Chapter 1

One

Jonathan hummed softly to himself as he stocked the aquarium shelves. He stopped when he noticed the rainbow-colored plant decoration he'd ordered. Beel would love it in the aquarium upstairs—it was really cute, and a couple of the decorations could stand to be replaced. He'd probably love one at Gabe's house too, and Jon made a note to set two aside for him.

Yeah, yeah, so it was a little… different that his boyfriend was also a frog (but at least he was easy to buy gifts for). Jon chuckled to himself and shook his head, because it was more than just different—it was downright fantastical. But hey, he worked in a petshop, and he'd always had a special place in his heart for the scaled and feathered over the furry when it came to pets. He had been totally enamored of Mr. Frog and had envied Gabe his pet many times over the years. He laughed to himself again, thinking he hadn't known the half of it.

Almost two months had gone by, and he was struck by how different his life was. He had been lonely and sad, and his previous relationship had been a disastrous failure. Gabe and Az asking him to watch Mr. Frog had been a blessing, and he'd loved the company. Then his dirtbag ex had shown up, and then the cute guy had shown up, and then… Well, Jon had weird thoughts in his head. Really weird thoughts. Of course Az had kept making frog prince references, and Beel had always croaked in the right places, but Jon had managed to convince himself that he had a very overactive imagination.

Only he hadn't. He guessed that's why he took it so well when Beel gave him the news.

After some amazing dates with Beel's human form, he had already been in love. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but the connection had been undeniable, and the thought of Beel feeling rejected in any one of his forms made Jon's heart break a little. He loved Beel no matter what, and he let him know that all the time. Jon smiled—he was getting pretty good at this relationship stuff.

Of course, they were also apparently soulmates, so that probably helped things along in the communication department. Jon didn't really understand the whole soulmate thing too well, but he knew they'd never be separated. It was comfort and security, and it made him warm and happy inside in a way nothing else in life ever had. He could feel Beel; he knew when his boyfriend was feeling really strong emotions, and he figured Beel could tell the same about him.

And the sex. Well, the sex was amazing. That whole feeling-each-other thing really brought sex to a new level. Jon could admit he was a little shy and self-conscious about his body (and about asking for what he wanted), but Beel made it abundantly clear that he adored everything about Jon and that he was willing to try just about anything (apparently he'd worked in the lust department in hell for awhile and had really seen it all).

So the sex… It was really hot. Off the charts. Amazing. Phenomenal. And they couldn't get enough of each other.

Jon had to stop thinking about that, though, because he had work to do, and Beel was off in the back room studying for one of the college courses he'd enrolled in. Jon knew Beel wouldn't mind the interruption, but he did have a store to run.

He heard the bell twinkle over the shop door, like he'd summoned a customer just thinking about work. He sighed, then cheerfully called out, "Welcome to Marty's! I'm Jon, and I'll be right with you!"

He smiled thinking about Beel having a long monologue on whether the pet store name was ironic or not (Jon wasn't sure himself, but the debate Beel had with himself was hysterical). When Jon had explained it was named after his grandfather who had left him the money to open the shop, Beel had simply kissed him softly and remarked that he was the luckiest demon in all the hells to have such a wonderful soulmate.

Jon finished unpacking his box when he didn't hear a reply, figuring the person wanted to browse a bit. He liked to offer help, but he didn't want to come on too strong with his customers, either. Some people hated being approached by salespeople, and he respected that.

After placing the last decorations on the shelf, he headed out of the aisle, folding up the box and raising his head.

Darn it.

He stopped dead in his tracks. There, at the front of the store, just inside the doorway, stood Marcus. It was like Jon's thinking of him had conjured him, and it gave Jon a sour taste in his mouth. He did not want to deal with Marcus today. Or any day, really.

Double darn it. He also did not want Beel to deal with Marcus. Beel was a little… bloodthirsty when it came to his ex. He'd told Jon he figured red bloodstains weren't to his liking in the apartment, so he'd held back that night Marcus had come over.

