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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are all owned by Vivienne Medrano + numerous amazing independent animators, music-makers, and voice actors.

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Chapter 21: Cuddly Confrontations

1942, from the pages of Nestor XXX…

At first I didn't know where to go to find more information on what I was looking for. I had sought the municipal archives, given a thorough look at the family's photos and even tried to contact any remaining neighbors that knew more about Alastor. Most of the people we knew from our childhood and teenage years were no longer in town, either dead or had moved to the bigger cities. My search effort was crippled from the very beginning, and yet I knew that there had to be something I could look for. Some place that, despite the passing of time, had to still hold some secrets from me after being left untouched after so many years.

Alastor's room might have seemed normal at a nostalgic and calm glance, but now that I wanted to know more of its secrets, I could tell some spots didn't look as 'untouched' as those had been back in my own old room. I gave a long look around until I eventually stumbled upon what looked to be a weakened panel of wood which held a hollow space inside. It was easy to crack it without damaging the wall any further, and I pulled out of that small space, a small box and… a book. No, it was a journal. Curiosity led me to look around the entire diary before opening it, pausing over the familiar calligraphy as I recognized it as my brother's own handwriting. This was a journal from Alastor and… I could tell something was wrong about it. Something sinister was harbored inside. It felt instinctual to bring up the small cross I had left in my left pouch, holding it close as I slowly lifted the cover and studied the first page. I knew that the horror held inside was much worse than I could have imagined, especially when I started to smell a familiar stench I had only smelt back in war. It was drying up, blood… It was human. I have hunted before for animals, so I knew there were just minor differences in the smell. In this case, I knew it was human and… why would Alastor have human blood in his journal's pages.

Instead of lingering too much on the detail, I moved to finally read the first pages of the document. It all started in 1928, five years before Alastor's death. I believe it was around this time that he started 'holding power' as a radio operator. I remember the time when I first heard one of his broadcasts and… he was born for that job. With Alastor having always had trouble talking with people face to face, it felt almost fitting that he felt more at ease when he was discussing faceless people while he too was faceless himself. It bolstered his charisma and heightened his social skills from the way he carried his conversation in a smooth and upbeat mood. The first dozen of pages, going from 1928 up to 1930, were mostly tied to the radio station, the operators, and how Alastor was actually building up a solid relationship between his life and work. Things were just going up for him… until soon he was pulled into a situation that twisted everything he had been working on.

The Federal Government got interested in the hunting issue tied to the lessening of animal life within the surrounding area. The hunting tradition had finally started to cripple the capacity of the local fauna to breed and spread to keep up the needs of the city. Measures were initially adopted, with the mayor implementing it through some radio communiques. Of course, nobody listened a few times around and… Alastor was brought to help. He was more than 'happy' to help the community itself, but also finalizing a little passion he had- and that was putting a safe 'limit' to prevent hurting young animals. He was still that idealistic at the time, which made me crack a tiny smile as I read over that part. But that smile died as soon as I caught up with the series of events that ensued after that 'yes' which put him on board with the situation. I didn't catch on to it at first, but I should have realized this was going to end up poorly due to how unstable of a situation the hunting issue really is nowadays. To heighten his 'grasp over nature', Alastor tried to visit the forests when he could. At first it was just the edges, but then he managed to build up enough courage to venture deeper. He saw many animals, many plants- he fondly remembered our childhood and I felt saddened at not offering him any 'catch-up' trip in the forest after I left.

I felt at fault and… the guilt could only worsen from that point onward as the narration picked up a more sinister account as Alastor heard something. At first he concluded it was just the wind playing tricks on him but… the more he visited, the more he heard 'coherent words' out of it. It was just disconnected words early on, but those then turned and twisted in a request- no, a begging, a plea. A call for help. One that, for some reason, resonated deep in Alastor's mind and soul. He was so suddenly recruited by a cause that, by theory, was good… but that didn't have a righteous tone to it. No, the will exerted upon his mind was one of maliciousness and murder. People started to go missing- at first it was an illness, then a small-scale killer and soon the Hunters were all vigilant and moving around in groups. The police were stuck in a middle ground where they knew that the hunters were criminals, but the murders were… worse. It was a legal standpoint that perplexed the mayor but also terrified the citizens as men, old and young, were being slaughtered. Only parts of their bodies were recovered. Their faces and heads were there so that they could be recognized. A display of power, and yet parts were missing. I felt bile building down my throat, the aching of horror growing as blood finally appeared, the stains dried up but still a light red that scared me into reading more. I read, I saw insanity, I felt Alastor's pain, delusions, broken happiness and… how his smile worsened into the sign of a bad person. His work became unbearable, his schedule was driven first and foremost by his unnatural duty… and then, it all stopped. 1933, just a few days after his death, there were entries. Two.

