When Angel had awoken the next morning in John's spare bedroom, he'd awoken to the distinct smell of sex, weed, and the sound of fucking Spongebob.
The spider blinked open the only pair of eyes he regularly used, and a groan escaped him as the light irritated his bleary eyes.
Thin fingers wiped away at them, trying to clear his vision as Angel pulled himself up into a sitting position on the bed. He had to give it to John, the behemoth didn't shell out on anything. These mattresses were fucking comfy.
He rested on the bed for a moment, taking a second to recall the events that had transpired the day before.
His eyes widened when it all flew into his now sober mind.
When John had returned, he'd proven his word true. As of now, Angel's soul now belonged to the Wraith.
Upon which…
The spider had to sit there for a second, and brought a hand up to his head as he remembered what had followed that.
It wasn't like it was his first time seeing Vanessa naked or anything. Angel himself had been the one to take her to her first orgy.
But it still astounded him how little attention John really paid to anyone but his partner. Once the two began, they were lost for three hours.
Sometimes, it was easy for Angel to forget that Vanessa was a fucking succubus.
Still, once they'd finally had their fun, John had assured the now former porn star that he had a place to stay for the night, upon which Angel had accepted immediately. By then, any busses had stopped running, and it was hard to trust those anyway.
And he didn't want his latest death to be because he let Vanessa drive him back to the Hotel while she was high as a kite.
After that, John had blasted some music and three of them sat watching movies, playing games, or doing whatever stupid shit had come into their minds at the time.
It was fun.
And it hadn't cost him a single thing.
Angel could use more fun like that sometime.
The sound of the door to the bedroom admittedly caused Angel to jump in fright, backpedaling on the bed as familiar images filled his mind.
But rather than a ten foot moth with a lusty gaze, the familiar lumbering form of John stepped through the door, a brow raised as he scrutinized the spider from the doorway.
And allowed a little too much light into the room, Angel might add.
"Jesus Christ, I still have a fucking hangover!" Angel cursed as he lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the light, earning him a chuckle from the behemoth in response.
"Yeah, kind of figured." John commented as he took in the spider's condition. "Looking a helluva lot better, though. Get a good sleep?"
"Like a fucking log." Angel answered with a nod, offering the behemoth a small smirk and allowing his gold tooth to shine. "Now if only I could get you in this bed with me."
"Never gonna happen." The answer was quick and prompt, but John still offered an amused smile to show that there were no hard feelings. "There's some eggs and bacon left over in the kitchen if you wanna get some food before you take off."
Yeah, did Angel mention this is supposed to be the scariest guy in Hell?
"Appreciate it, Spike." Angel said with a genuinely appreciative nod as he stood to his feet.
He didn't really have anything to change into, and he wasn't about to let anyone see his feet, so he tended to simply stay dressed when he spent the night anywhere but his own place.
"Oh, and the phone's been vibrating for the past couple hours." John informed, raising a finger and pointing to Angel's phone, which was currently hooked into a charger on the nightstand. "Just stopped about fifteen minutes ago."
His lower left hand swiped the phone up off the wood, and his multicolored eyes widened when saw the numerous missed calls from Charlie.
Shit.
She was probably still a wreck after everything that had happened and Val's studio, and admittedly, the only reason he hadn't ended up going back to the Hotel was because he'd ended up texting Vanessa before he'd left for the studio.
Hell, Vags probably had her hands full.
Angel supposed the least he could do is let her know she was alright.
"Actually, I might have to skip breakfast." Angel admitted with a small sigh as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, turning to the behemoth with a questioning gaze. "Is Ness still here?"
"Nah, she took off this morning." John answered with an apologetic smile. "Hell, Vel had enough time to stop by earlier and drop off your stuff."
That threw the spider for a loop, and he looked at John in disbelief.
"Seriously?" Angel asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow as his jaw admittedly fell open. "Vel? You mean fucking Velvette, one of the Vees? She brought my stuff by?" It didn't sound like the doll in the slightest, especially from the few interactions Angel had with her personally.
Most of those were just some new outfit Val wanted him to wear.
…
But that was in the past now.
"Yeah, I asked her to." John answered, a small smirk of amusement overtaking his features as stepped out of the way of the door. "But if you have to go, I called in a favor. Your ride's waiting down by the city gate."
"Ride?" Well, at least that took care of any money. "Well… you know what, I'm not even gonna try and pretend I can pay you back."
"Don't worry about it." John assured with a dismissive wave. "Vanessa tell you why I had you register yesterday?"
Angel nodded his head, unconsciously feeling for the badge that was still in his pocket.
He still found it hard to believe that he had free access to John's personal home.
