A/N:

Hi everyone! One more new chapter this week filled with spider sibling fun and drama, some Chaggie, and a little bit more of Crymini :) Thank you for reading!

Partners

Chapter 86:

Letting the Snake Out of the Bag


When Sir Pentious and Charlie arrived back in the hotel they went to the second floor and found the spider siblings, Husk, and Alastor all standing together around the door of a room at the end of the hall closest to the stairs leading to the third floor.

Molly jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Archie's movin' in! This is so excitin'! All of us are gonna live together again!"

"We're gonna drive each other nuts in the best way, and I'm looking forward to it!" Angel laughed.

"I'm really happy to have all of you here," Charlie assured the siblings with a warm smile.

"And we're real grateful to be here. Thank ya for taking care of our family like this; giving Angel a space and Molly a space and me too." Niss gave her a slight bow in appreciation. Then he grinned proudly and turned to Sir Pentious. "Hey Pen — wanna see my new room?"

"Yes, please!" Overjoyed, Sir Pentious slithered over to his boyfriend, and the two of them held hands as Niss opened the door.

"Ta da!" Niss announced. "I know it needs a little work — at least a good cleaning. But it's at the end of the hall, so it's got the most quiet and privacy, and also check out the view from this angle of the building. That window looks out over the whole sky and the center of the city. Really easy to spot an airship!" He chuckled.

"It's perfect!" Sir Pentious assured with a chuckle of his own. "We'll fetch your things, and I'll help you get settled."

They gazed at each other for a moment with warm smiles until they remembered they were surrounded by others. They turned to see Charlie beaming and Angel and Molly holding back giggles and Husk grinning a little and Alastor glowing shyly and looking everywhere but at them.

Speaking of Alastor… Sir Pentious turned back to Niss and whispered in a low voice. "And is that other thing all set? With Alastor…?"

Niss blinked then nodded. "Yeah! Yeah… Uh…" He looked out into the crowd. "Uh…Tony…Alastor…could we, uh, talk for a sec?"

Charlie cleared her throat and politely stepped back. "I should make some breakfast for Razzle and Dazzle and then find Vaggie — she's probably looking for me." She gave a wave and headed down the hall in the direction of the lobby.

Molly took Husk's hand. "Let's go get some coffee, Husky! I'm still sleepy." She gave a big yawn and winked at him. Husk raised an eyebrow but then blinked in realization and nodded, and they both left down the stairs as well.

And then there were four.

Angel and Alastor looked to each other. Then Alastor gave a small nod to Angel, and Angel cleared his throat and looked to his brother and Sir Pentious. "So, uh…first, hi, welcome to the hotel gang. Second, in the interest of family and friendship and all that good stuff… and with our big spider sibling triple date coming up… Pen, we figure it's about time we tell ya who I'm seeing. Now, ya gotta keep it under you're one-eyed hat, cuz socially and politically it's kinda complicated and we like our privacy but, uh… well…" He shrugged and blushed and sort of shrugged in Alastor's direction.

Glowing brightly, Alastor instantly stepped forward and looked Sir Pentious directly in the eye, cane gripped tightly in his hands. "He's seeing me. I'm seeing him. And if you mock us or spill the beans, so help me… I won't hurt you since you are my beau's brother's paramour, but I will be quite cross with you, and that is something NO demon wants to experience." His eyes flashed to radio dials for a moment before returning to normal as his ears twitched nervously.

Niss glanced at Sir Pentious, but the snake was already on top of it. His eyes widened and he gasped with a hand to his forehead, clearly sincere in his efforts at appearing surprised despite the melodrama. "Oh unlikely heavens, really?! Angel Dust and the Radio Demon?! Lovers?! I never would have guessed! Of course I'll never tell a soul — your secret is safe with me and fully supported!" He gave a deep bow with a flourish then smiled and gave them both two enthusiastic thumbs up

Alastor and Angel just stood in stunned silence. They glanced at each other then they turned back to Niss and Sir Pentious. Alastor's ears were down nervously and Angel glared at Niss. "Oh, we knew he was acting funny around us sometimes. Archie, you TOLD PEN, didn't you?"

"What?! No!" Sir Pentious said far too dramatically. He bit his lip, glancing at everyone — then his flaps went down. "Oh dear… I did too much, didn't I? I'm sorry, acting has never been my strong point…"

Niss sighed and put a hand on Pen's shoulder. "Hun, no, it's okay…Ya did fine," he assured gently. Then he looked to Angel with a pout. "No I did not tell him! He figured it out cuz you two are NOT SUBLTE! I know you think you are, but you're really REALLY not, especially around here!"

