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Chapter Text

This is a breaking news update!

We urge everyone to stay indoors for the next 24 hours. Due to Sunspot and Solarflare activity from Earth, magic will be unstable and cause some strange side effects in demons with magic or around magic consistently.

When the sunspots have ceased. We will notify the public.

This news broadcast is brought to you by VoxTek

VoxTek. Trust US with your news updates.

(...)

Blitzo woke up early, his bladder being a better alarm clock than his dad’s snoring. He slowly trudged to the bathroom, so tired he didn’t notice that he didn’t have to reach up high to get to the door knob. He flipped the light on, hissing from the sudden brightness before doing his business. As he was washing his claws, he briefly glanced at his reflection before noticing something was off.

In the mirror looking back at him was his own face…but older!

‘What the hell?!’ he thought, gasping when heard a shriek. Before he could react, Barbie rushed into the bathroom and stared at herself in horror. She looked older too! “B-Barb?”

“Crap! It wasn’t just my mirror!” Barbie cursed, turning to her brother with a stunned look. “W-What happened?! Why do we look like this?! Did we just skip past puberty?!”

“Shh! You wanna wake mom and dad?!” Blitzo hissed, peeking his head out of the bathroom. They crept over to their parents’ room, slowly opening the door to see they were still asleep. Blitz shut the door before letting out a sigh. “Okay we’re safe for now. They’re still conked out.”

“But not for long,” Barbie reasoned before looking to the boys’ room. “What about Fizz? Is he looking weird too?”

The two snuck back into the larger bedroom and saw, to their relief and slight confusion, that Fizz was still his normal age. At least he was okay from whatever this was but they needed his calm and rational expertise to figure out what to do. The twins poked Fizz’s sleeping face to wake him up.

After a few pokes, he grabbed their wrists and turned to them with an annoyed look. “You guys better have a good reason for waking me up…” he grumbled before his eyes widened. To him, two teenagers were in his room staring at them. “AH– MRRPH?!”

Barbie and Blitzo immediately clamped their hands around his mouth, quickly shushing him. “Fizzy it’s us!” Blitzo hissed, giving him a pleading look. “Please don’t scream!”

“We’re gonna let go of your mouth but you gotta promise not to scream, okay?” Barbie added.

At his nod they let him go, letting him sit up to take a good look at them. They looked the same but like they were stretched out with their horns getting bigger. He had no idea how to process this. “W-Why…why are you older?” he asked.

“No clue. But it’s gotta be some weird magic shit,” Blitzo reasoned, pacing around a bit. “Stolas might know about magic junk going on so maybe if Barbie and I go find him, his dad can fix it.”

“It’s not the worst plan out there. But how are we gonna get there?” Barbie wondered. “The palace is pretty far, right? And we can’t drive.”

“Well…we’re old enough now to walk on our own without mom and dad so…we can walk to the bus station, take a bus to the palace, and hope King Paimon won’t be cranky for the early morning visit,” the older twin suggested.

“Hmm…that just might work,” Barbie decided, looking at her now younger friend. “Can you keep our parents busy until we get back?”

“Yepperoni!” Fizz nodded before something caught his attention. He stood Barbie and Blitzo up next to each other before letting out a giggle. “Hey! Barbie’s still taller than you!”

“What?!” Blitzo gasped, looking up to see Barbie had beaten him by a few inches. “Oh that’s not fair! I’m older!”

Barbie smirked as she patted his head condescendingly. “Aww you’re still gonna be my widdle brother~!” she cooed, snickering when he shoved her hand off.

“I’m still older than you! And besides, girls get taller first but I’ll be taller than you when I grow up!” Blitzo retorted, grumbling when she pinched his cheek.

“Suuure ya will bro-bro.”

Finding clothes to wear was hard since they couldn’t wear their usual things without being squished so, temporarily, they borrowed their parents’ casual wear so they wouldn’t look stupid. The bus stop was only a few blocks away so hopefully they wouldn’t have too much trouble finding the palace. Blitzo had been on that route several times so he could find it with his eyes closed. With some change for the bus fare, the twins were on their way, hoping their magic buddy could help them.

They weren’t ready to grow up yet.

(...)

“Stolas…Stolas?”

The young prince mumbled as he pulled the blanket over his head, not ready to get up yet. “Too early…” he whimpered.

“I apologize for the sudden intrusion but I need you to be awake for what I am about to tell you,” Paimon’s voice explained.

Stolas sat up, yawning slightly as his eyes adjusted to his still-dark room. Something felt very strange; the bed felt smaller and his legs felt…longer? As he tried to pull the blanket off, he saw his arms had grown longer too! “Dear Lucifer I’ve become a giant!” Stolas gasped, holding a hand over his beak. “My…my voice! What happened to my voice?!”

“I can assure you there is a logical explanation for this,” Paimon’s slightly higher voice sounded.

Stolas turned and saw that his tall father had shrunk to the size of a small child. Any fear he had disappeared for a moment seeing how comical his father looked. He still had his feathery horns but his well-built stature was replaced with a scrawny owlet one. If he was being honest, he looked quite adorable with his pajamas bunched up enough so he could walk around. Though his sleeve still dragged behind him when he put his arms down.

“W-What happened, Father?” Stolas asked, trying not to giggle in this serious moment.

Paimon sighed as he gave his son a flat look. “It would seem Vassago’s warnings about sunspots and solar flares being powerful were more serious than I realized,” he began. “They have caused the magic within us to become mixed up so our ages have changed. You are a young adult and I…am a child…”

Stolas’s near giggle-fit stopped as he realized in horror what that meant. “I-I’m not ready to get married yet!” he pleaded. “I-I haven’t finished studying the Grimoire! I haven’t gone to school for my final studies! I don’t want to stop playing with Blitzo!”

