"It's beautiful…" Millie cooed while Moxxie led the two of them across the railing and towards the bow of the majestic vessel.
Giddy and finally away from their boss, Moxxie and Millie danced across the decks, not a care in the world towards who saw them. They didn't feel the urge to hide their affection from each other now, given that the setting was appropriate.
The sun slowly transitioned from a white hue to a shade of orange, the water shimmering with life, reflecting the happy mood that had made its presence known, seeming to be blessing the two of them with good fortune. Below, the ship glided through the water with grace, the sound of bubbling sea foam adding on to the already amorous and whimsical mood.
Moxxie donned a goofy smile, a poorly-watered rose between his teeth that he had gotten from satan-knows-where. The fact that the both of them were still able to act like idiots around each other and still call it romantic proved that the spark that had been ignited on their first date was still burning strong years later.
Her memory was sharp, and she remembered the night of their first date like it was yesterday.
She had been preparing to leave her job at IMP with Blitzo, when she saw Moxxie waltz in and hand in a form. The day had been warm and muggy, which were the typical conditions in the pride ring. She had offered Moxxie a bottle of water, which he refused at first, until she convinced him to take it. Although he never admitted it, she knew he had been parched and was refusing simply out of politeness. Typical Moxxie.
It had been roughly a week or so when Millie noticed herself thinking of the shy man from the front desk, fanciful thoughts overtaking her mind, something about this man appearing different from her other lovers. Maybe it was the general lack of douchebaggery the new employee possessed that wasn't present in most of the other demons. Perhaps it was his shyness mixed with occasional oblivity, something she never imagined herself being drawn to. Could it have been the fact that he seemed genuine, instead of faking a personality for the sake of image?
Despite the intensifying affection, she didn't dare approach him. Not because she was afraid of rejection, she had become accustomed to it. Moxxie was the main concern, seeming on edge and jumpy all the time. She knew he would scatter if she came on too strong, and decided to take things slower. Not only that, she only saw the man when he was dropping off paperwork, the two of them barely able to squeak out two sentences before having to part ways again.
It was foolish to fall for somebody after having only known them for a couple days, right? She was above that!
The next day, Blitzo had sat her and Loona down to tell them about their newest employee, who prided himself on his marksman skills. Loona seemed less than pleased with the idea of hiring Moxxie, but the rest of the crew was on board, and a couple hours later Moxxie arrived for his first day on the job, avoiding eye contact with the crew and silently flopping down into his seat, shaking like a leaf. Millie had wanted to go over to comfort him, and moved down a few seats to be next to her new coworker.
She still remembered how nervous he had been while talking to her, stumbling over his words and struggling to string a simple sentence together. As time went on, however, they slowly became more comfortable around each other, and then the night came when she dared to ask him out, hoping to avoid scaring the little guy away.
The two of them were preparing to leave work, Millie offering to walk him home since he lived on a more dangerous side of town. She couldn't be as aggressive talking to him as she had to be with past partners, and she even found herself struggling to get the words out properly, almost as nervous as Moxxie had been.
"Ay," she had said, "Y-Ya ain't too bad, would ya be up for a cup of coffee or somethin'?"
"Coffee? At night? Do you want to have chronic insomnia?" Moxxie seemed taken aback, "The nearest cafe is on the other side of town. Why coffee of all things, anyway?"
There was that obliviousness that she loved.
Right now, however, it would only make her question harder for her to ask.
"Look," she took a deep breath. She would have never imagined herself feeling nervous around somebody as sweet as Moxxie. It's not like he was going to brutally reject her or anything, he was too nice for that.
Maybe that was what was scaring her.
If she did this wrong and scared him off, she would probably never see him again. Sure, they would be together at work, but it wouldn't be the same. Not with something like this under their belts.
But, regardless, she forced herself to speak.
"Dummy," she laughed nervously, "I'm asking you out. On a date. "
Moxxie's eyes grew wide, and she could swear she heard the gears in his brain grinding to a halt. Each second of silence was waiting away at her heart, but the next words that came out of his mouth made it all worth it.
"Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her, "I'd be delighted."
Millie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and squealed with joy, a dopey grin forming on Moxxie's face.
That night, Millie brought him to one of the few local cafes that didn't also double as a strip club, which she knew Moxxie wouldn't have enjoyed. They talked each other's ears off, to the point that she feared they'd lose their voices if they didn't stop, the hours passing by without them realizing.
