(Disclaimer: I do not own Helluva Boss or any of the characters, all credit goes to the creator Vivienne Medrano, aka VivziePop. Please support the official release).
(Note: This story takes place immediately after the events of "Three of Hearts", please read that story first).
~Where Did It All Go Wrong?~
Asmodeus and Fizzerolli were in their kitchen, preparing to have breakfast when they were joined by another individual.
It was Monroe who walked in, wearing a robe over his boxer shorts; after the incident that happened yesterday, with him and Fizzerolli getting kidnapped and him unknowingly using a Siren's Heart, Asmodeus allowed him to spend the night.
Monroe yawned as he walked into kitchen, he looked up to see Fizzerolli sitting at the table while waiting for Asmodeus to finish cooking.
"Oh hey, you're up! Was wondering when you were gonna haul your ass outta bed", said Fizzerolli.
Monroe smirked as he poured himself a cup of coffee, "Excuse me if I was still feeling too woozy to get up, except for when I got up to puke at two in the morning...", he said as he took a sip of coffee.
Asmodeus let out a small laugh before setting three plates of pancakes, eggs and bacon down onto the table. "Well that's what using a Siren's Heart does to you, it's like having a really bad hangover. If you're still not feeling right, I can send you home with an escort", he said.
Monroe picked up a fork and started eating, "No, it's fine. But I don't have my wallet with me, so if you could spare some taxi fare, that'd be great. I promise to pay you back later", he said.
"Ah come on, you don't gotta do that!", Fizzerolli said through a mouthful of pancakes.
"Yeah, Monroe. After what you went through yesterday, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. I'll pay for a taxi to take you home, but you don't gotta pay me back. Just make sure you get home, okay?", said Asmodeus.
Monroe smiled as he took a bite of his food, "Thanks a lot, Ozzie. That means a lot, I appreciate it", he said.
Asmodeus took a sip of his own cup of coffee, "I'll let Sophia know what happened and tell her to give you some time off. You may look fine, but using a Siren's Heart could have some nasty after affects. You should take off for at least a week before you're back to a hundred percent", he said.
Monroe smiled again as he finished off his breakfast, he then put his plate in the sink and went to take a shower. Once he got out and got dressed, there was a taxi waiting for him outside.
He bid farewell to Asmodeus and Fizzerolli before stepping into the taxi and riding it back to his penthouse apartment. Using his keys, he entered the empty club, climbed upstairs to his apartment and let himself in.
After shutting and locking the door, Monroe sighed as he flopped down onto his round bed. Monty crawled out from under the couch and hopped onto the bed, walking over to nuzzle Monroe's face with his snout.
"Hey, buddy. I'm still so exhausted from yesterday, think I'll take a mid morning nap", he said. He then remembered that he needed to feed Monty, so he got up and walked over to his fridge. He pulled out a whole steak and placed it into his food bowl, the little devil dog immediately devouring it.
Monroe then changed into some pajamas before throwing himself into his bed again, making himself comfortable under the thick blanket. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his mind wandered to Striker again.
Not surprising since he was partly responsible for everything that happened to him yesterday, but Monroe couldn't bring himself to be angry at him for what happened. He only felt sadness and remorse for everything that happened between the two of them in the past.
"I'm sorry things ended that way between us, Striker. I wish you'd give up this little campaign of yours, but..."
Just when Monroe felt himself being pulled into dreamland, he heard a knocking on his door. Groaning in frustration, he got up from his bed and walked over to the door. He threw it open, ready to yell at whoever it was that disturbed his slumber, when he gasped.
"Barb?"
That's right, it was Barbie Wire, Blitzo's sister standing outside of his door. She immediately threw herself onto him in a tight hug, "Thank Satan, you're okay! I was so scared when I heard about you getting kidnapped!", she said.
Monroe was surprised to see her, and it turned out she wasn't alone. He looked to see someone else walk over to the door.
"Salvatore?"
"Babe, we gotta talk..."
[Time Skip]
An hour later, Monroe was sitting on the couch with Barbie and Salvatore. He had explained to the both of them about what had happened to him yesterday, including the part about Striker being one of the kidnappers and his "interrogation".
"Man, talk about things being beyond awkward", said Barbie.
