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Fizzarolli bit his lower lip as he anxiously sat at his table waiting for Blitzø to return from getting their drinks. He was at a small rustic coffee shop in Imp City, just a few blocks from his friend's workplace.
He was nervous.
But it wasn't because he was worried about meeting the guy, who, once upon a time ago, was his sworn enemy. But more because he wasn't sure how he was going to broach the subject he was planning to talk about with the other.
It wasn't like he believed that his friend would be an ass to him, should he reveal his plans to the guy, but it was more because he knew how honest Blitzø was and he was afraid to hear what honest truth his childhood friend might reveal to him.
However, despite this fear, he knew that he needed to hear what Blitzø had to say.
Blitzø was his friend and the other imp's opinion mattered to Fizz, even if he never admitted it to anyone.
There was an upside to rekindling his friendship with Blitzø.
Aside from filling up the hole inside his once shattered heart, the imp-assassin also gave Fizz someone he can turn to when things were going shitty with his life.
After the incident that lost him his limbs and destroyed his childhood home, Fizz had been alone.
Yes, he eventually found a great career and a demon who loved him with all of his sinful heart, but Fizz longed to have someone who he could turn to when Ozzie proved incapable of understanding him–albeit those were rare occasions as it is.
He needed someone who wasn't afraid to give him the hard truth and tell him he was being a jackass. Someone who liked him–despite his many flaws– but wasn't there because they wanted to have sex with him.
Fizz needed someone who was a friend.
And just that.
A friend.
Blitzø was that someone after he and Fizz finally settled their difference.
They buried the hatchet and whatever hurt they did to each other was water under the bridge, or so the humans would say.
However, despite his newly rekindled friendship with the other imp, Fizz was still worried about how this talk would go.
While he appreciated Blitzø's honesty, his assassin friend had the tendency to be too honest that bordered on being hurtful.
And he didn't need that right now.
He and Ozzie were in the middle of taking a big step in their relationship, but before they did that, Fizz needed an outside opinion to figure out if this was going to be a good decision or a very bad one.
"Okay, I got your disgusting iced Strawberry Matcha drink, complete with whip and fucking chocolate sprinkles," Blitzø suddenly said, as he placed Fizz's drink on their table, "And can I just say that is the most girliest and vomit worthy drink I've ever ordered. Seriously, who the fuck would drink matcha of all things?"
Fizzarolli smirked and took a sip of his drink, before answering, "People with class drink this, Blitzø."
The other imp snorted. " Class, yeah right."
Fizz watched as the other imp got on his seat and took a sip of his own drink.
"Like you know anything about class ," the assassin said.
The robotic limbed imp grinned. "I know more about it than you. Considering what I heard you did at that fancy party you attended with your boyfriend. "
"Excuse me, he's my fiancé . And that party was a bummer. Seriously, those tightass bitches got what they deserved."
"They deserved to get a cake smashed on their heads?" Fizz asked, full of mirth.
His friend scoffed. "If it were up to me, they'd be cleaning their fancy shitty clothes with blood from bullet wounds, instead of pastries. But Stolas wanted us to get a good impression so I restrained myself."
"That's one way to get a good impression. "
"Fuck you," was the other imp's response.
This earned a laugh from Fizzarolli.
Oh, Blitzø, you never change.
After a few good chuckles at his friend's behavior, Fizz settled and took another sip of his drink.
The two imps sat in comfortable silence, or at least it was until Blitzø said, "So you're gonna tell me why you wanted to see me or am I gonna have to play twenty fucking questions to get ya to talk?"
"What?"
"I want to know why'd ya call to meet me. I mean, normally we'd meet up somewhere around Lust, where the Big O would be able to send his buttshit stupid goons to protect you."
Then he gestured around.
"But you came all the way up here–alone, I might add– in Pride, at Imp City, no less, and on a work day. So it's gotta be fucking important for you to risk your ass to being harassed by the assholes who live in this Ring. So spill, dipshit."
Fizz stared at his friend, and for a moment cursed the other's intuitiveness. He still wasn't done sorting his thoughts on the matter, but since Blitzø had already asked, he had no choice but to answer.
"I needed to ask ya something."
His friend tilted his head, but waited for him to continue.
So he did.
"Ozzie and I are planning to take the next step in our relationship..."
"The guy finally asked you to marry him?!" Blitzø suddenly piped excitedly, catching Fizz completely off guard.
"What?! No! That's not it!" He yelled, blushing at the statement.
His friend visibly deflated.
