A/N:

Hi everyone! I managed to find time this week to get another update ready : ) Baxter comes back in this chapter, and lots of characters make lots of plans lol. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading! And thanks for being here for Chapter 50!

Partners

Chapter 50:

The Science of Socializing

Husk spent quite a while in bed, sipping coffee and rereading his texts with Molly. And then he found himself casually glancing through Niffty's story about him and Molly going on a double date with Angel and Alastor (at some fancy restaurant, of all places)…which turned into engrossed reading…which turned into obsessively turning each page. Niffty was good — the story was completely tasteful, but he still found his heart pounding as he read about Molly giggling when he pulled out her chair, and Molly beaming when he pulled a flower from under his hat and offered it to her, and Molly reaching to holding his hand under the table while they waited for their food…

He was also oddly not disgusted by the parts featuring Alastor and Angel. Their mutual affection was expressed subtly but tenderly — a playful joke from Alastor, a warm laugh from Angel, the two of them brushing fingers on the table while Angel winked and Alastor rolled his eyes and glowed. Alastor here seemed less immediately lethal but also something else too…less anxious maybe? Husk could imagine Alastor's shoulders relaxed and his ears at ease and his smile gentle for once. And Angel here was almost as bright and happy as Molly — no defensive comebacks or compulsive sex jokes for fun…or maybe just to fill the silence. Alastor and Angel were like friends but better, and each of them were better for being more than friends.

Niffty had written a couple of scenes featuring Angel and Molly bonding and chatting in Italian. Niffty didn't know a word of the language, so she hadn't written them any specific dialogue here, but she had the siblings often giggle and gesture to Alastor and Husk, then giggle more and wink. Molly blew Husk a kiss, and Angel gave Alastor a coy little wave.

Seeing Molly so happy with her brother would be nice. Husk hoped they could manage a visit like that before she went anywhere. He'd even consider…ugh, actually going on a double date with Alastor tagging along if it would make her happy.

Husk sighed and put aside Niffty's story. "Fuck, I really must like Molly to even think about agreeing to that." Husk and Alastor had obviously never been on the best terms. And recent jealousy over Alastor's successful spider sibling relationship had only escalated Husks' annoyance with the deer demon from simmering to burning. Only if Husk had Molly by his side would he be able to stomach seeing Alastor's sudden happiness on full display. Alastor — the overlord who already had a ton of power and money and territory who had fucked him over royally along with dozens of other demons and who cracked jokes at everyone's expense and who ate people alive ON AIR and who acted all chummy around Husk whenever he wanted to seem like a little socialite in front of other demons or when Niffty pouted enough but didn't give the bar cat the time of day when no one was looking. Of course that ass got to find love and have that love returned on top of everything else going for him.

But Husk thought a little bit about things Niffty could say sometimes about Alastor — how deep down she had a bad feeling he was the unhappiest of them all. Husk definitely didn't believe Alastor was the worst off of any of them, but maybe the jackass did suffer in his own way. But maybe Angel helped him suffer less. Angel got through to Alastor, like how Molly had gotten through to Husk…

Angel deserved happiness (even if his happiness fueled Alastor's happiness), and Molly deserved to see her brother happy and to be happy herself too.

And maybe Husk was willing to admit that he himself might be worthy of some happiness, even if he doubted ever actually getting any at this point in his existence.

Husk groaned and rubbed his head. "Okay, that's enough deep thinking and definitely enough thinking about anything involving Alastor while I'm in bed." He sat up and carefully folded up Niffty's story (that had ended with Husk and Alastor walking Molly and Angel home to the hotel, and Alastor teleporting to the roof to have a goodnight kiss with Angel while Husk had one with Molly in the lobby). He wanted to get up, deal with whatever the hotel and Alastor had to throw at him, get something to eat and drink, and think about what to say to Molly later when they wrote to each other again.

With a yawn, Husk grabbed his charged phone, adjusted his hat, and headed out to the quiet lobby to sit at his quiet bar in peace for a few moments.

He opened the door to find the hotel entrance wide open, some weird little automated carts on wheels carrying boxes of machine parts upstairs, Niffty zipping around in glee, Abel and Louise clearing away the lobby furniture to make the path clearer, and Baxter standing in the middle of all the chaos while pressing buttons on a large remote control.

