"Mick… who did this to you!?"

As soon as Octavia said those words, Mick immediately felt his heart tighten in his chest. This was the first time in seven years that he had ever allowed anyone to see the face that lay beneath the metal mask he always wore. And now the girl that he secretly loved was looking at it with an expression filled with shock.

"I know," he sighed. "It's not nice to look at."

That certainly was an understatement as far as the Sinner was concerned, however in truth there was no simpler way he could have put it. While the right side of his face was completely unscathed, revealing somewhat handsome features covered in the same chestnut fur as the rest of his body, the other side of his face was a completely different story. Starting from the top left side of his forehead, before stretching past his left eye, down past his nose and ending just off the left corner of his mouth was one of the most jagged and horrifying scars Octavia had ever seen.

Free of any hair whatsoever, it was a large stretch of purple, dried and tattered flesh that looked like it had been burnt with the most corrosive of acids before it eventually stopped just before hitting the muscle underneath. What's more, the damage had clearly taken a hit on Mick's left eye, as evident by its ghostly white appearance. Now, Octavia would be the first to admit that she didn't want to consider the possibility whenever she looked at the two different colours glowing out of each eyehole of Mick's mask, but there was definitely no denying it now. The white of his left eye wasn't just part of his demonic appearance… he was practically blinded in one eye!

As if the appearance of the scar wasn't bad enough, however, Octavia couldn't help but notice the other subtle movements in Mick's facial expression. Despite trying his best to hide it, from the way his face seemed to twitch, it looked as though the very air itself was hurting the scarred flesh. Given that Mick did not indicate that he was in pain before now, Octavia could only assume that the mask somehow must have acted as a shield against any breezes against the Sinner's skin. If that was the case… then no wonder he wore that thing all the time.

"Mick…" Octavia uttered, not only shocked to see Mick's scar but his entire face in general. "You… you're…"

However, before she could say another word, Mick quickly raised his hand to silence her with a solemn look on his face.

"Please… don't say anything," he said. "I don't want any pity from anyone… least of all those closest to me."

"But… what happened to you?" Octavia forced out in response, still trying to wrap her head around it all.

At those words, Mick once again let out a sigh as he sat back down on the edge of the fountain.

"It's a long story," he admitted, looking down at the discarded mask on the ground before gently bringing his fingers to the scarred half of his face. "One that I want to tell you as soon as we get back… because that's how much I care Octavia."

"Wha… what do you mean?" Octavia asked, not fully understanding where Mick was going with this.

"I have worn this mask for the last seven years," Mick elaborated, turning his head and gazing upon the distorted reflection in the fountain's water. "And in all that time… NO ONE has ever seen the face that was underneath it. Not my friends… not my co-workers… not even my own mom. YOU are the only one I have ever taken my mask off in front of… I hope this shows how much I trust I have in you… Will you not show the same trust in me?"

Octavia just couldn't believe it. Despite everything she had said, everything he had been through… Mick really cared so much that he was willing to share one of, if not THE biggest secret he had with her? How could she NOT trust him after that!? Once again feeling overwhelmed with emotion, she then took a seat next to Mick on the edge of the fountain once more and tried to collect herself before speaking again.

"So… THIS is why you always wear the mask?" she asked, trying her best not to sound insensitive.

Mick, of course, gave the Goetia a small nod at that.

"Mhm," he uttered. "And it's also why I smoke so much weed."

"Really?" Octavia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sadly, yes," Mick replied, taking out his canister of joints before pulling one out. "You see, the left side of my face is so sensitive to the light and air that I'm in constant agony… this type of weed is the only thing that dulls the pain."

So THAT's why Mick would scratch at his mask sometimes! Undoubtedly, moments of stress would cause his skin to flair up and cause a stinging itch before the Sinner eventually smoked the pain away, much like how he was attempting to do right at this moment. Just as the Sinner placed the joint in his mouth, Octavia couldn't help but offer him a light. With a small click of her fingers, a small purple flame sprouted from her fingertip and she lit up the end of Mick's joint with a small smile. Alas, that smile quickly faded as soon as he took a deep inhale of the flavoured smoke.

"So, it hurts… ALL the time?" she asked uneasily.

"There are a few good days now and then," Mick admitted, taking another drag of his joint. "But yeah."

"I'm so sorry," Octavia replied, looking down in shame. "I never even realized."

