Archive of Our Own ^beta

Angel had never really been a romantic, he’d stolen a few of his mum’s raunchy romance books when he was a teenager but he’d told himself that was for the sex scenes, and there’d been no time for romance when he’d been older, only just enough time for quick hand jobs in an alley.

Even when he arrived in Hell and had been swept up in Valentino’s presence and love bombing, he’d been so excited not to have to worry about people finding out he slept with men that’s all he focused on at first. He and Valentino hadn’t really done dates or romancing, just fucking on every available surface. Perhaps that’s why Angel had been so quick to fall in love, so quick to blind himself to some major red flags.

It wasn’t until recently that the topic had reared its head in Angel’s mind. It was when he noticed himself spending time trying to make Husk laugh, and feeling warm and fuzzy when he did. When he realised he wanted to go on dates, and cuddle, and just spend hours talking to Husk, that was when he knew he was fucked. He gone and become a huge sap over the goddamn cat demon, and there was no going back.

After the final extermination, and the arduous task of rebuilding the entire hotel, while also mourning Sir Pentious and Val’s demanding schedule at the studio, Angel was running on so little sleep and his blood was likely more caffeine than drugs or alcohol, as it was all he’d been living off for the best part of the week. Angel dragged himself into the newly renovated bar that Husk was still manning at two in the morning, despite the fact that the new sinners aiming for redemption hadn’t arrived yet, and everyone else in the hotel liked to be in bed before ten.

Husk looked like the cat who got the cream whenever he was at his new bar, proudly eyeing the set up and pristine look. Angel soaked in that expression whenever he could without being observed by Husk, however, given he was often the only other one at the bar, it wasn’t often.

“Legs,” Husk gave a soft smile as Angel walked towards the bar, running an eye over him to check for any injuries his work day might have left him with, “How was work?” He started mixing a pink cocktail that he’d invented just for Angel even before the spider demon had managed to sit down.

Angel groaned dramatically just to see Husk’s mouth twitch upwards in amusement, “With the hotel bein’ popular cuz the exterminations are over, Val thinks he should lean into it, so I’ve had a lotta guys pretending they’re gonna fuck the evil outta me today,”

Husk snorted, and placed the cocktail down in front of him, “Does he think a sinner’s evil ways are stored in their jizz?”

Angel had just taken the first sip of his drink when Husk had said that, and spluttered as he choked on it in surprise, “Husk!” He tried to sound admonishing, but it came out far too delighted, “Ya can’t say that to a guy while he’s drinking,”

“Clearly,” Husk started wiping the bar down where Angel had accidentally spat some of the drink out.

“Ya gotta lead up to that kind of language,” Angel fluttered his eyelashes just a bit. Barely even. He couldn’t help it, when they were alone at the bar in the early hours of the morning it felt like they were the only two people in Hell.

“I’ll remember not to offend your delicate sensibilities next time.”

Husk ended up chatting about Charlie’s plans for the grand opening of the hotel, which were getting more elaborate by the day, and Alastor and Lucifer’s deep intense hatred of each other, which was both wildly entertaining and marginally worrying (if only for the structural integrity of the building). Apparently there had been another song and dance number, which mainly consisted of Lucifer coming up with ways to kill Alastor, and Alastor listing ways he’d cook various bits of Lucifer.

Angel had more drinks than he probably should have on an empty stomach and Husk ended up helping him to his bedroom. He bundled Angel into the bed still fully clothed and flicked the lights off before leaving. Angel snuggled with Fat Nuggets and hummed snatches of the song he’d sung with Husker that night.

“… excuse ya’self let hope in…”

*

Angel’s resolve to try and stay off most drugs was being severely tested by Val’s continued bad mood and insistence on taking it out on Angel. Ever since the extermination attempt he had been insisting on rougher shoots and longer hours, and had even been fucking Angel with more frequency than he had in years.

It wasn’t until Val slipped up that he realised why. Val had fucked him after a shoot, when he was still sore from being fucked by the last actors, still oversensitive from having just cum, and in a fucked up headspace from the strangling and degradation that had been ‘required’ for the video. So Angel had mostly just been lying there hissing in pain and trying not to cry while Val used him to get off, and had thanked every Sin in Hell when Val finally came, only tempered by the fact he bite down hard on Angel’s neck.

Angel could instantly feel the adrenaline surge back up as he felt blood coming from the wound, mixed with wooziness from the aphrodisiac venom in Val’s spit which had just been injected straight into his neck.

Val smirked as he looked at Angel’s shock and pain, clutching the mark on his neck.

“That’ll show you who you belong to, you and that mangey cat.”

Angel’s brain took a moment to process Val’s words.

“What?”

“The cat from your little hotel, I saw you during your final stand at the extermination, you two looked very cosy. Don’t forget you’re mine,”

Angel should have guessed that the Vees would have been watching, and it was alarming to think Val was so riled up about Husk. Normally Val didn’t care who he slept with outside the studio, he preferred if Angel was being paid by a john obviously, but he’d never felt threatened by someone Angel had slept with, not that he’d even slept with Husk. Which meant Val was threatened because he knew Angel cared about Husk.

“Only in the studio.” Angel shot back, too worried about Husk to realise Val was not in the mood for being corrected.

The backhand came as a surprise, and Angel landed on the floor with a thud.

Val towered over him even more like this, and a heeled boot came down on his neck, “You’re. Mine. And if I have to kill that little cat to remind you I will.”

Angel tried to shove the boot off his neck to no avail, “He- belongs – to tha- the Radio- Demon.” He managed to wheeze out.

“I don’t care. I’m in charge here. Understand?”

“Yes Val.”

Valentino removed his boot from Angel’s neck, “Now fuck off, I don’t want to see your face until tomorrow.”

Angel nodded, knowing any words would come out sounding strangled still, he quickly scrambled to his feet and took off as fast as possible to the exit.

*

On his way back to the hotel his fear started turning into anger, fuelled by humiliation. He was muttering to himself, berating himself for not sticking up for Husk, he could have told Val to go and fuck himself. Even as he told himself, he knew it wasn’t true. Val would have called his bluff and probably tried to kill Husk then. Angel liked to think Alastor wouldn’t let him, but who knew what motivated Alastor to do half the things he did.

He had to do something though, he couldn’t let Husk go around with a target painted on his back just because Angel had caught feelings and been obvious enough about it that even Val, who was basically legally blind, had seen it.

He’d have to suck up to Val for a while, say Husk had hurt his feelings and pretend to come crawling back to Val, at least until Val had moved on to the next thing.

Angel had mostly settled into his plan when he got back to the hotel, it was barely passed midnight so he was surprised that Husk wasn’t behind the bar. Angel’s stomach clenched in upset. He was injured, and in a horrid headspace, and he wanted to talk to Husk. It always made him feel better, he wondered if the cat had gone to bed early, maybe Angel could quickly vent to him before going to sleep.

He started to make his way upstairs when he heard the unmistakable sound of static threats that could only be Alastor. Angel peeked around the corner to see if he was arguing with Lucifer, he didn’t want to miss another song. The sight that greeted him was horrific. Husk was on the ground quaking with fear, a glowing green collar wrapped around his neck with the chain taut, leading directly to Alastor.

Angel was already angry, and worried about Husk, and he was hopped up on Val’s venom, which he would blame for why he lost his mind and started storming towards Alastor, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Alastor’s head snapped at an unnatural angle towards Angel, that grating smile getting just slightly wider, “Ah, my good fellow. I was just having a chat here with Husker.”

“A chat?” Angel demanded, getting right up in Alastor’s face, “Looks like more than a fucking chat.”

“Ha ha!” Alastor’s face darkened and the shadows in the hall started to elongate, the horns on his head extending upwards, “I can speak to my pet however I like.” Alastor snapped back to his normal form and a jaunty song started playing from somewhere about his person, “A pleasure as always. Cheerio.” He melted into the shadow.

“Fucking creep.” Angel muttered before crouching down next to Husk, “Can you stand?”

Husk nodded shakily and tried to stand. Angel ended up taking most of his weight and helping him back to the bar. Husk sat heavily on one of the bar stools. He didn’t say anything so Angel made his way behind the bar, pushing his own panic down to help Husk. How many times had Husk played the attentive barkeep to make Angel feel better, it was his turn to help.

“You better not mess with my system,” Husk grumbled weakly.

“I’m grabbing whiskey, it’s hardly making cocktails.” Angel poured out two generous measures of whiskey, and topped Husk back up when he immediately downed the first.

“Want to talk about it?”

Husk went to refuse, before pausing and remembering every time he’d grouched at Angel for not accepting help. Angel looked at him and tried not to look too delighted at the karma Husk had wrought upon himself.

“Alastor being a dick. He likes to remind me when I get mouthy.”

“Does he do it often?”

Husk just hummed and downed the second drink. Angel went to pour a third but Husk waved him off, “Need to clean up your neck before I get pissed.”

Angel’s hand flew to his neck, he’d almost forgotten about Val’s bite, it seemed to have stopped bleeding at least, though his fur was matted with dried blood.

“Can barely feel it,” Angel insisted, wanting to look after Husk for a change.

Husk just rolled his eyes and went to grab the first aid kit he now kept behind the bar. Angel knocked his drink back instead and secretly enjoyed Husk gentle hands cleaning and dressing the wound. Husk had done it a few times already but it had never been on his neck before, it felt more intimate having Husk pressed almost chest to chest with him, Angel having sat on one of the stools. He could feel Husk’s warm breath on his face and he wanted to kiss Husk more than anything.

“There.” Husk said gently when he’d finished, “I can change the dressing in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Angel said, and Husk left Angel sat on the stool as he resumed his normal position behind the bar. Angel tried not to sigh too loudly and told himself he should be grateful for Husk’s friendship, and not cling to scraps of affection in the hopes it might be more.

“Throat looks pretty bruised up.” Husk said, it was his way of giving Angel a starter to talk about work if he wanted, or to leave it if he didn’t.

“Lotta strangulation videos, and then Val stood on it.” He said without much inflection.

Husk’s eyes darted to Angel’s face, and his grip on the glass tightened, though his voice was measured when he spoke, “You hurt anywhere else?”

Angel shrugged, “No more than usual.”

Husk grumbled something but Angel couldn’t make it out.

“I- nah it’s stupid.” Angel poured himself another measure of whiskey, it was a drinking to forget kind of night.

Husk didn’t even try and stop him pouring himself a drink, “What’s stupid?”

Angel threw back the drink, “I guess I got so swept up in the Princess’ dream and then the extermination, I was so happy we made it, well, most of us,” his eyes flickered to the portrait of Sir Pentious, “and then the new hotel and new sinners was all so exciting, I kinda forgot everything was gonna go back to normal.”

“With Val?”

Angel nodded, “I feel like so much important shit has happened but nothing’s changed, you know? I’m still getting fucked over by Val and you’re being dragged around by Alastor. I just- it’s not fair.”

The childish sentiment reminded Angel of when he’d been about nine or ten and he’d said something similar to his dad. His dad had grabbed his face and pulled it close, ‘Nothing’s fair, Tony, that’s why you rig the game, you make sure you win’.

How was he meant to rig a game with Overlords?

“Did you ever cheat when you were an Overlord?” Angel asked, wiggling his glass for Husk to fill it up, his head was starting to feel spacey from necking what was probably supposed to be sipping whiskey.

If Husk was surprised by the change of topic, he didn’t show it, “’Course, everyone cheats, the trick is not getting caught.”

“Is that what happened? Alastor caught you cheating?”

Husk nodded, “I got cocky, it’s why everyone gets caught in the end.”

Angel hummed, his brain was trying to put several pieces together in his head but the alcohol and Val’s venom were making his thoughts slip out of his grasp too quickly.

“Okay! New topic!” Angel cheered, clinking their glasses together, “Do you think Lucifer and Alastor have a thing?”

Husk scrunched up his face in disgust, “Don’t want to even consider it,”

“I don’t think it’s sexual, or even romantic, but they seem to enjoy antagonising each other.”

Husk quickly poured him another drink, “Any other topic, I beg you.”

“Sooo, Sir Pentious had two dicks, does that mean your cock is barb-”

Husk loudly proclaimed he was shutting down the bar.

*

Angel tumbled into bed and cuddled Fat Nuggets, grinning stupidly over the blush that Husk got when he was flustered. He hadn’t realised that he’d drunk quite so much whiskey, and along with the adrenaline from his run ins with Val and then Alastor, and whatever weird drug was in Val’s saliva he was feeling more spaced out than usual for not being on drugs.

The situation with Val, and Husk’s situation with Alastor were running circles in his head as he tried to grapple for a solution. Angel sighed loudly; he was too drunk for critical thinking. He rolled over onto his stomach and reached over to the bedside table, pulling out the drawer and rummaging around for the logo’d notepad that came in every one of the hotel rooms.

He quickly scribbled down a note for himself in the morning before falling asleep on top of it.

The next morning he woke to find the piece of paper stuck to his face, he peeled it off and read:

KILL VAL?? WIN HUSKS SOUL BACK???? ASK HUSK ON A DATE !!!!

Angel snorted, wondering why his drunk self had thought his to do list was in any way possible. He shoved the loose paper and the notepad back into the drawer and got ready for the day.

Completely insane.

*

After another week of Val’s unending temper, and even with Angel pretending to come crawling back, Angel started imagining ways of killing Val just to try and keep his temper. It was something he had often done after Val had revealed his true colours and Angel had realised what an idiot he had been to sign his soul away. Every time the love bombing had been replaced with violence, or the sweet voicemails were replaced with degrading shouting Angel had channelled his hatred at his own poor choices into imagining ways to kill Val. It had been quite cathartic in the beginning, but Angel had stopped doing it years ago because it had become depressing, knowing it was impossible.

It was technically possible to kill an Overlord, they were just powerful Sinners, however you would either need an absolute swarm to take them down, or angelic weaponry. Unions were non existent in Hell, and angelic weaponry could be bought, but for an astronomical price from Carmilla.

Angel froze where he was applying his make up. He was set to do a scene in five, Val had blacked his eye this morning and so he was reapplying his foundation to cover it up.

When he used to fantasise about killing Val years ago, angelic weaponry was only for the super rich or those suicidal enough to be out collecting dropped weapons during an extermination. Now however, there was a pile of unused angelic weaponry just sitting in a cupboard in the hotel collecting dust. Actually, Niffty was probably keeping them all shining, but the point was, he had a weapon that could hit an Overlord hard. Hard enough to give him a fighting chance at taking them down.

Angel sat frozen for a long time, it was easy enough to say you were going to kill someone in theory, but actually doing it? He thought about his fantasies of killing Val in this new light of possibility. Would he have the guts when it came down to it?

“Angel, where the fuck are you?” Val slammed into Angel’s little dressing room, “We’ve got a waterboarding scene and I’m not paying to heat the water if you’re late,”

Angel looked into Val’s furious face and imagined it morphing into shock if Angel stabbed him. He smiled sweetly at Val, “Sorry Daddy, just making myself pretty for you,”

He trailed after Val smiling and enjoying his new visual.

*

Despite the joy he found in the idea of it he was still worried he wouldn’t have the guts to go through with it, Angel had tried to leave and resist Val for so long, what if Val drugged him with his smoke, or what if he didn’t kill him with the first hit and then he had to fight an Overlord on his own. Or three if the other Vees were there. It seemed too risky, but he knew Charlie and Husk would stand by him and help if he asked, but then he was just putting them in unnecessary danger.

He slid into the hotel at just gone one in the morning and rested his head on the bar.

“Long night- why are you leaving a puddle behind?” Husk asked as the damp from Angel hair leeched into the bar.

Angel just grumbled into the wood, making no move to lift his head.

“Want to talk about it or drink about it?”

Angel twisted his head to the side so he could look at Husk while still resting his head, “Do you ever think about killing Alastor?”

Husk chuckled, “Constantly.”

“Would you ever actually do it?”

Husk shook his head, “I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. He’s too powerful, and it’s part of my contract,”

Angel made a querying noise.

“Most Overlords have a clause in their soul contracts that means the soul can’t hurt or kill them, it’s a safety precaution, the more souls you have the more people with a vested interest in wanting you dead there are,”

Angel rolled his head back onto the table and groaned.

There was a pause before Husk said hesitantly, “Alastor’s is pretty strict, but he’s smart. I can’t knowingly do anything to bring him harm, endanger him, or kill him. However, other Overlords are maybe- not so smart.”

“Val’s pretty dumb.”

Husk just hummed.

“So there might be loopholes?”

Husk just slid a drink towards him. Angel took it and sipped it thoughtfully. His fantasy of just stabbing Val might be a little bit ruined but he supposed he could always ask Charlie, she would probably delight in the task, or Vaggie. Husk let him mull over his problem in silence and started cleaning up the water Angel had left on the bar.

Angel knew he could ask Charlie, and knew she would go to the ends of Hell to help him, but something squirmed uncomfortably inside him at the thought. She already had so much on her plate and he didn’t want to burden her anymore, not to mention it might put her in danger. She was powerful, but if the Vees got involved then it would be three on one, of course, Alastor seemed pretty intent on helping Charlie for whatever reason, and Lucifer would absolutely help. Angel had no doubt between the three of them they could wipe the Vees off the face of Hell. However, actions like that had consequences, the Vees had allies, and there would be a massive power vacuum, and it all seemed like a huge fuss just because he was stupid enough to sell his soul. Plenty of people sold their souls, and they had to deal with the consequences.

