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Night hours came after another busy day in the Hazbin Hotel. All the residents retreated to their rooms. Charlie and Vaggie instantly fell asleep. Alastor was up to mysterious deeds in his room. Niffty passed out in the parlor. Lucifer pampered himself before bed. Angel snuck into Husker’s room, where they were snuggling peacefully on the oversized bed and taking turns playing spider solitaire on his phone. This was one of many games they liked winding down with after a day full of serving sinners and surviving the pressures of Hell.
A little victory noise played as Angel completed a stack. “Ay, your turn! You gotta make some matches or I’ll steal all the points~!” he teased as he handed it to Husker. A low hum purred out of the old man’s throat.
“Ever thought I might be setting up the matches for ya?” His eyebrow raised. A fake scoff from Angel.
“I’m a smarty, too!”
“You’re just playing the cards exactly how I think you will, dollface.” A playful pout from the spider demon as they passed the phone a few more times. Then suddenly Angel stopped. Husker gently pushed the phone into his partially open hand, but it simply wouldn’t grip. “Tony? Hell to Tony?” but the man’s voice couldn’t pull the other out of his daze. It took a gentle kiss on the hand to get his mind ticking again.
“Sorry!”
“It’s alright. Were you thinkin’ about things again?” a tone of concern crept into Husker’s voice.
“No…I thought I saw something over there. You’d think spider eyes would be better in the dark.” Angel sighed as he gestured to the far corner of the room. Husker squinted. Groaned. Even if he’d been graced with cat genes in his demon form, those eyes were still too old for nightvision.
Angel shook the phone and the flashlight lit up the room. A dark figure scurried away into another shadow. The light chased. It darted again. Here and there to every corner and crevice of the room. Until it stopped at the edge of the dresser, where only the outline of a deer tail perked up against the light on the wall.
“What the f–” Angel tilted his head. His fur stood on edge. His eyes darted over to Husker for support, only to see the old man with his usual deadpan stare. It was impossible to tell if he knew what was going on or if he’d been numb to everything at this point of his existence.
“It’s Milaya.”
“Who?” Angel’s face scrunched up. He watched as Husker pushed the phone light down and motioned forward. Glowing green eyes peeked above the dresser. Blinked curiously. Then came closer. “Ay, ay, ay, ay! Don’t let that spook come near me! I’m not about to get possessed like some sick horror movie!” Angel kicked his feet to crawl higher on the bed until his whole form curled up near the pillows.
Husker’s eyes slowly blinked at the dramatic antics. “She won’t hurt ya. It’s just the boss's shadow.” Before he could say anything else, Angel was already pressing a hand to his forehead in melodramatic fashion.
Thunk!
A giant cat paw shoved him out into the floor. He regained his bearings to see the glowing smile inches away from his face. His whole body jumped back onto the bed with a panicked garble pouring out his mouth. “The fucker wants to eat me! What the fuck!” was the only semi-intelligent thing he could get out after a good ten seconds of sputtering.
The faint outline of deer ears flickered over the edge of the bed. Eyes looking up and blinking somehow innocently. Head tilting like a puppy at the strange reactions. Its attention shifted to Husker’s paw patting the bed. Without needing any more words or cues, the shadowy figure crept up onto the bed. Shuffling on shadowy hands and knees.
Husker turned the bedside lamp on very low. The faintest orange ambience revealed the shadow’s body. The form became more crisp as their eyes adjusted. It looked fluffy in a certain sense of the word. Soft around the edges. Delicate. As if one touch would make the whole creature explode into powder and melt into the darkness. It was in Alastor’s likeness, if he were to relax and be vulnerable for even a second.
Husker reached out a paw. The shadow pressed its nose to it, then nuzzled. Taking on a more solid form as the soft cheeks squished up against the paw. Angel had the most wide-mouthed and flabbergasted look pasted on his features. “I need you to do a lot of explaining, toots-”
“Maybe I could if you stopped sitting on me.” Husker coughed. The other demon slowly let go and scooted over, steering clear of the creature on their bed. Nausea grew in his stomach and chills ran over his arms as the shadow’s eyes seemed to stare at him while he moved. The old man gave him a few minutes to settle in before explaining. “I call her Milaya. It means ‘darling’ in Russian–”
“Oh, well why didn’t ya tell me you were smoozin’ with a shadow? Thadda been nice to know!” Angel crossed his arms. He didn’t like this situation in any capacity.