"Oh, then what the fuck would be the next step? Because if it's not marriage, and I sure as hell know you two are already living together and are fucking each other in every–"
"Could you stop being gross and just shut up and listen?" He shouted, his face turning even redder.
That at least finally shut the bastard up.
Fizz took a couple of calming breaths, before he finally settled back and took another sip of his drink.
Once he swallowed the delicious liquid, he continued.
"You know Ozzie and I can't marry yet. There's still this shitty thing with Lucifer that he needs to settle before he and I can finally tie the knot."
Blitzø sent him an understanding look.
"Yeah. That's still a bitch, I know."
Fizz nodded his head, before continuing.
"So, the two of us thought of doing the next best thing…" He paused, before finally saying, "We want to adopt."
"Adopt? Like adopt another pet, kind of adopting?" His friend asked, earning a growl from the cybernetic limbed imp.
" Adopt a kid, Blitzø," he said through gritted teeth.
"Oh."
There was a pause and Fizz waited for his friend to say something else.
When Blitzø said nothing, Fizzarolli said, " Oh? That's it? You're not gonna say that this is a big mistake? That me being a dad is a bad idea?! That I'm gonna end up ruining the kid's life?"
"Woah, woah. Why the fuck would I say any of that?!"
"Because it's the truth. I'm not fit to be a dad! I suck at taking care of kids, and I'll suck even more at taking care of a deaf and mute one!"
"Deaf and mute–wait! Are you talking about that brat you played with at that orphanage in Envy, during Via's charity project?"
Fizz used all his power to stop himself from thumping the other imp.
" He's not a brat. "
Blitzø raised his hands placatingly. "Okay. Okay. He's not. But you didn't answer the question, is he the kid you wanted to adopt?"
Fizz eyed his companion, before sighing and answering, "Yeah."
His hand went to the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a photo, before handing it to his friend.
Blitzø took the picture and inspected it.
As he did so, Fizzolli explained, "He's name is Oliver. His parents died from some freaky accident down in Greed and his relatives didn't want him because of his condition, so they sent him to an orphanage."
He thought back on his interactions with little Ollie and smiled.
"He's a good kid. Smart too. Plus, he dreams of becoming a clown like me, so yeah. He's pretty awesome."
Blitzø returned the photo to Fizz.
"He sounds precious, Fizz. So why are you hesitating on adopting him?" Blitzø asked with a soft voice.
The clown imp fidgeting in his seat. He never liked telling others of his fears and anxieties.
But he knew Blitzø.
The other imp would never judge him for his weaknesses. He might tease him, sure. But he was never outright nasty about it.
So he took another deep breath before finally answering.
"I'm scared that I won't be a good dad. I mean, what do I know about being one. My real dad dumped me the first chance he got and the closest thing to a father I had was Cash and he only acted that way because he needed me. Then Mammon and you know how he treated me. It's just that–"
"You're worried you're not gonna be good enough for the kid," his friend completed his thoughts.
Fizz nodded and stared at his friend with a scared expression. At this point, he wondered what the other would say to his confession.
Of course, he had nothing to fear because Blitzø–
"You're gonna be a great dad, Fizz," Blitzø stated with a gentle tone. "You wanna know how I know?"
He nodded his head.
"The kid ain't even yours yet, but you're already worried for him. That speaks a lot on the type of parent you're gonna be."
His friend looked away and turned to face the window. A distant look appeared on his face.
"You care about this kid's well being. You already want what's best for him. And I think that's an awesome proof that you're gonna be a helluva great dad. Even better than most deadbeat fathers here in hell."
He knew his friend was thinking about his own father and his heart went for him.
Cash was an awful father to Blitzø and Barbie.
His former boss often beat his own kids up and forced them into labor all for selfish reasons. He never said one good thing to Blitzø and more often than not, he put his friend down and talk shit to him. Calling Blitzø names, and constantly telling everyone how he wished his friend had never been born.
Something he knew fathers shouldn't do to their children.
Fizz guessed that Blitzø had a good idea on what a bad father would be, and now he's saying that Fizz wasn't gonna be that. Well, it eased his heart a bit.
Eased, but not fully removed the fear he was feeling.
"But what if despite caring and being concerned for my kid, I still fail him. What if… I make a mistake and ruin his life?" He asked his friend, bitting his lip again.
"Well, not gonna lie, you will make a fuckton of mistakes when you start raising the brat."
Fizz flinched at that statement.
"But that's alright. Parents will always make mistakes. They'll always do something that will somehow affect their kids in a bad way. But you know what? That's okay."
