AN: Happy Monday, all! Had to take a cat to the vet this morning and ooh, boy am I amped after dropping so many Benjamin's on an overdue checkup. So here's some non-commentary on that!
Also, Helluva Boss Canon timeline is set!
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.
Disastrous Outing (in) Greed
(Pride, Prince Stolas' Manor)
A little lavender pup sat curled up beside a gently smiling teenager atop the latter's large comfy bed. In her paws was a large tome, with the Seal of Baal embalmed on the front. Red eyes were squinted as they carefully passed over the old, worn and tiny script.
"A long, long time ago, in the time before King Lucifer and Queen Lilith reigned su..soo..pram-me?" The young Hellhound frowned and looked up at the teenager. "Did I read that right?"
"Almost." The teenager gently scratched the pup's right ear, right where her Mommy and Naruto used to. The young She-Hound leaned into the touch and looked up at her new 'owner', who preferred to be called 'Octavia' and wanted to be seen as her 'best friend' over anything else. She pushed the other claw onto the page and pointed at the script. "That word is 'supreme'."
"Su-preem."
"Very good, Maureen. Keep going."
"Okay!" Maureen chirped as her tail whapped gently into the mattress. She looked back at the tome and reread the introductive script before continuing. "Lucifer, not yet king, but de-term-min-ed? That doesn't sound..Oh! Determined to bring Order to this realm of Chaos he was banished to, asked for the help of his friend, the strongest Demon at the time: The Hound of Hell. The fle..flea-d-g-ling?"
"That's a hard one. It is pronounced 'fledgling'," Octavia said gently. Her phone vibrated and she sighed, which had Maureen look up at her. The Goetia Heiress smiled at her and gave her another scratch, this one at the base of her jaw. "I'm sorry, Maureen. Dad wants to see us in the kitchen."
"Are we in trouble?" Maureen frowned. She'd been very good for her first three weeks with Octavia, at least that's what she thought. The first day was the hardest and she had cried a lot during the first week, but Octavia didn't hold it against her. The spray bottle was used when Maureen got bored during her first etiquette lesson and tried to eat part of the ant–andi–atiqu... the dumb fancy old chair she was sitting in. It didn't even taste that good, anyway.
"I doubt it. He probably just wants to use me to get out of another fight with Mom." Octavia huffed and gently took the tome from her and closed it. Maureen pouted and whined a bit, only to giggle when Octavia started to tickle and scratch at her belly. "No crying now, we can't use that every time to get out of meetings with my parents."
"Wasn't gonna!" Maureen huffed as her tongue lulled out of the side of her muzzle as she panted and smiled. Her ears perked and she looked at the door. "Something crashed."
"Remarkably unsurprising." Octavia sighed and combed over the long, thin locks of hair that fell around Maureen's face. She pulled them aside and clipped them by her ears. "That'll have to do. We really need to get you some cooler clothes."
"Cool?" Maureen looked down at her blood red shirt depicting Queen Bee's silhouette and dark shorts. She frowned back up at Octavia and her ears fell. "I like my clothes."
"You won't always fit in them, Mo." Octavia smirked and opened her beak to say something else when her Hellphone buzzed again. She glanced at it and rolled her eyes before she nudged the pup off the bed. "Shit, he's getting dramatic. We better go before Mother puts Benson out of commission along with Wadsworth."
"Wouldn't be so bad. Mr. Benson is a meanie." Maureen grumbled as she crossed her arms. Octavia sighed and gently tapped her on the nose. Maureen whined up at her as her ears fell back, since that was a quick and common reprimand that most Hellpuppies fell victim to. Well, at least after Queen Bee and Naruto revamped the orphanages. Despite this, Maureen didn't feel like she earned that one: "He is! He took my Krunchies!"
"Because I told him to." Octavia sighed. She knelt down and poked the pouting puppy's nose again. "You already had dinner and a reasonable bowl of Kanine Krunchies. You didn't need to eat the entire box."
"I wasn't gonna!" Octavia smirked at her. Maureen huffed and looked away as her ears remained flat and her tail curled at her feet. "I wasn't."
"Sure you weren't." The heiress chuckled and gently scratched her head between her ears. "Tell you what, if you come with me to see what Dad wants, I'll get you the rest of the box so that you can enjoy the Krunchies until we go for a Walk."
