A/N:

Hello everyone! More fluff here! The rest of Angel and Alastor's evening together and their plans for afterward ^w^ I hope you enjoy it! Thank you!

Partners

Chapter 27:

This is New

As night had deepened, and their 'memory' of kisses continued, Alastor saw Angel's giddiness shift to drowsiness until the spider was asleep curled at one end of the couch with his head on a throw pillow. Alastor could have easily teleported him to his room, but Angel's hand was still entwined with his own. The Radio Demon sat on his end of the couch, considering this new situation. But only a moment of observing Angel's sweet slumber led Alastor to the conclusion that his special friend's hand could stay where it was. Which meant Angel could stay where he was - with Alastor.

Alastor's shadow appeared beside him, observing the scene.

Alastor sighed. "Like it or not, I'm afraid this is happening, old friend. I've gone quite past the point of no return, both internally and now externally." His eyes glowed with yellow warmth, wide and taking in Angel Dust like a new treasure in his grasp.

The shadow frowned with an almost worried look.

Alastor nodded. "Oh yes, he'll be quite the liability. I'm afraid if anything happened to him I would simply lose my head in suffering and go quite mad. What a final show that would be!"

Angel cuddled against the couch arm and started to lightly snore.

The shadow flew in front of Alastor with his eyes locked seriously onto the Radio Demon's.

Alastor sighed. "I can't help myself and I don't want to. You're a faithful companion but… I believe I need to take on a partner in a different sense as well. I've had the strange fortune to find someone good for me in hell. And despite all odds and my best efforts…I seem to be good for him too?"

The shadow flew over Angel, observing the spider with an intrigued gaze.

Alastor leaned in closer. "Mother would like him. You have to at least admit that."

After a stubborn moment the shadow gave a single nod. And then with a small smile he flew up and disappeared.

Alastor removed his tie and placed it beside his monocle and coat over the back of the couch. "I should retire as well." He considered their hands. "He did say I could touch him whenever it pleased me to - I suppose that offer is good throughout the evening." Alastor shifted to the small area between Angel and the edge of the couch and laid down facing the spider, their heads sharing the pillow. He found himself face to face with Angel's soft, broad chest. It appeared so warm and inviting and was the space closest to Angel's heart… With a sigh and his face quite warm Alastor shifted close to let his forehead rest against the fluff. He felt so at ease. For a single moment, all defenses went down. Even his microphone dimmed and his face stopped glowing. He spoke in a quiet, lilting voice Angel probably wouldn't have recognized. "You're quite interestin' to me, cher." Alastor closed his eyes and let himself just be, with Angel.

XXX

In other parts of the hotel, everyone slept soundly, except for Louise and Abel who couldn't help lying in bed whispering ideas for their wedding until finally they too drifted off. And though they didn't have the specifics planned, there was one thing they knew for sure considering how they had met and also the fact that they had caught sight in the dark of a tentacle shifting the tree branches to cover them from the rain: Alastor had to be part of the ceremony somehow. And Angel too, all things considered between the Overlord and the spider.

When Alastor became aware of the world again, he realized the sun was up and that he and Angel were touching more than hands. Somehow his face had absolutely nestled into Angel's chest, and Angel had an arm draped around his back to keep them both secure on the coach. And the spider was clearly awake because now he laughed softly. "Well, well…I did not peg you as a cuddler, Smiles. You should have told me last night when we were sharing about Anthony and Alastor." Angel brushed a piece of Alastor's hair behind his ear. "Thanks for letting us keep each other company."

Alastor's head shot up from the fluff, and his wide eyes met Angel's surprised looking face. Angel grinned sheepishly. "Morning. How are you?"

Alastor had to consider that question very carefully. "Not alone…"

Angel raised an eyebrow and smiled a little again. "Me too. That tends to happen when you spend the night with someone."

Alastor sat up and instantly perched himself on the far end of the coach. "This is new!"

"You're telling me!" Angel sat up and stretched. "I've never been with a guy who stayed the whole night on purpose. And also with a guy who didn't spend most of the night ravishing me."

"And I never spent the night with someone I hadn't eaten by morning!" He gripped his cane.