“Oh gracious no, son!” the now young king reassured him, taking his hand. “That won’t happen until you are officially 18. This doesn’t count. You still have time.”

“Oh thank the stars…” Stolas sighed in relief, flopping back on his pillows as he looked at his father. “I’m glad you told me. If I woke up with no knowledge, that would be terrifying.”

“Thankfully this is just a temporary flux in magic that should go away by tomorrow,” Paimon reassured him. “I just wanted to inform you that your friends and their parents might be affected as well.”

“What do you mean?”

“Magic exists all around us so if one is around non-magic users, it can still affect them in small ways,” he explained, his sleeve flopping around as he waved his hands around. “You spend time at the circus grounds a lot so there is a chance they have been affected as well.” Seeing the worried look on his son’s face, Paimon patted his arm. “It is not your fault. Sunspots and solar flares are a common occurrence that just causes annoyances in Hell. We’ll work through this.”

Stolas took a deep breath before looking at his father with a grateful smile. “Thank you…should we call Blitzo and his family to let them know?” he suggested.

“Perhaps in a few hours. No sense waking them if they aren’t early birds,” Paimon suggested, turning before flinching slightly at the butler that passed Stolas’s room. “Mister Butler…is that you?”

A younger version of the butler imp–looking more like a young man that belonged in a bike gang–stopped in the door. “Yes, your highness?” he asked, the agedness in his voice gone.

“Erm…are you feeling alright?” Paimon questioned, walking up to his old friend. “You’re…taking the reverse aging quite well.”

“I’ve worked for you for a long time, sire,” Mister Butler told him, a professional tone in his voice. “I’m quite used to any magical strangeness that occurs here.”

[To Be Continued]

Chapter Text

Tilla could feel herself waking up, surprised she didn’t feel as tired today. Maybe she finally got enough sleep and didn’t need that second cup of coffee. Though as she swung her legs over the bed, something felt off for her. She couldn’t feel the rug against her feet and, looking down over the side of the bed, she saw it was higher up than usual.

“Oh no, am I dreaming?” she wondered, moving to touch her husband’s shoulder. “Hun?”

“Mmm…too early…” Cash moaned, pulling the blanket over his head.

Tilla slowly turned around, very confused at her husband’s voice sounding off. “Blitzo…?” she tried, pulling the blanket off. While the resemblance was uncanny, the large horns showed that it was actually her husband…but turned small again. “Oh no!”

Cash immediately sat up hearing the worry in his wife’s face, turning around in a panic. “What?! What happened?! What’s goin–?!” He took a look at Tilla before jumping back in shock. “HOLY SHIT!”

*THUD*

“Oww…” he groaned, rubbing his butt as Tilla peeked over the bed.

“Honey I know you’re scared from turning into a kid again but we’ll figure this out,” Tilla promised.

“Me?! What about you?!” he questioned, pointing to her in terror.

Tilla immediately got out of bed and ran to the mirror before a scream escaped her throat. Staring back at her was her younger self with long hair and her purple nightgown draping over her like a cape. Whatever happened to Cash affected her too; she was a child again! “Oh no…no no no no no!” she gasped, touching the mirror to see if it was a trick. “How did this happen?”

Cash got up and moved next to her, taking her hand. “I have no clue babe but we’ll figure this out,” he promised.

Tilla turned to him, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you, honey.”

Before they could hug, Fizz ran into the room, hearing the commotion. “I heard a scream! What’s going–?!” His eyes bugged out seeing his parental figures were tiny like him. “Oh no not you guys too!”

The duo glanced at each other before staring back at Fizz. “What do you mean ‘us too’?” Tilla questioned slowly.

“And where are the goobers?” Cash wondered.

“It’s…a bit of a story…” Fizz began, scratching the back of his head.

Once they all took a moment to calm down, Fizz helped them downstairs since their clothes were very baggy on them and they weren’t used to being small again. Well, Cash was used to it since that whole potion incident but Tilla had to bunch up her dress just to walk down the stairs without tripping over herself. Even her hair was hard to manage while she was this small so Cash had to hold it for her while she walked.

Since they were all too young and short to use the stove, Fizz poured them all some cereal and milk to eat while they talked things over. It seemed whatever happened to Blitzo and Barbie affected Cash and Tilla as well. In a way, it almost made Fizz feel a bit better since it wasn’t just a freak accident but they still had no clue what to do.

“Shit…I can only imagine how freaked out the kiddos are right now,” Cash frowned, absentmindedly stirring his cereal in his bowl.

“You’re positive they can get to Prince Stolas’s place safely?” Tilla fretted.

“Don’t worry. They didn’t take the car or the truck,” Fizz promised. “Blitzo knows his way there by now with the bus so they should be fine.”

Cash took a bite of cereal before letting out a groan. “Let’s hope the goobers know what they’re doin’. I can’t drive like this–eh?” Cash’s eyes began to widen as his tail started to swish behind him. “Holy shit this cereal tastes great! What is this stuff?”

Tilla picked up the box and examined it. “Choco-blasted Marshmallow Crunchies. Now with extra marshmallows,” she read.

“No wonder the kids love this stuff!” Cash grinned, tossing his spoon into the sink before going face first into the bowl.

“S-Sir! You’re not a dog!” Fizz tried to reason, blocking his face from cereal and milk splashing at him.

“Hey if I’m gonna be a kid again, I’m gonna enjoy it!” Cash reasoned before continuing to eat like a Great Dane.

Tilla guarded her bowl of Beelzebub Berry Bits before letting out a sigh. “He might as well enjoy it now,” she commented, calmly eating her cereal. “Let’s just finish breakfast and maybe we can call the Goetia palace to let them know Blitzo and Barbie are on their way.”

“Good idea, Tills,” Cash agreed, his face dripping with milk and cereal bits.

(...)

