A/N:

Hi everyone! I'm back with more story, a little earlier than usual this weekend ^w^ Lots of bonding and flirting and fluff this time. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

Partners

Chapter 61:

All Kinds of Daddy Issues

With a suitcase full of clothes in hand, Cherri strolled through the streets of hell, giving death threat smiles to any demons who glanced at her — this strategy helped maintain her 'don't fuck with me' reputation AND stopped anyone questioning what she was doing as she carted Niss's clothes from the Emporium to the hotel. She was supposed to head to Sir Pentious's airship next for Molly's stuff and had texted the snake to tell him she was on her way…only to get back a far too confident message saying that she shouldn't trouble herself and he would take care of everything. Cherri groaned. "Ugh, I knew I should have just shown up there instead of giving him some warning. Who knows what he's got in mind?" She put away her phone — she would worry about Sir Pentious after she got her first delivery taken care of, nice and neat. Even if the mob guys did see her go into Hazbin now, hey — nothing was less suspicious than a person entering a hotel with a suitcase.

She rounded the corner of the hotel's block and was met with a sight that was highly suspicious AND that showed her exactly what Sir Pentious had decided to do. There by the front door was the agonizingly suspicious sight of three Egg Bois in terrible imp disguises trying to carry a huge pink trunk toward the hotel but failing miserably while Abel and Louise did their best to keep the silly creatures from getting crushed.

Cherri sighed. She would have to step in and fix Sir Pentious's attempt to bring Molly her things before this scene turned into a complete cluster. She just hoped the worship from her new biggest fans the Egg Bois would be minimal. "Hey, Abel, Louise! Hey Egg…Imps? Need a hand?"

"Oh, Cherri, yes please!" Louise's eyes brightened and her tail wagged. "Abel and I were on our way to the cafe to open up, but we saw these…er, 'Imps' and we couldn't just leave them."

"CHERRI BOMB!" The three poorly disguised eggs cried out as they instantly dropped the trunk to the ground and dove at her.

"Hey!" Cherri held up her suitcase as a barrier. "Look, uh…yeah, good to see you guys too. But come on, we're in the street — be cool. That means no jumping or asking me to shoot you."

The Egg Bois nodded, wobbling on the sidewalk in their top-heavy costumes.

"She's right!" One Egg Boi announced. "We're on a mission, we have to be cool!"

"Just like the boss!" The second Egg Boi added.

"And like Cherri!" The third Egg Boi added.

Abel got the huge trunk propped up against a wall and wiped his brow. "Wow, you're good at getting them to listen." He smiled. "I think the problem is the weight of the trunk and the fact that with those costumes they can barely see where they're going.

"What costumes?" The first Egg Boi asked goofily. "We're imps!"

"Really round imps!" The second Egg Boi added, nearly toppling over.

"The Imp Boys!" The third Egg Boi added happily. "With some egg parts," he added in a whisper as the first one fell over, the second one tripped over him, and the third one collapsed back into the two of them.

Cherri helped nudge them all upright and sighed. "Yeah, at this point it looks like they're gonna get mugged before they get it inside the hotel on their own." She looked to Abel and Louise. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it, I'm heading to the hotel now anyway. You two get going to work."

"Thank you kindly, Cherri!" Louise smiled. "Are you sure you don't want us to get someone from inside to help?"

"Nah, better off not making this into an even bigger production than it is already." Cherri held out her suitcase to the eggs. "Imp Boys, can you three carry this suitcase instead? It would really help me out…" She lowered her voice and grinned as she added, "and it would help out your boss's special friend too. You know who…"

The eggs gasped happily and all clung to the suitcase at once, dashing to the hotel entrance with it.

Cherri watched them go with a smile and shake of her head. Then she hoisted the big trunk over her shoulder with a deep breath. "We'll get it all inside." She lowered her voice and came closer to Abel and Louise. "Any activity around the place since last night?"

Louise scowled. "No, those awful spies aren't crawling all over the building anymore, thankfully. I still can't believe they did that last night and got Molly and Niss all worried! And Alastor upset too." Her ears went down. "He wasn't around for breakfast this morning and he hasn't come back to the hotel yet even though he's so protective of this place."

Cherri breathed a sigh of relief: the mob goons were lying low AND the details about the date fiasco hadn't gotten out. "Don't worry. I'm sure Radio Head is just working on something to keep everyone safe and that he'll be back soon."

