Chapter Text
That morning Fizzarolli did not wake up feeling like himself. Most mornings the jester would wake up with a bang. Air horns, kazoos, loud circus music, and even accordions were just a few tools the little demon used to awaken his big blue lover. Today, though, he wasn’t feeling nearly as peppy.
When the coo-coo-co*ck struck nine am the normally excitable jester didn’t leap from bed to grab his wake-up call of choice. With the way his head pounded, he barely knew what was going on. From within the covers, he stifled a small cough. His throat ached and felt dry as a desert. None of this was noticed by his oversized lover. Asmodeus, who was the deepest sleeper on this side of Hell, snoozed happily through it all.
It was only when Fizz rolled over and off Asmodeus that either of the demons woke up. Disoriented and a little confused, Fizz tumbled off the bed and fell with a loud crash into a box of dild*s that had been placed beside the bed the night before. The impact set off half the toys, causing them to buzz like a hord of angry bees.
“Ack!” Fizz cried, still a bit confused as to what was going on. With his head deep in the box and his butt sticking out of it like an iceberg sticks out of the ocean, he struggled to right himself.
“Froggie, what’re you doing?” Asmodeus groggily asked, pulling Fizz from the box. He placed the imp on his chest and frowned at the sight he saw.
It was clear that Fizz was feeling off this morning. The imp’s eyes seemed to spin and there was a sniffle to his snout that just wouldn’t stop. Bags hung under his eyes and his tail wasn’t nearly as lively as usual. He cleared his throat as he composed himself. The scratchy edge to his voice seemed in full force today.
“Morning, Oz,” Fizz said with a sheepish smile. “Just my latest wake-up call,” he shrugged.
Asmodeus chuckled, giving Fizz’s cheek a pet. The smaller demon leaned into it. “You know those dild*s are still being tested,” Asmodeus chuckled. “What’ve I told you about using products that are still in the testing phase?”
“I know that if they were a danger to us, you wouldn’t put them next to the bed,” Fizz replied, sending Asmodeus one of his best sassy smirks. Asmodeus had been showing him his newest line of dild*s the night before. Most of them were on their last leg of testing and were likely to be put on the market soon.
Asmodeus rolled his eyes in defeat. “You doin’ okay?” he asked, changing the subject. “It’s not like you to be this lowkey in the morning, babe.”
Fizz lept off of Asmodeus and did a little spin where he landed. Now that he was awake he was feeling a bit better. “I’m fine,” he replied, through the lingering dryness he felt in his throat. “Just a little dry in the the old sinus is all. It’s probably from all that smoke last night,” he said, stifling a cough. His body never really handled smoke well since the accident.
“I’ll have to remind the staff that any tables near the stage are to be smoking-free tables,” Asmodeus said, sitting himself up.
Fizz glanced up at the clock to see that it was now nine-fifteen. He cleared his throat once more as he chose a pastel pink and yellow hat that matched his nightgown. He placed it on his head before addressing Asmodeus once more. “So, what’s for breakfast?” he asked despite not feeling particularly hungry.
“What do you feel like eating?” Asmodeus asked. He was now out of bed and putting on his luxurious red robe. “Burgers? Or perhaps it’s an enchilada morning?”
“I got somewhere to be soon, so anything fast is fine,” Fizz said, not putting up one of his normal early-morning breakfast demands, though enchiladas did sound kind of nice.
“Right, you’re going on that date with Blitz, right?” Asmodeus asked, his voice teasing.
In one fluid motion, Fizz lept onto Asmodeus’s shoulder. “It’s not a date, Oz. We’re just going to meet to f*cking catch up. He told me of a good coffee place near his house. He swears by it but he’s always had sh*t taste in coffee,” Fizz chuckled.
Asmodeus admired the way his lover smiled. Recently, he always shined when talking about his childhood best friends. Asmodeus himself had also taken a liking to Blitz. “You know, you can always bring him around here if you want, Froggie. I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, too,” he insisted with a low sultry purr.
“Babe, it’s not like that,” Fizz giggled like a schoolgirl being called out on her crush.
“Whatever you say, Fizz,” Asmodeus replied, all three of his heads wearing a knowing smile. He knew Fizz better than anyone at this point.
Fizz opened his mouth to reply but what came out was not words but a very dry cough. He doubled over a little as the cough grew into a hack. His eyes teared up and a pressure began to build in his head.
Worried for his lover, Asmodeus stopped in his tracks. “Froggie, are you okay?” Asmodeus asked, lifting his hand to help stop Fizz from falling. “You don’t sound good at all.”
Fizz leaned against Asmodeus’s hand as his coughing spell faded. “f*ck,” he grumbled to himself before addressing his lover’s question. “I’m fine. I just need something warm to drink,” he said, his voice scratcher now than it had been.
“Forggie,” Asmodeus sighed, stopping just as they entered the kitchen. “You got me worried.”
“I said I’m fine!” Fizz said, replying so quilly it was almost like he knew the question was coming. “I just need a hot drink,” he stubbornly said again. He lept from Asmodeus’s shoulder and made his way to the one-cup coffee maker.
Asmodeus studied his lover with concern in his eyes. It was one hundred percent like Fizz to shrug off feeling unwell. “You sure you’re not coming down with something?” Asmodeus asked, slowly making his way to the stove to start on breakfast.
Fizz didn’t answer the question but instead pretended like he hadn't heard it over to the coffee maker. It wasn’t the first time he used this tactic to avoid conversations he didn’t want to have. “Is there any more of that cream pie creamer?” he asked, bouncing his way to the refrigerator.
Asmodeus signed, knowing well that Fizz wasn’t going to give him a straight answer about his condition. He also knew that the more he questioned Fizz about it, the more likely Fizz was going to resist talking about it. Fizz wasn’t a child, so all Asmodeus could do was hope his lover didn’t overdo it.