Husker rolled his eyes with a groan. “She’s the real Alastor. Everything he is that he doesn’t want anyone to take advantage of. He can’t get rid of these parts of himself, so he just hides them in the dark and protects them. She only comes out to take care of him…and only shows herself to the people he trusts most.”
As Husker continued petting the shadow on the head and smiling at her fondly, Angel didn’t know which way to turn. A deep part of him held a grudge against this beast. The man that was responsible for his partner’s stress and torment. Even so, he understood this creature wasn’t that beast. This was the fragile soul hiding inside the monster’s heart that deserved to be loved and saved just like every other.
His hand ventured to the shadow’s back. What felt like soft fur brushed against his palm and stuck up between his fingers. A texture almost like a cloud, almost like surface tension of a liquid, unlike anything he’d felt before. Surely anything beyond a gentle squeeze would make the thing burst. And only with that thought did he realize just how much this shadow– Milaya, Alastor, whatever it was – trusted them.
“So…this is Alastor, huh?” Angel’s expression softened as he kept petting the thing. Watching how comfortable she was and how her smile grew when she was able to connect to them. She even petted them back in a way, rubbing her head up under their chins and holding their hands with a playful arm sway. There was something innocent about the shadow. Childlike. Holding a desire to form emotional ties and be true to itself. Sometimes it could be mischievous, like when it took Angel’s phone to play a game of keepaway. Or it could be playful, like when it showed off a sleight of hand to make a coin pop out of Husker’s ear. But that’s who Alastor was at his core. An entertainer. A joy maker. A thrill seeker.
Milaya sat back on her shadowy legs with a bright grin and suddenly lifted her arms up. The two blinked at her. Looked to each other. Looked back. “Whaddaya want, shadow muppet?” Angel asked. Her cheeks puffed out and she raised her arms again. Still nothing.
She pretended to puff out air before grabbing one of Husker’s paws and guiding it under her arm. The smallest scribble made her jump back and tightly hug her fluffy chest. Giddy as she stuck her arms up again.
“Oh, you wanna play a tickle game? I gotcha!” Angel jabbed his hands toward her sides. All four of them digging into the soft body. That’s when a static scream tore through the walls. Angel immediately pulled back to observe the shadow laying with her hands up and a scared expression on her face. “No, no, no! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you- him- you guys- Ugh, this is too complicated!” Angel threw himself back in resignation as the shadow latched onto Husker. Shivering as he brushed down the puffed up fur.
A gentle hush. “It’s okay Milaya…he didn’t mean to hurt Alastor. But you want some little tickles, huh? You want to play the keep up your arms game?”
The shadow nodded and laid down between the two. Raising her arms. Large green eyes expecting touch at any moment. Two of Husker’s claws threatened to land on either side. Hovering over the shadowy body. She glanced quickly from one side to the other with twitchy ears. Already shivering in anticipation.
Very lightly the claws touched down. Crawling up the sides, avoiding the pit, going up the arms, and retracing its path. Her smile tugged up higher and eyes squinted with joy. When the tickles reached toward her back, she suddenly jolted and her arms lowered halfway.
“Ah, ah, ah. All the way up!” Husker clicked his tongue and pushed on her elbows. As he kept teasing, her body shivered and squirmed. Some spots were tolerable, others took effort to stay still and it showed on her face. Eyes now looking worried. A bitten lip. Chest rising and falling quickly with nonexistent breath. “What’s wrong, doll? Does it tickle? Is it hard to keep your arms up?” Husker taunted. His claws circled the pit. Her head shook feverishly.
The circles slowly shrank on the spot. Her head tilted. Eyes squinting hard. Really straining to resist. Until it finally got too much and her defenses caved in. Arms down. Shoulders tense. Shaking with small unheard giggles. “Whatsa matter? Too much for ya?” Angel joined in the teasing with a small tickle under the shadowy chin. Another hand rested on her belly. Its mere presence being all the teasing necessary to put her on playful edge. “It ain’t doin’ nothin’! It’s just restin’ there. Not a problem, huh?”