"Glad to be the first. Morning you is cute." Angel winked.

Alastor's ears twitched and he glanced down at himself. It was then he realized he still lacked his coat and monocle, and his sleeves were rolled up a little, and his tie had come undone during the night, and the collar button of his shirt was open. His face glowed brightly and he quickly fixed himself up. "Sleeping on a sofa is a challenge, I suppose."

"Next time we could do that in a bed instead…"

Alastor would have preferred if Angel's tone had been joking and smug - then he could have let off some static and dismissed the attempt at humor. But instead Angel's tone was…curious and serious - an attempt to be helpful.

Angel considered, a hand on his chin. "Yours looked a little too snug. But mine's pretty big…"

"Enough!" A loud crack of feedback escaped Alastor's microphone. Angel blinked. Alastor took a deep breath and composed himself. "I would prefer to process this 'memory' before anticipating others."

A little of Angel's smile returned. "You want to go slow?" He shrugged and pulled up his knees, looking away shyly for a moment. "That's cool. I didn't mean the bed thing for sex, of course, just for…more of last night. But if you don't want to yet, it's no biggie." He glanced at Alastor. "Why don't you tell me what you want to do next?"

Alastor blinked twice and considered deeply. "I would like to make a proposal."

Angel flushed. "Okay, Al, I know sometimes you use some old-timey phrases, so I need you to be VERY clear with me again. Do you mean 'proposal' like—"

"Yes, I can't fathom holding hands on your bed together in the future, but I'm suddenly asking you to wed me! In the middle of hell! We'll have Charlie officiate! We'll broadcast the ceremony from the radio tower!" Alastor threw his arms in the air dramatically.

Angel snorted through his nose. "Wow, morning you is snarky. I like it."

Alastor sighed and swallowed. "I would like to propose that…that we enter into a partnership."

"Al, this isn't a like deal, right?"

"No deals." Alastor shook his head. "More of a long-term mutual, erm…relationship between two demons. We seem to compliment each other well and provide each other with comfort in hell of all places." He furrowed his brow and separated his hands then pushed them together like he was trying to work out the mechanics of the concept. "Other overlords work in groups. I want to be in a group with you."

"Sounds chummy, but I'm not an overlord, Al…"

"You're certainly worthy of being one, in my opinion." Alastor watched as Angel's eyes widened with hesitation, like he couldn't understand 'the joke'. Alastor went on. "You're smart and passionate and charming. And you have a power all your own even if it hasn't been cultivated enough. You could rule a district welding firearms and innuendo! You'd strike quite the imposing figure!"

Alastor's smile had been growing but now he froze. Out of each of Angel's wide eyes some tears fell. The spider blinked and tried to wipe them away.

Alastor quickly moved toward him, eyes radio dials and dark magic swirling around his head. "What's wrong? Who hurt you?"

A strained laugh escaped Angel. "Who hurt me? That's a long list here, hun. It's just…no guy ever flat out told me I was good enough to be anything other than…someone's bitch. The few times I tried to be more, Val would always shut me down." He winced. "I love being sexy and performing, but it's not all of who I am and you get that it's not all of who I am." He swallowed, playing with his hands. "Do you really think I'm smart?"

"Do you really think I would lie to you about that?" Alastor's look was normal now as he leaned back and tilted is head to the side.

Angel smiled a little. "No. But I'd still kind of like to hear you say it again."

Alastor's glow increased. "You're smart, Angel Dust. You possess an understanding and cleverness that I find most captivating." Angel beamed and blushed and even giggled. Alastor's smile grew. "It's irrelevant to me that you're not a recognized overlord. I don't want a partner just for politics but for…ourselves, every day. You could be my co-host of sorts." He sighed. "I value your company and I want you to have a reason to continue to provide it."

Angel smiled more. "You're enough of a reason, ya goofy disc jockey." A little spark of static passed between Alastor's ears. Angel tried not to chuckle. "But a partnership…okay, we could work out something like that." He hesitated. "Partners get to do what we did last night, right?"

"Sometimes, yes," Alastor replied, looking anywhere but at Angel Dust.

"And partners also get to just go for walks and cook and garden together, right?"

Alastor nodded. "And they get trust…I believe."

