A/N:

Hi everyone! Yay, it's time for more of the spider siblings' outing and more about some other cute couples at the hotel ^w^ I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you for reading!

Partners

Chapter 99:

Old Faces, New Memories

The spider siblings strolled down the street together after their lovely brunch at the cafe (which had included everything from pancakes to waffles to pastries stuffed with fruit and chocolate and cheese). Niss was in such a good mood that he got between the twins to hook arms with each of them, like he was escorting his kid brother and sister out on the town for the day.

"That was a delizioso meal," Niss sighed in contentment. "That cafe definitely has some solid recipes, and Abel and Louise are great in the kitchen and out on the floor serving people." He grinned. "I'd love to try working with an industrial oven and plating meals all fancy-like for demons and experimenting with the menu. Like the pancakes! They're delicious, but wouldn't it be swell to add a few more gourmet varieties like pistachio and anise or chocolate chip walnut or apple and pear… Oh and there could be crepes too! And of course some homemade fruit syrups. Pen really likes my boysenberry one, heh."

Angel beamed and nodded at the idea. "Oh you'd be a natural running a kitchen like that! Imagine, one of us working in a restaurant that ISN'T just a big front for the mob, heh."

The three of them shared a laugh.

"And I'm sure Abel and Louise would be swell work with, the big sweethearts," Molly added. She blushed a little, eyes down. "They were so nice, tryin' to comp our meal today. They didn't have ta do that…or just give us a big discount like they ended up doing."

"Yeah." Angel nodded, blushing and looking down as well. "I get that they were just trying to take care of us as part of their 'hotel family', but…ya know, that Sicilian pride. Even if we took the discount, at least we left a big tip, right?"

Niss nodded. "Yeah, at least there's that. And it was still nice getting to eat out together. We…actually never did that before, so I'm glad we got to do it now. But, uh…" He swallowed, "Speaking of expenses, I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to eat out with you both again for a bit. After paying for brunch and now whatever shopping I do, I'm officially gonna be kind of low on funds. I managed to sneak some extra cash from Pops before I left the mob, but it's gonna start running dry soon. Basically I'm getting close to broke, heh."

"You too?" "You too?" The twins blinked and asked at the same time to their brother.

Niss blinked now while Molly and Angel's eyes met and they shared a look.

Angel elaborated first. "My boss Val always took a pretty hefty cut of what I made, so there was never much I could set aside for savings. And now that I'm not working for him anymore, there's been nothing I can set aside. Rent's free at the hotel, but little things are starting to add up." He shrugged. "Figured today would be my last financial hurrah before I gotta start getting serious about getting an income. Vox said I could walk Vark one day a week for some cash, but I'm gonna need more than pocket money eventually."

Molly bit her lip and then explained her own situation. "Money ain't really a thing in purgatory — I hear it's the same in heaven. People just kinda make trades and do good deeds ta earn things. Comin' down here, I had nothin'. When Pen took me in, he bought me new clothes and slipped some money into the pockets. Said it was for helping take care of the egg bambinos and insisted I keep it, and I just couldn't say no. He's a real sweet snake. So I have enough for today and a little extra, but then I gotta start figurin' out financial matters too."

Niss looked to his brother and sister and then sighed and shook his head with a small grin. "We are getting way too in sync with each other. But I'd rather be broke and free then loaded and dealing with all our crap alone again." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a thin roll of bills. He handed a couple to Molly and a couple to Angel. "Here — so you two can really enjoy shopping today."

"Niss, no, come on — we just said we're ALL pretty much broke," Angel held up a hand.

Molly nodded. "You should save that. You were always better at saving than us."

"Exactly." Niss shrugged. "When I say 'I'm nearly broke' I mean I'm getting to the point where my savings are going below my comfort level. When you two say you're broke, ya mean you ain't got a dime in your pockets. So I wanna treat my baby brother and sister while I still can. Then, in a few days, we'll all sit down and make plans and find great jobs so we can be fancy and hardworking for our fancy and hardworking men."

Angel grinned and nodded in appreciation, and Molly sniffled with a wobbly, loving smile. Then the twins wrapped up Niss in a big hug, lifting him off the ground.

"Hey, hey!" Niss blushed, wriggling, but still smiled. "Okay, enough with the affection in public. I still wanna seem like a tough guy so no mooks'll mess with us, heh."

His siblings laughed and set him down. They each took their money and put it into their chest fluff while Niss rolled his eyes with a grin (and maybe tried not to be a smidge jealous that they had enough chest fluff to put things in — recalling how much Pen liked his figure as it was helped his confidence quickly return).