Monroe then immediately turned to face Salvatore, "Babe, I swear, nothing happened between us. Yes, Striker did try to kiss me but I immediately slapped him away. I promise you I would never cheat on you!", he said.
Salvatore gave him a sympathetic look, "I know you wouldn't, Monroe. But I have to ask something: Striker said he still had feelings for you but do you still have feelings for him?", he said.
Monroe shook his head, "No, absolutely not! Any love I had for him dried up the moment he started talking about killing royals and upper class demons!", he said steadfastly.
Salvatore sighed, "Babe, you're a great singer and dancer, but You're a terrible liar. Your mouth says "no", but you're eyes say "yes". I can tell that deep down, you still love him. I'm not angry, I just want the truth", he said.
Monroe looked down in shame, knowing that his boyfriend was right but it still didn't erase the utter shame he was feeling. Just then, Barbie spoke up.
"What did you ever see in Striker to begin with? How did you guys even meet?", she asked.
Monroe sighed as he sunk into his couch, "It happened a year after I started my new life here, I decided to visit the Wrath Ring to attend the Harvest Moon Festival.
"My mother was originally born in Wrath, so I decided to go and bring back a souvenir to send her. It was there that I met Striker..."
[Flashback]
Monroe stepped out of the taxi he rode to the Wrath Ring, paying the driver before shutting the door behind him. His hair was let down, since he had been growing it out for the past year, and he was wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a dark green neckerchief, vest and boots.
He heard that the Harvest Moon Festival was happening, so he decided to attend it; his mother's birthday was coming up, so he figured he send her something from her home ring. Monroe walked around, giving a short greeting to any imps he passed by, before he spotted a merchant stall.
He approached it and saw that the shopkeep was selling various trinkets and nick-nacks based around the festival. He looked around, trying to pick out the right gift for his mother.
"See anything you like?", asked the shopkeep.
Monroe looked up, "Yeah, a birthday gift for my mom. She was born here, so I thought I'd get her a gift while I'm here attending the festival", he explained.
The shopkeep gave him a toothy grin, "Well then, I've got just the right gift! How about this?", he said as he held up an item. Monroe looked at it to see that it was a silver necklace with a harvest moon pendant hanging from it.
Monroe smiled, "Oh yes, that's perfect! I'll take it! How much do you want for it?", he said.
The shopkeep smirked, "I normally charge $600 for something like this, but for a pretty lady like you, I might reduce it to a hot night in bed...", he said as he flexed his eyebrows and biceps.
Monroe recoiled in disgust, "Okay...first off, gross! Second off, buddy...I'm a man", he said.
Now it was the shopkeep's turn to be disgusted, "Aw sick, you're a trap?! Well then you can f*ck right off, I ain't giving you this necklace! I mean I could...if you pay me $1000", he said.
Monroe became pissed off, this wasn't the first time someone assumed he was transgender but it was the first time he was blatantly insulted to his face. And then this yokel tried to charge him even more for the necklace, it made his blood boil.
Just before he could say something, tip of a pistol was suddenly pointing directly in the shopkeep's face.
"The fella wants the necklace. You're a shopkeep, ain't you trying to earn money? Or are you trying to go broke?"
Monroe turned to see another male imp standing next to him, pointing the pistol in the shopkeep's face. Like other Imps, he had red-tinted skin, yellow eyes, two horns on his head, and a long tail. Compared to others, however, he was a lot paler, his eyes were slit like those of a snake, and his tail was adorned with spikes. He wore a white cowboy outfit complete with a brimmed hat, a short red scarf, a vest, and torn pants.
The shopkeep stared at the barrel of the pistol as sweat dripped down his forehead, "Now now...let's do anything too drastic...", he weakly choked out due to his nervousness.
The snake like imp smirked, "Well then, give the fella the necklace at a more reasonable price and no one gets hurt, alright?", he said.
The shopkeep nodded as he frantically placed the necklace in a little white box and tied it close with a red ribbon, then he gave it Monroe. "Here, you can have this for only $20. That sounds fair, right?", he said.
Monroe smiled as he paid for the necklace, taking the box and walking away. The snake like imp smirked at the terrified shopkeep before pocketing his pistol and walking off, following Monroe.
