Shout out to I. P. Frealy for your bomb ass name! Friggin brilliant!
Happy New Year, all! Wanted to get something up and unfortunately, OKG is still under rewriting – that damn S2 finale was awesome but it screwed up SOOOOO many plans!
Disclaimer: Bonesboy15 doesn't own Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss or Naruto. The following is a written work of fan-fiction. It contains adult language and situations. Reader discretion is advised.
Certified D.O.G.
Dangerously Optimistic Grin
(Gluttony, Miss Addie's Asylum for Hellhounds)
Gluttony, as always, was a bright and surprisingly happy Ring of Hell. The hexagonal sky gave the idea of being within a terrarium and given the vegetation and various Hellforms of ...well, demonic life, the comparison wasn't too far from the truth. Charlie had only really been down to the Ring a few times in her life – once for her Sweet Sixteen (a party that she still can't remember) and a very small handful of Sin Meetings she had to accompany her Father and Bruncle to because Mom needed a break somewhere – but every time she was always greeted to sights that brought a new smile to her face.
"There are so many Hellhounds," Vaggie said as she looked around while they walked hand-in-hand from the Private Gluttony Hellevator – maybe Charlie should talk to Aunt Bee about that thing, it needed serious repairs at some points – to the orphanage. She glanced at each Hellhound they passed warily, and noticed Charlie's gaze. She smiled, but it was a weaker, more uncertain one. "I know they won't do anything, but I still feel like a sitting duck."
"I really appreciate that you're trusting me, Vaggie. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you, right?" Charlie smiled at her girlfriend. Vaggie let out a soft chuckle and maneuvered a little closer so that their shoulders brushed up against each other.
"I know, but I've got to keep my eye on you, too."
"Ah, no one is going to do anything to me. Hellhounds are all pretty good at keeping their distance–" Charlie started before a sharp buzzing caught her ear. She turned to look ahead of her and saw a bright yellow blur rocketing towards her. She barely had enough time to push Vaggie out of the way before she was hit by the Bee-listic missile, which was undoubtedly the Sin of Gluttony.
"Oof!" Charlie grunted on impact and winced when her back hit the pavement.
"Charlie!" Vaggie cried in outrage right in time with her "assailant's" chipper: "Hi, Charlie!"
"Hi, Aunt Bee. Please, get off of me." The Princess of Hell gave a grin that could be mistaken for a grimace. The Sin of Gluttony laughed and buzzed as she rose up, before her four hands shot out and grabbed Charlie's wrists. It was always a very disorienting experience whenever one went from horizontal to vertical in a millisecond, as was the case for Charlie when her Aunt Bee hauled her up to her feet. She then zipped around the Princess of Hell, plucking bits of dirt and stray stones off of Charlie's suit, before she hovered back in front of her with two arms crossed, a third atop them, and the last cupping her own chin.
"Gotta say, you're looking awfully spiffy, sweetie!" Aunt Bee said, her infectious grin on display.
"Well," Charlie dusted herself down, her Pride demanding she look immaculate for a potential Hellpup pick. "I was until someone barreled into me like–"
"A Bee out of Hell?" Aunt Bee's grin widened.
"Yeah, that." Charlie huffed out a soft laugh as she tugged her sleeves back into place and then smiled at her aunt. She was then engulfed in a four armed hug and happily returned it. Charlie soaked in the affectionate gesture with a smile. "It's great to see you, Aunt Bee."
"Back atcha, Charlie-Pop." Aunt Bee hummed as she pushed her back. Another glance over with the grin still in place made Charlie worry slightly. "Still, love the new look – Where's your horns at?"
"Ohh, I don't think I need those out all the time." Charlie's smile strained. Her appearance and how she chose to show herself to the masses of Hell was a very, very sensitive subject.
"Mm, true. You're still a scrumptious little snack without 'em. Really dig the suit, too. But, uh, who's your funky Vibed accessory?" Aunt Bee asked, nodding towards Vaggie. Charlie beamed and beckoned her girlfriend closer. A frown and narrowed eye were kept on Aunt Bee, but she got closer all the same. Aunt Bee's head tilted and her ears perked as Charlie took Vaggie's wrist and pulled her to her side.
