belphie when he says that, both of them making a small “tsk” sound and looking away.
Asmo chuckles at that, looking at all his brothers once again, but then his smile drops realizing something. “Where's…”

His sentence doesn't need to be finished, everyone's reactions evident that the mood has soured, and Asmo almost feels bad, but he wants - no, needs - to know what happened, and if Mammon is okay. It’s silent for a moment, no one making eye contact with one another, but finally, Lucifer speaks up.

“He’s in one of the guest bedrooms Levi and I are sharing. He’s sleeping.”

It’s not bad news, but it’s still not exactly what Asmo wished to hear, and he nods, lips a thin line.
“He had slept for a whole day before waking up yesterday, so we moved him to the bedroom. He’s… not doing so well.” Belphie adds in, making Asmo’s blank expression turn into a worried frown. He throws the sheets off of him, mumbling an apology when they cover Beel up, and stands up, ready to go check on Mammon himself.

Well, he wanted to, but sleeping for two days straight means his body has also been doing absolutely nothing, and not able to support Asmo’s body weight so suddenly. He stumbles, Satan quick to catch him and sit him back on the bed before he falls. Asmo huffs in frustration, peering down at his legs for failing him even though it was natural for that to occur.

“You’re not going anywhere until Barbatos comes back to check on you and make sure you’re absolutely fine.” Satan’s voice is firm compared to the yelling he had done earlier, adn Asmo glares at him, showing his own side of stubbornness. “I need to go check on Mammon.”

“He’s fine.”

“But what if he’s woken up by now!? He’s probably wondering where we all are, and we just left him there!”

“Asmo.” Lucifer’s voice, firm but lenient. “He’s okay. We didn’t leave him till he fell asleep, then we came straight here. That’s when Levi came to get us.”

“Yeah, Levi’s been here keeping an eye on you for the past few hours.” Beel chimes in, and Levi shies away, embarrassed. “W-well.. Satan had to help Barbatos and Solomon with the vaccine, so I decided to come watch you instead because I had time! It’s not like I wanted to!”

He shoves his hands into his pockets and looks away, biting the inside of his cheek, and Asmo can’t help but send a smile his way, even though he probably can’t see it.

Levi sees it anyway.

Asmo sighs, yawning and stretching his body out once again. This time, he gets up slowly, Satan by his side the whole time to catch him in case he falls. It makes Asmo feel like a newborn baby taking his it’s first steps, the whole world - or just his brothers - watching his first every achievement take place. He wonders if that’s how it was when he really did take his first steps back in the Celestial Realm.

Or if everyone was too busy to watch, only the maids witnessing his brave steps  to success.

Even with everyone's precautions, Amso still argues to see Mammon, throwing in excuses about being hungry and feeling sticky. After a little bit of persuasion, they finally agree, and he silently cheers.

After Asmo feels confident he won't fall, they all leave the room, and the brother’s decide to split up once again. Satan, Beel, Belphie and Asmo all head back to the bedroom where Mammon is resting while Lucifer and Levi go fetch them all food from the grand kitchen. The walk is quiet, which bothers Asmo since all he’s heard for who knows how long is quiet, but he doesn’t voice his thoughts, waiting till there in the comfort of a secluded place to talk.
They enter the bedroom, and Asmo looks around for Mammon when he finally sees him, huddled into the several blankets and pillows that surround him, almost like a nest. He sighs in relief, and creeps up to the bed. The last thing he wants to do is wake the demon, but he wants to at least get a better look at how he’s doing.

Mammon was.. Not looking too good - worse even, just like they said. His once caramel skin now looked an ugly pale, lips flaking and even paler. Every breath he took sounded strained, wheezing and uneven. It made Asmo’s heart crack, staring at his brother’s sickly state.

He still looked beautiful.

As much as Asmo wanted to lay in bed and cuddle his brother, he wanted to get out and move around. He sighed, running a hand through Mammon’s sticky hair. He grimaces, not wanting to think about the last time he showered. His skin was still concerningly hot, but nothing too life threatening. He pulls his hand back and stares at the sweat covering his palm, and he groans.

“I need a bath… No, a shower AND a bath. The amount of germs on me-- and not to mention my skin! My daily hygiene routine is completely ruined!”

Asmo put his face in his hands, only to remember the sweat and yank it back, making a disgusted yelp. He hears muffled laughing behind him, and turns to glare at Satan and Belphie, both with smug looks. He pouts, sticking his nose up in the air to snub them as he sashays to the bathroom dramatically. Both Satan and Belphie break into giggles, and Belphie goes to lean on Beel subconsciously only to almost fall. He stumbles, looking around for his twin when he sees him on Levi’s bed sleeping. He yawns, equally tired from all the work that’s been done, and quickly gets himself situated beside the ginger.

A single “Goodnight” is mumbled to no one in particular, and Satan stares at the both of them, feeling weirdly smitten. It’s crazy really, how so many things are happening in such little time (And how Belphie can fall asleep almost instantly). It was just last week that he and Mammon had gotten into a nasty fight, ending in a brawl and scratch marks littering one another's bodies. It had been his fault, and he knew that, but the thought that some scumbag was telling him off had very easily tipped him over the edge.

Thinking back now, he never apologized for that, and guilt filled his core with the thought that he might not ever be able to. Well, he shouldn’t think that type of way, but there was always that ‘what if’ in the back of his mind, gnawing away at his composure.