"Guess I've gotten pretty good at hiding it over the years," Mick sighed in response. "I'm pretty used to it by now."

"Still… I… I can't imagine being in constant pain like that."

As soon as he heard that, Mick felt a small rush of guilt. All things considered, he didn't want to upset Octavia with any sob stories of how much physical pain he was in.

"Well, like I said, I'm used to it," he said. "No sense dwelling on it now."

"I can't believe you've kept it quiet all this time," Octavia retorted. "And that scarring… was it-"

"-caused by an Exorcist Blade?" Mick finished, with a nod. "Yeah, it was. Needless to say, that Extermination Day was a particularly bad one for me."

The more she listened to Mick's explanation, the more Octavia's heart seemed to tighten in her chest. Mick had been badly scarred by an Exorcist and he has never told ANYONE!? She could only imagine how difficult it must have been for him to reveal his face and feel the sting of the air around him just to make his point. That being said, the Goetia Princess, of course, felt incredibly guilty for having to force her friend to resort to such a display. So much so, that she had to speak her mind on the matter.

"I'm sorry," she said, her face riddled with regret. "You shouldn't have had to show your face to me, because I-"

"Octi, I WANTED to show you," Mick stated firmly, immediately cutting her off. "I've wanted you to see the real me for a long time now… I've just been too much of a coward to go through with it… but hearing you say that no one thinks you're worth their love like that… gave me the final push I needed. Because you ARE worth it, Octi. More than you could ever know."

Hearing that, Octavia's face immediately turned a beet red. Even now, Mick always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her heart skip a beat, whether he meant to or not.

"So… um, this is what you actually look like, huh?" the Goetia Princess asked bashfully, awkwardly trying to recollect herself. "Not sure whether or not I should say this, but you do kinda look like a badass."

Mick, of course, couldn't help but let out a solemn chuckle at that.

"Believe me, if you were to know the story behind how I got this scar, you wouldn't think so," he pointed out, making Octavia instantly regret her choice of words.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound insensitive," she apologized, only for Mick to immediately brush it off.

"Nah, it's fine," he said. "I appreciate the attempt."

Octavia, of course, couldn't help but smile at that. However, her unease quickly returned as soon as Mick once again opened his mouth.

"That being said, I'd also appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about what you've seen under this thing," he continued, taking hold of his mask and looking down upon it. "I'm… I'm just not ready for anyone else to see… this just yet."

Hearing the frightened tone in his voice and seeing him stare down at his mask as if he were looking upon a precious memento that he just couldn't get rid of, Octavia felt no hesitation whatsoever when she nodded her head with understanding. If he was willing to give his trust with this, the least she could do was respect his wishes in turn… of course, taking all that into account, there was still one thing that the young Owl Demon just couldn't comprehend.

"Why?"

Hearing that single word escape the Goetia Princesses' beak, Mick couldn't help but raise a confused eyebrow.

"Hmm?" he uttered, causing said Goetia to let out a small sigh.

"Why share this secret with ME of all people?" Octavia further elaborated. "Why not show Johnny your face, or even your mum?"

The moment that question escaped her mouth, Mick immediately froze on the spot. As much as he wanted to say it, for some reason, his words simply refused to leave his mouth.

"W-well, I…" he managed to force out, only to receive a raised eyebrow as a result.

"Well, what?" Octavia asked, her tone easily showing how confused she was.

"It's… it's difficult for me to say…" Mick tried to point out, however this only resulted in Octavia's confused glance turning into an annoyed glare.

"What could be so difficult?" she asked, clearly not liking how Mick was continuing to beat around the bush. "It's a simple question, isn't it? Johnny's known you a LOT longer than I have and I'd have thought your own mother would be the first to see what was under your mask."

As much as Mick wanted to argue, Octavia certainly had an excellent point. Despite his intentions when he first took his mask off, the Sinner had failed to consider what else such a gesture would imply. In his attempt to show how much he trusted Octavia with his secret, he also made the gesture that he trusted HER far more than anyone else in his life, even above friends and family. Without even realizing it, he had dug himself into a hole and there was no way out of it… save one.

"Octi…" he tried to say, only to once again struggle with his words.

At that moment, Octavia immediately lost all patience.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" she exclaimed. "Just spit it out, Mick!"

"It's because I LIKE you, alright!?"

…

"Y-you… what?"