"Alright then, you know you always have a place to sleep." John assured with a nod and a small grin.
Well, the guy may not be an option, but Angel could definitely admit that John was the kind of person he'd actually like.
Huh. Maybe Vanessa had hit gold somehow.
"Thanks, Spike, but I don't know if I can come up here too often." The defense mechanism may not be required anymore, but that doesn't mean that Angel couldn't have a little fun with it. "I may not be a pornstar anymore, but I wouldn't want anyone thinking I'm close with the big bad Wraith." He joked as he strolled out of the bedroom, shooting John a smirk.
A smirk John returned with a small chuckle.
"Well, how about I make things a little easier before you go. You ready for your first job?" He suddenly spoke up, and every muscle in Angel's body froze as he came to a screeching halt.
A… job?
So soon?
Maybe Angel had made a mistake. At least, that's what his gut was telling him.
But the amused booms that were John's chuckles seemed to indicate otherwise.
"Calm down, it's nothing bad." The behemoth assured as he came up behind the spider and offered a friendly hand atop his shoulder as Angel turned his gaze to the behemoth. "All I want you to do is keep me updated on the progress of the Princess' Hotel."
Make no mistake, Angel appreciated what John had done for him…
But the Hotel was a sanctuary. And even if people pissed him off, Charlie had put her heart and soul in it.
The demon wasn't stupid enough to think he was worth redemption… but Charlie had done far too much for him to be betrayed now. Especially considering how he'd treated her when he last saw her.
"Why the Hell do you care?" Angel couldn't help how defensive he sounded, and he made sure the suspicion showed on his face. "I'm not gonna be a fucking spy."
He'd spat the words with admittedly more venom than he'd intended to, but this was Charlie.
John throwing his head back and letting out a laugh that shook Angel's eardrums admittedly wasn't the reaction he expected.
"Who the h-h-hell is gonna want to spy on that fucking place?" The behemoth voiced the question as if the concept were genuinely laughable, and that admittedly surprised Angel.
It took a moment before the behemoth recuperated from his laughter with an amused sigh, before turning back to Angel properly.
"I only want info on two things." John assured, raising two fingers for emphasis. "If you really don't want to, that's fine. And if you're worried about me sending somebody instead, the only reason I'm even asking is for convenience and curiosity."
Angel looked up at him for a moment, before raising an eyebrow and turning to face the Overlord fully, planting his hands on his hips.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
"Faith."
The calm, relaxed look on his face only served to make his response that much more genuine, as he offered a smile Angel hadn't seen much of in Hell.
One filled with hope.
"I actually believe in the Princess." John admitted bluntly, a fond smile overtaking his face as backed away and plopped himself down on his couch. "I want to keep it that way. But she ain't done a damn bit of real good since she started, and that was way before I even died."
Well… color Angel surprised. He didn't care how good a guy John could be, he never imagined the behemoth actually would've believed in Charlie.
Unfortunately… Angel wasn't surprised that the point he made was absolutely valid.
"So what is it you're wanting to know, exactly?" Angel asked as he took a few small steps closer, shifting so that John wasn't glancing through the corner of his eye.
"When progress is made," John answered loud and clear, flicking a finger on display for the spider to see. "And anything you happen to learn on Alastor."
At that, Angel deadpanned. Yeah, Alastor was a freak, but at least the guy actually took care of the Hotel.
"Not a chance on that second one." Angel refused, immediately shaking his head. "Guy's a fucking psycho, but because of him, the Hotel's still standing."
"Really?" Well, no John sounded intrigued. "Why exactly is he even there? I'm the only Overlord in Hell who's more feared than he is. Doesn't the guy like chaos?"
"Oh, douchebag wants to see the Hotel fail." Angel clarified, offering an amused grin to the behemoth as he raised an eyebrow. "Of course he ain't doing it for anything good, he just wants to see the place fail. What better way for it fall than for it have everything it needs to operate?"
John stared at Angel blankly for a moment, before blinking as his brow flattened and he looked around in disbelief. "Huh. Alright, I suppose I can admit when I'm wrong." He gave in, throwing his hands up in surrender as he hopped back to his feet, before turning to the spider once more.
Angel simply offered a small, satisfied smirk. "So, that mean Alastor's done?"
"Not entirely." John answered with a shake of his head. "At the very least, start telling me if he gives you any reason to assume he's fucking things up."
Well, that didn't sound like too much, and it was admittedly a fair request.
Not to mention a really good backup plan.
"Hey, you ever thought about helping out?" Angel suggested, turning to John with a raised eyebrow. "If you're so interested in it, why not be right there?"