"You trust me?"

Alastor met his eyes. "Not with everything at the moment but to a degree. Which is more than I can say for others in hell. Do you trust me?"

Angel considered. "About the same. But I'd be open to trusting you more." His smile grew. And Alastor felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Angel rubbed the back of his neck. "So…when we run into people, how would one partner introduce the other exactly?"

A slight groan left Alastor under his breath, his smile looked so big and strained it seemed about to break open his face. "Why, as Angel Dust and Alastor of course." He swallowed. "I thought we…both recognized last night the need for some discretion."

"Yeah, we did." Angel looked down with his smile sadder. "It was just a nice idea for a moment thinking about saying 'Hi, have you met my boyfriend Alastor?'"

Alastor's face warmed and his ears flattened. "Beau."

Angel glanced at him.

Alastor straightened up. "If we were picking a word, and one more specific than simply partner, I would prefer beau to 'boyfriend' - it has more subtlety."

"I guess that makes sense - you do get a little French on me when you're feeling affectionate." Angel chuckled.

Alastor pouted though it eased at the sight of Angel flushed and and so happy. "Beau…" the spider repeated the word, "I like it a lot." He blinked. "So like, we're dating?"

Alastor kept himself together and gripped his cane. "Elaborate on what you think that would mean please!"

Angel shifted a little closer. "Sort of like an expansion on the partnership idea. We spend time together, like we already do. And maybe some of the time is how last night was. And we trust each other, like you said. And also we're special to each other and know it. And we're not looking for anyone else to be a beau with. And maybe we do cheesy things like get each other little presents and have private jokes and hold hands when the other one has a bad day or just because."

"You've had a lot of time to think this through."

Angel shrugged, blushing a little.

Alastor considered. "I cannot agree that we are dating until we have had a date so I can make a more informed decision on the matter."

Angel gave him a dry look. "If that's your way of asking me out, you really gotta up your game, Smiles. I need to be finessed a little."

"Perhaps you'd care to show me how it's done?" Alastor replied with some sarcasm at the sudden challenge.

Instead of arguing with him though, Angel just grinned with his eyes hazed.

And then Alastor realized he had made a rather flustered miscalculation.

Angel straightened his clothes and hair, crawled over, and sat with their knees nearly touching. He took Alastor's hand in all six of his and gazed into the Radio Demon's eyes. "Alastor…" his voice was low and tempting but not overwhelmingly sultry - how Angel had calculated the pitch so well was intriguing. It had taken Alastor years behind the microphone in life to… "You like me, right?" Alastor gave a quick nod, feeling a high pitch of static building in his ears, "Well, I like you too. And when two people like each other there's really only one thing to do about it…"

"…Exchange fierce retorts then fight to the death for power?"

Angel snorted through his nose but shook his head. "Such a typical overlord - either that or you've got a really intense understanding of what sex is." Angel played with Alastor's bowtie, and somehow it was more overwhelming than Angel touching an actual part of his body. "No, they gotta explore all that liking and see where it goes. You feel me?"

"Metaphorically, yes. Literally…I'd prefer to keep my hands to myself for now." Alastor felt his heart doing these strange little skips that he didn't find entirely unpleasant.

Angel chuckled."My point is, mio cervo," Alastor's tail twitched happily, "will you make me the most satisfied sexy demon alive and go out with me some day…or night…or both?"

Alastor was practically leaning back over the arm of the couch as Angel hovered over him, not touching but still emitting so much warmth. And then Alastor decided he'd had enough of feeling like 'the prey' right now. He gripped his microphone and moved closer, effectively causing a wide-eyed Angel to back up a little bit on the couch. Alastor's gaze was half lidded and he lowered the pitch of his voice slightly, adding the warmer tones of an old radio. "I'll satisfy both of us by agreeing to an evening together, mon ange… if you wish?" He smirked a little. Angel nodded with a swallow. Alastor leaned a little closer and whispered. "Thank you for the lesson in how to ask one out on a date. I'll certainly keep your methods in mind." He stood up, smiling normally now, and held out his hand to assist Angel with standing.