Checking the time on his D.D.D, he sat down on Lucifer’s bed, pushing and shoving at the covers to mess it all up. A satisfied smile graced his lips, and he stood up on the bed, making sure his shoes were imprinted onto the mattress sheets.  A devilish smirk replaced his smile, and he started kicking the headboard, chipping it. Part of him - the more wise, cowardly, wanted him to get the hell off the bed before Lucifer came and killed him. But the wrathful part of him said it was about time he let off some steam after everything that's happened. And well - since the wrathful part of im is already in control - fuck it.
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Later, when Asmo’s deemed himself perfectly clean and presentable, he returns to the main room with a mini towel wrapped around his head and a pair of guest clothes draped on his body. They were a tad too big, but he didn't mind, it made him feel secure in a way he couldn't wrap his finger around.

When he enters the room, he’s greeted with the rest of his brothers, and he can't help but laugh at what he sees.. Satan is squished in the bed, trying to scramble out of Lucifer's vise grip. He’s letting our curses here and there, most of them targeted towards the eldest. Levi and Belphie both have bowls of snacks in their hands, slowly feeding beel even though he was asleep while watching Satan and Lucifer wrestle it out on the bed beside them.

“Asmo, come check this out! We just put the chips to his mouth and he eats them!”
Levi demonstrates, and Beel’s mouth opens automatically, chomping down on the chip in Levi’s hand and slowly munching on it. Belphie has a genuine smile on his face; watching Beel act all adorable must make his heart melt. Another grunt and growl is heard from beside them, and they all  look to now see Lucifer sitting on Satan’s back, the other struggling to get free. Lucifer huffs, an unamused glare plastered on his face as the other squirms underneath him.

“Get off…!”

“Then apologize.”

Satan growls, which turns into a defeated whine. He flops down, a sign of giving up. Even so, Lucifer doesn’t budge, putting the papers he was holding down on the bedside table. All three brothers giggle at the sight, only giggling louder when Lucifer sends them a bloody glare. His lips twitch upwards, but he keeps his composure. 

“Now that we’re all here, let's start our family meeting.” Lucifer declares, and everyone sits down on the bed, Belphie shaking Beel awake.

“First, We’ll catch you up on what you’ve missed, Asmo”

He nods, a serious expression on his face as he listens carefully.

“Barbatos and Solomon had started working on mass producing the vaccine, which will be done in two days time. Though you all probably want to know what exactly the disease is.”

Everyone nods.

“It’s a disease mutated from a witch's emotions.” Satan chimes in, once again composed but still irritated. “They felt such stress and depression that their body couldn’t handle it, and it mutated into its own invisible form. It only spreads if someone currently experiencing that infected feeling touches someone with similar emotions, which is kind of what happened to Asmo when Mammon fainted.”

“Wait, then if I'm infected, how come I'm not...” 

Asmo didn’t want to finish the sentence, already knowing everyone knew what he was referring to. None of them dared to look to the other bed, all thinking the same horrible thing. Clearing his throat, Satan spoke up.

“It’s because your emotions weren’t the same as Mammons. While he was feeling immense mental pain, you were simply stressed and worried. In any case, we could say you got a “variant” of the virus.”

Asmo hummed, lost in thought. “Well… that's good to know, but what do we do now? I vote to wake Mammon up and give him a good long bath!” Everyone rolled their eyes at Asmo’s suggestion, but then Beel sat up, draping his arms on Asmo’s shoulders and leaning his head into his back. “Tired…”

“Ooo, we can cuddle instead then! I’ve always wondered what it would be like to spoon you!”
Beel mumbled something incoherent, slumping off his brother's shoulders and laying back down in bed. “Why are you so tired anyway?” Asmo questioned, glancing at Belphie for an answer.

“He stayed up all night helping around the castle.” The youngest informed, patting the gluttonous demon’s side. Asmo nods in understanding, turning his attention back to the fourth born. “Anything else?”

Satan frowns. “Well, we also learned that the disease feeds off negative emotions, so that could explain all the breakdowns he’s had, including your own. Just.. be careful.”

Amso nods in understanding, glancing over to the bed where Mammon lays unmoving.

All of a sudden, Levi takes a flying leap towards the eldest, successfully catching Lucifer - and everyone else - off guard. Levi collides into him, and they both tumble back into the sheets. Satan takes this chance to roll off the bed, only to knock his knee on the nightstand as he falls. He groans, pulling his knee up to his chest and slumping onto the floor.

“WOOOO!” Levi shouts, Asmo and Belphie joining in with a monotone and high pitched voice.
Lucifer shoves Levi to the side, sighing and standing up, dusting himself off. “Are you all trying  to wake Mammon up?” He glares at them, but knows they’re just all pent up with energy. 
He himself has the urge to walk around, run even, and thinks maybe now is a good time for them all to get out of the castle and relax.

He flicks Satan on the head, eliciting an “ow!” from him, and is about to do the same to the others when a familiar voice is heard.

And they all freeze.

Mammon shifts again, grumbling something before slowly sitting up. They all stare at the second born, as if one random move might frighten him. Lucifer’s the first to react, accidentally stepping on satan’s hand - much to the others dismay - and swiftly walking over to the third bed. His looming presence easily catches Mammon’s attention, sputtering as he tries to process what's going on in his half asleep state. He kneels down instead, raising a hand to feel Mammon’s forehead. Hot, but nothing too worrisome.

The others quickly gather around the bed, not sure what to do but not wanting to do nothing. They wait patiently for Mammon to come to his senses, rubbing his eyes and yawning, and then he blinks a few times, and his eyes grow wide when he sees a bunch of pink hair in the group of demons.

“Asmo--”

He crawls out the covers quicker than he intended, getting dizzy and colliding into Asmo’s chest with an ‘oof’ instead of a hug. Asmo giggles and lowers himself onto the bed, hugging Mammon correctly. “Don’t worry, im fine~”

Mammon clings on tighter, shivering either from the loss of the blankets or something else. “I'm sorry… m’sorry...”

