Heir to the Party Scene: A Helluva Boss Fanfiction - GRGrimm2001 (2024)

Chapter 1: Prologue: Day in the Life of a Prince

Chapter Text

Gabriel

If there was one thing that Gabriel Grimm knew about life, it was that you always needed to keep a cool head regardless of the situation. If a customer was rude to you or any of the other staff, it was best to put on a straight face and, unless they started to yell or get physical, ignore them. If someone didn’t like something about the food, you took the criticism and did your best to move on and improve upon your own cooking. Routine meant everything to him. It was something that had been taught to him at a young age and it kept him sane in a constantly changing world. As such, he made sure to take care of any potential adaptations he would have to make throughout any particular day. Yet, no amount of mental planning could have prepared Gabriel for what would happen to him today.

He’d woken up at 5 that Friday morning like he normally did and put on the pair of clothes he left out the night before to wear during his morning workout routine. The routine typically consisted of a couple stretches, pushups, etc., followed by a half-hour jog around the local park. As he stepped out into the outdoors to perform the latter, having just finished the former, Gabe took a moment to take in the fresh air. Having gone to culinary school in New York, where the air quality was extraordinarily less pleasant, he knew better than to take the sweet smell of unpolluted air for granted. The moist summer air from the night’s earlier rainfall tickled at his nose and caused him to let out a sneeze.

It was currently still dark outside, the indigo night sky marked only by dark yet visible clouds. Gabe couldn’t help but contemplate that the sky was having an awful resemblance to the blanket he had laying on the back of his couch. There was something rather calm and soothing about standing outside in the early morning. In that moment when the streets were empty and most of the lights were off, you could just pretend that the world itself was asleep, that everything was at peace and nothing could remotely go wrong.

Taking a look at his watch, which read 5:18, he decided now was the time to snap himself out of his trance and began his jog toward the local park. When he reached the entrance, he noticed a couple other joggers farther along the path as well as a groundskeeper replacing the bulb in one of the light poles. He gave a wave to the groundskeeper and began the trek into the park. The park was quiet, save for the sound of his own breathing the early morning chirping of some birds. As he made his way deeper into the park, the earthy fragrance of the soil filled his nose, reminding him of the smell of freshly picked beets. I could go for some pickled beets right now , he thought hungrily, though he never made it a habit to indulge in such hunger pangs as much as he wanted to do so.

Gabe had made it a habit to keep himself in shape so as to stay as healthy as humanly possible, and he knew that any break from his routine could result in it eventually crumbling apart. Granted that wasn’t the main reason why he took his health seriously, but rather more to do with how he was raised by his father. The very thought about his father so early in the morning, before he was mentally together, brought remembrance to what had happened less than a year prior.

Gabe took a moment of pause during his jog and breathed in deeply, counting to three. The hurt was still there, an echo of heartache that slowly began to flare up like a hot flash. He wasn’t going to break down, not here out in the open. Rubbing together and blowing on his hands, Gabe opened his eyes, stretched his arms and continued his morning jog. He only hoped that the rest of the day wouldn’t be stressful.

Once finished with his route, he returned back to his studio apartment to begin getting ready for the day. The apartment consisted of a living room with a TV and a couple couches for him to sit down and watch shows or play videogames on. Connected to that was the kitchenette, which was outfitted with the best quality kitchen appliances so that Gabe could practice cooking new dishes.

Toward the back, opposite the front door, were the doors leading to the bathroom and bedroom. The apartment wasn’t anything giant by any standards and resembled the designs you would find on the internet, but it was home to him. Yet, what made the apartment stand out compared to others were the ‘unique’ decorations that filled it.

On the walls were posters relating to his favorite video games, bands, or films. A couple framed watercolor paintings also made themselves present amongst his apartment walls. The desks and tables too were decorated with various different Lego sets (reflecting landmarks, cities, and even a globe), trophies, and photos. It was a ‘nerds paradise’ as his father had once jokingly remarked.

Heading over to the kitchenette, Gabe put his earbuds in and scrolled through his phone to determine what music to play. Deciding on Ice Nine Kills newest album, he set the phone on the counter and began to prepare himself breakfast, which consisted of a couple eggs, some fresh cantaloupe, and a slice of toast alongside his usual black coffee. Some small part of him deep down wanted to make a much bigger feast for him to indulge in.

The gluttonous instincts had always been present inside him, even since his childhood. It was the reason why, when he was younger, he had been a bit chubby. Having finished breakfast and putting everything into the dishwasher, Gabe began to move on to the next phase of his morning routine, getting dressed and brushing his teeth. For today, he had chosen a simple orange polo with black pants.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, having finished brushing his teeth and spitting out the mouthwash, Gabriel began to tie his long brown hair into a ponytail. Afterward, he took a moment to examine himself in the mirror. His cheek-boned face was a bare thing, lacking any evidence of stubble. His skin was perfect, without acne of any kind and was a natural tan color. He knew that many people, guys and gals alike, were jealous of him for that characteristic. Oh well, just means less money on trips to the beach or tanning salon , he chuckled internally. However, that itself was not his most defining characteristic.

No, beneath his square black-rimmed glasses were his eyes, which were a natural pink color, despite the fact that it wasn’t genetically natural for humans to have pink eyes. Whenever people complimented him on his “contacts” (even though he wore glasses) he would always correct them that he wasn’t wearing any and his oddly colored eyes were the result of a genetic mutation. At least that’s what the doctors had told his father. Being comfortable enough with his appearance, Gabe headed to his apartment door and removed a fedora from the hat rack.

The fedora itself was brown with golden rims at the base. He remembered when he’d first found it six years back at a yard sale. The moment his eyes had laid on it, he just knew that the hat had to be his. It didn’t matter if he was down fifty bucks by the end of the day (His dad certainly gave him a lecture on saving his money, even though he never spent his money on much to begin with despite how much he wanted to.). He just thought he would look stylish in it.

Granted he was the only one who thought so, but he didn’t give two sh*ts what others thought of his choice in attire. Putting the fedora on and slipping on a pair of black Vans, Gabe quickly checked his watch again. It read 6:19. Right on time, he remarked mentally before he left his apartment, locking the door behind him, and beginning the trek down to the Hive.

When he was helping his boss Jack Montenegro come up with a new name and theme for the cafe during the early stages of reconstruction, Gabriel’s mind couldn’t help but come back to a bee theme. All the way back to his childhood, he’d been obsessed with bees. His father had always joked that Gabe took after his mother in that regard, though whenever

Gabe asked his father what he meant, his father would always give the same response: Your mother always did like her honey. Gabe wasn’t sure what that meant. Was it a reference to her favorite type of treat, a type of alcohol, or something more sexual in nature? Gabe was pretty sure it was not the last one as his father had first told him that story when he was seven years old.

Regardless of where the fascination came from, Jack himself actually liked the idea and even let Gabe have a hand in designing the menu. Despite this level of trust, Gabe didn’t entirely trust himself with the task being just fresh out of culinary school and so relied on some of the other cooks and bakers in the area for advice.

Within a couple weeks, Gabe had a decent final draft for the cafe’s menu that Jack was practically gushing over like a sixteen year old girl over her crush. Eventually, he’d given Gabriel the role of manager as well, which Gabe had needed to undergo six months worth of training for, but he quickly found himself adapting to the new position.

As for his mother, well Gabe had never met her before. Though he did know that she was one of the reasons why he and his father could afford to own a studio apartment in the first place, the other reason being that his father’s repair and maintenance business was doing fine. Around the time he turned 14, Gabe had found out his mother had actually been sending them twenty-five thousand dollar checks monthly in the form of child support to make sure that they were set for life.

Although, his father saved the majority of the money in the bank and only used it for the expenses, which even then barely put a dent in the amount of cash she’d sent in total. (The last time he’d checked his bank account, it was somewhere under 2 million.)

When Gabe had asked where his mother was, his father had only told him that she was a very busy woman and that certain circ*mstances prevented her from being in their lives. Manuel Grimm held a quixotic tone whenever he talked about Gabe’s mother, describing her as a very beautiful and kind woman who loved to make people happy.

Despite how much his father seemed to adore his mother, Gabe wasn’t gonna deny that he kind of resented her for this. Afterall, if she tried her best to make people happy, then why was she not trying to do so for him?

Despite his father’s story, Gabriel never quite believed it. He always just assumed that his mother was some spoiled rich white party girl (given his own lighter skin complexion) whose parents had paid off his father to take care of him and never show his face in their presence ever again. This perception was only strengthened by the time he asked his aunt Sofia, his father’s sister, about her.

It was quite obvious from the way her face flinched and how she held back her anger and disgust that Sofia despised Gabe’s nameless mother. Aunt Sofia had never given him an exact answer, telling him to ask his father, but he heard her muttering about how the woman was a demon witch alongside a few other expletives.

In the end though, while it hurt not knowing if she really cared for him, it was not something that truly paralyzed him with depression. She was just a person who merely existed in the back of Gabriel’s mind. Whether or not she ever chose to input herself into his existence mattered little in the end as the success he had found with the Hive so early into his life had done more than enough to bring him plenty of self-satisfaction.

Speaking of the Hive, Gabe checked his watch to see what time it was, 6:25. The Hive opened up at 5:30 in the morning, but Gabe trusted the early morning crew enough to keep things running until he arrived. They mostly just served coffee during this time anyway. The 15 minute walk to work certainly meant that he would arrive several minutes later than he would if he drove by car (He did own one; a golden Kia.), but the walk also provided its own sense of calm and stability. A chance to admire the town he lived in and perform his own bout of self-reflection.

He wasn’t worried about getting jumped or anything like that. His father had been ex-military, a Navy Seal in fact. During Gabe’s childhood, his father had taught him much of the techniques he had learned during his time there as well as how to use a gun. In retrospect, it sometimes felt as though his father had never left the military given how much the man favored routine and fitness, which he had passed the importance of onto Gabe.

He never outright said it, always treating it with annoyance, but Gabe was eternally grateful that Manny Grimm had done so since it helped him out significantly during culinary school and work. Gabe still had some of the pistols and rifles his father had kept and, every couple of weeks, would drive to the local gun range to practice his skills with them. As a result, Gabriel wasn’t too concerned about walking out in the open as he could rightfully defend himself when the occasion called for it.

At about 6:35, Gabriel reached the cafe like always and made his way past the small parking lot and through the front doors. The parking lot was packed to the brim with various vehicles, indicating that it was a busy morning as usual. The outside of the cafe was typical, with brown colored walls encasing windows that allowed one to see the inside.

The roof was flat save for the rising, lit up dome in the shape of a beehive, serving as a beacon to draw in customers like they were worker bees looking for honey. Just above the front doors was the sign, showing a bright yellow beehive with a cartoonish looking bee flying out of it. The words “THE HIVE - Cafe and Bakery” were planted just below it.

It was needless to say that the design of the Hive certainly fit its name. The inside of the dining area itself was circular, with orange colored booths on the outside and, at the center, was the coffee bar and register where the baristas worked. In between the bar and the booths were extra tables and chairs for customers to sit at as well. The walls themselves, a collage of yellow and orange mixed together like water colors, seemed to level outward at wide increments all the way toward the center (like a cone-shaped bee hive) just above the coffee bar, where a bright orange sign that said “WELCOME” hung from. The light fixtures too fit in with the bee theme with them being in the shape of bee hives.

When Gabriel entered the Hive, he was met with greetings from the head barista, Cassidy. She was a middle aged African American woman who’d been working at the Hive since it opened up two years prior. Her uniform and those of the other four baristas working the busy coffee bar (There was a line of about 10 people in line and 5 others sitting or standing in the waiting area on the right side of the coffee bar.) consisted of an orange apron and an orange cap with an open top.

“Gabriel, good morning darling,” Cassidy greeted. I must say that you are looking fine today.”

“Muchas gracias, Cass!” Gabe thanked. Another quirk of Gabriel’s was that he was bilingual (having been taught by his father) and often switched in between the English and Spanish languages frequently while talking. For Gabe, it was a way for him to stay in touch with his cultural roots, especially since he sure as heck didn’t remotely look like he had any Mexican blood in him. Even if he wasn’t the religious type, he still had wanted to learn more and better embrace his own heritage out of respect to his family.

Especially his grandmother, who herself had needed to flee Mexico due to being hunted by a couple particularly nasty gangs. He absolutely adored his abuela and enjoyed the long regular conversations that they would have over the weekend when he came over. She was such a smart and caring woman who always did what she could to help the people of the community. It was safe to say that she too had been a big inspiration for Gabriel’s own charitable and optimistic nature despite the negatives of the world.

“You do as well. I think I saw Larry at the construction site yesterday. Is he doing alright?” Her husband Larry had broken his wrist a month back and had been forced to go on a paid leave.

“He’s doing just fine, darling. Thank you for asking,” responded Cassidy. “Ya know, I told that man that he should be staying at home a few more days, but you know how he is, always wanting to be on his feet.”

“Ah, Classic Larry,” Gabe chirped. “Well I gotta get going. You señoras need anything, I’ll be in the office.” Gabe removed his hat and gave the baristas a playful bow before he turned around and quite literally sashayed to the back. Gabe smiled at the giggles and chuckling he heard everyone in the cafe give to his enthusiastic performance.

Though Gabe was generally a quiet person and acted somewhat timid around others, it was around those he was comfortable with or knew personally that he allowed a more extravagantly eccentric personality take hold. As such his entire motto for life was “Flaunt the Weird.” That didn’t mean Gabriel was an extrovert. No, he was most definitely an introvert. As much as he would like to make conversation with everyone for longer periods of time, he honestly felt very uncomfortable doing so. Generally, after work, he’d return home from the cafe, put his headphones on, and play whatever music he felt like listening to in order to “recharge” himself for when’d have to talk to others again later on.

Heck, even interacting with others and learning more about them was a chore itself. As someone who was on the autism spectrum, it felt difficult much of the time interacting with and communicating with others. During his early childhood and teenage years this was especially prevalent as he would more often than not hang by himself during recess or spend his time after school at home studying or playing video games.

He never had many friends and only communicated with his classmates for class work and group projects. It hadn’t been until his last year of high school and throughout culinary school that he officially began to break that trend and overcome his socialization issues.

At the opposite end of the entrance was the kitchen area that also served as a bakery where people could order different types of cakes and other dessert items. It wasn’t anything up to scale as you would find in a five star restaurant, but it was staffed with competent people and stocked with fresh ingredients and proper machines/utensils to produce above par food. Not to mention that it was cleaned regularly so much so that there wasn’t a speck of dirt or mold to be found anywhere at any time.

Other than the coffee, their breakfast, lunch and dessert items were what put the Hive as one of the town’s top tourist destinations. When the Hive had first opened up, it had only been a cafe. It had only branched out as a bakery when Gabe suggested to Jack that they could make more money by selling a wider variety of dessert items to the rest of the town.

While Jack had initially been reluctant to take a risk with such a huge venture that could negatively change the cafe’s atmosphere, Gabe had dissuaded his fears by agreeing to take responsibility for the bakery. This in turn was what led to Gabriel being given his role of manager at the Hive. The end result of the addition of the bakery was one of success, with positive reviews from respective clients only adding on to the already positive vibes of the Hive. In fact, the bakery had made the cafe seem more homely by catering to family birthday parties and other events.

On the other hand, Gabe was not dictatorial in his management style. He was understanding if you made a couple mistakes every now and then. People were inherently flawed afterall and even he screwed up in the kitchen every now and then. What he could not stand however, was if a worker continually made mistakes or even worse, made lame excuses for them. He had had to fire a few lazy workers over the past two years as a result of this.

Now if those mistakes were the result of something related to their mental health, he wouldn’t outright fire them. As someone who understood how one’s mental health could affect their work, he would instead refer them to a counselor, the cost of which he’d take care of. He wasn’t a greedy monster and though emotions were hard to express, he did grow to care for those who worked under his employ.

Entering the kitchen, Gabe gave a wave over to one of the kitchen assistants who arrived for the early morning shifts before heading over toward the far right area. Over in the far right corner of the kitchen was a hallway that broke off in three directions, the center door led to the alleyway out back, the left door to the employee break room, and the right door leading to the manager’s office. The door to the manager’s office was different from the other two in that this one held a mail slot for anyone to drop off any requests or important memos that had been brought in.

Unlocking the office door and stepping inside, Gabe flicked on the light switch and checked the mailbox connected to the office-facing side of the door. Surprisingly it was empty, though Gabriel saw this as a plus as it meant that he would not need to spend as much time doing paperwork in the office and be able to spend more time working in the kitchen. Though, he’d need to run back into the office in case the phone rang.

The office itself was larger than one would expect in such a small space of the building, with a couple filing cabinets to the left of the desk and table with a printer and scanner on the opposing side. On the back wall behind the desk hung a photo taken of Jack and Gabriel standing in front of the Hive the day of the cafe’s opening.

The compact and plain appearance of the office contrasted significantly with that of the main area of the Hive, reflecting a serious nature where nothing but important business was conducted. The more open and colorful environment of the cafe section of the building on the other hand invited a more cozy and chill atmosphere perfect for customers to socialize in.

Sitting down at the desk that he and Jack shared when they took turns managing the place (Gabe did weekdays while Jack took the weekend shifts.), he took a couple pages off the top of the stack and set it in front of him. Just before he started, however, Gabe’s eyes flashed to the framed photo sitting on the left corner of the desk. It was of him and his father standing side-by-side in front of the coffee bar.

Picking it up, Gabe began to reminisce about the day it had been taken. It had been just the day before the cafe first opened. Having just graduated from culinary school, Gabe was excited to show his father his new place of work and they took a photo together to celebrate the occasion.

His father, Manny Grimm, had been a hardworking Mexican-American man with light brown skin and slick black hair. Despite his tough guy appearance and scarred up face, the man was actually a real softy and a real helper of the community. If any of the neighbors had a problem with their plumbing or wiring, Manny was the guy to call. If they needed a roof or drainage pipe repaired, you called Manny. Growing up, Gabriel had always idolized his father as someone to look up to. His humility and work ethic had made him almost like a superhero in the eyes of a young Gabriel Grimm.

He remembered on that day before the cafe’s opening how proud his father had told him he was of him, how he had become the man he always knew he could be. He’d never blushed with that childlike embarrassment so hard before. It was probably the best day of Gabriel’s life. And for the first year into the Hive’s run, everything had felt right with the world, like nothing could go wrong.

Then his father became sick. Pancreatic cancer. It had come absolutely out of nowhere. It wasn’t the first time his father had battled cancer before. The first time a decade prior, his father had gone through a few rounds of chemo and had left the hospital with a clean bill of health. It was supposed to be the end of it. Unfortunately, the cancer came back, and Gabe’s father hadn’t bothered telling Gabe for months. By the time Gabriel had found out, his father already didn’t have long to live.

When he’d gotten to the hospital, he’d found his father sitting in a hospital bed, aunt Sofia and his Grandmama by his side, and his father simply looked awful. Gabriel had given his father a scolding before hugging the fool. His father had simply placed an arm over his back while he told his son that everything would be alright.

Unfortunately, things wouldn’t be alright. A few days later, Gabriel’s father had died in his hospital bed, Gabriel sitting by his side and gripping his father’s hand with the hope that despite the sound of the heart monitor flatlining his father would somehow return the grip with the same strength. Gabriel didn’t cry.

It wasn’t until the funeral, when he was standing on a podium, in front of what constituted maybe an eighth of the town, about to give a speech he wrote about his father that the part of his brain that triggered his ability to cry activated and the dam burst. All of the emotions that Gabe had been feeling, that he couldn’t express before, seemingly blew up out of him at the stark reality that his father and role model was gone.

At the very least, he had his aunt Sofia and grandmother by his side to help him mourn, and as much as he resented his mother, he had wished that she was there in that moment; to hold him and tell him that he would be okay. That had been 9 months ago, and even to this day Gabe felt the effects of his father’s absence.

Gabe had never taken a sick day since his starting at the Hive. Yet ever since the funeral, Gabe had found himself on some days unable to even get out of bed. He’d even lost some of his passion for baking for a brief period of time. Those days of him simply staring at the ceiling and cursing whatever god existed to allow his father to die so soon had grown farther and fewer in between, but they still occurred at least once a month.

He’d almost brought himself unto another bout of depression that morning during his jog. Some days he genuinely felt happy, and on others he had to put on a mask. The only reason not many of the others noticed was because he never let any of it affect his work, not anymore at least. He refused to allow his father’s death to be the reason why the Hive fell into a decline of quality. He couldn’t shame his father like that. He wouldn’t.

“Wish you were here, papá,” Gabe muttered sadly under his breath. Taking a deep breath, Gabe quickly pushed the depressing emotions to the back of his mind and got to work with the paperwork that he hadn’t finished yesterday afternoon. As such, the day continued like it normally would at the Hive, with some minor variations of course.

He finished the remaining paperwork at five to eight, followed by joining the rest of the kitchen assistants shortly after in preparing some of the orders they had for the day. A couple phone calls, orders received, a potential catering opportunity planned for next Saturday. A shift change occurred at 11, with most of the early morning workers leaving for the day and being replaced by others. Gabe and some of the full time workers had a lunch break at noon.

The only main difference for the day was some Karen who’d claimed to have ordered an iced honey latte and not the caramel iced latte that even Gabriel had heard her very clearly order. (He was pretty sure most Karens just did these kinds of stunts for attention.) It was honestly a miracle he hadn’t blown up at the woman, not because of what she was screaming, but because she was starting to make one of the new part time baristas cry.

So, after effectively banning the woman from the cafe, Gabe took the tearful employee to the break room and had her sit to calm down for a good fifteen minutes. All the while he comforted her and told her she did everything right and asked her if she wanted to go home. Fortunately, the pep talk seemed to do the trick as she was able to get back into the swing of things and carry on with her shift.

It was just a quarter after 4 however that his day would really start to turn sideways. The cafe closed at 4 PM sharp and the majority of the customers had come and gone for the day. The afternoon staff was already finishing cleaning up the coffee bar and kitchen, the tables were wiped off save for the last customers’, and the floors were swept clean of all dust and food dropped on the ground. Gabe couldn’t help but beam with pride for his staff and how well oiled a machine they had turned the Hive into.

The only customers left were a mother and daughter pair, Susan and Diana. The former of which had just gotten off work and picked up her 4 year old daughter from school like she normally did. He had been bringing out a birthday cake in a box for Susan (It was her husband’s birthday tomorrow) that she’d come to pick up when he heard the doorbell ring followed by an excited feminine voice. “Oh my sweet honey, this place totally vibes!”

Drawing the attention of Gabriel and the rest of the baristas, as well as Susan and Diana, was a brightly dressed woman probably in her early thirties (though her high cheek bones certainly made her appear more youthful). The woman was currently mesmerized with the cafe’s decorum, her giddy attitude like that of a child who’d taken their first steps into Disneyland. The woman was, to put it bluntly, stunning in every sense of the word. She had long, vibrant blue and pink hair running over the side of her face as well as being tied in a ponytail running down to her hips. If anything, her hair reminded Gabe of the cotton candy he would get at the local fairgrounds every summer.

As for her outfit, it consisted of a plain pink top and purple shorts that ran down to just above her knees which, along with the rest of her legs, were covered in pink and blue striped stockings resting above black designer boots. Over her top was a black leather motorcycle jacket, the phrase “Hound of Gluttony” plastered on the back in big rainbow colored letters above a howling wolf. A motorcycle club perhaps, though a little odd to have such bright colors on the jacket, Gabe contemplated. Over her eyes, she wore retro heart shaped glasses with red lenses.

“I like your hair," little Diana complimented, running up to the woman. “It’s so colorful, like cotton candy.”

“Aw, your hair is pretty too, cutie,” the woman replied in turn, bending over and scruffing up Diana’s hair playfully. “Oh you are just the most adorable little thing ever. I just want to snuggle you to bits.” The little girl in response went into a fit of giggling at that action before running back to her mom at the counter and pointing at the “nice woman with the pretty hair.” Susan, now holding the cake, told her daughter she saw her too but lightly scolded that it wasn’t nice to point at people.

She then shouted a goodbye to Gabriel and the staff before walking toward the front doors, her daughter following behind her. The latter of the two gave a wave of goodbye to the new woman, who reciprocated with her own hand wave, before Diana followed her mother outside.

“Hola señorita, how can I help you?” Gabriel greeted, pushing down the sudden build up of shock at seeing her eyes. The woman turned around to face him, but soon her own face morphed into one of brief surprise and recognition before quickly correcting itself to a more neutral expression. Okay, that was weird, Gabe mentally acknowledged. Was it me or did she just seem surprised to see me.

“Um, yeah you uh,” the woman paused for a moment. “Are you still open?” The woman asked rather nervously, a stark contrast in comparison to her cheerful tone just moments earlier. Again, just weird.

“We’re actually closed right now. Lo siento, señorita,” Gabe apologized, checking his watch and noting that the hands were now indicating that it was 4:18.

“Oh, bummer,” the woman said despondently. Gabe wasn’t sure why, but seeing this particular woman in a gloomish mood (even if it was a bit exaggerated) had caused his own insides to clench up, an odd feeling he’d only gotten whenever his father was in his own drab disposition. She was pretty, sure, but he wasn’t attracted to her. So what was it about the woman that drew him to her, and made him despair at even the slightest of her sorrow?

“How about you guys finish cleaning up and go home while I take care of this last customer," suggested Gabriel. Some of the newbies looked back in surprise, not expecting the boss to stay after hours. However, those who had been with the Hive for a much longer time, and as such knew Gabriel more, took it as the norm given Gabe’s kind and charitable nature.

“You sure, Gabe,” asked one of his kitchen assistants from the kitchen awning.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t take too long anyway,” he reassured them. Granted he probably would have done so regardless, afterall it was only one customer. Yet the strange feelings he got from the woman only further guaranteed the action. An almost psychic connection that he had to get to the bottom of.

“Adiós camaradas! See you Monday.” Gabe gave a salute to some of the staff as they left to grab their things in the break room before clocking out. Gabe quickly spun around and pointed some finger guns at the colorfully dressed woman, the ridiculously bizarre action of which elicited some giggling from her. “So what would you like ma’am?”

Peering down at the dessert menu plastered on the counter for a moment, she took her glasses off for a moment to inspect the menu, her fingers pinching her chin with a child-like curiosity. When she did so, Gabe nearly gasped when he saw the woman’s eyes. They were a bright pink, exactly like his. He couldn’t believe it. What were the chances that someone else had the same eye color mutation as him after all? He was still trying to process it when she looked back up at him and asked, “Can I get a slice of your honey pie?”

“Hm, oh sure thing,” Gabe obliged, still put off a bit by her unique eye color. Though he did feel slightly happy at her order since honey pie was actually his personal favorite.

“Perfect! By the way, is it homemade or shipped in?” It was an odd question for someone to ask, especially since the cafe was also advertised as a bakery. However, given the fact that many of the big chains pretty much did cut corners by ordering frozen or premade food, the question itself was certainly forgivable. Not a lot of visible non-brand food establishments anymore.

“Homemade," Gabe stated with unabashed pride. I actually help make the majority of the desserts here myself.

“Oh really. You a baker huh?” she inquired gaily.

“I do a bit of everything really,” Gabe responded.

“How’d a young kid like yourself end up as the baker in a cafe?” The woman asked with a more curious tone. Gabe rubbed the back of his hands and blushed at the observation. Normally, when he heard that question being asked it was when he was watching reruns of Kitchen Nightmares on Youtube, and the responses given were odd at best. Of course, he wasn’t as inexperienced or ignorant as the ones being asked on that show.

“I’ve won a few baking competitions, local and state, over the past few years. Even got a scholarship for and went to one of the best culinary schools in the country,” he gloated. “The owner scouted me when he was first designing the place and I’ve been here ever since.”

He still wasn’t sure why, maybe it was the woman’s overly peppy charm, but he felt some sort of innate connection with the woman that made him more comfortable with being open with her. She certainly reminds me of those party girl types I would see in college. Just like them, she has a real knack for being friends with everyone, that’s for sure. Maybe that’s it, he concluded. Her whole personality and vibe just aren’t that intimidating, sure, that’s it. And yet, what that couldn’t explain was how she seemed to recognize him when she first saw him. This wasn’t mentioning the feeling of a puzzle becoming whole, as though a part of him that was once missing had at last been found.

“But anyway, I better go and get your pie,” he remarked as he pointed his thumb back toward the kitchen. He needed to distract himself from such thoughts before he dug himself too deeply into that rabbit hole. Once he started thinking, there was very little that would get him to stop.

“Alright, don’t keep me waiting,” the woman said. And with that Gabriel turned back toward the kitchen. Entering the kitchen area, Gabe made a beeline (no pun intended) toward the cooler and grabbed a freshly made tray of honey pie out of it. While the desserts were homemade, they didn’t want to waste any of the food and throw it all away. The desserts were marked and labeled for when they were made and stored for up to two days.

If they weren’t sold within that time frame, the desserts as well as some of their lunch and breakfast items were donated to the local church or food bank. It was a simple system to maintain their food’s quality that not only reduced the amount of waste they produced but also gave back to the community.

Moving a slice onto a separate smaller plate, Gabe grabbed a fork from a drawer and placed it next to the pie before exiting the kitchen. As he made it back into the lounge, he noticed that the woman was currently texting someone on her phone. Gabe had to blink a couple times to make sure he was seeing it correctly. The phone itself was pink in color with a red pentagram in the center, but that wasn’t what drew his attention to it.

That went to the horn-like design that protruded from the top corners of the phone. I’ve never seen a custom phone design like that before , he wondered. I’m curious who made it for her. Peering up from her phone, Bee’s eyes quickly locked onto Gabe as he made his way back to her. Her body slightly shook in excitement as she couldn’t wait to dig into the pie slice.

“Aquí está…um,” he paused, soon coming to a realization. “You know, I don’t believe I asked you your name.”

“My name, well you can just call me Bee, Gabriel,” the woman, Bee as she was so aptly named, answered. A woman named Bee at a place called the Hive, oh the irony, Gabriel mused. Wait a minute…

“I don’t believe I ever told you my name,” Gabe responded suspiciously, he knew the woman had recognized him when she first entered. Bee’s eyes quickly widened like she’d been caught red-handed stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Oh yeah, she’s definitely guilty of something.

“Oh yeah, I uh… just recall reading about you on an internet article about the place,” Bee managed to stutter out, pointing at the small, rectangular piece attached to his shirt. Odd, Gabriel thought. She definitely seemed to have pulled that one from her ass. Then again, I know there are a couple food reviews out there that mention me specifically.

“Yes, I do believe one of them mentioned, Bee started, creating air quotes with her fingers, “a strong manager who’s weird personality and rare sense of humor add to the already inviting atmosphere rather than off-putting it.” Gabe couldn’t help but chuckle at that description. Yeah, he knew who wrote that one. He still didn’t buy the story, however. He was not that stupid, but he was content to play along for now.

“Yeah that sounds like me, alright,” he laughed. “Well Bee, are you new in town? I don’t believe that I’ve seen you here before.”

“Just passing through,” she replied. “Though I do have some important business to take care of while here.” She sounded somewhat lost when she said the last part, her eyes spacing out as she seemed to be staring at nothing in particular.

“What do you do for a living?” queeried Gabriel. Given her attire and inhumanely positive attitude, he was quite curious as to what the woman did for work.

“I suppose you could consider me a confectionary slash party planner,” Bee spoke with beaming pride and confidence. While Gabe certainly had his suspicions about the woman at this point, he could say that she appeared to be honest with him about that. He then took another look at her eyes. Pink, just like his. Probably just contacts.

“Are those contacts you're wearing? He blurted out without thinking.

“Oh these," she responded, pointing at her eyes. “Nah, pink is my natural eye color.” Naturally pink eyes , Gabe pondered. Just like mine. It has to be a coincidence, right? “How about you, Gabe?”

“Yeah, no I can’t do contacts. It just felt too weird and gross sticking them over my eyes the first time I tried, reminisced Gabriel. His body shivered a bit at how uncomfortable trying them on the first felt.

“You normally try to make conversation with your customers?” Bee asked jokingly.

“Nah, just with the regulars,” Gabe answered. Suddenly an idea for a joke suddenly popped into his head to play into the positive vibes Bee was giving off. He just hoped it sounded as good verbally as it did in his head.

“But I’m not a regular,” she pointed out in confusion. Perfect.

“No, but with that kind of personality you may as well be,” he joked. As soon as he’d said it though he’d visibly cringed at it. Yep , he cringed internally. Another miss in the joke department . Even Bee herself let out an awkward laugh at his poor attempt at a joke to quell the nervous feeling he was getting from talking to her. “Yeah sorry,” Gabe laughed awkwardly. “I hope you like my baking more than you do my sense of humor.”

“Thank you,” Bee tittered, seemingly finding his humility more humorous than the actual joke itself. Bee then proceeded to take a bite from the honey pie with the fork that came with it. As soon the cake entered her mouth, the woman instantly froze. “Oh, oh my,” she uttered, mouthful of pie before slowly swallowing it.

