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It wasn't often that Asmodeus woke up before his partner, but today happened to be one of those rare, work-free days when he did. He knew Fizz took great pride and joy from inventing all sorts of new and creative ways to rouse him in the mornings, and while some of them could certainly be a very startling way to start the day, Asmodeus felt only love in his heart when he thought back on them.
Just yesterday, Fizz had come up with a brand-new, colorful wake-up call that had nearly brought Ozzie to tears of laughter from the pure (lovely) absurdity of it. It had been one of his bigger plans, rather than a spur-of-the-moment choice like using his airhorn or kazoo. No, instead Ozzie had woken up to a marching-band-type act from his lover, featuring Fizz as the drum major and each of their pet quieves as a different section of the marching band.
All the quieves had been equipped with a different instrument and outfit, made purely for that one moment. It had been loud, sudden, and so purely Fizzaroli that Oz had completely brushed aside the fact that the quieves had knocked over several different pieces of furniture and spilled a copious amount of lube all over their brand new rug. It didn't matter in the end; Ozzie loved each and every wake-up call from Fizz simply because of the fun, laughter-filled chaos that the imp brought into his life.
And still, there was special tenderness Oz took in the moments where he woke up before Fizz. He loved watching the peaceful rise and fall of his froggie's chest from where the imp was splayed out on his own. Loved hearing his occasional snores and mumbles as he dreamt about one thing or another (given they weren't nightmares, of course).
It was so... domestic. A decade ago, Ozzie would have cringed at the word and laughed at the very idea of himself indulging in something like this. But now? Oh, he loved it more than he could ever say. Fizz was so incredibly dear to him, and he would split the rings of hell apart just to keep him safe and happy.
Asmodeus considered all of this as he calmly watched Fizz sleep, a half-read business document held completely forgotten in one hand. The fingers of his other hand were brushing gently over the jester's back as he dreamt. Fizz was muttering to himself in his sleep, making occasional movements as his face twisted in a few different emotions. Joy, excitement, surprise. They were all funny, safe expressions that Oz liked to see from his boyfriend.
Then the imp's expression shifted again, this time to a new emotion that Ozzie wasn't so sure about. Anger. Then a flash of deep hurt, and back to anger as the jester's tail lashed furiously underneath the comforter. Fizz was so expressive that Ozzie almost mistook him for being awake for a moment. But no, Fizz was still deep in REM sleep, clearly upset by something in his dream. Ozzie nearly went to wake Fizz then, lest it be the start of one of his terrifying nightmares about the circus fire.
However, he ended up not needing to as the jester suddenly jolted awake. The jolt was purely from his body alone, as Fizz seemed to wake mentally at a much more relaxed pace, much to Oz's relief. Moving his hand to still the imp’s still lightly-lashing tail, he watched Fizz release a massive yawn and stretch, arching into the gentle touches of Ozzie's fingers.
This was another delightful part of the days when Fizzaroli woke up after him. He'd get to see the slow wake-up from Fizz rather than the sudden bolt of energy he knew typically happened with the jester. He loved both of course, but these slower rises were very rare days, and the sin cherished each of them very deeply.
Fizz blinked lazily once, before his eyes snapped open suddenly to stare at the sin. The look on his face.. was surprisingly unreadable to Ozzie, but he rumbled out his usual morning greeting anyway.
“Morning, Froggie.” He cooed sweetly, the rumble of his chest shifting Fizz's body slightly more than his usual breathing did. Fizz blinked at him blankly for a moment, and just as Ozzie got worried enough to say something about it, Fizz's expression suddenly shifted into a pouty look of poorly hidden anger.
“Mm.. Good morning, Asmodeus.” Fizz said slowly, his eyes carefully narrowed at the sin. Oz blinked back in surprise at his partner, unsure of how to proceed for a second. It was hard to tell whether Fizz was genuinely angry with him, since the clown still looked at him with hilariously pouty indignation.
“Did I.. do something to upset you?” The sin proceeded carefully despite that, watching Fizz closely as his partner seemed to study him right back with that same funny expression.
“Yes,” Fizzaroli said simply, suddenly sitting up and looking determinedly to the side, avoiding eye contact. Asmodeus still couldn't tell what this was about, and just as he went to ask Fizz to clarify, the clown spoke up again– “In my dream.”
…Record scratch. The king of lust blinked blankly at Fizz for a good few seconds, just as Fizz had done when he first woke up. And then, without meaning to, a deep laugh broke from his throat. The movement in his chest jostled Fizz slightly, but the imp just anchored himself with his extendable legs as his head snapped back around to stare at the sin. It probably wasn't the best move, but Oz couldn't help it! Again, the idea of being angry at someone for something they did in your dream was so purely Fizz that this whole thing was genuinely even funnier to him!
“Uh! Excuse you!” Fizz exclaimed, glaring daggers at his partner as Oz forced himself to stifle his laughter for the sake of his partner.
“Sorry, Froggie.” He cooed gently at the imp, raising a hand to stroke the other's face. Fizz easily dodged out of the way, using the bed's canopy frame to zip up and then redeposit himself closer to the sin's face, arms crossing again and that petulant look coming right back. Oz forced his expression to an amused smile, which was the best he could do for now. “What horrible atrocity did I commit in your dream, hm?”
Asmodeus would have been more serious about this if he couldn't tell that Fizz was milking this a little. It did seem like the imp was perhaps a little genuinely upset too, but it was hard to tell. Oz would easily stop teasing if Fizz's demeanor changed to pure anger or irritation. For now though, Oz was still forcing himself not to chuckle lightly at the look spread across his lover's face.
