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caspira-writes-fanfiction · 8 months ago

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Ozzie's Secret

Ozzie remembers the first time him & Fizz say "I love you" but Fizzarolli doesn't. Oh, the silly things fevers do.

(This is a chapter from a larger story on ao3 but it works okay as a standalone. ao3 link in title!)

Asmodeus missed Fizzarolli. He hated to admit it, it felt selfish to, but he did. Fizzarolli had won Mammon’s competition for a second time and he was more popular than ever. He’d been working twelve hour days with Mammon four days a week since Ozzie’s opened a few months ago. On his long days, it was easier for Fizz to stay at his apartment closer to Greed. His schedule had been packed with meetings and rehearsals and most recently, filming. The documentary that Mamm wanted was finally in production. Meanwhile, Asmodeus had been busying himself with the new FizzBots. The new telescoping arms and legs weren’t turning out to be as reliable when a computer made the decisions and not Fizzarolli, no matter how artificially intelligent. Asmodeus was seriously considering blocking Mammon’s number with the amount of calls he’d been getting from the other Sin today.

The days were so much longer without Fizzarolli to come home to.

He felt silly for finding himself missing the other, Fizz would be over tomorrow. During the other three days of the week, Fizz headlined at Ozzie’s. Working seven days a week wasn’t the most sustainable for Fizzarolli, but Asmodeus tried to make up for it by creating “conditions” for Fizz’s workplace safety. Very similar to the bills he would make for Fizz to ease the shame of caring for himself, these conditions mostly involved care tasks Fizz was expected to engage in before being allowed to perform. It was also a way to put Fizz on payroll for more than a few hours a day. That not only helped pay off his debts a bit quicker, but it also put more money in Fizz’s pocket.

The three days of the week that he got to spend with Fizz were some of his favorites. It hardly felt like work at all, it was a great reward for the other half of the week being dedicated to business. Rumors of Lust and Fizz being an item had circulated throughout tabloids ever since Fizz won Mammon’s pageant the first time, they’d been more popular since Ozzie’s opened. One tabloid had even questioned if Lust was in love. Asmodeus didn’t worry about it, rumors like this had circulated before. He was thousands of years old, time was different for him. Rumors didn’t necessarily hold the same weight. And they were just that, rumors. Lust was perfectly content to tell himself that.

Still, the days were so much longer without Fizzarolli to come home to.

Asmodeus couldn’t deny the way his heart picked up when his phone buzzed with a message from Fizz.

Froggy: You’re not in your office? TheBigO: No. Testing more designs today. Froggy: Oh! You’re in the workshop! TheBigO: No again, Fizzy. I’m in the factory. TheBigO: Wait, are you in my office? Froggy: Well not anymore. You’re not there.

Had Asmodeus gotten the day wrong? Was he working on a club day? He checked twice, it was still Thursday. Fizz wasn’t supposed to be over until tomorrow morning, tonight if Lust was lucky, but it was the middle of the day. Fizz was supposed to be rehearsing and shooting all day. If not for the documentary, then for commercials.

TheBigO: I thought you were working in Greed today. Froggy: Nope! Not anymore! ;p TheBigO: Oh? What’s the special occasion? Froggy: I’m hot! TheBigO: Well, yeah you are ;) TheBigO: But how did that get you out of work early? Froggy: Why don’t you come back and find out, Big Daddy?

Asmodeus was more than intrigued at what Fizzarolli had in store for him. This wasn’t the first time he’d surprised Ozzie with something sexy, but he didn’t usually ask Asmodeus to take time off work. Not half a day, at least. And Mammon wasn’t generally one to let his employees leave early, even his most profitable. Asmodeus was curious; excited with a hint of concern. He finished his work quickly and was quick to head back home.

The penthouse was quiet when Ozzie arrived. Fizz had said he’d left the office, he wanted Lust to come find him. Odds were good he was in the bedroom then.