Husk knew that this place being a hotel meant the goal was to get more guests. But now he realized how that fact meant his quiet bar time would grow more and more limited.

"Husk!" Beaming, Niffty zipped over to him. "Good morning! I'm so glad you slept in. Isn't it exciting? Baxter's moving in! Right now!"

Husk sighed and tried to smile a little. The fish was the first new friend Niffty had made entirely on her own, no forced introduction from Alastor required. He obviously meant a lot to her. "Yeah, it looks like a big production." And, unable to deny her happy smile anything, he sighed and added, "Do you want any help or…?''

"Uh-uh, nope!" She nudged Husk toward the kitchen. "You eat a nice meal first! Build up your strength! Besides, Baxter's machines and robots do most of the work! And Louise and Abel already have the lobby cleared. I'm just gonna help with the final decorating of his lab, so please don't worry." She leaned up and whispered to him. "You can think about what you want to say to Molly next…if you decide to keep writing to her." She looked so hopeful.

Husk blushed a little. "I'm gonna keep writing…" he whispered back. "And uh…thanks for the story, Niffty — about her and me and Angel and Alastor. It was real good. You should write romance books or something."

Niffty giggled. "Thanks, Husk. I just like writing about my friends though. It's fun." She waved then zipped back over to the robots and Baxter as Louise and Abel waved and slipped out the front door for work.

Husk entered the kitchen, ready to have a nice breakfast alone and maybe text Molly again…when he saw Alastor standing over the stove, cooking something.

The deer's ears straightened and he glanced back. "Husker! Finally joining us today I see!"

Husk's usual pout and frown returned. "Yeah. But first I'm eating." He headed to the fridge and pulled out a covered plate with a note on it that said 'To Husk! Love Niffty! 3'

"Ah…yes…indeed! Ha…"

Husk raised an eyebrow. That was a weird response from Alastor — no biting quip or routine threat or bad joke. The deer actually sounded hesitant, unsure…maybe even concerned?

Alastor snapped his fingers, and a jar of seasoning appeared in the air over the pot and sprinkled itself in. He cleared his throat and turned his head once more to Husk. "And you're…feeling quite yourself again?"

Husk cautiously sat at the kitchen table, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah… Pretty much. For now."

"Good!" Alastor swung a fist through the air, eyes darting around and smile wide and uncertain "Well, to celebrate, how about a bottle? Or a few! Ha!" He snapped his fingers — a gift basket appeared on the kitchen table with a bottle of liquor that Husk instantly recognized as being primo top shelf. "That one's just to start you off. When you need a refill just let me know! I have two or three more of those bottles in storage."

Husk sighed. "Great. Thanks. I'll let you know." He was pretty sure 'Husker likes booze' was literally Alastor's entire understanding of who he was, even after years of working together. 'Husk is a drunk!' Period. There was a small part of Husk that knew that somehow Alastor was trying to be nice right now. But a larger part of him just felt so tired of Alastor's shitty attempts and how the man couldn't be bothered to make a genuine effort for once. Husk pushed the gift basket to one side and turned to his breakfast.

Alastor hesitated then returned to cooking, his ears a little low.

Husk had his own problems, so he was not in the mood to suck up to Alastor to help the deer demon feel better about whatever was on his mind. But he rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to at least be less of a dick than Alastor normally was. "Do you want something or…?"

"Maybe!" Shot out of Alastor instantly. His ears stood up straight, and he looked back at Husk. "I mean, no, ha! Of course not! Just seeing to one of the many souls in my service!" His usual confident grin returned. "After all, I was in here first preparing some lunch when you just happened to stroll in, so I figured why not check in with you so I could check you off my list?"

Back to the same old Alastor. Husk sighed and returned to eating. "If that's lunch for two, you should know Baxter's out there right now moving in — in case you want keep dramatically hiding your dating life."

Some static buzzed over Alastor's head, and Husk smirked a little as he ate.

Alastor took a deep breath, adding some peppers into the pot. "I'm well aware of Baxter's presence today. And it is not lunch for two, it is lunch for me…with ample leftovers that I will set aside for a second party whenever he is awake and ready."

"Right…" Husk rolled his eyes.

"I'd prefer not to discuss…him. Angel." The words came out of Alastor's mouth almost shyly.

