Chapter Text

“Mammon, put your D.D.D. away at the table, it’s impolite.” Lucifer set his fork down and glared at the demon to his left, who was hunched over his screen. Mammon didn’t respond and Lucifer scowled, snapping his fingers to get his attention. “Mammon! Hello?”

“What’s going on with him? Is it just me or has he been quiet tonight?” Levi inquired, looking across the table at me. I shrugged, even though he was right, because after everything that had happened that day the last thing I wanted was to talk about it with everyone.

“I, personally, am enjoying a respite from his perpetual whining.” Satan said before taking a sip of his drink. “You have to admit, it has been nice.”

“Okay, that’s it, I’m confiscating it.” Lucifer snapped, reaching over and snatching Mammon’s D.D.D. from him, finally getting his attention.

“Oi! Give that back!” He lunged in his chair in an attempt to grab the device, but Lucifer pulled it away just in time. However, this put it right in front of Asmo, who playfully plucked it from Lucifer’s fingers and began scrolling.

“ Ne ne?! You’re texting Eligos? Ooooh he’s soooo delicious. I would love nothing more than to get him alone in a dark room.. Ohhh the things I’d do to him..” He purred.

“Some of us are trying to eat over here.” Belphie piped from across the table and Asmo giggled in response, shooting him a wink.

“Who’s Eligos? And what do you mean by ‘delicious’?” Beel asked between bites of his food and I felt my stomach drop, preparing for the inevitable. Mammon also seemed to understand what was about to happen and his face went red as he scrambled to reach across the table and reclaim his D.D.D. from Asmo.

“Oh, silly, he’s not edible.” the Avatar of Lust sang to his brother, swiftly avoiding Mammon’s hand “He’s a gorgeous art director for Majolish. I’ve worked with him a few times and he was divine .” He sighed dreamily. Lucifer rolled his eyes and frowned at him.

“Asmodeus, reading others' messages is an invasion of their privacy, stop that now.” Asmo giggled and stuck his tongue out at his older brother.

“Awww you’re no fun.” Lucifer’s expression didn’t change and Asmo let out an indignant huff. “Fine, look I’m closing the app.” He pressed the home button and I felt a pang of adrenaline hit me as the chat app closed to Mammon’s home screen, the background of which he had changed to the picture he took of me on set. Asmo’s eyes went wide and mine darted to Mammon, who, realizing what had happened, had gone incarnadine.

“ASMO STOP IT, GIMME MY SHIT BACK!” Mammon yelled, beginning to stand, but Lucifer placed a firm hand on his forearm and pulled him back into his chair, satisfied that the impending humiliation would be enough punishment for him.

“Watch your mouth.” He snapped at him. Asmo turned his head to me and looked me up and down.

“So that’s where you two were all afternoon.” He hummed, a flirty smile emerging on his lips. I was definitely blushing at this point, and the only thing I could offer him was an awkward chuckle and a shrug. He giggled and rested his head on my shoulder, holding the D.D.D. up to closer inspect the picture. “You look so sexy!” He chimed “What I would give to have been there! Wouldn’t you agree, Beel?” He passed the phone over to me to Beelzebub, who took it in his free hand and inspected it while he devoured the last of the grilled moon lizard.

“Mmh.. You do look.. Different.. Very nice.” He said to me while chewing, only making me blush deeper. He passed the D.D.D. to his right, and Satan sighed before he took it. He raised his eyebrows upon viewing the picture and nodded in approval, looking up at me.

“It’s a very beautiful look, although I prefer you as you are normally.” I broke eye contact and looked down at my dinner, this was too much. He chuckled and handed the device to Belphie who took it, glanced at the screen, nodded in approval, and gave it to Levi with a yawn before resting his head against his fist and letting his eyes droop shut. I glanced up to Mammon, he had resigned himself to resting his forehead on the table, dejectedly accepting his fate. Levi looked at the photo and laughed enthusiastically, his cheeks going a light pink in excitement.

“OMG! You totally look like a character in this anime I’ve been watching: Help! I’ve Been Mistaken For a Prophet and Now Have to Run a Battalion in the Celestial Realm. ” He beamed at me before looking to his right at his crestfallen brother. “But Mammon, why did you make it your background?” He questioned playfully, fully knowing what he was doing. Mammon growled and sat up straight, finally snatching his D.D.D. back.

