A/N: And now! For finishing up Murder Family with some afterward stuff!
That being read, I welcome your Reviews. If you have criticisms, I welcome those too. Please keep them constructive. I want to grow as an author, and I can't do that if people aren't willing to critique, or only want to tear me down. I'm not here to please everybody, but I am here to learn. There is a method to my madness, even if I don't always fully understand it. 90% of what I write, I don't write baselessly. If there is something not canon or changed from canon, there is generally a reason. If something doesn't make sense, feel free to let me know (constructively), and as long as it doesn't creep into SPOILER! territory, I'll do my best to explain it.
WARNING: This is rated M for a reason. In keeping with the spirit of Helluva Boss, there will be copious amounts of Murder, Brutal Violence, Senseless Violence, Child Violence, Gender-Equal Violence, Accidental Violence, Drugs, Hard Drugs, Soft Drugs, Prescription Drugs, All-Natural Drugs, "All Natural" Drugs, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Visceral, Dissection, the occasional slow-crunch of Bones, and Cannibals contributing to said "slow-crunch", Language, Offensive Language, non-Politically Correct Language, possibly butchered attempts at Foreign Language, Horny Demons, Hornier Humans, even Hornier Furries, and any number of things the average law-abiding citizen might consider "distasteful", but that I find hilarious because laughter is easier than being angry at people or the world all the time.
This story is not for people who are easily offended, are offended on other people's behalf when they really don't give a shit, squeamish around violence, think sex is naughty, or think jokes are like dicks and take them way too hard. You know the drill (haha! I just got that!)
If you don't like it, DON'T READ IT!
This is for Adults, or for any of you below the age of 18 who are so desensitized to this stuff because your parents never cared about your mental sanctity (Wow! Already getting in the spirit of things and insulting people! Noice!). All the same, Reader Discretion is Advised. (God I love this pre-story warning!)
But! Because this is my first "real" attempt at such mature content, don't expect me to dive head-first into 'X-rated' stuff. Or even dabble. No dabbling. That's not the vibe I got from Helluva Boss. That, and my mother would burn me at the stake if I did. Love you Mom!
Review Responses:
- "Guest" 1: Your welcome, and here's that update.
- "Guest" 2: Thanks, and me too.
*End of Responses
Disclaimer: I don't own Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, or any of its subsidiaries. Those rights belong exclusively to Vivziepop, and anyone else who had a hand in it's creation. I just get to enjoy it for all it's worth.
I would also like to point out that I don't own any other media or content that may be mentioned as further enrichment to the story.
Without further ado. *Que the dimming of the lights*
Chapter 4: Unconventional
Loona had seen her share of demons, never mind the details. She hadn't cared enough to remember most of them. But then again, she'd never seen one like Snow before. Blue, for one was a scarce eye-color in Hell, if it even existed at all. And she hadn't been kidding when she said he was white as fuck. If either of those were even his natural colors, being as he was in a human disguise.
But more still was the look on his face. A kind of terror that she hadn't seen outside the mirror of her childhood.
A shine had taken to his eyes, brimmed with tears that she knew wouldn't fall. He was too tough for that. But that shine made his eyes as blue as the starlight she'd seen on the rare occasion she had accompanied I.M.P. to the Living World.
"Please… don't," he begged, and she felt he might crumble like a Jenga tower at the slightest provocation in the wrong direction. It was rare. Demons – herself included – tended to project anger when threatened, endangered, or vulnerable. Snow was none of that.
He was just… raw.
"Okay," she uncharacteristically whispered, reaching with her other hand to touch the one gripping her wrist. He was as tense as a frightened animal, and she knew he'd reacted on reflex to whatever invisible threat haunted him. Despite those facts, his grip was firm, but it wasn't painful. He wasn't trying to hurt her.
He blinked when he felt her other hand on his, sucking in a reorienting breath and blinking away the shine in his eyes. Swallowing, he stiffly let go of her wrist, almost stunned at the sight of his blood on her claws. "Sorry."
Noticing that his hand was all healed, he flexed his fingers to check how it felt before nodding firmly. "Um… thanks… you know. For the bullet."
Snow seemed to realize how that sounded before wincing. "I mean… for removing it. The bullet I mean. Yeah."
Loona wasn't much better, her cheeks heated and her fingers brushing through her hair nervously, some of his blood absently streaking through it. "No problem. About the bullet. Removing it. Yeah."
It quickly grew silent and awkward.
Thump!
"Agh! ~Millie!~ Oh shit! No grip!"
"Oh fuck! ~Oh! Oh Moxxie!~"
Hellhound and sorta-albino tensed up as something hit the shower wall loudly before they heard Millie's exclamations, followed by several grunts and moans of exertion that clearly applied to whatever sexual endeavor Millie and Moxxie were attempting in the shower.
They looked at each other nervously.
Pfft!
Loona couldn't hold in her laugh as it nearly snorted out, and Snow was right behind her, his smile beaming back into place. Exactly where it should be.
"Oh God," Loona sighed, still somewhat breathless after all that. She flopped back in the couch, content with just lying there. "Looks like fatty and the old lady are getting some. It sounds like they slipped and fell in the shower!" That thought had her reeling.
"Yeah, well, they needed it after today," Snow admitted, the previous issue almost completely forgotten. Almost. "They've had it rough."
'They're not the only ones.' She wasn't sure where that thought came from, but thought better of voicing it.
"Are you two done yet?" They both froze as Eddie walked back in the room. "If you're laughing, that means you're done, right? Ooor did I… interrupt something?" That shit-eating grin was one kick away from disappearing, and Loona was willing to provide.
"OH GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! FINE!" That… wasn't Millie. Or Moxxie.
Blitz came stomping out of his office, looking pissed. He stopped fast at Snow and Loona sitting three feet apart on the same couch! And just about lost his shit right then and there. But was quickly distracted by the passionate sounds of lovemaking and romping in the bathroom.
"And nobody invited me?!" Blitz fumed, grumbling toward the bathroom.
"What's up, Blitz?" Loona asked, somehow returning to her natural bored tone without any issues.
"Hm? Oh, right. White Rock! Go fucking call Stolas! Now!" Blitz ordered, back to using crack-names it would seem.
"Um, why?"
"Because he won't stop calling me to ask how about you! So pick up your God damned Hellphone, and tell him that your ass is wide open and available!" He started to march back into his office before whipping back around. "And another thing!"
"Of course," Snow muttered, having a feeling where this was going.
"Saw that coming," Loona agreed.
"Keep your hands, feet, mouth, and dick away from my Loony! Do I make myself clear?!" Blitz demanded. "Sitting on the same couch is already too close! And I won't stand for any of it! It's already bad enough that M'n'M are fucking in my bathroom!"
"Wishing you were part of the action?" They all looked to see Eddie standing there, his usual smug grin making him look just that much more kickable. "Is it so you can go down on Millie while Moxxie goes down on you? Oh wait! Or is it the other way around?"
"Moxxie's on the bottom of the food chain, so it would obviously be me, Millie, then Moxxie," Blitz answered without hesitating. The three others in the room just deadpanned at Blitz. "What?"
"I'll call Stolas," Snow finally spoke, giving his boss a 'good luck' look. Because if that's what Blitz thought was going happen, he was going to need it for when Moxxie finally snapped beyond Millie's ability to rapidly repair, and decided to murder him. As that stood, he just happened to know a good spot to hide a body within five minutes of the building too. "As for making love to your daughter–"
"Not a single shred of DNA to back that up. And call it was it is: "sex"," Loona shot at him, both of which irritated Blitz.
"I still adopted you!" Blitz protested. "And no sex!"
"As for making love to your daughter," Snow said again, somewhat pleased that he managed to irritate them both. Simultaneously at that. "She was the one penetrating me."
Loona choked on air as he said that, Blitz blustered as he tried to formulate a proper comeback, and Eddie eeped as he slipped off the wall he was leaning against.
"Digging a bullet out of my back," he expanded with an eyeroll and grin. "Sweet Asmodeus, you guys are dirty minded. You sure you're not related?"
Loona snapped her teeth at him in irritation, and Blitz just looked like he was still trying to process his words.