Unlike some of her previous suitors, they maintained communication after the first date, and soon enough they were going out every week, dressed up and ready to see where the night would take them.
Almost a year had passed before Moxxie had popped the question, under the moonlight sky shortly after dusk on a warm summer evening. Even though he was a nervous wreck while doing it, Millie accepted before he could finish speaking, and a few months later their marriage became official.
"Will you marry me?" He had asked, keeping it simple and kneeling down before opening a red box, containing an engagement ring with a large green stone, catching the moon's rays.
He had barely finished speaking before she grabbed his hand and shouted, "Hell yeah I'll marry ya!"
Her heart fluttered as she reminisced on their early days, still just as eager for their future together, endless possibilities awaiting them.
And everything since was history. Now, she took Moxxie's hand as the two of them strolled the decks, still just as in love as they had been on that muggy summer evening.
Looking lovingly back at his wife, Moxxie was transported back to the dreary afternoon all those years ago, the day that he had met the love of his life.
Blitzo had just finished interviewing him, far more intimidating back then than in recent years. Behind him, a hellhound with a condescending gaze looked blankly back, unsure as to whether she was focused on him, or on the high-strung imp that was screaming in his face, bombarding Moxxie with a series of random and obsolete questions to which there was no answer.
"Tell me," Blitzo asked, "What are your thoughts on threeways?"
Moxxie had nearly choked on his own saliva in surprise. What kind of interviewer would ask something like that? This was an assassination business, not some sort of strip club. Or, at least, that's what it had said on the sign.
"No thanks…." Moxxie whispered, timidly staring back down at the ground and anxiously awaiting whatever absurd obscenity flew out of the man's mouth next, "Those aren't my thing."
"Your loss." the curved-horned imp laughed.
He led Moxxie towards a shooting range around the back of the building, and handed him a rifle. Taking note of the imps previous questions and generally perverted nature, being alone in an alley with him was enough to send a chill up his spine.
Thankfully, there didn't appear to be any ulterior motives.
Once he had demonstrated competence and aim with a weapon, Blitzo told him to go home and wait for a response.
When he was preparing to leave, an imp with a black crop-top and dark hair approached him, something about her demanding his attention. He assumed she was another worker and was there purely on business terms and ignored her, instead handing in the forums that would determine his status as an employee.
"You need something, fella?" She said in a heavy accent that he hadn't heard before.
Moxxie's throat tightened and sweat pooled at the top of his forehead, every muscle in his body tensing up. He had no idea what to say to her, especially it being somebody he had known for mere seconds. Nor did he know what she was trying to inquire about. Did she think he was an employee? A janitor maybe? Did she need something?
"H-Hello," Moxxie laughed nervously, "What do you need?" He repeated her question, not quite sure why he did so.
"Alright…" The imp paused, her voice trailing off briefly, "You look like a wreck," She said, holding out a bottle of water to him, "Here."
Moxxie wanted so desperately to accept, but his mind refused to acknowledge that somebody would offer him something like this with no ill intentions behind it. He had spent more than enough time in hell to know not to trust drinks from strangers. That, and he didn't want to come off as rude, especially if this woman was going to be his coworker.
"No thanks," He said, his voice becoming noticeably raspy. He tried to hide it by clearing his throat, only making matters worse, "I'm alright."
The imp looked at him with a quizzical expression before breaking out into a playful smile, "Don't you lie to me, take it."
Seeing no other way out, he took the bottle out of her hands and waved goodbye, hastily searching for a way to avoid any more awkward interactions. People were never exactly his strong suit, and the last thing he wanted was to get attached to somebody, only to weird them out later and have his heart broken again.
In the following days, he found his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the dark-haired imp. Something about the way she looked at him with curiosity as opposed to distaste or repulsion lit a candle in his heart, although he knew that pursuing any sort of relationship would be unprofessional and rude. Making any sort of move would rightfully get him thrown into HR and potentially fired, and losing a job right now would be the final nail in his financial coffin.
Blitzo called back early in the morning, and Moxxie had been hired. He triumphantly pumped his fist in the air on his way to the office, overjoyed to have any sort of reliable source of income. Perhaps he'd even manage to become acquainted with his new coworkers, except for maybe the receptionist. He could tell the hellhound wasn't very fond of him.
"Welcome abroad!" Blitzo said, slugging him on the shoulder as he moved to sit down at the end of a long conference table.
