A/N:

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well ^w^ Longer chapter this time — lot's of stuff is getting ready to play out. But there's still some more fluff and romantic times to come first. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

C/W: Trauma response, emotional ptsd, small near-panic attack

Partners

Chapter 75:

The Things We Do For (All Kinds of) Love

When the hotel front door opened later that afternoon and a tired Abel stepped inside, Louise dashed down the stairs to the lobby and flung herself at him in a tight hug with a big smile. "Abel, you're back from working!"

Abel caught her and laughed, hugging her in return. "I told you I'd be home before dinner. I know the cafe's usually closed today, but I just wanted to get a few extra shifts in…you know, to help to pay for the wedding and the honeymoon and everything." He blushed. "I just…I want everything to be perfect for getting married because you're perfect, Louise."

Louise pulled back to smile up at him. "I could say the same about you, ya know. But anything we share or do is perfect as long as we're together."

They gazed dreamily at each other for a moment before leaning in and sharing a deep kiss. Abel held Louise close, and Louise's little lamb tail wagged as she curled the end of his delicate fish tail around her wrist.

"Hey, uh, guys?" Husk's voice sounded from across the lobby. "Sorry to interrupt but we're not sure if you realized we're here, and also Alastor looks like he's starting to get lightheaded… He's not great with surprise public displays of affection."

Louise and Abel separated with a blush and looked over to the bar. They found Husk sitting on a stool with a beer, smiling over at them, while Alastor sat beside him, looking down and glowing brightly. "Ha!" The deer demon started, playing with his hands shyly, "I will not faint or anything, I assure you. I simply wish to make sure others know a third party is present in case they like to keep certain things behind closed doors — as I do." He sighed, relaxing a little as his eyes came up to meet the happy pair. "Though I suppose, to be fair, I'll have to better brace myself for the possibility of more spontaneous public displays of affections considering the number of couples this hotel now houses."

Louise smiled at him. "It's all right, Alastor, I understand feeling shy and wantin' to give people privacy." She clasped her hands together. "Speaking of couples though, I if you have some time free now that Angel's feeling better, I hope we can talk soon about the wedding? I want to go over everything for having you walk me down the aisle."

Alastor's glow increased a little, but his smile softened and his eyes brightened in a happy way. He nodded. "Yes indeed, ha! Rest assured, I'm quite determined to make sure that task is completed flawlessly! Perhaps we could talk tomorrow or some time later in the week if that suits you, Louise? I'm afraid I have other affairs today." He glanced at Husk for a moment then back to her.

"Of course, that'll be just swell." She nodded and then turned back to Abel. "Come on, Abel, let's go upstairs — you can unwind, and I'll show ya the menu ideas I had for the reception." She bit her lip, playing with her hands. "I was thinking…lamb could be one of the dinner options, if that wouldn't be too strange for ya?"

Abel leaned down a little, smiling softly. "It's not strange because you're not a lamb — you're Louise. And I'm sure it'll be great."

She brightened and her tail wagged again.

"Ha, lamb, brilliant! I'd also like to cast a vote for a venison option!" Alastor announced with a laugh. "A little light cannibal faire never hurt anyone."

Louise giggled and winked. "We're planning to have quite a spread!" She took Abel's hand then waved to Alastor and Husk. "Enjoy your afternoon, fellas!" Abel waved to the boys too with a grin as he followed after Louise.

"We can even have fish if you want," Abel added with a shy grin as they ascended the stairs together.

Louise glanced back and him and giggled. "Only if you're comfortable, Abel."

"In that case, all I care about is having a chocolate cake. That's my favorite." He shrugged sheepishly.

"We'll get the biggest one in town!" She winked back at him as they dashed down the hall now.

Louise was so distracted that she didn't see Niffty (who happened to have her nose in a book) as she rounded a corner — the two of them suddenly crashed into each other.

Abel caught Louise and leaned over to catch Niffty before she could fall down too.

"Oh Niffty, I'm sorry!" Louise frowned at the littler demon. "Are you okay?"

Niffty nodded, dusting off her skirt. "Oh yes…! Are you? I'm sorry too, I was a bit distracted." She picked up a book she had been holding — Louise couldn't make out the full cover, but she did see the word Recipes.

The sheep demon smiled. "Ooo I didn't think you were cooking tonight. Does Charlie want us to have another hotel dinner?"

Niffty swallowed, swaying a little on her feet. "Oh, no, there's not hotel dinner. Actually, um… I'm just cooking for me and Baxter…." She shifted the book in her arms, and now Louise could see that the title said 'Recipes For Two'.

Abel tilted his head.

Louise gasped with a smile. "Oh I see! Well, that'll be lovely, I bet! Do you want any help?"

"No thanks," Niffty replied shyly, blushing a bit. "I…I think I need to do this myself."

Louise nodded in understanding. "Okay. We'll make sure you ain't bothered then. Have fun. I think you two spending time together is nice."