He hiccups, tears gathering in his eyes, and it breaks all their hearts to see their cheerful, trouble-making brother reduced to tears and fevers so frequently. Asmo remembers what Satan said and the disease feeding off negative feelings, and quietly panics. “Hey, Hey, Mammon, it’s okay, I'm fine, it's not your fault.”

Mammon sniffles, and he pulls away, wiping his eyes,  “Sorry… I'm getting ya all dirty.” He can smell the fresh citrus on Asmo’s skin from the shampoo he used.

“It’s fine! How about we take a nice warm bath, hm? I’m always up for extra cleaning.”

“Sure...”

“Are you hungry? We can get you some food.” Belphie offers, stifling a laugh when Beel perks up at the sound of food, risen from his half asleep state. Mammon nods, acting strangely shy. He’s a little freaked out by how nice everyone is acting towards him, and can't help but frown.

By the time he’s cured, they won't bat an eye at him. Discarding him back to the teasing and the titles of “Scumbag” and “useless brother”. It was fine though, because he was already prepared for it. When the time came, he’d be fine.

He wouldn’t take this vanilla treatment for granted.
The thoughts in his mind were suffocating, blocking his vision and making him feel worse. Whether it was mentally or physically, it didn’t matter - he’d be in pain either way. But he’ll adapt, he always has.

All his brothers are huddled around him, trying to comfort him and make him feel wanted, when he knows it’s just fake smiles and laughs, their true feeling hidden deep inside to stop him from growing suspicious.

“Mammon?”

He was still shivering, so Satan pulled the covers back and shucked them onto his shoulders, giving Mammon a half smile when he glanced at him.

Fake. They were all fake.

They didn’t care.

They were just acting like they cared.

Because Lucifer wanted them to.

Because Lucifer…

“Big bro?” Lucifer perked up at the name, “Yes, Mammon?”

“Can I.. Uh.. talk to ya real quick?”

“Of course.”

“We’ll give you guys some privacy then!” Asmo squeaks, and everyone leaves the room, giving glances to the two with emotions Mammon couldn’t understand. He assumed they were bad.

After the door closes, Mammon sighs, slumping back down into the sheets and pillows. Lucifer sits on the side of the bed, staring at Mammon with a rather fond expression. It was soft and unfiltered, one Mammon almost never saw. “What is it you wanted to talk about, Mammon?”

“Yer forcing the others to act nice around me, aren’t ya?”

There it was, the question that had been bothering Mammon since he first got sick. There was no other way to say it really, and he sure didn’t want to sugarcoat it, so getting straight to the point was his only option. Lucifer looked generally shocked by the question - or rather statement - which slowly morphed into an expression of sorrow. “Mammon… Why, why would you think that? What made you-”

Mammon gritted his teeth, sadness being turned into anger in a heartbeat.

“Why would I think that? Why!? Because ya guys always treat me like shit!” He yells, the face of shock on the eldests face only pissing him off more. “ Ya always bossin’ me around and yelling and punishing me for things I didn't even do! Yeah, I mess up, but ya guys act like I threw a fucking bomb at someone! And then ya have the audacity to gang up on me and make me feel worse-- I hate it! I hate you and I hate it and-”

Mammon choked on a sob, catching him off guard. Sobs started to rack Mammon’s body, forcing him to gasp for air. His little rage session had triggered the disease again, and Lucifer just sat there, shocked, regret filling his body so much it overflowed. It wasn't till Mammon started coughing that he was brought back into reality, the bedroom door slamming open and his brothers rushing in sounding too loud in the prideful demons ears.

They took one look at the situation, and then Lucifer was being shoved aside because he wasn’t doing anything, and the rest of the brothers crowded over. Asmo scrambled onto the bed, trying to pull Mammon into his arms in an attempt to comfort him, but he shoved him away, tears spilling down Mammon’s face as he screamed.

“No! Go away! Go--” More coughs cut off his sentence, making it harder for him to breathe. He kept shoving and pulling at the covers until there was no more bed for him to back up to, and he fell back, Beel quickly catching him before he fell completely. His body was shivering, wet tears spilling over as he gasped and sobbed. Beel slowly seated him onto the floor where the rest of them crowded over, not sure of what to do or how to calm their brother down.

Mammon was still trying to get out of Beel grip, every touch feeling like needles on his sensitive skin. He cried out a broken sound, and it suddenly clicked Lucifer’s brain back into action.

“Luc-fer..!”

The others didn’t understand what Mammon said, but Lucifer had heard it. He remembered so clearly how Mammon would scream out his name whenever Lucifer wasn’t paying attention to him. It was butchered every time thanks to his young four year old brain, but it would get Lucifer’s attention every time, making him silently coo at his adorable, bratty little brother.

It always brought a smile to Lucifer’s face no matter how hard he tried to hide it, and Simeon had called it a “brotherly weakness”, which had only succeeded in pissing the former archangel off to a new level.

---

“Lusfer! Play with me already!”

The archangel sighed, putting down his quill to give his full attention to the small boy. Mammon was throwing another tantrum, this time about Lucifer spending more time doing work than playing with him. He was too tired of saying the same thing everytime, so just this once, he pushed the drying paper to the side and got up, scooping Mammon into his arms.

Mammon squealed, latching onto the oldest shoulders to give him a hug. He smiled full with teeth, and Lucifer couldn't help but melt at his brother's joy.

He couldn't just ignore Mammon when he was this cute, and even though he was a handful, he wouldn't trade him for anything.

---

Before, it had no real power to it, but now, its meaning was stronger than anything.

