Middle of The Night: The Living World
Out in the forest far from a neighborhood in the State of Michigan, a glowing red portal opened up, growing till it was big enough to enter or exit. Not long after forming, four silhouettes in a variety of sizes and shapes emerged before going through the portal. Though to easily be mistaken as humans at first glance from the darkness, stepping into the moonlight outside the forest reveals they were in fact demons from hell itself. Three of the four carrying weapons ranging from firearms to blades were Imps, also known from Germanic legends as the weakest Hellborns of Hells ranking.
The tallest of the Imps with large horns curved down, a lanky build, and a white blotch over the right of his face is known as Blitzo, the o is silent. He's the boss and founder of the Immediate Murder Professionals, or I.M.P. for short.
The two short yet equal-height Imps with Blitzo are a married couple and two of the three employees of I.M.P. The Imp with white hair, freckles, horns curved like an S, and minotaur legs is Moxxie, a specialist in long-range weapons, particularly guns. The Imp with black hair, a beauty mark, horns pointing up, and long eyelashes is Millie, a specialist in close-range weapons, specifically knives.
The tallest of the Imps and while not an Imp, but slightly above their level is Loona, the Receptionist of I.M.P. and the adopted daughter of Blitzo. Evident from her red scleras, white irises, slit pupils, snout, downy tail, and wolf-like ears, she's a Hellhound.
"OK you two, remember what the client wants." Blitzo glanced at Moxxie and Millie with a grin while Loona hung out in the back, leaning against a tree, scrolling and texting on her phone. "We're here to locate two targets. A Mr. and Mrs. Canary." He looks out at the opening, seeing a large land of grass and flowers, and at the far end of it all, a neighborhood full of nice-looking homes. "We follow them home, sneak our way in, kill them, and make it look like a fucked up suicide."
Blitzo turned to face Moxxie and Millie with a raised brow. "You got all that? Because I'm not repeating myself again." He shook his head before getting a nod from Millie, who was wielding a combat knife, spinning it before placing it back into its sheath that's at her hip. Her husband Moxxie, loading a pistol with a silencer, looked at the forest they walked out of with concern, which Blitzo ignored with a grin. "Good! Now let's-"
"Uh...Sir?" Moxxie raised a finger, interrupting his boss, and making him sigh.
"What is it Moxxie? Gettin' cold balls again?" Blitzo grinned, pointing below Moxxie's waist.
Annoyed, but disregarding his question, Moxxie tells Blitzo. "Sir, You're ignoring a liable hazard that could do damage to more than just our mission."
"Liable hazard? What liable hazard?"
In response to Blitzo's oblivious questioning, Moxxie moved aside and pointed his suppressed pistol toward the portal they came through. While deep in the forest, the portal can still be seen if focused on, still functioning with full access to their department in hell, I.M.P.
Oh, that." Blitzo eyed the portal and then grinned, shaking his head. "Heh. That won't be a problem for us."
"Care to clarify? Moxxie requested in confusion.
"Gladly!" Blitzo looked at Moxxie and Millie, who showed curiousness. "You see, there's a limited-time sale on this figurine that I've had my eye on-mmm...All day. And fortunately for us, mostly me, the client is willing to pay us handsomely more than what it's worth." With the back of his hands resting on his sides, he declared. "So I decided we make this mission as short yet sweet as possible."
Blitzo turns to the hellhound. "Loona." She glances up from her phone with disinterest. "Guard the portal. Make sure nobody comes in or out unless I say so."
"Whatever." With a shrug, Loona returned her attention to her phone.
"That's my Looney."
While Blitzo praised Loona, Moxxie looked at him unimpressed. They're supposed to be the Immediate Murder Professionals. How can they carry "Professionals" in the moniker if they leave a literal gateway to hell open for anyone or anything to discover or even enter on accident? And guarded by Loona no less.
"But Si-"
"Now let's go kill that shitty couple!" Blitzo shouted before going on ahead.
Moxxie could only let out a sigh at this before feeling his wife rub his back, comforting him. "Oh don't worry much, Mox. I'm sure we'll be fine." Millie then assures her husband. "Even if Loona doesn't guard the portal, I don't think anyone would be around here this late at night to see it."