Those were different, I realized, and it wasn't just for the lack of blood. The pace and the smoothness were now gone as only rage and despair remained as Alastor regained lucidity and spoke about the truth behind this insanity that killed him young. There was just a name that was repeated a couple of times when he mentioned the entity. A whisper of a name that I wasn't familiar with… A name that Alastor ended up cursing, decrying its lies and its depravity. A monster driven by curiosity and knowledge, a monster demanding love, but failing to grasp it. And so the doors of Hell beckoned as a smiling entity approached the madness it had created upon the world with its influence. Alastor died… all because of this bastard, and I wasn't willing to allow this dangerous foe to stop me from claiming an end to this madness. I had a name, I had someone to call my enemy for what it had done to me and my family.

Furfur.

After that first visit at the hotel, that 'therapy session', I couldn't help but feel relieved things were much easier than I had imagined when it came to this kind of new matter I had to keep track of.

Sure, I wasn't exactly sure I was going to fix some of the 'messes' I had towards a couple of the customers at the hotel due to their relationship with Alastor, but I felt confident that most of them were actually approachable with the right method for each. I was no social mastermind, but considering how most of them wore their emotions in the open, I felt a bit confident it was doable and… maybe lessen the chances of creating problems for myself or these individuals. Maybe starting with Angel Dust considering he was Molly's brother, and then moving to interact with Niffty and Mimzy. Both were quite friendly and easy to talk to, with Baxter possibly going to be a tough nut due to his unique perspective on people in general. Uncle Al said that Husk was going to keep that hostile approach towards me 'until he saw I wasn't out to humiliate him', which the Radio Demon admitted he was the reason the guy built so much paranoia around everything tied to Alastor. I wasn't exactly going to dig further considering how tight-lipped the Demon was being, and yet I could also tell there was something deep about their mutual dislike.

It was a project to be careful about… but not as much as the 'one' which saw me trying to fix things with Loona. Not that I said or did anything that warranted any worry towards her- rather it was the opposite. The Hellhound had been quite concerned as for the last few days, and she had been waiting a lot for the planned day where she could get to 'spend all these hours with me'. It sounded rather ominous at first glance considering how creepy it sounded from a very logical standpoint, but then I understood she was referring to the fact that Molly had an easier time to spend more time with me due to the circumstances we were in. In a sense, I could see her point and so did Molly as I mentioned it to her. So when I showed up to our rendezvous right by the entrance of her work place, I was just a tiny bit surprised when she grasped at my arm with both hers and said just a few words before starting the entire visit with a small smile.

"Today, we're going to just check a few shops."

A bit sudden, but I hummed a quiet 'okay' as I let her lead the two of us around until we finally got through to a few shops early on. Two were book shops, three were clothes shops. She bought five small books, something about camping trips or survival training, which was interesting as it could be tied to something she was planning to do together with her job, and then I expected the girl to pull something brazen from the next three shops as she browsed through clothes, just like last time. But I was quite confused when Loona just seemed to focus more on genuinely getting an opinion on what to buy when it came to normal outfits. I gave my best opinion on all instances, trying not to be too blunt about it as she got through a couple of those before buying just a handful of clothes. She really seemed 'quieter' than usual, but I said nothing about it as I knew that she was just trying to get through her worry without 'playing about it'. After we were done with that bit of shopping, we took a break by a bar nearby, drinking some coffee and enjoying a brief conversation about… well, what happened in the last few days.

"So… how does this work? The whole 'inner demon' thing," The young woman asked, leaving me to scramble for the best words to describe the situation without causing any misunderstandings. I really didn't need to do that to Loona now that she was genuinely that concerned.

"I guess it's like… a switch. Not an outright 'take over', but this guy, this… 'loyal demon', just wants to help me. With power that ties up to the demonic energy I'm accumulating in my soul," I muttered quietly.

"But shouldn't that hurt your body too?"

"It did drain me a bit but… somehow I was left without any lingering corruption. Once again, courtesy of this… well 'unnamed' Demon," I hummed quietly, realizing only now after so long that I didn't have a way to call the guy beyond smiling bastard… which could easily be taken as an insult aimed at Uncle Al for anyone that didn't know the full situation tying up to the name. "I guess I just have to be careful to… not let it get too much onto my body while I'm harnessing that power."

"You plan to… use it more?"

