Chapter Text
Being a performer was something Fizzarolli had always dreamed of.
Well, he has been performing all his childhood but he had always aspired to be better. Go bigger. He wanted to be more than a clown at a local imp circus.
And he had achieved that.
Not in the way he had imagined but he still did it. Furthermore, he worked for Mammon. His big idol who he had looked up to ever since he was five years old and still just an orphan living in a circus tent.
He did it.
He had it all.
Or so it seemed...
Working with Mammon was... much different from what he had imagined it to be.
Initially, after that damned accident, the young imp had thought his life was over. He had lost everything. His family, his best friend... and any chance of pursuing a career in the show business. Or any career for that matter.
And yet, he made it.
He won the clown pageant. He had been given new mechanical arms and legs (which had been an absolute bitch to get used to but once he did it was great) and he was pretty much a celebrity. And a very famous one at that.
All thanks to Mammon.
He owed it all to him...
Honestly, he should be the happiest imp alive. He had been lucky. Very lucky. Most people would be jealous of his success. Most people ARE, truthfully.
And yet, even after his sixth year in a row of winning that contest...
Fizzarolli wasn't happy.
He felt hollow. He felt lonely. He felt isolated.
And though he didn't want to admit it to himself, that was also because of Mammon.
He was Mammon's big star.
The literal embodiment of greed wasn't just his boss, he practically owned Fizz.
Binded by contract and held down by a power imbalance the performer did not want to admit was practically suffocating him.
Slowly.
Year for year. Day by day.
And it never stopped.
But what in all the seven rings of hell was he suppose to do?
Quit?
Give up on everything he ever wanted?
Go back to being nothing? Go back to HAVING nothing?
Without this career, without Mammon, he wouldn't survive and he knew it.
A pitiful little imp, a washed up celebrity. No one would give him another chance if he failed one of the most influential demons in all of hell.
He was bound to Mammon in more ways than one.
Essentially, he was fighting for his existence every time he re-entered that contest. Hence why he was so desperate to win every year although he wasn't even happy with working for his supposed idol.
He just didn't have a choice.
But just as the contract had been renewed for the fifth time and Fizz was about to go through his sixth year of constant exploitation and abuse, something else happened.
Something that would ultimately reshape his life once again.
But this time for the better.
Fizzarolli's popularity had reached a point at which he was very much desired throughout most rings of hell. This, of course, opens doors for new opportunities. Such as having him perform outside of the greed ring.
And of course, for Mammon that would mean getting even more money out of his star-performer than he already did. How could the sin of greed resist such a temptation?
Before Fizz knew it, mutliple appointments located in the lust ring had been booked and a whole new contract was sealed soon after, with the other participant in this deal being none other but the sin of lust himself, Asmodeus.
The jester had met him before. Briefly, but he still remembered it very well. Around that time Mammon was dead set on turning his little star into marketable robots. Specifically, sex robots. Though there were suppose to be many other versions of said bot with many different functions, the sexual aspect had always been in focus.
Of course, that would sell well after all.
Whether Fizz himself was comfortable with it, seeing as he was the one after which these machines would be modeled, really didn't matter to the greedy demon prince.
Of course not.
And it wasn't like the imp really had a say in what would be done with his face.
He was a brand and nothing else. A product.
So yeah, the jester really hadn't been keen about going to the lust ring and meeting it's ruler back then, since he had just been uncomfortable but knew he had to force a smile and nod along to all of it anyway.
Asmodeus owned an entire factory dedicated to such toys, though he seemed to have a vast knowledge on tech overall as he also (as Fizz eventually found out) had been the one to construct his mechanical prosthetics.
This had made finally meeting the prince all the more strange. He somewhat knew Fizzarolli but also not really.
And while Fizz had been extremely anxious about being in the presence of another deadly sin, it really hadn't been that bad at all.
The ruler of lust was surprisingly pleasant to be around.
He had a very patient layed-back attitude. The tone of his voice was so low and soft and oh Satan did he look hot-
Nope! He should probably stop there.
Ever since that one meeting Fizz had been struggling literally the following years to get that demon out of his head.