Louise tried to smile. "I hope so. I don't want these mob guys to have any chance to hurt him or Angel."

Abel put a hand on her shoulder then looked to Cherri. "They're still lurking in the alleys and rooftops nearby — and ever since last night they're not even trying to stay hidden anymore. Angel insisted on watching us walk down the block when we left just to be sure we were safe." He frowned. "Are you sure you don't want Louise and I to escort you and the Egg Bois inside?"

Cherri shook her head. "I can handle Angel's shit family." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a grenade. "Tossing one of these up and down in your hand makes guys with guns really hesitant to open fire on you." She smirked.

Louise's eyes brightened. "I wouldn't mind trying that sometime…"

"Uh," Able smiled nervously, "or maybe you could hold something less dangerous instead? Please? For me?"

She laughed, her smile softening. "We'll talk about it." She leaned up and kissed his cheek then took his hand while Abel blushed. "See ya, Cherri! If you're hungry later, stop by the cafe — it's on the house!"

"Thanks!" She gave them a little salute then walked after her Egg Bois, surveying the building as they got closer. Abel was right — these guys weren't even trying to hide any more. She could see fedoras and eyes peeking out over rooftops and around corners. That change in strategy meant something was coming.

She found the Egg Bois fighting over the suitcase on the hotel front steps and walked up between them. She tucked away her grenade and put a hand on her hip. "Share, guys! Come on, we're still playing it cool." They settled down with nods and grins, all three hugging the suitcase. Cherri tried to door. She smiled when she found it locked. Charlie was learning. She knocked and called out. "Delivery!"

A moment later the door opened to reveal a smiling and relieved-looking Angel. "Cherri! Good! Come in!" He hesitated as he looked down at the other visitors. "Uh, what are Egg Boi—"

"Imps," she corrected flatly before the eggs could start in.

"Uh…what are the 'Imps' wearing…not wearing…whatever, just get in here!" He pulled Cherri inside, and the Egg Bois followed as the door closed behind them all.

Angel bolted the door shut. He turned around, hands on his hips in amusement at the sight of the Egg Bois holding up the suitcase.

"We did it!" said the first one. "We got Miss Molly's trunk into the house!"

"And we listened to Cherri and were super cool!" said the second one.

"And we also got this into the house!" The third one gestured to the suitcase with awe.

"Trunk's Molly's, suitcase is Niss's," Cherri explained.

"Niss!" The Egg Bois twittered eagerly with giggles.

Cherri's eye widened and she blushed. "Uh, yeah, and he's probably upstairs, so go bring him his suitcase!" She ushered them up the stairs then breathed a sigh of relief as they went that nothing more suggestive had come out of their mouths.

She turned around to see Angel eyeing her with an eyebrow raised.

Cherri swore internally and decided she needed to get those Eggs out of here asap before they started gushing about Pen and Niss holding hands or some shit. "What?" She managed with a shrug. "Just trying to get rid of them — they're so clingy, heh."

"Okay…" He continued to look at her for a moment longer before his eyes went to the trunk. "Oh boy, that huge thing's Molly's? How much shopping did Pen let her do? She's definitely gonna need her own walk in closet."

Cherri set the trunk down with a grin. "Speaking of Molly, is she—"

"Cherri!"

Cherri beamed and turned to see the spider lady in question enter the lobby from the kitchen, arms open wide. "Molls!"

Molly ran up to her and wrapped Cherri in a big hug. Cherri felt a few of her joints crack and hugged Molly back as tightly as she could manage. Molly separated from her. "Okay, ya need to visit a lot while I'm here! This is so nice, just gettin' ta see ya whenever!" She turned back to the kitchen. "Husk, Cherri's here!"

Cherri chuckled. "You two cooking in there?"

"Makin' some espresso…holdin' hands…watchin' him watch me in this dress." She blushed and smirked as Cherri held back a laugh.

Husk entered the lobby, obviously trying to seem his usual aloof and grumpy self even though he stood tall and he was dressed up his his suspenders and he even had a flower in his hat. "Hey, Cherri."

Cherri appraised the new look. "Hey! Looking good, Husk." She nudged Molly. "He cleans up nice — any guy who dresses up for you this much is always a keeper."