The spiders turned a corner together and came to the shopping district. All of their eyes widened. It was bustling — there were stores full of colorful items and excited demons walking around and big signs advertising different products and sales.

Niss blinked, coming out of his surprise. "Yikes, I just realized I never really went 'shopping' shopping. Just used to grab groceries, booze deliveries, and the occasional secondhand suit for myself from one of Pops's tailors. You two know this stuff better than me — where to first?"

Angel and Molly shared a knowing grin, and Niss had a feeling he had just stepped right into another twin plan.

Angel shrugged. "Well, we were thinking the Hell's Bells department store. They have all sorts of clothes and cosmetics and accessories, and the prices are decent. And speaking of clothes, they really do got a wide variety from formalwear to casual to professional…and even nightclothes."

"Yeah," Molly chimed in. "And it's not just boring old designs and muted tones — they got all sorts of styles and all colors and fabrics. Cotton and tweed and denim and wool…and silk and lace…" She blinked, blushing a little, trying to keep her expression casual. "I'm sure you could use some fun stuff for just relaxing around the hotel with us or relaxing in your room by yourself or relaxing anywhere with Pen…"

Niss considered their words, eyeing them carefully. "Nightclothes…lace?" Then he got a dry look. "This place has a big lingerie department, doesn't it? And you two wanna get me stop dressing like such a bachelor and buy stuff in it, dontchya?"

"Well, if you insist!" Angel swung a fist through the air and Molly giggled, and then the twins were leading him over to the department store where sure enough the section for everything from pajamas and more exotic intimate apparel was front and center.

Niss let himself be lead inside but then paused, stopping their progression.

Angel and Molly turned to him with their smiles slightly hesitant now, wringing their hands.

Niss crossed his arms. "Okay, I know you're just trying to help get me out of my shell and have more fun dating Pen. And I am happy to look around this place and see if MAYBE anything catches my eye and MAYBE I'm ready to buy it. But we aren't kids anymore rummaging in our parents closet, so I'm not playing dress up for you two. Capiche? I'm just gonna get what I'm gonna get, what I'm comfortable with. I'm still…finding my style. And I'm glad I get to have my own style finally. But I probably need to stick with more 'out of the bedroom' ways of expressing it for now, capiche?"

"Of course, Archie," Molly assured, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean ta push ya. We just thought…well…if ya wanted any encouragement for treating yourself to anything fun, we could be here to help…"

Angel looked his brother in the eye, his tone sincere. "I love that you're finding your own style. I'm real proud of you. I know we're acting all sneaky, but we really just wanted to get you here so you could see some new things, maybe get some fun ideas…and see if anything special catches your eye to buy when you're ready, like you said. No dress up, no pressure, no teasing. Promise." He held out his hand.

Niss smiled. He reached out and shook with his brother. They shared a nod.

Molly beamed. "I'm so happy we're doing this." She bit her lip, eyes darting around. "I'm gonna, uh…go check out some bras! I'll find ya both in a bit."

She dashed off. Angel and Niss watched her go with raised eyebrows.

"That…also part of your twin plan?" Niss asked as they released hands

Angel shook his head. "No, that's a Molly plan. She's up ta something. You know she only used to mention bras when she wanted to duck us. She has forgotten though that down here, with this amount of fluff on my chest and with the number of drag outfits I own, I am a frequent customer of the bra department. I'll give her some space — don't wanna embarrass her. But I might head over and see what's up later. Besides…I kinda actually did want to pick up some bras myself anyway."

Niss blushed a lot and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I…don't really have that undergarment need, heh." He sheepishly gestured to his own flattened chest. "But I hope you both find some pretty things." He glanced around at the different areas of the nightwear section. "Maybe I'll just start with looking at comfy pants and nightshirts. Sleeping next to Pen in just my boxers is starting to get a little, uh…"

"Hard?" Angel couldn't help himself, grinning.

Niss smirked and jabbed him in the shoulder. "Shut up."

Angel chuckled. "Okay, have a good time. I'll be dividing myself between the muscle shirts and low cut blouses — Alastor likes exploring both my masculine and feminine sides, and so do I. See ya when I see ya!" He chuckled and waved but then hesitated and added in a lower voice. "And Niss…if there does end up being anything special you want to buy, but it ain't a familiar piece of clothing or it's something normally 'for girls' so you're not sure how to size it for yourself…let me know? I'm happy to help ya. We can even just keep it between you and me, okay?" He smiled a little.