The instant Mick's mind finally registered what his mouth had blurted out right in front of the Goetia Princess, his hand immediately slapped over it in a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment. Of all times he could have spoken his true feelings, this by far must have been the most awkward scenario he could have ever imagined. Instead of opening up his heart in a romantic gesture as he had originally planned, he blatantly shouted everything into the face of his crush, an action that had now basically rendered the girl almost completely catatonic from the shock.

"Y-you… LIKE me?" Octavia repeated, her mind desperately trying to register what she had just heard.

Instantly realizing that the cat was out of the bag, bad pun aside, Mick took one final drag of his joint before stomping it out and letting out a heavy, smoke-filled sigh. No point in hiding it now… it was time to tell the truth.

"No, those aren't the right words," the Sinner began, hanging his head and gripping his mask in fright, his heart beating faster than it ever had when he was even alive. "The truth is, Octi… I think I've been in love with you for a long time now but I've just been too afraid to say it… and the fact that I haven't been able to let it out for so long has been killing me from the inside out!"

After that, a long, unbearable silence fell between the two young Demons, the pair of them reeling from such a huge revelation. In Mick's case, he was practically traumatized by it, but somehow still relieved after finally getting it off his chest. He said it… he FINALLY said it! After weeks turned into months of pining, Mick had let his feelings be known! And yet… Octavia simply sat there, staring blankly at the Sinner as though her brain had suddenly stopped functioning. Needless to say, such a reaction only brought Mick tremendous worry.

"Please… say something," he said fearfully.

Little did Mick realize, however, the only reason Octavia remained frozen like this… was because her heart was practically skipping with joy. She just didn't know how to respond to it… not that anyone in her shoes could blame her, of course. Given how little experience she had with romance, her own parents being a prime example of how NOT to act, and given how reserved she was as a whole, her own body felt like it was betraying her. Still… to hear that the boy she liked actually felt the same way she did… she HAD to force some kind of response out!

"H-how long?" she asked, her voice sounding more flabbergasted than she wanted it to.

At first, Mick was taken aback by such a question. However, he was simply glad he wasn't being given the silent treatment.

"Honestly?" he uttered, a light chuckle escaping his throat as he tried to think back. "I guess you can say it all started ever since you walked into the Peppermint Puss with Snowflake in your arms. I mean, sure, I didn't realize it at first but… overtime, the more I spent time with you… the more I was afraid of spending my afterlife without you."

As if Mick didn't already have Octavia's heart before, there he goes saying some sappy stuff like that! Why the hell did he have to be such a sweetheart!?

"Oh jeez," Mick stuttered, quickly noticing that the Goetia Princess had once again gone quiet. "You must be pretty embarrassed after hearing that. I'm sorry, I should have-"

"Mick?"

Fearing the worst, Mick immediately silenced himself and stiffened up at Octavia's voice. Forcing himself to look into her demonically lit eyes, he couldn't help but gulp.

"Y-yeah?" he forced out, bracing himself for the inevitable rejection about to come his way… only to find himself in awe upon seeing the gentle smile on Octavia's face.

"Stop talking."

Before Mick could so much as say another word, Octavia suddenly gave him the biggest surprise in his afterlife… by grabbing the front of his shirt in one hand, caressing the undamaged side of his face with the other… and pulling him in for a long, soft kiss right on his lips!

At first, his eyes snapped wide open from the shock, but the longer the kiss lasted, the more Mick began to melt into it. True he had kissed another person before, but this felt… different, like the warmest of comforts that he had been denied for so many years. His eyes sliding closed, he instinctively reached out his hand and caressed her cheek, deepening their kiss and allowing their emotions to wash over the pair of them like a flow of water. While it may have only lasted a few seconds, by the time their mouths parted, both Mick and Octavia felt like an entire lifetime had washed over them before they eventually snapped back to reality.

"Oooooooooooh, hibitihabitihoo…" Mick blurted out, his mind temporarily reduced to mush from the rush of ecstasy.

Mere moments later, both Mick and Octavia's eyes snapped wide open in realization.

"I can't believe I just did that!" Octavia breathed.

"I can't believe I just SAID that!" Mick added, slightly louder and filled with a sudden surge of embarrassment. "Hibitihabitihoo!? What does that even MEAN!?"

…

"Pfffffffhahahahahahahahahahaha!"