"Oh come on!" Angel rolled his eyes. "I know exactly what happened! Pen guessed we were dating as a joke, and you were gonna agree it was impossible, but then you looked into those big dark eyes of his and got all hot and bothered and squealed like a stoolie, cupcake!"

Niss blushed so much. "That is NOT…I mean it… Well, he didn't guess it as a joke, he actually thought you two were together — cuz, again, you're NOT SUBTLE!"

"Why didn't ya tell us he already knew? Do ya know how much build up this was?"

"Cuz I didn't wanna make things awkward! I wanted ya both to have your moment!"

"Well, now I've got an embarrassed deer to console!"

"And now I've got a snake who's self-conscious about his natural charming dramatic flair!"

Suddenly the third spider sibling came bounding up the stairs, pulling along a bewildered Husk. "Oh stop fightin', you two! The most important thing is that beans are spilled and now we can all go on our date and just enjoy bein' together!"

"Molly! Che cosa? Where did you come from?" Niss blinked.

"Ah fongul, let me take a wild guess…" Angel gave her a dry look.

"Oh, uh…well, I was worried cuz ya both sounded like the talk was somethin' serious, so I was listenin' on the stairs with Husky." Molly shrugged sheepishly while Husk blushed and gave an awkward wave to the two out-of-commission fellow boyfriends standing to the side of their spiders.

Angel and Niss both groaned.

"Oh, like you wouldn't have listened in too." Molly rolled her eyes. "We're livin' together again, you know that means we're gonna end up bein' part of each other's business sometimes."

Niss and Angel both shook their heads with tense grins at the same time.

"Anything ELSE ya told Pen?" Angel asked his brother.

"Just your…real name," Niss mumbled. He put up his hands. "That one was on me, I was in the throes of…emotion."

Angel tensed and straightened up. Molly sighed and came between her brothers. "Okay, ta be fair, everyone knows Archie's name already, and mine too, and they've been circlin' in on your name person by person, Tony."

Angel scoffed. "You're siding with him? Oh, you two are such pieces of work…"

"Well, look who's talkin'!" Niss shot back.

"Ah, both of you always get so hot-headed, I swear!" Molly pouted. "This is just like when we were kids!"

And then the spiders really did flash back to growing up together because suddenly the full-blown Italian started. The three siblings having a three way heated discussion in a language that their boyfriends either couldn't understand or couldn't understand well enough to keep up.

Alastor eventually cleared his throat and spoke in a low voice to the two fellow boyfriends at his sides. "Er, Husker… Pentious…are either of you following this?"

"Just the swears," Husk replied dryly. "Otherwise, nope."

"I'm afraid I'm not either." Sir Pentious shrugged. "There's a lot of slang, and their Brooklyn Italian dialect is very unfamiliar to me."

Alastor nodded. "Same. I only caught 'cervino'. Angel calls me that sometimes." He glowed.

"'Gato' for me," Husk chimed in.

"Nissy hasn't called me 'serpente' yet, but I think I'll suggest it," Sir Pentious mused with a grin.

Husk and Alastor both glanced at him curiously. The snake merely beamed in more pride.

Alastor cleared his throat. "Anyway…Sir Pentious, if you're content not to make a fuss over my relationship with Angel, I'm content with you knowing about our situation."

"Oh of course, I think it's lovely you two are together! I've thought so from the start," Sir Pentious assured. He put a hand to his chin. "And it does explain that evening you both attacked me together dressed to the nines."

Husk raised an eyebrow as Alastor glowed and glanced at him. "It…We… It was a date!"

"You two WOULD do a dolled up turf war as a date," Husk shook his head.

"They made quite the smart pair." Sir Pentious chuckled.

The three boyfriends suddenly jumped as the volume of the arguing escalated, complete with sweeping hand gestures and the spiders doing comedic impressions of each other.

Husk raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I never had any siblings, and I know Alastor didn't — Pen, did you? Is this at all normal?"

"No siblings. I have no idea — the Egg Bois squabble, but never like this," Sir Pentious replied. "I did witness their fight on my ship when the Angel and Archie first came for Molly, but that was different. They were all hurt then — tearful and stricken. But this — I think they might actually be enjoying this. Look how passionate they are! It's almost like a healthy competition."