“None of ya business!” He barked at Levi, who jumped back in amusement and laughed. The rest of the brothers, bar Lucifer, joined him and Mammon looked furious as he stood up and stormed out of the dining room, calling to his siblings: “Bunch’a jackals, you lot..” He slammed the door behind him, only making his brothers laugh harder.

“He’s so transparent, it’s pathetic.” Satan chuckled. I still hadn’t said anything, my body consumed with embarrassment, and Beel nudged me.

“Are you going to eat that?” I looked up, the sizable feast that was once on the dining table had been reduced to scaps. I still hadn’t touched my dinner since the whole ordeal began.

“No..” I sighed “It’s all yours, Beel.” I had lost my appetite, and really just wanted to be away from everything at the moment. I needed space; space to organize my thoughts and chill out for once today. I stood up and looked to Lucifer, who was regarding me with a mixture of pity and amusement. “I’m gonna go finish my homework.” He nodded, excusing me, and I left the dining room to the sound of him scolding the others.

“You all simply cannot leave well enough alone, can you?”

***

I laid on my bed, gazing up at the oil lanterns that hung gracefully from the delicate branches of the tree that canopied me. Half-finished homework and open textbooks were scattered around me, and a DevilTube video explaining the genealogy of Behemoths played softly from my laptop. I couldn’t hear it, though, as I had my headphones in and a song that dripped with longing played on the highest volume. I drowned in the noise, my mind whizzing through the events of the day, scrutinizing every detail. I didn’t know how to feel. I didn’t know where I stood with Mammon. I didn’t know what to do; should I talk to him about it? No, what if I completely misread everything and end up ruining our friendship? Am I even interested in him? Or was I just caught up in the intensity of the situation? I already knew the answer to that one; but I posed the question to myself anyways in an attempt to make things easier because, honestly, being confused about my own feelings was not nearly as hard as being fully aware that I was totally, completely, and utterly into Mammon.

“Dammit..” I sighed, closing my eyes, pissed that I just admitted it to myself. Now what? Literally now what. I pleaded to the universe, begging for some form of direction, when my D.D.D. pinged with a new message from Asmo.

‘What on Earth did you do to him?’ read the preview and I tensed in apprehension, sitting up and tapping the notification with a quivering thumb. Attached to the message was a video; the thumbnail was Mammon, curled up in a chair in the common room, gazing wistfully at his D.D.D. I hesitated before pressing play, unsure if I really wanted to see what I was about to witness. The video started with Asmo’s giggle trickling from behind the camera as he slowly zoomed in on Mammon who, unaware he was being filmed, didn’t look up from his D.D.D.

“He hasn’t moved in like five minutes!” Asmo whispered with a tittering laugh, and panned up to reveal Satan sneaking up behind the chair. The cynical fourth-born looked at the camera and then past it to shoot his brother an annoyed look, and silently motioned for him to stop filming. Asmo giggled again and Satan rolled his eyes, lifting his finger to his lips to shush him before carefully reaching over the back of the chair and seizing the device from Mammon’s hands. Mammon startled and looked up at Satan, who held the D.D.D. up triumphantly.

“We were right, it’s the photo!” Mammon’s eyes went wide and he jumped up, grabbing his D.D.D. back as Asmo erupted into twittering laughter.

“What the hell is your problem?!” the second-born yelled and Satan replied with a sarcastic smile, stepping back. Mammon turned his head towards Asmo’s laughter and flushed a deep red when he saw that he was being filmed. “OH C’MON ASMO, REALLY??” He threw a pillow at his younger brother and stormed out, grumbling to himself. Asmo giggled and turned the camera on himself, taking a beat to pose a few times before continuing.

“Isn’t he just sooo cute when he gets like that. Teach me your ways!” He winked and blew a kiss before the video ended. I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding as my D.D.D. went dark and stared down at my reflection in the black screen. I barely had time to comprehend what exactly I had just watched when a hasty series of knocks on my door made me startle.

“Hey, It’s me..” Mammon’s voice drifted through the wood. I took a breath in an attempt to clear the flush in my cheeks while I removed my headphones and walked over as he continued. “C’mon, lemme in, won’t ya? Everyone else is gettin’ on my nerves...” I opened the door and he smiled just like he always did and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms. “Hey hey hey, need any help with your homework?” Things felt normal, like this was a regular Thursday evening and I relaxed, raising my eyebrows and tilting my head as I crossed my arms, mirroring him.

