Sleep wasn't going to come easy. How could you sleep knowing that your boss was going through his tenth night of suffering? With nothing but some dark prison with no food, water, or warmth. It was funny. For hellborn demons, such as imps, such suffering was generally for the damned while the hellborn considered everything that happened to be pure normal. He wondered if this feeling, and whatever Blitzo was going through, was what the damned faced every day in this shithole of an existence?

No wonder humans tried getting to Heaven so badly.

Moxxie opened his eyes, half expecting Blitzo to be watching TV in his living room or drawing doodles on his face. Like a dick aimed at his mouth. But all that greeted him was the empty darkness of the guest room Prince Stolas provided him and Millie with. Sitting up, he stared at the small lamp light and thought about all the times that he had to deal with Blitzo coming into his apartment without warning. The older imp didn't know the word privacy at all, be it at work or outside of it. Moxxie honestly hated being the butt of his boss' jokes as well. He did everything from making Moxxie feel insecure about his skills as a lover to blaming him for everything that went wrong. And it was all a joke to him. It seemed that, despite Blitzo leaving the circus, the circus never left Blitzo.

He was such a clown that he never took anything seriously. Yet...there was more to his boss than just a foul-mouthed greedy assassin. There were times, few and far between, that Blitzo acted like a decent boss or person. It was those rare times that Moxxie found himself liking his boss. Such as that one job at the hospital...

***Months Ago***

"I still don't know why this guy wants this nurse dead. She had nothing to do with his death!" Moxxie whispered as the three imps snuck against a wall in a human hospital. "I mean, it's not like she forced or tricked him into ODing on morphine."

"Apparently, he wants her dead because she rejected going on a date with him or something," Millie said with a shrug.

"Seriously? Do we have any standards at all when it comes to accepting jobs?" Moxxie asked, facepalming.

"Of course not, Moxxie," Blizo said with a smirk. "Standards are for those who play by the rules and live a boring non-entertaining life. By the time they hit their mid-years, they realized they wasted their time trying to play fair in a world that just plain sucks. Why? Because only cheaters and ambitious people get ahead who have no morals and are willing to stomp anyone in the way to get what they want. Why do you think politicians, bankers, and businessmen never get in jail for their crimes while the rest of the world rots from debt and depression?"

Moxxie was about to say something when Blitzo's phone rang. With a flip, his boss opened his phone and smiled. "Yes, Loony?" Blitzo's eyes widened and then nodded. "Oh, really? Huh, well, okay then."

"What happened?" Millie asked.

"Client canceled the hit," Blitzo said, turning off his phone. Millie pouted in disappointment while Moxxie just sighed in relief. "Apparently, he realized it was stupid to blame his death on some girl who didn't want to titty fuck his dick and called Loona to cancel the whole thing."

"You're taking this quite well, Sir," Moxxie pointed out.

"Please, Moxxie, who do you think I am?" Blitzo smiled as he walked back the way they came. "I always make sure all our business deals are non-refundable if possible. Sucker already paid us, so the way I see it, who gives a shit if the dumb bitch is dead or not."

"Figures," Moxxie muttered as he followed his boss.

They were just about to head into the examination room where Loona would open the portal for them when a voice cried out, "Hey there!"

The three imps froze in place before slowly turning around as a blonde female doctor with glasses matched over to them. Moxxie quickly slid his hand into his back pocket, where his pistol was waiting while he was sure the others were getting ready for their weapons as well. When the human female was about two feet away, she crossed her arms and smiled. "About time, you three got here. The children were getting upset."

"...Excuse me?" Blitzo asked, eyebrows raised.

"You're the clowns we hired to entertain the children, right? Your receptionist said you had to cancel last minute, but I guess you're here now, so that's all that matters," the doctor said with a smile. "Guess you got lost, huh? It happens. Come on, the children's wing is this way."

The three imps stared at each other before slowly following the lady. Millie leaned closer to Blitzo and asked, "She thinks we're clowns? What do we do?"