Blitzo and Barbie were sitting on the bus, trying to look as casual as possible while heading to the richer district of the Second Circle. It felt kind of weird going off on their own so far from home but Blitzo did it once before when he was upset with his dad and when Barbie wanted revenge on those bully dorks. But this was important; they had to figure out what the fuck was going on and the only magic nerd they knew was just a few bus stops away. They just had to play it cool in the meantime.

“So…how ya feelin’?” Blitzo asked.

“Well being taller than you is pretty dope,” Barbie commented, smirking at her brother’s pout. “But honestly? This magic stuff is really scary.”

“Yeah…I guess I’m kinda used to it since I hang out with Stolas a lot,” the older twin admitted. “He makes it seem less scary so…maybe he can use nerd words to tell us things are gonna be okay.”

“I hope so,” she sighed, leaning back on the bus seat. “I know I’m more mature than you and Fizz but I don’t wanna be a grownup yet.”

“Who says you’re more mature?” the shorter teen questioned before placing a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, this could be fun in the meantime.”

“What do you mean?”

Blitzo grinned as the bus stopped, signalling for them to get off. They were in the middle of the shopping district as Blitzo began to gesture around. “Think of this like a golden opportunity for us. We have the chance to do stuff mom and dad would NEVER let us do as little kids. Now that we’re bigger…”

Barbie slowly started to smile as she rubbed her hands together. “We can do whatever we want!” she finished gleefully.

“That’s the spirit!” Blitzo laughed before gesturing to a nearby store. “Now what’s dad’s number one rule?”

“Don’t jump on beds?” she recalled.

He nodded before gesturing to a nearby mattress store and giving her a knowing smile. “I don’t see him around here, do you?”

(Minutes later…)

“Whoo-hoo!” Blitzo cheered as he hopped from one mattress to another in the store.

“This freaking ROCKS!” Barbie laughed triumphantly, flipping in the air as she hopped up and down.

In their household, jumping on beds was a big no-no since they could break their bones or break the beds. Which, to be fair, was understandable since their beds were on the second floor and they didn't want to crash through the ceiling into the kitchen. But this store was on the ground floor so they could jump like no tomorrow! They fell back onto the mattresses, laughing like crazy before something caught their attention.

A water bed that was begging to be flopped on.

“Dare ya to give it a go,” Barbie told her brother.

“Let’s do it!” he nodded, both stumbling to their feet. Their legs felt like jelly but they couldn’t resist jumping on something that squishy. They steadied themselves before taking a jumping stance. “Ready? One…two…three–HEY!”

The duo felt the backs of their shirts being grabbed as the angry shop owner glared at them. “So you’re the brats jumping on my mattresses!” he growled.

“We were just having fun!” Barbie pouted.

“This place ain’t for jumping ya little shits!” the owner scolded, dragging them outside and throwing them on their butts. “Don’t come back unless ya wanna actually buy somethin’!”

The twins grumbled from being tossed out like a sack of potatoes before helping each other to their feet. Aside from that grumpy owner ruining their good time, being able to jump around on beds without getting nagged at was pretty fun. But they were getting pretty pooped.

“Okay…we should get to Stolas’s house,” Blitzo panted, blushing when his stomach started to growl.

“Looks like a handful of cereal wasn’t enough, was it?” Barbie smirked. “Maybe we could get some lunch and then go to Stolas’s house?”

“And order off the regular menu?” the older twin guessed, too hungry to really argue.

“I brought some money too so we can share a meal and then maybe get dessert,” the taller girl grinned.

“Hey it’s the dummy twins!”

Blitzo and Barbie turned around to see a much larger Eugene and Farkas trudging over to them, nasty smiles on their faces. It seemed whatever affected them was affecting more demons…and they looked far too happy to see them.

“Oh what do you lamebrains want?” Blitzo groaned.

“Looks like the sunspot shit got to the circus freaks too,” Eugene sneered.

“What sunspots?” Barbie questioned, frowning when Farkas started to laugh at her.

“Man you guys ARE dumb! Don’t you watch the news? Sunspots are affecting Hell and makin’ weird shit happen!” Farkas cackled.

“Huh…I guess that explains things…” Blitzo muttered.

“Well as lovely as this chat was, we gotta go. Buh-bye!” Barbie tried, grabbing her brother to walk away from the lame-o brothers. Unfortunately for her, they were faster as they surrounded them. “Hey, get out of the way!”

“No way, girly!” the stockier imp snickered. “We owe you two twerps payback for makin’ us look like morons at that boxing tournament!”

“You were the cheaters!” Blitzo reasoned, gasping when Farkas grabbed the front of his collar.

“Thanks to you two, we were banned from there!” the skinnier teen snarled. “We oughta punch your lights out!”

“Try it, loser!” Barbie challenged, holding up her fists. “I’m not scared of you!”

“No but you’re still tiny, prissy-pants!” Eugene smirked, giving his brother a knowing look. “And I know just how to get you losers back!”

(Minutes later…)

Blitzo and Barbie moaned, dangling by the tails on a fence as Eugene and Farkas laughed their heads off at how stupid they looked. Barbie tried to fight them off but because of their jumping at the mattress store, she was too tired to really fight them. Blitzo tried to drag her away but Farkas was too fast and grabbed them both, holding their arms behind them.

Eugene quickly tied their tails together so they couldn’t escape and hauled them over his shoulder before tossing them onto a nearby fence.

“Have fun hanging around, nerds!” Eugene called up before walking away.

“Ha! Good one bro!” Farkas laughed, following his brother.

Blitzo felt embarrassed while Barbie was fuming. “Oh I am going to get those lamebrain dorks for this!” She hissed.

“Oh I want revenge when all this is over too!” Blitzo declared before looking at his sister. “Think you can get us down?”

“I think so…I just need a bit…” Barbie panted, too tired and angry to think clearly. “I guess we should be lucky no one’s here to see us look like idiots.”