Mostly he didn’t want to be a damsel in distress. He’d spent his life looking for someone to save him from his family, someone who would suggest running away together, and ended up chasing that escapism with drugs. When he got to Hell he’d been terrified, and thought he was going to get killed in an extermination or beaten to death by other demons, and then Valentino had swooped in and coddled him, made him feel safe and loved, promised to take care of him. He’d given him exactly what he’d wanted in life, someone to save him.

Having someone acting as his white knight was exactly what got him into this situation in the first place, and Angel didn’t want to have to be indebted to whoever got him out of it. He wanted to be able to help himself, but he just wasn’t strong enough.

‘Nothing’s fair, Tony, that’s why you rig the game, you make sure you win’.

How could he rig this game?

“How did you used to cheat when playing cards?” Angel asked.

Husk startled slightly and Angel realised he’d been thinking for a while, “Lots of ways; card counting, marked cards, plants, secret signals, sleight of hand. Though I prefer to call it using your natural advantages, rather than cheating.”

Angel snorted, “I don’t think they count as natural, Whiskers.”

Husk grinned indulgently at him, “I grew up doing magic shows so sleight of hand came easily, and card counting is a skill you hone, the rest perhaps were more contingencies,”

Angel tried to think what skills he had that would come in useful for murder, “I know I joke about sucking a john’s soul out through his dick but I don’t think that’ll help me with Val. I mean, hypothetically,”

“Weren’t you the one who told me you were more than just a pretty face? You’re a crack shot, Legs. You got social skills, you can read a room, adapt your personality. That’s useful, you need that.”

Angel thought about that, he’d always been good at the schmoozing bit of his family’s business, smoothing over deals and getting what he wanted from people while his brother did most of the murder and espionage bits. It was why his family put up with his gaudiness and the fact he got high off the supply for so long.

“Thanks Husky,”

“Yeah yeah, don’t go getting a big head now, but don’t forget you’re not the ditz you pretend to be,”

Angel blushed, he slid his hand on to the top of the bar next to Husk’s, and slowly inched it closer, giving Husk time to pull away if he wanted. Husk just caught his eye and slid his own hand closer. Angel hooked his pinkie over Husk’s.

“Everything will work out. One way or another.” Angel said, it was a bit shit as far as promises went, but he could never promise to free his own soul, or Husk’s, or even that they’d always be friends, but he would fight tooth and nail for them to get any kind of happy ending, whether it was together or not.

“Things land where they will. Most we can do is make the best of it.”

“Yeah,” Angel whispered, “Two losers making the best of it.”

He squeezed their pinkies together again, a promise.

*

Angel was filled with determination, and a little bit of whiskey, when he started hunting down some of his old mafia contacts. It took a while, but it had been long enough since Angel was alive that pretty much all of them had died, very few people in the mafia die of old age, and all of them were down in Hell. He reached out to those that he knew wouldn’t go snitching to his father about a one and done job.

He set up a meeting with Emilia, who Angel had actually been tempted to marry at one point. She was happy to ignore his preference for men, and he was happy to ignore the fact that she had her own secret gang rival to her family’s that she was growing to do a take over. He’d overdosed before anything had been set though. He regretted he hadn’t thought to reach out before but since getting to Hell, he’d been deliberately avoiding anything to do with his family and that aspect of his life. He’d left Tony behind and become Angel Dust.

Now he wanted to leave Angel Dust behind and be just Angel.

He was an anxious mess in the run up to the meeting, snapping at the others in the hotel. He hadn’t told Husk where he was going or what he was planning, but judging by the looks that Husk had been giving him, he knew Angel was up to something.

The night of the meet up Angel had dressed in some loose black culottes and a dark leather jacket, hoping the lack of his signature colour would make him slightly less noticeable. He’d tried to sneak out through the hotel, but before he could get to the front door Husk’s voice rang out.

“Call if you need anything,” Husk said seriously.

“Just going out, nothing special.”

Husk gestured to his head, “Got your hat on.”

“So? Can’t a guy accessorise?”

“You only wear it when you’re fighting, and Cherri left to go clubbing a few hours ago.”

“I-” Angel racked his brain to try and think of a time where he’d worn it when he wasn’t fighting, but it was normally when he was helping Cherri with turf wars, or when he’d worn it during the extermination.

“I ain’t judging, just ring if you need help.”

Angel nodded, “Thanks.”

Angel headed over to the neutral territory, as neutral as Hell ever got. It was near Carmilla’s building, which meant it would be free from low level mafia thugs, but far enough away from her building to run into any of her security. He slipped down an alley at the side of a sex club called The Weapon Rack and waited.

After a short while and figure crawled down the side of the building he was stood next to, and his brother, Giovanni, tutted at him.

“Anthony.”

“What the fuck are you doing here Vanni?”

“You’re the one who called the meeting.”

Angel sneered, “I didn’t ask for a meeting with you, where’s Emilia?”

“Told her to leave, this is family business Tony.”

“It’s none of your business-”

His brother hissed at him and Angel flinched despite the fact that in this form his brother was barely bigger than Niffty, he’d always been a little creeper in life, only fitting that he could scurry around with even more ease in death.

“You made it my business when you went around messaging our guys,”

Angel huffed, his knowledge of who was and wasn’t on his father’s payroll was clearly decades out of date.

“Look, Vanni-”

“My name is Arackniss.”

Angel paused, and then let out an undignified snort, “Arackniss? Seriously? Leaning a little heavily on the spider theme aren’t you?”

“Leaning heavily on the drug theme aren’t you Angel Dust?”

“Fine Nissi, I need a hit ordered, and you’ll have to do since you sent Emilia off.” He was hoping that his brother’s reluctance to do anything that might help Angel would mean he would piss off and leave Angel to smooth things over with Emilia.

“Who’s the hit?”

Angel narrowed his eyes, “What?”

“Who’s the hit? You got cum in your ears?”

“Why the fuck would you actually want to help?”

Arackniss paused, it was barely a split second hesitation but Angel caught it, “Look, I didn’t tell Pa about this okay. Just- who’s the hit and I’ll take care of it.”

Angel gritted his teeth, it was so much like it had been in life. Someone had blackmail on Anthony’s proclivities and Giovanni took care of it. Anthony fucked up a shipment and Giovanni took care of it. Angel hadn’t wanted to go to Charlie or Husk for help, but here he was relying on his older brother to clear up his mess once again.

Angel almost called it off there, not wanting to be saved again. He wanted to solve his own mess this time. He knew he couldn’t though, if Val had a clause in the contract preventing Angel from harming him, it wasn’t worth risking his one chance at the shot by doing it himself. He needed help. Did it have to be from his brother though?

“It’s Valentino.”

“The Overlord?”

Angel nodded, Vanni- Nissi might still back out anyway. Not many people would take on an Overlord, let alone for a disowned brother.

“How exactly were you going to sell this to Emilia, I know you were always good at persuading but that’s a hell of a task.”

Angel huffed, he reminded himself this was no more asking for help than when his father used to order hits on rival gangs. He was in charge here.

“Look, I have angelic steel, get a sniper and a clear shot. As for what you get, I have no interest in turf wars, but with Val dead, you’ll have a window of vulnerability with the other two Vees and Val’s territory up for grabs.”

“Even with angelic steel he won’t go down that easy. You’ll need a killing blow, take his head off or something.”

Angel allowed a brief moment of imaging taking Val’s head clean off, and worried he was becoming more spider like the longer he stayed in Hell.

“Needs to be from a distance, the Vees tower is covered in cameras, at least a sniper has a better chance of not being caught.”

“Power cut?”

“If Alastor fried Vox again it would create a power cut long enough to kill Val. But I’m suspect number one, I was gonna used the VoxTech cameras to give myself an alibi, make sure Vox and Velvette don’t kill me instantly.”

Arackniss hummed, although it came out more like a chitter. Angel grinned in spite of himself, his brother’s expressions hadn’t changed, despite the fact that his face had. It was almost like they were back in their childhood trying to work out the best interrogation methods for a turncoat their father had uncovered.

As much as Angel hated him, there was a small part of him that enjoyed seeing his brother. They’d never gotten along, chalk and cheese in personality. While Anthony had adored Molly, he’d taken every opportunity to rile Vanni up, fight tooth and nail at the drop of a hat. Yet he was also someone else who had been through their fucked up childhood, someone he could fall back into casually talking about murder with.

“It’ll only short the cameras nearby, but to be safe it might be worth travelling to another ring if you can, you got the Princess of Hell in that hotel of yours, think she can do a field trip?”

Angel nodded, he wondered if his brother had seen the hotel on the news, or if he’d been keeping track of what Angel was up to. He appreciated the fact that Nissi hadn’t asked why he couldn’t just get Charlie to do the hit.

“Thanks Niss.” Angel said seriously.

“Give me the angelic steel and make sure the powers out. Day after tomorrow work?”

Angel nodded, his stomach clenching at how close it was. Excitement and fear twisting up his stomach. He handed over the angelic steel he’d managed to grab, bullets he’d used for his guns, daggers, spearheads. He knew they’d be able to be melted down and repurposed to suit whatever weapon Niss used.

Niss nodded, and tucked it away much as Angel did with his arms. “Day after tomorrow.” He confirmed before scurrying back up the wall.

Angel inhaled and held his breath for a while before sighing heavily. Time to ask Charlie and Alastor for a favour.

*

Angel had debated trying to lie to Charlie about why he needed them all to leave the Pride Ring but every excuse he could think of just led to more questions he couldn’t answer. So he decided he’d have to do the Charlie thing and just tell them all the truth.

He called for a meeting when he got in that evening, it was barely passed nine, so everyone was still awake. Charlie looked excited for the first meeting that hadn’t been called by her. Everyone else looked suspicious.

“Right.” Angel fidgeted with his lower arms, “I’ve decided to kill Valentino.”

There was a brief silence that settled over the group, before Charlie leapt up and hugged him.

“Angel! Now normally I don’t condone murder, however, that absolute-” her horns started growing and her hair flying up, “Well, he definitely deserves it! Do you need help? What can I do?”

Her eyes were eager, she clearly wanted to make up for her earlier misstep with Val.

“I’ve sorted out the details. The only thing I need is an alibi, and for you all as well, don’t want Vox or Velvette to think any of ya had any hand in it. So I was thinking if we all went on a trip, maybe to another ring the day after tomorrow.”

“Of course! We could go and visit Uncle Ozzie! Maybe do some shopping, and then see the show at his club, apparently it’s quite a nice date spot,” Her eyes flickered over to Vaggie and she blushed.

“Perfect, and then I just have one last favour.” His eyes moved over to Alastor, “Would ya be able to short circuit Vox again, cut the power just fa a bit?”

“Of course I would be able to dear fellow. But what’s in it for me?”

“Alastor!” Charlie swatted playfully in his direction, “We’re helping Angel!”

Lucifer’s eyes lit up at the chance to one up Alastor, “Of course, if you’re not up to it Alastor, I could always cut Vox’s power.”

Alastor’s smile went tight with anger, “I’m perfectly capable of doing it.”

“But you need a reason to help Charlie,” Lucifer tutted, “I would help her no matter what.”

“We’re helping Angel,” Charlie added but it went unheard by Alastor and Lucifer.

“Of course I’m happy to help Charlie with whatever she needs.” Alastor snarled, his smile growing to even more unnatural proportions.

“Brilliant!” Charlie clapped her hands together, “Then it’s settled.”

They all dispersed off into the hotel except for Husk, who resumed his post behind the bar.

Angel sat down on one of the bar stools.

“Drink?”

Angel nodded eagerly.

*

Angel’s final day working at the studio was slightly surreal because he was the only one who knew it was his final day. Every time Val yelled, or smacked him, or made him do a scene again, Angel found himself staring at Val for slightly too long, wondering if this was how power felt, knowing that nothing they could do would stop what was about to happen.

When he left for the hotel it felt like there should be some kind of momentous marking of the occasion, the finality of leaving the studio, but everyone bustled around him as normal and he made his way back to the hotel the same as every day.

He arrived at the hotel at gone midnight, and his nerves kicked up as the mental countdown started, today was the day that Val was going to die. Husk served him his drink as usual, and Angel realised that of all the ‘lasts’ that had happened that day, last time Val called him sweetheart, last time he did a perfect take, last time he left the studio, the one that was affecting him most of all was thinking about how it was the last time Husk would stay up waiting for him to get back to the hotel.

Angel could do whatever he wanted tomorrow, the hotel was rent free so he only needed to make enough to live on, his days and nights were free. He could spend as much time as he wanted to annoying the grumpy bartender. However, there would be a little part of him that missed the quiet of them being the only two in the hotel awake. Their quiet words and laughs, Husk making him different cocktails to try or patching him up when he was injured, it was like a secret shared between the two of them.

Their last evening together was quiet, perhaps Angel’s odd headspace all day had become contagious, or perhaps it was the gravity of what was about to happen. It wasn’t every day an Overlord fell, Alastor’s brutal rise to power by taking out Overlords had shaken Hell to its core. Angel wondered if Husk’s solemn demeanour was caused by him reflecting on his own fall from Overlord status, whether he was wondering if Alastor had planned out Husk’s fall pre-emptively, and the night before Husk had been as blissfully ignorant as Val was now.

When Husk poured their final round, he raised his glass and waited for Angel to join him.

“To Angel Dust,” Husk whispered, “the owner of his own soul.”

Angel gave a weak smile, “Not yet.”

Husk smirked and removed the glass from Angel’s hand and put the two drinks behind the bar.

“Wha- hey!”

“Toast has been made, we’ll drink when it’s true.”

“Bastard,” Angel said with a broad smile.

*

Normally Angel would have loved being introduced to Charlie’s ‘Uncle Ozzie’, as the embodiment of Lust, Angel was a bit of a fan of Asmodeus, and had heard great things about his clubs. However, he was far too preoccupied by worrying about whether everything was going well, what if Alastor decided not to short out Vox? What if Val killed Arackniss first? There were too many variables.

Charlie had ushered them all into a booth at the back of the club, it was early evening and so the main acts hadn’t arrived yet, there was just a live singer and piano player. There were some dancers mingling with the guests.

Husk had slid in next to Angel, even the soft warmth of Husk’s leg pressed against his couldn’t distract them.

“I told Al about podcasts this morning.”

“Huh?” Angel looked at him curiously.

“Told him Vox had big plans for podcasts taking over from radio. They got news ones, story telling ones, music ones. How it meant people could pretty much have personalised radios.”

“Why?”

“Just in case he thought of going back on what he promised.”

Angel pressed into Husk in a brief thanks.

“And Charlie left Lucifer back at the hotel, as a back up.”

Angel grinned, it was odd having friends. He’d had Cherri for years, and while he knew Cherri would always help him, he never felt like he could ask. He wanted to be cool and strong like Cherri, and asking for her help always felt contrary to that. It was nice to know he didn’t have to be the dreaded damsel or the lonely self saviour. He could stand on his own two feet and ask for help when he needed it.

He managed to relax a bit more, and got thoroughly distracted when Fizzarolli took to the stage, laughing along with the rest of the crowd as the imp thoroughly ripped into several patrons. Judging by their drooling stares demons with humiliation kinks flocked towards the tables at the front.

Halfway through the evening when Angel was pleasantly buzzed and giggling he suddenly felt a weight lift from around his neck. It had been there so long he’d forgotten how heavy it had been. His hands flew to his neck and everyone at the table turned to look at him.

“Angel?” Husk asked with concern.

Angel could feel tears streaming down his face, and his phone went off in his pocket. He didn’t need his brother’s confirmation text to know, “Val’s dead.”

Charlie looked viscerally pleased, “Good.”

Angel let out a small laugh, it was probably the most cruelty Charlie was capable of. His laugh let everyone else at the table relax.

“You good?” Husk murmured as the rest of the table went back to chatting happily.

Angel hesitated but nodded, he didn’t want to get into the complicated toxic relationship and all the feelings it inspired here. Husk looked like he was about to point out Angel’s lie, but Angel just rested a hand on his arm, “Later? At the bar?”

Husk nodded in understanding, “’Course, gotta have our toast.”

Angel’s phone buzzed several times in quick succession, and he grabbed it in panic, there was no way Arackniss would text more than once, unless Hell had fundamentally changed his personality.

There was one message from Niss which simply read: what a testa di cazzo

Angel rolled his eyes, it was his brother’s way of telling him the job was done, without saying anything implicating them, but there were no laws in Hell, no one was gonna go through his phone to check through incriminating evidence. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

The rest of the notifications were from his group chat with some of the other stars at the studio.

badass bottom bitches **

sweet_dreams: VAL IS DEAD WTF

barbie bitch: were all dead

barbie bitch: were in hell babygirl

sweet_dreams: HES DOUBLE DEAD THEN SOMEONE TOOK HIS HEAD OFF

suckyalikeahurricane: WAIT r u serious?

barbie bitch: which head?

sweet_dreams: THE IMPORTANT ONE

amna-slamya: cant you feel the lack of CHAIN AROUND UR NECK

amna-slamya: WAT HAPPENED

hoothootmfs: its fucking chaos at the studio

hoothootmfs: vox had a fight with the radio demon and power went out

hoothootmfs: val went upstairs to yell at him cuz we were in the middle of shooting

hoothootmfs: then we all felt our contracts dissolve

suckyalikeahurricane: me and barbs are out clubbing

suckyalikeahurricane: i cant feel my legs let alone the chain

barbie bitch: CANE YOU DON’T HAVE LEGS

barbie bitch: im too high for this are we free???????