“Is everything all right?” Oh no, please don’t tell me I made an error with the pie; or worse, let her be another Karen. The last thing I need is to be dealing with another one of those for today.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…,” the woman paused. “I consider myself a queen of everything sweet and yet even the sweets I make cannot even compare to this! It's like a thousand rainbows just exploded in my mouth right now.” The woman was overly ecstatic as she quickly dug her fork back into the slice of honey pie and inhaled it like her life was on the line. If it wasn’t for that, Gabe would have assumed that Bee’s excitement was disingenuous given how fake it came off.

Gabe’s face blushed a bit at the compliment. He knew he had a talent for baking, but he didn’t think it warranted such a positive reaction. The cafe was empty at this point, the last of the staff had left the cafe a while ago and so it was just Gabriel and Bee. He could imagine that if some of the staff were still here that they would be giggling and gossiping like a bunch of high schoolers, which was ironic because some of them had only just graduated from high school.

“I mean, I ain’t no Paula Deen, but gracias,” he thanked Bee for her overly generous review of his food. He really was not prepared for someone so overly enthusiastic as her. Then again, he wasn’t sure he had ever met anyone quite like her before.

“No, you're better than Paula Deen!” Bee exclaimed giddily as she pointed her fork from him to the now empty plate on the counter. It was like she had never tasted good before in her life. “How were you able to make something so deliciously sweet?”

“I mean, there’s nothing to it really. I’ll admit that there’s this almost instinctual urge I get whenever I’m cooking or baking that lets me know just how much of each ingredient to add and when to add it. The pie crust was the simplest part,” Gabriel pointed out as he went on an endless ramble of how he made the honey pie, all the while Bee herself listened intently and with awe. She was apparently so mesmerized with his description that she began to lightly cry happy tears. It was at this point where Gabe broke out of his rambling and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Lo siento Bee I kind of get lost when I start talking about… are you crying?” At that, Bee seemed to break out of her own trance and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin.

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m just…so proud of you, and I know your father would be too.” At this, Gabe held his breath. This woman knew dad , Gabe thought. Dad never mentioned anyone by the name Bee. Unless… no, no that cannot be it. Sure I’ve felt a connection with this woman and she did seem to recognize me when she first came in, but that doesn’t mean she’s my…

“I know,” Bee continued, her voice starting to grow more shaky. “I know you don’t remember me, b-but I want you to know that I…I never forgot about you.” Her eyes were starting to become watery, but the tears had yet to slide down her cheeks.

“Wh-who are you?” Gabe almost whispered. Though he had asked her the question, he had a deep suspicion as to who Bee was and the answer he came up with frightened him. At this point it was deathly silent save for the sounds coming from the outside. Bee seemed to flinch at the question, shrinking in on herself somewhat as she mentally debated on how to answer it.

There were a myriad of emotions swirling on her face: sadness, grief, guilt, regret; all pooling together and only adding to the sense of dread that Gabe felt as to her true identity. Finally, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she looked Gabe dead in the eye and uttered three simple words that left him rocked to his core.

“I’m your mother.”

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: A Friend in Need

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

Manuel Grimm, or Manny to his friends, would say that he was living a good life. Sitting back on his couch and taking a sip of his beer, Manny pointed the TV remote at his television to change the channel away from the weather. He could already hear the swirling of the snow outside as the snow storm outside raged on into the night. The weather man said that it was supposed to carry on into tomorrow morning. Oh, tomorrow was going to be a heck of a time on the road. He had a client who he had to drive over to the house of. The house was two hours away and he needed to do a preliminary inspection of their furnace. Manny knew that he would need to get up extra early now since he would have to drive slower on the road to avoid an accident.

After being honorably discharged from the service due to a serious injury a couple of years back, he’d returned home to start up a home repair business with some of his military buddies and sister, Sofia, who he co-owned alongside. The business had quickly taken off and they now had made some major deals with some big name companies looking for repair and installation services. The money was coming in smoothly and, aside from the weather, everything was right as rain. The only thing that was missing was someone to share that success with.

The last time he’d been with a woman had been 9 months back at his buddy Marlow’s house party. Now, Manny wasn’t usually the party type, but he did like to kick back and relax every now and then. It was at the house party that he met her, chatting it up with some of the other guests who seemed mildly put off by her high as a kite attitude. She’d been an odd woman with an overly positive attitude that, even when she wasn’t high on whatever drugs she’d taken later that night, was one of the most attractive things about her.

That wasn’t to say she was ugly, on the contrary the woman was gorgeous. Though her style was odd, the enthusiastic woman (Bee was her name, he recalled) had beautifully long and cotton candy colored hair that mirrored her personality, which could only be described as wild. Her curves were perfect and sensual to the touch. He still remembered those beautiful pink eyes of hers and how mesmerizing they were. He was like a fly lost in their beautiful light.

During their first conversation, the woman had initially come off as sarcastic and insensitive, though this assumption faded away as the conversation continued. As it turned out, the woman’s seemingly sarcastic attitude was more due to how hyped up at the party she was. As the two talked, Manny started to get a sense of the charitable and kind nature of the woman as she happily chirped about giving back to her constituents at her company through extravagant parties and safe spaces to be themselves. It didn’t sound like much, but he got the sense she was merely dialing back her role out of modesty.

He wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, but the more she talked, Manny couldn’t help but fall for her giddy, chill personality. There was just something so thrilling about her paradoxically caring yet carefree nature that pulled at his heart and made him want to be with her. He was honestly surprised when she seemed to reciprocate those feelings when she flicked down her heart-shaped glasses and looked at him flirtatiously, asking if he wanted to ‘get busy’ with her upstairs. Most would probably be perturbed by such an offer, especially since the party was not to the levels of those frat parties in college themed movies, but Manny was so enamored by the woman that he gladly took her up on the offer. The activities that they carried out that night in Marlow’s bed was some of the best sex he’d had in a long time. After seeing some rather nasty events overseas during his stint in the military, Manny never thought he’d be able to experience something so loving and peaceful again.

It was just unfortunate that, when he woke up, the woman was gone. In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have been surprised at this. He knew he wasn’t a real looker (the top left side of his face was scarred over from a grenade blast), with his face being a major turn off for women. In fact, it was the reason why his sister was the face of the company and not him, well that and she had actual business expertise. Plus, the drugs he’d seen Bee take prior were probably the main reason why she even slept with him. His sister had certainly given him an earful for falling for such a tramp as she’d called the woman, which Manny couldn’t help but get defensive over. Even though it was only one night, Manny couldn’t help but still hold feelings for the woman. Being a helpless romantic his entire life, Manny could swear he felt a connection with the woman who laughed at his jokes and made him feel warm when she smiled.

Turning off the TV, he was about to head to bed when he heard a knock at his apartment door. Manny looked at his watch, which read 7:35. Odd . Who would be at his door this late at night. Was it someone from work maybe? Or maybe it was someone looking to rob him? There had been a few break-ins in the neighborhood recently. Worried about it being the latter, Manny got up from the couch and headed over to the kitchen.

Opening one of the cabinets revealed a small gray safe with a dial lock. Twisting the dial to the right combination, Manny pulled on the safe handle and opened the safe door to reveal an HK45CT handgun from his time in the service. As he loaded the pistol and turned the safety off, the knocking at the front door grew more sporadic. Whoever was on the other side was desperate for his attention. He wasn’t sure if it was someone trying to lure him to the door to catch him off guard, but he still wanted to be prepared nevertheless. Tiptoeing over to the door as he wanted to keep his steps as quiet as possible, he stared through the peephole, gun drawn to the side, and was met with a face he was not expecting. Speak of the Devil , he thought unbelievably.

Standing just outside was none other than the woman he was just thinking of. Though the peephole was small, he could instantly recognize that cotton candy colored hair and those heart shaped glasses. Putting the pistol in his back pocket and opening the door, he found her now wearing a pink sweater and some skinny black sweatpants alongside a pair of black Converse. Strapped over her shoulders was a large black duffel bag. Bee was as beautiful as he remembered her. However, before he spoke, he froze when he saw the forlorn expression on her face. She appeared upset, no, frightened about something.

“Hey, Manny. Been awhile,” she said. Manny was about to ask her what was up when he noticed that she was cradling her arms around a bundled up blue blanket. Through the sound of the pattering rain and booming thunder from outside he could make out the sound of a baby crying. On closer inspection of the bundle in Bee’s arms, he could see what appeared to be a newborn baby huddled inside of it. Turning his gaze back to Bee, the forlorn expression on her face suddenly took on a new meaning for him, one his brain quickly processed in connection to the night they shared nine months prior. Oh sh*t .

“We need to talk,” Bee spoke, a sense of urgency in her tone confirming to Manny what he was dreading. Dios mío , I knew I should have worn a condom that night, he lamented, hammering himself for his stupidity. Sofia is going to have a lot to say about this. Despite the urgency of the situation, Manny could only stand there, still in shock and unsure of how to proceed with the sudden turn of events. He was sure of one thing though. He was definitely not making it to that client’s house tomorrow.

. . .

Loona

1 Day Earlier

Bored. That was the only word that Loona could come up with to describe what it was that she was feeling right now. At the moment, she was currently organizing the office filing cabinets in alphabetical order. No one had asked her to do so. She’d just decided to do so after noticing that they were severely out of order. Well that and the fact that Blitz’s p*rn collection was no longer housed within them. While she had more certainly grown to enjoy and take more pride in her job at IMP slightly more than she normally had previously in the last 5 years, there was no denying that being the receptionist was an annoying job.

While the abject silence from a slow day was annoying for someone who would prefer to be moving up and about, Loona knew that was far more preferable to the eggshells she walked on whenever someone called the office. While some of their clients weren’t complete assholes to her over the phone, there were far more who were anything but polite, dropping the occasional comment calling her incompetent or some derogatory slur toward her gender.

That wasn’t even including the phishing scammers or prank callers who wasted her time with their own bullsh*t. She had once considered early on into the company’s first year just ignoring all of the calls that came from the bone-shaped telephone, however, Blitz quickly shut that idea down when she made a joke about it.

As much as I would love to be able to do that, Loony, I think we both know that we can’t take the chance of missing a call with an actual client, he’d pointed out. You’ll just have to deal with all of those redneck chuckle f*cks. He himself knew that there were all sorts of assholes in Hell and he held some form of regret in making his adopted daughter continually interact with them. Back then, her response had simply been to growl at him and roll her eyes before mumbling whatever. She figured that she’d dealt with worse before, so she could deal with any assholes who annoyed her on the phone.

And she did just that. Whenever the conversation started to get even somewhat dicey or inappropriate, she firmly told them to f*ck off with whatever cuss word was present in her mind and promptly slammed the phone onto the receiver. It’s a miracle this thing is still working properly, she thought as she decided to set the book down and check out her Sinstagram on her phone. Then again, it was that no-nonsense attitude in hindsight that made her such a perfect fit for the role of receptionist of an assassination company in the first place.

She let out a chuckle as she remembered last month when she bet Moxxie that he wouldn’t be able to last a week as the company’s receptionist. He had arrogantly gone on a rant claiming how he would put IMP on the map as a professionally trustworthy business. Apparently, all of Hell must have sensed his proclamation and decided to give him a prostate exam because, when she, Blitz and Millie had come back from a long job, they had found the well-dressed imp in the fetal position under Loona’s desk crying about his car’s extended warranty (even though he didn’t own one) and how he wasn’t a quote on quote ‘dild* sleeve’.

Loona probably would have felt bad for him if the vindication from watching him break down from how horrible the people of Hell could be wasn’t so powerful. The hundred souls in cash she received from him after Millie calmed him down also kind of added into her not feeling so bad. She definitely enjoyed the two new pairs of tops and leggings she got to buy from Stylish Occult with that money later that evening.

At the very least, Blitz had started letting her go out on missions more often, providing her with the opportunity to release some of the anger that had pent up within her throughout her entire life. There was something just so therapeutic about ripping into a victim’s flesh and tearing off their head that made her feel at peace with herself. Did it make her a psychopath? Probably, but then again she wasn’t nearly as much one as her dad.

Dad, she remarked. It didn’t feel as off calling him as such anymore than it did a few months back. Sure, he was still an annoying dumbass a lot of the time. But lately, he’d been more respectful of her boundaries. The two were finally starting to understand one another and Loona was more comfortable with being vulnerable to him compared to her normal indifferent attitude.

Today, it was just her and Blitz at the office as Moxxie and Millie were off visiting Millie’s family down in Wrath. The reason being so that they could make a special announcement to her family. That special announcement being that the couple were expecting. When the couple had announced it to Blitz, he’d been ecstatic. He’d quickly pushed a button beneath his desk and an array of confetti shot out from cannons hidden around the office; a banner falling down and hanging from the ceiling which read ‘Cungrachoolashuns on the Babi’.

Millie had been absolutely chipper about Blitz’s way of congratulating them. Moxxie for once even thanked Blitz for the display. Though, Loona could tell that the snobbish sniper was trying his best to suck in his slight disdain at the mess that he would undoubtedly be forced to clean up so as not to ruin the moment.

Of course, even before they officially shared the news with Blitz, Loona had suspected that the Wrathian assassin was pregnant. A few good sniffs of Millie a couple days prior and it was quite obvious why. In fact, she was the one who told Millie about her suspicions to begin with.

She recalled, shortly after making the discovery, asking for Millie’s help with shopping for supplies for their future missions, all under the guise of keeping the psycho badass of a woman from taking part in a particularly risky mission that same day. While she and the married couple didn’t get along most of the time, particularly for her persistent teasing of Moxxie, the normally stoic hellhound wasn’t gonna let Millie suffer something as awful as a miscarriage out of pettiness.

She had seen what something like that did to a person’s psyche, which she’d partially confided about with her coworker, who decided not to press the hellhound further on what she meant by it. Definitely a can of worms neither of us wanted to go down, she thought bitterly.

As she shut the cabinet door after finishing organizing the files, a soft buzzing emanated from Loona’s phone. Pulling it from her pocket revealed a text notification having popped up on her screen.

Blitz: Portl Loonie! 🙂♥️

Loona quickly sent a reply to her father.

Loona: K

Not long after Stolas’ previous assassination attempt by Striker in Wrath, Loona’s father and the prince had made up and confessed their feelings for one another. Though the two were on better terms, Stolas had still wanted to prove his feelings for Blitz by giving the IMP crew Asmodean crystals for traveling to the surface to replace the Grimoire. Blitz had agreed, but Stolas had let them know that it would take time to schedule an appointment with Asmodeus, especially after he was forced to miss his last one due to said assassination attempt.

Fortunately enough, while Asmodeus had initially rejected Stolas’ request, the sudden kidnapping attempt of the Sin of Lust’s lover Fizzarolli by Moxxie’s father, Crimson, and subsequent rescue by Blitz resulted in the jester putting in a good word for Stolas. Loona noticed that her father had an extra pep in his step since then as well, likely attributed to the beginning of his reconciliation with his childhood friend. As of that morning, the crystals were now ready with Stolas having just picked them up an hour earlier.

Standing up from her desk, Loona picked up the Grimoire and opened it up to the portal page before casting one open. Her fur bristled as a fabric between space and time opened up before her in the office. The area the portal opened up to appeared to be the standard bedroom with a closet, bed, and dresser with a lamp on top. The only difference was the dismembered and headless corpse that laid on top of the bed, with said dismembered limbs still tied to the bed posts.

“That job was a f*cking bore!” Blitz shouted, bloody knife in hand, as he leaped through the portal, his black clothing almost completely covered in their target’s blood. Over his shoulder was a brown sack with blood dripping from the bottom of it.

“Too easy huh, dad?” she asked Blitz with a smirk as he wiped the client’s blood off the knife and onto the front of his jacket. She knew her adoptive father, from his time in the circus, enjoyed a good thrill while on the job.

“Oh you have no idea, sweetie. f*cker literally pissed himself when I popped out from his sex toy closet,” recounted Blitz as he stomped his way toward the breakroom, mumbling under his breath, “Last time I hide in a closet full of dild*s,” while he rubbed his butt. Yeah, I definitely didn’t need to see that, Loona recoiled in disgust as the mental image of her father in the target’s closet filled her head.

Blitz continued to pout about the unfortunate circ*mstances of the job as he dragged the bloody sack containing the target’s head on the floor, leaving a cherry red trail on the carpet. Loona let out a chuckle at her adoptive father’s childlike behavior, and laughed even harder when she heard him curse before a loud crash emanated throughout the office from the kitchen. Probably slipped on the target’s blood again , Loona surmised.

Said target (Loona honestly couldn’t remember the bozos name) had ritualistically murdered a random prostitute he picked up off the street. That now deceased prostitute then contacted IMP half a year after landing in Hell so that they could carry out her revenge on them. The demoness with a fox-like appearance had wanted her former lover killed in the same manner she had been. She also agreed to put in a bonus for the team if they brought in his decapitated head, which Blitz was now placing in the breakroom freezer. It was definitely unsanitary, but there was nowhere else to put it.

“That our last job for today?” Blitz called out as he walked back into the main office. The former circus performer turned assassin was now coasting a wince as he rubbed the back of his head from when he fell.

“Yep,” the hellhound replied as she double checked the schedule on the office calendar on the computer. “That’s it for today. I’ll let the client know the job’s done.”

“Thank you, Loonie.” As Blitz picked up the Grimoire and went into the office to call Stolas, likely to tell him that he’d be on his way over to the palace soon, Loona once again performed her own bit of self reflection, a task she was finding herself doing more and more as of late. Normally, Loona would have just let Blitz or Moxxie take care of something as small as an email. However, her improving relationship with her adoptive father had provided her with a greater care for responsibility than she usually held. She wanted to be a better worker, a better daughter for her father.

“Got any plans for tonight, Loona?” Blitz asked as he walked out of his private office.

“Nothing special, just figured I’d probably hang out with Via or some of the other hounds tonight.” She honestly didn’t have any set plans for that Thursday night. Lately, she had been hanging out with Via or with some of the hounds she’d met at Bee’s party a few months back.

First, there was Esme, a hellhound with big poofy hair that Loona was surprised the girl could see through. She was the chill one of the group and the one Loona got along with most quickly after meeting, especially once she learned that Esme too wasn’t a social butterfly either. She was calm and collected with her manner of thinking and speaking, and she always listened if you had a problem (Loona felt guilty for taking advantage of this quirk sometimes.). Although, her sense of humor was a little too flat for even Loona’s tastes at times, with many of Esme's jokes seeming to fly over everyone's head due to her overthinking them. Esme had mentioned that she wanted to be a child psychologist and was currently going to college for a psychology degree. College itself was a rare luxury for most hellhounds since they were only ever treated as brainless bodyguards or pets. So to see someone so low on the hierarchy achieving such a high feat made Loona admire her.

Esme’s girlfriend, Myra, was also someone the silver hellhound got along with quite well. If Esme was the calm and humorless one, then Myra could be described as Esme’s polar opposite. She was a malamute hellhound variant who was built like an actual tank, with muscles that rivaled Vortex’s and a pair of breasts the size of Loona’s head (Seriously, how does she walk around without back problems?). This made sense since she was in fact Tex’s sister, though the two rarely ever hung out due to scheduling conflicts as of late (Loona was grateful for this since she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face Vortex after the near catfight that had occurred between her and Bee.)

She was a loud and boisterous woman with a wicked sense of humor (probably related to her doing well as a part-time comedian) who could even drink Loona under the table. The two had partaken in a drinking competition last week with the rest of the gang, with Loona being the last to go down before Myra claimed victory. When Loona first met the raunchy muscle hound, she wasn’t gonna deny that she was a little intimidated by her. However, after some simple small talk, Loona found herself liking Esme’s girlfriend more and more. She, like Esme, was a hellhound pushing boundaries through owning a successful vehicle repair shop. It also helped that the two both shared a love for saucy romance novels which the two would frequently talk about and recommend other novels to each other when they hung out.

Then there was H.D. (short for Hot Dog), a short very shaggy dark brown-furred hellhound. (Loona wasn’t sure what breed he was.) He was the wild one; the one who was always the first to jump into the groove of things or go beyond crazy during just about any occasion. On one particularly crazy night at a bar, he’d jumped on top of a table and started howling at the ceiling like an idiot. The only reason Loona had collapsed from laughter had been because she was drunk at the time. Another quirk of his was his affinity for knickknacks, which he would collect from his job as a garbage collector, and show off to the gang. And yet, Loona really did enjoy hanging out with the shaggy hound. His exuberant personality was charmingly funny and he never pushed people too hard into having a good time. He was kind of like Beelzebub, except he was more socially aware of the boundaries of his friends, which Loona found refreshing. Plus, not all of the items he found while working were trash. Loona recalled him showing off a set of rare coins that he’d found in a box, which he later sold for a good couple thousand souls.

Finally, there was Pinklie. When Loona had first met the white and gray furred hellhound at Bee’s party, she’d almost instantly forgotten about her crush on Tex. As she got to know him better afterwards, she found that while he was a little crude and dumb at times, he was a nice guy who did his best to be a good friend to those around him. If anything, his attentive personality and understanding nature, which Pinklie had developed from his time working as a bartender, had indirectly helped her get over her crush on the aforementioned dark-furred hellhound. The two had slept together a couple of times since then, and while it was nice, the two decided that they worked better as friends than lovers.

Fortunately, the initial awkwardness between the two whenever they hung out didn’t last too long and quickly faded away. If anything, the bond between the two hellhounds was much stronger than before. The two would frequently talk about what they were up to or trade playful banter teasing the other. Honestly, Loona saw him more like a brother than anything else, and she was content with how their relationship stood as such. She wasn’t even jealous when Pinklie said he'd found a girlfriend a couple weeks back (Everyone still had yet to be introduced to the mystery girl.), though she was a bit irked that she still had yet to find her own decent stable relationship with a guy. She knew she was still young (she was only 22 years old), but she still would have liked to have found at least a steady boyfriend to devote herself to.

As for Via, to call their friendship weird was an understatement, but only for the simple fact of its existence. Afterall, it was certainly unusual for a Goetia and a hellhound to be hanging out in public, much less being friends. Other than sharing two dorky dads who were banging each other, the two girls shared quite a lot in common. They both liked the same music and style of clothing, both were introverts who didn’t often go out in public, and their sense of humor was extremely dark. Octavia’s taxidermy was also pretty cool to Loona. She felt it fit the morbidly curious nature of the owlette, and she had set aside some money to buy Octavia a taxidermy of some animals from the human realm for her upcoming 18th birthday.

The hellhound had practically taken Via under her wing to help her get out of the palace and actually enjoy something other than the snobbish parties her mother forced her to attend (and Via never enjoyed those to begin with.). She’d already introduced Octavia to her hellhound pals who fortunately didn’t care that she was a Goetia. They had already accepted the shy girl into their small friend group by the end of the first outing. In fact, even though their dads were far away from even talking about marriage, Loona had started seeing the young girl as a little sister, one she would do anything to protect. Even from Via’s own mother. The seventeen year old girl was still reeling from the revelation that her mother had tried to have her father murdered, and Loona promised to herself that she’d do everything she could to make Octavia feel better.

“Well, just be careful if and when you go out.” Loona gave him a nod and watched him head to the office restroom.

“Anyway, just wait outside for me while I clean myself up in the bathroom. I don’t wanna have to spend tonight cleaning the van seats again,” Blitz pointed out, referring to the blood on his clothes. “I swear, I’m covered in more blood and piss than when I took Stolas out for that hit last month.”

“That’s only because you both decided to have sex in the target’s own pool of blood after you killed them,” she retorted.

Her and the M&M’s remembered THAT mission. Blitz had decided to take Stolas alone on a mission to show him what being an assassin was like. Apparently, Blitz had let his guard down, resulting in the target knocking him over the head with a golf club. This in turn led to Stolas going apesh*t on them with his true demon form, resulting in the target being reduced to a literal pool of blood. Blitz had found the whole thing so incredibly hot that he started making out with the owl demon before the two got more serious. It was just unfortunate that Loona and the M&M’s had heard some of it through Loona’s phone when the horny couple butt-dialed her.

The sounds that emanated from her phone were so vulgar that it resulted in Moxxie getting his ass kicked by Loona. As for how such an event led to Loona assaulting Moxxie, said imp had been so disgusted by the sounds that he vomited his lunch on the hellhound’s lap, ruining her new outfit. When Blitz and Stolas finally returned after cleaning themselves up using Stolas’ magic, they found Loona’s desk and the office couch turned over. All the while a foaming and vomit-covered Loona was being held back from a black-eyed and scratched up Moxxie by an equally beat up Millie. While Loona was doing her best to treat her coworkers better, she sure as heck was not going to let something like that slide.

“Hey, us two gay-ass consenting adults are allowed to test the boundaries of our own perverted sex fantasies however we want to, my sweet, innocent daughter,” Blitz defended, his voice becoming condescendingly babyish when he said the ‘my sweet, innocent daughter’ part.

”You’re so gross,” Loona chastised in annoyed disgust. Yet, as annoying as he was, Loona couldn’t imagine a life without Blitz anymore. He meant too much to her for her to lose at this point and she was no longer too scared to admit so. Of course that didn’t mean she was gonna always show it especially not when he made embarrassing or gross comments like that.

Stepping out of the office and waiting for her father to finish locking up, the hellhound went to her phone to text Via to see if the princess was doing anything later that evening. There was a new music store in downtown Imp City that sold heavy metal music and Loona really wanted to check it out. Just before she could type up a response, a deeply familiar masculine voice caught her attention from behind.

“Hey, Loona, it’s been awhile,” the voice called out. Turning around, Loona was face to face with a hellhound she hadn’t seen in while. Standing before her, waving a hand to her, was none other than Vortex, the incredibly buff but sensible hellhound she’d once had a massive crush on. Instead of being in his usual set of clothing, which consisted of a black undershirt, torn shorts, and a sleeveless jacket, the large hound was wearing a fancy black suit and white undershirt. His fur too was slicked down instead of its typical slight dishevelment. Even with the scarred eye (which actually made him hotter), the hellhound was absolutely stunning.

“Oh, hey Tex,” Loona responded, albeit a little awkwardly. “Yeah it certainly has been.” Loona pulled at the pentagram-shaped laces of her off-the-shoulder crop top in a nervous habit to distract herself from the shame that was creeping throughout her body. Memories from the last time she’d seen him, the uncertainty and fear on his face just before she and Bee nearly got into a cat fight made the guilt coursing through her much stronger.

“You’re looking nicely dressed,” she observed, giving his fancy clothing a good once over.

“Yeah, Verosika’s got a gig over in some fancy club in Lust later tonight,” he shared, pointing behind him to the office where Verosika and her possi of succubi and incubi could be heard through the windows recording music and making out simultaneously.

“Oh, that sounds like it could be boring,” Loona added as she attempted to make small talk with the nicely dressed hellhound while also trying to circumvent the awkwardness she was feeling standing next to him.

“Definitely won’t be like some of her other venues, that’s for sure,” Vortex laughed.

“I’m surprised you’re still working for her given the police orgy last time,” she remarked, calling back to the competition during Spring Break in which Verosika and her possi needed to pleasure the human police in order to escape. When she’d first heard about it from Tex, Loona had immediately felt terrible for him.

“It was something alright,” he cringed. Though he hadn’t taken part in it, it still disturbed him seeing just what his employers had to do to get out of prison time. “But she did apologize for the whole thing afterward and even gave me a raise. So it was nothing to get too upset over.” At this point, the laid back hellhound seemed to take in Loona’s nervous nature and briefly contemplated what to say next.

“Speaking of which, last time we saw each other…well,” Vortex began to recount before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

“Yeah,” Loona paused. Though she had gotten over her crush on Tex, she had never found the courage to apologize to him and Bee over her attitude during their previous conversation. “Listen, I was a huge bitch. I’ll admit it, and I’m sorry for how I acted when you both were trying to help me with Blitz.”

“It’s okay, apology accepted.” Just as quickly as he’d accepted the apology, however, Vortex’s expression morphed into one of deep thought. It was like this for a good moment before he spoke again. “Just out of curiosity though, why? It seemed like you weren’t exactly a fan of Bee’s.”

If only you knew , Loona thought bitterly. It was true that she hadn’t exactly liked the ring lord. Her seemingly fake personality had put off Loona, not to mention her flat out ignorance of Loona’s own shy demeanor at the time. Heaven’s sake, Loona had been envious of the Queen; of her ability to make friends, her happy-go-lucky personality, of her winning Tex as a boyfriend. That last one had been what stung the most back at the party because she didn’t think that someone like her could compete with someone like Beelzebub. Loona’s own insecurities had filled her head with jealousy toward the bee-fox hybrid demon for being what she always wished she could be.

“Yes,” she began but paused to think more about her answer. “No…it was a lot of things really.” Loona sighed before looking down at her feet in shame, a soft whine slipping from her muzzle like that of a child who’d just disappointed their parents.

“I’ve never been great when it comes to solving conflicts with methods other than violence, especially not now,” she confided. Back before Blitz came along, she’d learned the hard way that you had to be the ‘Top Dog’ in order for people not to bother you, in order to survive. If you weren’t, you were guaranteed to become someone’s bitch, which was something she unfortunately knew too well from experience.

“So, when you and Bee came up and told me that something was up with my dad,” Loona’s throat clenched as the shame attempted to clog her throat.

“I was like, who is this woman coming in like she thinks she knows him, like she knows me,” she spoke with a small hint of malice in her voice. “It didn’t help either that at the time I was sorta envious of her too.”

At this sentence, Loona shrunk further in on herself, her shoulders somehow slouching further than they normally could. In hindsight, her whole behavior during the situation was atrocious and the shame was close to swallowing the Loona whole. However, Vortex seemed to notice this too and chose that moment to interject.

“Hey, it’s okay, really,” Vortex reassured her with a caring smile as he put a hand over her shoulder. “None of us are perfect. Not even me, but it’s good that you admit it. Shows that you have good character.”

“Thanks,” Loona blushed. While the crush was gone, it still felt nice to be complimented by Vortex. “I just really don’t want there to be any bad blood between us.”

“It’s okay,” Vortex continued. “Bee also felt embarrassed about losing her temper and showing you her true demon form.” He smiled as he revealed the Gluttony Queen’s own similar feelings of embarrassment to Loona. She had admittedly been terrified of the Queen’s true demon form in retrospect and was fortunate that the soon to be cat fight didn’t escalate. “I’m sure she’ll accept your apology like I did.” The firmness in his voice at that statement seemed to lift another weight off Loona’s shoulders as she felt less worried about the next time she might see Beelzebub. She still wanted to apologize to the sin in person, but she now felt less scared about doing so.

“And besides,” Vortex added, “I probably should have realized you still had a thing for me when I invited you.”

“You knew?” Loona asked in bewilderment. In response, Vortex gave her a nod. She was honestly shocked that Vortex had known about her crush on him. Given his laid back attitude, she had assumed that Vortex believed she was only there to make friends with other hounds, and not to score a chance with him.

“I thought I’d done a decent job of letting you down gently beforehand, but I suppose in hindsight I should have been more direct with you.” Loona scratched her forearm in embarrassment as she recalled her reason for coming to the party, and how desperate for a boyfriend she’d been.

Before Tex came along, Loona hadn’t had any friends and was extremely inexperienced when it came to socializing with others. So, when she first met the rather handsome hellhound on the Spring Break mission, Loona was absolutely starstruck by him and desperately wanted to be with him.

Taking a deep breath, knowing she needed to tell him, Loona explained, “You were the first guy that I met that wasn’t a jackass and I kind of came to that party with some small hope that you’d be mine, despite the fact that you were already dating Bee.” Loona wasn’t sure if the shameful grimace gracing her muzzle could get any larger than it already was, but she knew that it was the price of her being a better friend. “It was awful of me, and I’m sorry.”

After her confession, Vortex didn’t immediately respond. Instead he seemed to be deep in thought as he considered her apology. Finally, he gave her a nod of understanding and replied, “I don’t think I have any right to judge you for it. I get what it’s like to feel lonely and to want to cling on to the first person who makes you feel less so.” Now it was Vortex’s turn to grimace a bit as he seemed to internally cringe at something from his own past, which Loona was kind of curious about now. “You end up doing some, less than nice things.” Loona wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and she wasn’t sure if she should ask him, but Loona was able to find some solace in knowing that Vortex understood where she was coming from.

The sound of a phone buzzing snapped Loona out of her thoughts as she brought her gaze back to Vortex. However, instead of appearing like his happy, laid back self moments prior, the one-eyed hellhound was staring at his phone with a rather sad expression. Loona peaked over and noticed it was a screensaver of Tex and Bee, their arms crossed over the other’s shoulder while they both sipped from a glass of what looked like Beelze Juice. The identical smiles and love struck gazes they both gave each other in the photo spoke volumes of the strength of their relationship despite the huge gap in status.

“Is everything okay?” Loona asked with a bit of concern in her voice. She’d never seen the hellhound with such a forlorn expression before and it was ringing all sorts of alarm bells in her head.

“With me? Yeah, it’s just…,” he paused, clearly unsure of how to bring up what was eating at him with Loona.

Thinking back to how he’d been staring at the screensaver, Loona asked, “Does it have something to do with Bee?” Vortex’s face froze in surprise and he quickly began to respond before the words seemingly died in his throat. The only indication that she was right about her assumption came when he depressingly nodded his head toward her.