Lucifer crossed the bed so quickly he almost fell, yanking Mammon away from Beel’s hold and hugging him tightly. It surprised the rest of his brothers, making them panic more when Mammon only wailed louder. Lucifer didn't say anything, even with his brothers trying to talk to him and Mammon’s crys ringing in his ears, he stayed quiet, arms wrapped around Mammon as he squirmed and scratched at his chest.

Then, suddenly, miraculously, Mammon started quieting down. His loud sobs simmered down to chocked whines, and which - within just a few seconds - calmed to soft gasps and hiccups. Mammon slumped down into Lucifer’s chest, eyes glossy and full of exhaustion even after sleeping for hours. He let out a small sneeze, nose wrinkling against Lucifer’s vest, and Lucifer’s heart melted a little, cooing softly and rubbing the others back slowly as he rested his head in Mammon's soft hair. All Levi and the others could do was stare, utterly dumbfounded by the situation.

Well, at least Mammon’s calmed down.

Everyone's eyes were mainly on the eldest, who was acting almost like a mother comforting their child. It was… weird. Very weird. The usually calm, strict brother they knew had been replaced with.. This. And they wouldn't lie - they were a little jealous.

For a moment, none of them knew what to do but stare, and after what felt like an eternity, Mammon spoke. “I w-want to go outside.”

It was a random request, but who were they to refuse? Without hesitation, Lucifer adjusted Mammon in his arms, picking him up bridal style, and started walking towards the door. Absently, the rest followed like cattle, staring at the black cloak swaying side to side as the demon walked. They watched Mammon snuggle into Lucifer's side, and how Lucifer smiled down at him. Actually smiled. And something inside them grew, snaking around their insides and gripping tightly.

Jealousy. They were jealous.

Lucifer never treated them like that, not the way he was treating Mammon, and it made them surprisingly irritated. “Luc-”

A hand rested on Satan’s shoulder, squeezing, and he turned to look at the third born, nothing needing to be said. His actions said enough, with how they could all feel the jealousy flowing out of him. The Envy. They all stopped in their tracks, watching as their two oldest brothers walked off down the long hall. They stared as they grew farther, and something inside them cracked a little.

They always joked about Mammon being his favourite, but they never really thought it was true.
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The cool air blew Mammon’s wet bangs, a satisfied feeling washing over him as he felt the uncomfortable heat melt away with another breeze. He sighed contently, staring at the large moon and fluffy clouds scattered across the night sky. If he wasn't already used to The Devildom’s time system, he’d think it was the middle of the night when it was just past noon.

Lucifer sat him down on a nearby bench before taking his own seat beside the other, and they sat there, silent. Mammon’s eyes were glued to the moon, mainly because he didn't want to have the inevitable conversation he knew Lucifer was going to bring up. He could feel those piercing eyes on him, staring and unmoving, and after a moment, he finally scraped up some courage and looked over.

Their eyes met, and Mammon couldn't help but be confused at the fondness that was glazed over the crimson in Lucifer's iris’. He stared at each other for a moment, and then Mammon looked away again, feeling weirdly empty. They stayed like that for a while longer, and Mammon doesn't know how long - minutes, hours even - before he was leaning his head on Lucifer's shoulder, and Lucifer was doing the same on his head.

No words had to be said between the two of them, silent apologies already being said. That’s just how they were. They fought and they made up, sometimes verbally, sometimes by actions, and sometimes it just went away, acting as if the day before never happened. It was calm and quiet, and they sat there, basking in the glow of it all, enjoying the quiet while it lasted.

Honestly, Lucifer expected them to be interrupted way earlier, but when a whole hour passed and none of his other brothers were nowhere to be seen, he grew concerned. He didn't want to interrupt Mammon, but he needed to make sure the rest of his brothers were okay. It was his duty as the eldest after all. Lucifer tapped Mammon’s shoulder, lightly, and the other slowly sat up, yawning and stretching his limbs.

“I need to go check on the others.”

“That’s alright, I’m just gonna chill here a little while longer.”

Lucifer nodded, and stood up, walking back to the garden entrance. As worried as he was leaving Mammon alone, he couldn't keep babying him forever. Plus, his other brothers must be feeling left out, even if they refused to show it.

Lucifer walked down several hallways before making it to a common room located near the guest chambers, and was relieved to see the other five routy demons all there. Except they all looked more glum than anything, and when they saw him, mad. Lucifer had a good guess as to why they were glaring at him with such suppressed rage, and the more free side of him decided he would mess with them a little. It was a low blow considering how many times he’s pushed them away, but this was the only way he could think of bringing a smile to their faces.
He calmly walked over and sat down on one of the couches beside the fifth born, who didn’t bother even giving him a glance. He observed all of them, eyes slowly moving across the silent room, and landed on Levi who was curled up on a rocking chair, blotchy eyed and shivering. It alarmed Lucifer, knowing Levi was most sensitive, and he decided against talking to him now. It would be best to talk to him in private so as to not embarrass him.

Looking around the room again - looking at the angry pouts and puffy glares - Lucifer couldn't help but laugh. Everyone looked at him as if he had just stabbed himself, laughing loud and pure. After a few seconds Asmo’s frown grew bigger, and he shot up out of his seat, furious.

“What's so funny!?”

“You--” Lucifer started, more chuckles falling out his lips. Now everyone looked confused, and he had to force himself to hold back more laughter. He took a deep breath, looking up at his brothers with a genuine smile. “My apologies, I couldn't help but find all your pouts humorous. To think you all matured past brotherly jealousy was dull of me.”

This made Asmo fully pout, and he collapsed back onto the sofa, resting his head on the eldest shoulder. Lucifer scooted them to the middle of the sofa and patted the cushion on the other side of him. Unsurprisingly, Belphie took his place there, curling up and laying his head on Lucifer’s lap.