2holes6hands: wait val went to yell at vox and then DIED

2holes6hands: did vox kill val??!!

Angel was maybe laying it on a little thick, but Luna had queued him up for the speculation. The rest of the chat descended into wild speculation for the next five minutes with Angel occasionally encouraging his costars’ insane theories. Honestly, Angel was intrigued by some of their guesses, maybe they should all write a soap opera together.

After making a note on his phone that simply read ‘The Real Housewives of the Seven Circles’ he closed his phone.

The Badass Bottom Bitches chat continued without him, until one of Luna’s messages caught his eye.

hoothootmfs: so like do we not have jobs now?

Angel frowned in thought, and then quickly fired off a message grinning.

2holes6hands: looks like onlysins is about to get six new STARS

*

The group eventually made their way back to the hotel, where Alastor was sat practically radiating smugness. Lucifer was sticking pins in a duck that looked like the Radio Demon next to him. Charlie and Vaggie headed straight towards them and started thanking Alastor for his help, while Husk directed Angel towards the bar.

He placed their drinks from the night before in front of him.

“Have these been sat out all day?”

“Just take your drink, loser.”

Angel grinned and the two downed their drinks. Everyone was in a celebratory mood and so the others lingered slightly longer than normal, but one by one peeled off to bed, until Angel and Husk were once again the only two at the bar.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” Angel teased.

Husk huffed but there was a smile about his lips, “How are you feeling, really?”

Angel had drunk enough and trusted Husk enough that the words came easily, “Honestly, I feel a little adrift. Like, I’ve had the collar on so long, I’m not sure who I am without it. Like, I’ll figure it out, but just still weird, still fresh. Dunno if that makes sense.”

“You’ve been crammed into his box, his outline for you, it’s going take a little time to get back to where you were, or form something new.”

Angel nodded.

“Well I look forward to seeing it.”

Angel gave a quiet thanks, one more thing still on his mind. He fidgeted slightly before just deciding to jump in, “I wanna ask a favor, but I wanna respect ya boundaries as well, you know?”

Husk nodded, “Ask away, I’ll tell you if you cross a boundary.”

“Right, well. The collar was heavy but I got so used to it I didn’t notice it, but now it’s gone I feel weird. I was wondering if, this is gonna sound strange, but you know when you’re in subspace and you just want contact and like someone holding ya so ya don’t float off.”

“You want me to hold you?”

“In bed,” Angel flushed, “Sleeping together, but not- but just sleeping, ya know?”

Husk nodded, “I’d be happy to.”

“Really?”

Husk nodded, and went about closing up the bar as quickly as possible. It was a little awkward going upstairs together and hovering uncertainly between their doors before Angel decided he’d prefer to be in his own room. Then stripping down to underwear and curling under the blankets together.

Fat Nuggets had been curled up asleep when they’d come into the room but quickly woke up and started whining for attention, so Angel grabbed him and curled around him, although with Fat Nuggets between them it made it difficult for Husk to curl around him, Angel was about to suggest Husk sleep behind Angel, when a large wing gently rested over him.

It was surprisingly soft, and encased Angel and Nuggets in a little pocket of weight and warmth. Angel burrowed into the bed deeply with a smile on his face.

*

Angel’s first few Val free weeks were bliss, he shopped for himself and Fat Nuggets, he flirted with Husk at the bar, getting the cat to show him card tricks, he even did some singing in the evening to entertain some of the new guests at the hotel.

He noticed how drained his bank account was after a few weeks, and he knew he needed a new tactic, he thought back to his comment to Luna and decided to start an OnlySins. He spent a day setting up a studio in one of the hotel rooms, making sure it was far enough away from anyone else, he wanted to keep his bedroom separate from this and have his own space free just for himself.

He bought fancy sheets and lighting and more sex toys, looking forward to sex work for the first time in a long time. He posted on his social media that he was starting an OnlySins and by the end of the day his fan base had flocked to it and he had a decent following, and his first few videos of him getting himself off with various sex toys while dressed in lingerie were doing well.

He took some requests over the next few days, but quickly realised that to keep himself in credit he didn’t need to work to the bone, maybe a few videos a week, some special requests and he could live off that. Having a ready made fan base had definitely helped, he was Hell’s number one porn star after all.

Angel thought about doing partnered videos, they would probably do better than his solo videos, but at least this time he’d be able to screen his costars and have final say. It was quite exciting. And if one of his new favourite sex toys was a dildo with silicone spines meant to be modelled off a cat demon dick then that was nobody’s business but his own.

Nearly six weeks after Val had died Angel got a call from Luna, one of his old coworkers at the studio, it was nearly midnight and she was sobbing incoherently down the phone. It took a while for Angel to be able to track her down, but eventually he managed to find her in an alleyway outside a club, half unconscious and clearly drugged out of her mind.

She was a tall, lithe owl demon who Val had said looked like she belonged to the Ars Goetia, and often had her filming scenes of royalty getting fucked by their guard, or by kidnappers, or by anyone. Even though she was of a height with Angel, she was only light, and he was able to carry her back to the hotel without injuring either of them.

When he got back he sat her down on one of the sofas, and ran to get the first aid kit Husk had behind the bar, it hadn’t been needed in a while so was fully stocked. It was unusual being on this side, patching someone else up, and worrying what drugs they’d been given.

Luna was incoherent for most of it, muttering out thank yous and apologies.

After Angel had finished making sure all her injuries were tended to, he carried her upstairs to one of the spare hotel rooms and striped her ruined clothes off, wrapping her in a spare sheet and then curling under the covers with her. He wanted to make sure she remained on her side throughout the night and that he was on hand in case anything happened.

The Badass Bottom Bitches group had formed after a rough few weeks where Val got into extreme BDSM scenes which left all of them in subspace with no aftercare multiple times a day, they’d eventually found a small, unused side room and turned it into a bottoms only post shoot room. Whichever ones weren’t filming would curl up on a spare mattress they’d dragged in there and hold each other.

Angel felt slightly guilty that he hadn’t messaged the chat in a while, so caught up in his post Val euphoria, he hadn’t thought to check in with the others on how they were doing.

Luna fell asleep quickly but Angel lay awake for a long time, it was the early hours of the morning when he sent out the message:

2holes6hands: whos free for drinks soon???

It took less than ten minutes for the replies to filter through and Angel was reminded about what hours sex workers and porn stars normally kept.

sweet_dreams: YEESSSESSS NEEDED

barbie bitch: LOVE to! miss you guysss

suckyalikeahurricane: love to but super broke rn

amna-slamya: what about angies hotel place

amna-slamya: think you could hook us up with free drinks??

2holes6hands: YES! I can defo swing free drinks

2holes6hands: come to the hotel whenever

sweet_dreams: SWEEEET!! PARTYYY AT ANGIES

Angel relaxed enough to doze off into a light sleep. He’d find out what happened with Luna and try and help out in whatever way he could.

*

It was an unfortunate by-product of working at Val’s studio that they were all fairly practised at shaking off injuries and drug come downs, so Luna woke up around eight am, and nudged Angel awake.

“For someone named after the moon you sure do get up fucking early.” Angel groaned and dragged himself out of bed, “How d’ya feel?”

Luna shrugged, and Angel had been there before. The feeling of ‘horrid but nothing I’m not used to’.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Luna started smoothing out her feathers in a nervous gesture that Angel was familiar with, “Is it fucked up that I miss Val?”

“No,” Angel said immediately, “He was a horrid, toxic person, but he made ya feel good, made ya feel special, that’s what he was good at.”

“It’s more that I miss being in a contract,” she tapped her beak nervously, eyes flitting to Angel as if he was going to judge her, “He was awful, but at least we had a steady income, work was hard but you knew what to expect. There was always a room full of people, the tops couldn’t do whatever they wanted, just whatever Val wanted,”

“Did a john do this to ya?” He gestured to the injuries and remnants of the drugging.

She nodded, “I’d forgotten how bad it is on the streets, been with the studio too long. I thought he was going to kill me.”

Angel opened up his arms and Luna fell into them, she didn’t cry, she just slumped into his arms despondently. Angel wanted to suggest OnlySins or trying to work for another studio, but he knew Luna was smart as a whip, she wouldn’t be working the streets if she didn’t have to.

“Why don’t you stay here for a bit. No rent, takes a bit of pressure off working?”

“Would I be allowed? I’m not really into trying to redeem myself,”

“Course, besides I know the owner,” He winked with all the eyes on his right side, which dragged a smile out of Luna at least.

He got them up and snuck Luna into his room, both scampering down the corridors in just their underwear. He got them some of his clothes, both of them being tall and skinny meant the clothes fit her just fine. He’d decided to pull out some loose shirts and leggings for them, he didn’t want anything too tight pulling on her bandages.

“Come on, I’ll make breakfast.”

“Ooh aren’t you a nice date,” She swatted at him and the pair of them headed downstairs. None of them had ever really hung out outside of work, too exhausted or broke most of the time, but it was nice to see that their friendship formed over a shitty boss extended outside of working hours too.

He made enough breakfast to feed everyone, which he did most mornings, or rather, most almost lunchtimes. And they took their plates up to the living area for a quiet breakfast. It was odd being the first ones up, listening to the sounds of the hotel coming alive. He could hear Charlie singing somewhere, Alastor and Lucifer bickering, he could hear the sound of Niffty skittering around inside the walls. He didn’t want to think about it too much.

“So what do you actually have to do at this place?” Luna gestured to the hotel.

Angel shrugged, “Try and improve on yaself, I guess. Sometimes we do exercises to learn trust and honesty and all that stuff.”

“That’s it?”

Angel nodded and leaned in to whisper, “It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be, except trying to give up drugs, that’s a bitch.”

“You’re sober?”

“Ish. Been cutting down.”

“Damn, are you still doing porn?”

“OnlySins,”

“Nice, I got an account but it’s trying to build the following, you know?” Luna said.

Angel felt something akin to guilt as he realised why Luna was back on the streets, and there weren’t many other porn studios as Val had a chokehold on the industry, no doubt some would pop up at some point. Angel was lucky that he was Hell’s most famous porn star, his co-stars were not as well known.

“Are the others in the same position?”

“I know Cane and Barbie are, not really heard off the others,” 

Angel knew when everyone else came round for drinks he would offer them the same he had for Luna, that they could stay at the hotel for as long as they wanted. 

Maybe he could cameo them on his OnlySins to try and promote theirs. Feeling better now that he had a plan in mind, he launched into stories about the different hotel members to give Luna a better idea who lived there. 

It was halfway through a story about Husk having to work one handed for half a day because Niffty was upset her favourite TV bad boy had a redemption arc and demanded to be carried around by him, that Angel realised Luna was smirking at him. How she did it with a beak he wasn’t sure.

“Shut up!” Angel blushed.

“I didn’t say anything.” She pointedly took a sip of her tea, “Good for you Angie,” 

* 

Later on that day, after introductions had been made (Charlie was ecstatic that one of Angel’s friends was joining, sure Cherri technically lived there but she’d been away for the last couple weeks causing havoc in Imp City). 

Husk came down halfway through the morning, took one look at Luna’s bandaged up body, wearing Angel’s clothes and simply asked.

“Drink?”

“Ooh! Gin, neat please.” Luna trilled, she had a devilish look in her eye as she immediately beelined to the bar with Husk.

“He does good cocktails,” Angel suggested, he knew Husk had some gin cocktails up his sleeves. 

The three of them spent the afternoon drinking cocktails, although Husk started making virgin ones after the first few. He didn’t ask about how Angel and Luna knew each other but Angel figured he’d worked it out. 

Instead Husk told them stories about hijinks that had happened at the casino he used to work at. Angel suspected it was the one he’d owned as an Overlord, but Husk never mentioned or alluded to it so he couldn’t be sure. 

Luna headed to pick up her belongings, waving Angel off when he offered to help, saying she needed to have a sort out as she was only going to bring what she needed. 

Angel stayed at the bar waiting for her, and Husk came around the bar and sat next to him. He raised an eyebrow at Angel, and that was all it took.

“Beaten up by a john, I didn’t realise that the others would have trouble finding work, I just cared about myself, getting away from Val,”

“You saved them all from Val as well,”

“And sent them working on the streets,”

“Then help them,”

“What?”

“It was your decision to kill Val, you had him assassinated. So you have to take responsibility for the fallout. Help your coworkers, prove to yourself that it was the right decision to kill him.” 

“I mean I thought maybe I could promote their OnlySins, but it’s not a permanent solution, and there’s no guarantee that it will give them enough to live on,”

Husk mulled it over, “Well, you’ve invited Luna here right?” Nodding in the direction she’d left to go and gather her belongings.

Angel nodded, “Luna is staying, the other are coming for drinks soon and I’m gonna invite them then.”

“Have you thought about starting a studio?” Husk asked after a while, the two of them having pulled into a comfortable silence. 

“Like Val?”

“Better than Val’s, there must be a gap in the market now that he’s gone. Get in quick before others set up,”

Angel shook his head, “Vox and Velvette already think I killed Val, taking over his work would be the final straw for them,”

Husk gave him a worried look, “They’re suspicious?”

Angel just shrugged. Vox had been sending him threatening messages but Angel had directed him towards the footage from Ozzie’s showing him enjoying his night off when Val was murdered. Vox had spent weeks trying to prove the footage was doctored, and eventually had to admit defeat. They seemed to have moved on to thinking it was another Overlord, but if Angel started trying to take over Val’s porn then it would only bring the finger of suspicion back into himself, which was the last thing he needed. Husk didn’t need to know that though, Angel had it all in hand.

“Have you ever wanted to do anything else?” Husk asked.

“I always wanted to be an actor, on the stage,” Angel thought about his idea for a Hellanovela and suddenly squealed with excitement, “Husky, you’re a genius! Though I’d have to write it and then find someone willing to film and produce it, Vox is certainly out of the question, I suppose I could run it through OnlySins but it’s not really the right market-”

Angel continued rambling excitedly, and Husk nodded along as if he understood what Angel was talking about. 

Angel rambled until Luna came back with a couple suitcases worth of stuff and Angel whisked her upstairs to share his idea. Luna was as practical as ever, mentioning about how they would get it picked up and needing to write it first, but Angel could see the twinkle in her eye, she thought it was a good idea. 

The two of them spent the rest of the night frantically planning out character arcs and episodes for their porny Hellanovela with a constant supply of eyerolls and cocktails from Husk. 

The next few days passed in a flurry of excited brainstorming sessions. Angel providing the plot twists and dramatic confessions, and Luna providing the political and criminal plots and the character arcs. They made a good team. 

By the time their other coworkers came for drinks, the two had plotted out a full season of episodes and started writing some of the scripts. Although Angel found the actual writing really boring and stilted, he much preferred the spontaneity of planning and mapping out ideas. 

When the others arrived at the hotel, Angel and Luna were in high spirits, and Angel got Husk to make everyone a round of cocktails. He’d given Husk a run down of all their personalities and drink preferences and Husk had tried to make them each a cocktail. 

A candyfloss monstrosity for Candy the incubus, named for the stripes along his horns and wings, making him look like a little peppermint sweet. Barbie had a Pink Rum Punch, as the butterfly demon was as pink loving as her name would suggest and had an incredibly strong southern accent. Amna was a moth demon who could neck vodka like water, and so Husk made an incredibly strong Royal Blue Martini. Cane was a little trickier as she was an elemental demon, which were rarer. Cane was short for Hurricane, as she was an air elemental, she mostly consisted of a swirl of air in the vague shape of a body. She didn’t need to eat and drink in the same way as everyone else but could if she chose, and Husk would be damned if he couldn’t make a drink for anyone. He ended up making Tequila Sunrise Shots, so she could drink as many rounds as the others without having her entire body swirling with alcohol.

Luna had some gin cocktails, and Angel had the drink Husk always made for him, he didn’t know what it was called but he needed to find out so he could order when he was out in the clubs, because it was delicious. The others all loved their drinks and got incredibly drunk and enthusiastic about the project, although perhaps not in the most productive way. 

Candy immediately started drawing out all the relationships on a napkin, putting who was married next to who was sleeping together and who was the secret child of who. He had a glint in his eye while making suggestions for who should play who and roping in some of the tops from the studio who hadn’t been horrid. 

Apparently the incubus had kept in contact with a lot of the people he’d worked with, both behind the camera and in front of it. 

“That’s a good point, we’d need camera men,” Angel nodded drunkenly, “And sound guys,”

“And a studio,” Barbie said, her southern drawl getting stronger the more drinks she had.

“Vox is not going to want to deal with meeeee,” Angel said, half singing the last bit, and then laughing at himself. He realised it had been a while since he’d had more than three drinks in an evening, normally he was distracted talking with Husk. 

