Octavia had been… avoiding her dad for a few days now. Not that it was her intention to, she just… kind of over focused on Iruma, given his… everything at the moment. To be fair, her boyfriend going from chained human to Hell to future king of Gluttony was a whiplash to say the least, and the less said about the Loona situation, the better. There were moments like this where the fact Iruma knew so little about romance was a plus, so she knew there was no worry about Iruma picking up signs... which was a double-edged sword admittedly.

Just… so much at once. Octavia tried to stay with him as much as she could, at least until her mom grounded her for 'spending time with a peasant'. Seriously, what a bitch! First, you don't even know he exists, then you try to murder him, now this!? She was almost eighteen, she didn't even need to listen to her mom anymore in a few months.

Wait. Was this a sign to move in with Iruma? Well he only lived at that hotel with the radio fucker through half the week and spent the other half with those tiny imps, and the latter would almost give her more shit than the radio fucker given how overbearing the 'mom' was. And while she would love to find a place for them to live on their own, she doubted the radio fucker would allow it... then again she was able to get a good stab on him.

She shook her head. Octavia could worry about that later. She walked into the door, ready for either being ignored, or being treated like a child. "Dad, I'm home…" She looked around, seeing nothing. "Ignored it is." Of course, he was probably still focusing on his date with Blitzo… god, what the fuck did he see in that asshole?

Octavia heard enough from the broadcast to know that the imp was just not worth it. He was a parasitic prick that ruined every relationship he had, and she had no sympathy for his little crybaby backstory after he yelled at Iruma. And no, it wasn't just because of her (minor) obsession with her boyfriend. It was because he led the man on a date just to spy on his co-workers. And also the fact he fucked her dad and made her realize just how shitty her parents' lives were.

Octavia sighed. She'd grab breakfast and brush up on the latest taxidermy. The imp servants often had a habit of going through her stuff no matter how many times she told them to fuck off from her room. After that, she would probably turn on the radio and listen for a bit while trying to think of a new way to incorporate stars into…

There was a pill bottle next to dad's room. Of course he dropped it, because why not? May as well be a helpful little girl. "Dad!" She called out, picking it up and reaching the door. "You dropped your medi-"

The door met resistance … as piles upon piles of empty medicine bottles fell out of the room. "… Dad?" She started getting worried. She had seen his medicine bottles around the house from time to time, and after he explained the whole 'arranged marriage' thing, she understood why he would need to take some…. But this much… this was terrifying. Was… was her dad an addict?

"Dad… dad come on, this isn't funny!" She called out a little louder. Getting no response, she shoved open the door with all her might… to mountains upon mountains of wine bottles laid around the room… and her dad unconscious on the bed. "Dad!!!"

"Manhsh Dhaka. Sis shenanigans…" he muttered as he turned on his side, the wine bottle in his hand rolled off and smashing on the ground.

She forced her way through the empty bottles so many many bottles, reaching the man. "DAD!" She picked him up, shaking him. "Dad, wake up, wake up, you're scaring me!"

"Josh a man.. koala death leads to ends of alls things…" her dad muttered.

"Fuckin-" She yanked out her phone. "How to deal with too many pills." Octavia was NOT a doctor and this was really really bad. "Okay, okay, force regurgitation … oh this is going to be so gross." She grabbed her dad, pulling him into the bathroom. "Dad, know that if I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel like I had any other choice."

Once inside, she aimed his head over the toilet. "Okay, one… two…" She reached into the back of his throat, yanking his tonsil. Her face cringed in disgust. "So gross so gross so gross-!"

"Bllaaaaaaaaggggh!!!" A red purple ooze spewed from her father's mouth as he gripped the seat of the toilet.

"Get it out, get it all out." She grimaced, rubbing his back as she shook off the hand covered in her dad's vomit GAAAH!

Eventually, the flow stopped. "Ooooh … That… was rough." He mumbled.

"Dad, what the fuck happened!?" She shook him. "I knew you were on happy pills but the drinking!? You were scaring me!"

"I'm… I'm alright sweetie…" He spoke quietly, brokenly. "Just… had some self reflection… that's all."

"Did that self reflection involve destroying your liver!?" She screamed.

"I… um… just needed a bit of a boost… the pills weren't really doing their jobs after all… too many bad thoughts." He grabbed his head weakly.

"Dad, what happened? How long were you passed out?" Octavia pleaded. "Have you been like this since that 'date' at Ozzie's?"

"Oh… you heard that …" He folded in on himself. "You… I'm so sorry, Octavia. I'm sorry…" He shook. "So much happened. So many eyes and facts coming about, and then I saw a conjugation, and I-I made a stupid decision and I broke everything …"

"Dad, it's not your fault, just calm down..."

"No, it is my fault. It's always my fault. Everything that's happened is always my fault…" Her dad started crying as his eyeliner started running. "I focused so much on him that I ignored you. I focused on treating you like a child and not an adult. I had a first date with Blitzy and… and I acted ashamed." He slammed his forehead into his hands. "What the hell do I have to be ashamed about!? Why did I do that!? Why can't I get out of my own way!?"

