In the depths of Hell, Fizzarolli and Asmodeus were getting ready for the hottest event in all the Nine Circles in Asmodeus' luxurious Lust Mansion.
Now I know what you're thinking. Hell? Events? Mansions? Yes. This is what the afterlife looks like. Nine Circles where everyone gets reincarnated as a demon and gets to live in a lawless state full of corruption and violence for all eternity. But, and this may come as a surprise, human-reincarnated demons are not the only inhabitants of the hellish landscape.
At the bottom of the social pyramid, getting looked down on by everyone else, you can find creatures known as "hell-born", such as Imps and Hell-hounds. On the flip-side, all of the royal princes and nobles of the various circlesare also hell-born, leaving the "ordinary" demons in the middle of society.
The two were in their shared bedroom, and Asmodeus was trying on different suits while Fizzarolli was applying his makeup.
As always, Asmodeus was being picky about his looks and wanted to look perfect for the event. His big chest and muscular arms always meant that the suits needed to be specifically tailored for him. Sometimes, the suits got torn apart, and that meant that new ones were getting delivered to the mansion every day. Being particularly indecisive and given the importance of the event, Asmodeus was trying on many different suits and kept asking his lover Fizzarolli for his opinion on every single one of them.
"I told you the red one suits you and your blue face well sweetie, you look amazing. You don't need to worry too much about this, you're always gorgeous. And besides, who cares about what the others think if I like you this way? " said Fizzarolli as Asmodeus was putting on his tie in the bedroom mirror.
Fizzarolli then came up behind him and wrapped his long arms around his neck softly.
"You look great, my love." he added, while keeping eye contact through the mirror.
Asmodeus blushed and turned around to face Fizzarolli, planting a tender kiss on his lips. "You're too kind, Fizz. But I need to be perfect for this, I can't let the other princes steal my spotlight. I have a certain reputation as the prince of Lust." he said.
Asmodeus appeared as if he wanted to stay put for a moment and hug Fizzarolli, before failing miserably and giving in to the stress once again, removing yet another suit, getting up and walking to his wardrobe where all the other (mostly torn) suits were. Fizzarolli followed his lover and leant close to his back, hugging him tight.
"I'm just honest, Asmodeus. You're literally the prince of Lust. How could the others compete?" Fizzarolli said.
Asmodeus chuckled and the two kissed again.
"Maybe you're right. I shouldn't let all this luxurious context stuff getinto my head. Thank you for your support." and the two cuddled up.
They took a moment to relish in their love, trying to blow off some steam,and then finally got back to getting ready for the event in separate rooms. By the time Asmodeus finished choosing the perfect suit, Fizzarolli was still wearing his bathrobe and applying makeup on his face.
One could think that his effeminate side would be the reason for the make up, and while that is indeed partially true, Fizzarolli used it to hide the damages that a disastrous fire had caused to his face, leaving him scarred for life. Every time he applied his makeup, which turned his face completely white and hiding the red skin that the Imps usually have,he was reminded of the arson that left him without a home and most importantly, his then best-friend Blitzo, the person who started it.
"I thought you only needed 5 more minutes" Asmodeus said while noticing Fizzarolli was still taking his time with the makeup.
"Oh you know I need my time to look pretty, Oz. Also, weren't you the one that needed my support until 10 minutes ago?" said Fizz, smirking and causing Asmodeus to roll his eyes.
After completing their preparation, the two got ready to leave the mansion and head to Mammon's Palace, the place where everyone in Hell would have liked to be in that night. Every single member of the royal class would be there, and that meant it was necessary to show off as much as possible. Fizzarolli was wearing a high-end silk suit that highlighted his mostly feminine figure. The pink suit was tailored to fit him perfectly, making use of colors and patterns that highlighted his body. He was also wearing stylish sunglasses on his forehead and various jewelry like earrings and bracelets, adding a touch of elegance to his look.
Asmodeus's look was, in contrast, more masculine. He wanted to showcase his strength and power as a prince of Hell. He was wearing a sophisticated pink suit that matched Fizz's and showed off his physique, accentuating his features with sharp lines and sleek designs. As they left the mansion, Fizzarolli was left flabbergasted as he noticed that Asmodeus had rented a golden chariot and a hellhound driver who was waiting just outside the mansion.
"Oh you shouldn't have." Fizzarolli told him.
"But I wanted to. We should arrive in style, after all, I'm the prince of Lust!" Asmodeus said.
The drive from the mansion to the Palace of Mammon was fairly short. While on board of the chariot, the two kept talking about the most recent royal gossip and rich-people topics, such as who is dating whom and whose divorce happened this month. However, the main topic of discussion was the upcoming event. They talked about who would be attending, what they would be wearing, and how they were going to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Prince Stolas Goetia, a royal prince who was undergoing a divorce with his former wife, was also going to be there. He was rumored to have cheated on his wife with an Imp and had chosen to avoid the spotlight for a while, meaning this was the first time they would be seeing him after the gossip started.