Angel took a deep breath, his extra arms gone and a hand over his heart. "Damn, for someone who's never had a beau before, you're picking it up fast." He took the hand and stood, smiling. "So when do you want to…?"

"How about this weekend? You plan an activity, I'll plan dinner." His smile became a little more serious. "But this agreement remains between us for now until we understand our situation better - not even a word to our closest compatriots."

Angel smirked and nodded. "This is new - of course it can just be something special between us. Especially considering my situation with the studio and yours with…all of hell." He shrugged. "Though…secrets don't stay kept so good around this place. And…I gotta tell ya, according to Cherri, it's pretty obvious to people that something's been brewing between us. Secret dating or not, people here might catch on at some point - just prepare yourself."

"Pish Posh!" Alastor waved him off. "I'm a master of stealth, we'll be fine! And I can't imagine anyone's suspicions are serious…or that they would seriously risk bringing them up." He hesitated then added, "And to be clear, I don't know if after dinner will involve more of…what happened last night. Do you understand?"

"Al," Angel put his hands on his hips, "You don't have to warn me like that. You're talking to a guy who's spent all of his existence getting treated bad for who I am when it comes to intimate stuff. I'm never gonna lay that same shit on you."

Alastor's smile fell a little. He nodded. "Your conviction in the matter is appreciated. My apologies for assuming… After all you did keep those six hands to yourself last night like I asked you…even though you said you find me—" He rolled his hand through the air.

Angel raised an eyebrow but then blinked at the memory. "Sexy?" He smiled a lot.

Alastor's ears twitched and his eyes turned to spinning radio dials for a moment before he regained his composure and nodded.

Angel giggled. "Smiles, I think we'll do better if we focus less on the physical stuff. Let's just keep getting closer. There's lots of ways to have fun together outside of a bedroom."

"Apparently so considering our activities last night occurred in my office. Ha!" Alastor glanced around and swallowed. "I'm glad you came to visit me in this space last night." He gave a slight bow. "I look forward to our 'date', and our next time together."

"I can't wait either, Smiles." Angel's smile grew, then he stretched. "I hate to leave but I've gotta get breakfast for Nuggets. He's probably lonely. I'm guessing Cherri waited with him for a bit last night and then home…and I'm also guessing I'll have a bunch of texts from her asking me how things went between you and me. Don't worry, all the details stay between you and me." Angel winked then glanced at the door. "Hopefully no one's up yet and looking for us."

Alastor snapped. "My shadow will make sure the coast is clear." The shadow appeared.

Angel waved. "Hey, Shadow Smiles!." He blushed. "Was he, uh…present for all of last night?"

"No," Alastor assured as the shadow rolled his eyes. "But he and I did have a small discussion before I dozed off last night. I explained that you and I are perfectly aware of what we're doing together, and that he'll be seeing even more of you. Of course, he's concerned for the safety of us both, but I think he's accepted the situation. He agreed mother would like you."

"You… think your mom would like me?" Angel asked shyly.

Alastor's eyes widened. "You're caring and humorous and bold and you make me feel ha—…absolutely entertained. Frankly…I think she would adore you."

Angel perked up very much. "I think a couple members of my family would like you. My Ma would crack up at your corny jokes, and my…and someone else would like how much you make me smile."

Alastor perked up, his tail twitching as he gripped his cane. He looked to his shadow who was watching them with a smirk - Alastor cleared his throat and gestured with his head to the door. The shadow stuck out its tongue but then disappeared.

Alastor turned back to Angel who was smirking a little now himself. "Something coming you don't want an audience for, Smiles?"

Alastor glowed but maintained his composure. "Merely encouraging him to get a move on so you can care for Nuggets." He adjusted his tie and stepped closer. "Also, yes, special moments with you are the one thing in hell I don't seem to care for an audience for." He took Angel's hand and raised it up. He was entertained when Angel's smirk dropped and he blushed. Alastor's eyes hazed. "An evening should always end with a proper farewell in my opinion. Thank you for your company last night and for allowing me to be your host, Angel…Anthony. I look forward to next time when I will be your date instead. A bientot, mon bel ange." He kissed the back of Angel's hand, keeping his eyes looking up into the spider's.