“ You’re here to help me with homework?” I cajoled with a smirk “Did someone put a curse on you?” He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Four brain cells are better than two, right?” This made me laugh, and I opened the door wider for him. He grinned and ducked under my arm as he entered, and I noted that he didn’t have any school supplies with him.

“Bold of you to assume that you have two brain cells.” I teased, closing the door behind him. He spun around and pointed at me, laughing triumphantly.

“Aha! But ya don’t deny that you only got two!” I rolled my eyes and poorly stifled a laugh, pushing him lightly. He held up his hands in a mischievous plea for mercy and sat down on my bed, picking up my laptop to examine the video. “What class is this for?” he asked, looking up at me with those beautiful blue eyes.

“Infernal Biology.” I groaned, breaking his gaze to resume my original position on the bed, ignoring the flutter that just went through my heart. He hummed in understanding, Infernal Bio was known for being an ass-kicker, putting the laptop down beside him and picking up one of my assignments.

“Oh! I know this!” he exclaimed; I looked up at him and he grinned proudly, holding my assignment on Rare Pest Analysis out to me. I raised an eyebrow and lifted myself up onto one elbow, taking the packet from him and examining it. “Some’a those rare ones are worth a ton,” Mammon explained “but you could go risk ya life for a catch you thought was worth thousands and only end up with a few hundred Grimm, ‘cause the differences are so subtle, right?” I scoffed in agreement, Pest differentiation was not my strong suit, and heard him chuckle as he scooted closer to me and pointed at one of the diagrams of the wasp-like monsters. I could feel the warmth of his body next to me and our hands almost touched as he traced his finger across the outline of the beast’s stinger. “See how this one’s barb kinda curls up at the end here?” I nodded, and he trailed his finger down the paper to another diagram, the movement causing our shoulders to brush. “That Pest is basically identical to this one here, but look..” He tapped the stinger, it curled just a little more than the creature’s above it into almost a spiral. “This one here is worth ‘bout twice as much as his ‘lil buddy.” He chuckled, and I felt his gaze on me. I tilted my head to meet his eye and returned the smile that was on his lips. In the soft, warm light of the lanterns over our heads his hair glowed golden, and his eyes were dark like a stormy sea. Butterflies arose in my stomach and I quickly looked back at the packet, clearing my throat to ease my flustered nerves.

“Do you remember all their names?” I asked, and he sighed lightly in what almost sounded like disappointment.

“Yeah, I can teach ‘em to ya if you want. I came up with a way of rememberin’ ‘em.” I nodded enthusiastically and he slid closer, taking the packet from my hand. I felt his tricep press against my shoulder, and I couldn’t resist resting my head on the smooth leather of his jacket, just like always, as he explained the silly method he used to remember the different names of the almost indistinguishable monsters.

It took about an hour, but after the fifth round of quizzing I finally matched every name with its correct beast and Mammon cheered, throwing the hastily made flash cards we had put together up in the air like confetti. I laughed and threw my arms out, basking in the glory of our achievement.

“Ugh, thank you!” I exclaimed, grinning at my best friend. “I would have totally failed tomorrow’s quiz if it weren’t for you. You’re a lifesaver, Mammon.” He grinned proudly, but he couldn’t hide the subtle blush that crept into his cheeks.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He bantered, winking at me. I giggled and gently shoved him, to which he replied “Hey! Why ya pushin’ the guy that just, accordin’ to you, saved ya life!” I rolled my eyes and was about to respond with a witty comeback, but my stomach growled powerfully instead. I blushed, embarrassed, and let out an awkward chuckle as Mammon raised his eyebrows in surprise, but not soon after his stomach also rumbled, and we both broke down into laughter.

“I guess we’re hungry.” I giggled and he nodded, sitting up.

“‘Spose so. I mean, it makes sense; we didn’t eat much at dinner ‘cause of..” His voice trailed off and I felt my heart sink as we both recounted the immensely uncomfortable memory. I swallowed all the words I was too afraid to say, and Mammon broke the thick tension that hung between us. “Hey.. Wanna sneak a late-night bite? Lucifer’s not gonna make rounds for another hour.” I was suddenly very aware of how empty my stomach was and nodded eagerly. Mammon beamed and jumped up, swinging by my mirror to fix his hair, and eye some of the jewelry I had sitting nearby.

