Mammon X Skull

Skull's POV

I figured out she was girl when I was doing my laundry. I liked doing my laundry when everyone was out, because doing laundry was for a girl, not for a stunt man. I actually enjoyed doing laundry, as I got to read while I waited for the cycle to end, and I got to think while I folded. It was calming to me. On that day, it was only Mammon and I in the entire house. I decided it would be a good day to clean, since Mammon didn't bother me. She left me alone because I was the only one who called her Mammon instead of Viper. The laundry room was right next to one of the bathrooms, but no one uses it because we each have our private one in our own rooms. I was pouring the detergent into the batch of clothes when I heard something from that bathroom. I was suspicious, so I went to go check it out. I peered through the crack in the door, and saw a girl with shoulder length purple hair and a slim figure. I didn't realize it was Mammon until I saw dark purple triangles under her glowing gold eyes. She suddenly made eye contact with me through the reflection in the mirror, and I was pushed backwards, with her pinning me to the floor.

"You better not tell anyone, Peeping Coward. And pay up. I won't let this go for free." And after that day, I fell in love with her. I couldn't stop her gold eyes from invading my dreams, or her milky smooth skin from taunting me. It was obvious she was a girl once you knew, and everything she did seemed more confident and clever. I was so far in love, I couldn't see the light from where I'd fallen.

Mammon's POV

I could tell that he thought of me differently then he did before. He would chuckle or smile when I gave some of my insults, now realizing the person behind them. Whenever that happened, I would feel myself smirking in success. I felt happy I could make him laugh. He would sometimes scan my body, looking for signs of what he knew I had. When the other Arcobaleno did that, I would smirk, knowing that they would never find out, no matter how much they tried. Then I would charge them for every minute they looked. When Skull's violet eyes looked over me, I felt like I was under a microscope. I never charged him, because by the time he looked away, I had butterflies in my stomach. I would raise my hands to my cheeks to feel that they were hot, and I would pull my cloak a little lower over my face. I began noticing more things about him that the other's couldn't see unless they looked a little deeper than his idiot cover. Occasionally, I heard him make smart calculations or interesting ideas that no one ever heard, or clever comebacks muttered under his breath. After, he would usually run off with pink cheeks, embarrassed. Shy? He didn't seem so at first glance, but Skull may have had the most layers to him that any of us did.

Once or twice, I would catch him sitting in the sill of the window in the hall, hiding behind the curtain. No one ever went down that hall unless they wanted to go to the storage room, which only held Skull's motorcycle equipment. I would silently watch him, and would see the crystal tears run down his face.

A few weeks after the incident in the laundry room, he took me to that hall.

"Mammon, remember when you said that I would have to pay you for learning your... Secret?" He said. He faced the window again, and I was curious to what he was staring at.

"Of coarse. You still owe me quite a bit for that." He didn't make any move to take out any money.

"I'm still as broke as I was weeks ago unfortunately, but payment could mean me giving you something of equal value, correct?" Today seemed to be one of his 'knowledgable' days, and his seriousness was throwing me off guard.

"I suppose." He wrung his hands before sticking them into his pockets. He cleared his throat, still looking out of the window, not looking at me.

"So if I share a... Secret with you, it will pay the debt off." It was more of a statement than a question, so I didn't feel the need to answer. He nodded to himself and rocked on his heels.

"I haven't told anyone this before..." He paused, and I could tell that he was arguing with himself whether to tell me or not.

"You don't have to tell me." I said. It fell out of my mouth before I could stop it. But I didn't want to take it back. He turned to me finally, his deep violet eyes full of emotions. I swallowed. Being under his gaze was like having the emotions themselves, for he didn't try to cover up or hide any of them. They were so raw and innocent, I felt like crying just because I could see the loss in his purple depths. I felt like I was drowning, and when he looked out the window again, I was gasping for air, but found myself missing the emotions that clogged my lungs.

"No, I'll tell you. I feel like even if I didn't learn your secret... You still would have been the person I would tell. If that makes any sense." He rubbed the back of his head, ruffling the spiky purple hair.

"Okay, here goes. If you want to.. Leave or something, I guess you can." He was beginning to get off subject.

"Spit it out. I need to be paid sooner or later." He nodded and stood still.

"I know you have wondered about why I became an Arcobaleno, or even why I was ever accepted." I nodded. If he already knew it himself, why hide it?

"Well, you know about my undead body already. The way I got it was.. I was heavily abused from a young age. I would say one word, and my mother or father would smack or punch me. I thought that it was the way a family worked, so I didn't tell anyone. They never told me my name, or when my birthday was. I didn't even know that people were supposed to have one. We didn't celebrate any holiday's or attend any parties. My parents were almost never home, and I was always left alone in my room, which was a cupboard under the sink. My mom put zip ties on the handles, so I couldn't get out until they came home, which could be several days. Sometimes they even forgot about me." He stopped talking for a moment. I was stunned to silence. I would have never guessed any of his story.

"Once, I told them I was hungry. My stomach was caved in, and you could see my ribs. I was weak, and could barely walk. My mother slapped me, but it wasn't just a normal slap. She had something in her hand, and I was bleeding." He peeled away one of the bandages on his face to reveal a jagged scar. I remained silent and tilted my head down so he couldn't tell that I was biting my lip to keep from crying or speaking.

"My father knelt down to me, and I thought that he was going to hit me again, but he instead handed me a cup of water and a few pills. He told me that... If I took them that... That I would never have to be hungry again. I... I was so young, and the thought of never being hungry again... I shouldn't have taken them. But I did. I swallowed them, not knowing all the side effects... Every time I tried to eat something, I threw it up right away. I was starving, but my body pushed away any forms of food. My body was having a war against itself. There was nothing I could do. I didn't ever get to starvation though. Something always stopped me from starving or dehydration. By this time, I was probably around ten. My body was beginning to... become the undead body it is today. Because of the immense strain of trying to survive, the pills were acting as steriods. There was nothing I could do to stop the transformation. I still remember the pain of my muscles ripping, growing. It felt like steel was being plunged into my arms and legs." He was still facing out the window, but I could see the tears begin to roll down his cheek. I wanted to hug him, to comfort him.

"I think that much can be your payment. If you want, you don't have to tell me the rest." I said. I could feel myself about to cry, and I didn't want to in front of him. He merely nodded and sat at the sill.

"If you ever need to... Talk about it, just... You know." He didn't say anything, so I went up to my room. I brought down one of my blankets and draped it over his shoulders silently before going back up and sobbing into a pillow.

I think that's when I decided I wanted to protect him. You could call it love for all I care. But I wanted to protect him, no matter what.