Moxxie smiled at Millie, believing what she told him. They opened up the portal far from and out of sight of civilization in the state of Michigan. Not only that, it's midnight, nobody comes out here at this time, especially when it's this dark out.
"You're right, honey." Moxxie looks at his wife, feeling most of the weight of worry lift from his shoulders, Ignoring the bit that remained.
Millie smiled. "Good! Now, let's catch up to Blitz before he begins without us." Holding her husband's hand, the two run off after their boss.
Glancing up from her phone, Loona gave a smile. "Finally...Peace and quiet." Looking back at the screen of her phone, Loona began to pass the time while she waited for the Imp trio to come back. She scrolled through posts, watched some random videos posted from those online in hell, and even played some enjoyable yet cheesy games.
20 Minutes Later
'Ugh...I'm so bored.'
After almost half an hour, Loona started to show signs of fatigue just from standing near the tree and guarding the only way back to I.M.P. Her phone wasn't doing much to keep her awake, and standing around in one spot was leaving her legs aching for rest. With a tired sigh, Loona looked up at the night sky above. She wondered to herself, trying to figure out what to do while she waited for Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie's return.
"Hmm..." Loona looked back at the portal from behind herself as a question came to mind. Did she really have to guard the portal when it was here, hidden from everyone here in the living world? "Eh, what the-"
*THUMP*
Loona's ears flinched as she turned to the direction of the sound. "Hell...?" Listening carefully she could hear something small but limp tumble down a hill nearby. While soft, the small and dainty thuds she heard after the first became louder and more painful before ending with the rustle of leaves.
Gaining the full attention of the Hellhound with enough to leave her curious, Loona looked back at the portal and to the direction of the sound. Furrowing her brows, Loona stuffed her phone into her pocket and walked over to investigate the cause of the noise with caution.
"I swear if it's another dead dog tossed away like junk-"
Before Loona could mumble what she was going to do, she heard a groan coming from the location in the same spot. It sounded innocent and youthful yet in discomfort and pain. Not wasting any time walking, Loona got on all fours and ran towards the source. Hearing another groan she stopped at a halt and turned to a bush in the middle of a small opening, deformed by a silhouette lying on top of it.
"It's alive." Loona sighed before noticing the scent from the form on the bush wasn't a dog. "Wait..." Quietly, Loona approached the bush and the figure until she was able to tell that this wasn't any dog, nor any kind of pet for that matter.
"What the fuck...?!"
The figure was a human boy as apparent in his height, appearance, and scent. He was wearing a red shirt, black pants, both worn and torn and red shoes that were still in good condition. But the most noticeable feature of the boy was his hair. It was as white as snow with a slight silver glimmer from the moonlight, it was all natural.
Besides all that, she could tell from the kid's smell that he was hurt. His hair was unkempt with leaves and twigs in it from rolling down the hill and he was covered in cuts and bruises, hence why the odor of iron was coming off him.
A little uncertain at the moment due to the boy being alive, Loona sat on one of her knees to level with him. "Hey, uh...You ok, kid?" Loona asked with an awkward expression as she shook him a little by his shoulder. But he didn't wake up or even groan in response to the shaking, he was just...motionless.
The Hellhound felt a sudden sense of dread beginning to take effect on her. A feeling that she doesn't really have unless it's from her check-ups or back when she was still...
Shaking her head to suppress that memory in the very back of her mind, Loona focused on the boy and leaned toward him. Rather than check his pulse or give him CPR, she closed her eyes and sniffed his face. She took a deep inhale through her nose until she discovered the scent she was so familiar with.
'His soul's still lingering in his body...He's alive."
Opening her eyes and pulling herself away from the kid, Loona looked around and listened carefully. While she didn't do this until now, she tried to see if anyone was nearby or up the hill, like family or at least friends who were passing by with him. But there was nothing. No talking, no footsteps, no other human odor, not even a vehicle taking off.
Hearing nothing for the past couple of seconds, Loona looked back at the unconscious boy, who hadn't twitched or moved. From the times she came across someone unconscious in hell and the living world, she would just leave them there without giving a damn. But...She's not doing it this time, she was doing the complete opposite.