He couldn't say exactly what it was that had left such an intense impression on him.
There was just... something about this demon.
But one thing was for sure, it was absolutely pointless.
Asmodeus was royalty. He had status which Fizzarolli could only ever dream of. Yes, he was one of the most desired celebrities in all of hell but... truth be said, he was still an imp. And that was something that would never change. He was not worthy of even being in a deadly sin's presence.
And yet... here he was, being Asmodeus' new business partner.
Yes, his business partner. How the fuck had that happened?! Well, it's simple, really.
Mammon's greed for more money was what had happened.
Asmodeus owned one of the most popular and luxurious establishments in all of hell and they held shows pretty much every night. Many stars of a certain status had performed there before. So honestly, considering the jester's literal constant rise in fame and popularity, it was only a matter of time before he was going to perform there as well.
Now, just because Fizz was now a regular performer at Ozzie's, Asmodeus' establishment, he was still working for the sin of greed.
Because again, Mammon basically owned Fizzarolli, most of the profit he made as Mammon's mascot would end up in the sin's pockets.
So truthfully, aside from working at a different place most nights, Fizz did not think much else would change at all.
He was officially "business partners" with Asmodeus. So technically, they were equals. But let's be real, how much did that really mean when one member of the deal was a literaly prince of hell while the other was just an imp?
Hell's hierachy made sure to remind Fizz that he would never be equal to most other species in hell, no matter how much he tried to work his way up.
And yet, things went... very differently in lust than they did in greed.
Well, obviously greed was a literal trash fire while lust was a very luxurious ring. But that's not even what stood out to Fizzarolli as being the biggest difference.
Working with Asmodeus was nothing like working for Mammon.
The ruler of the lust ring was quite reserved when they first met again. (Well, so was Fizz but that's because he was nervous as shit). He was very proffessional and... respectful.
So much so that it was possible for the jester to sometimes forget that there was a huge difference in status between them. He did not even think this was possible but Asmodeus made it possible.
Because he (unlike Mammon) treated him as an equal, as a respectable person, someone who deserved just as much recognition as any other person he worked with and who was allowed to have boundaries.
Yeah... Mammon really did not care much about boundaries.
But Asmodeus did.
The sin of lust cared a whole lot about them, actually. Fizzarolli appreciated that a lot about him. Among many, many other things...
In already a short amount of time the jester could say that performing at Ozzie's was some of his most enjoyable times he's had in his career so far. Sure, there were a few creeps, but they were everywhere now because of the Fizzbots and he's already grown used to it. And he actually felt a lot more protected at Ozzie's than he did at any events organized by Mammon.
But aside from that, he felt more carefree when performing there, mostly because he did not feel the constant pressure of being watched by his boss who literally expected perfection all the time.
He was much more at ease, allowing him to perform even better than how he usually did with all of the extra pressure.
While most events with Mammon he was dreading, he looked forward to his nights at Ozzie's.
Of course, the main reason for that was certainly not the owner of that place. No no... definitely not.
Okay, fine, Fizz was down bad for Asmodeus.
The embodiment of lust, of all people! This could absolutely not end well.
And yet, every minute he spent with that demon felt so... nice. They got a long beautifully, even developed something that could be considered a friendship. Considered, because Asmodeus was still a literal prince and his business partner. Out of Fizzarolli's league.
But the connection between them felt so real. So genuine. And so warm...
If Fizzarolli could choose, he would forever stay in the lust ring.
One particular night was a special memory.
It had already been quite a few months into the whole new business deal thing. There was a very late night performance at Ozzie's and Fizzarolli had not been able to properly eat before the show because of how packed his day had been with other apointments. So by the end of the day the jester was basically starved and very low on energy. Of course, Ozzie (yes, he was allowed to call one of the deadly sins by his nick name) had noticed that. And so instead of just letting him immediately return to Mammon's palace the sin took it upon himself to invite him for dinner. And not just that, he offered to cook something for Fizz personally in his own palace which wasn't that far away from Ozzie's.