"You are some kind of gallant sinner, Alastor - getting a fella all weak in the knees, heh." Angel sighed, eyes hazed, as the Radio Demon released his hand.

Alastor stepped back and smirked proudly. "I'm delighted to impress one of the most desired souls in hell."

Angel sighed with a dry look and a smile, his arms crossed. "Most of our time together is going to be a pretty rough contest about who can fluster who the most, isn't it?"

"Maybe!" Alastor shrugged.

Angel snorted with laughter as the shadow finally reappeared and opened the door.

Alastor glanced at him then turned back to Angel. "Well, it seems the coast is all clear! Not another soul is stirring yet. Shall I escort you upstairs?" He snapped to give himself a straw hat and held out his arm. "Or would you prefer to teleport?" He snapped away the straw hat and twirled his cane masterfully, fingers ready to snap again.

Angel smiled and tilted his head.

Alastor blinked. "What?"

"You just seem…more yourself, Al. You've been exhausted ever since the stuff at your radio tower. But right now - it's like you got your full spark back. It's nice to see."

Alastor felt his tail twitch back and forth and considered. "I feel quite improved, indeed. As magical as ever!"

Angel's eyes hazed. "Well, I hope it keeps up. But since we had a long night, you just stay here and get some rest, Smiles. I'll sneak up to my room no problem. I can be stealthy too." Angel strolled past the Radio Demon with a wink and a wave. Alastor obliged with a bow of his head. Angel saluted the shadow who gave him a small nod then disappeared. And then the door closed and the spider was gone.

Alastor sighed deeply and collapsed in the chair at his desk. He flicked one of his ears to turn on the radio. Some light music would he heavenly.

"Alastor! Tell me we're finally getting through! Mimzy and I waited up to hear back from you last night!" Rosie tisked, her voice suddenly sounding through the speakers.

"And we've been trying to get in touch with you all morning! I hope this means that you actually got some decent rest after everything you've been through lately!" Mimzy added.

"Or that you couldn't be interrupted because you had some long overdue company…"

Alastor sat up straight and teleported the radio to sit right in front of him on the desk. "Ladies! Hello! Mimzy, I did have a rejuvenating night, thank you for asking! And Rosie, not funny - you're lucky I like you so much!"

Both ladies laughed.

Rosie sighed. "Are you really doing all right, Alastor? Last night was a lot for you and your powers. We just wanted to make sure you aren't passed out in bed again for a few weeks being brought venison every hour."

Alastor chuckled. "Ha! No, no…Just needed a late start today. I'm fid as a fiddle!"

"Good to hear!" Mimzy chimed in. "So…how did your talk go with Angel?"

Alastor's ears twitched. "We…discussed the unusual nature of our relationship. And we agreed on some guidelines going forward. And we are both content with these guidelines. And we are very much on speaking terms again."

Rosie sighed. "You're not going to give us details are you? You shy boy…"

"Ha! No!" Alastor agreed.

"Hmm…well, as long as you're happy, Alastor, we're happy," Mimzy added. "And if you do want to share, we're here."

"We're also here for advice and support - with full discretion of course," Rosie assured.

Alastor swallowed. "You're cooperation is appreciated. I need more time to sort out the…specifics of my situation with Angel. We'll see how it goes."

"It'll go grand, Alastor," Rosie assured. "Just take your time."

"And you and Angel come by any time!" Mimzy added brightly.

Alastor smiled more. "Perhaps we shall." He sighed and reclined back in his chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, ladies, I would like to get some rest before beginning my affairs for today."

"But…" Mimzy started, confused, "I thought you said you got a full night's rest and then slept in late."

A jolt of static passed through Alastor's ears. "I…simply want some time to relax in the quiet of my office before the usual melee of the hotel proceeds into full swing!"

"Right…" Rosie held back a laugh. "Well, even if it may have kept you up late, I'm glad you and Angel had so much time to talk. That tells me you both finally laid out all the details of how you feel. You rest, Alastor. Say hi to Angel from us when you see him again. Ta ta!"

"Bye, Alastor!" Mimzy giggled, and the radio died out.