“Fizz?” Asmodeus called out as he started down the hall. He wasn’t necessarily expecting a response, he definitely wasn’t expecting the jester to jump down from the ceiling and tackle him.

“Tag!” Just as quickly as Fizz had appeared, he’d run off and disappeared.

“What the…?” Ozzie mumbled to himself as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. He blinked as he tried to figure out how Fizzarolli had managed to disappear down the hall quickly enough that Ozzie really didn’t know which door he could have slipped behind. “Oh, you slippery little devil….” Ozzie was grinning wickedly. So this was how it was going to be? Well, game on.

Ozzie was startled by an air horn as he turned a corner. The sound of Fizz’s laugh bounced towards the kitchen.

Fizz slipped out of a cabinet and between Ozzie’s legs as the sin checked in the cabinet above. He evaded Ozzie in the living room by sliding under the sofa and running once Lust picked it up. The library had been an adventure; Fizz had dislodged more than a few tomes and nearly knocked over a bookcase while climbing the walls. He managed to escape narrowly, nearly getting caught by his tail as he laughed down the halls. Asmodeus chased behind Fizz happily, cat and mouse was wonderful foreplay.

Fizzarolli bounced between walls and hid behind doors. Ozzie was always one step behind, but Fizz really was slippery. It wasn’t until they got to the bedroom that Asmodeus was able to pin him down.

Fizz’s laughter roared as Ozzie straddled him, pinning him to the bed with his hands above his head. He loved when Ozzie held him down like this. His body, however, was not a fan of stagnation. His laugher died out as he felt the lead weight of exhaustion fall over his body. His skin felt raw against his clothes, his muscles ached and he quickly became keenly aware of each joint that wasn’t supported. It became harder to hold the smile on his face. It was hard to catch a breath and even his eyes ached. He blinked as he focused up on the Sin pinning him down. He licked his lips. He hadn’t realized until now that both his mouth and his lips were dry. Fizz had been going non stop lately, he hadn’t had an opportunity to sit still. Now that he was forced into slowing down, he realized just how horrible he felt.

Asmodeus could see the way Fizzarolli’s demeanor changed only seconds after being pinned into place. His face fell, he had trouble keeping his eyes open. He’d been doing a lot of running, sure, but even breathing seemed to be a labor for him. As Asmodeus looked closer, he could see that Fizz was sweating, he was sure he’d find flushed skin under his foundation. Fizzarolli looked miserable.

“You’re really not feeling well, are you?”

Fizzarolli’s lip trembled as he was confronted with the question. No, he didn’t feel well, he didn’t feel well at all. The world spun as Fizz shook his head in response. He didn’t know how to get it to stop, he let out a whimper as closing his eyes didn’t seem to work. Fizz understood high pain days, but this was something different. Similar, but different enough that it threw Fizz off. He hated new symptoms, they made his anxiety skyrocket. He knew he wasn’t dying but that didn’t stop him from spiraling into thoughts of doctors and hospitals and what if his life was stripped away from him again?

“Hey, hey now.” Oz let go of Fizzarolli and moved do sit down beside him. He now understood what Fizz had meant earlier when he’d said he was hot. As Asmodeus shifted to wipe tears from Fizz’s cheeks he could feel the heat pulsing from Fizzarolli’s skin. “Babe, you’re burning up.”

The yelp that Fizzarolli gave out at Ozzie’s comment instantly made the Sin regret his word choice. It also added an additional layer of worry about the situation. Fizzarolli was very delicate right now.

“Sorry.” Asmodeus shushed. He watched with added concern as the clown curled onto his side, pulled his horns down over his eyes to block out light and wrapped his arms around himself tightly.

“I meant to say that you have a fever.”

Fizzarolli didn’t move from his position except to press the palms of his hands against his eyes to relieve some pressure. He took a few deep breaths. Breathing wasn’t hard, he was just in pain. When he lowered his palms, he peeked out from under the edge of his hat and gave Asmodeus a smile. “I told you I was hot” his tongue hissed at the other playfully. He left it sticking out. The energy he’d had just minutes ago was gone, but it was clear he was making an effort.

