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: This is cross-posted on Ao3 under the same name. I wanted to write something for this couple because of the lack of works. Enjoy and review if you like it!

"YOU DID WHAT NOW?"

Emi winced. Despite holding her cell phone away from her ear, Rika's shrill cry boomed in her tiny apartment.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to inform her best friend that she, like an idiot, had told her guardians that she had a significant other when in reality, it was the exact opposite.

By choice of course, its not like the loneliness was slightly suffocating and staying alone in her apartment too long made her depressed.

Emi Yusa was an independent woman who had a perfect GPA, a good paying part time job at the call centre, and a cozy home. This was enough. It was, really.

"There's only one solution!" Rika announced, Emi could picture her determined look.

"I make you tell people I'm dead and never leave my apartment again." She suggested, lying face down on her couch in the ultimate position of distress.

"No," Rika snorted. "You get yourself a fake boyfriend." There was an unspoken 'duh' in the tone.

Why didn't I think of that?

Emi immediately perked up, lifting herself onto her knees before realizing the one major flaw in this plan.

"Where would I find a fake boyfriend? Be realistic, Rika." She sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "The only boy I really interact with is..."

"Maou," her best friend's excited voice finished the sentence.

Not a chance. No way was she going to ask Maou of all people to be her fake boyfriend. This was a matter of dignity and pride. He was her arch nemesis after all. Ever since High School, they'd had a profound dislike of one another and it had continued all the way to college.

"No, I'm not asking him. I'm not that desperate." Emi shook her head, lifting herself up from the couch and onto the cold floor.

"Yes, you are." Rika pressed.

"Not happening Rika, it would be gross to be his girlfriend. I don't wanna touch him," Emi shuddered at the thought.

"Its either that or you face the idea of a forced court ship."

Emi considered her options. Even though she hated Maou, at least she could have a relationship on her terms rather than be forced into one and she could end it whenever she wanted. Those were enough reasons to put up with Sadou Maou's charming personality.

"Fine," Emi gave in. "But there's no guarantee he'll agree."

"Give him whatever he wants," Rika suggested. "Now go! Right now!"

Emi sighed.

This was going to be a long day.

Maou's apartment, if it can even be called that, had one room that served as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It occupied Maou and his two room mates - always-a-mom Ashiya and always-spending-money Urushihara. As broke college students, that was all they could afford from Maou's Mcgronalds pay. Ashiya couldn't hold a job for longer than a week and Urushihara was too much of an introvert to even attempt.

Emi shuffled awkwardly in front of the apartment door, mentally rehearsing the poorly thought out plan of action.

She took a deep breath and straightened up. There was no way she was going to show weakness in front of the enemy even if she was essentially at his mercy.

Emi knocked on the door and heard a faint shout of 'coming!' And then the muffled sound of Ashiya interrogating Urushihara ("what did you buy this time you heathen!") but he didn't let up ("why do you guys always think its me!").

Before she could hear the expected response, the door was tugged open and she was standing face to face with none other than Maou.

"What do you want?" He looked her over suspiciously.

Emi resisted the urge to deliver a witty retort. "I need your help."

"My help?" He raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, look how the mighty have fallen." Maou smirked smugly and stepped aside to let her in.

They sat on opposite sides of the only table in the room, two cups of cold Mcgronalds coffee between them.

Emi straightened up, her fingers laced together tightly on top of the table.

"So, what do you need my help with?" Maou was leaning on his palms, blankly watching the continuous struggle between his two room mates.

She resisted the urge to yell at him for not giving her his undivided attention but reminded herself that she needed him at the moment. "I'm offering you money in exchange for a service."

This piqued his interest as his eyes finally zeroed in on her and he shifted his hands onto the table, mirroring her position. "What's the catch?"

Ashiya, having overheard her proposition, snapped his head towards them. "Maou shall not be a prostitute! It is beneath him."

Emilia pursed her lips to keep from laughing. This was a business proposal after all and professionalism was everything, even if she was in the company of a bunch of buffoons.

Maou shot him a annoyed look, "Ashiya shut up, let me hear this." He picked up his stale coffee and was proceeding to gulp down the disgusting liquid.

Emi mentally gagged, it probably tasted like bitter water.

She took a deep breath, bracing herself mentally for rejection and said, "I need you to be my fake boyfriend."

Maou's eyes widened before he spit the coffee out on the table, coughing violently. Ashiya immediately rushed to get him a cup of water.

Maou scoffed down the water at inhuman speed. "look at what you did, witch." Ashiya growled.

Emi rolled her eyes in order to maintain a facade of indifference but really, the anxiety at his response was bubbling in her chest. He was obviously going to be against it and she needed to think of at least five different ego shattering dialogues before she walked out of here.

"You can't be serious?" Maou finally said, taking another sip of the water. "Is the male population disgusted by you or something?" His eyes roamed her body as if to determine her flaw.

"I am serious," she spat, cheeks colouring from embarrassment at his inspection. "It's because-"she paused. The real reason was revolting and having to share the reason with her enemy was even more revolting.

Maou quirked an eyebrow in question.

She sighed, swallowing her pride for the hundredth time that evening.

"My guardians wanted to set me up with someone because they think I need to be in a relationship to feel fulfilled," She scoffed. "Obviously the old men are living in the wrong century."

He nodded, a sympathetic frown crossing his face.

Even though Emi didn't need his sympathy, it reassured her. "I told them I already had a boyfriend in an attempt to deter them," she continued. "They want to meet him at the beach house this summer and I already agreed."

Maou chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully, her eyes following his hand as it rested below his chin.

"Okay," He said.

"Really?!" She squealed, lifting her body until the upper half hovered on top of the table.

He blinked at the bright smile on her face.

"Didn't think you could get this happy around me," he observed.

"Me neither," she agreed, settling herself back into a sitting position. The smile didn't leave her face.

"MAOU DON'T DO IT!" Ashiya yelled.

"I assume you have everything prepared and are just going to order me around?" Maou said, unfazed by the interruption.

Ashiya sank to the floor in defeat.

Emilia cleared her throat. "Before we get to the summer that we are spending together, we need to practice. Which means faking in front of everyone for this last week of the semester-"

"Including Suzuno and Chiho?" Maou furrowed his brows in concern.

"Chiho's going to freaaak," Urushihara jumped in, sounding elated at the sound of drama.

Emi had already considered this. Her friend's massive crush on Maou was inconvenient for the plan as neither of them wanted to hurt her but letting her in on the plan would be suspicious on the people around them. No one would believe it if Chiho did not react to it.

"She likes you. If she doesn't react, no one's going to believe us." Emilia said, eyes pleading.

"I don't know Emi," Maou avoided her eyes, scratching the back of his head. He seemed visibly uncomfortable with being confronted about his colleague's crush. "She's a good friend of mine."

"I don't want her to get hurt either but are you really going to date a high school girl?" She asked. "This is a way to let her down gently." Truthfully, she was slightly terrified of Chiho's reaction. Hopefully she doesn't die as Maou's girlfriend.

"I- "He began, looking conflicted before sighing. "Let's do it."