Her glowing smile flashed between the two sinners towering over her. They didn’t move, and yet their presence was intimidating all the same. Her face hid behind shadowy hands, wiggling side to side, and an unmistakable sound carrying through the walls. “Is that Alastor whining?” Angel couldn’t believe it, but both Husker’s look and Milaya’s nod confirmed his answer. “He sounds a lot cuter than I expected! Who woulda known?”
“I bet we can make him get a little louder, you think?” Husker tapped a finger on Milaya’s hip and the whine went completely silent. A smirk played at the cat’s face. “The lee mood’s so bad and he’s still being a brat? Typical boss for ya,” he circled the hip spot in tandem with Angel’s finger dragging across the soft shadowy belly. A jolt here. A shiver there. Precious little kicks and defensive gestures. Yet the shadow didn’t disappear. Alastor wanted the attention. The challenge. The connection.
After a moment, the two exchanged a glance. It’s almost as if they read each other’s mind, leaving Milaya the one guessing on the outside of the loop. Her body stiffened when they focused on her again and didn’t move at all. Anticipation hung in the air. Ate at her semi-tangible body. For a moment she felt like she could breathe if she really wanted to. Then suddenly the two faces closed in at either side of her head, nibbling at the shadowy ears. A sudden squealing laugh echoed through the walls– Alastor couldn’t hold it in.
Milaya pushed, thrashed, opened her mouth as if she could make noise in his place. It was overwhelming in the best way. Like tingly electricity through the whole body, rendering her pleasantly helpless. But that’s what she wanted– What Alastor wanted. To be able to enjoy something mindlessly and confide in people he trusted. To shamelessly laugh and squeal and lose himself, knowing that there would be no negative aftermath. Except perhaps a tease or two in privacy…but he wouldn’t complain about that.
His voice carried through the wall as he continued to laugh and roll in his room next door. Angel wished desperately to see just how bad they were affecting the Radio Demon, and yet something about this just felt right. Their own personal, interactive broadcast. A radio show, with all the sound effects and voices, leaving the visuals entirely to the imagination. As they kept nibbling at the shadow’s ears and neck, covering her in tender kisses and light scribbles, Angel thought about what was happening on the other side of the wall.
The great Alastor. The feared Radio Demon. Laying in a nest or whatever his sorry excuse of a bed is. Alone. Untouched. Yet curled up and laughing, wiggling from one side to the other as an invisible force sent ticklish shocks through him. The one always in control becoming a sort of reverse voodoo doll and actually enjoying it. Loving the warm touches, the playful tingles, the fun connection. Angel could almost see the blushing smile and folded deer ears in his mind’s eye. Alastor was actually cute. Cuter than he would ever allow himself to be seen. Maybe sticking to the imagination wasn’t so bad in this case.
The sudden sounds of fawn-like bleats sweetened the pot. Angel’s imagination drifted from the actual likeness of Alastor into something smaller and softer. An actual little red deer with no hard edges. Maybe even plushy to the touch. Warm. Sweet. No malice or evil hidden inside. Fully trusting and vulnerable in the face of friends. Perhaps Angel was seeing his own version of how Alastor really was– Who he could be without all the gnarled masking.
Suddenly Milaya tapped them on the shoulder. Her quiet way of telling them it was enough. They backed away, smiling down at the mess they made. The shadow looked tired. Satisfied on multiple levels. She blew them a kiss, a small shadowy heart that chilled the skin on their cheeks. Then she faded into the darkness of the room. Her presence vanished.
“Aww, that it? I was really gettin’ into it!” Angel pouted. An assuring hand patted him on the back.
“Don’t worry, boss can’t go too long without attention. Especially since you handled it well, I’m sure the shadow will come visit again. He won’t ever say it, but he’s a little sucker for the soft stuff. Kisses, tickles, cuddles…you name it.” Husker said.
That did bring some ease to Angel as they settled down beside each other again. His mind wandered to what they’d just experienced. The side of Alastor that he didn’t know existed, or even could exist. Maybe the big bad monster had a soft side that could be cultivated and grown, one little tickle at a time.