"If the bad situation comes where nothing I have currently at my disposal works, then I will think about it. But I will definitely use it if necessary," I admitted without hesitation and… Loona nodded. There was a brief pause filled with silence as the hellhound pondered on the words I just uttered, her gaze aimed down at her half-full cup. Still, she wasn't done with that conversation as her eyes were soon back to me as she prepared to speak again.

"Can you tell me what… drove you to use that 'power'? Molly was rather dismissive of that part and I can tell she was keeping something big to herself. What happened before you fought off Valentino and Vox?"

…

"Molly was… almost hurt by Valentino. She tried to rescue me but that didn't work well on her end and Valentino wanted to 'humiliate me' by hurting her," I explained slowly, trying my best to not be hasty about the topic. Loona was catching on to the matter quite fast, her ears standing up attentively as I continued to discuss what happened. She was a bit… shocked- sure, knowing a bastard like him was capable of that wasn't a novelty but for that to be the reason why Molly had been so reluctant to provide info in that aspect of the explanation. A hint of guilt appeared on her face for thinking it was something else, but she didn't mention anything that would have caused that shift of expression and… I didn't want to push it. It was a tough conversation to just explain, so I didn't want to guilt-trip her into not thinking of that kind of worst. It just felt so stupid to jump at that scenario without thinking of the stupider but also 'better' situations that could have happened.

Once we were done by the bar, Loona actually asked if I had some more money on myself. I slowly nodded at that request, and soon we were sitting by one of the 'medium-range' restaurants in Imp City. It wasn't a big thing that required formal wear, and so we were given the chance to go there without having to change into other clothes. The young woman was quick to order some expensive things, 'testing the capacity of my wallet', but I could tell she was already aware that I was far from any issues tying up my money. We ate just half a course, just so that we managed to conclude lunch as calmly and quickly as possible. The food was good, I was almost tempted to leave a tip to the waiter due to how good the place was compared to others I was familiar with back in the world of the living. Still, the meal proved also to be quite tiring on Loona. Maybe she hadn't been sleeping well, but we left the building with the hellhound holding onto me a bit tiredly as she hummed something about going back home. I thought she meant being left there instead of continuing the entire date beyond that. But, as we arrived at our destination, she pulled me inside and… I was surprised when I found the place was devoid of life. Shouldn't her father be around since the work shift was over? Maybe there was a reason why he wasn't around and… well, hating me for dating his adopted daughter?

"Dad will get back home tomorrow. He has his… usual rendezvous with Via's father," Loona explained tiredly, showing how much sleepy she really was by not even minding calling Blitzo 'Dad'. "So… we have the rest of the day we can spend here."

"Oh?" I hummed in surprise, unsure what the girl was planning to do with so many hours together.

The answer shocked me even further as she merely wanted to sleep with me in her room, as in napping and cuddling together for a few hours. The bed was small, thus imposing us to be quite close to one another and… it was incredibly cozy. She hummed in delight as soon as she was done turning me in a warm and soft pillow plus bed combination. A content smile resting on her face, her tail was wagging just barely to show how happy she was at the cuddling currently unfolding and… I had now removed the mask, quietly nuzzling back my chin over her forehead, softly enjoying the softness of her fur and how light she felt right now.

Of course, this wasn't the only thing we did before dinner. We read some of the books she got, mentioning that she was planning to take Molly out on a trip to a 'small zoo' within the Pride Ring. A small section of the local nature that had been sealed off for people to go and see for… entertainment. Loona wanted to show off some knowledge regarding that kind of stuff, asking how feasible it was for her to pull up an amazing act about it without sounding too arrogant or too 'rushed up' with this kind of knowledge. I mentioned that she should have just played it safe rather than take that risky turn, but that in the end she was the one to take that decision, not me.

Dinner was the result of a combined effort to try and get something good from what was available in the fridge. Which wasn't much, but it was still something. A quiet dinner later, and Loona started to push for us… finally enjoy the time together alone in that house. Her bed was the battlefield, and she was definitely pounded until she was just a happy puddle filled with pleasure. There wasn't much to say or think about what happened, the slow pace was still there, but it had 'picked up' considerably since last time, but it was definitely still forcefully slow because I understood what Loona wanted out of that kind of 'change of speed'. She wanted to feel it all, not just the pleasure, but the overall emotions driving up to that point. It was brilliant, and I decided to help her up with that. By the end of that night, I found myself content as Loona was satisfied as much as I was about it.