Snow fished out his phone, and was about to walk away when he stopped fast, glaring at Blitz intensely. "And if you even think about interrupting Millie and Moxxie, I will not only send an expansive portfolio of pictures of you to Stolas, I'll tell him all the kinky fetishes you like."
"You don't know any of my kinks or my fetishes!" Blitz protested smugly.
Snow just grinned a truly demonic grin. "Then I'll just make it up as I go. Something… spicy for him to try, with him on top… and you the bottom."
"You wouldn't!" Blitz dared, but it was clear from his shaking that he wasn't so convinced. Because it was very clear to Loona and Eddie that Snow would.
"Try me," Snow dared back, the demon in his voice a tantalizing rumble. "Don't forget to call the client and let her know that we're done. Some of us got bills to pay." And with that, he walked into the conference room, closing the doors behind him.
It was silent for a moment while Blitz silently stewed on that. "God fucking damnit. Why did I hire him again?"
"Because he does his job," Loona stated, able to take stable breaths once again. Though now she couldn't get that out of her head.
"Because you didn't bother to actually interview him," Eddie offered.
"Because he just saved your ass on this last job."
"Because you and the bitch just want him for his di– Gul!" Eddie was suddenly hit hard by one of the couch cushions, slamming him into the wall with relative ease, causing his horns to suspend him in the plaster.
"Because despite both your guys' bullshit, he was recommended by your sugar-daddy. It can't be that easy to impress a Goetia," Loona stated with finality, hiding a pleased smirk as Eddie had to peel himself from the wall like a bug on a windshield. "How many extra jobs have you guys managed to get done thanks to him?"
"I wasn't literally asking," Blitz pouted, crossing his arms as he all but admitted his conceding to their points, even if it was indirect. "Fine! I'll call the fucking client! But there better be some fucking cake after the shit-show today was! With a banner! And confetti and shit!
"AND SPRINKLES! I want some goddamn sprinkles!"
Slam!
Blitz didn't hesitate to slam the door behind him.
"Uuugh!" Eddie groaned as he popped his horns out of the wall, falling to the floor. "Bitch."
Loona just shrugged off his insult, instead casually eyeing more toward the conference room. She was about to stroke her hand through her hair again when she noticed the blood on her claws.
Snow's blood.
'Ah fuck!' she grumbled to herself, realizing she'd already ran her fingers through her hair once.
Still, a part of her – the very Hellhound part – was curious. As a Hellhound, her sense of smell was a hundred times that of the average demon if she focused, allowing her to catalogue and distinguish between a multitude of scents otherwise indistinguishable. And like her hearing, was at times too painful or over-stimulated. However, it seemed that Snow had muted his scent, either by magic, or as an innate feature of his disguise.
But you couldn't disguise the scent of blood.
Absently, she closed her eyes as she lifted her claws to her nose, inhaling softly. Already she could tell that Snow was unlike anything she'd ever catalogued before. While she wouldn't say she'd done much to leave and explore outside the Pride Ring, it intrigued her that his blood was drawing such a blank. Not even a foot-note.
There were distinct notes that confused her as she instinctively categorized him; succulent, tangy, and even subtle but heavy notes that reminded her of marbled meat that listed him as prey to her keen senses and rippled a shiver of Hellish and aggressive hunger through her. The scents of other demons didn't often prime the natural hunter in the Hellhound, not with being so low on Hell's proverbial and literal hierarchy, and she found it was as much a pleasant surprise as worrying that it came from Snow of all demons.
But just under that note, her instincts recoiled. A pervasive blast of fear ripping through her, erecting all her fur. Something that scalded through her sinuses, her heart beginning to pound, causing red veins to pulse at the edges of her vision. But it was fragrant. Smoky. Musky. Sweet in its own way, even if was like the scent of his blood was reaching out to suffocate her where she sat, even as it teased her closer. Like the sweet of a carnivorous plant drawing in its food.
Not just the scent of a predator that could hunt her across the span of Creation, but a taste of prey that promised blissful satisfaction with every bite.
She breathed heavily, suddenly more aware of just how dangerous Snow was than ever before. All those crack jokes Blitz made, and somehow, she felt that calling him anything less didn't quite fit the bill. Unless… he was less an "addiction", and more of a "guilty pleasure". Like a Cheesecake.
All that, and she hadn't even "tasted" him yet, running on pure olfactory stimuli. The tease.
She didn't know what kind of power he wielded as a demon, but it was clear that his was in the realm of at least an Overlord. That he knew an Ars Goetia of Prince Stolas' caliber was perhaps just as telling as the scent in his veins. But for all things her sense of smell was telling her about him, what he was continued to elude her.
She sighed, absently eyeing the crimson on her fingers as it started to get sticky. He was prey and predator to the Hellhound, invading her with a sense of hunter's thrill and hunted's dread. A physical combination that both confused and enticed her. Like she could devour and be devoured all at once… in the not-so-fun way.
Like balancing the edge of a bloody knife that could cut her in half even if she teetered successfully.
She licked her chops, that unbidden hunger rearing its head as the scent continued to ease past her caution.
Enticing. That was a word she didn't think she'd apply to anyone. A quick fuck to satisfy an itch was about all she afforded most guys, because… well, they sucked… and she didn't get off nearly enough. They were generally too quick and weren't always willing to return the favor. "Enticing" implied she wanted something… or someone. That she was drawn in by something about them. Lured in by more than a primal desire to connect and be not-so satisfied. She'd never felt enticed before.
She wanted to though.
Just one taste. That's all she wanted. Just one.
She'd tasted the blood of numerous demons, mostly because of fights. Imps, hellhounds, succubae and incubae alike from Lust, arachae types from a couple Rings, gajasura from Gluttony, bahamut from Envy, belial from Greed, or any number of Sinners had all suffered her teeth. She'd even got a bite on one of those nasty kelpie despite advisable warnings not to. Even the occasional human from jobs she was allowed to join. But something like Snow… she'd never tasted before.
Just one. 'Just. One. Taste.'
She shivered at her own internal thoughts, barely aware of the flecks of pink euphorically dotting her cheeks, the dazed intensity of her eyes, or the gentle way her tongue crawled from her mouth, as if it were there to caress rather than consume the blood from her claws.
'What the Hell do you think you're doing!'
She flinched at the all too familiar voice that echoed in her ears, blinking in confusion as she cleared her head. Her claws were right there in front of her muzzle. It wouldn't have taken much effort to stain her tongue red. Her breathing was heavy as the shame of what she had been doing began to catch up with her, her eyes unfocused as she forced herself to calm down. And when that had settled, relief was all that was left.
"I'm okay," she whispered, taking deep breaths as her clean hand pushed her hair out of her eyes, panting in resistance, and her bloodied hand gently rested face-up on her knee. "I'm okay. It's all good."
"Uhhh…?"
She turned to see the shithead watching her, mouth half-open and a single claw poised as though he had a question he wanted to ask.
"What?!" she snapped in annoyance.
"Nothing!" he shot back quickly. "You just looked like you were–"
Grrrrr!
A throaty snap of her jaws was enough to silence him. "You tell anyone what you saw, and I will shove my foot so far up your ass, clenching my toes and ripping back out will tear your throat out your ass! Got it?!"
He rapidly nodded his understanding, before finding a corner to sit down in and be quiet, much to her relief. Especially since all the other rooms in the office were occupied. It didn't stop him from sending her pissy looks the entire time though. Fine! Whatever!
Loona caught a glimpse of her bloodied hand, stifling a groan as the scent once more wafted her way before she clenched her fist in frustration.
"Fuck me, I need a drink," she groaned. 'And for those two to hurry the fuck up in the bathroom!' The bathroom was the only room with a sink in the office after all.
And Snow's blood was really starting to get sticky. It was already going to stain; she didn't want to smell it any longer than necessary.
Especially since that hunger persisted as the slightest twist to her stomach. And the tiniest itch in the back of her mind, waiting to be strike the moment she gave in.
The Conference Room
Thunk!
Snow didn't hesitate to smack his head on the conference table as soon as he was sure the door had closed behind him.
""She was the one penetrating me"," he repeated to himself, cringing at his own words. "God, kill me now." He suddenly pointed up sharply at the ceiling, face still mashed on the table. "Not really."
