Chapter Text
Chapter 54
make my spirit sing
Noisily, Mammon thumped his pen on the desk and grinned grimly at Ozzie - whose mouth corners began to twitch.
It ... had worked. It had actually worked! Mammon had signed the new contract! Enthusiasm rose in Asmodeus and neither could nor would he hold back any longer, grinning broadly at Mammon - but before he could say anything, a guttural sound rang out in the office. Softly at first. Then louder and louder. It was a laugh. And it came from Fizzarolli. With widened eyes and a maniacal grin, his little demon walked towards the desk, his gaze glued to the contract.
"Yes ... Yes! YES! YES!" he snapped, and with a leap jumped on the desk, clawing his metal fingers into the wood, causing it to burst. "FINALLY!!! HA HA HA!!!"
Startled, Mammon frowned in confusion before he too began to grin. He casually leaned forward and propped his head in one hand, placing a claw under Fizz's chin and chuckling.
"Well, look at that. Someone's excited to become my number one whore~ I didn't think you'd be so keen. Must be because you've been in Lust for so long. But go ahead sweetie, it'll only benefit the business, he he!"
However, Fizz didn't go for it. He gawked at Mammon like a maniac, while his grin grew wider and wider. His face distorted beyond recognition. So much so that it became sinister.
"And how it will, sweetie~" he murmured hoarsely, imitating Mammon's cackling, whereupon the latter narrowed his eyes. Skepticism awoke in him, too late, as Ozzie knew, and the moment Fizzarolli had spoken the contract on the desk began to glow garishly.
"What the ...?" As if stung, Mammon jumped to his feet and backed away when the paper burst into flames. Only it didn't disintegrate into ash. The flames slowly ate through the paper - revealing what was underneath. Another document emerged, appearing almost identical to the previous contract. However, it was not identical. Only one thing remained - Mammon's signature. Who started to rage, grabbed the paper and held it before his eyes.
"What the fuck does this mean?!"
It was done! Ozzie could no longer suppress laughter and stepped right in front of the desk, propping one hand on it.
"Oh, yes! Sorry! I forgot to mention that!" Concerned, he shook his head, holding a hand to his mouth in feigned horror before he began waving it. "There's a teeny tiny little thing in the contract you might want to know about. Fizzarolli doesn’t have to obey you anymore~"
He got no response. Mammon stared at the contract in his hands, and with each line he read, his face slipped further.
"No. No, no, no ...!" Mammon's eyes grew as big as plates and his mouth dropped open. A glorious sight that only fueled Ozzie's laughter!
"Awww, what's wrong Mammon? Why the long face, huh? Don't you like what you see?!" Fizz cackled, his tail swinging wildly through the air. With a jerk, Mammon's head went up, and for a moment Ozzie thought he was going to pounce on Fizzarolli and rip him apart. Instead, Mammon growled witheringly, displayed his golden fangs, and turned to Ozzie.
"I did not sign that! That is NOT what we agreed to!"
Indifferently, Ozzie shrugged.
"I'm truly sorry about that ... But then I guess you 'should have read the fine print better'. Didn't you told me again and again about that yourself? I'd say - it's your own fault. "
"But that's not the contract you presented to me!"
"Oh yes it is. And if I'm not mistaken, it's your signature that's under it. That makes it legal and enforceable." Satisfied, Ozzie folded his arms behind his back and bobbed up and down on the soles of his high heels, while Mammon's features just brimmed with bewilderment.
"You-you set me up ...? Deceived me? You ... me? Because of this ... because of this ...!!!"
"This imp? My imp? Yes, indeed. It's not like you gave me a choice, so I'm beating you at your own game. I knew you'd never trust me to manipulate a contract. But what you can do, I've been able to do for a long time."
"That's fraud!!! You cheated me! Me! Your own brother!"
"What?! Cheated!?" Horrified, Fizzarolli pressed his hands to his cheeks and rolled over the desk, looking up at Mammon indignantly. "You mean the contract isn't based on fact? You mean he lured you under a false premise?! That's terrible! Who, in all the seven rings, would do anything so outrageous?!"
Mammon's eyes twitched and just in time Fizzarolli braced himself before the other's fist crashed into the desk where Fizz's head had been before.
"Shut up!"