"Hey, thanks a lot for that! I thought I was gonna have to scream at that guy until he gave me the necklace", said Monroe.
The snake like imp let out a small laugh, "I've got no patience for hagglers, so I figured I put him in his place", he said.
"Well, thanks again. By the way, my name's Monroe. What's yours?"
"Striker. Say, little "missy", how'd you like to come take a ride with me on my horse?"
"Sure, I'd love to. Especially with such a strong and handsome man"
With that, Monroe followed Striker to where he left his demon horse. It was dark gray with black stripes on its body and a flaming mane and tail. It had two pairs of orange glowing eyes, a set of glowing fangs, and what appeared to be orange horseshoes. It's lower body possessed a lava-like appearance.
"This here fella is Bombproof, he's been my loyal steed for as long as I can remember. Go ahead and pet if ya want", said Striker.
Monroe tentatively stuck his hand out to touch Bombproof's snout, the demon horse hesitated for a moment below stepping forward to allow the imp to pet him.
"Wow, such a sweet boy!", said Monroe with a smile.
Striker smiled back, "Yeah. He's not usually this nice around strangers, but I guess he already likes you. Wanna go for a ride?", he said.
Monroe nodded gleefully, so Striker untied Bombproof from the fence and saddled him up. Then he hopped onto his back and held his hand out of Monroe, who took it and immediately hopped onto the saddle behind him.
"Might wanna hold on tight", said Striker. He then grabbed the reigns and flicked them, prompting Bombproof to start running. Monroe was taken off guard by the sudden speed, so he wrapped his arms around Striker's torso and held on for dear life, burying his face into the snake like imp's back out of fear.
Seeing that his passenger was scared, Striker eased Bombproof to run at a more steady pace, slowing down just a bit. "You can look now, nothing to be afraid of. I promise not to let you fall off", he said.
Monroe slowly raised his head and watched as the desert landscape of the Wrath Ring passed them by; he marveled at the beauty of it while enjoying the ride, slowly leaning against Striker's back as he stared out into the horizon.
Striker felt Monroe lean against him, and he couldn't help but blush as a genuine smile etched across his face.
An hour later, Monroe found himself in Striker's hideout as the cowboy decided to show him where he lived. Monroe looked around at all the Old West paraphernalia that decorated the large cavern while Striker stood off to the side feeding Bombproof.
"So. Train tracks? Really? Seems a bit clichéd, doesn't it?", Monroe asked with a grin on his face.
"It's a classic", Striker said plainly.
Then, Monroe started giggling. "So, is the giant statue of yourself also a 'classic' or...?", he said through giggles. He was referring to a statue in front of Striker that had him grinning with a giant erection, the sight of which made him laugh.
Striker was slightly annoyed by this but he couldn't bring himself to be angry at Monroe, maybe because his laughter sounded more good natured than mocking, but mostly because he sounded so damn adorable when he laughed.
And his laughter was so infectious that Striker couldn't help but chuckle as well. "Pfft. Are you seriously judging me right now?", he asked jokingly as he took of his hat and tossed it onto his statue's erect member.
"I'm just surprised by how big your ego is, it'd be kinda narcissistic if it wasn't so funny", said Monroe.
"I guess you're right", Striker said with a wink.
Monroe blushed and looked away shyly, but then he thought about something. "Say, how did you know I was a man? Most people can't tell, like that greedy shopkeep", he said.
Striker walked over to sit down on the train tracks, "If that's the case then they're all blind as bats! I could tell from a mile away. But I gotta say, you did a pretty good job transitioning because you are one gorgeous motherf*cker", he said.
Monroe blushed and smiled at the compliment, he walked over to sit down next to Striker. "Thanks, but I'm not actually trans. I'm a man and I identify as one, I actually dress up like a girl because I like to crossdress. I have such a slim and feminine body that I can fit into women's clothing very easily", he said.
Striker had an intrigued expression on his face, "Huh, really? What for?", he asked.
"Well, I work as a singing and dancing drag queen in the Lust Ring. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a stripper or pornstar or anything disgusting like that. I just dress up and sing and dance, kinda like a popstar, you know like Verosika Mayday.