The Lust King also headed to the refrigerator where Fizz was now rooting around looking for the creamer he wanted. The imp’s tail swayed carelessly as he grumbled to himself about too many leftovers. Leaning over the imp, Asmodeus took the creamer from the door and tapped Fizz on the shoulder. When Fizz turned around, he held it out for him to take. “It was in the door where it’s always kept,” he teased.
Fizz chuckled and took the carton. “That was the next place I was going to look,” he said, smiling up at Asmodeus. He then stretched his leg to where his coffee sat waiting and left Asmodeus alone at the fridge.
“So, eggs and bacon okay with you?” Asmodeus asked, taking the two items from the fridge.
“Whatever is fine by me,” Fizzi said, placing the creamer on the counter and gulping his drink down in one go. He had neglected to put any creamer into his drink.
Asmodeus smiled and shook his head at his lover. Sometimes he simply didn’t know what was going through the jester’s head but that was one thing he loved about Fizz. You never really quite knew what he was going to get up to next.
With breakfast on the table, Fizz and Asmodeus took their respective seats. Some mornings they would sit and chat and other mornings they’d watch some TV as they ate. This morning, they didn’t do either of those things. Instead of chatting, they sat in complete silence as they ate. Fizz’s shoulders hung low as something heavy weighed down his mind. He mindlessly spread raspberry jam on his toast as he let this lingering worry overtake him. It did not go unnoticed by Asmodeus.
“Froggie, if you’re unwell, maybe you should–”
“I’m fine Ozzie,” Fizz quickly cut him off. “It’s not my throat that’s bothering me.” Fizz looked Asmodeus in the eye for only a moment before he looked past his lover to the rainy day outside.
Asmodeus’s mouth twisted in confusion for a moment but was soon replaced by realization. “Fizz, I’m sure Blitz is more than excited to see you today. He wouldn’t have invited you out if he wasn’t,” he reassured his lover.
Fizz released a skeptical grunt. He didn’t reply to Asmodeus right away. Both his logical side and irrational side were at battle. “I was such a dick to him at OZZIE’S a few months back,” he eventually sighed. “I’m surprised he even wants to talk to me.”
Asmodeus frowned. This wasn’t the first time Fizz had brought this worry up. For the whole time Asmodeus had known Fizz, his lover had done nothing but badmouth the other imp. It wasn’t often Fizz brought up his time before the accident but when he did his words about Blitz had always been scathing. Asmodeus knew Fizz had been hurt by the accident but what had hurt Fizz most of all was the supposed betrayal of Blitz. Of course, when his lover discovered the betrayal was nothing but a lie, his tone about Blitz completely changed. Where there was now happiness to have his friend back, there were also fifteen years of regret.
“Froggie, I’m sure Blitz is just as happy to have you back as you are to have him back,” Asmodeus said, trying to do what he could to reassure his lover. “It wasn’t your fault you were lied to and he knows that.”
“Ya know, when I got out of that hospital, I could’ve found him but instead I…” Fizz didn’t finish his thought but instead frowned down at his mug of black coffee. His wobbling reflection frowned back at him. His tail drooped sadly.
Asmodeus frowned as well, knowing just how regretful Fizz must have felt. Fifteen years was a long time and Fizz had been angry at Blitz through all of it. An anger that was built from a lie.
“Just try to have fun today and you’ll see that Blitz isn’t mad at you, Fizz,” Asmodeus said.
Fizz sighed, still uncertain of what to think. “What if he realizes he doesn’t want me around…?”
This was a new worry to Asmodeus. “Why would he not want you around, Fizz? You’re the sweetest guy the both of us know,” Asmodeus replied. “He’d be a fool to throw you away after just getting you back.”
Fizz didn’t know why, but he had this nagging worry in the back of his mind that one day he’d wake up and be without Blitz yet again. That he’d find all contact he had with his best friend was cut off once more and Blitz was nowhere to be found. It sent a chill down his spine in the most unpleasant of ways.
Asmodeus could see the worry building in Fizz. As smooth as butter, he reached across the table to cup his boyfriend’s cheek. “I know, without a doubt, that Blitz isn’t going anywhere so pack that frown up and go and have yourself a nice date with him.”
Fizz looked up at Asmodeus and found nothing but love. His frown slowly morphed into a small smile. “It’s not a date,” he mumbled through his smile.
“Well, whatever it is, just try to have fun,” Asmodeus said before leaning across the table to kiss his lover. Fizz returned the kiss, feeling a bit better.
Fizz’s outfit of choice for the day did not involve one of his signature jester hats but a small pink-knitted beanie that peaked up at the sides of his head where his broken horns stuck out. It left the hat looking very much so like it had cat ears. Of course, this wasn’t Fizz’s original intent but he ended up liking the look. To match the hat he wore a flowing long-sleeve pink blouse and low-cut pants so that his stomach just barely peeked between the shirt’s hem and the pan’s waistline. To finish the look he matched a large fluffy pink and white scarf to keep his neck warm.
On days like this, Fizz discovered it was not such a bad idea to disguise himself a little in clothes that didn’t match his known signature look. Now that Mammon wasn’t running his life, he was able to explore more fashion options and not have to match whatever he wore with those collars Mammon pushed on him.
The ride to Pride was a boring one for Fizz. Fizz always forgot just how long it took to get from Lust to Pride by car. There was nothing interesting for him to do and the whole time he felt his throat growing drier and drier. Normally he’d distract himself with a series of Voxtube videos but about twenty minutes into the drive, he ended up falling fast asleep. Curled up in the seat like a cat, he didn’t notice when the limo came to a stop.
The limp stopped outside an old six-floor apartment. It was the address Blitz had given to him as their meet-up spot. If Fizz had been awake, he would have been able to piece together that this was likely where Blitz lived. Instead, he slept shivering on the stop despite the limo’s heating being on full blast. While Fizz was normally a light sleeper, at the moment, it didn’t seem like anything was going to easily wake him up.