Fine with Husk — he didn't need more pushing to be jealous of Alastor anyway.

"Husker…" Alastor sounded like he was considering his words carefully — again, VERY unusual for the pompous overlord. "Do you consider yourself a guest at the hotel?"

"A guest…at the hotel…that you dragged me to against my will, and where I work at the bar everyday for no pay, and where I sleep in a cramped room on the bottom floor? No, I can safely say I don't consider myself a guest." Husk didn't even look up from his food.

Alastor sighed. "Yet, if you break down the requirements for what a guest means — residing here, being open to redemption, finding your life and intentions improved… Under those terms, would you consider someone a guest? I-I mean, consider YOURSELF a guest?"

"Even with those conveniently loose requirements, no, I don't. Can't be a guest somewhere if you don't have free will, which means I can't be a guest ANYWHERE."

"If you DID have the freedom to come and go though, would you consider yourself—"

"I do NOT think about what my life would be like if I still had the freedom to do whatever the fuck I wanted!" Husk slammed his hand gripping his fork on the table. "There's no point. You own my soul forever! And if you could stop talking to me like we're in the same boat just because Angel isn't in the room for you to bounce ideas off of, that'd be great!"

Alastor glared at Husk, symbols swirling over his head, eyes dark. But Husk didn't flinch. After a few moments Alastor went back to his cooking, head hanging a little low. "Never mind… Continue your breakfast."

"Thanks for the permission," Husk grumbled.

Alastor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Must you always be so cross, Husker? That's probably why your constitution is so sensitive and you've been ill on and off so frequently. Perhaps I should have given you some crackers and a good hot water bottle instead of the liquor."

"Well, I'm kind of a borderline alcoholic, and I actually got sick in the first place from drinking way too much of the extra hard stuff — not that you bothered to ask. So, yeah — pretty much anything but a bottle would have been more tactful." Husk didn't even care anymore about fighting with the Radio Demon. Alastor wasn't going to kill him. He needed Husk to put up with his orders around here, and he knew Charlie would be pissed if she laid a hand on him

Alastor turned around completely, looking utterly affronted, his ears flicking around like he had been taken by surprise. Husk almost smiled. Questioning the Radio Demon's decorum could definitely get under his skin. "My my, certainly a sharp tongue today. I'm feeling generous though and I'm going to chalk it up to your recovery grumpiness." Then Alastor turned back to the stove and removed his pot from the burner to cool. He snapped, and the meal began to plate itself on two dishes — a mixture of rice and beans and seasonings and vegetables. "Do TRY to enjoy your day, Husker. I intend to enjoy mine!" Alastor smiled brightly with his head held high then snapped himself away.

Husk ignored him. Let the deer have his tantrum. But Alastor did make him have one very important realization. He took out his phone and opened to his messages with Molly.

'Hey. Morning. If you want, I was wondering…could we talk about making some real plans to meet up? I know the airship is kind of hard for you to get off of, so I could come to you if that's okay. I've got a way. I miss you. And I want to talk in real life, about a lot of things.'

He wanted to see her as soon as possible. He knew she wanted to explain to him more about her situation with heaven and hell and purgatory. And maybe he now wanted to explain to her about the casino with the cat ears and his own past too. She deserved to know and hear it from Husk before she got introduced around here and Alastor went off about owning his soul; or worse, about how Husk had been tricked into being Alastor's lackey in the first place.

No, Husk was going to establish and deepen his relationship with Molly on his own terms. Alastor wouldn't take that right away from him no matter what.

The first customers were coming into the cafe, and Louise was dashing around with a smile as she seated them and then put on her apron to start cooking. She smiled up at Abel. "I'm so glad we were able to catch Baxter this morning as he was moving in so I could invite him to the wedding." Her eyes brightened. "And it reminded me that I really have to get a jump on figuring out how to send an invitation to the new owner of this place! Hmm… Charlie's the princess — maybe she would know who to see to find out more about territory and business exchanges so we can figure out who bought this place…"

Abel had been putting off telling Louise that Alastor had promised to make sure the new owner attended the wedding (Alastor himself being the new owner but wanting to keep the reveal of his identity a surprise). Abel was nervous about letting something slip and spoiling the surprise. But if Louise went to Charlie, sooner or later the two of them were bound to find out about Alastor's acquisition of the place. He cleared his throat. "Actually, before I forget — I know how much inviting the owner means to you, and I figured he might be an overlord since usually only overlords have money for big sudden buyouts, so I asked Alastor."