“Why?” Amna said.

“He thinks I had something to do with Val’s death,”

“What? Why?” The group all clambered to reassure him, and Angel noticed out of the corner of his eye that Husk’s head had titled up at the mention of it.

“He’s been sending some pretty angry voice messages, apparently on the cameras before the power cut there was the teeniest tiniest reflection of multiple sets of eyes in one of the vents,”

“That’s bullshit,” Candy said, “Loads of demons have multiple sets of eyes,” he gestured to Luna and Barbie,  the former as an owl demon having an extra set of eyes, and the latter was a butterfly demon and had an extra two sets.

“So if he’s not gonna let us do the show, how are we gonna do it? We don’t have enough money to fund that?” Amna twisted her napkin nervously, tearing it to shreds in the process.

“When I was in the Lust ring I was talking to Fizzarolli, and he mentioned that Asmodeus is always looking for new ideas, I maybe texted Fizz with the idea an hour ago and he already asked Ozzie and we’ve got a meeting to pitch it to him in a couple days,”

There was a lot of shouting, excited planning, and celebratory drinking, and the Vox conversation got shelved for another time. Although Angel knew Husk wouldn’t forget about it any time soon. 

The next few days were busy with preparation. All of Angel’s previous coworkers had jumped at the chance to live rent free for the low price of Charlie’s enthusiasm. They spent their days split between doing shoots for Angel’s OnlySins, trying to boost viewership for his ex coworkers, and plotting out their Hellanovela. 

Angel didn’t see Husk as much as he would have liked, he saw him in the evening a bit but there were more sinners at the hotel now, including Angel’s friends, and since Luna had ratted his crush on Husk out to the others they were all trying to get a read on him, which meant Angel couldn’t speak to Husk one on one. 

Candy had tried flirting with Husk, running his fingers over Husk’s chest and twanging one of his suspenders. Angel had frowned at how uncomfortable Husk looked and wondered if he had made the cat look like that when he first arrived. 

He’d stormed over to the bar, angry enough that his extra eyes were out, and tugged Candy into sitting with the rest of them, “Knock it off,” he hissed, surprising himself how venomous his tone was.

Candy had been so surprised he’d not put up a fight as he was dragged back to the rest of the group. Angel had apologised and bought him a drink later, he knew he had no claim on Husk, and was startled to realise that his anger had been because he didn’t want to see his friend uncomfortable. Now he had to persuade Husk of that.

The problem with their unspoken not quite a relationship was that he wasn’t sure of where they stood on a lot of things. They flirted, they touched, Husk had even spent all night cuddled up with Angel after Val had been killed, but they’d never spoken about it again. 

Angel figured Husk was probably waiting for him to make the first move, he was incredible courteous about Angel’s personal boundaries, but it did mean that Angel had a hard time working out where Husk’s were. 

He stayed up at the bar long after everyone else had gone to bed, waiting for Husk to shut down the bar after he made it clear he wasn’t drinking any more that night. Husk cleaned up and shut down the bar, and sat on one of the stools next to Angel.

“Will you stay in my room again tonight? Or I could stay in yours, whichever.”

Husk nodded, “Yours?” 

They went upstairs, and it was somehow even more awkward that the last time, because at least last time he’d had the excuse of Val’s death hanging over them to explain the silences. They both stripped down to their underwear and crawled into Angel’s bed. Fat Nuggets, oblivious of the tension in the air burrowed his way under the covers and curled up between them.

“I wanted you to know that I dragged Candy off because you looked uncomfortable.” Angel said, playing with Fat Nugget’s ears to distract himself.

Husk nodded, “Appreciated.”

“I just- I wanted you to know- I know I don’t-” Angel huffed, he could spew filth without batting an eye but as soon as he had to talk about his feelings he was acting like a blushing schoolboy, “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way, don’t think I’ve ever actually apologised for it,”

“Thank you. Forgave you a long time ago, but it’s nice to hear it.”

“I know you want to be mindful of my boundaries and all, but I’m worried I’m gonna stomp all over yours without knowing, so- what do ya want from-?” Angel gestured between the two of them.

Husk took Angel’s hand in his own and rubbed his thumb soothingly over Angel’s, “I want whatever you’re willing to give me. You want a friend, a lover, a goddamn business partner, whatever.”

Angel shuffled in a bit closer so their foreheads were touching, Fat Nuggets grumbling in his sleep about being moved, “I want everything, loser.” He whispered.

Husk squeezed his hand, “Everything, baby.”

Angel wrapped all of his arms around Husk, not wanting him to disappear during the night, and Husk starting purring lowly. Angel didn’t know about redemption, but he felt like he had made his own little piece of Heaven right here.

*

The meeting with Asmodeus went well, Angel and Luna had gone to present it, showing arcing themes, character ideas, and a bit of pizzaz for good measure. Angel had worn a skin tight black mini dress with a long suit jacket in light pink, and Luna had worn a black waistcoat and wide striped trousers.

Incubi and succubi scurried out of the way for them when they had sauntered in, and Angel felt powerful. The sound of his heels against the polished floors, the way every eye in the room was on him. He’d forgotten how it had felt. He’d felt like this when he’d first started doing porn, back when Val had been his lover rather than his owner. This time he was here with his friend, trying to build their own business.

Asmodeus had been encouraging and enthusiastic about the idea, he’d promised he would evaluate it as a business proposal and get back to them. They just had to wait.

It took a few weeks, which would have been nerve wracking except Angel had made a good friend in Fizzarolli, who texted him updates about how it was coming along. Asmodeus had been looking into studio space, costs, the practical side of the investment. Fizz had said it was pretty much a sure thing, and that he wanted a cameo at some point.

Apparently the difficulty was finding somewhere that could film both the sex scenes and the drama scenes without being on Val’s old territory. There were limited spaces outside of it that could be used, and Asmodeus was keen to keep everything based in the Pride ring, as that was where the majority of Angel’s fanbase was, and where all the actors lived.

They ended up finding a huge run down building which had once been an exclusive BDSM club called Whipped, it had been closed down for as long as Angel could remember being in Hell, but it had multiple rooms which could act as different shooting studios, it had a bar, and the main room was big enough to have different scenery pieces in it.

It was in the opposite direction from the hotel to the Vees tower, without being too close to the mafia run streets downtown. It was a little on the outskirts of town, mostly surrounded by nightclubs and brothels, given what the building used to be, it wasn’t really surprising.

“I have a slightly crazy idea,” Amna said.

Angel raised an eyebrow in interest, Amna was often dismissed as the quiet one, and often got cast by Val as a girl next door victim in kidnapping or somnophilia videos, however, behind the quiet exterior Amna was often the one who had the wild ideas, but delivered in such a calm manner that it made them sound reasonable.

“The show is set mostly in a bar, right? Why don’t we film in the day and run it as a bar in the evening? It would be like live theatre, people could interact with the characters,”

There was a pause while they considered how much extra work that would be.

“It would give us a cash return sooner than just a show, and it’s always worth diversifying your portfolio,” Luna said.

“Ooh! And we could get your bartender to make house cocktails based on the characters,” Candy added. He, Amna, and Cane started excitedly listing ideas. Those three should never be left unsupervised together.

Angel looked to Barbie, who was slowly nodding, “It would mean we could hire permanent staff as servers and bartenders, maybe ones who are looking to start acting, and they could be extras or small parts.”

That was what sold it to Angel. He could offer what he would have killed for when he first came to Hell. A safe job where he could pursue acting genuinely, without having to start in porn and ‘work his way up’ to acting. Now that he was in, his brain was instantly trying to work out every possible angle to make it work.

He knew from his mafia days that bars were a good place for under the counter money, which he might have to resort to for funding. A bar had more upfront costs of needing staff, entertainment, they’d have to refurbish the place to be suitable for filming and a bar. It was an absolute batshit idea, but Angel loved it.

He talked the idea through with Husk, knowing he had a tendency to get swept up in ideas and wanted to make sure it would actually be viable. Angel had a sense of relief when Husk admitted it was a good idea, and even suggested some old workers from his Overlord days who would be down for doing entertainment on the cheap. A few burlesque shows, pole dancers, live musicians.

“It won’t be easy,” Angel whispered, more worried that he would let everyone down. This was the first time he’d tried to do his own thing, and it was a huge project, far outside of his normal comfort zone. He couldn’t just slap on a fake persona and smile and innuendo his way through if something went wrong, he had other people relying on him now. Perhaps he should have chosen something simple to begin with, rather than a massive financial risk.

“Nothing good is easy.” Husk rumbled. The two of them had been spending more evenings than not sleeping together (in the most literal sense). They hadn’t even kissed, but Angel was fine taking it glacially slowly, he didn’t want to rush and ruin things, there was also a small part of him that was enjoying savouring each new experience; first time holding hands, first time kissing on the cheek, first time sharing clothes.

“This feels easy,” Angel gestured to encompass the two of them.

“It won’t always be, at some point we’ll fuck up, say something stupid, or forget an important date, but we’ll work through it, because it’s worth it.”

Angel blushed, he’d never been considered worth a lot of effort. He’d been considered worth a lot of money but that had been the only barrier to his company before.

“I’m gonna fuck up at some point, not just with you but with the show and the bar.” Angel buried his face in Husk’s neck, rubbing back and forth against the soft fur, “And now I’ve got people relying on me,”

“Fuck ups are a natural part of life, but the good thing about having people relying on you is that you can rely on them too. I never had anyone when I first got to Hell. Gambled and drank because it was what I knew, and ended up getting money, and then a casino, and then souls. It happened so quickly, but it was lonely, the only thing I had was the pursuit of more. The gambler’s lot, and then I got cocky, and fucked up. I didn’t just lose my soul to Alastor, I bet my casino, all the souls I owned. I failed all those people, and I didn’t have anyone to help because I thought I was above them.”

Angel petted Husk’s side, listening to a tale he wondered if anyone else had ever heard.

“You’re already better Angel, you care about people, that’s the main thing. You care, and you want to do the best for them. You killed Val, and that fucked over some of them, but now you’re making it right. Will you fuck up in the future? Sure, but I know you’ll always make it right.”

“You’re such a softie, Husky.”

“Blame Charlie.”

Angel giggled and curled into Husk’s side a bit more. He’d almost drifted off to sleep when Husk said, “You never mentioned Vox had threatened you, you just said he was suspicious.”

Shit.

Angel gave a guilty smile, “I handled it.”

“It’s not about whether you can handle it, I know you can. It’s about not shouldering everything yourself.” Husk ran his claws lightly through Angel’s hair, and he nearly melted at how good it felt, “I could have offered you a massage to destress you at the very least.”

“Yes please, Husky.” Angel perked up at the possibility of getting Husk’s paws on him.

“You’ll just have to tell me the next time you’re stressed, baby.”

Angel huffed and flopped back into Husk’s embrace, “Fine! You win this time.”

*

Angel had dressed smartly for the occasion. He’d put on light pink culottes and a white tank top, he’d debated whether to put on a suit jacket as well but that seemed a step too far for a meeting with Charlie, who’d seen him in his underwear covered in vomit and cum before. It had been a bad day at the studio, Husk and Vaggie had been forced to shove him in a bath to clean him.

He'd prepared a list of arguments for his proposal, even though he knew he wouldn’t need them to persuade Charlie, it was more for Vaggie and possibly Lucifer if he was there.

Charlie looked slightly surprised to see him dressed up and carrying paper but ushered him in to her and Vaggie’s room, there was a little sitting area that they used.

“You wanted to chat?” Charlie asked, looking towards the paper Angel was holding.

Angel wasn’t sure he’d ever been this nervous. He’d had so few projects he’d cared about enough to be nervous. He’d breezed through meetings in the mafia because he didn’t care, he’d let his natural charm run wild, and the same with porn, he was cocky and knew he was good looking, and at the time he was sleeping with the owner of the porn studio. This was the first time he had a vested interest in something doing well, and it was causing him to act like a student giving an underprepared presentation for school.

“I wanted to talk to you about the proposal for turning Whipped into a lounge that does drinks and live entertainment, with the official studio upstairs. It’s a bigger project and Fizz said Asmodeus is only interested in the show at the moment, so we’d need to fund the rest by ourselves. We’ve started a GoFundMe page and promoted it on our social medias, so we’ve raised a bit so far, but I was wondering if you and your dad would help with some of the renovations, like you two whipped up this hotel in no time, and I thought it might help us reduced some of the costs.”

“Wait you just want help doing renovations?”

Angel nodded.

Charlie beamed, “Angel, of course we’re going to help! You don’t even need to ask! I’m so excited you’re taking initiative in helping people and making Hell a better place!”

Angel wasn’t sure a boozy lounge and a sexy show were going to make Hell a better place, but whatever got Charlie on board was good with him.  

Lucifer had taken pleasure in agreeing to help for two reasons; it made his daughter happy, and it pissed off Alastor, whose combined hatred of anything sex related and television related made him loathe the business Angel was starting.

Between Charlie and Lucifer, the building renovations were done in a day, they decided to nearly start from scratch, doing up the interior rooms in a more suitable layout, and the same with the upstairs making it suitable for a filming studio, albeit a small one. They fixed any structural issues and did a nice paint job. The building went from run down to ready to open in a few short hours.

“It pays to have friends in high places,” Husk had joked when they’d toured around that evening, with a bouncing Charlie and smug Lucifer. Angel had gushed over everything, so overwhelmed to have friends and support.

He’d broken down crying that evening when he saw that someone (who could only have been Charlie based on the username charlie_starry) had donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to not only reach their GoFundMe goal, but also surpass it. They had been doing fairly well due to Angel’s fame, but it would have taken a couple of months to reach the amount they needed. Angel had already been planning sexy calendars or bikini car washes to raise money, but Charlie had just swooped in and helped. She’d not even told him she’d done it.

He'd cried into Husk’s shoulder, curled up around each other in Angel’s room.

“She already helped though; she didn’t need to do that. I didn’t want to ask her for money, oh fuck I have to succeed now,”

“Angel,” Husk started purring to calm him down, and damn him for using that at every opportunity after he found out how soothing Angel found it, “She didn’t do it to put pressure on, she did it because she’s your friend, and she had the funds to do it. If I had that kind of money, I’d have done the same.”

“I just, I feel like Charlie only did it because she thinks it’ll help redeem me or some shit, what if it doesn’t work, and she regrets it?”

“Then that’s her problem.”

Angel pulled away slightly to glare at Husk.

“I’m serious, if she only gave you the money because of what she expects you to do, then it’s not your problem if you don’t succeed in the exact way she wanted. If you gave me a £50 gift card and then got mad because I didn’t spend it on what you thought I was going to, then it’s your fault for not just getting me the thing you thought of in the first place. But she just wants to give you the choice, the freedom to do what you’d like.”

“Like father, like daughter.” Angel snorted. It was probably part of the redemption that you had to have the choice of being wicked or good. Was someone who’d only been given the option of being good, truly good?

He fidgeted for a long time, unsettled in a way he couldn’t quite pinpoint, until he remembered it was how he’d felt when Luna was telling him about having to work on the streets while he did OnlySins, it was how he felt every time Val had told him his fame was due to Val and not Angel’s own talents, every time his father had given him praise for something that his brother had secretly done for him.  

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve earned it. Like, I’m not doing it on my own if Charlie is helping,”

“What about the people who donated from your OnlySins?”

“Yeah but they were doin’ it because they want to see the sex show, or they wanna come to the lounge, and they’re getting something outta it, Charlie ain’t getting anything outta it,”

Husk shrugged, “Why’d you help Niffty stitch clothes for her roach shows? Or make brunch for everyone in the mornings? Or teach core exercises to Vaggie?” Angel just buried his face in Husk’s shoulder. “Because you care about them, and you want to make them happy, even if there’s no benefit for you. Is it so hard to believe that people feel the same about you?”

Angel thought of Husk making special cocktails for him and his friends, Vaggie washing up after every brunch Angel made, even Sir Pentious had loaned him the egg bois to cuddle the one time Fat Nuggets was at the vets overnight.

“It’s weird,”

“Surely you had Cherri?” 

Angel nodded, he hadn’t seen Cherri recently as she’d been spending most of her time terrorising some neighbours on the other side of Pride since Sir Pentious’ death, she claimed it was unrelated but Angel suspected otherwise. 

“We don’t really talk about stuff though, we just distract each other,” the amount of times Cherri had dragged his beaten ass to a club for drinks and drugs, or a turf war to destress him. It was odd, having seen each other at their worst, and knew every fucked up thing about the other, but they never really shared the good things.

He hadn’t even messaged Cherri about what had happened with Husk. He should message Cherri. 

“I just- I want to do this right.”

“You will,” Husk said with confidence that Angel wished he had in himself. 

Angel grinned to himself, and then darted a kiss to Husk’s cheek. It was something they’d done occasionally but it made Husk blush all the same. 

*

The set up moved quickly, it was amazing what a determined Princess, the leader of Hell, and the embodiment of Lust could accomplish when they were motivated. All of them paled in comparison to Angel’s new lease of stubborn. He stayed up late and woke up early, he was either working on OnlySins, promoting the lounge, organising orders and building furniture, or trying to persuade Husk to let him work when the cat demon pinned him to the bed to make him sleep. 