“Well it could be worse,” the older twin tried, surprising Barbie.

“How?” she questioned

“They could’ve strung us up by our underwear.” he reminded her, making her shudder.

“Point taken.”

[To Be Continued]

Chapter Text

Paimon was having a tough time picking out what would be the most suitable of Stolas’s clothes he could wear temporarily. At his size his normal clothes would dwarf him and his powers weren’t working properly thanks to the sunspots and solar flares affecting Hell’s magical aura. He thanked his lucky stars Mr. Butler was able to cancel his meetings for the day since there was no way he could meet the other Goetia or Lucifer like this.

Well, Lucifer would dote on him which would be mortifying for the Goetia King.

“I apologize for borrowing your clothes, Stolas,” Paimon stated, looking at his son’s vests.

“It’s quite alright father,” Stolas told him, a slight smile on his face. “It’s funny, I never thought about you as a child before. You don’t really show off pictures of yourself as young.”

Paimon felt his feathers fluff up from embarrassment before coughing. “W-Well, as a king I want to maintain a certain image and it’s hard when I am seen like…this…” he explained, slightly annoyed he was like this.

“You mean adorable?” Stolas chimed in, giggling at his father sputtering a bit.

“O-Oh hush. We’re just lucky that this is all that happened,” Paimon reasoned, pulling the shirt on. “This sort of magical instability can cause problems if the situation isn’t kept in check. Sometimes these sorts of things can cause magic to either fly off the handle causing chaos or not work at all, making us very vulnerable.”

“So…best to stay indoors when that occurs?” the young prince guessed.

“Yes. I hope your friend’s family have that common sense,” he nodded, running a hand through his feathers.

As if on cue, Mr. Butler arrived with the telephone. “Pardon me masters but you have a call from the Buckzo household. It seems it is quite urgent,” the younger butler imp explained.

Stolas put the call on a magical viewing screen so he could see who he was talking to. To his relief, Fizz seemed to be his normal age but something seemed wrong in the background. “Fizzarolli? What’s going on?” Stolas asked.

‘Stolas?! We got a BIG problem here and–whoa you got big!’ Fizz commented, ducking as Cash jumped over him laughing like a maniac while Tilla chased him, trying to figure out how to put scrunchies in her hair. It was absolutely chaotic. ‘A-Anyway, things are crazy here! What the heck is going on?!’

“Magical sunspots and solar flares are causing problems. Don’t worry it’s a temporary thing,” Paimon chimed in, seeing the chaos behind him. “Where are your friends?”

‘On their way to your house! They aren’t there yet?’ Fizz fretted before turning around. ‘Mister Buckzo! Put down those jumbo marshmallows! They aren’t toys!’

‘NEVAH!’

Tilla stepped into view, her long hair a mess as she tried to detangle her hair. ‘So this will stop?’ she guessed, hope in her voice.

“Indeed. But if your son and daughter are trying to come here while this strange magic is affecting them, perhaps we should seek them out.” Paimon stated.

“If I might recommend something, your majesty,” Mr. Butler interrupted, gaining everyone’s attention, “Perhaps Prince Stolas could seek his friends out in town while you and I go to the circus grounds to help Master Fizzarolli look after the child versions of Master Buckzo and Mistress Tilla.”

‘Please do!’ Fizz begged. ‘I don’t wanna be a babysitter!’

“Well…I don’t want Stolas to go alone…” the smaller king fretted.

“You won’t need to worry about that, father!” a small voice squeaked.

Everyone turned and saw a starry portal appear with a tiny Vassago jumping through. Paimon was stunned his eldest son was small once more but Stolas was gushing at how cute he was outside of photos. Vassago immediately trotted up to the confused group, a determined look on his face. Even as a child he was very confident in himself which Stolas admired.

“I wanted to make sure you all were alright after the Sunspots and Solar Flares started,” Vassago explained, giving his father a confident smile. “I might be small but I can help Stolas find his friends while you and Mister Butler look after Stolas’s friend’s family.”

“Are you sure?” Paimon questioned, putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want either of you getting hurt…”

Vassago took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll make sure he’s safe, father,” he promised.

“And I won’t overstrain myself,” Stolas added.

Looking between his determined sons and the chaos at the Buckzo household, Paimon eventually conceded. “Very well. I trust you will both look out for each other,” he stated, giving them serious stares. “Do not do anything dangerous. Am I clear?”

“Yes father,” they bowed.

(...)

Paimon and Mr. Butler soon arrived at the Buckzo house, hearing madness inside with Fizz trying to calm things down. Paimon was almost second-guessing himself about actually going into the lion’s den but Mr. Butler being with him did steady his nerves. He had faced enough with the dramas of royalty and high society in Hell and looking after Stolas as a baby so surely dealing with imp children wouldn’t be too difficult…right?
 
“Mr. Buckzo! Stop eating spicy chips!” Fizz’s voice shouted from inside. “You’re leaving crumbs everywhere!”

“I’ll lick ‘em up later!” Cash called inside.

“Don’t lick the floor!” Tilla chimed in. “That’s gross!”

Paimon looked at his trusty butler with a dry expression. “Is it too late to go find the twin imps?” he questioned flatly.

“Just stay close to me, your highness, and I’ll make sure you get out of this unscathed,” the older imp promised.

The small king sighed, feeling an overwhelming sense of icky overcoming him. “I hope you’re right…” he muttered as the butler knocked on the door.

Fizz immediately opened it on the first knock, looking frazzled. His horns were covered in sticky juice and chip crumbs while his arms had scrunchies on them. “Thank Lucifer you’re here! It’s a madhouse!” he cried out.

“Gracious, are the two of them that chaotic?” Mr. Butler questioned.

“No…not Miss Tilla…” Fizz began, trailing off as he looked back inside.