Louise's smile grew and her eyes hazed lovingly. "Abel, you went and talked to him all on your own? For me? I…know he still makes you nervous a little."

Abel's smile softened. "Not so much anymore. And of course I did — I'd do anything for you." They shared a brief kiss. Then Abel pulled back, dazed.

Louise giggled. "So, what did he say?"

"Huh?" Abel blinked and shook his head to clear it. "Oh, uh…Alastor, yeah! He said…he'll make sure personally that the owner comes to the wedding. But I, uh…guess the owner's a private person, so he doesn't want to say who he is. We'll meet him at the ceremony."

Louise laughed. "Hmm…one who's a bit mysterious, huh? Well, as long as Alastor knows and approves of him, he must be a nice overlord." She hugged him. "Thanks, Abel."

Abel hugged her back. "Anytime."

They separated as more people began to enter the cafe. Abel gathered some menus and added, "Oh, and Alastor also mentioned he might talk to the owner about getting us some more help around here since the place has gotten so popular and it's just the two of us. He wants to make sure we can have a full honeymoon and everything." He blushed a little.

Louise giggled and headed toward the kitchen. "Sounds swell! I'm excited for our honeymoon too." She winked over her shoulder and then disappeared into the back.

Abel blushed and smiled more but then finally was able to turn his attention to serving their first round of customers for the day. He was excited for her to find out Alastor owned this place — Louise admired him and always talked about finding a way to be helpful to him, to thank him for his role in saving her life and getting her and Abel together. She would be so happy to realize she'd been doing something for him all along just by working here. And maybe Alastor would come around more to relax and chat — the deer demon seemed like a needed a quiet little place where he could just be himself instead of being an overlord.

Abel grabbed the usual plate of last night's scraps for the birds Alastor liked to feed then headed outside to serve the guests in the courtyard.

After talking to Niss and confirming their plans to visit Molly Saturday morning, Angel finally left Alastor's room and returned to his own. He figured Alastor must still be busy, so Angel decided to spend some time caring for himself to prepare for his shift at the studio later. He did some light dancing on his pole to loosen up for the day, and then he got himself showered and his hair washed, and finally he did his makeup and picked out an outfit for work tonight.

He sighed when he put his outfit from last night into the hamper, thinking about his date with Alastor — sitting on Alastor's lap, making out, glimpsing those strong dusky forearms. That man's mere existence was an absolute aphrodisiac to him. And Alastor was starting to get…not quite frisky, but definitely more interested in testing his own intimacy limits. At one point one of his hands had drifted a little lower than Angel's waist, holding his hip firmly instead, fingers grazing the panty line at the back of his shorts. Alastor must have realized the sudden daring slip, and eventually the hand returned to its prior position. But still, Angel had needed to exercise all of his self control to resist becoming completely aroused. Deep breaths between kisses helped, concentrating on Alastor's comfort helped, his own skill as a sex worker helped. In the end, Angel finally had to taper off their kisses and suggest they maybe turn in for the night. Either knew either things could wrap up now and they could go to bed together, or things could wrap up later and Angel would need to go to bed in his own room to take care of some physical needs. And he really, really wanted to sleep in a bed together for the first time.

Angel took a deep breath again to come out of his memories and calm himself down. He sort of really liked the tease of not being sure when or how things might progress with him and Alastor physically. The deer demon kept him on his toes, and Angel liked the change of pace. And he still liked the chance to make sure Alastor only had good experiences of intimacy.

When Angel opened up his door to head to the studio, he found a tray with a hot bowl of covered food and a note from Alastor.

'Darling,

I wasn't sure when you would be up, so I set aside some lunch for you. If it's gone cold, my shadow will be more than happy to heat it up. I made it myself, I hope you enjoy.

Also it seems our fishy friend Baxter is moving in today. I suppose you and I will have to go back to being exceptionally discrete. But I sort of like the thrill of sneaking around, don't you?

