part1I2I3I4 

Obey me! Monster tales masterlist

—————————————————

You both arrive at the hotel, it’s decent, not too fancy, and not shabby either, perfect for keeping a low profile. 

“If I had known that you’d join me I would have gotten the fancy place instead,, but it can’t be helped now.” Mammon sounds like he honestly regrets it. 

“This is much more to my liking anyway.” You wouldn’t feel right in a fancy place. 

“Oh, by the way, you can take the bed.” Mammon seems to have just remembered the fact that it’s a single person’s room. 

“I can sleep on the floor or couch too. It’s no problem.” You shrug your shoulders. 

“No way. Just be grateful that I offered.” Mammon huffs, slightly offended.

“I can’t win here, can I?” You sigh and accept your fate. 

“Now you know how I feel. Let’s go to the room."  Mammon seems pleased enough with this outcome. 

You follow after Mammon, who seemingly already has good knowledge of this place.

"So you come here often?" 

"Yeah, this place has one great perk for folks like us. You will love this.” Mammon puffs his chest and opens a door. 

The room in front of you is modest but clean and comfortable looking. There is even a pretty neat-looking couch. At least Mammon will likely be comfortable. 

Mammon straight up walks to the bed and proceeds to pull the mattress down. You are confused until you see the magical chest under it. This will prevent anyone but the room’s owner from opening or taking the chest. A very good security system.

“Wow, that is a great perk.” You are impressed. 

“Right?! I knew you’d like it. Don’t blame me if you are now falling head over heels for me.” Mammon chuckles. 

You can’t find the humor in his words and look stone-faced at him. 

Mammon sees this and is seemingly a bit hit in his ego. “Umm anyway, you can put all of your valuables in there. You can even keep Goldie, for now, so you know I’ll give it back to you." 

"That is pretty accommodating of you. I will gladly accept that offer.” It would worry you greatly to walk around with all that money in your pockets anyway, and even if you just met Mammon you somehow feel like you can trust him. 

Mammon seems a bit taken aback by your agreement and doesn’t add anything else. 

You put most of the money into the safe, only keeping Goldie and a few coins for drink and food. 

Mammon does the same. “Do you want to shower before we go?" 

"Yes, I feel icky if I’m being honest. I probably reek.” You laugh. 

“Nah, you smell great.” Mammon then realizes what he just said and adds, “I mean for a human.”

“Thanks, I guess?!” You giggle at his awkward compliment. 

“Anyway, I will get my outfit together, so you go ahead and shower. I’ll do it later.” Mammon turns around and starts rummaging through his bag, he is obviously embarrassed. 

You don’t mention it and take a well-deserved shower. It feels so good, and the soap also smells great.

You step outside, feeling reborn. 

“Ah, that was great.” You stretch and wrap a towel around your head. 

Mammon looks a bit flustered when he sees you. 

“Actually, I have been thinking and there is no way you can go anywhere looking like this. So take this.” Mammon tosses you some clothes. 

You catch them and look at them, they are pretty fancy looking. “So you are giving me clothes?” His actions confuse you. 

“Yeah.” He seems a bit flustered. 

“They don’t really look like they are your style.” Not that you are judging, but these clothes certainly don’t look like something Mammon would wear. 

“I got them for someone else.” He huffs a little. 

“Didn’t work out?” You can only think of that explanation. 

“Well umm… something like that but anyway just dress it.” His eyes shift around like he is trying desperately to avoid the topic. For being a thief, he is very easy to read. 

You raise your eyebrows. “The clothes seem to be my size, so why not.” You aren’t sure how to feel about it but accept them anyway. He is right about your current outfit is not suitable for going out. Not that this is a date or anything, but dressing up is nice sometimes. 

“Great, I will shower now.” Mammon seems in a pretty good mood now. 

“Alright, take your time.” You smile at him. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t peek at you.” Mammon’s mind seemed to jump right onto that. 

You weren’t even thinking about that until now, and your cheeks grow hot. “You better not!” You turn away from him to hide your face. 

“What’s with that reaction?” Mammon seems unsure of what to think. 

“Nothing, just take your shower before I force you.” You almost shout these words. 

“Hey, hey, no need for violence.” Mammon lifts his hands in front of him. “I’ll be off now.” He walks backwards to the shower. 

You huff at him and then hide behind the dresser door to change. 