This wasn't some random demon, drunk, sinner, or even junkie, this was a child. A child who still has good left in him, in that soul of his.
"I...I...I can't leave you like this..." Loona's eyes widened at the realization of her own words to the kid and facepalmed with a growl-like groan. 'Fuck! Why do I even care!?'
She removed her hand from her face and looked at the boy with determination. Acting out of her Hellhound instincts, she grabbed the bush, opened her mouth, and bit down on the back collar of the boy's shirt. Standing up, she lifted him out of the shrub and ran back to the portal on her two feet. She glanced left and right before spotting the portal right where it was left.
"Teere-ii-ish!"
The Hellhound looked puzzled when she heard her words come out as gibberish. Due to her speech impediment, her eyes focused on her snout to see a red cloth in her mouth with white hair behind of it. A small tint of red appeared on her face, seeing she was carrying the child from his tattered shirt with her jaws.
After groaning, Loona held the boy from his head and legs carefully and released his shirt from her mouth. Facing away and spitting out the taste of cloth from her tongue, she ran toward and into the portal right back to the department I.M.P.
Meanwhile: I.M.P.
Back in the building, Loona carried the unconscious kid out of the meeting room and right into the waiting room. The same room where she works at the front desk as the Receptionist. Heading on over to the left of the room where two doors are present, Loona goes straight towards the left one. The door was labeled, "Loona's Room", etched in with the words, "Keep Out!" beneath it, belonging to the Hellhound. As she opened the door, the room was revealed to be a bedroom.
Entering it, Loona went over to her queen-sized bed and carefully laid the boy on it with his head on the pillow. For some reason, she felt somewhat glad that her Da...Blitzo decided to renovate this once-empty stockroom into a dormitory with a bathroom, just for her. The same can be said for the room next door that once used to be a lounge.
Immediately Loona left her room and went straight to her desk, rummaging through it. 'There has to be a med kit here somewhere. I know Blitz gave me one in case of emergencies.' She kept opening drawers of her desk and moving supplies around until the med kit was uncovered. "There!" Taking it out, she placed the kit on her desk and pinched the zipper before giving a pull...Only for the zipper to be stuck. "Oh come, fucking, on!"
Loona put a bit more strength into her pulls on the zipper to open the bag, but it only proved to be difficult and useless, refusing to move any further. "Screw it!" Loona yanked the zipper with all her might, ripping it off before using her hands to pull open the bag. Picking it up she ran back into her room and laid it right next to the boy.
"Ok kid, this'll be done and over way before you wake up...Unless the pain wakes you." She reaches into the bag and takes out what she needs to treat his wounds. Items such as aloe, healing ointment, sterile wipes, a cold pack, scissors, and bandages, elastic and non-elastic. Without a pause, Loona began to help, treating the kid's wounds.
3 Hours Later
"Ughh..."
Almost an hour and a half after being treated, the kid started to open his eyes with a whisper-like groan. Raising his eyelids, his blurry vision began to clear up, allowing him to see a ceiling above, rather than leaves or the night sky. Carefully sitting up he felt a sudden pang course throughout his body, most of it originating from the top of his head that felt...Cold. "Oww..." He placed a hand on his head right where the pain throbbed, only to feel a cold pack there.
"Huh...?" He rubs the cold pack that, simultaneously rubbed against his head as he looks around at what's in front of him. Other than the midnight blue walls and ceiling, he sees a gray carpet and an open door to a bathroom with a shower and all. Aside from the bed, there were also bedside tables with lamps, a coffee table, a cabinet, a TV, a ceiling fan, and even a mini-fridge.
"W-Where...Am I?" He managed to speak, his throat slightly dry, alien to his new surroundings.
"You're in my room kid."
"Ah!" He jumped, startled by the response. Looking to his right he saw what looked to be an anthropomorphic female wolf with her back against the wall, reading a magazine. She had the ears, fluffy tail, snout, slit pupils, and even claws and sharp teeth of a wolf. But what he noticed the most was that she also had red and white glowing eyes, long white hair, and gray & white...
