ASSISTANT
The city of Hell was never quiet, not even at night, but on the roof of a lonely, grandiose manor, Octavia and her only friend, Ethan, managed to carve out a tiny paradise of star-studded solace. Ethan, a nervous human sinner with tousled hair and shifting eyes full of insecurities, had always been fascinated by the stars. It was this fascination that had brought them together years ago, and it was this fascination that had, perhaps inevitably, led them to this moment.
“Look, there!” Octavia, her eyes bright like the celestial beings she admired, pointed towards a particular constellation. “You see Leo? It’s right there.”
Ethan squinted into the darkness, forcing his glasses up his nose a little higher as he tried to follow her direction. He nodded hesitantly. “I-I think so.” His words were almost lost on the cool night breeze that danced around them. Despite the beauty of the moment and the comfort of his friend, Ethan felt a knot tightening increasingly inside him.
“What’s got you so jittery tonight?” Octavia asked, her voice layered with bemusement and slight concern as she turned to face him. “You’ve been more twitchy than usual.”
Ethan took a deep breath, rattling his nerves further. He dragged his gaze from the stars and let out a visible sigh. “Octavia, there's… something I need to tell you.”
A shadow of apprehension crossed her face. She immediately picked up on the serious tone underlining his words. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
Ethan's hands trembled slightly as he fumbled with the hem of his shirt, struggling to find the right words. “I’ve… I’ve been accepted into the Hazbin Hotel,” he said, trying to sound firm but failing as his voice wavered.
The silence that followed his announcement was stifling, broken only by the sound of Octavia's sharp intake of breath. Her expression twisted with confusion and something else—betrayal.
“The Hazbin Hotel?” She repeated, disbelief coloring every syllable. “You applied… and got in? Why… why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I was scared,” Ethan admitted, his voice small. “I-I didn’t want to lose you as a friend before… before I knew if it was even going to happen.”
Octavia felt a fury rising within her, her feathers ruffling with the intensity of her emotions. Her talons dug into the rooftop beneath them. “And you’re telling me now, when you're about to leave?”
Ethan hesitated, then nodded. “I visited the place, Octavia. Secretly. I actually hoped it wouldn't go well so I'd have an excuse to stay.” He gulped and bit his lip. “But it didn't go badly. It was… good. I really think I can be reformed there.”
“Reformed?” Octavia’s voice snapped, laden with bitterness. “You think you’re better off there than here with me? Is that it?”
“No, it's not like that!” Ethan exclaimed, desperation tainting his words. “I just… I want to be a better person, not just for me but for you too. Don’t you see? I... I didn’t think I was worth much, but now... Maybe I can—”
“You’re worth something to me!” Octavia cut him off sharply, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “You're my only friend, Ethan. Do you have any idea how it feels to know that everyone I care about leaves?”
The sorrow in her voice hit Ethan like a physical blow. He shook his head, fighting back his own tears. “I do care, Octavia. I really do. I’m doing this because it's the only way I know how to make things better. Not just for me, but for us. If I can change… Maybe I can be someone who deserves to stand by your side.”
“Deserve?” Octavia spat the word like it was poison. “You think you don’t deserve to be my friend now?”
“That’s not what I meant!” Ethan’s frustration finally boiled over. “I mean I’m trying to find a way to—a purpose! Something that validates me!”
Octavia scoffed, her wings fluttering as she made a show of turning her back on him. “So I’m not enough validation for you?”
The words cut deep, and Ethan flinched. “That’s not what I meant, Octavia… I never thought of you like that. You’re more than enough. You’ve given me hope every single day, and that’s why…” His voice broke, the weight of the conversation bearing down on him. “That’s why I have to do this. So I can be someone worthy of that hope.”
The silence between them thickened, their breaths fogging the cool night air. Stars twinkled above, uncaring of the emotional turmoil far below. Octavia’s tears finally spilled over, her voice quaking and raw. “I can’t lose you, Ethan. You’re all I have…”
“I don’t want to lose you either,” Ethan replied hoarsely. “But this isn’t about losing each other. It’s about finding something within myself. Something you saw that I’ve been too scared to accept... until now.”
Octavia turned to face him again, her expression a painful mix of anger and heartbreak. “How long will you be gone?”
Ethan’s eyes dropped to the ground, unable to meet her piercing gaze. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “But I’ll write. I’ll come back if... When I can.”
“And what if you don’t?” Octavia demanded, her voice rising with a touch of hysteria. “What if you forget about me? About us?”
His heart breaking at the sight of her anguish, Ethan took a shaky step closer, lifting a hand as if to touch her but stopping short. “I could never forget you, Octavia. Ever. You're my best friend, my only friend. And I promise… I promise I’ll be back.”
Promises felt cheap against the reality of their separation, and Octavia shook her head, her tears flowing freely now. “Promise me, Ethan,” her voice was a fractured whisper, full of longing. “Promise me that this isn’t goodbye.”
Ethan’s throat tightened, and he forced the words out. “I promise. This is not goodbye.”
The trust she placed in him over the years wavered for just a moment before she reluctantly nodded, the fight seemingly leaving her. They stood there in the heavy silence, the stars above a blistering reminder of the universe’s vastness. Neither of them knew how to bridge the heart-wrenching distance growing between them, even though they were just inches apart.
Finally, Octavia broke the silence, her voice tinged with resigned sorrow. “Then go... if you think you have to.”
Ethan opened his mouth to say something—anything—but found himself at a loss. Instead, he nodded silently, tears falling from his own eyes. He turned away, his form a shadow against the soft illumination of the distant skyline.
As he walked towards the edge of the roof, ready to descend back into the tumultuous world awaiting below, Octavia's voice called out to him one last time, wrenching with all the emotions she could muster. “Don’t forget, Ethan. Don’t forget this night. Don’t forget me.”
He paused, looking back over his shoulder. The sight of her, lonely and heartbreakingly beautiful under the stars, etched itself into his mind. “I won’t, Octavia. I swear.”
As Ethan disappeared into the darkness, the hollow space beside Octavia was filled with the remnants of unspoken words, broken promises, and an unbearable sense of longing. She stayed there for hours, her gaze locked on the stars they had once so joyously shared, feeling utterly adrift in the vast expanse of the night sky.
No resolution came to them, no comforting closure. Just the cold, indifferent glitter of the cosmos, mirroring the unresolved conflict that churned within their hearts. The stars gave no solace that night, only serving as a poignant reminder that even in the most beautiful moments, darkness could claim its due.