He had sorted an office room at the back of the lounge first and would have moved in if it wasn’t for Husk dragging him back to the hotel to sleep. 

His ex coworkers became him new board of directors, Luna took over the management of the bar and lounge, hiring waiters, dancers, and sex workers and making sure they were all trained. 

Barbie and Candy took over the management of the studio, scouting Luna’s interviews to see who was also interested in acting, and hiring demons who were exclusively actors, they oversaw the hiring of sound and lighting and started production. 

Amna took to coordinating the shows with dancers and burlesque shows, and even some daytime magic shows that Angel had specifically requested for no particular reason, definitely not because Husk’s face had lit up. 

Cane set up security, bouncers for inside and out, and organised self defence classes for any workers who wanted them. 

Angel went from his own boss to a boss of over a hundred people in the span of several weeks. Thanks to his tireless efforts and the enthusiasm of his board of directors- friends, and staff (a lot of whom had been recruited from Val’s old roster) the lounge had its grand opening to coincide with the release of the first episode of their Hellanovela. Which they projected on a screen on the stage for the opening night of the bar. 

They had brain stormed several ideas for the show name, and narrowed it down to a list of six, they’d agreed upon Demonically Yours, and optimistically saved the rest for future shows. 

The first episode included Angel and Candy’s characters, a couple of social climbing demons determined to bag a high ranking demon. Luna played the estranged member of the Ars Goetia who was pretending to still be affluent, and Amna played a femme fatale like spy trying to infiltrate Luna’s family. Cane was the straight laced detective trying to uncover a sinister plot involving the family. It involved a lot of sex scenes, mistaken identity and throwing of drinks. It left off the first episode on a cliffhanger of finding out all the drinks at the party had been spiked with a love potion by a mysterious figure and was set up for an orgy in episode two. 

They’d done an early release of the episode for anyone subscribed to their OnlySins, the screening at the opening of the club, and then Ozzie broadcast it across the Lust Ring. Angel would need to be in Vox’s good books to try and broadcast it on television in the Pride ring. 

The messages off Vox had gotten more aggressive and frequent the closer to the release of the show, and on opening night Angel had to turn his phone off as multiple voice messages came through one after the other screeching about how he knew Angel had killed Val and that he was going to pay for it, and for taking over Val’s domain and workers. 

Angel knew he was going to have to do something about it, denying his hand in Val’s death wasn’t going to persuade Vox. 

However, he decided to enjoy opening night, he and his co owners had dressed to the nines for the event. Angel had specifically bought a shimmering gold dress with cold shoulders and bell sleeves, and a split up his thigh that went nearly to his waist. He felt confident and sexy, and he’d definitely not chosen gold because he knew Husk’s one smart outfit had a golden bow tie and accents. 

Husk had looked sexy in his old Overlord clothes, his hair slicked back, the silver streaks not hidden by his hat, he had abandoned his regular slouch, and had adopted a suaveness that made Angel’s knees weak. 

Towards the end of the evening, which was in the early hours of the next day, and after mingling and schmoozing with what felt like everyone in the goddamn lounge, Angel grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and dragged Husk into a hidden booth at the back of the room. 

He was tipsy and elated with the success of the evening, even Cherri had showed up in a sexy red mini dress and drunkenly sworn she protect his turf with everything she could. 

“Husky! I have barely seen you this evening!” Angel pouted, he poured them a glass of whiskey each.

“You’re in high demand.” Husk raised his glass in a toast, “I see no difference,” 

Angel giggled and clinked their glasses together, “I’ve been schmoozing, a schmoozer and a dummy,” Angel cooed, he snuggled up against Husk and he curled a wing around Angel, subtly shifting closer as he did, “We should sing together again, and dance, I enjoyed dancing with ya,”

“Whenever you want, baby,” Husk voice was low and gravelly.

Angel squirmed, he wondered why that was hotter than half the filth tops had said to him mid thrust, probably to do with gross feelings.

He tilted his head downwards and towards Husk, hovering just above his lips in case Husk wanted to pull back, but Husk just tilted his head up towards Angel, and Angel pressed their lips together. 

Husk’s wing lifted higher to block the two of them from the view of the rest of the room. The kiss itself was soft and slow, and Angel let out a whine when Husk’s rough tongue met his own. 

They stayed there for a long time encased in the privacy of Husk’s wings, trading soft kisses and gentle taunts about voyeuristic tendencies versus old man sensibilities.

Angel ended the night (even if it was closer to the next morning) wrapped in Husk’s embrace and unable to stop smiling.

*

After the busiest month of Angel’s death, and probably his life as well, he was happy albeit stressed. He was enjoying his work again, but now he was the one who had to put out fires (both metaphorical and literal), review staffing, scripts, stock takes. He had to oversee any changes, have regular meetings with Asmodeus, and still find time to spend with Husk and Fat Nuggets.

A fact that had not been helping his stress levels was Vox’s increasing amount of screechy voice messages, and Velvette’s social media smear campaign. He knew he should do something about them before it became a bigger problem but the thought of having to deal with it made him clench all over with anxiety. Until he remembered Husk’s earlier offer.

That evening he practically skipped back to the hotel, which he hadn’t been to in a while, normally falling asleep in his office unless Husk dragged him home. He slipped onto a barstool while Husk was serving some residents drinks.

He gave Angel a surprised look when he noticed him, and started preparing Angel’s cocktail, “Did the lounge burn down?”

“Wha- no, why?”

“Cuz it’s barely ten and you’re here and not working yourself to double death in your office.”

“Well, if I’m the boss, I can give myself the night off, can’t I?”

Husk looked suspicious, but placed the drink lightly in front of Angel, “You can but you don’t.”

“There’s a first time for everything Husky,” Angel winked. He’d missed the grumpy cat demon over the last month. They’d kissed a few times since opening night at the lounge but the only time they saw each other for longer than five minutes was when they collapsed into bed exhausted and immediately fell asleep.

Angel found himself fidgeting with excitement. He nursed the one cocktail for the next hour until closing, flirting shamelessly with Husk whenever he wasn’t seeing to the other residents. The bar was closed and cleaned promptly at eleven, and Husk and Angel made their way up to Angel’s room.

Fat Nuggets had mostly been spending time with Angel at the office and then coming back to the hotel with him, but Angel had left him with Luna this evening because he had plans. If Husk was curious as to where the pig was he didn’t show it. Angel knew Husk’s grumbling about the pet was all for show, Angel had caught Husk feeding Fat Nuggets treats and giving him scritches when he thought no one was looking.

“So what’s so important that you’re here at a reasonable hour?”

“You remember when you said I should have told you about Vox because even if you couldn’t help you coulda given me a massage to help relieve some stress?”

Husk raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Angel draped himself on top of his bed, “He’s been picking up his threats, nothing I can’t handle, but I’ve been awful tense about it,”

Husk let out a small smile, “How could I refuse when you asked so nicely?”

“It’s for my own good,”

That got a snort out of the bartender, and he hummed knowingly before stalking over to the bed, “Gotta make sure you take care of yourself somehow,”

Angel shrugged his jacket off and paused before deciding to slide his mini skirt off too, leaving him just in his pants and boots. He hesitated even longer before finally taking his boots off, no matter how much he knew Husk wouldn’t make fun of him, he still hated how his feet looked.

Husk just knelt patiently on the bed, he’d placed his hat on the side and shrugged his suspenders off but his trousers remained on.

Angel was surprised how comfortable he felt being so exposed with Husk. Normally he would have been cracking jokes or flirting up a storm with his Angel Dust persona, and he knew Husk preferred the real him, but he hadn’t expected to feel this comfortable being his real self. It helped that there was no awkward fumbling, or nerves, they’d been something more than friends for months, and had seen each other at their worst and slept in the same bed, they already knew all the bad habits and idiosyncrasies the other had.

Angel fished some oil out of the night stand that he used for his fur to keep it soft and shiny, and Husk gently tapped his hip to signal him to lie on his front. Husk’s paws started on Angel’s upper back and he realised that Husk had warmed the oil up in his hands before using it, which made Angel blush like a school boy. It was the little gestures that always had him a squirming mess.

Husk started humming softly, and Angel grinned into the pillow when he realised it was the song he and Husk had sung together an eternity ago.

Excuse yourself let hope in, baby, play your card, be who you are, a loser, just like me

Husk slowly but surely made his way down Angel’s back, finding knots and working them until they released, leaving Angel feeling more relaxed than he had in decades.

“You know, I’m a pretty good listener as well as masseur, if you want to talk about Vox.”

He grumbled but he knew he would actually have to share his burden with Husk and not just reap the benefits of the massage. He explained about Vox’s increasingly regular and unhinged voice messages, convinced Angel had killed Val and was determined to prove it, and Velvette’s smear campaign of him across social media, trying to tank views of Demonically Yours, and trying to get his OnlySins taken down. He realised that spilling all the annoyances of the two remaining Vees, not only what they were doing currently but also every time they’d looked the other way when Val had beaten him, or called him Val’s slut or whore to his face, was relaxing his muscles almost as much as the massage.

“Sorry fa just dumping all that on ya, guess I needed to vent,”

“Better to let it out than have it fester,”

Angel grinned into the pillow, “Just need a bartender ta talk to, I guess,”

Husk let out a soft laugh that melted Angel’s heart, he would do an awful lot just to hear Husk laugh like that daily.

“I think you should tell Charlie though,”

“Why?” It may have come out more like a whine than anything else, “I don’t need her swooping in to help all the time,”

“Not to help, just to have more people’s eyes on the situation,”

Angel grumbled again, “Any time ya tell Charlie about a problem though she just wants ta fix it,”

“I can convince her to hold fire on any well meaning help,” Husk said, and Angel made a questioning sound at the idea of Husk being able to rein in the Princess of Hell and her crusade to help everyone, “I can be persuasive,” Husk defended.

“Well you’ve certainly persuaded me,” Angel wriggled a little under Husk’s hands, “Though I can’t imagine the same technique would go down well,”

“This is an exception,”

“Ah Husky, am I getting the special treatment?”

“You think I do half the shit I do for you for anyone else?”

Angel knew it was true, he knew Husk made him special drinks, and spoiled Fat Nuggets, and gave him massages, even before they entered into whatever unspoken relationship they were in now. Admittedly this was the first massage Husk had given him but he was certain that if he’d wheedled Husk enough about it in the past he would have caved.

Despite knowing it was true it still warmed Angel’s heart.

*

Angel entered into a little bubble over the next few weeks, the show was getting great numbers and the lounge was doing a decent turn over, thanks to the lack of money spent on renovations they were able to start turning a profit already. He and Husk’s soft kisses were becoming more intense and hands were starting to wander. Husk had slid his paws down from their usual place on Angel’s back down to his ass, the cat demon’s larger hand able to cup his ass with one palm. Angel had moaned into their kiss and instinctively jerked his hips into Husk’s, he’d pulled back to apologise and noticed Husk’s pupils were blown wide.

Angel had been getting distracted regularly thinking about it, and mostly been channelling it to write some absolutely filthy scenes for Demonically Yours, his coworkers teasing him for his obvious infatuation. It was a gentle, well meaning teasing, and it warmed Angel’s heart as much as it did when Charlie praised him, or Vaggie gave her hard won head nod of approval. It was nice to know that they’d all survived Val’s horrid mistreatment, and they’d made themselves stronger and made themselves something despite Val, not due to him.

Of course, it was when Angel was feeling on top of the world, or at least on top of Hell, that it all came crashing down. Hell was good at tearing down hope and happiness like that.

He was walking back from the lounge after a day of filming and then buttering up the big spenders at the lounge, his work days were still upwards of fourteen hours, but they weren’t as physically, mentally, or emotionally draining as his days with Val had been, so while he was tired it was pleasantly so.   

He’d barely passed the first few streets from the lounge when he noticed some of the electronics in the windows nearby flickering and strobing. He knew better than to slow his pace though, freaky shit always happened in Hell and you never wanted to find yourself on an unpopulated, dimly lit street when it did. He picked up his pace, seeing more populated streets up ahead, but didn’t make it in time.

One of the shops he passed which had closed down for the evening had several security features, including cameras, which all turned to face Angel sharply. Before he could start sprinting, electricity crackled around them and shot out, forming Vox stood in front of him.

Vox’s perfectly polished demeanour was failing him, his screen was glitching and some of the pixels near one of his eyes were completely dead, they almost looked like broken blood vessels. His suit looked like it hadn’t been ironed in a while.

Angel had always thought Vox was a powerful Overlord, but he hadn’t been as frightening as Val because he was predictable. He had the things he cared about and boundaries not to cross and as long as you were aware of them it was easy to stay on his good side. Now he looked as volatile as Val at his worst and Angel felt genuine terror shoot through him, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since Val was alive.

“I know you did it.” Vox said, his voice was strained and he had a manic laugh bubbling up at his own words, “I spent so long trying to prove it as well.” He laughed, “Why? I don’t need to prove it. I don’t need to justify it.” Electricity crackled around his hands, “I’m just going to kill you.”

“Woah, I didn’t kill Val-” Angel raised his hands placatingly and tried to step backwards.

“DON’T LIE!” Vox screamed, and he lunged for Angel, wrapping his hands around Angel’s throat and tumbling them both to the ground.

Angel convulsed as he was both electrocuted and had his airway cut off. He tried to gather his senses but everything was in overdrive at the moment. They were scraping like children, but Vox was not only physically stronger but also more powerful. Angel had no chance against an Overlord, even if Vox was venting his anger rather than being strategic.

Angel was going to end up as another punching bag for an Overlord again before he double died.

Vox started laying down punches on Angel, electricity still crackling around his knuckles. Each hit landing quickly, as he sat on top of Angel pinning him with his weight. Angel’s hands were scrambling to pull at Vox’s clothes or shove him off, but Angel was just a Sinner against an angry Overlord. He couldn’t even pull his guns out as he was pinned to the ground.

Angel started blacking in and out of consciousness, each breath became a struggle with his abused throat, and his hands and limbs lost motor control due to repeated electric shocks. Vox was going to kill him and there was nothing Angel could do to stop him.

He thought about Husk waiting for him at the bar, getting worried when it got too late and coming to search for him, expecting to find him burning the midnight oil in his office and instead finding his broken body on the ground. He thought about Charlie and Vaggie, holding a memorial for him like they did for Sir Pentious, wondering if he made it to the Pearly Gates in the end. He thought about Cherri, who would no doubt burn down the Vees Tower and create as much havoc as she could and go down swinging if it came to it. He thought about his new friends, his coworkers, he hoped they would forge on without him, he wondered how they would kill his character in Demonically Yours off screen in a way that was emotionally satisfying.  

The last thought made a flicker of a smile appear on his mouth, one of those stupid small things that only mattered when everything else was too big to think about. He’d spent decades trying to break himself in a way that meant Val would leave him alone, he’d self destructed knowing if he killed himself it would at least be an escape. It was typical now that he had found people worth living for, built a future for himself, it would get taken away from him.

Vox’s rain of hits slowed before stopping, Angel was too much of a ragdoll to take advantage of the brief reprieve, “I’m going to enjoy this.” Vox sneered as he removed an angelic dagger from his jacket and held it aloft.

Fear and anger filled Angel as the dagger crackled with the same electricity that surrounded Vox. The words annoyed Angel more than the fact he was about to die. Vox was going to enjoy it? He’d spent the majority of his afterlife having his pain be an enjoyment for Val, and now his death was going used for pleasure as well?

Absolutely not.

Angel was going to die being the biggest pain in the ass possible. Vox could kill him but he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of making it enjoyable for him.

Angel’s six arms reached out towards Vox’s face, jerking uncontrollably with the sheer amount of electricity that had been run through his body. He scrabbled at Vox weakly, much to the Overlord’s amusement.

“Pathetic.” Vox sneered, “I never understood why Val was so obsessed with you. You’re too easy to break,”

Angel focused on the task in hand, locating the small button at the back of Vox’s head. Val had bragged about it once, saying whenever he got annoyed with Vox, he switched him into power saving mode. It would only disorientate him for a few seconds, but that was all Angel needed.

He found the button and jabbed down, holding it for as long as he could, when Vox realised what he was doing.

Vox’s eyes went wide with realisation a split second before his screen went blank. His limbs flailed as he scrambled to try and turn his screen back on. Angel used his panic to dislodge Vox from on top of him, enough that he could sit up and reach behind him for his guns.

Vox’s screen came back to life just in time to see Angel lifting six guns with shaking arms. The spray of bullets went wide as Angel didn’t have the strength to control the kickback, but Vox was at close enough range that it didn’t matter. He was flung backwards with the force of multiple new holes being made in his body, and Angel even managed to land some hits on his screen, destroying the glass and damaging the wiring.

Angel kept firing until he was out of bullets, his ears ringing and vision blurring. He saw Vox stumble into standing, being unable to see or speak he let out a wave of electric energy in fury before retreating back into the security cameras.

Angel collapsed back onto the pavement, his vision blacking out. He knew Husk would come looking for him, or one of his coworkers would find him on their way home. He just had to hope he survived that long.