"Yeah. I think so too," Niffty replied, smiling a little again. "Well, I'm off to get started. Have a nice evening, you two!" She waved to them then headed confidently down the stairs.

Louise watched her go. Abel raised an eyebrow. "Is…there something go on I don't know about?"

"Not quite yet… but hopefully soon enough that Baxter and Niffty will have dates for our wedding." She slipped her hand into Abel's. "Come on, let's go take care of planning things so that everyone can have a lovely time that day, including us."

Abel nodded with a smile, and the two of them went off to their room.

Husk and Alastor watched as Niffty passed through the lobby, holding her cookbook. She gave them a shy wave and smile before heading into the kitchen.

Husk raised an eyebrow. "Niffty cooking with a book called Recipes for Two — is that part of what you were talking about before with something new happening between her and Baxter?"

Alastor nodded, sipping his sarsaparilla. "She has admitted to being quite fond of him, and open to fondness from him. I think her only doubts are due to her…hesitations regarding men." His ears went down a little. "We had a brief discussion this afternoon. I somehow managed to make her feel…more confident about attempting to pursue a special relationship with him." He considered, his ears relaxing a little and his smile small and thoughtful. "She really seems so much less nervous ever since we came to this hotel. I knew the place would be a good outlet for her, but I didn't realize it would be so healing as well. I…believe her relationship efforts will be okay as long as she goes slowly and we support her. And of course Baxter has shown himself to be a very polite and caring young man. Don't you think so?" He glanced at Husk for his approval.

Husk nodded in full agreement. "Yeah. He's a good kid. And so is she, and she's a lot more grounded lately. They can handle tying to have something together. And like you said, Niffty's already keen on him and Baxter's pretty gone for her too." He smirked playfully and added, "Like as bad as you were about Angel before you finally gave in and got with him."

The deer demon sighed with a cheeky grin. "Was I really ever so fawning?"

"Is that a deer pun? Also, yes."

They shared a laugh.

Spending this day together…had somehow been going pretty okay so far. Husk still couldn't get a line on Alastor's big motive with wanting to have some one-on-one time though. He had already suspected for a while of course that the deer wanted them to get along better for the sake of their significant others. And Husk knew from their talk during the mob fight that he did care about the two of them having a decent relationship for their own sakes. But still…he had a feeling something else was on the line too. Nothing bad…but definitely something big.

For now he was okay just hanging out with Alastor and seeing where it all led. He was actually kind of having a fun time, and he had a feeling Alastor was too.

The deer demon drained his sarsaparilla glass now and looked to Husk. "Well, as Niffty has just reminded us, it's going to be dinner time soon, so perhaps you and I should figure out what to do for the rest of our afternoon. You already went over some of your magic tricks with me, taught me how to make a passable cocktail on my own, shared some army stories, and now we're having a couple drinks… What else would it interest you to do, Husker?"

Alastor looked so sincerely curious. The experience of an Alastor who cared was hard for Husk to get used to but also really of nice. "Hey, uh, I appreciate the thoughtfulness, but everything we did so far was about me. You can pick something for us to do if you want now, Alastor."

"The only thing I'd like is…for you to agree to join me in the library for dinner later…and a discussion," Alastor asked, smile tense with worry.

Husk raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…so you ARE angling for something."

"I want nothing from you!" Alastor quickly assured, ears on end.

"Hey, it's okay." Husk looked him in the eye, "I know you — you gotta build yourself up before sharing anything big with anyone. Whatever this is about, I'll be there… Dinner in the library it is."

Alastor's whole look brightened in relief. "Yes, exactly. You do know me so well. Thank you."

"No problem." Husk smiled too. "In the meantime though… I don't know, usually when it comes to happy hour I'd wanna check around time for some private poker games, maybe hit up a few bars or even take in an early floor show. But I'm a little too tired to go walking the streets looking for gambling action, and I don't really want to drink too much if we're gonna eat and talk later. And I don't want to go to a show and risk any dancers hitting on me. It'd feel weird, considering me and Molly…" He rubbed the back of his neck. Then his eyes widened and he blushed and quickly added, "Not that all dancers or strippers WOULD hit on me or you or anyone! But not that there's anything wrong with it if they did! They might even be seeing someone themselves after all, heh…" He bit his lip in concern and worried that he might have somehow insulted Alastor or Angel or both. "Uh, sorry…I…I'll shut up now." He pouted a little.

Alastor looked at Husk in some puzzlement for a moment. But then he blinked a couple of times and smiled in realization. "Ah! You're concerned you might have hit on a soft spot about something between myself and Angel because of his profession?" He shook his head. "No need to worry, Husker — Angel and I discussed his career long ago. As long as he respects himself and no one takes cruel liberties and the…actions involved don't have to involve me, I assured him I'm content with his activities. I trust his judgment…And I trust his emotions are all for me. And I…" he hesitated, glowing, looking down.

