This was supposed to go up last night, but was having problems accepting uploads.
Angels' Demon - One on One is an eight part story with each chapter focusing on Kevin's interactions with each of the inhabitants of the hotel, as well as more time with Vaggie & Charlie. Each chapter is pretty short and a quick peak into the potential relationships with each. Part 8 is the longest with Charlie and will feature some smut to feed the hungry. Is hungry the right word? Part 8 will go up Valentine's Day to fit with the theme of the chapter, as well as another story "Tying The Last Red String" - a jump ahead in the timeline of the series to post Angel's Demon Book 2 - as I was inspired by a small prompt from a friend to write what would happen when Vaggie decides to make the relationship between the three all that stronger. While I mostly want to write linear, and put over six months into Angel's Demon to slow burn the build between Charlie and Kevin; knowing where I want them to end up I needed to set it in 'stone'. It's an emotional piece, and I believe my readers will feel it's well earned. Speaking of Vaggie, Part One begins with a flashback to the previous story. Finally; Happy Holidays to all (whichever ones you celebrate).
Previously on Time to Process.
"Such a gentleman," Vaggie whispered. "But just for a few minutes, maybe you don't have to be?"
Her request surprised Kevin. "Vaggie?"
"Just for a moment, I want to feel what Charlie gets to feel, so I can understand this in my soul." She stepped into Kevin's arms, placing her face in his chest to absorb the warmth, and felt his arms wrap around her.
Kevin felt her sniff against him. Swooping her up, he turned, laid her on the bed, and joined her by her side, kissing her forehead. He felt her wrap her arms around him, and he reciprocated. They looked at each other and kissed. It wasn't as chaste as the night before, but it was tender and non-invasive. Enough to tell her he cared and would keep his promise to be her armor. She confessed this was the level she wanted with him: cuddles and affection, but no sex, and Kevin agreed without hesitation: "You made me believe in you and what you've offered. I promise, no hesitation or fear."
They shared a bit more time together, a little bit of teasing and joking, and then she asked him to let her stand. Kevin did; she stood and then winked that he was late for work. Kevin abruptly jumped up, saying he'd get right to work, which elicited a giggle from Vaggie. As she left the room, she decided to make a cryptic tease about all three of them sharing a night together and then left the room.
NOW
Kevin Angelus Collins stood dumbfounded next to the bed in his new room at the Hazbin Hotel as Vaggie gave him a look and closed the door.
"What?" Was all Kevin could get out as the door closed.
Vaggie had just answered many of the burning questions that had been living rent-free in his head from the night before, but in their place, countless new questions took their place. Vaggie had just admitted to him that she was more scared by her decision to open up her relationship with Charlie than she'd realized and admitted that it was mostly about making Charlie happy. In response, he'd done the right thing and offered her a way out. All she had to say was she couldn't do this, and he'd leave. But while he waited those agonizing few seconds, his heart had begun to pound against his rib cage, threatening to shatter the brief happiness he had found in Charlie's arms the night before in the elevator.
Fears that were quelled a bit when she assured him that her concerns were more about finding her place in this new dynamic than worried that Kevin would take Charlie away from her. Furthermore, Vaggie admitted she wasn't as strong as she thought she was and she would be putting a great deal of trust into Kevin to keep her from falling, just as she had been doing for Charlie. He did his best to assure her that he would do everything possible to be her armor as well and to never give her reason to question her decision. To do that to the best of his ability, Kevin knew he would need to get to know Vaggie a whole lot more. He had an idea about that.
Until then, and with Vaggie's insistence, Kevin was going to let himself relax and look forward to the night ahead, when he would finally have Charlie Morningstar all to himself. No missions, no monsters, no unexpected shit, and he let out a small laugh when he realized that the first real sense of peace came in Hell of all places.
With a spring in his step, Kevin headed to the bathroom to prepare for his first day as the head of security at the Hazbin Hotel. After a quick wash of his face and combing his hair back, Kevin looked himself over in the mirror. His hair would need to be trimmed soon, and the stubble on his face itched, which he found fascinating as it never did in Heaven.
I guess Heaven removes all discomforts along with memories. He mused as he moved his face left and right to get a better view of himself. I much prefer it this way.