Even when Blitz tapped on the window, Fizz did not stir. It was only when Blitz opened the door and gave his back a shake that Fizz finally came to. A little startled and disoriented, Fizz quickly sat himself up. For a moment, he forgot where he was and what he had been doing.
His throat now felt like he had swallowed a pack of needles. He found himself sniffling as another shiver ran through him. Quickly, he grabbed for the tissue box and gave his nose a loud blow. His head spun as he expelled the snot. He was feeling much worse now than he had been this morning.
“Yesh, you look f*cking horrible, Fizz,” Blitz said, wincing away as Fizz blew his nose.
Fizz, still in stubborn denial scowled at his friend. “I’m having some allergy problems,” he said, pushing Blitz out of the way so he could get out. He brought his box of tissues with him.
Blitz eyed the pile of tissues on the limo floor as he followed after Fizz. “Since when did you have allergies?” Blitz asked.
Fizz ignored the question and instead studied the building in front of him. It was a modestly sized apartment building with several floors but looked to be even older than he was. It didn’t look abandoned per-se, but it looked like it had maybe been a few years since any cosmetic updates had been made to the building. It was definitely a step up from their circus accommodations though.
“So, this is home?” Fizz asked, looking at Blitz.
“Yep, home sweet home,” Blitz proudly said. “I can show ya’ around but first, why don’t we get ourselves something to eat? I know this place with the best f*cking coffee, Fizz. It’s going to blow your pants off!”
“Blow my pants off?” Fizz said, chucking at the way Blitz enthusiastically threw his arms into the air. Almost right away a comfortable sense of nostalgia overtook Fizz. “That’s a tall order since you know who I live with now,” he laughed.
“f*ck, this coffee is going to make you rethink your life’s decisions,” Blitz said, taking Fizz around the shoulder. He moved his free arm in an arch in front of them to add the effect.
Fizz’s laughter only grew but soon dissolved into a cough. Covering his mouth, he turned away from Blitz. The tall imp halted, wincing a little at the sound of the cough.
“f*ck, Fizz–”
“I’m fine,” Fizz said, his voice now more husky than it had been prior to the coughing fit. “I just need something warm to drink.”
Blitz wasn’t convinced by Fizz’s insistence. With his arms crossed, he looked the jester up and down. Contradiction hung heavy on his lips but something stopped Blitz from doing so. It had been so long since he and Fizz had simply seen each other just to hang out.
“I’ll drive us,” Blitz said, motioning to the apartment’s parking lot.
Fizz nodded and followed after Blitz, happy that Blitz didn’t argue back with him. He was fine. It was simply allergies, or side effects from that smoker who sat too close to the stage. Fizz would have to tell Asmodeus to ban all Mammon brand cigarettes from now on.
“So, how are things going now that you’re not working for that sad excuse of a clown?” Blitz asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.
Fizz sat beside him in the passenger seat. It had been ages since he rode in this van with Blitz. In fact, Fizz wasn’t even sure if this was the same van Blitz used to drive before the accident. It had been so long ago he had forgotten the little details. He could recall that the inside of Blitz’s van was indeed red but was it this same shade of red? A little spaced out, Fizz couldn’t quite recall the past as well as he thought he did now that he was in the van.
“Hey! Hello! Fizz! You in there!?” Blitz asked when Fizz didn’t reply to his question.
The only reply he got from his friend was a loud snotty sniffle. Fizz sat with his head resting comfortably against the headrest and his eyelids half-lidded. From where Blitz sat, it looked like Fizz was on the brink of another car ride nap.
“Fizz!” Blitz said much louder this time.
Fizz jolted in his seat. For a moment he looked rather shocked to be in the van. Instead of getting upset with Blitz for shouting, Fizz turned to him and said with wide eyes, “Is it new?”
Blitz’s face screwed up in confusion. “Is what new?”
“This van,” Fizz said as if he and Blitz had been holding a conversation about the van this whole time.
“What, no, I’ve had it for years,” Blitz replied, swerving to the left to bypass a slower driver.
Fizz nodded though it still didn’t answer his question if this was the same van as before. He was about to point this out to Blitz but instead sneezed loudly three consecutive times. By the end of the fit, his head started to ache.
“Christ on a stick, Fizz, are you sure a hot coffee is what you need?” Blitz asked, half mocking half concerned.
“Coffee is the cure to all and you know that,” Fizz replied, his voice hoarse and now nasally.
“You have not changed at all,” Blitz mumbled to himself.
There was a beat of silence. For Fizz it was hard for him to really tell just how much time passed. His head was becoming progressively more and more cloudy. Minutes felt like seconds and seconds felt like days.
“Remember how we used to sneak out to that nearby park just to look at the sky at night?” Fizz asked, his question coming out of nowhere.
“Yeah?” Blitz half replied, half asked. His concern for Fizz was growing.
There was a long drawn-out silence. For a moment Blitz wondered if Fizz was even going to say any more about the park. At this point, he knew something was off about Fizz and it was more than just allergies.
Eventually, Fizz replied, his voice scratchy and a little distant. “I liked doing that… I liked sitting out there with you… it was nice.” Fizz smiled at the memory but for Blitz, it was hard for him to tell if Fizz meant to say this all out loud or not.
“Yeah, those were some of the best nights,” Blitz agreed. It had been nice to lay under the clear night sky back then, just the two of them.
“We should go back there,” Fizz said, comfortably slouching in his seat like he used to when Blitz drove them around.
Blitz nodded as he swiftly pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop.
“Get our coffees and go to the park,” Fizz hummed, his tail giving a content little flick.
“What?! You mean now?” Blitz asked, hitting his brakes hard as he parked.
Fizz, not expecting such a sudden stop, flew forward just a little. “f*ck, Blitz, who taught you how to park? Mammon?”
Blitz rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You know who taught me how to drive,” he grumbled. “And it wasn’t that bastard.”