"We're going for a Walk? I thought we only walked in the early, early mornings!" Maureen asked as she hesitantly perked up. Octavia sighed.
"I was going to reward you earlier for doing well on your literacy test on Friday, but you wanted to read to me." Octavia pulled her into a small hug and Maureen let her tail wag as her teenage bestest friend nuzzled her. "And you're just so cute when you get like that. I couldn't refuse."
"But we're still going to go for a Walk, right?"
"Sure thing, Maureen." The heiress smiled as Maureen tightened her arms around her.
"Thank you, 'Tavia. You're awesome!"
"No, you're awesome." Octavia mumbled back as she tightened the hug. Another crash and a faint shriek had Maureen's ear swivel to the door. She tightened her arms around Octavia when the teen's mood dropped. "And that means we need to get going."
"Why is Miss Stella so mad at Prince Stolas anyway?" Maureen asked with a frown as their hug ended. The lady of the house was always distant, but not impolite or mean to Maureen. She was even super nice sometimes and even gave Maureen some extra snacks to eat when no one was looking. One of them tasted really funny, like rubbery plastic, and another was a relatively small cardboard box with a red rocket ship on it! That one took Maureen two days to eat, just because of the awkward size surrounding it.
"Because my Dad is an idiot." Octavia sighed and stood up. She grabbed her headphones and popped one in place before she opened the door. "C'mon, Maureen, let's go see what Dad had the audacity to do this time."
"Okay!" Maureen smiled and hurried after her best friend. She'd never thought she'd be this happy ever again after Mommy died and her makeshift Pack abandoned her. The saddest and scariest moments in her life led to the greatest thing to happen to her: meeting Naruto and then a few days later she met the actual Queen Bee!
Both of them were the best Demons in all of Hell, and Octavia was coming up at a close third. After all, the heiress gave her a chance at the best life any Hellhound could ever have. There was no Hound out there living a better life than Maureen, she would put Krunchies down on it.
(Gluttony, Bee's Manor)
"Fuck me, my head!" A blue-coated Hellhound groaned as she woke up amidst a trashed living room. Her claws went to her temple and she whined as she massaged it. A familiar grey set of claws came into her line of sight and she let herself get hauled back to her feet by the large paw those claws were attached to. The she hound stumbled and leaned against the broad chest of the Hound that helped her up, and a soft chuckle left the hound's lips.
"That was a Helluva Party, right Jay?"
"Fuck yeah it was, Tex." Jay-Jay grinned up at the one-eyed Hellhound she'd locked down as hers for the unforeseeable future. Her head throbbed again and she groaned into his sternum around another grin. "Fuck, I don't think I've ever had so many Poppers in one night. And that beat was just banging!"
"Yeah, the beat." Tex hummed as he gently raked his claws through her hair. "How about that screen time with Queen Bee?"
"Screen the what now?"
"You got selected for the Kiss Kam."
"I did?!" Jay-Jay grinned and then frowned. "Fuck, I don't remember any of that."
"Eh, it'll be online in an hour or two." Tex shrugged. He smirked at her. "Shame, kind of wanted to know what it was like. It looked really hot."
"Yeah? Maybe if we play our cards right, we can get one of those private party invites–" a loud squeal over a P.A. System had both of them cringe and whine along with many other Hellhound visitors that were waking up with the same issue.
"Alright, bitches, the after-party is officially over, and the sun is up! That means you all need to get the fuuuuuck out while my free, on-hand cleaning crew fixes your mess at no charge!" Bee demanded over her P.A., which led to a large horde of Hellhounds grumbling in confusion to one another. That was until a familiar laughter came up over the speaker.
"I don't sound anything like that, Gummy Bear! You made me sound like a total jackass!" Queen Bee said to whoever it was that just – apparently – perfectly impersonated her voice. Jay-Jay and Vortex shared a confused look and jumped when a clearly male voice popped up after it.
"Bitch, by your own words last fucking night, and I quote verbatim: 'I'm a total jackass'!" The unknown speaker had dipped back into his impersonation.
"Okay, no! That's a Vibe High Bee quote, you can't trust anything Vibe High Bee says!"
"So you didn't like that part last night where I strip-teased for that bachelorette party? Oh on that note, Brandi? The tips from your party are back in your purse, it was generous of you to try and donate to the local Firehound Fund, but you'll need that money if you and whazzhisname, Kenneth? If you and Kenneth are going to rent out that penthouse suite in Imp City."
