The night air was hot and sticky. Just another day in paradise here in Hell, Angel thought to himself as he made his way down the sparsely crowded sidewalk. They were all sinners down here and are usually up to no good, but the people who stayed out this late, it was doubly so. However it was a familiar atmosphere for the porn star. When was the last time he was out here trolling for an easy score? Since Angel had been staying at the Hotel, his need to pull tricks had become less… Though he wasn’t always a saint. Sometimes that itch to numb everything was too strong to fight. And tonight was one such night.
Angel fished out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, taking a long drag to let the smoke fill his lungs. Exhaling in a cloud of white haze, the conversation with Alastor played on a loop in Angel’s mind. It absolutely annoyed the every loving fuck out of him why he cared so much about his fuckabilty with the other demon. Why? Why was it bothering him? He has slept with so many people, so why was he hung up over one? Any other demon would jump on the chance to sleep with him. Maybe… for the first time in a long time… Al was someone he wanted to sleep with outside of work or getting high… Angel’s brow furrowed at that sudden realization and he hastily tried to chase off the thought.
That couldn’t be it. Fuck. He didn’t want to think about this anymore. Hell, he didn’t want to think at all. Being sober royally sucked ass. Angel took another hit off his cigarette before flicking it to the sidewalk, the tiny emder snuffing out as it hit the pavement. That settles it. He is getting fucked up tonight. But who to pick up? As Angel was scoping out a potential mark, the fur on the back of his neck started to stand on end… He was being watched.
Maybe a change of scene would do the trick. Picking up his pace Angel glided down the sidewalk trying to shake that uneasy feeling, slipping into a side alleyway away from prying eyes. Just as he was about half way down, behind him Angel could hear the crackle of heavy tires rolling against the pavement followed by slam of a car door being shut.
“There you are, Angel Cakes.” The familiar raspy buzz caused Angel to stop dead in his tracks. “I’ve been lookin’ for ya.”
Shit.
“Val~” Angel’s voice cracked, almost sickeningly sweet as he turned to face his pimp. “Surprise seeing you here...”
“I can say the same for you.” Valentino slowly strolled closer to Angel who found his legs frozen underneath that intense stare. Before he knew it, Val was on top of him and he reached out to forcibly grab Angel’s chin. “Who gave you permission to peddle your ass for cheap tips?”
“Last I checked it was my ass.” Reflexily Angel swatted away Val’s touch but was instantly filled with regret seeing the twitch in his smile.
Sharp stinging pain splittered down Angel’s cheek as a swift hand was brought down upon him. “Have you forgotten I own you. Seems to me that hidin’ at that fuckin’ hotel has filled your head full of bullshit.”
Angel shook off the shock of the slap to glower at Val, “Hey, easy on the goods! My face is my money maker.”
At that, Val’s head tossed back in a gutteral chuckle before he turned a level gaze straight into Angel’s eyes. “Your face? You think they want your face? They are here for your ass, not that face.” Just to prove his point, Valentino cracked the other side of Angel’s face with the back of his hand… just to even him out. “We can just slap a pretty little mask on and no one would give a shit.”
Another hard slap rang square across Angel’s face, echoing off the brick walls of the small alley. Enough was enough. Val swung his hand downwards yet again but Angel was ready for the next one.
“Fuckin’ lay off!” With purpose, Angel flung his hands up to counter the strike but in doing so he accidentally brought his own hands against his pimp’s face.
Time seemed to stop as Valentino’s signature heart-rimmed glasses fell to the concret, shattering out a lens. Fear like he never felt made Angel’s blood run ice cold. Oh he fucked up. He fucked up real bad.
“Please I… I didn’t mean to…” Angel stammered.
Valentino’s face twisted into a nasty grin as red smoke seeped out between his sharp teeth and twisted around Angel’s throat. “I have killed bitches for doing a tenth of the shit you’ve pulled. Daddy is done. I. Own. You. When I say ‘Dance’, you say ‘Yes Val’. When I say ‘Suck dick’ you say ‘Yes Val’. That's how it's always been. Looks like you need some re-educating back at the studio.”
Panic gripped at Angel’s gut, fighting off tears that were stinging at the corners of his eyes. “No, Val! No! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit ya like that. I’ll dance! I’ll suck dick. I’ll do whatever you want! Please I-”
“There’s no ‘please’ anymore, baby. I have been so patient with you and your excessive bullshit.” Val roughly grabbed Angel by the scruff and unceremoniously dragged him back towards his limo, chucking his ass inside.
-------
The inhabitants of the Happy Hotel had almost a full five days of an Angel free week. No erroneous sex jokes. No loud laughter or stealing of Husker’s whiskey. Nothing. It was almost too quiet. But on the evening of the fifth night, a long red limo crawled up to the end of the hotel’s driveway. The driver’s passenger door flung open as something white was tossed out on the curb like a sack of garbage. Inside Val lounged in the backseat smoking a long cigarette.
“I hope you learned your lesson, Angel Cakes. Next time I won’t be as merciful.” Val exhales slowly filling the limo in a red haze. “Don’t forget what we discussed. I expect to see that ass this weekend.”
And with that, the door slammed shut and the limo sped away leaving Angel crumpled in a small lump on the cold hard ground. Everything hurts. Even breathing hurts. Well… Angel got what he wanted. He certainly got fucked up. It took him a moment to gather his strength to pull his sorry ass off the ground. Even under all that white fur, there was clear evidence of bruising. His cheeks look puffy and his left eye was almost swollen shut. Surely, if he wasn’t wearing his long gloves, there would have been visible rope burns around his wrists and arms.