Fizzarolli just chuckled, though, and before anything worse could happen, Ozzie lifted him up and hugged him. Finally. Now he was safe and out of Mammon's reach.
"Watch who you raise your hand to, brother. The fact that you don't recognize my magic, even though it's right in front of you, is neither Fizzarolli's nor my fault. That was always your sore spot," he murmured coolly and shook his head, executing a meaningful gesture with his hand. "There's no need for you to get upset at all. You've read the contract, haven't you? Basically, everything remains the same. Fizzarolli is free from you and therefore you may enter Lust again and continue your pathetic business, you get your hush money and the robot is also meant for you. So you don't come out completely empty-handed. See? Because that's how I am to you."
"A robot will never come close to the original!"
"Oh, you'll be surprised. This is not one of my ordinary sex dolls. This robot is going to be custom-made. An artificial intelligence that will be second to none! And who knows? If it's well-received, it could even be made into a series. A kind of personal companion? But I'll leave that up to you but if you want, I even offer my help. You know how much I enjoy designing new things, darling~"
A sinister rumble rose in the office and instinctively Ozzie took cover, expecting his little brother to explode at any moment. Holding the contract tightly in his hand, crumpling it, he stood there, his whole body trembling, and an uneasy greenish aura enveloped him. His gaze bored into Fizz and Ozzie witheringly, but then a broad grin painted itself on Mammon’s face once again; reached from ear to ear.
"Don't rejoice too soon! I don't need your charity, nor this robot, Asmodeus! Fizzarolli is mine! I am the master of his soul after all!"
At first Ozzie was seriously concerned, but when he heard Mammon's words, he was able to return his dirty grin. Bending down to him.
"Is that so? Well? Didn't you listen to me?"
Mammon's eyes twitched, whereupon Ozzie turned to the side, staring at the long closet that ran completely along one wall of the office and where Mammon kept all his contracts. A glow came from the inside, and the moment Mammon's eyes settled on it he froze.
"W-what ...!" he gasped, but that was as far as he got. As if on cue, the glow flitted out of the closet and manifested in the air before them - in the form of an endless contract, at the end of which was a fingerprint and a signature: Fizzarolli.
A furious scream came from Mammon, who sprang forward.
"Oh no! NO! This is NOT going to happen! HE BELONGS TO ME!" he yelled, grabbing for the glowing contract, but his fingers grasped at nothing, sliding through it as if it wasn't really there, leaving nothing but a glistening trail of smoke. In the next moment, the contract warped, lost its shape, and spun around on itself. Turned into a glaring dot that danced wildly in the air in front of them, like a scared firefly. Then it whizzed off and hurtled through the air straight into Fizzarolli's body.
Fizz snapped his eyes open and threw himself forward, clutching his top and groaned, beginning to glow himself.
"Fizz!" Startled, Ozzie set him down on the floor, wanting to make sure he wasn't hurt. Heat was emanating from him. Unspeakable heat - and a swirl of emotions Ozzie hadn't experienced in a long time. Confusion, pain, and so much more made his emphatic antennae twitch and squirm, and unintentionally he backed away, face contorted. What Fizz was radiating ...felt strange! Intangible! As if Fizzarolli was suddenly transmitting on a different frequency! As if an indistinct image suddenly became clear!
Then the glow died and Fizzarolli exhaled noisily, looked down at his hands and didn't move.
Ozzie swallowed and shook himself, trying not to be distracted by the strange static his little demon was emitting.
"Fizz ... are you all right?"
No answer. The horror on Fizzarolli's face continued for quite some time before it suddenly melted away like hot lava. Astonishment took its place. Deep astonishment and excitement – then a burst of energy radiated from him, and he threw his head up, bored his gaze into Mammon. All at once an expression came over his features that Ozzie had never seen before. Before Ozzie could react, Fizz dashed forward and leapt at Mammon, startling both deadly sins with his outburst and stuck to him like a tick, wrapping his legs around his waist and grabbing Mammon's collar.