Alastor sighed deeply. Perhaps he should have felt embarrassed or concerned but he simply felt light inside. His chest felt so…

Alastor hesitated then looked down at his chest and unbuttoned his collar. His eyes widened. The burn was gone. A faint, pale scar was left behind, different from the many others on his chest but still nothing more than a memory in his flesh. He touched it. Just skin. Nothing hurt or stung or burned. He closed his eyes then opened them - they glowed red, dark symbols swirled over his head, his smile curved wickedly, and his hand clenched and tentacles appeared throughout the room. And then with a wave of his hand it was all gone. He'd reached into the darkest part of his heart for his power and no pain came to his chest to restrain him. He was back to normal: a sinner with no bounds.

But he was also not back to normal. Because Angel was part of his world now. Angel, who had healed him from sin enough last night to purge an angelic burn. Angel - he could have laughed at the ironic choice of stage name for Anthony. "Mon Ange…" Perhaps it was his new attachment talking, but how Heaven hadn't already come to take the spider was a fascinating conundrum for Alastor. And the idea of heaven actually lifting him away, however unlikely the process was to exist, still terrified the Radio Demon deep down.

His shadow reappeared now and moved close to Alastor and raised an eyebrow.

Alastor blinked and realized he had tears at the corners of his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "I know you're concerned because don't understand what's happening with me. I didn't either at first. But I understand now, and the answer is quite simple. I'm…happy." The shadow's eyes widened. "The last time I was happy was long before I met you - that's why you don't recognize it. I'm happy in hell. Utterly the opposite of boredom. Oh won't the future be an interesting experiment." His eyes felt wet again, and he gripped his hands. "A complication, to be sure. An untwist in the twisting of myself. I'll certainly be a new Radio Demon after passing through this particular bit of hell fire. Yes, indeed. I'll be a new Alastor too. Ha!"

The shadow tilted its head but smiled. Then he smirked a little.

Alastor rolled his eyes, glowing brightly. "Just make sure I'm not disturbed by the others until I'm good and ready. And no little cheeky looks or gestures from you once we're around the others again." The shadow chuckled to itself as Alastor stood up, head held high in a dignified manner, and strolled to the back room of his office to rest then freshen up.

Angel was a spider of stealth - he made it to his room without running into or waking up anyone. He got his door open, ready to take a nice bath and change into his usual striped suit.

Then he saw Cherri curled up on his bed, asleep with Fat Nuggets.

His eyes widened and his jaw fell - she had passed out and spent the night. He mouthed 'fuck' then tip-toed over to the bed. Fat Nuggets wagged his tail and Angel held up a finger to silence him before the pig could oink. He gently laid down on the edge of the bed, turned away from Cherri. Good - when she woke up she would think that Angel had just snuck in late and curled up in bed with her and Nuggets. She wouldn't know that he had been out all night kissing - technically sort of making out with - Alastor. Fuck, he missed those kisses - on the mouth or not, every one of them from Alastor had felt warm and curious and so damn right. He wouldn't press Alastor for more on their date, but he still hoped they would happen.

Angel let out a breath and settled against the pillow and closed his eyes. A little more sleep before breakfast would be nice - he and Alastor had stayed up until pretty late after all.

Then came Cherri's voice, sounding delightfully smug. "You stud."

Angel's eyes popped open. He pouted. "Fuck." He sat up and turned to her, and sure enough Cherri was awake now and smirking with her arms crossed.

Angel held up his hands. "Yes, I did spend the night in Alastor's office. No, I cannot go into details. But NO, nothing stud-worthy happened." He rolled his eyes.

Cherri held Fat Nuggets in her lap. "Don't tell me, tell him!" She lifted up the pig. "He's the one looking forward to having two daddies!"

Fat Nuggets oinked and wagged his tail.

Angel grinned. He swallowed and glanced down with a faint blush. "We talked a lot… And I made sure we were really specific and clear. And then he didn't want me to go so I didn't. But we decided to keep things private - you know how Val would flip if he thought I was involved with someone, and the other overlords would gun for Al if they thought he had someone he cared about so much. I don't know, maybe we'll share more with the people we trust soon. But for now we're sort of…on a trial basis."

Cherri's smile softened. "Did you explain to drama queen that pretty much everyone in the hotel already knows something's up with you guys?"