After another brief moment of silence between them, all tension seemed to fade away all at once and both Mick and Octavia managed to allow themselves to share a small laugh between them. With both their hearts and minds feeling a little more at ease, the Sinner suddenly gained a flabbergasted look upon realizing the potential reason for Octavia's initiation for the kiss.

"O-Octi?" he uttered. "Are you…?"

"The feelings are mutual, you furry idiot," Octavia replied with a soft laugh as if the answer should have been obvious from the start.

Needless to say, Mick once again felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing that.

"R-really?" he asked, earning a small nod in confirmation. "W-when did-"

"Oh, I think from the first moment you called me Octi," Octavia quickly answered, having a very strong idea of what the Sinner was about to ask her. "I didn't really know what that feeling was then but… I guess I do now."

To Octavia's surprise, however, while Mick did look exhilarated to hear such a statement, his scarred face quickly faltered as a small frown found its way across his lips.

"But how could you fall for… well… someone like me?" he asked, a tiny part of his mind forcing him to think that this might not even be happening. "I'm not exactly the best pick of the draw."

Given the circumstances and how much she had come to know Mick by now, Octavia had a rough idea of who would ask something like that. If it was a matter of status, then anyone who would say that's a valid reason to avoid their feelings can just go fuck themselves as far as Octavia was concerned. But this was a matter of self-esteem, and Mick has spent too long hiding behind a mask to believe that he would be worthy of love so quickly. Now it was Octavia's turn to tell the one she cared about what he needed to hear.

"Mick…" she said softly. "You are the most generous, kind, patient, caring person I've ever met. To be honest… I was afraid of telling you how much I cared for you because I thought I didn't deserve you… But ever since you came into my life, I've actually felt… happy. You pulled me out of the darkness and kept me stable despite every piece of shit that made its way towards me. And despite all that rubbish I've said tonight… knowing how much you care about me in return… I don't ever want to lose that… and I NEVER want you to leave my side."

At that moment, a small trickle of tears leaked from the corner of Mick's whitened eye, flowing down his tattered cheek and causing a light sting, but hearing all of that coming from Octavia's beak, he embraced the pain with great joy. Unable to hold himself back, he then pulled Octavia into a loving embrace, allowing the Goetia to lean into his shoulder as she felt the Sinner's tears drip into her hair.

"I'm sorry about not telling you about my mom… or Ember," she heard him say, his voice slightly muffled in the embrace. "I guess deep down, I didn't want to make you jealous."

Hearing that, Octavia couldn't help but laugh as the two Demons eventually pulled away from each other.

"Well, that idea sure as hell backfired," she commented, before she suddenly gained a light grimace as she thought back to that morning. "At least you didn't go running off on a tangent because you fell for the whole, 'hearing a half-conversation in the hallway cliché' like a fucking idiot."

Mick, of course, had to raise an eyebrow at that.

"Wait… THAT was how you found out about everything?" he asked, earning a small nod in response.

"The Maid clearly doesn't know how to keep either her legs OR her mouth shut," Octavia elaborated with a small roll of her eyes.

So, this whole mess started… because Jewel just HAD to be a stereotypical gossip? Of all the unbelievable crap that could have been the trigger for anything, THAT was why!? If this had been the narrative for a book, any critic would have called it lazy writing! But… regardless of how this whole scenario occurred, at least something good appeared to come out of it… even if the path could have been a little smoother.

"Sweet Lucifer," Mick muttered. "Gossips in the halls, stolen property, nutcases on the streets of the living world followed by drama in the evening… talk about your insane days of the week."

"Tell me about it," Octavia said in agreement. "Seems like every decision we've made today got thrown back into our faces tenfold… and all because neither of us could force ourselves to be honest."

"Guess that's one thing we both have in common," Mick pointed out. "We're both just a pair of hormonal fuckups with some serious issues between the pair of us."

"HA! Preaching to the choir, my furry friend!" Octavia chuckled.

On that note, the pair of them allowed themselves another moment of silence, giving themselves a little time to collect themselves before Octavia once again opened her mouth.

"So… this is really happening?" she asked, still feeling the tiniest bit of disbelief that was easily washed over by her immense joy. "I don't have to ask your mom for permission or anything do I?"

"Aren't I supposed to be the one to ask YOU that?" Mick retorted with a chuckle, once again causing Octavia to roll her eyes.

"Hey, you're the one who was born in the 90s, I don't know how this works," Octavia pointed out with a playful laugh, easily giving Mick cause to smirk.