"Well that hound's getting eaten in the worst way," Vortex said with a snort and Jay-Jay nodded with him. It was one thing to have an orgy or Private Party with Queen Bee, but being in a relationship with a Sin and playing the part of a stripper for someone other than her, then not keeping that money as a way to appease the Queen's post-party Vibe-less anger?
Tex was right, this new guy was toast.
Maybe Jay-Jay can score a Private Party–?
"Oh, right! Shit that was fuckin hot..I want a repeat later, privately." Or he was that good of a stripper? ..Jay-Jay needed a name just to investigate his services and potential costs. "Oh, fuckin' duh! Hey, gratz, Brandi! You and Kenny have a standing invite to a couple's night if you want!"
"Bae-Bee, pretty sure you scared Kenneth off last time they tried to join in."
"What? No way! Kenny and Brandi were a blast! Sure, Kenny needed to work on his stamina a bit–"
"For the last fucking time: twelve rounds in one night is not natural! I don't care how old or experienced a Hound is, there's something wrong with that kind of stamina!" A furious shout came from another room. Jay-Jay and Tex looked over to see a brown, wolf-type Hellhound being quieted by a shorter, athletic hound with a retriever-like base. The girl, supposedly Brandi, was assuring him that she didn't even make it through three of the Hound's orgasms. It really didn't help, but, the fiancés were still
"Twelve rounds? Fuck, I can barely manage eight." Vortex muttered with a frown. Jay-Jay glanced up at him and he grimaced. "Shit. You didn't hear that."
"Oh, no, I did. Why didn't you ever tell me you never got spent?!"
"Baby, it's not important for me to get emptied out so long as you're happy–"
"Motherfucker, when we fuck, I want you to drain your balls to dust! Inside, on my back, across my face, tits or ass–" Jay-Jay smacked her rear for emphasis and smirked at the way her hound zeroed in on it. "I don't care! I want you drained, Vortex. That settles it, we're going to work on cutting down on Mandatory Cuddle Time."
"Wha–But I like our MCT!" Vortex whined when Jay-Jay growled at him. "Jay-Babe!"
"No! I fucking swear that if you ever suggest that we gotta get you a side bitch to help me keep you satisfied–!"
"I don't need or want a side bitch!" Vortex groaned. "I work on the road, and being away from you is hard enough!"
"Speaking of, how many times does Verosika get you off?"
"Jay-Babe, we've been over this, I don't join in on succubus orgies! It's fucking lethal for us!"
"Imma ask her next time we meet if that's true."
"Jay!"
"Sonovabitch...Bee, you just started a whole lot of couple arguments by bringing up Kenny's – and I can't stress how at the time, two years ago, this was because of – inexperience."
"What?! …Nah, they're all probably just hungover. C'mere, G-Bear. Mm, mwah." Huh, so that's what deep kissing sounds like over broadcast. Jay-Jay wondered what this lucky hound looked like. "Salty-sweet. Hey, why'd you stress that 'inexperience' bit?"
"You're still sitting on the P.A. Button."
"..Shit! Have I been doing that this whole time?!"
"Uh, yeah? ..What? Don't get mad at me! You're the one with all that fine junk in her trunk."
Yeah, Jay-Jay and Vortex shared another quick look with each other and nodded. Queen Bee had what had to be one of the sweetest asses in all of Hell. Tight, full, juicy, rounded and bubbly, it was damn near perfection in the eyes of many Hellhounds. Shit, Jay-Jay knew a gal that once had a shrine devoted to it in her closet, complete with a golden mold that rotated on a musical spit. A little creepy, but that was the worst of that Hound's little obsession.
"Mm-hm, but that's not the junk I want packed there... What? ..Fuck, right. Ahem, Hounds, leave! Queen Bee's craving some Cuddle Time with her Gummy Bear. And right now, she doesn't want an audience."
"You've got to stop going third person whenever you're doling out orders, Bae-Bee–Mmph–!" The last broadcast, which sounded a little like resigned amusement, had been cut off as a scuffle started.
"Perfect. We need to reevaluate our joint stamina." Jay-Jay growled as she pulled Vortex with her toward the door. "C'mon, Tex. We're gonna start in your car."
"My car–?" Tex repeated before he yelped. "Babe, no, wait, that's the record company's vehicle! I can't –not in the car! V will kill me if she has to pay for that thing to get detailed!"