'Skin?' Lincoln examined closely to confirm to himself that it was indeed skin she had that blended well with her hair and tail. Not only that but instead of having legs shaped like a canine, they're instead shaped like humans. He can also see the female wolf's attire. She was wearing a gray crop top with strings above her breasts that shaped a pentagram, but upside down. Black shorts that're scarcely ripped at the fringes with a crescent moon on each side of her hips. She also wore black fingerless gloves and toeless stockings, practically leaving her barefoot, and a choker with spikes.
"Are you alright?" She asked looking at him, breaking him out of his examination of her appearance. When he didn't answer, she told him in annoyance. "You were lying in the bush in the middle of the woods. What happened to you?"
Just from her tone and glowing eyes, the boy uttered a yelp and quickly hid under the covers out of fear. She raised a brow before looking back at the magazine. "I was just asking a question, kid." She clarified, flipping to the last page.
In a couple of seconds, the boy peeked out from the covers, facing the wolf. "W-W-Who are you?" He asked, looking around at his surroundings again.
With a sigh, the wolf closed her magazine and placed it on the bedside table beside her before taking the covers off the kid. He gasped in fright, believing she was going to harm him. But to his surprise, she leaned toward him and sniffed the top of his head, causing him to stay still until she stopped.
"Good..." She stood straight up again. "Your body's back to normal temperature, that bump on your head's going down, and that ointment is healing your bruises." Holding his arm with care, revealing it was wrapped in an elastic bandage, she grabbed the end and began unwrapping it. "I'm Loona. And if it isn't obvious enough, I'm a Hellhound." Once the bandages were off, she checked his wounds to see if they were healing as well. "What about you?"
As Loona was checking his arm, she was clueless about the kid's current expression. Having a better look at the Hellhound's clothing, he was left stupefied. Her clothes were revealing and even hugged her figure, making it easy to see her feminine traits.
"Uh..." Focusing away from her clothes, he focused his eyes on Loona's when she looked up at him. "I'm..." He paused, trying to recall his name. In his mind, he carefully pieced together the fragments of his memory until it finally came to him. "Lincoln...Shiloh?" He pondered for a moment and nodded, verifying his own name. "Yes, Lincoln Shiloh And..."
Lincoln suddenly paused, having no other memory of his life besides his name and a few other things he couldn't really identify at the moment. "I...Can't remember anything else about myself..."
With a groan of disappointment, Loona wrapped his arm back up. She knew this was a possibility after noticing that bump when treating his injuries. 'Well...Bringing him back to wherever he came from is out of the question.' After Loona finished wrapping Lincoln's arm, she looked at him. "I guess you can stay here then for as long as you want...Not that I care."
Pulling out her phone, Loona turns and sits on her bed right beside Lincoln. Before tapping on a video, she looked at him, only to see that he covered himself again, shaking slightly, making her roll her eyes. "Look, I'm not going to eat or hurt you. So just relax, ok?"
The shaking soon stopped as he poked his head out from the covers, seeing that Loona was just staring at her phone, not even trying to pull anything on him. So doing as she asked, he started to take deep breaths until he felt his heart beating slow down back to normal. "Where am I?"
"You're in my room inside the department where I work. I.M.P." Loona paused a moment without taking her eyes off her phone. "...Those are initials, by the way."
"I.M.P.?"
"Yes." Loona nods. "It's a small business that helps arrivals in hell-"
Lincoln's eyes widened. "Hell!? I'm dead?!" He looked at his hands from the front and back for any signs of paleness or even demonic alteration.
"What?" Loona looked at him as if he lost his mind. "No! What part of, "Are you alright" didn't you understand?" She asked before informing him. "I found you in the woods out cold and wounded. So I brought you here to treat your wounds. I..." Loona sighed. "I just couldn't leave you there to die."
Lincoln sighed happily. 'That's a relief...' His eased expression abruptly faded. "Wait, if you're a Hellhound then why did you help me?"
"Like I said I couldn't leave you there." Just as Loona was about to say something else, she was notified that her phone's battery was low. Annoyed, she turned it off and sat up from the bed. "I don't have time for this." She mumbled, plugging her phone into the charger on the bedside table. "I'm gonna go take a shower."