“sh*t,” she gasped,” I thought you guys were pretty tight, what happened?” Based on what she’d seen on the couple’s Sinstagram stories, the two had appeared to be in a good place in their relationship and had shown no signs of trouble behind closed curtains. Then again, no one is ever what they seem to be on social media.

“No, no,” Vortex corrected, shaking his head. “Our relationship has been going great, but this last week and a half…” Vortex paused again, putting a closed fist against his muzzle in deep contemplation. Loona tapped her foot in uneasy anticipation as she waited for Tex to tell her what the issue was.

“This last week week and a half, Bee’s just been…off,” Vortex expressed.

“What do you mean ‘off’?” Loona inquired. The word ‘off’ wasn’t exactly descriptive of the situation and left her only more confused.

“Well, she’s been so cold and distant lately, which really isn’t like her.”

“I mean, everyone just has those moments, right,” Loona commented. Satan knows I’ve had plenty of those.

“Girl, she’s barely eating and she hasn’t touched an ounce of alcohol or any of her party drugs. Vortex remarked about the Queen of Gluttony. “Hell, she hasn’t thrown a party, let alone attended one, in over a week.”

“Of f*ck, it really is serious,” Loona realized. If there was one thing that Beelzebub loved more than eating sweets or helping demons have a good time, it was being in the middle of or throwing a wild party. The fact that she wasn’t was a very telling factor that something was wrong with her. “Have you tried talking to her about it?”

“Yes, multiple times in fact. But she keeps pushing me away and telling me it’s astomach bug,” he complained about the obvious lie his girlfriend had been telling him.

“Is it even possible for her to get sick?” she queried. Given how powerful and old the Deadly Sin was, it seemed highly unlikely that she was even capable of becoming sick with something like a stomach flu.

“Not unless she’s really f*cked up from her sister Belphegor's drugs, or had some bad Chinese food,” Vortex added with a small chuckle. Everyone who’d seen Beelzebub while she was hungover had reported that she was rather snippy and rude in contrast to her lively attitude. “But I’ve seen her during one of those bouts. And normally she’s back to her peppy self after getting it out of her system. This last week, all she’s done is mope around and lay in her bed.”

“During times when she thought she was alone,” he confessed. “I’ve heard her crying.” Vortex’s ears flattened against his head as his voice began to tighten.

“sh*t,” Loona blurted out. She’d been quiet for a while now, letting Vortex vent his relationship struggles to her. She wouldn’t lie and say that it didn’t feel weird being on the opposite end of these conversations since she was normally the one who was venting her frustrations. As a result, however, she at least had a better understanding of what to say to Vortex to reassure him. That didn’t mean though that his poignant tone and expression didn’t make her sad. The large hellhound’s demeanor was always chill and free-spirited whenever she’d seen him, and seeing him so torn made Loona terribly uncomfortable. I didn’t help either given the knowledge that Bee herself was also in her own depressed funk. I can only imagine what Bee must be going through right now if she of all people is crying herself to sleep.

“It takes a lot to make her upset, and so to see her like that,” Vortex continued, his voice starting to crack. “It’s heartbreaking, man.” A tear started to run down from his good eye as Vortex seemed to reach peak helplessness from being unsure how to aid his girlfriend with her mental health. “I’m just not sure what to do about it.”

“Maybe you should try an intervention for her cotton candy ass,” a voiceinterrupted their conversation causing them both to flinch in surprise. Turning back toward the direction of the voice, the two found themselves facing Loona’s adoptive father Blitz who, his jacket now bloodless and the Grimoire tucked in his armpit, was locking the front door to the office.

“Blitz, were you f*cking listening to our conversation this whole time?” Loona exacerbated in annoyance. She really did care for her father, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still be annoying every now and then.

“I think you already know the answer to that one, Loonie.” Straightening his jacket collar, Blitz made his way over toward the hellhound duo. “Any who, I’dsuggest just ambushing her and making her tell you what kind of sand has crawled up her vagin*.” At Blitz’s crude description of Bee’s special features, Vortex gave the imp an annoyed scowl, before it morphed into one of contemplation.

“I’m not exactly sure that’s a good idea,” Vortex countered. “She doesn’t exactlylike being backed into a corner. She-”

“Trust me,” Blitz put a hand up to stop him. “The longer you put these kinds of conversations off, the more closed off the person you’re trying to talk to becomes.” Blitz turned his head away from the two as he tugged at his skull choker, his facing taking on a mixture of forlorn remembrance.

“Speaking as someone who’s been the center of one before?” Vortex queried,knowing that Blitz likely had issues given his depressed drinking at Beelzebub’s party a while back. Blitz simply nodded in response to his question.

“Gotta agree with my dad on this one, Tex,” Loona then added in, Blitz smiling at hearing Loona call him dad.

She knew full well that her adoptive father had issues when it came to opening up emotionally, with accepting that someone could care about you; issues similar to her own. This was why, after she and him had their breakthrough as father and daughter, she decided to help him with one of his relationships, this being the one he had with Octavia’s father, Prince Stolas. Her and Via had been talking quite a bit about both their fathers’ ever decreasing moods, which led to the two scheming to force the two to talk to each other for once. While such a thing didn’t always work, the two knew that it was the only way to get their lovesick fathers to start making up with each other.

The day had started like any other. Octavia had gone to school (she was doing quite well, being top of her class) like she normally did while Loona joined her father for work at IMP alongside Moxxie and Millie. However, before leaving for school, Octavia had ‘borrowed’ her father’s phone to text Blitz to meet him at the main greenhouse behind the palace after he closed up for the day. She’d then deleted the text and Blitz’s subsequent vulgar response to keep her father in the dark, hoping that Blitz didn’t send another response. It was then Loona’s job to make sure her father actually showed up and didn’t chicken out. She literally had to throw him over the palace walls after he tried to excuse his way back into the company van. Octavia for her part had then told one of the servants to tell Stolas that something was wrong with one of his plants in the main greenhouse, resulting in him teleporting inside with Blitz.

It was there that the two carried out the most important part of their plan by locking the doors and enacting a spell from Stolas’ Grimoire, preventing the use of magic within the greenhouse, essentially trapping the two demons inside. They then, over videochat, told their fathers they wouldn’t let the two out until they made up and that they’d be watching using a one-way portal Via made. Fortunately for the two daughters, their plan had worked. Despite a landslide of angst, Blitz and Stolas were able to confess their own feelings and emotions to the other. It had seemed like everything had gone on without a hitch. Almost without a hitch, Loona thought , recalling the disastrous reveal that Blitz had made during the event.

“Yeah, you’re both right. I just…I don’t know who to call for an intervention. The other Deadly Sins are probably too busy at the moment and even if they weren’t,” Vortex’s face grew cold and stoney before finishing with, “They are the last people Bee would want getting involved in her business.”

“Bad blood?” Blitz asked. “What, does she hate them that much?” Everyone in Hell knew that the Sins didn’t always get along. Loona knew that Belphegor was not a fan of Beelzebub stealing her medical drugs for recreational use. She also recalled hearing a story about a feud between Mammon and Lucifer. Something about cheap drapes.

“Not really,” Vortex answered while scratching his head uncomfortably. “It’s complicated. She does love her siblings, especially Asmodeus and Belphegor.”

“So why hasn’t she gone to one of them?” Blitz asked.

“Honestly, that’s the one thing I don’t get. I mean, I doubt that they would take advantage of Bee in her current state, even Mammon as weird as that sounds. Bee has always had a soft spot for the guy,” Vortex pointed out. Yet, this did little to answer the question of what was wrong with Bee. “When I even mentioned calling one of the other Sins she nearly bit my head off.”

“For real?” Loona asked incredulously, not believing that Bee would commit any harm to her boyfriend.

“Yeah, I’d never seen her so angry before,” Vortex mentioned. “The only reason I didn’t run right out of there was because I could tell she was scared.”

“Scared of what?” Blitz queried.

"I have no clue, but whatever it is,” Vortex paused briefly before saying, “It’s enough for her to keep it from the other Sins.”

This left Loona in deep thought. From what she had gathered about Beelzebub, the woman was very open about her life, always getting a high from partying and spreading gluttony to the hellborn. Loona figured that the Sin’s openness applied both to her siblings as well. However, if Bee wasn’t communicating with even her own siblings, then whatever it was that was bothering her had to be serious.

“But yeah, anyway, if I bring in any of her siblings to talk to her behind her back, then she is going to literally shave my hide,” Vortex explained with a hint of worry from imagining the scenario.

“I could come with you,” Loona found herself suddenly offering, surprising both Blitz and Vortex.

“Really, girl?” Vortex questioned. “I don’t wanna bother you with this.”

“No, it’s fine really,” she reassured him. “Besides, I owe her an apology for how much of a bitch I was last time we saw each other.” That was a bit of an understatement, but she knew that it needed to happen.

Plus, she had experience with what Bee was going through, at least when it came to holding in your emotions that is. Having spent years alone and neglected by the system, Loona had an understanding of what it meant to beat yourself up and close off your emotions over things that were out of your control. It was only by opening up to Blitz and her friends that she was finally able to start letting go in the first place. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a feeling within her chest that urged her to help Bee, not just to make things right, but to prove to herself that she could be more than the broody shut-off she used to be.

“Well I don’t know what to say, but thanks. It means a lot, girl,” thanked Vortex, who seemed relieved at the prospect of having someone else to help him.

“You sure want to do this, Loona?” Blitz asked his daughter, some worry in his voice. Loona would have been annoyed at this, but she understood where he was coming from. Beelzebub was a Sin afterall. A powerful being who could easily squash her like a bug, and who was experiencing a potentially volatile mood swing.

“I’m sure dad,” Loona reassured him. “Besides, Bee seems to like me for whatever reason.”

“Yeah, she’s been wanting to hook back up with you for a while now, Loo,” Vortex added. “I know having you there would make her happy.”

“But why my baby?” Blitz asked with confusion.

“Yeah, why me?” Loona reciprocated. She herself was confused as to why the Sin liked her. Sure, the Sin didn’t sound like the type to care much about the social hierarchy of Hell considering that she was dating Vortex. Yet, that didn’t change the fact that she was just a lowly introverted hellhound with some pent up anger issues.

“She says you reminded her of a younger version of herself, but that’s all she really said on the matter,” Vortex answered.

“Beelzebub, like me? You mean broody and mad at the world? Yeah right,” stated sarcastically, unable to believe that the peppy demon she’d seen a couple months back was anything like her at one point. However, she quickly thought back to Bee's history, her being kicked out of Heaven and subsequent war. Loona could only imagine how she must have felt losing everything all at once. The anger and self-loathing and the desire to drown yourself in your vices to forget about it. Okay, maybe she and Bee did have some things in common. “On second thought, yeah I can see that.”

“Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do to stop you, huh?” Blitz asked with some defeat in his tone.

“Nope,” Loona responded.

“Well then, when are you doing this?” Blitz inquired, seemingly accepting that his daughter wanted to help the Sin.

“I mean, now is as good a time as any,” Loona suggested as she figured it would be best to not put the intervention off any longer, lest the other Sins catch on to the Queen of Gluttony’s sour mood.

“Yeah, but it’s gonna take a while to get to Gluttony,” Vortex pointed out. “And I can’t just bail on Verosika either right now since we’re supposed to head over to her next gig in an hour.” Vortex appeared deflated as he explained the issue of confronting Bee now, as though waiting any longer would positively kill him.

“Don’t worry about that,” Loona reassured confidently. “Dad.” Loona turned to her father and gave him a knowing look. Blitz seemed confused at first until he noticed her gaze was pointed at the Grimoire. The one that could open up portals to different places on Earth, and Hell.

“Oh, right,” Blitz chuckled. Pulling the book from his armpit, he opened it up to the portal spell. Blitz’s eyes squinted as he read over the portal spell and attempted to speak it. The imp, suffering from a severe case of dyslexia, had been trying to improve his reading skills as of late for the sake of impressing Stolas and doing more of the office paperwork. It was certainly a lot more work than even those close to him expected Blitz to commit to, although the imp seemed to be doing well in both regards. After sluggishly speaking the portal spell aloud, Loona once again began to feel her fur prickle up, as did Tex’s when she took a glance toward him, as the area in front of them seemed to ripple like an angry sea. An angry sea that was only continuing to grow in size and magnitude as the ripples turned to waves that quickly amalgamated into a variety of colors as it opened up the front doors of Beelzebub’s palace. Blitz’s face was bursting with pride as he cheered for himself for the successful usage of the portal spell, which Loona responded to with a simple smirk and thumb’s up.

“After you,” Blitz offered as he stooped over and gestured with his hands toward the portal.

“Why thank you kind sir,” Vortex exaggerated with a fake posh accent as he in turn gave a royal bow to the imp. Loona was doing her best to stifle a laugh at the two’s antics, and ultimately failing as a few chuckles escaped through her muzzle as she stepped through the portal. In all honesty, she was kind of surprised that Blitz hadn’t tried to murder Tex for simply being near her, especially given how in character doing so would be. Not to mention how he’d freaked out during that Spring Break mission over her simply making conversation with the male hellhound, though this may have had more to do with the heat of the competition with Verosika than with Loona.

However, just as Vortex was about to step through the portal, she noticed Blitz tug at the hellhound’s shoulder and whisper what sounded like a lightly veiled threat into his ear. Oh how some habits die hard. She supposed that she was fortunate that Blitz was taking his attempts at being more trusting in Loona’s ability to handle herself more seriously like he’d said he would.

Vortex chuckled and responded by saying, “Don’t you worry, man. I won’t let anything happen to her. Scouts honor,” Vortex saluted.

“My gay ass! You were not a boy scout. They don’t exist in Hell! Too many pedo counselors!” Blitz countered.

“It was a figure of speech!” Vortex laughed, stepping through the portal. As Loona began to follow him through, Blitz pulled her aside, some worry still on his face.

“I know she’s probably not going to hurt you, Loony but,” Blitz started.

“I know, Dad,” Loona interrupted, placing a hand on her adoptive father’s shoulder. “I’ll be careful not to get her to pounce on me.” It made sense to Loona that Blitz would worry. She knew from experience that people would sometimes lash out if they felt pushed into a corner about their emotions. She and Blitz were both guilty of this. Yet, neither of them were as powerful as a Deadly Sin, so the risk of getting hurt was much greater. Of course, that was assuming that Bee had no qualms with hurting Loona, which probably wasn’t the case at all.

Nevertheless, she gave Blitz a smile of reassurance which caused the imp to release some of the tension from his body. A couple months ago, anyone who knew the pair would have been shocked to see the smile Loona was giving her father without it seeming forced. Yet, Loona wasn’t the same hellhound from a couple months ago. Sure, she still had some issues with anger and socializing with others, but she was definitely more open to dealing with them now much to Blitz’s enjoyment.

Moving her arm from his shoulders, Loona stepped through the portal and gave her adoptive father a wave, which he reciprocated with his own.

“Just text me when you’re ready to come home, okay,” Blitz shouted through the portal.

“You got it,” Loona replied as the portal closed, cutting Loona off from Blitz.

After the portal closed, Loona turned around and found herself staring at the front entrance to Beelzebub’s mansion.

Taking a moment, Loona stopped to admire the architecture and surrounding flora. To say the Queen of Gluttony put the Bee in Beelzebub when designing her house and the ring itself was a complete understatement. From the roads to the glass of the windows and bridge guardrails, the honeycomb pattern design was literally everywhere. Even the sky, a bright and exuberant orange, was in the pattern of a honeycomb. The modern contemporary design of the building was very hip and reminded her a bit of the homes she’d dreamt of living in as a child, when she’d been hopeful that someone might adopt her. Around the mansion, were a variety of temperate and tropical palm trees and shrubbery mixed together in a beautiful mosaic of flora only the likes of painters like Van Gogh could only dream up. Loona couldn’t help but develop the urge to frolic within the forest and howl to her heart’s content, giving in to the animal instincts associated with being a hellhound. It truly was a real marvel of beauty and design.

When Loona had first arrived here for the party a few months back, she’d understandably been more focused on Vortex and fitting in at the gathering. She’d never really taken the time to appreciate Gluttony for not looking like an absolute sh*thole like the Pride Ring. She probably would have stared at the scenery for a bit longer if not for Vortex signaling her to the front doors of the mansion.

Stepping inside with Vortex, Loona found herself completely put off by just how expansive the inside of the building really was. Not because of how large it was, but due to the fact that it was completely void of any partygoers as it normally was.

“Wow,” Loona awed. “It’s f*cking crazy seeing this place when there’s not a party going on.” In retrospect, the mansion seemed much smaller when there were hundreds of demons partying all over the place.

“It does feel that way, doesn’t it? You know, even when there isn’t a party going on, the atmosphere is still exciting and intoxicating,” Vortex remarked. Loona nodded in agreement as they continued to examine the empty mansion. The lighting inside the mansion was dark and drab, with the only source being from outside. Alongside the walls, the various transparent pipes leading down into the honey pool below the floor, each of which containing gallons of sweet and sticky honey seemed to be shut off, the sweet treat abysmally floating but unmoving to reflect the inert ambience. Even the large disco ball that hung from the dome at the center of the high ceiling was a pitiful gray, adding on to the already dead and gloomy atmosphere. It was almost as if the building was in tune to Beelzebub's own emotions and responded to them accordingly.

Put off by the morbid atmosphere, the duo made their way toward an elevator in the back of the party room. It was simple elevator the likes of which you'd see in a office building, save for the interior wall being decorated with a honeycomb pattern and the music being K-pop. As they ascended higher, Loona started feeling uneasy, like Bee's own emotions were starting to meld with her own. It was a creepy feeling that Loona couldn't shake, and she could see that Vortex felt it too.

After the elevator stopped at the top overlook, the top of the dome now only a dozen yards away from them, the two made their way toward a large, honey-colored double door engraved with the symbol of gluttony. When Vortex pulled open the doors, Loona’s eyes opened wide as she found herself staring down a long hallway, walls adorned with honeycomb wallpaper and statues of beehives along the sides. From the ceiling, hung a variety of different chandeliers in the shapes of cupcakes, and the walls were covered in water color paintings of different desserts as well. The sight of which started to make Loona’s stomach grumble as she hadn’t had lunch yet and was, in hindsight, starving.

As they made their way down the hallway, the intensity of the wave of dejection growing even stronger, Loona noticed another set of double doors at the far end similar in design to the ones they entered through. Vortex explained that it led to Bee’s VIP lounge where she brought in her closest friends or those who really brought with them good vibes. When Loona asked what it was like, Vortex simply shrugged and said it was like one of those fancy restaurant bars. It was a lot calmer there compared to the main lobby, but lively enough that it was still a blast either way. At his description, Loona made a mental note to herself to get Bee to bring her in there later on.

Halfway down the hall, a couple doors away from the VIP lounge, Vortex stopped at a particular door. It wasn’t anything special as it was of the same blue and orange watercolor palette as the other doors, the only difference being the engraved plaque on it reading “Queen’s Quarters.” Just below it was a decorated thumb tack board covered in a variety of stickers, ribbons, and messy drawings of hounds and food. The latter of which honestly reminded Loona of the crude drawings her dad would jot down.

At the center was a photo of Vortex and Queen standing in front of what appeared to be a beach (probably in Envy?), with Vortex in black and red swim trunks and Beelzebub wearing a pink two-piece bikini. Vortex was hung over Beelzebub, his arms wrapped around Bee's torso as the two embraced in a kiss. The happy photo of the couple was a stark contrast to the sorrowful reality that laid in the Sin’s room behind it.

“Bee, girl you in there?” Vortex called softly as he knocked on the Queen’s bedroom doors. “Bee?” Vortex’s ears wilted when there wasn’t a response beyond the door, silence being the only response that was received. The two demons leaned their ears along the door as they heard a shuffling noise behind it.

“Please go away,” a muffled voice demanded from behind the door. Although muffled, the duo could make out that the voice was pitiful in tone. Loona and Vortex looked at each other, suddenly unsure of whether or not they should comply. Ultimately, Vortex decided to forgo his girlfriend’s request, pressing down the lever handle and pushing the door open. As it squeaked open, the light from the hallway filtered into the dark room and lighting up the orange wool carpet until it settled onto a round bed settled in the corner of the bedroom.

Lying beneath a numerous number of bed sheets, completely covered save for her multi-colored hair and lava-like tail, was Beelezebub herself.

“Hey Bee, it’s me and I brought a friend,” Vortex motioned to Loona.

“Tex, please baby I’m not in the mood to…Oh, hey, girl.” Bee shifted upward a bit as she saw who it was that Vortex had brought with him. Loona gave Beelzebub an awkward wave as they stepped inside her bedroom.

“Hey, Bee, is everything okay? Tex says that you haven’t been feeling great,” Loona stated with uncertainty, giving the Sin an awkward wave. Pushing the covers off herself, Beelzebub crawled across the bed and rested her legs over the edge. On closer inspection, Loona noticed that Beelzebub was wearing an oversized black night shirt that ran down to her knees. Her hair was rumpled and sticking out and her tail was of a purple-black color scheme unusual for the normally chipper Deadly Sin.

“Yeah, no yeah I’m fine. I could drink a whole keg of my juice and still be sober by morning. Wait-” Bee spoke before blushing at how what she said could have been misinterpreted. The unintentional innuendo almost brought a laugh out of Loona, but she held it in to not make the situation more awkward than it was.

“Look, Bee. Vortex told me that you weren’t feeling well...mentally and I wanted to help you with it,”

“Look, I told you, Tex. I’m fine,” Bee argued, her voice growing with irritation as she tired over their refutation of her

“How is you crying yourself to sleep while buried underneath your covers being alright? I mean we literally felt your emotions on the way up here,” Loona countered. While she knew the situation required some level of patience, Loona was aware that Beelzebub had been sitting on her problems long enough to negate it.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you, girl,” Beelzebub raised her voice at Loona.

“Well, what about me, Bee? I’m your boyfriend for Satan’s sake,” Vortex spoke up, a tinge of hurt in his voice. Beelzebub stared at her boyfriend, appearing conflicted as she tried to figure out her next words.

“Vortex…babe, she started.” “I just…I don’t want you to think less of me. It’s bad enough I already do.” Beelzebub wrapped her four arms around herself, unable to meet her boyfriend’s eyes as she moved her line of sight to the floor.

“About what, babe? Please, talk to me,” Vortex pleaded desperately.

“Look, Bee” If this has something to do with your fall or some sh*t-,” Loona started. Unfortunately for Loona, she hadn’t realized that she had overstepped by mentioning her fall until Beelzebub started screaming at her.

“What the f*ck do you know about any of that sh*t, Sour Cream!” Beelzebub roared as she whipped herself from her bed, blankets and pillows flying in different directions, as the Sin quickly grew into her true demon form. Her body and hair turned into a palette of black, orange, and red, a second pair of eyes forming above her first (and both had grown to become more insectoid). Said eyes were once again staring daggers in the same manner as the last time, daring Loona to make a move physically or say something else to trigger the already angry fox-bee demon.

“You think that just because you know the basic history of my life that you suddenly have the right to judge me!” Beelzebub accused. “I have seen and felt so much awful sh*t in my centuries of living, probably more than you have ever seen in your two decades alone. So don’t go and pretend like you know what losing control of that system felt like for me. You have no idea what it’s like to have something so precious taken from you, to feel so powerless and empty in the face of loss and to hate yourself for it. What makes you think you know what I’m feeling anyway?” Beelzebub continued as she went on her angry tangent.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Loona was slowly growing more and more angry as she listened to the Sin speak. How dare she assume that Loona’s life was all rainbows and sh*t while she was living the peak of luxury in her mansion, throwing parties as an excuse to avoid the very thing she lost control of. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the negative emotions that Beelzebub was giving off but, eventually, Loona finally snapped.

“Because I f*cking do know what that’s like!” Loona practically screamed, having lost some of her temper at the Deadly Sin.

“I know what it’s like to have bad sh*t of your own control to happen to you. For so long, I was tossed around by people who didn’t give a sh*t about me, who only saw me as a fur covered meat bag that they could do whatever they wanted with.” Loona was literally shaking as she tried to hold back the hoard of tears behind her eyes that threatened to escape from even mentioning her past. She didn’t care if Beelzebub tore her to shreds at this point. She just wanted Beelzebub to see that the two of them were more similar in their shared trauma than she realized.

“It got so bad,” she continued, “To the point that I stopped caring about not being alone anymore. I stopped believing that I could have a family, that I could be f*cking happy! And even when someone actually did, it took me years to realize that they truly gave a sh*t about me because I couldn’t let go of the past, of what I went through!” Loona sniveled as she wiped her eyes of the few tears that managed to escape from beneath them, messing up her make-up and leaving her facial fur covered in dark violet mesh.

Beelzebub herself, who was ready to tear into the hound prior to her outburst, was horrified and was now shedding her own tears as she watched Loona’s rare breakdown. Seeing Bee’s expression of sorrow and guilt, Loona felt a little awful for the rant given that it probably only added on to the culpability and self-loathing the Queen felt for the suffering and abuse that hellhounds as a race were experiencing. Even Vortex couldn’t escape crying a few tears, both due to the intensity of the negative emotions emanating off of Beelzebub as well as from the horror of listening to Loona’s own painful admission of her experiences. Vortex had always known that Loona was somewhat antisocial and had issues with being open, but he’d never realized just how deep and scarring her personal issues really were. Granted he hadn’t spent that much time with her, he still felt upset with himself for not seeing how hurt Loona was.

“So yeah, I’m not here to judge you, because I-I know what you're feeling. I’ve felt that way more than half my life, my whole childhood. Bee, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone, that we are all here for you,” Loona sniveled, wiping her eyes and getting some of her eye shadow on her sleeve. Bee seemed to be outright petrified at Loona's confession, stuck between opening up and closing herself off once more.

“Look Bee,” Loona continued, having calmed herself down a bit. “You told me last time we met that you have a lot of experience reading people. Well I’m good at reading people too, and what I’m reading right now is that you’ve got something eating away at you.”

“Look babe, Loona’s right,” Vortex jumped in. “You haven’t been yourself lately and I’m really worried about you. It honestly hurts that you don’t trust me with whatever issues you’re bottling up.” At this, Beelzebub’s face morphed into shock, then into sadness as she started to shrink back down into her natural form. The fox-bee demon was clutching a cupcake pillow with a smiley face tightly as though letting go would mean the end of her, dark tears running down from her eyes which were staring down at the floor.

“Bee, take it from me,” interjected Loona. “I’ve probably got more emotional baggage than every demon in Hell combined and that sh*t,” Loona paused, considering the best way to describe his experience. “It f*cking sucks.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned these last couple months,” she continued. “It’s that you gotta let people in. Otherwise, you just end up hurting those around you, especially the ones you care about. Trust me on that,” Loona finished.

“You’re right, you’re both right. I just…I’ve never told anyone about this before and I’m scared about how you'll take it. f*ck, I’m such a bad mother,” Beelzebub admitted, which was followed by a silence strong enough to the point you could hear a pin drop.

There is absolutely no way that Bee just admitted to what I think she just did , Loona mentally tried to reason with herself.

“I’m sorry, you’re what now?” asked Vortex, his eyes wide as dinner plates, his own mind not quite yet registering what his girlfriend had told him. Even Loona herself wasn’t quite sure she had heard the Queen of Gluttony correctly.

“Wait, you have a kid, an actual f*cking kid?” Loona asked, just as shocked as Vortex. Beelzebub looked between the two demons both staring at her in bewilderment, both of which expecting an answer to the question, and both of which making her more uncomfortable than she was just moments before.

“Yeah,” Beelzebub responded meekly. At that startling confirmation, the unusually loud and gaping silence continued its filling of the queen’s bed chambers. Neither of the duo was sure what to say as to the realization that Beelzebub, alongside Lucifer and Leviathan, was a parent. It was a shocking reveal that neither Loona or Vortex could come up with a response to.

Out of all the things, Loona thought. It just had to be that.

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Secret of the Queen of Gluttony

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

“You want me to do what now?” Manny asked incredulously as he cradled his newborn son in his arms. A son. He still couldn’t believe it. He had a son. He was a father. Said son, who was wearing a yellow bee-themed onesie, was currently asleep, releasing small snorts and oohs that melted the ex-soldiers heart. The moment would have been perfect if not for what the boy’s mother was suggesting Manny do.

When he had first seen her outside his door with who he had deduced was their son, he had immediately brought her inside so that they could have a private conversation. The last thing he wanted was for the neighbors to be getting in on the issue at hand. Now, he probably should have been concerned about whether or not the child was even his to begin with. Yet, a feeling in his gut (aside from nauseousness) was screaming at him that this wasn’t a scam, that this really was his kid. Oh, his mama was gonna kill him.

Unsure of what to do next, he walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair for her to sit in, the gentleman in him taking full effect. During this, Bee had asked him if she would like to hold their son, which he reluctantly obliged, mostly out of fear of dropping the kid. He had a nasty streak of accidentally dropping things due to some nerve damage in his left hand. The boy had made a couple noises as she gave him the child. Manny had never actually held a baby before and so was unsure of how to handle him.

Fortunately, Bee seemed to recognize this and stood up to physically shift his arms so that one hand of his was beneath the boy’s head and the other cradled beneath their back. He let out an embarrassed chuckle as he thanked her, which caused her to laugh softly in turn. As the two sat back down at the table, he awkwardly asked her how she was doing. She replied that she was doing fine before asking him the same, which he responded in kind. Aside from the sleeping noises being made by their son, it was quiet in the apartment, neither of them squirming nervously as they were unsure of what to say next.

Eventually, Bee broke the silence by relaying to him how shocked she was to find out she was pregnant after their last encounter. She claimed that she had initially considered getting an abortion before ultimately deciding to keep the baby. When he asked her why, Bee clammed up, clearly uncomfortable with sharing that particular reason. Identifying this, he asked her when their son was born and what his name was. She said that he was born on Christmas (though she seemed to stutter on the word) and that she had not wanted to name him without Manny. It was an oddly considerate gesture by the woman that Manny couldn’t help but swoon for her further.

Of course that wasn’t the most pertinent question on his mind. That went to how she had managed to find him when he never told her much about him aside from his name. Her only response to that had been to say that she had her ways. A mysterious answer definitely, one that made him question just who this woman really was. Yet, this wouldn’t be the oddest (and quite infuriating) thing she’d say as what she asked him to do next.

“I need you to raise our son,” Bee had repeated for him. Even after repeating it for him, Manny still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The woman he had had a one night stand with almost a year ago was now suggesting that he raise their child by himself. The woman who had once told him that she was a very generous individual was now pushing the responsibility of raising a child onto him and him alone. It was so unbelievable.

“By myself? Sure I have mi hermana and mama to help me, but why aren’t you taking responsibility for this? It takes two to tango senorita and you were definitely a part of the dance that made him,” Manny countered as he pointed a finger at the sleeping baby in his arms. Bee’s cheeks reddened a bit at the reminder of their night together nine months prior.

“It’s complicated, okay. There are things about me you can’t even comprehend. I’m taking a risk just being here,” she explained. However, this answer only served to confuse and infuriate Manny more.

“Complicated? A risk? No offense, but mi mama said the same thing about mi padre and him never being around. Quite frankly, I always believed she was letting herself be in denial to protect her heart,” stated Manny, his voice raising over his admission of the touchy subject, causing Bee to shrink back.

Manny loved his mother. He really did. However, if there was one thing he and his sister could agree on (and they agreed on very few things), it was that their mother was wasting her time sitting around waiting for their father to return. At this point, it was safe to assume that the man was either dead or living comfortably somewhere else, possibly with a new family, and it was starting to sound like Bee was trying to go for the latter of the two options.

“Look, Manny. I-I just can’t be physically involved with helping you raise him,” she claimed almost desperately.

“Why not? What is stopping you from trying to be this boy’s mother?” he asked. He might have used an angrier tone with her if not for the baby in his arms as well as the hint of fear in the woman’s voice. She was really scared. Of what, he wasn’t sure, but it had to be enough to frighten someone who had initially seemed so carefree. To say it was off putting was an understatement. What exact conditions were going to keep the mother of his child from being a mother to their son?

Bee opened her mouth in further protest before hesitating, a moment of pause taking over her and causing the woman to think deeply. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife and Manny found his foot tapping in anticipation for what she was going to say next. He just wanted to know why this woman seemed so hesitant to help him raise their son. Was she lazy? Was she in danger? What in the hell had her so freaked out? As questions soared through Manny’s head, he noticed Bee’s face shifted from calculated thinking to worry, and then to that of acceptance.

Eventually, she spoke, “Whatever you do, just don’t freak out, okay,” as she stood up from the chair, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she seemed to prepare for something.

“Freakout, about what exact-, Dios mío!” Manny blurted out, nearly falling off his chair as he scooted away from the table. Standing before him was Bee, or what appeared to be Bee. Bee’s body had initially lit up in flames, changing before his very eyes into something completely inhuman.