Just like Charlie, he felt complete now that he had all his memories back. Yet, while Charlie was complete with her memories of Earth and Hell, Kevin had Earth and Heaven knowledge. Knowledge, which he would sit down with Charlie and share, hopefully giving her more ideas on how to help her people find redemption. Knowledge, which, now free of the binds of Heaven's magic, had him questioning the very fabric of written religion and how it seemed to him that Heaven's gift of eternal peace came with more shackles than he'd realized.
Heaven. Being an angel. Since the day his memories were restored, he'd been so focused on infiltrating Adam's army and getting back to Charlie that he'd acted on autopilot and never took time to really look in the mirror and see himself for what he was now. No, the entire time he trained in Heaven, then the entire time he helped rebuild the Hazbin Hotel, it just never occurred to him to take a moment and scrutinize his new 'identity'. An identity that included of all things; wings.
Taking a step back to see more of himself in the mirror, Kevin concentrated and watched his wings shimmer into existence, unfold from behind his back, and spread out, filling the small bathroom from door to shower stall. Flexing his shoulders, he ruffled them and felt a touch of childhood joy fill his soul. Every child dreamed of flying, didn't they? Their brilliant white tones were stunning and beautiful, but his analytical mind noticed how they clashed with his black military outfit, trimmed in red lines along his collar and sleeves, and he wondered if his wings could be dyed in the same way one dyes their hair. He'd have to ask Vaggie later about it, as she shared that particular feature with him, being an angel as well. Too bad Charlie didn't have wings; the three of them taking a long flight together sounded really romantic to him, especially if Vaggie was serious about them sharing some nights together. Now, that was yet another thing that we would all have to discuss, but if the idea made Charlie happy, he'd be all for it.
But all of that was in the future. Now it was time to get to work just as Vaggie commanded. He had helped in the construction of the hotel and knew the layout, but Vaggie had been in charge of the security measures being installed, something that might have fallen to Alastor if he'd chosen to share in the workload rather than just send his minions. Instead, he had been nursing his wounds for the entire month, only to reappear the day before he and Charlie shared their story. It was just another aspect of why Kevin did not like the Radio Demon.
Since he hadn't planned on sticking around after last night, Kevin knew he needed a better clarity of the setup; look for areas that were weak and buff them up, and add more cameras in spots he had already seen were lacking. Charlie's stories taught him that increasing the number of cameras could potentially annoy Alastor, a piece of information that made Kevin smile slyly. Then he'd discuss with Vaggie about hiring sentrieOs to scout the perimeter until they were sure Heaven was done with their executions.
The last thing that would be checked off was the coding of all the bedroom locks. Charlie had been unusually adamant that no room would be coded until they were ready to start receiving guests, only saying that she had something 'magical' in mind for it.
Straightening the hem of his outfit and taking note as he walked to the door that he would need to go shopping soon, both for supplies and to get a feel for Pride City, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He'd already taken a cursory glance of this hallway when he went to bed the night before, and since he was one floor down from Charlie and Vaggie's—and soon to be his—suite, heading up to check the roof and then the rest of the suite floor would be his first set of stops.
Kevin had not taken three steps when the door across from his room popped open and Niffty's small head peered out. She had a rag in one hand and a spray bottle in the other. Her one large cyclops eye blinked at him, "Heh, hi, Angel!"
"Hi, Niffty." Kevin returned her greeting. She was a curious demon, small in stature but one of the fastest he'd seen since coming to Hell, and he couldn't help but smile at her. Her ability to scale walls while cleaning, hanging from the tall ceilings, dusting, or chasing bugs was legitimately frightening. There was more than one occasion when he wondered how effective she would have been hunting on Earth, as her natural form and genial manner while cleaning was almost as scary as Charlie was in her demon form when she was angry. Giving her a polite nod, he reminded her, "Please. Call me Kevin, okay? So you don't confuse me with Angel Dust?" He gave her a wink. "Or try to stab me?"
"I wouldn't." Niffty huffed playfully. Turning slightly, she shifted the rag to her other hand so she could close the door behind her. "You're Charlie's boyfriend, and…" Turning her cyclops eye up, she scrutinized him closely, as if examining a tender cut of meat. "A good boy." She paused and gave a playful pout, "So I guess you're safe from me."
"Uh, okay?" Kevin blinked at her.