Fizzarolli had been absolutely shocked by that and Asmodeus had immediately assured him that he did not have to come to his palace if it made him uncomfortable and that he could also just get him something to eat before letting his security acompany him back to greed. (He was so damn sweet-)
But it wasn't that Fizz was necessarily uncomfortable at the thought of going with Ozzie (he actually would really love that), he had just not expected it.
He accepted. Of course he did. He was in no rush to get back to the greed ring anyway.
"So your favourite food is burgers?"
Oz asked with a hint of amusement in his voice as he raised an eyebrow at his work partner.
They were both in the kitchen of his beautiful palace and the performer seemed mesmerized by his surroundings, adding a new layer to the sin's amusement and adoring smile.
Finally, the jester looked back at him to answer his question.
"Yep."
He smirked and shrugged, trying to avoid looking at the other demon and that grin on his face, since Fizzarolli was sure it would leave him blushing.
Asmodeus chuckled.
"Well, that's good to know. Sadly, I don't think I have the needed ingredients here right now to make some. I'm sorry to disappoint."
He sounded genuinely sorry, though Fizz just looked at him with irritation for a moment. For some reason he did not even consider that their previous conversation about their favourite food could have been an attempt to find out what he wanted to eat.
"Oh, you... wanted to make me my favourite dinner?"
The smaller one asked in genuine surprise, leaving it to Ozzie to be irritated for a moment. A genuine, warm smile returned to his lips quickly though.
"Well, I at the very least wanted to cook something I know you'd like. And if I could have made your favourite, why not? This is the first time I am honoured to have you as my guest so I wanted to make it special."
Honoured? Did he actually feel honoured to have Fizzarolli come over? Now that was a concept the imp had a hard time processing.
But he couldn't help but smile back at the other with gratitude.
"Oh, well, I appreciate that."
He replied with a small delay, feeling flattered that Asmodeus was giving him such special treatment. Although he didn't really undertstand why.
He quickly covered his bashfullness with a grin and a small wave of his hand.
"But don't worry about the burgers. I can eat whatever."
Fizz reassured the sin, though the casual posture and expression he had put on did not really match with the way he was still standing around the room awkwardly, like he was scared to even touch anything in this palace.
Asmodeus frowned a little as he stood with his back towards the counter, looking at the other with uncertainty.
"Are you sure? I really don't want to end up cooking something you won't like. You really need to get a proper meal right now."
"It's fine, really."
Fizz tried again, a little more insistent, but there was no way of changing Ozzie's mind on this.
"Just tell me what you normally eat for dinner. I'm sure we can find something."
It was honestly a fair suggestion, and though the jester still felt weird about having his wants and needs prioritised like this, he knew that Asmodeus was right about his earlier statement.
He really, really did need to eat something.
"Well... I mostly just eat whatever is served at Mammon's palace. And it's... really not as fancy as the food is here in the lust ring."
As Fizz explained that, he watched the other demon's expression change, his frown deepening.
"You don't mean to tell me that you had to live off of junk food for the past five years, do you?"
Asmodeus knew Mammon well. Too well, since he had to deal with his ass since practically forever and it was no secret that Oz wasn't particularly fond of the greedy demon.
Oz also knew of Mammon's unhealthy eating habits and he dearly hoped that his question would not be confirmed to be a true assumption.
"Well, I mean... kinda. I don't eat much of that stuff but some of it really ain't that bad."
Fizzarolli didn't really want to make a big deal out of it. Sure, he did not have much of a choice in regards to what he ate (or in barely anything for that matter) but he could live with that.
What was worse though was that often times Mammon would pressure him to eat less or sometimes even skip a whole meal, simply because he was super obsessed with keeping Fizz as skinny as possible.
There'd be times where his boss would eat up to five burgers in a row and yet he himself would receive a dirty and judgemental look from him if he even dared to touch one.
Asmodeus studied the imp's expression carefully as he saw how distracted he suddenly seemed to become, getting lost in his own thoughts.
In a warm tone he spoke again, bringing Fizz back to reality with his gentle voice.
"Hm... how about I just make us a bunch of my specialties? You can try multiple things at once and just figure out what you like. Problem solved."
