Oliver watched Fizzarolli's lips, trying to read what he was saying.

"Greatest… performing. And I'm so glad…"

He kept being jostled by the crowd. Oliver scooted up into a gap between groups of people. Would there be another song? The one that had just ended- even if Oliver didn't pick up on every word- was the best one he'd ever seen. (To be fair, it was the only one he'd seen in person so far. The TV at the group home was so grainy, it was amazing to see everything so clearly, so sharply, in such bright colors.) Able to push further toward the front, Oliver raised an arm and waved. He caught his idol's eye.

Thank you, Fizzarolli signed. Just for him!

"Cause now… I quit!"

Oliver's eyes popped even wider open. Quitting? Did he read that right? The expressions of the other people in the crowd were also changing. The microphone dropped, and Fizzarolli was leaving the stage. Quitting? Was this his last show? How on earth was he going to tell Kai about this?

The air crackled with electricity. The hair on Oliver's arms raised. In a huge cloud of green smoke and confetti, Mammon appeared on stage, towering over Fizzarolli. He was yelling something, but they were too far away and the air was too hazy. Oliver couldn't tell what he was saying, but now Fizzarolli was sidestepping him, flipping him off.

He would have to get ahold of a newspaper. This would probably be in the news as quickly as tomorrow, then he could probably read what all this was about, and fill in the gaps of what he was missing. Mrs. D usually tossed hers when she was done, he'd have to watch for when-

The air crackled again. It made Oliver want to run away. He felt vibrations in the ground. What was happening?! A hell shake? More green smoke, and spider legs. Mammon was bigger now. Huge. Fizzarolli was still standing straight, arms crossed. Oliver wasn't sure how he was doing it. He wasn't the one that Mammon was using that booming voice on and his knees were still shaking and his heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. He hated being yelled at. Even if he couldn't hear it, he could see the glares, he could see the anger and he felt the consequences-

"Little shit!"

Oliver knew how to read those words. He'd read them off the lips of-

"I raised you like the son I didn't want!"

Didn't want? ("I never asked for a kid like this. I don't want him.") Fizzarolli brushed Mammon off, and narrowed his eyes.

Oh no, Oliver thought, I would be in trouble if I did that. Is Fizz in trouble now?

He was wringing his hands. He hadn't noticed it until now, but he had been for a while. He sort of wanted to cover his eyes, but then he wouldn't know what was going on at all. Mammon was inhaling again, madder than ever, but then his expression dropped.

Red-tipped blue flames roared up behind Fizzarolli. Oliver gasped. Fizzarolli didn't budge. Asmodeus- the Deadly Sin- appeared behind him, glaring. The imp seemed to be entirely comfortable, even as flames sputtered behind him. Even if Asmodeus looked just as angry as Mammon, who leaned forward to tell him something. Oliver couldn't catch any of it, Mammon's face was angled too far to the side. All three of Asmodeus's faces continued to glare at him. Even so, the tightness in Oliver's throat and chest was soothed a little bit. Mammon wasn't screaming in Fizzarolli's face anymore.

"I don't care anymore!"

Asmodeus's faces all spoke in sync as he raised up even taller. Didn't care about what?! Oliver watched as Fizzarolli's expression dropped and he looked up at the Sin of Lust. He looked nervous for the first time in the interaction, but not afraid. (Oliver wondered what it would be like. For someone to have your back like that and be able to do something. He and Kai were always together, but they couldn't do much substantial protecting, mostly comforting when it was all over. They were both small. Mrs. D would laugh in both of their faces if they ever stood up to her like this.)

"Ozz?"

Mammon was laughing. Saying something but now his back was turned to the crowd. What was he saying? Oliver was dying to know.

"What? That I love him? Well I DO."

Oliver's mouth dropped open. He could practically feel the collective gasp of the crowd. Fizzarolli looked petrified. People around him were taking out their phones. He could read the happy chatter from their lips, I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!

In the biggest explosion of green smoke yet, Mammon was gone. The force of the wind nearly knocked Oliver off his feet, and he covered his face with his arm, coughing. As the smoke cleared, Oliver squinted at the stage. Asmodeus opened his huge, cupped hands and there was Fizzarolli. (Safe. Protected.)

Cybernetic arms stretched out, wrapping around Asmodeus's neck. The two (Four maybe? Did the other two faces in the Sin's mane count as an extra two?) had big, silly grins on their faces. Fizzarolli nuzzled his beak against Asmodeus's cheek. An imp and a Sin? A Sin and an imp? In love?

One of the reasons that Fizzarolli held such a special place in Oliver's heart was because there were so few imps who ever got to be such public figures. So admired. So famous. Oliver could probably count them on one hand. Hearing from Fizz that he could be anything he wanted to be meant the world. And now… a Sin and an imp?!

Oliver had learned a lot of words for imps from a lot of different people. Even Mrs. D, who ran the group home, and claimed in front of visiting adults that she just loved all of the kids, used some of them. "Fire toads." "Imp trash." "Impling," which was supposed to be just a word, but was sometimes spoken with such clear disdain that it was impossible for Oliver to take it as anything but an insult.

Right now, an imp was being cradled by a King. Like he was… not valuable, valuable was how often Fizzarolli was in advertisements, it was the roped off areas and the fan meet and greets that Oliver couldn't afford to get into.

He was being held like he was something precious.

Oliver's head was spinning.

He followed the crowd out, still in a daze. He caught the bus back to the group home, giving the driver the last of his change. He almost missed his stop, so lost in thought.

Of course, he was in trouble when he got back. He'd been missing for the majority of the day after running away to catch the show. He was sent to bed without dinner but his thoughts didn't linger there for long, instead replaying the events at the end of the show. He changed into the pajamas he was quickly growing out of and climbed into his bunk.

He was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts when Kai shook his shoulder.

What happened? Show, how was it? His best friend signed quickly, a huge grin on his face. Signature? Got it?

Oliver pulled the photo out from under his pillow, grinning back. He couldn't hear Kai's squeal, but he could imagine it. He handed over the photo to free his hands for signing.

It was crazy! You won't believe- Fizzarolli quit!

Kai gasped, one hand flying to his mouth. He put the photo back under the pillow, and hauled himself out of his wheelchair and onto the bunk they both shared. Tell me everything. Why? When? After?

Oliver took a deep breath, and started from the beginning.