Molly giggled shyly. "I ain't plannin' on lettin' him go."

Husk blushed very much, almost smiled, then pushed it down. "I, er…coffee's burning in the kitchen. Gotta go!" He ducked away.

Both girls shared a laugh.

Angel smiled and shook his head as he came over to them. "You two better not put my guy through this giggly stuff when he's back. It's universally acknowledged that he's cute as sin, but he just doesn't like to make a big deal about it." He swallowed, blushing a little. "Glad you both know about Alastor now, by the way. It's nice not to have to keep any secrets." He sighed, hands on his hips, and added, "Well, except for the gigantic one about who Niss is dating of course. Drama king. At least I'm not the only one who doesn't know, right, Cherri?"

Cherri froze for a moment then sighed deeply. Not only did she hate lying to Angel but frankly she was bad at it. He'd had enough people fuck with him in life; even the idea of lying to him felt like some kind of deep betrayal.

Angel's jaw dropped. "Oh, fuck no — come on, Cherri! YOU know? Next thing you're gonna tell me is that his good buddy Pen knows too!"

Cherri held up her hands. "And on that note, let's change the subject! I didn't tell your brother you were dating Radio Head even though he really wanted to know who you were seeing, so I'm not spilling any beans to you about his person of interest."

Angel eyed her again, head tilted like he was puzzling something out.

Cherri looked at Angel firmly. "Molly, could you give us a sec? I've gotta tell Angel something private real quick and then I'm gonna collect the Egg Bois and head out."

Molly nodded. "I'll go let Niffty know you're here so she can say hi too — I think she's cleaning Alastor's office." She dashed down the hall leading off the lobby.

Angel cleared his throat. "There's…something you wanna tell me?" He asked Cherri, almost like he had something specific in mind he was expecting.

Cherri tilted her head but then nodded. "Yeah. When I picked up Niss's stuff at the Emporium, I ran into Alastor. He, um…explained a little more about what happened last night, and why he left." She blushed. "Anyway, he just wanted me to let you know that he's okay and that he'll be back at the hotel tonight. And ready to talk. He promises."

The look of gentle relief on Angel's face was lovely. He even wiped away a quick tear. "Thanks. Glad to hear that." He crossed his arms. "It's weird — we only met each other a few months ago, but when he leaves…well, when we both leave…we miss each other. A lot."

"That's not weird. I think that's just love." She offered tenderly.

Angel blushed a little. "Yeah. And I really do love him. Told him and everything." He shrugged. "He…hasn't said it back to me though. I know he probably just experiences romantic feelings different than me, like how he's different about sex and attraction. So I'm not sure if he'll ever be 'in love' with me like I am with him. But…maybe he loves me in a different way? Or he will soon?" He swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. "At least that's what I'm hoping, heh… I don't want to pressure him. We both gotta get closer at our own paces."

Cherri's eye was half lidded, and her voice was soft. "You've gotta ask Alastor about all that to know for sure. But personally, Angel, I think he's already crazy about you in every way he can be. If he hasn't let you know yet, it's probably because he hasn't admitted it to himself yet or he doesn't know how to express it to you. But he'll find the right words eventually."

Angel looked at her with a grateful smile then hugged her, and she hugged him back.

Niffty dashed into the lobby now, pulling along Molly. "Cherri! I'm so happy to see you! And now Molly's here too!" The moment Cherri and Angel separated, Niffty ran up and hugged Cherri tightly. "Are you staying?"

Cherri smiled and was about to reply, when suddenly everyone turned to the stairs to see all three Egg Bois tumbling down them to the lobby. They crashed at the bottom and sat up, still in their terrible costumes.

"We delivered everything to Niss!" The first one said.

"Niss!" The other two chorused, and then all three giggled again.

Cherri was about to dive on them but was saved the trouble by Niffty gasping and running over to them, smiling in awe. "You three are so cute! And so small! Look at your little outfits!"

"Wow," the first Egg Boi remarked, "You have one eye! And you know Cherri!"

"You're like a small Cherri!" The second Egg Boi remarked.

"We love Cherri, and we love you!" The third Egg Boi said.

Niffty's smile widened and she turned to Cherri. "I love them! Can we keep them?"