“Don’t steal my stuff!” I called to him and he looked over his shoulder at me with a smug smile.

“There’s nothin’ worth stealin’!” he taunted and I rolled my eyes, getting out of bed and putting my shoes on.

“You are such a bastard.” I said with a laugh and he gasped melodramatically.

“Such foul language from such a pretty face.” That one got me, and I looked down at my feet to mask to the pink that swept across my face, thinking of a response.

“Okay, Lucifer.” I retorted after a beat, winking at him. He laughed and looked up at the ceiling in defeat, turning to make his way to the door. I finished putting my shoes on and followed behind him. We stepped out into the hallway and Mammon did a quick ‘Lucy Look’ as he called it, wherein he scanned the area for Lucifer, before giving the all-clear to begin our journey to the kitchen.

“We better have some ramens left.” He muttered to me as we walked. “I hid ‘em good so Beel wouldn’t be able to find ‘em. But knowin’ him he probably sniffed ‘em out.” He rolled his eyes and I chuckled softly, patting his upper back jovially.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find something.” He blushed slightly and shrugged my hand off his back with a huff, the same way he always did, and I chuckled again. Maybe I was just caught up in the buzz and commotion of earlier, everything was normal, nothing had changed between us. I couldn’t help but remember the way his arms felt coiled around my waist under the warm lights of the set, and I was so distracted I almost walked right through the already cracked door of the kitchen. Mammon grabbed my upper arm and yanked me to him, sliding up against the side of the door covertly. We were pressed together and my stomach flipped as I watched him arch his head in an attempt to peek through the door, moonlight from a nearby window accentuating his chiseled jaw.

“Crap..” He whispered “Beel’s in there..” He furrowed his brows, still looking through the door. I was motionless and realized he had not yet released the grip he had on my arm, though he had loosened it to a gentle hold. My stomach panged with hunger and adrenaline and I craned my neck, also trying to peek through the crack.

“Maybe we could invite him to join us..?” I whispered in response to him and he shook his head pointedly.

“No way!” He hissed “This meal is for folks who didn’t get to eat because they live with the most irritatin’ bunch of demons in the universe, no guests.” He squinted into the darkness and a moment later his eyes went wide “Shit! He’s comin’!” We quickly stepped away from the door and pressed our backs up against the adjacent wall as one of the large oak slabs swung open, conveniently concealing us, and Beel walked out into the hallway still munching on something. I repressed a giggle at Mammon’s expression, ultra serious as if he was a secret agent on a classified mission, as his younger brother disappeared around the corner. Once Beel was out of earshot Mammon turned his attention to me, spying the amused look on my face. “Whaddya smilin’ at?”

“You.” His cheeks flushed as he turned away quickly and ducked inside the dark kitchen, deliberately omitting a response. I followed and he lit a single lantern, bathing the room in a soft glow, before walking to the back of the room and tracking his finger over the stones of the wall.

“It was one’a these ones…” He murmured. His finger caught on one of the stones and he carefully pulled it from its spot, revealing a modest stockpile of Hell-sauce flavoured ramen. “Ka-ching!” He exclaimed with a laugh, pulling two from their hiding place and turning to boastfully display them to me. I beamed and clapped my hands like a child would after being told they could have ice cream, which only fueled his enthusiasm. He set the ramens down on the island and pulled a pot from beneath it to fill with water. I hopped up onto the sturdy wood countertop, letting my legs swing nonchalantly as he fired up the antique stove and placed the pot of water atop it, leaving it to boil. He hummed quietly to himself as he worked, and I was suddenly privy to a side of Mammon that was seldom seen: not trying to impress anyone, not coming up with a plan to make a quick Grimm, just a hungry boy eager to enjoy his favourite snack. A content smile settled on his lips and his eyes sparkled in the luminescence of the lantern. I relaxed, leaning back on my hands and observing him with a smile as he opened the ramens and placed the noodles into the pot, still humming a cheery tune. In that quiet moment I couldn’t help but think:

“I feel special..” Shit! Did I really just say that out loud? Mammon ceased his humming to peer over his shoulder at me with a raised eyebrow. Oh God, I did. “Y-you know, getting a gourmet meal prepared for me and all.” Nice recovery, idiot. I jokingly grinned at him, hoping it was enough to save the situation, and he turned to face me, placing his hands on his hips. His expression was tough, but the blush in his cheeks gave him away.

