Beds are essential to a proper living space. Without them, a person will have difficulty getting a comfortable night's sleep. Some suitable substitutes include couches, reclining chairs, or even something like a sleeping bag or a comfy body-sized mat. But even with these in mind, it is always better to choose a bed, preferably one with a mattress that you slowly sink into, pillows that feel like clouds, and a big warm blanket to make you feel safe.

Lucifer had a bed like that; at least he was pretty sure he did. It'd been so long since he slept in it he honestly couldn't recall how it felt; due to everything that was going on in his circle, his office had become his new bedroom. And for a while, there wasn't much of a notable difference for him. The couches present were comfortable, his chair was so relaxing he could quickly doze off, all he needed was a blanket and a pillow, and he was all set.

But that was in the past, six months ago to be exact, and after the second straight month of him crashing in his office because of how swamped he was with work, it instantly lost the charm it once had. However, things looked as though they were finally going right for him, for once he gave his upcoming press conference, his schedule was CLEAR. All the damnation sentences that needed to be carried out at the beginning of the reform were finally delivered; the Authorities were well acquainted with their duties now, so he didn't need to supervise them as much. And although the Eldritch family's stance on the reform was still actively opposed, they weren't causing any trouble, nor were their followers, so he didn't need to worry about them.

In what felt like an eternity, Lucifer could BREATHE, all he needed to do was give a press conference tonight, and he would finally have time to spend with his wonderful wife and darling daughter again.

"Oh...this is so nice..." He said quietly to himself with his eyes closed, sinking deeper into the luxurious leather of his chair, "No more paperwork...no more disasters...everyone's focused on Will being back...and after tonight they'll have their answers regarding the Hell Wave...they'll leave me alone...and I can live again..." He carried on with a blissful smile.

Letting out one more sigh just because he felt like it, he was a minute or so away from falling asleep right then and there. But then he heard a knock at his door, which sent a shiver up his spine because he didn't have any meetings scheduled, so it could very well be someone coming to deliver him more news that'd further delay his peacetime.

"...Who is it?" He asked hesitantly, genuinely terrified at who it was and why they were here. "Your dad." The voice of Vega answered.

Feeling his eyes shoot wide open, but surprisingly because he was happy, Lucifer got up from his seat and walked over to his office door in a reasonably swift manner.

"Oh! That was fast." Vega said as the door opened, not expecting his son to be so eager to greet him.

"Dad, what're you doing here?" Lucifer asked with a smile, which Vega also didn't expect. "...Are you okay, son?" He responded with a question of his own, "Out of every reaction to my

sudden appearance at your door, I can safely say joy wasn't one I saw being possible." He admitted.

"Why wouldn't I be happy to see you? It's because of you that I'm going to get my life back!"

Lucifer exclaimed. "How so?" He inquired.

"The press conference. It's tonight. And thanks to you finally filling me in on all that's been going on, I don't have to feed my people bullshit! I can be honest with them while carefully wording things so they don't get scared, and once that's done, I can start doing things that I want to do again!" Lucifer explained joyously.

However, in the seconds that followed, Vega remained silent, and it was the kind of silence that only happens when there is bad news to be shared.

"...I'm not getting my life back yet, am I?" Lucifer asked shortly after, for he knew what had to be on his parent's mind.

"That...depends on what you define as your life and what you define as work," Vega answered slowly, as this was an awkward situation.

"My life is spending time with my family, relaxing in my home, and watching television all day because I'm the lord of this circle, and I shouldn't have to deal with so much all the time." He replied, adding in that extra bit to guilt-trip his father.

"...Well...you could have Charlie and Lilith accompany you to oversee the construction, but I doubt they'd enjoy it," Vega suggested.

"...Construction?..." He questioned, sounding as sad as the devil possibly could.

"Yes...you see, son, we are having difficulty finding the Dark One and Valentino. And by the time we can correct this problem, we believe that they are most likely to attack your circle of Hell. So we're having some, really just a few discrete unintrusive facilities, constructed in the more isolated parts of the circle as a whole. This way, we'll be prepared just in case." Vega explained, doing his best to make it sound not as bad as it was.

It didn't work. As Vega looked at his son's face, he saw what was quite possibly the single most defeated and disappointed expression in the history of creation.

"Lucifer? Are you okay?" His father asked with great concern, as he'd never seen him like this before, not even when he was a child.

"...Yeah...I'm fine...everything's...fine..." Lucifer assured before slowly turning around, "I'm just...going to go crawl under my desk and sob uncontrollably for the rest of the day before the press conference...because I've lost all control over my life..." He informed while walking back into the room.