Cherri laughed. "Maybe they can visit sometimes. But they live on Sir Pentious's airship. And I should probably make sure they get back there safely asap." Her smile brightened. "You want to come with? I'll bring you right back here when we're done!"

Niffty beamed. "Really? A trip out together? I'd love that!" She bit her lip and turned to Molly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Molly. I wish you didn't have to stay inside so that you could come too. All three of us together sounds so fun!"

Molly half smiled and shrugged. "It's okay. I only gotta stay hidden for a little longer. Then the three of us can spend some time together. You have a safe time out, Niffty." She knelt down and gave the little demon a hug, and Niffty hugged her tightly back.

Niffty ran over to Angel next. "Angel, if Alastor comes back will you tell him I went out but that I'm safe and I'll be back soon?"

Angel nodded. "You got it."

The little demon grabbed on Egg Boi's arm with her first hand, and the arms of the other two Egg Bois with her second hand. "Let's go, guys!" She skipped to the door, pulling them along.

Cherri tried not to laugh. "See ya, Angie. Bye, Molly. And you two tell Niss I said hey…and uh, that I'll let Pen know everything's good here." She looked at Molly meaningfully then headed to the door and left.

Angel's tilted his head again as he watched her go. Then his eyes narrowed in thought.

Molly noticed."Tony? What's up?"

He turned back to her and sighed. "Nothing… I don't know. I think I might be starting to understand something about who Archie might be seeing." He blushed a little.

Molly's eyes went wide and she flushed too.

Angel saw and held up a hand. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to confirm or deny. Mostly I just wish Archie would just tell me the truth already." He shrugged. "Starting to feel like he doesn't trust me…heh."

"He does." She touched his shoulder. "He's just…been goin' through a lot with understandin' his feelings and tryin' ta disconnect from Pops. He wants to tell ya though, real bad and real soon. And he really wants your approval about the whole thing."

Angel managed a smile. "Hey, you two approve of my homicidal overlord boyfriend, I don't see why I'd have a problem with whoever his squeeze is." Angel bit his lip and before he could stop himself asked, "You do approve — of Alastor — right? I mean, I know you haven't formally met him but you know some stuff about him, so…?" He looked at her, eagerly awaiting a response.

Molly hesitated. She took a breath. "Ta be honest, I'd like to get to know him better first before I try to form an opinion. But as long as he's not acting homicidal or like an overlord TO YOU…then yeah, I approve." She smiled again. "He makes ya happy, and last night he was ready ta do anything to keep ya safe. He seems good to ya, Angel. I'm glad ya found each other."

"Thanks. And I get it." Angel nodded. "He does keep his, uh, 'work' stuff separate from our time together, Molly. When he uses his powers or his influence around me it's always to keep me safe or to show me a good time." He swallowed. "And he's got some demons, yeah…but he's got a good heart too." Angel hesitated. "I know it might be awkward with…I mean, Alastor and Husk…since he owns Husk's…"

Molly looked at her brother very seriously then. "I know I'm new here in hell, but frankly I don't care what deal they made or what a piece of paper contract says. Husk might work for Alastor and take orders from Alastor and check in with Alastor. But Alastor does not own Husks's soul. No one can own a soul. I won't let him."

Angel blinked a couple times then nodded. "I'll…I can talk to Alastor. But I think maybe they also have to work this out for themselves. They've been getting into arguments lately. I think it's because they're ready to talk everything over but they're both too stubborn to start."

"Well, that's something at least. Hopefully they talk soon." She sighed, smiling a little. "And one thing I CAN let you know is that Niss's special someone isn't involved with Alastor so we won't have the same problem there, heh."

"Good, heh." Angel laughed a little. He took a breath. Then he wrapped up Molly in a tight hug. "I just want us all to be family again and okay with each other."

She hugged him back. "We will be, Tony. I promise."

They separated. She smiled more at her brother. "Come on, wanna have espresso with Husky and I in the kitchen? I think it's good for him to get used to being around my brothers with you two knowing we're dating. He's a little less shy each time."

"God yes, I love seeing Husk soften up and I LOVE your espresso." Angel beamed. "Let's go!"

They strolled to the kitchen, side by side, content together again.

