Sanctuary

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/37068727.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Relationship: Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Main
Character/Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mammon (Shall We
Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Character: Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Asmodeus (Shall We Date?: Obey
Me!), Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub (Shall We
Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Satan (Shall
We Date?: Obey Me!)
Additional Tags: Light Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, hand holding, MC is just really tired,
Mammon cares a lot for MC, MC uses she/her pronouns btw
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-02-12 Completed: 2022-02-13 Words: 2137

Sanctuary
by aurajoon

Summary

It was funny how the loud and boisterous second born could know MC so well.

Notes

feeling tired and burnt out is the WORST, but mammon always helps a little.

Living with seven demon brothers could be difficult at times. The brothers often clamored for
MC’s attention, fighting to spend time with her, wanting to impress the human exchange student.
MC appreciated that the brothers enjoyed spending time with her, but at times she felt
overwhelmed from all the attention they often demanded.

She didn’t have many friends back in the human world, just a close knit group that didn't feel the
need to hang out every second of the day. So the shift to being surrounded by seven demons with
very different personalities was difficult at first. The constant socialization often left her feeling
like a crumpled bag of chips.

MC was snapped out of her thoughts, loud chattering at the dinner table bringing her back to
reality. Satan and Belphie were arguing over something that happened during classes while Beel
was not so secretly stealing food off of Levi’s plate.

MC’s head seemed to pulse as Lucifer attempted to break up the argument, only making the two
brothers turn on him instead. They were the founders of the Anti-Lucifer club for a reason.

A sigh escaped MC’s lips, feeling the last bit of her energy drain away. She stared at her mostly
untouched dinner in front of her, fruitlessly hoping the chaos happening around her would stop.

Lucifer snapped at Belphie, the ground underneath them seeming to rumble with his anger. Belphie
grimaced at the action, muttering something under his breath but didn’t say anything more.

MC glanced across the table, her gaze catching Mammon’s, who was staring at her with an odd
expression on his face. He had been oddly quiet for the majority of dinner. She forced a smile, not
wanting to look as bad as she felt.

She just had to get through dinner, then she could escape to her room for the rest of the night. She
could do this, no problem.

The brothers were all chattering, talking about their day, what some demon said in class earlier,
how they wanted to check out the new food place opening in town. MC’s eyes tracked the
conversation, but her thoughts receded into the depths of her brain. She could hear everything they
were saying, but couldn’t seem to process any of it.

Asmo leaned over in his seat next to MC, “You’re joining us later for the movie marathon right?
You can cuddle up next to me if you get scared.”

MC slowly returned to the present, Asmo’s words trying their best to penetrate the fog in her brain.
She had forgotten that the brothers had planned to binge watch a popular series of horror movies
tonight to prepare for the release of the newest movie.

“Ah…” She trailed off, trying to find the right words to say. She really didn’t have the energy to
spend the night watching movies with the rowdy brothers. Knowing them, there would be lots of
yelling and teasing as others get scared.

Panic bubbled up in her throat, escaping as a nervous laugh that sounded strange, even to her own
ears. Asmo was staring at her expectantly, waiting for her response. MC’s eyes flickered across the
dining table, noting that the other brothers were also looking at them, wondering why she was
acting strange.

MC pushed back her seat, standing up suddenly. “Um, I’m not feeling too well right now. I’m just
going to head to my room and sleep early tonight.”

She tried to force a smile, but the concerned looks on the brothers' faces only made her feel worse.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Lucifer gave her a pointed look, probably knowing that she
wasn’t being completely honest.

MC nodded before rushing out of the room, her lungs feeling tight in her chest. She felt bad for
bailing on the brothers, but she honestly was feeling completely drained. She really needed some
time to be by herself, to recharge.

She headed towards her room, but only to stop and grab a jacket. Instead, she was going to visit one
of her favorite places in the Devildom. The House of Lamentation had a huge garden in its
backyard. A garden that was rarely used, but somehow was still well maintained. And within that
garden, there was a small pond that was surrounded by flowers and trees.
MC loved sitting underneath one of the bigger trees and enjoying the beauty of the garden. She had
even taken to stringing little fairy lights between the trees, giving the pond an even more magical
aura.

With the pond in sight, MC could already feel herself relaxing. She smiled to herself as she
approached the basket where blankets and pillows were stored. The basket had been there already
when she had discovered the pond. MC often wondered who placed it there.

Smoothing the blanket down on the lush grass, MC plopped down and propped her head up on the
plush pillows. She gazed up, watching the stars between the swaying leaves of the tree, feeling
better than she had in a while.

The sound of gentle water trickling filled her ears; the pond had a small waterfall that spilled over a
collection of rocks stacked at the edge of it.

MC hummed to herself quietly, wondering if she should have grabbed one of her books before
coming out here. It had been a while since she had time to sit down and actually read. Between the
coursework she had and all the… interesting situations that the brothers got into, MC hadn’t even
been able to spare a look at her book collection.

Closing her eyes, she settled for just enjoying the moment instead of risking going back inside for a
book. She could always carve out time in her busy schedule to read later.

Thoughts of Mammon crept up on her. She wondered why he was acting so out of character during
dinner. Usually he would’ve joined in on slandering Lucifer, despite the risk of being strung upside
down as punishment.

And the look he gave her when she made up an excuse to leave dinner. MC had never seen him
look so focused, so serious before.

The logical part of her brain told her that he was probably worried about her, but the doubtful part
whispered that he didn’t give a damn.