She was still wearing the same clothes, but now she was a foot taller than him. She had the appearance of a blonde furred vulpine-like creature with long pointed ears with antennae at the tips, four arms, and a tail reminiscent of the fluid in a lava lamp. The end of her hair too resembled that of a lava lamp alongside her stomach. Not just that, but he could have sworn that the black dot that embroidered her forehead had blinked at him. What the heck was she?

He would have pulled his gun on her if not for the murmuring coming from the infant from his arms, who had been scared by the sudden outburst. Quickly he cooed and shushed his son back to sleep before focusing again on the bigger issue at hand, the literal seven foot monster woman in his apartment.

“What, what are you?” Manny asked her breathlessly.

“So, I told you my name was Bee, right?” the insect-fox woman asked him uncomfortably, rubbing her arms in anticipation.

“Short for Beatrice, I know,” he replied. However, something told him that wasn’t her real name at all, and he was only proven right by her next statement.

“Actually, more like Beelzebub,” she revealed with a wince. Beelzebub. Manny knew that name. He was raised in a Catholic household after all. Heck even people outside of Christianity knew that name, but even then he was always on the fence over the existence of demons.

“As in the demon from Hell,” he stated with utter shock.

“Yeah,” she confirmed as she nodded her head. In turn, all Manny could do was stare in disbelief, his bad eye slightly twitching over the absurdity of the situation. Even with the evidence of Bee’s origin right in front of him, Manny still couldn’t believe that the woman he’d fallen for was a demon of all things, much less one of the head demons. Oh what have I gotten myself into.

. . .

Present

Loona

Of all the things that could have been bothering the Queen of Gluttony, from issues relating to the other Deadly Sins to the Queen’s own responsibilities, the last thing Loona ever expected was something related to her duties as a parent. The main reason for this being that Beelzebub, as far as all of Hell was concerned, was not a parent. Then again, given the woman’s strong record when it came to beating everyone’s expectations for her own parties, that revelation probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

However, that didn’t draw away from how backwards the situation felt. The normally excitable queen, who was always cheerful and carefree in her demeanor and wanting to socialize with everyone she ran into, was now a depressed mess who hunkered down in her room. And the reason was because she felt like a terrible mother, and to a child no one in Hell even knew existed. While Loona didn’t know Beelzebub all that much, something told her that there was a lot more to it than simple neglect.

At the very least, she seems to care about how good of a mother she is. I only wish Stella could have been that to Via , Loona thought bitterly, harkening to her friend’s mother’s selfish demeanor.

“Hold on a second, you mean to tell us that you have a kid? When and with who” Loona asked as she tried to contemplate what Bee had confessed to them.

“Yeah, I’m also curious about that, Bee,” Vortex added, having snapped out of his stupor while looking at Beelzebub expectantly. Loona wasn’t sure what the dark furred hellhound was thinking in regards to this sudden revelation by the Deadly Sin. His current expression was one of neutrality, but there was a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes likely attributed to the fact that Beelzebub had neglected to tell him that she had a kid in the first place.

“I’m sorry babe. I really wanted to tell you about that, but…” Beelzebub started, but paused before letting out a long sigh and pinching between her eyes. It was obvious to the two hellhounds that Beelzebub truly felt guilty about not sharing that tidbit about her with her boyfriend. Shame was written all over her muzzle, only it wasn’t just for keeping such a big secret from him. Loona could feel that there was something much deeper about the situation that prevented Bee from talking about it.

“I was ashamed of myself. Ashamed for not having the courage to be their mother, and for just handing them off to their father for him to raise,” Beelzebub said depressingly, tightening the grip of her arms around her body as she turned her head in shame. Yet, from her tone, Loona found herself picking up on something, a feeling she’d experienced plenty of times prior. “I was scared that you’d think less of me than I already do.” Though they had already heard her say this before, the admission still stung the father-daughter pair, the two’s expressions one of understanding as he could relate to what the Queen was feeling.

“I wanted so badly to be their mother, I really did. Yet, everytime I tried to think about it, I couldn’t help but think about not being strong enough to protect him. I couldn’t think about being a mother when so many other hellhound kids didn’t have that. I know it’s f*cking selfish to put that on them, but I couldn’t…I couldn’t-” Beelzebbub rattled off, her breathing becoming deeper and more faster as she veered toward another breakdown, a sight severely offputting to the two demons before her.

Her normally rainbow colored tail was becoming a deeper black resembling the void of self-hate she had sunk deep into. So deep in her self-loathing did she not notice Vortex moving toward her. It was only when she felt his hands cup her chin and shoulder did she give pause to her barrage of self-hatred.

“Oh, girl,” Vortex soothed, “It’s okay, girl. Just listen to my voice, okay.” Staring at her boyfriend in shock, his eyes full of love for her, the tears that were glistening in her eyes burst from her eyes as she wrapped her four arms around her boyfriend. Vortex released a soft hum as he placed his muzzle over her shoulder and nipped at her neck affectionately. Beelzebub’s wings flapped in response to the affection as she leaned deeper into her boyfriend’s body and listened to the sweet nothings he whispered into her ears, the vibrant color of her lava lamp-like stomach and tail slowly returning.

The scene before her was confirmation to Loona that the couple’s relationship wasn’t just some fancy for the Queen. Beelzebub, who was often seen as one of the more emotional of the Sins aside from Asmodeus, truly did hold love for Vortex despite him being a lesser demon. Many in Hell would likely argue that the way the centuries old demon melted in the Vortex’s arms was a disgraceful sight, but to Loona, it warmed her heart. Even despite Beelzebub’s suspected issues with being an absent parent, which Loona was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for, Loona wanted to help her through this.

After what felt like hours, Beelzebub finally managed to calm down, gently removing herself from her boyfriend and rubbing the black tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry babe,” she whispered.

“It’s okay,” Vortex said, pushing her hair out from in front of her eyes. “Just promise me that you’ll be more open with me from now on.”

“Promise,” she said before giving her boyfriend a kiss on the lips which he reciprocated passionately. The two started to get handsy as they deepened the kiss between themselves, releasing lustful moans as the world around them left their minds. At least, until a bout of coughing interrupted the pair before they could start tearing off each other's clothes.

“I-uh hate to interrupt this, but I think you still have some things to explain,” Loona spoke, slightly uncomfortable at the lustful display. She was not about to watch Vortex and Bee have steamy sex in their bedroom. A little sex wasn’t going to scar her sanity, though she did not want to see the couple start raw dogging each other. For some reason though, the very thought of that turned her on, causing her to blush profusely. In the end, she chalked it down to having spent far too much time around her father. That was it. That had to be the reason.

“Right, yeah our bad,” Beelzebub apologized, a deep red blush creeping onto her face as she stood up from her bed. “But before that,” she said before she clapped her hands twice, causing the bedroom lights to flicker on, illuminating the bedroom.

As the lights turned on, Loona was briefly binded by the sudden change in contrast against her eyes. When she regained her vision, she was mildly stunned by the size and decor of the Queen of Gluttony’s bedroom, having not been able to take in its layout and design with the lights off. Now though, Loona could tell that the room was far more vast than she initially expected.

Hanging from the ceiling, Loona could make out three separate chandeliers made up of what looked like gummy bears. Those things had better be fire retardant , Loona thought. Aside from them, there were also a few large rings similar to the ones in the main section of the club hanging from the bedroom ceiling. Loona wasn’t sure why Bee had those hanging around her place, but the Sin always seemed to have fun flying through them so who was she to judge?

On the left side of the bed, stood a white closet barn door and a regular flush door, probably the bathroom and closet, Loona surmised. Between the doors was a large golden vanity desk and mirror with matching gold rims. Loona felt a hint of jealousy seeing it given that it was ten times bigger than hers and was stocked with makeup that Loona wished she could buy regularly.

To the right of the bed, toward the opposite end of the bedroom, Loona could make out a gaming corner with a bunch of arcade machines (Loona’s tail wagged in slight excitement at the presence of the Dance Master game since it was her favorite, secretly of course.) as well as a pool table, the balls organized neatly in a triangle next to the cue. She’d never expected Bee to be a pool player, though that could also have been for Tex.

And to the left of that was an entire private kitchen with a retro styled dining table that looked like it came from a 1950s diner. The cabinets and the fridge both were stocked full of all sorts of delicious edibles that Loona could see given that the doors for them were only clear glass. There was also a vintage cotton candy machine next to the fridge. On top of that, one of the counters was completely taken up by what looked like a giant cylindrical coffee maker straight from the 1900s. The very ancient contraption had been given a modern upgrade through the attachment of a variety of nozzles and small pipes for different flavors and coffee types. Yet, even that wasn’t the most bizarre thing amongst the several other oddities adorning about Bee’s abode.

There were a variety of wall decorations, which barely left any empty space, including old photos, Gluttony-themed posters, sculptures of desserts, strung up lights in the shape of ice cream, and so much more that overflowed Loona’s senses. Once again, Loona found herself starving as stared at the various food themed decor. Despite the variety of knick knacks and such littering the walls and floor space, Loona noticed a touch of organization to the placement of the items that kept Bee from being an outright hoarder.

“Whoa, this place is bigger than I realized,” Loona awed. Never before had she seen such a heavily decorated room before. Even rooms in Stolas’ palace didn’t have nearly this much in the form of decor laying around. In retrospect, however, Loona would have thought it excessive if not for the fact that Beelzebub was the literal embodiment of Gluttony. Which Beelzebub quickly commented on.

“Well I am Gluttony,” Beelzebub responded. “That applies to more than just food, drugs, and alcohol. Speaking of which, I think we could all use some of the latter after that emotional nightmare.” Beelzebub summoned a bottle of champagne out of thin air. Flying over to the dining table in the kitchen area, Beelzebub set down the bottle and signaled for the Loona and Vortex to follow her and have a seat. As the three demons sat down at the retro-styled table, Vortex and Bee on one side and Loona on the opposite, Bee summoned three empty champagne glasses and filled each one to the top. She grabbed all three glasses with her arms and handed one to both hellhounds she took a swig of her own, downing the entire thing in one shot.

While Loona didn’t like drinking often as she would become violently sick when she drank too much, she had to agree with Beelzebub in the need for a good buzz after the previous shouting match. As such, Loona found herself copying Beelzebub as she downed her own glass in one swallow. As soon as she did, Loona was briefly disoriented by the strength of the alcohol. Whoa, Bee broke out the strong sh*t , Loona thought as she refocused her senses. Loona too noticed a similar reaction from Vortex.

“Trust me when I say that that isn’t even the strongest concoction in my supply,” Beezebub winked before refilling her glass and once again downing the glass in one go.

“Careful girl. We still need you sober,” Vortex playfully warned.

“Yeah, Bee,” Loona said. “You still need to explain to us about your kid.”

“I know. I know. You both came to help me out of this funk and so you both at least deserve an explanation about him,” Bee admitted, her tone becoming a little more serious as she took a seat at the table. “So just um… ask away,” Bee said, clasping her hands together on the table. Following this, silence filled the room. The two hellhounds had quickly realized that they weren’t sure even what to ask in the first place, especially since they hadn’t been expecting for a mystery son to exist in the first place.

“First off,” Loona started with the first question.”How have we not heard about your son before now? I mean, it doesn’t make any sense that we wouldn't have at least heard about him in some gossip magazine.”

Having pointed that out, Vortex nodded his head in agreement. The so called ‘reporters’ may not have had any credibility to their names, but they were not a joke either when it came to digging up information either. Loona had heard stories of how a few of those investigators had ended up as statues in Lucifer’s palace after they released an actual naked photo of Lilith in one of their issues. It was safe to say that not only were the people who took those photos dead, but the entire magazine company was gone too. Loona would have respected the balls of them if not for the simple fact that she would have done the same thing if someone had done that to her.

“Yeah,” Vortex added, “The only reason why those gossip jerk offs wouldn’t have known about your son is if they were a hu-” Vortex paused, a realization seemingly hitting him at that moment. Yet, Loona knew what that was as it quickly hit her too. There was no way that Bee’s mystery kid could be a human, right?

Though it would make more sense as to why she was an absentee parent. She physically couldn’t be in his life due to her being of demonic nature. That was the rule when it came to human spawn produced from sex with demonic entities, or at least it was when it came to the Sins. It didn’t exactly help either that Lucifer was against the other Sins siring children with humanity due both to his grudge against God and the fact that such children, if they died and were sent to Hell, could become extremely powerful and enough so to challenge Lucifer’s rule.

“He’s a human isn’t he? Vortex asked. There was a brief silence that followed the question as Loona and Vortex stared at Beelzebub waiting for an answer. Beelzebub herself, who looked uncomfortable at the staring, could only nod her head, indicating that her child was in fact a human.

From there, Beelzebub recounted the story of how she’d conceived her son. About twenty five years ago, and wanting to take a break from ruling her ring, the Deadly Sin had decided to distract herself from her problems by partying up in the human realm.

It was then at a large house party, the last one on her trip before returning to Hell, where she’d met a human who’s vibe she found herself attracted to. The human in question, Manny Grimm, was a chill, but charismatic flirt who managed to catch her eye with his attentive listening and decent comedic skills. Wanting to continue the ‘party’ with the human upstairs, the two proceeded to have what Bee described as some of the best sex in her life.

If only she had noticed the slight hint of jealousy portrayed by her boyfriend, who was sitting right next to her. Loona couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the statement. She knew Bee meant well, but she also knew that the Queen could sometimes say things that didn’t sound quite right.

“He must have been real cute, Bee,” Loona commented sarcastically, earning a raised eye from Vortex who was still slightly jealous at the mention of this other paramour of Beelzebub’s.

“Eh, his face was a five, but those muscles and abs were a real eight. And his personality? That was probably the only reason I let him raw dog me that night. I mean, he was so sweet. I couldn’t help but want to get it on with him,” Beelzebub gushed like a high school cheerleader, seemingly oblivious to her jealous boyfriend.

“Well, it’s nice to know you have a type,” Loona chuckled, glancing over at Vortex. Said hellhound was now slightly blushing a little at that comment, especially given just how true it was, as well as the fact that he was jealous of the human who’d given his girl a good time. It was at this point that Beelzebub finally seemed to notice her boyfriend’s envy and so gave him a tight hug.

“Ah, you got nothing to worry about my little strawberry pie. You’re the only one for me afterall,” Bee cooed as she smooshed her face against Tex’s. Bee finished her teasing by kissing her boyfriend on the nose, of whom began to blush profusely in response while trying to cover his now embarrassed face. The sight of which earned a laugh from the Queen herself. Loona too couldn’t help but giggle at the antics of the Sin.

Continuing her story, Beelzebub mentioned how she’d been so hyped up on some of Belphagor’s drugs, which she’d swiped behind her sister’s back for the occasion, that Bee hadn’t bothered asking the human if he had any condoms.

After leaving her one night stand behind and returning to Hell, Beelzebub had returned to her duties as Queen of the ring as well as encouraging gluttony through her own parties.

It wasn’t until about a month and a half later that Bee noticed that something was wrong with her physically when she started experiencing random bouts of morning sickness even when she was sober. She was also feeling extra hungrier than normal and craving food combinations that she normally wouldn’t entertain the idea of. Loona blanched a bit at the description of sour cream and ranch waffles. Loona didn’t need to try it to know that a blended phone tasted better than that sh*t.

It was finally at a private doctor’s appointment with her sister Belphegor that Beelzebub got the answer to her strange symptoms. It just wasn’t the answer that she was prepared for. After being told by Belphegor that she was pregnant, Bee quickly flashbacked to the previously mentioned night which had been the last time she had had physical relations with someone.

It was here where Bee recounted herself freaking out over the prospects of being pregnant by a human, begging her sister to keep quiet about the whole endeavor. Fortunately for Bee, Belphegor didn’t hate her sister for stealing her drugs enough to be so petty as to share the secret, promising to not tell any of the other Sins.

“So what made you decide to keep him, girl?” asked Vortex, the question startling Beelzebub from her recounting of her story.

“I’m sorry?” Bee asked, unsure as to where her boyfriend was going with the question. Vortex appeared sheepish under his girlfriend's half accusatory, half curious glare, likely realizing he could have phrased the question better.

“I’m not judging you for anything Bee, but I am curious about why you chose to keep them instead of…the other option?” The response seemed to work, with Vortex receiving a nod of understanding from Bee. Loona would admit that she herself was curious too. Beelzebub came off more as the cool aunt rather than the motherly type, and so Loona wanted to know just what it was that made Beelzebub decide to become a mother herself, albeit an absentee one.

“I mean, it didn’t feel right just getting rid of them like that. As though they were some mistake to sweep under the rug. Plus, they weren’t just my child, but Manny’s as well,” Beelzebub explained, her voice hitching slightly. Loona wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she could feel from the hesitation in Bee’s voice that there was more to it than that. However, she was not willing to push Bee further than she technically was already.

She wasn’t sure if Vortex noticed it either, but regardless, the hellhound had set his other hand overtop one of Bee’s, giving her an expression of encouragement and understanding. Giving Vortex a warm smile in return, Beelzebub continued speaking about her unexpected pregnancy, during which she had needed to be extra careful about exposing herself to the public.

It was not her reputation Bee was concerned with, she explained, making it abundantly clear that such things mattered little to her. No, what concerned her most was how the other Sins would react to the news. Lucifer was paranoid about the other Sins producing heirs to overthrow him, and the fact that the child would be born human would have ticked off the king of Hell quite a bit. It was also why she didn’t tell any of the other Sins aside from Bel, not wanting to drag any of them down with her if she was found out.

Since they would be part demon, any of their offspring who died and went to Hell could be graced with power strong enough to defeat Lucifer which was why they specifically couldn’t breed with humanity. Sure, the hellborn and even the Goetia could do it but no, not the Sins. Loona could see that the hypocrisy of the whole thing was really pissing Bee off.

Beelzebub then proceeded to spend the better part of five minutes complaining about how much of a buzzkill Belphegor was in setting all sorts of rules for her during the pregnancy, like not doing any drugs or drinking any alcohol, despite her willingly complying with her sister for once.

Loona could only stare at Vortex with an expression that read ‘Is she serious right now’. Vortex could only rub the back of his neck, shrugging his shoulders as though to say ‘Well, this is Bee we’re talking about.’

Eventually, after another seven months of enduring the pregnancy while carefully hiding her condition from the public, Beelzebub had given birth to a healthy baby human boy. Unfortunately, because of the fact that they were born human, Beelzebub would not be able to take care of the child. After all, Bee had known that she wouldn’t be able to keep such a secret from Lucifer, much less the rest of Hell, forever.

So, realizing what she needed to do, Bee had taken her newborn son up to the surface to give to the father who, after a lengthy discussion, took their son in to raise in her stead. Beelzebub had once again begun to tear up as she relayed leaving her newborn son, who she’d only just met, behind with his father. Even if it was necessary for her son’s safety, it still broke Bee’s heart knowing that it may be the last time she saw her son for a while, if ever.

“So what, you just handed him off to their dad and that was that?” Loona asked.

“No, of course not. I mean, he did want me to stay and raise our kid together, but I had to remind him that I was a demon and him a human. I was already risking both Lucifer finding out and Heaven’s wrath just by being there in the first place,” Beelzebub pointed out. At this, Loona nodded in understanding.

She herself knew that she, her father, and the M&Ms were taking a risk of being smited by Heaven for killing humans. Loona knew that the only reason that they hadn’t been caught yet was because, as lower born demons, they had demonic signatures that Heaven wouldn’t notice. Beezelbub being a Sin, however, the two knew she probably couldn’t go to Earth for too long without drawing any attention from Heaven.

“You really think that one of the other Sins would have harmed your kid? Loona asked, curious to know if Bee’s fears about the other Sins were valid.
“Probably not, especially not Belphegor or Asmodeus, but it’s like I said. Lucifer doesn’t like it if we have kids behind his back, especially with humanity. Hypocritical bastard,” Bee said with some malice, before continuing, “I did at least pay Manny child support every month until our son turned eighteen. I even started sending Gabriel letters with those checks once he turned three, though I never got a reply back from any of them,” Beelzebub faltered, a look of hurt falling over her over the possibility that her child wanted nothing to do with her.

Now, normally the first thing the two demons before her would have felt was pity over that admission. Even Loona had reminisced about her own treatment of her adoptive father prior to the past couple months, and she felt slightly guilty over how sh*t she had been to him.

However, there was just one thing from that statement that caused both Loona and Vortex to widen their eyes in shell shock. Did she really just say her kid’s name was… , Loona thought incredulously over the arguably sacrilegious name of Bee’s kid.

”You named him Gabriel!” Loona and Vortex suddenly shouted at the same time, startling Beelzebub and causing spit out her champagne after taking another sip from it. Even they were surprised that Bee would name her child after one of her estranged brothers, the ones she and the other sins fought against during the Holy Wars centuries ago.

“Well to be fair, if I had to pick one of my angel brothers to name him after,” Beelzebub started, making air quotes at the word brothers, “It would have to be Gabriel. Out of all of the original ones who didn’t betray the old man, Gabriel was probably the only decent one. And besides, it was Manny’s idea to name him that in the first place,” Beelzebub pouted, crossing her arms like a five year old having a tantrum.

“I mean, he wouldn’t even give any of my name ideas a chance,” Beelzebub pointed out annoyingly.

“What, did he think naming him cashew or honey pie wasn’t gonna make him popular with the other kids growing up,” Loona cracked jokingly. At this Bee opened her mouth to speak, offense written on her face, before she shrunk back down in sheepish embarrassment as though realizing how stupid her response was. Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.

“I was only joking, you mean to tell me you were really gonna name your son after food?” Loona asked, somehow more bewildered when she found out his actual name. I knew Bee could be a bit out there, but f*cking Satan. I swear, the names Dad comes up for his horses sound better than that.

“I thought it would be cute," Bee whined as she faced away from the two demons, clearly embarrassed by the realization that she probably was the only one who thought her choice in naming children was intelligent.

“Aw, it’s okay, Bee,” reassured Tex as he kissed her on the cheek. “I know you meant well by him, but you gotta admit that the guy helped your kid dodge a giant bullet there.”

“I suppose,” Bee replied sheepishly, her wings fluttering at the affection though she was still pouting a bit.

“Okay, so what about him has got you so down in the first place?” Loona queried. She would have suspected Bee’s son not contacting her would have been a possible reason for her depression, but it felt too obvious an answer and didn’t completely explain the guilt the Sin was experiencing. At this, Beelzebub became nervous, fiddling with her fingers as she seemed to contemplate her answer.

“It had been a while since I last checked up on Gabriel so,” Beezelbub began, “Almost two weeks ago, I decided to do just that. And I learned that his father Manny passed away.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. How long ago?” Vortex asked, a look of genuine pity on his face. Even Loona felt some sadness at the death of Gabriel’s father. Although Loona normally didn’t feel upset at the death of humans, simply for the fact that she was part of a business that killed them for a living, she had come close to losing Blitz quite a few times over the past few years and so Loona could sympathize despite having never met them before.

“About nine months ago,” Beelzebub winced. In response, Loona and Vortex collectively shared their own wince. Beelzebub covered her face with her hands in response, being unable to face the bewildered expressions being directed at her.

Almost an entire year of not knowing that the man you conceived a child with had died, and then not once during that time being spent comforting your child. Okay, now I can see why Bee might be feeling like sh*t, Loona thought. Having spent plenty of time in the Goetia palace lately, Loona overheard a few conversations between Stolas and Blitz over Paimon, Stolas’ father, and how the King of the Goetias had basically left Stolas to be raised by the staff. It doesn’t justify it, but at the very least she actually does feel guilty and realizes she’s in the wrong.

“I know, I know I really messed up with him,” Bee admitted, her voice tightening and becoming more hoarse. “I haven’t really taken the time to regularly check up on him like I should have been. I’ve been so focused on myself, on promoting gluttony and taking care of the people in my own ring that I haven’t taken the time to check up on my own kid. I’m such an awful mother.” The further she talked, Bee slouched deeper toward the table until her head was laying against it, her arms sided next to it as she tried to hold back more tears.

“So then do it,” Loona found herself suggesting. While she knew Bee didn’t look favorable given the circ*mstances, the sight of Bee so broken at her failures as a mother filled Loona with the determination to help her. “Just go talk to him now.”

“You really think that would work?” Bee asked incredulously, not believing that something so simple could help her with

“I mean, what else can you do? It’s certainly better to try and talk to him than just sitting here crying yourself to sleep every night,” Loona added.

“But what about Heaven or even Lucifer? Me being there will put a target on Gabe’s back,” Beelzebub said, causing Loona to hesitate.

“Who cares about Lucifer. The guy barely runs Pride anymore as is. You really think he’s gonna care about you wanting to be with your kid,” Loona argued. “As for Heaven, yeah that’s a big risk. I’ve seen the brutality that the Exterminators commit on Extermination Day every year. Hell, I had a couple close calls with them as a kid” Loona admitted. And she had. In fact, there was one particular moment a decade ago that still haunted her, though not because of the Exterminators. Yet, she wasn’t ready to share that with Bee or Tex.

“But do you really think Heaven is going to act if all you’re doing is spending time with your son,” Loona continued.

Bee opened her mouth to provide a counter argument, but quickly closed it, seemingly being unable to produce one before stating, “The whole reason I was kicked out of Heaven was because I introduced alcohol to humanity. Who knows what He and the others are like now.” It was a solid argument, one that Loona wasn’t sure how to move forward past. Fortunately, it seemed Vortex did.

“Loona’s right, Bee,” Vortex said. “If you wanna overcome this guilt of yours, you need to face this head on and introduce yourself to Gabe. Screw Heaven.” The way Vortex spoke, the confidence and determination, it made Loona a little hot under the collar, and she could tell that it had a similar effect on Beelzebub, the bee-fox demon staring at her boyfriend with the most lovingly awestruck eyes imaginable.

“You’re both right,” Beelzebub admitted. “It’s been so long since I’ve ever had to do something this hard before. The prospect of talking to him is terrifying. He’s never even met me before. For all I know, Gabe probably wants nothing to do with me.”

Loona could tell that Bee was starting to go into panic mode again based on the worry in her voice, and she knew from similar conversations with her father that they needed to nip this one in the bud now before she sunk back down into her depression.

“Then, we’ll be there for you, babe,” Vortex told Bee, coming to the same conclusion as Loona.

“Really?” Beelzebub asked, sounding almost surprised as she looked at her boyfriend with hopeful eyes close to breaking out in tears. Vortex gave her a nod before looking over at Loona for support.

“Of course, Bee,” Loona said without hesitation. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I’ve learned enough about you now to see how much you care about him. You might not be perfect, but you care. And that’s more than what I can say about plenty of demons or parents for that matter.”

“We’ll help you through, Bee. No strings attached,” Vortex added tightening his hand around Bee’s, his eyes staring into his girlfriend’s with love and determination.

“Oh you guys,” Beelzebub said before pulling both hounds into a tight hug, telling the two hounds how much she loved them both. Loona blushed a bit at being hugged by the Sin for the second time in one day. She really wasn’t one for this much physical contact, but she was willing to hide her annoyance if it meant giving Beelzebub the support she needed to talk to her own child.

“So, what does this kid of yours even look like?” Vortex asked.

“Oh my goodness, you’re totally right. I still have yet to show you all my little stud muffin,” Bee shouted in excitement, her arms shaking with rented vigor. In just a matter of seconds, Bee had quickly snapped out of her stupor at the prospect of showing off her apparently awesome kid. It was a mood swing that Loona knew only Beelzebub could pull off with it feeling normal, and Loona almost laughed at how comically similar Bee sounded to Blitz in that moment.

“I haven’t been able to be in his life,” Beelzebub stated as she pulled out her phone from her shorts pocket, “But I have been able to keep some tabs on him and what he’s been up to throughout it.” Swiftly searching through her phone for what she was looking for, Beelzebub presented a photo to the two hellhounds, who each leaned over the table to get a closer look at Bee’s phone.

From the picture, Loona could see two humans standing in front of what looked like a coffee bar in the background. The human on the right was a much older man with light brown and wrinkled skin, a thick black mustache and short hair of the same color, and mahogany colored eyes. His most discerning characteristic, however, was a large amount of scarring around his left eye. Loona assumed this was the human that Beelzebub had her son with, Manny.

Damn , Bee’s really got a taste for men with facial scarring , Loona thought jokingly. Aside from the scarring, Loona could see why Bee might be physically attracted to him. The man had a sharp jawline, a slim nose, and a well defined chin that she had heard was quite attractive for male humans. Loona also couldn’t help but think of Blitz as well when inspecting the human, noting Manny's eye still appeared to be functional despite the amount of scarring around it.

Turning her attention to the other human in the photo, which Loona assumed was Gabriel, Loona was somewhat stunned by his appearance. Though his manner of dress was somewhat odd given the brown fedora he wore atop his head. Beneath the hat, Loona could see he had long and curly dark brown hair attached to what Loona thought had to be the most perfect human face she’d ever seen. With prominent cheekbones, a smooth forehead, and a sharp jawline and slim nose similar to his father’s, Bee’s son definitely had to be bringing in the babes, Loona thought. His eyes, framed by dark-rimmed glasses, were a bright pink exactly identical to Beelzebub’s that Loona was mesmerized by. To put it mildly, Gabriel was quite the looker.

“Woah, your kid’s pretty hot,” Loona blurted without thinking. It was only moments afterward that she realized what she’d said before she began to blush furiously, covering her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment from the other three demons in the room.

“Got a little crush, Loo Loo? He’s single last time I checked,” Bee teased Loona, finding the hellhound’s small crush on her son to be adorable. Leaning over the table to get closer to Loona, Bee followed up her teasing with, “I didn’t think you had a taste for humans.”

“I don’t, but I just…Shut up, Bee,” Loona said, swatting Bee away with one hand while covering her still blushing face with the other. This action elicited raucous laughter from the Sin as well as some slight chuckling from Vortex. It wasn’t like she was attracted to humans or anything like that. He didn’t even look that built. It was just that Gabriel had a good looking face for a human, as well as mesmerizing eyes that stared deeply into her soul and caused her to- Loona shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. The last thing she needed was to get all horny during this conversation. Fortunately, another question popped into her head, one relevant to said conversation.

“Wait a minute, how old is your kid?” Loona asked.

“He’s twenty four years old. His birthday is on Sinsmas. I tell you what, I was not expecting Krampus to leave me with the gift of my water breaking when I woke up early that morning. Talk about a wet holiday, am I right? I felt like I was in Envy,” Bee explained in a joking manner. Vortex and Loona rolled their eyes at Bee’s humor.

“Twenty four, huh,” Vortex said with a raised eyebrow. Loona turned to look at Vortex who appeared to be in deep thought. She was a little confused about why Gabe’s age would require any deep thought until the obvious reason hit her.

“Wait a minute, how old are you, Tex?” she asked.

“Twenty six,” Vortex responded with a sigh, pinching his forehead. Oh, well, Loona thought. Yeah, I can see why that would be awkward. Having a boyfriend as old as your kid. Yikes. While Loona might have been excited that this would drive a wedge between the two for Loona to take Tex for herself, that wasn’t the case. She felt genuine worry for the couple who were likely at a point of contention over the secret child. She was starting to see the two as friends, even if it hadn’t been for long, and the idea of the two breaking up was saddening to the silver hellhound.

“I’m sorry, babe,” Bee apologized. “I know that this whole thing with me having a kid wasn’t what you signed up for.”

“Girl, I’m upset you didn’t tell me sooner, sure,” Vortex admitted. “But I ain’t gonna leave you over it.

“You’re not?” Bee questioned with disbelief in her tone.

“If I was, I would have done so by now. I’ll just have to get used to being around him,” Vortex said, though it had sounded a little forced.

“You don’t have to interact with him if you don’t want to, babe,” Bee stated, sensing her boyfriend’s uneasiness.

“No, I do. I love you Bee, and I told you when we first started dating that I would accept every part of you, and I guess now that includes your kid.”

“Oh, babe,” Bee cooed, clearly touched by her boyfriend’s willingness to get to know her son just for her own happiness.

“I mean, I don’t expect him to call me dad or anything like that. It’s definitely going to be awkward to say the least but-” Vortex continued before being jumped upon by Beelzebub once again, who showered him with a barrage of kisses of ‘thank yous’, much to Vortex’s embarrassment and Loona’s sheepishness at the very physical act.

Following this, Beelzebub continued to talk giddily about her son to the two hellborn. According to Bee, Gabriel had spent four years in culinary school before getting a job right out of college. He was currently a head baker/cook and manager at a cafe known as the Hive, which was quite successful, she added with a sense of pride.

“He’s also altruistic,” Bee stated neutrally, her giddiness dying down a little. “Like your brother, Texxie.”

“I mean, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being a little modest,” Loona stated, recalling what she heard about Beelzebub’s regular donations to the various charity organizations across Hell. Though she was also quite curious to learn that Vortex had a brother. She knew Myra was Vortex’s twin sister, but she hadn’t known about them having another brother. When she looked over at Vortex to gauge his reaction, the dark furred hellhound was looking at his girlfriend with a perplexed stare before slapping a hand to his forehead.

“Bee, I think you mean he’s autistic,” Vortex stated unamusingly.