No one could see him like this… Just get to his room. Just get to his room…Lock the door… Just get to his room…. Angel pulled his jacket tight around himself trying to cover the sad state he was in the best he could as he silently slipped through the front door.
Just get to his room… Just get to his room…
That thought kept repeating over and over in his mind. Thankfully for him it seemed that everyone was in bed already with it being so late at night. Angel sighed a bit in relief as he stealthily made his way up to his room.
His sleep schedule typically swung wildly between "somewhat normal" to "highly unusual" to "nonexistent". Lately, it was firmly locked in the "nonexistent" category. Not that he would admit that to anyone, of course. Converting magical energy to physical energy to keep going? It was a trick he'd mastered long ago but it was one he always paid dearly for sooner or later.
However, this wasn't the usual wild swinging of his sleep schedule. No, after the first day of Angel being gone, he'd gotten antsy. He didn't care about Angel, not by a long shot. If he lied to himself and everybody else enough, maybe he'd finally believe it. Alastor craved control like others craved their favorite vices. There'd been so much out of his control in life that having it in any situation was addictive.
Angel was gone. Alastor didn't know where he was. Something was happening outside of his knowledge or control, and it was like spiders beneath his skin.
He set his shadow friends to watch for Angel, telling them to alert him the moment the spider returned to the hotel. He'd tried sending them out the first day but he'd ended up empty-handed. Too many places in Pentagram City with wards against any form of scrying. If his shadows tried to penetrate those places, the owners of those locations would immediately know who was probing at their wards.
Alastor sat in his room, staring blankly at the book in front of him. Normally a voracious reader, he'd been staring at the same page for over an hour.
His shadows swarmed about him, chattering mutely in his head.
"One at a time!" he lightly scolded his shadowy companions. "You know I can't understand you when you're all jabbering at once!"
They tried again, being careful to take their turns. Their news prompted Alastor's ears to shoot straight up.
"Thank you, my friends." He summoned a ball of magical energy which they eagerly took and divided amongst themselves. "I'll take things from here."
Alastor rose from his seat and headed towards Angel's room.
The Hotel was eerily quiet as Angel snuck up the stairs towards his room. So far so good, no a single person in sight. Angel didn't know if this was lucky or just plain sad that no one was around looking for him. In his current state of mind, it settled on the latter. Who could blame them? Angel hasn't been the best of house guests. They were al probably glad for a couple days of Angel free drama. Why did he even return? Because you have nowhere else to go.
Choking down bitter thoughts Angel finally reached his door and quickly darted inside. Once the door was securely locked and closed behind him, the full weight of his body slumped against it. Everything he had endured just came crashing down onto his shoulders, making his chest feel heavy, hard to breath. Taking a moment to collect himself staring into his darken room, Angel shot a glance at his large vanity. Even in the dark he could see his reflection clear as day. God, he knew he looked like shit but this was probably the worst yet.
As Angel peered into his own eyes, the images in the mirror warped, reflecting back the 'events' of the past few days. Angel winced attempting to blink away the memories but all he could do was hear that awful low buzz of Val's laughter humming in his ears and how distrusting his touch had felt against his skin. It was like he was on fire. Letting out a small howl, Angel snatched a sheet from his bed, whipping it off to hastily cover the vanity. The images were gone but the hushed voices and the lingering sensation through his fur persist.
Mentally and physically exhausted Angel collapsed to the floor at the foot of his bed, clasping his face in his hands. It was like the flood gates were opened as tears poured from his eyes soaking his white fur. Lost in dark thoughts, Angel suddenly felt a soft nuzzle at his side and he raised his head to see a tiny pink ball of fluff. Fat Nuggets… Seeing his pet pig brought a slight smile to his face as he gingerly scooped up the small piglet into his arms, bringing him close to his chest. To some, it might just be a stupid pig, but to Angel, Nuggs was his whole world. He has seen the worst of Angel but he never judged, never abandoned him. He was always there when he needed someone. Probably one of the only living things that loved him.
Angel could feel the tears welling backup inside him and he held Nuggs close like he was afraid someone was going to rip him away from him. There he sat… crying… in the dark… as his little pig tried his best to lick away Angel's pain.
Alastor approached the door to Angel's room, pausing to adjust his jacket. No need to give the impression that he'd been waiting up for days to listen for news. No no, that just wouldn't do. Because he hadn't been worried.
Really. Not at all. He'd just had to keep things running while Charlie had taken Vaggie out searching for Angel. That was fine and normal.
He knocked on the door to the room.
"Angel, I know you're there! You can either let me in or I'll let myself in! You know I will!"
He had a copy of the master key after all. Even if he didn't he could easily teleport himself inside. Perhaps Charlie was a bit of a good influence on Alastor that way: getting him to at least give warning before he invaded.
The sudden knocking at his door almost caused Angel to jump clean out of his skin. His senses were already on high alert and the last thing he expected was a late night visitor. Who the fuc-? Alastor?
If this was any other normal day, the spider demon would have been delighted by an impromptu visit by the radio demon. However tonight, Alastor was literally the last person he wanted to see right now. Thinking about how all this started... Angel was in no mood for Alastor's judgement. Or worse, he might find Angel's situation entertaining.