*

He woke up to blindingly white light and for a second Angel thought he might have actually made it into Heaven, and then every muscle in his body made itself known by screaming in pain. Surely Heaven shouldn’t hurt this much? Was there something worse than Hell waiting for Sinners who died twice?

It took a while to notice anything beyond the pain, but when he did he realised he was in some sort of medical room. He could hear the beeping of a heart monitor machine, the low murmur of voices outside his room, and the soft padding of orthopaedic shoes on linoleum.

The room he was in was fairly big, and there were flowers, chocolates, and stuffed toys filling it. He grinned despite the pain at the clear outpouring of love from his friends.

“Oh! You’re awake!”

Angel jumped at the voice, he’d not seen anyone else in the room when he’d looked around, it took him a moment to find the owner of the voice. What he’d originally skimmed his gaze over as being another stuffed toy was actually the last remaining Egg Boi, the only one who hadn’t been on the ship with Sir Pentious and the others. He’d taken to following Cherri Bomb around, helping her with her turf wars. Angel wondered if that meant Cherri was here, the last he’d heard she’d snuck her way into Wrath and was tearing up territories.

How long had he been unconscious that the news had managed to reach her?

Before Angel could ask any questions, the Egg Boi, who might have been called Frank, darted out the room into the corridor.

A few minutes later he came scurrying back in with Cherri.

“Angie, what the fuck happened?” Cherri dropped in the chair by his bedside, she still had a cigarette in her mouth that was half smoked, which explained why she’d left Frank on guard duty, though not why she’d gone outside to smoke when she’d never bothered with such etiquette before.

“Vox- how long have I been out? And where the fuck am I?”

“Bastard, I should blow up the fuckin Vees Tower next since I’m gonna be back in Pride, oh and we’re in Sloth at the minute,”

“How?” Angel asked, it explained why the place was so clean, and why the strict ‘no smoking’ signs were being adhered to.

“You’re besties with the Princess of Hell mate, she can do whatever she wants,”

“Is she here?”

“Oh shit yeah, I was meant to text if ya woke up,” Cherri threw her phone to Frank who fumbled the catch, “Text Prinny and Angie’s boy toy that he’s awake,”

Angel blushed, “He’s not my boy toy,”

Cherri snorted, “Yeah, more like your daddy, how old is that one?”

“We were actually born about seven years apart, I just died sooner,”

“Huh,”

“How did you know we were-?” Angel trailed off blushing.

Cherri gave him a flat look, “You’re my best friend idiot. One, I know your type, two you were making eyes at him and flirting with him during the fight with the angels, and three, he’s been doing his best impression of a wet blanket, sitting by your side and holding your hand and shit whenever he’s not working,”

“Yeah?” Angel asked softly.

Cherri rolled her eye but knew him well enough to know when to pull punches, “He’s fucking gone on you mate. So don’t go dying on him.” Her gaze flickered over to Frank for a split second, and Angel wondered if she was thinking about all the times she’d brushed off Pentious.

Angel reached out and squeezed Cherri’s hand, “Fucking hell, we’ve gone soft.”

She laughed, “Speak fa yaself, I was setting up a nice patch a land in Wrath before you went and nearly died. But I guess you’re a big target now fucking owning a business,”

Angel asked a few questions about how things had been running since he’d been out, apparently he’d been unconscious for several days, the first day his limbs wouldn’t even stop twitching due to how much electricity had gone through him. Cherri had joked he looked even more like a twitchy spider than normal but he could see the fear in her eye, the thought that he might not have made it even with Hell’s best medical care.

She said she didn’t really know how the business was going, but the tall bird one (Angel assumed she meant Luna) had been overseeing everything in his absence. Angel trusted Luna to have looked after everything while he’d been unavailable, and he was already planning on being out of the hospital by the end of the day.

He and Cherri caught up on everything that they’d both been doing in the last few months. It was one of the things he loved about Cherri, that they could slide back into friendship so easily as if they’d seen each other the previous day rather than months before. It helped because they were both shit at prioritising meet ups, Angel because of his insane schedule and previously Val’s demands, and Cherri because she got caught up in whatever fight she was in or planning.

Angel wasn’t sure how long he and Cherri had been talking when Charlie and several others quite literally piled in through the door. Angel could see Charlie and Vaggie leading the charge, Luna, Candy, Amna, Cane, and Barbie all dressed like they’d been in the middle of a shoot, and finally Husk and Niffty cramming into the room at the back of the group.

The next few minutes were a whirlwind of answering questions about what had happened and if he was alright now. Charlie let slip that it had been Husk who’d found him, he’d gone out to drag Angel away from his office and instead had found him half dead on the pavement surrounded by glass and bullets.

He tried to catch Husk’s eye but the cat had ducked his head when Charlie had mentioned him.

Charlie had actually put her foot down when Angel mentioned discharging himself that day, and it was as stern as Charlie ever got with any of them. She insisted he stay right where he was until the doctors cleared him to go home. Everyone else nodding emphatically along with her. Angel couldn’t even protest because his heart was clenching and his eyes welling up at how worried about him everyone looked.

When Angel had died the first time he suspected the only person who had cared was his twin, Molly, and maybe Niss. Now he had a whole room full of people who looked like they were ready to take on Death itself to keep him alive. He conceded to Charlie’s demands and after an hour of catching up he started yawning and nodding off mid conversation. Vaggie clocked it immediately and tried to usher everyone out.

Luna said they had one more thing to do before they left, and she came closer and perched on the edge of Angel’s bed. She grabbed his hand and clung to it tightly, Angel was reminded of when they would comfort each other after a rough shoot.

“Angel Dust. I would like to make a deal with you.” Luna stated in a very matter of fact way.

“What?”

“I will give you my soul, in exchange for protection and affiliation with your business.”

“Luna, you know you don’t need to give me your soul for that, right?”

She smirked and rolled her eyes, “Of course I do, it’s what we’ve already been doing, but having souls under contract will make you less of an easy target, and make you stronger if you need to fight Vox again,”

“There are other ways, I’m not gonna end up like Val-”

Luna squeezed his hands again, “You’re nothing like Val. He manipulated and blackmailed and gaslit sinners for their souls. We are giving them to you freely and of our own choice because we trust you.”

“We?” Angel asked, glancing up to the others. Amna, Barbie, Cane, and Candy all stepped forward.

Barbie ruffled his hair, “Darlin’ you’ve been helping us, let us help you.”

“This is-” too much. Angel knew they meant well and wanted to help, his eyes darted out to the others in the room. No one else looked surprised so it was something that they’d all talked about. His eyes lingered on Husk, and he remembered their conversation ‘you want to make them happy, even if there’s no benefit for you. Is it so hard to believe that people feel the same about you?’

He reminded himself that relying on people wasn’t a bad thing, it wasn’t a weakness. His friends were all adults who’d been owned by Val, they’d clearly all thought it through and discussed this option. They weren’t going in blind, they had made their own decision, because they trusted him and they wanted him to be safe.

“Thank you,” He could feel tears welling up again, and he started babbling, “Obviously you can put whatever you want in a contract, and an instant out clause in case ya ever change your mind and-”

“Angel,” Cane said sweetly, “You’re our friend, we love you and we’ll protect you.”

“I know I just want you ta know I’ll never abuse that trust, I love you guys,”

They all crowded round him in a big hug, and Angel felt the tears running down his face. Luna, ever prepared, had already written up the contracts. They were short, detailing that in exchange for their soul Angel would provide them with work and protection. She’d even included an instant out clause that included either party, so if Angel want to void the contract he could as well. All their names were signed neatly, just waiting for his.

Luna handed him a pen.

He hesitated, remembering the last time he signed a contract and glanced back at his friends to make sure they hadn’t changed their minds.

They all just grinned at him.

Behind them Charlie looked like she was crying from happiness, even Vaggie looked begrudgingly moved by the scene in front of her. Husk was just looking at him softly.  

Angel realised he’d become the Charlie of this ragtag group of porn stars, they were his wayward residents. He silently swore on his own soul he would do right by them, do everything he could to honour the trust they were putting in him.

He signed his name on each contract one by one, feeling a sudden surge of power as he did so. He could feel the tether to each of them snap into place, and there was a brief moment where he could see a light pink bracelet wrap around each of his friend’s wrists, a little heart in the centre.

“Aw, this is way cuter than the collar!” Barbie cooed.

“Ya know, I could probably make them into garters,” Angel said thoughtfully, glad to lower the tone somewhat after how serious the last twenty minutes had been.

They all started talking over each other in whether or not they preferred the bracelet or the garter idea, and Vaggie herded them out of the room so Angel could get some sleep. Charlie quickly darted over to Angel and hugged him, she had tears running down her face and a beaming grin, she whispered how proud she was of him before darting off after Vaggie.

Niffty had scurried off at some point, leaving only Cherri and Husk in the room with him.

“Better sign this one while you’re at it.” Cherri threw a balled up post it note at his head.

He uncrumpled it to see the words scrawled in nearly illegible tiny letters:

I, Cherri Bomb, give my soul to Angel Dust. For as long as I want.

There was a little doodle of a bomb at the bottom.

“Cherri-”

She held up a hand, “I made up my mind, you’re the only fucker I’d do this for Angie, but if I’m gonna be your bodyguard you’re gonna need to be able to summon me when you’re in a fight.”

“Bodyguard?”

“Yeah,” Cherri said as if he was stupid, “As if you’re not walking round without a fucking bodyguard now. But like, I’m not trailing you day in day out, I love ya but I’ve got stuff to do, but Overlords can summon people under contract, so you ever need back up in a fight, ya can just grab me, even if I’m rings away.”

Angel pulled Cherri into a hug, “Thank you.”

He signed his name and drew a little pig that bore very little resemblance to Fat Nuggets but it was the thought that counted. He could feel the link to Cherri snap into place.

She clapped her hands, “Right! Now that’s sorted, I’ve got territory to take over, summon me if you’re in trouble or else I’ll hunt ya down myself.”

Angel grinned, “Love ya toots,”

“Love ya too ya cunt,”

She slammed out of the room, quickly followed by Frank who waved to Angel before he left, almost getting hit by the door swinging back on him.

Angel glanced over to Husk, the only one still there. He sat in the chair Cherri had just vacated.

“Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

Angel shrugged, “You’ve got a job.”

There was a brief lull before Husk said rather suddenly, “I’d give you my soul if I could.”

“Husk-”

“I would. God, Angel when I saw you lying on the ground I thought-” Husk glanced away again as he’d done previously, but now he was closer Angel could see it was because he was trying to hold it together.

“Thank you, if you hadn’t come to drag me home I probably wouldn’t have made it,”

It wasn’t every night that Husk came to drag him from his work, only on the nights the bar was slow. Angel knew he’d gotten incredibly lucky.

“You were shaking so violently, I thought you were having a seizure or-” he trailed off but Angel knew what he’d thought, he thought Angel had overdosed. It was much harder to do in Hell, Sinners being hardier than mortals, but it wasn’t impossible.

Angel grabbed his hands, “I’m okay.” He shuffled over in the bed, and tugged Husk’s arms until he got the message to crawl into bed with Angel.

It took a bit of shuffling to get them both on the narrow bed but Angel didn’t mind getting close, and he definitely didn’t mind Husk laying a wing over the two of them. He fell asleep to the sound of purring and the comforting smell of spiced whiskey.

*

Even having six souls made a difference to how quickly Angel healed, he was also convinced that having Husk curled up with him purring had an effect. He knew actual cats purring helped injuries heal, he didn’t see why Husk would be any different.

He was back at the lounge within a couple of days, despite Husk’s grumbling, but the doctors had cleared him, technically they had told him to take it easy but Angel had already missed a lot of work.

He was shocked to find a giant card that had gone round the staff at the lounge and studio all filled with well wishes for him. He’d also been approached by a not insignificant percentage of the staff who had heard what his friends had done and also wanted a soul contract. He supposed it wasn’t a bad deal, souls got protection from whichever Overlord held their soul, especially if the Exterminations ever started back up, and Angel didn’t really demand anything in return.

The soul contract from his side was mostly akin to a regular work contract, making sure people didn’t sell trade secrets, or try and kill him. He also included a similar caveat to Alastor that no one could contract out a hit either.

By the end of the week word had gotten out among his workers that they could get protection from him for a soul contract with an instant out clause, and before he knew it Angel had another sixty souls under contract.

He spent that whole evening at the hotel with Husk, demanding a constant stream of cocktails to numb the shock. Even accounting for the fact that a lot of the workers had come from Val’s studio either as talent or crew and knew Angel Dust from working together it was hard to imagine anyone putting that much trust in another. It made Angel want to do right by them all but it also terrified him. He wondered if that was how Charlie felt all the time and gained a newfound respect for her.

The one that had gotten to him the most was a young dragonfly demon, he had looked at Angel with stars in his eyes and told him he wanted to be an actor on Demonically Yours, that he’d do anything, sign anything to make that dream come true. The kid must have been no older than twenty, fresh faced in death and new to Hell. He reminded Angel so much of himself back when he was Anthony it was horrifying.

Angel set him working as a waiter at the lounge and an extra in some of the episodes, giving him quippy one liners and good characterisation, knowing if he became a fan favourite he could become a regular side character.

The demon, Elias, had signed the contract and ended up with a slight hero worship over Angel. Angel was used to fanatic fans, but it had always been because of his films and the hero worship was more sexual in nature, whereas with Elias it was an admiration founded in gratitude. Angel had done something good. He had given Elias the help that he wished he had gotten when he first arrived in Hell.

He also ensured that all of his staff were trained in self-defence and trained with guns for anyone who wanted. He ended up falling back on a lot of the training he had received growing up in the mafia, and he was reminded again that there was more to him, more to Angel Dust, than drugs and sex.

He didn’t want to draw too much attention to his new Overlord status, especially with Vox still lurking, and so he slowly started expanding under the radar by getting a steady supply of drugs to be sold at the lounge. Charlie had been disappointed, but Angel knew it was right. There was always going to be a demand, ignoring it wasn’t going to stop people from using, it was better to make sure they were getting good quality stuff that wasn’t cut with Lucifer knows what, and not taking it in back alleys or on their own.

Angel made sure there was a needle exchange programme, sober companions to make sure no one overdosed, and information about getting clean for those who wanted it. He also got some users who were old friends to round up any drugged up sinners they found on the street and brought them to the lounge, Angel offered them jobs and contracts for any who wanted them, and directed them to the hotel so they had a roof over their heads.

He ended up with more staff that he needed, and so rather than cutting down anyone’s hours, he decided to expand further. He used what he learned from his father’s business practices and got his top ‘lieutenants’ as Candy kept referring to them to gain properties in their names.

It was mostly sex toy shops to begin with, but after a few months, they started opening some more discreet businesses, ones people wouldn’t think to associate with him. Small corner shops, a hairdressers, a massage parlour.

The main reason was to ensure that the Overlord council, mostly Zestial and Carmilla, didn’t clock how powerful he was becoming. The council often kept an eye on smaller Overlords to ensure they didn’t get too big for their boots. Most Overlords tried to gain power as quickly as possible so by the time they registered as a threat they were too powerful to take down easily.

Angel knew the power in being underestimated, and wanted to use that, so he laundered money through smaller businesses that weren’t in his name so on paper it looked as though his lounge and show were doing modestly well. He also increased the pay for his staff and threw a few employee only nights where he footed the drinks bill, both to increase morale and to stop his profits looking too high to any other Overlord who might nose into his business.

He wouldn’t put it passed Vox.

Thankfully, after being severely damaged by angelic weaponry and humiliatingly almost taken down by a mere sinner, Vox seemed to be leaving Angel alone. It helped that word of the new Overlord of Pleasure was likely discouraging Vox from another bout with Angel.

Husk still had a habit of worrying over Angel, which felt better now that he knew he could take care of himself. Before he’d always worried that Husk had wanted to be the knight in shining armour who swept Angel away from Val’s evil clutches and in turn he would be rewarded with Angel’s love. Angel had saved himself though, and was pleasantly surprised to find Husk just wanted to be with him for his own sake. 

He and Husk had started spending every night curled up with each other, either in Husk’s room at the hotel or Angel’s newly fitted room next to his office. 

It seemed to worry Husk that he’d only gone to check on Angel that night by chance, and had he not have Angel wouldn’t have been found potentially until it was too late. 

He seemed to cope with this by just spending every night with Angel now, which Angel wasn’t complaining about in the slightest. He’d already moved half of his belongings into Husk’s room anyway, now their belongings were split across both of their rooms. 

One night Angel had come over to find that Husk had gone out and bought a second pet bed for Fat Nuggets to stay in his room so Angel didn’t have to drag the one he had back and forth. Angel may have cried a little in the privacy of the bathroom over it. 

The first time they had had sex was almost unremarkable. They had already been building from handjobs and blowjobs, that evening had simply felt like a natural extension of that. The room had only been lit with the string lights in Angel’s room, and Husk’s wings had encircled them for additional privacy. Everything had felt soft and lighthearted, they had still been cracking jokes between them and laughing. It was the softest vanilla sex Angel had ever had and it was everything to his battered romantic heart. 

He still fantasised about rougher sex with Husk, he knew he could make those wings flap, but he knew there was no rush. He planned to be with Husk for as long as he could, and he knew when they got there it would be so much better than before. There would be safe words and aftercare and all those things Angel hadn’t thought were important until he’d been without them. 