“Oh yeah, that’s what I meant, but he is very altruistic,” Bee stated, earning a perplexed look from the other two demons. How do you mix up being altruistic with being autistic. Then again, her aloof attitude toward that diagnosis was probably a good thing. It just went to show that Bee loved Gabriel unconditionally.

As Bee continued to relay different details and achievements committed by her son, Loona couldn’t help once again but take notice of the complete 180 Bee had taken from her mood less than an hour prior.

It was almost incredible how she seemed to push away and get over her negative thoughts and emotions with a simple conversation. Then again, it was also possible that this wasn’t the case at all and the Sin was right now just trying to focus on positive thoughts related to her son. Regardless, Loona was hesitant to disrupt the Queen’s usual giddy attitude, but she had to bring up the most important question.

“So, when do you plan to talk to him?” Loona asked.

“I think tomorrow afternoon. Like you said, I need to do this as soon as possible,” Beelzebub said with some determination.

“You want either me or Loona to come with you, you know, for moral support?” Votex questioned.

“That would be nice,” Bee responded, looking over to Loona for confirmation of her still wanting help. There was a small hint of desperation within Bee’s eyes that Loona had picked up on, as though being rejected would break her heart. As much as Loona hoped for a happy ending to this, Loona knew that there was a good chance that it might not end with the best case scenario.

After all, Loona herself had no desire to see her own parents, wherever they were, after what they did to her. She honestly hoped the bastards were dead and rotting in the ground. Of course, the current situation was a lot more complicated given that Bee was a demon and Gabriel a human. Plus, Loona could never imagine Bee hurting Gabriel the way Loona’s parents did to her. However, Loona chose to keep quiet about that so as not to crush Bee any further than she probably felt at the moment.

“Just text me the time for tomorrow and I’ll be there,” Loona reiterated, cementing her dedication to helping the Sin. It almost startled her how out of character Bee was, needing help from friends to introduce herself to someone. However, this wasn’t just some average joe, but her own son, and Loona understood that, if only for the fact that she herself had difficulty with interacting with new people.

“Well,” Beelzebub began. “This group chat has been so uplifting and productive, like more so than any party I’ve ever thrown. But I think it’s time I called an end to it.”

“Are you sure, Bee?” Loona asked, checking her phone for the time. Looking at it, she realized that it had been over an hour since she’d left the office. “It’s only been like an hour since we broke you out of this funk,” Loona spoke with a hint of worry. It was so soon, and Loona wasn’t sure if she trusted herself to leave Bee alone.

“It’s okay. I appreciate you worrying. I do. I don’t wanna keep you guys here any longer than you need to be. This has all been quite an emotional conversation for everyone after all. More so than I’m normally comfortable with,” Bee admitted. Loona nodded in agreement, both while being more open to communication in recent months, still not yet comfortable with having those conversations frequently. “Thank you so much for coming, Loona. Again, it really means a lot.”

“Yeah well, I’m just trying to be a better friend, you know,” Loona admitted.

“Well, I’d say you already are, sweet pup,” Bee commented, resulting in Loona giving her a small embarrassed smile. She still wasn’t sure what it was about Bee. She hadn’t felt like this the first time she’d met her, so what was different now. She’d have to figure that out later.

“You should probably get back to your job too, babe,” Bee continued, turning to her boyfriend.

“You sure, Bee?” Vortex asked, a look of uncertainty crossing his muzzle. “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable leaving you alone after everything we talked about today.” It was a valid statement, Loona thought. While a part of her didn’t want to stay here forever,she also wasn’t sure if she should leave Bee by herself at the moment, even if she seemed to be in a better mood now.

“I’m sure. I’ve been neglectful of some of my businesses across the ring because of this whole mind f*ck of mine and I need to check up on them,” Beelzebub admitted. “Besides, it’ll just give me more time to prepare for tonight.”

“What’s tonight?” Vortex questioned, confused about what his girlfriend was referring to.

“Tonight is the night that I make up with my sweet, caring boyfriend for being such a bad girlfriend,” spoke in a Lustful tone, cozying up against her boyfriend and not so subtly rubbing his crotch, causing the Hellhound to shiver and blush simultaneously. Loona’s eyes widened in shock at the brazen physical gesture by Beelzebub. She was not gonna lie and say she didn’t feel a little hot watching Bee manhandle Tex’s manhood. A small part of her was starting to question if she was actually Bi or not, and Bee’s forwardness toward Vortex was only making Loona question herself more.

“Yes, maam,” Vortex spoke up quickly with an excited smile, his tail furiously wagging in response to his girlfriend’s intimacy.

“Good boy. Now get going. I’ll see you later tonight,” Bee ordered playfully before kissing Vortex on the lips, which the black furred hellhound reciprocated with equal intensity.

By this point, Loona had already texted her father for him to portal her back. Not long after, a portal opened up. Strangely enough, Loona could see that it led back to their office building. Wasn’t Blitz supposed to have headed back home, Loona thought with mild confusion. Nevertheless, Loona stepped through the portal to find her father standing in the same spot she’d left him with the book in hand. Vortex quickly jumped through the portal with some extra pep in his step, eliciting a giggle from Beelzebub. Once Vortex had jumped through, he and Loona exchanged a wave of goodbye with Beelzebub who responded with her own chipper wave as the portal closed.

“Well, I’m guessing you dancing like a ballerina is an indication that your girl’s got what was bothering her out of her system,” Blitz commented with a smirk.

“”Yeah, I know we weren’t talking for long, but Bee really seemed like her normal self there,” Vortex said while ignoring Blitz’s jab. “Thanks again for helping out, Loona. I really owe you for that.”

“It was no problem, Tex. I was more than happy to help,” Loona said.

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Vortex asked.

“Yep. See you tomorrow, Lover Boy,” Loona joked with a knowing smirk, causing Vortex to laugh as he sped walked down the hall into Verosika’s office, his tail wagging in excitement for what would likely be a thrilling night for the hellhound, both at the club and with Bee in bed.

As he made his way inside, Loona could hear Verosika lightly scolding him and asking her bodyguard where he’d been as the door shut behind him. Loona shook her head before thinking back to the photo of Bee’s son that she’d looked at earlier. Who was she kidding, this Gabriel was kind of cute himself. A bit of a nerd certainly, but kind of hot. Why did he have to be so hot? Loona mentally whined to herself. Here she was developing a crush on another guy. Man, was she desperate.

“Alright Loonie, enough daydreaming about ‘Mr Boyscout’ over there. Let’s go home,” Blitz spoke, interrupting Loona’s daydreaming. The comment earned an annoyed growl from the young adult hellhound, which only elicited a chuckle from her adoptive father.

“I wasn’t thinking about Vortex,” she responded, with an annoyed chuff.

“Oh, is there some other perverted weirdo I should be worried about? Did that party woman offer you some of her ‘cotton candy’?” Blitz pushed further, earning a deeper growl from Loona. Yet, that growl didn’t stop the fierce blush on Loona’s muzzle which was more than enough to get Blitz full on laughing. Loona swiped him in the face with her tail before stomping down toward the elevator. Blitz, still laughing a bit over being right, made his way over to the elevator with her.

“Ok, ok, I’m joking, Loonie. I’m not gonna bother about it anymore. Promise,” Blitz admitted through some chuckling, surprising Loona.

Normally, Blitz was doing everything in his power to prevent Loona from being ten feet next to the nearest male or was threatening anyone who dared hit on her, even when she wanted them to. It was a major change that Loona wasn’t sure how to feel about. On the one hand, she was grateful that Blitz was trying harder to mind her boundaries. On the other hand, a part of her deep down was glad to have someone put in the effort toward her, even if she couldn’t always admit it. At the very least, it was better than him threatening to kill the guy.

As the two stepped inside, Blitz hitting the button for the first floor, Loona continued to think about what had transpired just beforehand. It had felt rather sudden, just leaving Bee alone at her place after the lengthy and emotional conversation that had taken place. She hadn’t wanted to leave Bee out of fear that the Deadly Sin might sink back into whatever guilt she was feeling earlier.

There were plenty of times where her father had claimed that he was fine only to later drink himself to sleep while looking at photos on his phone. She hadn’t done much to confront her father about it, something she regretted, and she didn’t want to make the same mistake with Bee. The woman had trusted Loona with a huge secret and she didn’t want to let the woman down. Fortunately, thinking about her father allowed Loona the opportunity to move her mind away from the day’s events and focus on something else.

“So, what are you still doing here at the office?” Loona asked with curiosity, noticing the imp downing a bottle of water. “I’d have thought you’d be neck deep in Stolas’ plumage by now.” The joke caused Blitz to spit out his drink before going into a coughing fit. Loona could see a blush form on her adoptive father’s face as was evident through the white scarring on the right side of it.

Man, did it feel good to one-up her father with sexual comments. It’s not so nice being on the opposite end now, huh , Loona mentally chided, having been caught off guard numerous times before by his inappropriate jokes.

“As much as I would love to be doing that right now,” Blitz said, rolling his eyes at his daughter’s comment, causing her to smirk in turn. “The client for today’s job showed up right after you two left for Queenies’ place. Wanted to know if we killed her sh*thead killer. I gave her the head, she gave me the money. It was a done deal.”

“Doesn’t exactly explain you staying at the office for something that could have taken no more than fifteen minutes,” Loona pointed out as the elevator doors opened.

“Yeah, well,” Blitz continued with some irritation as they stepped out and into the building lobby, earning an eyebrow raise from Loona.

“Pretty Bird texted not long after that he was stuck in some boring business meetings and wouldn’t be free for another couple hours. I swear though, if those rich pricks are giving him sh*t over the whole divorce thing,” Blitz seethed, though he paused and took a deep breath. Loona understood though. The whole divorce between Stolas and Stella was already bad enough with Stella blasting on whatever magazine and news channel how sh*t a husband Stolas was.

What made it worse was how it was affecting Via. The girl was forced to go to school everyday where many of her classmates would ask invasive questions about her father or tease her relentlessly. Loona, Blitz, and Stolas had had to calm Via down from a panic attack on more than one occasion as a result, and it infuriated the hellhound how a mother could purposefully stir things up publicly without accounting for how it would affect her child. It made Loona despise the swan to the point that she wanted to bite off all her feathers, tie her over a rotisserie, and feed her to the pups at the orphanage Loona grew up in. At least then she’d actually be of use to someone.

“So, figured I’d just stay and wait until you finished up with Queenie,”Blitz finished as the two stepped out the building lobby and into the parking lot. “How’d it go by the way? You figure out what sandy rainbow was crawling through her vagin*?” Blitz inquired crudely, resulting in Loona punching him in the shoulder. She cared about Blitz, but man did he have a mouth.

“Yes, I did figure out what was up with Bee,” she stated. “And no, I’m not telling you.”

“Not your story to tell,” Blitz asked knowingly.

“Nope, not at all,” Loona responded. Although another reason was that Blitz couldn’t keep a secret to save his own life. Last thing she needed was for him to expose Bee’s secret while he was blackout drunk.

“Though she does want my help with something tomorrow afternoon. And no, I’m not sharing that with you either.” This earned an eye raise from Blitz. Fortunately, he decided not to question it, choosing to let her handle it on her own.

“Must be some giant secret that even she wouldn’t want it getting out,” Blitz said, which was true. Beelzebub had a reputation for being a gossip girl. Half of her Sinstagram posts were her sharing about what was happening with the other Sins or about her and Vortex.

“You have no idea.” Loona let out a sigh as she contemplated tomorrow. She had no idea how tomorrow was going to go. She was mentally preparing for Beelzebub to be left a blubbering mess in the case that Gabriel rejected her. Even if she’d only known Bee for a short period, the thought of her being like that broke Loona’s heart.

“Still, it's kind of weird that Queenie wants you to be the one to help her with her personal crap,” Blitz pointed out.

“Maybe,” Loona responded before mentally slapping herself. Ugh, she’d forgotten to ask Bee why she liked her so much. This was technically only the second time that Loona had met the Queen, but she for whatever reason had taken a shine to the hellhound, like the two were friends who’d known each other for years. It was almost off putting. ALMOST being the key term there since a part of her did enjoy being dotted on by the Sin. She’d just have to remember to ask tomorrow.

As the two approached the company van, the IMP logo plastered in all caps on the side, Blitz pulled out the van keys and unlocked it. The two demons walked to opposite sides of the vehicle and opened their respective doors.

“Then again, I’m not really well acquainted enough with the woman to involve myself with her business. Besides, if I was there, me and my mouth would probably make the situation more volatile than it probably already is,” he continued, stepping inside the van and plugging the keys into the ignition.

“Yeah, I don’t think Vortex would appreciate any more jokes at his expense,” Loona said, settling inside the van herself and buckling her seatbelt for what would be one of her father’s usual deadly rides.

“Can you blame me? The guy’s such an easy target” Blitz laughed before receiving a punch on the shoulder from Loona, although she had a small smile gracing her own muzzle. Oh yeah, that was definitely a can of worms that Bee and Vortex were going to have to get through quickly. While Vortex always came off to Loona as a chill dude, she had no idea if this bombshell was going to be a big shake up in their relationship or not. Although he had seemed willing to work through it with Bee, Loona had no doubt that the hellhound was going to bring it up as soon as he was done with his job tonight. Well, maybe after the two had their ‘alone time’ together.

Man, she really wished she could have something like that. She’d come close with Pinkly, but that had felt more platonic than anything else. Oh well, she’d find someone eventually, probably. For now, there were more pressing matters at hand. Like getting home so that she could hang out with her best friend.

“Alright, let’s drive home so we can spend time with our birds,” Loona said with a little enthusiasm.

“I was gonna say the same thing, Loonie,” Blitz shouted with glee, which Loona could only roll her eyes half-heartedly at. Turning on the radio, Blitz backed out of their parking space and sped off out of the parking lot and into the street, missing a few cars and pedestrians along the way (a new record for him).

As he drove, Blitz began to sing (and quite terribly Loona might add), to the song playing. Loona let a smile grace her face as she listened to her father destroy the vocals to the popular song. Even though the hellhound didn’t feel like singing, she couldn’t help but tap her feet to the tune of her father’s voice. For so long, Loona had taken Blitz, the only person who truly knew her, for granted, and she hated herself for it. So much time she could have spent with her adoptive father was completely wasted over thoughts of self doubt and misplaced pride. In the end though, it didn’t matter. All she could do now was to try to make up for lost time and enjoy herself with the imp she called dad. As the two laughed and sang on the drive toward Stolas’ palace, Loona felt as though everything would be alright.

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Conversations Beneath the Moonlight

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

Well this situation couldn’t have been more awkward. It had been about half an hour since Bee, or Beelzebub as he had just learned, had dropped her disguise and shown her true self to him. Directly after, Manny had gone over to one of his cabinets and pulled out a bottle of whiskey from which he took a shot from. He’d needed it to pull himself from a full on panic attack.

A demon. A literal demon was. He’d slept with a demon and not just any demon. No, he’d gone and slept with one of the most ancient demons described from the Bible and mythology. His life was definitely something wasn’t it.

Granted, even with the scarring around the right side of his face, Manny had always thought of himself as somewhat of a charming ladies man, but he didn’t think he was that good, certainly not to attract someone like Bee. Or did she seduce him. Ah who was he kidding, they were both wacked out of their minds that night.

At the moment, he and Bee were sitting on opposite ends of the couch in the living room section of the apartment. f*ck, the apartment, he realized. This was no place to raise a child. It only had one bedroom and Manny did not have the supplies to take care of his new child. He could move back in with his mother. He knew she would want to be close to her new grandbaby. At least she would after she scolded him for having a child out of wedlock. How was he going to explain this to her, and to his sister for that matter.

She would absolutely give him a verbal lashing for being irresponsible. He could already hear the condescending tone in her voice for when she’d lecture him on not doing one night stands with people you met that day. Out of all of the thoughts going through his head, that was honestly the last thing he was looking forward to with this situation with Bee.

Speaking of Bee, the demoness was currently cradling their son against her chest, one of her arms holding a bottle of formula that she was feeding to the baby, who he noticed had pink eyes like his mother. His whole life, Manny had been told that demons were a sinful bunch incapable of love. While he couldn’t say much about the former, Manny could argue that the latter was untrue. Even if her features were more canine in nature now, Manny could recognize the sweet motherly gaze that Bee was giving their son as she cooed and doted over him.

It brought Manny back to when he was a child himself, during when his mother would tuck him and his sister into bed. The same look that Bee was giving Gabriel was the same one that his mother had given them. Because of this, Manny wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation.

On the one hand, it was comforting seeing the woman take naturally to being a mother. On the other, that conflicted with her reasoning for being at his apartment in the first place. Unfortunately, he didn’t feel like continuing that conversation at the moment given the revelation she had just sprung on him earlier. As such, the only real thing he could think of doing right now was commit to small talk. Perhaps then, the two could once again begin to talk about the custody of their child.

“Ay dios mío, I cannot believe that Satan themselves is in my home,” he started. “Not to mention the fact that they’re a woman and that I fathered the Antichrist with them. Mamá is really gonna kill me.”

“Actually, you’re incorrect with both those statements,” Bee corrected. This caused him to look at her with confusion.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“So, it’s a common misconception with you humans that the names Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan are synonymous with each other. In reality, we’re all different demons or I should say Deadly Sins entirely, with Lucifer being the one to father the Antichrist,” Bee explained robotically, as though this were not the first time she’d needed to make that correction.

“Not your first time giving that explanation, huh.”

“Nope,” Bee admitted humorously. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve needed to explain that whenever I get summoned by you humans.” Her response had come off as annoyed, though more so at the act of being summoned, indicating that she was not a fan of people doing so.

It makes sense. She probably doesn’t enjoy being taken away from her business whenever people feel like calling her, Manny surmised. I sure wouldn't. Then he remembered the second half of his statement.

“So, the Antichrist doesn’t exist yet?” he questioned slowly, turning his head as he gazed over at their son, unsure if should be worried or not.

“Oh no, she does, and Charlie’s not the doom and gloom entity that was predicted by your Bible. If anything, she’s the exact opposite.”

“Really? So what, does she have a whole musical number where she sings about rainbows and happiness?” he asked with a hint of humorous sarcasm.

“Yes, actually,” she responded bluntly. Manny tried looking into her facial expression to see if she was jesting with him, but couldn’t find any hint of a joke.

“Oh.” In all honesty, Manny hadn’t been expecting that response, much less for Bee to be genuinely serious over his sarcastic remark. “Well, clearly the Bible is in need of some serious updates,” he laughed as he thought about his days in church. Just how much else of Hell that he was taught about was wrong or incorrectly predicted.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Bee laughed in turn. “Hell is nowhere near the fiery prison it's depicted as, at least it isn’t anymore.”

“Oh sí, what’s it like,” Manny found himself asking, quite curious as to what the real hell was like.

“Depends on which ring of Hell you’re in,” Bee started. “Wrath, Satan’s realm, is a mirror image of the places in those old western flicks. Envy is just a collection of oceans and beaches, and Pride is just a more violent version of Los Angeles.” Rings, Manny thought. So it isn’t just a figure of speech. Hell really is a collection of different rings.

“Funny for a place named after angels,” Manny remarked, eliciting another chuckle from Bee. That laugh. He really liked that laugh.

“So, you’re Beelzebub, and you're the Sin of,” Manny paused, not knowing what she represented.

“Gluttony,” Bee responded nonchalantly. Gluttony. That actually explains a lot. Bee had certainly been the party animal when he’d last seen her, or was that offensive to say.

“So your whole schtick is just eating and drinking too much,” Manny summarized.

“No, of course not,” Bee responded defensively, quite insulted by his characterization of her sin. “It’s about indulging yourself to your heart’s content, but in a safe manner. It’s about everyone having a good time.”

“Sure eating and drinking are part of it,” she continued. “But even then it’s not like I am advertising constant indulgence for every waking moment of reality. That’s unrealistic and I know from experience that it’s just unhealthy.”

“Espera, you practice self-control, as in temperance?” Manny asked with a hint of disbelief. He wasn’t sure if he had heard that right. A demon practicing temperance. If he didn’t know any better, Manny would have guessed that he was high. “I thought it was in your very nature to not do that?”

“I mean, it’s not as simple as that,” Beelzebub explained. Suddenly, Bee began to shift uncomfortably in her seat, the lava lamp colors becoming a dark gray reflecting what Manny suspected was guilt. Their child seemed to pick up on this as he began to fuss and cry in her arms.

Bee reacted swiftly by gently rocking him. As she did so, the demoness hummed a soft and gentle tune that seemed to calm their son down. As quickly as their son had begun fussing, he just as quickly quieted down, his eyes closing into a peaceful sleep. Manny couldn’t deny that seeing Bee be so motherly attracted him to the demoness even more. Yet, it also further perplexed him as to why she needed him to raise their son.

“I’ll admit that I did let my own Sin consume me for a long time,” she confessed. “I wasn’t a good ruler, much less a good demon in general because of it and I did and allowed some horrible things to happen in my own ring.”

“Well, you don't exactly strike me as that person now. So what changed?” Manny asked. It was clear that there was a gap of history involving some form of character growth for Beelzebub considering that the demoness was far more kind and compassionate than most humans nowadays. It sounded bizarre that she could be a cruel leader or person in general.

Bee seemed hesitant to give an answer at first, but she slowly answered by saying, “Let’s just say that I went through some sh*t that altered my perspective on life and it made me want to be a better person, not just for myself but for the demons under me as well,” Bee recounted, her voice having some determination to it.

Manny was about to respond when Bee sniffed the air around her before covering her nose with one of her hands. Manny too decided to take a whiff before his own nose picked up on the disgusting smell, his eyes honing in on the cause of the smell, his son. And it appeared that he needed a diaper change.

“Speaking of going through some sh*t,” Bee spoke unironically, her voice distorted from her pinching her nose. As though this were a signal, their son woke up and began crying profusely, his cries a plea for him to be changed. All Manny hoped for at this point was that Bee had some diapers in that duffel of hers that she’d brought.

. . .

Present

Loona

“So, I overheard Blitz and dad earlier,” Octavia told Loona. After getting back from the office, she and Blitz had dinner alongside Octavia and Stolas over at the palace like they normally did for the last month and a half. Following Blitz and Stolas reconciling their feelings for each other, Loona and Blitz had begun spending more and more time at the palace. It was a common occasion nowadays for the four to be seen out in public together like they were a family. And honestly, Loona didn’t mind people thinking of them as that.

After dinner, Loona had taken Via over to the new music store after dinner. The store, named Music Maestros, was far bigger than Loona had expected, being of similar style and size to that of a mega mall clothing store. They sold practically everything from band merchandise to CDs and all the way to classic vinyl records. They even had a section for music from the human world. The latter was arguably the store’s most popular section given how that genre had become popular amongst the Hellborn recently.

In the end, the pair hadn’t bought anything, but Loona had made note of a few items that she would go back for to get Octavia for her birthday. The two sisters were currently sitting on the couch in the palace’s living room watching a cheesy horror flick. Although, to even call it a living room was an understatement given just how large it was. The room itself was bigger than her and Blitz’s apartment building.

“Oh yeah. About what?” she asked. Loona had a feeling as to what she was referring to.

“Something to do with you having to meet with Beelzebub,” Octavia responded.

“Have you met her?” Loona questioned curiously. She figured if Via grew up in the high echelons that the girl had to have met at least one of the Sins.

“Once. It was five years ago,” Octavia recounted, putting a couple fingers to her chin. “She came over here for some kind of business meeting with my dad.”

“What was she like?”

“Very…lively,” Octavia noted with some slight cringe, earning a laugh from Loona. That was one way of describing the Sin.

As Octavia explained, on that day, she had walked into her father’s office to ask him a question about her homework when she noticed the Sin of Gluttony, wearing a pantsuit and glasses, sitting across from her father at his desk.

When the Sin noticed her, Beelzebub instantly flew out of her seat to greet the young girl before pinching her cheeks and doting on her like she was a newborn puppy. Honestly, Octavia hadn’t been sure if she should have been flattered or insulted given the Queen’s tone of voice.

Loona let out another laugh after hearing about that little detail. Loona remarked to Octavia that the woman was typically high off of ‘good vibes' as Bee put it which was probably the reason she sounded the way she did.

Following this embarrassing encounter, Stolas had asked Octavia to wait outside while he and Beelzebub finished the meeting, the command of which she obliged so that she could avoid any more embarrassment.

Fortunately, Via hadn’t needed to wait long as, not even ten minutes later, Beelzebub had walked out of the room with Stolas right beside her, the two laughing over some joke about Beelzebub’s new boyfriend. Before leaving, Beelzebub had given Octavia a pat on the head, telling her that she had some nice vibes and that she was lucky to have a father like Stolas. From there she gave her a stick of cotton candy before flying down the hall and out of the palace. It had been an odd experience most certainly.

“Yep, that sounds like Bee alright,” Loona chuckled. “Though was she really wearing that outfit?” She still couldn’t believe that someone as zestful and spirited as Beelzebub would wear something as serious as a pantsuit. Then again, there was probably a more serious aspect to her job than just encouraging people to indulge themselves.

“I know right. From what I’d heard of her, she’s always throwing these awesome parties over at her palace. So to see her in something like that, I thought I’d entered the Twilight Zone,” Octavia noted with a giggle.

“But anyway,” Via continued, “What was this meeting of yours with her about anyway?”

Loona shook her head before replying, “Sorry, Via, but I’m not allowed to tell anyone.”

“Did you officially swear to secrecy?” Octavia asked.

“Well, technically no,” Loona shrugged, realizing that she had never verbally promised Bee to keep quiet.

“Come on I won’t tell anyone,” Octavia pleaded, folding her hands together and giving the hellhound her best puppy dog eyes. Loona tried to turn away from those eyes but found them irresistible. f*ck, she’s an owl not a dog. How are those eyes that good? Loona thought annoyingly.

Loona really didn’t want Bee to be exposed over this and break her trust. On the other hand, it wasn’t like Via would be telling anyone. She knew Octavia well enough that the girl could keep a secret. Hell, with all of the gossip going around about Octavia and her father, she figured Via would be the last person to share such a secret out of empathy. Looking around, Loona checked to see if there were any servants walking about the living room.
“You swear,” she stated once the coast was clear. In turn, Octavia made a zipping motion of her hands over her beak to symbolize her swearing to secrecy.

At this, Loona took a deep breath and checked their surroundings again, sniffing the air for the scent of any of the staff, before saying, “Ok, here’s what happened.” From there, Loona went on to relay to Octavia what had transpired earlier that afternoon. From her reunion with Vortex to learning about Beelzebub’s sudden depression and all the way to finding her practically bedridden by said depression. Octavia almost gasped when Loona admitted to losing her sh*t on Bee and opening up about some things she had yet to share with Octavia.

Loona wagged her tail a bit as Octavia held onto her hand, telling her that it was okay for her to let herself be vulnerable and remarking that it was likely the only reason that Beelzebub had opened up to her in the first place. Having spent so long feeling as though she needed to be the tough, no-nonsense bitch everyone saw her as, it rarely ever crossed Loona’s mind that she could be the opposite of that.

Even with her sudden change in attitude lately, the hellhound found it difficult to open up about her mental health issues. Though having Octavia, who really was like a little sister to her, tell her otherwise gave her some encouragement in doing so later on. For now however, she needed to get to the main part of the story.

She explained to Via how Beelzebub admitted to having a son who she had not raised due to her being a demon as well as him never responding to her attempts to connect with him. She also mentioned how heartbroken the Sin was over not knowing that her child was likely suffering over the loss of his father whom she’d had Gabe with. Octavia appeared to be thinking

“Wow, so a secret human kid,” Octavia relayed, still flabbergasted by the knowledge given to her by Loona.

“Yeah, I’d say your reaction was similar to mine,” Loona responded. Out of all the things that she thought could have been bothering Bee, it being related to some secret love child was the last thing going through it. She honestly hadn’t known what to say afterward due to so many questions going through her head at once.

“I mean, it’s completely insane. How the f*ck hasn’t Lucifer found out about it?” Octavia nearly shouted, still not believing that Bee could have had a secret human kid without Lucifer finding out. Being a part of the Goetia, even she knew how Lucifer felt about that particular issue. Although Lucifer had mellowed out in recent years, it was still a possibility that the King of Hell would not take that piece of knowledge well.

“Either he does and he doesn’t care or Bee was really good at hiding her pregnancy, and Bee is not known for her privacy,” Loona surmised, earning a guffaw from the owlette due to the bluntness of the statement.

Yet, Octavia’s query did raise some questions. Why hadn’t Beelzebub been punished for having Gabriel? Was Lucifer really not aware? The guy kept a silent iron fist over the other Sins and so it was surprising that this hadn’t been dealt with. Perhaps, having a daughter had softened his rule. That was the only reason Loona could come up with.

“You know when I first met her,” Octavia started, “At the time I chalked it to my imagination, but I could have sworn the smile she gave me before she left was almost sad. Like she was thinking about something upsetting.”

“I guess it makes a lot more sense now that you know about this, huh,” Loona remarked. Octavia nodded her head in response.

It especially made sense to Loona. Thinking back to the conversation she had had with Beelzebub earlier that day, Octavia’s initial meeting with the Sin would have been about a year after her son turned eighteen. She was likely still hurting from her son’s supposed rejection of her. So meeting Octavia not long after the fact had to have hit a nerve for her.

“Do you think she really feels terrible?” Octavia asked.

“I mean she just looked so awful when I first saw her. I know crocodile tears and those were not it,” Loona recalled thinking back to when she first saw Beelzebub in her bed. The Sin had really looked terrible. There were bags under her eyes as though she hadn’t been sleeping much. Her guilt must have literally been keeping her up at night. She really couldn’t get over how uncharacteristic it was for Beelzebub who was always this over expressive bubble of joy and indulgence.

To have seen her in such a vulnerable and broken state still sent a shiver down Loona’s spine, reminding her that even demons as high and mighty as the Sins weren’t so different from demons like her.

“You don’t know that for sure. She could have been lying,” Octavia rebutted with some upset in her tone.

“True, but I don’t think she was,” Loona said. “Bee might not be the most tactful person ever, but I honestly couldn't imagine her lying about something like this. Loona looked over at Via with curiosity. Loona could see the mental gymnastics that Octavia was performing in her head, as though she were trying to find some reason to not believe that Beelzebub felt guilt in her failures as a mother. Failures as a mother. Suddenly, it hit Loona why Octavia might not believe her.

“Are you thinking about ‘her’?” Loona asked, referring to Stella.

“Yeah,” Octavia shuddered, the very act of thinking of her mother starting to visibly cause her to freak out. “I just…I still don’t understand how she could do that. Not to mention how she could make herself to be the victim with how she was treating my dad.”

The memories of Octavia’s father’s confession to Stella’s abuse toward him had shaken the teenager severely. Loona knew that Octavia’s image of her parent’s marriage had already been shattered to pieces when her father cheated on her mother. But those pieces were then crushed into dust once she learned just how abusive her mother was toward Stolas. Even Loona felt disgusted about what Stolas had revealed about his marriage to Stella. Loona knew she herself could be a bitch, but Stella had done things far worse to Stolas than Loona could ever do.

“Parents can be messy, but some are just rotten to the core,” Loona admitted.

“I should have seen it, though.” Maybe then I could have…I could have,” Octavia tried to convince herself, the guilt in her voice breaking Loona’s heart.

“Don’t think like that Via,” Loona interrupted her. “People like your mom,” she continued. “They pretend to be these perfect and nice people who would never hurt you, and because of that it's easy to fall for their bullsh*t.” As she talked, Loona could feel herself slowly drifting off mentally, her mind no longer a part of the conversation as memories from a time before Blitz began to creep back in.

“But when your back is turned, they will not hesitate to hurt you in the worst ways imaginable.” Suddenly, as she finished her monologue, Loona felt something squeeze her hand, causing her to jolt a bit before realizing it was Octavia, who was looking at her with concern. Octavia opened her mouth to say something, but Loona, knowing what she was going to ask, intercepted her.

“Let’s just say that Blitz wasn’t the first person to adopt me,” she uttered almost as a whisper. Before Blitz had come along, there had been others, each family worse than the previous. But the last one, the last person who adopted her and the one who made it difficult for Loona to open up to Blitz for so long.

He had been the worst out of all of them. She could still remember her time with ‘him’. Even if it had been for less than a week, that hellhound had done more to break her trust in people than any of the other families ever could.

But before she began to go down the rabbit hole that was the cesspool her memories of that time were, Octavia leaped at Loona, wrapping her in a tight hug and surprising the hound. The only thing Loona could do was return the embrace with just as much intensity, the two girls who may well have been sisters at that point leaning into the embrace and holding onto each other for dear life.

At that moment, nothing else mattered to the two aside from being able to comfort the other, the moon and the star together and in harmony as they released stuttered breaths and small tears of grief over the loss of their innocence.

It quickly hit Loona that their personal interests weren’t the only thing that the two had in common. For they were two sisters who had been wronged by people that were supposed to have their best interests. And now they were learning to overcome the pain of that betrayal.

Eventually, the two ended the embrace. Yet, looking Octavia in the eye, hands on her honorary younger sister’s shoulders, Loona stated, “Just remember, at the end of the day, you still have your dad.”