Watching his son enter his office slowly and close the door with as little effort as possible, Vega felt like the evilest person in creation, even worse than the Dark One.

"At times like these, people normally look up to the sky and say things like, why god? Or did I do something wrong, god?" Vega said to himself as he opened a portal behind him, "But when your father is god, and you know he has no real hand in the events that unfold around you, at least in the sense he orchestrated their existence. You're left only with one simple question, what the fuck?" He concluded before entering, deciding to word it as he did as he knew it was what his son was thinking at this very moment.

Elsewhere...

Sleep was something the Slayer hadn't gotten in a long time. The reasons for why are pretty self- explanatory. But after his celebration last night, the concert he put on alongside two of his friends, and the private after-party his group held at the Happy Hotel, he managed to get a total of eight to nine hours of rest. No nightmares, no waking up in cold sweats, he laid on his back and stayed that way through the whole night.

It was both a pleasant and strange experience for him. Nice because it was the first slumber he'd had since...actually, he couldn't remember it's been so long. But that is also what made it weird; his life had been pure, unfiltered chaos until now, and while there was still work to be done, it was finally calming down. He didn't want to get cocky about it or rather believe that the end was in sight, but it was hard not to after all that's happened.

Plus, in the words of his friends, especially Charlie, after everything he's suffered, he deserved to be happy, to enjoy his life rather than endure it. For this reason, the surprises weren't over yet, he was in Charlie's domain now, and she was going to do everything in her power to make him feel, as the name of the hotel implied, happy. And the first of these surprises were to be delivered right now, indicated by someone suddenly knocking on his room's door.

"...Hm?..." He responded, barely awake as he was that deep into his sleep.

"Mister Slayer? Are you awake?" A female voice called for him, one he didn't recognize, meaning it had to be one of the hotel staff, "We received an order from you for room service. Do you want us to leave it out here or bring it in?" She informed, ending with a question.

"Ya know...she's so cheery I forget she's a devil, and they're known to be crafty..." The Slayer thought, referring to Charlie, "No, it's okay, you can bring it in..." He told the woman, not needing to get up and dress as he was still in his armor, minus the helmet.

Hearing a key be inserted into the door's lock before it was opened, a cart filled to the brim with food being pushed by a demon entered afterward. Yet the Slayer's focus wasn't on the carefully prepared spread of breakfast; it was on the maid who was doing her best to avoid looking at him.

"Are you okay?..." He asked, wondering if she thought he was naked or something similar.

"Hm? Oh yes! I'm excellent!" The maid exclaimed, still avoiding eye contact, "I just don't want to bother you, is all! Don't want you to think I'm staring at you or anything!" She explained.

"There's a difference between looking and staring, you know." He told her as he sat up in his bed, reaching over to the nearby nightstand to pick up his helmet.

"Of course! But after last night, what with your big party and the concert and you being in the spotlight, I just didn't know if you wanted any more attention is all." She replied.

"If you want, I could give you an autograph or something..." He offered while putting his helmet on, suspecting that she might be a fan of his.

"W-WHAT?! NO, I COULD NEVER MAKE SUCH A REQUEST! THAT'S NOT RIGHT FOR A

MEMBER OF THE STAFF!" She shouted in a panic.

But before she could try and make her exit or refuse any more offers, the Slayer opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled something out.

"Here..." He said as he held it towards her, "I made a bunch of these in advance, figured I'd be needing them today..." He told her.

Hesitantly looking to see what he was giving her, the maid's eyes shot wide open when she saw it. Held in his right hand was a square-shaped piece of smooth metal, the kind you'd see used for commemorative plaques or something of the like. And written on this finely made piece of metal were the words "The Slayer," with his rune-like symbol beneath it.

"You...you made this?..." She asked.

"I'm good with my hands..." He answered, "Plus, I figured autographs would be better if they were on something a lot more durable than paper...and with that material, nothing short of a nuclear bomb will affect it..." He added.

"A-And...you're giving it to me...free of charge?..." She questioned. "If you don't want it, I'll just-"

Swiping it from his hand before that sentence was done, the maid hurried back to the door like an excited child who just received a present.

"THANKYOUSOMUCHMISTERSLAYERENJOYYOURBREAKFAST!" She shouted rapidly

before closing his door.

Seeing how excited and happy that one little autograph made her elicited a chuckle from his lungs, right before he turned his attention to the plentiful meal she brought him.

In The Lobby...

"I never thought this day would come, but I am SO fucking happy to be back at this desk." Husk said with a smile, looking at his station with crossed arms and his butt comfortably seated in a brand new chair.