"Nah, don't want to fuck it up." John dismissed the idea immediately, waving it off as he offered a small smirk. "But that don't mean I won't protect it. Problem comes up with the place, and let me know." His smirk turned… much more sinister as his eyes twinkled. "I could use a new snack."
Angel laughed the joke off as John's expression returned to its more usual disposition. "Yeah, no problem." He supposed it wasn't a bad job, and the conditions weren't too heavy now. "I'll take the job."
"Alright, you'll have your first paycheck at the end of the week." John answered casually, so casually that it almost gave Angel whiplash as his eyes widened in surprise.
A chuckle escaped the behemoth at Angel's expression, before he offered a genuine smile.
"I look out for my friends, Angel." He spoke, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world, and gave the spider's thin arm a friendly pat. "Now go on, get outta here. Take a baggie if it won't get you in trouble."
His large frame twisted as he gestured to what Angel would dub the Happy Hole from this point on.
But as tempting as the offer was…
"I try hard enough to hide the rest of my drugs at the Hotel." Angel threw an amused smirk at the behemoth as he began backing towards the door. "But, maybe I will stop by some time. Last night was actually pretty fucking fun."
He really hoped his appreciation showed through the false arrogance.
Based on the smile John responded with, it had.
"I'm glad."
That seemed to be where John was leaving it, as the behemoth turned and refocused his attention on something else as Angel turned around and approached the door.
A surprisingly high-pitched whistle cut through his ears, stopping him in his tracks and causing him to instinctively spin around.
His hands came up just in time to catch the object that had been sent in his direction, and a gloved hand closed into a fist as Angel immediately brought the object to his eyes to study.
It was a small button. The base was barely thicker than a centimeter, and the red button atop it felt… oddly like jell-o.
Angel raised his gaze up, and found John looking at him with a surprisingly stern gaze.
"You ever find yourself in trouble, press that button and I'll come running." The behemoth elaborated, jerking a clawed finger up to point at the object in Angel's grasp. "And for the love of god, do not be like Vanessa with the damn thing."
It took Angel a moment to understand what he meant with that last part… but after a second, he did.
Vanessa was notoriously stubborn. And with this little thing in her pocket, John would have stopped a lot of successful attacks before they ever could've been carried out.
All Vanessa would need to do was run long enough for John to get there.
It's the reason why the behemoth had a whole list of people who have hurt the succubus in any way.
"What is it?" The sinner asked, bouncing the object up and down in his palm. It was so small and compact, and he questioned how it acted as some kind of locator. At least, based on what John told him.
"To put it in simple terms, I'll feel exactly where you push that button when you do." John answered Angel's question, before once again turning his attention away. "And don't worry about setting it off by accident. Thing's hard as a diamond until the owner's finger touches it.
Angel eyed the little red and silver object in his hand for a moment, before slipping it into his pocket as John once again turned his attention to something else.
Huh. Leave it to John to hand out a literal Save-Me button without much elaboration as to why.
Nonetheless, Angel was done looking all the gift-horses in the mouth, and he decided to finally make his exit before he was actually overwhelmed with all the goodwill.
Angel didn't doubt John was actually a cool guy and all, but he was pretty sure he was starting to see why Vanessa always spoke so highly of him.
With the behemoth's penthouse now disappearing behind him, Angel retrieved his phone from his pocket and went about dialing Charlie's phone so that the Princess didn't keep worrying like she likely was.
The demon would be the first to tell you, there wasn't anything in him worth worrying about.
The phone rang for a few seconds when he brought it up to his ear, before he had to jerk it away as an aggressive feminine voice that definitely wasn't Charlie blasted through its speaker.
"Where in the actual fuck are you?!" Vaggie's familiar hostile tone admittedly left Angel's ear ringing for a second, and found himself switching ears as he stammered to speak. "Charlie hasn't left her room since fucking yesterday!"
Angel visibly winced. He'd expected Charlie to have been worried, but he didn't think it'd be that bad.
"My bad, alright?" Angel immediately went on the defensive, because what other way could he talk to the biggest bitch in Hell? "She fucked things up at the studio and I'd texted a friend before I left anyway."
"Without saying anything?!" Vaggie screeched, and Angel could imagine her vocal chords shaking in her throat. "Charlie thinks your fucking dead!"
"What?" Angel actually paused his walk, coming to a stop in the middle of the hall as he stood in confusion. "Why the hell would she think I'm dead?"
"You're a celebrity, don't you check the news?" Vaggie growled, his voice twisted in frustration as she spoke to Angel like the idiot he admittedly was. "Fucking Tom Trench managed to get a picture of you going into the Slaughter Factory. Why the fuck do you think Charlie's worried?!"
Angel visibly winced at that.