"It pays very well and I've always wanted to that since I was young, so I'm very happy. Sometimes when I'm not working, I like to take pictures of myself in cute outfits because I love how pretty I look", explained Monroe.
"Well ya got that part right...", said Striker as his tail subtly slithered behind Monroe's back and gently caressed his rear. Monroe felt this and blushed as a shiver ran down his spine.
"By the way, why were so adamant on getting that necklace from that old shopkeep?", asked Striker.
"It's a birthday present for my Mom, I thought it was beautiful and I wanted to send it to her", said Monroe.
"Send it? Ya'll don't live near each other?"
"No well, actually..."
And so, Monroe spent the next hour and a half explaining his life story to Striker. He told him about his mother, Agatha, who was born and raised in Wrath; how she met his father, Dominic, and got married. How they left Wrath and moved to Imp City, where his father tried starting his own business but it was a complete failure.
And how that failure led to Monroe's father becoming an abusive alcoholic who would frequently take out his anger and frustration on his family. Monroe was a frequent target of the abuse, but his mother would defend him at every chance she got, taking most of the abuse.
Then, Monroe told Striker about when he became an adult and said he wanted to work as a singing and dancing drag queen. This angered his father so much that he tried to strangle him to death, but his mother saved him by decapitating his father with a meat cleaver.
Even though Agatha was freed from the abuse, she a battered housewife and the shock of murdering her husband broke her, so much that she started taking H-8 in order to cope. One day, she had almost overdosed so Monroe had no choice but to put her in a rehabilitation center in the Sloth Ring.
Monroe needed to get a job to pay for her treatment but he couldn't find one and he also didn't want to give up on his dreams. Just at the height of his despair, he was approached by Verosika Mayday herself, who helped him get the job he had now.
By the time he was done telling his story, Monroe had started crying. That was a very dark time in his life and he didn't like to talk about it much because of how painful it was, just thinking about it was enough to make him have an emotional breakdown.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see that Striker was holding a red handkerchief out for him.
"Here, you could use it", said Striker.
Monroe took the handkerchief and used it to wipe his face, he tried to hand it back to Striker but he waved him off.
"Nah, keep it. That was all pretty f*cked up what happened to you and your Ma, I don't think I'd wish something like that on my worst enemy. Glad to see you're at least doing better now", said Striker.
"Thanks. You're not the first person I've told my story to, but you are the first person I've cried in front of while telling it. I usually do my best to keep my emotions in...", said Monroe.
Just then, he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He turned to look up at Striker, "You don't have to that, ya know? If people wanna make fun of you for having emotions, then I suggest you ram a shotgun barrel up their ass and pull the trigger!", he said.
This made Monroe laugh, but he appreciated the advice. This was the first time he had ever been given such genuinely kind words of encouragement in his life.
For the rest of the day, Monroe hung out with Striker. They got to know each other better, and Striker even taught him how to use a gun. When it was getting late, Monroe decided it was time to leave.
"I better go find a motel to stay in for the night, I'm here for the festival so it's best if I have a place to stay for the week", he said.
He was about to leave when he was stopped by Striker wrapping his tail around his own, "Why do that? You're already here, why not stay here? You'd have a place to sleep for free and don't have to worry about sneaky bastards trying to get into your room", he said.
Monroe thought about it and realized that Striker had a point, it would be better to stay here. It was nice and much more roomy that a measly motel room, not to mention he didn't have to pay for anything.
"You do make a good point, alright. I'll spend the week here, I hope you don't mind", said Monroe.
"Not at all, I did make you the offer. Anyway, you hungry? How do you like your steak?", said Striker.
Monroe smiled as he sat down and allowed Striker to go make dinner for the two of them.
[Time Skip]
For the rest of the week, Monroe hung out with Striker, doing whatever activity they knew to pass the time. They mingled around the festival for a bit, went for a few more rides on Bombproof, practice shooting guns...
One time, a small gang of imps tried to mug Monroe and Striker thought he'd have to intervene, but he was pleasantly surprised when Monroe took his gun and shot them all without a second thought.
"Nice shooting there", said Striker with a smirk.
"Thanks, I was hoping I'd to get to practice on some moving targets", he said.