Fizz returned Blitz’s eye-roll with a little pout but his sights weren’t set on the bad parking job. “Why not hit up that park? It’s not far from here. We could grab our coffees and just sneak way there like we used to.” Fizz made wild hand gestures as he spoke to Blitz.
“Fizz, that park is far away from here, very far away. We are nowhere near where we used to f*cking live,” Blitz said, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on, it’s just on the other side of town, isn’t it?” Fizz asked, crossing his arms.
“It’s a good hour away, Fizz,” Blitz said, sending Fizz a very concerned frown. “By the time we got there, our f*cking coffees would be long gone. And, besides, I wanted to show off my crib to you.”
Fizz slumped in his seat. He had never really been the best with direction but he was certain he recognized some of the streets around here as they drove. “I just wanted to…” Fizz’s words died before he could finish his thought. Blitz probably was right. An hour was a long way off.
Blitz audibly sighed. “Listen, why don’t we just hit up the park down the street from here? It’s not the same one but a park is a park. There’s also a shooting range nearby. Maybe I can show you how to hold a f*cking gun so the next time some creep jumps you, you can show them what for.”
Fizz’s pout let up as he considered Blitz’s idea. He supposed it was better than nothing. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he eventually said, looking a little less downtrodden. A park was a park and having Blitz show him how to shoot did sound kind of fun. It might be good for him to learn how to fend off creeps.
“I’m always right, Fizz,” Blitz said, giving Fizz’s shoulder a pat. Their conversations often used to go just like this. “We’ll have fun like old times, I promise.” He smiled at Fizz, his guarded exterior easing up a bit.
Fizz cracked a smile and stifled a snicker. “This park better be good or I’m making you drive us all the way across town,” Fizz teased.
The two exited the van and headed into the coffee shop. It was a modestly sized cafe with around five tables and not much more. A large male hellhound was working behind the bar making drinks while a small pint-sized imp woman took orders and manned the register. The woman was so small that Fizz at first thought she was a doll until he saw her moving about. The place was calm with only three of the five tables taken up by pairs of guests. The only real loud disturbance was the scream of the milk steamer any time it was in use. Fizz found it a nice atmosphere and a little shocking that this was the place Blitz was drawn to.
“Good afternoon, Blitz,” the imp woman at the counter greeted. “Will it be the regular?” She asked, already typing away at the register tablet.
“Yeah, but this time, make it two and the second one hot,” Blitz said, sauntering over to the counter like he owned the palace. “And add in an extra pump of caramel in each. I’m celebrating today.”
Fizz follows close after Blitz, his eyes wandering the cafe. No one seemed to pay much attention to him or Blitz. It seemed like no one really knew who he was with his new look. Fizz’s focus was growing foggier by the second so when the woman behind the counter addressed him, he didn’t reply at first.
“Yo, Fizz, you still in there?” Blitz asked, waving his hand in front of Fizz’s glazed-over stare.
Fizz grunted in shock, taking a step back. “What?” He asked a bit harsher than he meant. He blinked to find Blitz and the two cafe workers looking at him a little worried.
“Hey, is he okay?” the barista asked.
“He insists everything is f*cking fine,” Blitz shrugged, his skepticism very apparent. With his hands on his hips, he looked to be growing a bit annoyed with Fizz’s stubbornness.
“I’m fine!” Fizz said, pouting back at Blitz. He then turned to address the imp behind the counter. “I’ll take one of the strawberry sprinkle doughnuts and… umm…” he looked at the drink menu, uncertain of what he wanted to order.
“I ordered your drink already,” Blitz said before Fizz could finish his order.
“What, but I didn’t tell you want I wanted,” Fizz said, his tail giving an annoyed flick.
Blitz very confidently took Fizz into a one-armed hold. “Fizz, when it comes to coffee, you know my opinion is unmatched. You can trust me.”
Fizz didn’t push Blitz away but he did frown at him. “It better not be f*cking iced.” He followed this statement with a very congested sniffle.
“Don’t worry, it’s not,” Blitz proudly said, giving Fizz’s cheek a poke. His teasing stopped short at the heat he felt radiating from Fizz. He leaned back a bit to eye Fizz up and down. His concern was very apparent. “f*ck, Fizz, you sure you’re not sick?”
Fizz groaned and shrugged Blitz off. “I’m fine,” he said, his tone raspy and annoyed. He pulled out his wallet to pay for his doughnut.
Even the woman taking his money didn’t seem convinced by his words. “You sure you don’t want a glass of water with your order, sir?” she asked. “It’s on the house.”
Fizz signed, his chest feeling that unmistakable ach of a fever coming on. “Whatever, I’ll take it,” he said, not in the mood to argue any further.
With drinks and snacks in hand, the two headed out of the coffee shop. Fizz felt a shiver take over as they stepped into the outdoors. The sun was shining and the people on the streets walked in warm comfort but Fizz felt like he needed a blanket. He did all he could to right the feeling as best he could but he was pretty sure it was a losing battle.
“One warm coffee for the royal jester,” Blitz said, passing over the hot drink to Fizz.
Fizz snatched it up quickly, taking a deep gulp of the warm drink in an attempt to heat himself up. The warm drink felt good sliding down his throat but Fizz’s shivers didn’t seem to want to let up. His nose clogged up as he went in for another sip. It was hard for him to make heads or tails if the drink was any good with how whacked out his tastebuds were.
“It’s f*cking the best, right?” Blitz said, giving Fizz’s side a small nudge.
“It’s not bad. It tastes like…” Fizz paused as he tried to get an idea of the flavor. “It tastes like caramel,” he finally landed on, with a small neutral shrug. “You always did like your coffee overly sweet.”
“Well, not everyone chugs coffee straight from the pitcher like their life depends on it,” Blitz said, his tone a mix of teasing and defensive.
“Hey, I don’t have time in the morning to meticulously count every grain of sugar that I put into my coffee,” Fizz said with a chuckle.