Walking over to the bathroom, she stopped between the door frame and looked at Lincoln. "Listen...If you're hungry, go to the kitchen to get something to eat. You'll see it on the way out of my room." Before closing the door, she pointed at him. "And just because I saved you doesn't mean I'll be treating you like some special guest."
After she slammed the door shut, Lincoln was now alone in the bedroom. He took a moment to look around again, just to ensure he remembered the room sufficiently. Suddenly a growl caught his attention, discovering that it was coming from his stomach. 'Man I'm hungry.' Still feeling a bit sore, Lincoln removed the covers from himself and slowly got out of bed.
Reaching the other door he opened it and left the room, closing the door from behind to give Loona privacy if she came out of the bathroom. Just as Lincoln turned away, he noticed the windows on the opposite wall, along with some red hue from the outside. Interested, he went over to check it out.
'Why's everything so...Red?'
Yes, while Lincoln had little to no recollection before this, he can still recall a couple of things that were common. One of those common things was that the sky was usually blue, not red. Looking down from the window, he let out a gasp, left shocked...Well, surprised for the most part by what he sees.
On Earth, he used to overhear from locals, whom he can't remember the appearance or names of, that the underworld was a place of hellfire and molten lava. A world of its own where the cruel and remorseless are forced to face their sins and endure eternal torment. But that's not what it appears to be. Instead from what he sees, hell is nearly identical to the cities he's seen on Earth. Specifically, cities you would find inhabited mostly by criminals, murderers, and insufferables.
'Hell...Doesn't look as bad as they say it is.'
Seconds after thinking that, Lincoln witnessed what he originally presumed wasn't even possible. Almost every single transgression he had ever seen or heard of in the living world had begun simultaneously. From other buildings, alleyways, and the ground below, there was destruction, drug possession, gunfights, mugging, robbery, and all other kinds of assault. He wasn't sure about murder, however, as through all the chaos sinners and demons that were shot, stabbed, crushed, and bludgeoned miraculously survived.
Feeling he had seen enough, Lincoln backed away from the window, his eyes still wide. Entering the kitchen backward, he kept going until his back made contact with the wall as he slid down to the floor, taking time to unpack what he saw.
"Well...That confirms it...I'm in hell."
Several Minutes Later: Loona's bathroom
With the rush of water ceasing and the squeak of a knob turning, Loona exits the shower. She wrapped a black towel around her torso and used another to dry her hair. 'Can't believe I'm helping this brat...' She thought, tossing the second towel into a hamper and leaning toward the mirror with her hands on the sink.
Looking at her hair in the reflection she straightened it out, letting it dangle from the back of her head to dry. Satisfied, Loona stretched a little, cracking her limbs and back, and exited the bathroom to retrieve her charged phone and grab some fresh clothes. Just as she was about to grab it, she noticed the bed was empty and Lincoln was no longer in her room.
'Hm. He had to of gone to the kitchen for grub...Good.' Loona smiled and was about to grab the towel around her body before something came to mind that made her pause. 'Was it a good idea to let him go by himself and make his own food?' While it was a kitchen, there wasn't anything to microwave or even eat cold. The last she checked there was only some non-alcoholic drinks and a box or two of uncooked pasta.
'Maybe it won't be bad...' Loona shrugged before recalling another thing non-food related. 'Though, Blitz did tell us yesterday he was going to pr-' "Oh fuck!" Wide-eyed, Loona ran out of her room in alarm immediately, caring little of whatever damage she may have caused with the door.
Meanwhile
Back in the kitchen, Lincoln was at the dining table, sitting in a chair, eating a bowl of pasta covered in a white sauce with a soda can beside it. He got off the floor a couple of minutes ago to check the fridge for food, only to find bottles, cans, butter, and some refrigerated condiments. It was a surprise for him to see that most of their food was as same as on Earth. When he found two boxes of pasta along with a pot, he decided to test himself to see if he had any dexterities in cooking.
The final result speaks for itself.
*BANG*
Lincoln jumped just as he was gonna open the soda from the sound of a door slamming open. "Kid stop! Before you..." Loona ran to the doorway of the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table, already with food and a drink. "Get...Hurt?" Seeing he was only eating with the bandages that she gave him, nothing added to it, Loona felt glad...Almost glad.