“You cheated on me,” Fizz huffed, Oz giving a low hum of understanding as the jester finally allowed him to rest a hand along his back. Fizz leaned into that contact, much to Asmodeus’ relief and amusement, using the offered hand like the backing of a chair. “Then, you told me you were leaving. Which doesn't even make fucking sense, cause why would you leave your own tower and not just kick me out? Ugh!”
Fizz threw his head back in exasperation, and as real or fake as it was to him, Oz still figured he should try and restrain the urge to chuckle for a while longer.
Instead, he just hummed again, using one finger to gently stroke Fizz's side in lazy movements. “Mm, this boyfriend of yours sounds like a real piece of work, babe.”
Fizz leaned his head forward and peeked open one eye, narrowing his gaze at him. The king could tell Fizz was trying to figure out whether he should play along with Oz's teases or call him out for it. It seemed like a tough decision for the jester.
“Oh, yeah. He's a real dick.. But he definitely knows how to use his~” Ultimately, the urge to play along seemed to win Fizz over, and Ozzie couldn't be happier about it. Fizz leaned in close to his face as he said that line, expression all flirty and teasing. Asmodeus hooked a finger under the jester's chin and leaned in to nudge their beaks together lightly.
“That so~?” Oz breathed a plume of harmless blue smoke out as he spoke and watched the way Fizz instinctively shuddered at the sight and feel. Asmodeus was fully expecting a raunchy kiss as the next thing Fizz did and was solely disappointed when that wasn't the case.
Instead, Fizz quickly pulled back with a pop to his one-word reply, “yup! Anyway, he cheated on me and left, so maaajor dickbag.”
Still feeling dejected about not getting that kiss, Ozzie only raised a brow and leaned his head back on his pillow again. “In your dream?”
“In my dream.”
“Mm,” Oz grunted a reply. He took a moment to figure out how to proceed before using a hand to start to bring Fizz's face close again. The other allowed it, for the moment at least. “What a horrible shame.”
“Well, yeah–” Fizz cut himself off as the sin began smothering light kisses all over his face. It worked a treat as his froggie giggled instinctively and then quickly stopped himself. “Oz.”
“Yes, Fizzie?” Asmodeus asked innocently, continuing to place small kisses all over the jester's cheeks, chin, and brow.
Fizz subsequently tried to restrict another giggle, failed at that once Oz brushed his fingers lightly up under his shirt, and then whined as he shoved Ozzie's face and hand away with extended robotic limbs.
“AHH! Stop it!” Fizz complained, though his big smile and blush completely gave him away. “I'm trying to be mad at you!”
Asmodeus chuckled to himself, Ram and Bull mimicking his expression as usual. With a lazy grin, he moved to very lightly scratch his fingers over his boyfriend's back. Fizz startled at first, then immediately relaxed into the contact with a nearly silent purr. Ozzie heard it immediately and just grinned wider, blowing another plume of smoke at the jester. “Try harder, then.”
Fizz quickly waved away the blue smoke with a hand before it reached him, narrowing his eyes at Ozzie again. “You're not playing fair.”
Oz only laughed fondly, cocking a brow. “Do I ever?”
“Psh, no! And neither do I!” Fizz replied, smiling at the sin with that big, toothy grin and usual accompanying blep. The clown winked, extending a hand to scratch lightly at Bull's face in his mane before doing the same for Ram. Oz gave a low hum, his own fingers mirroring the movements of Fizz's from where they rested over the jester's back, scratching lightly.
After another sickingly sweet moment of this, Fizz's face twisted back to determined petulance, and he pulled his hand away to level the sin with another hard stare. “I'm still mad at you!”
Ozzie's grin didn't falter even a little, and he just kept staring at the clown with what most people would call a lovestruck look. Maybe it was; Oz didn't particularly care. He was well aware that he was deeply in love with Fizzaroli by now. And he knew Fizz loved him just as much.
“Anything I can do to remedy that, Froggie?” He asked sweetly, already predicting a few things his lover might ask for on this rare, lazy morning off. Immediately he saw the jester's eyes light up.
“OH! Burgers!” Fizz exclaimed, clapping both hands jovially in excitement and springing up to grab his jester cap. Peeking at Oz, he added, “..It'll be a start.”
Asmodeus laughed again, the sound coming from a place made entirely of love. He could tell Fizz was, genuinely, the slightest bit upset with him because of his dream. It didn't bother the sin, and he knew the reason it wasn't bothering Fizz more emotionally was because he trusted him so deeply. The certainty in their relationship was something Oz valued deeply.
Fizz was so silly at times, and that was just one of the many reasons the sin loved him so much. Maybe some would find genuine issues with Fizz's behavior, but Oz certainly didn't. Both he and Fizzaroli knew each other well enough by now to know when a real conversation was needed. And they could have those talks like rational demons when those times came. For now though, Asmodeus was perfectly content spoiling his jester extra rotten until Fizz forgot all about his previous dream.
Shifting his weight to rise from the bed and slip on his robe, Oz released a big yawn and raised his arms as Fizz finished tying his robe belt for him. Instinctively looking over as he heard the tell-tale sign of Fizz's legs extending, he smiled as the jester perched on his shoulder, typing away at his phone for a moment.
Seeming to sense his stare, Fizz looked up and quirked a brow at the sin, legs kicking idly as he grinned. “Well? It is burger time or what?”
Laughing fondly in reply, Ozzie tilted his head to nuzzle their foreheads together. Fizz met the contact with a pleased little sigh, expression piqued with interest and mischief but softening at the touch. “Yeah, Froggie, burger time.”
Fizz did an excited fist pump in the air as Ozzie started in a walk towards the kitchen. There was still a little pinch to the imp's brow, but Asmodeus knew exactly how to remedy that. Burgers, delightfully trashy romcom television, occasional indulgence of his very own sin, and, of course, plenty of affection-filled nuzzles and teases throughout.
Ah, what a wonderful thing it was to be in love.