The very same woman John believed could change Hell for the better, and she currently believed he would kill Angel without a second thought.
Oh, the irony…
And the sad part was that he couldn't even blame her. Val had dragged him to the aftermath of some of John's attacks while he was on the clock, so Angel had seen firsthand the cruelty that he was renowned for.
Charlie literally had every reason under the sun to think Angel was dead right now. Damn.
"Well, I'm not, alright?" Angel decided to simply be direct, assuring her with a frustrated sigh. "Just- look, I called to tell Charlie I'm fine. So if she won't let you in, break the fucking door."
He heard Vaggie grumbling on the other side, but silence reigned for a bit as Angel waited for the demon to do as he'd asked, as the spider resumed he trek down to whatever ride John had arranged for him.
He slowed a little when he could hear the sounds of mumbling between two voices, but he ignored it when he realized the accompanying voice was way too deep to be Charlie's.
Husk.
By the time Angel actually heard something actually coherent, he'd already finished the elevator ride and had been in the middle of making his way back to the entrance gate.
"ANGEL!" That was Charlie, and the spider once again found himself switching ears as Charlie promptly blew out his other one.
"Fucking hell, am I supposed to go deaf today?" Angel muttered to himself in frustration, but nonetheless calmed himself as he brought the phone back to his opposing ear and spoke. "Hey Charlie. Wanted to let you know I'm alright."
"Angel, I am so sorry about what I did at the studio-"
"Charlie, the studio is in the past, alright?" Angel figured he may as well get that part out of the way, because at least that was for certain. At least Valentino wouldn't be blowing up his fucking phone anymore.
Deleting the bastard's number had been surprisingly cathartic.
"B-B-But-!"
"Look, dry the tears, alright? I can fucking hear them." Angel supposed he could afford to sound a little sympathetic, and he did genuinely feel bad for worrying the bleeding heart Princess, but he was not about to try and have a conversation with Charlie over phone when she was crying.
Still, after a few moments, a smile came onto his face that wasn't by choice, but also wasn't entirely unwanted.
"Thanks, Charlie, okay?" Angel said, allowing his voice to soften a little. "Look, I'm not good with that emotional bullshit, alright? But I mean it. Thanks for caring."
Silence followed his gratitude, and Angel's smile became a little less joyful and a little more nervous as he unconsciously prepared for another ear-splitting noise.
And though the result of Charlie crying wasn't exactly as loud… it was definitely more than Angel wanted.
He found himself frowning in annoyance as he heard Charlie's voice grow much quieter until she was in the background, and Vaggie's voice came through the phone once more.
"Well, you made her happy, at least."
"Oh fuck you."
He could hear the amusement in her voice as she let a few unashamed snickers follow.
"Anyway, are you coming back?"
"Yeah." Angel answered, unconsciously gesturing to the gate that was within viewing range. "I'm at the gate right now, John's got a ride outside for me."
"Gate? Angel, please don't tell me you're where I think you are."
He rolled his eyes when he heard the unsatisfied tone in the latina's voice.
"Yes, I'm at Comminuty fucking City." Angel answered with a sigh of annoyance. "Look, Vags, I'm on my way back, alright? Don't need you trying to worry about me too." The phone was pulled from his ear before he'd even finished the sentence, and he barely heard the demon's voice before he ended the call.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket with a sigh, before swapping it out with his badge.
He held it up to the scanner on the right of the door, and once he heard the now-familiar ding, he opened up and stepped back outside into Hell's usual scorching air.
He just wanted to get back to the Hotel right now, and as far as he was concerned he could take a stroll later. Once he made sure nobody was breathing down his neck.
Then, he could enjoy his newfound freedom.
He jerked his eyes around, searching for the ride that John had arranged…
And his eyes widened when he found it.
A few spaces a shoddy looking van manned by a couple of imps. The big standout feature was the massive icon for some company, I.M.P, haphazardly sprayed onto the sign.
The painting looked good though, Angel could admit that.
Sitting in the driver's seat with a bored look on his face was a surprisingly tall imp, with a long pair of horns that rose up over his head and curved just before the end. The imp's red skin was stained by harsh white burn scars, but other than that, he just looked annoyed.
The back doors to the van were wide open, and there was a much more average sized pair of imps standing atop the van. One was a male who had finely combed white hair and a pair of admittedly dazzling horns, while the other was a buck-toothed woman with a cheerful smile on her face.
They were all three dressed similarly, but other than that and their species, the van was the only reason Angel even knew the three knew each other.
The woman was cheering on who Angel guessed to be her husband, judging by the wedding rings on their fingers. Said imp was doing his damndest to hold up a large sign with the words "aNGel Dust cUm here!" Haphazardly sprayed on it.