Once all of the employees were seated, Blitzo began his presentation, motioning towards a whiteboard with poorly drawn renditions of himself. He began planning out a trip to the human world to sack a kill, but slowly lost his train of thought, and within a few minutes he was off on some nonsensical rant about an ex-lover of his, crying and screaming in anger.
Instead of paying attention, Moxxie had been preoccupied by a presence to his right. The dark-haired imp was sitting next to him now, and introduced herself as "Millie" Moxxie exchanged information with her in return, and then continued to listen to Blitzo's rant in awe and confusion, laughing at his bizarre remarks and exaggerated motions while at the same time nervous for the man's sanity.
"He's a...strange man…." Moxxie whispered, continuing to watch his new boss as his mental state continually deteriorated over the course of his speech.
"You'll get used to it," Millie had said, "Believe me, this is the closest to normal he ever gets. "
"Oh crumbs…"
Over the next few weeks, they began to socialize more and more frequently, and Moxxie felt a spark developing in his heart, despite his best efforts to extinguish it. The last thing he wished was to end up tarnishing their work relationship by making some sort of move, and had decided that he was content simply being a coworker.
That feeling did not last long.
One day after work Millie had asked for him to stay after work for a few minutes, the workday already stretching into the early hours of the night. Even though he felt like hell after sacking three kills in a single day, for Millie he could endure another half hour of work. He assumed she was calling to organize the office's financial statements, or perhaps to clean up after hours, since the building was already a mess.
Once Blitzo had left and tossed him the keys, Millie showed up at the end of the hallway and approached him.
He noticed that she was acting rather peculiar, appearing slightly more timid than usual, with closed off body language. Her eyes were staring off into space, and her usually confident smile was crooked and jagged, a look of anticipation in her pupils.
Moxxie's heart raced as the possibilities raced through his mind, tormenting him with hypothetical scenarios that would end with him being heartbroken. Was he unintentionally being creepy? Was he getting fired?
She instead offered to walk him home, an invitation that he giddy accepted. And once they were close to his home, she invited him out to coffee, which his brain hadn't processed as being a date yet. After repeating herself, Moxxie happily accepted, reaching out and giving her a hug, something that hadn't imagined himself giving anyone.
Moxxie felt guilty for making her go through all of this. If he had known she liked him too, he would've asked her first, saving her the discomfort of having to put her feelings on display and risking a heartbreak.
They embraced each other for a few seconds before Millie led him back down the dark street and to a café that he had never been to, the unfamiliar atmosphere contributing to the whimsical mood of the night. Moxxie had the advantage of already knowing Millie from work, and they talked each other's ears off throughout the night, leaving happier than they had been when they went in.
Though he was paranoid at first that she would leave him because of something he was doing, she reassured him that it would not be the case, and they were able to properly communicate with each other, which almost seemed weird since relationships that weren't abusive were a rare sight in hell. It felt as if his spirits would never come down, riding an eternal wave of eumorius joy.
After nearly twelve months of dating, Moxxie finally decided that he would take the initiative this time, and found a jeweler who supplied him with a beautiful emerald stone. Once it had been properly cleaned and boxed, he departed and went to find Millie, putting his newfound plan into action without a second thought.
They had a date planned that evening, which would take them through the classier streets of Imp City, free from the typical crime that was present in hell, instead decorated with colorful and alluring architecture. The perfect spot for a private proposal.
When night fell, Moxxie escorted her to the streets, admiring the atmosphere and taking in every sight that it had to offer, lingering and gawking.
It wasn't until they were ready to leave that Moxxie removed the ring from his pocket, and knelt down next to her to offer his hand in marriage. He still remembered how her pupils had expanded in wonder as she laid eyes on the ring, and then on him. Even though they weren't a materialistic couple, he had decided to treat her to something. It was the least he could do for her, and one of the only ways he knew how to express his affection, something that words couldn't do for him.
"Hell yeah I'll marry ya!" Millie had shouted excitedly, jumping into his arms and kissing him, squealing with excitement. Seeing the look on her face was all the reassurance he needed to know that he had done the right thing, bringing out a sense of joy that he hadn't felt in a long time.
The next few months had been a blur of wedding planning. Blitzo had even given them the week after the wedding off work, a gesture which was unexpected, but well-received.