But he knew Alastor was right. He was coming in, one way or another. Even if Angel wanted to, he didn't think he had the strength to pull his ass from the floor to let him in. Instead, Angel tucked up his knees and lowered his head to let his long bangs hide his face, making himself appear as small as possible, bracing for Alastor's inevitable intrusion.
"Go away Alastor." Angel pleaded through the door, all pet names dropped. "I'm not entertainin' anyone tonight."
Alastor clicked his tongue. "Angel, I'm quite the performer but I have no capacity for pity nor do I have the will to feign it."
He remained kneeled in front of Angel, watching him carefully. He wondered what the spider would do in this state. Regardless, he knew that having Charlie stay out of this had been the right decision. Hurting Charlie's feelings was to most people like kicking a puppy, something you did and immediately felt guilty for. (Well, people other than him. Alastor had no love for dogs, after all.) That sort of guilt on top of what just happened, well, that probably would've made things worse for the spider.
All the ugly emotions he had been stewing in silence on the car ride over came bubbling to the surface. All the anger, and that bitterness tore at him. Angel's head snapped up to give the deer a cold glare.
"I'm your 'toy' and you don't like it when 'people brake them'. Its the same old bullshit! This is all about your God damn pride! You couldn't handle that someone else has control over what you think is yours. It has nothing to do with the real me or what I want. I didn't want any of this! This is the exact opposite of what I wanted! I guarantee if I was slapped around by some John, which news flash, I have been, you wouldn't have blinked an eye. But the fact that is was Val, the egotistical dick who has my soul contract Val, is what pissed you off. Now you started a pissing match with the Three Vs! The saving grace about this hotel is that it's ran by Charlie, the fucking princess of Hell. So do you know what they are going to turn their focus on?" Angel sat up to jab a boney finger into Alastor's chest.
"Me, Alastor, me. I can't hide in this hotel forever. Val is going to come for me. If he ever gets his hands on me again he'll lock me up for good. But that's probably what you want, right? Sinners falling back into the flame. This whole fucking place is a God damn joke to you! All this shit over me. ME. I'm..."
Angel withdrew into himself to clutch at his arms again.
"I'm worthless. I'm nothing. If I die again all this would just go away. I would be free and no one would miss me." Angel tried to conceal a sniffle as he pulled off Alastor's jacket, roughly chucking it aimed at his stupid deer face. "Take you stupid jacket and leave me alone."
Alastor brought up a hand to catch his jacket before it could strike him in the face. However, he didn't leave. Not yet. Let the spider get it out of his system.
Or at least that was the plan as the anger at Angel saying he wasn't worth anything bubbled up inside of him urged him to do otherwise.
"You are not worthless. You are not nothing," Alastor snapped. "I don't associate with worthless people."
He stood up.
"But you are correct on a few points: I like having control. I don't like it when things are beyond it. In other thrillingly obvious news, water is wet and fire burns. But those weren't the only reasons. Unfortunately, some of us aren't as open about our emotions as others. Call it a failing, call it a strength, it just is."
He looked at the jacket in his hands. It desperately needed a wash or twenty, but the ragged coattails gave him some inspiration.
"Do you know why I still have this jacket? Why I still keep it despite it being worn and torn around the edges when I could just as easily stop into Rosie's or any clothing shop in Cannibal Colony to replace it?"
It wasn't like Angel was expecting Alastor to deny all the things he said but there was a small part of him that hoped he would, to tell him we was wrong. So when he didin't, it felt like there was a vise grip on his heart. Everything he said must have been true. He wasn't shocked but...A lump formed in his throat and his hands slid up to grasp at his hair, chocking back bitter tears. He always just going to be a thing to people. Something to pass around, used, toyed with. None of this was new information to the spider but didn't mean he liked it any less.
Without looking up Angel croaked out a response, if not a bit sarcastic. "Cause you grew up poor so you hold on to broken shit? That or you don't have a rich Sugar Daddy to help you pay for a new one."
"So the answer is 'yes'," Alastor said, somewhat exasperated.
Well, if he must...
He cast his gaze around before starting to wander the store. Honestly, he felt like he was going to burst into flames from sheer embarrassment. But if he didn't do this, Angel would never let him live it down.
He stopped at a corset made with pink satin with black embroidery. Classy, could even be worn with a gown to look somewhat respectable.
Oh how did he know? Not like the deer himself was wound tight like a Victorian socialite who couldn't bare to be in the same room with a man for the tempting risk of some sort of immoral indiscretion.
Following Alastor to the other side of shop, he lets out a long whistle peering over the deer's shoulder. "Wow Al, you do got good taste."
Without a word of explanation he reached over to pick it up to tuck it safely under his arm with the others.
It took all that he had not to double over with a fight of hysterics. He should see the look on his face. No, Angel played it cool, grinning and shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah. Why not? Its nice and I want it. And maybe if you ask real nice I'll model it for you." Angel playfully winked at him before turning to go pay for his items. Okay, torment over.
"Yup." Husk casually slid Angel a tall glass of water. "Here. Should help with the hangover from all the booze and Al's spell. Fucker says it doesn't make a shitty hangover worse, but he's dead wrong."
He took a sip from his own drink before grunting.
"Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Al left a few things for everybody. When he gets back, don't make a big deal out of it, okay?"