"Follow my lead," Blitzo said with a happy tone. Moxxie looked into his boss's eyes and found a certain sparkle in them. Like anticipation and excitement, which made the smaller imp question what he was thinking.

"By the way, what is the name of your group again?" the doctor lady asked.

"Oh, we're the Immediate Mummer Professionals!" Blitzo proclaimed with a wink. "Otherwise known as I.M.P."

"I am pee? Oh, I get it. That will get the kids laughing," The doctor chuckled as Blitzo laughed alongside her.

"I know, right? Moxxie here thought the name was stupid, but I told him it's a memorable one," Blitzo said, elbowing his shoulder. "Right, Mox?"

"Uh, sure?" Moxxie said, still trying to figure out his boss's plan.

They continued to follow the human doctor while occasionally getting a strange look or two, but most humans ignored them. It was kind of nice to not get screamed at, shot at, or get crucifixes thrown at them. That didn't do anything to them, of course. They were imps, not vampires.

They soon arrived at a big stage in some kind of auditorium where the doctor turned around and smiled. "I'll be back with the children soon. So you should prepare for whatever you need to do for the performance."

"No worries, Lady," Blitzo said with a bow. "We'll make sure those little tykes are laughing so hard you'll think we used laughing gas in the ventilation."

She nodded and made her way to the exit. Moxxie sighed before turning to the others. "Alright, she's gone. Now let's get out of here and-"

"Get out?! We can't get out! We got a show to do!" Blitzo shouted with his arms in the air. "We got only a few minutes to get the act ready, but don't worry! I've handled worse situations!"

"Sir, you can't be serious about this! We're not clowns! We're assassins!" Moxxie pointed out.

"Relax, Moxxie, I've done this for years before I went into the blood money business," Blitzo said as he wrapped his arm around Moxxie. "Besides, I want to see if I still got it! And if there is one rule you always listen to, as a performer, it's that the show must go on!"

"...you just want me to be your butt monkey in this, don't you?" Moxxie asked, deadpan.

"No! Of course not," Blitzo said before coughing in his hand that sounded like a 'mostly' to Mox. "Anyway, let's get started!"

***

It didn't take long for the crowd of children to arrive to watch the show, each one excited for seeing this month's entertainment. Once the last seat had been filled, the lights went off as the kids excited chatter turned to hushed whispers. A drum roll and trumpets went off as a stage light focused on the center of the curtain.

"Ladies and germs! Children of all ages! Doggies and pussies alike! Give some warm applause for the Immediate Mummer Professionals!"

A small explosion of fireworks and smoke erupted on the stage, much to the kids' delight. Blitzo jumped from behind the curtain with a flip and twirl before showing his hands up in the air. A bright smile decorated his face as the kids all clapped in excitement. Millie and Moxxie then both slide across from opposite sides of the stage on their knees and present themselves with arms wide open and big smiles.

"Thank you! Thank you! Hello, kids! I am the fabulous, amazing, and downright single ladies-" He made a winking motion at some of the giggling human nurses. "-one and only, Blitz o!"

Moxxie nearly broke his neck when turning to his boss upon hearing him actually using the "o" in his name. He had never heard his boss ever use his proper full name and insisted that the "o" was silently used. He gazed over to Millie, who looked just as equally as shocked as he was. The two didn't get a chance to comprehend further as the two were dragged by the arm into Blitzo's embrace. "And these are my lovely assistants, Milly The Silly and Moxxie The Foxie! And together, we are I.M.P!"

Naturally, the little ones all laughed upon hearing the initials, to which Blitzo just shrugged before pointing at the children. "And we got a big show for you today, kids! We got laughs! Gasps! Thrills and spills! So let's get this show on the road!"