This was kind of a personal talk for them to be having. Husk wanted to tread lightly, but he also felt a sudden desire to help Alastor if he could. "And…?"

Alastor shrugged, not making eye contact. "Perhaps…there was one selfish reason too. Angel still entertaining others took some of the pressure off of me to…find a way to meet all of his needs right away." His glow was almost rosy, and his hands gripped his sarsaparilla glass mercilessly. "We're still feeling our way through that situation. I'm a lot more at ease now about everything for the most part though."

Husk's eyes widened a little. "Oh…I'm glad you two are working that out. I mean, I know when we met and almost had our thing, we never talked about how you're…what, Ace?"

"Ace?" Alastor blinked.

Husk shrugged. "Asexual. Like, you don't get sexually attracted to people. Sorry, didn't mean to use a label if you're not comfortable with something like that…"

"I hadn't heard the term yet… And you knew…? Even back when we…?" Alastor tilted his head curiously.

Husk nodded. "Yeah, I just…I kind of put it together eventually. But I figured you didn't like talking about it so…"

"It…It wasn't that I didn't want to talk about it." Alastor swallowed. "Up until recently I just thought I wasn't like other sinners in carnal regards because it was a symptom of my deranged mind's faulty wiring, ha…" He flinched a little.

Husk frowned. "You thought that — this whole time?"

Alastor nodded. "Angel helped explain to me that my preferences are actually normal… He didn't call it anything specific though."

"He probably didn't want to overwhelm you with a label while you were still getting used to things," Husk replied softly. He sighed. "Alastor, I'm…sorry. If I'd known you really felt that way about yourself I would have said something to help. No matter what rough stuff happened between us, no one deserves to feel that insecure about who they are." He shook his head, scowling to himself. "Fuck, how much shit did we cause each other by being stubborn asses instead of just talking?"

"Ha, quite a bit I'm certain!" Alastor managed, and Husk swore he saw him quickly wipe away a single tear as he drained the rest of his soda. Alastor let out a relieved sigh. "But that's in the past now. I know that I am perfectly valid, and I have a lovely partner who supports me. You know that you are valued as a demon and a companion, and you have my full support as well." "Yeah. Thanks. And I'm…glad you're doing better. Really." Husk replied sincerely. "You seem happier all around, ever since we came here."

Alastor glanced at him with a little half smile. "I am. Understanding Angel has helped me understand myself, and now others too." He swallowed. "You seem happier as well, Husker."

Husk glowed but nodded. "I am. I really, really am. Thanks for…bringing me here. I needed…everything. And then some."

They shared a genuinely happy smile for a moment.

Then Alastor swallowed and cleared his throat. "Er…you know, if you really don't have a preference for what we do next to occupy our time before dinner, I do have something I've been quite keen on. Though it's a bit of a surprise for the hotel, so I hope you can keep it under your hat."

"Lay it on me." Husk smirked, intrigued.

Alastor snapped, and a large blueprint appeared. He unrolled it across the bar top. "I'm thinking of adding a small radio tower to the outside of the hotel structure, near my room. A place for impromptu shows and also a refuge should my tower fall into disrepair again. It would be a much cozier place than the tower too — not used for murderous broadcasts but just for engaging with the public when the mood strikes me and making idle threats, ha. What do you think?"

Husk eyed the blueprints. "Wow, this looks really structurally solid. Did you design this?"

Alastor nodded. "My shadow and I — he took the measurements on the outside of the building and made suggestions, and I worked out the details on paper."

"You're talented." Husk couldn't help but blurt.

"Oh — thank you!" Alastor beamed a little under the praise.

Husk smiled a little and shook his head. Then he considered. "You know, if you're open to it, I'd be interested in building this with you. I used to do a lot of the carpentry and repairs at casinos back in life. And I used to help build temporary structures in the army. I'm not an expert, but I know the basics."

"Really — you'd like to help?" Alastor's eyes widened in wonder.

Husk nodded, smiling more. "Yeah. And uh…hey, Pen might have some good materials we could use for this, especially the electrical stuff. So maybe he can help too, if you're comfortable."

"Hmm…perhaps I'll ask him then." Alastor considered. "Do you think he really likes me enough to want to assist?"

Husk smirked. "Alastor, come on, he let you help fly his airship, of course he does." He looked the Radio Demon right in the eye. "The snake likes you, the spiders like you, and I like you. You've got to quit being in denial about all of that."

Alastor's eyes were shining in wonder almost as brightly as Charlie's could for a moment. Then he nodded. "I…I think I'm starting to accept the situation with more ease."

Husk smiled more. Then he reached under the bar and produced a pen and pad. "Let's make a list of stuff to ask Pen about. Then we can figure out a time to start working on things. It'll be fun — chaotic but fun."

"Fun…" Alastor's grin grew in excitement. "I would be very open to that possibility."

They began to pore over the plans, both smiling genuinely as they worked side by side.