"YOU!" he rumbled in his croaking chainsaw voice. Threatened the King of Greed - and mocked him in the same breath. "You disgusting goddamned deviant little parasite! If you only knew! IF YOU KNEW how long I've been waiting for this!" he screamed in Mammon’s face, bridging any distance and pressing his forehead against Mammon's. "I HATE YOU! I hate everything about you! EVERYTHING! The way you look, the way you talk, the way you smell, the way you move! The mere sight of you makes my blood boil!! I could strangle you! Crush you like the disgusting insect that you are!! You're a pathetic little money-grubbing precocious pompous asshead who everyone hates and you being Asmodeus' twin brother is a damn disgrace!"
Completely taken off guard, Mammon gawked at him while Fizz kept pressing his forehead against Mammon as if he was literally trying to crawl in his face and bite his skin off. Made him stagger backwards until he hit the wall. But Fizzarolli's tantrum wasn't over yet. He kept talking himself into a rage. Without point or comma, in a tone of voice Asmodeus had never heard from him before. So ... condescending and disrespectful ... it impressed him mercilessly!
"I worked my ASS off for you!!! To the point of exhaustion! I worked myself nearly to death in your shitty third-rate shithole of a circus, but it was never enough for you! NEVER! You took everything from me! EVERYTHING! But that's over now! You heard me!? It's over and I don't give a shit who you are or what you are! You will never rule over me again! Never again force me to do anything or intimidate me or put things in my head! And if you try that again, I'll shove my fifty yard foot so far up your ass you'll be able to spit it out!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ASSHOLE!? FUCK YOU! Fuck you and your greed!!!"
And as much as Fizz impressed Ozzie, he felt that with every word he threw at his brother, the anger in Mammon grew. The bewilderment in him formed into raw concentrated hatred and the surrounding roar grew louder. Made the floor shake beneath their feet and the lights on the ceiling began to flicker. A shadow settled over the office and in the next moment Mammon's artificial hand shot out, wrapped itself around Fizzarolli's throat, and he pulled him down. Fizz just grunted in response, though, digging the claws of his own prostheses into Mammon's arm, metal meeting metal.
"Aw, what's the matter? Can't take the truth?" Fizzarolli choked spitefully, then patted Mammon's artificial arm. "You don't like this one, do you? What a pity. It will bring you so much ... success! That's what people are into, pathetic crybaby! Although, no ... not in a thousand years will anyone be into you and your shitface! Now you know how it feels like!!"
A dangerous aura filled the room and all at once Mammon's demeanor changed completely. He became distorted and grew. Took his true form and Ozzie froze, hadn't seen this figure in ages.
Black feathered wings speckled with golden lines sprouted from Mammon's shoulders, turning day into night, and spikes protruded from his back. Pitch-black rims wrapped around his poison-green eyes, his face resembling more and a more creepy porcelain mask from the human world, and all at once many small orbs buzzed around him. Began to glow and move, circling around him. Green mist rose from the corners of his mouth and when he opened it, two rows of small pointed fangs were revealed.
"How dare you!!!" Mammon roared, whirling around and crushing Fizz against the wall. The small demon gasped, kicked his legs and clung to Mammon's once feather-covered now metalic arm. "How dare you $peak to me like that!? I am your King!" Like a blast wave, Mammon's words boomed through the office, shattering the windows and pressing Fizz against the wall, which gave way behind him and cracked as Mammon squeezed Fizz's throat tighter. Choking the air out of him! Fizz gasped and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.
Ozzie's alarm bells were ringing loud and shrill and his other two faces were yelling at him to move. He couldn't freeze again, couldn't stand by again! Too many times this had happened and this time he wasn't going to watch and do nothing!! And as soon as he looked into Fizzarolli's eyes, the itch on his back awoke. Burning like the sun itself - and it overcame him.
For there was no fear in Fizzarolli. No nervousness, no panic. With a cocky grin dripping with self-confidence, he stared down at Mammon, spitting blood in his face before starting to laugh - which turned into a gurgle under the pressure of Mammon's fingers.
"No. You're not," he croaked, baring his teeth - and his eyes met Ozzie's. "He is!"
Slowly, Mammon's head turned in Ozzie's direction, but Ozzie beat him to it. His hand darted out, grabbing Mammon's arm - and squeezed it. Crushed the sensitive new limb when their eyes met. Brother against brother.