Even while sick, Fizzarolli was adorable. Asmodeus smiled down at him lightly. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

Asmodeus returned a few minutes later with a pink first aid kit, an ice bucket without champagne but instead, a bottle of water and damp washcloths. Fizz grumbled as the bed dipped next to him. He’d gone back to closing his eyes but peeked one open as Asmodeus sat next to him.

“Alright Froggy, lets see just how hot you are.” Asmodeus pulled a thermometer out of the kit.

Fizz gave a lazy chuckle. “ ‘s that for my mouth or my ass?”

“Your mouth” Ozzie laughed. He placed a gentle hand against Fizz’s thigh. “Though, if you’d like a little probing, we can arrange for that.”

The twinge of pain that crossed Fizz’s face as Asmodeus touched his thigh was enough of an answer though. Ozzie held the thermometer out towards Fizz’s mouth and let the demon wrap his tongue around it. Ozzie tried not to worry himself too much as he waited for the thermometer to beep with its results.

Fizz’s fever was high. Concerningly high. Asmodeus was quick to press the cold cloths against Fizz’s neck and back. Fizzarolli visibly relaxed as the cold water from the cloths reminded him what it felt like to not be boiling. Asmodeus was able to relax a bit more too. He turned back to the first aid kit and looked through the medicines stored until he found a fever reducer that wouldn’t interact with Fizz’s other medications. He put two in his hand and held it out to Fizz.

Fizzarolli knew the routine. His tongue licked up Ozzie’s arm and wrist to tease him before taking the pills. He drank from the water bottle as if was offered to him then returned to resting. Hopefully these would help, and soon. Fizzarolli really hated how his clothes scratched against his skin and Ozzie’s touch burnt. Still, there was nowhere Fizzarolli would rather be right now.

He hadn’t realized how much Ozzie’s presence seemed to help settle him until Oz was getting out of bed again to put the first aid kit away. Fizzarolli pouted and stretched his hand blindly out towards the other until he reached something solid. The sound of Ozzie’s humming settled him even more. He could feel his hand being grabbed and held.

“I’m just putting the first aid kit away.” Asmodeus reassured. He returned to bed a moment later and laid down parallel to Fizzarolli. He brought Fizz’s hand up to his mouth and gave it a kiss. Lust’s chest swelled as Fizzarolli��s face split into a large, lazy grin at that.

They lay like that for a while. Asmodeus knew that Fizzarolli needed to rest. He hoped that the cold cloths helped, he hoped that the medicine would help. It was unsettling seeing Fizzarolli so listless. Asmodeus didn’t like that his touch hurt instead of comforted. That wasn’t common between them.

The room stayed quiet for several minutes. Asmodeus had dimmed the lights which seemed to help Fizzarolli relax more. The rain tapped lightly against the windows. Fizzarolli stirred occasionally, he was never quite comfortable enough. Finally, that was enough.. Fizzarolli pushed himself up from the bed and started wandering around the room.

“Fizz?” Asmodeus sat up along with him but he didn’t leave the bed. He watched curiously for a few moments. Fizzarolli was laughing, but Asmodeus had no idea at what. Lust climbed out of bed and started walking towards Fizzarolli to get a better read on him, but Fizzarolli saw Asmodeus’s reflection in the window averted him. His legs grew taller than Ozzie, his arms stretched over his head and Fizzarolli bridged over Asmodeus. He tried to kick over, but more or less ended up landing on his face.

Asmodeus snapped and closed his bedroom doors before Fizz could slip away from him. The clown managed to get back onto his feet by the time Ozzie had crossed the room to him.

“Fizz, come on. You’re sick. You need to rest.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Fizz’s words slurred together. He didn’t meet Ozzie’s eyes. “I was just-” Fizz yawned. He stood precariously, using his telescoping arms as support and took a few steps forward. His legs were extra noodly as he walked. “Just practicing for my act tonight!”

