Disclaimer: I do not own the devil is a part timer but if I did, we'd definitely have more episodes of the anime.
Rating: T but will probably go up to M.
Author's notes: Thank you so much for all the follows and feedback! I'll try to update weekly. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Review your thoughts, it makes me write faster.
I hate Maou, Emi thought, not for the first time since she'd met him.
The pair was currently lounging in her small but pleasantly decorated apartment. Emi had one bedroom, a living room, balcony and a bathroom. The colour scheme for her living room had ended up being various shades of yellow and she'd saved up money to buy a tv just a few weeks ago. It was nothing like Maou's apartment which resembled a garbage dump. That's why they had decided to discuss the rules for their courtship here. Well, that and because Ashiya would most likely object to everything they talked about.
Okay, maybe, the word talking was a little far fetched. Getting on each other's nerves might be a better distinction. They had lasted approximately five minutes before breaking into their signature banter. At least Emi didn't have to worry about it being awkward between them now that they were 'dating.' His pigheaded personality remained unchanged in any situation.
"Why do we need to write stuff down?" Maou yawned, making himself a little too comfortable on her couch. She resisted the urge to tell him to sit upright, this wasn't a fucking zoo after all.
"Because it'll help us make sure we abide to these rules," Emi told him after pulling out a crisp blank piece of paper and favourite gel-ink pens. Blue and black only, once again, they weren't at a fucking zoo.
"I can remember basic rules Emi," Maou argued before glaring at her. "Or do you think I can't?"
Queue the getting on each other's nerves.
"This isn't about your memory," Emi retorted through gritted teeth.
"Oh okay, so after five years of mindless hate, you turn into a person who doesn't criticize me?" Maou made a sour face. "Am I supposed to believe that?"
Its not mindless. You know what you did.
She swallowed the bitterness like a prescribed pill and shrugged.
"Remember that time a couple of months ago when you messed up my order at Mcgronalds?"
Maou narrowed his eyes, clearly unprepared for her attack. This was war, Satan, gear up.
"That was because you kept changing your mind," he pointed an accusatory finger in her direction. "I was tired of listening to your voice." The genuine whiny undertone of his voice made her want to slash his throat open and then post the pictures on his Instagram.
'#my best look' '#Emi does my makeup' '#blood is the perfect moisturizer'
"Sure, blame it on me." Emi huffed, crossing her arms. "Of course, Maou-san can do no wrong!" She pressed her palms together, imitating Chiho's infatuated sigh.
But if Emi were being honest, she might have changed her order multiple times just to get him to lose his temper at his beloved sacred place - the Mcgronalds - but she wasn't about to admit that out loud.
"Oh, I think I want a cheese burger but no I'm watching my figure, maybe I should get small fries," he mimicked in a high pitch voice that sounded nothing like her.
"You were just incompetent. The customer is always right, right?" Emi mocked. "Or is that what you tell all the ladies to get them to hate you?"
"No, just you," Maou spat. "You can have all my hate, milady!" He bowed, shooting her a false smile.
Emi was more than ready to take the bait and hit back full throttle when the situation dawned on her. They had a week until her guardians got to see him. If learning creative ways to infuriate each other was all the progress they made, there was no way she could pull this off.
"Okay I give up," She blurted out and he blinked in shock.
"You do?"
"That's what I said, didn't I?!" Emi yelled before taking a deep breath. "This is important to me and the money is important to you so lets just cooperate and treat this like the job it is." She knew that Maou had a very professional work ethic and this was her last chance to convince him to work with her.
Maou considered her curiously for a moment like she intrigued him with her mood changes and she tried not to look as desperate as she felt.
"I am an exceptional employee and I refuse to ruin my record now," in an all dramatic Maou fashion, he pumped a fist into the air. "Let's do this, Emi!"
The death grip in which she held her pen finally loosened and she let out a relieved smile.
Emi scrawled, in her small fine print: Emilia Yusa and Sadao Mao's rules for the summer.
"What's our backstory?" Maou asked, taking a handful of Cheetos from the table in between them. Before he arrived, she'd littered the table with snacks as a peace offering. Chips, chocolate bars, coffee milk; the works.