Have a safe evening in case I don't see you before you leave for your work. I'm afraid I haven't been good about making my usual rounds of the Pentagram. Not that I'm particularly peckish considering how indulgent your company has been, but it's always good to make sure I'm aware of any particularly dastardly sinners for radio show and cooking purposes. And a little quick carnage in the street is good for my reputation as well.

Remember, if you need me, call for me. I know your voice so well, I'll find you anywhere.

À bientôt!

-A'

Angel ate the food in an absolutely dreamy state then slipped a little love note of his own under Alastor's door, with a lipstick print and everything. A promise to see Alastor for a good night kiss after he got home, if the deer demon was willing. Then Angel left the hotel (just catching sight of Niffty and Baxter heading up the stairs to the upper floor, both chatting away). It was such a nice day and Angel was in such a good mood that he decided to take the scenic route. Maybe he would even bump into Alastor and they could stroll together, pretending not to flirt.

As he passed through the park, he did not expect to bump into Vox…let alone into the shark with legs that the tv overlord was walking.

Vox was reading something on his phone at first. But suddenly his antenna twitched and his eyes went to Angel. He stopped walking, and the spider did too.

"Uh, hey." Angel gave him an awkward wave. Slipping back into the silly slut act right now seemed pointless…almost insulting really. But he also wasn't about to pal around with the tv demon like they were friends. So a quick 'hey' and a wave seemed appropriate… especially since he had to know more about this new shark thing.

"Hey…" Left Vox slowly, eyes a bit wide.

Then Vark dove on top of Angel with a joyful bark.

"Vark!" Vox yelled, pulling the leash (with little effect). "No, off! NOT food! If you mangle him, Alastor and Val are gonna team up and kick my ass with some kind of weird sexy cannibalism!"

Angel had already been on the ground laughing since Vark was just licking his face and barking, but now he doubled over in laughter at an actual joke from Vox that was funny. "He's not hurting me, relax!" Angel managed to say. "He probably just smells Nuggets." He scratched under Vark's chin, and the shark purred and calmed down enough for Angel to slip out from under him and get standing again. "Uh…thanks for trying to help though," he managed as he dusted himself off.

"Oh, uh…no problem," Vox quickly assured as Vark came back over to sit next to him. "Just…you know…trying to avoid the sexy cannibalism death."

Angel laughed again. "Good one." He glanced back at the shark. "So this is…Vark?"

"Velvet named him," Vox quickly said with a dry look.

Angel chuckled again. "Aw, it's a cute name. He's like a little honorary V." He patted the shark's head. "So, uh…is he Velvet's? Or…"

"Mine." Vox glanced away. "I thought about some stuff from our chat together. And, uh…yeah, now I have a pet shark. It's been nice." He swallowed, holding back a smile.

"Good. Glad to hear it," Angel said sincerely. He cleared his throat and stepped back. "Well, I uh…better get going. I've gotta be at the studio. Don't wanna piss off Val, heh. And if Alastor catches you with me he might get the wrong idea and get pissed off too. Then there's that whole 'death by sexy cannibalism' risk again, right, heh?" Angel tried desperately to put out of his mind the sudden thought that frenching Al last night had felt sort of like sexy cannibalism.

He was about to leave when Vox held up a hand. "Wait…"

Angel glanced to his screen — the demon was looking up with a slightly pained expression on his face. Angel had a pretty good feeling what it meant since he had seen it before on Alastor whenever the Radio Demon had to say or admit something he didn't relish putting into words.

"Thank you," Vox managed through clenched teeth.

Angel wasn't offended at the dramatics. Excessive pride was another hangup overlords seemed to share. "You're wel—"

Vox cut him off. "I owe you one. Save it for something you really need. Also be careful. I have no idea how Val is going to be now that Vel and I left. He might take everything out on you. Or he might pretend nothing's different. Or anything in between." A very small blush came to his screen as he added, "If Alastor really is keen on preserving you as his new best friend, take advantage and make him help you too if you need it."

Angel's eyes widened. But then he nodded.

"And don't tell Val you and I spoke." The blush increased just slightly.

Angel nodded again.

Vox sighed. "Come on, Vark, let's finish picking up chocolate chips for Auntie Velvet's cookies."

The shark barked and led Vox forward — he almost stumbled at the shark's strength but managed to right himself and continue on like normal (with an embarrassed glitch of course).