Niss blushed but smiled a little too and nodded. "I'll…think about it. Thanks, Tony."

"Any time, Archie," Angel nodded, and then they separated, off to find their garments.

Despite the bright and cheerful afternoon sun of hell streaming down today over the Pentagram, one demon of a duo currently stationed in front of a closed upscale lounge was frowning and scowling (as per usual).

Helsa huffed and continued to stare daggers at her phone. "Ugh, they're already a minute late! I hate when people are late."

Beside her, Sev sighed with his usual easy grin and raised an eyebrow. "But YOU'RE late to almost everything…"

"That's different. I'm a very important person and a social icon! People expect to wait for ME!" She held her head high.

"Right." Sev tried not to chuckle at his sister's dramatic attitude. "Anyway, don't worry, Helsa. Cherri and Steve will be here soon, and then we can go over more stuff about the radio show and helping the hotel. Easy peasy."

"And that's another thing, why is the Steve guy coming?" She crossed her arms. "Cherri, fine, whatever — she volunteered since the Radio Demon doesn't use phones or social media or anything else fun. But the cat guy isn't even a major player in the hotel. So why insist on being here?"

"He didn't insist, I invited him," Sev shrugged, looking down. "I just…thought we could use the perspective of a guest, is all…" His cheeks blushed faintly.

His sister saw, and her jaw fell. "Oh my god, you're hot for the cat demon."

"I—" Sev's voice cracked and he cleared his throat, shaking his head. "I…am just trying to make friends with the hotel guests. And Steve is very nice. And, yeah, I know I have a thing for musicians…and cat demons…and nice people. But this is just business, heh! We're thinking about doing an act together — during the radio show marathon. And that's all…for now." He blushed more then looked down. "Besides, I don't wanna…" He rubbed his temple with a sigh. "I think me trying to date a hotel guest would really step on Charlie's toes. And you and I only just got back into her life. I don't want to make this hard for her…or for you." He turned a careful frown to his sister and softened his voice. "How are you doing with…everything?" Helsa blushed so much and scowled so deeply as she looked down…but there were also tears glinting at the corners of her eyes. She shrugged. "It's fine. I'm fine. I told you, I don't still feel… Ugh, I'm over the past." She took a deep breath and glanced at him. "I have accepted the situation. Time to move on and never look back"

"So you still don't want to tell her the truth?" Sev suggested carefully. "It would help explain a lot, it would make her understand, and it might make you feel better. You and Charlie used to be so close to each other, after all."

"I just want to help with the hotel, that's it," Helsa replied sharply, wiping to clear her eyes. Her scowl faded a bit, and some of the bite went out of her tone as she went on. "I'm actually glad Cherri volunteered to be our go-between. It'll prevent me from getting tempted to tell Charlie everything." She rolled her eyes, trying to resume some of her usual careless attitude. "And besides, the cyclops isn't totally intolerable. I've checked out her socials — she has great style. If she'd quit 'accidentally' blowing up my billboards during turf wars, we could almost be friends."

Sev smiled a little. "I think that would be good, making a friend. You two remind me of each other. And it could be fun for you both to get closer."

"Don't push me into cutesy stuff, Sev…" Helsa sighed, checking her phone once more before tucking it away. She swallowed then added, "And as for you and the cat guy, you might want to wait til after the radio show, but…I think if you wanted to go out with him, Charlie would understand. She's a cool person like that. She doesn't stand in the way of other people's happiness."

Sev smiled a little. "Thanks." He moved closer to her. "You're a cool person like that too. Remember that, okay, Hel?"

"Whatever…" She pouted and nodded. "Thanks…"

They shared a glance and a smile.

But Helsa quickly put back on her usual judgmental scowl as the people they had been waiting for finally rounded the corner.

"Hey!" Cherri called out, stretching and yawning.

"Hey. You're late," Helsa replied dryly.

"And you're uptight, so it looks like we're all staying true to form," Cherri replied with a shrug and a smirk. Helsa bristled. She didn't like that Cherri talked back to her and especially didn't like that Cherri was so good with quips and sarcasm. She scoffed. "Whatever. Let's go inside. This lounge of ours is closed today, so we have the whole building to ourselves." She glanced at her brother who was already grinning and having a private little greeting with Steve. "Cherri, why don't you and I head upstairs to my office to work, and Steve and Sev can hang out downstairs on the show floor?"

Sev's eyes brightened, and he turned to his sister. "Yeah?"

She shrugged. "This way if you two start playing some saxophone and harmonica duet, you won't bother us."