He reached under the bar and retrieved a rather heavy box wrapped in green paper with a silver ribbon. The gift tag had Angel's name on it but no sender. And given that the box wasn't written in Alastor's typical red, it was clear he'd intended for no one to realize who it was from.
"Thanks..." Angel murmured as he slumped into the bar stool, gladly accepting the glass.
He took a long sip to give him time to think on how to address the elephant in the room about leaving the cat blue balled last night. But thankfully the topic abruptly shifted as Husker pulled up the neatly wrapped gift on to the counter. All thoughts of owing the cat a blowjob flew out the window as he stared bewildered at the present. He got him something else? What could it be? The way Husker held it made it seem the contents were heavy.
"Not make a big deal out of it?" Angel took the box into his claws, looking it over in confusion. What the fuck is it?
Tugging at the bow, Angel tentatively started to open it. Was it going to bite him?
It was definitely heavier than it looked but it didn't contain anything alive. Instead, what was contained inside the book was a stack of thick binders filled with paper.
Atop the stack was a simple, unsigned note:
In case something should happen. It will take time for your day in court, so I'd rather you have copies of my notes as a precaution.
When Angel opened the first binder, he'd see a copy of his contract, portions highlighted and marked with little numbers. Numbers that referenced page numbers and paragraphs in the rest of the binders. And as he flipped through the pages, he'd realize what he held in his hands was the Dealmaker's arguments picking apart the original contract along with case records to back up each argument. The end result was renegotiation with the explicit statement that all revisions must be completely accepted by both parties of their own free will without direct or indirect coercion. And if no satisfactory compromise could be found? The contract would be nullified immediately. The notes were typed aside from a few handwritten notes in the margins for potential revisions though the section regarding renegotiation was underlined with a side note reading "Stand your ground."
Honestly, the thick set of binders would've brought a tear to any lawyer's eye.
Angel's hung over mind lagged behind as he was temporarily confused by the stacks of binders. What the hell was this? Did Alastor pick up scrapbooking. Picking up the hand written note, he read it quietly to himself. Suddenly everything clicked in his head, his eyes going wide as he pulled out the top most binder and flipped it open. His contract. He did it. He actually did it.
Running his thumb over the countless pages and seeing all the pain steaking detailed notes the radio demon lovingly lined out... It must have taken him an eternity to write up and researched. All this for him. He poured so much time and energy work over his, even for a used up broken toy. But something wasn't sitting right with him. The opening line of the unsigned message.
'In case something should happen.'
The fuck was that about?! That sounded ominous like the deer knew something he didn't. It aligned poorly with Alastor's departure last night on the cusp of the Cleanse. It was almost as if Alastor was giving himself out, even though he said he wanted to make Angel his. Like he had one foot out the door. Was he not planning on returning? The feline could see Angel's body starting to quiver and he bowed his head over the open box, a hand reached up to cover his eyes.
"Al, you fucking dumbass..." Angel snorted under his breath and Husk could hear something wet dripping on to the bar's wood counter.
Okay, okay, he knew that look. Play time was over. Welp, can you blame a guy for trying? At least he got a lot of useful information before Alastor pulled the plug on it. It was good to see that the radio demon was looking more like his old self. Last night.... Angel had been quite worried about him.
Angel shrugged his shoulders still grinning like a fool as he stared up at other demon, giving him a wink. "Alright, I'll drop it. But if ya ever find yourself needing help, you know my number."
As if on queue, something caused Angel's chest fluff to ruffle as a muted buzz hummed between his fur. Blinking in confusion, Angel reached inside is nursing 'uniform' to manifest his cellphone from fluffy void. Who was messaging him? He wasn't... The porn starlet's body visibly tensed as he stared at the tiny screen. All the bubbly flirty air he had about him blipped away. Just for second.
Alastor's ears pricked at the buzzing sound. As he watched Angel fish the phone out of his chest fluff, he opened his mouth to ask how that could possibly be comfortable.
Of course it was Val. Who else could instantly tank his good mood? So why not tell Alastor the truth? The thought did cross his mind but it was immediately shot down by the little voices in his head. Alastor was hurt. If the deer knew the truth, would he try to do something stupid again?
In that moment, Angel made a slit second decision. Lie.
Slapping a grin back on his face, Angel stuff the phone back down the fluffy chasm of his chest. "Naw, just some creepy fan. Somehow they musta got my number."
Again his tits buzzed as he was suddenly bombarded with a series of texts one after the other and Angel furrowed his brows. This motherfucker... What the hell did he want? But the spider made to motion to pull the cellular device back out.
[ Sometimes it really pays to have a human like Solomon in the devildom. Where his brothers would ignore him and refuse to help his silly little ideas, Solomon would always help out. If only because it provided some kind of interest to him. Whether it be to help his own magic, or just for amusement, he would be down to help, and when he heard from Mammon that there was another version of hell around it made him incredibly curious.
It took months and months of working out the kinks and practicing transporting Mammon (it wasn't quite like an easy trip to the human realm.) but Solomon was finally ready to try out traveling to this new hell and using Mammon as his guineapig.
Whereever Angel was at the time, whether it was in his own room or traveling somewhere around town, a portal opens up above his head and a familiar demon with white hair comes falling onto him. ]
[It was just another perfect day down in Hell. The air hung throughout Pentagram City like hot sticky soup as the sinners went about their daily afterlives. Which mostly consisted of trying to carve out a piece of this shit hole for themselves by what ever means necessary. Drowning themselves in the vices that plagued them in life.