After taking a moment to chuckle at the sight, Angel decided to finally give the straining imp a break as he made his way towards the van.
"Hey, you can put the sign down now!" Angel spoke with a grin on his face and three hands on his hips, as his fourth offered the imps a wave as he approached.
The driver perked up almost immediately as the couple on the roof snapped towards their charge in surprise.
"Oh, crumbs!" The scratchy, nervous voice of the husband let a nervous cry out, and Angel admittedly found himself laughing in amusement as he watched the imp drop the sign in surprise, only to try and fail to catch it as it fell off the back of the fan. "Uh… oops."
Angel liked him.
"You're cute." Angel complimented, before offering a more teasing grin. "I'd offer to fuck you if I didn't think your wife had some way to take my head off."
Angel was many things, but ignorant wasn't one of them.
If these imps worked for John, they were definitely skilled and not to be trifled with. Hell, whether she knew it or not, he could see the massive battle ax the woman was hauling on her back like it was a piece of foam.
Said woman turned to him with a surprisingly friendly smile, and Angel was actually caught off-guard by the cheer in her voice.
"Just because I can kill you doesn't mean I wanna!" The woman's voice was bubbly and full of joy, and her smile was surprisingly infectious as she casually hopped off the room of the van like it wasn't a massive drop for her, before casually offering her hand. "I'm Millie."
Angel actually found himself raising an eyebrow, staring at the woman with wide, surprised eyes.
This woman, Millie, was an imp who barely cleared three feet tall. She's also an imp who had just taken what Angel guessed was a seven foot descent from the top of a van and what had to be fifty pound axe at minimum, and landed with no more than bent knees.
He nodded his head.
He liked her. She was tough.
"You already know my name, but nice to meet you." Angel allowed some of the familiar arrogance to leak out as he shook the woman's hand. "So, you're the guys John's got taking me home?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Angel Dust." The male imp answered as he too hopped down, and looked up at the seven foot spider with sheepish eyes. "Sorry about the sign."
"Why the hell were you holding it anyway?" Angel couldn't help but to take the chance to tease. "Clearly your woman wouldn't have the problem."
"Hah! Told you, Mox!" The driver abruptly called as he leaned himself out the window, looking at the smaller imp with a shit-eating grin.
"Hey, at least he tried to welcome me." Angel barely even knew the driver, and he already felt like taking him down a peg.
What did that tell you?
"Yeah, yeah, what do want, a fucking birthday cake to go with that?" The driver retorted quickly, raising an eyebrow as he turned his grin to the porn star.
A grin Angel returned in equal favor.
"Nah, I prefer my cake with some actual effort." Angel commented.
"Huh… the fuck are you doing in Hell then?"
Okay, Angel did laugh at that one, and he had no shame in admitting it. He threw his head back, cackled with glee the moment the words had left the imp's mouth.
"Okay, that was funny, I'll give you that." Angel admitted as his cackling died to chuckling, before he shook his head in amusement. "Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Name's Blitz, the O is silent!" The imp immediately introduced, offering the spider another grin as he quite literally leaped out of the window and casually landed on his feet. "We're called I.M.P, and we can kill anyone who screwed you-"
"I thought John said not to advertise?" A dead, monotone voice rang out from behind Angel, interrupting Blitzo as Angel turned his head to the source. "Besides, it's fucking Angel Dust. Guy's still a relic."
Angel instinctively opened his mouth to respond.
"A relic? Bitch, I got the curves to kill for!" The spider made sure to grope himself for added effect, pushing his chest fluff up and waving it like the tits everyone thought they were.
The source of the voice was a hellhound rather than an imp, with a small blue shirt with a pentagram neck design and a pair of short-shorts. Her fur was an eye-catching white, though Angel could make out spots of gray and dark gray in her hair and around her shoulders.
"C'mon, Loony, I gotta get word out somehow!" Blitzo immediately defended his choice, crossing his arms and pouting as if his favorite activity had been interrupted. "Hard enough since the dead asshole won't let us accept jobs directly."
That caught Angel's attention.
John won't let these guys take jobs directly from the public? At least, that's what Angel assumed the demon meant.
He found hmself curious.
"Why not?" Angel couldn't help but to ask, brow furrowing in genuine confusion as he turned back to the imps. "Did you guys piss him off or something?"
"Or something." The little white-haired imp, Mox, answered with a matter of fact tone as he nodded. "Our business specializes in killing humans. John wasn't the biggest fan of that."
"Only because his girl is still alive." Millie added cheerfully. And whether she realized it, helpfully. "That's it. He still gives us some good jobs!"