We ended up waking early in the morning so we could get a quick warm shower before I had to leave just a few hours before her dad came back, but before I did leave, I decided to leave her with a little reminder that I was quite happy that we got running. She looked a bit surprised when I leaned closer to her face, lifted up my mask and dropped a quick peck at her nose. Her cheeks burned red and she pouted at the cheeky move I just pulled.

"Jerk," She hummed without meaning anything bad with that comment.

"Love you too," I replied mirthfully, finally leaving to get back to the manor and see how Molly was doing.

With my damaged car still repairing, I was forced to get a temporary substitute in the form of a modest-paced motorbike. Nothing too fast as to cause any accidents, but just enough to get me around the settlements in the various rings at a comfortable pace and timing. The vehicle was also slim in its frame and was easy to drive through corners without sliding too hard or too fast on the road. A lovely addition, but not one I really liked. Still, when I returned to the Manor, I was greeted by a surprise as I didn't expect that Molly's brother, Angel, had decided to come and visit to chat with the Spider girl. I was caught off-guard by this development, but I could tell from a mere glance in his general direction that Angel had an ulterior motivation to be there.

Something that was… well, serious from the looks of it.

Alastor wasn't happy.

Of course, I didn't do anything to get that reaction out of him, and the reason driving him to appear moments away from just crashing half Pentagram City down with a powerful burst of magic was the ceaseless flirting from Angel Dust. I was quite sure the well-known pornstar was already aware of the fact Uncle Al was Aromantic and Asexual, but that didn't prevent him from pressing some buttons from the looks of it and… it was also a way to entertain Molly as she was barely holding back her giggles at the reaction her brother was getting from the Radio Demon. The trio was sitting by the living room, with Alastor picking a solo couch, while both siblings picked two different bigger couches. Still, the teasing seemed to end as soon as I arrived. Relief washed on Uncle Al's face as Angel greeted me chirpily and aimed his attention at me. I sat by Molly's side while looking at him and… he hummed.

"And here is Molly's boyfriend. Her cuddly lover," Angel commented mirthfully. "So, how many times did my sis get it?"

My lips twitched at that lewd question, but it was Molly that actually answered.

"Too many to count."

"Oh? That active, sis? I guess you really are my twin," Angel added with a grin, sporting his golden tooth. "Still, is he good?"

"Isn't this a bit sudden?" I argued back with a frown. "I mean, nothing wrong with the topic but-"

"What? Too strong on ya?"

"More like he is referring to me. Why, do you doubt my nephew wouldn't recognize that this is highly-distressing?"

Alastor's tone was taken with a hint of a scowl on Angel's face, but any response was curbed when Molly decided to chime in with a simple sentence.

"To be fair, Mr. Alastor helped me a lot. Teasing is fine but I don't think that would be nice on him… and Alan too," The girl pointed out. "But yes."

I held back a groan at that response, but it seemed to work well for Angel as his mood returned back to a normal one. Instead of the conversation ending there, the effeminate guy spoke up again, this time bringing up another topic which was… well, tougher to bring up while Molly was around.

"You know, I just can't see you actually getting a few deadly hits on Val. He is a sturdy bastard from what I've seen."

"He isn't indestructible," I remarked curtly, instantly taking an approach to end that subject at once. Still, Angel nodded, seemingly failing to notice the tension that was now entering Molly's posture.

"Yeah, but he ain't a bitch that takes it without a fight," He rebutted. "So, what did ya do exactly to get him bested?"

I sighed in remembrance. "He is a wing short."

"Oh? You de-winged him? That sounds quite brutal," The pornstar pointed out with clear awe in his voice. "I mean, maybe you're into this but… what got ya that worked up? Val is a bastard, but I don't recall ya taking it personally."

…

"What? Why the long faces-"

"It's because Valentino tried to do something that made Alan really angry," Molly interrupted with a surprisingly quiet voice. It was instinctual for my arm to swiftly wrap around her shoulder and… she sighed. "He wanted to hurt me too."

Any laid back aspect of Angel's current behavior vanished as soon as Molly was done with that response. His eyes narrowed, first at me, then at Uncle Al, and then back at me. There was a tense silence as his eyes then moved back to Molly, and, after a while, he spoke up with incredible restraint as anger started to bubble up within him.

"Ya mean to tell me that… that he tried to… to touch you?!"

The young woman didn't say anything, but her face just cemented that suspicion. A burning red exploded within Angel's face, sharp teeth clenching and gritting over that entire idea. His

"T-That- That cock-sucking piece of a cheap whore and his limp-dicked slut of a boyfriend of his- I will make sure they never walk again once I'm done with them!"