He figured Niffty was having fun with him, but from the sixty-percent comment Vaggie made last night, he also knew it was wise not to accept her at face value. Just then he remembered something he wanted to talk to her about, but before he could speak, Niffty giggled at his look and started quickly down the hallway.
"Niffty!" Kevin called after her, but she had gone into a blur, moving around and dusting and snapping up roaches that scurried at her approach. Just as he'd thought moments ago, she was up the walls seeking out anything that looked like it needed dusting and making sure everything was in place. Even though the hotel was brand new, dust from construction still found its way around, which had Niffty moving double time.
Still, he wanted to talk to her and share something he'd been meaning to tell her for weeks. He had not had the chance before since at the time she, like everyone else, still had questions about him. While they accepted his help for the rebuild because Charlie demanded they did and acted cordial, there was a definite air of suspicion and chilled looks.
Now, with Niffty quite focused on her work, his words went unheard. He stood in silence and watched her open each door, pop in, and then pop out. Since the rooms had not yet been occupied, she didn't need much time to inspect them.
"Niffty?" Kevin tried again after she burst out of the third room. She was moving swiftly still, occasionally grabbing a bug, stabbing it with her needle knife, and pocketing it. But either she didn't hear him or wasn't listening to him. She was immersed in her own world. Kevin looked around, then looked at his own room, and got an idea. "Ahem. Niffty?" He called out, thinking this would be a good way to get her attention. "You missed a spot."
It was as if the air had been sucked out of the hallway. The shadows, held to the corners, seemed to expand outward, filling the hall with an oppressive darkness as Niffty halted abruptly. Her head turned slowly and choppy as if a second hand on a clock ticked each second away until it had turned 180 on her tiny neck. Her one pupil had seemingly shrunk to a tiny speck in her large sclera, and the voice that came out was dark and accusatory: "What—did—you—say?"
"Umm?" Kevin found himself moving back towards the wall at the end of the hallway. which had one large rectangular window that spanned from waist high to just below the ceiling. A window that was not designed to open. As head of security, he knew this was good, but as the focus of the small demon's rage, he was actively considering drawing his halo and making an axe to smash through and fly off as fast as he could. He swallowed hard as he watched Niffty's body change. He'd seen Charlie change many times, but they loved and trusted each other, and he was able to see the beauty in her demon form, but while he'd love to call Niffty a friend, he had no idea what she would do in her enraged state.
While Charlie's change was surreal and amazing to see, watching this little demon's form alter—the radical change in appearance—was truly frightening to bear witness to. She was growing taller, her limbs thinning out as they extended, and her single eye was glowing with a scarlet pulse of energy. Her hair spread out around her, moving as if she were swimming underwater, and Kevin had to admit how similar it was to Charlie when she changed and let her full demon form out.
Suddenly, with a skin-crawling screech, Niffty barreled down the hallway towards him. Her limbs were long and stringy, clipping along the carpet with the semblance of a spider, if the spider had manicured claws. Eyes darting around him, Kevin saw no option other than to draw his halo weapon and wondered if his first day as Charlie's boyfriend was going to start with the massacre of one of her friends. Reaching up, he went to grab the ring of his halo, and just as his fingers brushed on the ring, Niffty's eye twitched towards his room, and she stopped as suddenly as she'd started. Her demon form quickly dissipated (akin to how she appeared when Alastor brought her out of the fire on the day he arrived), leaving Niffty standing before him, innocent and blushing. "Oh, right! Your room. I'm so sorry, Kevin. I can't believe I forgot to clean your room!"
Before Kevin could say anything, she brushed past him, twisted the handle, and opened the door. Stepping inside, she turned and gave Kevin a big, toothy grin. "I'll have this cleaned up for you in no time!" Her grin twisted a bit, and she added with a deeper voice, "Buh-bye!" With that, she shut the door on him.
So many thoughts poured over each other in his head, he didn't know where to begin. Lowering his hand, he brushed it against his chest, wiping away the sudden onset of sweat on his fingers, and took a shivering breath. "Okay." Kevin drew out the word while his nerves quieted down. "I guess we'll have our talk…another time."
With the shaky steps of one who had just avoided certain death, Kevin walked quickly down the hallway towards the first set of stairwells and shook his head, thinking back to what Vaggie had said and scoffed: Sixty percent, my ass! That little demon is not harmless!
Next Episode: Angel Dust