"That sounds like it's her problem." Jay-Jay huffed and pulled him along. "Now come on, I'm already wet from thinking about Queen Bee and whoever that lucky bastard is, so we can skip foreplay."
"But I like our fore–!"
"Skipping!"
Oblivious and uncaring of the potential arguments that she may have started amongst her Party Hounds, the Queen of Gluttony molded her lips against her lover's until they both needed to part for air. Granted, that could be anywhere between weeks or months, but the point was that the kiss held for a long moment. If Hell actually cared about the mundane concept of Time, which it didn't, but the occupants within did for whatever reason, it would tell you that the kiss lasted for a solid eighteen minutes. More than enough time for the main floors to be vacated of any guests that stayed overnight.
"Mm-mwah." Bee panted as she grinned down at her pinned orange partner, her four sets of claws kneaded and clung to his shoulders and pecs whereas his measly two sets of claws kneaded her ass and he grinned back up at her. She pushed her nose down against his larger olfactory receptor and basked in the various Salty-Sweet Vibes he let off. "That was a bitching way to close up the first month of adoptions."
The first month of Hellpuppy adoptions from Addie's Asylum was an overwhelming success. Twenty-eight of the thirty of the wayward Hellpuppies that had been brought back to Gluttony and prepped for proper adoption went off with various members of Hell's noble court to join their families. The Gremory clan took thirteen – a same-litter group, with the Great Duchess herself picking the small family out as a group that hadn't wanted to be separated; the Gremory Clan was weird like that – while fifteen other clans had come and revisited over and over again for the past few weeks.
Bee was terribly impatient over the whole thing. She wanted the Puppies to be happy, but she didn't want to devote so much fucking time to making sure they weren't mistreated. Enter her wonderful Gummy Bear and his amazing 'brothers'; Naruto took care of welfare checks and kept Bee informed about daily visits from the Nobles that 'weren't sure' about raising young Hellborn over the more 'manageable' Queefs.
If she heard another fucking demon claim preference for a Queef over her SPV-giving Puppies, Bee was not going to allow herself to be held responsible for what happened next. Not that she would anyway, but fuck's sake! They were fucking Hellpuppies! They were mostly cute as shit and were easily potty trained!
"Yeah, it was a really fun night. But if you want it to happen again, I need to get up and make more clones to get on it." Naruto muttered. Bee whined in protest until one of her Gummy Bear's magic hands reached up and gently stroked along a membrane on her wing. A content little buzz slipped out of her mouth and she relaxed her grip on him enough that he could be engulfed in smoke.
Cheater! Bee thought as she sucked up the residual cloud and scowled at the Loosifer body-pillow they'd gotten as a gag purchase from Mammon's Knock Off Online shop. It was a simple body pillow with a "goosified" Lucifer, something that they both knew would piss the Sin of Pride off for multiple reasons, mostly though, because it depicted him as a goose rather than his oddly preferred rubber ducks. Bee hopped off the ground and tossed Loosifer back to her Queen-sized bed – the King-sized was reserved for orgies of three or more extra participants, and thanks to her beau's talents, had gone mostly unused for almost a year – before she zipped off toward the guest room Loosifer was usually left in. The guest room that Naruto put his stuff in, for now, because Bee was almost ready to consider sharing her closet and drawer space with her boyfriend. Another few months and they'd break past her three year 'trial period' that she put in place for most of the partners she kept with her Hounds.
When she did find it, she found Naruto, but before she could pounce on him, she felt a very subtle, very spicy shift in his Vibes. A faint beeping caught her ear and she landed beside him, her arousal dropped as a frown spread across her face. In his hand was a small pager-like device, a single number and a Ring was displayed on the small screen: '2 - Greed'.
"Mo activated her Panic Button." Naruto needlessly explained.
It was a brilliant and simple idea in concept, one Bee had put some funding behind; if an adopted Hellpup started to not feel safe in their new homes or an environment they were dragged to, they could activate the Panic Button installed on their collars. Bee was working on getting the device affixed to all available collars or tags, so that Naruto could respond to a Hound's call whenever needed. She'd known it might interrupt some fun time, but after she'd brought that small hiccup to light, her Gummy Bear gave her another Sweet Vibe answer that just filled her honeypot with desire.