Alastor nodded, but still seemed hesitant. "Still, perhaps we should approach and gently try guiding each of our paramours apart?" he suggested. "So that they don't escalate to something hurtful?"

Sir Pentious grinned. "It's a thought. Honestly, if we each grabbed our partner and kissed them, that would probably fix things. And it would be fun."

Alastor glowed. "I'd like to consider other options besides public displays of affection first."

Husk nodded. "Also I'm not sure if we could get close enough to 'em without accidentally getting side-swiped by one of those hand movements — I mean, we're talking eight sets of arms here between the three of them."

And the siblings were making fine use of those eight sets of arms by still gesturing wildly while Angel also gave Niss a noogie and Niss tried to pin his brother and sister's arms behind them while Molly used all of hers to try pushing the boys apart and grabbing them both by the ears. They practically had to be contortionists to be in their current positions.

"Is this truly how they'll be now that they're living together?" Alastor wondered in some fascination.

"Let's ask when it's over," Pen and Husk said at once.

The spiders were nearly all breathless now and still wrapped up in each other, trying to gain a second wind for the next round of their argument, when suddenly two new figures approached from down the hall.

"Um…why are you all fighting?"

The six demons turned to see Niffty and Baxter before them now, arm in arm.

The six demons looked back at each other.

Then spiders all sighed slowly separated, smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess we WERE fighting, huh?" Niss said, straightening his tie and shirt.

"Really is just like old times," Molly nodded, fixing her hair.

"To be fair, our need for sibling rivalry been building up all these decades. We probably just needed to get it out of our systems for now," Angel offered, stretching his back and all six arms before putting four of them away. Niss followed suit.

"So…you three are…no longer angry at one another?" Alastor raised an eyebrow.

Angel waved him off. "Eh, we weren't angry really. Just…ya know, siblings — they frustrate ya sometimes, and ya gotta say something and work it out." "Yeah, and we express our frustration and work things out loudly," Molly added with a shrug.

"And sometimes physically," Niss added awkwardly, turning to their new guests. "Sorry about getting so caught up. And sorry for the yelling, Niffty, Baxter. It was nothing. I'm moving in, and we were all discussin' some plans, and we just, uh…" He bit his lip and glanced at the others.

Sir Pentious raised an eyebrow then whispered to Alastor. "Do they know about you and—"

"She does, he DOESN'T," Alastor replied bitingly.

"Wanna bet?" Niss scoffed, just barely able to hear them along with his siblings.

"Actually, yeah!" Angel challenged. He shared a meaningful look with a confused Alastor. Then the deer demon's eyes widened — he considered and finally gave a small nod. Angel and Niss's eyes brightened.

"Oh, men…" Molly sighed and rolled her eyes. She went over to Husk and kissed his cheek. "Not you though, you're a perfect specimen and ya do no wrong." Husk smiled a little.

Alastor considered then cleared his throat and approached the new couple to join them. "Apologies for all of the noise, Niffty darling. Angel was just discussing his beau with his brother and sister, and he realized Sir Pentious already knew him as well, and it turned into a tender subject."

"Oh…" Niffty frowned a little, looking uncertainly between the boys and Molly and Baxter.

Baxter frowned too. "Oh, that's too bad. I know this is a family situation, but for what it's worth, all six of you are some of the most excellent demons I've ever met, and you make such exemplary couples. Seeing how you are with each other actually encouraged me to pursue my own romantic intentions." He smiled a little, moving closer to Niffty. "I, uh…I'm not sure exactly how many of you know, but Niffty and I are, um…seeing each other." He blushed, and his lantern glowed a little as he smiled. "Alastor, Husk, thank you for supporting her until she and I were ready to talk. And thank you both for being such exceptional role models for healthy relationships."

Angel and Alastor's jaws fell. Niss just grinned smugly. Molly put a hand to her mouth, trying very hard to be polite and not giggle. Sir Pentious held back a sweet smile. And Husk tried not to get involved further, though he couldn't help his wings puffing up in a touch of pride.

"No way…" Angel shook his head, coming out of his shock at the fact that Baxter…already knew he and Alastor were dating? "Someone must have told him… Niffty?"

"Niffty would never," Alastor answered immediately, tone surprisingly level. He approached the fish. "Baxter…do you mean to tell me that you know Angel and I are courting?"

The fish nodded, eyes wide in wary surprise at Alastor's tense demeanor.