Paimon and Mr. Butler peeked inside and saw Tilla trying to style her hair with different scrunchies while Cash, Dante, and Nyx were running around like maniacs. Fizz began to explain how he tried to call over his other guardians for help but it seemed they were affected by the magical anomaly as well. The second they saw Cash raiding the snack cabinet for snacks, it was like a switch was flipped and they were like wild animals.

“Oh dear Lucifer…” Paimon groaned, looking at Tilla sitting on the stairs. “Miss Tilla, what are you doing?”

“Well I’m trying to get my hair tied up so I can wrangle Cash and his friends but I haven’t done this in years,” she fretted. “My thicker hair is no match for these scrunchies.”

Feeling pity for her, Paimon offered his hand. “I might not know much about hair but I’m sure I can figure it out,” Paimon stated, silently thankful he could escape the madness for a short while. “Your facilities are upstairs, yes?”

“Y-Yeah…” Fizz nodded, ducking a pillow that Nyx had tossed his way. “Hey! We do that outside!”

Nyx stuck her tongue out before going to chase her husband and boss who had found craft glitter and glue, evil grins on their faces. “Hey I want the glitter first!” she called, running into the kitchen.

“I call dibs first!” Dante told her tauntingly.

“Can’t mess with dibs!” Cash added with a laugh.

Fizz looked at Mr. Butler pleadingly. “Can you watch them, PLEASE?!” he begged. “It’s like they forgot they were adults!”

“I will do my best. As a young man again, I’m sure I can handle them,” the butler bowed. “Perhaps you can assist King Paimon and Miss Tilla upstairs.”

“Good idea. Maybe you can get them to calm down with cartoons or something,” Fizz moaned, rubbing his head as he trudged upstairs after his foster mother and owl king. “My head is killing me…”

(...)

It took some effort on Barbie’s part but she managed to swing herself around to untie their tails so they could get down from the fence. Well, Barbie was able to climb down while Blitzo fell flat on his butt. The taller girl winced at her brother groaning on the ground, helping him to his feet with a sheepish expression.

“You okay there, bro?” she asked gently.

“Yeah…” Blitzo nodded, rubbing his butt with a pout. “Just a sore keister and tail for the next few days…being tail dangled really hurts.”

“I hear ya,” Barbie nodded, rubbing her own rump. “Come on. Let’s just get to Stolas’s house and maybe they can portal us home or something.”

They both felt their stomachs beginning to growl, knowing they were screwed if they didn’t eat something soon. Deciding to say ‘fuck it’, the twins made their way to a bar to get something to eat. As long as they didn’t drink any alcohol, they probably would be allowed to get some food. It worked last time at that karaoke place when they crashed their parents’ date.

But unlike that place, the local bar was a lot more…rough.

Barbie took a deep breath and stood up with head held high, Blitzo doing the same as they sauntered inside. With their chests puffed out and scowls on their faces, they had to look like they weren’t in over their heads. They ignored the weird stares of the demons looking at them as they walked past everyone to get to the bar; if they looked like they belonged, no one would mess with them, right?

That’s what they kept telling themselves so they wouldn’t crap their pants.

[To Be Continued]

Chapter Text

“Any sign of them?” Stolas asked as little Vassago flew them around the city. While his star glider wasn’t as big as he normally could make it, it could at least hold the two of them. Even in his larger body, Stolas hadn’t quite figured out how to make magical platforms for himself just yet. That would most likely be a lesson when he was older.

“Not yet…I hope your friends are safe…” Vassago fretted, adjusting his glasses to try and spot the twins.

“Me too…I’d never forgive myself if they got hurt…” the taller prince sighed, running a hand through his feathers.

Vassago held his hand, giving him a reassuring smile. “You are not at fault. Magic can be unpredictable. Especially when it comes to Sunspots and Solar Flares,” the parrot demon reasoned. “Now that we know, we can tell them and prepare them for any future astrological anomalies that may occur.”

“Are there more that might affect Hell?” Stolas wondered.

“It’s not impossible,” Vassago mused. “Even with as much as our family and other royals have studied how our world came to be, there are still mysteries even the oldest of hellborns don’t have the answers to. There’s so much to discover out there!”

Stolas couldn’t help but smile seeing the excitement in his eldest brother. And with how small he was at the moment, his enthusiasm was even more adorable. But the brief moment of respite was interrupted by terrified screams down below. Squinting a bit, Stolas could see a teenage Blitzo and Barbie running from some rather scary-looking demonic animals.

“We’ve got to get down there!” Stolas gasped in horror, gripping the star glider as Vassago sped down.

“Don’t worry, hermano! I’m on it!” Vassago declared.

{Earlier…}

Blitzo was trying to be as cool as Barbie walking into the bar but these were some tough looking demons. Sinners and Hellborns from all over Hell were staring at them like they were fresh meat. It was stupid that even in a teenager’s body, he just wanted to cling to someone to not feel scared.

“Barb…are you sure about this?” Blitzo whispered, trying to look tough.

“Well we gotta eat,” Barbie reasoned, taking a seat at a booth with Blitzo sitting across from her. “You’ll feel better on a full stomach.”

This bar was one of those places where the menus were already on the table so they decided to find something they could share and then be on their merry way. Eventually they decided on some tater tots and barbecue wings they could split (with ranch dipping sauce of course). It was a big chunk of their piggy bank savings they’d be spending but they had to eat. And they were so delirious from hunger and exhaustion that this seemed like a good idea.

Eventually their food came and they began to scarf it down, bits of potato and sauce flying around their table. The demons that were staring at them were giving them weird looks for their sloppy table manners and went back to their own business. As they were eating, Blitzo’s eye caught a pool table in the corner. He’d sometimes catch a glimpse of one whenever he went out on errands with his dad and peeked in on bars. He had no idea how to play pool but it looked pretty fun.