Angel watched them go with a curious smile. But then he turned his sights back in the direction of the studio and headed forward, the smile gone. "Whatever Val throws at me I can take." He finally had a bunch of good things going for him to live for — he wasn't about to let anything beat the hope and happiness out of him now. He would only call on Alastor though (and definitely only on Vox) in an extreme emergency. Angel could take care of himself.

Eventually he reached the studio. He took a deep breath and went inside.

All seemed…more or less normal. Usual people milling around, usual half-dressed starlets popping in and out of dressing rooms… But something nagged at his mind until he realized that he couldn't smell Val's cigarettes. Usually the scent of that smoke was everywhere from the pimp roaming the halls to check on his 'merchandise'.

Val also wasn't in Angel's dressing room, waiting to tell him his tasks and clients in a sweet but deadly voice — instead Angel found a list of his jobs for the night. All pretty standard ones.

Before the services began each evening, Val would also make an appearance in the windows of his VIP lounge overlooking the stripper stage… But tonight the windows were dark.

Either Val wasn't here or he was lurking. Either way, it made Angel's skin crawl. He didn't like not knowing where the moth was — it made him feel like Val was somehow everywhere.

Angel got through his shift only by taking deep breaths and thinking of Alastor.

By the time the evening came, Husk had already solidified his plans to see Molly. Alastor had been out all day doing his overlord shit, leaving the bar cat free of any curious eyes and of the urge to pick any other fights with the pompous deer.

He smiled as another text came back from Molly.

'Saturday morning is perfect for your visit! Penny doesn't attack much on weekends, so the ship's calm. And he already said I could have guests. I'll have things ready all ready for you!'

'What kind of things?'

'Everything! I wanna make sure the ship looks nice and put together and my room looks nice and put together and I look nice and put together. Ya know, all sorts of domestic stuff like that.'

Husk's eyes hazed a little but then he swallowed and replied:

'You sure I'm worth all that? You've seen how I live, heh…'

'You live cozy and free… And you're cute. You're worth all the gussying up.'

Husk absolutely blushed and swiftly typed back:

'I am NOT cu…' he started. But then he took a deep breath, erased it, and replied instead, 'Point taken. Thanks… Maybe I'll…gussy up a little too or whatever.'

'Aw, mio gatto… 3 Maybe you could sneak on board so we could catch up alone and then we could do tea with Penny so I can introduce ya. Are you sure you can get all the way up to the ship On your own?'

Husk pouted at the idea of Pen being included in their time together, and yet his heart raced at the idea of being alone with Molly again first. One more flight to the airship would be worth it.

'I do. It's a surprise though. Don't laugh…'

'Never. Ciao til then. Let's think of lots of fun things to talk about for when we see each other.'

'Okay. I'd like that. Bye, Molly.'

She sent him a smile and Husk finally closed his phone. He sighed. Even if he snuck away early on Saturday morning, he would need Niffty's help to keep this trip a secret from Alastor and the others. He wasn't sure how long he would be with Molly, and early-riser Alastor would notice pretty quickly if he wasn't around. And, knowing the nosey deer, even if Niffty made an excuse and said he needed to rest again, Alastor would probably poke his head into Husk's room constantly to check he was there and to make empty gestures to 'help' him.

Husk headed upstairs. Niffty had been decorating with Baxter all day, zipping up and down the steps with various curtains and knickknacks and at one point a plate of sandwiches. Hopefully they were done by now though, so he could talk to her before Alastor returned.

He reached the third floor — the lab location was obvious since the door was wide open and he could hear Niffty chatting away inside. Husk headed over. His head completely tilted to the side when he caught sight of the room. Along with the usual furniture and all of Baxter's little robots and machines, there were blue curtains over the windows, throw pillows embroidered with fish on the bed, and strings of lights all around the walls to illuminate each gadget. Then there was Baxter himself, wearing goggles while boiling a dark brown substance over a small burner while Niffty sat on a dumbwaiter contraption attached to a wall.

She noticed Husk before he could slowly back away from the scene.

"Husk! Come say hi to Baxter again!" Niffty hopped off the contraption and dashed over to Baxter. "He was just boiling us some hot cocoa! Do you want some?"