Groaning to himself at how stupid he had sounded, he scrolled through his limited contacts until he came upon one marked as 'EMERGENCY ONLY'. Getting his conversation with Stolas out of the way and forgetting about the stupid words he had said would provide a double boon.
But first… a little more depreciation for the last conversation. "Stupid. Stupidity-stupid from stupid-ton in stupid-ania!"
Click.
"Third of the Fallen stars, plus one! Where the fuck have you been?!"
"Hey! Your cursing wasn't censored this time," Snow greeted. "Well done."
"Don't you "well done" me, young man! I have been attempting to contact you for almost an hour! An hour mind you!" Snow could practically see him pacing across his study. If that's where he was. He was a rather restless Goetia when riled up; always had to be moving. "I contacted Blitzy, but I couldn't get any straight answers out of him! I almost thought you had been killed! If it weren't for the barest of attunement to your Vitas, I'd have thought it so."
"Nope. Just injured," Snow smirked off. Until he shivered at the thought of Loona's hands on his back. It had been just fine. Just. Fine. Then he'd gone and freaked out over the one scar that had been self-inflicted. Such soft hands… and sharp claws. He shivered again against his will. "Yeah. Just injured. No worries though. I healed up."
He of course, wasn't going to mention the getting shot part. Safer for everyone that way.
"Oh, thank Lucifer, God, and every strange myriad of complexity that makes up your DNA, child. Or is it "Snow" now?"
He wasn't actually sure if Ars Goetia were actually allowed to thank God. But, if that broke some rules, Snow wasn't going to complain, especially since Stolas handing out his grimoire to an imp was already breaking a few. Plus, rerouting the conversation to his current name was… eh, safer.
"Yeah, it's Snow now," he confirmed.
"Hmm, it's so cute," Stolas cooed. "How did you come by that anyway."
Snow deadpanned at that. "It is not cute. And… I actually got it from… well…."
"Mm?" Oh fuck his life! He knew that tone!
"So you got it from a girl. I see," Stolas teased. "Or was it a boy? You can never tell these days. I understand you are predominantly heterosexual, but that doesn't mean you might not find yourself attracted to the similar sex."
"No! No. It is not what you think it is!" Snow whined, wiping his hands over his face. Leave it to Stolas to unintentionally make a simple conversation a "talk". "I got it from Loona."
Cricket. Cricket. Cricket.
"Who?" The fact that the owl-demon asked that was both hilarious… but also kind of… irked Snow.
"You know? Loona?" Snow tried explaining. "Hellhound? Cute ears? Wet nose? Voluptuous tail? Soft-looking fur? Smart claws? Has a taste for hard alcohol? Bit of a Goth? Plays around on her phone a lot?"
Cricket. Cricket. Cricket.
Snow blinked in irritation. "Blitz's adoptive daughter?"
"Oh. Is that the one that man's the front-desk and… yells a lot? Sounds terribly bored all the time?"
Snow had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at Stolas' description. That was so Loona! But at the same time… didn't quite describe her. There was just so much… untamed fire caged in her. "Yes Stolas, that's Loona."
"Oh. She seemed… charming." "Charming" wasn't the word he would use. But it was something he supposed. "So, she named you?"
"She called me Snow, and it just… kinda stuck," he said wistfully. "I like it."
"Well, I'm glad you're happy. But be careful. You of all people should know that names have power; both to the receiver, and the giver. It was never a light thing to have no name in the first place, but more so once you truly take one up."
Snow nodded. He knew very well how powerful names could be. How disposable he had made them. Names cultivated identity, and being a ghost as needed had been an important part of his life. Being called "silver" for the sake of contact was… necessary. But this "Snow"… it just felt… it felt like him. "You know I always try, Stolas. But trouble tends to find me anyway."
A soft hum of acknowledgement came over the phone from Stolas. "And try to call semi-frequently my boy. Not all of us can live exciting lives of adventure."
Snow quirked an eyebrow at that. "You mean besides your bedroom life with my boss?"
Sputtering and blustering started over the phone, and Snow smirked playfully as the thought of how ruffled the Goetia's feathers were probably becoming. "I'll try to keep in touch. Just tell Octane and Wilfred I said 'Hi', okay?"
"Of course. And…." His pause caught Snow's attention. "…Be safe. I know it's not entirely feasible, and I am partially responsible for your current employment. But do try."
He looked down at the conference table, tracing over some of the wood-worked designs. Even after all this time… it still felt weird to have someone who knew all his sorted secrets… care about him.
And was still alive. Only one of two demons that met all those checkboxes; and the other was never too far from the other… and maybe with a handful more that cared about him without knowing all the… sorted secret stuff.
"Will do," he assured, though they both knew the assassin's line of work wasn't exactly briars and hemlock. It was silent for a moment, as if both were pondering what to talk about.
"Voluptuous tail?"
"Okay! Bye!"
Snow hung up a second later, just holding his phone in-hand as he groaned, smacking his face against the table again. One less thing to worry about, then he goes and creates something new. The worst part was, he knew he had just dug himself a hole, and he had a feeling it wasn't going to get filled in any time soon.
But still, keeping in touch with anyone was surprisingly exhausting for a guy who had nothing better to do between jobs. Welp! Until next week he supposed.
"Maybe I need a hobby," he considered. Although… that required stable housing and a steady income, neither of which were applicable for the foreseeable future. "Maybe I should get a plant? Something prickly and hard to eradicate in case I forget about it."
That sounded good. He was almost smiling when he realized one very crucial detail. 'My God… I'm turning into Stolas!' The guy had how many house plants?
"Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" he growled out. "Next thing you know, I'll start developing a fetish for imps and bondage!" He hadn't been happy to learn about that last part. Just one of many things Blitz liked to complain about that took up way too much real-estate in his head.
'Or Hellhounds,' a more treacherous part of his brain offered. He could practically feel that darker part of his thoughts smirking maliciously. 'Or just one Hellhound. And would bondage really be that bad?'
As if his brain wanted to show him how much of an asshole it could be, it began conjuring all those little details that had taken place this morning: Loona's blush, her hand on his penis as she held up his towel, and even the more recent, feeling her claws scrape harmlessly across his back.
"Mmmm!" he moaned despondently. "It's almost like I wanna get eaten." And not in the fun way. Or maybe the fun way? The fun, not-so fun, fun way?
'Death by Loona could be so… so much worse.' And it sucked, because he agreed. The last time he'd had sex was… … …
… … …
… … …
'OH FUCK! I CAN'T REMEMBER!' Aaand, there was that!
"CAKE IS ON THE WAY!"
For a guy who had an unhealthy habit of pissing people off, Blitz had a surprising sense of timing. Or maybe it was just the devil's luck Snow had possessed his whole life. Maybe his luck was just synchronizing with Blitz's. The guy was a Greed imp after all.
'After that depressing nugget, I need a de-stressor.'
Before he could actively contemplate this, the door to the conference room shot open, Blitz smiling gleefully before he saw Snow there, hands on the table, his phone just sitting there. Almost untouched.
"Eh… sooo? How did it go with Stolas?" Blitz asked nervously.
Snow sighed heavily. "I'm… so… sorry, Blitz," he managed to get out, barely holding back the reflex to smile as his eye twitched. But he did. He knew how to hide his real emotions when he wanted to. "Just… don't clench… when you see him next."
The white on Blitz's face turned whiter, and the red turned some lighter variant of red color. Not pink, but still red.
"I– Wait– What the fuck happened?!" he demanded.
"Nothing," Snow stated, turning a one-eighty with his dazzling fanged grin. "I just wanted to see you squirm." Blitz's face was the definition of dial-up at that moment. "You know, when someone says you shouldn't clench, you really shouldn't."
Processing done, the first thing that Blitz did was draw his flintlock. Snow actually blinked in surprise. Not so much that Blitz drew a weapon. That had been completely expected. No, it was speed at which it was pointed at him. And Snow only managed one thought in that time frame…
'Oh God. Please let it be smoothbore.' Higher chance of it missing if he did fire. And he really didn't want to rip out a bullet the size of an extra-large marble.
And… he may have unintentionally faded from visible sight the moment both of Blitz's eyes closed. As a safety precaution of course. More instinct than anything. Hiding came naturally. Innate magical prowess just made invisibility a reality.