“I still hate you…” Belphie mumbled, closing his eyes once again to try and doze.

Lucifer didn't take mind to the comment, knowing his brothers were mostly bark and no bite. Beel followed Belphie and sat by Asmo, laying his head on Asmo’s shoulder as well and closing his eyes. Asmo cooed and rubbed the ginger's hair, making sure to scratch the scalp the way Beel would like. Lucifer looked over to Satan and the wrathful demon turned away with a huff, getting up and leaving the room. Levi did the same not long after, and Lucifer sighed.

He could understand why the older ones would be against cuddling, or being near him in general, and in all honesty, he expected Belphie to be the same, but he quite enjoyed the feeling of his youngest brother's head resting on his thighs.

‘I'm becoming soft aren't I?’

Lucifer sighed and sat back, melting into the cushion, letting them consume him, and retreated into his mind to think of what to say to his two other brothers.
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Satan and Levi walked down the long hallways, no particular location in mind as they trudged from one corridor to another. They didn't dare look each other's way, only following the other whenever they took a turn away from one other. It was like a back and forth game of following the leader, and it was surprisingly calming.

Just as they turned another corner, they bumped into Solomon, a human sorcerer from the human world. Levi - still jumpy - visibly flinches, practically shrinking away from the other and eliciting a confused look from the white haired human.

“Solomon, hi. How’s the vaccine coming along?”

“It’s going good!” The other beamed, “I think by tomorrow it should be ready to give out to the public.” It was encouraging how enthusiastic the sorcerer was; it was quite the mood lifter.

“Oh! Also--” Solomon pulled out a small slim bottle, filled with a bright purple liquid that swished around in the container slowly. It looked thick, but Satan had a feeling it was a lot more liquidy than it looked. Satan took the bottle in his hand, holding it as if one false move could crack the bottle into pieces. “It's for Mammon.”
Both brothers' eyes widened, staring at the bottle with new emotions. Mammon could be cured. He’ll fully recover and be okay! But…

“Is this the first one being used?” Satan needed to be sure.

Solomon nodeeded.

“What!? So you’re making him a test rat!”

“Not a test rat. We can't exactly test that the vaccine works if someone doesn't have it. Having Mammon try it would be most convenient-”

“-For everyone else! To make sure the cure doesn't have some wonky after effects that could kill him! That's what you want!”

Levi snatcehd the bottle from the fourth borns hand, glaring at the human with newfound rage. “Mammon isn't going to take this until someone else takes it and can guarantee it's safe!”

Levi grabbed Satan’s wrist with an iron grip, stomping off back down the hallway they came. Satan glanced at Solomon with an apologetic look before following the envious demon down the hallway. As they diversed the castle, Satan tries wiggling his arm out of Levi’s grip, only for it to tighten, eliciting a pained hiss. It was a big reminder of who was stronger, and exactly why Levi was deemed the third born. Not just because of age, but because he was stronger than he let on, usually cowering away from any challenges or fights.

Now though - Levi was mad. Very mad. Whether it was because of Solomon's crazy proposal or the assumption Lucifer loved Mammon more than the others, Satan didn't know but he could feel a shiver go down his spine at the thought that LEvi really could beat him in a fight if he tried.

They turned another sharp corner, and Satan banged his shoulder on the wall, a startled yelp bouncing off the walls. The noise was loud enough to make Levi slow to a stop, turning to look at the other with piercing orange eyes. Satan shivered, ripping his gaze away from the other and instead settling it on his wrist.

“Let go Levi. It hurts.”

“...Sorry.” Levi apologized, sounding dejected as he slowly let go of Satan’s wrist and dropped his hand to the side. They just stood there for a moment, each collected their thoughts, but Satan was the first to talk.

“We should tell the others about the vaccine, and then we can all vote on what to do. It’s Mammon’s decision in the end though.”

“But- he’s getting better! Maybe he doesn't need it-”

“What are ya guys talkin’ about?”

Both demons nearly jumped out of their skins, turning on their heels to look at their older brother standing a few feet away. He was looking better, but he still had a thick layer of sweat on his body, making him shiny as the torch lights reflected off of him. It Was then they all realized they were deep in the castle. Just a few more turns and they’d be at the entrance of the lyabith.

“Who doesn't need…” Mammon’s voice trailed off as his eyes met the bottle in Levi’s hand,
who he hastily stuffed in his coat pocket. Mammon looked up at them, eyes wide and full of confusion as the other two stared back as a large feeling of guilt washed over them.

Mammon waited for an answer, for one of them to confirm his suspicions, but when neither of them talked, Mammon simply sighed. “I'm gonna take a bath. Asmo will keep pestering me about it if I don't.”

“Mammon, wait!”

He didn't wait. Both brothers watched as his figure faded into the dark corridor, and they just stood there, not knowing what to do. It took a few seconds for them both to process things, but when they did, their brains clicked.

“We’re lost.”
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Mammon’s stomach hurt.

His body ached everytime he walked, each step feeling more heazy and harder to take. Before he had run into the others, he had felt fine, but now he felt exhausted.

‘Guess they were right about the disease feeding off of negative feelings.’

He sighed, trying to ignore the painful throbs in his middle as he took another step up a flight of stairs. They must have finished the vaccine, but for some reason, they don't want him to know. Wasn't the whole reason for staying in the castle to finish the vaccine and cure him? Or have they changed their minds?

