AN: Originally this chapter was going to be longer but the flow didn't feel right so I cut it short. Enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Helluva Boss. Spiroz, Milton, and Mitzy are characters that belong to DaniDraws who I have permission to use for this fic. Hedwig and her family are my original characters.
It was hard to tell when it was daytime or night in Lust due to how the weather worked. It was always raining, and the clouds hid any sunlight. One got used to the many neon lights that lit up Lust's various cities and towns while always having an umbrella by their side.
Asmodeus sat on his black leather chair, staring at the blue flames in his fireplace with an intent look. The entire living room of his grand dildo-shaped tower in Lust had been nearly empty for the whole day so he could plot in peace. A full year of seeking his revenge to ruin those who had taken what was his was finally coming to an end. He wanted privacy to prepare for it, savor it, and mourn why he had to do this.
Asmodeus sipped the small glass of wine he held with care before gazing at the portrait above his fireplace. One that showed him in bed with his former lover, Fizzarolli, who his heart ached for ever since his death. Tears dripped down the Ring Lord's face, which soon evaporated due to the intense heat from his body, yet his heart felt cold and bitter. He hated himself so much. He hated how he chose his reputation and image over his boyfriend. The one he had come to love romantically instead of just lustfully.
But even Asmodeus had enemies that would seek to take advantage of his weakness if known. The Lord of Lust in love? It would be the scandal of the century. That's why he denied it and broke it up with Fizz. Not only to protect himself but his boyfriend as well. They would come after Asmodeus and the one demon he did love in this universe. Much as he hated to admit it, he was the weakest of all the Ring Lords. The only reason he even got this position in the first place was that he was among one of the first to join Lucifer during his great rebellion and loyally serve him early on. Not that it mattered much anymore since his daughter was now in charge, and she was taking Hell in a different direction that he was not benefiting from that much if he was candid.
Asmodeus had nothing left now that Fizz was gone.
Nothing but one thing.
Vengeance.
He wanted Spiroz Goetia, the one who murdered his love, to suffer and die a painful death. He also wanted the Imp that Fizz hated so much, Blitzo, to feel his wrath. And he wanted the rest of their accursed family to feel the pain he felt in his heart every day. Growling, Asmodeus threw the wine glass into the fire, which turned blood red. Standing up, he walked towards the fireplace with his hands behind his back.
It had been one year since he swore his revenge, and now it was finally time to put it into practice. He knew of the secret relationship between Spiroz and his angel girlfriend, Hedwig. He would expose them and ruin them. But he would do this in a manner that would see all the realms of Heaven and Hell witness the secret and forbidden romance between the two teenagers.
A knock on the door made him sigh. "Yes?"
An incubus servant walked in and bowed. "Sir? Your 3 p.m. meeting is here."
"Ah, send him in," Asmodeus said as he sat down and waited for his newest guest to make himself comfortable. "So, Mr. Striker. When I heard rumors you were alive, I didn't know what to make of it."
"I'm harder to kill than most people think," The infamous cowboy Imp muttered while sitting in a chair opposite the Lust King. The cowboy imp assassin had been well known for being one of the few low-level demons who could take down higher-class demons.
However, past struggles against a particular assassination company had made him quite different. The Imp was known to have tried to assassinate Prince Stolas multiple times under a mysterious client (Rumored to have been Stella Goetia) and failed each time, thanks to Stolas's lover and company protecting him. Striker, considered dead for the past twenty years, was no longer a mere Imp but a full-on cyborg. His left arm, legs, half of his chest, and right eye were now full-on cybernetic implants. After his last encounter with the I.M.P. organization, he had painstakingly saved money to rebuild his body that took him so long to build and get used to. It also cost him everything, but it was worth it in his mind so long as he could get revenge.
Usually, Asmodeus wouldn't work with such a figure since he could hire a bunch of other assassins who were just as good, but Striker had something Asmodeus needed—a personal stake in his plot for revenge.
"So, you have agreed to my proposal?" Asmodeus asked.