Vaggie sat in the backyard under an umbrella for shade, her phone held close. Farther off, Charlie was smiling and helping Razzle and Dazzle as they tended the garden. With all the drama and danger lately, Alastor and Angel hadn't had as much time to see to their plants. But the two little goats had eagerly offered to assist with all the necessary tasks in meantime (and for the small price of a few fresh veggies each). They had been having fun, pawing at the dirt and bringing out the watering can and pulling vegetables out of the ground with all their might. And recently Charlie had been having fun playing with them while they worked.

She was almost entirely back to her usual happy self. The lack of further contact from her parents plus Angel's family being dealt with now and everyone being safe again had lifted her spirits entirely.

Which was why, despite always wanting to be prepared for the worst and always wanting to be open and honest with her girlfriend, Vaggie was still very reluctant to give her any warning about the News situation Cherri had mentioned.

Vaggie listened to the ad one more time now. Interview. Regal. Scandalous. Inevitable. Honestly, it could have been about any sensational development in hell involving a high profile figure. Except there was something in the sheer joy in Katie's voice and eyes that led Vaggie to believe that this scoop was bigger. Sure, Katie had been pissed about Charlie 'ruining' their last interview by suggesting redemption and breaking into song…but would she really hold a grudge this long? And what could she have to reveal anyway? No one here had been involved in anymore overlord turf wars or crime sprees, Angel was barely even working at the studio anymore, Alastor's last cannibal radio show with the attack on his tower was already old news… The mob battle was a possibility, but those guys worked in the shadows and underground — they weren't primetime figures, and Vaggie suspected Henroin would NOT have agreed to an interview, and there hadn't been any news cameras around anyway. Maybe Katie knew some gossip about Charlie? Or her parents somehow? What if Katie rocked the boat when things had finally settled into some kind of truce for the Magne family?

"Vaggie!"

Vaggie glanced up to see Charlie waving at her with a happy smile, arms full of bright red tomatoes. "Look at all of these! I know Angel wants a bunch to make sauce and Alastor wants to use some of the younger ones for fried green tomatoes. But there's still so many! We should make something too! How about tomato soup? We could have it with sandwiches!"

Vaggie smiled so much. "That sounds perfect, babe! I'll get a basket and help you pick more!"

Charlie nodded eagerly then laughed as Razzle and Dazzle each nuzzled up alongside of her and happily snatched a tomato for a snack.

Vaggie's heart warmed. Charlie was so much better and brighter here at the hotel, on her own, following her passions. She really didn't want to risk hurting her girlfriend's happy mood, especially if she didn't have to.

Maybe she could find a way to check into this mess without getting Charlie involved just yet. Then if the story really turned out to be nothing, she wouldn't have to warn and worry her.

Vaggie texted Cherri as she got up and headed across the patio to grab a basket.

'Watched the news ad. You're right…it gives me a bad feeling too. But I don't want to worry Charlie unless it's definitely something to worry about. I think we should check it out more first.'

Cherri wrote back.

'Got it. Just curious, how much sin are you willing to let happen when it comes to looking into this? Cuz if we go through 'proper channels' it's gonna take weeks to get results. That news bitch only respects force. Or blackmail. Maybe bribery, but I don't think we want her holding that over us for the rest of eternity.'

Vaggie took a deep breath and typed back.

'This is for Charlie. So I'll do any sin there is…as long as we can make sure it doesn't make the hotel look bad and doesn't hurt anyone. But…maybe we could try something subtler first. The news studio is all the way across the Pentagram. Steve, that jazz cat, has been playing on tour in that area. Maybe I'll ask him to could into the studio and see if he can overhear anything. If anyone catches him, he can just pretend he was hoping to perform on air. What do you think?'

She grabbed the basket and waited as Cherri typed back.

'I like it. Text him. But if he finds out anything that could hurt Charlie or the hotel is going down, I'm heading over there and stopping Katie the hard way.'

Vaggie typed back, brow furrowed in determination.

'And if that happens, I'll warn Charlie and the others. I'll text Steve now. Thanks for everything, Cherri.'

'Hey, anything for a couple of my favorite sapphics!'

Vaggie smiled a little. She turned toward the garden, ready to join Charlie and Razzle and Dazzle. But first she wrote a quick but careful text to Steve and then sent it off.

Then with a sigh, Vaggie put a full smile back on her face and headed over to help Charlie put the tomatoes in the basket and pick more. Razzle and Dazzle gave them hugs and Vaggie hugged them back and hugged Charlie too.

Eventually her phone buzzed and she was able to glance at the screen quickly — Steve was in for her plan. Perfect. She felt better already and she felt like Charlie was safer again.

Vaggie turned back to her girlfriend, who was currently petting the little goats. She loved Charlie so much… Dying had been difficult to accept so many years ago, getting sent to hell had been painful to process, but finding love here in the dark eyes of the princess of the Pentagram — that perfect moment had healed so many wounds. Now they were together in their own little strange home with their own little strange family. And Vaggie was willing to fight for all of it.