Sev nearly dashed over to hug his sister but resisted. He nodded and looked to Steve. "Come on, I'll show you around." He pushed open the front door.

"Looking forward to it." Steve nodded and headed inside.

Sev gave his sister a final appreciative look before heading in after him.

"What was that about?"

Helsa turned to see Cherri grinning at her. Helsa rolled her eyes. "Nothing, nothing… Sev's just better at making friends when he's on his own."

"I think you mean he's better at 'making a move'." Cherri smirked. "If it helps to know, Steve was talking about him all the way over here. Guy is clearly into him."

Helsa blinked and barely smiled but then scowled again. "Well, good for them. Come on, let's go in the back way — we can take the elevator up to the office area." She turned on a dime and lead Cherri down an alley toward the rear of the building. Helsa bit her lip as they walked, considering, then finally said, "Do me a favor and don't mention whatever's happening with Steve and Sev to anyone else, especially Charlie."

"I mean, I won't. But why not—"

"Cuz Sev doesn't want to hurt her, okay?" Helsa whipped around. "He doesn't want to violate a boundary or whatever. He needs to handle trying to date one of her hotel guests in his own way. Charlie's… she's not 'fragile' exactly but she does get hurt easily."

Cherri nodded. "Okay, okay, I get it. Just wanted to make sure there was a good reason for me to keep something from her." She crossed her arms and continued following Helsa. Her voice softened. "You seem to get hurt easily too — or at least bothered easily. Everything okay?"

They reached the back door and Helsa sighed. She looked to Cherri with a dry expression. "I'm a very temperamental person — I feel my feelings pretty strongly. Some people can't handle working with me, and some people just don't have the patience for it. That's fine, I respect and accept that I'm not the most compatible cup of tea for others. It's not personal, it's not a sign of a problem, it's just who I am and how I get things done. If you can manage to tolerate me, at least for getting this radio show and hotel expansion off the ground, I promise we'll do something great and you'll be appreciated. If you can't manage it and you need to walk away, that works too. I can't change who I am and I don't want to. I like me." She crossed her arms, waiting for whatever challenge Cherri would offer to top her.

The one-eyed demon, however, merely tilted her head and grinned and gave her a nod. "Fair. Very fair. I'm not everyone's cup of tea either. I'm blunt, I'm loud, and I blow shit up if it pisses me off or if I even think there's a CHANGE it'll piss me off. But I respect a woman who's true to herself. And if you'll respect me too, I think we can make this work." She held out a hand.

Helsa titled her head, raising an eyebrow. Then she finally smiled a little and let it linger. She reached out and shook with Cherri. "Deal…"

They separated, and Cherri put her hands on her hips. "Now, show me the fancy top floor of this club of yours."

"Oh please, this club barely qualifies as fancy. I own like ten others that are way better." Helsa took out her phone and scanned it on a panel outside the door to unlock it and let them inside. She looked down at her phone as she and Cherri strolled through a red hall to a gilded elevator. "If we're going to actually get along for an extended period of time today, want me to order in some takeout? I'll have some delivered down to Sev and Steve too — it'll be a nice little surprise for them."

Cherri grinned. "Yes, grub is always welcome. Just as long as there are big portion sizes and a lot of dipping sauces." Helsa rolled her eyes. "I'll see what I can do."

"…And some booze?"

"Oh that I can DEFINITELY DO." Helsa smirked, and Cherri grinned.

They stepped into the elevator together, and Helsa pressed the button to go upstairs. As she scrolled through her phone to order food, she tried to ignore Cherri smiling at her or how the experience made her feel distinctly warm inside.

Angel was having maybe the best day of his afterlife. He had his family back, he was away from his toxic boss for good, he had a great guy in his life waiting at home for him, and he had some cash in his pocket and a bunch of cute things in the shopping bags on his arm that would make him feel pretty and would make Alastor smile and get all moony over him.

After grabbing a couple new tops, Angel had picked out some new pajamas (soft and comfortable for spending more nights at home than out with customers), grabbed a fresh pair of slippers (with open backs to let his feet partially show since he felt so much better about them lately), and then he had ducked into the cosmetic's department for a little eye cream (having eight and keeping them pretty was a full time job) and some fresh mascara (a tube for him and a tube for Niss to thank him for the extra cash today). He had seen his brother from afar a couple times, looking at loungewear and new shoes and smiling whenever he found something he liked. Angel still hadn't caught sight of Molly though…but then again, he hadn't gone near the bra section yet.