The outfit is very nice indeed. Much nicer than anything you own or ever wore before. It must’ve been expensive. Mammon has pretty good tastes. 

You admire yourself in the mirror. Then you decide to brush your hair and make it look extra nice as well. Just to suit the outfit. It almost makes you want to put some jewelry on,, but that’s a silly thought. 

After some time Mammon is also done, it looks like he was extra slow just to give you plenty of time. A sentiment which you are grateful for. 

Mammon has also changed, he looks very nice now. You take a moment to admire his outfit. 

Normally, this would have surely caused him to call you out. Not this time. 

He stares at you like he has just seen a unicorn. 

“What, do I have something on my face?” You feel a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. Maybe this outfit doesn’t suit you after all? 

“No-nothing… I was just thinking that looks very nice on you.” Mammon mumbles the last part,, but you can still hear him. 

Your cheeks start to burn again. “We should go before I starve…” You suddenly feel awkward. 

“Um yeah, great idea.” Mammon seems to feel the same way.

This is part of the Monster tales au Series 

part1I2I3I4 

Obey me! Monster tales masterlist

——————————–

You wake up, feeling something heavy on your shoulder, hearing a soft snore. 

You almost laugh when you notice it’s Mammon’s head on your shoulder. 

So much for staying away.

You carefully move his head, as to not wake him up. 

“Five more minutes,” Mammon mumbles. 

You shake your head. “Alright, sleep a bit more.” You whisper, feeling pretty sure that he won’t hear you anyway. 

Then you prepare breakfast for you both. 

It’s not much, but better than nothing. The healing potion was very effective, your shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore. 

Mammon then wakes up, probably smelling the food. 

He yawns and stretches, he looks like he is still half asleep. 

“Morning.” You greet him cheerfully. 

“Huh… Oh, good morning.” Mammon is a bit confused for a moment. He is probably the kind of person who can’t work without food in his system. 

“Come here, sleepy head, I made us food.” You speak in a sweet voice.  

“Oh, food, that’s nice.” Mammon yawns and sits down. He is so sleepy, it’s adorable. 

You smile the entire time while eating.

“Do I have something on my face?” He looks confused. 

“Nope.” You don’t know why he would think that. 

“Why are you smiling, then?” His voice is insecure. 

“Because of you, dummy.” You laugh and continue eating. 

“Hey, don’t call me dummy! I’m the great Mammon, don’t forget that.” He puffs his cheeks. 

You get the desire to pinch them. 

“Sorry Mammon.” You can’t hold back laughter. 

“At least you are in great spirits, so I will forgive you.” He offers you. 

“That’s very generous of you, oh great Mammon.” You smirk widely at him. 

“You think you’re so clever just because I like you.” He seems a bit grumpy, but not awfully offended. 

“You like me?” This surprises you a bit and if you are being honest it makes your heart jump. 

Mammon blushes when he realizes what he just said. “As a partner.” He clears his throat. 

“Ah I see. I like you as a partner, too.” It’s a bit disappointing somehow, but this much is true.

You both finish eating. 

“Should we divide the treasure now?"  Your eyes fall on the bag. 

"Oh yeah, sure.” Mammon sounds like he forgot all about it. 

You both discuss over a few pieces, but it’s fair to both of you. 

“Very nice work. We should celebrate this.” Mammon is very giddy now. 

“I’d rather just go home.” You think of your siblings, who wait at home. 

“I get it, you got folks waiting for ya.” His eyes turn a bit sad when he says this. 

“We need to go to the city to trade the goods at least.” You feel somewhat reluctant to leave him so soon. 

“That’s right. You also got the other job done, right?” Mammon just realized that he didn’t even ask. 

“Yep, the gem is all nice and safe.” You say with a pride in your voice. 

“That’s good. I mean, I don’t want to keep you from your husband, wife or whatever you got, but it would be safer to go with me.” Mammon seems a bit insecure suddenly. 

“I got nothing like that, but you are right. Let’s go together.” You wonder if he really thought you had someone like that waiting for you. 

“Really? I just thought since you’ve got family, you know.” Mammon seems oddly relieved. 

“Ah, no, they are my siblings.” You feel safe enough to say this much. 

“Ahh, I see I got some of these myself. They are all adults, though. Must be tough takin care of them.” Mammon seems to relate somehow. “So they are the reason you are doing this work, huh?”

“It’s not easy raising them on my own,, but I’m doing what I can.” You admit with a troubled smile. 