"… If it makes you feel any better, I focused so much on Iruma I didn't come to check up on you…" She nervously chuckled. "Family connection …"

"Well it's not your fault, you're nearly an adult with your own life… you have a love that's stronger than anything I've ever had… you're actually sure that you both care for each other." Dad cried. "Look at me... just a pathetic whelp of a man who's so blind that his daughter learned how to love in spite of his terrible mistakes."

"Dad, no, don't think like that." Octavia held his hands. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have understood my contract with Iruma at all."

"If I said anything, you may have not had one to begin with …" He hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Via… so, so sorry …"

"Dad—" He pushed her away, before once more vomiting into the toilet, she frowned in worry. "Dad, why are you like this? Even if you like the red fu-like that Imp… is he really worth destroying yourself over?"

"Of-uck-… of course…" He chuckled weakly. "I would always… put the people I care for first… be they family… love… or even friend …"

"Dad, he's barely a lover, it's a stretch to call him a friend."

"No… he is… he's actually... my first ever friend." Dad sniffed. "When I was just a boy."

"… What?" Her eyes widened at this revelation.

Asmodeus grinned as he flipped flapjacks in the air. "Makin' pancakes, makin' bacon pancakes. Makin' pancake, makin'' bacon pancakes." He laughed as he tossed them into a place.

"Oh come on, you can flip and make bacon, but no morning burgers?"

"Burgers don't have a catchy theme song." He called back to his special little Froggy. "And I keep telling you, burgers aren't breakfast."

"Sure they are! Just throw an egg on it and it's immediately morning food, watch!" Fizzi grinned as he took two eggs from the counter, juggled them before having them land on his head. "See, now I'm something that anyone will just wanna slurp up."

"Not for breakfast." He chided, grabbing the man. "Too salty." Ozzie smirked, pecking his beak on the man's cheek.

"And you're too sweet as always, Ozzie-bear." Fizzi blushed as he reached for a newspaper. "If lust wasn't your brand, you'd give the entire ring diabetes."

"Now who says lust can't be sweet?" Ozzie grinned as he stacked the jacks into a perfect pile. "Lust is the desire to draw the object of your affection in. How you do it is the real challenge. You can make any random hoe suck your dick, but to make them want to do it of their own volition is something to be admired."

"And you're not just saying that because you have one the size of ten hellhorses stacked together?" Fizzi smirked

"I'm physically built for lust, what can I say?" Who would have thought that the almighty king of Lust would be tamed by the most adorable little imp … truly, a pleasure. "Anything exciting?"

"Meh, nothin' much. Goetia parties, stock displacement. Oooh, father daughter bonding from Satan causes half of Wrath to be submerged in lava." Fizzi read off.

"Ha, I still find it hilarious that buff daddy Satan ended up being the first sin with a kid." Ozzie snickered. "He was such a temperamental little shit in the beginning of hell."

"No one expects the angry man to fall in love." Fizzi agreed. "Oooh, some fake news about Beelzebub getting a successor."

Asmodeus blinked, tilting his left head. "Hold on, let me see that." He snatched the paper up from the cute little Froggy's hands and began reading it. "Renown party girl slut and queen of hellhounds Beelzebub announces successor upon, and quote 'finding the most fucking amazing seed of Gluttony to ever exist in hell, bitches. Now find me some drugs, Belfa's still holding out on me'. Wow…. never knew the girl had it in her."

"Wait, are you saying this story's for real?" Fizzi raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. Seems the chick found someone else to eat stuff for her." Good on her. She was nice, but work was always a second thought.

"You guys can retire?" Fizzi blinked. "I thought you were immortal or some shit?"

"We are, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything else. There used to be Bael, the Sin of Vanity."

"Vanity?" Fizz questioned. "The heck happened to him?"

"He tried to fuck Lilith, so Lucifer murdered him and renamed the ring Pride." He said lowly. Asmodeus was there when it happened … saw Lucci's wings get permanently turned from pitch black to bloody red …

" … I can't tell if I should be disappointed by his smooth brain or impressed by his big balls." The little Froggy shuddered.

"Trust me, his balls weren't big… or existing, for long when Lucifer was done with him." It was what made all the other Sins respect the angel enough to allow him to be their king… that and he was a fucking angel and no one was going to mess with that shit. "Does it say who the lucky bastard she chose is?"

"Hmm …" He looked over the paper. "Oh, did I ever tell you about the radio boy?"

"The show you ignored cause it had that dickbag you hate with a burning passion on it?" Asmodeus asked. Talking about that Blitzo Imp was usually a hard topic for Fizzi to get into. There was obvious hatred, but… a small sense of respect, given how Ozzie would've fucked the prick in a very NOT sexy way if Fizzi just gave the word.

"Yeah. Apparently the human boy from it got picked."

"... There's a human down in hell?" Ozzie asked slowly.

"Yep."

"And this isn't just some random sinner that looks oddly human-like?"

"No, completely human, it's part of why the broadcast is popular."

"... How?"

"Apparently the parents sold the kid's soul to the radio demon. Like I said I wasn't really interested, so I don't have the full story." Fizzi shrugged.

"Fuck, that's messed up." Ozzie shook his head in disbelief, disgusted. "I mean, that sounds like the kind of shit the Vs pull out." Rape, love potions, if it wasn't for the fact sinners were immortal, Ozzie would have ripped them apart molecule by molecule.