Asmodeus took a step along with Fizzarolli, doing his best to play defense. Lust was very worried. Fizzarolli needed to be lying down right now. “Babe, it’s Thursday.”

“Hmm?” the world spun as Fizz turned his head to face Asmodeus. He’d been feeling fine earlier, and laying down had been boring and painful. He was fine. Once the dizziness cleared, he’d be fine.

“You don’t have an act tonight. Stop practicing and get to bed!” He was exasperated, but playfully so. It didn’t matter though, Fizz didn’t really hear what Asmodeus had to say.

His head felt lighter than his body. His body didn’t actually really feel real. He tried to concentrate on the fiery blue but that was difficult. “Oz….I….I don’t….” he tried to blink, but his vision was growing blurrier. He took a step towards Ozzie, his foot didn’t feel as stable touching the ground as it should. “I feel…” He thought he could hear Asmodeus faintly, but the last thing Fizzarolli remembered thinking was how pretty Lust’s dark purple floors were.

“Fizzy!” Asmodeus was quick to catch the falling imp. He was dead weight in Ozzie’s arms.

The first thing Fizzarolli noticed as he came to was Lust’s voice.

“Yes, thank you. Thank you very much, I’ll see you soon. Yes.” Click. The next thing Fizzarolli noticed was that he was being held. If he pressed his ear up close enough to Oz’s chest he could hear his heartbeat. It was beating really fast.

Bright glassy eyes blinked up at the Sin. His hand rested against Ozzie’s chest as Fizz tried to remember how his voice worked.

“Oh!” Ozzie sounded surprised. Bull looked concerned, Ram was excited. Ozzie’s face was struck with worry, but split into a relieved grin once he caught the jester’s eyes. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Fizzarolli smiled as Ozzie did, large and content. Asmodeus was safe, Asmodeus was calm, Asmodeus was home. His fingers ran along Ozzie’s chest, tracing lazy heart patterns against it. “Hi.”

Ozzie softened. How in Hell did he manage to be so cute so fucking often? Fizz had terrified Asmodeus by passing out, but the Sin was feeling a little better now that he was awake and talking. Asmodeus was far from being calm about Fizzarolli’s condition, but he was feeling a little more stable. Ozzie bent down to rest his head against Fizz’s. “Hi.” He gave Fizzarolli a kiss on the cheek. Fizz giggled.

“We’ve got to get your fever down, Fizzy.” Asmodeus informed his clown as he started heading towards the en suite. Fizzarolli continued to giggle. That was….mildly concerning. Asmodeus reminded himself that Fizzarolli was awake and help was on the way. Conscious was better than unconscious, even if delirious.

Fizzarolli had commissioned multiple sets of horns since receiving regular paychecks, two specifically for the bath. Fizz was very sensitive about his horns, Asmodeus hadn’t gotten close to trying to look or touch them. He had no interest in it, there were plenty of other parts of Fizz he was more than happy to put his hands on. But when Fizzarolli couldn’t even really help take his clothes off, Asmodeus had to get creative with how he was going to protect the non-water proof fabric that his horns were currently made out of.

One kaiju sized condom (non-lubricated of course, in favor of fabric protection) fit the jingly horns well enough. Asmodeus had to tie a knot on the top of Fizz’s head to keep it secure, but his little laughing jester didn’t seem to mind. He managed to crack a joke or two, though they weren’t nearly as funny as Fizz seemed to think they were.

The laughing only stopped once the two of them were submerged chest deep in the large crystalline tub. Asmodeus had done his best to make sure it wasn’t too cold for Fizzarolli, but that didn’t stop Fizz from nearly ripping out a few chest feathers as he got acclimated to the temperature change.

“Breathe through it.” Asmodeus took a deep breath to model for Fizzarolli who was no longer dead weight, he was tenser than stone. “You’ll get used to it soon and then it’ll feel so good.”