A certain eight limbed demon may have over indulged the night previous with the drinks as he groans, warm in his bed. That will teach him to try going toe to toe with Husker.... Forcing himself to leave the comforts of his sheets, the spider trudged down the hallway of the nearly vacant hotel towards the kitchen. The furthest thing on his mind was the remnants of a dream long past. His time in Reverein seemed like a lifetime ago, his memories coming in fine tendrils in his sleep. But now, back where he came, Angel had fallen back to his old life. And old job.
So imagine his shock as he was trying to make himself a pot of coffee when a magic circle suddenly appeared over head.]
What the fuc-
[Before he could finish his thought, something heavy came toppling out and slamming right on top of him. Angel collapsed onto the floor with whatever fell squarely on top of him.]
Ow... ow ow ow..... [Okay well, his head was doubly ringing now. He was about to give the mystery guest an earful but all the steam fizzled out.] Mamms?
[ Mammon let out an embarrassing scream as he fell from the portal, making a mental note to give solomon a piece of his mind when he gets back. What kind of "all powerful sorcerer" makes portals where people fall from so high?! Damn him!
At least the landing was a good one. He hadn't realized what he had landed on at first, but it was really soft and fluffy... It wasn't until he heard that familiar voice that he sat up on top of Angel, a look of worry quickly turning into a look of excitement. ]
Uhm, care to say that again? Well that was easy for him to say, being the one who wasn't used as a landing pad. Angel's brain was bouncing around in his skull, needing a moment to process what the fuck just happened. Was he just this hung over that he was imagining things? Nope... the throbbing pain rattling around upstairs made it clear that this was happening.
Please standby as the spider reboots.
Letting out a groan, Angel reached up to rake his claws through his hair.]
Usually I'm all for a little morning grind, but the hands on my tits is making it a bit hard to breath.
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Getting Fucked Up... and Not the Good Way
Angel fished out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, taking a long drag to let the smoke fill his lungs. Exhaling in a cloud of white haze, the conversation with Alastor played on a loop in Angel’s mind. It absolutely annoyed the every loving fuck out of him why he cared so much about his fuckabilty with the other demon. Why? Why was it bothering him? He has slept with so many people, so why was he hung up over one? Any other demon would jump on the chance to sleep with him. Maybe… for the first time in a long time… Al was someone he wanted to sleep with outside of work or getting high… Angel’s brow furrowed at that sudden realization and he hastily tried to chase off the thought.
That couldn’t be it. Fuck. He didn’t want to think about this anymore. Hell, he didn’t want to think at all. Being sober royally sucked ass. Angel took another hit off his cigarette before flicking it to the sidewalk, the tiny emder snuffing out as it hit the pavement. That settles it. He is getting fucked up tonight. But who to pick up? As Angel was scoping out a potential mark, the fur on the back of his neck started to stand on end… He was being watched.
Maybe a change of scene would do the trick. Picking up his pace Angel glided down the sidewalk trying to shake that uneasy feeling, slipping into a side alleyway away from prying eyes. Just as he was about half way down, behind him Angel could hear the crackle of heavy tires rolling against the pavement followed by slam of a car door being shut.
“There you are, Angel Cakes.” The familiar raspy buzz caused Angel to stop dead in his tracks. “I’ve been lookin’ for ya.”
Shit.
“Val~” Angel’s voice cracked, almost sickeningly sweet as he turned to face his pimp. “Surprise seeing you here...”
“I can say the same for you.” Valentino slowly strolled closer to Angel who found his legs frozen underneath that intense stare. Before he knew it, Val was on top of him and he reached out to forcibly grab Angel’s chin. “Who gave you permission to peddle your ass for cheap tips?”
“Last I checked it was my ass.” Reflexily Angel swatted away Val’s touch but was instantly filled with regret seeing the twitch in his smile.
Sharp stinging pain splittered down Angel’s cheek as a swift hand was brought down upon him. “Have you forgotten I own you. Seems to me that hidin’ at that fuckin’ hotel has filled your head full of bullshit.”
Angel shook off the shock of the slap to glower at Val, “Hey, easy on the goods! My face is my money maker.”
At that, Val’s head tossed back in a gutteral chuckle before he turned a level gaze straight into Angel’s eyes. “Your face? You think they want your face? They are here for your ass, not that face.” Just to prove his point, Valentino cracked the other side of Angel’s face with the back of his hand… just to even him out. “We can just slap a pretty little mask on and no one would give a shit.”
Another hard slap rang square across Angel’s face, echoing off the brick walls of the small alley. Enough was enough. Val swung his hand downwards yet again but Angel was ready for the next one.
“Fuckin’ lay off!” With purpose, Angel flung his hands up to counter the strike but in doing so he accidentally brought his own hands against his pimp’s face.
Time seemed to stop as Valentino’s signature heart-rimmed glasses fell to the concret, shattering out a lens. Fear like he never felt made Angel’s blood run ice cold. Oh he fucked up. He fucked up real bad.
“Please I… I didn’t mean to…” Angel stammered.
Valentino’s face twisted into a nasty grin as red smoke seeped out between his sharp teeth and twisted around Angel’s throat. “I have killed bitches for doing a tenth of the shit you’ve pulled. Daddy is done. I. Own. You. When I say ‘Dance’, you say ‘Yes Val’. When I say ‘Suck dick’ you say ‘Yes Val’. That's how it's always been. Looks like you need some re-educating back at the studio.”