Angel headed there now though — he really did need to grab a new one and maybe some new panties and also anything lingerie-wise that might make Alastor happy. Maybe he'd get both a feminine nighty and a pair of rugged drawstring shorts with a tight shirt, and Alastor could have some fun deciding which parts of the masculine and feminine looks he liked on Angel.

However, once Angel turned the corner to enter the lingerie section he immediately froze…because his siblings were there and also frozen. Molly and Niss had clearly just bumped into each other and now had their eyes locked as they blushed very much. Molly had shopping bags on her arms and held several lacy items close to her chest, and Niss likewise with shopping bags on his arms and was in mid-reach for a pair of silk boxers.

Angel sighed. His brother and sister had learned to relax a lot, but their prudish upbringing still left them with a bit of shame about the topic of sex sometimes. Angel had escaped that latent Catholic guilt thankfully since he had gotten away from their Pops much sooner than his siblings (and had realized even before then that twisting holy words to make it sound like being gay was sinful was garbage). He walked forward, casual as could be. "Hey, fancy bumping into you two here. Guess we're all looking for special items, huh?"

Molly swallowed, glancing around to make sure no other customers were watching them. She smiled awkwardly. "I just…well…" She nodded. "Yeah, I've been tryin' ta pick out somethin' special…FOR somethin' special…"

She relaxed her grip on the lacy items, and Angel saw them more clearly now. They were all sheer and low cut and easily opened by pulling silk ribbons. These weren't items for wearing to bed, these were items for taking off before getting into bed. He blinked in realization and lowered his voice too. "You mean you're ready to…with…"

She nodded. "Very ready…" She bit her lip, her look going dry. "Like, I'm barely gettin' any sleep at night cuz 'I'm thinkin' about it so much' ready. And I think Husk feels the same." She took a breath, smiling more. "And there's no risk of getting pregnant down here, and no Pops trying to marry me off and no fellas shaming me, so I can finally just enjoy myself."

Angel beamed. He gave his sister a little encouraging hug then pulled back with a smirk. "In that case, the shop next door has any personal items ya might need and some that're just for fun. Why don't ya buy this stuff and then head over, and we'll meet ya there, hmm? Tell 'em I sent ya, you'll get a discount, heh." Then he added, gesturing over his shoulder to their brother who was had his eyes down and a deep blush on his face. "I think Niss might want a little help…but I think he'd prefer if it's just a thing between us guys."

Molly nodded. "Thanks, Tony." She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek then walked over to Niss. "I'm gonna pay for these and then grab a couple things next door. I'll meet you two out front in a few minutes."

Niss gave his sister a shy nod and a small, grateful smile. She smiled in return then headed off.

Angel approached his brother carefully. "Hey."

"…Hey." Niss replied.

Angel lowered his voice and shrugged, tone supportive. "You know, you don't have to feel weird about wanting to explore your sexy side as a guy or wanting to try new things to look good for your man or yourself. There's nothing wrong with men being pretty and taking pride in their appearance. I know, I know, they told us it was wrong and terrible and sinful when we were growing up. But it's not. You and I ain't in hell cuz we're gay. We're in hell cuz we offed a bunch of mooks in life and weren't exactly kind to ourselves and some other people."

Niss swallowed and nodded. "Still just…feels weird sometimes. I don't know…"

Angel scowled. "That's cuz what we got put through was traumatic as fuck. And trauma lingers and is a bitch to work through." He put a hand on Niss's shoulder. "If you want some new intimate stuff but ain't ready for the store experience, there's always online shopping. Or you could give me your measurements and an idea of what you like, and I could buy things for you. Or we could just wait for now and you can shop again when you're ready. Whatever works."

Niss considered then sighed. "Thanks, Tony. I appreciate all those offers, but…I wanna do this, and I think I am ready. I felt weird at first today picking out shirts with nice patterns and slacks in all different colors and shoes that have a slight heel…but once I grabbed them it felt good. I want this to feel good too." He frowned. "I feel bad that Molly left though. I didn't mean to make things weird, we just kind of froze when we saw each other." He smiled a little again. "I'm glad that she's comfortable and feels ready for more with Husk. She went through so much — so much that we didn't even know about. She deserves to have a healthy relationship and a lot of fun with it."

Angel smiled. "And so do you, and so do I. And, eh…I figured she might want to buy personal intimacy items without her brothers tagging along anyway. Plus she gets that this is new for you. We just wanna support our big brother."

Niss smiled even more.

Angel grinned. "Now, do you wanna finish shopping in here alone or do ya want me to stay for moral support and advice?"

