Chapter Text
"Chaaarlie!"
Charlie blinked slowly, being shaken from her sleep rather unhappily. She pushed the hands away, groggy, eyelids heavy. "Mmm... What?"
"Charlie, what the fUCK happened to me and how can you heLP?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"
After a few seconds of deciding if a few more desperately desired hours of sleep was worth ignoring someone clearly in need, she opened her eyes, blinked twice...
And screamed, nearly falling off her bed.
Because there was a human child yelling at her, with swoopy sandy blonde hair and slightly tanned skin.
The child glared at her before screaming "THE PIMP DID SOMETHING TO ME! TO US! KILL HIM!"
Charlie stared, bewildered. That voice... "Angel?!"
"Yes! Don't i look like shit?!" the boy hissed, and now that Charlie really looked she could see it. His cheeks were heavily freckled and one of his teeth was a golden crown.
She stepped out of bed, stunned. "How-?"
"The fuckin' pimp! The stupid shitty deer demon!"
She paused, before sighing. "...Alastor. But why would he..."
"Hell if i know! But if you don't kick his ass and make him reverse this i actually swear to your father, Satan, that I'm burning this place down!" Angel threw his arms up dramatically before folding them with a huff. Charlie stared at him for a moment before sighing.
And then her brain caught up.
"Wait. Before, you said to 'us-'"
"Yeah! Vaggie too!!! Apparently strawberry pimp has been having some trouble with his powers or something - cuz they just lashed out, and..." he scowled deeply.
"...Oh" Charlie finally said, tugging on her shoes. "Erm. Where are they now???"
"In the lobby!"
Charlie descended the stairs 3 steps at a time, hair flying behind her as she jumped into the elevator and jammed her thumb into the 'down' button nearly hard enough to break it. Angel, following, was uncharacteristically silent, though he carried an expression of deep loathing on his face.
Stepping out, it was chaos.
Vaggie was there, with her ashy brown hair and grey-blue eyes, shouting at Husk, who's eye was twitching as he shouted right back. Charlie could recognise the words 'fucking radio asshole!' within her raged roaring. Husk seemed to have been just caught up in the middle of this, still a demon and looking like he needed a pint. Standing in the corner was another human boy with messy black hair, staring at the confrontation play out with a creepy smile and rust coloured eyes. He had yet to say anything.
"Um" she started, then bit her lip.
That was all it took for the two to stop shouting, turning to her awkwardly. Charlie stood still, bewildered, before Vaggie ran up to her, angry. "Charlie, I am 5 seconds away from seeking that radio bastard down and killing him - or even just dying trying!" she spat. Husk scoffed and stomped out, grumbling about needing a drink.
"Calm down! We should-" Charlie sputtered, but they all paused when a dry voice interrupted her.
"If we give it a little time it should reverse. I am not consciously causing this, and unintentional magic doesn't last"
They all turned to the raven-haired boy, whose arms were folded behind him. Judging by his words, this was presumably Alastor.
Charlie was gobsmacked. "You were affected too?!"
His grin twisted into a grimace, and he gave her a dry sort of stare. "Obviously."
"Turn us back, ya sack of shit!" Angel cried, leaping at him, only to be held back by Charlie jumping forward to tuck her arms beneath his, sending him crashing into her chest. She flinched violently. She really wasn't used to him being so light.
"I can't" Alastor now scowled, looking like he was being swallowed by his red suit jacket, of which he was now shrugging off, his cane now taller than him. The other two had been less affected by the clothes change, clothes very baggy but in a way that could be played off as a stylistic choice. Alastor just looked like a child playing dress up as his parents.
Speaking of which...
"Why are you all kids?" Charlie frowned. "The human thing is one side... But why children?!"
"Do you think we know?!" Vaggie shrugged. Alastor copied this movement, grin returning. It looked decidedly strange on his human face.
She sighed, expression drooping. "All of you will have to stay in while this lasts. You can't defend yourself in these forms"
Alastor's smile twisted slightly before he held a hand up, red energy crackling faintly. His eyebrows drew together before he sighed and stopped. "I can harnass my magic... Faintly! But not enough to turn any of us back yet, i'm afraid!"
"Have fun trying to keep me out of trouble!" Angel snickered, prompting Charlie to glare at him reprimandingly. "You had better not go out and have sex! You're a kid now!"
He scoffed. "Hell is full of willing pedoph-"
"No" she cut off, tone dry and faintly disgusted. "Angel, just no"
He shrugged, snorting. "Whatever, toots. You can't keep me caged"
Charlie facepalmed. This was going to be difficult.