With time and gentle reassurance, Fizzarolli’s body did gradually ease to the temperature of the water. He even let Asmodeus rub his back without showing signs of pain. The moment was very nearly peaceful.

“I love you, Asmodeus.” Fizzarolli hummed. His voice was lazy and soft, tired and content. It broke the silence that had predicated the past several minutes. Asmodeus didn’t know how to process what he'd just heard.

“What’d you say?” He looked down carefully at Fizzarolli, who was curled happily against Lust’s chest, eyes closed and more than content to be allowed to just lay there. Fizzarolli smiled at the question and hummed again happily.

“I love you.”

Asmodeus didn’t know how to respond at first. He’d never had those words spoken to him before. He wasn’t expecting it, he didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t need to, though. Fizzarolli yawned, stretched, then continued to talk.

“I’s okay if you don’t. I don’ expect it…...it’s….it’s a lot, I know.” Fizzarolli paused. “You just….you make everything so much better.”

Fizz sounded like he was trying not to cry. The poor thing. He was delirious, certainly that’s what was happening. He was delirious and exhausted, he didn’t know what he was talking about. Asmodeus was quick to respond with reassurances. “Hey, shh. No tears, Froggy. I’ve got you.”

Lust had never said I love you before, but he was considering it.

Fizz seemed to be a bit more lucid by the time they were finished in the bath. Fizz refused to wear anything other than silk or satin pajamas today but that was no problem, they had an assortment of options to choose from. Fizzarolli also refused to be anywhere other than Lust’s arms, but just like with the pajamas, Asmodeus didn’t mind. In fact, he found himself preferring it. He was getting better at reading Fizz’s energy from afar, but Lust’s real power was in the sensation of touch. With Fizzarolli so close, he could almost feel what Fizz was.

The way Fizzarolli hid in Lust’s chest as one of Bell’s physicians came to examine him was sharp and electric. Fizz was scared. Asmodeus knew to be gentle then, to keep him as close as he could and only let the doctor near when necessary. He did most of the talking for Fizz while the jester hid his face in Ozzie’s chest and shook. If Lust listened carefully, he could hear Fizz singing to himself in whisper. Asmodeus couldn’t tell if the shaking was from fear of fever, that uncertainty didn’t sit well with him. He held Fizzarolli a little bit closer.

Fizzarolli's temperature was still high, his response time was delayed, and not all of his answers to their questions made total sense. Asmodeus ran through each symptom he had observed for the doctor, his hand placed protectively against Fizz’s back. That had helped with the shaking a bit.

“Was there anything else?” Asmodeus asked Fizzarolli. “Anything I didn’t say? How are you feeling?”

Fizzarolli squirmed in Ozzie’s arms. He pouted and nodded. “My horns hurt.”

Nobody had really known that was possible. They hadn’t hurt since the accident. They’d burned down close to the base but not so far that there were any raw spots. The tension in the room was palpable when the doctor said they’d have to look at Fizz’s horns to make sure there wasn’t a problem. Doctors were allowed to see his horns, they had a legitimate medical reason to. Asmodeus still wasn’t allowed to see the horns, but Fizzarolli also wouldn’t let him leave. The conundrum had taken several minutes of negotiation to figure out how to handle. It had nearly put Fizzarolli to tears twice but Ozzie was able to manage his anxieties and they were able to come up with a compromise.

Asmodeus sat on the far edge of the bed with his back turned to Fizzarolli. One of Fizz’s arms was extended so that it wrapped three times around Oz’s waist with enough leftover for Asmodeus to pepper kisses along his hand and down his arm. It allowed Asmodeus to be present and his anxious energy could be used to distract Fizz. Every time Fizz squeezed his hand or whimpered, Asmodeus poured more attention in finding sensations that would transfer through to Fizz. Fizzarolli was delicate right now, he needed to be treated preciously.

The doctor reasoned that Fizzarolli’s horns were aching at the break, likely due to the severity of his fever. He put a cooling gel that should help numb the pain over the effected area.