“W-well ya shouldn’t! No way am I preparin’ anythin’ for you after last time!” He pulled a face and mimicked me as he continued “Oww Mammonn it’s too spicyyy! My mouth is on fireeeee! I’m just a feeble human and I can’t handle a ‘lil kick to my fooood! Mammonnn I have blisters on my tongue and need to go to the nurseeee!” I scowled at him and kicked his leg as I hopped off the island.

“That really hurt, you ass! They had to perform an hour's worth of healing spells!” He sighed and patted the top of my head teasingly, smirking at me.

“I know I know. I’m sorry, ‘kay? Can’t have ya gettin’ hurt this time so you’re gonna help.” I looked up at him questioningly and he directed me by my head to the stove, the feeling of his fingers in my hair sending tingles down my spine. The noodles were cooking nicely, and the packets of Hell-sauce sat off to the side of the counter along with some vegetables and two eggs. He instructed me to chop the vegetables so I did while he added different seasonings to the broth, and I realized that this was a lot more effort than necessary to make some ramen.

“You know I was joking when I said gourmet meal, right?” I side eyed him and he shrugged with a cheeky smile.

“Yeah, but since we can’t make it normally, ‘cause someone is a fragile ‘lil human with fragile ‘lil taste buds, we gotta add somethin’ to give it flavour.” I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled, nudging my shoulder with his. I added the diced vegetables to the pot and Mammon started humming again as he stirred it. The rich aroma of spice and vegetables filled the room, and Mammon reached around my back to pick up one of the packets of sauce. He opened it with his teeth and handed it to me .

“Why are you giving this to me?” He rolled his eyes.

“And the others call me the stupid one?” I gasped in mock offense and he laughed, moving ever so slightly so he stood behind me, resting his hands on the countertops on either side of the stove; I could feel the rise and fall of his chest with his breath and when he spoke again his voice was just a little softer. “Go ‘head, put some in, flavour it to your likin’” I tipped the packet gingerly over the pot, letting a single drop of sauce splash into the broth. Mammon took a spoon and stirred the mixture, causing him to come even closer to me, and I felt the warmth he radiated against my back. He brought the spoon to his lips and sipped the broth, taking a moment to ponder the flavour. “Tastes like water and veggies, that’s for sure.” I giggled and he held the spoon up for me to taste. I leaned in to take a small sip, and immediately coughed from the pure amount of spice that hit the back of my throat. Mammon laughed, clearly shocked that such a small amount could induce such a strong reaction, and placed an attentive hand between my shoulder blades as I composed myself. After a moment the overwhelming heat in my mouth subsided and I, too, let out a raspy laugh.

“Water and veggies my ass.” I croaked and Mammon laughed again, his hand drifting from my upper to mid back; my heart fluttered as he let it settle there and grazed his thumb across the fabric of my shirt. I rested the side of my head against his chest, hearing his heart quicken in pace, and for a brief moment we stayed like that, not fully embracing but yearning to, in the silence of the night and the twinkling light of the lantern.

“Eggs...” Mammon said faintly, and I giggled, looking up at him.

“What..?” He chuckled, closing his eyes. As the dim light danced across his skin I was able to make out the deep blush in his cheeks and wondered if he could see the same in mine.

“We need to put the eggs in..” His hand left my back and I lifted my head, unwillingly disappointed. He broke the eggs into the broth and I watched as they cooked almost instantaneously, a feature common with Devildom eggs. We took two sealable bowls from the overhead cabinets and Mammon poured the finished ramen into them, pausing after filling his own to add the rest of the opened Hell-sauce packet to the dish. This made me giggle and he grinned at me, grabbing two sets of chopsticks from a drawer. “C’mon, silly, let’s go find somewhere to enjoy this.”