"He's in denial about that for now." Angel chuckled. "But he still wants privacy."

Cherri leaned closer. "So…does Radio Head have two beds down there or…"

"No one was in beds. But we stayed together… And that's all I'm saying." Angel's smile brightened at the memory of waking up with Alastor.

Cherri sighed. "Wow you are big time into this guy."

Angel bit his lip. "Can I tell you something? It's more about me than about me and Al. But it needs to stay just between us."

Cherri nodded.

"I'm not just into him. I'm definitely really in love, Cherri. For the first time ever." He shivered and hugged himself with his arms. "Maybe I wasn't quite sure before last night but now… I love Alastor." He wiped a quick tear from his eye. "Fucking christ, I don't know what to do with that though. I don't want to tell him and scare him off. But I want him to know. And I want him to love me too. But I don't think he's exactly into people like that."

"Not getting romantically attracted to people doesn't mean he can't love you back, Angel," Cherri replied gently. "He might not get all moony like you are. But believe me, he'll feel something big for you. Just get to know each other for now. Okay? You guys got all eternity."

Angel smiled a lot. "Thanks, babe." He gave her a hug and Cherri hugged him back.

There was a knock on the door. "Hey, Angel!" Vaggie's voice called. "You up yet? Charlie wants us all down in the lobby. She's got an announcement."

"Uh, yeah, sure. Be right down."

Cherri called out. "And I spent the night cuz I was drunk and tired and the beds here are soft as hell, so I'll be down too. And staying for breakfast!"

"Morning, Cherri!" Vaggie replied with a grin to her voice before she headed away.

Angel went over to the bathroom to get cleaned up and changed, and Cherri ran one of his brushes through her hair and grabbed a spare set of her clothes from his dresser, and Fat Nuggets went over to the secret door to Alastor's room and settled down to take a little nap against it.

Soon everyone was down in the lobby. Charlie stood in the middle with a big grin. Angel gave Alastor a casual wave and Alastor gave him a small nod but otherwise they put their attention on Charlie.

Louise and Abel were the last to make it down - holding hands and giggling. Alastor and Angel smiled more at the sight of them.

Charlie clapped her hands together. "Everyone, I have an announcement! Our Open House last night was successful thanks to all of your efforts that….I think we have another new guest! He's going to come by later today for a tour to decide if he wants to officially check in!" She had stars in her eyes. "Thank you all so much. I know one guest might not seem like a lot, but it's the start of something big, I can feel it! I hope you'll all welcome Baxter when he arrives."

"Baxter, huh?" Angel grinned. "This place is turning into a real sausage party, and I am down for it."

Alastor shot a red-eyed glance at Angel who merely chuckled and winked, at which point Alastor returned to normal, though glowing excessively.

Charlie went on, as giddy as ever. "So before he gets here, let's have a great breakfast and then get the hotel ready!"

Alastor raised his arm and clenched his hand - symbols swirled over his head and his eyes were radio dials for a moment. There were sounds from the ballroom. He returned to normal. "As a treat to you, Charlotte, I just had some tentacles take care of making the ballroom shine like a new penny and putting away all of the accoutrements we used."

"Alastor, your powers are that strong again?" Charlie tilted her head and smiled more.

Alastor twirled his cane. "Last night was very…refreshing. I appear to be all healed as of this morning actually. The Radio Demon back in full swing!" He glanced to Niffty. "Niffty, waffles please for everyone, as well as eggs and extra sausage. You know how I like it."

Niffty nodded and zipped into the kitchen and the others followed.

Alastor hung back and Angel moved beside him, his voice low. "Your burn…is really all better?"

The Radio Demon gave a nod. "You have quite the magic touch, darling. And all without laying a hand on me - ha!" he replied in a low voice. Then he strolled forward, and a blushing Angel Dust followed. Cherri glanced over her shoulder at them and tried not to laugh at whatever little private flirtatious exchange they'd obviously just had.

A/N:

Thank you for reading! I'm so happy we're into Al and Angel dating now, I've been really excited to write these chapters : ) Next time the boys continue trying to work out their relationship in secret while Baxter finally arrives!

Take care!

-Azure129