"I guess that means those fuckers are getting a one way trip to hell to get brutally slaughtered by multiple fuckers."

"You have no idea." He understood a match made in hell, but that was no reason to bring child abuse into it. "You know, I actually almost retired once. Even had a successor ready… unfortunately, she realized they were ace and preferred video games, so that kind of put a nix into that." He shrugged. "And if I did, I wouldn't have met the most fuckable imp in hell either." Ozzie grinned as he wrapped the tail around his finger.

"And I wouldn't have met a lovely little rooster in a big strong body." The imp grinned, planting a smooch on the right head's cheek. "You know, I don't have any gigs planned today …"

"And my schedule is clear for once …" Ozzie agreed. "You know what that means, don't you Froggy?"

"Yeah I do …"

"Sinflix and chill!" Sex was great, but cuddles and mindless drifting with one another was always the best. Coupling and romance was always the best when it was kept to one selves.

Blitz groaned as he took in another beer. "Ugh, why isn't the Beezeljuice working…" Ever since the day after Ozzie's, work had just.. Lost it's spark.. Or more rather, the company he started was starting to fall apart internally. Millie, the closest friend he had in the company and his ONLY hope for that fucking awesome threeway now hated his guts. Every mission they've took since then was now half fucking shit over like normal, half Millie throwing a knife at his head. Between that and everyone focused on the kid … it just left Blitz and his juice whenever he was alone at the house.

Why the fuck did he go to Ozzie's that night? Why couldn't he have just left well enough alone… or maybe better… why did he think getting FUCKING Stolas would make things go over better? If Blitz just snuck inside or fucked somebody else for a quick get in, he wouldn't have had his rear ripped to fucking shreds.

"Kid was right … should have just gone through the vents …" Why the fuck did the kid have a fucking good life when he didn't? Maybe it was just some sort of luck thing? Like how Fizz managed to get a good life when Blitz couldn't? That dude's fucking a sin, and clearly doesn't need a paycheck with a sugar daddy like that.

Why was Blitz feeling so broken now? He already KNEW he was alone, he already knew everything he had with Stolas was nothing more than a transactional fuck. That's how he got ahead in life! Why was this hurting so much!?

You already knew that everyone around you just hangs out for some reason other than actually, loving you. You admitted it to the kid, fucker, you killed mom, you deserve to die alone. Forgotten. In an alley. There's a gun, grab it and go and make everyone's life so so much better by aiming it at your skull-

"Yo Blitz, I'm gonna borrow the car." Loonie called out, making him shake his head. "You need anything?

Just peace and quiet so no one can hear the gun go off. "More booze if you please.." Blitz grumbled, not even sure what thoughts were serious and which weren't anymore.

"...You do realize you've been throwing them ALL up for the past six hours, right?"

"I what?" He looked around, and indeed, he was covered in yellow puke. "Oh… that's why the booze wasn't working…. Mind grabbing me some H8 instead? I feel like that'll work better." Not like he had a reason to be clean now.

"... Do I need to send your ass to rehab?" She asked, frowning heavily.

"Pfft, rehab, that's only for washed up hazbin losers…. And I never was anything, so that doesn't apply to me." He chuckled. "Not like there's any hope for anybody, cause we're all just waiting around to die, heck, maybe the second extermination is a blessing in disguise…"

"Okay, one, shut the fuck up." Loona walked over to him. "Two." She slapped him in the face.

"I deserve that…" Blitz didn't even fight it.

"And three, stop moping around. It's been annoying having to clean the fuck up after you." Loona grumbled, forcing him to stand up.

"You're right, you're right… I'll just... Get drunk at a nearby bar and get them to clean it up-"

"For fuck's sake Blitz, stop it!" Loona yelled. "What the hell's been going on with you lately!? I get whatever happened at Ozzie's rattled you or something, but this is a new level of self pity you're putting yourself through, and it's not like you."

"Not like me... Loonie.. Haahaha, I...haha... I don't know what you're talking about…" Blitz snickered. "This is me, this is who I am always, this… this fucking shit disappointment that everybody hates!" He held himself. "I'm always this shitty, I'm just making it more obvious than usual!"

Loona looked at him. "That still doesn't explain why you're spiraling like this." Loona glared. "If it's about that clingy rich asshole you're fucking, then I don't get why you're so upset. You hate his guts and make it obvious everytime you bring him up."

"… Yep …" Blitz looked down.

"It was all to get a fucking book, alright?" She growled. "So, you shouldn't be getting all pissy-"

"I … didn't start it to get the book." He admitted. "I tried to sneak in first, and that failed. Both of us were misreading the situation in hindsight, which would've been good for me if I actually took advantage of it, which of course I fucking didn't. Then I tied him up and planned on just leaving him …" He sighed. "I was going to, until he said he was about to do it with his first friend. And that just … hit."

"...Wow…." She looked at him, her eyes seeming to light up in either understanding or confusion. "...I'm like you more than I thought…" Loona muttered.

"… Wait, is this about how you thought about fucking that kid?" And sadly, no one was going to let Blitz hold it against them. "Oh shit I've failed as a father…"

"I DON'T think about fucking Iruma… I just… think it's nice… when he pets my head… and smiles at me… and … would be nice if we held hands…." Loona blushed.