"I see." His smile tightened. "And when and how did you acquire this knowledge?"

Baxter shrugged. "Well, when I first moved in, I ran into you and Angel on the stairs, about to head out for a walk. You were standing close, and when I addressed Angel you expressed physiological indicators of mild jealousy and arousal. You stood closer to him, your pupils dilated, your ears went back, you puffed out your chest, and I'm assuming some blood rushed down to your—"

"Baxter!" Niffty squeezed his arm, her eye wide. "Um, I-I think he understands…"

"Oh!" Baxter blinked, blushing. "Sorry! I get carried away sometimes about biological reactions, heh. Anyway, I noted those signs and assumed you were together. Then later observations of your closeness supported the theory. So…I knew, yes…"

"Smiles?" Angel hesitantly addressed his boyfriend.

Alastor's eyes had gone to static radio dials at Baxter's laundry list clues, but now Angel saying his name made them returned to normal. "I see!" His voice cracked, his smile far too wide. "And you have not told anyone about us?"

"Oh! Of course not." Baxter shook his head. "You didn't talk about your relationship openly, so I assumed it wasn't an open subject to talk about. I only said something now because I was asked directly. It's nobody's business who you're dating. And being an overlord, I can especially understand how much you must value your privacy."

Alastor took a deep breath. He stepped forward, reached out, and gave Baxter's shoulder a gentle pat. "You are a good man, Baxter, and I would appreciate your continued discretion, thank you." He pulled back his hand and pointed between them. "As for this situation — I highly approve and am very glad you've sorted out your issues so you can enjoy your time together. I am proud to have influenced you both with my own healthy relationship." He pulled his hand back and gave a slight bow to Niffty. "And Niffty, you are a bright and trustworthy and formidable young lady as per usual. I am so happy to see you happy once more. And please remind me to discuss new terms for your contract with you — so you can continue to lead your best possible life with as much freedom as I can provide." He straightened up, one eye twitching. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to process some things in my quarters. Angel, will you join me?" He handed over his microphone to Angel for walking then stepped away. The spider nodded, looking at him carefully.

Alastor cleared his throat and quickly addressed Sir Pentious and Niss. "Niss, pleasure to have you as part of our happy hotel family! Sir Pentious…I welcome your presence on our triple date and your future visits here." He glanced behind him and gave a nod to Husk and Molly. "Husker, Molly, a pleasure as usual, and I'm certain our date will be no less enjoyable." And with that he headed into his room. Angel gave everyone a quick sheepish wave before following and closing the door behind them.

"Oh dear," Niffty wrung her hands. "I hope Alastor's okay. He's very private — realizing that he let things slip to two people without even knowing must be a shock."

"I can talk to him later, Niffty, try to reassure him," Baxter offered, his light dimming. "I'm sorry, if I'd known it would affect him so much I would have pretended not to know yet about him and Angel dating."

"It's okay," she assured. "Maybe it's better this way. We'll talk to him later. He has Angel for now."

Baxter considered and nodded. Then he raised an eyebrow. "And…what did he mean about your contract?"

Niffty smiled a little, a gentle look in her eye. "He probably meant what he did for Husk." She and Husk shared a knowing smile, then Niffty looked back to Baxter. "It's a good thing. We'll have more time to spend together." She hugged him close, making Baxter take on a dreamy look for a moment. She pulled back with a giggle then looked to Niss and Sir Pentious. "Niss, welcome to the hotel! I'm really happy you're going to live here now with us. Are you and Sir Pentious staying for breakfast? I just put more coffee on!"

Niss and Pen glanced at each other, then Niss put up his hands. "Thanks for the welcome, Niffty, I'm happy to be here too. But, uh, we ate earlier, and also I think we maybe need to give Alastor some space. Pen and I are gonna go back to the airship and get my stuff together for moving in. I'm taking the room at the end of the hall."

"Okay! If you need any help cleaning, just let me know," Niffty assured.

"I'll help clean too!" Baxter added brightly.

With a gentle smile, Niffty led Baxter back to the stairs. "Come on, let's give Alastor some space too." Baxter nodded, and they headed toward the lobby.

Molly smiled and turned to Niss and Pen. "Husky and I are gonna get some breakfast. We're so happy you're both here. My room is almost done, so let us know if you want any extra help moving in, Archie."

"Thanks, Molly." Archie gave her an appreciative nod, then watched as she and Husk departed down the stairs, making it all the way to the lobby this time.