He tried to give Striker back his pistol, but the snake like imp waved him off. "Nah, keep it. I've got more just like it, giving away one won't make a difference to me", he said.
Monroe was surprised but he smiled nonetheless as he pocketed the pistol. Just then, they both heard an announcement on some loud speakers about the Pain Games, a popular festival event, was starting soon.
"Hey, you wanna join me for the games?", asked Striker.
"Me, really? I've never competed before...it could be fun. Yeah, I'll join you. Who knows? I might even beat you", said Monroe.
Striker gave him a sly grin, "We'll see about that, little fella", he said.
Ten minutes later, they were lined up for the first of the Pain Games, a race through an obstacle course that had some dangerous traps. A Hell Shark pool stood menacingly at the foot of a large climbable wall, an electrified barb wire fence low to the ground, and several swinging blades pendulums also provide an intimidating display.
Monroe was a bit nervous, but he had just enough pride to swallow back his fear and prepare himself.
"Prepare to eat my dust, little one!", Striker said competitively.
"Oh no, you'll be eating mine! With a side of mashed potatoes and gravy!", Monroe said with a taunting smirk.
A countdown was then yelled by a nearby imp, "3! 2! 1! GO!"
Like a red tide, a huge amount of imps began running. It almost seemed like a stampede with several slower imps being trampled by the faster and stronger ones. Striker and Monroe managed to gain a sizable lead over the rest, as they made their way to get to the climbable wall, they both gained a lead over the other contestants who struggled to keep up.
Striker and Monroe were able to clear the wall with no issue, but as he dropped down on the other side, Monroe almost fell into the pool of water. He managed to steady himself and keep from falling in, but that didn't stop the Hell Shark from trying to attack him regardless.
In spite of his fear, Monroe kept a straight head as he delivered a swift kick to its snout, momentarily disorienting it so he could proceed to the finish line. He managed to cross it at the exact same time as Striker, who had been in the lead, meaning they tied for first place.
"Not bad for a city imp", said Striker.
"You're not too bad yourself", said Monroe.
And with that, they walked towards where the next Pain Games challenge was being held: the Wrestling Contest.
The Wrestling Contest was simple, similar to competitive wrestling on Earth: simply grapple your opponent into submission. There was always one problem though, the people of Hell don't play fair.
When Striker and Monroe entered the contest, they had the luck of being paired to wrestle. And once it began it was quite a fight, each imp sizing each other up, maneuvering their bodies to get either out of a submission or pin their opponent.
It almost seemed like neither was going to win but fatigue began to set in, and Monroe was feeling it more than Striker. Striker took advantage of this and pinned Monroe to the ground, earning him the win. The crowd cheered at the fan-favorite and Striker was at least a good sport and helped Monroe up.
After that, the two made their way to the next challenge: the Tug of War.
Three other imps made their way opposite them and got into position, and one other imp joined them on their own side.
"We're gonna kick your asses!", one of their opponents exclaimed.
"Sorry, I don't speak the language of a cousin f*cker!", Monroe shouted with enthusiasm which earned him a glare from the other imp. He had to admit that maybe his statement was uncalled for, but he was having too much fun to care.
In position, Striker, Monroe and thr extra imp on one end and the other imps in the other. Then the Tug of War began.
Monroe pulled as much as he could, with the help of Striker and the other imp, he didn't feel like he was contributing much since the other imps were much stronger physically but he still helped at least. The imps on the other side were definitely stronger than he gave them credit for, and he kinda regretted the joke he made earlier, at least partially.
Each side struggled and the center of the rope barely budged to either side, neither one really winning. Then a problem struck, Monroe somehow lost his grip on the rope, and since he was pulling back so much, he was moving backwards into the deep moat.
Just as he was about to fall into the water however he felt himself being supported by something, he looked down and saw that it was Striker's tail keeping him from falling into the water, and Monroe quickly regained his footing and held back onto the rope.
He resumed pulling with newfound energy as he regained some of it from letting go of the rope briefly and began pulling even harder. This gave their side an advantage, and he and Striker were able to pull the rope to their side completely. The other 3 imps were pulled and eventually fell into the moat, but quickly swam to shore, as Monroe and Striker's side won.
