Photograph | Mammon

Twenty One

"Jonah, you look like shit"

"Aren't you a charmer Steffy" he harshly spat as he downed another black coffee.

"As a doctor--"

"I'm not your patient. Fuck off."

Stephen sighed as he sat down beside him, "As a doctor who cares about you... I'm worried"

Jonah looked up at him, his eyes pleading for those words to not be a joke. Once the sincerity of his words sunk in he sighed deeply.

At the end of dinner, only Mammon and Jonah remained in the apartment.

Jonah eagerly clapped his hands together as he faced the devil, "So, the transmitter? Did you get it?"

How was Mammon meant to tell him?

"I hope the life exchange doesn't hurt much, but even if it did I guess it won't matter--"

To do it meant to disrespect her wishes and to not do it meant to break her beloved one's heart. Why did nothing seem right?

Is there even a right thing to do?

"Does it take long? Cuz I don't want to raise suspicion--"

"I'm... not doing it."

Jonah continues smiling with a confused expression, "I'm sorry... I think I misheard you?"

"I said, I'm not doing it... anymore" Jonah stared at him wide-eyed at the sincerity in his facial expression. The devil was determined, very determined.

His bright expression just dulled into disappointment. He bitterly scoffed with a slumped posture, "... you really are a devil, aren't you?"

Mammon stayed silent.

"I'm..."

Mammon couldn't bring himself to even say sorry, how could he apologise when what he did wasn't an accident?

He's actively choosing to kill Jonah's sister.

"How can you do this to someone you love? To someone you care about!?"

Jonah's not stupid, he knew he was being selfish.

But he wanted his selfishness to be justified.

And the only way he could achieve that was by blaming someone.

Anyone.

"You have the ability to save her life— fuck, you could do anything... and this is your choice?"

"It wasn't easy"

"But letting her die is!?"

"Jonah..."

"DO YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO LET YOUR OWN SISTER DIE!?"

Mammon just blankly stared back at him, because the irony was that he did know. He knew exactly how it felt.

But he didn't have the right to trauma dump, "...no, I don't"

Jonah felt like shit. The realisation that he couldn't do anything good for his sister, and the fact he blamed Mammon to compensate for his own guilt.

He is scum.

"It's... nothing" His eye bags were unusually visible, he looked like he was on his deathbed.

It was painfully obvious something was up but Stephen didn't want to pressure him into giving an answer, "If sleeping is an issue-- I can prescribe you something?"