"The moment you said that you would make Blitzo and Stolas suffer? Along with that freak of a kid of theirs? I was already onboard," Striker said with a grin and a psychotic look. "So when do we kill them?"
"Not yet," Asmodeus whispered. "We're going first to humiliate them. Then we're going to torture them. Only after we've publicly shown my wrath will we kill them. You can have the honor of killing the parents, but their spawn is mine to finish off."
"Fine. So long as I get what I've wanted for so long. Both of their necks wrangled by my hands," Striker said. "Gotta say, I always knew that kid was a freak. But to date an angel? Kid's messed up."
"I doubt anyone is going to miss him when we kill him and his family," Asmodeus snorted. "We'll do the rings a favor by eliminating that abomination."
"What about the angel? Are we going after her?" Striker asked with a grin. "Hurting her could really hurt the freak."
"Absolutely not," Asmodeus growled. "The last thing I want is to get Angels on our asses. We'll leave the girl alone."
"Fine," Striker shrugged. "I could care less about her holy feathered ass anyway. So how are you going to expose their little perverted romance?"
Asmodeus pulled out an invitation from Queen Charlie for a celebration in Purgatory that would have both Angels and Demons in attendance—a celebration of the current peace between the two realms. Asmodeus smirked at how this party would be remembered for a long time, but in a way nobody would ever imagine.
One year.
It's been one year since Spiroz was happier than ever since childhood. One year since everything changed. The hybrid demon prince sighed in relief and comfort as he looked up at the star shower above. Both his fathers were happy to go with him on this venture, but he and his sisters, along with Mitzy and Milton, convinced them they wanted to do it just with themselves as a camping trip. Naturally, Spiroz's fathers went overboard in giving him tons of equipment. From self-made camping fires to tents that were magically bigger on the inside than on the outside. In fact, Spiroz's was close to that of a large summer condo when you walked inside.
They didn't technically lie when they said it was a camping trip, but they did lie when they said it was just the five of them. Joining them were Spiroz's girlfriend, Hedwig, and her brothers, who had become good friends with the demons as time passed. Having his arm around her neck while she rested on his head, Spiroz smiled down at his love while she gazed at the starry night sky with her bright blue angelic eyes. Eyes that were more pretty to Spiroz than any star in the galaxy could ever be. And from a person who loved astronomy as all Goetia members of his household, that was saying something.
He gazed over at the others, watching the stars in silence. Milton and Loona were making videos on their phone from the delightful wonder above while Octavia watched with glee while Mitzy was eating the last of the desert. Despite her age, Octavia was an even bigger lover of the stars than Spiroz. She practically took notes and diagrams with her magic, guiding the multiple pencils with her telekinetic powers. Hedwig's twin brothers were also watching, but they focused more on the beer Loona brought from the Ring of Gluttony. It turned out that some Hell-based drinks were safe for Angels to drink.
"You know? This reminds me of the first night we met," Hedwig said as she looked up at her boyfriend. "The two of us met in the woods. I was shocked to see you as a demon I had never seen before."
"Yeah, and you were so surprised you wanted to look at every part of me. Including my butt," Spiroz chuckled while Hedwig blushed.
"Well...it is a cute butt," Hedwig giggled as she kissed her boyfriend.
"Careful, we're not seventeen yet," Spiroz warned as he grinned at her. "You don't want our siblings to go through the 'not having sex yet' routine they did for us when we first started dating, do you?"
"Oh, God above no," Hedwig shivered. "That was just embarrassing. I mean, I'm all for learning mating habits about demons for my demonology study, but did your sister need to be that graphic?"
"Yeah, and I could have gone through my entire life learning about angelic sexual positions," Spiroz muttered. It turned out that while Heaven might have been all about promoting sex after marriage, they didn't hold back the actual safe sexual practices that made the Kama Sutra look like Walden .
"...Still, if we ever do get married? It would be...interesting to try them out," Hedwig pointed out while poking her talons and blushing.
"R-Right," Spiroz whispered while looking just as red. Or redder in his case.