"Welcome to parenthood, Bae-Bee. We're on the clock twenty-four seven, there's no overtime and no immediate reward...but just think of all those Sweet Puppy Vibes we're gonna rack up whenever they see you."
Sexy bastard manipulated her with that knee-knocking smile on his rideable face, and Bee couldn't even fault him for it. He liked being reliable for the Puppies and he liked being able to provide her with those Sweet Puppy Vibes. Fuck, he made it so goddamn hard for her to be annoyed that she'd have to ignore a craving instead of satisfying it as soon as inhumanly possible. Also, there was the whole issue of where that Panic Button was triggered.
"What is she doing in Greed?" Bee asked with a frown. If Stolas or his wife had changed their minds and dumped the Puppy in one of those Greed knockoff shelters? The ones that Mammon won't do a fucking thing about because they pay him to look away? Well, Bee had gotten spicy over a whole lot less.
"That's what I'm going to find out." Bee's Gummy Bear growled as his fur flickered with gold. Blue eyes locked with her and he gained a rueful smile. "Raincheck on that trunk packing?"
"If you're still here for the next five seconds, I can't promise anything." Bee admitted. She knew how well she could restrain herself and, as possibly annoyed as she was over a Puppy being ditched, it was still Hell they lived in and that was a Ring she couldn't influence no matter how irritating the obnoxious Sin running it was. If she had to pick one puppy's safety over satisfying a blue-moon craving for some rough anal from her sexy-fine Gummy Bear? Bee couldn't promise that she'd be prioritizing the Puppy, much as she'd like to say otherwise.
"At least you're honest." He huffed around a grin before he cupped her cheek and pecked her lips. "I won't be long. Clones are already cleaning up, so don't bother them or your house won't be clean for the next crazy shindig you want to set up."
"Fucking go, asshat. Before I change my mind." Bee harrumphed. The bastard laughed, even though she knew he knew she was being dead serious, and dipped into a Ring-Slip. Bee crossed her arms, cocked her hip and growled to herself. She really wanted to satisfy her craving and her boyfriend was the one she wanted to satisfy it, but if he wasn't back soon, she was taking some of those clones and putting their inferior durability to the test.
"He's got ten minutes. Mmn, probably five." She nodded and zipped back to her room. She was going to try and distract herself with some food. Maybe a bag of gummy bears..? Her ears dropped and she flopped onto her bed with a scowl.
This 'distraction' thing was not going to work well.
(Greed, Loo-Loo Land)
Naruto slipped into his least favorite Ring with a scowl on his face. He was half-dressed, still in his navy loungewear pants he'd changed into at about Three a.m. last night, and his tail whipped about wildly to show how irritated he was. It didn't help that the pup he favored above others thus far was calling for help now, nor that she did so right as he and his girlfriend started to get genuinely frisky for the first time in a week. Maureen hadn't made a single peep in the near month she's been gone and it would seem, judging by the single clone he sent to check on her every day since then.
What? He meant it when he said that were it not for Lucifer's set legal limitations on him, Naruto would've adopted her and any other stray Pup he'd come across that needed it. Talking Bee into doing so was a no go, so he'd just gone with the second best thing for now; convincing her to revamp the orphanage system and update his job. He was as close to Omnipotent as any Demon could get, and was damn near capable of omnipresence. If he didn't do something with that kind of power after he got kicked to the curb by the King, he would probably go crazy.
"I still can't believe Lucifer lets Mammon get away with this shit." He muttered as he surveyed the extremely unsafe and horrendous environment. The knockoff of Lu-Lu World that Lucifer made back in the Sixties back when everyone Above and Below was nuts for those new Roller Coasters and Amusement Parks that swept across the realms. Personally? Naruto didn't see the appeal. He did half the shit most coasters did for a light warm up and food? ...Well, he hadn't cared as much about food until he started dating Bee.
A whimper caught his ear and he pushed off the air he stood on to dart over to the source. A distant sound of gunfire and cackles had him pause for a second. There was a gun fight? And some of the rides had decided to fall apart coincidentally? Unlikely. Clones popped into existence and he pointed at the various demons running or visiting the run-down amusement park.
"Round 'em up, get them out, no rush." He ordered and as if the Ring heard him, a small section of tents burst into green Sulphuric Flame, the only kind of fire that was natural in Hell and dangerous to Hellborn. Naruto worked his jaw before he clapped a hand over his eyes. "Fucking figures. Go save as many as you can."