Before they knew it, they were standing at the altar, Moxxie waiting anxiously at the end of the aisle as Millie moved forward, donned in the best clothes that hell had to offer, Moxxie wearing an expensive tuxedo with a black leather belt and black bowtie.
A demon holding a certificate stood behind them, and read off each of their vows before they were officially married. Though the attendance was small, the halls were filled with applause and cheering as they stood and kissed, a string quartet playing marital hymns beside them.
And now, here they were, years later, still as happy and content as they had been on day one. There was nothing better than the feeling of being genuinely cared about, especially by somebody as sweet as Millie.
"Look at this!" Millie shouted, pointing to the ocean below them.
Moxxie carefully positioned himself near the edge of the railing, his eyes scanning the ocean for something out of the ordinary. His gaze caught a school of something that resembled an earthly dolphin, but with a hellish spin on it. A large horn protruded from its forehead, and a series of sharp teeth could be seen poking out from under its lips. Though the creature looked fearsome, it didn't seem to be showing any outward signs of aggression, bobbing up and down in the crystal blue water below.
"Wow.!" He said with genuine enthusiasm, careful not to lean too far over the already precarious edge, threatening him with a plummet into the ocean. He had heard horror stories about people who had fallen off of cruise ships, drowning slowly as they knew help wouldn't come. Just in case, his grip on the rail tightened, not wanting to become a statistic.
Just as quickly as the creatures had come into view, they disappeared, slipping beneath the waves as the ship rocked gently.
Millie took off towards a door extruding from one of the deckhouses, and Moxxie got up to follow her, unsure of what awaited them on the other side.
She gripped the door handle, and they were assaulted by the smell of cigarette smoke, something that they had become increasingly familiar with during their time on the ship.
One one end of the room was a chess table, where a game had been seemingly abandoned halfway through playing. On the other end was what appeared to be a large, open floor covered by a velvet rug. Between the two sides were rows upon rows of lounge chairs, which Moxxie walked over to.
He exhaled slightly as he propped himself down, not realizing just how tired he had been until he sat down. Millie fell into a chair next to him and rested her head on his shoulder, her breath warm on his shoulder.
"You tired too?" She asked, eyelids fluttering.
"Yeah." Moxxie replied with a heavy sigh, "I might head to the cabin."
"Wait for me!" She said as Moxxie stood up and headed towards the bar.
Moxxie decided to gratify himself with a refreshing drink, seeing as it had to be fine o'clock by now. Though he didn't typically drink until after dinner, they weren't under any typical circumstances. Perhaps Millie would want something too.
He walked up to the bartender with Millie by his side and slid a small pile of bills onto the table. The man behind the table smiled at him, flashing a golden tooth.
"What can I do ya for?" He asked, motioning towards a large array of bottles behind him.
"Two pinot noirs, my good sir!" Moxxie said, turning back to Millie to look for any objections. She appeared content with the order, and within seconds the server handed them two glasses filled halfway with wine.
Millie and Moxxie clinked their glasses and walked towards their cabin two decks down. Along the way their pace slowed, tired from all of the exertion of their first few hours aboard the ship.
Moxxie took a large drink from his glass, the alcohol burning his throat on the way down. He had forgotten how long it had been since his last drink, and decided to take it slow. The last thing he needed was to end up wasted on a ship full of some of the wealthiest people in all of the nine circles.
"Too much for you to handle?: Millie joked, taking a swig out of her own glass, "You never were a drinkin' man."
Moxxie laughed, and they turned the corner towards what they believed was their cabin.
Millie took a key out of her pocket and found their room number: 49. She slid the key into the lock and a gust of warm air rushed out the doorway, far more comfortable than the temperature of the cool hallways.
The room was painted in a comfortable shade of maroon, yellow lights mounted on the walls and ceiling. Off to the right was a bathroom, which was roughly the same size as the bedroom. Smooth carpeting welcomed his aching feet, sinking into the soft fabric. It was definitely a few steps up from their apartment back at home. This was luxury that Moxxie had only been able to fantasize about until today. They truly were on the "Ship of dreams"
A smell that Moxxie didn't recognize filled his nostrils, seeming to be some sort of new air-freshener that he had never smelled before. It resembled the aroma of fruits and cleaning products, which at least suggested that the rooms were regularly cleaned.
"Look at it!" Millie squealed excitedly, running over to the bed and finding her suitcase, "They even put our luggage in the right places!"