Blitz seemed to wrestle something with in himself as he grit his teeth and sucked in a deep breath. "Errrr! Don't kill 'im. Don't kill 'im." He smacked the barrel against his forehead in repetition, like it was mantra that was keeping him from blasting an additional hole in his new employee. And after the other four he'd already received that day alone.
"Don't kill 'im. Snnnn. Oooo-kay!"
He opened his eyes, half expecting to see Snow standing right in front of him. Instead, he was greeted with an empty conference room. "The fuck? Hello? Snorthard? Gulf Powder? Dandruff? Hellooo-ooo?!" The boss looked around in annoyance.
A tuft of silver hair peeked up over the far end of the conference table, followed by a pair of bright electric-ice blue eyes, eyeing Blitz carefully. Under the table, his fingers were spinning any spell that briefly flickered through his thoughts, causing a chaotic disturbance of magic in his hands.
"I heard cake," Eddie stated as he strolled in like he owned the place, ignoring the fact that Blitz had his weapon drawn. He was surprisingly used to it by now.
Taking another deep breath, Blitz put away his flintlock, immediately reverting to his cocky smile. "Yeahyeahyeah! It's on the way. Loona! Are Mox and Mils still in the shower?!"
"Like rabbits in heat. Why?" she called from the other room.
"Tell them to hurry the fuck up! We're having a party, and this shit evidently doesn't set itself up!" Blitz turned to eye Snow as he kept his body below the table, only his eyes visible. "You ever pull a stunt like that again, I will rage fuck every hole in your body before shooting you full of more holes, and rage fucking those too, until your dripping cum and blood like malformed, cream-filled jelly donut!"
"Try it, and I'll have to explain to Stolas how you ended up as a smear splattered across five adjacent buildings through that broken window," Snow countered in a far too sweet voice, his eyes tight, his smile feral, and his head cocked ever so slightly to the side. It didn't help that he was pointing above the tabletop to the conference room window. His body language screamed 'Try me you little bitch!'
"You'd be surprised how much blood is in a little. Imp. Body," Snow cherried the top of that conversation, and plucked it from the stem.
Eddie didn't even have the courage to shiver as he subtly glanced between the two of them. Rock and hard place much? Just as well, he decided to edge his way back out of the room. The bitch was much safer by comparison. At least he could anticipate most levels of violence from her. These two? Not so much.
Blitz was… Blitz. And the albino… was something else entirely.
Knock knock knock.
The gremlin practically rushed for the door, swinging it open to the surprise of one Sinner demon, Madelyn Mayberry, holding a large cake in hand, and topped with a folded banner over the protective plastic covering.
"Um… hello?" she greeted, surprised that it was the company child that opened the door.
"Oh thank God! Someone normal!" Eddie exclaimed, almost barreling into her legs, holding her tightly.
She blinked, just barely preventing herself from tripping over her hooves, almost losing the cake before she eyed the office. The Hellhound was by the bathroom door, eyeing them both – or more accurately, her – but in a way that Mayberry didn't like at all. That… ugh! …boss of theirs, was peeking out of the conference room. Then out strolled–
She blushed when Snow walked out. Dark grey cargo pants and bare-chested was more flustering than she had anticipated.
Snow had just come out to see what the fuss was about, but he half-rolled his eyes when he took it in. He was almost immediately in front of her, politely lifting the cake from her hands. "Oi! Kid! It's a dick move to bog someone down when they're carrying something heavy!"
Eddie turned toward Snow, still holding on to his fellow Sinner like she was his last line to sanity. "Well as far as I'm concerned, she's safer than you jackasses, and less likely to hit me on principal."
"Then quit being a shit," Snow commented, like it was easy. Which it was. All the kid had to do was shut his mouth and think about what he was saying before he said it. Problem solved.
He looked at Mayberry with a shrug, and that patented charming smile. "Must be the school teacher in you."
"M-Must be," she swallowed nervously, having a hard time between choosing to stare at the cake or his chest.
"Seriously. Give us the cake and go fuck somewhere else," Blitz commented with disinterest, causing Mayberry to blush and Snow to sigh.
BANG!
"FUCK!"
Everyone whipped around. Loona had kicked in the bathroom door, causing Snow to groan in distress at the cracks forming in its frame. Millie's exclaiming was more from them slipping in surprise, driving Moxxie exceptionally deeper inside her, leading to a series of purring pants that must have meant she had gotten off rather spectacularly. The steam wafting out of the bathroom was just aesthetically accurate for how steamy it had been for them.
"Hurry the fuck up, rabbits! The cake's here!" Loona snapped before slamming the door closed behind her.
"Give us… a moment." Moxxie panted in the shower. "Shit! Are you okay, honey?"
"~We're bringing… a rubber mat… so you can… properly grip… next time~," Millie panted lustfully. "~But momma… is feelin' good~."
Madelyn's already blushing face went completely scarlet at the sounds coming from the bathroom.
"TMI guys," Loona sniveled in disgust, turning around to see everyone looking at her. She just frowned back at them. "What?"
"Goddamnit," Blitz muttered bitterly.
Snow sighed, unable to rub the bridge of his nose with the cake and banner in hand. "I'm gonna go put this in the conference room before deciding whether or not to shove my head in a woodchipper... whether or not to go headfirst to get rid of this headache."
"I'll get the booze," Loona offered, "it might help."
"With the headache or with the woodchipper?" She just snorted in response.
"YES! PAR-TAY!" Blitz shouted.
Mayberry quirked an eyebrow before looking down at the Sinner child still holding fast to her legs.
"Like I said," Eddie reaffirmed. "You're the normal one here."
"And that's how it happened," Blitz stated smugly, nomming down on a piece of cake after he finished recounting (read: embellishing) the details of their job.
They all sat at the conference table, cake half cut and decorated with "We Did It! :)" in big, bold frosted strokes. Meanwhile, over their heads – courtesy of Snow and Loona (since they were the tallest) – was a banner hanging with "Killed the Bitch".
"Wait a minute. So you're saying that Martha… "hail Jesus, Halleluiah" Martha… was a cannibal?" Mayberry asked, not sure which part of this story she found hard to believe. Was it the part where the entire forest came alive to save them from being burned alive? The part where Blitz was able to dodge bullets? Or was it more that her church-going, husband-fucking, fellow congregation member… ate, skinned, and taxidermized people as some sick psychopath?
'How the Hell did I end up in Hell again?' Madelyn couldn't help but wonder. 'Besides the blind, homicidal rage?'
"And the rest of the family apparently," Moxxie offered, now completely dressed, save for his over-coat placed over Millie's shoulders while his dress shirt had the button undone and his bowtie draped untied around his collar. It was about the most relaxed most had ever seen the imp, much less during work hours.
"And possibly hardcore Satanists and cultists," Millie offered with a half-lidded cheery grin and shrug, dressed back in her own clothes with the addition of Moxxie's coat around her shoulders.
"The… children too?" Mayberry asked reluctantly. Snow quirked an eyebrow at that.
Moxxie only nodded with a brief glum look, but it didn't last long. For some reason, the sex high made the married couple all smiles and… almost gooey in personality. The bounce back was… so weird. Not even the seriousness of the conversation could bring them down. It was disturbing. And gross.
And Snow was not here for it.
"Well, the commercial does say that "Kids die for free"," Blitz cut in, stuffing another cut of cake slice to his mouth. "Insurance is so fucking expensive."
"Hence why I'm here," Eddie added, with a bitter glare, earning a confused look from Mayberry.
"Not much we could do there. You were the target kid. Plus, it would have taken more than one miracle to turn that family around," Snow stated, drinking something a little harder. He wasn't about to mention that the rest of the family had been dead just before the police had blown whatever was left of them all to Hell.
Speaking of which, they were all probably down there with them. Martha's (ex?) husband included. All Hell-bound. It wouldn't surprise him if they were around Pride somewhere.
He might be paying a visit to Pentagram City pretty soon. He could almost feel the excited little gleam of his katana's blade, even when it wasn't strapped to his back.
"Well! As long as Moxxie learned not to fuck things up!" Blitz stated cheerily, probably the only one that had been there that wasn't inherently mulled down in some way by the thought of killing the family.