"Get your paws off my imp~," Ozzie chirped with a put-on smile, before unceremoniously lunging and ramming his fist into his brother's face. Flinging him across the room where he slammed into the broken window and sank down into the shards with a groan. Snidely, Ozzie breathed out dark flames, then quickly turned to Fizzarolli, who had slumped to his knees and rubbed his neck. Still no spark of fear emanated from him. Instead, excitement was rushing through his veins. So strongly that Ozzie could feel it, perceive how the surrounding air literally vibrated. It shook him, passed over to him, and when his little demon raised his head and grinned at him, Ozzie couldn't help himself, returning the grin and extending a hand invitingly. It was time for them to get out of here. They had everything they wanted and there was nothing to keep them here any longer. But before Fizz could get up, the roar increased all the more and darkness settled over the office. A familiar feeling spread through Ozzie, crawling up his spine like a thousand spiders, and he wheeled around, looking through the large window at the sky over Mint City. Thick gray clouds had completely covered the bright green sky and a storm was brewing. It’s green lightning flashing dangerously among the skyscrapers, casinos and hotels. Shit ... someone was pissed!
With a menacing growl, Mammon straightened up again, quivering with anger and flapping his wings violently. Created a gust of wind that whipped mercilessly through the office and blew the window shards in Ozzie's direction. Immediately he stood in front of Fizz, shielding him and throwing his arms up as the shattered glass dug into his arm like countless tiny splinters. Ignoring the pain, he fixated on Mammon, who muttered darkly to himself, keeping his head lowered.
"How dare you ..." he rumbled, his voice echoing off the walls as if coming from hundreds of speakers. "How dare you... to treat me like thi$! To go behind my back! To expo$e me like that! Humiliating me like Thi$!? Who do you think you are!? Who do you think you are facing!? What do you pre$ume to the king of thi$ ring!?" With that, Mammon threw his head up and extended an arm. A crushing wave of energy hit them and the shadows at their feet came alive. They gathered around Mammon, circled him, took form, resembling a sickening viscous mass of faces and bodies - the souls of those who belonged to Mammon. Those he could summon ...
At Mammon's command, they piled up like a black wave, ready to crash over Ozzie and Fizzarolli. Taking them with them into the darkness.
Ozzie held his breath, frozen.
No ... ! He couldn't let this happen! They could do little to him, these damned creatures. They could perhaps take away his power, force him into his second form, even send him into unconsciousness. Fizzarolli, however, would be at their mercy! Should the shadows touch him, all this - their plan, the reclaim of his soul - would be in vain, and he would be forced into Mammon's slavery with the rest of the souls. For all eternity!
No! This couldn’t happen! Ozzie would not allow that to happen! Under no circumstances!!!
And before the black mass of plaintive faces could descend upon them, he revealed what he would have preferred to keep hidden. Accepted the burning and itching on his back for what it was. As part of him. As his curse. As his happiness. His love. Before even one of the figures could reach out to them, bright blue light flooded the office, forcing the shadows to their knees. Made them wail even louder, and they backed away behind Mammon. Hiding in his shadow, getting smaller and smaller.
Silence filled the office.
Stunned, Mammon stared at him, suddenly seeming uninterested in attacking them. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the gigantic wings that protruded from Ozzie's back and brightly illuminated the entire office. Ozzie flapped them demonstratively before spreading them to full size, bracing the feathers and standing tall.
"They... they're back..." his brother finally choked out, and for a split second, Ozzie could swear, his voice didn't drip with hatred and contempt, but sincere compassion resonated in the words. However, the moment was brief, and Asmodeus was not swayed. A blink of an eye later, Mammon's eyes narrowed and the tiny hint of compassion evaporated. "Because ... Because off ... HIM?!" Harshly, he pointed his claws at Fizzarolli, who was standing right behind Ozzie. Immediately Ozzie straightened his shoulders, puffed himself up, whereupon his wings appeared even larger.
"That's god-damn right. You know what that means. So think twice before attacking me," he roared, at which Mammon's eyes twitched. Growling, his twin bowed his head, spreading his own wings as if about to pounce at any moment. Which Ozzie rigorously prevented. Grumbling, he took a step forward, letting the ground melt beneath his feet. Turned it to ashes, and the fire his wings radiated burned hotter than ever.
"I warn you, Sachiel!" he thundered. Left no doubt about his words. "I have someone to fight for now. Which means you're going to lose."