Well, red bloodstains in the shop were not to his liking either, thank you very much. He glanced quickly to the back of the shop. The curtain was drawn on the back room, and hopefully Jon could get rid of Marcus before Beel walked out. Of course he'd tell Beel all about it, but he'd rather forgo the confrontation part.

When Jon glanced back at Marcus, he was smirking, his stance was wider, and he had his arms folded over his chest.

Triple darn it. So maybe the confrontation thing would happen no matter what. Jon put the box down on the floor and stood up straighter himself. He wasn't going to cower in front of this jerkface.

"What do you want, Marcus?" he asked quietly.

Marcus sniffed, looking disdainfully around the shop. "Still playing with your creepy reptiles, I see," he muttered.

"You aren't welcome here," Jon announced firmly. "I thought my boyfriend and I made that clear when you showed up and bullied your way into my apartment in the middle of the night."

Marcus unclenched then, striding forward and getting up into Jon's space. Jon refused to back up, though, and he refused to lower his head. He was done being intimidated and cowed by Marcus.

Of course, it helped knowing he had an actual demon at his call that could be here in a split second if Marcus was actually stupid enough to try anything. Not that the guy had ever gotten physically violent with him—he just liked to be an intimidating asshole.

He didn't like that Jon wasn't cowering, either. His face flashed in surprise before it settled back into the sneer.

What the hell had Jon ever seen in this guy? He shook his head and chuckled. "You know, I have no idea why I ever even dated you. You're such an asshole."

Marcus turned red, his face furious. "You dated me because I was the best you could get. I'm still the best you could get, you whiny bitch." He snorted then. "And that whiny little goth boy you had over has nothing on me," he added, pressing his face in closer.

Jon did lean back at that, because eww, he didn't need Marcus's face within kissing distance. Gross.

"I seem to recall that ‘whiny little goth boy' making you pee your pants," Jon goaded, giggling a little bit. (Ok, so it was a half hysterical giggle, but at least Jon hadn't devolved into a panic attack with Marcus all up in his face.) Jon did step back then, but he figured it was better for when Marcus had his inevitable blow up.

Marcus stuttered, his mouth opening and closing, surprise and fury crossing his face.

"You look like a fish," Jon stated, which only seemed to add to the fury side of things. Whoops.

"I don't know what the hell you two scrawny motherfuckers gave me that night, but I was drunk off my ass, which is probably the only reason I even remotely considered hitting up your sorry ass for some sex that night." Marcus leaned in again, his arms coming down on both sides of Jon to hold the shelf and effectively trap him. "But rest assured, that was not the end of things," he growled.

Jon panicked for half a second, his breath catching, his heart racing, but he barely had time to process the feeling before he heard a soft and very angry voice behind Marcus.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Beel growled.

Jon was calm in the next breath, and he looked around Marcus to see Beel standing there, anger hardening his features. Marcus thankfully leaned back as well, uncaging Jon and turning to face Beel.

Beel spared Jon a soft, questioning glance, and Jon nodded that he was ok. Beel then gave a raised eyebrow, which Jon was interpreting to mean Can I kill him?

"Not in the shop, please," Jon shakily replied, and he swore Beel actually looked disappointed.

"You!" Marcus burst out. "You two are actually dating?" He laughed then, but there was no humor in it. "What a sorry pair you two make," he mocked. "Little Mr. Pet Shop and Goth Boy."

Beel didn't look phased, but Jon was really starting to worry about bloodstains. And pee. And vomit. And possibly some wrecked merchandise (although he knew Beel would try to be careful about that).

Not that Jon wasn't also secretly a little thrilled. Marcus deserved whatever was coming to him. Yes, the guy had been an asshole when they were dating, but he hadn't ever been this bad. Apparently his humiliation at Beel's hands must have been stewing in his brain for weeks. He seemed… unhinged. He looked more muscled out, too. Jon idly wondered if he'd been doing something crazy like steroids. He was always gym obsessed, and getting his ass handed to him by a "little goth boy" had to have been a hard hit to his ego.

"I thought I warned you never to come near Jon again," Beel answered softly. "I see the lesson didn't take last time. I suppose you'll need to be taught another one." Beel sighed then, like he was put out, but Jon could also feel a maniacal glee radiating from his soulmate. Beel was going to enjoy this.