Although, truthfully, he didn't know if they could get married. It was a miracle that Sprioz and Hedwig had managed to keep their relationship a secret without anyone knowing save for their siblings, Spiroz's best friends, and Hedwig's family. The last thing any of them wanted was for someone higher up to learn about this and cause an incident that would lead them to be investigated and separated. Or worse, punished and persecuted in Spiroz's case, as he knew most, if not all, of Hell would want his head for pursuing a romantic relationship with an angel.
Like I give a damn what the rest of Hell thinks, Spiroz said to himself. He no longer cared what the various rings' demons cared about his existence. Outside of his siblings and best friends, Hedwig, her brothers, and Octavia's boyfriend were able to treat him like a normal person instead of the freak Spiroz had been called all his life. Even these few people in his corner had made him feel better about himself than he had ever felt in years.
And it's all thanks to you, Hedwig, Sprioz thought as he looked at Hedwig, who smiled back at him. "I love you."
"I love you too, but what brought that on?" Hedwig asked, kissing his lip. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Just...thinking about what's happened since we met..." Spiroz sighed in contentment. Everything was fine, and he hoped it could stay that way forever. Well, until I finally tell Father and Dad about Hedwig.
That was the one thing in his heart that made him feel guilty about this secret romance he was having with Hedwig. He still had not told his parents he was dating an Angel. He knew that they hated them, and that's what held him back. Spiroz loved his parents dearly, and were the most important people in his life. Their approval, love, and trust helped him endure the most challenging moments in his cruel life since he learned how hated he was as a child.
The thought of them being disappointed in him or hating him for his choice of a romantic partner was too painful to think about. The very idea of it made his heart shiver inside. But he knew he had to tell them one day. It couldn't be a secret from them forever. Just...not yet.
His phone rang, and he looked to see it was his Owl Father calling him. He excused himself to head out into the woods from their clearing spot and accepted the call. "Hey, Father."
"Starlight! How is the camping trip so far?" Stolas said on the other end.
"It's good, Father," Spiroz answered. "Everything's okay. We're watching the stars right now."
"That's good. Listen, Sprioz, we got invited to Queen Charlie's little party to celebrate the anniversary of the peace between Heaven and Hell. I know you said you didn't ever want to go to major events like this in the future after you were twelve, but would you like to go to this one? You've been stuck in the house a lot, locking yourself in your room, and I'm just worried you aren't going out enough."
Trust me, Father, I am going out enough. Just in the human world, Spiroz thought, as all those times he was in his "room," he was actually on dates with Hedwig.
"Yeah, but I can always hang out with Milton or Mitzy for the evening if you're concerned. I'm not really interested in going," Spiroz answered.
"Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know, Spiro. Have a good evening! Tell everyone I said hello!"
"Will do. Night, Father," Spiroz said before ending the call. He sighed and was about to turn around when he saw Hedwig smiling at him. "Oh, hey."
"Everything okay?" Hedwig asked.
"Yeah, just Father checking up on me," Spiroz sighed as he looked at his phone.
"... You're still not ready to tell them?" Hedwig asked with a saddened smile.
"No," Spiroz whispered. "I...I know I have to tell them eventually, but..."
Hedwig soon hugged Spiroz and whispered, "I've never met them, but from what you and your sisters have described, it sounds like they love you very much. You are proof that their love was legit and accepted by God. Remember when I told you about how only God can grant life to be made in any form of the sense? Far as I am concerned, you prove he approves them together."
"I kinda find it funny that the top holy being in the universe cares about the romantic relationship of two gay demons," Spiroz chuckled.
"Well, maybe God's a shipper?" Hedwig chuckled as the two looked at each other and smiled. She stroked his cheek and whispered, "If so, I hope he likes us together."
The two kissed again, and Spiroz felt his worries slip away. It was like Hedwig was a cure for any problems he was facing in his life. He sometimes wondered if she was acting as a Guardian Angel for him because it felt like she was one. Not from physical threats, as he was more than powerful enough to deal with those thanks to his magic, but from the things magic couldn't solve: the mental and emotional issues that had plagued him for so long. Looking back now, Sprioz couldn't help but worry what his life would have been like if Hedwig had not been part of it.