She just hoped everything would keep being okay.

Far off on the other side of the Pentagram, Steve the jazz cat was walking down a street with his saxophone in hand and a smile on his face. It had taken his injuries from that squid demon a while to heal. And even after his hands had gotten better it had taken longer for him to play music again with his usual spirit and endurance after nearly getting killed. Everyone at Hazbin had been so supportive though, and Alastor was a hero in his opinion for saving him. When that overlord had gotten attacked at his radio tower not long afterwards, Steve had been so grateful to see him come home in one piece. He'd stayed at the hotel healing until Alastor had been out of the woods and getting well again. But then he had decided he had to go for a bit. He had to get away from the area where his own traumatic attack had happened. He knew it was the right thing to do. So, he had taken his sax on gone on a little walking tour.

By roaming the Pentagram a bit he was also able to drum up more business for the hotel, hand out fliers, answer questions, sing praises for the Princess's work. He felt happy. And he felt even better knowing that everyone at Hazbin was safe and sound.

Which was why, when Vaggie texted him, he didn't even hesitate to reply and agree to do what she asked.

'I'd be happy to see what I can find out at the News Studio, Vaggie. I'll let you know if anything turns up. And I won't tell a soul. Say hi to Charlie and the others for me. We'll keep her and the hotel safe no matter what.'

Steve was just glad that he could do something more to benefit the hotel, even while being away from it. Being connected to others these days was such a nice change of pace. He even had a wedding to look forward to at the hotel soon — Abel and Louise's — where he would get to play alongside Alastor's shadow band as their entertainment and see all of his friends again.

He was going to make sure that hotel wedding happened without a hitch. And that the hotel kept going without a hitch too.

Steve made his way to the News Studio and decided to linger on a corner, playing for change and scouting the area. He could get a feel for when the public was allowed in to watch shows and for when the two anchors might be by as well. Then, when the time was right, he would slip inside and get some answers.

Niffty was busy in the kitchen for quite a while, cooking and sampling and preparing. She usually cooked for many people, so cooking for two was easier…but also harder. She had to think more about portions, and measure ingredients very precisely, and she couldn't rely on the idea that if something burnt or didn't turn out okay it would be fine because she had made plenty of the other food. So she worked carefully because she really wanted dinner with Baxter to be special. And eventually everything came out just as she had imagined and hoped for.

She quickly set up a small table in her room with silverware and glasses and napkins, put on one of the old jazz records Alastor had given her, and lit some candles for effect. And when she was all done she stepped back with a smile to admire her handiwork and the spread. There was a big bottle of sparkling water (she liked drinks with bubbles, but she got a little too giddy on wine or champagne), fresh salads made from the vegetable garden, a lovely pan of pasta (she had borrowed some of Angel's that he kept frozen for emergencies) with sausage (she had borrowed some of Alastor's 'demon free' variety) with a nice white wine sauce (she had borrowed a bottle from behind Husk's bar and made that herself). And for dessert on a small platter she had two special cherry tarts…shaped like hearts. She liked cherries. She hoped Baxter liked cherries. She hoped Baxter would still like her too, after however tonight went.

Niffty got into a new dark red skirt and a black sweater, curled her hair, put on some makeup, and then sat on the edge of her bed trying not to fidget too much. Waiting was so hard. At the very least she had to swing her legs and hum to herself. And she tried to breathe. She hadn't done something like this in a very long time. She just hoped that a part of her deep down would remember how to be good at it.

At the requested hour there was a knock on her door. "Niffty? It's…Baxter. May I come in?"

Blushing, Niffty got up and dashed over to the door. She took a deep breath and then slowly opened it. "Baxter — hello! You look just swell!"

She smiled so much. He was standing there in a blue suit, similar in color to his lab coat, black shoes and a pair of silver rimmed glasses. His tie was red with little blue fishes on it. He held a small cylinder in his hand.

"You look beautiful, Niffty!" He replied, smiling so much that his little lantern even glowed. She giggled, and he smiled even more. Then Baxter blinked and glanced at the item he was holding. "Oh, um…I brought ice cream. I made it in the lab — I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but if you do a sort of gastronomic reconstruction it actually comes out quite good. And it stays the perfect temperature in this liquid nitrogen freezer pack." He grinned. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little yellow wildflower. "Oh, and I got you this. Made by nature, not in the lab, but…I just…wanted to… I saw it in the garden earlier, so I picked it for you."

"I love it." Niffty took the little flower and held it close. Then she took the ice cream as well and set both aside on an end table. "Do you want to sit down, Baxter? Dinner's ready. I'm looking forward to eating and talking and everything."

He nodded. "Yes!" His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "Yes, I'd love that. Thank you, Niffty." Baxter hesitated then gave a little bow forward and gestured to the table. "Ladies first."