"""Got it, Boss!"""
With his clones on damage control, Naruto focused on the faint whimpers and whines he could hear over the din of chaos that erupted around him. There was some crying he heard nearby–oh, okay. He knew what the panic button press was for. He landed outside a rotary spinning ride and kept his lightshow on as he forcibly turned one of the rotten apples around to grin at a surprised Goetia Princess and her puppy.
"Naruto!" Maureen's tail whipped about in joy as she leapt at him. She whined and cuddled close to him as he caught and cradled her in her arms. Sniffles and tears escaped the distressed puppy. "I was tryin' everything to help Tavia feel better! I promise! I tried snuggling up to her and nuzzlin' her arms and hugs, but nothing worked and I couldn't think of anything else!"
"That's alright, kiddo. You did the next best thing and called for help." Naruto smiled at the distressed puppy, giving her spot behind her ear a gentle scratch. He shifter her to his hip to let her cling to him and whimper, and then he looked at the softly hooting teenager. With a slightly forced grin, he knocked on the apple she claimed as a spot to have a breakdown in. Near-emissive, tear-lined red eyes looked up over crossed arms.
"What the fuck do you want?" Well, alright that's certainly Stella's influence. Anger was a very common default defense mechanism for Hellborn, regardless of placement in the hierarchy. The only reason Naruto was going to let it pass was because of the kid's age. Still, that begs the question: what did he want?
To go back to Bee's, rock her world and relieve some stress before he curls up with his girl and a dozen servings of Ramen to enjoy watching the Slay-Per-View Fight being broadcast out of Wrath...Is what he could say, but didn't. Not only was it kind of inappropriate, he felt wrong talking about it in front of the emotional wreck of a teen that Octavia clearly was and any further distress wouldn't help Maureen learn how to fix this without him if it happened again
"Not really important right now." Naruto shrugged his unoccupied arm as he dropped out of his 'Chakra' mode. He looked at the softly whimpering puppy in his arms and then back at the teen. "What's important is that this little one felt the need to call me."
"But...She doesn't have a phone." Octavia frowned. Naruto mulled his answer over for a second. He could just be honest, Octavia was clearly distrustful of any authority – given the brief glimpses he'd had into her home life, he wasn't shocked – and the panic buttons weren't supposed to be general knowledge for Demons that adopted pups. Not to mention that secrets in Hell lasted about as long as a fish out of water, if he told one person, it could avalanche into a huge problem...but who's to say some excited puppy or collar supplier wouldn't let it slip down the line?
He might as well just try to stay ahead of it.
"Mo? Wanna show Octavia your secret button?" He asked the puppy. Octavia sat up rigidly and Naruto stared at her for a moment before he blanched. His free hand extended out and he splayed his fingers to dissuade the teen's hormonal and irrational logical leap. "On her collar! The secret button on her collar!"
"..Oh. Wait, but–?"
"Can I?" Maureen looked up at him, wide red eyes hopeful and ears perked. "You and Queen Bee told us they had to be super duper secrets!"
"Well, that depends." He sat the pup back down beside her designated caretaker and crouched in front of the two of them. "Do you trust Octavia to keep it a secret?" A nod from the puppy and wide eyes from the teen. "From everyone?" Another unshaken nod that had Octavia's feathers puff out. Time for the whammy, Naruto tilted his head a bit as he met Maureen's gaze. "Including her parents?"
The little puppy hesitated before she glanced at Octavia's curious, wet and still warm gaze. A newfound certainty filled the little puppy and Naruto had to fight back a proud grin as he saw the little one get fueled by the same determination he saw in the Hound of Hell when he looked in the mirror every day. The determination to help, fight, bite and claw at whatever was troubling her owner, her friend, until she couldn't manage anything more. The little Spark that most attributed with instinctual drive that he believed to be something else. Something more.
The Will of Fire lived on and burned strong in the Hellhound line. Naruto had never, in all his time in this second life from the early decades rebuilding his strength to where it was now to the centuries he'd spent putting down rebellions against the Morningstar Crown, seen more driven or protective demons than the ones that were – supposedly – his direct descendants. Part of him wanted so desperately to believe Maureen was of that line, but he still had to wait for results.
Fucking Sloth, it always took forever to get test results back. If he didn't like Belphegor as much as he did, he'd have a 'word' or two with her about her Baphomet line and their overkill take on 'lackluster customer support'. Loudly, repeatedly, and with as many fists as it took.
