Managing Hell is one Hell of a job, ready to fill even the most resolute of demons. For Styx, there is stress to be had everywhere. Satan’s right hand travels through the city, hunched over and grumbling after a particularly long shift, his shoulders bent, his teeth grinding, and his head throbbing.
Styx is so focused on the sidewalk that the demon doesn’t realize when he bumps into something brown, green, and solid, falling onto his rear in a tangle of his cloak.
He winces, prepared for a fight with one of the many denizens, but receives a welcoming paw before his face.
“Hey there! Sorry about that! Are you okay?”
Styx blinks and stares up toward the owner of that arm, seeing a friendly bear with bright lavender eyes.
“I’m fine,” Styx huffs, hopping back to a standing position. “Just be sure to watch where you’re going.” Styx hastily starts to dust off his cloak but can’t stop glancing every so often toward the friendly newcomer.
“Don’t think I’ve seen you around before!” says the stranger, extending his hand. “Name’s Avi, and you?”
Styx quirks an eyebrow but bites his lip, slowly revealing his hand. “Styx…”
Avi clasps the hand in both of his paws and shakes gregariously. “Heck yeah, dude! That’s a cool name! You wanna hang out sometime? I can make it up to you, no doubt!”
Styx’s heart flutters and the demon squirms, turning to hide a blush on his cheeks. “Ah, well, I don’t know…”
“I’m heading to a party that’s just about to start. If you got nowhere else to be, it’d be sweet to have ya!”
“A… party? Me? Oh, I don’t know.
“It’d be my pleasure to have you be my plus one, Styx.”
Styx has to force his mouth closed before he nods. “Yes, well, very well. Let’s party!”
“Sweet, follow me!”
It’s not like Avi gives Styx much chance to do anything else as the bear yanks him towards the bright and loud club, brimming with spotlights and neon and a line around the block.
“This is ridiculous! We’d never get in!” Styx protests.
Avi flashes him a smile and waves to the large and burly bouncer, who nods and lets them in right away.
“W-what? How?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” The bear says, heading up to the stage where all the sound equipment is set up. He pulls his headphones from his shoulders and slaps them over his ears. “I’m the DJ!”
Styx watches in awe as the first of the dancers file in. Avi immediately sets to work, his fingers tickling over his station with the precision and speed that only a master of his craft can provide. The beats he brings thump so loud and hard they reverberate throughout Styx’s body.
The demon clings his hands to his ears, ready for the pounding to get to his head, and split his skull open after the headache. But when that pain never comes, he slowly pulls his hands free, his whole body bouncing to the beat.
“Yeah, you got it!” Avi says, stepping away from his station and tapping his foot to the rhythm. “Let’s see your moves!”
Styx smirks at that and grabs Avi’s hand.
The bear pulls him in and spins him around, and Styx goes with the flow, quite the river of motion to the song's beat. He’s like a dancing star, slipping behind Avi and wrapping his arms around his new friend, his eyes fluttering, growling a delightful purr behind him, pulling his hands away. He shakes his whole body, eyes closed and bouncing his hips back and forth.
Avi cheers and claps for the performance. For the first time, his mouth wiggles as he tries to say something, but it is difficult to come out. Styx notices this, hand on his hip, flicking his head to the side. “What’s up?” asks the demon.
“Uh, well, you wanna try your hand on my setup?” Avi says, running a paw through his hair. “I mean, if you want.”
“Styx’s eyes flutter, and he steps up beside Avi. “Only if you and I do this together,” he says, turning up the heat.
Avi stares in wonder. “Wait, what are you?”
Styx scrolls through the playlist, instantly getting to sound samples, mixing, and remixing on the fly.
Avi’s hit with a blast of powered-up playlists that rock his whole world. He quickly keeps up, bouncing his head, lost to the rhythm! “You’re a pro!” he shouts through the sound that brings the whole club alive!”
“Everyone has to have hobbies!” Styx shouts back, holding his hands up and then slamming down, creating the best bass drop of the evening.
The whole club roars with frantic dancing energy. Even the people outside break out into unhindered passionate movements, all their cares melting away, giving themselves up to the dance.
—
Hours pass, and Avi packs up the last of his equipment, steps down the stairs, and smiles at the sight of Avi sitting at the bar, spinning on the stool. “Wow, man, you really are something else?”
“Me?” Styx says, a hand on his chest fluttering his eyes. “You… you’ve unlocked something in me that I never thought I had!”
“Glad I could do that for ya,” the DJ responds, taking a deep breath, holding his stuff in both hands. “So, uh… I was wondering…?”
“Hm…?”
It’s Avi’s turn to nervously mumble, kicking at the dirt on the floor. “I got another gig next weekend, and maybe… you’d like to partner up again.”
Styx stands up, hands on Avi’s shoulders, and gives him a nice big bear hug. “I wouldn’t miss it!”