Blitzø grinned.
"Making mistakes? Fucking up once in a while? That's okay. It's normal. No parent is ever gonna be perfect. But to make ya a good parent, you need to know that despite doing all those shitty things, so long as you don't stop trying for your kid and loving them with all your heart, you're still doing a banged up job at being one."
Fizz stared at Blitzø and tears started gathering on his eyes.
"Parenting isn't easy. I mean, look at me. I've been a dad for close to eight years and Loona and I still have our issues. But I still try to do my best for her, cause she's my daughter and I love her. And I know because of that, she loves me too–even if she's too shy to say it."
His friend smiled at some memory Fizz had no idea of.
"And you? Well, you're already halfway there in terms of how to parent this kid. I mean, you speak the kid's language for fuck's sake. That's something. And you know a thing or two about what it's like to have disabilities and still rose to the top. You'll understand him like no other demon, and that means you'll do well in being his dad."
Tears started gathering around Fizz's eyes at his friend's heartfelt statement.
"You really think so?" He asked.
Blitzø smiled confidently and answered, "I know so. You and Oz are gonna be great parents and that kid's gonna be lucky to have you both. So stop being a whiny bitch and start making plans on adopting the poor brat."
The clown imp let out a sobbed laugh, before saying, "Stop calling him a brat."
His friend simply grinned at him, and took a sip of his iced drink.
And just like that, Fizz decision was sealed.
(O.O)
Oliver hated adoption day.
It was the one day of the year where kids at the orphanage get visits from hopeful parents and get adopted and finally taken out of this shithole place.
But there was a downside to this day.
Adoptive parents had the tendency to only adopt kids who were perfect and normal.
And little Ollie wasn't anything like that.
Most people who'd meet him saw him as nothing more than a liability. A dumb, mute and deaf kid.
Although, he wasn't really dumb. He was still deaf and mute and no one wanted the responsibility of taking care of a kid who had such a unique condition.
It wasn't fair.
He was already born in hell and yet, he was saddled up with such a disability that only served to make his life even more hellish.
The lights in his room turned on and off, indicating that someone was trying to catch his attention, and this pulled the young imp from his depressive musing.
He turned to the door and found Miss Carol standing by the entrance. She was one of the orphanage's caretakers.
A kind smile on her lips as she approached the young imp.
" Ollie, what's wrong? Why aren't you dressed?" His caretaker asked.
Oliver bit his lower lip and signed to the order imp, who was the only adult in the orphanage who actually understood him, "What's the point? No one's ever gonna want to adopt me."
"Oh, sweetie. Of course, someone will adopt you. You just gotta be patient. You're a good and bright kid. Anyone would be lucky to have you."
That may be true but it doesn't change the fact Oliver was still deaf and mute, and no one would ever want someone like him.
" I've been patient, Miss Carol. For four years, I've been very patient. But still no one has come to try and even get to know me. No one wants a kid like me. So what's the point? "
Miss Carol gave him a sympathetic look, before signing, " Maybe today will be different? "
He scoffed–or at least, what he believed a scoff would sound like– before gesturing, " I highly doubt that. "
The older imp continued to give him that annoying sympathetic look, before she signed, " Please, Ollie, don't give up hope. Just get ready and come downstairs. I really think today might be the day you'll get adopted. "
Oliver wanted to say no, because he knew with all his heart that no one was gonna adopt him that day. However, Miss Carol was the only one in the orphanage who was nice to him, so he could at least do this for her. So gestured to her that he was gonna get dressed and would be coming downstairs in a few moments.
The caretaker smiled kindly to the young imp, before she started making her way out of the room. She slowly walked, but paused by the door.
" Don't worry, Ollie. I wasn't lying. Today will be different. I'm sure of it, " were the last thing she signed to him before stepping out of the room.
Oliver let out a loud sigh, before he started making his way to his closet to pick something nice to wear.
Every child in the orphanage was given one pair of good looking clothes just for this special day. This was so they all would look nice and neat for hopeful parents.
So Ollie took out the purple and peach striped sweater and maroon pants and put them on. Once he finished changing, he approached a mirror and started combing his hair.
After a few moments, he was ready.
He took tge time to check his reflection and saw that he did look good in his attire. He had an cute rounded face and although his horns were broken, they were broken in a stylish way that no one would see anything wrong with them. His hair was combed and gelled to have his bangs spiking to the side.
Overall, he was an adorable looking kid.