Baxter removed his goggles and smiled as he turned off the heat and set down the beaker. "I prepared enough for up to four people in case of guests or a request for seconds — I'd be happy to pour you a beaker, Husk. I'm afraid I don't have any mugs up here."

Husk blinked a few times and shook his head. "Uh, no thanks. I stick with hooch or black coffee. I wanted to talk to Niffty — I need her help with something…personal."

"Oh!" Baxter nodded. "You need to share a confidence! Very understandable between two established friends." He turned the burner back on. "Niffty, I'll keep the cocoa warm."

"Thank you, Baxter!" She dashed out into the hallway with Husk, looking up at him eagerly.

Husk sighed. "Saturday morning…I'm gonna secretly fly to the airship to visit with Molly. And I might be gone for a bit. I need your help to cover for me. But I think it might take more work than usual. Alastor's starting to become an extra-nosey pain in the ass, and I don't think he'll buy that I'm just not feeling well and need to sleep in."

Niffty squealed loudly but kept her voice at an excited whisper. "Yes, of course! That's so romantic, Husk! Hmm, and you're right, Alastor has been asking about you a little extra…" Husk raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask her about the comment, she went on with an eager smile. "But don't worry, I'll figure something out." Her eyes brightened. "Oh, I could ask Baxter to help! I actually wanted him and Alastor to get to know each other better, so this is perfect! He could say he wants to take over the bar for the day to get used to helping out at the hotel, and then he could show Alastor his experiments and gadgets! And if Alastor asks where you are, I'll just say you went to a bar somewhere else to drink where it would be quieter."

Husk groaned a little but he had to admit it wasn't a terrible idea. "Okay. But with Baxter can you…kind of downplay the fact that I'm kind of sneaking off for a date?"

She nodded. "You can count on me! Baxter is great at respecting personal boundaries!"

"And…he's not gonna think it's weird that he just moved in and we're already asking him to dive right into the drama of this place?" Husk pouted a little and his voice softened. "I know he's your new friend. I don't want you guys to get roped into anything too intense. You should just enjoy getting to know each other."

Niffty glanced back at the lab then to Husk again, frowning. "Baxter doesn't spend time around other demons much, but he wants to try doing it more. Sometimes his head moves a little to fast for people — kind of like mine does. So getting to be part of stuff with other demons is really fun to him, like a new experiment each time in…social behavior, I think he said. He wants to learn all he can. I'll ask him to make sure he's definitely okay with helping, but I think he'd be more uncomfortable if I left him out."

Husk put a hand on her shoulder. 'You're a good egg."

"Thanks!" She beamed up at him again. "What are you going to wear to see Molly?"

"Nothing!" Husk blushed. "I-I mean, I'm just gonna go like this, what does it matter? My wings are practically clothes, and it's not like any actual clothes fit around them anyway."

"I'll make sure something fits around them. You should dress up for a date, Husk." She zipped around him a few times like she was mentally talking measurements then smiled. "We'll work on what to wear tomorrow. I picked out Alastor's outfit for his date last night and he said it was just the thing! I'll definitely be able to do the same for you!''

Husk sighed deeply. "I…fuck, maybe…"

She laughed. "I'm gonna go back to Baxter for my hot cocoa. Make some coffee and join us if you want!"

"No, that's okay, I…think I might go and try to plan cooking dinner for everyone tonight or something…you know, so you don't have to." He shrugged. "It's the least I can do I guess."

"Aww! Thanks, Husk!" She hugged him. Then Niffty dashed back to Baxter.

Husk headed back downstairs and figured he would make Italian tonight. He liked Italian.

That night, at the end of his shift, Angel still hadn't seen a hint of Valentino. But just before closing he had gotten orders from the house manager that he was supposed to bring a tray of dinner up to the VIP lounge for Val, after everyone else was gone: a very specific request which Angel had never gotten before.

Angel was shaking a little as he changed clothes and went to the kitchen to grab the food. Vox and Velvet were out of the picture for now — but even though that left Angel with only one overlord to potentially wrangle, Val was much scarier on his own. Especially with no witnesses. The whole way up in the elevator Angel kept his eyes closed and took deep breaths and tried not to think about too many of the bad memories he had from being alone with Val in the past.