"Nice job", Striker said with a sly smile as he and Monroe walked off to the side to catch their breaths.
"Yes well, I mean I wouldn't have been able to do it without you helping me back up", Monroe said with a slight blush, he was beginning to notice that whenever he spoke with Striker he was a few shades redder than a normal imp.
"Don't worry about it. It happens pretty often, Hell, it happened to me the first time I did this game." Striker said.
After that, Monroe went to find a place to sit down while Striker went to get them both something to eat. With the intense physical activity of the games, Monroe was quite hungry. Striker soon came back with a pair of steak sandwiches and some sodas, and the two of them relaxed close to each other as they began eating.
"Hey Striker, there's something I wanted to ask you", said Monroe.
"Yeah, what's that?", said Striker.
Before Monroe could get a word out, they both heard an announcement for the winners of the Pain Games to come over to the stage.
"I guess that's for us", said Striker as he ate the last bite of his sandwich. Monroe hastily finished his own sandwich and wipes his hands with a napkin before following Striker over to the stage.
An imp with a microphone began speaking on a stage and announced that a winner had been chosen for the Pain Games, "The winners are Striker and Monroe!"
The crowd cheered as the two imps stepped onto the stage. Monroe wasn't unaccustomed to applause since his job required him to sing and dance in front of a large crowd, and his performances were always accompanied by cheers.
Still, it was nice hearing the crowd cheer for him, especially since he didn't grew up in the Wrath Ring and didn't know anyone there. It felt really good to be praised.
Suddenly Striker held a guitar that he seemingly pulled out of nowhere. Either that, or someone had given it to him and Monroe was just too distracted by the crowd to notice.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to sing a quick song I wrote just now about me winning and I dedicate it to a lovely imp I just met, you know who you are", he said.
Striker then looked straight at Monroe and winked as he began singing and playing. Monroe was surprised, he didn't know that Striker also knew how to sing or play guitar. He couldn't help but fantasize about the two of them singing for together.
He walked off the stage and went to go sit in the stands, giving Striker the space for his little performance, and also allowing Monroe to watch and enjoy it. As he listened, he couldn't help but blush as his cheeks heated up and his heart fluttered in his chest.
Soon, the song was over. Striker had just been putting his guitar away when he saw Monroe walk up to him.
"Well howdy there, did ya like that little song I just did? I think it came out alright", Striker said with confidence.
"Yes it was very well written. You play the guitar really well too!", Monroe said with excitement.
"Glad ya appreciate it. Oh and by the way, what was that question you wanted to ask me earlier?", Striker stated with that devilish grin.
"Oh um…y-yes, about that! I...well, you see...", Monroe stammered as he was a flustered mess that couldn't get the words out.
Striker smirked as he quickly scooped up the shorter male imp into his arms.
"I've wanted to do this since I met you."
As Striker said this, he quickly but gently kissed Monroe deeply. Monroe was surprised but he was then enthralled in the moment and couldn't help but melt into the kiss with Striker. He was forceful but considerate with Monroe, overpowering him but never too roughly, always gentle enough to let Monroe have a bit of fun with the kiss himself.
Once it was done, Monroe had a very lewd expression on his face as Striker looked at him with a smirk.
"Of course I'll be your boyfriend", said Striker.
"You took the ones right out of my mouth...literally", said Monroe.
[Time Skip]
Since then, the two had began dating each other. Any chance they had, they would meet up and go off to do any fun activity they could think of.
Despite telling Striker about his past, Monroe didn't know anything about his past. All Striker would tell him was that he lost his family at a young age, that they were all killed by much stronger demons and he didn't like talking about it.
Monroe understood and didn't press him any further, he knew what it was like to have such emotional turmoil so he respected Striker's wishes and stopped asking him about it.
Soon, a year and a half had gone by since they started dating. Monroe decided to invite Striker over to his place one night since he had realized he hadn't done so; he would always hang out with Striker at his place, completely forgetting to do the same.
So one night, after he got off work, Monroe texted Striker and told him to come to Club Deviant. He stood outside and waited for him to arrive, playing with his phone while waiting.
Just then, Striker came riding on Bombproof. He hopped off and led the demon horse over to an alleyway next to the club, tying the reigns to a pipe sticking out of the side of the building.