When he’d been clearing out his old room at the hotel, deciding to split his belongings between his new room and Husk’s, he’d been sorting out all his sex toys, dragging out boxes from under the bed and emptying drawers when he found a note in his bedside drawer, crumpled from where it had been unceremoniously shoved in there.

KILL VAL?? WIN HUSKS SOUL BACK???? ASK HUSK ON A DATE !!!!

Angel fondly traced a finger over the wobbly handwriting, he barely remembered the night he’d written it, but it made him smile now. It felt like a lifetime ago, when in reality it hadn’t even been a year. 

He folded it up and tucked it away in his day planner, even just the fact that he had a goddamn day planner was a miracle compared to a year ago. Admittedly it was mostly due to Luna, who had slammed it down in front of him after he’d forgotten about a meeting for the third time in as many days. 

He was getting better at being responsible, knowing he had people relying on him was a blessing and a curse, but he liked to think he was a reasonable boss. He didn’t shout at staff, or harass anyone so he was already better than Val. He got stressed a lot and impatient but he tried not to take it out on anyone, mostly because he worried it was his own fault. He mostly ended up venting to Husk and Fat Nuggets in what he’d taken to calling his End Of Day Debrief, and Husk’s low voice would calm him back down and make him realise that whatever he was stressing about wasn’t as bad as he’d made it seem.

Angel often forgot that Husk used to run a casino, he knew how annoying it could be when people instantly came to get their problems solved instead of trying to do it themselves. 

“Like how am I meant to deal with caterers? It’s not even like we serve food, it’s fucking bar snacks!” Angel ranted, he was lying in bed in Husk’s room with Fat Nuggets settled on his chest. 

Husk hummed and threaded his fingers through Angel’s hair.

“And then! Then Elias came to me about a typo in the script! Who cares? I’ve got too much to do,”

“Delegate.” Husk said, he’d been trying to get Angel to hire a personal assistant for months, and Angel had been refusing up until now, but work had been so manic the option was looking more appealing.

“But I’d have to do interviews and screen people and then do I make them have a contract so they don’t fuck me over and then I gotta make sure the contracts not too harsh-”

“Baby,” Husk crooned, his purring kicked up a notch as if he could forcefully calm Angel down, “Just get Elias to do it. Kid idolises you, and he’s clearly keen to do more.”

“I- huh,” Angel could admit it wasn’t a horrid idea, “Okay lemme just-” he reached for his phone but Husk caught his hand.

“In the morning,” 

“Ya gonna distract me?” Angel wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Not with the pig here.”

Angel gasped and clutched Fat Nuggets to his chest, “He has a name!”

“And he’s living up to it,” Husk poked Fat Nuggets’ side, “He’s too big to be in the bed,”

Angel was going to protest but he couldn’t deny that Fat Nuggets had hit a bit of a growth spurt recently. He knew that teacup demon pigs were a lie but Fat Nuggets had been small for so long that he’d assume he was just small. 

However he’d grown enough that Angel now struggled to pick him up, and he definitely couldn’t swing him around anymore. 

“Don’t worry Nuggs, you’re still my baby boy,” Angel squished his cheeks together and gave him air kisses, “But you need to leave so your Daddy can get laaaaaid,” 

Angel struggled to corral Fat Nuggets into the bathroom now he was bigger and more indignant at being shooed. It took a while chasing him around the bedroom, backed to the sound of Husk snorting in amusement. 

“The powerful Overlord of Pleasure,” he smirked.

Angel closed the bathroom door behind him and turned to face Husk, trying to keep a straight face despite the fact he wanted to laugh too. 

He put on his best cocky smile and shimmed his hips and he walked over to the bed, “Overlord of Pleasure at your service,” 

Husk’s eyes raked appreciatively over him despite the fact he was just wearing his pyjamas. Angel’s heart clenched with just how much he loved Husk. 

“I love you,” Angel said, dropping the act and curling up next to Husk. They’d not said it before, but Angel had felt it for a long time, even if he’d never articulated it in his thoughts before. 

He had a brief moment of panic that it was too much or too soon or-

“I love you too,” Husk rushed out, as if the words had been waiting on the tip of his tongue for a while. 

He blushed and Angel looked at him curiously. 

“Didn’t want to scare you off,” Husk admitted, and Angel knew that Husk’s last relationship had been during his life, that he’d fallen hard and stayed in love for decades. Husk had admitted he was hard pushed to hand out his heart but when he did it was with all of it. 

“Baby,” Angel crooned, and curled up closer, “I’ve been in love with ya a long time, probably since the night before the Extermination, I guess I just never put a name on it,” 

Husk pretended to huff but Angel could hear him purring. 

“Loser,” Angel teased and started kissing down Husk’s chest.

Husk grinned back at him broadly, “Loser,” he said fondly. 

Fat Nuggets was very put out that he wasn’t allowed back in the bedroom until the following morning. 

*

Angel was signing off on some paperwork for bar stock, eagerly looking forward to lunch with Husk, when he had a text come through.

‘On run for Al, can’t make lunch’

Angel frowned, it had been a while since Alastor had made Husk do errands for him, it normally involved fighting or gambling if he dragged Husk out for it, mostly the former. 

‘Let me know if you need help 🔫🔫🔫🕷️🔫🔫🔫’

He knew Husk wouldn’t ask for help but that didn’t mean Angel would ever stop letting him know it was there. He grew up in the mafia, it wouldn’t be his first run breaking knees. 

Mostly Angel felt guilty that he’d vaguely forgotten that Husk was under a tight contract. Now that Charlie’s hotel actually had guests, Husk was just making drinks the majority of the time, and the nights he came back bloodied after a mission were few and far between. 

It may have slipped Angel’s mind but it certainly wouldn’t have slipped Husk’s. Angel remembered the weight of Val’s chain around his neck, it had been a long time since he’d seen Husk’s but he couldn’t forget how fucked up the Radio Demon’s chains were.

Angel spent his lunch mulling over the problem, before he rang Alastor. The bastard didn’t have a mobile so he couldn’t text him, the Radio Demon had a goddamn candlestick telephone that he’d pull from behind his back like Angel did with his guns. It didn’t even connect to anything, Angel was convinced that it was in fact a mobile and Alastor just did it to fuck with people. 

The line connected and Alastor’s upbeat voice came through with some music. 

“Alastor?”

“Hello my effeminate fellow, what can I help you with today?”

“I want to set up a meeting, Overlord to Overlord.”

The was a beat of silence and static.

“How intriguing.” Alastor said, and Angel could almost hear his smile getting bigger. 

“If you’re free-”

Shadows started forming in Angel’s office and Alastor materialised. 

Angel hung up the phone, “Well I was gonna say tomorrow but now works too,”

“How could I refuse such an intriguing proposal? You want a meeting as Overlords despite the fact you’ve done your upmost not to be known to the Overlord council.” 

Angel frowned and gestured for Alastor to sit across from him, but the demon just kept smiling and standing.

He’d been hoping to give himself at least a day to work out what he was going to say to Alastor, however, he was a performer first and foremost and had a poker face to rival Husk’s. 

“I wanted to speak to you regarding Husk’s soul contract.” 

Alastor looked genuinely surprised, “Why?” 

“You’re really curious as to why I, a newly minted Overlord, is interested in his boyfriend’s soul contract with another Overlord?” 

“I don’t see why your relationship status has any effect on it.” 

Angel sighed, “I have a vested interest in making him happy, and releasing him from his contract will make him happy.”

“And why should I release him? He’s very useful,” 

“Because I’ll offer you something of equal or greater value,” Angel hedged, this was the part that he’d been hoping to have more time to think about. What in the seven rings would the Radio Demon value more than a highly skilled former Overlord in indentured servitude. 

“I’m open to offers.” Alastor said, though Angel got the impression that he thought Angel was talking out of his ass, which he was but he didn’t want Alastor to know that.

Angel was used to reading johns to work out what angle to use, were they submissive or dominant, did they want to be fawned over or ignored, but all his expertise had a sexual slant which wouldn’t work for Alastor. 

What did Alastor love more than anything? Power, utility, efficiency. Angel stared into Alastor’s sharp grin and wondered if the better question was what did Alastor hate more than anything. 

“Vox.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“You’re more powerful than Vox-”

“Flattery does not work on me,”

“-in terms of raw power,” he’d toppled enough Overlords to prove that, “But you lack the technical expertise to do away with Vox completely,” 

It was a complete guess, but there had to be a reason that Alastor had lost the bout with Vox before he disappeared for seven years, and no matter how many fights they had Alastor never just wiped him out. Angel knew that Vox had a hate boner for Alastor which was why he’d never kill the demon completely but it made no sense on Alastor’s side. 

“I don’t need to know how the wire brain works to crush it.” Alastor said.

“So why don’t you just kill him yourself?”

“Good day Angel, contact me when you have something to offer.” He turned and headed for the door, which seemed redundant as he’d teleported in, but he probably wanted it for the drama of being able to close the door to audibly support his point. 

Angel wracked his brain for any reason that Alastor might not be able to kill Vox. He thought back to what Husk had said about not being able to bring harm to Alastor. He remembered the torn picture of Alastor and a young looking Vox from the Vees Tower. He knew fledgling Overlords would often make pacts with each other not to attack each other. They weren’t soul contracts but they were binding deals nonetheless. 

“Did you make a deal?” Angel asked with incredulity. 

Alastor’s head snapped around at an unnatural speed and he grew antlers and a curved spine as he advanced upon Angel.

“I see Husk has been running his mouth about my private matters-”

“Husk?” That pulled Angel up short, what did Husk have to do with anything? And why was Alastor so defensive about a handshake contract that a lot of young Overlords made? 

Angel looked in horror at Alastor and the glowing green stitches round his mouth, so similar to the green of Husk’s chain. 

“Did you sell your soul?” 

The rage that filled Alastor’s face answered his question. 

“I told Husker what would happen should he ever mention it again.” The voice was distorted and crackling, and he could see Alastor raise a hand to summon chains.

Angel reacted instinctively and shot out a hand to stop him. He could feel himself growing tall and spindly, arms shooting out and all eight of his eyes glowing. He didn’t have time to examine his own Overlord form, even though he was curious, never having been angry enough to show it before, but now his focus was solely on Alastor and ensuring Husk’s safety.

“Husk didn’t tell me, your reaction did,” his voice was hissed, and Angel could feel venom dripping from his mouth.

Alastor’s gaze focused in on him. 

Angel continued, “I was referring to a handshake deal with Vox to stop you from killing each other, you gave yourself away.” 

Alastor sneered and shrunk back down, “A deal made out of necessity while I was accumulating power,”

Angel let his Overlord form recede slightly, keeping the power thrumming at his fingertips in case he needed it. 

“So you can’t kill him yourself.” Angel grinned, he’d solved it, he’d found a bargaining chip, “In exchange for releasing Husk’s soul contract, I will bring you Vox’s dead body- or, I can bring you his soul to put on your radio.” 

The perpetual static around Alastor crackled excitedly, and his shadow started growing up the wall. 

“So we have a deal?” He held out his hand.

Angel narrowed all eight of his eyes, “In exchange for the immediate and permanent release of Husk’s unharmed soul, I will bring you Vox’s soul for your use.” 

Alastor tutted, “So formal, we’re old friends now Angel, I wouldn’t dream of doing you a bad deal,”

“Thank Lucifer,” Angel snarked.

“I’ll do no such thing.” Alastor’s grin went sharp, and he lifted his outstretched hand to remind Angel of its presence. 

Angel grabbed it and reminded himself he’d not put his own soul on the line, however, it was Husk’s chance at freedom that was at stake. 

Pink and green mist swirled around their hands and echoed out, much like it had done with Charlie and Alastor’s deal. 

Faintly he could hear footsteps running towards his office, and just as Alastor vanished back into the shadows, Luna and his others ‘lieutenants’ came piling into the room.

“What the fuck was that?” Luna demanded.

“It was like a wave of energy coming out the office,” Candy added as if Angel had been unaware of what had just happened.

“Just some personal business,” Angel hesitated, if he was going to take down Vox he’d need help to ensure success, “though I would be grateful for any help,” 

They all agreed immediately, which made Angel smile.

“Let me tell you what you’re getting into before you agree,”

They all still agreed wholeheartedly. 

*

Angel had been hesitant about telling Husk, he didn’t want to get hopes up in case he couldn’t get Vox’s soul, but he didn’t like the idea of sneaking around behind Husk’s back about the fate of his own soul. 

That and he didn’t want Husk to hear it from Alastor first. 

So that evening when they were curled up in bed together, Angel told him the deal he’d made with Alastor. 

Husk was, to say the least, worried.

“A deal with Alastor? Are you mad?”

“It was a handshake deal not a soul contract!”

“It’s still binding, why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because I love you, you idiot!” Angel was glad they’d already said it because those words came out of his mouth without thinking and he wouldn’t have wanted the first time he said it to have been during an argument. 

“I’m fine!” Husk said instinctively.

Angel just gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look, “I’m not trying to white knight you or whatever, I was going to have to deal with Vox again at some point, I’m not stupid I know he’s not going to give up. I just figured if I could free you at the same time, it was worth doing.”

Husk glared at him, trying to find the lie, but Angel had a good goddamn poker face, and he knew exactly which tells Husk would be looking for. 

“You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same if our positions were reversed.” Angel added, knowing he’d hoist Husk on his own petard.

“Fine. But don’t endanger yourself or your souls for me, if you can’t get Vox’s soul, just kill him, don’t worry about me.” 

Angel huffed but agreed, secretly he was thinking that getting Vox’s soul might actually be easier in the moment, overall it would take more preparation, but Angel had been in contract with Val for decades, he had more patience than most people assumed of a porn star drug addict. 

They settled back down, no worse for wear for their first proper argument, though Angel did experience being cuddled aggressively for the first time. Husk knew Angel’s love language was touch and didn’t want Angel to think he didn’t love him despite the fact he was still annoyed. 

*

Angel had spent decades listening to Val tell him his only worth was in his appearance and sexual prowess, so he was pleased to remind himself that was complete bullshit. 

Sure he knew he was a good marksman and he could manipulate and schmooze, but his skills in planning a take over and sabotaging rival gangs hadn’t abandoned him either. 

Angel and Nissi, back when they were Tony and Vanni, had been taught from their teenage years about eliminating competition and defectors. That knowledge was incredible useful now he was planning the downfall of the remaining Vees. 

He and his lieutenants mapped out the best targets for hitting Vox and Velvette where it hurt, namely their suppliers and workers. 

Vox relied on sinners buying products, and the technology to mass produce those products. Velvette relied on influencers to promote both products and her apps. 

Amna and Cane organised a hit through some gang connections of their own to sabotage incoming parts for Vox’s products. That was easy enough, all it required was a monetary cost. 

The rest was more difficult, Candy called in some favours as he’d originally started as an influencer for Velvette himself. He dropped some hints that after Val’s death Vox and Velvette had become unstable, using the delays in Vox’s new product releases as a sign that things were going south. 

Candy and Barbie then broke into some of the factories where Velvette’s face creams and weight loss pills were made and sabotaged the stock giving people a mild dose of Angel’s new paralytic venom, which they’d been running experiments on, they put in just enough to make people have mildly adverse effects, like cramping and muscle spasms.

It also gave sinners unwavering horniness for hours, but that wasn’t really new for hell. 

Within weeks stocks in VoxTech were tanking and Velvette was being cancelled on social media. Angel knew this kind of outrage never lasted long and so they needed to strike while the hellfire was hot. 

Luna and Angel had been starting a subtle smear campaign online since Velvette had been cancelled, slating the remaining Vees and questioning if Val had been the backbone, also stoking the rumours that Val had gone to see Vox right before he died and that Vox had shorted out all the cameras just beforehand. 

If there was anything the sinners of Hell loved it was a good conspiracy theory, before long the unsolved murder podcasts of hell jumped on the death of Valentino, and videos that Velvette had posted of the two of them making out after the last extermination led to theories that Vox had been a scorned lover, exacerbated by the fact that ‘an anonymous source’ leaked that Vox had then tried to frame Angel and kill him too. 

Angel had been inundated with interview requests but he declined them all, and then released a statement saying he had been devastated by Val’s death, having known and worked closely with him for decades, that he’d tried to convince Vox that he had been on a specially dispensated trip to Lust as part of his redemption at the Hazbin Hotel when Val had been killed but Vox had been insistent. He said he wouldn’t do any interviews as he and many of the workers who had been displaced were trying to put their lives and livelihoods back in order. 

Overnight Angel was painted as a hero and a survivor. 

He knew it was time to act. 

He insisted on doing the last bit himself, this was where all the risk lay and it wasn’t fair for Angel to ask them to risk their lives for Husk. 

They protested that he would need back up but Angel argued that getting the jump on them was more important. He’d been experimenting with his venom since he found it was a horny paralytic, which seemed to counter each other. Apparently a lot of it depended on his intent, much like Val’s smoke acting as both an aphrodisiac and rohypnal, or Vox’s hyponotism either making people susceptible to suggestion or flat out turning them into zombies. Half of it was controlling the strength behind it. Enough pressure to get blood pumping, not enough to start congealing it.