"And he does pay us better than what you were asking for." The hellhound pointed out as she came a stop next to Angel, sipping on a slushie the spider was only now noticing. "I still think we should get a new van."
"And I said the van stays!" Blitzo refused instantly, before turning and swiftly hopping back through the window and once again resituating himself in the front seat. "Now come on, I got a feathered ass to fuck, and we're just dropping the puffball off."
At that, Angel did frown.
He had white fur, so what?
A puffball? Really? Even he knew he didn't have enough mass to be called a puff anything.
The hellhound seemed to notice his frustration, as a small chuckle escaped her and she offered the spider a friendly pat on the back.
"Don't let him get to you, he's like that with everybody." The hound assured casually, taking another sip of her slushie, before smacking her lips together with a relieved sigh and turning to Angel. "I'm Loona."
"I don't need no introduction."
Loona laughed.
"No, you don't." She agreed, walking past him with another friendly pat before going back to drinking her slushie as she circled the front of the van.
Angel turned to the still open door directly in front of him, where Mox and Millie sat from within offering him smiles and waves. Though, the woman was far more eager and excited than her more composed husband, who's smile was lighter and friendlier as his head waved much more calmly.
Huh. Little guy sure had ways of catching attention.
Angel wondered if he actually realized it.
Still, nonetheless, the demons were his ride to the Hotel, so the spider let a careless shrug escape him as he climbed himself into the van.
"You drive around the Pentagram much?" Angel couldn't help but to ask. Hellborns didn't often frequent Pentagram City for a reason, so the spider couldn't help his apprehension with an imp as his driver.
Luckily, Loona replied with an amused scoff from the front seat.
"Sinners might be nuts, but Blitzo is definitely the scarier driver."
"Hey! I drive like fucking honey!"
"You hit, like, twenty people on the way here."
"They were sinners and they should've stayed out of the way!"
When he first heard the sinner remark, Angel again instinctively opened his mouth for a fiery retort.
Said retort died in his throat when he realized he actually agreed.
Sinners tend to learn quickly how painful the process of regeneration is. If you're dumb enough to stay in the road when psychos are the average driver, then yeah, you were a complete moron.
Instead, he said something else.
"It's not like he killed anybody." Angel remarked with a shrug, glancing at the demon in the front seat with an amused smirk. "I don't think they'll be happy about having to regrow new bones, though."
"Tough shit for them." Blitzo waved it off in a casual manner as he turned the key and started the van.
Angel had only just enough time to shut the door. After that, Millie was quite literally the only reason he even stayed seated, offering him a friendly smile despite casually holding him to the seat with one hand.
Angel was a gay man. This woman made him question that.
Nonetheless, he took the act of kindness as he got it, and Millie was nice enough to let him actually process the gesture. She giggled in amusement as Angel scrambled to put on his seatbelt, while Blitzo quite literally floored it out of the parking lot.
"Jesus Christ!"
"Fuck, Blitz!"
"Really, Sir?!"
"Oh, fuck all of you!"
Blitzo had clearly never heard of the concept of a brake.
He floored it the whole way to the Hotel.
Three minutes in was when Angel decided to start enjoying the music with Millie.
When Angel watched the van speed off back into the city, he was left with the opinion that the imps weren't that bad.
Blitzo had an impulsive mouth and he was a massive asshole, but the dude's comedic timing was second to none, even with his overuse of swears.
Millie was a total sweetheart with a love for violence and death. Angel had hit it off with her without a single hitch.
He'd learned on the way here that the little white haired imp's actual name was Moxxie. He wasn't bad, and he actually had a pretty good heart. Didn't change the fact that the guy could destroy someone with nothing more than facts.
Angel had admittedly taken more offense than he should've when Moxxie had casually called up a washed up cash cow.
Still, he gave the little guy credit. For a nervous wreck, he had balls and a knack for guns.
Hell, the little guy had even been willing to part with a box of holy bullets, which was definitely a plus in Angel's eyes.
Loona wasn't someone Angel was able to form much of an opinion on though. All he could decipher was that she was used to the group's antics, she had a dry wit that was unrivaled, and she had some kind of rivalry with Moxxie.
Once Angel had opened the door and hopped out of the van, he'd heard the door slam shut as it was going back down the Hotel path. He hadn't even had time to turn around.
Good thing all of his valuables were in his pockets.
Angel watched the van disappear into Hell's population with a small smile on his face, before it faded for an apprehensive frown as he let a sigh escape him and turned around.
The sight of the Hotel was as reassuring as it ever was, and the ornately designed structure stood tall, independent from the rest of the cracked and shattered buildings in the infernal realm.
What was likely waiting within… not so much.