Niss swallowed. "The second one…please." He sighed deeply, a hand to his head. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"It's okay, I am here to teach." Angel glanced at the table of silk boxers in different colors. "So these will definitely look great on you — good eye. Now as for what color to get, normally I'd recommend black since it's more discrete for any physical reactions and doesn't stain much in case things get a little 'wild'. But your fur is pretty close to black, and you deserve something that's really gonna pop and catch Pen's eye. So something more vibrant but maybe a darker shade for modesty…" Angel glanced at the different options. "Any color you prefer?"

Niss considered. "I like purple. It looks kinda strong and regal."

Angel reached around and lifted up a pair of the boxers in dark purple. "Okay yeah, these would look great on you. And you could get a silk robe to match if ya want too, just to complete the outfit."

Niss nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. Sounds fancy, and Pen is the king of fancy stuff, heh."

Angel grabbed both items and handed them to his brother who took them, touching the fabric. His smile grew, and his eyes brightened. "These feel so nice."

"I know, right? We could also get ya a couple other other colors, just for some variety. Maybe green or red or even pink? Oh and maybe some silk pants for sleeping in too. Hmm…or maybe some full silk pajama sets, to look pretty but also stay warm. It's gonna be fall and winter before we know it."

Niss nodded. "All that sounds good too." Then he grinned shyly and added, pointing across the store. "And maybe I should get, um…I mean, just to have… Pen likes to sunbathe around the pond in the solarium sometimes, and I've been thinking about joining him so…"

Angel looked up and across the store to see what Niss was pointing to: swimwear, and specifically a mannequin wearing a very snug little pair of swim shorts that left more to the imagination than a thong but much less to the imagination than boxer-style swimwear. He grinned. "Oh Pen is going to devour you in those…"

"Oh my god, Tony…" Niss rubbed his temple, blushing and smiling so much. "We ain't ready for devouring yet, I just want to more fun looking and feeling pretty."

Angel chuckled. "Well then, let's go get 'em and everything else we talked about! And then we can look at some stuff you might need time to be ready for, just to browse." He smirked. "You were joking about your chest before, but fuck a bra. Pen would double eat you alive in a corset, and it would really show off your figure to him."

Niss was fiery red. He cleared his throat. "I…I appreciate the advice. That is definitely not a today purchase but, uh…maybe seein' one will help me prepare."

"That's the spirit!" Angel took his brother's arm and, with smiles, the two of them raced across the store. They ended up gathering everything Niss wanted (along with a few sexy masculine and feminine numbers Angel had his eye on) and then met Molly outside. The trio decided that some time off their feet was due and sat down for manicures together (even Niss, though he asked for no polish) then continued walking through the shopping district, buying cute things for themselves and delicious items for making their special dinner later.

If this happiness was their life now, all three spiders would be content to stay in hell for all eternity.

In a certain laboratory on the third floor of the hotel, Baxter was in full mad scientist mode. Needless to say, the information that someone had had the audacity to HACK one of his drones had driven him into quite the technological frenzy. He was not only going to make an improved version of his drone that would utterly fry any tech that tried to break into its mainframe, but he was also going to virus-proof and signal-jam-proof and surge-proof the upcoming radio show AND add a few stunning technological flourishes to Alastor's new studio so he could show off exactly what he and this hotel were capable of.

Niffty had utterly lit up at his passionate plans and jumped at the chance to be his lab assistant, which basically meant Baxter was having the best afternoon of his life. Not only was he getting to work on inventions for a project he cared about, but the girl he adored was at his side asking questions and suggesting ideas and adding a spark to his science that hadn't been there before. She could be so fierce, especially about protecting Alastor and helping the people she loved. Niffty was kind of a marvel to him, and Baxter was just glad they were already seeing each other because, after witnessing all her brilliance today, he definitely would have felt too intimidated to confess his feelings and ask her out for the first time.

Razzle and Dazzle were in the lab, helping by grabbing any requested items and operating the pulleys that let both Niffty and Baxter use a small swing to lift themselves to higher levels of the lab so they could access different shelves of items. The group had heard footsteps passing by earlier and voices that lead them to realize Alastor and Husk and Sir Pentious were going to work on constructing the tower's interior today. That exciting fact had only spurred them on to work even hard on their piece of making the radio show a success.

The fish demon, goggles down and lantern glowing, turned a wrench on a mechanical device on his main lab table one more time and then beamed. "Niffty! I think it's done!" He removed his goggles and clapped his hands together.