After getting hit point-blank by something that felt like a nuke, being confined to a bed for an entire month, and not being able to walk at all last week, the feathered feline was over the moon that he was back at the front desk. But it wasn't due to some bullshit like nostalgia, or because he liked his job because he didn't, he just wanted some God. Damn. Normalcy.

No more bullshit involving the Maykrs or worrying if Gabriel was going to turn him into a shishkebab. All he needed to worry about now was his ass in this chair, the television the others got for him to watch TV while he worked, and the mini-fridge that was also new where he could keep any snacks and beverages. And as a bonus, Angel Dust and Cherri already did him a solid by stocking it with nothing but booze.

"Alright. Let's see what those two got me." He said as he opened it up, "Oh shit, this is some expensive stuff." He mumbled before pulling a bottle out.

Thankfully the good shit, as he referred to it, could be easily opened without the need of a bottle opener. That allowed him to lean back in his chair, pop it open with his thumb, and get ready to fill his stomach with breakfast. But when he titled the bottle towards his mouth, and the liquid came rushing out, instead of going into his waiting maw where it belongs, it started floating in the air around him.

"The fuck is this Mary Poppins bullshit?" He questioned, doing his best to eat some of the floating alcohol but failed when it actively avoided him.

Continuing to snap at it like a shark biting at chum, soon he heard a familiar laugh that solved this mystery.

"Al, I swear to fucking Vega, I am going to kill you." He threatened as he turned to his left to see the radio demon standing there on that side of the desk, "And I mean it this time. I'm going to break this bottle in your ass." He added.

"I don't know Husker. That is a rather large bottle." Alastor joked, following it up with another bout of laughter.

"YEAH. IT IS LARGE. BECAUSE IT'S FULL OF TOP SHELF BOOZE." He told him before

pointing to the floating liquid, "Now either you get that shit in my mouth right now, or I finally kill you." He told him.

"Hm, I don't know, won't Nifty and Azrael be disappointed?" Alastor asked, being an asshole. "I. WILL. KILL YOU." He repeated more seriously this time.

Although he wasn't afraid of the beer cat, Alastor still complied and sent the alcohol in the air into Husk's mouth.

"Here I am so nice to you, and yet you're so cruel. I might just have to speak to your manager about this." Alastor told him, continuing to jest at his expense.

"Al, with all due respect, go find a rope." Husk replied after gulping down that serving.

"This must be what is known as withdrawal." He said, referring to his companion's crankiness.

"I haven't had a drink in over a month. Could you PLEASE cut me a little slack?" Husk requested. "I've had my fill of laughter for now." He assured him.

"Thank you." Husk said.

"But now that we're not laughing. Let's get to talking!" He exclaimed with zest.

"What the fuck could we POSSIBLY have to talk about that doesn't make me want to reconsider my decision to let you live?" Husk asked.

"For starters, how're things going between you and misses Husker, hm?" Alastor inquired. Instead of responding with words, Husk suddenly started looking around his area for something. "What're you searching for?" Alastor asked.

"My shotgun. I want to go back to Urdak." Husk answered.

"I don't think even the divine have a remedy that can cure blowing one's head off." He said. "...The fuck, where is my shotgun?" Husk questioned, not finding his firearm anywhere.

"I believe after the whole kerfuffle between you and Lilith; Charlie confiscated it." He replied.

"WHAT?!" Husk shouted before springing back up, "YOU MEAN TO FUCKING TELL ME THE DOPIEST SOUL IN HELL'S GOT MY GUN?!" He asked.

"Not sure about the dope part, but yes," Alastor answered.

Putting his face in his hands' Husk let out a long, drawn-out growl/scream that started low but gradually got louder. Unfortunately, this happened right as two specific individuals walked out of the ground floor hallway.

"Husk?" Azrael spoke, which managed to get Alastor's attention but not his, "Is something wrong? Why're you screaming?" She asked.

"Oh, don't mind him, Azrael. He's just having some form of existential crisis. Or maybe a classic mental breakdown that seems more accurate." The radio demon answered while putting a hand to his chin to think it over.

"See? I told you you shouldn't come back to work yet, Husk!" Nifty exclaimed as she put her hand on her hips, "You should be in your room relaxing, with the TV on, wrapped up in comfy pajamas." She told him.

Slowly lowering his hands back to his sides, Husk looked at the cycloptic woman with an expression that could be compared to a bulldog. But before he could say anything, possibly something he might regret later, Nifty let out an audible gasp when she saw a particular item sitting on his desk.

"HUSK! WHAT DID WE SAY ABOUT DRINKING?!" She shouted, pointing to the bottle of liquor he pulled from his fridge.