But he knew that appearance could only get him so far. He knew that the moment a hopeful parent would come and try to talk to him, his looks won't be able to spare him the heartache of being disregarded. His condition would get in the way.
No one wants a dumb, mute and deaf kid.
Ollie sighed again, before he turned and started making his way downstairs to the building's reception room, where all children were supposed to stay and wait for a parent or couple to talk to them.
Upon arriving, he found a little corner where he could sit and wait, and opted to stay there for the duration of the event.
Moments later, Ollie watched as many future parents started coming in and started approaching kids around the room. He watched as couples interacted with other children and laughed and played with them.
Everyone looked like they were having a good time.
Everyone, except Oliver .
His eyes turned downcast and he felt like crying. No one was approaching him.
I knew I was not gonna get adopted today. He thought as he let out a little sob.
"Hey why are you crying?"
Ollie didn't hear the question though. Too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice a familiar clown that was standing beside him.
A hand landed on his shoulder and startled him.
He immediately looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of his idol!
" Fizzarolli !" He gestured with his hand.
" Hey kid, how's it going? " The famous clown signed, with a smile.
" I'm great! Everything is going great !" He signed back, giving the older him a reassuring smile.
It didn't work though.
" Great, huh? Then why were you sitting here alone and crying? "
The young imp bit his lip and avoided the older imp's gaze.
He didn't want to tell his idol that his pathetic crying session was because he knew he wasn't gonna get adopted. That was just too stupid.
Fizzarolli waved his hand in front of his face to catch his attention. When Ollie looked up, the clown imp gestured, " Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me. I was just curious because you looked like someone killed your cat or something. "
The kid laughed. Or at least, it looked like he did. Before gesturing, " We're not allowed to keep pets here, Mr. Fizzarolli. "
" You're not?! Well that's a damn shame. I think a couple quieves could brighten this place up a bit. "
Once more, Ollie giggled at the thought. They would indeed brighten the place. But Matron Verona hated pets. She always said she was allergic to them. So that would be a big problem.
Once he was done laughing at the mental images of the grumpy matron sneezing like a cannon, Oliver finally asked his idol why he was there.
" Well–" Fizz started to gesture but something caught his attention.
Oliver turned to the left, where Fizz was looking at, and once more his eyes widened at who he saw.
It was the Sin, Asmodeus!
But what was he doing here?!
He watched as the Sin talked to Fizz about something and only then did Oliver noticed Matron Verona standing beside the giant demon. She was smiling, and talking really fast that Ollie could barely keep up to read her lips and understand what was happening.
Then all three of then turned to his direction, with Asmodeus going on his knees to come closer to his eye level.
" So this is little Oliver that you wouldn't stop talking about." Oliver read the Sin's lips.
Well, it was either that or the Sin said something like, " So this little liver that you won't soup larking about."
But Ollie preferred the former.
The child turned to his idol, who was now talking to the Sin. Whatever the clown said made the smile on the King of Lust's face widen, before Ollie read the words, " We'll take him," from the tall demon's lips.
Oliver froze upon reading those words.
Was he–
No. He shouldn't get his hopes up. He could be wrong. He could've misread his lips.
But at the same time, he wanted to be right.
Being right meant that someone was actually willing to take him. And not just someone, but it was his idol and his lover that were going to adopt him!
So while he knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, he still did, and eyed the three adults who were probably discussing his future.
Tears formed on the corner of his eyes.
Oh, Lucifer, please let me be right! He thought.
So caught up in his prayer that he didn't notice that Fizz was once more in front of him, gesturing wildly, " Ollie, why are you crying kid? Did we do something wrong? Hey, don't cry!"
Ollie finally noticed the imp and he let out a sob before gesturing, " Are you gonna adopt me? "
The imp froze, and little Ollie's heart sank.
Maybe he was wrong after all.
Then Fizz signed, " If that's okay with you…"
This time it was the young imp's turn to freeze in his tracks.
" Look, Ozzie and I want to have kids and well, I really love ya already, and I was wondering if you want to be my–"
He didn't let the clown finish because Oliver had jumped into his idol's–no, that wasn't right– he jumped into his new father's robotic arms and hugged him tight.
If he could talk, he would've screamed yes, I would love it if you were to adopt me!
But he couldn't, so he settled for simply hugging the imp and crying happy tears in the older imp's cybernetic arms.
Later that day, Oliver would be found cradled in Fizzarolli's arms with Asmodues carrying the two imps in his giant arms, as the three asked Miss Carol to take a picture of all of them with his adoption certificate raised proudly by his new dad.
End
(O.O)