"You sure it's safe to leave Bombproof there?", asked Monroe.
"It's fine, I'd be more worried for any dumbass who tries to get close to Bombproof. On the plus side, I won't have to give him dinner if that happens", said Striker.
Monroe then led Striker into the building, up the flight of stairs that took them to where his penthouse apartment was. He unlocked the door and let Striker inside, allowing him into the apartment.
Striker looked around and marveled at the apartment, the place definitely looked a lot nicer than he was expecting. It was the kind of luxurious place that celebrities or overlords would have, definitely not the kind an imp would have.
Just then, Striker felt something nudge against his foot. He looked down to see a small devil dog with black fur and red eyes nudging his boot, the little critter wore a blue collar with a yellow tag hanging from it.
"Oh, that's Monty. Don't worry, he's trained. He's not gonna nibble on your boots or anything, though I'm surprised he's not barking. This is your first time here, and he usually barks at strangers", said Monroe.
"Good to know. By the way, this is a pretty nice place you got here", said Striker.
Monroe smiled as he walked over to the kitchen, "Best place money can buy, and good because that same money pays for my bills, my groceries and my mom's rehab treatment. So, you had dinner yet? I can whip up something real quick if you want", he said.
Striker smirked as he slowly approached Monroe from behind, "I am feeling hungry, but why don't we skip dinner and get straight to dessert", he said.
Monroe didn't immediately pick up on how low and sultry his voice got, "Oh, really? Well, I have some frozen cheesecake in the freezer. We can have that but we'll have to wait for it to thaw--"
He was cut off when Striker suddenly grabbed him and lifted him into his arms, then he captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Monroe was momentarily startled, but he soon melted into kiss.
They broke away a few minutes later, Striker licking his lips. "I found me some tasty dessert", he said before carrying Monroe over to his bed.
[Time Skip]
As light hit Striker's eye from a small crack in a window, he woke up. He looked downward at the adorable imp curled up to him and he then remembered the amazing night he had. The crossdressing imp was no pushover, even in bed he was a real beast, but Striker held his own.
But now the two of them were simply cuddling with Striker not believing his own luck. As he laid in the bed, he looked around the room until his eyes came across something on the bedside table.
Striker took a good look to see that it was a framed photo of Monroe with Asmodeus and Fizzerolli, they were standing at the entrance to LuLu World and holding merchandise as the photo was taken during a vacation they went on.
Striker frowned upon looking at the photo, he didn't know Monroe was that close to Asmodeus. He remembered Monroe telling him that the Sin of Lust had personally endorsed him, but he didn't think they were in such friendly terms that they went on vacations together.
Then he remembered what he had to do, which immediately soured his mood even more. He didn't want to disturb his boyfriend as he slept but he had to make sure everything was ready. So, in an almost snake-like fashion, he slithered out from next to Monroe as he slept without disturbing him.
Striker then dressed himself, and as he headed to the door, he took one look back at Monroe.
I gotta do this right. No, I need to do this right, he thought to himself.
As he was about to turn the door handle to leave, he stopped when he heard a quiet voice.
"Striker?", Monroe asked quietly, with a groggy voice as he slowly got out of bed. Striker for a moment was paralyzed, but then he remembered that he technically did have to leave for work, so it was a perfect cover for his true intentions.
"Oh hey, Monroe. I didn't mean to wake ya", Striker said quietly.
"Oh I usually wake up a little early, even though I don't start work until noon. But where are you going? I was hoping we'd cuddle a little longer", Monroe said with a bit of disappointment in his voice, which made Striker second guess his decision to leave.
"I'm sorry Monroe, but I gotta get up to work too. I'm a farmhand on a ranch in Wrath, so I gotta head back over there as soon as possible", Striker said while getting close to the other male imp.
"The two of us can have as much fun as we want when get another day off, right?", Monroe asked with hopeful eyes.
Striker smiled seductively as he leaned in to kiss Monroe, who giggled but returned the kiss himself. They kissed for a moment but Striker ended the kiss quicker than Monroe hoped.
"I'll be back when I get the chance, cutie", Striker said with a wink, which left Monrie slightly disappointed but definitely looking forward to the future.