"Aunt Bee, this is my girlfriend, Vaggie!" Charlie grinned as she rested her head on Vaggie's. "Vaggie, this is my Aunt, Queen Bee-Lzebub."
"...Pleasure to meet you." Vaggie said around a forced smile as she wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulders. Uh-oh. Charlie might've done something wrong, Vaggie never uses that smile unless she was going to say – "Can you excuse us for one second?"
Yep, Charlie did something wrong.
Crapbaskets.
"Sure! Just don't take too long. Puppies are waiting for me to get back and I'm starting to get a little peckish." Aunt Bee grinned back at Vaggie before Charlie was suddenly pulled into a huddle facing the other side of the street.
"You couldn't have warned me that your 'Aunt Bee' was freaking Queen Beelzebub?!" Vaggie groused lowly as she pushed her head against Charlie's. Charlie winced, not that it hurt, but that she'd indirectly caused her girlfriend distress. Again. She always felt awful whenever she did.
"I wasn't hiding it." Charlie kept her voice just as hushed as she looked at her girlfriend apologetically. "You asked if she was a Glutton, and I said 'yes'. I mean, you know who my Dad is. I thought you would have ."
"Babe, your Dad is the King of Hell. What does that have to do with the Sin of–..?" Vaggie cut herself short and groaned into her hand that clapped into her face. "He's also the Sin of Pride. Of course you would know the other Sins."
"Well, yeah? I thought that was obvious."
"We need to work on our communication skills," Vaggie grumbled.
"Nah, you just need to listen better."
The two jumped and looked around until a quick whistle had them look up to see Aunt Bee lounging mid-air on her back above them. She peered down at them over her shoulder and a toothy grin crossed her face.
"No one likes being excluded from good gossip, girls. Moreover, a second came and went, time to get back to what matters the most!"
"Helping our people live better lives?" Charlie asked with a smile. Vaggie sighed beside her while Aunt Bee tilted her head and grinned back at her.
"Eh, I wouldn't put it that way, but sure!" Aunt Bee shrugged as she flipped around and grabbed their shoulders. "Whatever gets me some of those choice S-P-Vs sooner, all the better!"
"S-P-Vs?" Charlie asked.
"Sweetest Puppy Vibes!" Aunt Bee chirped. "They're better than even the best party Vibes! I've never been able to recreate them in all the millennia I've been here, but being around the puppies when their at their happiest definitely does it!"
"Uh, um, Charlie?" Vaggie asked, a smidge nervous as their feet left the ground.
Oh, looks like Aunt Bee was going to give them a lift. They didn't have anything to be worried about. It wasn't like Aunt Bee was trying to break the record of her 'Don't Stop 'Til We Drop' Parties again. That was a flight Charlie really didn't want to relive. So much rainbow colored puke, not enough stain remover.
They zoomed past a parade of Nobles she vaguely recognized as a few members of the Ars Goetia, and lesser branches of the Demonic Nobility. Which, honestly? That made a sad amount of sense to Charlie; higher Court and Demons wouldn't dare be caught fraternizing with anyone promoting Hellhound welfare. Consequently they also raced past the waiting paparazzi and media outlets that were capturing photos on the carpet.
Bummer, Charlie would've loved to use that as a way to promote her hotel for prospective sponsors.
Bee let Charlie and her chicken-smelling side-piece drop onto the wood floor once they were in the building. She let the two regain their bearings – because despite whatever Belphegor said, she wasn't always a total jackass, just most of the time – before she nodded back toward the Sweet smells of Joy, Euphoria and Delight.
"Puppies are just this way, but first things first," Bee said as she crossed her arms and poked Charlie in the chest. "I gotta make sure that you're not just here for a stunt, right? You have to be all in on this, Charli-Pop, not just using the Hellpup you pick for PR for your...Hotel, thing."