Panic gripped at Angel’s gut, fighting off tears that were stinging at the corners of his eyes. “No, Val! No! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hit ya like that. I’ll dance! I’ll suck dick. I’ll do whatever you want! Please I-”
“There’s no ‘please’ anymore, baby. I have been so patient with you and your excessive bullshit.” Val roughly grabbed Angel by the scruff and unceremoniously dragged him back towards his limo, chucking his ass inside.
-------
The inhabitants of the Happy Hotel had almost a full five days of an Angel free week. No erroneous sex jokes. No loud laughter or stealing of Husker’s whiskey. Nothing. It was almost too quiet. But on the evening of the fifth night, a long red limo crawled up to the end of the hotel’s driveway. The driver’s passenger door flung open as something white was tossed out on the curb like a sack of garbage. Inside Val lounged in the backseat smoking a long cigarette.
“I hope you learned your lesson, Angel Cakes. Next time I won’t be as merciful.” Val exhales slowly filling the limo in a red haze. “Don’t forget what we discussed. I expect to see that ass this weekend.”
And with that, the door slammed shut and the limo sped away leaving Angel crumpled in a small lump on the cold hard ground. Everything hurts. Even breathing hurts. Well… Angel got what he wanted. He certainly got fucked up. It took him a moment to gather his strength to pull his sorry ass off the ground. Even under all that white fur, there was clear evidence of bruising. His cheeks look puffy and his left eye was almost swollen shut. Surely, if he wasn’t wearing his long gloves, there would have been visible rope burns around his wrists and arms.
No one could see him like this… Just get to his room. Just get to his room…Lock the door… Just get to his room…. Angel pulled his jacket tight around himself trying to cover the sad state he was in the best he could as he silently slipped through the front door.
Just get to his room… Just get to his room…
That thought kept repeating over and over in his mind. Thankfully for him it seemed that everyone was in bed already with it being so late at night. Angel sighed a bit in relief as he stealthily made his way up to his room.
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His sleep schedule typically swung wildly between "somewhat normal" to "highly unusual" to "nonexistent". Lately, it was firmly locked in the "nonexistent" category. Not that he would admit that to anyone, of course. Converting magical energy to physical energy to keep going? It was a trick he'd mastered long ago but it was one he always paid dearly for sooner or later.
However, this wasn't the usual wild swinging of his sleep schedule. No, after the first day of Angel being gone, he'd gotten antsy. He didn't care about Angel, not by a long shot.
If he lied to himself and everybody else enough, maybe he'd finally believe it.Alastor craved control like others craved their favorite vices. There'd been so much out of his control in life that having it in any situation was addictive.Angel was gone. Alastor didn't know where he was. Something was happening outside of his knowledge or control, and it was like spiders beneath his skin.
He set his shadow friends to watch for Angel, telling them to alert him the moment the spider returned to the hotel. He'd tried sending them out the first day but he'd ended up empty-handed. Too many places in Pentagram City with wards against any form of scrying. If his shadows tried to penetrate those places, the owners of those locations would immediately know who was probing at their wards.
Alastor sat in his room, staring blankly at the book in front of him. Normally a voracious reader, he'd been staring at the same page for over an hour.
His shadows swarmed about him, chattering mutely in his head.
"One at a time!" he lightly scolded his shadowy companions. "You know I can't understand you when you're all jabbering at once!"
They tried again, being careful to take their turns. Their news prompted Alastor's ears to shoot straight up.
"Thank you, my friends." He summoned a ball of magical energy which they eagerly took and divided amongst themselves. "I'll take things from here."
Alastor rose from his seat and headed towards Angel's room.
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Because you have nowhere else to go.Choking down bitter thoughts Angel finally reached his door and quickly darted inside. Once the door was securely locked and closed behind him, the full weight of his body slumped against it. Everything he had endured just came crashing down onto his shoulders, making his chest feel heavy, hard to breath. Taking a moment to collect himself staring into his darken room, Angel shot a glance at his large vanity. Even in the dark he could see his reflection clear as day. God, he knew he looked like shit but this was probably the worst yet.
As Angel peered into his own eyes, the images in the mirror warped, reflecting back the 'events' of the past few days. Angel winced attempting to blink away the memories but all he could do was hear that awful low buzz of Val's laughter humming in his ears and how distrusting his touch had felt against his skin. It was like he was on fire. Letting out a small howl, Angel snatched a sheet from his bed, whipping it off to hastily cover the vanity. The images were gone but the hushed voices and the lingering sensation through his fur persist.
Mentally and physically exhausted Angel collapsed to the floor at the foot of his bed, clasping his face in his hands. It was like the flood gates were opened as tears poured from his eyes soaking his white fur. Lost in dark thoughts, Angel suddenly felt a soft nuzzle at his side and he raised his head to see a tiny pink ball of fluff. Fat Nuggets… Seeing his pet pig brought a slight smile to his face as he gingerly scooped up the small piglet into his arms, bringing him close to his chest. To some, it might just be a stupid pig, but to Angel, Nuggs was his whole world. He has seen the worst of Angel but he never judged, never abandoned him. He was always there when he needed someone. Probably one of the only living things that loved him.