Sir Pentious turned to Niss, wringing his hands. "I'm sorry my acting was so atrocious. I really was trying. I'm just not good at…forced realism, I suppose." Niss smiled and put a hand to his cheek. "It's okay. Ya got style and ya can't hide it — and I love it!" He kissed the snake's cheek. "Tony and Alastor'll be okay. Come on, let's go get my stuff…and maybe have a little fun in the solarium for a few minutes, to tide us over." He smirked.

Sir Pentious's tail curled, and he grinned. "Oh, I'd like that very much, Nissy."

Giggling, they dashed down the hall to the stairs leading back to the third floor and the roof.


After leaving the spider siblings and their boyfriends to talk, Charlie had gone downstairs and found Vaggie playing with Razzle and Dazzle out in the garden. The princess made a tray with bowls of oatmeal for the goats, and some coffee and biscotti for herself and her girlfriend, then headed outside, humming a tune.

"Morning, Vaggie!" She kissed her cheek and set down the tray.

Vaggie blinked. "Oh, good morning!" She observed Charlie and smiled. "You look like you're in a good mood."

Charlie nodded and sat down. "I am. I told Niss he could move in here, and I got to see how happy he and his siblings are about living together again. And I had a good talk with Sir Pentious about ruling and hell and happiness." She sipped her coffee and took a deep breath, enjoying the peace of the morning. She glanced at her girlfriend again, her smile faltering slightly. "Sorry for sneaking away for a bit this morning. I hope I didn't worry you. I just…needed to think for a bit."

Vaggie put a hand on her shoulder, her smile warm. "Babe, you do whatever you want or need to do to feel good. As long as you're taking care of yourself, I'm happy. And I'm really happy to see you smiling like this again."
Charlie sniffed and they shared a tight hug before pulling back, clinking cups, and sharing a sip of coffee together. Then they turned their sights to the garden to watch Razzle and Dazzle playing.

Vaggie grinned. "So, all three spiders living here. And two of their boyfriends. This should be fun."

"I'm excited. I always wanted siblings, you know." Charlie smiled more. "Even if things get chaotic, I love that our hotel is growing."

"I knew it would, Charlie."

Charlie took her hand and squeezed, and Vaggie squeezed back. They sat in perfect peace and enjoyed their morning, no distractions, just content with each other.


Upstairs, Alastor had just been lying on his bed facing the wall for several minutes now, and Angel had just been sitting on the bed and gently brushing back his boyfriend's hair with his hand. Finally the spider spoke. "Smiles…ya ready to talk about it yet?"

Alastor sighed deeply, giving a small groan.

"If I promise ear scratches, will that tempt ya to talk to me?" The spider smiled.

Alastor's fluffy ears swiveled. Glowing, he nodded and turned slightly so Angel could just see his face. "Do you think…everyone knows already? The whole Pentagram? All of them laughing behind our backs and just waiting to strike and prove me a fool? The mob and the other overlords and all the so-and-so's… and Vox.." His eyes flicked to radio dials before turning back to normal.

"Nah." Angel waved him off. "People here only figured it out cuz we spend a lot of time here and this is the only place where we get a chance to be close. So even if we try to hide all the intimate stuff while we're in the hotel, it just kinda…spills over eventually." He smirked a little. "Now, should I be jealous that you're so worried about Vox knowing?"

Alastor rolled his eyes and turned over to face Angel. "Ha…at best you should have mild concern only because you two seem to be on amicable terms now, and if he chose to do anything to jeopardize our relationship to get to me I would have to end him in a smoldering crater of wires and plexiglass."

Angel chuckled. "Well, I'm glad he doesn't have to die then. He's a pet daddy now, after all. Ya gotta think of his kid." Angel glanced behind him and whistled.

Nuggets trotted over, hopped onto the bed, then snuggled in alongside Alastor.

Alastor held the pig close, petting him gently. "I suppose, if anything, all the people around here finally knowing makes things easier — it gives us this one perfect place where we can be together, no strings attached. But since Charlie is always looking for new guests…that will mean regularly adding new people to the list of those who know. Are you…comfortable with such an arrangement?" His ears drooped. "It puts us at a higher risk of having our situation become public. I know the difficulties I would face from other overlords…and I recall the difficulties you said you would face from…that moth." His eyes flickered to radio dials again.