"...No, Aunt Bee." Charlie's smile dropped a bit and her Vibes gained a hint of the rankness the Queen of Gluttony associated with emotional Hurt. Then that bubbly, sweet Optimism that her honorary niece was infected with overwhelmed it as she took her one-eyed, fowl-smelling partner's hand. "We both talked about it, and adopting a Hellpuppy is something we agreed to do together."
"...And this isn't a final bid to save your relationship? Just asking!" Bee put her hands up to ward off the Fowl-Smeller, Vagina or whatever, when she got a Spicy Chicken scent. Mm, that smelled strangely good...Bee might have to send Gummy Bear out for some Killer Fried Chicken later. Anyway, focus. Grilling Charlie and her girl to make sure this Pup doesn't get mistreated. Sure, G-Bear vouched for her and Bee knew Charlie wouldn't intentionally hurt the Pup, but she wanted to be absolutely certain.
The last thing she wanted was a fucking I-Told-You-So from the unconvinced Adephagia. Frickin' bitch kept getting on Bee's nerves whenever Naruto wasn't within hearing. Always bragging about their romps during his time playing 'Cerberus' for Mammon's financial advisor Pluton back when he went by 'Hades'. Bee was pretty sure Adephagia was Salty over the fall of the Pantheons' grip on Humanity. Still, watching Yeusha and Pluton duke it out was a baller way to kick off a new year.
What was Bee doing again?
"No, Aunt Bee–" Oh, right! Grilling Charlie for her adoption rights. Sometimes Bee wished she had a larger attention span for this boring, responsible adult stuff, but...everything else was just so awesome and the happy, Sweetest Puppy Vibes were just begging for her attention! With only a smidge of struggle, Bee managed to focus on her niece. Charlie shared a smile with her girlfriend as they held hands, which, yeah, that was sweet enough to catch her eyes. "–We're very happy together, and we want to share that happiness with a Puppy!"
"Alright, so long as you two don't neglect whoever you pick. I've started this thing called 'Wellness Checks', so if I get any negative feedback…" Bee let the threat hang because, honestly? She didn't want to do anything to Charlie. Her little weird, one-eyed, fowl-smelling girlfriend of a ...Huh, she's not a Sinner, no Wrist Pass...The fuck kind of demon was this chickadee?
Eh, grand scheme? Not Bee's problem. Also, the Sweet Puppy Vibes just skyrocketed.
"Great! Interrogation over, let's go find you two a Puppy!" Bee chirped, her four hands clapped together as she smiled. The two followed her as she turned on the spot and zipped toward the main room. A stringed instrument was being strummed and some amazing Happy Vibes leaked out from behind the door.
"Oh, Aunt Bee, I wanted to ask, where's –?" Whatever Charlie started to say was lost as Bee opened the door and a melody tickled their ears. Like all of the tail-wagging, Sweet Vibe-radiating puppies seated around him, they were enraptured by the sudden harmony Bee's Gummy Bear was making with both his voice and that... golden lyre? The shit did he get that? Eh, she could ask him later, he was making her Sweet Puppy Vibes. His blue and golden eyes lit up when they glanced up to meet her red, and the smile he bore was radiant, but he tore his attention away before she could reciprocate. Fucking tease–!
I'm marching along, I've got confidence;
I'm cooler than a pack of peppermints;
And I haven't been this excited since, I can't remember when!
I'm off on this remarkable adventure,
Just riding on rainbow–
The strumming stopped abruptly, blue and gold eyes flickered around to each puppy sitting nearby. The next few plucks forced some of the Sweetest Puppy Vibes to get dunked up by the Sour hints of Worry, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Bee almost spoke up to say something – her beau damn well knew better than to mess with her Sweet Puppy Vibes like that; good fuck or not, Bee did not discriminate when it came to keeping her sweet little Puppies happy and she would fuck him up if he ruined that – when his gaze caught hers. He gave her a quick wink and she very reluctantly held her tongue. Motor mouth she might be, but Bee knew when her Gummy Bear had a plan in mind, and she trusted him to have a damn good reason for the flavor shift. His attention went back to the puppies.
What if it's all a big mistake?
What if it's more than I can take..?