“Hey Barb ya know how to play pool?” Blitzo asked.

“Uh…it’s that game with the sticks and those heavy balls, right?” she guessed, gasping when Blitzo started to head over to the gaming area. “What are you doing?”

“I just wanna check it out,” the older twin grinned, moving around the table to get a good look.

Barbie shook her head, eating the last of her portion of tater tots before following her brother to the pool table. “I never got how you play this or how you’re supposed to keep score,” Barbie admitted, picking up the white ball.

“I think one person is the striped ball and the other is the solid ball?” Blitzo recalled from a conversation he had with his dad once. He then picked up the pool cue and examined it. “And you use this to hit them in the pockets.”

“This looks almost as boring as golf,” the younger twin snarked before shrugging. “Wanna play a round?”

“Yeah!” Blitzo smiled, climbing onto the table so he could reach the balls and rack them up. While he was taller as a teenager, he still was pretty short for his age. “I’ll be stripes.”

“Okay!”

The twins tried to figure out the rules on their own using the white ball to knock their balls into the holes. Eventually they figured it out but they got bored and decided to just try to see who could score with the most style. It was harder than they thought since pool cues were heavier than they looked. Even Barbie, who was stronger than Blitz, was having trouble holding the stick without stumbling on her feet.

“Man…I gotta do arm weights whenever we get this fixed.” Barbie grunted, putting the stick down with a clatter.

“Aw it’s not so bad,” Blitzo reasoned, getting ready to shoot. “Ya just gotta have the right–”

“HEY!”

Blitzo turned, eyes bugging out as the end of his pool cue had poked a large shark demon in the butt. “Oh shit…” he cursed.

“What’s the big idea, brat?!” the shark snarled. “You got a problem?!”

“H-Hey it was an accident!” Blitzo tried, gasping when the larger demon grabbed him by the collar.

“I’ll show you an accident, punk!” He sneered, curling his fingers into a fist.

“Leave him alone!” Barbie ordered, grabbing her cue and hitting him between the legs. The crunch was so audible every male in the bar crossed their legs with a wince. When he dropped Blitzo to the ground to cradle his man bits, Barbie grabbed her brother’s hand and made a run for the door, throwing their money on the table in the process. They didn’t even care about getting change; they weren’t about to risk getting beaten into mush.

The two didn’t dare look back in case the shark creep sent any friends of his after them. The bully bozos were one thing but grown-ass demons with nasty attitudes? That’d get them something worse than being tail dangled.

Barbie and Blitzo eventually found themselves in an alley, holding their breaths to make sure that no one could hear them. After a few minutes, they let out a sigh of relief as they slid to the ground from sheer exhaustion.

“Man…being older sucks,” Blitzo commented.

“No wonder mom and dad are so tired all the time…” Barbie added, wiping sweat off her brow. “Running around after us and doing grownup crap? I can’t blame them for drinking coffee all the time…” She then looked at her brother with a shy expression. “Maybe…we can quit all the mischief we get into for a little while. Just to give them a break.”

“Yeah they do enough for us,” he nodded before sniffing the air. “Huh…I still smell barbecue sauce.”

Barbie felt her face before blushing a bit. “Shoot, we forgot to wipe our faces after finishing those wings,” she frowned. “That’s gonna be a pain to wash off later–”

“Grrr….”

The two turned around and saw a group of very hungry looking strays stalking towards them, hungry looks on their faces. From the scent of leftover sauce on their faces, the imp teens looked like dinner.

“Uh-oh.”

{Present…}

“I don’t wanna be dinner!” Blitzo cried, his legs feeling like cement from all the running he had been doing.

“We can’t let them catch us!” Barbie reasoned, throwing anything she could to try and distract the animals. Unfortunately, with her bad aim from being exhausted, that only made them angrier.

Somehow they found themselves at the local construction site, nowhere to really run or hide from these beasts. Barbie was looking for anything to fight them off while Blitzo was trying to find someone that could help them. But it seemed like everyone was either inside dealing with this sunspot magic mess or on a lunch break.

“Barb, what are we gonna do?” Blitzo fretted, clinging to his sister.

Barbie took a deep breath before taking a fighting stance. “We’ll fight ‘em off,” she declared, holding up her fists. “Get ready in case they get feisty.”

Blitzo gulped but nodded, grabbing a nearby piece of piping to use like a sword. “O-Okay…”

The lead dog began to stalk forward, licking his lips before lunging for the twins. They let out a scream and shut their eyes before a bright light blinded the area. The dogs instinctively shut their eyes, shaking their heads to try and clear their vision. As the light dimmed, Blitzo opened one eye and saw a shadowy figure cast a darkness spell around them all. The tall figure stood protectively in front of them as it grew in size, a red and black aura forming around him.

“Leave…NOW…” the being ordered, letting out a loud hiss that scared the dogs away.

“What…just happened?” Barbie blinked as Blitzo stared in awe.

“I’ve seen this before…” he whispered, moving up to the figure. “S-Stolas?”

Stolas turned around, his dark aura disappearing as he knelt in front of them. “Oh my gosh are you alright? I was so worried!” he fretted, checking both twins over.

“Y-Yeah…we’re good, man,” Barbie nodded, noticing her brother was staring at Stolas like he’d never seen him before.

“Y-You got…tall…” Blitzo whispered.

Stolas felt his feathers fluff up as he rubbed the back of his head. “Ah yes. That’s quite common for Goetia demons,” he laughed nervously. “I’m just relieved we could find you.”

Before they could ask who the “we” was, Vassago hopped down from his star glider and looked up at the twins in sheer relief. “Oh I’m so glad my spell worked! I normally don’t use offensive spells if I can help it but I needed to blind those animals temporarily so we could save you!” he explained, his voice squeaking from excitement.

“You’re adorable!” Barbie gushed.