"… Fuccck." Blitz groaned.

"Hey, I didn't WANT anything to happen, then something happened, and then… I don't know, I liked that it happened." Loona grumbled. "And now that something's happened… I don't know… I... HOPE something happens…but if something happens then things will get messy with Octavia and that's just more shit I don't want to deal with."

"Yep … Goetia do what they want …" Blitz mumbled. "And now … now I'm on a leash. Because in the end, the power difference still matters. He sets up the rules, every month he bangs me." He growled. "I thought it didn't matter. I've fucked bigger assholes for less… but…. I'm sick of it. If I don't do it then our job is canceled and that leaves you out on the street. It's just, over and over again … while he's married to some rich bitch. I'm just his side piece for fun."

"Yeah… it's… it sounds shitty." Loona sighed. "Did… Did you actually feel anything for the guy? Or… do you feel anything?"

"...Maybe…. I don't know… I only met the guy one other time before this whole shit." Blitz muttered. "Apparently he liked the clown show my family put on and his dad bought me from my dad to be a 'play friend'. Then my dad asked me to rob their shit for mom so she'd be happy with some money, then I never saw him again." Blitz groaned. "I… had fun I guess, but I never read too deeply into it until I wanted to grab the book…But he remembered me… out of all the shitty things in my life, he somehow still remembered me twenty years later…" He sighed. "You know the fucked up thing? I…. I actually thought the asshole cared... I thought the golden chains would be fine as long as I was with someone that cared…. But when he had a chance to stand up … he just hid away behind his menu in shame …" He wiped his eyes. "I'm a cheap thrill… a used up condom that nobody needs, that everyone else is better off without. Fizz was better without me, Barbie's better without me…heck, if M and M were smarter, they'd realize they'd be better off without me…" At least Millie DID realize that … "... I'm sorry I'm a failure Loonie …"

"Shut up." Loona shook her head and hugged him. "You're my dad…. That's the best thing you'll ever be to me."

"... Thank you… thank you…" Out of everything he's ever done in hell… adopting this wonderful, strong young lady would always be the best thing he's ever done for anyone… and for himself. "For your sake I won't murder the kid."

"Dad…" Loona rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you're too good for anyone, especially a dumbass teenage human that always needs his hand held…"

"I mean… that's kind of part of the charm…" Loona muttered. "… So about the whole 'being sold' thing …"

"Let's just say there's a reason we don't see your grandparents and leave it at that." Blitz muttered, looking down at himself and grimaced. "Fuck, I need to wash this shit off me."

"Yeah, same, cause I just hugged you while covered in barf." Loona glared.

"… Thank you Loonie Toonie."

"Don't mention it." Loona sighed. "Seriously, don't mention this. You're lucky we're having this talk while Iruma's at that tacky hotel."

"Right, don't need to spill our guts all over hell." Because Blitz already did that. "You take the shower first, I'll… clean up my shit."

Charlie smiled. "Alright, so I know it's been rough recently …"

"The kid fucking ate half of us!" Angel Dust shouted in incense.

"He never ate me!" Nifty pouted as she stomped her foot on the ground.

"And the hotel's been attacked by at least twenty gangs trying to murder the kid in either revenge or clout gain." Husk added.

"I'm really sorry." Iruma sighed. "I'd leave if Alastor would let me."

"Don't be sorry young man. It's been an absolute delight tearing the souls of the desperate, really makes one nostalgic for simpler times." Alastor chuckled.

"... So, to alleviate the mood, I made today's activity … a game!" She exclaimed.

"Monopoly?" Husk asked sassily.

"I Spy?" Nifty questioned.

"The 'stand in the basement and stay quiet until the men in suits leave' game?" Iruma suggested as everyone gave him yet another concerning look for one of his out of context sentences.

"...Ah…" Vaggie began speaking up.

"... Unfortunately it was only when I was ten did I realize it was social services." Iruma finished. "Fortunately, they gave me a bag of chips and a water bottle to eat, so it evened out."

"... Anyone know any good therapists we can get for the hotel?" Charlie asked with a whine.

"This is hell." Angel Dust deadpanned. "Any therapist here would take advantage of the emotionally disturbed."

Right of course they would. "So, back on track. The name of the game is … two truths, one lie!" Charlie shouted excitedly. "Which is pretty much what it says. To demonstrate, I'll go first." She cleared her throat. "I love rainbows, I'm bisexual, and I … once kicked a puppy."

"You did?" Iruma tilted his head. "But I thought you loved puppies."

"It's two truths and one lie." Vaggie deadpanned. "You figure out which one is false out of the three things she said … although she could have made it less obvious, admittedly."

"I don't know, given how chummy she gets with you, I'd never assumed she used to handle dick." Angel Dust chuckled. "Then again, I'd never assume she's ever had sex period in spite of your claims."

They were talking and bonding, it was working! "Oh, I see how this works … what's bisexual again?" Iruma asked.

"Means she liked making whoopie with guys and girls at the same time." Angel chuckled.

"I don't have S.E.X. with two people at the same time."

"Oh, like Moxxie." Iruma nodded. "And maybe Blitz? It's hard to get a read on that one …I know he dated Verosika but he seems to like guys more…. Also I know how to spell sex, you don't have to point out each letter."

