Late but a little something for our first man (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡
Mammon x gn!reader, sfw fluff
Some poker things ppl might not know:
yellow chips - $1000
the flop - the first three cards laid on the board by the dealer
the turn - the fourth card laid on the board by the dealer
off suit - when the suits of a card (spade/heart/club/diamond) do not match
“All in!”
The stack of chips, made heavy and unstable by its promise of returns, slanted to the side until it tipped, tumbled into the next pile and sent the whole of Mammon’s savings scattering over the flop. He picked up a stray yellow disk as it rolled its way back to him and set it flat against the green felt.
“Come on! Who wants to call and give me a nice, fat birthday present?”
Over the grinding of gears and whirring of reels, standing out from the excited hum of newbies and veterans alike, Mammon’s howls of amusement echoed across the show floor, amplified by the backward toss of his head and in spite of the hand at his mouth that usually served as a sign of demurity. In his other hand, two cards were held close to his chest. Around him, several players tossed their own to the dealer and stood, scrounging what they could before they found themselves burned by the Avatar of Greed’s hot streak. He had won twelve hands in a row, called and raised every turn with no sign of stopping; and even if he had lost them all, his exuberance was enough to deter most other players, with the exception of one who had sat down just as the last hand was being dealt.
“Call.”
The thump of your knuckles against the table top cut off Mammon’s laughter. With no more distractions, he finally turned to you, tucked into the corner by the dealer and the wall, not as well hidden now that the seat on your other side was made empty.
The shadow of nervousness in his brow was washed out by the widening of his stare and he leaned across the table to get a better look at you. You were grateful for the chance to stare right back into his eyes--pools of gold lapping at a deep blue sea--over the rim of his glasses, slipping down his nose. His gaze fluttered over you, but when you returned the inspection with a punctuating smile and lick of your lips, it centered on your mouth and his whole body froze as though caught in a trap. Mammon dropped back to his seat with a thump that rang in the absence of his laugh, and jerked his head back to the board as the dealer laid out the turn.
“Check.”
You continued to watch him with your free hand curled under your chin. All you could see was your smile reflected in his amber lenses.
“Check.”
The skin of his neck pulled tight over the bobbing of his Adam’s apple.
“Sir?”
You and the dealer, the only two left at the table besides Mammon, turned the weight of your gazes on him. He swallowed again and the change in demeanor was almost enough to make you laugh--but you held it in for his sake--his previous smile hidden behind the thinned lines of his lips as he worried them. You were patient as you could be, but time is money and the dealer cleared their throat after several moments of twitching. Mammon jumped up from his seat and slammed his cards on the table face down.
“F-fold!”
Though his eyes were still hidden behind his glasses, you could see the slight jerk of his head toward you, and down, to your hand where you still held your own. The muscles of your cheeks hurt when you finally let go of the laugh that you had been holding in; it strained further at the realization that a blush dusted his face.
“Too bad. My hand was shit.”
You tossed your cards face up on the table as the dealer pushed your winnings your way.
“You gotta be kidding me!”
You swept your chips onto your rack and stood. You walked away and even if you couldn’t hear him still blubbering in complaint behind you, you would have known Mammon was following you by the way the other players flocked back to the table.
“How in Devildom are you gonna take all my money with a 7-3 off suit?!”
You stopped at the line to the teller and he ran straight into your shoulder, leaping back to mutter a quick apology. Finally you turned to him and answered.
“The same way you were planning on winning with a 7-2 off suit.”
Mammon’s jaw popped as his mouth fell open, glasses sliding down his nose and your grin returned. Reaching up, you tapped his chin shut and his teeth clicked. You pulled your hand back toward your own face and pointed at your eyes.
“You should be careful wearing those at the table. They don’t hide your face or your hand very well.”
You cashed out and behind you Mammon ripped off his glasses, staring back at the only one to blame for his loss. He raised them up in one hand as though to throw them before he brought his fist back down to his side in a moment of restraint, only to repeat the action in his surging anger. He stopped, arm halfway in the air, when you put a hand on his shoulder.
“You said it’s your birthday, right? How about dinner? My treat.”
With his glasses no longer hiding his face, his blush was completely visible, extending past his cheeks and to his neck, deepening when his eyes returned to your touch. But then he mirrored your smile and laughed as before, flashing teeth and relief as one hand covered his mouth.
“Yeah, of course you want to take the Great Mammon out for dinner. I make great company, ya know!”
You laughed with him and slid your hand down his arm, pulling him to your side in a smooth motion that made him stutter though he did not pull away. Instead, his warmth grew heavier at your side as you turned together toward the dining hall.
“I bet you make the best company, O’ Great Mammon!” You quite enjoyed the ruddy teak of his cheeks at your teasing and couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up again. “So, where do you wanna go? And oh, yeah, before I forget, happy birthday, Mammon!”
“C’mon, human, you gotta have a better idea than that!”
You were starting to get tired of hearing yourself sigh, but scheming with Mammon was never easy. Your plans were too complicated, not grand enough, impossible to do quickly because he needed money now or else he had some angry witches to answer to. Leaning your cheek into your hand, you watched the greedy demon write and erase, write and erase his ill-gotten plans again and again as he grumbled under his breath. Then it hit you.
“Mammon, I figured it out! I got everything you need right here.”
The glare he gave you over his sunglasses was less than trustworthy as you sat up straight. But the cock of his eyebrow betrayed his interest.
“All right, I’m listenin’. This better be good.”
“You don’t need all these plans for money or whatever. I've got everything you need right here."
Mammon’s pearly whites cut across his face in a grimace. “Yeah, right! Where’s it at then?”
Despite his disbelieving frown, you could hear the high note of giddiness that laced his voice when money was on the table. Curious, he leaned forward as you reached up and cradled his cheeks in your hands.
“See? I’ve got the whole world in my hands.”
You admired the shades of red that passed over Mammon’s wide-eyed face. He sputtered and wiggled in your loose hold but when you tried to drop your hands, he slapped his directly over them. You could feel the heat of his cheeks and the stretch of his smile beneath your palm.
“Stu-stupid, human.” His blue eyes finally landed on your face and it was your turn to blush under the soft look he gave you now. “Don’t go dropping your everything, you hear me?”