"Ahh, the electromagnetic shield? Let me see!" Niffty jumped down from the swing and dashed over, admiring the device with her eye wide. "Oh Baxter, you did a lovely job…"

"WE did a lovely job," Baxter insisted. He glanced behind him and whistled for the little goats. Razzle and Dazzle, who had been making funny faces at each other through glass beakers that comically distorted their images, wagged their tails and dashed over. Baxter held out his arms to present this invention. "This device will pair with the lightning rod I attached to the hotel roof shield the radio tower from any external interference AND will bounce back any attempts at interference on whomever tried to launch them. Basically if someone tries to 'hack it' their entire system will get very permanently fried." He held his head high, arms crossed. "Just give it a shot, Katie, I dare you…" He smirked proudly.

Niffty giggled, smirking a little herself. "She wouldn't dare. And she only got lucky last time anyway. You're brilliant, and everyone knows it."

Baxter blushed and his lantern glowed and lifted higher as a goofy grin came over his lips. "Oh, uh…thanks, Niffty." He cleared his throat. "And so are you! You know so much about different compounds and problem solving and scientific analysis from your cleaning skills, and you're a really quick study about other science matters, and you're so organized and creative…

She blushed, looking down shyly with a little smile. "Thank you, Baxter."

Her eye came up and met his gaze. Baxter gulped. Their current routine was to ask directly about initiating any new kinds of physical contact. And Niffty still hadn't said she was comfortable with kissing yet. But Baxter wondered if maybe he should ask her right now because she was just so close and so pretty and made him feel so good.

He moved a little closer and opened his mouth to speak, and she leaned in closer to listen.

But then there was the sound of glass bottles falling onto a countertop — it made them both jump and looked across the lab.

Razzle and Dazzle smiled sheepishly. They had been trying to climb on top of each other to reach Baxter's vat of lab-brewed root beer and had knocked over some of the empty bottles in the process

Niffty and Baxter quickly stepped back from each other, blushing and smiling sheepishly. Niffty spoke first, trying to relax the atmosphere. "Uh…Alastor's going to appreciate all your hard work so much, Baxter. We can bring your invention to him tomorrow maybe — I don't want to interrupt his date today or his bonding time now with Husk and Sir Pentious."

"Right, right," Baxter quickly assured with a nod. "And, uh… well, you and I could probably use a break too, and it seems like Razzle and Dazzle are thirsty. I'll, uh…pour us all some root beers and then maybe we can get a snack in the kitchen and eat by the bar? I'm still trying to learn my way around it so I can cover shifts for Husk sometimes." He shrugged.

Niffty nodded. "I think all of that is the best thing for us to do — for now." Her eye met his gaze again.

Baxter's heart thrummed. 'For now.' The last time she'd said 'for now' had been after he had confessed his feelings to her… And 'for now' had been her way of letting him know that even if they hadn't been able to act on his feelings in the moment, she had intended for them to do so very soon. Maybe the same sincere meaning applied to the words right now. Oh, he hoped so.

With a happy smile, Baxter dashed over to the vat and filled fresh root beer bottles for everyone and handed them out (with a little bow to Niffty that made her giggle). Then they headed quietly down the hall to the stairs so as not to disturb the three demons working hard on the radio tower.

They made it to the second floor and headed for the staircase to the lobby…only to pause as they found Charlie and Vaggie standing at the head of the stairs, deep in a whispered conversation, eyes wide and lips set with soft smiles… Charlie wiped way a tear.

The moment the ladies noticed them they instantly went wide eyed and stepped apart. Vaggie gave an awkward wave as Charlie cleared her throat and spoke. "Hi! Sorry we're…right in the middle of something! Thank you for watching Razzle and Dazzle. We…we'll be back soon to put them down for their nap. Oh, and your root beer's really good, Baxter! Uh, bye!" They both looked down shyly, blushing…then smiling more. Then they headed dashed down the stairs, full of giggles as they left the building and shut the front door behind them.

Baxter frowned. "They're leaving in such a hurry. Do you think they're okay? I hope nothing bad happened. Maybe we should talk to them."

Niffty held up a hand, a soft smile on her features. "No…I think we should let them be. Did you see the smiles, the blushes? And look at Razzle and Dazzle." Indeed, the little goats were holding hands and wagging their tails with big smiles and tears in their eyes. Niffty giggled. "I think something special and private and good is going on."

Baxter smiled in realization. "Oh… Oh! Oh, I really hope so, they deserve it."

Niffty giggled. "Come on, we'll get snacks for us and Razzle and Dazzle then maybe play with them outside. That should give Charlie and Vaggie plenty of time for whatever they've got to do."