His first instinct was they just wanted him to stay sick - to suffer more and feel the true pain of their ahrs words and punishments - but then there was the moment he had with Lucifer, and Mammon wasn't so sure any more. He didn't want to rsick asking either, afraid of what he would learn if they told him the truth. After a bit of thought, and walking all the way to the grand dining hall, Mammon finally came to a conclusion. He walked in through the large arched entrance, seeing most of his brothers there already along with Purgatory Hall. He was surprised to see the angels, but whe Luke came to give him a hug, Mammon let all worry slip away for now.

“Mammon! The cure is done! You can get better now!”

Mammon was both shocked and surprised, but knew that if they were all there, they all knew about the situation both him and The Devildom were in. He gave Luke a smile, picking him up walking over to the table to take a seat. All eyes were on him, but he ignored every one of them, staring down at the chipped wood that peeled off the table's sides.

Diavolo sat at the head of the table, Barbados and Purgatory Hall on one side with Lucifer and his brothers on the other. Levi and Satan had yet to show up, so Diavolo called over a maid. “We’ll have dinner before the meeting instead. Please make sure to serve extra portions for Beelzelbub and two plates for Satan and Leviathan.” The maid nodded and left with quick steps.

“I would rather have thirds instead of seconds…” Beel committed, looking surprisingly glum even though food is the topic. Lucifer scolded Beel almost immediately, but Daivolo laughed it off with the wave of his hand. “I'm glad to know you still have an appetite, so feel free to eat as much as you like!”

Beel cheered, earning laughs from everyone except Mammon, who sat there, silent and still.

He was genuinely happy for once, which he hadn't felt in a long time. He was able to sit here with everyone and enjoy a feast, not worried about a fucking disease or sicknesses, but it was really hard. Really fucking hard.
After being laughed at for so long, it was hard to laugh with everyone, the voices in the back of his head silent but not gone completely. It put a bad taste in his mouth he desperately tried to get rid of, too hungry for his appetite to be ruined now.

He felt a bead of sweat drip off his chin, and it was then he realized he still hasn't showered. He felt disgusting, and everyone probably thought the same of him. Instead of actually taking care of himself, he’s been walking around, doing absolutely nothing while everyone worked hard to help others. He really was selfish wasn't he?
As the food was brought to the table, the chatter around the table grew louder, making a headache he didn't know he had suddenly surge and rack his head with painful throbs. Mammon took a deep breath, letting it out with a shudder as his chest started to constrict.

It was happening again, and Mammon would admit it this time, he was scared. It was painful, and mentally draining, and he didn't want to go through it again. Instead, he tried to focus on the conversation being had, but his mind could only comprehend so much before everything was spilling out his ears. His mind was blanking, his vision was blurring, and no one wasn even paying attention to him.

Suddenly being the center of attention and being babied didn't sound so bad. In fact, he was hoping someone would notice, because he couldn't trust his voice right now, not like this.

He took in shallow, quiet breaths, trying to calm down as best he could so he could ask Lucifer to hold him- 

No. No, no no no no. He was not about to say that in front of everyone. He’d just… deal with it on his own. There was no reason to interrupt everyone's good time just because he couldn't get his head out of the gutters and calm the fuck down.

A sudden pain in his torso knocked the breath out of him, and he hunched down, gripping the stinging area. His sudden movement got Asmo’s attention, who was quick to get up and rush over to the white haired demon's side. Lucifer - who was occupied with Diavolo - turned over and cursed, feeling stupid for not noticing. Now all eyes were on him, and the room had grown quiet except for ASmo’s hushed voice asking Mammon what was wrong. He was gasping for air, eyes wide and unmoving as he felt the pain grow up  his side to the armpit.

“Mammon! Hey, Mammon, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Asmo’s voice was faint in his mind, but he could still hear it, and was grateful his brother was still putting in the effort to care for him. “Sorry-” Mammon inhaled sharply. “M’fine, you can- keep e-eating.”

“You really think we want to keep eating while you're in pain?” Belphie’s voice was barely audible from the end of the table, but he heard it either way, and the pain only grew worse. He was inconveniencing everyone because he couldn't keep himself in check. He felt tears well up on his eyes, and he bit his lip to hold back a sob.

“Sorry- ngh--” A dry cough racked his body as another hurtful pain shot up his side, curling forward more, and he felt strong hands pulling him out of his seat and dragging him somewhere. Voices became more muffled and mixed, and his right leg started to hurt as well, mimicking the pain on his side. It was like his whole right half was going numb, except he could still feel the burning sensation.

He didn't try to struggle this time, just letting himself be pulled away because he was being a burden to everyone else. It was fine, once he was cured he’d make sure to apologize to everyone for ruining their dinner.

As he was led down the hall, his mind flashed back to Asmo’s pale, sickly face, and the angry expression on everyone's face as Lucifer carried him away. It was depressing really, and he was really starting to doubt everyone was doing this for him.
Lucifer stopped in a nearby hallway, where he knew the others wouldn't hear them, and sat against the wall, pulling Mammon to lay his head back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around the younger demon's waist, pulling him close and resting his head on Mammon’s scalp. Mammon hiccuped, thin tears sliding down his cheeks like a river.

“I don't w-wanna be a burden anymore…!”

Those words made Lucifer's cold, dark heart break a little., showing slithers of red.

“You are not a burden Mammon. We care about you just as much as everyone else, if not more.”

“Lucifer's right.” Both demons turned to look at blond and indigo hair, green and orange eyes staring down at the two seated on the ground. Satan kneeled down in front of Mammon, wiping his tear stained face.

“You always were a beautiful cryer~” Asmo chirped, skipping down the hall to meet the other four. The twins were close behind him, Belphie with his signature cow printed pillow and Beel a third serving of their dinner. It wasn't until Beel placed the planet in front of Mammon that he realized it was for him.

