All in Due Time

Chapter 10

Mammon felt better.

Not totally better, the avatar of greed wouldn't even say he was feeling remotely like his normal self. The pounding in his head had yet to dissipate, his whole body swayed slightly from side to side, and his chest still hurt with every short breath he managed to take. But he was feeling better than before, better than he had felt in days. So Mammon wouldn't focus on those small technicalities; and instead on how he actually managed to keep his lunch down or that his temperature had dropped a whole degree since this morning.

So yes, Mammon felt better.

With a sigh, the avatar of greed let his body slip further into Asmo's tub until the water sat right above his top lip; yet still low enough that he could breathe through his nose. He knew it was about time that he got out, his fingers and toes had long since pruned. And considering how frequently the fifth born was 'checking in' Mammon doubted it would be long before the avatar of lust got impatient and dragged him out of the bath himself. Despite this, he didn't make a move to get out. Instead took in the smell of the lavender candles that wafted through the air, mingling with the unplaceable scent of the bath milk that the fifth born was adamant about adding to the water.

Mammon took a deep breath before slipping fully into the tub, the perfectly lukewarm water engulfing him until not even a strand of hair was left untouched. Underwater, time seemed to tick by at a fraction of the pace, and for a second he was able to pretend that the outside world didn't exist.

Underwater there were no nausea, headaches or muscle pains.

Underwater there were no dinner parties to go to, nor anyone he needed to impress.

Underwater his brothers couldn't stare at him with those sad eyes.

Underwater Mammon could simply exist.

The water surrounded him and washed everything else away; leaving the avatar of greed in a state that he could only describe as peaceful. His mind was clear of any thoughts, all his worries drifting away in the small waves his movements created in the tub. Any pain seemed to evaporate, and the only thing he could feel was the soothing water that hugged him like a soft blanket on a cold day. Even the silence became more bearable with the sound of water flowing around him.

But peace could only last so long in the House of Lamentations.

There was a series of rapid knocks beat against the bathroom door that Mammon just barely heard through the muffling water. The avatar of greed pushed himself back into a sitting position just as Asmo opened the door and slipped into the room. Brushing the white hair out of his eyes, the second born turned his body to look at his baby brother. And for a moment the two simply stared at each other; the younger seemingly waiting for his brother to start the conversation, and the older struggling to control his breathing as to try his best to hide how out of breath he was after less than a minute underwater. The sound of droplets dripping from the ends of his hair into the tub accented the silence as they gazed at each other.

"Hey, are you almost done or what?"Asmo muttered after a minute, any patience he once had, now gone from his voice. Even his body hung like an impatient child waiting for their parents to stop talking with a friend they bumped into at the grocery store.

"Gimme a few more minutes," Mammon said as he let himself sink back into the tub just low enough for his shoulders to be covered by the milky water.

"Mammon," The fifth born whined, dragging out his brother's name.

"You've already been in there for like an HOUR."

"Didn't ya say I have another hour before I gotta leave?"