Baxter nodded and held out his arm. Niffty blushed and hooked arms with him. They lead a skipping Razzle and Dazzle down the stairs.

As evening came over hell, Abel and Louise stepped out of the cafe with Crymini behind them. Abel yawned as Louise locked the door and Crymini pulled back her hair. "Today was really fun," the dog demon said. "That's for letting me hang out at the cafe with you. I kind of like running food to tables and seeing people smile when it arrives."

"We were happy to have your help," Louise assured. "And wasn't it great to have Angel and Niss and Molly come by too for a visit? It's swell to see them together and so happy."

Abel nodded. "Yeah, and they're so nice. Niss kept raving about the croissants I made. And Molly thought those flowers you picked out for the table vases were just beautiful. And Angel loved how good you were at balancing plates for serving, Crymini."

Crymini shrugged with a humble smile. "Just practice, I guess, from always having to carry all my stuff with me since I never really had a place to settle down."

"Well, you've definitely got a place now," Louise assured. Then she chuckled and added to Abel, "And I really am glad the flowers turned out so nice. After all, those are the same flowers I chose for our wedding reception." Her little tail wagged.

Abel got a dreamy look for a moment and so did Louise, and Crymini rolled her eyes but did smile a little at the sweet moment.

But then her ear twitched and her pupils dilated — there was the sound of breathing, the tang of sweat, the feeling like someone was watching them. Her head whipped around, looking from one darkening alleyway to the next, and she barely resisted the urge to growl low under her breath.

"Crymini?" Louise blinked. "What is it?"

Crymini took a few steps toward one alley, then another. Abel came up beside her. She bit her lip then crossed her arms. "I don't know… I just felt like someone was watching us." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm so used to being on high alert. But it's still light out and this is a safe part of town and we've got safety in numbers. Might just be some random demon, probably already backing off." She glared at a couple more shadowy alleys for good measure and then turned to Able. "Can we head straight home, just to be safe?"

"Of course," Abel nodded with an understanding smile. He lead her back over to Louise.

They began to walk home, Crymini a few paces ahead out in front, ears and eyes on alert, while Able and Louise trailed behind her, holding hands hands, to give her some space.

Louise frowned a little. "She's seemed so much more relaxed lately — I hope her nerves keep settling down. And I really hope she stays at the hotel."

"I do too." Abel agreed. "But think some time outside was good for her today, so she doesn't start feeling to cooped up. And…maybe we should be careful around the cafe, just in case."

"We will be," Louise assured, squeezing his hand. "After all, we at least have to keep the place safe and running until 'the new cafe own' finally comes clean to me." They shared a small grin. "Alastor's so dramatic, keeping it a big secret that he bought this place and only wanting to tell us at the wedding. I wonder what his reason is for it all?"

"Probably some kind of entertainment, maybe." Abel shrugged. "Though honestly I think he just doesn't like people knowing when he does something nice — and it has been nicer working for him these days."

Louise nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. He's a big sweetheart deep down, but he likes to keep it hidden. Thank YOU for being a big sweetheart out in the open." She kissed Abel's cheek.

Abel blushed with a dreamy look. "Any time." She giggled as Abel cleared his throat. "So, uh…what should we do for dinner?"

She considered. "Hmm…well, the spiders are having their date night, and I don't wanna interrupt them. Why don't we pick up some take out and then eat with Crymini upstairs at the hotel, hmm? Maybe we can even convince her to pick a room for herself if she's ready?"

Abel nodded. "Sounds great to me!"

Hands swinging, they headed down the street together, still following close to their dog demon friend. As the group rounded a corner, none of them noticed some distinct movement in one of the alleys…or the large bull demon stepping forward into the light with a mean look and a huff of hot breath. If Louise had caught full sight of him, she would have recognized him in an instant; he was the butcher who had struck unimaginable fear into her heart once by getting ready to chop her up for the daily special…until Alastor had intervened and made a meal out of him.

It had taken months for the demon to regenerate from a mere chunk of his former self Alastor had left behind. But now he was back and he was pissed. He wasn't stupid though — he knew he couldn't go against the Radio Demon for revenge. But as for the silly little sheep that had brought the cannibal man's wrath upon himself — she was another story.

He just had to watch and wait, and then that scared and helpless little sheep would be all his. And he would make her suffer for all the suffering she had brought upon him.

A/N:

So the spiders are almost done with their outing and their date night is about to begin :) Next chapter is all about how their date plays out (including how the evenings of some other couples play out too). Don't worry, the scary bull won't be back for a bit lol.

Take care!

-Azure129