"14 years in Hell might have given me some additional experience, luv, but as you can see… I still retain my youthful glow."

Seeing that Mick seemed to be finding a lighter side to the scars on his face, Octavia's chuckle turned into a full laugh as she gave the Sinner a playful jab to the shoulder.

"Dork!" she declared, making Mick's heart flutter upon seeing her smile again.

At that point, however, the laughter slowly faded and a serious look adorned Octavia's face.

"Joking aside… I think we can agree that we both need to iron out a few wrinkles before we commit to anything," she pointed out with Mick nodding his head in agreement. "I still need to sort things out with my dad… and Linda."

"And I still need to tell you the WHOLE truth about me," the Cat Demon added. "If this whole experience has taught me anything, it's that I don't want any more secrets between us… it's high time to wipe the slate clean."

"And then after that… you and I can try to see how this goes," Octavia continued, her face once more gaining a smile as certain thoughts began filling her mind. "Because whatever we are right now… I really want to see what this becomes."

Hearing that, Mick's own smile grew almost as big as the one etched into his mask.

"Yeah…" he said. "I'd like that."

With the decision made, and both parties in agreement, Mick and Octavia felt overwhelmed with so many emotions. Filled with a cocktail of joy, excitement, and anxiety, both their hearts beat like a pair of bongo drums in tandem as a small trickle of light managed to creep out of the smog above their heads. Tilting their heads up, both were surprised to see a break in the clouds and vapour… revealing a lovely shimmer of the moon surrounded by a blanket of stars.

Upon seeing the shimmering diamonds twinkling in the night sky, Octavia in particular was left in awe. It may not have been a meteor shower but it was still beautiful… especially when it was with treasured company. While the break in the clouds may have only lasted mere moments, it nonetheless felt incredible to witness as far as Mick and Octavia were concerned, so much so in fact, they couldn't help but sigh as soon as it was over.

"I guess we should both start making our way back home, huh?" Octavia thought aloud stretching her back as the day's fatigue started to kick in.

The moment Octavia said that, however, Mick's eyes snapped wide open as he suddenly remembered something.

"Ah…" he uttered, giving the Owl Demon an awkward glance, something that Octavia took immediate notice of.

"What?" she asked, understandably confused about why Mick would react in such a way.

Given everything he and Linda had been through throughout the entire day, it wasn't really that surprising that the Sinner didn't remember what happened to him up until now. After all, he had more important things to think about than his personal problems. That being said, this was still an issue that NEEDED to be addressed.

"Well, before Linda and I came up here, your dad might have… fired me?" he eventually answered with a sheepish scratch of his head, only to suddenly be met by Octavia's angry demonic glare.

"He WHAT!?" she snapped, her voice emitting a terrifying growl in response to hearing such shocking news.

"I mean, to be fair, he WAS a little upset at the time!"

Thankfully that explanation did seem to cool Octavia's temper, if only by a little bit. After all, she couldn't be TOO upset with her father's rash decision, especially given that it was mostly her fault to begin with. Taking a deep, calming breath, the Goetia Princess soon regained her composure and gave Mick a comforting glance.

"Well, you can rest assured that I'll be having a STRONG word with him when I get back," she said, trying to remain as calm as possible despite Mick clearly hearing the light crack of her clenched knuckles.

…

"Please, be merciful," Mick gulped, suddenly feeling a strong surge of sympathy for Stolas for the near future.

"I make NO promises," Octavia stated, all but confirming Mick's unease. "But I'll make sure you get your job back, you can bet on that."

At those words, Mick couldn't help but blush once more, in fact, he almost leaned in close to give Octavia another embrace until-

"Hey! Are you two done!?"

"GAH!"

Suddenly hearing that third voice, there was an instant moment of panic. Jumping away from each other in shock, Octavia tensed up while Mick fearfully snapped his mask back on with a light clunk. Snapping their bodies around, they turned to see a pale-skinned young woman with long silver hair, red eyes and a surprisingly familiar-looking smirk stepping out from the other side of the fountain. The more Mick looked at her, the more familiarities he began to spot, particularly the woman's choice of attire. Then suddenly it hit him.

"Loona!?" he blurted out, causing the woman's smirk to grow.

Suddenly, a small torrent of magical blue flames surrounded the woman's body as the faint sound of a wolf's howl echoed in the air. A mere second later, the flames receded and sure enough, the Human Woman was replaced by Mick's Hellhound friend from Imp City.