The two walked so close to one another that their shoulders bumped every now and then. As they entered the park, Fizz felt his spirits lift a little. Their tails even swayed and twisted around each other in a very calm familiar sort of way.
“One of my employees does just that,” Blitz said, stifling his laughter. “That asshole will spend his whole morning break counting out grains of sugar and measuring out the coffee like it’s some sort of art.”
“Wait, are you talking about the guy who showed up at OZZIE’S and sang his stupid song?” Fizz asked, chuckling a little at the memory.
“Same guy,” Blitz nodded. “He’s a pretentious little f*ck but he’s got a good shot,” he carried on sounding a bit more fond of the guy than Fizz expected. “His wife also takes no prisoners. Best employees if I’m being honest.”
“Wait, that dweeb joins you on your assassinations missions?” Fizz asked, his tone full of disbelief. He had never really stopped to think of the new people Blitz now had in his life. It was weird to hear him talk about them so fondly.
“Oh yeah, Mox never misses his shot as long as he isn’t getting all uptight and worried about shooting the innocent,” Blitz said, his tone a bit more mocking once more.
The two friends took a seat on a bench. Though he hadn’t made a single comment about it, Fizz was beginning to feel tired and it seemed like Blitz had picked up on it. Without much thought, the two sat very close to one another as they converse and sipped away at their drinks.
“So, how many people are working for you now?” Fizz asked, feeling quite curious. There had been a time when he was certain he’d someday be working for Blitz. Back when they were young Blitz dreamed of starting his own circus away from his father and Fizz promised he’d be his first employee. It was something they spent years upon years dreaming about together. Of course, that never happened. Somehow, the idea of him not being Blitz’s first employee left him feeling lonely at the moment. He felt cheated out of what should have been a precious memory for them both.
“Well, there’s Mox, and Millie his wife, and my sweet little Loony,” Blitz said, his eyes going soft at the end. “And then there’s me.” He proudly pointed to himself.
“Loony?” Fizz asked, his face screwing up in confusion.
“Yeah, she’s my daughter, Loona,” Blitz said. In one motion, he pulled out his phone to show off the photos he had of the day he adopted Loona.
“D-Daughter!?” Fizz sputtered, almost choking on his drink. His head spun at the idea of Blitz being a dad. He looked at the phone to see a picture of Blitz beside a very aggressive hellhound. The girl was snarling into the camera as if she was a thread a way of ripping someone’s head off. “That’s Loona?”
“Yeah,” Blitz’s fondly sighed. “She might look rough around the edges but she’s a good kid.” He smiled at the photos in the loving way a father does when speaking of their child.
Still a little shocked, Fizz didn’t quite know what to say. He hadn’t once suspected that in the past fifteen years, Blitz had become a father. “She looks pretty old in this picture. How old is she now?” he asked, still in a bit of disbelief.
“She’s twenty-two years old but her birthday is coming up soon,” Blitz said, putting his phone back in his pocket. The taller imp looked absolutely happy to be talking about his daughter.
“A daughter and your own company… You’ve really been keeping busy,” Fizz said, with a sad sort of smile. He was happy for Blitz to have such great things going for him but at the same time, there was a part of him that wished he could have been there, too. No, that he should have been there. If it wasn’t for that lie he had been told fifteen years ago, who knows what could have happened between him and Blitz. “I won’t miss out anymore…”
“What?” Blitz asked, uncertain of what Fizz meant.
Blitz didn’t get an answer as Fizz zoned out once more. His head became very clouded with a growing fever and his senses were now out of wack, Fizz mindlessly nibbled on his doughnut. His eyes were unconfused but set on the hellish flowerbed in front of them. A warm breeze passed by but he shivered as if it were the dead of winter.
Blitz’s concern only grew at the sight of his childhood friends. Even after all these years, he could tell that Fizz was off his game today. He had humored Fizz up until this point but he had had about enough of the fun and games for one day. The last thing he needed was to have Asmodeus on his ass for letting Fizz’s condition fall any further.
“Hey, I’m going to toss out our cups and then we can head back to my place,” Blitz said, his words going undead by Fizz. With that, he gathered their garbage and left the other to wait on the bench.
Fizz had indeed been too zoned out to pick up on anything Blitz had said. He didn’t notice Blitz clean up or hear his words about tossing out their trash. Instead, his mind swirled with thoughts of how much the both of them had missed out on each other’s lives these past fifteen years. How Mammon has controlled him and gaslit him into thinking he didn’t need anyone from his past. How he had been made to believe Blitz had wanted him dead all that time when it wasn’t ture. How so many life milestones passed for the both of them but they hadn’t been there to celebrate their accomplishments together.
As all of this overcame Fizz, he felt a sense of loneliness and disappointment. He felt like something very important had been taken from him. Memories he had planned on making were now long gone and passed. He could only imagine what it would have been like to be there when Blitz opened the doors of IMP. How would it have felt to have Blitz celebrate alongside him when he landed his gig at OZZIE’S? They were never meant to be apart from each other for this long.
It was a biker speeding swiftly past Fizz that had caused the imp to snap out of his thoughts.
“Blitz why don’t we–” Fizz started only to stop short at realizing he was alone. Feeling a little dizzy and uncertain, he looked around for his friends but couldn’t see where he went. “Blitz?”
The quiet stillness of the park was the only answer Fizz got back. Fizz’s fuzzy fever struck mind filled with confusion. With his vision a bit blurry and his thoughts jumping from one thing to another, the poor jester found himself getting worked into a panic. He could have sworn he had just been sitting with Blitz talking with him. Blitz had been with him, right? Could it have been a dream? Where was he anyway? Where had Blitz gone?
Fizz felt his heart begin to beat faster as he scanned the park for his friend. Yes, he had been here with Blitz, he knew that for a fact, but where was Blitz? Why had he left? Had he gotten tired of him? Was he upset with him for having come out unwell? Did he leave to go back to his company, back to the people in his life who helped him build his dreams while Fizz had been off somewhere hating his guts?