Vox had taken care of some affairs around town in the morning, then done a little food shopping (baby sharks were excellent at eating a demon out of house and home apparently), and finally gotten coffee. This was his first attempt at leaving Vark home alone for a few hours, and hoped the little shark would handle it well since Vox couldn't rely on Velvet to be at his apartment and lucid whenever he went out. And today had been as good a time to try as any since Velvet had informed him this morning that she was going to be out looking after her bakeries for a few days. They pretty much ran themselves (under threat of Velvet knifing anyone who tried anything funny), but she liked to make appearances and stab a cake or two for fun and so people didn't forget whose business this was and why they'd better keep patronizing her but also never fuck with her.

As long as she wasn't hurting herself and wasn't actively looking to hurt too many other people, Vox figured it was good for her to get out a little bit again and handle some overlord responsibilities.

Currently, Vox was heading up to his apartment with his coffee and grocery bags, ready to spend some quality time with Vark…and maybe also ready to start taking care of the favor he'd promised Angel. He wasn't too keen on reviewing old video of the studio and Valentino to check for anything unusual, but at least there was just a few days worth of footage to go over. He'd probably see nothing weird. Then he could Angel know and finally he and the spider could be square… though he didn't entirely hate having to interact with Angel now. After all Valentino's bullshit, it was nice to talk with more demons who weren't toxic messes.

Vox unlocked his penthouse door. "Vark, I'm home! Were you a good boy?" He closed the door behind him and his jaw fell at the sight of the apartment. "No — no, you were not."

Couch cushions were scattered around with teeth tears in them, Vark's food dish had been turned over, and now the little shark was gnawing on a cable connected to the tv. Vark's eyes shot to Vox and he smiled, drool dripping everywhere.

Vox's look went dry and he put down his coffee and shopping bags. "Vark, come on, we trained for trying a morning on your own." He shoved the torn cushions back onto the couch. "I want to hang out with you too, and I know you get lonely, but I'm busy. A Velvet can stay sometimes but…I don't know, maybe there's a daycare I can put you in? Or a pet sitter I can find?" He cleaned up around the food dish and refilled it. "I don't care about the money to replace stuff; I've got plenty of that. I just want to make sure I'm raising you to be able to take care of yourself." He went over and gently removed the cord from Vark's grip and wiped off the drool. The little shark just panted up at him happily, wagging his tail (and putting a few cracks in the wall with each whack). Vox smiled down at him and sighed. "Okay, I'll figure out something so you don't have to be alone, at least until you're a bit older, all right?"

The little shark jumped into his arms and licked all over his face. Vox laughed, glitching a little. "Yes, I missed you too, Vark! Come on." He carried the shark over to a desk in the corner with several monitors and set him on the floor near his food dish. Vox grabbed his coffee took a seat at the desk. "Why don't you eat your breakfast while I have my coffee and look through old videos of the yucky porn studio?"

Vark beamed and then dove into his food, never taking his eyes off Vox.

Vox sighed and booted up his computer. He clicked to load a few different programs. Finally on the main monitor appeared slightly grainy footage of outside the porn studio from a few days ago — the night Angel had gone there and been sent away. Vox hooked a cable from his arm to the monitor, pressed play, then adjusted the replay to fast forward. The tape sped by, covering hours in mere minutes.

Vox sipped his coffee. "Okay, all quiet so far…usual trashy people giving and getting blow jobs in the alleys…Val's office light on…there's Angel going in…and there's Angel coming out…and crying and shaking…and disappearing down an alley?" Vox frowned as he swallowed some coffee. "I didn't know Val was all over him THAT much that night. Fuck, both Val and Alastor, obsessed with that guy… And no one obsessed with me." He took a deep breath. "It's okay, I don't need anyone's approval or attention, I like myself and I've got Vark and Velvet. No more toxic compulsive behavior." He nodded to himself and patted Vark's head (Vark's back leg kicked, which was adorable).

More tape passed, covering the night into the next day. Vox sighed. "More nothing… Val must have been blowing smoke about Angel's family." Vark made a little yip of agreement. Vox smiled a little then raised an eyebrow. "It is weird though that he found out Angel had a brother at all. Man can barely figure out how to search his social media contacts, let alone do a dark web info dive…" The next night's tape was starting. "Okay, we're back to the usual people hooking up outside the club…no Angel this time. And…"

Vox's eyes widened. "Wait…what the hell?" He rewound the tape, paused, then zoomed in. A looming dark figure was entering the side door of the studio, with six lackeys in suits packing heat at his side. There were always guards in the studio on that door at night, but no one was throwing anyone back out on the street. Vox zoomed out a little. Now he noticed some strange shadows on the rooftop near Val's office. More demons…also holding guns. "Who the fuck…? There wasn't any news about a blow out fight at the studio that night. Val's definitely in there though — and he would have lost his shit if someone broke in and fucked with the place!"