Angel swallowed. "I'm okay with telling new people here about us. Maybe not right when they move in, but after we get to know 'em I think it would be okay. And yeah, it's a risk, but…I like being able to be ourselves here. Even if our relationship gets out, I'm not scared of other overlords. And… I haven't heard from Val. And I don't want to hear from Val. I don't even know if he's okay or when he's gonna be looking for me again or what's happening with the studio… but I'll do whatever I want with my life now, as long as I can do it with you."

Alastor's perpetual smile softened, and he came forward and gave Angel a gentle hug. He pulled back, and Angel was wide-eyed. "My dearest Anthony, any time I hear you stand up for yourself against that despicable creature, it's a joy."

While Angel blushed and looked down shyly, Alastor relaxed against the pillows with a content sigh. "I'm at ease about Sir Pentious and Baxter knowing about us now, truly. My little display out there was mostly the result of wounded pride." He went back to petting Nuggets. "But…all of this talk does lead to another thought." He furrowed his brow. "First though, Anthony, may I ask…are you still inclined to…date for eternity?"

Angel blushed and for a moment felt a hesitation in his heart — he imagined an eternity of Alastor never acknowledging loving him back. It felt sad. He also imagined asking Alastor right now to 'give him more time' to answer, but that option just felt petty. His ankle suddenly burned, and he did his best to hide a wince because he wanted to focus on working out this new situation. Besides, he knew he didn't want to be without the deer. He blushed. "I'm in this for the long haul. I love ya all the way." His stomach twisted at another impossible thought that Alastor might be implying that he no longer felt the same way. "And you are too, right?"

The deer's eyes met his, so wide and full of wonder. "I never want to be away from your side."

Angel's heart beat quickly, and he felt so warm and safe — even his ankle felt better. "Oh. Good."

Alastor smiled warmly. "But the fact of the matter is, if we're intent upon such a lifetime together…eventually we will either be discovered by hell or we'll need to go public on our own. The only way to keep a secret forever is to take it to your grave, and we've spread it around to far too many other people for that possibility to still be available to us — without me committing a lot of very unfortunate murders, that is. Not to mention, we're already well past our graves, ha…" He tried to laugh, but he was holding Nuggets very close, ears twitching nervously.

Angel noticed. He gently brushed a hand through the strands of Alastor's hair again, and the deer seemed to calm a bit. "So is that something ya wanna do soon then? Going public…on purpose?"

Alastor bit his lip then shook his head. "Not soon. I merely want to acknowledge the inevitability of becoming public. In the future, perhaps we could discuss…our exact plans for how to go about it. Other overlords pair off into groups, after all — our situation really is manageable to spin safely if I just think it through, I'm sure."

Angel smiled gently. "I'm glad you're calming down. But Smiles, I've told ya, I ain't an overlord."

"And I've told you that you could be. You're far more capable and brilliant than many I've encountered — I would burst with enough pride to fill the Pentagram to announce our union and your ascension to power, no matter how much revealing ourselves scares me…" Alastor's eyes hazed with a bit of deadly desire.

Angel blushed, and his eyes hazed as well now. In that moment, with Alastor seething with power and just a little bit of desire, and all for him, Angel wanted nothing more than to pounce him down to the bed and kiss him on every place the deer would allow until he was a giggling and glowing and content mess of a demon. Yet something inside him hesitated. He still wasn't okay about their earlier conversation about love. And he didn't want to pretend like he was. It felt dishonest.

So… "Thanks for…letting me know," Angel merely replied, then he sighed and stood up. "Well, uh…good talk, let's table all that for now, not let it stress us out anymore today. How's about we go get some breakfast And if anyone asks, Sir Pentious and Baxter finding out about us was all part of some master plan of yours, huh?"

Alastor blinked and came out of his momentary intensity, smiling to himself in thought. "Hmm…my ego would appreciate that…" He hesitated. "Does this mean…no ear scratches?"

Angel smirked just a little. "How about food first then all the scratches you want, huh?"

Alastor instantly stood up. "And you do need to eat to keep up your strength, so we have a deal!" He held out his arm. "Shall I escort you downstairs?"

Angel could at least concede this small act of intimacy along with the ear scratches later. He smiled and nodded, taking Alastor's arm. "Lead the way, handsome."

As Alastor guided them out the door, the deer blushed and whispered. "Anthony, dear, I'd also like to mention that with our big triple date on the horizon soon, there's something I'd like to take care of first…"

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Like…what? Your next show?"