Naruto let a grin spread across his face as he glanced around at each puppy, and suddenly upped the strummed tempo again. The puppies' tails, which had slowed, started to wag faster again.
No! I can't think that way!
'Cause I know that I'm really, really, really gonna be
o-kay~!
His smile became comforting and warm. Bee chewed on her lip and fought back a squirm. She loved the Vibes that smile gave off and wasn't exactly keen on sharing it with others, but the Puppies were an exception. This time.
Hey! I'm not giving up today;
There's nothing getting in my way
And if you knock knock me over
I will get back up again, oh!
If something goes a little wrong?
Well, you can go ahead and bring it on!
Her Gummy Bear gave each pup a challenging little smirk with that line – which added a hint of Spice to their Sweet Vibes, mm, that's a fun new combo! – before he wrapped up his little concert with a softer strum and lowered his voice's volume.
"'Cause, even if you knock knock me over...yeah, if you knock knock me over..." He let the last word hold with the vibration of the note before he gave a final strum of the strings. "I will get back up again..."
The Puppies stared at him with awe and radiated such delicious Hope that Bee almost demanded an encore. The silence and calm that settled over the room was broken by a certain Princess of Hell's applause. All Puppies immediately turned toward them, lit up with more Sweet Happy Puppy Vibes when they saw Bee, but froze when they saw Charlie and her Chikadee.
"That was amazing, Bruncle Naru!" Charlie, oblivious to the Sour Apprehension her presence was causing the Puppies to release, clapped her hands and beamed at Gummy Bear.
Another quiet fell over the room, and all eyes looked at Naruto, who's ears went flat and his smile fell into a pout. Hm, Bee thought he looked pretty cute like that. It was too natural for her to have him recreate for funsies later, though. Oh well, she'd just savor the memory of the giggling Puppies and their Amused vibes for now.
"What have I said about calling me that, Charlie?" he asked as he flicked his hand and made the lyre disappear.
"Not to?" Charlie snickered. Naruto squinted at her before he sighed and got up. He walked over and past the nervous Puppies to stand between them and Charlie. By doing so, he calmed a good portion of them down from a small rising Bitter-tasting Panic, especially Lil' Maureen, who stuck close to him whenever he was visiting. Normally, Bee'd find that sweet as fuck and mercilessly tease her Gummy Bear about it, if it didn't worry her to see such an unhealthy fixation from a pup that old aimed at her Gummy Bear.
Not to say that Maureen couldn't later be romantically interested or sexually attracted to him, if not now than in a year or two – because frankly, Bee gave two literal shits about that – but if she kept using Naruto as a crutch for her Anxiety and Fear, it could be a problem later if they left it unchecked. That was why Bee personally had spent some time easing Maureen into the idea of getting adopted by a new family, not to replace the old one, but to keep her from getting too attached to the idea of sticking around just to keep seeing Naruto. Again, Bee wouldn't care if it was because of genuine feelings, at least that would be a healthy reason for her desire to be near him, but using him to help her constantly feel safe was not good for her or him.
Hopefully, that would be rectified today with an adoption.
Naruto stared down at Charlie and crossed his arms – which did such yummy things to his pecs and biceps; Bee was starting to get another craving, this adoption party thing would have to get started and wrap up soon so she could indulge in it – before he smirked and snatched the Princess up in a tight hug that Charlie froze up in before she reciprocated it.
"It's great to see you, Charlie. I missed you." Ugh, the sweetness was too fucking pure! Bee couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as she watched her Gummy Bear hug the Princess of Hell and let his tail wag as she hugged him back. Fuck, he always managed to feed her some of the best Vibes! Best boyfriend ever? Quite possibly.
"I missed you, too, Naru." Charlie managed to return. The hug broke and she kept her hands on his face as she gave him a few jaw scratches. It quickly turned into sharp pinches and tugs on the face that had Gummy Bear wincing. "Why didn't you tell me Dad fired you?! I would've given you a job!"