"It's so hard to get a read on what you're aware of." Vaggie muttered.

"There's also pansexual." Husk shrugged.

"As in pans?"

"It means people who like having relationships with anybody in spite of their gender, whether boys, girls, trans, or nonbinary." Charlie clarified.

"This is quite interesting." Alastor chuckled. "How about I have a turn?"

"But you guys haven't even guessed the lie yet." Charlie pointed out.

"You never kicked a dog." Everyone spoke up in unison.

"...I…. could've…."

"No you couldn't." Husk muttered.

"It's freaking obvious." Angel nodded.

"Even I think that's weak." Nifty cackled. "Now if you said you liked to smash spiders and roaches and took glee in exterminating their existence, THEN I would find it more believable."

"... Okay Alastor, you can have your turn." She pouted.

"Two truths and a lie, alright…I've killed my first victim when I was ten, my mother died from an overdose of spices in her fabulous jambalaya, and I died by getting ripped apart by a pack of wolves."

Everyone stared at the man. "... You know." Iruma spoke up. "The wolves thing would probably explain his hate of dogs."

"Maybe, but that feels too fucking obvious." Angel Dust muttered.

"Though the mom thing feels like it's too ridiculous to NOT be a lie." Vaggie pointed out.

"I'd expect him to kill his first victim at five at the lastest." Nifty chuckled.

"I'm on the wolves thing, I feel he was done in by a man."

"Maybe he killed hisssss own mother?" Pentious asked. "He ssssseemsss eeevillll enough."

"… The killing at ten …" Please have been later in life.

"And the answer is…. Eaten by wolves!" Alastor cackled mischievously. "Oh I bet Zestial's going to get a real kick out of this episode."

"Really, I felt like that was the most realistic outcome." Iruma nodded.

" No…. my body was devoured by wolves AFTER that lowly moronic degenerate shot me through the head."

"Oooooh." Husk nodded. "Deer hunter, antlers, I'm gettin' a picture."

"..You… were killed by accident?" Charlie blinked.

"Why of course. It's not like the police wanting me on death row found the fifty bodies I buried." Alastor grinned. "In fact, I was in the middle of burying my latest victim when it happened, ahahaha, karma is, as the youth say, quite the nasty bitch."

"Riiight." Okay, let's move to something more friendly. "Iruma, why don't you try?"

"Okay…. I've been wanted by the FBI, slept in the stomach of a lion, and once outran a cheetah for five days." Iruma listed.

The group stared at him quietly, cause frankly… all of them were equally horrifying and unbelievable. "FBI one's truth. That was on the broadcast." Husk brought up. "My bet's on the lion, too small."

"You sure, the kid's stamina's good, but not that good." Vaggie pointed out.

"Hmm, I guess it depends if we measure how fast Alastor can torture him vs a Cheetah trying to chase him, cause Iruma's dodged bullets and stuff." Nifty noted. "But he's never dodged Alastor …"

"Could we even measure that before with his speed now? Did anyone record it?"

"I'm not one for video." The radio demon chuckled.

"I... well, given the options, the only one I can hope for is the lion thing…." Charlie muttered. Just… WHO was putting this innocent boy through so much heartache… aside from his terrible … terrible parents.

"I ssssay cheetah … I have been fitttt into ssssmall ssstomachssss." Pentious glared at the kid.

"Again, sorry."

"I could fit into your stomach right now…" Nifty giggled as she held onto Iruma's arm.

"Ooookay, let's move on to that answer." She chuckled nervously, gently pulling the small demon away.

"The answer was … lion stomach!" Charlie took a sigh of relief. "It was a whale stomach actually." And took that sigh right back in.

"You pulled a pinocchio?" Angel Dust asked, blinked.

"Pino-who?"

"...How the fuck do you not know … Did you see any Disney movie?" Vaggie asked in disbelief.

"Worked at a Disney theme park, never got the chance to actually know what it was all about." Iruma answered. "I think I may have seen a few clips from Bambi …"

"Oooh, I heard about that one. It was a comedy, right?" Alastor cackled. "A young soul losing their mother right in front of them and having to grow up bitter and cold from their distant and authoritarian father…. Ahh, pure comedic gold."

"... Anyone else want a turn?" Charlie asked with a forced smile, but she felt it shaking. "Anyone at all?"

"I can take a crack at it." Angel grinned. "I sucked my first dick at fifteen-"

"Husk, would you like to have a go?" Charlie pleaded, not wanting to hear all the vulgar possibilities Angel would come up with.

"Fine fine." Husker rolled his eyes as he wiped a cup. "I was once an overlord, I know at least one secret of every sinner they'd kill me for if spoken aloud, and I know a drink strong enough to knock out an angel."

"Okay, that last is DEFINITELY true. I don't see him sleep anywhere that isn't the bar, in spite of constantly inviting him over to bed." Angel Dust smirked.

"I doubt he knows EVERY secret about everyone in hell." Vaggie rolled her eyes.

"But he couldn't have been an overlord, he's too nice." Charlie argued.

"You have a very loose definition of nice, darling."

"Anyone kinder than you is automatically grouped under nice." Charlie shot back.

"I say secrets." Nifty chuckled. "There are LOTS of things people don't know about me."