He waited until outrage was at its peak, and the Vees at their lowest, and then he broke into the Vees Tower, he’d paid some young hell born to spray over the exterior cameras, making it look like vandalism, just so Vox couldn’t see his approach, he didn’t care if there was evidence of him in the building this time, because hopefully Vox wouldn’t be around to care. The main thing was not getting spotted before he was ready to attack. 

Once inside he shifted into his Overlord form and skittered up the wall, he’d tried it after seeing Niss do it but he’d only managed it in his Overlord form, which did make Angel wondered if Niss had some souls under his belt, not enough to be a fully fledged Overlord but enough to give him the advantage over the average sinner. 

Angel made his way through the Vees Tower on the ceilings, higher than the interior cameras looked. Val ran at all hours, barely sleeping a few hours each night, but Vox ran on an 8-8 schedule for his workers and Velvette tended to start in the afternoon and finish around midnight, so Angel had made sure to hit it in the early hours of the morning when they’d both be asleep. 

He went to Vox’s room first, grinning at how easy it was to navigate his way around his old stomping ground. It would be harder to get enough venom into Vox as Angel had no idea how his screen mouth actually worked, he’d seen him drink coffee out of it but he didn’t want to fry circuitry by accident. 

In the end he just bit down on Vox’s thigh, hoping the paralytic would be fast enough, and Velvette a deep enough sleeper. 

Vox jolted awake and Angel shoved a pillow in his mouth, Vox’s limbs were already jerking and his struggling was panicked and ineffective. His movement became stiffer and Angel started wrapping him in web to tie him up. 

As soon as he released the pillow Vox tried to yell but he was seizing too much to get out anything louder than a groan.

“I’ill’ya,”

Angel just kept working, when Vox was fully restrained and paralysed he hefted the Overlord on his shoulder and walked out to the lounge, dumping him on the sofa and then proceeding to Velvette’s room. 

Velvette was easier because she slept with her mouth open and Angel just dripped venom in her mouth and waited until her limbs went stiff before manhandling her to tie her up in web. She woke up halfway through and tried to yell much as Vox had. 

He just lifted her onto his shoulder and put her with Vox. 

He didn’t know how long the paralytic would take to wear off but he made sure to lock the apartment down using the measures he’d seen Vox use a thousand times during exterminations. The shutters rolled down over the windows and the doors sealed. Security would be alerted but by the time they got here it would be too late. 

“Right, I’ve gotten out of the habit of late nights so if we can sort this quickly so I can go to bed.” Angel sat on the coffee table in front of where Vox and Velvette were stretched out across the sofas. 

“I have no issue with you Velvette, I just couldn’t have you raising the alarm or trying to stop me. Vox, I’m afraid I have a need for your soul.” 

Angel paused, thinking Vox was going to protest before remembering he couldn’t. 

“Alastor owns the soul of my boyfriend, and I simply can’t have that. I’ve been trying to gather enough souls to stop him but it’s taking too long. So I’m going to need your soul.”

Vox’s eyes widened and some of the pixels on his screen glitched.

“I know, I know, what’s in it for you? You see the thing is, Alastor wanted you dead, as he can’t kill you because of the deal you guys made, and I said I’d kill you for him in exchange for Husk’s soul. And with you tied up and paralysed in front of me I could do that, but I’d much rather get rid of the Radio Demon entirely and for that I need your soul and by proxy all the soul contracts you have.”

 

Vox’s screen glitched more.

“You don’t have much of a choice I’m afraid, you either die and I get want I want from Alastor, or you live and your soul is mine.”

It was a hefty sized bluff, it truly would be much easier just to kill Vox and be done with it, but he needed the soul to free Husk’s. The first rule of gambling though was never let the opponent know how much you wanted it. 

Vox’s screen glitched and Angel waited, it would take a while until the venom wore off enough to allow Vox to sign a contract, so Angel spent the time writing it up and making sure Vox knew what was in it. Angel Dust got full control of Vox’s contracted souls and VoxTech Industries, in return he offered protection during exterminations (even though they had stopped for now it seemed only polite to keep including it on the off chance). Vox didn’t seem keen on any of it so Angel turned his attention to Velvette.

“Now, you I’m happy to leave in charge of your own soul and the souls you own, I have missed your outfits for me, but I would insist upon a handshake deal that we not actively sabotage or try and kill each other, I’ll go through the details with you, we’re going to need more fine print than those two,” he gestured towards Vox, “we don’t need another Vox and Alastor on our hands,”

Velvette’s lips twitched slightly, but otherwise was unable to move. The venom was wearing off, so Angel had to make his final play.

He turned back to Vox, “You have until the venom wears off to decide. Sign the contract or I use this.” He held up an angelic dagger he’d borrowed from the hotel’s stash. 

Angel knew Vox was a proud man, there was a strong chance he’d rather double die than be an underling, so Angel sighed, “Look, I don’t care about you, you’re just my means for getting rid of Alastor, how about I put a caveat in the contract, if I’ve not managed to get rid of Alastor in twenty years, you can have your soul back.” 

Vox’s voice was strained as the venom was still wearing off, “Five, and my souls, and business back.”

Angel internally rejoiced, he’d got him. The details didn’t really matter since he knew Alastor was going to kill him anyway, but he put up a show of being put out. 

“Fifteen years, and you get your soul, thirty percent of your contracts back, and I still get a share of VoxTech Industries.” 

“Ten years, my soul, sixty percent of my contracts, and I’ll give a non majority share in the business.” 

Angel pretended to mull it over, he could see Vox’s fingers twitching. 

“Very well.” Angel added the details to the contract, let Vox read it over multiple times, and then he signed it in shaky penmanship, his fine motor control still alluding him. 

Angel could feel the contract snap into place, and he had to take a breath as he felt the surge of power of an Overlord’s soul and the weight of all of their soul contracts. 

“Pleasure doing business.” Angel said, “Velvette I’ll be in touch about collaboration, yes?” 

Velvette grinned and nodded, “Is this silk?” She jerked her chin down to the web tying them up.

“Honestly, I’ve not researched it thoroughly but I believe so,”

“I’d definitely be interested, silk that’s not gonna tear, would cling to every curve? We’d have to work out some of the details about stickiness but with some tests-"

 

Angel held up a hand, “I’ll get some samples sent to you, I look forward to doing business,” 

“Wait!” Vox yelled as Angel went to leave, “Aren’t you going to untie us?” 

“And risk you trying to kill me?” Angel tutted, he’d left the no harm/no kill clause out of the contract in the hopes that Vox would think he’d got one over on Angel. Whereas Angel knew that Vox would be dead before morning. Well, not dead per se, but having your soul eternally tortured in a radio wave was as good as dead. 

“I’m sure one of your security detail will free you,” Angel added. He released the shutters and the deadbolt on the door, surprised to find there was no hammering on the door, “Or maybe not,” 

He slipped out the window and crawled down the side of the building.

When he got to the bottom he could see his lieutenants waiting for him across the road, looking like they were ready to charge in to help if anything went sideways. Angel’s heart squeezed with affection at his friends. 

He ran over and hugged them, “It worked, I just need to give Vox’s soul to Alastor, and then Husk’s free!” 

They all celebrated until Angel clocked that Candy was wearing a delivery boy outfit, “What are you wearing?”

“Well I know you said not to help but I figured security could do with a refreshing meal courtesy of VoxTech,”

“What did you put in it?”

“Just some sleeping pills, figured by the time you need to make your escape they would have kicked in, give you a bit more time.”

Angel gave him a smacking kiss on his forehead, “You guys are the best, now let’s go hunt down the Radio Demon.” 

*

It wasn’t difficult to find Alastor, he was either in his room or his radio station, and even if he wasn’t as soon as someone knocked on the door of one of them he’d materialise next to the perpetrator in question. 

Angel banged on the door to the radio station and Alastor appeared next to him with his ever present smile. 

“Hello my fine friend, are you here to uphold your end of the deal?”

Angel materialised the contract of Vox’s soul. Alastor reached forward but Angel held it higher. 

“Our deal stated Husk’s soul contract would be destroyed immediately and permanently in exchange for the contract, where’s his contract?”

Alastor’s smile stretched and he summoned Husk’s contract in the same way that Angel had Vox’s. Angel passed the contract over to Alastor, the second Alastor’s hand touched Vox’s contract Husk’s lit up in flames and turned to dust. 

Angel felt the release of his handshake deal with Alastor as the conditions had been met by both parties.

There was the sound of smashing glass from the hotel lobby, and Angel grinned remembering the freedom he’d felt when Val’s collar had disappeared. He’d seen how solid Husk’s chain had been, it was probably a hell of a release. 

“A pleasure doing business with you.” Alastor’s grin went from his general psychopath grin to something approaching macabre and Angel decided to leave him to it. 

“Let’s never do this again,” Angel said before heading down to the hotel bar. 

Husk was waiting for him by the bar, he was hovering around the bar as if he still couldn’t believe he was allowed to leave it whenever he wanted. 

As soon as he spotted Angel he ran over and tackled him with a hug, and Angel delighted in wrapping all six arms around him, he loved that Husk was the perfect height for Angel to rest his cheek on Husk’s head when they hugged (once he had removed the hat). He rested his chin between Husk’s ears and stood there and held him. 

He wasn’t sure how long he and Husk stood there wrapped in a hug, long enough for the slight dampness on Angel’s top from Husk’s tears to dry. 

“Thank you.” Husk whispered hoarsely. 

Angel lay a gentle kiss on his forehead, “Anything for you Husky,” 

“I- I don’t des-”

“If you’re about to say you don’t deserve it or some shit you can stop right there. This ain’t about redemption or deserving or anything like that, I’m gonna love you whether you think ya deserve it or not, and I’m gonna keep trying to make ya happy whether you think ya deserve it or not, ya don’t gotta earn love,” 

“When you get so wise?” Husk teased.

“You’re the one always tellin’ me I’m smart, gotta deal with the consequences of giving me self esteem,”

“Happily,” Husk caught his hand and pressed a kiss to it.

Angel blushed, “Sap.”

“Loser.”

Angel leant down to whisper in Husk’s ear, “So I hear you don’t gotta answer to ya boss now, what d’ya say we blow this joint and head over to my place?” 

“My room upstairs is closer,”

Angel grinned lasciviously, “Gotta power boost with Vox’s souls, reckon I can take a shortcut,” 

His contract with Vox had netted him Vox and all Vox’s soul contracts, but he’d only been obliged to give Alastor Vox’s soul, as such he was (for now) holding on to a lot of power. He could feel the power spreading out across the whole ring like a web of every place he’d ever been, and he grabbed Husk and focused on pulling just the right thread, and with a swirl of pink they were in Angel’s room. 

Obviously he’d offer the same deal to Vox’s contracts as his own, so he might loose a chunk of them but for now he was happy to abuse the power of it if it got him and his boyfriend into bed faster. 

He walked Husk back to the edge of the bed and then gently lay him out underneath him, “How does it feel being a free man?” 

He ran his finger teasingly down to Husk’s waistband, and Husk growled out, “Feel better with you closer,” he pulled Angel flush against him and into a filthy kiss. 

Angel and Husk did not surface from their bubble until late the next day. 

Thankfully Luna had foreseen this outcome and had already rescheduled all of Angel’s meetings, even before Angel had gotten Vox’s soul. 

When he was back in work, Angel set up an official meeting with Lucifer, proposing he ran VoxTech’s programming. Lucifer had protested at first saying that VoxTech scrambled the brain, but Angel reminded him that he could change that if he were running things, and it made more sense for people to look up to the actual leader of the Pride ring for updates, and the icing on cake was that it would annoy Alastor endlessly. It was the last addition that truly sold Lucifer on it. 

Angel’s motivation had everything to do with the fact that it was a small measure of revenge over Alastor, replacing one rival for another. Not to mention Lucifer had no interest in soul contracts so Angel didn’t have to hand them over, he did offer all the existing contracts his standard exit clause and was pleasantly surprised with how many souls stayed, apparently word had been getting round about him. 

It did mean he’d likely have to start attending Overlord council meetings but it was a price he was willing to pay. 

Velvette made good on her deal and they forged a business alliance, she even recommended keeping Vox’s day to day manager as she mostly ran everything anyway. Angel made sure to give her a hefty bonus and a few incentives for staying, and mostly left Lucifer in charge of running VoxTech along with Vox’s old manager.

*

Husk tried to give Angel his soul. Honestly, Angel should have expected it. Husk had explicitly said he would back when Cherri and his lieutenants had done it after Vox’s attack, and he knew Husk wasn’t one for falsities. However, it still caught him off guard when Husk had offered it the day after their sex marathon celebrating the release of Husk’s soul. Angel had panicked and yelled at him for being stupid, and then Husk had yelled back that he wasn’t stupid for wanting to help Angel, and they went back and forth until Angel screamed that he wasn’t Val and then panicked and hid out in his office for the next day.

Husk came and found him at the end of the day.

It had been just as Angel was worrying over whether to go to the hotel and see if Husk wanted to spend the night in his room, or come over to Angel’s flat. Normally they texted during the day and sorted who was going where but Angel wasn’t sure he could take the rejection if Husk said no. He’d be crushed and then have to spend the night alone for the first time in months.

Angel had opened and closed his text conversation with Husk multiple times when there was a knock at his office door.

“Yea?”

“Can I come in?” Husk’s voice came through the door.

Angel dropped his phone in shock, and then tried to compose himself, “Yeah, yes!” There was no use in trying to pretend to be cool around Husk anymore, he’d seen Angel in far worse states.

Husk opened the door and tentatively came inside. Angel perked up behind his desk but didn’t get up. He waited to see what Husk was going to do.

His boyfriend perched on the edge of the desk instead of taking a seat in the chair, which was reassuring. If Husk had taken a seat he would have been a world away, sat on the desk his leg was close enough to brush against Angel’s.

“I’m sorry!”

“I’m sorry.”

They said simultaneously, and then looked surprised.

“Why are you sorry?” Angel said, letting his nerves out. He had a good thing with Husk, something that he treasured, and he’d almost fucked it all up because he couldn’t control his emotional outbursts, “I’m the one who freaked out, you were just tryna be nice and all, and I panicked-”

Husk reached out and pulled Angel into a hug. He knew Angel needed physical reassurance, particularly when he was upset, and Angel clung to him in return.

“I’m sorry because I was being stupid. Shoulda known that your past with Val would make having a soul contract while being in a relationship a topic to be discussed, not just dive in head first without thinking.”

Angel started running his fingers through Husk’s wing, something he liked to do when he needed something to do with his hands, “It’s- the fact that ya trust me enough that it didn’t even occur ta ya that I might abuse it, it’s lovely, you’re lovely, I- I just can’t do it” The thought of another chain around Husk’s neck, and him being the one to hold it had him tearing up.

Husk began laying light kisses across his face, “Hey, I don’t need a contract to look after you or to say you’re stuck with me. I’m yours; heart, body, and soul. Don’t need a piece of paper to tell you that.”

Angel buried his face in Husk’s neck, “Who knew you were such a romantic?”

“One of us has to be.”

Angel laughed, “Please, I’m way more romantic.”

“Wanna bet?” Husk rumbled, and Angel knew how Husk had risen to Overlord status so quickly, that voice could talk anyone into doing anything.

Angel swatted at him, and leaned over to open one of the drawers in his desk, “Don’t need to, I’ve got my win right here.”

He pulled out the sheet of paper he’d written nearly a year before and showed it to Husk.

KILL VAL?? WIN HUSKS SOUL BACK???? ASK HUSK ON A DATE !!!!

“I wrote this like a year ago, and I’ve just got one last one to check off. Husk, will you go on a date with me?”

Husk gave him a flat look, “Angel, we’re dating already. We basically live together.”

“Yeah but I never got ta ask, it just sorta happened,”

“We’ve been on dates before.”

“Yeah but we never said the word date!”

Husk sighed, but Angel knew he was trying to surpress a smile, “Yes I’ll go on a damned date with you.”

Angel grinned and leaned in for a kiss but Husk pulled back.

“I don’t kiss til the third date.”

Angel smirked, and started trailing kisses down his chest, slowly sinking to his knees as his lower set of arms started undoing the button on Husk’s trousers, “Wanna bet?”

“Always.” Husk gasped.

*

Angel took Husk out to a fancy restaurant, pulled out all the stops, dressed to the nines, and then after the meal dragged him to a casino and perched on his lap the whole time blowing on his dice ‘for luck’. It was the most fun Angel had had in a long time.

They ended up drinking more than they should have and the next morning woke up to a marriage license from the chapel at the casino and a hell of a hangover. There was a photo on his phone that Angel didn’t remember taking where he and Husk were pressed together, cheeks squished against the other and they both had the most ridiculous shit eating grins. They were both wearing fake veils and cheap plastic rings.

Angel ended up framing it and putting it on his desk with the words First Date written at the bottom of the picture. Husk rolled his eyes every time he saw it, insisting that they’d been on dates before that, but the picture was also saved as his lock screen, so he didn’t really have a leg to stand on.

They eventually had a proper ceremony with everyone there, but Angel kept his cheap veil and ring in the safe along with his spare guns and financial documents. He'd always been a bit of a romantic, deep down.