"In the fur," she declared, giving the two young Demons a sense of shock and relief.

Upon releasing the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, Octavia couldn't help but feel a little curious. Granted, Mick did actually mention Loona on more than one occasion since he first came to Imp City, but it was still intriguing to see that both Mick's friend and the indifferent Hellhound that let her sneak into that red weirdo's office were one and the same.

"How'd you find us?" she couldn't help but ask, almost dreading just how many more Demons were about to come out of the woodwork.

"Your Sinstagram," Loona answered, casually holding up her Hellphone. "Nice pics by the way."

"Oh… thanks," Octavia uttered sheepishly, having almost forgotten how many photos she had posted on her account today.

The Sinner next to her, however, remained just as tense as he was when Loona first made herself known. While he was glad that no actual Humans were nearby, Mick was still filled with a surge of dread and just had to speak his mind.

"Just… how long have you been standing back there?" he asked, instantly causing Loona's smirk to fade.

"Long enough, Mick," she replied honestly, giving Mick cause to grimace as she confirmed his suspicions.

"Listen Loona, about what you saw-" he tried to say, only for the Hellhound to raise her hand to silence him in an instant.

"Hey, relax, it's none of my business what you got under there," she stated firmly, gesturing a finger to her own face to illustrate her point. "I'm not gonna spill, okay?"

As blunt as that may have sounded, Mick could tell from her tone that Loona was at least being genuine with her words. As such, he was able to let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, earning himself another smirk from Loona in response.

"So… snuck out of Hell, huh?" she suddenly asked, causing Mick to give her a sheepish nod.

"Yeah," he replied, only for Loona's smirk to grow even wider.

"Nice!"

Needless to say, both Mick and Octavia were a little surprised to witness Loona's indifference to seeing a Sinner outside of Hell, so much so that the Sinner himself had to speak up about it.

"You don't seem to be all that worried about it," he pointed out, only to receive a light shrug in response.

"Hey, you had to get your girl," Loona retorted, her smirk almost giving the impression that she was actually proud. "You got nothing but respect from me, pal."

Upon hearing that first bit, both Mick and Octavia's faces turned a deep shade of crimson.

"That said… you two have to be the most awkward couple I have ever seen!" Loona continued, almost chuckling at the two's expense. "And I work with the cringiest husband and wife ever!"

In response to that, Mick and Octavia could only give the Hellhound a deadpan glare.

"Oh, hardy-har," Mick commented, only to receive a playful jab to his shoulder for his trouble.

"Oh relax, I'm just messing with you," Loona retorted, allowing herself a brief moment to calm down before her face turned serious. "But for real though, we should probably find your dad. He's probably shitting an egg by now."

Quickly realizing that the end of this little venture was finally rearing its head, Mick and Octavia gave each other a knowing glance and nodded in agreement.

"I guess… this is farewell for now then," Mick spoke up, catching Octavia by surprise.

"You're not coming with us?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed at the idea of not spending more time with the Sinner.

"I'd better not," Mick replied with a light shake of his head. "The last thing I need is to get within your dad's line of fire before he even has a chance to calm down… besides I still have an Asmodean Crystal to return to its rightful owner."

As disappointing as it was, Octavia nonetheless saw Mick's point, so much so that she immediately nodded in understanding.

"Fair enough," she said before turning back towards Loona, reaching into her bag and placing her father's Grimoire in her hand. "Okay… I'm ready."

Just as Loona began flipping through the magical book, however, a gentle smile suddenly popped up on her face as she placed a comforting hand on the Goetia Princess's shoulder.

"Hey… try to cut your dad some slack, okay?" she said, basically confirming that she had heard a lot more of the two's conversation than she initially let on. "I know he's not perfect, but he's trying… That's more important than you think."

Hearing that, Octavia couldn't help but give the Hellhound a warm, grateful smile. Witnessing such a touching moment between the two from the sidelines, even Mick found himself relishing in the feels. If he didn't know any better, from the way the two of them were acting, he would suspect that Loona was acting like an older sister.

With no other words to say, Loona eventually found the page she was looking for and read the spell upon it. Mere seconds later, a large circular portal appeared behind the two girls, just as magical as the one created using an Asmodean Crystal but still vastly different in other ways. But just before she stepped through, Octavia had to give her potential new boyfriend one last glance.