"Hmm," Millie hummed, her tail curling upward as she glanced sultrily at her man. "And killin' people's okay, as long as they try to kill you back.
"And if I get my biscuits buttered and honeyed like that afterwards… bonus," she chirped shamelessly, causing Moxxie's cheeks to smolder from pink to smoky charcoal as his face literally started burning.
"I'm not sure which part of that is more messed up," Madelyn admitted, before shrugging slightly. "But I paid for it." A few chuckles made its way around. It wasn't wholly jovial, but no use crying over spilt milk. Or crispy-fried, swiss ('Butchered,' Snow corrected) cannibals, as it were.
"Yeah! Fuck that family!" Blitz stated simply, humming softly as he continued to lick the cake from his fork.
"Ah," their boss sighed as he sat back, looking strangely content. "This is as good as it gets."
"So what now?" Snow asked, causing everyone to perk up at the question. He looked at Mayberry with a stern, almost pitying look. "You got your revenge. Martha's dead. Her and her family are probably somewhere this side of Hell as we speak. So what now?"
Madelyn grew somber at that, and maybe a little angry, as she set down her plate. "I don't know. I never thought that far ahead."
'No one does,' Snow held back, biting his tongue. Why did no one have a plan for after the revenge phase?
"I'm sure you'll be fine!" Blitz shrugged. "There's probably someone out there with a teacher fetish that wouldn't mind shelling out some cash for some feet pics." He looked down pointedly with half-lidded eyes. "Or hoof pics I guess."
Mayberry shivered at that, suddenly well aware that up until now, she had probably experienced the better one percent or so of Hell. But still…. "That's… a thing?"
"Honey, there are guys – and some chicks – here who'll walk right up to you and molest your tits," Loona stated casually as she did whatever on her phone. "And if you let them, they'll go much farther. That's where you need to rip off testicles, ovaries, and/or nipples to make a statement. Dismemberment is the only answer here. But what the Hell do I know? Some demons probably get off to that."
"Aren't ovaries internal?" Mayberry asked in confusion.
"And?" Loona demanded, raising an eyebrow in challenge. "Now you know what people mean when they say "grow a pair"."
"I think they mean testicles," Moxxie corrected.
"In that case, you're out on both accounts," Loona shot back.
"Loona, if twenty minutes ago was any indication, I can confirm that my husband has his balls on straight," Millie defended before looking at him lustfully. "He wouldn't 've gravied me up otherwise."
"M-Millie!"
"Well, you are an old lady. The early onset dementia was probably kicking in," Loona replied, earning growls and hisses from the imp couple as they lacked comebacks.
"Mm, that's my girl," Blitz whimpered with starry-eyed pride, earning a disgusted eyeroll from the Hellhound in question.
"Oh."
Mayberry looked around, hoping that the former conversation more than the current was something of a joke. But to her chagrin, nobody laughed otherwise. It… most definitely wasn't a joke. Somehow, she'd been spared the worst of Hell thus far. Even the company child looked somewhat withdrawn.
"So… it's really that bad down here?" she asked.
"It's Hell. There is a lot of bad," Snow stated in thought as he took another swig. He rubbed a thumb over his drink before a soft smile emerged on his face. "But there's some good too. It's hard to find, but you just gotta make sure you don't lose still look for it.
"When all light is consumed by the darkest void, sometimes all it takes to turn it back is the softest whisper."
…
"Snow? You still with us, honey?"
He blinked and inhale sharply, realizing he had spaced off after he spoke. "Hm?" The others were looking at him strangely. Millie was softly touching his arm, in a not unfamiliar way that… forced him to stabilize his breath before it trembled. At least she didn't hit a scar. "Sorry. Just remembering something from a long time ago."
"Hmm. I suppose I could always try for a teaching position down here," Madelyn considered slowly, eyeing Snow for a moment before looking back at her cake. "There's not really any laws or previous reputation stopping me. It'd be nice to… try again."
She shrugged off-handedly as she twirled the wedding ring around her finger before plucking it off. The "'Til death do us part" of her vows was expended, and honestly, she had no intention of picking up her ex in Hell after what he did. Bastard could die alone and with his dick in his hand for all she cared.
"To start over."
"Also, there's nothing against corporal punishment in Hell either," Blitz tacked on with cocky smirk. "So if you get pissed, just take it out on the kids."
She looked borderline mortified at the thought.
"Remind me how you were qualified for adopting again," Snow asked.
"I was seventeen, and they were half-cocked to boot me out the door," Loona stated easily enough, barely looking up from her phone. "Blitz probably greased their palms a little too."
"You're not much better, bitch," Eddie commented, only to ooph! as his chair was kicked over.
"I also threatened to unearth their embezzling if they didn't give me a kid!" Blitz stated proudly, earning some odd looks from the others. 'Cause that sounded... wrong... on so many levels.
"Let us know once ya get started," Snow offered as he picked Eddie up by the scruff of his shirt, snapping his chair back into place with his foot before setting him down. "Might be a good idea to get this little gremlin to finish school."
"WHAT?!" Eddie demanded in protest.
"He does have a point," Millie agreed. "With us workin' all day most days, schoolin' would a good idea."
"Plus, he'd get an education," Moxxie nodded in serious contemplation.
"And I wouldn't have to deal with him," Loona stated, before frowning slightly. "Although… I would lose my kicking bag."
"I'd rather go to school," Eddie stated, glaring at Loona.
"Don't really see the point… buuut it means I don't have to deal with it," Blitz stated without really caring.
"Sure," Madelyn offered, smiling slightly as she lifted a glass of wine. "To new beginnings then."
Clink-clink-clink.
They could toast to that. Especially since there was alcohol (apple juice in Eddie's case) and cake.
"Now, let's really get this party started!" Blitz declared. "PARTY GAMES!"
"Uh… like?" Moxxie inquired.
"A new one! 'Guess that Demon'!"
'Oh fuck me,' Snow deadpanned.
Blitz pulled up the white board. "Everyone goes around and tries to guess what Flour Puck is! Every time we get it wrong, WE DRINK!"
To Snow's chagrin, he could tell by the shifting atmosphere of the room that this was gaining traction fast, and he didn't like that. "No."
"Now-now," Blitz chastised. "Live a little Anal Cake! So, who wants to go fir–"
"I said, no." Snow wasn't taking dismissal for an answer. "No matter how confident I am that no one will guess, I'm not risking my anonymity for a game. That's a deal breaker."
"Uh… Snow, what anonymity?" Millie asked cautiously. "You're in a human disguise like… all the time."
"And you'd be surprised how effective it is considering I've been actively using it for years without having someone in Hell trying to stick a knife in my liver again or clip a "compliance" collar around my neck," Snow air-quoted with disgust, earning odd and worried looks from the others. Which part worried them was tough to say.
"C'mon! What's the worst that could happen?" Blitz asked.
Snow just shook his head as he stood up, downing the last of his drink. "You'd be surprised. Even in Hell." He walked toward the door before deflating slightly. "Sorry to be a party-pooper, but… I'm gonna go get some air."
Even though they could see him clearly, he slipped out without even a whisper. Even the door didn't make it's usual click as it shut behind him.
They stared after him as the door closed behind him
"Well shit, he could've just said no," Blitz huffed, earning reproachful glares.
"I literally do not have the patience to explain to why that was an asshole move." Loona sighed as she stood up, following in Snow's steps.
"Where are you going?" Blitz asked.
"Making sure we didn't just lose Shirtless," she answered.
"Loony, whatever you do, don–!"
"If I fuck him, that's my business," she interrupted, closing the door as Blitz sputtered an incoherent response.
It was quiet for a moment before Madelyn cleared her throat, blushing lightly. "Um, so are those two… you know?"
"Not as far as we know," Moxxie shrugged.
"They want to," Eddie answered just as quickly.
"It's… strangely complicated," Millie placated.
"They better not be," Blitz growled, almost chomping at the bit. "If he defiles my baby girl, I'll castrate him with a plastic soup ladle!"
Madelyn just looked between them with confusion, somewhat subdued by that. Even she was picking to whatever was – or wasn't – going on. Either way, it looked like the human-looking demon was possibly unavailable. A pity too, since he seemed to be a cut above most men. Or at least, far above the average Hell-standard.