She held back a fresh giggle and zipped over to the table. Baxter dashed after her and pulled out her chair. As Niffty climbed on and he pushed her chair in, she felt good inside. She had made the right choice with this date.
Baxter took his seat across from her. He swallowed, eyes down. "Niffty? Um…I…I don't go on many dates. So I may be a bit rusty at how this kind of socializing goes. But I just want you to know that I'm happy to be here. And I value our time together very much. And I value you too." His eyes came up to hers.

Niffty's eye hazed a little. "I don't go on many dates either. But I think we're both doing okay. And I really value you too, Baxter. You're a very nice man."

They gazed at each other for a moment before a blushing Niffty uncorked the sparkling water bottle and gestured to the table, explaining the spread. Baxter listened with interest and complimented her cooking and explained some more details behind the science of his ice cream. Niffty laughed and listened and told him that she liked all kinds of cooking because it was like taking a bunch of chaotic ingredients lying around and bringing them together into something orderly and clean and delicious. He seemed charmed and fascinated.

They ate and were happy, and Niffty decided she couldn't have even written fantasy stories about them more perfect that this date.

Husk and Alastor…may have hidden themselves behind the bar and watched a nervous Baxter walk down the stairs, wiping his brow and adjusting his tie and checking on the flower in his pocket over and over. They may have watched him approach Niffty's door, take a very deep breath and knock. They may have watched Niffty answer and some small talk ensue before he entered and the door closed behind him.

They came out from behind the bar now. Husk sighed. "I don't normally ever use this word, but that was adorable. I didn't think guys down here got that nervous and shy about dates."

"Some…still do." Alastor glowed a little, and Husk couldn't help smirking. The Radio Demon cleared his throat. "Most importantly Niffty seemed quite happy. I think this relationship is excellent for both of them."

"Yeah. I like watching her make new friends and try new things. And Baxter's been happy at the hotel having her here to talk to," Husk agreed.

"Indeed. We could all stand to strengthen our relationships and build new ones," Alastor added, clearing his throat and glancing away.

Husk knew he was talking about them, but he didn't point it out. Alastor liked to believe he was subtler than he actually was, and Husk was happy to humor him and his ego sometimes.

The Radio Demon finally took a breath and went on nervously, "Er…you know, I know we agreed to dine in the library, but if you'd rather eat with Molly and then join me later—"

Husk shook his head. "Nah — she texted me. The spiders are all still up there, bonding and giggling and probably swapping boyfriend stories. Niss went down the fire escape and grabbed them some pizzas from down the block." He grinned a little. "I'm all yours, so you can stop beating around the bush about whatever's on your mind and just spill it already. I'm actually really curious now." He headed toward the library.

Alastor quickly followed after him. "Er, I will…try to exceed even your wildest expectations? Ha…"

Husk raised an eyebrow. He knew what Molly would have said if she were here — he's gonna free you from your contract! But that wasn't how these things worked. Deals were sealed in blood and magic and ink, and that combination couldn't easily be broken. Basically Alastor couldn't just 'let him go' free and clear even if he wanted to. There would be consequences if he even tried. Maybe he could find a way to undo it all eventually, but it would be hard and complicated and they would both probably suffer some consequences. The deer probably just had something big in mind about their growing friendship, or maybe he wanted Alastor's help with Molly's approval about something with his relationship with Angel. There weren't any red flags, so he wouldn't push until Alastor was ready. In the meantime, he cleared his throat and went for small talk. "So, what are we having for dinner?"

Alastor's smile grew. "I prepared everything in advance and my shadow has heated and plated it all. There's corn bread and crawfish boil and collard greens — and lemon pie for dessert! I do believe in a thorough spread, ha!"

Just as they were about to reach the library doors, Husk paused, eyes wide.

Alastor stopped and turned around. "Husker?"

Husk scowled a little in thought. "You haven't fed me like that — full-on southern hospitality and everything — since…since you were sweet talking me to get me into a deal." He took a deep breath. "Alastor…I want to trust you here, but… this is getting a little too familiar all of a sudden. I need you to tell me what's going on. What do you want from me?" He knew he was getting carried away with some old traumatic feelings, but didn't want to push them down. Too much had happened for that. "I know you prefer to schmooze or trick people, but if you seriously can't do better than that here with me, then—"

"No!" Alastor's eyes were practically wide with panic. "I didn't mean to… What I mean to say is…" He took a deep breath, ears on high alert. "Yes, I cook lavish meals to influence others. But I also cook large meals…when I am nervous. And to show…affection? You can ask Angel if you don't believe me." He swallowed. "And how I cooked for you back then…this is different. When I wanted to coerce you, I cooked to impress. Multiple side dishes, everything rich with butter, extravagant delicacies — and all the rarest liquors I could find." He glowed more. "This meal is just the simple menu I stated and cooked to feed well. You'll be able to see and taste the difference, I assure you. And I did include a few bottles of beer in case you wanted any, but there's also water and sarsaparilla as well." His ears went down. "I had small carafe of gin in case you wanted a cocktail, but when you told me this morning that you were cutting down on the hard drinking I had my shadow remove it right away."