Ah, this was the not so fun part about having a Morningstar in her Ring. They focused on their problems. Fucking typical Pridefuls. Oh well, Bee could at least enjoy the drama for a minute. But she was definitely gonna pull her Gummy Bear aside for a quickie or four, later. Seeing him perform like that and elicit so much of the Sweetest Puppy Vibes really got her motor revved.
Ow, shit fuck! Why did females always tug on his face whenever they were mad at him?! It didn't matter the body he had, the role he had, or the era he was in, whenever they were pissed, women pulled on his face right where his birthmarks were. The only one that hadn't done that, yet, was Bee. Whenever she was miffed at him – which only happened, like, twice thus far in their two year long relationship; she was pretty understanding for the most part, quite a difference compared to her fellow Sins, especially his former employer – they either had a shouting match, a rough romp, or some combination of the two. He preferred all of that over the other reactions that could be elicited.
First and foremost of that list of reactions? Face pulling.
(Actually, the first reaction he despised above all others was a total and absolute ass beating like Sakura and Tsunade used to dole out, but thankfully that shit stopped once he hit eighteen. And shot up to about six foot two, but that was a lifetime ago.)
"No offense, Charlie, but after the last fight? I had to get the fuck out of Pride. Now, if you'd please do me a solid and fucking let go of my face?!" He growled, his patience at its limit. He was not obligated to adhere to the whims of a Morningstar, not anymore, and he was especially not obligated to let the Princess get away with this shit. He'd stopped others in similar roles from doing less when he was human and twelve. Charlie scowled back at him before she backed up with a pout and crossed arms. He rubbed his face and arched an eyebrow. "Oh, what, are you mad at me now?"
"Yes."
"Tough shit. Get over it." He huffed and crossed his arms. "Your Dad wouldn't let me work for you after that last fight and frankly? I wouldn't have agreed to work for you anyway."
The Hotel was a nice idea in theory, but Naruto had been alive long enough to know that nothing was forever, and that the Big Boss upstairs had his reasons for what he did. Life in Heaven could end up with someone down Here by a snap of The Almighty's fingers. Who's to say the reverse wasn't also true?
"That's not why I'm mad." Charlie aimed her petulant pout at both him and Bee. "How come you two didn't tell me you were dating sooner?!"
"Didn't realize I needed to keep you in the loop, Charli-Pop." Bee smirked as she crossed one set of arms and rested the other set of fists on her cocked hips. "By that logic, why didn't you bring your Chickadee around sooner?"
"Chickadee?" The one-eyed Fallen Angel – Naruto lived with fucking Lucifer for eons, he knew what Fallen Angels smelled like – repeated with a frown.
"Bee likes giving out cute nicknames." He answered in Bee's stead. She frowned at him, likely for stealing her small bit of limelight, but he was unapologetic with his shrug. "You do, Bae-Bee. Gummy Bear, Cupcake, Charlie-Pop, Snickerdoodle–"
"Wait, who's Snickerdoodle?" Charlie asked with a frown..
"Leviathan." He and Bee chirped simultaneously. That was a nickname he didn't question, Leviathan was a weird one Naruto could never get a read on. Well, that's not entirely true. He knew how she truly felt, but he didn't know which head was the one they preferred being looked at. Especially since they kept alternating speech patterns. Hence, for him anyway, a hard read.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"How?" The Fallen Angel asked with a frown.
"Not important." Naruto waved his hand. He pointed at the Fallen and narrowed his eyes. "What is important is you."
"Me?"
"Her?"
"Yep." Naruto nodded and planted his hands on his hips as he gave the Fallen a grin. "You didn't tell me your name yet."
"Oh! This is–!"
"Charlie." Naruto glanced at her, smile still in place, and sent all the warning he could through his gaze. "I want your friend–"
"Girlfriend." Bee supplemented. He glanced at her and nodded gratefully before he looked back at Charlie.
"I want your girlfriend," he amended, "to tell me her name herself."
"It's Vaggie." The Fallen Angel bit out. Ooh, there's some Wrath to this one. It was always entertaining to see a Pride and Wrath couple mingle, doubly so since the Fallen was repressing her Sin. How did Naruto know that? She gave off the same feeling Lucifer did whenever he had to swallow his Pride, which happened once every few millennia.