As he made his way towards the Hotel, he felt his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket as the notification ding rang through the area.
He pulled the device free and flipped it up to see who had messaged him, and his eyes widened when he saw a text from Vanessa.
Vanessa: Sorry for ditching you. Had an appointment at Rosie's.
Rosie's? Wasn't that in Cannibal Town?
Angel: How'd you get in without gettin eaten?
Vanessa: John hooked me up with her months ago. What do you think of my new dress?
A moment later, Vanessa sent a picture. Angel paused in his trek as he found himself smiling in surprise.
Unlike the usual dirty and matted clothes Vanessa always seemed to favor, a pristine satin dress was hugging her form as she stood with a smile on her face.
A genuinely happy smile.
The dress wasn't innocent or modest in any sense of the word. It stopped just past her rear and the sides continued down to her ankles, exposing her bare legs atop a set of high-heels she'd switched into, and there was so much skin exposed that Angel was fairly sure she wore nothing under it.
He was surprised the Overlord known as Rosie had made it. The woman didn't have a fashionable piece of clothing in her wardrobe.
Angel: That does look nice. What's the occasion?
Vanessa: First day of vacation. I wanna party, and I wanna get laid lol.
Angel could understand that. Still, since it was Vanessa he was talking too…
Angel: Don't get hurt.
Vanessa: She hurts me, John hurts her.
Angel let a laugh escape him. That was true, and he couldn't deny it.
Still, he wished Vanessa wouldn't simply live on that idea. Not many believed her when she warned attackers that the Wraith would find them.
She knew that, and she knew the chances of it changing.
But the fact remained that a small, hidden part of him actually cared about the succubus, and he'd much rather she avoid those situations than just let John find her attackers after they'd finished.
But there was no point arguing with her any further. Ness was a big girl, she could make her own choices.
Angel: Fair enuff. Text me some time, we'll go out and party.
Vanessa: Of course.
Angel let a fond smile cross his face, a smile he'd never let the succubus actually see, but one reserved only for those he actually appreciated.
He slipped his phone back into his pocket, before looking up at the now much closer entrance to the Hazbin Hotel.
As usual, he simply threw open the door and strolled in, taking in the scene awaiting him on the other side.
The deceptively bug infested lobby looked as clean and refined as it usually did, beautiful ornaments peppering the room as decorations as numerous photos from Charlie's life remained hanging atop the wall.
There at the couch was Charlie and Vaggie, whom had seemed to be in the middle of some kind of discussion when their eyes had shot to him once the door opened.
Husk remained over at the bar, wordlessly wiping an already clean glass as his familiar face twisted into a questioning look
"The Wraith, huh?" Husk's deep, baritone voice rang out through the lobby, and Angel promptly offered the asshole a middle finger.
"Fuck you, dickhead." He hoped he made it clear that he was still angry at the cat's words the other day.
Husk simply shrugged without a care in the world, before refocusing on his still clean glass as Angel turned back to the two women as they came to a stop in front of him.
"Um… about that…" Charlie had a familiar nervous look on her face, poking her index fingers together as Vaggie stood next to her, looking at the spider with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. "Why exactly were you at Slaughter Factory?"
That was a… touchy subject. There was a very fine line on what Angel could share.
When John shares his trust, it's a deadly mistake to break it.
"Went to see a friend." Angel admitted, shrugging as he crossed his arms. He wasn't defensive, he was just trying to act casual. "They helped me out, gave a place to stay for the night after what happened at the studio."
"You know you could've just come back?" Vaggie pointed out, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the spider with an unamused gaze.
Angel simply shrugged. "I screamed at Charlie to fuck off. If I wasn't planning on coming back before I left, I definitely was after that." Though, admittedly, that was only possible because Angel even had Vanessa at all.
Unlike Cherri, who was often busy with her own pursuit for territory, Vanessa had proven that she'd drop anything if she felt Angel actually needed to help.
"But you're not hurt, right?" Charlie's features twisted into concern, no longer trying to hide it as the Princess began zipping around Angel, examining him for any injuries that he may not have noticed.
To his annoyance.
"Jesus, Charlie, I'm fine, okay?" Angel assured when he managed to catch the Princess, holding her stiff in front of him as he gave a look that made his frustration clear. "I meant what I said, but fucking hell, I can take care of myself."
He chose to ignore the questioning look Husk was now giving him. He didn't owe the cat a single explanation.
"But the Wraith, really?" Angel turned back to Vaggie as he released the Princess, who still looked hesitant to step away from the spider at the moment. "The guy's the most powerful Overlord in Hell, and he's got five museums dedicated to his craft. Why go to his turf for anything?"