“If you don't eat, you’ll feel empty inside. I know the feeling all too well.” 

Belphie nodded before taking a seat beside the two eldests, leaning on Lucifer’s shoulders and closing his eyes. “You can be annoying at times, but we still love you.” Those words made Mammon’s tears swell even more, heart slowly filling with something he hadn't had in a long time. Slowly, he felt those voices in the back of his mind start to dissipate. Only a little.

Beel took a seat beside Belphie, and Satan hesitantly leaned on Lucifer's other shoulder, eliciting a satisfied hum from the eldest. They all looked up at Levi, who stood there glaring at the ground in front of them. Sniffling, Mammon opened his shaking arms, giving Levi the brightest smile he hadn't been able to do in centuries. Levi visibly tensed, and then he was also crying - though more quiet than Mammon - and slumped down into the second oldests arms, snuggling into his chest and laying down with an exhausted sigh.

Asmo giggled, jumping into Satan’s arms as well and ignoring the angry spout of curses he sent his way. They were all here, together, basking in each other's warmth and enjoying the comfortable silence that engulfed them like waves.

It wasn't till later that the others found them, all asleep except for Lucifer who could do nothing but sit there in the pile of brothers embarrassed. It was close to dinner time, but since everyone had already eaten, Diavolo had decided it would be best for them all to get some rest and come to Barbadoes room when ready. Lucifer knew what he meant, but had yet discussed it with his brothers, and he wouldn't lie - he was a little worried about how they would all react.
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“What!? No! Mammon’s not going to be some guinea pig!”

“Asmo-”

“No! He’s not taking it!”

“Do you not want Mammon to get better?”

“I would rather he stay the way he is  a little longer than get worse because the cure was a fluke!”

Belphie sighed, staring at the two as they continued to bicker. After waking everyone up, Lucifer had sent Mammon to finally take a shower. Satan and Levi had then told everyone about the vaccine, and unsurprisingly, they all were not so keen on him taking it - except for  Lucifer.

Honestly, Belphie didn't know what to think. He wanted Mammon to get better, and to stop feeling like a burden, but still…

“Lucifer, I respect you, really, but seriously?”

Lucifer sighed, taking a seat on his bed with crossed arms. “Do you all really doubt Barbatos’ work? Solomon put in a lot of effort as well, I expected at least one of you to be on their side.”

“Not if it means risking Mammon's health.”
“Levi-”

“No, shut up!”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll take it.”

All the commotion stopped instantly at the familiar voice, all eyes on the second born who’s hair dripped and eyes dull. “But, Mammon-”

“There's no reason fightin’ me over this, Levi. I’ve made up my mind. Plus, the faster I'm cured, the faster everything can just go back to normal.”

“What do you mean normal?” Beel asked, munching on the meat Mammon didn't (Couldn't) eat. Mammon shrugged, sitting down on the bed by Belphie who snuggled up to him immediately, laying his head on the other's lap. Mammon smiled at the youngest, but then it faded slightly, pulling frowns from the rest. “This is what I mean, we never do any of this sappy shit, but now that I'm sick ya guys can't get enough of me.”

No one knew what to say to that. Or more like they did, but didnt know how. They weren't used to using their words with each other, it was usually their actions that got their feelings across. Mammon’s frown only deepens when no one says anything, and tsks, laying back into the sheets and ignoring the grunt Belphie makes when he slips off his lap.

Asmo bit his lip, trying to conjure up some resemblance of his past confidence to save the moment from slipping away. “Look, Mammon… We.. We've been treating you horribly, and we know. We’re sorry. And with everything that's happened, it's.. Uhm…”

“It showed us we’ve been wrong, and that we’ve been treating you like crap for way too long.”

“No shit surelock…” Mammon mumbled, his hoarse voice thankfully  disorienting the words so his brothers couldn't understand.  Mammon sighed, those words repeating in his mind.

We’re sorry. I'm sorry.

Mammon’s forgiven them. He has! But it still feels weird being treated… equally. The words scumbag and idiot are now foriegn to his foggy mind. He just… i couldn't trust them yet. In fact he wouldn't be surprised if they slipped up and insulted him because he was pouting.

Mammon sat up again, and Belphie decided against laying on his lap again. If Mammon noticed, he chose to ignore it. “I already forgive you guys, it's just… hard to adjust to the sudden change. And even harder to believe it's going to be like this from now on.

“Mammon-”

“Don't get me wrong!” Mammon quickly cut Beel off, and everyone pursed their lips, letting him talk. “I understand we’ll fight and tease each other. I just don't want it to be like before… with ya guys blaming me for everything and always calling me names… it's depressing, and…I...”

Mammon took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm, and finally opened his eyes. He didn't know he closed them. All his brothers were staring at him with expressions full of guilt and remorse, some biting their lip and others looking down in shame. It made Mammon's heart crack seeing such sorrowful looks on his brother's faces, and realized that he really did care for them, mentally and physically.

Then - shockingly - Lucifer started to kneel to the ground, and then he was bowling, and Mammon definitely wasn't expecting that reaction. He stared, dumbfounded, as the other five joined in, lowering their heads to the ground in front of the second oldest. Mammon tensed as he watched them, tears starting to well up in his eyes, and then he was laughing.
What started as little giggles turned into full blown laughter, and his brothers watched with their mouths agape. Satan smiled then, chuckling himself before getting up and joining his brother on the bed. Before they knew it, they were all giggling and laughing together, limbs entangled as they laid there in the silky sheets. As they calmed down, Asmo came to cling onto Mammon, burying his face in the other's chest.

“If you're going to take it, then I won't stop you. Just… be careful.”