She should talk to him, just to make sure.

Ever since MC had arrived at the Devildom, the two of them had always been close. Mammon
liked to pretend that MC was just his “lowly human” but he was always there when it mattered. On
the long nights where she didn’t understand the RAD lessons, although Mammon was usually just
as confused, he tried his best to help her understand. He would show her how he cared in his own
ways: inviting her out to gamble with him, spending the paychecks he got from his modeling jobs
with her, sometimes he’d even share his favorite spicy ramen.

The sound of boots crunching on the leaf strewn ground broke MC out of her thoughts.

“Yo,” Mammon’s voice called out to her.

She sat up, taking in the tall demon in her line of sight. “Hey Mammon.”

He hesitated for a split second before taking a seat on the blanket, sitting close enough that their
shoulders were touching. MC peeked at him from the corner of her eye, unsure of what he was
thinking about right now. Mammon was staring at the small pool of water, a pensive look on his
face.

“You feelin’ alright?” He asked finally, still not looking directly at her.
MC hesitated, unsure of how to respond to him. Would his feelings be hurt if she said that
sometimes he and his brothers were too much, that they had the ability to make her feel completely
drained?

“I’m just feeling tired,” she settled on telling a half truth.

“Ya sure? You’ve been acting funny for the past few days.” Mammon paused, a light blush
blooming on his cheeks as he mumbled, “I’ve been worried about ya.”

“You were worried for me?” MC asked, a smile growing on her face. Mammon usually didn’t
admit his feelings outright, so whenever he did, it always made her happy.

Mammon huffed, embarrassed that she was pointing it out. “Of course I was worried about ya. Ya
seemed sad the past couple of days…” he trailed off. “And during dinner ya looked as if ya
weren’t really there with us.”

MC’s heart stuttered in her chest, appreciation blooming for the white haired demon. It was funny
how the loud and boisterous second born could know her so well. “I wasn’t sad. It’s just,
sometimes I feel drained from interacting with lots of people for too long.”

Mammon’s face turned thoughtful as he listened to her. “And to feel better, ya like to have alone
time?”

MC nodded, confirming his guess. “Usually that’s what helps.”

Mammon frowned, his eyebrows bunching together, “Should I leave ya alone then?” His voice was
hesitant, eyes unsure.

MC laughed softly, appreciating the gesture. “You don't have to Mammoney,” the nickname
making the demon smile.

“But ya just said that being alone helps ya feel better?” The demon next to her sounded confused.

MC tilted her head, “Yeah. But I like hanging out with you Mammon. You always make me feel
better.”

It was the truth. Mammon always boasted about being the first to make a pact with her, but he was
also the only one that MC felt like she truly had a connection with. She could have a million pacts,
but no demon could compare to how special Mammon was to her.

Mammon made a choking noise, his face bursting into a full blown blush. MC grinned at his
reaction and couldn’t help but tease him, “What’s wrong Mammon? Is my number one guy feeling
embarrassed?”

Mammon covered his face with one hand, flapping the other in the direction of MC as if he was
trying to fan away her teasing words. He dragged his hand down and peeked over at MC, his
cheeks still tinged pink.

“Oi, ya got some nerve teasing The Great Mammon like that,” he tried to put on bravado, but his
voice lacked conviction.

“Sorry Mammoney,” MC apologized, not feeling very sorry.

“You-” Mammon started, but cut himself off. His eyes scrunched together before he continued, “If
ya ever need to get away, ya can always come to me for help.” Mammon paused for a moment, his
voice soft, “Ya can hide out in my room.”

Mammon’s sincerity caused MC’s face to heat up, her chest growing tight at his offer. “Thanks
Mammon, that means a lot.” She grinned at him.

Mammon was practically beaming, “Of course, I gotta take care of my human.”

MC ruffled his hair, “But don’t start complaining once I start to spend most of the days in your
room.”

The demon huffed, muttering to himself, “As if I would complain about that.”

MC smiled, bumping her shoulder against his. “Thanks for checking on me Mammon.”

He bumped his shoulder back against her’s. “Ya don’t have to thank me.”

Feeling bold, MC slipped her hand into Mammon’s. “Still, I really appreciate it.”

Mammon took in a sharp breath of air as she intertwined her fingers between his. This wasn't the
first time they had held hands, but something about the warm night air made it feel special- made it
feel intimate.

Surprising MC, Mammon brought the back of her hand up to his lips where he planted a quick kiss
on it. He dropped their hands in his lap, and without looking at her, he mumbled, “Ya grabbed my
hand, so ya better not let go till I say so.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on letting go anytime soon,” MC responded truthfully as she
nestled into his side, enjoying the warmth emanating from him.

Mammon grumbled something about being a good human under his breath as she laid her head on
his shoulder. His signature cologne swirled around her, making her relax even more at the
comforting scent. The two of them enjoyed the night, feeling comfortable enough with each other
to not fill the silence with words.

MC’s eyelids dragged down, the exhaustion of prolonged socialization finally catching up with her.
Her head drooped on Mammon’s shoulder, almost sliding off it completely until he gently guided
it back to safety.

“Go to sleep MC, I'll be here when you wake up.” Mammon’s words were filled with love.

MC sighed, idly wondering if Mammon knew how much she loved him before she finally drifted
off to sleep.

Mammon may be on the denser side, but he knew how much MC cared about him. He only wished
that MC understood that while she loved him, he loved her ten times as much.

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