“Right, then let’s not make them wait for too long.” Mammon smiles a bit awkwardly. 

“First we need to change clothes. We can’t draw attention.” You hand him a bundle of clothes and take some for yourself. 

You start undressing. 

Mammon turns around as soon as he notices. 

It’s not like you plan to get naked. You have a few layers of clothes, after all. 

Soon enough, you are in more regular clothes. 

You turn to see that Mammon is still half naked. Now it’s your turn to blush. His body is pretty toned. 

“Do you like what you see?” Mammon is teasing you. 

But unlike him, you aren’t shy about admitting your attraction. “You don’t look bad at all." 

Mammon sputters a bit and continues dressing. "We need to get goin." 

You two continue to walk towards the town, dressed like merchants. 

Your first stop is getting rid of the jewelry. Since it’s way easier to hide the gem. 

Of course, you only get a small part of the actual value,, but it’s still more than enough for a few months worth of food and medicine. A very good haul. 

Mammon looks very pleased, at least. "Wow, that was a great heist. I can’t wait to party tonight.”

“Don’t you have debts to pay?” You shake your head at him. 

“Yeah, yeah my debts will still be there tomorrow, but tonight I’m gonna have fun.” He just shrugs. 

You bite your tongue at this. It’s pretty obvious why he has so many debts, if he never pays them. 

“So where do we have to go to get your money?” Mammon is eyeing the direction you two are heading now. 

“As you can guess, the bad part of town. We meet him at the port. Probably wants to go overseas right after.” This is a pretty normal occurrence for you. 

“At least it’s not a dingy bar, still good that I’m there with you.” Mammon seems uneasy, but slightly relieved. 

“I can watch out for myself.” It’s pretty offensive to you that Mammon feels that way. 

“Says the one with an arrow wound.” Mammon eyes you from the side.

“I suppose you have a point there.” You have nothing to defend yourself with. 

“I didn’t expect you to agree to this.” Mammon seems genuinely surprised. 

“I might be hard-headed sometimes, but I can admit when I’m in the wrong.” It’s a bit embarrassing to say. 

Mammon crooks his eyebrows. “Wow, I didn’t expect to hear that ever." 

"Come on, now, before I spank you for your comment.” You playfully tease him. 

It has the desired effect on him. Mammon blushes. “You can’t just say something like that." 

You both walk to your patreon, get the money and get rid of the gem. 

It’s going very smoothly. Much to your delight. 

Mammon just seems to be glad that it’s over. 

"So I guess that’s it…” Soon you both reach the edge of the town. You feel strangely reluctant to leave.  Being with Mammon felt strangely nice. He is a more reliable partner than you expected. 

“You know it’s getting dark soon. You’d be a prime target for robbers with all that cash.” Mammon seems to feel the same way, pulling out a reasonable sounding excuse. 

“You might be right, but I’d waste money staying at an inn.” You can’t afford to spend any of this precious money on such luxuries.

“I’m gonna get a room anyways. So you can just crash with me.” Mammon seems awfully casual offering this. 

“You want me to spend the night with me?” You aren’t sure if you like what he is implying. 

Mammon’s ears turn red. “I didn’t mean it like that, unless you want that, I mean I’m a gentleman you know.”

“Gentlemen? That’s the last word I’d use to describe you.” You giggle at this. 

“Come on, I’m being serious here. I won’t do anything I promise.” Mammon is embarrassed but he sounds genuine. 

Despite your head warning you against this, you trust your gut. “Alright, I will trust you, since you are my partner.” You emphasize the last point. 

Mammon is surprised by this but then he smiles in the most beautiful way. 

“Great, let’s drop our stuff and then we are going out to party!” Mammon seems to be in a very good mood now. 

“Who said we are going to party?” You definitely didn’t agree to that. 

“You gotta let loose and don’t worry it’s on me. Just think of it as a thanks from the great Mammon.” Mammon must be serious about this since he is inviting you. 

“Alright, but no getting into any issues.” You narrow your eyes at him. 

“Do you even know me?” Mammon acts offended. 

“I saved you from guys you tried to scam.” You still vividly remember that. 

“Ah yeah, I almost forgot about that one.” Mammon just shrugs and keeps walking. 

“Hey, aren’t you gonna promise?!” You don’t think he will. 

“Don’t sweat it, everything’s okay with the great Mammon in your corner.” He gives you a double thumbs up.