"There'sssss a lot of thingssss people don't want to know about you." Pentious muttered in discomfort. "Maybe … the sssssecretsssss?"

Iruma stared blankly at Husk for a moment … before smiling. "You can't make a drink that strong."

"Pfft, you really are as smooth brained as you look." Angel Dust rolled his eyes. "Obviously the overlord thing was a lie. He's sexy but not that sexy."

"... You think Alastor is sexy?" Iruma blinked. "But he's the worst thing in all of hell."

"Still bangable as fuck."

"Die in a ravine, fornication worker."

"See, clearly he's playing hard to get." Angel snickered.

"Oooh, I want a turn." Nifty raised her hand.

"But we haven't answered what was the lie-" Charlie pointed out.

"So, I once went undercover as a bug for a whole year in order to destroy an entire species in a final solution plan. I have seen everyone here naked. And one of my fondest memories is dressing up my husband's corpse in my dad's old tux." She giggled. "Guess which one's the lie …"

"…. I have a good idea what it is and I'm afraid of what it means for the other two implications." Iruma whimpered.

"No fucking way this little psycho was ever married." Angel Dust scoffed. "She's far too weird for that shit-"

Crink

Nifty's eye twitched as a little crack filled the ground beneath her. "What was that Angel… you saying something you can't take back?" She held up a sewing needle. "You want me to sew up that mouth of yours?"

"... I'd run if I were you." Husk deadpanned as he took a swing.

"It was a joke!" Angel shouted in fear as he leapt out of the way as Nift thrust her sewing needle into Angel's seat.

"And I find sewing you up by your own webs into the ground hilarious!!"

"Nifty no!" Charlie grabbed the girl. "No murder!"

"It's not murder if he lives through the experience!"

"That's weird." Iruma noted. "Usually this is the point where someone tries to beat me up."

"I believe the rabid weasel has something to say about that."

"... Oh you have got to be-"

"GRRRAAAA!"

Stolas sighed as he walked out of the bathroom. "Alright … I think I'm done vomiting …" His stomach rumbled. "... Yep, nothing left in there." Maybe he should've stopped after the fifth bottle of whine, but by then he was barely lucid to keep count.

"Dad… I'm… confused." Octivia, his precious little starlight and the only source of happiness he had, held his hand. "You knew that prick as a kid?" His starlight stared at him. "Like, childhood friend shit? ... That ... that changes so much context."

Stolas sighed. It seemed time to finally tell her the story. "Yes … I asked my father …. Paimon, if I could talk more with a circus clown I found funny …" He chuckled. "His first joke was a horse that lost its legs in a war."

"What was the joke there?" Octavia tilted her head.

"You had to be there to appreciate fully. It invoked an explanation on how horse diabetes works." Stolas sighed. "It was my birthday ... I had just gotten my purpose and grimoire … I had also unfortunately been told quite bluntly I had to marry Stella."

"... So it wasn't a choice?"

"Not in the slightest." He groaned. "I tried for years to make that woman happy with our arrangement … to make up for my lack of … interest so to speak." Stolas sighed.

"Oh…. Oooooh…" Via's eyes widened. "I just thought you were super horny, I didn't know you were fully..."

"I didn't fully understand it myself until..." Stolas muttered. "Although I had you, so I don't regret the marriage so to speak …" The act of it though... just never felt right. "That one play date was the highlight of my life until you came along, and for twenty years I was at least content with how it all ended up… I took more happy pills to make sure you didn't have to worry about anything you didn't need to know about, which became harder and harder as your mother kept mocking me with her aristocratic brownnosers."

"... No offense, but ten bottles a day should have been a clear sign to see a therapist."

"Goetia are; supposedly, 'above' such issues." Stolas muttered. "Then last year, he came… Blitz... he tried sneaking in during one of Stella's parties and I recognized him immediately." He grinned. "I teased him jokingly, I thought he was just trying to visit and I made one or two references humorously."

"I don't like where this is going." Via winced.

"He roughly grabbed my arm, threw me onto the bed, tied me up and …" He cut himself off, remembering his company. "... Made me feel … good for the first time in a long while … my first friend … he made me feel … like he truly wanted my pleasure instead of just doing it for a child."

"…." Via stood silently for a moment to take a breath. "… And he was that…. Good … for you to just hand him your book?"

"He actually stole it in the morning." Which was probably the first red flag. "He climbed off the balcony, fell into your mother's cake, apologized to her for fucking me and fled … I think that was the first time I got happy pissing off Stella." Stolas cackled. "I didn't care that Blitz scrambled off with the grimoire, I was excited, I was happy… and I wanted it to continue." Which was the second red flag. "So … I made a deal. Every full moon we … do things together, and he could use the book …"

"You own his soul?"

"No... but.. I might as well be." Stolas sighed. "Blitzy was so forward and commanding, so I wanted to respond in kind. I embraced my sexuality and thought the scenario of me keeping him 'on a leash' would.. as they say, 'keep it spicy."

"... The moment Iruma thought he was on a leash he left his home and refused to trust anyone for a week."