The hell-hound driver parked the fancy chariot outside the front gates of the Palace of Mammon and let Asmodeus and Fizzarolli get out as Fizzarolli thanked him for the ride, which caused Asmodeus to raise his eyebrow.
They walked through the entrance together, showing off their outfits as they entered. Mammon had set up a red carpet at the entrance, with people of lower status trying to get a glance of the most famous people in Hell as they came to the event one after the other. As much as Asmodeus was undoubtedly one of the most famous people in the city being a prince, Fizzarolli was also a celebrity. He had won the Mammon's new brand mascot contest 10 times in a row, which meant a lot of Hell's most famous merch was produced using his face and body. A lot of people bought merch and plushies resembling Fizzarolli, and thus everyone was familiar with him. That's also how he met Asmodeus, originally.
Asmodeus had recognized Fizzarolli in one of his shows from the posters around the city. One day, after Fizzarolli had won yet another contest, Asmodeus being a prince of Hell and a popular one at that, had requested to meet him in private and asked him on a date, to which Fizzarolli agreed. They hit it off instantly and have been together ever since.
Before getting to the door where an imp waiter was going to welcome them, Fizzarolli couldn't help but notice how poorly the people outside the palace looked. At first he thought they were there to see him and Asmodeus because of their celebrity status, then he noticed that many of them barely had clothes to wear, and they were not begging for an autograph or a picture, but instead for charity. He felt uncomfortable and tried not to think about it, but it was impossible to ignore all the noise and loud voices coming from all directions.
"What is happening to these people, Asmodeus?" Fizzarolli asked, showing his discomfort. Asmodeus simply replied that it was none of his business and continued to walk forward, paying little attention to Fizzarolli's pleads.
Fizzarolli decided then to move on his own while Asmodeus was distracted greeting other princes and try and ask for more information from the poor people. He got closer to a Hell-hound who was begging for food.
"Hello there. Are you alright? Where are you from?" he asked her.
"Oh, it's you, Fizzarolli! Please, help us. I have children who have nothing to eat nor to wear. I'm from the Wrath Ring." she responded.
Startled at first, Fizzarolli looked in his purse and found some money, as well as some snacks such as the Angel Dust chocolate bars he had brought from the mansion.
"Here, take this." he said trying to give her the money and food.
But before he could do that, Asmodeus got closer to him and grabbed Fizzarolli by the arm, taking him far away with his overwhelming strenght.
"What was that about?! Everyone is watching!" Asmodeus asked, looking furious.
"I was just trying to help." Fizzarolli replied, with a hint of sadness in his face while he looked at the hell-hound who had started crying.
"Listen, it's not your job to help these people. You're better off just ignoring them and moving on. It's their problem, not ours." Asmodeus said, with a stern look inhis face.
"But can't we do something to help them? They look like they're starving." Fizzarolli said, concerned.
"Why would you even care? We don't have time to deal with this right now. We have an important event to attend to and you're going to ruin it if you keep this up. I'll tell you more about it later, now let's just go in and enjoy ourselves, alright my love?" Asmodeus said, trying to calm down his boyfriend by hugging him.
"Alright." Fizzarolli said, finally giving up.
Asmodeus and Fizzarolli finally entered the Palace of Mammon and were immediately greeted by the other members of the royal class who were already in the hall. Between them, they were able to meet the host, Mammon himself, the prince of Greed. He was a tall, green-skinned demon with long horns and a big grin.
"Welcome,welcome!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, hello Mammon. Nice to see you again." Asmodeus said, while Fizzarolli kept turning his head towards the outside.
"Hello Prince Asmodeus, it's a pleasure to see you too. And I see you brought this pretty little thing with you? Welcome my dear Fizzarolli." Mammon asked, looking at Fizzarolli.
"Yes, of course you already know your favourite constest winner." Asmodeus said, proudly looking at his boyfriend.
"What a lucky man you are, Asmodeus. He looks amazing." Mammon said.
"I know, right? I'm the luckiest prince of all of Hell." Asmodeus said, smiling at Fizzarolli.
Fizzarolli blushed slightly and looked away, feeling embarrassed but flattered.
"Thank you, Mammon. It's nice to meet you too." he said.
"You're quite welcome, Fizzarolli. Now, why don't you two go enjoy the party? There's plenty of food and drinks for everyone." Mammon said.
"Of course, Mammon. Thank you. Let's go, Fizz." Asmodeus said.
Fizzarolli nodded and the two of them walked through the main entrance of the palace, ready to face Hell's royalty.