Your love is most important

For Fizzaroli, the most important thing was always not to disappoint his idol. He always had to be the best for Mammon, because Mammon gave him everything: money, fame, the opportunity to live a full life and, most importantly, a meeting with his beloved Ozzy. Mammon always demanded perfect performance; It was important for Mammon that the flow of money that his most important and brightest star brought him would not stop. — You will always shine as brightly on stage, won’t you, my boy? — Mammon smiles ingratiatingly, — I hope you won’t let me down? — Of course not, sir, — Fizzaroli replies, trembling slightly, — I won’t let you down. — Ha-ha-ha, this is just wonderful, — Mammon laughs, — I really hope so, because you should never forget that for everything you have, you should thank only me. And in order to preserve all this, you better not disappoint me, Fizzaroli, and don’t even think about screwing up, — Mammon’s voice takes on serious, even threatening notes, and his eyes sparkle with an unkind light. — Now go conquer the audience, my boy! — Mammon changes his mood again to a friendly and playful one, — win their hearts and bring me even more money! And smile, Fizz. After all, a smile is exactly what everyone so damn loves to see from you! And Mammon dissolves in a green flash with dollar signs, and Fizz’s heart begins to beat faster and it becomes increasingly difficult to breathe. The body begins to tremble uncontrollably. The voices of the enthusiastic public only intensify the panic and fear that are rolling in with increasing force. “I must not let him down, — the thought beats in Fizzaroli’s temples, — I must remain the best, because without Mammon’s favor I am nothing!” Over time, Fizz does not notice how each new performance becomes a huge stress for him, does not notice how panic attacks before going on stage become a common occurrence. But he copes every time, Mammon is pleased with Fizz’s success, and this is the most important thing. Asmodeus can no longer look at how excited and nervous Fizz is before each new performance; Asmodeus can no longer calmly watch the panic attacks that exhausted his boyfriend even more. Ozzy sees Fizz trying so hard to be perfect. And for the sake of whom, for the sake of this greedy, heartless bastard?! This seems to make Asmodeus hate Mammon even more. However, Ozzy tries to support Fizzaroli, although he does not like the way Mammon treats his subordinate. He was silent about this for a long time, but before the grand musical clown competition, Asmodeus’s discontent reaches its climax. And, probably, almost for the first time in their relationship, he decides to express this dissatisfaction. — You’ve been on this stupid show for the tenth year in a row and you always win. Why is this so important to you every time? — he says with worry in his eyes as Fizzaroli tries to apply his makeup with shaking hands. — I want Mammon to be proud of me. Because he’s really passionate about the art of clowning, — Fizzaroli says excitedly. — He always demands perfection, and I just need to be perfect! Asmodeus’s heart fills with pity, and he places a calming hand on Fizz’s shoulder to comfort and support him. — Fizz, no one’s perfect, — he says, — why don’t you just relax this year and give someone else a chance in the spotlight? You need a break or better yet a vacation from these crazy scumbags that are hanging around you! Fizz nervously laughs it off, says that everything is fine with him, that working for Mammon is important to him, and Asmodeus almost wants to scream so that Fizz doesn’t torture himself so much for the sake of Mammon. He breaks down and displeasedly tells Fizz that he doesn’t like what Mammon is doing to him. That this Mammon is a damn bastard who uses Fizz, that idols are most often cruel and disappointing. That he doesn’t want Fizz to turn himself inside out for someone else’s approval. Fizz also doesn’t like the way his boss treats him, he lowers his eyes and sighs heavily. Heh, actually he would gladly admit that he doesn’t care about this competition, but… He owes too much to Mammon. — I know, Ozzy, but this is all for me, — he lies to reassure his beloved Ozzy, — I don’t want to lose… Ozzy’s excitement does not subside, he wants to dissuade Fizz from being a toy, to help his beloved Fizzie finally throw off these annoying shackles with which Mammon shackled him. He wants to prove that no matter what, his Fizzy will always remain his number one. He dials the phone number of Fizzaroli’s once former and now current friend, hoping that at least Blitz can somehow influence his best friend… *** Fizz panics again. Not only does he increasingly catch the displeased glances of his master, but the sisters Glam and Glitz have a very good chance of defeating him and displacing the most important star of Mammon, and for some reason Ozzy appointed him as Blitz’s guard, who, alas, is right about Mammon, but this understanding does not bring relief to Fizz. Why can’t they understand him?! Once he loses, once he loses Mammon’s favor, he will lose everything again and become nothing! He’ll just be a burnt demon with no limbs! And then