The Elevator
If Snow thought he was fooling anybody, he needed to get guud. Maybe it was the fact she had smelled his blood, or maybe the fact that he was something of consistent enough to find, or maybe she had unconsciously taken him into account. Or maybe it was some combination of the three. But tracking him... was surprisingly easy.
Even though she had only been a step or two behind him, his scent had somehow made it all the way to the roof, and as relatively athletic as Loona was for sitting around the office all day (especially after the last week of training), she wasn't chasing him up the stairwell. Fuck that!
So the elevator would take her up most of the way, and she'd take the last staircase to the roof.
Even while tapping her foot against the stale, thin carpeting impatiently to an elevator song that made her contemplate how far of a drop it was from the roof; her culmination of Snow's scent continued to expand and update.
His scent mixed with blood not his own, with sweat and dirt and grime from the previous assignment. Even the vague scents of the others below were left in small imprints. Even earthier (literally) scents like grass and pine mixed pleasantly enough with the Hellborn in him.
And his power. His power seemed to have a scent itself: an extension of himself almost putting pressure in an expanded Hellscape around him. The scent manifesting almost like a small, glowing ball of blue and silver through the walls
Opening the door to the roof, she was greeted by red sky and the expansive city below.
Sn-Sn? Snnn!
She sniffed deeply, erecting her ears on instinct as she followed it around the side of the doorway. He sat on the roof, legs crossed, his weapon resting on his knees as he ran a cloth silently over the blade, seemingly lost in the repetition of it as he continued cleaning the already gleaming weapon.
Funny. She hadn't noticed it was missing from where he'd left it in the office.
"What's up?"
She blinked as she realized she'd been staring. "Just checking on you. Wanted to make sure Blitz didn't scare you off by being… well, Blitz."
"Why? Miss me?" he teased, look back over his shoulder at her.
"Eh, I missed your pretty face," she smirked back, leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
"Ouch. Gut me why don't ya," he joked, only to turn somber the next moment. "I wasn't trying to worry anyone."
"You value your privacy," Loona simplified with a shrug. "It's… odd I guess. Most demons would kill for a sliver of fame or glory. Hell, infamy can get you plenty down here. But not you. And Blitz is just naturally nosy about everyone's business." Thinking nothing of it, she walked over, gently tucking her tail as she sat down next to him while being careful not to introduce herself to the business end of his katana.
"Can you really blame him though? You are kind of a mystery," she stated, eyeing his weapon appreciatively.
Up close, it was a beautiful weapon. Not really her style though. She preferred splitting knuckles. Less skill and technique needed. Didn't stop her from getting her ass handed to her during training though. Still… she felt… strangely cautious of it. Eerily like it was watching her. Sizing her up.
"Hm. Just how I like it."
"Though… I do have some questions," she pondered aloud, wincing slightly when he visibly tensed. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's just… more of a worry I guess."
Snow sighed, otherwise quietly sheathing his katana and strapping it to his back. "Ask away. Just don't expect me to answer."
"Are you a Goetia?"
… … …
"Say what now?"
"Or at least related to one, you know? Son of one? Distant cousin?" she quickly clarified, running a hand through her hair. "Maybe some Goetia's bastard, hunted relentlessly at the behest of his lawful wife, or some shit like that? I don't know!
"It– It kinda makes sense: the magic, the exceptional skill and power, knowing bird-dick, always hiding your identity. Should we be calling you 'your highness'?"
Snow snorted before he began to laugh in earnest. It was soft, melodic, and faded to light hiccuping as he tried to contain it. And unlike his singing, it didn't grate on her hearing. It was a beautiful sound. "No! God no! Could you imagine? Me! A Goetia?!"
She nodded so-so. If his human disguise was anything to go off of… she could see it. Sort of? Maybe? She hadn't really met many personally, but she knew the tone from the one-sided conversations over the phone when Stolas tried to contact Blitz for their "business". Snow definitely didn't talk like one.
Loona quietly fanned her face as she felt it heat up, both in embarrassment and relief. She didn't know if she'd live it down after having ran her hands all over his back. It made a number of things so much simpler if she hadn't just man-handled a Goetia. Or ripped a bullet from his back. "Yeah. Sure. Um… last curiosity for now…."
He perked at that, wondering what she was going to ask.
"Since you're not a Goetia… are you a Hellhound?" she prompted again, this time a little more careful. He simply cocked his head in curiosity. "I mean… like a higher tier one? A deserter maybe?"
"Are-Are you asking if I'm an Orthros corps Hellhound?"
She nodded gently. "O-Or higher?" He grew increasingly silent at that.
"It's just… I smelled your blood and I was so confused! I don't know! I just… I can't make sense of you!" She watched him go rigid at her confession. She didn't know if it was a reflex of his, or if that was part of remaining anonymous to him.
"I know I shouldn't have, but… it was right there. Then there's your scars, and the weird natural flirting thing we got going on, and I'm just… so lost! I know it's dumb, but...!" She looked at him nervously. "You don't hate me for it... do you?"
"Right. Hellhounds can track just about anyone and anything with a little blood," he pondered aloud, almost ignoring her question outright.
She stiffened, half-expecting him to agree with her. It was stupid. It really kind of was.
"It's not dumb," he finally stated, his look somewhere far away. "And I don't hate you. While I don't exactly appreciate having my blood sampled, I can't blame you for doing what your instincts tell you to."
"I didn't… you know… "sample" it. But… But I wanted to," she stated, her ears wilting. "I shouldn't have." She froze when she felt his hand on her head, then blinked when she felt the fingers of said hand running smoothly between her ears.
Part of her wanted to rip him apart right then and there. Another wanted to curl up into a ball and cry as she waited for him to stop. The other part – an abysmally miniscule part – thought it was… nice.
"No, I'm not a Hellhound. Not an Orthros or Cerberus corps Hellhound either," he answered simply. "And what's this "shouldn't have" business? You almost act like…." He trailed off suddenly, his eyes pursing into a frown that made his eyes glow like lightning in a storm.
He didn't stop running his fingers through her hair though.
"No one taught you about being a Hellhound, did they." It wasn't a question. "Someone purposefully stunted you. Tried making you act "normal"."
She froze, unable to move as the words shot out of his mouth like whips. That they stung.
"How much?" he asked, continuing to gently caress her head. She didn't answer, and he didn't really expect her to. It was more than a little personal for a couple of people who'd only known each other a week, even if they had… this… going on. That was just as well. He had more than enough to work with on guesswork alone.
She almost struck out when she felt him moved to sit from beside her to behind her, if not for the slow and gentle care he as he moved. His hands had started to softly rub her ears, and when he moved, he was being exceptionally considerate of her tail.
Almost like he knew about that too.
"Blitz doesn't know, does he," he pondered understandingly, and she just shook her head softly.
He didn't ask any further questions, nor did he say anything else as he softly moved his free arm around her side, presenting it to her palm up. Before she could ask questions, or fully process the mixed reactions she had to being stroked like a common house pet, a soft, blue-tinged flame rose almost wispily to his hand.
Even though he was training her in magic, it still made her eyes widen in wonder every time he showed her. To say magic was "like magic" was too little a statement for the real thing. And a bit redundant. Because the way she saw magic – the same way she saw him look at magic – it was like a child realizing just how many stars spanned the entirety of Creation. Just how massive and deadly they were. And just how beautiful too.
She found herself relaxing against her will, almost leaning into his hand now.
"I had people to teach me what I was. How I should act. How I should feel. Keep my head low and all that shit. I just didn't like what they taught me, so I can't say I really understand what you went through," he stated softly, his warmth almost enveloping her in the space between his chest and her back.
"You though, you didn't have that option." He didn't need to say it. She grew up in an orphanage, and if there weren't a lot of Hellhounds around… well, sharp instincts could get you far if someone wasn't bullshitting you. And it sounded like she'd been spoon-fed a lot of bullshit.
"Wasn't I supposed to check on you, and not the other way around?" she joked weakly.
The flame slowly extinguished from his hand as he chuckled airily. "Now your turn."
She tried turning around, but found that their close proximity made that awkward. "But I haven't even–"
"We've gone over plenty of applicable theory," he stated, his hand gently palming over her hand until he was holding both their hands in front of them. "Knowing about the physics necessary to combust a piece of paper is all well and good.