"Hmm? Oh…no, not quite, but still important — and somewhat related," the deer replied secretively. "Anyway, I'm afraid I may be a bit busy for the rest of today and most of tomorrow. But if you need me for anything, just radio." He tapped his cane. "And of course I'll see you at night and in the morning to check in on you and tend to your injury…the physical and the angelic ones."

Angel half smiled and nodded. "That's okay, Smiles. I'll be fine. I got Molly and Niss here now too, they can keep me company." A very small part of him (that felt oddly selfish) was sort of happy about the idea of some time apart. Maybe it would give Angel a chance to process his frustration with the deer. Maybe it would give Alastor a chance to pick up on the fact that Angel was frustrated (yeah, it probably wasn't fair to expect the guy to read his mind, but maybe Alastor would at least think about his own actions and figure out that asking for a rain check on 'I love you' with no explanation wasn't exactly fair either).

"Excellent." Alastor squeezed his hand as they began to descend the stairs. "Come now, darling — perhaps I'll whip up a fresh batch of beignets, ha!"

Angel's smile grew. "That would be nice, Al. Thanks."

They stayed close and cozy all the way down the stairs.


The previous night, Crymini had ended up sleeping in the alley bordering the cafe where she'd had that good dinner. She just felt safe near there. The demons were nice. Not only had they not tried to hurt her…they had actually tried to help her. Demons didn't normally do that, or at least not without a catch, and especially not when it came to her. Most sinners mistook her for a hellhound at a glance and stayed away from her like they tried to do to most hellborn people who entered the Pride ring. But any hellhounds or other kinds of hellborn people knew she was a sinner on sight and gave her space too. It was lonely.

It was so lonely that Crymini decided not to think about those experiences anymore this morning and risk starting her day looking pathetic with teary eyes. She focused on the cafe again — the place seemed vulnerable but it was also thriving. She wondered what was up with it and how some of the usual powerful jerks around the Pentagram hadn't already taken everything away and beat the place down.

Crymini waited patiently in the alley until late in the morning, her stomach growling (last night's meal here had been much larger than her usual ones, and now it was like her stomach was demanding more and more). Finally she saw the fish guy come around the corner and unlock the place with a key. She still waited, hoping the sheep lady would come too. They were both nice, but…girls were still easier for Crymini to talk to. The cafe lights came on, and she watched all the tables and chairs get set up, her stomach still grumbling. Finally, nearly half an hour later as the open sign appeared in the window, the sheep demon trotted around the corner and walked inside with a smile.

Crymini bit her lip. Her experience in hell had always been that sticking around any one place for too long was dangerous. But she was coming back here because she wanted that feeling again from yesterday — like she was safe and cared for and had a break from everything. And maybe she was trying to take her mind off of that ridiculous news program happening soon and ridiculous Lucifer not doing anything about it and ridiculous Princess Charlie not even realizing what was coming for her.

She hesitantly approached. The front door was propped open now. The sheep, Louise, was sweeping. And she and the fish guy Abel were talking. Louise spoke now. "Has she seemed kind of quiet lately to you again?"

Abel sighed. "It's hard to tell since we're here so often. Maybe? Not as down as she was though."

"I wanna make sure everything's okay. Maybe I'll ask Vaggie first. And I want to make sure she's still okay with us having the wedding there. I don't wanna stress her out."

"You can check, but I bet the wedding prep stuff might actually help take her mind off of anything bothering her."

"I hope so, Abel. She's given us a nice home and friends and support, and she's gonna be the one to marry us to each other. I just wanna do right by her."

"I know what you mean, Louise. I've never been happier than ever since we moved in. It's nice to wake up each day and not be…afraid, I guess."

"Charlie's special like that. All she gives is love."

"Yeah. The way the princess runs things…is just better living."

"Oh Crymini, you're back!" Louise stopped sweeping and looked at the door, finally noticing their guest.

There Crymini stood, eyes wide and teary, and lip slightly trembling.

Louise frowned. "Is everything okay, hun?"

"You're talking about Princess Charlie? You two…know the princess?"

"Yeah." Abel answered. "We live in her hotel."

Crymini's eyes widened. She swallowed. "And she makes you feel…safe and loved and better…all the time?"

Abel and Louise glanced at each other then looked back to her and nodded.

Louise smiled. "She's very kind and caring. Are you…are you thinking about redemption? Or maybe you just need a place to stay?"