Going over to the counter, she immediately spotted what she was bothered about. Grabbing the handle and pulling open a drawer full of utensils, she found what Blitzo had stuffed in there. Beneath the utensils were handguns and several other small weapons that could fit in there.
Loona felt the weight lift off her shoulders before her nose picked up a pleasing aroma wavering in the air, making her mouth water. "Hey...What did you make?" She turned to look at Lincoln and approached. "It smells so...Good?" She halted just a few feet away from the dining table, seeing Lincoln looking at her puzzled, his eyes darting down and up. "What?"
"Why are you wearing a dress?"
'Dress? I'm not...Oh...' Realizing what he meant, Loona looked down to see she was still in her towel. She was in such a panic she forgot to get dressed. 'Ooh crap!' Making sure the towel didn't come loose, she held onto it with that tint of red before reappearing on her face again. "O-Oh, I picked the wrong dress, I-uh...Will be right back!"
Lincoln could only watch as the Hellhound bolted out of the kitchen and back to her room. Rather than continue eating, he waited. At the same time, Loona closed the door behind her and ran to her cabinet, opening it to grab her clothes.
'Dammit! Why did I run out in just a towel?!' Loona scolded herself, embarrassed by her impulses acting up again as she slipped back into clothes identical to what she had worn before showering. Fully clothed and coolheaded, Loona went over and grabbed her phone from the bedside table, unplugging it. "Ok. What's the time?" Turning it on, she was left surprised to see that 4 hours had passed since Blitzo, Moxxie, and Millie went to kill the Canary's.
'It's already midnight? They should've been back by now!" Loona mentally groaned. 'So much for short and sweet.'
Unlikes many times before ever since Blitzo started I.M.P. she wanted them to come back so she could explain the situation with Lincoln. But since they're not here, that could only mean there was a snag in the mission and they're either having a stakeout or improvising a new strategy.
10 Minutes Later
Returning to the kitchen in her clothes this time, Loona began to speak. "Listen, kid, forget what you saw or..." As she entered the room, she stopped. There was a second bowl on the small dining table opposite Lincoln. "Why is there another bowl?"
"Oh...I figured you were going to be hungry. So I made extra." He motions to the dish after rubbing the back of his head. "It's Alfredo Pasta. I had to melt some of the butter and Parmesan left in the fridge together and mix it with a few herbs to make the Alfredo sauce."
From both the food and Lincoln's generosity, Loona was in a state of amazement and wagging her tail a little. Snapping out of it, she gave him a severe gaze and crossed her arms. "How did you learn to cook? And when did you know I was hungry?"
"I'm not really sure...I just knew how." He shrugged with a smile before getting up from his chair. "And your stomach growled when you came in here in your dress."
As Lincoln walked over to Loona, she gave a low snarl, having requested he forget what he saw. To her surprise, he wasn't fazed by her snarl, though it was almost quiet, he didn't even flinch. He walked over to her, held her hand, and led her to the table.
"Come on, the food will get cold!"
"Uh...Ok?" Loona felt the blood rush back into her face as she grabbed her chair and sat down with Lincoln going back into his seat to eat. While he grabbed his fork to dig in, she stared at him. 'This is just...Weird. He was shaking, but now he's just...Fine." Looking at the dish in front of her.
It still caught her off guard when she first caught a whiff of the Alfredo sauce and just from smelling it again at a closer range, she smiled a little. Using her fork, she pierced some of the noodles glazed in the white sauce and ate them. Chewing, getting it all over his tongue, she was gripped by the taste.
'It's delicious!'
This Alfredo Pasta had to of been the best food she ever had in her life. Quickly Loona used her fork and heartily ate more of the cuisine, oblivious to Lincoln who beamed as he witnessed her eating while drinking his soda. Just as he looked back down to eat, Loona glanced up at him, looking at his bright smile and snow-white hair, and quickly chuckled.
'Heh, cute...' Loona suddenly realized what she thought. 'Whoa what the hell?!'
She did it again. Why are her thoughts straying from not caring to suddenly caring for Lincoln? She just saved the kid, why is she treating him like he's- 'No-no! Don't think about that! Stop thinking about it!' Focusing on just the food, Loona continued to eat.