Soon a light came on in Valentino's office, barely visible through the blinds. Vox waited — no gunfire, no screams, no people running out of the club. And then twenty minutes later he saw the strange gang depart…right out of the front doors, bold and brazen as could be.

Vox paused and shifted the tape forward to a frame where the main figure was just visible in the glow of a streetlight. Dark fur, red eyes, big guy…two sets of arms.

He looked… like a spider. Not quite like Angel, but like their demon forms could be related. Vox had heard of family members coming down here and ending up with similar forms.

He extended another cable from his arm and plugged it into the monitor. A moment later the picture was on his phone. He sent it to Angel with a message. "Someone you know? He went into the studio the night after Val told you not to come back. Lots of guys with guns were with him. No fight — but I think he was in Val's office."

Vox sent it off then sighed deeply. He fast forwarded through the rest of the tape into the next day. Valentino left the studio like normal…except he was glancing over his shoulder a lot like for once in his life he might actually be scared.

Finally Vox disconnected himself entirely from the computer and sighed. "Fuck, what is going on?" Vark licked his hand. He smiled a little and petted the shark. "Whatever it is, I'm keeping you and Velvet safe from it. Promise." The little shark smiled up at him and Vox pouted. "Yeah, I could keep Angel safe too but…he's got Alastor. Also I'm not really in the habit of playing hero. I'm more of the bad guy who reluctantly does something morally correct every now and again whenever being a shit stirrer is too exhausting."

Vark barked and crawled into his lap then cuddled up against Vox. Vox smiled more and held him. "Okay, maybe I'm not SO bad. I'll do what I can to keep the body count down in general. Who knows, that might even be enough time for Val to get his head out of his own ass."

Vark started gnawing at his own tail and Val just tried not to laugh. He looked at his phone, very curious and a bit concerned now about what Angel might say when he replied. He was also ready to keep a more active eye on the studio to see exactly how things would progress with this new situation and these new characters.

Speaking of the studio, Valentino was currently hiding out in his office. He hadn't been sleeping much. A new day had dawned, and Angel wasn't crawling back yet. That left him a little more than two days until the mob came calling again. Two days before he lost the chance to have them maybe take down Alastor?.Two days before he would fail for the first time at fucking over Angel royally. Two days before…a very huge and armed group of demons might start taking shots at him to teach a lesson for disappointing their leader…

Valentino bit down on the nub of his old cigar, tapping his foot, eyes darting around behind his sunglasses. He had to be cool, had to give it time, had to hope that his plan would work. Because otherwise he would have to improvise, and frankly he didn't like his odds of trying that strategy alone against the Radio Demon AND an organized crime family all at once.

He let out a low sigh. "If I'd known your father was this much of a hard ass piece of shit, Angel Cakes, I'd never have gotten involved with you in the first place. You're barely fucking worth it!" He tapped his foot and dragged his hands through his antennae, his voice pitching higher with anxiety. "I made you a star. I gave you a fucking purpose. I let you be here the person who you always wanted to be in life. And all I asked was for a cut and for you to give me a 'Yes Daddy' to everything I say. I was your new fucking Daddy!" He dug his claws into the desk. "You are not going to fuck things up for me! You are not going to get yours and take mine! You are not going to change EVERYTHING! I don't care what fucking overlord you sucked up to for protection. That Radio Freak is gonna get bored with you or you're gonna mess up with him, and then you're mine again. Everything goes back to how it was. And you'll spend the rest of eternity making it up to me for putting me through this hell!"

He rubbed his head and hissed, steadying himself against the desk. "Just two more days — two more days and then there's nothing to worry about. Get it together, Val." His breath was shaky as he lit another cigar and inhaled deeply. He rested his head in his hands and couldn't help starting to doze, occasionally jolting back to wakefulness in fear that he was being watched or that those sniper lights were on his body again or that a shadow in the corner might turn out to have red eyes and a dark suit and a heaven gun.