The sin then suddenly proceeded to smirk.
"Also, that way you also get a chance to experience the various rich tastes of lust."
Obviously that last part was about the luxurious food served in this ring, but the way Asmodeus both phrased and pronounced that part made Fizzarolli's heart jump.
He couldn't help but give a flustered smile.
"I'd love that."
He responded almost flirtatiously, without really thinking about it.
And then he did think about it.
"TO- you know, try the FOOD."
He pronounced his words in an exaggerated way, making Asmodeus chuckle again which in turn made Fizz feel all warm inside.
Satan fucking damnit, he really needed to get that under control.
"It is settled then."
The sin of lust hummed, not further teasing the imp about the little flirt. Which Fizzarolli was really grateful for.
And with that, Asmodeus started cooking their dinner. Though not before kindly inviting the smaller demon to take a seat so that he wouldn't keep standing around the room awkwardly. He must be totally exhausted after such a long day and he deserved to rest.
The sin watched as the performer sat down, a curious look on his face as he noticed Fizz being strangely stiff and not as... animated as he'd usually be when he'd see him at Ozzie's. Well, he was obviously tired but it was still noticable.
He could understand it though. This is the first time Fizzarolli was in his palace. Oz would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little nervous, too.
"I don't need to just sit around. I could help you cook, you know. Since you're already doing this for me..."
The jester spoke after a moment of silence, feeling a little bad for just sitting around and not making himself useful. But the sin of lust shook his head.
"Nuh-uh. I appreciate your offer greatly but I really don't mind if you just sit back and relax a little. After the fantastic show you put on tonight you really deserve a break."
Now that was definitely a sentence Fizz would have never gotten from Mammon. Ever. Because to his boss, breaks were just a waste of time. Time lost in which he could be making more of his precious money instead.
But then again, Asmodeus... wasn't Mammon.
In fact, they couldn't have been more different.
Accepting the answer reluctantly, Fizzarolli actually let himself relax for once. There was a long moment of silence between them. But it wasn't weird or awkward. Not at all. It was honestly really nice. Fizz let the beauty of his surroundings sink in some more. Asmodeus' castle was so much prettier than Mammon's... it was kind of cozy, actually, even though it was so big and pompous. After a moment he let his eyes fall shut and just continued to listen to the sounds of Asmodeus cooking instead.
He hadn't been so at ease in a long time.
But of course, it couldn't last. Because just as the overworked performer actually managed to relax he heard his phone ring loudly in his pocket.
A drained sigh involunteeringly left his lips and he reached for the thing that disturbed his peace. He really did not even have to look at the screen to know who it was.
Surprise! It was Mammon, calling for what felt like the millionth time that day.
Funnily enough, Fizzarolli had only just recently received this phone. He had owned one when he was younger, around his teenage years but that probably got destroyed back then... by the fire.
Yet even when he first started to work for Mammon and rose to fame, he still never really got a new one since, well, his boss did not really see a need to give him one.
He was greedy, what a surprise.
And Fizz had no say in what the money he earned would be spent on, leading him to live in luxury on one hand, but also being totally isolated on the other.
However, now that the jester partially worked in other places for the first time, where Mammon would not be around, the sin of greed made sure that his star-performer would still be accessible to him at all times.
So yeah, Fizz did not have this thing for very long, and yet if there was an award for harassing someone with phone calls, he could certainly say that it would without a doubt go to Mammon.
And usually, the sin's obedient little worker would always pick up when he could. Because he knew that if he missed too many calls, or on some days if he even missed just one, Mammon would be more than just a little annoyed.
And yet, as he stared at the screen with the contact name "master" (Mammon had entered that contact name himself) showing above his picture, he did not want to press a single button.
Because he knew that if he picked up and his boss wanted him to come back to greed, there'd be no room for arguing. And he really didn't want to leave right now...
"Everything alright, Fizzie?"
Asmodeus' sweet voice snapped him out of his trance like state and as he looked up at him he only just noticed that the other was standing right beside him, having put multiple trays of food on the table.