55 Minutes Later
With dinner over and the dishes and utensils washed, Loona was back in the meeting room with her phone waiting for the others to come back. As for Lincoln, he had opted to go back to her room. Having no clue why, Loona guessed he just felt safe in there. When Blitzo renovated the room, he did take the liberty to have it modeled after a room he came across from the Living World. Maybe it reminds Lincoln of his own room?
Shrugging at the question and seeing how late it was from the time the mission began, Loona stared over at the portal and sighed. "Looks like it'll be a while before they come back." She somehow expected this, it wouldn't have been the first time that the mission had almost gone south.
Getting up from the chair, Loona went back to the waiting room and opened the door back to her room. Upon entering she spotted Lincoln back on her bed on the left side, fast asleep, likely to rest up and let his wounds heal. Normally in a situation like this, Loona would kill anyone who dared to sleep on her bed, but she didn't.
Going over to the bed, Loona got a good look at Lincoln. When she first saw his unconscious form, he was in pain. But now, he was sleeping in peace with no signs of discomfort.
"Huh...He...Really is cute." Loona smiled a little as she closed the door behind her and prepared to go to bed herself.
Walking over to her cabinet, Loona removed her top, including her thigh-high stockings to put on top of the cabinet and wear in the morning. She wasn't going to remove her shorts with Lincoln here after what could've happened earlier, especially for other...Reasons. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out a nightdress that, oddly enough, was the same black as the towel she had on after her shower.
Putting it on, she let it drop down until it had reached her thighs. Going to the right side of the bed, she cautiously lays down right next to Lincoln before resting her head on her pillow. Nestling the side of her face into the fluffy fabric, she closed her eyes and soon fell right to sleep.
But after a minute or 2, she felt a slight shift in her bed, along with something touching her arm.
'Huh...?' Opening her eyes, Loona saw Lincoln, asleep but now facing her with her right arm underneath his body. 'What is he-' That was when Loona noticed Lincoln was literally shivering in his sleep. Though this is hell, some homes and buildings like this one have high-quality air-conditioning for those who are mostly intolerant to the heat. And since it's central to the whole building, it can't be turned off, and asking for it to turn off will only generate issues.
'Guess I don't have much of a choice.' Slowly Loona brought Lincoln close to her while wrapping her tail around him. 'Can't believe I'm doing this...' With more warmth around him, Lincoln had stopped shivering and began to relax, so much so that he nuzzled his head into her chest. Blushing more heavily than before, Loona looked down at him.
Rather than getting mad, Loona gave a light chuckle and whispered. "Goodnight, Lincoln." She then gave him a kiss on top of his head before going back to sleep.
4 Hours Later
Still softly snoring in bed, Loona and Lincoln had both shifted in their sleep. Loona was now on her back with her mouth a gap while Lincoln was on top of her with his face still snuggled against her upper body. Despite this, the Hellhound had yet to let go of the boy, refusing to let go of him in her sleep under no circumstances as she slept.
That, however, came to an end when the voice of Blitzo woke her up from her nap. "Good news Loona, the mission was a success! Bad news, we had to make it look like a murder-suicide." She looked at her door and saw the knob turning, making her pupils shrink in dread. "But who cares?! The targets are dead, the client paid us a shitload, and in the nick of time got my bitchin' Horse Figurine!"
Opening the door Blitzo held up said figurine that was made of pure obsidian with embedded ruby eyes which he eyed dearly. "Though M&M went home for the night for rest, we can still celebrate by ordering some take-Oh!" Blitzo was left speechless the moment he turned and saw his daughter cuddling with what he supposed was a short young sinner.
There was a moment of silence between Loona and Blitzo before the latter opened his mouth with the tone and look of uncertainty. "Wow, uh...D-Didn't really think you were that desperate, Looney."
AN: We'd like to make it clear the Oc in this story, Lincoln isn't a character from other cartoons. Having certain distinguishing features, age, or first name doesn't automatically imply they're the same character. Besides the red and black clothing, Lincoln doesn't have a family and has a human build like the humans in the world of Helluva Boss.