***

Moxxie knew that Blitzo was once part of the circus, but he really underestimated just how good he was at this. Throughout the entire show, he had the audience eating in his palms with performance after performance. He did all kinds of acts with Millie and him, assisting in various ways. From juggling a chainsaw, spike bat, katana, water balloon, bowling ball, and flaming ax (all weapons they brought for the original job) to telling jokes that even Moxxie couldn't help but laugh at.

Not that he excluded him and his wife. Millie had used her knife-throwing skills to narrowly hit Moxxie against the wall, much to his terror, but the crowd cheered when she hit a proper target. Then he used Moxxie as a target for kids to throw water balloons at him for a prize (some of those bobbleheads of the three that his boss seemed to always make). And then there was the rope walking act in which Blitzo used a long rope across the room and a unicycle to balance himself while Moxxie sat on his shoulders. Even he couldn't believe the flip that Blitzo did with him holding onto his boss's horns for dear life.

When the show was over, the children and adults clapped as the three imps bowed to their audience with genuine smiles. The kids then asked for autographs while telling the three how awesome they were. Moxxie felt his heart warm up upon seeing the little ones so happy while Millie hugged each one of them. He had never had so many people, human or demon, compliment him with such joy that it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Blitzo got the most attention, of course, as the kids all asked for pictures or drew drawings of Blitzo. His boss handled it all with a smile and positive behavior like a proper entertainer. Many of the kids liked him so much that they all said they wanted to be as funny as he was someday. Blitzo seemed to have genuine tears coming out of his eyes when he waved the kids goodbye.

Pretending to know where the entrance doors were, the three quickly rushed to their real exit and texted Loona to use the book to bring them back. Having returned just a few moments ago, Moxxie walked over to his office and collapsed onto his chair with a groan. His body was aching all over from the show, and he wanted nothing more than to head home and have a nice long shower. Millie walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "You know? I think that was the most fun we've ever had on a job."

"Yeah," Moxxie whispered with a smile. "It was kind of nice to see the joy on the faces of those little kids."

"I think the only one who was smiling more was the boss himself," Millie pointed out before leaving the office. "I'm going to get some coffee. Want some?"

"Cream and sugar," Moxxie said before walking out of the office as well. He wanted to know what Blitzo was doing after such an interesting outcome to their objective.

Walking over to Blitzo's office, he saw the door was opened and walked right inside. The former circus imp was looking at one of the kids' drawings, which showed g Blitzo dancing around with the kids while throwing confetti in the air. A big smile was on Blitzo's face as he stared at it with melancholy in his eyes.

"Sir?" Moxxie asked, getting Blitzo's attention. "I just wanted to say...that you were outstanding out there."

"Thanks, glad to know I haven't lost the touch. Ugh, my Dad would be laughing from his grave if he saw me unable to entertain a bunch of snot-nosed brats dying from cancer," Blitzo said, smirking. He turned to one of the carnival posters that Moxxie often saw in the office as Blitzo sighed. "You know. I kinda missed that life. I guess I've been focusing on killing people for so long I forgot what it's like to kill people with laughter."

"Sir, if you don't mind, why did you stop?" Moxxie asked, which made Blitzo freeze up. "It looked like you were generally happy doing such a performance. So why stop being one and becoming a killer for hire?"

Blitzo slowly turned to Moxxie, and he saw something that the smaller imp had never seen before in his boss: genuine sadness. Or sure, he faked a sniffle here or there. He even tried to trick you into thinking he was sad with the onions he had under his sleeves. But this time, Moxxie could see actual hurtful sorrow in his boss's expression. Sighing, Blitzo leaned against his chair and turned his back to Moxxie. "Let's just say something happened that didn't make it fun anymore. Now you and Millie go fuck off."

"Sir?" Moxxie asked, tilting his head.

"I said, take the rest of the day off. I know you two must be tired so consider this a half-day due to my good mood," Blitzo said while waving his hand.

Moxxie thought about pressing the issue further but stopped himself and left to tell his wife the good news.