“Don’t put that hat back on.” Asmodeus ordered when he heard the tell tale jingle bells move. Ozzie pointed to Fizz’s dresser where his three favorite horn sets lay. “The blue pair. They’re quieter, softer, and more breathable. He’ll be more comfortable in those.”

When Fizzarolli was appropriately dressed again, Asmodeus was dragged back into bed where Fizz eagerly climbed back in his arms. The two of them settled. Lust whispered quiet praise to Fizzarolli, he helped coax Fizz into drinking a pink sparkly fever reducer produced from Belphagor herself. He was unsuccessful in getting him to eat anything but managed to feed Fizz ice chips to help keep him hydrated.

The physician gave Ozzie a small bottle of pink shimmering liquid and a package of stickers that would help keep Fizz’s fever under control between medicine doses if necessary. They were pink and shaped like hearts. The doctor promised to be back tomorrow morning to check in on them and left their card in case they were needed earlier.

Fizzarolli liked the stickers. He managed to convince Asmodeus to put one on each of his cheeks and three down his spine. Fizzarolli stole one and slapped it in the middle of Ozzie’s chest. He chuckled as he pointed at it. “Third nipple.”

Asmodeus chuckled too. He loved how Fizzarolli was always finding something to smile about. He saw the good and whimsy in everything, it was admirable.

“Let’s get some sleep, Fizz.”

Fizzarolli didn’t argue. He yawned and stretched, repositioning himself until he was comfortable against Ozzie’s chest.

“G’night, Ozzie” Fizzarolli said at four in the afternoon. “Love you.”

For a second time that night he’s used the L word at Asmodeus. Fizzarolli fell into sleep shortly after but Lust stayed up for many more hours. I love you. It had to be the fever that made Fizzarolli say it. Asmodeus couldn’t be sure he even knew what he was saying, let alone really meant it. Still, Lust couldn’t stop thinking about it. Fizzarolli was something special, he was like no other demon Asmodeus had ever known. He couldn’t help but wonder if the tabloids were right. Could Lust be falling in love? It didn’t feel like falling to Ozzie; falling was turbulent, Asmodeus was scared of falling. Asmodeus didn’t feel scared with Fizzarolli, though. He felt excited with Fizz, usually he felt like flying.

Fizzarolli slept for many hours and he slept hard. On more than one occasion, Asmodeus had to wipe Fizz’s drool from his chest and he was hard pressed to be able to move under Fizz’s dead weight. Asmodeus was glad that Fizzarolli was getting rest. He looked peaceful. Lust was thankful that he could help Fizzarolli get there. Eventually, Lust was calm enough to drift into sleep himself.

When Asmodeus woke again hours later, Fizzarolli was anything but peaceful. He’d flopped from his spot on Asmodeus’s chest, taking much of the blanket with him, and was currently squirming and trying to fight his way out of the tangled mess he’d managed to get himself into. Oz could see well enough by the glow of the fireplace, but he brought the lights up a fraction to get a better look.

Fizzarolli wasn’t awake, but maybe he should be. He’d worked himself up into a fit; he was sweating and panting, the soft noises Fizzarolli was making sounded distressed. A nightmare? Lust carefully helped Fizz untangle himself from the blankets. Fizz continued to thrash.

“Fizzy…” Asmodeus gently poked the other, testing to see how difficult it would be to wake him. He was warm again. Asmodeus checked the time. He’d overslept, Fizz was due for his second dose of medicine an hour ago. “Hey now, okay.” Lust carefully cradled the clown in his hands and brought him back up to his chest. Fizzarolli thrashed against him at first, but woke up shortly after being picked up. Bright, terrified eyes blinked up at Ozzie.

“It’s alright, you’re safe.”

Fizz continued to stare, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. Tears pricked at his eyes as he tried making sense of what was happening. He was just in the middle of the most horrible dream.

“You were having a nightmare. It’s not real.”