He didn't even want to think how his problems would have worsened as he got older. At best, he might have become a complete shut-in and isolated himself from the world forever. At worst, it might have gotten so bad that he might have done what his father did when he was at his lowest and tried to kill himself. Spiroz would like to think it might not have gone that far, but he knew he couldn't rule it out.
Still, there was one question he had to ask.
"If...If God really did allow me to be born, then why? What purpose do I have?" Spiroz wondered out loud.
What was so special about him? He was the son of an ex-prince who, while powerful, was practically dead to the entire Goetia Family and could only stay on it—barely—if he gave up his position to Octavia. His other parent was an ex-circus Imp who, while a talented assassin, would never be accepted by the higher echelons of Hell's caste system no matter what. They had no political power, barely any magical power, and most of Hell disliked them despite using I.M.P because of their ability to go to the human world undetected.
What was so special about him?
"Hmm, I don't know. I mean, you are the first of your kind. Maybe there is some plan of God's, but I can't say what it is," Hedwig admitted with a shrug. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is living the life God has given you, even if you aren't a worshiper of him."
"Yeah, I guess you are right," Spiroz nodded while sighing. It still would be nice to know something and why his life is the way it was.
They were about to return to the campsite when both spotted something glowing in the tall grass nearby. It was a slight glowing aura of blue and green that gave off some small measure of power that the two could sense. It wasn't angelic or demonic, from what Spiroz could tell, but it held some power behind it. Curious, he and Hedwig walked over and moved the grass, only for the hybrid demon to gasp at what he saw.
"What is it?" Hedwig asked, looking at the glowing strange blue and green rock glittering like sparkles were being made from its small holes.
"It's mananite!" Spiroz shouted with joy and wonder as he took into his hands. "This must have been a piece of the meteorites from a year ago! I guess some did fall from the sky that night! With the right alchemic preparation, I can make amazing things out of this with its magical properties!"
"Anything?" Hedwig asked.
"Well, what can I do with this small amount," Spiroz admitted with a blush. "If I had more, I could do more, but this is only a little bit."
"Well, whatever you make out of it, I'm sure it will be wonderful," Hedwig said before motioning back the way they came.
The two held hands and had their tails crossed as the two continued on their way. Not noticing they were being watched by a figure far above who knew of their love...
"The time is coming," Archangel Sophia whispered as she lifted herself from her spot in meditation. She looked up at the stained glass ceiling above where the only light of the entire area was coming from. With eyes of sorrow gazing above, Sophia knew that the trial of both Spiroz and Hedwig was coming soon. As the Archangel of Love, Sophia knew all true romances in the universe and was invested in each of them, but sadly, there were times when she could not interfere.
Sophia had not initially understood why God wanted her to focus on these two children when they started growing up, especially when one was a demon. It wasn't that demons were incapable of love—Spiroz's parents were proof of that—but the circumstances Sprioz was actually made were beyond her understanding. Sophia knew the Lord had a plan for everything, but what plan was there for a demon born between two males who, typically, biologically couldn't conceive of such a thing? Yet, the more Sophia was invested in his and Hedwig's life, the more she came to care for them regardless.
More than anything, Sophia wished to help them in the dark times ahead. She foresaw that their love would be challenged, and there were many trials to come from her demonic opposite, Asmodeus. He, too, was sadly doing this for love. A loss of love that had become twisted with rage and regret. Regardless, Asmodeus chose his position and reputation over the one he loved. He had nobody to blame except himself for pushing Fizzarolli away; his death was a tragic accident.
And yet one weakness of love is that it can lead us down a dark path should it be lost or denied to us, Sophia thought, as it was a path she had seen many go down before with others suffering in their wake. I only pray that Spiroz, Hedwig, and those they love can be on top.
She could only pray that God was with them.