We weaved through the sprawling halls of the House of Lamentation, keeping a watchful eye out for Lucifer, and made our way to the planetarium. Moonlight radiated throughout the room, and the stars twinkled above our heads as we sat ourselves down on one of the plush couches that decorated the ethereal chamber. Mammon tucked into his ramen feverishly, in hilarious resemblance to his perpetually-famished brother, and after several prolonged seconds of me staring at him wide-eyed with bewilderment I couldn’t contain myself and burst into laughter. His head snapped in my direction, a few noodles still dangling from his lips, and I laughed harder, setting my bowl down on the coffee table so I wouldn't drop it.

“Mmph What you gigglin’ about?” He demanded, mouth full of food, which only made me laugh more; after everything that had happened at the shoot, at dinner, the video, the image of Mammon and his mouth overflowing with ramen was just what I needed. I could feel him scowl as he finally swallowed his food. “I-it wasn’t that funny..”

“Sorry.” I giggled once more, “You’re right. It’s just, after today…” He looked down to the floor, nodding understandingly. I sighed and picked my bowl back up, reclining into the soft embrace of the couch as I took a small bite of my food. Mammon resumed eating as well. A thick silence hung in the air between us; I made things awkward, great . I looked over at him, his cheeks were rouge and he avoided my eye. I wanted to remedy the situation, and said softly “You know, I had a lot of fun today..” He snuck a peek up at me, and upon seeing the simper I offered him, perked back up.

“Yeah?” Starlight glittered in his eyes, and an adorably hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Yeah.” He beamed at me and I couldn’t help but reciprocate “I got to wear beautiful clothing, had my hair and makeup done by professionals, and I’m gonna be in a fashion magazine. That’s pretty cool.” I wasn’t lying, it was pretty cool, really cool. I had spent so much of the day being caught up in the frenzy of emotions that the shoot ignited that I hadn’t actually taken a moment to really think about what an amazing experience it actually was.

“I was worried about ya for a second, yaknow..” I raised an eyebrow, curious, and he chuckled with a shrug “I dunno.. When you were all by yourself up there it looked like you were ‘boutta panic or somethin’.” He shrugged again, trying to underplay the statement, but a warmth grew within me. No one had ever cared about me like that before; the thumbs up, the sideline banter, it was to calm me down, it was so I could relax. Mammon saw that I wasn’t coping up there all by myself and he went out of his way to help me. My heart soared and I set my bowl back down so I could fling my arms around his neck.

“W-woah! W-what’s all this?!” He froze in his spot, clearly flustered, but I didn’t care; I buried my face into his shoulder and whispered to him,

“Thank you..” He tensed in surprise, but soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in tighter. I felt safe in his embrace, drinking in the spice of his cologne, and he let his head rest against mine, exhaling deeply. I shifted slightly so I could look at him, and when our eyes met there was a tenderness in his that I had never seen before.

“It was nothin’..” His eyes fell to my lips, and mine to his. The only audible sounds were our breathing and the quickening beating of our hearts, the rest of the world faded into the background. He reached up, affectionately bushing a strand of hair out of my face and stroking the side of my cheek with his thumb. My once empty stomach was now brimming with frantic butterflies and with a timid hand I too reached up to brush some of his soft, snowy hair away from his sapphire eyes. He averted his gaze, a deep blush filling his cheeks, and leaned in ever so slightly. I did too, the milliseconds that passed as our faces drifted closer feeling like hours. His nose grazed my cheek, and I could feel his shaking breath against my lips.

“MAMMONNNNN” Lucifer’s voice boomed from the bottom of the stairwell; we both jolted back in shock and spun our heads towards the source of the noise. “Everyone’s supposed to be in their rooms! If I find you up there I’m going to hang you for the next 5,000 years!” He sounded infuriated, and Mammon turned to me wide-eyed.

“We gotta go!” He jumped up, abandoning the rest of his meal, and started to run for his life. I stood as well, but not before Lucifer ascended to the top of the staircase, his heated gaze falling on me as I froze.

“I should have known.” He growled with a disappointed shake of his head. “You two are in so much trouble.” My eyes went wide with fear and Mammon dashed back over to me, taking me by my hand and pulling me behind him as he sprinted off.

“You’ll have to catch us first!” He called behind us and I laughed; but adrenaline punched me in the gut as Mammon laced our fingers while we ran. No matter how hard I tried to put the events that just transpired on that plush couch out of my mind I couldn’t help but wonder,

‘What does this mean?’