If it wasn’t real, then why was he shaking? Fizzarolli wiped at his cheeks, he pulled at the neck of his pajamas where it was starting to itch. He could feel three pairs of eyes studying him. After a few moments, Asmodeus spoke again.

“Would you be more comfortable without those?” Lust asked, toying with the hem of his pajamas. He was careful to help Fizz out of the sweaty slip when he nodded. It took several more minutes for Asmodeus to convince Fizzarolli that he was sick, and that the pink bottle was medicine and not something that would hurt him. Asmodeus couldn’t convince Fizzarolli that the stickers would help, so they went without.

Asmodeus draped the blanket over them again and held Fizzarolli close. He was still shaking, part of it was residual fear that Fizz had to let wear off, but not all of it. Hopefully that meant his fever was breaking.

“What can I do, Froggy? What’s going to help?” Asmodeus asked, desperate to try and help Fizz settle. He placed his hand along the small of Fizzarolli’s back, holding him close.

Fizzarolli thought about his answer for several seconds before looking up at Ozzie. He looked so small when he did, it had been a long time since he’d made such a request. “Can you tell me a story?”

Fuck, he was cute. Lust wasn’t the storyteller that Fizzarolli was, but how could he say no to that face?

“Alright.” Ozzie made sure Fizz was positioned comfortably against him. His hand supported Fizz’s bottom, holding his hip in a way that stretched it while Fizz’s arms stretched up and around Asmodeus’s neck. He supposed an extended stretch could be comfortable for someone who’s spent the better part of their day laying down or sleeping. When he could feel Fizz relax in his position, Asmodeus began.

“Once upon a time there was a king. He lived in a beautiful castle, in a kingdom that he built himself. He lived for pleasure, both for himself and for his people. The king had a happy kingdom, he had a happy life. One day, the king was introduced to someone from another kingdom. I don’t think they knew it, but this someone was special. He had the ability to find pleasure in even the worst moments. He stared darkness in the eye and found a way to turn it into light. And he needed the king’s help.”

Fizzarolli yawned. He pressed a lazy kiss to Lust’s chest. “Did the king help him?” Fizz sounded half asleep already.

Asmodeus hummed. “Of course he helped. But there’s more.”

“The king helped him. Over time, the two of them grew to be friends. With each thing that the king did to help, his friend shined brighter and brighter. He was dazzling. The king hadn’t thought he was lonely. He wasn’t when his friend was around, but when he was away he wondered how he’d ever gotten on with his day. His friend brought light into the dark.”

“A good friend” Fizz mumbled. Ozzie agreed.

“There were very few people the king could relate to, but he felt seen with his friend. He wanted nothing but the best for him. He wanted his friend around all the time. He had never felt this way about anybody else, he didn’t know what to call it. The king was afraid to name how he felt about the other. He wasn’t supposed to have a favorite, he was supposed to want for all, to want blindly for pleasure. But his friend was the greatest pleasure he’d ever known. For a while he’d tried to want for others. He still wants for his kingdom and his people, but he wants more than just pleasure. He wants the other’s light to brighten his days.”

Fizzarolli hummed. He was dead weight against Asmodeus, barely hanging on to consciousness.

“I love you, Fizzarolli.”

Fizzarolli’s lips curled into a large, sleepy smile. His tongue stuck out as if he was starting to say I love you too but became too tired and never did. Cute Asmodeus thought.

Fizz slept peacefully for another four hours, but Ozzie didn’t get a wink of sleep. He’d just told Fizzarolli he loved him. Lust had never used the love word before, not in regards to someone else. He hadn’t thought it was an option for a Sin like himself. He was Lust, he was the Big Sexy. He was a thrill, he wasn’t the long term plan.

But Fizzarolli wasn’t most, he was special. He saw beauty in the strange and always had a way to make someone laugh. He brought joy to Ozzie’s day, he made things better. He inspired him and comforted him. Fizzarolli understood him in a way most others couldn’t, Asmodeus cared about his jester deeply. More than anyone, really. Lust was pleasure, but Fizzarolli was Lust’s greatest pleasure. He had so much to thank Fizzarolli for.