Fizz felt an immense amount of guilt overcome him. He had hated Blitz for so long. He had been so mad at Blitz for never coming to see him in the hospital. He had talked scathingly and badmouthed about Blitz to Asmodeus for years. He had told Asmodeus about how much he hated Blitz for never showing up. He had wished for Blitz’s misery back then for abandoning him for dead. But it had all been a lie.
Blitz hadn’t abandoned him back then. He had done all he could to see Fizz but had been fed a similar lie. He had been driven away from Fizz by people they had trusted and Fizz had taken it all out on Blitz.
He couldn’t blame Blitz if he decided he didn’t want to take him back. After the way he had ripped Blitz apart at OZZIE’S, he wouldn’t blame the other for never wanting to see him again. He had humiliated Blitz that night and had done it with a smile on his face. Blitz had only been standing up for his coworker and Fizz had torn into him.
Fizz felt his chest well up with emotion. He had been so cruel. He deserved to be left alone in the park like this. Blitz was right for not taking him back. He had hated him so much these past fifteen years and yet… All that time Fizz had wanted nothing more than to have Blitz back in his life. To have back the one person who was always standing up for him and thinking about what was right for him. But Fizz knew he didn’t deserve it. He hadn’t even apologized for all the horrible things he used to say about Blitz.
Just as Fizz’s eyes watered up, a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. Fizz shrieked, jumped up from the bench, and turned around quickly to find Blitz looking very alarmed. Fizz held a sneer on his face as if he was ready to fight whoever the stranger was.
“Woah, Fizz are you okay?” Blitz asked, holding both his hands up to show he meant no harm.
“f*ck, Blitz, you scared me,” Fizz said, his voice tired and ragged. Though he was not aware of it, he was beginning to sweat. The clammy sort of sweat that comes about when you are feeling cold but are actually quite hot. “Where the f*ck did you go?”
“I told you, I was just throwing away our garbage,” Blitz said, eyeing Fizz in concern. At this point, he knew their date was over. He needed to get Fizz back where he could rest.
“Oh, right,” Fizz nodded as if he hadn’t been on the verge of a full-on meltdown. “So, how about we head to that shooting range you mentioned?”
Blitz came around the other side of the bench to be beside Fizz. “Fizz, I think it’s time we just head back to my place. You look like hot garbage and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a gun.” He took Fizz by the arm and began to guide him back towards the parking lot.
“No!” Fizz said, pulling himself from Blitz’s hold. He stumbled back, almost falling down as a wave of dizziness overcame him. “I’m fine Blitz,” he stubbornly insisted. “I want to go to the shooting range.”
Blitz sighed, looking annoyed. “Since when have you liked shooting, anyways, Fizz,” Blitz said, shaking his head. “You’re clearly a walking biohazard at this point. Let’s just head back and we can call your limo and you can head home.”
“No!” Fizz said once more, just as forceful. “I want to go to the shooting range. I’m not ready to go home yet.” Fizz’s head spun as he felt his panic building again. Why was Blitz trying to get rid of him? Didn’t he want to hand out longer? It had been so long since they last saw each other simply to be together.
“Fizz, I already told you You’re too f*cking sick to be handling a gun and I am not going to be responsible for your stubborn ass,” Blitz sharply said, confused as to why the jester was being so stubborn.
“Just let me try,” Fizz begged. “I won’t be a burden, I promise.” Fizz staggered, feeling the world around him begin to spin. Why? Why did Blitz want to get ride of him already? Was he mad at him? “Blitz please don’t leave me.”
“Fizz, what are you-” Blitz began to ask only to stop short as he watched Fizz stumbled over. “Fizz!” he shouted, lunging forward and catching his friend before he hit the pavement. “What the actual f*ck, Fizz?”
“Please, don’t leave me again,” Fizz mumbled, rolling into Blitz hold. “Don’t go.”
“sh*t, you’re f*cking burning up,” Blitz gasped, picking Fizz up into is arms. It looked like he had won the argument this time and they’d be going home.
Of course, Fizz didn’t reply back but he mumbled incoherently. “Please don’t go.”
Burning, that is what Fizz felt as his mind floated in the dark nothingness. Scorching pain, sounds of blasts and explosions, a figure running further and further away. Try as Fizz might, he couldn’t bring them back. Why? Why did he leave? Why did he run away? Didn’t he care?
This was no accident. He did this to you because he hates you. You’ve always outshined him and he couldn't take it anymore. He doesn’t want anything to do with you, Fizz. You’re better off dead to him than alive.
‘No, we’ve made up. That’s a lie. He never meant to leave me behind. He never meant to abandon me.’
He hated you then, Fizz, and he still hates you now. After all those years of you dragging his name through the mud. After that time you humiliated him and his beloved employees. How could he ever want you back? How could you ever think he’d forgive you?
‘No, that isn’t ture. Blitz isn’t made at me. He wants to fix things just as much as I do!’
He hates you, Fizz. You don’t deserve his forgiveness. He is just going to leave you again as he should.
‘Shut up! Shut up! He’s not going to leave me! He won’t abandon me again. He didn’t abandon me back then and he isn’t going to do it now.’
It’s too late, Fizz. He had already left you behind.
Fizz shot awake so quickly that he practically leaped up into a sitting position. His heart pounded madly against his ribcage as if he had just been running from a creepy fan. His skin was wet and clammy with sweat. His head ached, his throat was dry, and his nose threatened to drain snot there on the spot. Before Fizz could so much as orient himself he fell into a coughing fit. So overcome by the fit he collapsed back onto the bed.
His head pounded as the cough subsided. He closed his eyes giving himself a moment to recover. He couldn’t recall what he had been doing last. The last thing he remembered was sitting on a bench at a park with Blitz. Why was he here in this unfamiliar room in a bed he didn’t know? Memories of waking up in that hospital room crept at the fringes of his mind.
The thought of Blitz was what got Fizz to open his eyes once more. Where was Blitz?