Angel was sitting in the kitchen with Molly and Husk, drinking espresso and smiling and laughing, when he suddenly got a text. He checked the message right away, hoping it might be more news about Alastor from Cherri or something.

Instead the message was from Vox, and there was a picture attached. Angel raised an eyebrow and opened the photo.

He froze — the phone fell out of his hand and clattered to the table.

"Angel?" Husk blinked and put down his cup.

Molly had been getting a fresh cup of espresso. She came back over now and frowned when she saw her brother. "Angel, che cosa?"

"I…" His voice cracked. "I asked someone to keep an eye on the studio…cuz I didn't like that Val knew about Niss. The guy just sent me this picture. That's from outside the studio." He slid the phone across the table.

Molly looked down. Then her eyes narrowed and she slammed her espresso cup on the table so hard it shattered as her eyes glowed pink. "Il bastardo!" She seethed and spit.

"Molly, what? Who is it?" Husk took her hand in his. "Here, be careful. The coffee's hot."

She caught her breath then looked down and realized the contents of the cup were steaming all over the table. "I…thank you, Husky. I'm sorry, my temper comes out real strong with my demon features sometimes. I didn't mean to…" She gasped. "I didn't hurt YOU by doing that, did I?"

He shook his head and placed his other hands on hers too. "I'm okay. And so are you and Angel. That's what matters." She smiled a little, and he smiled too.

Angel watched — and even though he had other emotions to work through right now, he wanted to remember this moment for later and maybe share it with Niss. Because Husk and his sister were perfect together somehow. Angel took a shaky breath and nudged the phone in Husk's direction. "Husk, the person in the picture is our Pops: the head of the mob down here — I mean head of the whole freaking shebang spread out over the Pentagram. And he's working with my pimp of a boss. And now we're in a lot of trouble cuz things just got really, really complicated."

Molly's gaze became firm. "Angel, this changes everything. If we're gonna try to have a talk with Pops, I wanna bring a gun."

"Molly, we're not supposed to escalate."

"Bull. You know Niss ALWAYS has a piece tucked somewhere, and you know ya don't leave home without one either. You both also know I'm a damn good shot. I want a shotgun!"

"That ain't discrete…"

"Good! Maybe just the sight of me carryin' a loaded piece will scare Pops and your 'don da estrada' boss into early second graves!"

Angel considered. "I don't know. Maybe arms out in the open would be better — sign of good faith, like we're not trying to pull anything. And we'll still have Alastor waiting in the wings if we need him…"

Suddenly Niss bust through the kitchen doors. "I heard something break! What's up?"

Angel grabbed the phone and held it up. "Our fucking piece of work father decided to get in cahoots with my fucking piece of work pimp boss."

Niss looked at the screen. Then he scowled. "Oh that hypocritical son of a…" He took a deep breath to stay calm. "Always talking about how he's better than overlords because he has 'class and principles and family' than goes right to one the second he needs something." He almost smiled. "I almost think I should have seen it coming somehow."

"I'm taking a gun of my own to any contact we attempt with the mob," Molly quickly explained. "I know you're worried about my temper and getting used to my demon form, but I can handle myself. And all bets are off now. Pops always went too far, but going to Angel's lousy boss like this. It's…it's betrayal! Of family!"

"Not in his eyes." Angel barely smiled. "Doesn't consider me proper family anymore, remember? To him, I'm just a whore he's fucking over."

"Then he doesn't fucking deserve to have you — or any of you — as family." Husk stood up, scowling. "And if Alastor's gonna cover you during whatever confrontation you have, then I'm coming to cover you too."

Angel's eyes widened. "Husk, no, we are not risking any extra people! It's bad enough Al's insisting on coming."

"Actually, uh…Pen's gonna help too," Niss quickly added.

"What?" Angel blinked and turned around to find his brother glancing anywhere but at him. "Fuck, no! Niss, no offense but I have kicked Pen's ass on a very regular basis without trying very hard. He is not cut out for this." He turned back to Husk. "And Husk, I know you're like the strongest one here — I'm sure you'd drop anyone in a bar fight or boxing scenario. But this a whole other level of serious shirt. At least Alastor has violent eldritch tentacles and sometimes a cannibal army to back him up."