Oz looked at the still ringing phone in his hand and his expression of slight worry shifted into one of pure annoyance.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I should probably answer..."
Fizzarolli muttered out but when he still did not accept the call and just kept staring at the phone in distress, Asmodeus softly took it out of his hand, ignoring the other's weak protest as he placed it on the other side of the table across from the performer.
It was still within reach, especially since Fizz could reach practically anywhere with his mechanical arms, but it also wasn't Ozzie's intention to take his phone away.
He just wanted to create a bit of distance.
The sin of lust gave his guest a warm smile as he placed down the last dishes.
"How about we just focus on dinner for now? Don't worry, I'll let Mammon know that I was the one keeping you occupied."
The phone stopped ringing and Fizz felt some of the tension leave his body. He smiled a little.
"Okay..."
The tone of his voice was soft but not soon after they started eating together he seemed to be mostly at ease again, occasionally even making a silly comment or joke as he would usually. And while Oz obviously participated in their conversations, he mostly just enjoyed listening to the little imp rant about some random stuff and getting to know more about him.
"So, in conclusion, that stuff was great. Like, REALLY good. BUT- I gotta say it. The best food will always be burgers."
That got a laugh out of the cook.
"Alright, noted: Next time I'll make burgers then."
It was such a casual answer that it almost went over Fizzarolli's head what that sentence had implied.
Almost.
A look of surprise was once again on the imp's face as the realisation came to him, then he proceeded to smirk.
"Sounds good to me. Should I bring the champagne next time?"
He put some extra emphasis on the last two words, obviously joking about the champagne but kind of curious about whether or not Oz had just said that without much thought or if it actually meant something.
Asmodeus grinned.
"If that's what you like. But I got plenty enough so you don't need to worry about that."
The taller demon propped up his elbows on the kitchen table and slightly leaned forward, a broad smile on his face as he continued in a low voice.
"You're well taken care of here."
So yeah, there was clearly some flirting going on here. And while Fizzarolli admitedly enjoyed it more than he probably should, he had still not thought too much into it until this point since it was the embodiment of lust he was talking to here. How would he know that Oz didn't flirt like this with his guests all the time?
But then... there was something so real about that last sentence, and it resonated with Fizz.
It felt like it was more than just a casual flirt, especially since Ozzie's tone had shifted from teasing to... what seemed to be genuine care.
Maybe he was just reading too much into it...
But there was just so much warmth in the other's tone and expression whenever he said these kinds of things.
"Well, that's good to know."
Fizz did his best to keep up the casual teasing tone he had in his voice just seconds before, but it also changed into something more genuine.
Involunteeringly, but it happened.
And Oz picked up on it as the teasing smirk had now fully turned into that soft, warm smile again.
The jester couldn't even express how giddy it made him feel, how flushed his cheeks got or how warm his chest felt whenever he saw this smile.
It made him bashful, of course, so he looked away again.
But it also made him happy.
Very happy.
Shortly after they had finished eating they were up doing the dishes.
Or more accurately, Asmodeus was up doing the dishes and Fizz simply handed them to him from his seat with his extendable arms. Oz wouldn't allow him to do more than that since he was still the guest and supposed to relax.
As the tired imp had finished his part of the work, he folded his arms on the table and rested his head on it, feeling the exhaustion of his busy day fully crushing down on him now that he had been given a break and was fully fed.
His eye lids grew heavier as he listened to the quiet sound of flowing water and soft clanks of plates being stacked, slowly but surely feeling his growing sleepiness clouding his mind and lulling him into a state of drifting between being awake and dozing off.
Eventually, shortly before he could fully fall asleep, a warm hand layed comfortably on his back, it's thumb softy nudging his shoulder as he heard that lovely voice again.
"Fizz, you know you could also stay here for the night? It really wouldn't be a problem. There's plenty of spare rooms."
The jester groggily opened his eyes again, and he was met with the sight of this gorgeous demon hovering next to the kitchen chair he was still sitting on, his expression full of genuine care.
Oh, how he wished to stay.
But he tiredly shook his head.
"No... I really should go back. I have a bunch of appointments booked for tomorrow. Mammon will want me to be there in the morning."