"But – no offense – you're not a thinker."
"Then… what am I?" she asked softly, shivering as she felt him scoot forward, his chest stabilizing against her back until she could feel his heartbeat thrumming through her.
"Take a guess," he whispered, his breath tickling her now twitching ear. "Magic doesn't tell us what or who we are. It doesn't care how much we were hurt, or how angry we are. It's a tool, and you get to decide how you want to use it.
She swallowed thickly. "What happened to shameless flirting?"
He hummed in amusement. "I'm not flirting, I'm teaching. Now come on." He tapped her hand gently in direction. "Draw it out."
Loona rolled her eyes before narrowing them in focus, trying to imagine a flame springing to her hands. Just like Snow did so flawlessly. However, even after several seconds, nothing was happening.
"Grrrr! This is stupid!" She tried getting up, only to feel a hand secure around her midriff holding her in place. Almost pulling her closer.
"Again," he ordered, suddenly in his immovable, and otherwise relentless Teacher Mode. He wouldn't let her leave until he was satisfied with the result… even if it wasn't what she wanted. He repositioned their hands again. "Don't think about the process that creates and ignites fire. Think about the feeling. What does fire feel like? What is a fire fueled by anger or happiness?"
His hand hovered gently away from hers, just close enough to still feel his presence.
"I-I don't know," Loona sighed, looking at her hand helplessly. It didn't help that she could literally feel the smile on his face, tantalizing her even from inches away.
"Yes, you do, and I'm not letting you off easy. Now, again."
She closed her eyes in rebellious frustration, trying to hold the image of a flame. How warm and bright it could be, even in Hell. How it burned, and warmed.
And light. So much light.
Like the pulse that thrummed gently through her back, sending heat and warmth throughout her body. She inhaled softly, feeling as that warmth traveled down her arms, trailing her veins like lifeblood, tingling in her fingers as though they were waking up for the first time.
"Just. Like. That," Snow smiled a whisper in awe.
Loona opened her eyes to see a single candle drop of orange flame nestled in the palm of her hand. She stared at it, marveling at it. "Thi-This is mine? Y-You're not just doing this to boost my confidence, are you?"
"I don't prefer to teach with false assurances. One should reap the benefits of their own hard work."
She could hardly believe it. It was just a tiny flame. Like the dregs of dying candle. The smallest snuff and it would go out. But it was there. And it was hers.
"Funny thing… I think Blitz is smarter than he realizes," he whispered through a smile.
Loona lost focus at that, the flame dying as her ear rotating back so she could get a proper explanation. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"I think your– I think Blitz has an uncanny ability to attract the odd demons of Hell," Snow answered, smiling softly. "An imp that started a revenge killing business in Hell when the odds and stakes were stacked against him.
"A Hellhound," he nudged her playfully, "that learned to use a magic grimoire, and is just stubborn enough to pursue developing her own magic." 'And you didn't try killing me the very moment we met,' he added, knowing that information was still too close for comfort.
"What about the fatty and the old lady?" Loona asked.
"An imp couple, that for all intents and purposes, is probably the most wholesome and enriched marriage I've seen in Hell or on Earth," he continued, almost frowning in thought. "I mean seriously! Is it just me, or does it seem weird? I mean, I ship it, but they just… love each other." He looked so serious, like he was trying to unravel a mystery he couldn't quite wrap his head around.
"It seems pretty straight forward to me," Loona stated, eyeing the way his hand still absently cupped hers, or how the other one still pressed gently against her belly. Or how his pulse continued to thump-thump warmly through her back.
When was the last time she'd done this? Just sat around and… talked?
But fuck! If it wasn't getting her hot and bothered!
"It's just something I never thought I'd see," he explained softly. "All their flaws. All their faults. All their boons, and skills, and strengths. All the weird little things that make them up… and yet they're so in love. So… yeah, they're definitely unconventional for demons.
"Hell, even Stolas is an odd duck, and Blitz is outright fucking and getting fucked by him."
Loona snorted, smirking before she realized she was getting comfortable. Too comfortable. How unnaturally natural it was just to relax around him.
'Probably because he's not fishing for anything,' she thought.
"And you?" she asked. Just like he had for her, she didn't expect an actual answer. It was personal after all, and he seemed Hellbent on keeping his identity secure.
After several seconds, she felt him shift. "I'm the only one of my kind that isn't hopeless. I'm the only one that isn't weak, helpless, and unchanging."
It was such a simple statement that explained absolutely nothing. And yet everything. And yet nothing again.
"We're unconventional for our kinds. So never think that you're less than any other Hellhound just because some asshole decided you were better off average," he stated firmly, resolving her with a smile. "I can bet you that in part because of that, you managed a feat that few could have, despite the attempts of others." She felt his hands pull her closer, his chin resting gently on her shoulder. "No other Hellhound would think to add magic to their repertoire. So own that shit like a badass, no matter who says otherwise."
She swallowed thickly at his words. On one hand, she had years of "training" that battled his words in her head. But on the other hand... she so wanted to believe everything he had just said. Sighing, she leaned back, resting the back of her head on his shoulder.
She didn't exactly like how close they were, but... she could get used to it. In a platonic sort of way.
She restrained a snort. 'Who's going vanilla now?' she ribbed herself silently.
BAM!
They started, almost teleporting a "proper" distance from each other with how fast they separated. The door to the roof swung open unrestrained, slamming into the wall, and out walked an imp neither of them had ever seen before.
The imp looked… absolutely sloshed, combined with messy hair, dirty horns, unkept stubble, and disheveled clothes. He noticed them right off the bat and loosed a crooked grin. "Uppa here with yur girly-friend are ya?"
'Must be from one of the other offices in the building,' the Hellhound and sorta-demon deduced simultaneously. Welp! Moment ruined!
"You don'' mind if I watch, do ya?" he leered, running his eyes over both of them without even bothering to try and hide it. He was already trying to fish out his wallet. "I'll pay."
'Right. Hell,' Snow deadpanned. Just when the demons started to seem like normal people too.
Said imp found his pocket empty as he patted around for it. "What the–?"
"You and what money?" Snow demanded, absently fishing through the wallet he'd already stolen with a wave of his hand. He turned his nose up at it as the smell hit him. "God! Your wallet smells like a trash heap. And this better damn well be grease?" Without a care, he tossed it over the side of the building without taking anything out, too disgusted by its contents.
"Hey! That's my–!"
In a flash, the imp yelped as he found himself hanging upside down by his leg, staring down at over ten stories of drop between him and the ground. He turned from his hanging, trying to glimpse the demon holding him, only to gulp at the glowing blue eyes boring into him.
"Wha-What're ya doin'?!"
"I have particular distaste for voyeurism," Snow growled, before his tone lowered to a rumble. "Especially when it involves the demons I care about."
Punt!
Gaaaaaaa–!
"You cuuuuuuun–!"
Splat.
Before Snow could drop the bastard, he was suddenly blinking tersely at his empty hand. Next to him, Loona was snarling, lowering her leg after kicking the imp out of his grip. "How's the view from down there, you shrimp-dicked FUCKWAD?!" she called down after him.
'She's definitely Blitz's daughter,' Snow admitted. Maybe not the aggression, but the word choice was a fit. There was just some stuff that couldn't pass down through genetics. That there, was all taught and learned.
"Remind me not to piss you off," Snow contemplated, looking down at the red smear of terminal splatter on the pavement below. And all the little demons going about their business without really caring. They had almost gotten a two-for-one special on the entertainment factor on that splatter-fest.
She huffed, snorting aggressively at the building edge before looking back at Snow. And things had been going so… well… sorta good? It was... nice. And... she didn't want to lose that just yet.
"Give me your phone."
Snow blinked again. "Say what?"
"Phone! Give it! Now!" she demanded, holding out her hand.
"Um… why?" he asked, honestly perplexed.
"Maybe I have some questions about magic? Maybe your ass might need bailed out during a job? Maybe you'll just be my booty call? Maybe I'll need to "penetrate" you again?" she listed like it was obvious, gesturing sharply once again.