"Please try not to break anything. I mean, in the shop. Go ahead and break this one," Jon said, gesturing toward Marcus, who had turned to look at him incredulously.

"You think you two fairies can take me?" Marcus snarled.

"You know, your homophobic slurs are ridiculous considering you're a gay man," Jon sniffed. What an asshole. He turned to Beel again then, saying, "And blood is an OSHA hazard, so I'd rather not have it in the shop. Or… you know, pee or vomit and stuff."

"Well I can't very well kill him outside," Beel reasoned. "I doubt you want blood on the sidewalk in front of the shop either. That'll be a total bitch to clean up," Beel reasoned.

"True," Jon sighed. "And he certainly needs a lesson, but death might be a little hasty, no? I don't want anyone ending up in prison."

"No worries, love—covering up murder and mayhem is a perk of the job," Beel smirked, and Jon did feel slightly better at that. He really didn't need Beel in prison. (Although his demon could just portal out, but still—it would all be quite a hassle.)

"Maybe just some broken bones and bruises?" Jon ventured.

"How about a little maiming?" Beel negotiated.

Jon had the insane urge to giggle. Marcus turned back and forth between them like he couldn"t figure out what the hell was going on. He looked furious but also confused.

"What the fuck are you two going on about?" Marcus growled out.

Beel sighed.

Then Jon's soulmate was in all his demonic glory—horns, tail, and some nice red flashing eyes for effect. Marcus took a step back, and Jon managed to get out of the way as his ex bumped into the counter where Jon had just been standing.

"What the fuck?" Marcus muttered. He seemed utterly shaken, and Beel smirked at him.

Jon had to admit he was sort of enjoying himself (but also still sort of worried about death and dismemberment, because eww).

Then Marcus turned to him. "What the fuck did you dose me with, you asshole? Some kind of drug like last time?" Marcus demanded, and he reached out like he was about to grab or hit Jon.

Beel was there before Jon could even blink, and he had Marcus suspended in the air by the throat. Marcus was turning an interesting shade of red, but at least he hadn't gotten his hands on Jon.

"Big mistake, Marcus," Beel snarled, shaking Marcus like he was a rag doll.

It was sort of like watching a horror movie—Jon didn't even feel like it was real. Maybe he was in a state of shock? Or maybe he was just glad this villain was finally going to learn a lesson.

Beel gave another shake, Marcus choked a bit more, legs dangling and hands scrabbling at Beel's arm to no avail. Beel looked at Jon then, and the change from ferocious to affectionate was dizzying.

"Maybe just one missing limb?" Beel begged. "He doesn't need both hands, does he?"

"But what will we do with the hand?" Jon wondered. He didn't even know where that thought came from, but he was not going to let Beel use it as a decoration, and his demon did love the macabre. He could just picture it displayed in a glass jar and Beel looking at it fondly now and again. It was not his choice of fine home decor, thank you very much.

Beel sighed, then he grabbed Marcus's hand in his, and Jon actually heard the crunching, and then Marcus was screaming and crying, and he tumbled into a heap on the ground, clutching his hand and mewling.

Beel squatted down on the floor then, getting right up in Marcus's face, and Jon saw him press down on Marcus's knee with one hand. Jon heard another pop (and got vaguely nauseous—because he could really do without the sound effects), and Marcus screamed again.

"You are not a nice person, Marcus. You are an arrogant, self-centered, narcissistic asshole who gets off on making other people feel small." Beel grabbed Marcus's face then, squeezing his cheeks tightly and making his tear stained face look up at Beel.

Marcus whimpered as Beel then pressed his hand against Marcus's chest. Jon wasn't sure what he did, but there was no crunching or popping (thank god, or demons, or whatever), but Marcus gave a shrill shriek of pain nevertheless.

Jon swallowed reflexively; would it be weird if he watched from behind his fingers like horror movies? He was a bit squeamish, and things were getting… icky.