There was a deep frown on the sin's face as Fizzarolli lifted his head again and wiped the sleepiness from his eyes before finally getting back up. It seemed like there was something else Asmodeus had wanted to say but begrudgingly decided not to.
"Very well. I'll escort you back to greed then."
He decided as he got back on his feet as well. The jester's eyes widened in surprise.
"You really don't have to. I'll be fine being escorted by your security staff."
Fizz reassured him but now Ozzie was the one to shake his head.
"It'll be a lot faster if I escort you myself. And I've been wanting to talk to Mammon anyway."
There was no room for arguing about this. And it's not like Fizz didn't like the thought of spending just a little more time with Asmodeus, even if it really was just a little. He just didn't want the sin of lust to do even more for him than he already had that day...
But Oz insisted so he wouldn't complain. And he really was back at Mammon's palace a lot faster than usual since the powerful demon simply teleported them both.
It basically was like a walk in the park for him.
Mammon had clearly been moody because his precious marketable mascot hadn't answered his call and came back later than expected, but he made sure not to let his anger out on the imp when Asmodeus was around.
Instead he put on an act of concern as he inspected Fizzarolli in a way that clearly made the smaller demon uncomfortable before dismissively shooing him off to his room like a child he did not want to deal with right now and would "lecture" in the morning.
It's simple to say, Asmodeus did not like this observation at all.
And as the jester tiredly walked to the room he called his own in this royal palace, he couldn't help but wonder what the two deadly sins were talking about now.
Well, he just reassured himself with the thought that Oz had promised to let Mammon know why he hadn't answered the call or why he had stayed in the lust ring for so long. So maybe if he was lucky his boss wouldn't give him too much of a hard time the next day because of that.
Regardless of what had happened the day after, this evening had always been very special to the performer.
And just as promised, the next time Fizzarolli had stepped into that pompous palace in the lust ring he was served burgers.
Along with champagne.
It was a strange combination but it definitely amused him.
The burgers were also probably the fanciest burgers he had ever eaten. And also the thing that single-handedly made him decide to never eat anything else again.
"You can't just live off of burgers for the rest of your life."
Ozzie had objected with a chuckle.
Fizz swallowed down his bite and gave a toothy grin.
"Why?"
That just made the other laugh before softly shaking his head with a smile.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying your dinner."
So this dinner thing had become almost like a tradition at a certain point. A late night performance at Ozzie's, followed by a nice private dinner.
It was a really nice routine. It gave these two a chance to spend some time together outside of work and also served as a nice break for the jester.
He really needed those breaks.
More than he himself had even realized until this point.
It made him sad everytime he had to leave but it still put a smile on his face knowing that he would see Oz again probably the very next day.
The one thing that still bothered Fizzarolli though was that he just did not understand why a great demon like Asmodeus did so much for an imp performer like himself. The ruler of lust had given his new business partner so much of his attention that it had started to spread rumours. Staff both at Ozzie's, as well as at the royal palace were even whispering about Fizz now, much to his discomfort. Of course he enjoyed the sin's attention. He relished it and wished for it to never stop.
But he still just did not understand why he received it.
Or what it meant.
It wasn't just them performing and singing together. Or Oz cooking dinner for them almost every night. Or their occasional flirts.
Asmodeus had also started giving him presents at some point.
One of them being a very adorable little clown key chain, which Fizz had attached to his phone and held very dear to his heart.
These developments all happened within their first year of working together and while Fizz had to say that it was probably the happiest he's been in almost ten years, the happiest he's been since the accident, he was still just so confused and uncertain about where he stood with Asmodeus. How said demon viewed him. If they had a genuine... thing going on.
Fizzarolli was certain in his feelings for the other. He had been for a while.
But could a sin such as Asmodeus actually genuinely love him back?
He wasn't sure. And he didn't think he'd ever be.
For now, he just tried to not think further into it.
He'd just have to hold on to what he had at the moment, since life could always and at any point take everything away from him again.
He knew that better than anyone.
So he wasn't going to risk his chances and potentially ruin one of the only good things he had now.