The fires of Wrath roared inside him, clawing at his ribs, desperate for release. His claws dug into the arms of his throne, a molten glow cracking through his skin. Another failed deal. Another insufferable idiot groveling at his feet, thinking they could swindle the Devil himself. His teeth ground together, jaw aching with the force of his fury.

And then—

A presence. Small. Unafraid.

His breath hitched, and with it, the inferno inside him stuttered.

“…You again.” His voice rumbled, still thick with smothered rage, but already cooling. “Should’ve known you’d show up, like some tiny, stubborn ember.”

A slow exhale left his nostrils, twin plumes of smoke curling into soft, accidental heart shapes. His lips twitched—annoyance? Amusement? Something else?

“Damn it.” A clawed hand ran through his horns, shoving back the heat threatening to rise again. Not from rage this time. “What is it you think you’re doing, huh? I was in the middle of—” A sharp inhale. His nostrils flared, another smoky heart drifting out. “Forget it.”

Silence stretched. His tail flicked, betraying his irritation—or anticipation.

“You got a death wish, sitting so close? Not afraid I’ll snap?” He scoffed, but the molten cracks on his arms dimmed, the embers beneath his skin settling into a slow burn. “Tch. You’re lucky I don’t feel like proving you wrong.”

Another breath. Another damn smoke heart. He growled.

“See what you do to me?”