Beel looked up then, sparing Jon a smile that was definitely delighted. He winked before asking, "What do you think, love? How about a little castration?"

Beel was joking… hopefully.

"Ummm… I think that could get messy?" Jon volunteered.

"Ah, love, it's a good thing you're here." Beel turned toward Marcus again, his eyes going red and his face scowling—it was really quite the horror-movie look, and by Marcus's whimpering and groaning, Jon thought it was doing the trick.

Beel leaned in close, whispering, "If you think the agony will end with death, you are wrong. They will punish you, Marcus. I will make sure of it. You will suffer endless torment and misery. The physical pain will be unbearable, but then the true torture will come. They will break your mind down, piece by piece, until the selfish, unbearable, bully that lives inside you is nothing but fragmented pieces. You will not even know yourself. This is what awaits you."

Beel stood up then, brushed his hands off, and walked over to Jon, enfolding him in a hug.

"Well, that was rather… gruesome," Jon mumbled.

Beel pulled back and grinned. "Aw, I hardly even did anything. And it was a teeny bit satisfying, too, no?" he asked gleefully.

They both turned to look at Marcus, who was rolling around and whimpering softly in pain.

Jon looked at Beel, who had a proud, smug expression on his face. Oh how he loved his demon, sadistic streak and all. And hey, at least there were no bloodstains (at least not large ones—there might have been a few drops from the crushed hand), and although it looked like there might be a small wet stain on Marcus's pants, there was no pee on the floor.

Jon supposed you had to take your wins where you could get them.

"Well, yes, it was satisfying. He is an asshole. But… I don't know, I kind of feel bad, too," Jon admitted.

Beel looked at him fondly. "You're too soft, love, but it is one of the things I adore most about you."

"Listen, Marcus!" Beel shouted, snapping his fingers. He must have done something for the pain, because Marcus looked terrified but marginally more aware of his surroundings. "If you ever come near us again, it will be the last time. I"m going to have someone watching you from now on. Everything I promised is in your future, but perhaps people are capable of change." Beel shrugged noncommittally. "I'd love to see you in the pits, but Jon has a soft heart, and he hopes you find redemption. You have seen what awaits you. Live your life as you are and then spend eternity in pain and misery, or change yourself. It matters not to me, as long as we never see you again."

"Get some therapy, maybe, huh? I suggested it that one time when you blew up at your mom, but you always denied you had any issues," Jon added.

Beel snapped his fingers again, and Marcus was back to agonized rolling around.

"What are we going to do with him? I might get customers?" Jon asked. Ok, so he supposed his sympathy had run out for Marcus. The guy deserved to suffer his injuries. At least Jon had a clear conscience that anything he did from here on out was on Marcus—he'd been given fair warning.

Beel snapped his fingers again, and Marcus was gone.

"Well, that's nifty," Jon declared.

"Eh, big demonic mojo for that, but it was worth it. He's rolling around in pain in his apartment now at least." He leaned forward and kissed Jon softly, then leaned back to look at him. "Are you really ok, love? I know that was a little gruesome for you. But you didn't even hide behind your fingers!"

Jon giggled. "I thought about it."

He leaned forward, kissing Beel back. They drew the kiss out, lazily pressing lips together and touching tongues, their arms wrapping around each other and tightening.

Jon hardened in his jeans, and Beel's hips thrust against his, causing them both to moan softly. Still, they kept it gentle, remembering they were standing in the middle of the shop.

"I love you more than eternity," Beel whispered when they finally came up for air.

"I love you, my soulmate. Thank you for always coming to my rescue. You're my knight in shining armor." Jon chuckled softly. "You really are my frog prince, and I'm the luckiest man alive to have found you," he professed.

"Ah, Jon, I think you have that backwards. You were the one who saved me. It was your kiss that made me what I am. You have given me so much—love, confidence, joy, motivation—you make me a better demon each and every day," Beel replied softly.

They leaned their foreheads together, softly smiling at each other. Jon had no doubt that they would finish what they started later, but for now they had a shop to run. Jon wasn't worried, though, because they had all the time in the world together.

They had an eternity of happily ever after ahead of them.