***Present***

It was a rare time to see Blitzo in such an honest state that it made Moxxie wonder if his boss was hiding his real self behind a mask. That the loud and obnoxious jerkass that he showed himself as was just a means to cope with something inside of him.

Something that was broken. After all, this was Hell.

Hell was full of broken people.

"Can't sleep, sweetie?" Moxxie turned his head to the other side of the bed. Millie looked up from her tired eyes and smiled. "You normally don't breathe so loud when you're asleep."

"I was just thinking about how Blitzo might be feeling," Moxxie answered with a heavy sigh. "Here I am, sleeping on a warm bed while he's all alone while covered in wounds and bruises."

Millie got up from her side of the bed and put her hand on his shoulder. "Blitzo is tougher than he looks, darling. We'll find him and get him out of that hellhole."

Moxxie nodded. "You know I was thinking about that time at the hospital where we put on that show for those kids? That was one of the few times I can think of Blitzo acting nice instead of his usual selfish self."

"I think he's a lot kinder when you think, honey," Millie said, wrapping her arms around her husband. "Especially with what happened the day after."

Raising an eyebrow, Moxxie asked, "What do you mean?"

"You went out to get lunch that day, so you didn't see it, but..."

***Months Ago, The Day After The Hospital Incident***

Millie had often heard yelling from her boss's office before. He wasn't exactly the most subtle of people and liked getting under your skin for his own amusement. The many times her Moxxie had spent arguing with Blitzo was proof of that. However, this kind of yelling was a bit different. This time it was Blitzo who was the one yelling at the client, whoever it was, and it was getting on Millie's nerves since she wanted to enjoy her lunch in peace.

Getting up from the kitchen table, she went back to the main lobby where Loona was chewing on some beef jerky while reading the latest Hellhound Monthly. "What's going on in there?" Millie asked the receptionist.

Shrugging, Loona didn't look up from her magazine before answering. "I don't know. Guess Blitzo is just angry at the client."

"Must be some client if he's got him screaming his mouth off," Millie said, hearing some words that were a bit too naughty even for her. "Who is the client, anyway?"

"He's the same guy from yesterday," Loona answered.

"I thought he canceled his hit?" Millie pointed out.

"Yeah, but apparently he got a new idea for revenge," Loona said, shrugging. "Not sure what-"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Upon hearing gunshots, Millie drew out her knife and rushed into the office. She was prepared for the worst but relaxed upon seeing her boss standing over the bluish Demonoid, who was missing half his face. Blitzo glared as he fired three more rounds before tossing the gun away. "Loona!"

"Yeah?" Loona asked, walking in without a care.

"Dump this sack of shit in the usual place," Blitzo ordered before returning to his desk.

"Whatever," Loona snorted as she dragged the body out with a trail of his blood following.

Millie raised an eyebrow before turning to Blitzo, who was typing into his computer. "Um, what happened?"

"Asshole wanted to burn the hospital down. Said he wanted his revenge by killing off the entire staff and patients instead of just the nurse from yesterday," Blitzo answered before taking a sip of his coffee. "We argued about the price since it had so many people that needed to die. He was a clingy cheap asshole. I shot him. End of story."

Millie slowly turned her gaze to some of the pictures the kids from yesterday drew of Blitzo after their show. Framed right there hidden away so that nobody but the sharp-minded could see them. A small knowing grin decorated Millie's face before she asked, "You sure that's all?"

Blitzo paused in his typing and raised his eyebrow. "You implying something, Millie?"

Giggling, the female imp shook her head and turned around. "Nope. Nothing."

***Present***

"...he didn't want to kill the kids," Moxxie whispered in realization.

"Yup," Millie said with a giggle. "I mean, we've killed kids before, but I think Blitzo couldn't bring himself to kill the ones that made him a genuine smile that day."

"...I guess there is more good to him than I thought," Moxxie said with a smile as the two held hands. "Which is why we're going to rescue him."

The two slowly kissed before laying their heads down on the pillows.