"She wouldn't want me." Crymini wrapped her arms around herself and took a step back. Her eyes widened, and she quickly added. "A-And I don't want her! Or anyone!"

Abel smiled gently. "Wanting people is nothing to be worried over. Charlie wants anyone who wants to come to the hotel. And you can also leave whenever you want. No strings attached. You just live there and do your best to take care of yourself, and others too when you're able."

Crymini frowned in confusing. "How… How are you two so nice and running this place without some overlord coming in and blasting it all away? How is that hotel not blasted away? Even with the princess running it and some stuffy overlord staying there…"

Louise laughed. "Oh, Alastor ain't stuffy. He's…spirited. And Charlie's tougher than she looks." She shrugged. "And we're nice cuz we like being nice. And we think there should be more nice demons in hell. And as for this place or the hotel getting blasted away, well…we might be nice but we can also handle ourselves. We aren't weak for our kindness…we all support each other and are stronger for it."

"Exactly," Abel added, "We know that if any of us need help, we have a family we can really on now."

"Family…" Crymini's eyes darted around in thought. "So you don't think Princess Charlie is weak? Or that she's trying to scam you? Or has no idea what she's doing?"

Louise looked at her sternly. "I think she's the strongest and most honest person who could lead hell. So much is unfair and wrong down here right now. She wants to help make it right. She's brave." Her look softened. "Ya know, if you want to meet her, she's always at the hotel. You could come by. That's how we joined — got invited to a big dinner with everyone and looked around. Then we moved in, and it was the best choice we ever made."

Crymini stepped back again. "I don't need… It sounds too good though, what's the catch? What if it's all a trick? I-I don't want you to get hurt!" The last words jumped out of Crymini's mouth before she could stop them.

"I don't get tricked easily," Louise grinned. "And no one there wants money or favors or anything from you if you decide to come by. It's an open invitation. From a lot of real nice people." She took a step closer. "You don't have to decide right now. How about you sit down, and I'll get ya some coffee and breakfast, huh?"

Crymini furrowed her brow. "I'm…I'm not hungry. I should go…"

"Oh wait…" Louise dashed to the kitchen then came back with a small rolled up paper bag. "At least take some fresh croissants to go. They're almond and cinnamon — I wasn't sure if dog demons could have chocolate ones." She shrugged sheepishly.

Crymini held the bag, feeling tears in her eyes again, then started to fish in her pocket for money.

Louise instantly guided her to the door with a kind smile. "It's really okay. They're on the house. We always end up with extras at the end of the day — this way we won't. And please come back any time — we can talk about the hotel or not, whatever makes you comfortable."

Crymini managed to give her a wave then scampered off around a corner.

Alone, she rested against a wall, breathing deeply, smelling the delicious croissant scent from the bag. She held the scones close like a lifeline. Then she scowled. "Fuck… I don't know, I still think maybe Charlie is a chump or a trickster… But maybe whatever she's doing is for real. And Louise…she took the time to realize I'm a dog demon sinner." She blinked back tears. "Maybe I…Maybe I should do something. I've got less than two days… I can figure this all out…" She dashed off to the park to sit near the safety of the fountain and eat her croissants. And she tried to avoid the obvious solution staring her in the face — she needed to go and talk to the princess or to ruin things at the news studio or attempt again to get a certain king to stop being such a whiny, defeated jerk. Whether Charlie was for real or not, her nice friends at the cafe had helped out Crymini twice now, and she owed the princess something for that kindness…even if she did owe Lucifer a little bit too for the money he'd paid her.

She savored each bite of croissant and wondered once more in her afterlife how messed up the universe could be to send a nineteen year old to hell of all places. Everything here was a damn adult level existential crisis, and all she wanted was to disappear into this warm and sweet smelling croissant bag and forget everything that had brought her to this stupid point of her existence.

Or maybe she just wanted a home. Or maybe even if she got a home it would drive her nuts and she'd run away immediately and go back to fending for herself. She didn't like trusting demons and she hated moral dilemmas and most of all she wished she hadn't been sent to hell with a moral compass of all things. And she doubted Princess Charlie, even if all the good things about her were true, could sort out that mess. Even fresh croissants could only convince Crymini to have faith in someone or something to a point.

She just tried to breathe and eat, eat and breathe, and to tell herself that things would be okay.


A/N:

Thanks for reading! Next chapter starts the day of the big news special and all the drama that goes with it — I hope you enjoy!

Take care!

-Azure129