She gaped at him. Was he really this dense? Had he not noticed what everyone had been saying to them since the first time they met.
"We don't need one, obviously," Emi rolled her eyes.
"Why would anyone believe you and I are a couple just like that?" Maou raised an eyebrow. "We fight all the time."
"How much of a dolt are you?!" She threw the pen at his face, hitting him square in the forehead.
He yelped. "Are you always this violent towards your boyfriends?" He rubbed the bump on his forehead. "Makes sense that you need a fake one."
"Maou, focus!" Emi snapped, getting up to retrieve the pen. "Everyone has mistaken us for a couple before."
Despite her obvious rage at the notion, the people around them seemed to see something else entirely. When she's weak and unsure, she wonders why they picture her with someone who she behaves terribly towards. Do they think that's the kind of relationship she's destined for?
He shoots her a dumbfounded look and she throws her hands up in frustration.
"Chiho? Suzuno? Your landlady? Chiho again? The police officer who almost arrested us for attacking each other on the street?"
Maou's face lit up with realization. "I forgot that they think our bickering is unresolved sexual tension." He burst out laughing, almost choking on a Cheeto in the process. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"I'm glad you find me so repulsive," Emi commented dryly.
She didn't care if he didn't find her attractive. Really, she didn't.
He gave her a mischievous smile before grabbing at his chest. "Well you do have small boo- "
Emilia reached across the table and yanked him towards her until they were inches apart. "Finish that sentence," she growled, her grip tightening. "I dare you."
"Never mind," he slipped out at lightening speed and she released him.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." She enjoyed a moment of satisfaction before jumping into business. "Let's get to work."
After many arguments, threats, junk food consuming, and the destruction of her living room, they had come up with the agreement.
1. Maou and Emi will only kiss if necessary. I.e. if they need to prove they are dating or to get out of an awkward situation.
2. Emi will pick up Maou from his shifts at Mcgronalds because she has a car.
3. Maou will use pet names like baby girl and hunny bun (NEVER). Revised: Babe and Firecracker - Emi hates Maou.
4. Emi will pay Maou 8% more than the Mcgronalds shifts he will miss during the summer.
5. They will include each other in their social media because her guardians check up on her there from time to time.
6. They will never tell anyone the truth of their agreement - Rika, Ashiya and Urushihara excluded-.
Sadao Maou was usually a morning person. He loved getting up at seven am every morning; eating his badly prepared breakfast slowly and enjoying the many colours of the early morning sky. The energy of a new day brought his senses to life. But unfortunately, today was not one of those days. There were two reasons. The first one being that he had stayed up all night studying for his psychology exam and overdosing on caffeine, trying to cram a semester's worth of content into one night. And the other, more prominent reason, was that the public aka his friends would finally find out that he and Emi were...dating.
He had mulled over this plan a hundred times already but still couldn't figure out why he agreed. Emi was as unpleasant as they came and Ashiya kept reminding him that they weren't that desperate yet. Even the realization of hurting Chi's feelings didn't make him back out. Something in him kept insisting. He chalked it up to greed. He was only human after all and he was provided with very little in his life. He'd take what he could get.
The sound of a car pulling up interrupted his thoughts. It was Emi in her red convertible, looking like the sunshine she most definitely was not with her bright yellow dress. Her hair tied in a messy bun and dark circles greeted him when he sat down on the passengers seat.
"Good morning, babe. You look like the walking dead," Maou greeted cheerfully once they were on the road. Her reactions to his antics were always amusing.
She didn't disappoint, giving him the stink eye. "If you don't have anything useful to say, shut up."
Someone wasn't having a good morning and it wasn't him. Maou was just thankful that he didn't have to ride his bike all the way to college. He loved Dullahan more than anything in the world (don't tell Ashiya) but she was not the most comfortable ride under the blazing summer sun.
The warmth radiating from his palms reminded him of the free coffees he'd gotten earlier. Chisaki-san, his manager, truly was a giving lady if you were as good of a worker as he was.
Despite the heat, caffeine was a must to get him charged. He got one for Emi as well. Last time he was at her place, she'd fed him plenty, so he decided to return the favour. He was a fair man.
Maou held out the coffee towards her. She shot him a confused look but took it anyway.