"Hey, Mick?" she said. "Thank you."

At that, Mick couldn't help but laugh and give the Goetia Princess his signature graceful bow.

"One is glad to be of service… my lady," he replied, bringing another smile to Octavia's face. "I'll see you in Hell."

With that final word, Octavia gave the Sinner one final wave before accepting Loona's offered hand and stepping through the portal. A mere moment later, the portal closed, and Mick was left alone by the fountain… allowing him to start shaking on the spot and laughing like a lunatic!

"She likes me!" he bellowed out in joy. "She actually LIKES me! WOOHOO!"

After another brief moment of joy, the Cat Sinner eventually managed to calm himself down and pulled out Desiree's Crystal from his pocket, once again happy to see that it was still intact even after all the madness he had to endure that day. Without saying another word, he gave his surroundings one final check to make sure he was still alone and activated the Crystal's power, opening the familiar sparkling portal. Finally… It was time to go home.

"Liddy!" the Sinner called out as he stepped through the portal into one of the rooms of the Peppermint Puss. "The mission was a total success! And better yet, Octi and I-"

"AHEM!"

Only then did Mick fully acknowledge the presence of all the other Demons in the room. Before he and Linda left for the Living World, the initial plan was to use one of the empty sex rooms currently under maintenance as a rendezvous point where they could slip back undetected and give the Crystals back to Dominique and Desiree without anyone being any the wiser… however, that idea had completely blown up in their faces. While the first portal DID send Linda and Snowflake here as planned… there were a few others that weren't supposed to be there at all.

While it wasn't too much of a stretch that the two Succubi Sisters were in the room… it was the fact that SHANK was standing in front of him with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face… and Wimzy at his side, giving Mick a nervous wave that caused the Sinner to let out a single word appropriate for the occasion.

"Ffffffuck!"

Before either of them realized it, Mick, Linda and Wimzy were sitting cross-legged on the floor of Shank Calico's office, with Snowflake on the former's lap and the furious-looking Club Owner pacing in front of them. Meanwhile, the frightened pair, Dominique and Desiree, gulped in anxiety as they watched the scene play out. Even Johnny, who had no involvement whatsoever in the plot, was instructed to be in the room as a witness and a guard in case either of them tried to make a break for the door. Of course, that wasn't to say that he particularly enjoyed seeing his friend get chewed out like this.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic things you could have done, Mick, THIS exceeds all of them by far!" Mick's former employer snarled. "What the FUCK were you thinking!?"

"L-look, Shank, I know this looks bad, but-" Mick tried to say, only for Shank to slam his hand on his desk.

BAM!

"'Bad' doesn't even BEGIN to describe the shitstorm you've gotten yourself into, kiddo!" Shank retorted. "I'm surprised either of you have even managed to come back alive! And now, you come back into my club with a fucking CHERUB in tow!?"

"Uh… technically that last part was an accident, so…" Wimzy uttered, only to receive an agitated glare from the Clawed Sinner for her trouble.

"YOU can stay quiet!" he growled, causing the Cherub to cower behind Mick around the same instant Linda did.

"M-mick? Y-you're old boss is terrifying!" Linda blurted out in a hushed whisper, desperately making sure the pissed-off Club Owner didn't hear her.

Not that Mick could blame her, obviously. As consequences go, having to come face to face with a Sinner known for literally cutting other Demons in half for the sole crime of getting too handsy with his employees was definitely not one he would have favoured for himself.

"You should consider yourself LUCKY that I was the one to investigate the crashing noise in that room," Shank continued. "If anyone else saw that there was a fucking Angel in my club, I would have had an angry mob on my doorstep faster than you can say 'howdy-doo'!"

As it turned out, when Mick tossed Snowflake towards Linda, she had unintentionally crashed into Wimzy the instant she caught Snowflake in her arms, sending them both falling through the portal and knocking over a few items in the room Linda and Mick were supposed to sneak into. As such, the noise was immediately noticed by the nearest Demon within earshot and none other than Shank himself burst through the door mere moments after the portal had closed. Needless to say, seeing the three of them in a small heap at his feet immediately caused the Clawed Sinner to become filled with questions that demanded immediate answers. Recognising Snowflake almost immediately, he at least suspected who else was involved in this situation, thus leading to this current meeting in his office.