everyone will turn away from him, but the worst thing is that he will lose Ozzy… During the sisters performance, Fizzaroli runs away and runs into his dressing room. He is shaking, it is difficult for him to breathe, his heart is pounding, and large shiny drops of tears appear in his eyes. He goes to the mirror and desperately tries to fix his makeup. — You’re okay, Fizz, you’re okay… — Fizzarolli lies to himself over and over again, trying to overcome this new wave of fear. — You will achieve success… Asmodeus follows him as Blitz tells him that his little frog ran away crying. When he sees his condition, he once again wants to tear that bastard Mammon into small, tiny pieces for bringing his loved one to such a state. Asmodeus enters the dressing room and gently places his hands on Fizzaroli’s shoulders. Fizzarolli shudders, he did not want Asmodeus to see him in this state. He wants to drive him away, repeating like a mantra: “I’m fine, I’m really fine,” but you can’t deceive a loved one… Asmodeus feels Fizzaroli trembling in his arms, he desperately wants to calm him down, get through to him, convince him that victory is not the main thing. — I don’t want to lose! — Fizzaroli explodes in response, — because I feel that if I lose everything, I will lose you too! — He finally voices his greatest fear. Asmodeus freezes for a minute upon hearing such a confession from his dear Fizzy. Ozzy’s heart sank painfully. When did he make Fizz feel like he wasn’t important to him? Who put this nonsense into Fizz’s head that he’s only with him because of these damn victories?! Does he… consider himself unworthy of him? Where did he get this from? — Because I hardly deserve to be with the King of Sin, because that’s who I really am! — Fizz is hysterical; with tears in his eyes, he rips off his jester’s hat, revealing burnt horns. — Without all this I am nothing! And Mammon made me what I am now, and for that I am very indebted to him! Fizzaroli froze, turning away from Asmodeus. Now his beloved Ozzy will understand how insignificant his partner is, he will leave the dressing room and Fizz will never see him again. But instead he hears the soft, warm voice of Asmodeus. — Mammon didn’t do anything, — he says quietly, to which Fizz’s eyes widen in surprise, -you’ve always been so wonderful and talented. And you will remain that way, no matter what. I adore your ingenuity, your resilience, and meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. — Asmodeus comes up to him and gently turns him to face him, — and you’re also the sweetest creature in this Hell, — Ozzy touches his lover’s face with his nose, to which he laughs quietly, — and you definitely perform better than Mammon. And that’s a fact. — Asmodeus puts his hand on Fizz’s cheek, wiping away tears with a gentle touch. Fizz feels his fears gradually begin to subside, dissolving under Ozzy’s loving and warm gaze. — You understand that all this is so hard to believe… — the demon says embarrassedly, — but I love you so much, Ozzy! — he adds, throwing himself into a warm, loving embrace. — And I love you, Fizzy, — Asmodeus replies, — and for this I don’t need any victories… And I will still be with you, regardless of whether you win in this nonsense or not. Fizzaroli smiles happily, drowning in a loving look and the sounds of his beloved voice, warming up from warm hugs and enjoying a kiss full of love, he decided a lot for himself, and at this moment Fizz understands what, and most importantly, who is more important to him in this life… *** — Fuck you! — Fizzaroli sings loudly to the rousing music and the enthusiastic roar of the crowd. Oh yes, this performance definitely brought him great pleasure and was perhaps the best of his career. And most importantly, for the first time in his life there was no excitement in front of him, because his beloved Ozzy was nearby. — Fuck you! — Fizz sings again and again with sincere pleasure, getting rid of the oppression of his boss and finally breaking those golden shackles that bind his hands. Mammon does not understand until the very end that the phrase and the entire song of his ward are intended specifically for him, and only at the end of the song does dissatisfaction appear on his face, but Fizz no longer cares. He finds in the crowd the only fan who sincerely supported him before the performance — a deaf-mute imp who showed him in sign language that he wants to be just like him, making Fizzarolli feel good and momentarily calming his soul. “Thank you,” — he shows him in sign language, pressing his fingers to his lips and extending his hand to him, to which he smiles happily. And only after this Fizzaroli looks back at the rest of the crowd along with Mammon and firmly says, throwing the microphone onto the stage: — I’m leaving! And only then does Mammon become enraged and show his disgusting insides, appearing right in front of Fizzaroli with a grimace of anger on his face. — Oh, you pathetic piece of shit! — he shouts, — what do you mean, you’re leaving?! — That’s what it means! — Fizzarolli answers defiantly, — I’m leaving! Goodbye buddy! — Fizz gives his boss two middle fingers and continues to walk away. A green