“Can you at least keep a low profile?” You honestly don’t want to end up in jail. 

“Come on now, have a little trust in me.” Mammon keeps walking, you have to run after him. 

He never ends up promising anything at all. 

part1I2I3

Obey me! Monster tales masterlist 

__

The dogs follow you for a while, but you shake them off way before dawn. 

The cave is hidden and hard to reach, which makes it a great hideout. You will need to treat your wound and split the treasure fairly. A bit of rest would also be great. 

Finally, you reach the cave and just sit down. 

You have lost a lot of blood and you are exhausted on top of it. 

Suddenly you hear noises outside of the cave. 

You force your body to stand up and position yourself next to the entrance, ready to knock the intruder out. 

You almost do it until you notice it’s Mammon.

“Gee, what a nice welcome.” He is justifiably angry. 

“Sorry, I thought you wanted to attack me.” You apologize sincerely to him. 

“Well, whatever.” Mammon sighs and then he notices your wound. “That looks painful…” His face seems to crunch up. 

“It’s not that bad. I’ll treat it in no time.” You shrug with one shoulder. 

Mammon sighs and looks very unhappy. “That ain’t gonna happen. I’ll do it. Where did you put the medkit?" 

"I can deal with it, you don’t need to bother.” You are used to doing everything on your own and this is no different. 

Mammon clicks his tongue.

“Come on, put your darn pride away for a second and let me help ya.” Mammon seems upset and grabs your bag and starts searching. 

“Hold on, you are making a mess. Let me get it out.” You feel embarrassed, knowing well that you have underwear and other personal items in that bag. 

Mammon awkwardly kicks the bag towards you. 

You get the medical supplies out and hand them to Mammon, you still feel a bit reluctant. 

Mammon gets closer to you, while you sit back down. 

He looks at you, his eyes shift nervously to your arm and shoulder. “This will definitely hurt.” His face twists when he sees the bloody arrow. 

“Just give me the leather to bite on.” You know how much this will hurt. 

Mammon nods and gets the leather out from the box. He then produces a small flask from somewhere. “Drink this, it will help.” He holds it straight in front of your face.

“What’s that liquor?” You look at the bottle with suspicion. 

“No, it’s a health potion.” Mammon seems a bit reluctant to admit this. 

“Healing potion? That’s super expensive. Are you sure that you want to give that to me?” You know it’s very pricey and not always easy to get. 

“It’s fine, I took it anyway and you are my precious partner so I can’t just let you be in pain like that you know,” Mammon says this in such a shy and cute manner it’s hard to not smile at him. 

“Thank you Mammon, that’s very sweet of you.” For the first time, you feel some warmth towards Mammon. Sure he has issues, a lot of them, most of them are caused by himself, but still, he can be charming if he wants to be. 

“You are gonna make me mess up by smiling like that at me…” He looks away from you, blushing very hard. 

“So umm… take a deep breath and bite the leather while I pull this sucker out.” He touched the arrow with slightly shaking hands, if anyone needs liquor right now, it’s him. 

“I will be alright, Mammon.” You encourage him before biting down. 

Mammon takes a deep breath and then pulls the arrow out. 

This seems to hurt him more than you. 

It starts bleeding right away. 

“Umm… I think you need to remove your top…” Mammon looks away from your face. 

“Give me a second.” You take the leather out of your mouth and carefully start to undress. You aren’t topless by any means when you are done. 

Mammon can barely keep his mouth closed when he looks at you. 

“See anything you like?” You smirk at him. 

Mammon starts to stutter, but can’t manage to form a word for a bit. 

Then he takes a breath. “I just didn’t expect you to get naked before we even start dating." 

"Is that an invitation?” You ask him, not expecting him to wish to date you. 

“Umm… let me treat you before you distract me more.” Mammon seems to be taken aback by your response. 

Mammon doesn’t wait for your response and starts to carefully disinfect your wound. He is very careful as if treating a precious treasure. 

You wince a bit from the stinging sensation. 

This makes Mammon stop in his movements. “Just a bit longer.” He sounds uncharacteristically serious. 

Then he bandages your shoulder. He wraps it a bit too much, but you really appreciate it. 

“There ya go. Now take that health potion.” Mammon pats your arm for a second before jerking his hand away like he just realized that he touched you. 