"Look, like she said, it's not like I sent Wimzy here on purpose!" Mick argued, finding at least a small fraction of courage to speak for everyone's defence. "Besides, she's nothing like the Exorcists. A bit odd maybe but…"

"Wimzy… seriously?" Shank repeated with a raised eyebrow, unsure whether or not his former employee was serious while giving the shaking squeaky toy their introduction, or if that was just some silly nickname that Mick gave her while up top. "Whatever happened to angels having half-decent names? She sounds like she's a fucking Teletubi character."

Hearing that, despite her initial fear, Wimzy couldn't help but pout at that. Evidently, she was a little sensitive if anyone made fun of her name. It was around then that Dominique had to clear her throat to get her employer's attention.

"Um… Shank? N-not to overstep or anything, but maybe you should go easy on the kid?" she said, surprising almost everyone in the room by coming to Mick's defence.

"Yeah, it's not like he and his friend were TRYING to cause trouble," her sister added, earning a grateful smile from Linda for her trouble.

Shank, however, while slightly moved by the Succubi's loyalty to their friends, wasn't one to ignore dangerous grievances so easily.

"I'll deal with YOU girls later!" he snapped, pointing a heated claw in their direction. "Keep in mind that neither of you are off the hook for your role in all this."

"Yeah… we figured," Desiree admitted with a heavy sigh.

If Mick hadn't felt guilty before, he certainly did now. Despite his good intentions, getting his former co-workers in trouble was far from what he would have wanted, hence why he suggested they tell everyone that their Crystals were stolen… so either Shank saw right through the ruse, or the two sisters couldn't bring themselves to lie to his face. Given their loyalty to him, it was most likely the latter.

"That being said," Shank continued, calming himself using a deep, cleansing breath. "As far as anyone outside of this room knows…NONE of this Living World bullshit ever happened. Hell, the only reason Johnny is here is because I can trust him to keep his mouth shut."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, boss-man," Johnny spoke up, giving Mick an apologetic shrug as soon as he looked his way.

"As such, so long as no one says ANYTHING about this, I think we can all get on with our lives as normal," Shank then pointed out, surprising everyone with his leniency on the matter. "Everyone clear on that?"

"Understood sir," all of Shank's employees said simultaneously, even Mick, who simply spoke up out of habit.

It was at that moment that Linda shakily raised her hand and spoke up.

"S-so what happens now?" she stuttered, her body shaking so much, that Snowflake had to hop onto her lap and nuzzle her neck just to calm her down.

Sending a disturbing glare in both her and Wimzy's direction, Shank let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against his desk.

"Like I said, none of this ever happened," he declared. "To that end, for the sake of my club and everyone in it… the Cherub has got to GO!"

At those words, everyone immediately gasped in disbelief, none more so than Mick in particular.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shanks, please!" he protested. "You don't have to hurt Wimzy, I swear, she's harmless!

Shank, of course, had an immediate response to that kind of argument.

"I don't care if she can turn water into wine and shits out candy!" he snapped. "I want her out of my club before the day is out! And for the record, I wasn't suggesting anything violent. At least give me SOME credit."

"But we can't just kick her out, can we?" Johnny pointed out. "I mean, any kind of Angel wandering the streets down here would be sure to attract attention."

"She came here from the Living World, didn't she?" Shank retorted, gesturing to the Asmodean Crystals on his desk that he had confiscated from Mick and Linda as soon as they both returned to Hell. "So obviously our best course of action is to simply send her BACK, isn't it?"

Alas, as harsh as it sounded, Shank's suggestion was the most logical of choices everyone could make. Still… the idea just didn't seem right to the younger Cat Demon, not after all that had transpired today.

"Alright, I get the logic, but-"

"PLEASE, DON'T SEND ME BACK!"

Before Mick even had a chance to finish his sentence, Wimzy's scream immediately drew everyone's attention towards her. Looking down at her, they immediately saw the Cherub's whole body trembling with fright while her eyes became misty, making her almost resemble a small child fearing the punishment they knew they were about to receive from their parents. Between Mick, Snowflake and Linda giving each other a surprised glance, Dominique and Desiree feeling baffled and Shank resisting the urge to break into his personal stash of booze, Johnny seemed to be the only one capable of saying anything in that moment of silence.

"Well… this suddenly got a lot more awkward."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Special Announcement: This Fanfic now has its own page on TVTropes. As such, my cowriters and I would like to give a big shoutout and thank you to whoever created it and hope that it will continue to grow and expand as this story does.