As he had these thoughts, he was still aware of his surroundings. Octavia was now gobsmacked and quite possibly touched by Maureen's belief in her. The trust there was one not taken lightly and Naruto saw the bond between them grow stronger. An intangible, normally imperceivable thing, but the deep purple strand of energy that connected the two was as clear as a cloudless day's sun was to him. It reminded him of his own purple bonds, the two, barely perceptible strands that were more like strings than the thick cord that connects the two younger demons before him. One was thinned by the sheer impossible distance between himself and the other end, the second was frayed and on the cusp of breaking.
He smiled and then gave a small nod.
"Then go ahead and show her."
Maureen, tail wagging, reached up to her neck and undid her collar. She shook herself reflexively and then flipped the collar around to show the trigger to Octavia.
"It only responds to our energies and Vibes!" She chirped as she showed off the small silver button inside of her smooth-studded collar. "So if you accidentally touch it, it won't go off."
"That's...so cool!" Octavia smiled slightly. She carefully held the collar that was given to her before she looked Naruto in the eye. She swallowed. "I...I won't tell anyone."
"I know." He smiled back at her, then nodded at the pup. Octavia understood and quietly, and calmly, put the collar back on the happier Puppy. She stroked Maureen's head and leaned down to put her head against the pup's.
"Thank you for going so far for me, Maureen." She sighed as she scratched the pup's Spot behind her ear. "But this isn't your problem."
"But you're still sad!" Maureen whined around her bliss. Perceptive little thing, Naruto noted, as he met the teen's eyes again.
"I just...My parents keep fighting whenever we're not in the room and now Dad's trying to use me as a reason to see his...Paramore."
Yeesh, this was a starving therapist's wet dream.
"Well, that's definitely broaching my imposed rules." Naruto huffed. He worked his jaw for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I've got an idea. We'll talk to your parents about it, but if things are as bad as you suggest, it might be better for you – both of you – to stay somewhere else."
"I am not staying with any extended family." Octavia grimaced. He couldn't fault her there, and he couldn't just expedite her and Maureen out of Pride because their home life 'wasn't perfect'. Bee tolerated a lot of his 'good-willed' idiosyncratic tendencies, but suddenly getting saddled with in-house guests that weren't old enough to party or fuck – Yeah, Hell had standards too, people; there's reasons those that did anything to the underaged wound up as Hell Eyes more often than not – was definitely going to be a deal breaker.
That's why he would set them up in one of his stash houses. First, he'd have to send some clones to investigate it...Actually, he should send a clone or two to each Stash and start combining them. Anyway, once that was done, he'd set up a meeting between himself and the parents again. Hopefully, they would remember to mind their behavior on their turf.
"I wouldn't ask you to. I just got to work out a few things with your folks. Might take a week or so." Naruto shrugged at her confused stare. "Maureen likes you and I've got a soft spot for her – yeah, Runt, I'm talking about you."
Naruto growled and grinned playfully at the now elated puppy. To keep her head from swelling, he jabbed her with a claw and pinned her to the cushion for a quick tickle attack session. Octavia was smiling and quickly joined in, playing with her puppy as the latter laughed and yipped under her assault and his watch. The sound of talon-lined footsteps broached the retired park ride and Naruto looked up when he heard another adult call out: "Octavia! Maureen! Darlings?! Are you in here?!"
"Ugh, Dad finally found us." Octavia sighed, her good mood dashing as swiftly as it arrived. Maureen looked up at her, still high off the adrenaline from playing, and the teen smiled weakly back at her. "We should…see what he wants."
"Dry your tears for a minute and fix her fur. I'll stall." Naruto advised and he strode away before they could accept or reject his offer. Rounding a bend, he zeroed in on the Goetia Prince and clasped a clawed hand over the noble's face. Naruto's smile had fallen and his eyes had narrowed. "Stolas."
"L-lord Cerberus!?" Though muffled, the shock was obvious to any who listened for it. And Naruto did. He was going to take a bit of pleasure in scaring this dumbass stupid for interrupting his and his girlfriend's morning. How? By growling out just four simple words.
"We need to talk."
AN: And so begins the Helluva Boss canon timeline! Without the IMP members! Don't worry, they pop up soon enough.
And maybe we'll check back in with Charlie and Vaggie later. Who knows?!