Helluva Boss X Reader

Stolas Part 4 (Rewritten): Your New (New) Job

"Right..." you replied. You decided not to remind him that you were only I.M.P.'s receptionist, and you never did any actual assassinations.

He was right, though. You never guarded Octavia in the coming weeks, though you did see her occasionally as you "guarded" Stolas. Every time she saw you, the owlet's eyes narrowed with suspicion and curiosity. She never talked to you, though. You would never join them for mealtimes, as that was when you had your breaks.

The imp servants still regarded you with some amount of hostility. You were the only Hellhound (but not really) on the staff, and you occupied a unique position, being so close to Stolas. You didn't live in the servant's quarters. Despite having been at the mansion for a few weeks now, and now looking the part of a bodyguard with the new suit Stolas had had made for you, you were still a stranger to them. You were just an anomaly. You thought to yourself that at least some part of this treatment from your "coworkers" had to do with the fact that you looked like a Hellhound, and that they thought of themselves as high-class imps. You didn't blame them; imps were the second-lowest demon on the metaphorical totem pole, and you figured they clung to their status above you as a form of desperation to be respected, or a power play.

You and Stolas slowly got used to each other's presence, having only met in person a few times before you had taken his job offer. You were pretty much only used to hearing each other's voice. It was awkward at first, but you both warmed up to each other quickly. You already had an established friendship, you just had to remind yourselves of that. You still felt a warmth in your chest whenever you talked to him, and you kept telling yourself that you weren't attracted to him, despite how he would talk to you so politely, how he would have you sit with him, and how often you gazed up at his beautiful face, and...okay, so maybe you were attracted to him a little. But not enough that you would dare say anything about it.

You tried to take your job seriously, despite the performative nature of it. You would follow Stolas, and stand next to him, trying to look intimidating. He would often jest at how serious you looked, and would tell you to just relax. You tried to, but you were worried at how that might look to the imp servants. You still wanted their respect, and you didn't want to feel like a stranger the entire time you worked here.

You remembered how exhausted climbing the rope up to his balcony had made you. You were still remarkably strong, due to having the body of a Hellhound, but your muscles had atrophied from just sitting around being I.M.P.'s receptionist. You started going for runs, and doing body-weight exercises at home, to build back some muscle and have just a bit more endurance. It was strange to do after not having done anything physical for so long, but you did it for the sake of looking the part for your job. Who knows? Maybe you would have to end up guarding Octavia down the line. You didn't want to mess it up just because you had the chance to be prepared, and you chose not to. After all, Hellhounds were stereotypically known for being good bodyguards. How awful would it be if you couldn't even do that right?

Despite your efforts, Stolas never needed you to actually guard him. He treated you more like a friend than an employee. He would often talk to you casually, and just enjoy your company as a friend. He would do it everywhere. At the gazebo, in the garden, in his living room, in the kitchen...it was nice, but you thought it didn't help how you looked to the servants. Not to mention Octavia...

Octavia still regarded you with suspicion and curiosity, and she still never came up to you. She was always just outside the corners of your vision, and you were startled every time you realized she was in the same room as you. The girl was a bit creepy, to be honest. It was like she was always watching, waiting, observing...

It had been 3 months, living in this strange, alien environment. You never felt like you belonged, despite always talking with Stolas. Not that you didn't mind that...the feelings that you had kept pushing away just kept slowly creeping in. Eventually you had to admit to yourself that you did find Stolas attractive, and you enjoyed his company. He gave you butterflies, but you always managed to hide it well. Your past conversations with him over the phone had taught you to control how you sounded around him, and you kept your secret well.