Still, the Wrath Fallen wasn't off the hook. His eyes narrowed, just a smidge as he matched her defiant gaze, but kept his smile in place. That name she gave him? Vaggie? It was probably the name she responded to, but it wasn't her true name. The name she gave him ringed up in his internal detector as a teeny tiny, itsy bitsy lie. He didn't trust any of the Hellpups with someone that lied about who they were, regardless of their reason for it.
Queen Bee-Lzebub didn't care about a lot of things, but she cared about the Puppies. As someone who'd had a wife and children in his last life – not to mention the shit ton of significant others in this one; most didn't last because they wouldn't try to change from who they were – that meant Naruto knew to keep his current girlfriend happy, he had to be at least a little invested in her interests. Regardless of whether he was or wasn't already invested in her likes or dislikes – and he was, anyone that actually knew how Naruto was would know that – protecting the 'innocent' puppies from the greater spectrum of Evils that dominated Hell? He can and fucking gladly will do that.
If it turned out Charlie's little girlfriend wasn't up to snuff? Then tough titties. He'd thought the girl he basically helped raise would have fucking learned after that (amusing) disaster of a relationship with that von Eldritch idiot. Then again, Lucifer didn't seem to pick up on Lilith's frustrations so maybe Charlie got it from him.
Absently, Naruto wondered how the wayward Queen of Hell was doing on her 'extended vacation'.
(Earth, Undisclosed Private Beach)
"'Give my regards to Charlie and tell The Idiot I still love him. Lilith.' ..Yes, that's all I need written on it. Good by–A location? Fuck, I don't know.. You pick a place, somewhere with a beach, preferably. Is there anything else you need from me? No? …Goodbye, Antonio."
A flip phone was hung up and then incinerated with a simple spell that fired from an immaculately painted fingernail. The Queen of Hell reclined further in her chair and stretched her arms above her head. This was the best fucking decision she'd made ever since Naruto suggested she take a vacation and force Lucifer to do his damn job. She doubted it would work – and judging by the reports she received from her spies in Hell, that was the case; the proud little dumbass even fired his greatest asset! Lilith officially had no more respect for any of Lucifer's decisions or position – but it was nice to relax up here, on Earth. The realm she should have ruled over.
Oh well, what was that fun little saying she learned from those Humans that enjoyed frog legs? Ah, yes: où est la bibliothèque?
Funny little things, these descendants of Adam and their silly various languages.
If she had ruled rather than that idiot...No, she'd probably be vacationing in Hell if that had happened. Lucifer and Adam were both idiots, but at least Lucifer respected her opinion and individuality. It was his outright abuse of her willingness to rule in his stead that pissed her off.
"I just hope he didn't let Charlie do something stupid that would get her targeted by Adam." Lilith muttered as she rubbed her temple. She readjusted her sun hat and grabbed the book she plucked from the kiosk shelf for some quality entertainment reading. Apparently, it was a top seller that originated as a children's book and had a whole franchise with films and even amusement parks devoted to it. Frankly, Lilith didn't see the intrigue but she didn't give up on things halfway through. "Now, where was I? Here we are: 'Diagon Alley.' ...Did this bitch just misspell diagonally and roll with it?"
(Gluttony, Miss Addie's Asylum for Hellhounds)
Well, wherever she was, Naruto could be sure Lilith was enjoying her time away to figure out what she wanted to do with this whole mess of a Kingdom that Lucifer left her with. Oh, and the marital issues, too. Maybe. Eh, he wasn't a couple's therapist.
Officially anyway. That shit required degrees. He was more like a bartender, a willing shoulder to cry on, or a friend if need be. That last one got reserved for very few individuals after Lucifer canned him, though.
Speaking of the Douchifer–
"So..can we meet the puppies now?"
"Charli-Pop!" Bee hissed as she zipped around him to clap a pair of hands over her mouth. "This is like a lead up to watching two sexy bitches fight! You don't interrupt the 'dominance stare-off'!"