But his words showed no effect. Violently, Mammon shook his head and his porcelain face distorted in a disturbing way.
Then he disappeared. From one moment to the next. Hissing, Ozzie held his breath, felt a crackle to his left, and wheeled around. With all his might, he lunged, let his arm shoot out and grabbed Mammon in mid-air, not falling for the trick. As nimble as his brother was, Ozzie's senses were better, his reactions quicker. Before he could rush past Ozzie and pounce on Fizz, Ozzie spun around, dragging Mammon with him and hurling him back against the broken window frame. An angry scream escaped Mammon and his claws flashed, driving down mercilessly on Ozzie. Scratching his face, his clothes. With hands and feet Mammon fought, but Ozzie would not let go, gritting his teeth and the sheer sight of his brother fanned the fire within him. His flames hissed, blazed high and crept along his arm, leaping onto Mammon and enveloping him.
Screaming in pain, Mammon opened his mouth, whereupon Ozzie pressed his lips together. The smell of burning flesh spread through the room as the shadow creatures began to gnaw wildly at Ozzie. Tried to throw him off his feet. To to no avail. Firmly Ozzie stamped his foot, melting the floor, scaring away the creatures that gathered around their master, trying to rush to Mammon’s aid. And ... it hurt Ozzie. Like a fine needle that slowly, bit by bit, pierced his heart.
He couldn't stop it, couldn't fight it, and yet he saw him. Not the monster that was figthing him, he saw his little brother. The little angel who artfully guarded the treasures of heaven and never left his post. Sincere, dutiful. And all alone in his holy treasury.
"MAMMON STOP IT NOW!" Ozzie thundered, whereupon a jolt went through his brother. "Stop it! Look where it's gotten us! I've lost my heart, Fizz has lost his limbs, and now you've lost an arm! How much further does this have to go!?" Cursing, Ozzie narrowed his eyes and finally dimmed his flames, shaking his head. "WHY!? Tell me, why are you so desperate to take him away from me!?"
For a second Mammon just stared, then he contorted his face and began to squirm again in Ozzie's grip.
"Because he was MINE!" he roared. "He was mine and you took him away from me! You've never taken anything away from me before! It hurt me! And then ... then you punished me by ignoring me! Even before that! Even before that, you dared to turn your back on me! You abandoned me!"
What ...? Perplexed, Ozzie blinked.
"Because you've turned into a complete asshole!? You say I'm blinded by lust. And what about you? Your greed has gone to your head for decades! So much that you didn't even notice that my magic was attached to the contract! That's how much you wanted to take him away from me! Even though you know exactly what he means to me!" Meaningfully, Ozzie pointed to the desk where the contract lay crumpled up.
"And what about ME?" Mammon thundered, spewing the sentence full of bitterness in Ozzie’s face that it nearly knocked Ozzie off his feet. Mammon's anger twisted and became a crushing ... desperation? Longing? An ache? Ozzie couldn't name the feeling, but it completely fogged them both. "What am I getting!? Huh? Fizzarolli belonged to me! YOU belonged to me! But you turned your back! You broke what was between us! And now you're doing it again! You're breaking it! You’re leaving me behind!"
Staring more and more incredulously at Mammon, Ozzie lowered his arm. Was ... was he serious? Was this really how he saw things? This ... didn't make any sense.
"What once was between us was broken long before, and that wasn't my fault. All you cared about was your money! Focused on it completely, were obsessed!"
"No! You left me because all you cared about was your stupid club and who you could fuck next! Sex, sex, sex! You didn't care about anything else! So I'm taking back what is rightfully mine so you can no longer ignore me!! Tse! You don't even know what love is!"
"And YOU know it, right!? You of all people!?" Ozzie countered harshly, at which Mammon fell silent. Bitterly they looked at each other, then Ozzie snorted, shaking his head.
This was ridiculous. This whole conversation was ... a farce! Because if Mammon thought like this, felt like this, why had he never said a word and hid behind his hate? Why did he want to put all the blame on Ozzie now, when he had behaved so shamefully? Slowly, he set Mammon down, but did not let go of him before continuing to speak with grim determination.