"You gonna poison me before we even start?" There was a glint in her eye that told him she was teasing. Huh, with how tightly strung she was, he didn't think she was capable of humour.
He shot her a toothy smile. "We both know that today you'd drink it regardless."
"Fair enough," Emi gulped down a few sips of the coffee, making a throaty sound afterwards as if the liquid was orgasm inducing.
He snickered, and she gave him a defensive look. "I didn't have breakfast, okay!"
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Emi," Maou chastised, wiggling his finger in her face. "You sure you don't want to stop at church to make a confession?"
The red head punched him in the shoulder and he ignored the throbbing it caused. He was an alpha male, dammit!
The remaining five minutes of the ride was filled with insults and taunts, but the air of anxiety lingered. Both were nervous and covering it up with their fake egos. At least least his was fake, she probably meant every mean thing she threw at him.
Once they stepped out of the convertible in the college parking lot, his eyes were immediately drawn to the courtyard where most of the students hung out when the weather was nice. It was pretty much empty today because it was exam period. Unfortunately for him, his group of friends were present.
Suzuno was sitting on a bench reading a manga, – a new obsession she'd fallen into – Urushihara sat beside her, hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing the expression of someone forced to attend a class they disliked. Meanwhile, Ashiya and Rika were both standing and discussing something and Chiho was typing away on her cellphone. She was still wearing her Mcgronalds uniform, probably on break as the Mcgronalds was right across the street. It was the only way she got to hang out with them in the courtyard since she was still in high school.
Emi threaded her fingers with his making him jump. He immediately noticed how warm her hand was. It was probably due to the coffee earlier. Or maybe her body temperature was always high because of her temper.
Maou's gaze drifted from their joined hands to her face. She was looking straight ahead. Her posture was rigid, and beads of condensation were forming on the side of her face. It was the first time he'd ever seen her so – so – hesitant. She was a woman of action and this behavior unnerved him.
Maou decided that he didn't like it one bit. "You scared, Emi?"
She finally met his eyes. "As if!" She scoffed before dragging him to their friends.
The first ones to notice were Ashiya and Rika. They exchanged knowing looks and Urushihara wiggled his eyebrows at him. Maou wanted to hit him over the head with a brick.
Suzuno glanced up from her manga. "Maou-san and Emilia, you guys are late-" Her gaze fell on their joined hands. Maou held his breath, suddenly hit with the nervousness Emi was feeling earlier. His supposed girlfriend only gripped his fingers tighter. Ow.
"What's going on?" Chiho said, eyes wide and hands shaking. "Are you guys...?"
"Yes," Emi announced, sharing a guilt filled glance with him.
"We are d-dating," the words came out of his mouth chocked and unsure, but the effect was all the same. Chiho's face scrunched up in pain and suddenly none of this seemed worth it.
"When and how did this happen?" Ashiya asked, trying to move the conversation forward.
"Well, uh, you guys kept saying we had unresolved sexual tension," Maou answered, scratching his head. "So, we decided to, uh, give it a try."
"But you hate her, and she hates you!" Chiho burst out, gripping the front of his shirt. He was unable to meet her tearful eyes. It was too late to back out now.
Maou shot Emi a panicked looked and she jumped in, stepping between them. "There's a thin line between love and hate."
Chiho stared at Emi with betrayed eyes but unlike him, her resolve was intact, and she simply stared back. The stare lasted for a few seconds before Chiho bolted.
"Chi, wait," He called after her, but she didn't turn back. "Fuck," he unlocked his phone to check the time and only a few minutes were remaining till his psychology exam. He would have to talk to her after it was over.
"I'll go check on her," Rika gave his shoulder a squeeze and he nodded. His friends shot him sympathetic looks.
"I like my coffee with one cream and one sugar," Emi said.
"what?"
"That's how I like my coffee," she replied. Rage coursed through his veins at her indifference of Chi's feelings. He tugged on her hand so that they were facing each other and - oh man, was he ready to let her have it - when their eyes connected, and the words died in his throat.
Her eyes shone with frustration and guilt and he could tell she was questioning herself. For reasons unknown to him, he squeezed her hand – their hands were a sweaty mess - and smiled weakly.
"One cream and one sugar, I'll remember that."