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Angel was never particularly good at keeping promises.
In life, he had promised Molly that he would get clean countless times. Then in the afterlife, he had promised Charlie time and time again.
But the more he worked toward redemption the more he prioritized not making promises he couldn’t keep.
Which is why he hesitated to answer Charlie’s question.
He had come home from a long day at the studio, one that Val was particularly harsh during, and made an ill-advised joke about not surviving the next extermination only a week away.
“Angel promise me that you won’t do anything stupid,” Charlie pleaded.
“Princess I am stupid. And most everything I do is too,” Angel answered in an attempt to brush the concern off.
He had only half meant the joke.
“Angel, please, promise me that you’ll be careful,”
“I’m always careful but if an exterminator wants to relieve me of the contract with Val then I ain’t complaining.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him when Charlie started to tear up, but it did. Tears overflowing and streaking down her face as she ran to cling to him.
“Please don’t leave me, not yet,” She sobbed quietly. So there Angel was hesitating because as much as he wanted to promise now that Charlie was clinging to him he didn’t want to break another promise to her. Because try as he might there was no guarantee that he would survive the extermination. “PROMISE!”
“I… I promise,” Angel answered hoping to all hope that this wouldn’t be one of his countless broken promises.
_____________
Angel tried to keep his promise he really did.
But at the end of the day, exterminations were too dangerous for him to make promises.
What was that phrase? Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Well, Angel did.
And all Angel could do was lay there his body broken and bruised with Charlie holding him desperately.
“Ang, no, you promised,” Charlie’s broken voice broke his heart. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me. You promised.”
But no matter how much both of them wished it he couldn’t keep his promise. His consciousness was rapidly fading with nothing he could do to stop it.
___________
Angel wasn’t expecting to see anything ever again.
But for the second time in his existence death didn’t actually mean death.
He woke up to a blinding light and two angels.
Without thinking about it he rushed to the taller of the two. “I need to go back.” He cried desperate. “I wasn’t ready to go. I promised.”
“I’m sorry but we can’t do that. Welcome Anthony to heaven.”
“Please, I can’t leave them… not yet.” he sobbed. “At least let me see them.”
The two women, who must have been angels, looked at the demon.
No not demon… not anymore.
Angel expected that the thought would come with more comfort. Instead, he was left with a gaping emptiness that the family he had found in hell left.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” the taller of the two answered.
“MOTHERFUCKER, I need to see them,” the male angel screamed.
“Fine if you insist,” she answered.
A large bubble of light appeared in the room.
Charlie and Vaggie filled the bubble. Vaggie looked out of it absentmindedly rubbing circles on Charlie’s back. She looked like she was in shock and working off of autopilot. Charlie was a mess. The battle had ended not long after Angle’s death but Charlie was still in the same position that she was when Angel died. She was still there clinging to Angel’s lifeless form sobbing unabashedly.
Silent tears welled up in Angel’s eyes as he watched the scene change.
The scene changed, Husk was in his room feeding Fat Nuggets. At least he looked fine… at least at first. But upon further inspection, there were tear tracks stained into his fur and his eyes were red and puffy like he had been crying and the tears had run out. In their wake, they left only a broken bartender who was trying desperately to stay sober to join his love in heaven. He had to believe that that’s where Angel was. He couldn’t handle the alternative.
His face was now wet with tears, and he didn’t bother trying to stop.
Cherri was the next to be shown. Unlike the members of the hotel, she was not at home grieving quietly. She had gone to a club and was currently high as fuck. She couldn’t handle the pain of losing her best friend and needed to numb everything out.
Angel hoped that she would be able to get sober so that she could join him one day.
He couldn’t watch anymore turning away from the bubble in an attempt to stop the pain that wouldn’t go away.
______________
It was a weird experience to grieve your own death.
It wasn’t so much that he hated that he had died or that he had made it to heaven finally. No. Instead, he mourned the losses that he suffered from it.
He loved the residents of the hotel. They were like his family. A better one than he had ever had in life, with the expectation of Molly.
Molly was the only bright spot in the next few months. He was finally reunited with his twin sister and she was the only thing that made this grief bearable.
______________
It had been a few months and the pain had faded to a more manageable level when there was another special arrival in hell.
Anthony had been enjoying a walk in the bright and sunny day when Emily, one of the angels that greeted him when he arrived in heaven rushed up to him.
“There’s another redeemed sinner. I think he knows you… at least he’s asking about you.” Emily rushed out all in one breath.
“Take me to him,” the angelic spider demanded.
Anthony followed her eager to see the other redeemed sinner.
When he saw Husk there was not a single doubt in his mind that it was him.
He flung himself into the redeemed sinner’s arms and they held each other for what simultaneously felt like both an eternity and only a second.
_________
Things got easier after that. He still desperately missed the rest of the hotel but the overwhelming pain faded to a dull ache that he was so familiar with from losing people in life.
Then one day he was on a date with Husk at a small cafe when a tall Cyclops came barrelling out of the large court that Anthony himself had manifested in.
“Angie!” Called a familiar voice. “Ya cunt I know ya up here. Where are ya?”
“Holy fuck, Cherri!” the spider exclaimed upon realizing why how he recognized the angel coming toward him.
They embraced.
Along with his joy, there was a twinge of sadness because as happy as he was to see Cherri he would never get to see Charlie or Vaggie again. And that hurt like hell.