“You as well. Thanks, Loona,” Octavia mumbled under her breath, her voice tired and drained from the long day.

“Anytime, sis,” Loona said, causing Octavia’s eyes to beam with joy at the endearing moniker.

Just as they finished the conversation, the credits for the movie began rolling.

With that, the pair shut the TV off and began heading to their rooms. Looking at the clock above the TV told her it was half an hour to midnight. It was probably a good thing the movie ended when it did as she probably should have been in bed by now as they still had work tomorrow. Oh well, it was worth it to see Octavia smile.

Walking down the long corridors, the pair continued their conversation from before.

“I’m sorry Loona. I know she’s your friend and I didn’t mean to project my own issues onto her,” Octavia apologized.

“It’s okay Via,” Loona reassured. “The whole thing with your mom really is messed up.”

“Don’t even call her my mom,” Octavia responded bitterly. “I think egg donor is more preferable at this point.” This earned a guffaw from Loona as she could relate to that given her own experiences.

“You remember what I told you in Los Angeles?” Loona asked, still unsure if what she told Octavia had settled in. Via nodded her head to signify she did.

“That also applies to mom’s too.” Blitz wasn’t perfect and neither was Stolas, yet both were fathers who were doing their best to be decent parents for their daughters. And back at Bee’s palace, Loona had seen that same determination in the Queen’s eyes. The desire to be a better parent. “And I could see that Bee was willing to try.” That answer seemed to satisfy Octavia as the owlette held a small smile.

They remained quiet for the rest of the walk until they reached Octavia’s room. It was there that Octavia decided to ask Loona another question.

“So, you mentioned that Beelzebub showed you a picture of her son.”

“Uhm, yeah. Yeah she did,” Loona admitted. She wasn’t sure where Via was going with this and something told her that she shouldn’t like it either.

On the other hand, Loona couldn’t help but think back to the photo of Gabriel she’d seen. She couldn’t deny that for a human he did look decent. And that smile. There was something so kind and innocent about that smile that made her blush.

“You thought he was cute, didn’t you?” Octavia asked coyly, noticing the brief wag of Loona’s tail during her response.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Loona rebutted, crossing her arms and trying to play it off as nothing.

“Oh, you absolutely did. You know, I didn’t think you had a human fetish.”

Uh, not her too, Loona thought. What is with people thinking I have a fetish.

“Hey, you’re still short enough for me to give you a noogie,” Loona countered, waving a fist at her which only caused Octavia to giggle. Loona loved Via but she was too tired for this.

She was not in the mood to discuss her love life with her or anyone else for that matter. Octavia must have noticed this as she then bade the hellhound goodnight with a hug of which Loona returned before the owlette entered her bedroom.

After her door shut, Loona continued walking down the corridor until she reached her own room. Although they didn’t technically live there, Loona had her own private room for when she stayed and Blitz slept with Stolas. Those two had already bade the girls tonight and were probably sleeping by now. Though she only told herself that as she didn’t want to think about what else they may be doing.

Walking into her room, Loona still found herself amazed by just how large it was. Being the size of her and Blitz’s living room and kitchen area combined, the bedroom consisted of a queen sized bed, two dressers, a vanity mirror, and a private closet and bathroom.

The part of her that spent her life at the bottom of the barrel couldn’t fasthom her deserving such a decent and clean space for herself. It felt so unbefitting for a short tempered hellhound such as herself. Although the fact that Stolas had the decency to make the bed sheets and bath towels a vibrant shade of violet (her favorite color) was a welcoming touch.

When Stolas had mentioned to them potentially moving into the palace a couple months ago, the father and daughter had initially been hesitant to do so. Even though it was small and run down, the apartment was still their home. For Loona though, it had been her first. Her first real home after spending years being sent back and forth between different families and orphanages. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave the place behind.

Now, however, as she thought back to her conversation with Octavia, the hellhound found herself questioning that notion. Maybe moving into the palace wouldn’t be a bad thing after all. At the very least, it meant that Blitz could finally have a bed to sleep in instead of that dingy couch. Plus, it meant that she could be closer to Octavia. The better state of living didn’t even cross her mind.

Her growing sisterhood with the owlette made the hound worried whenever she went to bed at the apartment, wondering if Octavia would have another nightmare or panic attack. Or worse, that Stella or someone else may send someone to hurt her and Stolas. Neither her or Blitz would be there in time to stop them if that happened.

She’d heard the phrase that home is where the heart is before, and now she was coming to the realization that Octavia (and maybe Stolas) were part of her heart too. She could only hope that she would be able to fit in that home with the rest of them.

Taking off her clothes and putting on a simple purple night dress that ran down to her upper ankles, the tired hellhound threw her clothes into a hamper before letting herself fall over the edge of her bed.

Man, the sheets are so soft and this mattress so damn comfortable , she sighed happily. Okay, now she could think of another plus to moving into the palace. Having a better night’s rest.

Sloppily crawling her way underneath her covers, Loona set her phone over on the nightstand to charge. The hellhound shifted a little until she found herself laying flat on her back as she stared at the ceiling. Said ceiling was colored with intricately messy drawings of horses racing around a large crescent moon. It was a special design choice Blitz had made last minute.

While Loona had tried to act annoyed when her father first showed it to her, a ghost of a smile peppered her muzzle. But it was visible enough for Blitz to invade her personal space and hug her tightly with joy. It was probably one of the few times where Loona had allowed her father to hug her without retaliation since the drawings really were a sweet gesture. Of course she’d never admit it, at least not directly.

As she gazed up at the ceiling, the first vestiges of sleep beginning to take over Loona’s mind lazily wandered back toward her own love life. There had been plenty of hellhounds over the years that Loona had seen but never talked to due to being shy. Vortex had been the first demon that she’d built up the courage to talk to and Loona had been friend zoned by the end of it. At least he and Bee turned out to be decent people.

Following that, her and Pinkly had made an attempt to date, but the relationship had barely lasted a month before they had to call it quits. He had been the first person aside from Blitz that Loona had allowed herself to be vulnerable with, and he had surprisingly been kind and considerate with her during their time together. Yet, even when they tried the dating scene, neither of them could feel them being in anything beyond a platonic relationship. As a result they called it quits before their friendship became awkward.

As much as she tried to deny it, Loona couldn’t help but feel jealous of everyone around her. It seemed like the majority of the people in her life, including Pinkly, were in healthy relationships. Of course she’d feel a little thirsty when she saw that photo of Bee’s son, Gabriel.

From what Bee described, Gabriel seems like a nice guy. Definitely not bad looking, for a human at least, Loona recalled, thinking not just about his face but also his physical build. Loona could have sworn she’d seen some muscle beneath that clothing.

As she started to wonder about his physical build, her mind started to wander below the hidden abs, causing her to feel a little hot beneath her sheets. Oh what am I thinking? I haven’t even met him yet and I’m already thinking about him that deeply, she berated herself. f*ck, she was desperate.

Besides, knowing her luck, she would end up being friend zoned by him some time down the line. It sucked, but that appeared to be the general consensus for her own love life. Maybe that was fate trying to tell her that she was better off living the single life.

Oh, who was she kidding. She wanted someone to spend it with. Granted she wasn’t some damsel in distress who relied on a man to do the hard work for her. She had taken on a hoard of government agents for Satan’s sake.

It was just that there was something nice in the idea of having someone to come home to and let herself be vulnerable with. Someone who could understand her and make her feel special and loved. Although it was antithetical to her short-tempered nature, it was a dream that she’d had as far back as her days in the pound when she was a little girl who was still hoping for a family to adopt her.

The M&M’s and Blitz and Stolas made it look so easy. Hell, Bee and Tex made it look so easy. She just wished that she could have that.

Speaking of those two, she started wondering how their night was going right before remembering what it was that Beelzebub had suggested she and Vortex would be doing as a nightly activity. Nope. Nope I am not thinking about that , Loona thought before the peaceful darkness of sleep finally consumed her.

. . .

Beelzebub

Oh, what a night, Beelebub thought as she stared out into the night sky, arms resting over the border as she leant over her bedroom balcony. That had been some of the best sex she had had with Vortex in forever. Probably because, after the emotional turmoil she had been through the past week, it felt nice to have someone gently hold her and accept her and tell her she was beautiful.

It was perfect. Yet, even despite that, there were still some lingering doubts and self-loathing that the Sin felt that had woken the Sin from her sleep. So here she was, standing outside in an orange bathrobe contemplating events of the past week.

After Loona and Vortex had left, Beelzebub, being the busy bee that she was, had immediately gone to work on calling and checking all of her businesses within and out of the Gluttony Ring. Although Bee had people she trusted working those businesses, she really had been neglectful of checking in on them like she normally did to make sure that things were functioning properly and that people were having a good time indulging themselves.

Hell, some of the people she’d called had concern in their voices when they asked how she was. It went to show just how positive a relationship she had built with the residents within her own ring. She really felt bad for letting her emotions get to her, but it was what it was. All she could do now was move on and improve like she always did. Speaking of which…

What in God’s name am I gonna say to him , she thought. After being cheered up by Loona and Vortex, Bee had been so hyped to talk with her son and introduce herself to him, like nothing could go wrong. Now though, the reality of the conversation finally hit her, and she was starting to remember why she’d become so depressed in the first place.

Sure, it had seemed as though Gabe had wanted nothing to do with her. Yet, when Bee had found out that Manny had died close to a year ago and long after the funeral at that, Bee had felt awful. Suddenly, she had found herself questioning everything about herself. Her personality. Her lifestyle. Even her own abilities as a ruler of her own ring.

She felt as though she should have been more direct in her previous attempts to get to know Gabriel. She should never have given up on getting to know her son. Then, he wouldn’t have had to go through the loss of his father without his mother to comfort him. What kind of horrible person let their child go through that alone. And she didn’t feel like she could tell anyone about her emotions due to the very nature of the secret of Gabe’s existence.

What the heck was she gonna do? Did she really expect her son to welcome her with open arms after years of not being in his life? Of course not. He probably hated her. And with her coming in after his father died like nothing was wrong would only make things ten times worse. Oh how she wished she could go to one of the other Sins for advice.

Only Belphegor knew about Gabriel, and Bee had made her swear to secrecy because she was terrified of how Lucifer would react. However, the Sin of Sloth was not the best conversationalist and was usually high when she wasn’t designing new drugs or managing her hospitals. It didn’t help that she was often tired all the time either. So not the best person to go to.

Satan, being the rough and tough cowboy that he was, always wanted to beat the very living life out of everything he set his eyes on. The Sin couldn’t have a heartfelt conversation in order to save his own life, so it was a no to him.

Leviathan also was certainly self-centered no doubt, but she and Beelzebub did get along quite every now and then. Although it was just every now and then as the social media obsessed Sin was usually looking for some way to one-up her subjects as well as the other Sins. So sharing such a secret with her was not on Beelzebub’s radar.

Then there was Mammon. The self-centered and greedy Sin could be considered more of a frenemy, with the two being locked in a never-ending prank war. She remembered one particular prank she’d pulled on Mammon, during which she had drugged the jester dressing Sin before dressing him as a Christmas tree and putting him on display at the annual Sinsmas gala that Lucifer held every year. Now that had been one of the best pranks she’d ever pulled on him.

Of course, Mammon did manage to get back at her by putting laxatives in her entire personal supply of alcohol that she gave out at her parties. The following mess had been an absolute nightmare for her and her staff to clean up the morning after. She wouldn’t deny however that it was a prank played well by Mammon.

Despite him getting on her nerves constantly, Beelzebub could say that she couldn’t imagine a life without him. He was still her brother after all and she and the rest of the Sins were supposed to be a family. Yet, there were also the recent revelations involving his treatment of Fizzarolli and his threatening of the jester and Ozzie’s relationship. While she knew he was bluffing, that didn’t stop her from giving the Sin of Greed an earful after the fact.

Speaking of whom, Asmodeus was probably the only one of the Sins that Bee felt she could trust. Too was he enjoyable to hang out with and was arguably her favorite of her siblings, and she was happy to see that Ozzie was back to his chipper self since meeting that jester Fizzarolli.

She hadn’t met the jester personally, but Asmodeus promised to correct that when she and him met up next week for lunch. She was so excited to meet the demon who made her brother so happy as well as to introduce Vortex to the King of Lust. She just thought it was so cute that the both of them had fallen for hellborn. Now they had something else in common.

As such, the two shared similar views toward their respect of the hellborn within their own ring and did everything they could to make them as best as possible. There was a reason that Gluttony and Lust were tied for the position of the ring with the lowest crime rate. They knew each other’s own insecurities, and often confided in each other whenever they had issues bothering them. And they both knew what it was like to be lost in the most depraved parts of their Sins and have to work to be better for both themselves and their people.

And that brought her to Lucifer, the reason she never shared the birth of Gabriel with Ozzie in the first place. Lucifer was definitely not the person to go to and was primarily the main reason why she was hesitant to tell the other Sins about her human son. The last thing she wanted was for the true king of Hell to punish the others because they chose to keep her secret.

The Sin of Pride liked keeping an eye on her and the others and did not like it when it appeared they were planning to go against the status quo, even when such a move was necessary or not even reminiscent of a move against him. The freaking hypocrite was so much like their Father, but he was too prideful to realize it.

Even though they were supposed to be a family, Lucifer Morningstar was still a prideful paranoid moron. She was just fortunate that Charlie didn’t turn out like the asshole. Sure Lucifer wasn’t nearly as bad as he was a thousand years ago, though that was because of said daughter, and he was especially neglectful of her the last few years because of her desire to redeem Sinners. Beelzebub didn’t think it was gonna work, but she did respect and love her niece for at least trying. It was more than Lucifer ever did.

She could only imagine what Lucifer would do if he found out about Gabriel. The very thought made her more terrified than when she’d fallen. She’d rather endure that pain all over again than imagine her son dying. Sure, there was the possibility that she was way overthinking things and Lucifer wasn’t going to be that pissed off, but she was not willing to take that chance.

“Are you okay, Bee?” Beelzebub turned her head toward the voice and found her boyfriend, wearing nothing except for a pair of boxers, leaning against the balcony entrance with an expression of worry across his muzzle.

“Maybe, I’m not sure,” she spoke honestly. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole thing. She just felt so detached from reality right now. As she turned back toward the night sky, she felt Vortex gently wrap his arms around her waist and press his chin against her shoulder.

“What's going on in that head, girl?” he soothingly asked.

“Just thinking about tomorrow. You think he’ll want anything to do with me?”

Vortex was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking his answer over, which did little to soothe the worry that Bee was feeling about tomorrow. She didn’t have to wait long though as he then spoke, “I honestly don’t know. It could go either way to be honest. Regardless of what happens though, we got your back, babe.” The answer was enough to calm her beating heart as she nestled deeper into his embrace.

“Thanks, baby,” she whispered softly.

“Are you gonna tell him about the whole you being a demon thing?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t want to tell him. f*ck knows that that will only make things more complicated.” Oy vey was that an understatement. How do you go about telling your kid that they’re literal demon spawn. Did she even want to do so? As much as she hated to admit it, there was a likelihood that it may come out at some point or another, and not in a positive light for that matter. She would just need to rip that bandaid off as soon as possible.

“You said you’d sent him letters throughout his life, right?” Vortex continued.

“I did. Well that, and some presents every year on his birthday,” she admitted. “I don’t know if he just didn’t get them or just…I don’t know.”

And she really didn’t know. She didn’t know why he or Manny never replied to any of her letters. She really had wanted to be a part of Gabriel’s childhood early on, even if it was from a distance. She didn’t want her kid thinking she wanted nothing to do with her. Unfortunately, she never got a reply. For years, she waited for a reply from either him or his father, hoping that they would respond.

The last letter she’d sent him had been just prior to his high school graduation six years ago. After years of no response, Beelzebub had begun to give up on having a relationship with her son.

She’d decided to send him one final letter with the hope that he may finally respond, but the letter didn’t bear any fruit. It had absolutely crushed Beelzebub, but she had considered it an unfortunate price to pay for being a demon and so tried her best to move on all by her lonesome.

Fortunately, she would not have to do so alone for long as, a little bit over a year after sending that letter, she’d meet Vortex at one of her parties. When she’d first met him, the gentle hunk of a hellhound was in the middle of a lifting contest with a couple other hellhounds. The gluttonous queen had been a little nervous about the whole thing and had even considered breaking it up for the safety of the party goers. Last thing she wanted at one of her parties was for people to hurt themselves, especially if they had had a few drinks in them. Luckily, no one got hurt, the contest ending with Vortex being triumphant.

After he and the other hounds shook hands, Bee had gone to congratulate Vortex on the win and ask him how the party was. Yet, as she continued to speak with the hound, she could feel there was something different about him. The way he spoke to her, the indifference in his voice as he spoke to her like she wasn’t the head honcho of the ring, it really attracted her to him.

Sure, most people at the party always talked to her with the same indifference, but it was only after having met her two or three times. The fact that he knew who she was out the gate and still didn’t flinch at her presence was highly attractive to the sweet-loving queen. She was so attracted to him that she’d even asked him to join her in the VIP section, which he thankfully accepted.

The rest from there was history, with the two eventually becoming a couple and enjoying the others’ presence day after day, party after party. Their time together was her own personal heaven away from her failings as a mother as well as some of the other stresses that came with being a Queen of Hell.

With that in mind she knew that the recent revelations she’d confided to him were possibly going to put some tension between her and Vortex. Even if he’d said he still wanted to be with her, Beelzebub still needed to hear it from him.

“Are you still upset about me keeping him a secret from you,” Beelzebub asked. Vortex was quiet on this for a moment

“I think it’s worn off for the most part. Just no more secrets, okay,” he responded.

“I promise, no more secrets.”

After that it was quiet once again, with Vortex holding onto and caressing Bee as she nuzzled into his neck. Eventually, the quiet was broken with Vortex proposing another question.

“Just out of curiosity, why did you keep him? I know that answer you gave Loona wasn’t the full truth.” Beelzebub’s body went rigid, her fur standing upright as dark memories from her past filled her head. Beelzebub could have gotten an abortion. She could have done that and put an end to any upcoming problems with having a human child before they came to fruition. But she didn’t. She couldn’t, not after what she had already experienced.

“You remember what I said about that injury I sustained during the war with Heaven,” Bee asked her boyfriend.

“Yeah, you said it…,” Vortex spoke before pausing, and then coming to a sudden realization. “Oh, I think I see what you mean, girl.”

When Beelzebub had found out she was pregnant, she had been surprised for two reasons, the first being that she could have sworn her partner had been wearing a condom. Of course, she had also been higher than the sun, so that didn’t mean much in retrospect. The second and the main reason, however, was because she should not have been able to have children in the first place.

During the holy war with Heaven, Beelzebub had been gravely injured (having been stabbed in the stomach) to the point that she was told she’d no longer be able to have children. Those were dark times for the Sin, of which had partially been responsible for her diving deep into and losing herself to the darker aspects of gluttony, much to the detriment of the people of her ring.

“I thought I would never be able to have children after that. So, when Belphy told me that I was pregnant. Even with the risks, I just couldn’t not have them.”

Although Gabriel had been born healthy, it had been a risky pregnancy to begin with. With the damage to her womb, Bee had needed to be extra careful about her health. Even though Beelzebub was already an expert in maintaining her physical health at that point, maintaining her emotional health unfortunately was not so simple since she was extra stressed out over keeping the pregnancy a secret from the other Sins on top of managing her ring.

In fact, Gabe had needed to be born via C-section because of those injuries to her womb. She’d needed to wear a sweater for a few weeks after that until the scarring on her see-through stomach healed over and the stitches were removed.

“No, I hear you Bee. I hear you,” Vortex said “In your position, I might have made the same decision.”

“I didn’t realize that you had a uterus too, baby,” Bee teased. “You know, I’m technically intersex right. We could make a baby right here and now if you wanted to.” The next words that came out of Vortex’s mouth were an incoherent babble of words during which he tried to sputter to her suggestion to no avail. Beelzebub could feel the blush creeping on Vortex’s muzzle and let out a laugh at his embarrassment.

“I’m joking Tex, not about the intersex part, but thank you for understanding.” And she really hadn’t been either. Before the fall, when Beelzebub and her fellow angels had been first shaped into creation by God himself, they were all technically hermaphrodites, meaning they held both male and female sexes. Which of those they chose to embrace had been left up to each individual. It had been one of the few freedoms that God had allowed them during their time in Heaven.

Probably one of the only things the old man actually did right when it came to us , Beelzebub thought bitterly, though she made sure not to let that bitterness show.

Vortex seemed to calm down after that, having let out a huff before silence once again took over around them. Eventually, however, Vortex broke the quiet once again.

“You know that if I’m gonna be meeting your kid, then that means you’re gonna have to meet my family at some point too,” he noted with a smirk.

“Hey, I’ve met your sister,” Beelzebub countered, recalling the many times she had hung out with the hound who matched her brother in terms of muscularity. She was an awesome girl who knew how to drink people under the table. She was also one of the few people who had made Bee laugh so hard that honey came out of her nose. That took props and the Queen of Gluttony just adored the vibes of the hound.

“Girl, my twin sister is not my only family,” Vortex chuckled.

“Fair point, but it’s still not a meeting that I am looking forward to,” she mentioned with a hint of worry.

As much as she didn’t want to be, Beelzebub was nervous to meet her boyfriend’s family. From what Vortex mentioned of them, they consisted of him and his two siblings as well as his mother. His father had unfortunately been killed during one of the annual exterminations when he was a kid, leaving him and his sister to help their mother in taking care of their baby brother. Vortex had described his mother as being one of the toughest but most loving demons out there. The woman had a non-nonsense attitude nonetheless and was very critical of her children’s lovers based on what Myra had described, only making Beelezebub worry more.

To be clear, Beelzebub understood that there was a major class difference between her and Vortex, and although she didn’t care for such differences, she couldn’t be certain that his family would not have the same reservations. She loved Vortex with all her heart. He was the best lover that she’d had in a long time and she really hoped that his mother accepted her in spite of her being who she was.

As for his younger brother, Moray, he was a bit of an introvert according to Vortex, one who spent most of his time in books or playing online video games with friends. He was soft spoken and chill just like Tex and was always eager to lend a hand. Recently, Morray had begun to have a fascination with human world media. Maybe with her having an excuse to visit her son, she could bring back a souvenir to buy Moray over. Now that she thought about it, Moray was on the spectrum as well. Talk about a coincidence. At least that gave her some extra understanding when it came to interacting with him in the future.

“Oh come on. You’ve already met my sister, and she likes you. I’m sure that my mother and Moray will too,” Vortex pointed out. “Also, ain’t you thousands of years old and all powerful. I would think someone who’s lived through everything that can be thrown at her wouldn’t be so terrified by a meeting with her boyfriend’s folks.”

“Are you calling me a cougar?” Beelzebub asked playfully as she turned around to face her boyfriend, focusing more on the fact that he called her old. She knew Vortex didn’t mean anything by it. If anything, she could feel he was just joking around with her to raise her spirits, well that and it probably being retaliation for the intersex joke she made moments earlier. Of course, that didn't mean she was gonna let that playful jab slide without some punishment.

In response, Vortex knelt down to her eye level, with a smug and co*cky grin on his face and said, “If the shoe fits, Bee.”

“Oh you’re getting it now,” Beelzebub teased as she put her boyfriend into a headlock and gave him a double noogie with two of her arms. Sure the hound had probably only made the comment to cheer her up after her earlier negative thoughts, but she still wanted to play with him.

“Okay, uncle! I cry uncle!” Vortex laughed as he tried to pull himself out of Bee’s arms.

“Who’s your queen, big boy?” Bee asked him with faux anger.

“You are. You are, my beautiful queen, he responded while trying to hold back another laugh.

“You’re Goddamn right, I am," Bee said with a smirk as she released Vortex from the headlock and gave him a peck on his cheek.

“Better?” the hellhound asked, rubbing the top of his head.

“Much better, babe,” Bee smiled warmly. This was followed by another deep kiss between the pair as they held onto each other and enjoyed the cool night air. As the two ended the kiss, the two stared into each other’s eyes and smiled.

“Out of all the things I’ve missed this past week, I think that smile of yours is what I missed the most,” Vortex commented.

“You and me both, Texxie.” The two continued to stare into each other’s eyes, the world around them non-existent. Eventually, as she continued staring into her lover's eyes, a simple thought came to her. This thought morphed into a revelation, one being that there was one question related to their conversation that she had never asked him before.

“Do you miss him?” she blurted out, startling Vortex.

“Who?” Vortex questioned, unsure of who she meant.

“Your dad.” At this, Vortex paused, his eyes becoming sad, but also nostalgic as the hound appeared to be reminiscing about his time with his father.

“Everyday,” replied solemnly.

“When our mom came back from that one extermination without him,” Vortex said sadly, his voice tightening slightly. “It was probably the worst moment in my life.” Vortex gave her a bittersweet smile and Bee responded by placing a hand over Vortex’s and nuzzling his neck to comfort him.

They stayed like this before Vortex asked, “Do you know if Gabe’s old man, Manny, is down here?”

“No,” Beelzebub shook her head. “I had my contacts in Pride check for any new Sinners that fell down there in the last couple weeks when I first found out about him. None of them could find a record of Manny, and given he was a special forces soldier,” Bee recalled.

“He’d have the experience to survive down here,” Vortex finished for her, eliciting a head nod from Bee.

“So, he’s probably up in Heaven,” she surmised, looking up toward the sky.

“You don’t sound disappointed.” And Vortex was right. As much as she still held a grudge against Heaven, she couldn’t deny that Manny being the kind and compassionate person he was, he deserved a spot up there. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason she was happy Manny wasn’t down in Hell.

“Well, we both know that Loona was right about Pride being a sh*thole,” she bluntly stated. Lucifer really had let the Pride Ring go to sh*t, pretty much allowing the Sinners to do whatever they wanted without consequence. She felt pity for the hellborn living there who had to deal with their bullsh*t.

“Fair enough. Plus, I’m sure Gabe would feel better knowing his old man ain’t living down here,” Vortex pointed out. Bee could agree with that. There was some comfort in knowing that the people you cared about were at peace after death.

“You know,” she started, an idea coming to her head. “This might sound weird. But maybe that’s something you two could bond over.” Vortex looked at her with a look that Bee couldn’t quite place before becoming one of deep thought. She really wanted Vortex and her son to get along. She figured maybe they could begin doing so by bonding over the shared loss of their fathers. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that she may have stepped over some boundaries by suggesting such a thing.

“It does sound weird,” Vortex shrugged, some awkwardness in his voice. “But you may be onto something there.” The reassuring smile he gave her caused Bee to release a breath she had been holding, unsure if she had overstepped or not.

“Now come on," Vortex continued. “It’s been a long day and the both of us could use some rest before morning comes,” Vortex suggested, motioning over to their bedroom.

“Let’s,” Bee responded, following her boyfriend back into their bedroom and shutting the balcony doors behind her. As the two demons settled into their slumber, taking solace and comfort in each other’s embrace. Bee for the first time in a couple weeks felt content with herself. She knew that introducing herself to her son was not going to be easy. There was no doubt about that. If anything, it was going to be harder than anything she’d experienced and she’d fought in an uprising against Heaven.

But having Tex and Loona alongside her, to comfort and support her, she felt as though she could do it, Lucifer be damned. She could only hope that her son was willing to at least accept her. She couldn’t fathom what she’d do if he directly told her he wanted nothing to do with her because deep down, she knew that such a thing would break her heart.

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Behavioral Revelations

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

“Cashew.”

“No.”

“Cilantro.”

“Absolutely not.”

“How about ginger?”

“Mierda, now you’re just being ridiculous,” Manny mumbled, his hand over his face as he was starting to develop a headache over the terrible name ideas that Bee had for their son. Christ on a stick it was nine o'clock at night. He was too tired for this.

After changing their baby’s diaper and throwing said diaper in the trash, Manny had asked Bee what their son’s name was only to be surprised that their son (who was a week and a half old at this point) didn’t have one.

Said son was currently resting in a foldable crib, of which Bee had brought with her in the duffle also. The crib was currently situated on the opposite side of the living area in the kitchen, allowing Manny and Bee to discuss more privately and quietly about their son’s situation.

So now the two were trying to come up with a name for him, having spent the last half hour trying to decide on one. Unfortunately, all of the ideas that Bee was coming up with were all related to food.

Jesus Christ I know she’s the Queen of Gluttony but even this is on the nose, Manny thought as Bee continued to list different food related names.

“How about Marin,” Bee then suggested, still as chipper and undeterred as when she first started suggesting names. Marin was probably the most normal sounding, if not unusual name he’d heard from her all night. Yet, he had a suspicion that it was short for something else.

“Is that short for Marinara?” Manny asked, his face unamused. Bee could only shift in her seat uncomfortably before moving onto the next one.

“Ooh, how about-,” Bee started to say.

“Okay, how about something unrelated to food please!” Manny interrupted. He was kind of tired of this. He didn’t have any work tomorrow, having called and asked a coworker to take over his appointment, but he still wanted to go to bed at this point if all she was gonna do was provide ridiculous name ideas.

“Alright, well I’d like to see you try,” Bee dared to him, a little offended that he didn’t think any of her ideas were good for their son, which they weren’t. Yet, Manny already had an idea, one he’d been meaning to use on the off chance he ever had children. He supposed now was as good a time as any.

“Gabriel,” he stated simply. Though, as suspected, this brought up a rather negative reaction from Beelzebub.

“Excuse me,” Bee stated incredulously, not believing that Manny had dared suggest that name.

“Yes, I think we should name him Gabriel,” he repeated for her.

“Are you just suggesting that name to piss me off?” Bee asked, her voice becoming slightly angry, her tail and stomach turning a violent red to match her tone.

Honestly, Manny wasn’t surprised at her reaction. He figured that naming their son after an angel was going to irk her relentlessly given that there was a lot of negative history between her and the rest of Heaven. But that was not his reasoning for choosing it, however.

“No, actually. I was thinking of using that name from the start,” Manny admitted.

“Why?” Bee asked, now more confused than angry at that point.

From there, Manny began to explain his reasoning for the name. When his mother had been a child, back when she lived in Mexico, she had had a little brother by the name of Gabriel. The two were close as close could be, living alone on an isolated farm with their mother and father. Things had been relatively great for the two as they worked and played on the farm. Manny laughed as he recounted the story his mother had told him of her leading Gabriel on a quest to find the mythical Chupacabra.

Unfortunately, Gabriel had become sick with an unknown illness which was later suspected to be pancreatic cancer. Living far from the nearest city, from the nearest hospital, Gabriel’s condition quickly deteriorated. By the time a doctor had arrived, it was already too late. They buried him the following day, and he was still buried there last his mother knew.

As Bee listened to the story, her ears fell flat against her head and her facial expression became one of sorrowful sympathy.

“My late tío never got to live his life,” Manny explained sadly. “So, I felt he could live on in name through his sobrino. I know it would make mi mamá happy as well.”

Bee was quiet for a moment, taking this into consideration as she thought about whether or not to accept it as their son’s official. Manny really hoped that the story was enough to convince her to relent. Even if it was offensive to her as a demon, he hoped she would be willing to look past that for his mother’s sake.

Standing up from the couch, Bee walked over to the crib in the kitchen and picked their son up before walking back over to the couch and sitting down. Finally, after looking at their son for a painfully long time, Bee pinched the bridge of her muzzle and released a sigh. Accepting of her defeat and with some humility to go, Bee looked down at Manny and said, “Gabriel it is then.”

“Thank you Bee,” Manny said, grateful that Bee wasn’t going to fight him on that name. He knew his mother would be thankful too.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t mention it,” Bee mumbled. “I swear if any of the other Sins find out I let my kid be named after Gabriel.” The mentioning of the Sins brought pause to Manny’s thought process, reminding him of what they were supposed to be discussing aside from their son’s new name.

“You know, you still have yet to explain why you can’t help me raise him,” he pointed out. Manny was still miffed at her for that. He still couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t willing to put in the effort to raise their son.

“There’s a real danger to me taking a more hands-on role with raising him for his whole childhood, especially if the wrong people find out,” she explained with a hint of fear inflected within her voice.

W-what kind of danger?” Manny stuttered out. He knew with her being a demon that there was some risk. He knew that there were plenty of crazy cultists out there who would no doubt want a piece of their child for being of demonic origin. But the way she said the wrong people hinted at someone far more powerful, and this scared Manny. Suddenly, he was starting to wonder if her fears were in fact justified.

Handing over their son to him, Bee stretched her arms and legs before rubbing the back of her neck. Looking up toward and making eye contact with him, she began by saying, “Okay, well it’s complicated to say the least, but let me start from the beginning…”

. . .

Present

Beelzebub

Beelzebub was hyped. Having finally found the courage to break from her funk thanks to Loona and Vortex, the Sin was absolutely at peak excitement. She’d decided to turn her negative energy from the last week into positive vibes over all of the potential things she and her son could end up bonding over in the future. From cooking together in the kitchen to having a blast at a killer party, the ideas were numerous.