Laying on his side Fizz scanned the room. There was a TV and a coffee table shoved all the way to one side of the room. A window sat on the wall across from him with its curtains closed. Fizz rolled onto his stomach to see that the bed he was on was a pullout from a sofa. From behind the backrest, he could make out what looked to be a kitchen. On the walls were pictures upon pictures of Blitz’s coworker, sister, and daughter but in each one it looked like someone had been scribbled out.
It took Fizz a good minute to connect the dots but when he finally did he called out, his voice horse and dry, “Blitz?!”
The answer he got back was empty silence. The sound of cars passing outside and the ticking of the kitchen clock only accentuated how alone he was. For some reason, this put Fizz on edge.
“Blitz!” He called again only to dissolve into another coughing fit. His head pounded once more. Where was Blitz? Why wasn’t he here?
Fizz’s body crawled at the feeling of being stuck sick in a bed without Blitz there to reassure him. He had waited back then for Blitz to show up. He had waited and waited and waited but Blitz never came. Everyone insisted that Blitz wanted nothing to do with him and Fizz had ignored them but Blitz still never came.
Fizz knew Blitz hadn’t meant to start that fire that night. He knew it wasn’t fully Blitz’s fault. Blitz hadn’t been the one to put the fireworks in the tent. Blitz hadn’t been the one to light the cake and bring it into the tent. Fizz knew it was an accident and he had already forgiven Blitz. They had already made peace with each other, had they not.
You have made peace with this Fizz, but had Blitz? After fifteen years of blame, do you think he’d forgive you so easily? Did you really think, that after what you did to him, he’d just take you back?
Fizz’s head pounded as tears began to spill from his eyes. Was he going to have to wait another fifteen years before he got to see Blitz again? Or would he have to wait even longer? It was too cruel. He just got Blitz back and he was gone again. Fizz didn’t get to apologize to him for the things he had said and done. The cruel words he had used against Blitz. How he had attacked him with insults that had the intention of hurting him. He was sorry. He needed Blitz now more than ever. He needed to tell him how he felt. He needed to hear from Blitz that everything was going to be okay.
“Blitz,” Fizz cried into his pillow, his shoulders shaking as sobs set in. With every teardrop, the burning in his head only grew more and more intense making it hard for him to think logically.
Fizz didn’t notice when the front door to the apartment opened and shut as Blitz arrived back from the corner store. With him, he carried a small bag with fever medication and a few other odds and ends you might need for a person fighting a fever. Blitz hadn’t expected to arrive back to the sound of Fizz’s loud raspy sobbing so you could only imagine how alarmed he was.
“Fizz!?” Blitz cried, tossing the bag of groceries onto the kitchen counter. He rushed to the pullout bed where the other imp lay sobbing his eyes out. “sh*t, Fizz! What’s the matter? Are you hurting somewhere?” He asked as he rounded the sofa.
Fizz, disoriented and upset lifted his face from the pillow. Big sloppy tears streamed from his eyes and down his cheeks. Snot spilled from his snout. His eyes were red and outlined in large tired bags.
“I- I don’t want you to l-leave me again,” Fizz said, before he half cried half coughed into the the pillow.
“L-Leave you?” Blitz replied with a mixture of shock and confusion. “Fizz, I just ran out to grab a few things.”
Fizz, with his face still buried in the pillow cried, “You left because you don’t want me around you anymore!”
Blitz, who had no idea what anxiety hunted Fizz’s mind, could only sit there in baffled concussion. “Fizz, it wasn’t even ten minutes I was gone. Jeeze, just calm down,” He said, sitting beside the crying jester. Very gently he rubbed circles into Fizz’s shaking back.
“Y-You hate me,” Fizz argued back. Despite his words, he began to relax at the feeling of having Blitz close once more.
“Are you f*cking insane, Fizz? Why would I hate you?” Blitz asked, his words were a bit harsh but his touch was as gentle as ever. “What was in that doughnut you ate?”
Fizz turned his head from the pillow to face Blitz. His eyes were so full of tears he could barely make out the other imp. “I was so mean to you at OZZIE’S and I spent that whole fifteen years apart from you blaming everything on you but it wasn’t your fault,” Fizz cried, his voice so broken and sad that Blitz could barely make out what he was saying. “I was horrible. I called you my best friend but not once in those fifteen years did I give you the chance to prove those accusations wrong.”
“Fizz,” Blitz said in absolute shock. The massage he was giving Fizz came to a stop as he looked around the room as if he expected this to be some sort of joke. He hadn’t realized Fizz had felt this way.
Fizz, unable to stop himself, rolled over until he was practically in Blitz’s lap. Feeling too weak to sit himself up, he tried to use Blitz as a crutch to sit himself up. He managed for a moment but collapsed back down. Blitz was quick to catch him. Looking absolutely lost at Fizz’s hysteria, all he could do was look down at him and hope Fizz hadn’t finally gone over the deep end.
“I-I’m so sorry Blitz,” Fizz said, looking through his treats into Blitz’s eyes. “I’m sorry for blaming you all these years and I’m sorry for all those horrible things I used to say. But most of all, I’m sorry for not coming to find you the moment I got out of the hospital.” With that Fizz’s words cut short as he dissolved into another fit of hysterical sobs. “Please don’t leave me again, Blitz. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Blitz sat in shock for a good minute just holding Fizz. He didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t ever expected in his thirty-five years of living that Fiz would ever apologize for what had happened. Hadn’t he, Blitz, been the one in the wrong? Hadn’t he been the one to hurt Fizz? Why was Fizz apologizing?
When Fizz dissolved into another coughing fit, Blitz returned to the reality that he had a hysterical sick imp in his arms. “Come on, Fizz, I’m not going to leave you,” Blitz said, his words landing like they did back in the day. Kicking off his boots, he very gently rested both himself and Fizz back into the bed.