"Yeah that was a bad move in hindsight." So many bad choices he could've avoided so easily. "I… I think you were right Via… I don't think I had a real relationship…. Never in my life…" He cried. "I was arranged to your mother before even discovering those feelings and I've blindly accepted the first chance I thought I had an out…"

"… What are you going to do now?" His starlight asked rather intently. "Is it over between you two or…?"

"I… I don't know.." Something had to change though… they had to ... or they'd both be stuck. "Owl in a cage … You show your age." Isolated and contracted, tightly bound. "Your sweetness has run foul, without a change …" Every second, withering more and more.

"You're lost, exhausted, By your time on stage…" He looked through his bookshelf, knowing there was an answer that could at least… mitigate damage.

"Then you walked in my room … And like sparks in the dark." Stolas moved his hand, letting stars align, showing beautiful care. "Life was suddenly thrilling and new …" So much joy in such a short time. He was alive again instead of just a walking corpse.

"What's between you and I … Just a comfortable lie." A lie that let them both be happy. "I'm the fool who believes When you look in my eyes…" He looked at what he was looking for in a book… an asmodean crystal… a way… to cut the binds between them..

"Prince, all alone; Upon your throne…" Stolas might lose everything that made him happy… and he had to live with that.. "Your power is so frail..." In spite of all his power ... he couldn't change how he felt.. his feelings would always be there... and… he'd had to accept they may never be mutual.

"You raise your voice … You have no choice…" He took away Blitz's ability to think for himself... limited his free will for sex… "Inside your gilded jail …." That's what they were both in… a fancy golden cage in golden chains.

"Could you shut up that fucking song already!" A familiar voice shouted.

"… Why are you here?" Stolas said breathlessly, not even surprised. "You've already moved out and have your own place, yet you insist on coming here every day just to yell at me." He glared. "You already have Via on weekends, and you certainly don't care about spending more time with her."

"I like watching you suffer." The woman shrugged without any care. "You're ruining my image every day. I got word that you took that fucking imp to Ozzie's. What the actual fuck? Are you trying to make it look like our daughter can date lower trash?"

"Right here." Octavia droned.

"I am never going to let you forget what you've done."

"I know what I did. And I'd be sorry if I betrayed you. But that's not what happened. You were just as trapped as me as I was with you, and on that level alone I pitied you." Stolas glared. "I tried everything, everything to at least make it comfortable for you. For our daughter. But no, you just hurt me because it was fun."

"Of course I did! Better than pretending to want to screw your skinny twig ass!" Stella yelled. "And now I'm doing everything in my power to make sure my daughter doesn't end up a pathetic, lowly scum fucking disappointment like you!"

Now that… that was the last fucking straw. "Get out…." Stolas growled at Stella.

"Out? What do you mean OUT!?"

"I mean OUT! Out of this house, out of our lives!" He pointed away. "We are getting divorced this fucking instant, and you will never have a say in this house again!"

She growled. "How dare you!" Stella raised her arm to slap him. "What do you think Andrealphus will have to say about-" And he grabbed it.

"I don't CARE about your arrogant brother!" He shouted. "Our agreement was to have a precautionary heir, and she's already old enough to make her own decisions. YOUR job was done a long time ago, bitch, and if I had any common sense before, I would've dumped your pompous feathered ass on the curb the second she was born!" Stolas shouted as he let his power grow. "So get the fuck out of here, before I make you leave!"

They stared at each other for a few more moments, before she scoffed and pulled away. "Fine, but you'll pay for this." She marched out, leaving them in silence …

He collapsed on the ground. "That was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing I've ever done. I am SO sorry you had to see that side of me, little Starlight."

"At least you acknowledge I exist." Via smirked. "I think a month ago was the first conversation the two of us had since I was six."

"Again, very sorry …" He took deep breaths. "… I'm sorry you had to grow up in a broken home …"

"I grew up happy." Octavia rubbed his back. "I'm always going to be grateful for that."

Iruma rested nice and easily as Charlie tucked him into bed. He was used to this type of behavior with Millie when he stayed over at their house …but she was usually, as nicely as possible ... aggressively kind about it. "You sure Vaggie doesn't mind that you're not sleeping in your bed tonight?" He asked. "You guys already …" He gave out a loud yawn. "Gave me the drugs..."

"We agreed that every once in a while we can do this." Charlie rubbed his head. "And I don't want drugs to be the only thing giving you a good night's rest. Even with them you still toss and turn."

"I toss and turn?" He blinked. "I didn't even think I had the energy to do that." Usually ninety percent of his stamina went into survival.

"It might have something to do with whatever Bee did to your body." Charlie sighed. "The Seven Deadly Sins have a lot of energy to burn, and that's double for Beelzebub."

"Oh, I guess that checks." Iruma nodded. "… Are you a fussy sleeper?" He asked Charlie.

"A little. Back when I was a kid, I hardly ever wanted to sleep at all." The princess smiled fondly. "It was one of the few times I truly got to know my dad. I'd sneak into his room and I'd see him craft and perform so many imaginative ideas. Man was made from the dust of the ground, and he saw a sandbox full of endless possibilities. I always imagined... in some small way, that I could be part of that dream."

"… He's a really fun maker." Iruma smiled. "I'd love to see some of the stuff he makes … you know, besides the ducks." They were fun, but a bit … overblown.

"He really likes the story of the ugly duckling." Charlie chuckled. "It's kind of always been his obsession."