Husk's suspicious look fell. He could see in every twitch and hesitation and the tight grip on his cane that Alastor was sincere. He took another breath. "Sorry, Alastor, I didn't mean to jump all over you. Some bad memories came back for a moment… Just needed to process." He tried to smile a little gain. "Thanks for cooking all that for us, trying to make sure we'd have a nice dinner. I'm sure it's great."

Alastor's stance relaxed significantly. "I…I don't mean to brag but I think it's quite Aces, ha!"

Alastor held open the door for Husk to walk in and strolled in right behind him.

As soon as the doors closed and Husk entered the room, he inhaled deeply and smiled completely. Alastor had been right. This food had a rich, comforting, warm smell. He wasn't being seduced or swindled, he was being cared for. Between two easy chairs there was a table spread with everything Alastor had mentioned as well as a pair of large plates, checkered napkins, and the bottles of sarsaparilla and beer water. A fire was even going in the hearth while some old big band swing tunes played on a phonograph in the corner. This was nice.

They took their seats and Alastor served, explaining the recipes and acting as a great host (even if he did get a bit distracted by musing over how fun it was to boil the crawfish alive and watch them slowly turn red with death). Husk ate and didn't press the deer demon for more information for now — he didn't want to risk getting defensive again, and the food really was good. And something about eating together like this for the first time in a long time felt healing in a way he couldn't explain but liked just the same.

Dinner and dessert for Baxter and Niffty went flawlessly. Niffty was almost sorry to see her date with Baxter coming to an end. Of course, there could be more in the future. She was feeling okay about the idea of more in the future. She just hoped Baxter was too. The dreamy way he kept looking at her made her suspect that he was very open to the possibilities. Still, first dates were special. So, to make this one last a little longer, Niffty offered to walk Baxter back to his room. And Baxter eagerly accepted (his lantern glowing so adorably).

He pulled out her chair and held open her door for her and even bowed as he gestured out into the lobby and smiled.

She didn't want him to feel nervous, but she also liked that he was so careful and shy. It felt right. Niffty gave a little curtsey and they shared a small laugh and then headed out together.

The lobby was empty, thankfully, so they could have privacy. The stairs were quiet too. She knew the spiders were visiting each other, and Alastor and Husk were probably busy. Charlie and Vaggie must be upstairs already, and Abel and Louise probably were too. Good…more time for her to process things with Baxter without getting anyone else involved was helpful.

They reached the top of the landing. Niffty felt a little awkward that she hadn't found any new conversation to make since leaving her room, but when she glanced over at Baxter he was just smiling happily. And she smiled and felt happy too because finding someone to just be around and be quiet with was soothing to her. Just like the hours they'd spend in his lab sometimes soothed her, Baxter working away on an experiment and Niffty tidying up or writing down story ideas. They could both just be together peacefully.

They made it to the second floor and to Baxter's door.

He paused, took a deep breath, and turned to Niffty, wringing his hands. "Niffty — I just wanted to thank you for an exceptional evening. I haven't been on a nice date in…forever. And getting to go on one with you made it the nicest date of all."

She beamed. "Thank you. I feel the same way. You make everything nice too." She swallowed, blushing. "I like you a lot Baxter. I'm glad you…told me you like me, so I could feel brave enough to say I like you too."

"You're the bravest girl I ever met." His eyes hazed. "You're amazing."

"You're amazing too. And the kindest boy." She glanced down shyly.

Baxter swallowed, playing with his hands. "Niffty? Um…if it's okay, could I…hold your hand? And maybe…kiss the back of it to wish you good night?"

Niffty's eye widened.

Baxter blushed and help up his hands. "If not, it's completely okay! Maybe it was infringing too much on personal space to ask for that from you. I wanted to make my intentions clear, but not at the cost of causing you any distress. I'm sorry."

"I…" Niffty's brow was furrowed as she lifted her hand and looked at it, "I…No, I…think that would be okay. I mean…could we just try the hand holding first and then the kiss?"

Baxter nodded, eyes wide. "Only if you're sure."

She smiled again and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Thank you for asking."

Baxter reached out and gently took her hand in both of his. "How's this?"

Her smile softened. "I like your hands."

His lantern burned brightly, and he straightened up a little. "Oh, uh…wow. I have never been told by a girl that they like my hands." His voice cracked a little.

Niffty did her best not to giggle. "You can try the other thing now too… The kissing." She swallowed.

Baxter nodded. He took a deep breath then leaned down and lightly kissed the back of her hand.

It felt…the kiss felt good, being with Baxter felt good, but also Niffty felt a little strange lurch in her chest. She wasn't sure why — maybe it was just from all of her emotions tumbling around. Her breaths were shallow now, but she was still okay. She really did like Baxter after all.

