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Fizzarolli wasn't the kind to take charity.
His entire early life living in the Greed Ring was spent learning how to take care of himself—making a quick buck, avoiding trouble, and knowing his place in the hierarchy. Despite the huge success he was known for in his days at the circus with Blitzø, Fizz still knew that his value was dependent on his talent as a performer.
Which was why the moment he was bought off by Mammon and put under the care of the Sin of Lust Asmodeus, the imp had trouble adjusting to his new lifestyle.
Being treated as a celebrity, with his face plastered in every corner of the seven rings was something that seemed to be so… out of reach for someone like him. Almost like a dream.
But surprisingly, all of that paled in comparison to his living accommodations.
“Fizzarolli!” Asmodeus’ voice rang through the walls of the imp's room, coming all the way from the Sin of Lust’s kitchen. It held a hint of mischief as he called once more. “Can you come down for a minute? I've got a surprise for you!”
Fizz was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom when the voice of his new business partner called to him. With a quick jump to his feet, the jester reached for his cap by the nightstand and began adjusting it to cover his broken horns as he made his way over. “C-Coming!”
When Mammon told him he'd be working with Asmodeus, Fizzarolli would've never expected to be living under the same roof as him.
The Deadly Sin had given him the option to live on his own in one of his many luxury properties instead, but Fizz somehow felt like that would be much more complicated than his current arrangement. And so, the imp was welcomed into Asmodeus’ personal quarters with a room of his own and unfettered access to the entire building.
He was bombarded with gifts and fanfare left and right, all in an attempt to make him feel at ‘home’.
For a very long time, Fizzarolli was just waiting to see what the catch would be. Nothing came for free, after all.
But that day had yet to come.
If he didn't know any better, it almost seemed like the powerful demon was trying to gain his favor with all the care and attention he was getting, which seemed impossible because… well, why would he?
They were just business partners, and even that term was a stretch. If anything, the duo should be more akin to master and servant, but Asmodeus refused to call it that.
Why that was, Fizz might never know.
Once he reached the entrance to the large dinning hall, the jester had to take a step back as he let the sweet smell of cocoa butter and chocolate enter his nostrils. A whiff was all it took for his curiosity to get the better of him, making him enter the kitchen without a second thought.
The kitchen island was covered in all sorts of baking ingredients—flour, eggs, milk, and even decorations such as sprinkles and liners. Cupcake liners, to be more specific.
Asmodeus had his back turned to Fizz while he opened up the oven and pulled out a tray full of fluffy pastries that had the imp's mouth watering. The Deadly Sin was also stirring something in a pot with his other hand, somehow finding balance to not let the tray fall as he placed it next to him.
It was then that Fizzarolli noticed the frilly pink apron wrapped around his torso, causing the jester to gulp and turn away in a panic. Well, he was the Sin of Lust, after all.
That must have been enough noise to make his presence known, because the larger demon finally acknowledged his companion with a smile. “Oh! Good, you're here! I noticed you didn't have anything to eat after coming back from your performance today, so I figured we'd indulge your sweet tooth just this once.”
A blush spread across the small imp's cheeks as he looked at the mess in the kitchen once more. “Y-You didn't have to do that, Lord Asmodeus! I mean, I just wasn't that hungry, to be honest…”
“Fizzarolli.” The Sin gave him a stern, yet not intimidating look, almost questioning him with an eyebrow. “First of all, we've talked about this—you can just call me ‘Asmodeus’. And second, it's fine! I've been looking for an excuse to try a hand at this recipe Bee gave me, and this was the perfect opportunity!”
He then proceeded to turn back to the stove, waving the imp over with a smile. “Now, can you be a dear and help me mix the chocolate? I wanna prepare the sprinkles on the table.”
Before Fizz could have time to reply, Asmodeus was already moving out of the way and showing him what he'd been working on. Apparently, the pot he'd been stirring earlier was filled with melted chocolate, if the sugary aroma was any indication.
He was more than happy to help… until he saw it.
The flame coming from the stove.
It was small—only there to heat up a pot, for Satan's sake!—but every muscle in the imp's body seemed to freeze in place as he stared into the hot blue source of heat, his mind turning it into an ugly green color that seemed to try and reach out to him with its devilish licks.
He must have backed away at some point, because before he knew it, Fizz felt his back being pressed against the wall.
“Fizzarolli?” Asmodeus’ voice sounded far away, but still laced with a hint of confusion. Fizz saw him out of the corner of his eye turning from the imp to the stove, until it finally clicked in the Deadly Sin's head. “Oh shit!”
The stove was turned off, taking the source of Fizzarolli’s every waking nightmare away. He felt himself regaining his senses and Satan, was that embarrassing! Just when he thought he had better control over his fears, they came back full force to blow up in his face like this.
“I'm so sorry, Fizzarolli. I didn't realize that this would upset you like that…” The Sin of Lust seemed like he wanted to reach out a hand, but decided against it and simply tried again with their previous activity. “I'm sure the chocolate was all done anyway. How about you pick which decorations you want and I'll handle the fudge?”
“I-It's fine. Sorry ‘bout that Lo- um, Asmodeus.” Fizz turned to the table and examined his options, only to chuckle slightly at a bag full of multicolored dick shaped sprinkles. Because of course the Deadly Sin would have this. “These look promising!”
Asmodeus gave him a quick look and then let out a chuckle of his own. “There weren't that many unsexy options, surprisingly.”
“Oh, that's no surprise.” After taking a small handful, the imp let them fall onto the bowl next to him, poking out his tongue to catch the few strays with a hum of delight. “I'm pretty sure I've had this flavor before, if you catch my drift.”
Ignoring his attempt at a joke, the Sin of Lust was staring at him with a small smile, and light blue spread across his cheeks. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he turned away and scratched at the back of his head. “You, um… you got a little something on your hat, hehe…”
With a raise of an eyebrow, Fizz was quick to reach for his cap and indeed, found some tiny sprinkles setting on flaps. Another point to his embarrassment board. “O-Oh! Thanks!”
“No problem… anyways! Fudge is ready! Let's get to it!” Asmodeus turned back to the pot and brought it over to the table with careful ministrations, obviously trying to prevent any unnecessary burns.
Fizzarolli only chuckled as he nodded along.
He still had no idea what was going on in that bird's head. Why he would ever be this kind to him, he'd never know.
Maybe he was trying to establish trust, only to bring him down later?
Maybe this was the way Deadly Sins worked?
Still, evidence showed otherwise.
So until that day came, Fizz would just have to live in the moment, and enjoy the little moments that brought him joy—such as seeing Asmodeus, the embodiment of lust, struggling to add frosting to a cupcake.
Yeah, this was definitely worth it.