Mammon chuckled at that, already calmed down from his previous bouts of laughter. “I'm just drinking a liquid Asmo, I ain't gonna slip or something.”

“You just jinxed it!” Levi shouted.

“Guess I'll have to be your support.” Satan joined in.

“All this talk about drinking is making me hungry.” 

“Shouldn't you be thirsty?”

“Uh, yeah, that too.”

“Hahaha!”
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Later that night, all nine demons - plus a human - stood in Barbatos' elaborate room. The place was a lot bigger than it looked, with hundreds of different doors leading to alternate realities. It was dark and misty, just the perfect atmosphere for what was about to happen. They all stood in the center of the room by the stairs, making sure not to step any closer towards the distorted doors behind them.

"The potion will taste quite funky¨, Barbatos started, gaining all eyes on him. ¨It has a lingering effect on the room it's used in that we were unable to avoid, which is why Luke and Simeon aren't present."

Everybody nodded in understanding, fully focused and on high alert. Mammon honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal. He hadn't really thought about how the process would go either. Just drink the purple potion, feel weird, boom - better! But things are never that easy for him is it…

"What will the side effects be?" Satan asked, looking expectantly at the sorcerer and butler. Both Barbaots and Solomon shared glances, expression foul. It made Mammon nervous.

"We.. We're not sure."

The atmosphere grew thicker.

Nobody said anything, and very hesitantly, Levi handed Mammon vile, pleading eyes looking his way. It was a silent plea to change his mind and rethink things, but Mammon had already chosen what he wanted to do. He´ll take the vaccine, get better, and even treat his brothers to Hell's Kitchen. 

If he survived, that is.

He now stood in the middle of the group, everyone circled around him and watching carefully. He gulped, doubt starting to chip away at his confidence. Before any thoughts could reach his mind, he lifted the vile to his lips and drank. They all watched with wide, focused eyes, as the purple substance drained from the container, and Mammon gulped it down with a "phew!".

"If I die, my will is to be buried with grim." Mammon declared, cracking a smile to try and lighten the mood. His brothers couldn't help but chuckle at his declaration, even earning a boisterous laugh from Diavolo as well. Mammon smiled brightly, feeling something warm start to swell in his heart that made him all bubbly inside.

He couldn't pinpoint its origin, or what it was, but he started to feel light headed, mind starting to blank as the potion did its job. He blinked a few times, hearing his brothers voices but unable to identify their words. Suddenly, his legs gave out, body going numb as he blacked out.

"MAMMON!" Both Satan and Lucifer jumped to catch him, seating his unresponsive body on the floor. All the brothers rushed over, crowding in on one another in an attempt to see if Mammon was okay.

"It's fine, this means the potion is working." Barbatos informed, relieving some stress from all the demons in the room. Solomon nodded, taking out a thick, dusty book and quill and jotting something down. It made anger bubble up in Asmo, seeing how they could be so calm and collected, but he pushed those feelings aside, priority still on Mammon´s health. Lucifer seemed just as calm, picking Mammon up and motioning for his brothers to do the same.

"Would you rather keep Mammon here or take him home, Lucifer?"

"We´ll take him home of course! I´ve been taking showers this whole time and it's really messing with my skin routine."

To anyone else who didn't know Amso like they did, they'd think he was complaining, but he was truly desperate to leave, not wanting to spend another second in the castle. It was understandable with everything that's happened within the walls, and everyone would be lying to themselves if they said they didn't need a break from everything.

"Yes, we're going home now. Thank you for everything everyone."

Then, as Lucifer turned to the main door, he opened his mouth, the foriegn words stinging his tongue in a sweet-sour way. The disease, breakdowns, hurt and comfort, all wrapped in the span of less than a week. It was amazing how crazy they're lives could be sometimes. It brought a smile to his lips even if the situation was fucked up, and in a serene voice, 

"Let's go home, everyone."
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When Mammon woke up, he felt restless. Before he could even take in his surroundings he was sitting up and stretching, loving the way his bones cracked in satisfaction. He took a long deep breath - he felt better, he felt free.

Finally taking in his surroundings, he realizes he's back in his bedroom, which may he add is a lot cleaner than he remembers. All his clothes are sorted and in their respective places, there's no trash or random socks anywhere, and all his bills and debt papers are in two neat piles on his pool table. There's even an air freshener in the corner of the room, spritzing  a calming smell in the air. He breathed in the lavender scent, remembering smelling it in Levi's room last week when Asmo had forced him to use it to get rid of the cheeto chip smell. (It had smelled pretty good in Mammon's opinion, but he guess´s having a room that smells like food isn't popular.)

Standing up, he realized his chest was a lot less tight, and instead of pain in his gut, he felt genuine hunger. He took a few hesitant steps, but his legs didn't shake, not even once. In fact the action felt good. He stomped around, jumping, skipping, ending up on his bed, and laughing to his heart's contents. By the time he had calmed down from his laughter, he sat up again to wipe the tears from his eyes, opening them and freezing.

There at his door stood all six of his brothers, smiling at him with a fond expression. His shocked dumbfounded face turns bright red, and he looks down, biting his lip.

For a moment nothing is said between all of them, then Lucifer steps inside, walking up to the bed where his little brother is sitting. He's still smiling, something Mammon´s seen far too many times to not be surprised by. Then, the rest of his brothers join the eldest sides, some smiling and others with a content look. It felt weird, having all their eyes on him, but for some reason it wasn't the same punishing stare they had when he was being scolded or yelled at. It was different, something Mammon hadn't felt in centuries. It was pure, and raw and felt very normal.

Quietly, Lucifer spoke. "How do you feel Mammon?"

And the answer was immediate. Quiet but proud.

"I feel loved."