Angel could feel the tears welling backup inside him and he held Nuggs close like he was afraid someone was going to rip him away from him. There he sat… crying… in the dark… as his little pig tried his best to lick away Angel's pain.
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Really. Not at all. He'd just had to keep things running while Charlie had taken Vaggie out searching for Angel. That was fine and normal.
He knocked on the door to the room.
"Angel, I know you're there! You can either let me in or I'll let myself in! You know I will!"
He had a copy of the master key after all. Even if he didn't he could easily teleport himself inside. Perhaps Charlie was a bit of a good influence on Alastor that way: getting him to at least give warning before he invaded.
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If this was any other normal day, the spider demon would have been delighted by an impromptu visit by the radio demon. However tonight, Alastor was literally the last person he wanted to see right now. Thinking about how all this started... Angel was in no mood for Alastor's judgement. Or worse, he might find Angel's situation entertaining.
But he knew Alastor was right. He was coming in, one way or another. Even if Angel wanted to, he didn't think he had the strength to pull his ass from the floor to let him in. Instead, Angel tucked up his knees and lowered his head to let his long bangs hide his face, making himself appear as small as possible, bracing for Alastor's inevitable intrusion.
"Go away Alastor." Angel pleaded through the door, all pet names dropped. "I'm not entertainin' anyone tonight."
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My turn to ramble on and on it seems.
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He remained kneeled in front of Angel, watching him carefully. He wondered what the spider would do in this state. Regardless, he knew that having Charlie stay out of this had been the right decision. Hurting Charlie's feelings was to most people like kicking a puppy, something you did and immediately felt guilty for. (Well, people other than him. Alastor had no love for dogs, after all.) That sort of guilt on top of what just happened, well, that probably would've made things worse for the spider.
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All the ugly emotions he had been stewing in silence on the car ride over came bubbling to the surface. All the anger, and that bitterness tore at him. Angel's head snapped up to give the deer a cold glare.
"I'm your 'toy' and you don't like it when 'people brake them'. Its the same old bullshit! This is all about your God damn pride! You couldn't handle that someone else has control over what you think is yours. It has nothing to do with the real me or what I want. I didn't want any of this! This is the exact opposite of what I wanted! I guarantee if I was slapped around by some John, which news flash, I have been, you wouldn't have blinked an eye. But the fact that is was Val, the egotistical dick who has my soul contract Val, is what pissed you off. Now you started a pissing match with the Three Vs! The saving grace about this hotel is that it's ran by Charlie, the fucking princess of Hell. So do you know what they are going to turn their focus on?" Angel sat up to jab a boney finger into Alastor's chest.
"Me, Alastor, me. I can't hide in this hotel forever. Val is going to come for me. If he ever gets his hands on me again he'll lock me up for good. But that's probably what you want, right? Sinners falling back into the flame. This whole fucking place is a God damn joke to you! All this shit over me. ME. I'm..."
Angel withdrew into himself to clutch at his arms again.
"I'm worthless. I'm nothing. If I die again all this would just go away. I would be free and no one would miss me." Angel tried to conceal a sniffle as he pulled off Alastor's jacket, roughly chucking it aimed at his stupid deer face. "Take you stupid jacket and leave me alone."
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Or at least that was the plan as the anger at Angel saying he wasn't worth anything bubbled up inside of him urged him to do otherwise.
"You are not worthless. You are not nothing," Alastor snapped. "I don't associate with worthless people."
He stood up.
"But you are correct on a few points: I like having control. I don't like it when things are beyond it. In other thrillingly obvious news, water is wet and fire burns. But those weren't the only reasons. Unfortunately, some of us aren't as open about our emotions as others. Call it a failing, call it a strength, it just is."
He looked at the jacket in his hands. It desperately needed a wash or twenty, but the ragged coattails gave him some inspiration.
"Do you know why I still have this jacket? Why I still keep it despite it being worn and torn around the edges when I could just as easily stop into Rosie's or any clothing shop in Cannibal Colony to replace it?"
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Without looking up Angel croaked out a response, if not a bit sarcastic. "Cause you grew up poor so you hold on to broken shit? That or you don't have a rich Sugar Daddy to help you pay for a new one."
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Well, if he must...
He cast his gaze around before starting to wander the store. Honestly, he felt like he was going to burst into flames from sheer embarrassment. But if he didn't do this, Angel would never let him live it down.
He stopped at a corset made with pink satin with black embroidery. Classy, could even be worn with a gown to look somewhat respectable.
"If I had to pick, this one."
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Following Alastor to the other side of shop, he lets out a long whistle peering over the deer's shoulder. "Wow Al, you do got good taste."
Without a word of explanation he reached over to pick it up to tuck it safely under his arm with the others.
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"You're going to purchase it?!"
Why? It wasn't like the spider was trying to seduce him!
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"Yeah. Why not? Its nice and I want it. And maybe if you ask real nice I'll model it for you." Angel playfully winked at him before turning to go pay for his items. Okay, torment over.
For now.
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He took a sip from his own drink before grunting.
"Oh yeah. Almost forgot. Al left a few things for everybody. When he gets back, don't make a big deal out of it, okay?"
He reached under the bar and retrieved a rather heavy box wrapped in green paper with a silver ribbon. The gift tag had Angel's name on it but no sender. And given that the box wasn't written in Alastor's typical red, it was clear he'd intended for no one to realize who it was from.