“Thank you, Mammon. This will heal very nicely thanks to you.” You smile at him before drinking the bitter potion. 

“No-no problem. Better make sure you drink it all.” Mammon then leans back, towards the wall. 

You empty the entire bottle and then dress your top again since Mammon is still not able to face you. 

Then you also lean onto the wall, right next to Mammon. 

“You are pretty close.” He almost mumbles this. 

“It’s going to be cold, and we can’t make a fire here, but don’t worry, I won’t do anything unruly.” You giggle. 

“You better not,, and I could say the same to you.” He huffs. 

“Good night Mammon.” You laugh quietly and then close your eyes. 

“Good night, partner.” He whispers the last part,, but it makes you smile regardless.

Mammon surely has issues, but being with him feels pretty good. 

Fanart for my next story - the dragon prince - ft- Diavolo

My biggest treasure - Ft. Mammon pt 5

This is the last part

part1I2I3I4

Obey me! Monster tales masterlist

———–

Mammon leads the way to a nice bar that has small booths and serves food too. It’s almost like a restaurant, but with a more lively atmosphere.

“This place is nice, have you been here before?” It seems like Mammon is very familiar with this whole town.

“I’ve been around a lot. With my work it ain’t a surprise, I suppose.” Mammon sounds nonchalant, but you can tell that it’s bugging him.

“Sounds kind of lonely. I couldn’t imagine having nowhere to go.” You feel empathy towards him.

“You are pretty lucky, you know. I mean not the part of havin to take care of everything but having a home, must be nice.” Mammon quickly corrects himself.

“You are right, it’s very lucky. Though I wish…” You wish your sibling wasn’t sick, can you say that to Mammon? You carefully weigh your options. “I just wish that they were all healthy.” In the end, you tell him.

Mammon looks sullen. “That’s bad, is there anything we can do about it?”

He says we so casually, it makes your heart feel warm. You smile at him. “Thanks to our job, I can buy medicine for months, but thank you for caring.”

Mammon seems relieved to hear that. “Maybe we can get better jobs and get even better medicine or something.”

“Sounds like you want me to keep being your partner.” You smile softly at him, feeling tempted to take his hand that is laying on the table.

“Of course. I mean, I’m the best partner any person could ask for.” He puffs his chest. “You are pretty good, too.” He clears his throat.

“Pretty good? I’d say I’m awesome.” You smirk at him. “But being partners on a more permanent basis might be good. Since you aren’t too bad at this partner thing.” You don’t even have to think about it too long.

“You could word it nicer, you know.” He puffs his cheeks. It’s quite cute when he looks like this.

“I could, but I won’t.” You tease him, hoping to get a few more cute expressions.

“You can be brutal, good thing that you are so cute, or I’d be mad.” He quietly mentions the last part, but you still understand him.

“You think that I’m cute?!” This honesty surprises you. Nobody ever calls you cute. It sets your face on fire.

“Well umm…” Mammon’s face lights up red, and he searches for an escape. “Oh, food, I’m starving.” Mammon is saved by the arriving food.

You feel equally embarrassed and start to eat as well. The food is very delicious,, but it’s hard to forget Mammon’s words.

“That was delicious.” You feel very satisfied after eating. It feels great to have a full belly.

“I’m happy that you enjoyed it. Now it’s time for the real fun to start!” Mammon has a blinding smile on his face and gets some coins from his pocket.

You glance at them and then look at Mammon with a stern face. “Mammon, these are fake.”

“Well, yeah, so what?” He doesn’t see the issue at all.

“First of all, nobody is going to be filled with these, and secondly I won’t let you scam hardworking service people.” Your eyes narrow at him.

He sighs. “I worked very hard to make these, but fine. I’ll put them away.” A bit deleted, he is about to collect the coins.

You stop his hand and then take the coins yourself. “I will take these.”

Mammon blushes and pulls his hand away, this causes your cheeks to heat up as well.

“Fi-fine, I got enough money anyway.” Mammon huffs slightly and puts some real coins on the table.

“As a member of the service industry, I thank you.” You smile slightly at him, this seems to please Mammon enough to not mention after this.

Next you head to a more lively pub with dancing, and you can spot a few people playing cards in the back.

Despite that, Mammon’s eyes never quite leave you.

“What do you want to drink?” Mammon heads straight for the bar.

“I usually just get some juice or beer.” You look at the menu behind the counter. None of the names seem familiar to you.