It was all Beelzebub could do to get through the day and prevent her fears and nervousness from consuming her again. She had to hope that things would go well. She just had to.

When Bee first woke up that morning, she found that Vortex was not in bed with her. Though this wasn’t a surprise since he was likely down in the weight room like he normally was every morning trying to keep his muscular build in check. As such, the rambunctious Sin, wearing a honey-comb themed t-shirt and pajama pants, quickly got to work on a high carb and protein breakfast for him and her to enjoy and spruce up their morning.

She knew he would require such a meal for bulking and she needed a good food binge after partially starving herself for the past week and a half. Although she could simply summon such a breakfast with a snap of her fingers, Bee had learned through the years that there was something fulfilling about preparing your own meal rather than using magic.

It wouldn’t be a surprise for anyone to learn that the Queen of Gluttony was a major foodie as well as a talented baker and cook due to countless years of experience and experimentation in the kitchen. Whenever she wasn’t throwing parties, spending time with her boyfriend, or managing her businesses across the ring, the Sin was in her kitchen experimenting with creating different food combinations and flavors.

During these sessions, she had created some of her best and some of her worst flavor combinations. She could recall melting in on herself with the avocado coffee blend while immediately vomiting into the trash after a single bite of the candy cane glazed salmon. It honestly felt good to get back into the routine of things after having spent most of her time sulking in her bed. She’d spent so much time in her bed, anyone who’d seen her could have mistaken her for her sister, Belphegor.

She had just finished making breakfast, having prepared a meal including a scrambled egg, tomato and basil dish, plenty of sausage links, and a couple stacks of pancakes, when Vortex walked into their room. The muscular hellhound, wearing a muscle tank top and some shorts was drenched in sweat as he walked over toward the kitchen, visibly attracted by the smell of the food.

Bee couldn’t blame him as it had taken all of her own willpower not to dive in and consume the entire meal she had prepared. The smell of the freshly made eggs, roasted sausages, and buttery pancakes brought her a greater high than any of Belphegor’s drugs could give her, and those drugs were powerful as sh*t.

One time a few decades ago after testing a new concoction of Bel’s (and by testing, she means she stole it), the Sin had woken up in a back alley dumpster with all of her clothes missing, her head shaved, and the words ‘Honey Bitch’ tattooed on her back.

It was safe to say that Bee had learned absolutely nothing from the experience as she went back the next week to steal some powerful painkillers, resulting in the exact same black out scenario, only that time finding herself in a dumpster by a zoo in the Greed Ring.

Oh man, those were the times. Even though she was working on being batter ruler in her ring, that didn’t mean that Bee couldn’t have her fair share of fun after all.

To a random stranger however, one would be surprised to learn that the majority of the meal Bee was in the midst of making was created for consumption by herself. This was because the Sin had a very high metabolism and a practically bottomless stomach being the embodiment of Gluttony.

As such, she needed to eat quite a large amount of food throughout the day in order to keep her energy up. Though these types of food binges were something she performed only every couple weeks. Otherwise, she would end up gaining a large amount of weight real quick. The last thing she wanted was an over bloated figure like she used to have.

Demons thought Mammon was large, if only they’d seen Beelzebub a millennium ago. The TLC channel in the human world had absolutely nothing on her.

After enjoying their breakfast, Beelzebub rubbing her stomach in satisfaction, the two demons shared a shower together during which the two spent more time having sex than washing themselves off.

Quite frankly, Beelzebub just couldn’t help herself when it came to being around her boyfriend. She had missed his soft and gentle touch the last week and a half and was currently riding the high of her own excitement of meeting her son to the point that she cared little about boundaries, much to Vortex’s fortune.

After drying off, Bee changed into a plain pink top and purple Bermuda shorts beneath a motorcycle jacket (Vortex had gotten it for her for their last anniversary) as well as some pink and blue striped leggings. Vortex, wearing another muscle tank top underneath a motorcycle vest, told her he’d be helping his sister over at her garage, but that he'd be back just before four in the afternoon. The two shared another deeply passionate kiss before Vortex went down toward the mansion's garage. Bee waved to him from the balcony as he drove off on his motorcycle toward his sister’s place in the Pride Ring.

Now, with the mansion essentially empty save for a few cleaning staff, the Sin needed to finish the extra load of business dealings and paperwork that she had neglected for the past couple weeks. With an extra pep in her step and two iced caramel and honey lattes with whipped cream in her hands that she’d made from the coffee maker, the Sin flew down to her office to prepare for the upcoming day.

So here she was, the clock now reading that it was noon, and sitting at her desk in her office while speed-running through a mountain of paperwork and speaking on two different phones with an advisor to the orphanages in Pride and one of her contractors in the human world.

When it came to her ring's adoption system, Beelzebub had made sure that it was properly funded and that all of the children were not abused or neglected. Every child deserves a nice place to grow up in. She even had a system in place for children that aged out, allowing them the opportunity to have jobs and a place to live.

Although she had been planning to expand those operations outside of her ring, she’d run into a bit of a roadblock when it came to Pride, Lucifer’s own stubbornness and the inherent corruption present within the ring’s orphanage systems prevented her from doing so. As a result, she’d been forced to cancel those plans for the foreseeable future.

If anything, hearing Loona’s own experiences and how it broke her spirit only helped to revitalize Bee's vigor and commitment to helping hellhounds outside of Gluttony. It broke her heart hearing how someone she had grown to consider a friend had been destroyed like that, and how there were likely other children like her who had suffered or were currently suffering because of the system in other rings. She was currently in negotiation with one of her advisors in Pride about revitalizing the ‘Kennels’ over there. And she wasn’t taking no for an answer this time.

Kennels. She absolutely despised that word for being a reference to hellhound orphanages. Kids growing up in cages. In the human world, people would be throwing a fit at the very prospect of that, but not in Hell where it was the norm for hellhound orphans. It was despicable how most viewed them as nothing more as animals and treated them as such. For f*cks sake, they were sentient beings, not the mindless animals seeking food and care that they resembled in the living world. At the very least, Asmodeus and Belphegor had taken steps to ensure that hellhound pups were given proper treatment and grew up in healthy environments, not the literal prisons seen across Pride and Greed.

As for her contractors in the human world, Bee was currently taking inventory of the latest shipment of food products to be delivered to her ring’s restaurants and food markets. If there was one thing about the human world that Bee enjoyed, it was how they had started their own culinary revolution. It was why a lot of the head chefs who worked in her restaurants were Sinners as they had culinary expertise that she relied on to keep those businesses running.

Beelzebub had initially made the deal a few hundred years ago with Paimon of the Ars Goetia for access to the living world so that she could get . The demon would use the Grimoire of Worlds to grant Bee and her team access to the living world so that they could make deals in exchange for food. In exchange, Paimon would receive a part of the profits from Bee’s businesses.

Almost two decades ago however, Paimon had pushed that role onto his son Prince Stolas after giving him the book. She and the Goetia prince would have annual meetings to discuss the details and any changes that needed to be made to the deal. By the end of her first meeting with the Prince, Beelzebub found that she liked him far more than she did Paimon. He wasn’t stuck up like his father and the owl prince had decent manners. Yet, whenever she visited him, the Queen of Gluttony always got the feeling that something wasn’t right with him, like the demon was slowly dying inside.

Beelzebub didn’t want to make any assumptions, but she had a feeling that the particularly nasty black eye that Stolas had been sporting during one of those meetings tied into it. However, because Stolas didn’t feel comfortable talking about it, she hesitantly decided to drop the issue. Yet, through their conversations, Bee got the impression that the man’s wife was responsible, which really irked her. How dare anyone abuse such a kind person like Stolas, and how dare Paimon allow Stolas to be married to such a bitch.

Despite these troubles, there was always one thing that seemed to make the Goetia Prince happy, his daughter Octavia. Honestly, hearing him giddily talk about his daughter and how proud of her he was made her both happy and envious at the same time because it reminded Bee too much of her own son, of how she had missed his childhood and how he had seemingly rejected her.

She even had the pleasure of meeting the girl once at a meeting with him five years prior. Octavia had been a little shy and intimidated by her back then, though that was likely because she had gone a little overboard in introducing herself to the owlette. She couldn’t help it. The girl was just too precious. Now that she thought about it, hadn’t she read something online about Loona’s dad dating Stolas. She’d have to ask Loona about that later, but if it was true, she was really happy for Stolas for leaving his bitch of a wife and trying to find some happiness in romance.

Hanging up on both phones, being worn out after a long conversation, the Sin released a sigh as she leaned back into her desk chair and rubbed her temples. The conversation with the living world contractor went well but the advisor in Pride had been a tough cookie. Fortunately, Bee had finally managed to get some headway and had scheduled a meeting next week with some of the Kennel officials. She just needed some kind of leverage to get them to agree to her terms. On top of that, she had finally finished going through the stack of papers she’d left undone.

All in all, Bee was feeling quite well with herself for all she’d accomplished in only three hours, well that and exhausted. Taking a sip from one of her coffee drinks, the other one being empty, Bee noticed that it too was almost dry of any sweet caffeine goodness. She’d need a refill soon. Taking a moment to relax, Bee rolled back her chair and set her legs up over her desk, her arms crossed behind her head as she closed her eyes and cleared her head.

Opening her eyes, the Sin pulled out one of her phones and began scrolling through her photo gallery until she made it to a specific photo. It was a picture of her right after she’d given birth to Gabriel. The Sin, wearing a blue checkered hospital gown, looked completely haggard with her eyes looking tired and her fur disheveled. Said eyes however, were gazing lovingly at the blanketed bundle in her arms, Gabriel himself.

Bee couldn’t remember much about the birthing process as she had been put completely under by her sister so that she could perform the C-section, but she remembered this moment. When she’d been first handed Gabriel by Belphegor, Bee had just been left in awe as she held the newborn baby. The only thing she could think about as she stared into those beautiful eyes of his was that she would do whatever it took to protect him then and there, no matter the cost.

I have to make things right, Bee thought as she continued to gaze at the photo solemnly. She needed to let Gabriel know he mattered to her, that she loved him with all of her heart.

She was just about to get up to leave for lunch, when she heard a knock at her office door. It was odd because the Sin wasn’t expecting anyone at this time and Vortex hadn’t contacted her to let her know he had finished early over at his sister’s. Curious as to who it was, Beelzebub shouted for the person to come in as she used her magic to file away the stack of papers into her desk.

Only she was left completely surprised as the person who stepped through was not one who often visited. Yet, she knew who it was who entered before she looked up, recognizing the clacking of hooves against the floor. Bee looked up from her desk, an exuberant smile forming from her muzzle alongside her flapping wings.

Said demon, wearing a white lab coat over a black undershirt as well as some black sweatpants, was goat-like in appearance, with a luxurious mane and poufy hair and a fiery candle with a purple flame sticking from her head. The mother of all baphomets, who stood a foot taller than Beelzebub, had purple fur and long black horns that arched toward her back. Over her blue eyes, which had deep bags beneath them, the demoness wore thick square-rimmed glasses. Said eyes, although being red due to the effects of being high, were filled with a sense of determination, but mostly frustration. Yet, this didn’t deter Beelzebub from flying out of her seat and hugging the demon tightly.

“Oh Belphy, hi! It’s so nice to see you!” Beelzebub exclaimed, excited that her sister Belphegor, the Sin of Sloth, was here to see her. It wasn’t often that her sister came to visit her in her mansion. Typically it was to scold her over stealing from her drug supply. “What brings you here? Did you miss me?”

“My-yaww-drug supply,” Belphegor stated in the midst of a yawn, coming off as slightly accusatory.

Oh come on, really? Bee mentally groaned. That was why she was visiting.

“Hey, I haven’t tried stealing from your supply, recently,” Beezelbub admitted, placing emphasis on the ‘recently’.

“I know.”

Oh. That surprised Beelzebub. Wait a minute. If Bel knows that I didn’t do it…

“Okay, then what about it?” Bee questioned, confused as to where her sister was getting at with the conversation. Had someone else broken in and Bel was asking for her help. Bee wasn’t sure at this point.

“Well, this morning I realized I haven’t caught you trying to break into my personal locker in the last couple weeks.” Which was true. Bee nodded her head at that. But that doesn’t explain why-, Bee thought before Belphegor gave her her reasoning.

“Then I came to find out that you-yaww-have been completely dark the past week and a half.” Oh, so Bel had noticed her absence from the party scene. Her sister must have realized something was off and came to check on her. Though it also made her realize just how often she broke in and stole from her sister’s drug supply.

In retrospect, the reason why she hadn’t gone to Belphegor with her worries about Gabriel was that she wasn’t sure if Bel would care due to Bee constantly stealing from her. Maybe being a total jackass wasn’t such a great thing.

“No parties, no signs of you shopping, and no-yaww-no new photos posted of you hungover with new tattoos,” Belphegor continued, listing them with her hoof tipped fingers. As she rattled off the reasons, however, Bee could feel the concern radiating off her sister.

“I got worried that something was up with you,” Belphegor told her, placing her hands over Bee’s shoulders. Bee in turn removed her sister’s arms and returned them to Be’s sides. Oh how it warmed her with such bittersweet vibes that her sister cared for her despite how Bee treated her. She would need to come up with a way to show she was sorry at some point down the line.

“I’m ok,” Beelzebub replied. “I just ended up getting in my own head.”

“About what?”

“About him.”

“Who’s him?” Bel asked, “Did something happen between you and your boyfriend?” Bee shook her head, which still left Belphegor confused about what Bee was upset about. Bee then drew a vertical line over her stomach with one of her clawed fingers while looking at Belphegor with an expectant look. Belphegor was initially confused at first before recognition seemed to take hold, causing her eyes to widen in shock at the realization of who Beelzebub was referring to.

“Oh…Oh ‘him’,” Belphegor gasped, her gaze shifting from Bee’s stomach to her face. Bee was about to explain further before her sister put up a hooved finger against her lips. “I want to hear you, Bee. I really do, but I am running on fumes right now,” she explained, pointing to her blood shot eyes. Beelzebub knew her sister embodied Sloth, but how can you sleep so much and still be tired. “Your strongest- yaww -strongest sh*t first. Then we talk about my godson and nephew.”

From there, Bee guided Belphegor out of the office and over to her personal kitchen where she made her and her sister the most caffeinated coffee drinks she could make without causing their hearts to stop. At the moment, both sisters were leaning against opposite edges of the kitchenette. Bee had an eyebrow raised as she watched Belphegor loudly and rudely slurp down the caffeinated beverage in front of her. Once she’d finished the entire drink, Belphegor took a breath of satisfaction and slid the cup over to her sister across the counter who then placed it in the kitchen sink.

“Satisfied?” Bee chuckled.

“Very,” Belphegor responded with a smirk. “Now what were you saying about Gabriel?”

And so Bee began to explain to her Belphegor what she’d told Loona and Vortex, how she’d learned of Manny’s passing and how insecure and self-loathing the implications of it made her feel, causing her to shut in on herself for over a week and a half. How it took her boyfriend and another friend to snap her out of her funk. And how she planned to try and make things right with her son by visiting and introducing herself to him.

“So, what do you think?” Beelzebub asked her sister, the goat demon unusually silent even by her own standards.

“I think you’re insane,” her sister said with deep agitation. This had been the last thing that Beelzebub had been expecting. Sure, Belphegor was usually the more rational of the two, but couldn’t she see why Bee was doing this.

“Oh come on Bel, I thought you’d understand.”

“What I understand is that you plan to risk your own safety by visiting a son who very likely wants nothing to do with you,” Belphegor pointed out, causing Bee to visibly recoil in horror and disgust. Even Belphegor flinched at her own choice in words, seeming to regret the statement entirely.

“Okay, what the hell is your problem!” Beelzebub yelled, put off by the remark and the fact that it was her own sister who had said it. She’d expect something like that from Mammon or Satan, but Bel. It felt like a bit of a betrayal.

“Bee, why do you always have to act so irrationally? Do you even realize that you’re putting yourself and your son at risk by doing this? I nearly lost you both that one Sinsmas 25 years ago!” Belphegor warned her, her voice morphing from one of anger to that of worry. To be fair, Belphegor did have a point. She was risking a lot, but there was also the possibility that those risks were overblown as is. Plus, what was her sister talking about her almost losing her and Gabe.

“But Bel, Lucifer didn’t find out and the C-section went-” Beelzebub tried to reassure her sister who was becoming more and more agitated out of nowhere before shouting something that rocked Bee to her core.

“Bee, you flatlined in the middle of it!” Belphegor shouted before quickly covering her mouth in shock, clearly not meaning to share that tidbit. It was completely silent in the kitchenette following this reveal, with Belphegor looking at her sister in concern, and Beelzebub just standing still and staring blankly into nothing.

She must have heard that wrong right. There was no way Belphegor was only telling her now that there were complications during the surgery. Yet, looking into Belphegor’s eyes, Beelzebub could not find any ounce of a lie. Belphegor was telling the truth.

I died. I almost got sent into oblivion. I- , Bee’s mind processed. The Sin was starting to feel lightheaded as she took in the revelation. The energy Bee had used to keep her running throughout the morning quickly began to filter out of her and she started to lose her ability to stand before she felt herself ungracefully falling.

“Whoa, hey!” Belphegor shouted, catching her sister mid-fall and carrying her back to her bed where she gently set her down. Beelzebub felt her mind floating in and out of reality as she still tried to process the literal truth bomb that Belphegor had just dropped on her. All the while, said sister was trying to snap her out of the daze, calling her name, shaking her shoulders, and snapping her fingers in front of her face.

As if her brush with death was finally catching up to her, Beelzebub’s life began to flash before her eyes. Maybe Gabriel had dodged a bullet by not replying to her after all these years. What kind of mother gets black out drunk, steals from her sister, and lets thousands of other orphan children suffer, closing herself off in blissful ignorance, all because it bums her out with sad vibes. She couldn’t even overcome her own fears of being a mother.

Beelzebub had told herself countless times over the years that she had changed from the person that she once was, the person who ruled her ring with an iron fist and starved her people while she sat fat and desperate for the next meal. Yet, it was only hitting her now that she had quite possibly just exchanged an evil born from malice for one of ignorance. Truthfully, Beelzebub had no idea which one was worse.

Suddenly, Bee felt herself being snapped out of her thoughts by a slap to her face, releasing a groan as she rubbed where she’d been hit. When she turned to face Belphegor to complain, Bee stopped short once she noticed the guilty expression on her sister’s face. Said sister then bent down to her sister’s level, pulled out a clean rag from her coat and rubbed it against Bee’s cheeks to wipe away the tears that coated them.

“Wh-why didn’t you-” Bee began to ask.

“Tell you,” Belphegor interrupted her, picking up one of Bee’s coffee from the kitchenette and handing it to her for her to drink, which she obliged. She still felt a little light headed from the news. “I didn’t want you to worry. I managed to bring you back without further complications and besides, you had other issues to worry about. Your kid being the most important.”

“Maybe you’re right, though,” Beelzebub whispered hoarsely, her arms wrapping around her waist tightly.

“What did you say, Bee?” Bel asked, not liking how her sister looked miserable.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go and visit, Gabe.”

“What, but why?” Belphegor questioned, confused as to why her sister had so suddenly changed her mind. For Bee, it felt like a no-brainer. Finally realizing that her actions as a ruler and person in general were still not her at her best, the Sin of Gluttony could only wallow in her own flaws.

“I mean the way I treat you, the way I party until I’m passed out. I’m no example for my son, let alone any child, to follow. I’m a mess who’s too terrified to commit to parenthood because I’m scared I won’t be able to protect him, Bel,” Bee continued to rattle on as she began to break down in tears over her own flaws and insecurities.

“He's probably already getting over his father’s death. What if me being there ends up ruining his life. What with Heaven or Lucifer probably watching me. I’d never forgive myself if I got him hurt as a result,” Beelzebub finished before uncontrollably crying into her hands.

Belphegor could only sigh as she pinched her forehead in frustration, mostly at herself for making Beelzebub upset in the first place. She had come to make sure Beelzebub was okay, not to be the reason she was hurting. After a moment of contemplating what she’d do next, the Sin of Sloth sat down next to Beelzebub so that she was eye level with her sister.

“Look,” Belphegor started, placing her hands around Bee’s cheeks and forcing her sister to look at her. “Forget about Lucifer and your own imperfections and whatever else I’ve said. I’m just scared of losing you and I said the worst thing I could think of.” Sitting down next to her sister on the bed, Belphegor took one of her sister’s hands and held it comfortingly.

“You’re not perfect, Bee. No one is. f*ck, Ozzie would tell you the same thing if I’d brought him along,” Belphegor mentioned, referring to their brother Asmodeus. Bee nodded her head with a small smile, thinking that it would be something their brother would say being the wiser of the Sins.

“My point is, Belphegor continued while holding back another yawn, “Although I don’t like some of the things you do in your pastime, that doesn’t mean I-yaww-I think you would have been a terrible mother.”

“How can you be sure?”

“That look in your eyes,” Belphegor answered, stunning Beelzebub who instantly knew what she was referring to. “When you were looking at your baby after I handed him to you. I've been around plenty of mothers and fathers after delivering their babies to recognize the love a parent has for their child.”

“He was so beautiful and precious,” Bee mumbled, recalling the photo she’d looked at moments before Belphegor showed up.

“Like I said, you’re not perfect, but you sure as hell would have made a great mother,” Belphegor affirmed with brimming confidence, more so than what was typically expected from her. “And you still can be.”

“You think so?” Bee questioned, feeling doubtful but wanting to believe that she could more than anything.

“Yes,” Bel confirmed. “Just do what you planned on doing yesterday today. Don’t let my projections stop you from doing that, okay.”

“I’d at least like to have a relationship with my godson too, you know. I’m the one who delivered him for god's sake!” Belphegor added while pointing toward herself with both hands. This earned a laugh from Beelzebub before she hugged her sister tightly with all four of her arms.

“As for Heaven, as difficult as it is for me to admit,” Belphegor started, her body seeming to recoil in disgust at what she was about to say, I don’t think God would allow any of watchers to do anything to you if all you want to do is have a relationship with your son.” Beelzebub wanted to disagree with that statement given her own experiences with Heaven, but she wanted to hold onto hope that her ‘father’ still believed in the concept of love. She hoped that, after all these years, he would allow her to have this boon.

“And I’ll have your back if Lucifer tries anything,” Belphegor added confidently. “That you have my word on.”

“Thank you, Bel!” Bee cried, tears falling down her face again as she tightened her grip around the Sin. “I love you so much. You’re the best sister ever!”

“B-Bee,” Belphegor tried to warn, her voice tight due to her lungs being crushed by the bear hug that Beelzebub had her locked in. “I l-love you t-too, but t-too ti-ight.”

“Whoops,” Beelzebub exclaimed, releasing her grip over Belphegor who bent over and inhaled a breath of fresh air. “Sorry Bel, I got a little bit over emotional there.”

“Tell me something that isn’t a surprise,” Belphegor remarked sarcastically as she coughed into her arm, the comment earning her a light punch on the shoulder from Beelzebub.

Immediately after however, the two broke down in laughter over the way the conversation had turned. The two proceeded to lay back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling while continuing their laughter.

“Oh I missed this Bel,” Beelzebub remarked as she turned her attention to Belphegor.

“Yeah, me-yaww-me too, Bee. Me too,” Belphegor yawned.

“You really think I can do this Belphy,” Bee asked, referring to her ability to make up with her son. Bee knew she had a lot of changes that she needed to make, not just when it came to her rule, but also how interacted with people. She just hoped that she could be good enough for her son to accept her.

“It’s in the realm of possibility,” Belphegor answered, her non answer earning a glare from her sister before she replied in a fit, “Okay yes, I do.” Satisfied, Beelzebub chuckled at her sister’s statistical nature.

“Thanks Bel, you know I-” Grrrr! Suddenly a loud rumble interrupted her and caused both of them to sit back up. Both demonesses were confused at the source of it before Bee realized it was her own stomach. Of course, she’d forgotten that she hadn’t had lunch yet.

“Well, I don’t know about you” Beelzebub started while patting her lava lamp stomach. “But I am hungry after all that crying. I think some Hell-A-Burger sounds good right about now.”

“That fast food garbage, seriously,” Belphegor complained, not up for the idea of eating lunch at a fast food place. It didn’t help that she had a hospital review to get back to. She swore that this was the last time she helped her sister with anything.

“Come on, Bel!” Bee insisted. “I haven’t had it in forever and, like you once said, there’s nothing wrong with a little ‘moderation’.”

Having put emphasis on the last word, Beelzebub developed a co*cky smirk. She could recall Belphegor using the same word hundreds of years prior toward her when Bee first began dieting. It felt good to turn the tables on her with it after all these years.

Belphegor could only groan at the fact that her sister was using her own words against her, causing Bee’s smirk to widen ever so slightly.

“Fine,” Belphegor relented. “I suppose their cookies and cream milkshakes aren’t so bad.” Beelzebub shook with glee over winning the argument so quickly. Her sister usually never agreed to go to a fast food joint.

Oh this was going to be so much fun. Maybe they could do some shopping sometime down the line too. She rarely ever got to spend time with Belphegor and so now was the time to catch up on their yearly sisterly quotas.

“See, now come on Bel. Let’s go,” Beelzebub directed to her sister. Grabbing her purse from her desk, Bee jumped over to Belphegor and grabbed her arm before racing out of her room and down the hall with Belphegor in tow.

Belphegor could only just barely keep up with her sister as she was dragged off against her will, all the while she tried to yell at her sister to slow down before she fell, but to no avail.

Just as they reached the main area of the mansion, Beelzebub picked up Belphegor in both arms, much to the goat demon's own protests, and carried her down to the first floor and out the mansion entrance.

If one were nearby, they could hear a frustrated goat demon berating and pleading with her sister to put her down. Said sister could be heard laughing as she told her sister not to worry and to hold on tight, the flapping of insectoid wings flapping filling the air followed by the screams of the goat demon who likely now had a new fear of heights.

. . .

Loona

So this is it, Loona thought as she hopped inside the company van and turned the keys into the ignition. After another long day at work, Loona was currently on her way to Beelzebub’s place after receiving the go ahead to come over. Fortunately, her day wasn’t nearly as boring since Blitz, for the first time ever, allowed her to do her own solo mission.

She wasn’t sure if it was because of the thing with Bee yesterday or if he had been planning it for a while, but Loona wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth (and Blitz liked gift horses).

Said job had involved her clearing out an entire den of child traffickers and making sure none of those evil bastards lived to tell the tale. As someone who had spent her whole childhood being treated as nothing more than a commodity, the job had been largely therapeutic for the hellhound. By the end of the mission, Loona had been left covered head to toe in the blood of the traffickers and had needed to head home to take a quick shower.

The mission had left Loona feeling on the inside how Beelzebub appeared on the outside, completely and utterly high as the clouds. She hadn’t even cared or complained when her father had hugged her afterward for a job well done. Although she hadn’t outright broken out into excitement like Beelzebub, Loona had to hold herself back howling at the sky once she got back, though her tail had betrayed her profusely with its super sonic wagging. Even now, it was still wagging with giddy at her success.

She was just so excited to have successfully completed her own solo mission and the pride Blitz had for her. It felt so deserved and genuine coming from the imp. Maybe I could stand to be a little more open with him, Loona had thought after the fact.

Just as she was getting out of the shower, Loona had received a text from Beelzebub that the Sin was getting ready to head up to the human world in about an hour. As soon as she’d gotten the text, Loona had quickly dried herself off and let Blitz know that she was about to leave for Bee’s place.

Picking a new purple blouse and some jeans to put on, Loona hadn’t even bothered to do her make-up as she sent a quick reply to Bee that she was on her way before barreling out of the apartment toward the van. On her way out, she’d caught the keys to the van that Blitz had thrown her way for her to use. Blitz had reassured her that he would just call on Stolas to teleport him if need be and that she was free to use the van as long as she brought it back.

The drive over to the Hellevator was uneventful fortunately, with not much traffic in the way to delay the hellhound. By the time Loona had made it into the vehicle Hellevator for Gluttony, the hellhound still had forty five minutes until Beelzebub said they’d leave which was more than enough time for her to reach the mansion.

As she sat in the van and waited for the Hellevator to reach the Gluttony ring, Loona found herself looking through her Sinstagram to see if any of her friends had posted something. Scrolling through the different profiles, Loona found that she had a new friend request from a ‘queen-beetch’. Having a feeling as to who it was, Loona accepted the friend request and had her suspicions confirmed when she saw the profile picture was that of Beelzebub’s.

Scrolling through her stories, Loona paused at the first one which had been posted a couple hours earlier. It was a selfie of Beelzebub and a goat-like demoness. In the photo, Bee looked to be about ready to take a bite out of a Double Hell Burger while the other demon sat behind her while sipping from a milkshake. It took Loona a moment to recognize the demon as the Sin of Sloth, Belphegor.

The caption read:

Hanging out w/ my fav sis at Hell-A-Burger.

Bee appeared to be her usually chipper self in the picture while Belphegor looked tired and unamused as she stared into the camera, though Loona could swear that she could make out an ever so microscopic smile on the goat-like demon’s face. Loona recalled Bee mentioning Belphegor both at the party as well as during yesterday’s invention. From what she could surmise, Belphegor must have had a high tolerance for Beelzebub considering that the latter stole plenty of drugs from the former.

Yet, that didn’t really stop Belphegor from helping her sister out. It represented a powerful sense of loyalty between the two that Loona compared to the relationship between herself and Octavia. Just as Loona liked the photo, the Hellevator stopped and a feminine voice on the announcer let Loona know that she had arrived in Gluttony. Putting the van into drive, Loona hit the pedal and sped out toward Bee’s mansion.

By the time Loona arrived out front of the mansion, it had been about twenty five minutes since Bee had sent the initial text. Parking along the curb by the driveway, Loona pulled out her phone to relay a text to the Sin.

Loona: I’m here. Where should I park my van?

Loona didn’t have to wait long as she immediately received a reply from the Sin.

Bee: Drive out back. I’ll open garage 4 u.

With that, Loona turned the gear into drive and followed the driveway to the back of the mansion. She was mildly surprised when she noticed the driveway begin to curve downward, realizing that the garage was actually underground as the IMP van dove deeper below the line of sight of the mansion.

Once inside, Loona found herself amazed at the line of different vintage vehicles lining the walls of the garage, all of them a vibrant gold color. Parking the van in an empty spot, Loona immediately stepped out of the van and locked it before walking over to admire Bee’s car collection.

There was a Volkswagen Beetle, A Sedan DeVille Hardtop Pontiac. There was even a DeLorean DMC-12 model in prime condition. They all looked as though they had been given a makeover, not just in terms of their paint job, but in the parts that made them up. Loona wouldn’t consider herself a car fanatic or anything of the sort, but she couldn’t deny that these vehicles were masterpieces in of themselves.

“I see you admiring my collection,” a voice from behind Loona startled her. Turning around, she saw that it was Beelzebub herself.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Loona remarked, her eyes focusing in particular on the Volkswagen Beetle.

“Yep, I fancy myself a bit of a vintage car collector and remodeler.” Loona would have been shocked to learn such a thing, figuring that this would be more of Vortex’s hobby, but then this was the woman who allegedly had an entire collection of napkins that she had sown into a quilt. (Loona wasn’t sure if she believed that rumor or not.)

“I’ll say.”

“You want one?” Bee asked her, shocking the hellhound.

“Wait, really?” It truly stunned Loona that Beelzebub would trust her with something that probably cost more money than Loona had made working at IMP for the last five years combined, and much more that Bee seemed to be genuine in her offer.

“Sure,” Beelzebub confirmed, her hands running along the hood of a remodeled Cadillac. “A lot of these babies haven’t left this garage in a while anyway. Figure they might find better use with someone else.” Loona didn’t know what to say to that. To have her own vehicle that she could drive herself anywhere with instead of relying on her father. It was another form of independence that Loona wished for but she and Blitz had pushed off on for monetary reasons.

“I’ll think about it,” Loona responded, not wanting to completely reject the offer. While she really wanted to take Bee up on the offer, the car was just too nice for a hellhound like her to have. Plus, she had no idea where she’d keep such a fancy car without it being stolen or stripped for parts. Stolen car parts were a major commodity on the black market in Hell.

That was why most of the cars that people owned in Pride looked run down, because the last thing owners wanted was to find their vehicles gone or not working properly the moment they took their eyes off them. It wouldn’t make sense for her to just have to drive back and forth between her place and Bee’s just to store the car. So, until she could figure out where to put it, she would have to decline the offer.

“Well enough staring. Let’s get upstairs,” Beelzebub suggested, motioning Loona toward an elevator. “Tex will be here soon anyways. Then we can get to the human world.” With that, Loona followed Bee into the elevator and the two headed upward.

“How are we getting to the human world anyway?” Loona asked, reminded by Bee’s comments. She’d completely forgotten to ask the Sin about their mode of transportation.

“I’ve got an Asmodean Crystal that Ozzie gave me a few hundred years back,” Beelzebub explained. As she did so, she pulled out the crystal from her jacket pocket and showed it to Loona. It was a bright orange and in the shape of a diamond, same as the one they had just received from Asmodeus the night before. “It’s what I used to bring Gabriel up to his dad in the first place.”