"Uh oh," Alastor said on his behalf as both women walked over. "Nifty, I am not-"

"Not what, huh? Ignoring your health by drinking more booze?" She questioned, cutting him off. "No, I was going to say-"

"Husk." Azrael spoke again, cutting him off a second time, "I understand you like to drink, and I'm not trying to be overbearing or make decisions for you. But I do think perhaps a long absence from alcohol could be good for you." She said, sharing her thoughts.

"I get that, Az, but still I-"

"You know, there are a LOT of substitutes for liquor! We can go through them together and find ones that you like the most!" Nifty suggested, interrupting him for the third time.

THUD

Jumping back in surprise as none of them expected, Nifty, Azrael, and even Alastor all looked at Husk in shock. What he did was slam his hand down on his desk, but he did so with a surprising amount of strength, enough to cause the wood to splinter and crack by a fair amount.

"...I'm sorry." He apologized as he lifted his hand, which was bruised and slightly bleeding, "I just...I needed some fucking air to speak...and breathe...and not feel like I'm suffocating because you two won't back off..." He told them, "And before you go thinking I'm mad at you because you care or some tv movie bullshit like that, that's not what this is. But I need you two to fucking

understand that I am an alcoholic, a HAPPY alcoholic. Don't care if it's unhealthy or a bad habit or anything like that, and ya wanna know why? BECAUSE WE'RE IN FUCKING HELL!" He shouted as he gestured to the space around them, "So PLEASE try and understand; I'm not trying to get hammered, I'm not trying to destroy my liver, I just. Need. One. Fucking. Drink." He explained.

A few seconds went by where no one said or did anything as they let Husk's words cement in their minds. But then someone did something, and to all of their surprise, it was Nifty. She walked from the front of his desk to the inside, stopping once she was standing next to him. And then, without saying a single word, she gently grabbed his arm by the wrist, the one he hit the desk with, and brought it closer to herself.

"Nifty?" Husk spoke to her right as she summoned a clean cloth into her free hand.

"I'm sorry, Husk." She apologized before gently pressing the cloth to his injury to keep any blood from getting out, "When you got hurt, and they wouldn't let us see you, and then we had to wait a whole month not knowing how you were doing, it...made me feel sick." She explained as she tilted her head up to look at him, "It's just, you and Alastor are my best friends, and if anything happened to where I couldn't see you or hang out with you...I...I don't even want to imagine what that'd be like..." She shared, a tear starting to build in her eye.

Do you know that famous story where the grumpy man who wants to ruin everyone's fun has his heart grow three sizes once he's learned something important? That's what was happening to Husk at this moment; he'd been so focused on how shitty this experience was for him, he didn't consider that Nifty and Al, who were "his closest friends, had to stay here, not knowing how his recovery was going, or if somehow things suddenly wrong. They'd never get to see him again.

"...Goddamn it, Nifty..." He said with a sigh as he threw his head back, "You always do this shit, ya know? Make me realize I'm an asshole because ya care about me. It's a really crappy habit of yours." He told her, which made her smile.

"Does this mean we're okay?" She asked.

"You think I can stay mad at you? Especially after you started the waterworks?" He responded, which made her giggle, "So, how bout you wipe that tear away, and we act like this whole little shit show never happened, so good?" He suggested.

"Mhm." She sounded in reply as she dragged an arm across her face, "But before we pretend like this never happened, could we-"

"Hug?" He said, cutting her off this time instead. "Mhm." She sounded again.

"Okay, since we're all feely and shit, go ahead." He told her.

Not a second after he said that, Nifty was latched onto him, squeezing him as tightly as she could with her cheek pressed against his chest. But as she hugged him, Husk heard someone sniffle, and when he looked in the direction it came from, he wasn't surprised by what he saw.

"That's so sweet," Azrael said, getting a little misty-eyed herself.

"You want in on this?" He asked since he knew she was big on the whole hugging thing.

Not even bothering to waste time by responding vocally, Azrael hurried behind the desk and joining the hug.

"Aw, what a wholesome moment. And here I am without a camera." Alastor sighed before snapping his fingers, "Oh well, guess I'll join in too!" He exclaimed.

"Wait, no, you are not allowed to-"

Too late, Alastor didn't even bother walking around the desk; he just hopped over it seamlessly and hugged Husk from behind.

"Are you doing this because you want to hug me or because you're a sadist?" Husk asked. "I'll never tell~" Alastor replied whimsically, much to Husk's chagrin.

Unable to do anything but stand there and be hugged by three people, he found it hard not to smile just a little from the embrace, even with his cynic attitude.