He lifted his lips from her hand, and her breaths managed to slow a little. His dreamy eyes gazed at her. "I'd very much like to go out with you on another date sometime, Niffty. If you want to, of course."

She nodded. "Mmm hmm…" was all she could manage airily.

Everything felt so warm and romantic and perfect. So when she found Baxter and herself not moving away from each other…and then moving closer to each other, Niffty wanted nothing more than to try a real kiss and enjoy the moment.

But as his face almost reached her own, her chest tightened again. Her breaths caught in her throat. Her hands were shaking — why were her hands shaking?

Before their mouths could meet she gasped and pulled back, blinking tears away from her eye.

Baxter's eyes opened wide, and he frowned in concern. "Niffty? Niffty are you okay?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to—"

"No, no! No, no…you didn't…it's…I want to…but I…" Her lip trembled, and she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "I'm sorry, Baxter. Thank you for tonight." And then she dashed down the hall and down all the stairs and through the lobby until she was safe in her room with the door closed tightly behind her.

In the dark she sat on her bed, sniffling and feeling so confused. She needed help. But she didn't even know who to try to go to about this. Husk was her best friend, and he understood trauma. And Alastor was always kind to her and kept her safe. But…she really wanted to talk to another girl. Charlie was only just starting to feel happy again, so she didn't want to worry her or she wasn't as close to Rosie and Mimzy as Alastor was. Abel and Louise were probably already in bed together. She took a deep breath. There was one other person these days.

She pulled out her phone and dialed, hugging it close to her ear. "Hi…Cherri? I…" More tears filled her eye, "No, nothing…nothing bad happened. I just, um…Can I talk to you about boys? Because I think I've got some kind of problem, and I don't know how to fix it, but I want to fix it so bad." She started crying a little, unable to help herself. "I'm sorry, I don't meant to ask you about something so sad…"

Cherri's words in reply were soothing and careful and supportive.

"Okay, if you're sure…" Niffty sighed. "I told you about how Alastor took away some of my memories — the ones that hurt me? I think they were about… being hurt by boys. But even without the memories I…there's still something bad that I feel sometimes." She held herself close. "I went on a date with Baxter tonight, and it was so nice and he's so sweet. But then we almost kissed and I…" She closed her eye. "I couldn't do it. It was too much."

She laid down. Cherri talked more…and sounded sad as she shared some things that sounded an awful lot like Niffty's experience — like she knew this kind of trauma and how much pain it could cause.

"Cherri…does it get better? I really want it to. I don't want to be scared and nervous deep down any more."

When Cherri assured her that it could get better, Niffty felt like she could breathe for the first time since coming downstairs. She hugged her knees into her chest. "I don't know what to tell Baxter…" Cherri talked more. "No, it's not that I'm uncomfortable explaining things to him. He's so supportive and kind. It's just that…I'm worried about overwhelming him or scaring him off." She took a deep breath. "But I'll think about trying. I promise." She cuddled against one of her pillows. "Will you…If you have time, will you tell me a story? Maybe something nice about Angel? Or Angel and his brother and sister? Or Angel and Alastor? Stories help me…" Cherri said she wasn't great at stories but she would give it a shot. So Niffty closed her eye and settled in wit ha deep sigh.

She would figure out soon how to begin making this okay, for herself and for Baxter. She trusted him to understand her and at least try — and she figured that trust was the most important thing of all.

Up in his room, Baxter sat at his laboratory table and thought to himself for quite a while. Niffty was sad, and he was worried about helping her feel better, worried about what had hurt her in the first place, worried about what he might have done to bring the sadness out. He wanted to go to her…but he wanted to let her have space, and he wouldn't risk causing her more distress. He thought about going to the other ladies here, but he wasn't sure if Niffty wanted what had happened to be shared with others. He thought about going to Alastor or Husk who knew her best of all, but he didn't want to risk prying. And maybe a small selfish part of him didn't want to risk disappointing them by revealing that he'd been part of upsetting Niffty.

Finally Baxter wiped away a few of his own tears. He picked up his phone and sent Niffty one message.

'Niffty — I hope you're okay. But if you're not, you can talk to me if you want. Whatever's going on, your feelings matter. I'm here for whatever you need, even if what you need is some time alone. -Baxter'

He hoped that a text wouldn't be too intrusive right now. He tucked away the phone and put on his goggles and got to tinkering with one of his drones. Science was dependable and soothing. Science could distract him from the mixed up feelings in his own heart…because on the one hand this date had been the nicest night of his afterlife, but on the other hand he had made some kind of fundamental miscalculation that might mean the great experiment that was himself and Niffty seeing each other was over before it could even properly start. He just hoped he could figure out how to right things with her and to be part of helping her smile again.

A/N:

That's all for now. Niffty's gonna work through her issues soon with lots of support from everyone. Meanwhile the others will keep bonding and getting closer 3 Thanks for reading!

Take care!

-Azure129