“Like a plushie!” Blitzo grinned, making the birdy brothers laugh.

“We’re just glad we could find you,” Stolas told them, looking pointedly at Blitzo. “I’m just relieved you weren’t hurt.”

“Well aside from our legs being jello from all the running and jumping we’ve been doing, being tail dangled by some bullies, almost getting punched by a guy at a bar, and chased by hungry dogs, we’re alright,” Blitzo told him before collapsing in Stolas’s arms. “But I am POOPED.”

“Let’s get you two back to your home,” Vassago decided, making his glider bigger for the four of them to sit on.

“Good idea. I’m wiped,” Barbie laughed tiredly.

Soon enough, they were all on their way back to the circus grounds. Barbie was holding onto Vassago so he wouldn’t fall off his glider while Blitzo and Stolas sat together, their faces burning a bit from how strange this whole situation was. When they explained how this was only a 24-hour thing, they were relieved but almost a bit sad about it.

“Shame we couldn’t hang out more like this,” Blitzo commented. “It’d be fun to see you jumping on mattresses at the store.”

“Oh I’m not that good at jumping,” Stolas giggled nervously, holding Blitzo’s hand. “I’m just glad I could help you after all the times you’ve helped me.”

“Hey I’ll always have your back,” Blitzo told him, giving his hand a squeeze. “And you’ve saved my butt before.”

“And I always will,” Stolas smiled softly.

Barbie glanced back at her brother and friend before grinning to herself. Those two goobers really were adorable together even if they didn’t realize it yet. But maybe this weirdass experience might bring them closer. “So you said our parents got affected by this whole sunspot thing too?” she asked Vassago.

“Yes it was certainly a surprise for them and my father and Mister Butler,” Vassago nodded.

“I wonder what kind of mess they made back at the house?” she joked, making the boys laugh.

Knowing his slight future vision, Vassago had a small smirk on his beak. “Oh…it’s going to be quite entertaining to witness,” he mused.

[To Be Continued]

Chapter Text

Fizzarolli and Paimon were sitting in the bathroom while Tilla was trying to figure out how to style her hair. “I haven’t done this since I was a girl…” Tilla fretted, trying to pull her hair through a scrunchie. “My husband usually helps me untangle my hair in the morning.”

“Perhaps you could dampen your hair to loosen the tangles?” Paimon suggested.

“Oh yeah! You have that nice shampoo that smells like cherries!” Fizz remembered, turning on the water in the tub. “That might help your hair feel all smooth and easy to style.”

Tilla pulled the scrunchie out of her hair, wincing slightly as she did so. “It’s worth a try. I may need some help combing through my hair when it’s all lathered up,” she told them.

“Er, would you prefer it if your husband helped with that? I don’t think preening would work in this situation,” Paimon replied.

“You can get him if you want but I think Fizz should be fine with the comb and wide brush if it gets to that point,” the imp girl reasoned, moving her hand under the water to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold before running her hair under the tap. “Ah…that feels nice…”

“Boy…haircare is complicated stuff, huh,” Fizz mused, ready to be on standby in case she needed it.

“The same can be said for feather care with avian demons,” the owl king added. “It’s why Stolas and I bathe regularly.”

Tilla allowed the water to completely soak her hair before sitting on the edge of the tub, letting Fizz scrub the shampoo into her long locks. “Wow so this is what it’s like washing hair,” Fizz giggled. “It’s like watching you and Barbie play hair salon.”

“Yeah it is. But I learned when she was 5 that we don’t use actual scissors to play hairdresser,” she smiled sheepishly. “I had shorter hair for a while but Cash had fun helping me style it and comb his claws through it.”

“Now we just have to make sure that maniac doesn’t ruin your hair,” Paimon snarked, cringing at the chaos downstairs.

“Oh he wouldn’t do that,” Tilla reassured him. “Cash might be a bit…eccentric but even he wouldn't be that crazy.”

“TILLA! Where do we keep the peanut butter?! Dante got gum in his hair!” Cash called from downstairs.

“Pantry!” Tilla called back while scrubbing the shampoo in her hair before giving Paimon and Fizz a sheepish smile. “Well…he’s not THAT crazy.”

Fizz shook his head as he began to help rinse her hair off while Paimon ran a hand through his feathers. The more he interacted with these weirdos, the more he questioned his own sanity trying to keep up with them. Then again, with Lucifer’s own eccentric qualities being rather charming to the Goetia King…perhaps fate drew him to the more insane citizens of Hell more than he realized.

“I must be out of my mind…” Paimon muttered under his breath.

(...)

“Eew…why did it have to be watermelon gum?” Dante cringed, feeling the sticky glob in his hair.

“I guess blowing the biggest bubble wasn’t the best idea…” Cash commented, scratching the back of his head.

“Will this peanut butter trick work? I don’t want him cutting his hair,” Nyx fretted, the three kids finally calming down from their sugar high stampede in the house.

“Now don’t worry, Miss Nyx,” Mister Butler reassured her, grabbing the peanut butter jar from the kitchen. “The oil should help loosen the sticky candy from his hair without damaging it too much. Though you might want to take a bath afterwards.”

“Mmm…but I don’t want a bath…” Dante whined, pouting when the older imp began to work the gum out. It felt so gross and oily and weird to the young imp but he didn’t want to have to shave his head. He was still young and wanted to enjoy having nice hair while he still had it.

“Almost…and…done,” the butler imp smiled, holding the peanut butter covered gum glob in his hand. “There we go, young man.”

“Thanks mister,” Dante told him gratefully before looking at his friends with excited eyes. “Let’s go try on circus costumes!”

“Okay~!” Cash and Nyx grinned, running out the door while Mister Butler followed, trying to keep an eye on them.