"Like I said, it was a friend."
"What, John?"
It took every single atom in Angel's body for him to not gawk at Vaggie like a fucking idiot.
How in the absolute fuck did she know his name?
"That's the guy you mentioned on the phone earlier." Vaggie answered Angel's question before he could even ask it, and he silently thanked her for it. "Was he the friend you went to see?"
"Uh… yeah." Angel nodded his head, hoping the smirk he offered hid his discomfort at their proximity to the truth. He had no idea how John would react if he found out the spider had let his real name slip.
And that was just his first name, what did that tell you about his reputation?
"Did he at least help you?" Charlie asked, allowing a small bit of hope to break through the worry as she cupped her hands together over her chest and looked at Angel.
In Angel's eyes, hope had no right being that small when Charlie was the one feeling it.
"Of course." Angel answered with an amused grin, gold tooth on display as he did a quick little twirl to prove it. "Feel better than ever. Got some good sleep, too."
Angel wasn't entirely sure why Charlie seemed to wilt when he'd said that, but he didn't pay enough attention as he turned to meet Vaggie's gaze.
"You still worried?"
"A little. The City was locked down yesterday."
Shit, of course Vaggie would remember that.
"But, you're back, and Charlie's happy." The sinner finally let a smile cross her face, a rare occasion, as she rested a comforting hand on the Princess' back. Though, her expression did return to it's stern one for a moment. "But don't scare us like that again."
Angel ignored the use of the word us and instead offered another confident smirk.
"Well, like I said, studio's history."
"How's that?" Husk chose that unfortunate moment to speak up once more, raising an eyebrow at the spider as the three turned to the bartender. "You're working for Valentino, aren't you? No way the studio's just in the past."
…
…
…
"Y know what, fuck you!"
When logic didn't work, anger did.
Angel was still sore over the cat's words the day prior, and he took a small bit of satisfaction in the angered snarl the cat responded with.
"It's not your business anyway, you said your piece motherfucker!" Angel once again flipped the bird at the cat, earning an aggravated growl from the cat.
"Not my problem." Husk spoke, taking a deep calming breath as he tried to keep himself from lashing out.
Angel hated it.
"Val don't fucking own me anymore, and it's gonna stay that way!" That sentence hadn't even needed to be said, but a part of him felt like making that clear, if only to spite the demon.
It wasn't exactly a secret that Al owned Husk's soul. Husk has outright admitted he doesn't even want to be at the Hotel anyway.
So of course the truth, whether he believed it, would strike a nerve.
Unfortunately, Husk didn't take the bait, and Angel was left with a hollow feeling lingering in his chest.
"He's got a point, how'd you get out of the deal?" Vaggie pointed out, as both she and Charlie turned back to Angel with questioning looks.
Think, Angel, think.
He knew his words didn't help John's favor with the Princess, but…
"I don't wanna talk about it." Angel let his shoulders slump, and he decided to go ahead and drop the exhausting act.
As much as his words hurt, Husk had still spoken the truth a few days ago, and Angel didn't have it in him to maintain it any more after all the changes that had happened in the span of a day.
Both Charlie and Vaggie looked genuinely startled by the desperate look on his face, and the two women turned to each other, communicating in silence in that way only lovers seemed to be able to.
After a few seconds… Charlie turned him with that smile that made him go week in the knees.
"It's fine," Charlie assured, dropping the subject as she rested a hand on the spider's shoulder. "Glad to have you back."
Angel would forever deny that he'd felt the urge to hug Charlie.
It didn't stop and arm from slumping around her shoulders and tugging the now giggling Princess into his side with a grin.
"You kidding? This place would get way too boring without me."
"I'll say."
Alastor's familiar voice admittedly caused the spider to whip around in surprise.
He found the Radio Demon standing at the hall's entrance, hands tucked finely behind his back, with that familiar unsettling smile on his face.
"Al, you're not interrogating Angel right now." For once, Angel was thankful for the manager's intervention as Vaggie turned to the Overlord with an unamused eyebrow. "You can wait till tomorrow. When he's had some rest."
It wasn't like Angel wasn't well rested already, even the crazy ride to the Hotel hadn't changed that, but he wouldn't argue with the excuse either.
Alastor's eyes flicked up as he brought a finger to his chin in thought… before shrugging his shoulders.
"Very well. Welcome back, you perverted fellow."
And then, without another word, Alastor turned on his heel and left.
Before, Angel would've raised an eyebrow and threw a few insults at the Overlord.
But something about the now unspoken job John had given him made the demon wary around the deer, and he hated the way his nerves seized like he was walking on ice.
All Angel could do is let out a sigh of relief. He'd been saved.
For now.