haze appears around Mammon, he roars in rage, taking on his true form and becoming simply huge. — You damn ungrateful bastard! — Mammon’s growl grew into a scream, — I gave you everything! You are literally my fucking image! I raised you like a son! Fizzaroli narrows his eyes defiantly and waves away the finger Mammon was poking at him with. He’s not his toy anymore! Not his property! Never! Under Mammon’s furious gaze, he does not even notice Asmodeus appear behind him in a flash of smoke. — You better go fuck yourself, Mammon! — he growls angrily, to which Mammon laughs sarcastically. — Oh, ha ha ha, look who thinks he’s a hero, — Mammon says mockingly as he comes closer. — Be careful what you say, Ozzy, if you don’t want your little secret to become public knowledge. Fizzaroli shudders excitedly, he doesn’t want Ozzy to suffer because of him. The thought of staying for a brief moment flashes in the back of his mind, but Asmodeus’s next words stun him. — I don’t care! — Ozzy really doesn’t care about his reputation anymore! Let everyone know! Let everyone hear that he loves his Fizzy. — Ozzy? — Fizz calls him with excitement, but now all the attention of the higher demons was occupied with each other. — Because if you allow him to leave, — Mammon continues, — then everyone will know that… — About what?! — Asmodeus flares up, — why do I love him?! Well, yes! This is true! The crowd roared in shock, and then immediately rushed to discuss such a sensation wherever possible. — You fucking, dirty bitch, — Mammon hisses, realizing that he was outplayed and the blackmail didn’t work, and then adds with an evil laugh, — but you’ll regret telling about this! Mammon disappeared, destroying his own circus tent with his anger, and Asmodeus, taking Fizz in his arms and taking Blitz with him, headed to his car. Fizzaroli couldn’t get his now former boss’s threat out of his mind. — Ozzy, — he asked quietly when they were already driving home, — what will happen now? What if Mammon actually makes good on his threat? What if he really can hurt you? Asmodeus just laughed. — I don’t care anymore, — he replies, — let Mammon do what he wants. I can take care of myself. Just think, there will be more headlines in the newspapers about what a hypocrite I am, so what? Fizzy looked at him in bewilderment. — Yes, I know that you hide newspapers with headlines like that from me so that I don’t get upset, my little frog, — Ozzy says and then smiles, to which Fizzaroli is very embarrassed, — and it’s incredibly touching, — he adds gently kissing his forehead. — But still… — Fizz tries to object, but he is stopped by Asmodeus’ finger placed on his lips. — It doesn’t matter, — says Ozzy, leaning his forehead against the forehead of his beloved demon, — the only thing that matters is that you are next to me, and that now I don’t need to hide it. Tears form in Fizzaroli’s eyes and his heartbeat begins to accelerate. — And I realized something for myself, Ozzy, — Fizz said, placing his hand on Asmodeus’s cheek, — I realized that your love is most important. And I don’t need anything else. And then Fizz gently hugged Asmodeus, receiving a return hug in return. Fizzaroli was always afraid of disappointing his idol: to the point of shaking legs, to the intermittent breathing, to the panicked beating of his heart. And only when Ozzy appears nearby does Fizz finally realize that someone much more important has appeared in his life. Blitz, riding next to them, simply silently looked at their tenderness. Although he pretended that he was about to vomit a rainbow, there was something unpleasantly squeezing in his chest, something causing melancholy, and something similar to white envy was spinning in Blitz’s soul, he experienced exactly the same feeling when he watched at Moxie and Millie, although he didn’t want to admit it even to himself. Deep down, Blitz still wanted someone in his life who would love him as much as Ozzy loves Fizz… — So maybe you already have such a demon in your life, Blitz? — a friend’s voice suddenly bursts into his consciousness, and, shuddering, Blitz notices that both Fizz and Asmodeus have interrupted their tenderness and are now looking at him carefully, narrowing their eyes, — Think carefully, friend. Asmodeus only silently smiled slyly at the remark of his beloved Fizzarolli, and this smile of the highest demon confused Blitz even more. — Fuck, — Blitz cursed quietly, realizing that he had spoken his last thought out loud, — shut up, Fizz. Fizzaroli and Asmodeus just giggle quietly, and Blitz offendedly turns away from them towards the window. He is clearly unhappy that this couple is mocking him again. But his friend’s words are still etched in Blitz’s memory. Does he really already have such a demon? Only one name comes to mind. Stolas. Red lantern eyes appear before the inner gaze, in general the entire handsome face of the prince appears in his imagination, as if Stolas is now sitting next to him. Something again stabbed unpleasantly in my chest on the left side. Realization suddenly hit Blitz with a bright flash. Is it really true… Does he miss him? Stunned by this guess, Blitz silently continued on his way.