It was incredible that children could be so resilient even after accidents. A contest of blowing bubbles ended with gum covering one of them while they’re already absolutely covered in glitter and food and who knows what else. As a butler he was used to cleaning up messes at the palace such as dusting antiques and cleaning dishes in the kitchen but this…was a bit more chaotic than what he was used to at the palace. It wasn’t so bad working where the family was already pretty clean to begin with.

It made his job easier.

(...)

“Alright I think we got most of the tangles out, Miss Tilla,” Fizz told her, having finished brushing her hair.

“Thank you, Fizzy,” she smiled, giving a scrunchie to Paimon. “I know this is a bit strange but would you be able to help me pull my hair through this?”

Paimon took the strange object before sighing. “I can’t say that I’ll do as good a job as your husband but I will do my best,” he told her, grateful that her hair was at least clean.

The owl demon slowly started to pull her hair through the velvet band, going slow so he wouldn’t pull her hair. It was neatly tied up but he was worried it might drag on the ground so he tried to twist it up in a little bun to try to make her hair neater but it looked lumpy. He frowned as he undid the scrunchie and grabbed two more to try and put her hair up in two separate ponytails but they were a little off-kilter.

She looked like something from a workout video.

Each hairstyle he tried to do looked more ridiculous than the last. A ponytail on top of her head that was too heavy for her neck. Buns that looked droopy and silly. Even trying to braid her hair made him worried he might knot it up again.

“I am not good at this,” he frowned, giving up trying to style her hair.

“That’s okay,” Tilla reassured him. “I appreciate you trying.”

Fizz looked out the window of the bathroom seeing a star glider with Stolas, Vassago, Blitzo, and Barbie on it. “They’re back!” he sighed in relief.

“Oh I’m so glad they found each other,” Tilla smiled.

“Let’s finally get this mess settled and make sure they’re not harmed,” Paimon stated.

But as they went outside, they were shocked to see Barbie and Blitzo laughing their heads off at how ridiculous Cash, Dante, and Nyx looked in the oversized circus costumes. They were still kind of messy from their sugar high feast earlier so they looked absolutely ridiculous. Cash looked annoyed at being laughed at while Dante and Nyx were a bit more sheepish.

“Now ya can’t tease us for being maniacs!” Blitzo grinned.

“Yeah we got proof you’re just as crazy!” Barbie giggled deviously.

“Oh laugh it up knuckleheads but remember this!” Cash warned with a knowing smile. “This shit is temporary so the minute we’re back to normal? I’m getting revenge.”

Barbie rolled her eyes at her dad’s threat when she saw her mom and King Paimon running out of the house with Fizz. “Oh you look adorable!” she gushed, picking up her mom in her arms. “You look like a doll!”

“Uh…thank you?” Tilla tried, feeling weird she was being scooped up by her daughter and hugged close.

“Wow you had long pretty hair even as a kid?” Blitzo commented, picking some up and playing with it.

“Y-Yeah I did,” Tilla laughed nervously.

Paimon cleared his throat, gaining their attention. “I trust you were not harmed?” he guessed.

“Well…we kinda got tail dangled by some dorks and chased down by some dogs but we’re okay,” Barbie explained.

“We’re just pooped and wanna take a nap,” Blitzo added before heading towards the house with Barbie and the Goetia brothers following.

“Erm Master Blitzo there’s something you ought to–!” Mister Butler tried before he was stopped by Paimon who had an almost knowing smile on his face.

“Now now, old friend. I believe the boy and his sister should see what his father and friends were up to while they were away,” he chuckled.

Cash realized what he was implying and gave him a glare before chasing after the grown kids. “N-Now hold on a sec!” he tried, cursing his short legs as he ran after them. “Any ‘revenge’ I was talkin’ about was just teasing! Ya don’t have to–!”

“What the FUCK?!”

The twins and brothers were shocked to see the disaster that Cash apparently had caused with Dante and Nyx while they were away. Food crumbs, glitter, and glue were everywhere with cabinets opened and chairs knocked over. Mister Butler looked ready to clean up but Paimon stopped him.

“Just wait,” he smiled.

Blitzo and Barbie turned to their dad and his friends, complete disbelief on their faces as their jaws dropped. “You trashed the house?!” Barbie questioned.

“Hey those sugary cereals will make ya do crazy shit!” Cash retorted.

“I did try to stop them!” Fizz chimed in.

Blitzo glanced at his sister before giving her a smirk. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” he told her with glee before putting on a stern voice. “Well since YOU three made the mess, YOU are cleaning it up!”

Barbie got what her brother was doing and gave him a grin before putting on her best stern mom voice. “You heard him! Get your tails in there and get to work!” she told them, pointing inside.

Cash, Dante, and Nyx let out loud groans as Mister Butler handed them some cleaning supplies. They had their fun and had to pay the price for their craziness. Dante and Nyx trudged inside, a bit more compliant about their punishment while Cash was groaning and moaning like a child, muttering about taking back not getting revenge when he was bigger again.

Stolas chuckled a bit as he looked down at his friend. “You’ve been waiting to do that for a long time, haven’t you,” he commented.

“It’s one of my wilder fantasies,” Blitzo shrugged.

“Well I’m DONE babysitting!” Fizz declared, sitting on the ground with his arms crossed. “I need a break!”

Tilla patted his shoulder sympathetically. “That’s the whole parenting thing, kiddo,” she told him with a soft smile.

“Not that being a child again is any better,” Paimon commented. “I never enjoyed being short.”

“Hey even being teenagers we still were treated like dumb kids,” Barbie chimed in. “I’m glad this is just for today.”

“Well…at least until the next solar flare hits,” Vassago reminded them. “But by then something else strange might happen.”

Blitzo took Stolas’s hand before giving his friend a grin. “Well all weird crap aside, this wasn’t so bad,” he told him.

“Speak for yourself! I feel like I ate a lead balloon!” Cash yelled out from the house.

[END]