Asmodeus thought about that as the doctor returned in the morning and diagnosed Fizz as dehydrated. He thought about it as he comforted Fizzarolli who was less than excited about his best vein for intravenous fluids being in his neck. He thought the phrase many times while he and Fizz lay still and waited for the treatment to be over. He thought about loving Fizz as he dressed him in his softest sleep shirt and carried him to their sofa where they spent the day watching Hell-A-Novella reruns. He thought about love each time he checked the imps temperature that day.

There were a lot of things that Asmodeus loved about Fizzarolli, but there was nothing he loved more than to be woken up to the fiery little devil's face grinning down at him the next morning. Fizz’s eyes were bright, but not with fever. His smile was pointed and deliberate. He sat upright, straight and strong, with his legs straddling Lust’s chest. His hand cupped Ozzie’s cheek. Asmodeus blinked a few more times, trying to clear sleep from his eyes. They weren’t in bed, had they fallen asleep watching television last night?

“Good morning, sleepy heads!” Fizz’s hands moved to give Ram and Bull gentle noogies to help wake them up.

Asmodeus stretched and sat up. He watched, amused, as Fizzarolli climbed him to perch against his shoulder. “Someone’s feeling better.”

Fizz nodded. “Mostly. I’m hungry.”

“Is that why you woke me up?” Fizzarolli’s laugh was the answer. Lust pushed himself off the sofa and the two of them headed towards the kitchen.

“I’m glad you’ve got your appetite back.” Asmodeus mused as he watched Fizzarolli start in on a stack of waffles as tall as his torso. It had taken him over an hour to convince Fizz to drink half a cup of pho yesterday, this was a much welcomed change.

Fizzarolli responded by beaming at Asmodeus before eating a waffle in two big bites. “I’m starving, didn’t you feed me?”

“You didn’t want to be fed!”

Fizzarolli rolled his eyes and ate another waffle, that didn’t’ sound very much like him. He must have been sick. One arm extended back into the kitchen in search of peanut butter, that’s what this breakfast needed

“Well I bounce back fast.” Fizz dipped his third waffle into the peanut butter jar and tried it. He moaned loudly and rolled his eyes back. Peanut butter was what this breakfast needed. After taking several seconds to savor the savory and the sweet, Fizz looked back over at Asmodeus. He laughed at the king’s expression.

“Was I a good patient? You don’t look like you’ve gotten much sleep.”

Asmodeus chuckled. “Before or after the slipperiest game of tag I’ve ever played?”

“What are you talking about?”

Ozzie stilled. Had Fizz forgotten about that? What else didn’t Fizz remember? “What all do you remember?”

Fizzarolli thought for a moment. “I remember waking up with a bitch of a headache. Mammon had me shooting the commercial for the Bots. The lights were….really bright. He told me to get my shit together.”

“And that’s it?”

“We watched television yesterday.”

Asmodeus scanned Fizzarolli’s face for any indication that he was lying, but there was nothing. So he didn’t remember saying I love you.

“Why? Did I do something embarrassing? Say something ridiculous?”

Now wasn’t the time to have that conversation. Asmodeus didn’t know how to explain his love to Fizz right now. For now, this was Ozzie’s secret.

Asmodeus smiled and shook his head. “You started a very chaotic game of tag. Made a lot of dick jokes. But no, you were a fine patient.”

Fizzarolli snorted. “That does sound like me.”

Asmodeus took a sip of his coffee, Fizz reached to the plate in the center of the table and grabbed another piece of bacon. The two of them smiled when they caught each other’s eye.

“Thank you, Asmodeus.”

Fizzarolli had no need to thank him. If anything, Asmodeus should be thanking Fizzarolli. He’d given him plenty of worry over the past few days, but every bit of that worry was worth it. Fizzarolli gave Asmodeus so much good. Fizzarolli gave him love.

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