"Hey, just because YOUR boyfriend's a powerful overlord doesn't mean he's the only one qualified to help." Niss pouted a little. "Pen can fight hard when he wants to. Did you ever think that maybe he considered those fights with you sparring matches and that's why he didn't try to completely waste you? Also he's got a fucking airship with death rays and a bunch of minions." His look went dry. "He is helping. Capiche?"

Molly stood up. "And Husk can throw a punch, take a punch, and not to mention fly! He's great to have for recon or a surprise attack. And he's smart and tough and knows how to make decisions in the heat of a fight! Did you know he used to be in the army in life? He told me while we were talking after breakfast, sharing stuff about each other. He's helping too! Comprendere?" She crossed her arms as she and Niss stood side by side.

Behind her, Husk blushed immensely, looking at her in awe.

Angel looked between them and then finally held up his hands and nodded. "Okay! Okay, sorry, I didn't mean to put anyone down. I just…I want everyone to know what they're getting into and to be safe." He wrung his hands together. "Alastor can do all that fancy magical shit he does, and still wish he wouldn't get involved either."

"Angel…" Niss stepped forward, standing tall, "We're all gonna be okay — cuz we all actually give a damn about each other. Pop's goons are just there for a paycheck. But we're a real family. And Pops is gonna see that one way or another."

Angel smiled. Molly came over to them, smiling too.

Husk stood and collected the cups. "Niss, you should probably text Pen about the new development. And…we should let Alastor know about everything once he's back."

"He'll be back tonight," Angel replied. When Molly and Niss both looked at him with wide eyes, Angel quickly added. "Cherri told me — she ran into him on her way here. But I'm gonna talk to him first before anyone else, remember?"

Molly and Niss hesitated but nodded.

Husk eyed everyone and then sighed. "I don't want to know. Just resolve whatever's going on so his disappearing act doesn't have an encore. I hate saying it, but we do need his voodoo powers right now."

Angel nodded. "We'll figure everything out." He headed over to the sink and grabbed a dishtowel. "After this is cleaned up, I'm gonna take Nuggets for a walk. Molly, Niss, if you need to work off some pent up anxious energy as much as I do, you can come too. We'll take him around the ballroom so no one sees you two. He'll love it."

Niss nodded. "I'll unpack and meet ya there. Molly, you want to come too? I'll help carry your trunk upstairs."

She nodded. "Be right with ya!" Niss headed out the door, and Angel had the sink on now. She turned to Husk, her voice low. "Once this is all over we can go out to real places together instead of just the kitchen. And now all my clothes are here so I'll have an outfit for any occasion." She winked.

Husk blushed a little. "Good…I'll be sure to ask you out soon then." He cleared his throat. "Also thanks for…I mean, it's nice to know you know I can protect people…I appreciate it."

She hugged his arm, leaning in close, and he smiled a little and let her stay. Then Molly blew him a kiss and followed after her brother.

Husk sighed, put on his usual scowl, and brought the cups over to the sink.

Angel glanced at him as he started washing. "You should come with us, while we walk Nuggets. Molly likes us all getting used to each other. And Niss likes getting to know you. And I…I like having you as a friend, Husk." He swallowed. "I really didn't mean to put ya down before at all." He blinked, a few tears in his eyes. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. It'd break Molly's heart. It'd break a lot of hearts actually… We all care about you."

Husk swallowed, blushing a lot. "I can take care of myself. You don't know everything about me."

"I know." Angel quickly replied. "And I'm sorry I didn't think about that. I shouldn't be making assumptions about people." He turned to Husk and held out his hand. "Thank you for being here and for caring about my family and helping us. From man to man."

Husk turned to him, an eyebrow raised. But then he reached out and shook with Angel. "From man to man — you're welcome. Anytime."

They shared a small smile, then Angel went back to washing and Husk went back to drying.

"And I'll come with you…while you walk Nuggets. I like being around Molly and all of you too…" Husk added with a little pout.

Angel's smile grew and he glanced at Husk out of the corner of his eye. "You like us…"

Husk rolled his eyes but didn't deny the accusation.

"We like you a lot too," Angel added gently.

Husk smiled just a little and didn't deny or refuse anything about that statement either.

A/N:

That's all for now! Alastor will be back again next chapter ^w^ He's missing his Angel so much! I hope you like what's next, and thank you for your support!

Take care!

-Azure129