Mammon shakes his head. “You really don’t know how to party, do you?”

“As a matter of fact, I don’t.” You feel a bit embarrassed about that.

“Let the great Mammon take care of that. I’ll order for us.” He proclaims, filled with confidence.

“Alright, but no heavy drinks.” You are definitely considered a lightweight.

“Don’t worry, we get you virgin options later, meaning without alcohol. But for now we gotta let loose.” He lightly slaps you on your shoulder, before realizing it and blushing. “Anyway, just trust me.” He coughs and tries to act like nothing happened.

“I’ll leave it to you.” You ignore his awkward moment and feel a bit adventurous anyway. It’s probably because Mammon is here with you.

Mammon seems relieved and orders colorful cocktails for both of you.

You move to a table a bit away from the bar.

Your drink looks like a sunset, while his is blue and yellow.

You take a small sip. “Wow, this is incredible.” The juice they used blends well with the bitter taste of the alcohol.

“See told you. I knew you’d like it!” Mammon smiles and you feel blinded.

“How is your drink?” You feel pretty curious.

“It’s great. I’ll get you a virgin version of it later if ya want.” Mammon is happy that you also want to try his choice.

“I can just take a sip of yours.” It seems pretty unnecessary to you.

“That would be like umm ya know… just let me get one of your own.” Mammon seems to be uncomfortable with this.

“Alright, I’m sure I’ll like it anyway.” You smile, feeling slowly a bit bolder now where most of your drink is done.

Mammon seems to feel the same way, he comes close towards you and grabs your hand. For a moment you think that he might be going to kiss you, but instead he smiles and pulls you towards the dance floor.

Suddenly, you realize that you might want to kiss him.

You shove that thought back into your head.

It’s time to let loose for once.

Mammon starts to dance to the music, its good music to dance to. You start to dance on your own.

At first, there is a good distance between you two.

More and more people come to dance so you move slowly closer towards each other.

Matching moves without touching at all. It still feels nice. Mammon is an unexpectedly good dancer. He has so much fun, it’s infectious.

You laugh and smile the entire time, especially when you try to emulate some of his more outrageous moves.

He has a load of fun himself. It feels great to let loose.

You aren’t sure who started it but at some point, you dance together. Getting closer, touching while you dance. The music is still fast but you both are just looking into each other’s eyes. Each of you seems to be waiting for a move from the other.

The mood is right too, the air between you is electric. Your faces naturally move closer towards each other.

That is when suddenly you feel freezing cold air surrounding you both. You start to shiver. “What the?”

“Oh no, we gotta run.” Mammon becomes pale as a sheet.

“What is going on?” You already get pulled by Mammon outside the place.

“No time to explain we gotta run.” He nervously looks around.

He sees a figure all clad in white.

His pull becomes stronger, and soon you are outside in the dark of the night.

You only manage to run a few steps.

More and more white figures seem to surround you. They are scary and emit a strange chilly cold. You have never seen anything like them.

“What the hell have you gotten yourself into?” You whisper, yell at Mammon.

He seems surprisingly meek. “They are servants of my big brother. I owe him big time, and they are here to collect.”

“Goldie.” One of them moans.

Mammon’s face scrunches up. “I dunno what ya are talking about.”

“Goldie!” It repeats.

They move closer, they give you goosebumps. You move closer to Mammon. How are you supposed to get out of this one?

“Over my dead body!” He still refuses.

The white-clothed things move even closer, they have surrounded you both.

They start to look at you. “You, give Goldie!”

Do they know that you have the coin?

“Come on guys, they’ve got nothing to do with this!” Mammon isn’t happy that you are being targeted now.

“Goldie!!!” They scream in unison.

Mammon makes a bitter face, clutching your hand. “Fine, give them Goldie.”

You can’t believe your ears. “Are you sure?” You know the coin means a lot to him.

“They will freeze you to death if we don’t.” Mammon’s words touch your heart.

“Alright, give me a second.” You start to rummage through your clothes. Suddenly you have an idea.

You pull a golden coin from your pocket.

“My poor Goldie.” Mammon looks like he is about to cry.

One of the creatures takes the coin and looks at it.

They seem happy enough about it and start to drawback, though not without hissing a few times at the distraught Mammon.

“Can they sense Goldie?” You whisper at him.

“Huh? No, only if they are close.” He looks confused.