Sure enough, Moxxie found his leather suitcase sitting on the other side of the bed, still sealed shut. He laid himself down on the bed and took off his shoes, eyelids heavy with fatigue, as if he were being bound down by weights.
He finished off what was left of his wine before comfortably resting his head on the soft pillow, smelling sweetly of lavender. Mille laid down next to them, eyelids fluttering as she spoke to him, half-asleep.
"This is great!" She exclaimed, her words slightly slurred. He didn't know if it was from intoxication or exhaustion, although getting some rest would help either way. Judging from the light outside, they had time to rest for an hour or two before they would be summoned for their late-night dinner with Stolas.
"Isn't it?" Moxxie said dreamily, his body relaxing.
Moxxie leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, staring out the porthole mounted on the wall. The gentle rocking of the ship soothed his mind, for the first time having a clear head without worry, although he knew it would be temporary. For now, he was content with slipping into the arms of sleep, his wife by his side, arms around each other's heads.
They both knew it was only a matter of time before somebody barged in and woke them. In fact, for all they knew Blitzo was hiding somewhere in their room, looking to annoyingly insert himself into their lives again.
But for now, neither of them cared. Moxxie closed his eyes, the sun pouring in through the window and warming the sheets around him. Next to him, Millie was already fast asleep, and quickly joined her, his breathing becoming shallow as they both drifted off.
. . .
Moxxie, in spite of the happiness he had experienced just a few short moments ago, tossed and turned violently in his sleep, his eyelids twitching as horrible visions and stories danced around his brain.
He found himself in a dark room, the blackness devouring him and draining him of all hope. Shivers crept up his spine as the temperature plummeted, far colder than anything he had ever experienced in his life.
This wasn't the Titanic.
Did he drink too much? Was he hallucinating? Nothing around him seemed real, but at the same time he felt every sensation more than it usually did, as if he were in some other world.
Then, he heard the voices. Voices that seemed all too familiar.
"Your bitch had to save you again?" Loona's voice shouted, "Pussy! I'm not surprised you two split up."
Split up? What the hell was she talking about? Millie was right here-!
Blitzo mocked him next, "Shouldn't have been such a pussy. Nobody likes a pussy, do they, Mox?"
He searched the room, disoriented and blinded, looking desperately for anything to break the darkness. Even though he heard the voices loud and clear, the ones he knew they belonged to were nowhere to be found.
"I'm surprised you guys made it as far as you did!" Millie's father's voice suddenly boomed over him, "She made a terrible decision going for somebody like you. I don't know what she saw in you."
"As far as you did"? What was he talking about?
"He's right, ya know," Suddenly Millie's mother was talking, "We told her not to do it, but she did it anyway. Five long years of watching the two of you, watching you steal our daughter, trapping her in a marriage with somebody as useless as you. She deserved much, much better. I don't know why she even asked you out, pathetic freelancer"
"Hello?" Moxxie shouted into the nothingness, "Hello? What's going on? Millie? Where are you?!"
No response.
And then he realized what was going on.
His worst fear was coming true.
Millie had finally come to her senses and left him. Five years of what he thought was mutual affection and love, all a mirage. Thrown away like yesterday's garbage.
I should've seen this coming.
Moxxie fought the urge to sob, not wanting to accept the truth and prove them right.
That he was nothing more than a scrawny, spineless, weak, pathetic imp, bringing nothing into the world and contributing nothing to the people around him, serving only as a burden to be lifted; a bug to be crushed under their heel.
The voices got louder, overlapping each other and eventually merging to make a mutilated chorus of mockery and defamation.
Which he might have been able to brush off, if it didn't hit him where it hurt.
The voices are right.
He curled up onto the floor and covered his ears, the cold draining the last bit of energy that he had. Tears streamed down his face as his defences fell, giving up and taking the verbal beatings, as he waited for Millie to return, holding onto some desperate hope that things would change, that he was misinterpreting everything.
That she still loved him.
Calling out into the void, there was no response, and every mistake of his life was shoved back into his face. How he had sabotaged so many kills because of his pettiness, how many times he had to be saved because he was too weak to do anything properly, how he was unable to defeat their enemies. Even his interaction with the suited man as they were boarding was thrown back into his face, feeling weak and helpless as he regretted not fighting back, instead letting his fight-or-flight turn into stare-and-freeze.
They're right, Millie.
You deserve so much better.
You don't need me.
And I've accepted that.
I'm sorry for wasting your time.