[End of Flashback]
"...and then he left. I didn't see him again until a day and a half later, when he was injured. He explained what happened, including his plans to assassinate Prince Stolas, and that led to our argument which led to our breakup"
Monroe finished telling his story of how he and Striker met and dated to Barbie and Salvatore, the two of them stunned by all the information that was presented. Monroe, on the other hand, looked ready to start crying.
"I can tell by that look in your eyes, babe. You still have feelings for Striker, and you hate being apart from in spite of his dumbass decisions to get involved with royal demon bullsh*t", said Salvatore.
That was when Monroe actually started crying, "I'm sorry! I don't know what to do, I do still have feelings for Striker but I also love you too, Tory! I've never been so confused in my whole life, I don't know what to do!", he sobbed.
He curled up into a ball on the couch, burying his head in his knees as he continued crying.
"Monroe, the answer is staring you right in the face. Why don't you guys just go poly?", said Barbie.
This made Monroe perked up suddenly, "Wait, what did you say?", he asked.
Salvatore scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, babe. I'd always wanted a third partner for us and I gotta say, Striker's a mighty fine meal for us, even if he is a complete idiot.
"I wanted to talk to you about going poly, I just wasn't sure we'd really find anyone that's compatible with us and also you got kidnapped so I couldn't talk to you yesterday. Since you still like Striker, and I also think he's a real beef cake, I figured we talk about including him.
"At the end of the day, it's your decision. I don't want to force you to go along with this if you're not comfortable, so I'll only pursue this if you want to. If not, then we can go back to how we were", he said.
Monroe pondered for a moment, he never thought of the possibility of himself being in a polyamorous relationship, but now the idea was beginning to take shape in his mind.
He still loved Striker but he also loved Salvatore, and he was not the type of guy who'd cheat on his partner, so being in a polyamorous relationship didn't seem too bad. The problem was...would Striker be up for that?
His initial meeting with Salvatore wasn't a very good one, even though the tension was based on a misunderstanding since neither knew what was happening, but that would still make things awkward. Not to mention, even though he still loved him, Monroe was still afraid of Striker's mindset.
His insatiable drive to want to kill royal and upper class demons...it horrified Monroe to no end. And even though Striker promised not to harm him or any of his loved ones, the incident yesterday proved that promise hard to keep.
And even if Striker were to stop, the demons he made deals with probably wouldn't be so inclined to do the same, and that in and of itself posed a real problem.
Just then, Monroe felt a jolt of pain in his skull. He grabbed his as he groaned from the pain.
"Monroe?", asked Barbie.
"Babe, you alright?", asked Salvatore.
Monroe took deep breaths as the pain slowly subsided, "Yeah...looks like I'm still experiencing after affects of using a Siren's Heart, I think I need more rest. Can you guys please go home for now? Tory, when I'm feeling better, I'll get back to you on the poly thing...", he said.
"Of course, babe. You rest up and get better, alright? If you need anything, just call me. I'll come as fast as possible", said Salvatore.
"Yeah, and I'm still looking for work. So I better head back to the hotel I've been staying at, I've got an early tomorrow so I can do some job hunting. Take it easy, alright?", said Barbie.
Monroe nodded as he guided them to the door, showing them out. "Thanks for coming over to check on again, you guys. I'll let you know when I'm feeling better, bye", he said as he closed the door.
After putting the locks back on, he went to the bathroom and pulled a bottle of migraine medication out of the cabinet above the sink. Monroe popped a pill into his mouth as he poured himself a glass of water, drinking it down.
After taking the pill, he walked back over to his bed and laid down, knowing the medicine would make him feel drowsy pretty soon. Monty hopped back onto the bed and curled up underneath his right arm.
"A polyamorous relationship with Salvatore and Striker, huh? I've never given it a thought, but it doesn't sound too bad. I just wonder if Striker would even be up for that...or if he'd even want to be around me again after what happened yesterday", he whispered.
Monroe didn't have much time to really think that or anything else because the medicine soon kicked in and his eyelids started growing heavy; he let out a small yawn as he curled up beneath the blanket and fell fast asleep.
Monroe hoped the after affects of the Siren's Heart would wear off soon so he could think and speak to his loved ones about what to do next.
[The End]