He wiped away a couple of tears that sprang up as the elevator doors opened to the top floor. It was empty, and the doors to the VIP lounge were closed. It still didn't look like there were any lights on inside. Though he thought he caught sight of a pale glow through the crack between the doors.

Angel took another deep breath and gave a light knock. "Val, Daddy? I brought dinner. They said you were in here… and asked for me." His stomach twisted as he waited for the reply.

None came.

Angel felt like he had done his due diligence. Maybe the moth was in his office or the can instead, but Angel wasn't about to go looking. He set the tray down on the floor. "Just gonna…leave the tray here. Heh…" He froze. From under the door came a curl of familiar red smoke — the kind that Val's special cigarettes made. Spiraling like a beckoning finger…

"Night! See ya tomorrow!" Angel walked as swiftly as he could down the hall to the elevators, got inside, and pressed the button so hard and so many times he was surprised it didn't break. But finally the doors shut before he could hear any orders from Val or see the moth emerge from the room. He might catch some hell tomorrow for rushing off, but just he couldn't handle the alternative. Suddenly the idea of entering that room with that man wasn't just scary — it was unbearable.

Angel accepted in that moment that he no longer had the ability to endure the worst of Val with silence and numbness. How was he supposed to let someone touch him who he hated with all of is soul, when he now knew what it was like to be touched by someone who he loved with all of his heart? In fact Angel suddenly realized that there was a good chance he would attack the moth if he ever tried to lay a finger on him again…or on Alastor. Angel remembered in the radio tower during the attack, Val torn between the sick joy of touching Alastor's chest with the deadly Angel spear shard or touching another part of Alastor with his bare hands.

Like the horrible way Valentino had touched parts of Angel before with his bare hands.

Angel wasn't shaking in fear anymore now — he was shaking in rage. That day, Angel had shot to kill. And he knew he would do it again if the time came.

Thankfully when the elevator on the bottom floor, Angel was in control of his emotions again. He headed down the hall and finally out the door into the cool night air, back to the hotel.

He didn't feel okay again until he was upstairs and kissing Alastor goodnight (a very long and lingering kiss) before heading to his own bed to curl up with Nuggets. He closed his eyes and prayed, like he had so many times over the years, that somehow Val would go away and never come back. He only fell asleep when Nuggets gave him a few kisses and Angel petted him and imagined the idea of getting to rest again with Alastor alongside him too very soon.

Val wouldn't have opened the doors, though Angel couldn't have known it. The moth was lying on a sofa in the dark, smoking, staring up at his brightly glowing phone screen. He was a pale, gaunt wreck. He'd sent instructions to have Angel bring him his food after closing, hoping it would make him feel better to hear the fear in the spider's voice and maybe to call him inside and see that fear all over Angel's face. But Angel's brief arrival had done nothing to help. In fact, he was embarrassed to admit that he wasn't sure he could have 'performed' even if he'd wanted to take the spider for a ride. So he'd let him go without a word.

Val put aside his cigarette and finally let the phone screen go dark. Vox and Vel weren't going to call. "So…it's really over." He glanced for a moment at a box of stale cake on the coffee table that had arrived a couple days ago with a note from Velvet: 'To Val. Eat chocolate, it'll help you get your shit together!' Nothing had come from Vox. "Guess that's it then." He closed his eyes and took off his glasses. "Well, looks like I've gotta take care of myself from now on. Okay, Val, you can wallow for a little longer. But by the weekend get your shit together or this fucking club'll fall apart." He nodded then pulled his coat around himself and fell asleep.

One more person was awake in the hotel late that night. Charlie was staring at the message from her mother again. She bit her lip, took a deep breath, and typed back a simple reply.

'Hi mom. I'm sorry, but I'm not coming home. The hotel is where I need to be. Please understand. I love you both.'

She waited. Her mother was often up til all hours.

There was some typing and then a message appeared.

'Oh Charlotte. Perhaps you'll reconsider. Soon.'

Charlie sighed deeply, cuddled close to a sleeping Vaggie, and wiped away a few tears as she shut her eyes. Whatever happened, she would be ready. She just needed it over with already.

A/N:

That's all for now! The spider siblings are going to meet again soon, and so are Molly and Husk ^w^ And more Pentniss is coming too lol. Thank you for your support!

Take care!

-Azure129