“Alright, then we should get away from them as soon as possible.” You slowly start to move, they don’t seem to pay any mind to you.

Mammon has questions, but he trusts you and nods.

“When I say now you start to run, we meet at the harbor if we get separated.” You take a few more slow steps.

“No way are we getting separated, but alright, I’m ready.” Mammon looks at you with determination.

You pass the line of white creatures and then nod towards him. “Now!”

You both start running like mad, Mammon is holding your hand tighter, not letting go.

The white creatures are left behind, seemingly confused.

You run and run until you both feel like you have lost them.

At some point, you finally slow down and silently hide in a small street.

There is no sign of the things that surround you.

“They will go away as soon as the sun is up. But we better hide until then.” Mammon looks onto the street next to your location.

“That was a pretty close call.” You are out of breath, but somehow can’t help but laugh.

“How is this funny?” Mammon doesn’t seem to get it, but chuckles regardless.

“It’s probably adrenaline,, but that was fun.” You are completely beat, but regardless it felt just so good.

“You got a strange sense of fun, you know that?” Mammon starts laughing too.

“I know.” You lean onto the wall and look at Mammon.

He is out of breath, his hair is a mess, but somehow he just looks beautiful right now.

“What?” He looks at you, his cheeks are flushed.

Then you give him the real coin. “Here you go. I saved it for you.” You smile at him, feeling a bit bold and shy at the same time.

He holds the coin in his hands with a fond expression on his face. “You did that for me? But it still was a gold coin?”

You chuckle. “Apparently I was wrong, and your coins could fool someone.”

“Of course, they can, and wait, you gave them a fake coin?” Mammon seems astonished.

“Sure did, but did you expect anything else from your partner?” You grin at him.

“You are the best, I could kiss you.” Mammon smiles like the sun.

“Why don’t you then?” You smirk and then realize that maybe you want him to kiss you. Your cheeks start to heat up again.

Mammon seems equally baffled by your words. “Wait what?” Then he looks away. “Why would I want that?”

“Because you like me?” You feel a bit standoffish. Then you quietly add. “I mean, I like you.”

“Wait, hold on a moment. You like me? I mean of course, you do, but seriously, you like me?” Mammon is confused.

“I do.” You look him straight into his eyes, leaving no room for doubt.

Mammon bites his lips, seemingly waiting for it to be a joke or dream or who knows what.

“Are you sure?” His usual confidence is nowhere to be seen. Mammon seems very vulnerable right now.

You lean closer to him, his eyes waver. You don’t.

Your lips touch his, just for a sweet moment, until you pull back. It felt better than you expected. “I’m sure.”

Mammon looks at you wide-eyed. He is quiet for a long time. So are you.

“That was… wow, it just was wow…” He finally speaks up and still seems to be lost.

“It was.” You feel a bit shy. Your whole relationship with Mammon just shifted, and you don’t know what it means. Heck, you don’t even know if Mammon likes you too.

“You know, it’s crazy that you like me. I mean, you are perfect and beautiful and cool and awesome… Yet here you are messin me all up. I mean, what the heck are you thinking, just kissing me. I wanted to be the one to be all cool and sweep you off your feet and kiss you. You beat me to it.” Mammon talks like he is somehow offended, but yet he can’t hide his smile.

“So you wanted to kiss me?” This is the point that interests you right now.

“Ever since I saw you in that bar. Not that I thought it would ever happen.” Mammon admits this shyly.

“Wow, you’ve been pining for me that long?” You find it sweet and funny,, and it relieves you.

“Come on, no teasing, I’m tryin to be honest here.” Mammon frowns slightly.

“Sorry, I can’t help it.” You sheepishly smile at him.

Mammon huffs. “You think you can get away with everything, don’t you?”

“Well because I do.” You grin at him.

Mammon frowns deepen, but then he suddenly becomes serious. He seems to ponder something.

You wonder what it is.

Suddenly he leans closer and kisses you, his cheeks are on fire. So are yours.

It feels sweet and just right somehow.

Mammon hugs you, you hold him back. The kiss breaks and he looks into your eyes. “I like you too.” He says almost inaudibly.

You smile brightly at him, kissing him again.

You keep giving each other small kisses until the sun rises.

New adventures are waiting for you two right beyond the horizon.

Now you’re not facing any of them on your own anymore.

Both of you know that. Your hands hold each other tightly. Looking at the sunrise together.

No matter what, you will be there for each other.