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He took a long sip to give him time to think on how to address the elephant in the room about leaving the cat blue balled last night. But thankfully the topic abruptly shifted as Husker pulled up the neatly wrapped gift on to the counter. All thoughts of owing the cat a blowjob flew out the window as he stared bewildered at the present. He got him something else? What could it be? The way Husker held it made it seem the contents were heavy.
"Not make a big deal out of it?" Angel took the box into his claws, looking it over in confusion. What the fuck is it?
Tugging at the bow, Angel tentatively started to open it. Was it going to bite him?
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Atop the stack was a simple, unsigned note:
In case something should happen. It will take time for your day in court, so I'd rather you have copies of my notes as a precaution.
When Angel opened the first binder, he'd see a copy of his contract, portions highlighted and marked with little numbers. Numbers that referenced page numbers and paragraphs in the rest of the binders. And as he flipped through the pages, he'd realize what he held in his hands was the Dealmaker's arguments picking apart the original contract along with case records to back up each argument. The end result was renegotiation with the explicit statement that all revisions must be completely accepted by both parties of their own free will without direct or indirect coercion. And if no satisfactory compromise could be found? The contract would be nullified immediately. The notes were typed aside from a few handwritten notes in the margins for potential revisions though the section regarding renegotiation was underlined with a side note reading "Stand your ground."
Honestly, the thick set of binders would've brought a tear to any lawyer's eye.
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Running his thumb over the countless pages and seeing all the pain steaking detailed notes the radio demon lovingly lined out... It must have taken him an eternity to write up and researched. All this for him. He poured so much time and energy work over his, even for a used up broken toy. But something wasn't sitting right with him. The opening line of the unsigned message.
'In case something should happen.'
The fuck was that about?! That sounded ominous like the deer knew something he didn't. It aligned poorly with Alastor's departure last night on the cusp of the Cleanse. It was almost as if Alastor was giving himself out, even though he said he wanted to make Angel his. Like he had one foot out the door. Was he not planning on returning? The feline could see Angel's body starting to quiver and he bowed his head over the open box, a hand reached up to cover his eyes.
"Al, you fucking dumbass..." Angel snorted under his breath and Husk could hear something wet dripping on to the bar's wood counter.
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It was going to take quite some time before he even shyly answered the questions willingly. Right now? Not a chance.
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Angel shrugged his shoulders still grinning like a fool as he stared up at other demon, giving him a wink. "Alright, I'll drop it. But if ya ever find yourself needing help, you know my number."
As if on queue, something caused Angel's chest fluff to ruffle as a muted buzz hummed between his fur. Blinking in confusion, Angel reached inside is nursing 'uniform' to manifest his cellphone from fluffy void. Who was messaging him? He wasn't... The porn starlet's body visibly tensed as he stared at the tiny screen. All the bubbly flirty air he had about him blipped away. Just for second.
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He saw that blip. His ears flattened.
"Valentino, I take it."
It wasn't a question.
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In that moment, Angel made a slit second decision. Lie.
Slapping a grin back on his face, Angel stuff the phone back down the fluffy chasm of his chest. "Naw, just some creepy fan. Somehow they musta got my number."
Again his tits buzzed as he was suddenly bombarded with a series of texts one after the other and Angel furrowed his brows. This motherfucker... What the hell did he want? But the spider made to motion to pull the cellular device back out.
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I WASNT SURE HOW TO START THIS IM SORRY
It took months and months of working out the kinks and practicing transporting Mammon (it wasn't quite like an easy trip to the human realm.) but Solomon was finally ready to try out traveling to this new hell and using Mammon as his guineapig.
Whereever Angel was at the time, whether it was in his own room or traveling somewhere around town, a portal opens up above his head and a familiar demon with white hair comes falling onto him. ]
You're perfectly fine~
A certain eight limbed demon may have over indulged the night previous with the drinks as he groans, warm in his bed. That will teach him to try going toe to toe with Husker.... Forcing himself to leave the comforts of his sheets, the spider trudged down the hallway of the nearly vacant hotel towards the kitchen. The furthest thing on his mind was the remnants of a dream long past. His time in Reverein seemed like a lifetime ago, his memories coming in fine tendrils in his sleep. But now, back where he came, Angel had fallen back to his old life. And old job.
So imagine his shock as he was trying to make himself a pot of coffee when a magic circle suddenly appeared over head.]
What the fuc-
[Before he could finish his thought, something heavy came toppling out and slamming right on top of him. Angel collapsed onto the floor with whatever fell squarely on top of him.]
Ow... ow ow ow..... [Okay well, his head was doubly ringing now. He was about to give the mystery guest an earful but all the steam fizzled out.] Mamms?
<3
At least the landing was a good one. He hadn't realized what he had landed on at first, but it was really soft and fluffy... It wasn't until he heard that familiar voice that he sat up on top of Angel, a look of worry quickly turning into a look of excitement. ]
Angel! It actually worked!
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Uhm, care to say that again? Well that was easy for him to say, being the one who wasn't used as a landing pad. Angel's brain was bouncing around in his skull, needing a moment to process what the fuck just happened. Was he just this hung over that he was imagining things? Nope... the throbbing pain rattling around upstairs made it clear that this was happening.
Please standby as the spider reboots.
Letting out a groan, Angel reached up to rake his claws through his hair.]
Usually I'm all for a little morning grind, but the hands on my tits is making it a bit hard to breath.
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pls forgive the late reply!!!