"It's not a dominance stare-off, Bee," Naruto said around an amused smirk as he kept matching "Vaggie's" glower with his own will backing his gaze. She was going to crack any second now.
"It's a conflict of sheer intimidation and presence." The Fallen Angel girlfriend of Lucifer's only child grunted.
"Nah, it's not that either." He grinned as her scowl deepened. He crossed his arms and let his tail wag a bite "It's a staring contest."
"What?" She blinked. Naruto barked out a laugh and raised his fist.
"Yes! Undefeated streak three thousand years strong and still going!" He turned to the pups that had been watching and grinned at them. "Toldja so, didn't I? I wouldn't let any of 'em beat me, regardless of what they looked like! Lemme hear a howl, yeah!"
"Awooooo-yeah!" A good two dozen of the thirty or so Hellhound puppies answered his call and a few charged ahead to 'challenge' him. He met the charge with an eager growl and ducked into their tackles so they could cling onto him. As he trudged them back to the center of the room, he locked eyes with Bee and mouthed 'Fallen' at her.
Bee's amusement at his behavior with the pups vanished as her eyes narrowed. Hm, was that a mistake? Nah, his Bae-Bee wasn't like Mammon or Satan, she wasn't petty. Angels were just stuck-up dumbasses that didn't know how to truly party in her mind. Course, maybe he should have waited to tell her until after the pups' nerves were settled with this much needed play fight. Ah well, hindsight was–
"Ow! Fuck, which of you little shitters just bit my ear?!" Naruto lost his trail of thought as he started pulling puppies from his back and sniffing at their grinning muzzles. "You? No. You?! Nope. Was it you?!"
He kept up the act until Bee pulled the two visitors out of the room.
Sorry, Charlie. He thought half heartedly as he exchanged growls with little Maureen – who had been the one to bite his ear, the sneaky little bitch – until Adephagia cleared her throat.
"The Heir of Paimon's legions has arrived and would like to meet a prospective puppy for his Daughter," the goddess said, causing the pups to go quiet as Naruto stood up. He held the Greek's gaze as she tilted her wooden head. "Are there any you would suggest?"
Naruto looked down at the fearfully excited puppies and gave them a smile. He would've liked Charlie to get the first pick, but then she had to go and blow it by bringing a Fallen Angel along with her without warning them. He looked at the puppy in his arms and arched a brow.
"How about it, Mo?" He asked. "You want to go meet Prince Stolas?"
"...Do I have to?"
"Yes." Adephagia cut in curtly. He scowled at her and she arched a brow. "She is one of the few who has to be adopted by a Court member, Cerberus. You know this. I know this. Even our darling little Maureen knows this."
Well, shit, with an argument like that..Naruto let his shoulders sag and he set the puppy down. He held her shoulders and then her gaze.
"Remember what I said earlier?" He asked. "If they knock you over?"
"…Get back up again." Maureen nodded, her ears back as her tail curled. He hugged her and rubbed her head before he pulled back and looked at the other puppies.
"C'mon, pups. One potential last hug for Maureen." He said it with a smile, but it wasn't a suggestion.
The puppies surged forward, a few of them swarmed past him to give the little girl some supportive hugs. A few murmured their promises to stay in contact, a promise he would help them uphold if need be. He could spare a clone or two to be a messenger dog until official channels would allow that correspondence between this makeshift Pack.
As he stepped back and crossed his arms, Adephagia caught his eye again.
"I thought the Princess was to be the one to have first pick?" She muttered as the Puppy's happy but sad whines grew with each hug as reality slammed back into them.
"I'd hoped so, too." Naruto admitted. He shrugged. "Something came up."
"Hm. A shame."
AN: oof, yeah. Initially I wanted Charlie, Vaggie and Maureen to have a moment but then I realized..Y'know there was this giant thing hanging over Vaggie's head that Naruto absolutely would pick up on.
Outside of Queen Bee, he has last say on who gets a pup. Liars to partners, themselves, and especially him, for good or bad intentions, weren't going to get a Pup.
So yeah, Vaggie's shame kind of screwed them early here. But hey! At least they have a card to pull against Heaven later, right?
Right?
..Guys?