"Enough is enough. This has to stop ... No, it will stop. Do you understand? I don't want to fight you. I don't want to hurt you. Unlike you ... But you leave me no choice if you keep this up. If you want to take away what means the most to me."
"I once meant the most to you. Me. Not ... him!"
"You can't win this argument, Mammon. You know that. Not anymore." With that, Ozzie pointed to his wings, which shone bright and hot. Unlike the bodies of his siblings, his wings were uncorrupted and still radiated the same power as they had once when he had torn them out. Which meant they still carried a spark of heaven - which made Ozzie much stronger than Mammon. Like he had been before, but now they were moving on completely different levels.
Hissing, Mammon took a step back, glancing over and over at Ozzie's wings before shaking his head and finally reacting just as Ozzie had expected. As always ...
"J-just wait until Lucifer hears about this!" his little brother uttered the threat, but it sounded hollow and desperate and did not impress Asmodeus in the least. He snorted with sarcasm and crossed his arms.
"Oh, so now you’re running to big brother with your tail between your legs to squeal that the other big brother beat you up?" He let out a chilly laugh before lowering his arms and looking Mammon straight in the eye. "Go ahead," he murmured as somberly and croakily as a slamming coffin lid. "Run to Lucy - and tell him I'm waiting for him."
That was the end of that conversation. Without giving Mammon another glance, Asmodeus turned to Fizzarolli and held out his hand again. Nodded to him in an inviting manner. For a brief moment, his little demon hesitated before jumping onto Ozzie's hand with a grin. Trusting him without exception - which triggered an indescribable feeling in Ozzie. It was strange and new and exciting. He felt untouchable! Invincible!
"Be glad you got away so easily, Sachiel. You get to do business in Lust, get your cash and your robot - for which, by the way, you can thank Fizz. He gave me the idea.... But as far as I'm concerned." Looking over his shoulder one last time, Ozzie dropped his wings and lowered his eyelids. "If I ever see your face in my club again or if you ever threaten Fizzarolli again or dare to publish this video, I will personally come to Greed and spank your ass live on TV, in front of all Hell. And not in a sensual way. Got it!? Now if you'll excuse us? I'm going to take my imp home now and fuck his brain out. You can stay here. Alone. With your dearly beloved money." Lifting his head, Ozzie started moving, and headed for the portal at the other end of the office.
"Oh yeah?! Do you two really think you're so much better? Do you think you're special because you found 'true love'!? HA! That's more than funny!" Mammon snapped, flapping his wings, at which Ozzie paused and looked back at his brother from half-opened eyes. Disgust oozed from Mammon's words, but so did an unhealthy amount of ... jealousy and resentment. Snarling, Mammon extended his mechanical arm and finally pointed at Fizzarolli. "You are such a fool, Fizz! Just as naive as he is! What do you think is going to happen huh? Yeah, everything is great now and you're on pink clouds! You're being swarmed by the Embodiment of Lust! Open your eyes, Fizzarolli. He's a deadly sin. And you are his source of energy. He will suck you dry! Squeeze you until there's nothing left of you. He is lust! He will literally fuck you to death. That's exactly what's going to happen. And then he'll drop you. Find something new. Someone new. Someone more interesting, someone hotter, who can satisfy his lust better! And then?! Then it's you standing there alone. Because that's all Asmodeus can do! When he's done with you, he drops you! That's how he deals with everyone. With everyone! Even his own flesh and blood!"
Asmodeus eyes twitched at that, and he pressed his lips together. For the breath of a second, his chest knotted and his cheeks began to throb with heat. There were a thousand things he could have said in reply! A thousand things, if Mammon really wanted to ride the rails ... But the words stuck in his throat. Because somewhere, buried deep between those lines, crouched a spark of truth. A spark that Ozzie didn't want to admit. Slowly he opened his mouth, but before he could say anything in response, Fizzarolli's hands settled on his cheeks, turning his head until the confident grin of his little demon hovered before him. Meaningfully, Fizzarolli nodded at him, letting him understand what he was feeling without words - and relief flooded Ozzie. He closed his eyes, nodded as well, and turned his back on Mammon.
Fizzarolli, however, still looked at the King of Greed, and to Asmodeus' supreme amusement, stuck his tongue out at Mammon and gave him the middle finger.
"Toodle-oo, asshole! Goodbye forever!!"