'Or… ya know? Just… friend… stuff,' she thought weakly, unable to quite voice that. It was easier making him out to be a teacher, co-worker, or one fine piece of ass; rather than… that.
Snow blinked… slowly… before just shrugging. Far be it from him to argue with logic like that. "Fine. But heads up ahead of time, I call little spoon."
Loona flushed as he handed over his phone with no further resistance. Just like that? So easily? He just… handed it over? She wasn't exactly sure what the protocol was here. A relative lack of friends made her social awareness… something of lacking, and it made her nervous on whether or not she was doing this right. Then again... he was a bit odd already.
As long as Snow didn't have an issue with it and kept diffusing her worries like that, it couldn't be that bad… could it?
But seriously, the weirdo didn't even have his phone password protected. Anyone could get into his shit if they wanted. Like how she instantly noticed his stark lack of contacts, though she supposed it was smart to mark them with monikers rather than actual names.
She quickly entered her info before sending herself a text, pulling out her own phone to save his number under "Cheesecake", doing her best to hide her humor.
"Y-Yeah. You look like a little spoon," she muttered, handing him his phone back.
"Don't I though?" he smirked. He looked at his contacts, quirking a brow at her. ""Side Bitch"? Really?"
"Got a problem with that?" she demanded, doing her best not to show her nervousness behind a quirked eyebrow.
He nodded so-so, before not so subtly changing it. "It could be better," he offered, walking back toward the stairs.
"Yeah? Like what?" She frowned as her phone chimed, quickly opening up the message she recieved.
'"Best Bitch" has a much nicer ring to it.'
She looked back up to see Snow holding the door back into the building open, still with that sly smirk on his face. Loona just scoffed, rolling her eyes at him as she moved to follow. As she passed, she gave him a half-stern look. "Flirting huh?"
She wasn't that keen on getting "stolen" just yet… but he did make it tempting. Enticing even.
"Yep," he answered with that same seemingly carefree but dazzling smile of his. "The absolutely shameless kind."
She smirked as she walked past him.
He hesitated for a moment before following. He was suddenly nervously fiddling with the phone in his pants pocket. This was new territory for him. It was only a little over a week and he felt like he was getting pulled in like a riptide. That was dangerous. Things like that had to be regulated. Brought to a head slowly. That's how trust was built. And he only trusted a select few people.
At least, he didn't trust her enough to tell her that he'd saved her phone number under "Bright Eyes". That was okay... right?
Author's Note: Don't forget to READ and REVIEW! ^^
First off, I realized last chapter that I stated that I preferred a bare-minimum on realism in my stories... only to go back and reread the Prologue and realize realism had left the building sooo long ago the moment I had Snow's old apartment blow up. *sigh* Still, I enjoyed it while it lasted. Still prefer the method I took though.
Also something I forgot to mention last chapter (or was it the chapter before? Enh), the idea behind Eddie's demon form was inspired by the Krenshar from D&D and Horned Lizards.
Always enjoy a good penetration joke.
Per the usual, a little more insight into some of the characters, and their 'vices'. But I enjoy it all the same. Much of it is creative liberty and imagination, but some of these characters seem to have so much depth, that not exploring it seems almost a disservice. And I graciously await the day that we get that from Vivzie. Until then, I've made some of my ideas clear... and some not-so-clear.
Loona's segment was a little tougher to write, both her take on Snow and her own character depth, without giving all the facts away. As far as the available characters go, Loona's is the one that gets to me. She was orphaned until she was adopted by Blitz (at 17 years-old at that), reportedly has no friends (as of Spring Broken) but seemingly not of her own volition (namely her social awkwardness, and her willing but stunted attempts at actual conversation), a general lack of concern for her own health (sexual, physical, and otherwise) and well-being (she'd had syphilis for how long now? Is her liver shot yet?), swings between apathy and emotional extremes, and feelings of being cornered when confronted about seemingly normal stuff. Hellhounds strike me as somewhat social demons (given hound-parties are evidently a common thing), and yet Loona is very much... not. In animals (and people) this tends to correlate with certain learned behaviors that I'll save for future chapters, because it'll give me extra content to write. What's more, this is taking place in Hell, so whatever I can expect out of her character... is now about a thousand times worse.
If you guys have read any of my other stories, you'll know I favor explorations of the psyche, so getting to piece together Loona (both Vivziepop's ultimate goal with her, and my own version) is both interesting and a challenge. The fact that we know more about Blitz, Stolas, and Millie (if only barely) than any of the other cast is equal parts infuriating and mind-numbingly engaging.
A part of me was torn between Madelyn Mayberry joining I.M.P., or going her own way. Her joining I.M.P. has been done in a couple other stories, so I took some time to actually sit down and think about her actual options in Hell rather than jump on that bandwagon, tempting though it was. I pulled some deductive reasoning, and figured, there had to at least be schools in Hell. Those implings have to learn their letters and numbers somehow (and put that third grade education to use in Hells job market, because there're no child labor laws). The chance to start over even after getting revenge is a rare opportunity, and after her revenge was over, she did seem more like her old self in the show... if only barely. So... yeah, she's leaning toward becoming a teacher in Hell.
Along that same vein, I keep having to remind myself that Hell is still Hell. Vivziepop has this creative and funny way of presenting dark humor, that I sometimes forget that she slips in some very real and traumatic stuff (Angel Dusts "Addict" is the example I go by when I start feeling all nice and tingly watching the casts of either show), and that even if we don't always see it in the shows, it's still very present in the background, and I hope I'm doing both shows some service with the subtle and... not-so subtle, stuff. Some Sinners absolutely thrive in Hell... and others don't.
Stolas is always fun to write, and his current (limited to phone) interactions with Snow make me smile every time. He just strikes me as a worrywart, and to be honest, I just roll with it. Like the other characters, he's multi-faceted, and it's fun to fill in those gaps (dirty owl sex joke pun not intended).
And again, Snow is a stickler about his identity and how much he reveals, both about his past and about his demonology. Can't really blame him. The more I have him reveal, the more I kind of dread finally letting any more cats out of the bag. Even then, I think I'll probably keep some stuff in reserve, if only to introduce the idea slowly. I built a backstory for this guy, and I'm sticking to it.
Loona's questions were ones I was confident she would ask. From her POV, she's not sure what they got going on, only that Snow is exceptionally powerful, in hiding, and has taken a lot of damage. Add in their strange chemistry, and no lack of authentic interactions otherwise, and you have yourself a confused Hellhound. I find sometimes that the process of elimination often times builds anticipation, slowly eliminating possibilities until there are no others left.
In that same consideration... demons... and the multitude of forms they take. While Vivziepop had a few select species (or... sub-species?) of demons that we know of, Hell feels kind of... empty of diversity all things considered (possibly a writing and animation constraint). The idea to incorporate more (sub?) species of demons took some thought. Considering that the Rings themselves each represent a carnal sin, it left me more confused, considering that Vivziepop doesn't seem to follow any particular rules here (Imps seem to be native to just about every Ring: Wrath, Lust, and Pride, namely as far as we've seen), and the closest we came to seeing denizens of the other Rings was at "Ozzie's", and even then we weren't given much to go on. So I made some additions, if only to enhance the experience in baby steps, each inspired namely by mythology.
Snow helps Loona draw out her first fire! Happy squeal moment! ^^ While it seemed kind of a sudden change in pace, it really wasn't. This was intentional. Snow utilizing something so profound and simple when it's clear that Loona isn't a typical Hellhound as far as I can tell, and making that uniqueness all the more precious. Revelations in magic are always a wonderful thing to me, like they add a literal mysticism to a moment. They demonstrate things that are otherwise hard to conceptualize, and present it in such a way that enhances the world it takes place in. Those are some of my favorite scenes.
And finally... finally! ... I didn't really have a plan for how number exchanges went down, but I'm not disappointed. It's simple. She doesn't want it to end at that, and Snow's smart enough not to say no, even if he's experiencing some conflict about it.
Heads-up: I'm officially removing this as a Sample Story, and just letting it develop as one of my official stories. There is plenty of original storyline that I have planned, but that will probably take place after the Spring Broken chapters, because as far as a followable timeline (seasons, dates, general months, timetables), Vivziepop left us completely in the dark, so I'm trying to stitch something together that's... relatively followable.