“I’m so sorry,” Fizz sniffled as his cough subsided. Wrapping an arm around Blitz, he didn’t give the other imp a single moment to leave him. Snuggling up as close as he could to Blitz, he now used the other imp to dry his tears.
Blitz didn’t try to separate himself from Fizz, allowing the jester the time he needed to calm down. “Christ on a stick, Fizz, since when have you become this clingy,” Blitz teased, his voice not holding any malice for the other.
Fizz peeked up to look at Blitz. His vision was still blurred over with tears. “I missed you so much,” he shamelessly admitted. His fever really removed any filter he may have had otherwise.
Blitz’s eyes softened at hearing this. “I missed you, too,” he said, in pure genuine honesty.
“I don’t want to lose you again, Blitz,” Fizz said, his voice nasally and congested.
Blitz used his thumb to wipe the tears from Fizz’s cheeks. “Here you are getting all worked up over nothing. You won’t lose me. I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “You’re f*cking burning up though. Let me get up so I can grab you the medicine I bought.”
“You’ll come back?” Fizz asked, his snotty nose dropping onto Blitz’s shirt.
“Of course, I will,” Blitz said, grabbing a tissue to whip the snot from the other imp. “I’m not going anywhere this time.”
Fizz didn’t release Blitz right away but hugged him closer. With his cheek pressed to Blitz’s chest, he he held him tight. There was less desperation in this hug but an insistence that made it clear that he didn’t plan on letting Blitz go ever again.
“f*ck, I’m just going to the kitchen,” Blitz said, his tone teasing. “It’s only three steps away. I’ll be back in less than ten seconds.”
“I’m counting,” Fizz said, loosening his hold on Blitz enough for the other to wiggle free.
Blitz shimmied his way out of Fizz’s grip and rolled off the bed. The second his foot touched the ground Fizz started counting.
“One… two…” Fizz’s nasally voice sounded off from the bed.
“f*ck, Fizz, are you kidding me,” Blitz said, tripping over himself as he headed to the kitchen.
“You said ten seconds, five… six…” Fizz grumbled, carrying on with his counting.
“You’re too f*cking much sometimes,” Blitz sighed, trying to fish the medication from the bag. The box’s corners kept getting caught between the can of chicken soup and the bottle of orange juice.
“Ten!” Fizz shouted and without warning he shot his arms into the kitchen. He gave his fingers a wiggle before snatching at Blitz’s tail. Unfortunately for him, Blitz was much faster than he used to be.
“f*ck, Fizz! Let me get you some goddamn water first,” Blitz said, dodging another one of Fizz’s grabs. “Unless you want to swallow these things dry!”
“Hurry up, or I’ll cry even louder,” Fizz snapped, using his own hand like a puppet to tell Blitz off. He then gave Blitz a sturdy smack on the ass to prove his point.
“f*ck, you do one nice thing for him and he thinks he can just boss you around,” Blitz grumbled to himself.
Fizz hacked loudly as if to further rush Blitz along. His eyes were now all red and puffy from all his crying and he still felt a heaviness in his chest. It had been ages since he had any sort of nightmare around the accident. He thought he had worked through that with Asmodeus years ago but apparently not. Now all he wanted to do was hold Blitz and wish his worries away.
Fizz, with his throbbing head and unwavering fever, began to doze off the moment he allowed himself a moment to relax. To Fizz’s fogged-up brain, it felt like he waited for ages as Blitz gathered up the medication and all the other odds and ends he had bought for Fizz. When the taller imp returned, he found that he had to give Fizz a little shake to wake him once more.
“Hey, no sleeping yet,” Blitz said, making sure not to be too rough with Fizz. “You need to take something for that fever.” He held the cup of water and pills out for Fizz to take
Fizz, who hadn’t fallen into a true sleep, sat himself up. His body wavered as he addressed Blitz. Instead of saying anything, he gave his nose a very loud and wet sniffle, and in two motions, he snatched the pill and water from Blitz, downing them in one gulp.
“f*ck, I’ve never seen someone drink a glass of water with that much gusto,” Blitz teased when Fizz placed the empty cup back in his hand. “It looks like you’ve learned a thing or two from your big royal chicken.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Fizz and gave him a large goofy smile.
“f*ck you,” Fizz replied before collapsing back onto his pillow. Before Blitz could even reply to him, Fizz grabbed him by the arm and snaked his arm around Blitz’s like a boa.
Placing the cup on the floor, Blitz got the hint. “Well, scoot over if you want me to stay,” he said, motioning for Fizz to make room.
Fizz did as he was told and only loosened his grip on Blitz once the other was lying down next to him. Like a koala, Fizz clung to Blitz. There was a lingering desperation in him as if he feared Blitz would just up and leave him again for another long fifteen years. Even though Fizz’s mind told him that wasn’t going to happen, his heart refused to listen.
There was a long silence in the room once more but this time it was different. Instead of the ticking of the clock and the distant traffic from outside, Fizz was now accompanied by the sounds of Blitz’s familiar breathing and heartbeat. Somehow this comforted Fizz in a way he hadn’t been comforted in many years. It brought him back to a past that was so distant he was sure he had forgotten all about it. For the first time in fifteen years, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
“I missed you,” Fizz said, his voice quiet and a little strained. “I’m so happy to have you back.”
Blitz didn’t answer right away. Unbeknownst to Fizz, these words struck Blitz in the best way possible. Very gently, he snaked his arms so that he too was also holding on to Fizz. The two long-lost friends hugged one another in a very comfortable silence. Their tails curled around and twisted together as imp’s tails often did when with someone they cherished greatly.
“Please don’t ever leave me behind again,” Fizz said, his hug growing tight for only a moment.
Blitz nuzzled his face into the top of Fizz’s head. “I won’t. I promise.” He meant every word of it. He never thought in a million years he would ever win Fizz back. If you had asked him six months ago if he ever pictured himself in this situation, he would have laughed at you and then gone home to cry.
Never would either of them ever let anyone get between them ever again.