"The what now?" Iruma asked.

"You've never heard that one?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"My reading material was sparse over the years." Iruma reminded her.

"Oh right." She winced, sitting on his bed. "Well, it all starts with a bunch of baby ducks hatching." The woman raised her hand, creating sparkling images. "One of those ducks, however, was far different from the other ducks, and he was called ugly for his appearance." She showed off an image of a slightly bigger and shaggier looking baby bird.

"That seems mean…. And oddly relatable." Like when Millie's sister (he was still confused by that a little) when she called him ugly out of the blue.

"The duckling, saddened by the verbal abuse, wandered from his home, living a life of solitude and emptiness." She showed off the duck wandering … endlessly … alone … "Until one day, he saw a flock of beautiful swans." Charlie created multiple white sparkling birds.

"They kind of look like Ms. Carmine." Something about the gracefulness of how they flew gave him a sense of familiarity.

"When he saw them, he could see their majesty, their grace, and their beauty, and was amazed. When they approached him, he became one of them, for you see, the entire time, he was never ugly, neither was he even a duckling… he was a swan the entire time."

"… So the moral of the story is never listen to the adopted family and your biological one will always accept you?" Iruma questioned. That felt... weirdly backwards given everything he's been through.

"…. Not quite." Charlie shook her head after a wince. "It's an Aesop, so there are many ways to interpret it. One meaning can be how those who face adversity head on will always find a way to triumph in the end. The ugly duckling suffered through years of loneliness, but eventually he found a place he could call home."

"Ooooh." That made more sense.

"My personal favorite interpretation is one of seeing the beauty no matter who or what you are." Charlie rubbed his face. "No matter what your preconceptions are, there's beauty within everyone, and just because something doesn't seem impressive on the surface, it doesn't mean it's not capable of greatness."

"Hmm …" Iruma looked up to the ceiling. "So … you think I can be a Sin?"

"I think you, more than anybody here, are capable of achieving so much." Charlie nodded. "That's the beauty of living, whether on Earth or in Hell, potential burns brightly within everyone. And…" She looked like she took a minute to gulp. "If being a sin is what you believe is best for you... I will support you and any dreams you may have, no matter what."

"…" He processed that for a long moment. "… Thank you Charlie." He smiled. "You're really nice."

"You're really nice too, Iruma." Charlie smiled back before she kissed him on the forehead. "Even if the circumstances are horrible, I'm thankful that I had the chance to meet someone as sweet and caring as you."

She made him feel so warm.. and comforted.. and secure… Iruma felt like… nothing could go wrong if Charlie was looking after him. "How… how do you know when you have a dream?" He asked curiously. "When you have a goal that's worth fighting for?"

"Because you go for it no matter what your mind, and what others tell you." She smiled with encouragement. "I know redemption is hard, unsupported, and nigh impossible … but I want to help the people here. Help the sinners have a better life, to end extermination." She pulled the blanket over him. "Even if a dream is unattainable, chasing after it will always be worth it. You open yourself up to paths you never saw before, like how opening this hotel led me to all of you."

"Or… like how forgiving Octavia led me and her dating?"

"Yes." She rubbed his face gently. "Once you find your dream, Iruma… Never stop chasing it, no matter what others tell you. Okay?"

"Alright." A dream … something to chase no matter what … Charlie began walking out of the door. "And I don't know about redemption … but I really think you can help everyone in hell who needs it."

"That's what I'm aiming for." The princess nodded. "Goodnight Iruma."

"Goodnight Charlie." He said as the door closed.

A goal … a dream … eating stuff up … gluttony meant friends and family and love … "Is that my dream… to gobble up all the love I can find?"

It sounded good, to find love from all the places he never found it before. Platonic, Romantic, and…. Familial…. Would that be enough? Would it really be okay to take as much as he wanted…

No... he wanted more than just love… he wanted a family to share it... to gather as big of a family as he possibly could.. to spread that love and keeping it growing and loving, for that love to keep getting bigger and bigger until he could no longer physically consume more of it …

But … he had a family, right? One he abandoned and left behind. A man and a woman have kids … or a couple adopts … that's how it worked on Earth.

But this was Hell … they didn't care about stuff like that. Family was different in shapes and sizes here. Heck, Blitz was kind of sorta trying to make a family with IMP, as dysfunctional as it could be at times… then again, it was still better than living with his own biological parents.

And... Charlie out of all the demons he met... she felt more like a mother to him than anyone he's ever met… heck, she was kinda outdoing Emily on the account of the fact she was, you know, actually there to support him physically.

… Would that also make Vaggie his mom? Next to Angel Dust, he wasn't too close to her, but she always was there to protect him whenever someone like Alastor got too mean (which was Alastor's default in all honesty).

Did Iruma … have a family in hell? Maybe…. No…. not maybe…. Iruma….did have family…. He had two families…here at the hotel… and with IMP. And maybe… maybe his relationship with Octavia could lead to a bigger one… one that WOULD be better than his parents because Iruma would actually LOVE his kids. And then there was Emily… maybe she could visit him when/if the thing with Adam got resolved.

"I … I'm going to …" He closed his eyes, falling into blissful darkness. Protect … family … drugs … strong … sleep.