Despite the big outburst, the Spider Demon paused, realizing that it wasn't doing well for Molly to see him like that. The girl was clutching my arm close, burying her face into my shoulder to hide her tears and… Angel groaned at the sigh.

"Hun, I didn't mean to be… too much about it."

It did little to calm that reaction from his sister and… I actually decided to take a stand about it to try and avoid any dangerous situations Angel might end up putting himself in.

"I don't want to sound opposed to what you're trying to do, but I think you should be warned that Lady Lilith is already working on dealing with Valentino as we speak. In fact, I think I heard that the Queen has passed some amendments to damage specifically the industry that Valentino owns in Pentagram City."

"So attacking him is a big no, now?" The Spider Demon asked. "'Cause I want to punch his mug regardless of the danger-"

"How about something that doesn't mean putting yourself in danger but still hurting Valentino somehow?" I offered tensely. "You've been around his affairs for a while. Surely you know of something that can seriously damage his porn empire."

Angel paused, actually thinking about what I just said as he seemed to realize that he had to have something to use on his former employer. In fact, as he took a moment to ponder about it, his eyes widened as he remembered one thing he could do that would definitely damage Valentino's business big time.

"The girls and the guys- Of course, how did I forget that," He muttered, half facepalming at that realization before explaining. "They are the main element of their affairs. Remove them and he will lose his revenue."

"But would they just… do it?" I asked with a frown, genuinely unaware of the chances of that actually going well on Angel's expectations.

"Most of the bitches that would jump the boat at this. Especially if I told them to do so," Angel elaborated with a devious grin. "Plus, if there were a lot left, the remaining fellas would know that it wouldn't be wise to keep around that place. So they would bail. And I think Charlie wouldn't mind housing some poor souls in need if it means helping them up against some bastards' hard work."

I had a bit of a doubt about Charlie being completely fine with it, especially if it was just a ploy to get free beds and beverages for a while. She was definitely going to act and make sure that all these individuals were granted shelter until the 'storm' had weathered. Maybe I could have done something with my money, after all there were spots within Alastor's turf that could use some new buildings and… maybe set up activity about that kind of stuff? It felt like a tough idea to materialize, but trying was still within my range of chances, and I decided to give it a try once I had studied the economic situation some more. After the plans were all set and Angel felt like he had to get back at the hotel before getting Charlie (more like Vaggie considering their chemistry) to be annoyed and lecture him about how much important it was for him to keep as much as possible by the hotel when the situation was too 'spicy' when it comes to Valentino.

Molly got through that moment of anxiety, but I decided to stick by her side the whole day to make sure she was fully alright. She knew what I was doing, and she definitely loves teasing me about it while asking me how Loona was doing. It was surely a long conversation that ensued from that and… I failed to notice how Uncle Al spent most of the day on his own by his office. It was a place he barely visited or used as he preferred to wander around rather than sit on that place. I didn't check on him since the door was closed shut by way too many magical seals for me to be able to break but…

If I had the capacity to look through it, I would have realized that he was tinkering with a journal of sorts, something he once read but that now he felt the need to re-read ever since what happened with Valentino. On its cover, a single name that he and I were familiar with but was now lost for decades now.

Diary of Nestor XXX (This is for Alan).

AN

Loona gets the cuddles for now and some implied NSFW (proper lemon coming soon, but I wanted to bring her up for a while), and Angel comes by to learn some more about what happened to Alan and Molly when they faced Valentino. He wasn't aware of what drove Alan to snap and now he is pissed himself. Next chapter will be set in the hotel.

P.S. The Diary holds a real secret that could shock everyone as Nestor dug deeper and ultimately discovered something that Alastor knew about, but that wasn't expanded much due to… secrecy.

REVIEW Q&A!

ShadowLDrago: Vaggie mentioned it to Charlie, Charlie asked her dad for the full series and Lucy discovered that some cartoons up above are not just for kids. What a shocker of an experience it was for all of them.

Coldblue2015:
1) Can't answer that;
2) Angel yes, Vaggie no;
3) Maybe-ish;
4) Dunno, but I have been thinking of writing something on a 'reworked' cartoon that started four years ago;
5) Dunno;
6) Not really, I actually don't think there will be a POV chapter for Valentino;

Guest 1 (Chapter 23): Yes, Blitzo has been knowing of this since the Loo Loo Land chapter;

Guest 2 (Chapter 23): Josh Keaton fits and… dunno.

Th3Hybr1d:
1) It's possible;
2) Maybe;
3) Wait and see? I dunno;
4) It's a strong possibility;