As she finished explaining, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Stepping out, Loona noticed that she was once again standing on the top outlook.

“So where is Tex anyway?” Loona asked as she leaned on the outlook railing.

“He’s over at Myra’s garage. He said he was helping her with fixing up some big convertible," Beelzebub explained, which Loona nodded at. She had heard from Myra that her brother would volunteer to help her every now and then when she was working by herself some days.

“You know, Myra actually helped with remodeling a few of those cars down there."

“Oh yeah,” Loona responded. She’d known that Myra ran her own garage so it shouldn’t have surprised her to learn that the hellhound would have done some work for Bee due to her connection to Vortex.

“Uh huh, Tex had shown me some of her work and I decided to give her a shot. Plus, I’m sure anybody would take her more seriously if she had recommendations from a Deadly Sin.”

Now if anyone else had said such a thing, Loona would have been offended, having grown up without an ounce of privilege her whole life. Though it was the tone in Bee’s voice that had stopped her from being so.

Said tone had been more neutral and robotic in nature, implying to Loona that Bee was not flaunting her status but rather stating it as a matter of fact.

“I know full well how hellhounds are treated out of my ring and, Bee explained, “As much as it sucks, racism is still a bitch, no pun intended, toward businesses run by them.” Loona could only respond by nodding her head. Bee seemed to be fully aware of her own privilege and knew how to use it to help those around her. Loona could respect that.

Loona was about to comment on it when she noticed Bee appeared to be in deep thought, her face locked in a frown and her tail and stomach changing to that of a dark gray similar to how it was yesterday. Oh, crap.

“Is something bothering you?” Loona asked, concerned that Beelzebub was second guessing herself so close to the meeting with her son. The question snapped Bee out of her daze and drew her attention over to Loona. The Deadly Sin was quiet for a moment before she asked, “Hey, Loona, can I ask you something?” Loona felt some anticipation at the question, but nodded her head yes nonetheless.

“Do you think my parties are a good thing?” Loona furrowed her eyebrows at the odd question, not expecting it to be some kind of moral conundrum. Only, Loona didn’t feel like she’d be able to answer the question without some kind of context to back it up.

Using this as an opportunity to get to know Beelzebub more, the confused hellhound responded by saying, “Why do you ask?”

Beelzebub was silent once again as she appeared to hesitate with her response. Finally, the queen started, “Me and Belphegor were talking earlier before lunch, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ve just been using these parties as an excuse to avoid helping the people of my ring.” At this comment, Loona raised her eyebrows. If she hadn’t known much about the Sin, then Loona may have assumed so, but the thing was that she did know about Beelzebub.

“What? Come on, Bee. Everyone knows that Gluttony is literally considered to be the best ring to live in,” Loona pointed out. “And it’s all because of you.” She emphasized this by poking Bee in the chest with a finger.

“Yeah, but what about outside of the ring?” Beelzebub raised her voice. “You told me yourself that your experience growing up was less than pleasant. f*ck, I could feel it wasn’t from your vibes.”

Oh…yeah. Just as Loona had predicted. That one ended up coming back to haunt Bee. Loona released a sigh of regret, not having wanted to put more on Bee’s plate. After having met Beelzebub at that party a couple months back, Loona had done her research on the Sin to see what kind of person she was.

What she saw painted a picture of a semi-responsible individual who took care of her ring, but also saved some time for people to relax and have fun at her parties. Crime was low if not nonexistant, the adoption system was top tier, and hellhounds were never discriminated against, at least not without repercussion. Aside from her reportedly getting blackout drunk every now and then, the Deadly Sin had a positive reputation amongst her community.

Although the same couldn’t be said for hellhounds outside of the ring, what happened outside of Gluttony shouldn’t have to be on Beelzebub’s shoulders. It wasn’t on her if someone like Lucifer refused to follow her advice nor was she responsible for what Loona had gone through.

“None of that’s your fault,” Loona tried to reassure. “You’re only one person, Bee. You can’t expect yourself to be the one to help everyone.”

Though saying it out loud made Loona curious. Beelzebub never came off to her as the type to have this hero complex. She wasn’t even sure if this was her having a hero complex. Unsure of where to go with the conversation, Loona found herself asking the queen, “Why are you so fixated on this anyway.”

After asking the question, Bee’s tail and stomach turned completely black, showing once again that she was stuck in her own head again. Beelzebub appeared conflicted as she tried to figure out whether or not to give Loona a response to her question before answering, “There was a time where I was a sh*t person, a sh*t ruler.”

“You, a sh*t person,” Loona replied, unable to believe the caring demon in front of her could have been an awful person at one point.

“I know, it’s hard to believe, right?” Bee chuckled grimly. “But the truth is that the Beelzebub a millennium ago is not the same as the one you’re talking to now.”

Following that comment, Bee summoned a bottle of wine that she popped the cork off before starting to down it in one go. Loona would have objected to the Sin drinking alcohol now, but she figured the Sin would need a drink to explain something that dark and regretful. Plus, Bee had probably developed a high alcohol tolerance over her years, enough so that that single bottle didn’t even give her a buzz.

“Even after all these years,” Beelzebub continued, “I still can’t fully forgive myself for what I let happen and did to the people of this ring since the Fall.”

Loona really wanted to ask her what she was like, but a large part of her was too scared to ask out of fear that it might change her opinion of the Sin. If it was enough to bring the normally cheerful Sin down, then Loona had a feeling that she really didn’t want to know.

“Hell, the parties were partially supposed to be a way for me to make up for my actions. A way for me to provide the people of the ring with an opportunity to have some free food and drink. To be themselves without any restraint.”

“But I’ve come to the realization that I may have become a little too focused with throwing and being a part of them. I guess I’m not as proud of being a total jackass like I thought I was,” Beelzebub remarked, harkening back to what she had told Loona months back.

Loona honestly wasn’t sure if she had a right to judge the Sin on her partying habits or not. She’d read some things through hearsay, but she would need to actually see the Queen of Gluttony in action within a few of her own parties before she made any judgements.

“Bel said I would have made a great mother to Gabe, but I just don’t know,” Beelzebub admitted while leaning over the railing. “What with my partying habits and other things, I’m worried I’ll just end up making things worse for him if I show my face right now.”

Oh Bee. Loona thought she had issues. Beelzebub really was like her in more ways than one. f*ck, she really did not feel confident enough to console Beelzebub given her own issues which were staring to sound eerily similar to her own. Then again, considering that yesterday’s intervention ended on a positive note, perhaps she could do this. She just had to be careful with her wording this time around. Or I could be blunt and to the point. That seemed to work yesterday.

“So you went a little too hard with the partying and your drug use in the past. I have issues with not being a raging bitch all the time,” Loona stated, earning a surprised guffaw from Beelzebub. “f*ck, I was so envious of you at that party that I let it get the better me and take it out on you.”

“Well to be fair, I do have a tendency to give the wrong vibe to people,” Beelzebub rebutted.

So Bee really was aware of my envy, Loona thought. She was surprised the Sin never bothered to call her out on it or talk to her in private over it. But here she was getting off track. That was a conversation they could have later.

“But at least we both recognize those flaws and know to keep them in check, right?” Beelzebub nodded her head, and Loona noticed the colors of Bee’s tail and stomach become just a bit brighter.

“As for your past, is that person who you are now? Is it?” Although Loona didn’t want to know about the Sin’s past, she didn’t feel that she needed to know it either. People could change, which was something difficult for a demon like her to believe, and Loona knew Bee had changed. She may not have been there to see it, but Loona was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in that regard.

“No, it’s not,” Bee said, shaking her head.

“Then don’t let it define you now.” Loona was done letting her own past define how she interacted with her father. And she would be damned if she was going to let Bee use hers to define how she interacted with her son, well more so than she already technically was anyway.

The confidence in the statement seemed to shake up something in Beelzebub as more color returned to her body and she didn’t radiate not nearly as much sadness as she did previously.

“And to answer your earlier question,” Loona began, feeling as though she was on a roll. “I think it does wonders for a person’s mental health to be in a place where they’re not being judged or told down to simply for existing.” Loona walked over to Beelzebub and held her hand. “And your parties are just that.” Beelzebub smiled at the statement, a few tears rolling down her cheeks which she dabbed away at. By this point, the color from Bee’s body had returned to its vibrant rainbow hues.

“Thanks, girl. I needed to hear that,” Beelzebub said.

Bingo! Man, Loona you are better at this thing than you thought, Loona congratulated herself mentally.

“Anytime, Bee.”

Suddenly, the attention of both demons was grabbed when the front doors to the mansion opened, in stepping Vortex. Even from the top floor, Loona could see that the hound’s fur was covered in oily black grease after working in his sister’s garage all day. Beelzebub flew down to greet him leaving Loona behind up on the top floor, the hellhound resigning to take the elevator down.

By the time Loona had made it down, Vortex was already clean of any car grease, a sparkling aura emanating around the muscle hound. Apparently, and unsurprisingly given how wild her parties could allegedly be, cleaning magic was also within Beelzebub’s arsenal of magic.

“Hey, Loona!” Tex greeted after noticing her walking over.

“Hey, Tex! How’s Myra?” Loona asked, wondering how his sister was doing. They and the rest of the gang were due a reunion. Maybe this weekend.

“Ah, pretty good. I was just helping her pimp out this convertible over at her garage.”

“I could tell,” Loona chuckled, referring to when she first saw him.

“So, how are you two doing?” he asked.

“Oh just chatting,” Bee responded.

“About what?

“Oh you know. Life, my car collection, how good in bed you are,” Bee listed down coyly. At the last one, Vortex’s muzzle turned bright red as he sputtered to come up with a response to Bee’s fib.

“We did not talk about that!” Loona yelled while Beelzebub failed to hold in the laughter she’d been holding at their embarrassment. “Not the last one anyway.”

“Oh, man! I just love getting you two flustered,” Beelzebub claimed, causing the two hounds to roll their eyes at her.

“You know, I think you and Blitz would get along quite nicely,” Loona remarked sarcastically. Though in retrospect, Loona somehow knew that the two genuinely would become fast friends.

“Oh, I know right,” Beelzebub responded, either not having heard the sarcasm in Loona’s voice or choosing to ignore it (probably the former). “But anyway, we are running low on time, so let’s get going.”

Beelzebub pulled out her Asmodean Crystal and activated it. Within an instant, a beam shot out from the crystal, the beam landing and forming into a portal that opened into what appeared to be an alleyway.

Bee was jumping into this awfully quickly. Loona knew the queen was rather antsy about the whole thing, but wow. She and dad really would get along well , Loona thought, releasing a chuckle as a result.

“What are you laughing about?" Vortex asked as the two stepped through the portal right behind Beelzebub. Beelzebub was currently at the end of the alleyway by the sidewalk. The Sin had changed into a human disguise and was jumping up and down as she waved them over, calling for them to hurry up. Clearly she was trying to keep the flow going so that she didn’t psych herself out. Normally, that kind of thing wouldn't work, but Bee somehow managed to make it work.

“Oh nothing,” Loona replied. “Just a joke in my head.” Vortex raised an eyebrow at her before shrugging it off, donning his own human disguise. Loona followed suit and put her own up as she and Vortex raced down the alleyway to keep up with the excitable queen.

She could only hope that Beelzebub didn’t permanently lose that excitable personality because of what was about to happen.

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Hello Mom

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

Manny was stunned. Beelzebub had just finished explaining it all to him and he was still trying to process everything. So, according to Beelzebub, it was very much illegal for her and any of the other Sins to have children with humanity. Not only that, but if the head honcho Lucifer found out about Gabriel, there was a good chance he would kill Manny and their child. All because of some paranoid obsession with not wanting to be overthrown as well as his hatred for humanity. And this was despite the fact that Bee apparently had no intentions of doing the former.

This left Manny shaking a bit at the possibility that King of Lies could end up showing at his door one day. He knew that wherever he moved to he was going to need to get the place regularly blessed by a Catholic priest if he had any chance of that happening. That wasn’t even thinking about what would happen outside of his home if he were to follow that route.

This was all on top of the reality that Heaven was possibly watching their whole conversation as they spoke, and could strike at any moment due to Beelzebub’s presence. Heaven was supposed to be this paradise where only the good hearted resided and everyone loved one another.

Then again, the Bible didn’t always paint God as this perfect figure despite what evangelicals tried to persuade. Even into adulthood, Manny was still having trouble picturing God as a loving deity due to what he’d seen in the war. Well that, and it’s hard to reconcile the image of a loving deity with that of someone who has murdered infants in what they believe is divine justice.

Plus, it made sense that if humans were flawed with prejudice, then the angels could be just as prejudicial toward someone of Gabriel’s own blood. It was certainly saddening to realize given his own relationship with religion, but it didn’t sting like it should have. Perhaps he’d come to the realization that Heaven might not have been a paradise like he thought it was a while ago, or his own experiences in the Gulf changed his perspective entirely.

Regardless, this whole situation had put a target on his back and he didn’t know who to be mad at. He couldn’t be mad at Beelzebub because she had never meant to get pregnant and was putting everything out front. It was starting to hit him that she was making the biggest sacrifice by giving Gabriel up in order to protect him, so that he had a normal life. It was a loss that Manny couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Manny couldn’t be mad at Gabriel because that was unreasonable given that he was a baby. Not to mention that he had already accepted Gabriel as his son. He could have been angry at Lucifer and Heaven for being petty assholes. But it was difficult to feel anger toward individuals that he had never met face-to-face before. He could have been mad at himself, but that wasn’t going to solve anything.

“So, I know it’s a lot,” Beelzebub said a bit obnoxiously. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was used to such things or if she was that out of touch.

“A lot,” Manny retorted, a little put off by how nonchalantly Bee had been with the statement. “Dios mío, Miel de Abeja (his new nickname for her), I think that’s the biggest understatement that I have ever heard in my entire life.”

“You have a point,” Beezebub cringed. The Deadly Sin was currently holding Gabriel in her arms while she fed him a bottle of formula.

“I mean, how do I even respond to any of that?” he asked rhetorically. It was all just so overwhelming and horrifying. “Are you even sure Lucifer won’t just let you be?”

“Are you forgetting what Lucifer’s sin is?” Beelzebub asked sarcastically. Manny wanted to argue with her, but he had to concede that she was probably right on that front, with Lucifer's title of the King of Pride referred both to his ruling of the Pride Ring and him being the most prideful person in existence.

“So what. You step aside and I get sole custody of our son and raise him for the next eighteen years,” Manny summarized.

“I wish there was another solution. I really do, Manny,” Bee said, guilt written across her muzzle. “But this is the best and only way to protect the both of you.”

Like before, Manny wanted to argue. He had fought in the Gulf War. He was a Navy Seal and still in good shape after over half a decade out of service. He could fight anything.

But then he remembered what Beelzebub had told him earlier, about Lucifer and Heaven. He could deal with someone pointing a gun at him, but someone with magic at the tips of their fingers, he’d be done in half a second. Then, another thought crossed his mind.

“Why can’t you stay?” he suggested. “We could get married and everything, find a way to make it work,” he pleaded with her. He really wanted this to work, the romantic part of him that desired a life with a beautiful senorita like the woman before him, raising a child together toward a happily ever after. That was what he wanted.

At his suggestion, Bee looked stunned, unable to believe what he wanted the two of them to do. She paused in deep thought before her gaze turned to one of pity.

“Look Manny, you are a nice guy. A great guy, and I’m flattered that you would make a big leap like that for me. That’s what attracted me to you at that party,” Bee told him, a hint of sadness in her voice, as she got up from her seat and sat right next to him.

“But I am a Deadly Sin. Me dating you is going to put an even bigger target on your back than me being a co-parent to our little honey bee,” she continued as she gestured for Manny to share in holding their son, which he did so.

“And I can’t stand the thought of you dying because of me, and leaving our son without his father.” As she said this, Manny looked back between her and their infant son. Gabriel was currently sleeping soundly after his feeding, releasing tiny peaceful breaths as he laid deeply in slumber.

He hated this. He hated how unfair this was. Even for a demon, Beelzebub seemed like this perfect woman in every sense of the word. He loved her charitable and kind nature, her laugh, her care for their son, and so much more.

But the more he thought about, the more he realized just how right Bee was. It would more likely than not end in disaster between the two of them. For his son’s sake, and for his family’s sake, he couldn’t add any more danger to the situation than what was already there.

“Even if I agree to this, Miel de Abeja,” he started. “You do realize that this will be a major life change for me. My business is doing good right now but if things go wrong, I’ll need money to cover the costs of raising him.”

“I told you before that I can pay you in child support” A part of him really didn’t want to take the money because it truly meant that Bee wouldn’t be in his life.

“Fine, how much per month are you thinking?” Manny relented. His and Sofia’s business was doing fine but he needed a safety net on the off chance that things started going south. Better to be prepared than not.

“Twenty-five grand,” Beelzebub named off nonchalantly.

“Tw-twenty-five grand! That’s gotta be ten times the normal amount,” Manny pointed out, taken aback by the amount of money Bee was suggesting she pay.

He had a friend who was paying child support for one child, and it was about twenty five hundred with his salary. Granted that it often varied based on a person’s salary (and his friend’s wasn’t that much yearly), but it was still a lot of money to suggest on the spot.

“Please just take it,” Beelzebub groaned, not surprised but also annoyed by his response. “Even that won’t put a dent in my wealth.” This statement earned a head turn from Manny. Now that he thought about it, just how wealthy was Beelzebub. He figured with her being several millennia old that the supposed Queen of Gluttony would have some money to her name.

“Just how wealthy are you?” he asked, wanting to know just how much the Deadly Sin had in her savings.

“All of the money in my treasury alone could buy every single country on this planet ten times over and then some,” she spoke naturally as though it didn’t mean anything.

“Hijo de puta,” Manny swore. He had been expecting a big number for sure, but that was just crazy. There was no way that she had that much money. No one on Earth had that much money. Hell, how could she be so nonchalant about that. “And all of that just sits there? Do you even use any of it?”

“Yes I use it,” Bee rebutted before scratching the back of her neck in slight embarrassment, as though finally realizing just how privileged she was. “Obviously though, most of it just sits collecting dust.”

At that, Manny could only let out a chuckle at Bee’s indifference to her own wealth. Typically when he met with a rich client, they could be filed under one of two categories.

The first category was filled with those who knew of their privilege and shamelessly flaunted it to everyone around them, all the while they talked down to you because they thought their wealth meant they were better than you. Sometimes there was a hint of racism mixed in. Boy, did he hate those ones. He did not nearly die for this country to have to deal with those types of people.

The second type of rich client however consisted of that of decent folk who were rather tone deaf to what life as a ‘commoner’ was like, and so unintentionally said some things that were insulting or quirky to those who were ‘poorer’. It was a bit of a messy fit, but Bee could arguably fit into this category.

“You know that not many people can say that they have money collecting dust in their bank accounts right?” Manny joked humorously. Bee in turn resorted to turning her back toward him while sticking out her tongue at him and crossing her arms like a toddler in timeout.

“So I’m privileged. Sue me,” she pouted, earning a boisterous laugh from Manny at her childish behavior.

At the very least, Manny thought while looking down toward his sleeping son, You won’t have to worry about financial insecurity.

. . .

Present

Beelzebub

It should have been easy talking to her own son. That was what Bee thought anyway. Afterall, it wasn’t like she hadn’t been keeping tabs on him. She had, she knew everything about him. From what his favorite dessert was (Honey Pie, which was why she chose it) to where he went to culinary school (The Culinary Institute of America) and beyond. So why did she feel so awkward about the whole exchange?

But of course you're experiencing awkwardness about the whole thing , Bee’s own inner voice told her. I mean you really expect him to just welcome you with open arms. He was still in diapers the last time you even saw him in person. He doesn’t have to give you the time of day for f*ck’s sake.

After arriving in the human world, Beelzebub, alongside Loona and Vortex, changed into their human disguises and made the trek over to where her son worked. Beelzebub, having memorized her son’s daily routine, knew he would still be at work. By the time they made it to the cafe, aptly named the Hive (which Bee found herself absolutely proud of with the name alone), the parking lot out front of it was empty save for a few cars. The cafe closed at four in the afternoon and it was almost a quarter past.

Just before she stepped foot inside, Vortex and Loona had needed to pull her aside and tell her to calm down before approaching him. While Beelzebub didn’t want to admit it, the pair of hellhounds had a point. She just needed to take a big chill pill not unlike some of the drugs of Belphegor’s she’d taken and relax. Beelzebub could not afford to screw this meeting up. She couldn’t. So, with words of encouragement from Loona and Vortex (who would be sitting on top of a concrete barricade by the parking lot waiting for her), Beelzebub stepped inside of the cafe.

Honestly, Beelzebub had never been more surprised setting foot in a place than she was now. Even empty the place had nice vibes, all of which could be contributed to the honey-comb decor and style of the cafe.

The array of tables and booths revolving around the coffee bar was a genius touch that created a positive atmosphere where the customers could interact with the coffee bar staff. The large kitchen window in the back too allowed customers to see and smell the food being made, enticing them to buy more; the glass display case below it containing baked goods also added onto this factor. Even the palm tree plants in the corners and the potted plants hanging by the windows served to aid in the interior design by hiding imperfections and making the area more inviting to customers.

Having worked in the hospitality business for so long, Beelzebub knew what it took to make or break a restaurant, bar, you name it. And this place was built with the intention of making it. Oh, I am so proud of him , Beelzebub had swooned.

Of course, that excitement had quickly disappeared once she came face to face with her son, not expecting to immediately run into him within the first minute. However, she decided to use this as an opportunity to see how well his skills in the hospitality business were.

She asked him if they were still open and feigned some sadness over them closing up. She was delighted when Gabriel decided to forgo the closing time and offer. She was even more overjoyed when she watched him command his staff the way he did: Sternful, but also with respect.

His sense of humor could definitely use some work, however, given that one joke he tried. He may have been her son but, seriously, how was that joke supposed to be funny? But he at least had the charisma to bounce back from it, so she would let it slide.

But when she tried that honey pie, oh that was pure heaven. It had that delectable goodness with the flaky, tender crust that crunched smoothly in her mouth. Then, there was the pecans layered overtop which too were layered with a dollop of whipped cream. It all melded together into this perfect blend of sweet and crunchy the likes of which she had never tasted before.

It took all of Bee’s willpower not to tackle Gabriel and hug him with motherly praise and affection while tears fell from her eyes at just how good the honey pie was. She wasn’t just saying that because he was her son. It was genuinely that good.

And then she had to ruin the moment by mentioning Manny. In hindsight, it was bound to happen, and with the last of the staff fully booking it out the back exit, now was as good a time as any to make the reveal to Gabriel.

“My mother, huh,” Gabriel uttered quietly. Yet, there didn’t appear to be any surprise in his voice as he said it. He had appeared shocked at first, but only for a second, before it was hidden away behind a neutral gaze.

It occurred to her that he must have had a suspicion about her the moment she came in. She doubted it was him suspecting her to be his mother, but she hadn’t been subtle about her knowing of him period. She had honestly been surprised to see him out in the front of the cafe, figuring that he would be cleaning up in the back.

He must have been giving that mother and daughter pair the cake that was in the former’s arms. Oh that little girl was just so cute. She just couldn’t deny just how cute and adorable she was. Plus, the girl said she had pretty hair. Oh how she wanted to snuggle the little girl to death.

“Yeah,” she responded, scratching the back of her neck in physical discomfort. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Well, I noticed that you recognized me when you first came in,” he pointed out while rubbing his hands together. “Plus, I’ve never seen anyone else with naturally pink eyes before. It wasn’t that hard to see the build up to this reveal.”

“That’s fair.” Bee nodded her head awkwardly.
Weirdly enough, Gabriel did appear to be a carbon copy of Bee’s own human disguise, having many of the same physical features (except for the hair) it did. The comparison made her wonder what his demon form would end up looking like on the off chance he somehow died and ended up there. Granted that wasn’t something she was sure she wanted given that it was Hell. The confliction present within those thoughts caused her to push them aside for her to deal with later, wanting to focus more on the matter at hand.

It was quiet within the cafe with the only noise coming from passerby vehicles outside and the speakers in the ceiling, still playing the lively music that the Hive was known for.

“What do you want?” Gabriel broke the silence with the question.
“I heard about Manny,” she answered with a sigh, causing Gabriel to flinch, a wave of hurt crossing his face. It crushed Bee’s heart seeing it. Hell, she could feel the sorrow and grief emanating from Gabriel at the mere mention of his now late father. “I wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing,” she added, hoping he would hear the sincerity in her voice.

“When did you find out?” That was the one question Beelzebub had been hoping that Gabriel wouldn’t ask, and it was her own rotten luck at this point that he did so.

“Over a week ago,” she cringed, wanting to get it out of the way.

“It’s been nine months,” Gabriel pointed out with disbelief, causing Bee to cringe more at her own cluelessness.

“I know, I’m so sorry. I haven’t had time to check up on you lately. I just…” Beelzebub tried to explain only to be then cut off by Gabriel.

“That’s just bullsh*t!” Gabriel snapped, startling Beelzebub. She hadn’t expected him to get angry so quickly.

“Dios mío, you just expect me to welcome you with open arms like you haven’t been gone my entire life,” Gabriel continued as his anger intensified. “Yes, you made sure that me and papá were well off, but that does not equate to you being in my life.”

“I know, I just…I…” Beelzebub stuttered. She knew he had a point. She was already feeling guilty for not forgoing the lack of a response and visiting him. It would have been so easy to do so too. She had just been too scared to make that big of a leap until now.

“I needed you,” Gabe revealed, causing Beelzebub to freeze. “I’ve needed you for so long. You know what it’s like to spend your whole life thinking one of your parents didn’t love you. That they abandoned you.” Gabriel was angry. He was just releasing his own anger, anger that had been building up for nearly two and a half decades. Beelzebub understood this. Yet, the accusation awoke something within Beelzebub. Anger she herself had pushed down for thousands of years and, with Bee being the emotional person she was, it was about to come out.

“More than you could possibly imagine!” Beelzebub found herself standing up and shouting back at her son, resulting in him flinching back, both now standing and locked in a heated staring competition.

She did know what it was like to feel abandoned by a parent. Even before the war with Heaven all those years ago it had felt as though God had abandoned her and many of the others. This was made worse when, after Lucifer's fall, Beelzebub had introduced alcohol to humanity and therefore addiction, and was promptly kicked out of Heaven. All because she had wanted to help humanity, because she was tired of watching humanity slave away, Beelzebub had been made an outcast from her own home. God had seemingly turned his back on her for her accident, which had stung more than the fall itself. And it hurt even more knowing that she had done something similar to her own son. That was why she was so upset.

Gabriel seemed to back off however, picking up on her emotions. His angry gaze softened a bit before he turned away from her. Her son then began to walk around the coffee bar, spouting off various expletives in Spanish in what was a likely attempt to release some of his own anger. Beelzebub wasn’t sure what to do. So far all she had done was yell at him and make him upset at her very presence. She wasn’t sure if she should just leave now or stay. Leaving would be the easier option certainly.

Just tell him that you're sorry and that you’ll never visit him again after today. It was simple. But it was also a cop out. The words Belphegor had repeated to her all those years ago when she first began her weight loss journey ringing back in her head:

The easy way doesn’t solve anything, it just delays the problem at hand.

With those words in her head, Beelzebub shook the fear from her body and sat back down, waiting for Gabriel to cool off. Eventually, Gabriel stopped cursing. He was now behind the coffee bar facing her, his body facing her but his head looking down toward the counter. Gabriel was in the midst of rubbing circles around his knuckles. Beelzebub recognized it as a sort of mantra that was common amongst people with autism that she’d read about not long after discovering Gabriel had it.

“Look, Gabriel,” Beelzebub began, “I know you probably hate me and I can’t say I blame you. What I did was inexcusable no matter how hard I try to justify it.” She was tired of running from the excuses. She decided to take a page from Loona and admit to her faults, her failures here and now.

“No sh*t,” Gabriel muttered, looking back up at her, the anger in his eyes still there but toned down.

“But I want you to know that I never forgot about you.” Gabriel looked at her like she was telling her a bad joke.

“Could have fooled me considering that I haven’t heard from you in twenty four and a half years,” he retorted.

“Of course I did! I’ve been trying for two decades!” Was he really going to pretend that the letters she sent him didn’t matter? Beelzebub couldn’t have felt more hurt at the notion.

“What the Hell are you talking about?” Gabriel questioned with confusion written on his face. This casted doubt within Bee’s mind. Did he not get them? That was impossible right, she reasoned with herself. She’d checked and double checked the address and everything. She was sure it was the right address.

“Starting from when you turned three, I’ve been sending you yearly letters to you and your father. I wanted to at least try to have some part of your life. I even sent you birthday presents every year until you were eighteen.”

“Again. What are you talking about? I never got any of that,” Gabriel dismissed.

This shocked Beelzebub. Beelzebub knew Gabriel had a confident air to him, but he wasn’t exactly a good liar either. He could bluff and praise the quality within the cafe, which was well deserved, but telling an actual lie he could not do.

From her time spying on him from Hell, Beelzebub had made note of many of his quirks which included his ability to tell a lie. To call it subpar would be an understatement, and Lucifer would have been disappointed that a relative of his was such a terrible liar if he knew. And Gabriel was not lying.

“Look, just go okay,” Gabriel told her, snapping Beelzebub out of her thoughts. Gabriel looked frustrated more than anything, but Bee could hear his voice becoming tighter, indicating he was on the verge of snapping at her again.

“Gabe, please let me explain,” Beelzebub pleaded with him. She could see where this was going and it didn’t sit well with her.

“There is nothing to explain except that I don’t owe you anything,” he said with some venom as he walked out of the bar and toward her. “So just go, Bee.” He accentuated it by pointing toward the front doors.

There was so much hurt in Gabriel’s eyes as Bee looked into them. She didn’t want to go, to leave him and lose her chance with him. But he was still her son, and if she was the reason he was hurting…

“Okay,” Bee whispered, her voice soft and broken as her eyes rained a few salty tears. It was a good thing she had chosen not to wear any make-up, otherwise she’d look more like a mess than she wanted to look.

She had known that this would sting, but she hadn’t expected for the hole in her heart to be so large. She hadn’t expected for his words to pierce her worse than any angelic weapon. To burn more than being drenched in holy water. She had experienced both of those things and nothing could compare to the rejections she felt now. It was over. She had lost him.

But before she left, as she stood up from the table she was at, Beelzebub said to him, “I love you, Gabriel. I always have. I want you to know that.” She wasn’t sure how to gauge Gabriel’s reaction. His face was stone cold, but she could see it crumble slightly before rebuilding itself. Whether or not he heard the sincerity in her voice, Bee didn’t know. But she felt as though a burden had been lifted from her chest, however; that of holding onto what could have been. “Goodbye.”

And with that, her heart heavy, Beelzebub turned away from her son and walked toward the exit. She had failed. It shouldn’t have surprised her. And a part of her wanted to fight back. But Gabe was her son, and being a mother meant considering your own child’s feelings and emotions. Walking away was the hardest decision that she needed to make, but it was perhaps for the best. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason he got hurt, emotionally or physically. At the very least, she was able to get some closure on how Gabriel felt about her.

It felt like time had slowed as Beelzebub made her way toward the front doors of the cafe. Like time was trying to highlight Bee’s failure to her and make her suffer internally more than she already was.

She wondered if Loona and Vortex could see their conversation through the windows. Beelzebub could see them waiting outside where she left them, but she was too far away to see their reactions, and so they probably couldn’t see hers either. Maybe that was a good thing. She didn’t want to talk to them or anyone right now. She just wanted to lie down in her bed and release all of the sorrow she was feeling right now.

She was about to head out the front doors, her hand grabbing the door handle, when she heard Gabriel call out, “Wait!”

Turning around, Beelzebub found Gabriel staring at her pensively. His voice hesitating as he pulled back an arm that had been reaching out toward her. Beelzebub felt lightheaded, holding in her breath as she waited for her son to say something. Desperate for him to pull her back.

“Were you telling the truth about the letters and presents?” Gabriel asked, his gaze more thoughtful and considerate. She replied with another yes. Gabriel stared her down looking for any sort of lie within her, which Bee knew he wouldn’t find. Once he was done, Gabriel turned away and released another sigh as he placed a hand against his forehead.

“The address,” Gabriel started, his voice more neutral in tone. It appeared that a lot of the anger within him had dissipated, but Beelzebub could feel some tension emanating from her son. He was giving her a potential shot, and she wasn’t going to waste it. “The address you had them sent to. What was it?”

Initially, Beelzebub was going to speak it out loud for him before she decided to write down the address herself. She figured that doing so may help her determine whether or not she in fact had the right address or not. It would at least explain why he never got any of her letters or gifts.

Beelzebub pulled out a pen and notepad, always keeping a pair on her on the brief chance she needed to write something important down (given that she had a short attention span), and began to write down the address on the pad. Beelzebub ripped the piece of paper from the pad and held it out for Gabriel to take. “This is it, here,” she said.

Gently, Gabriel took the paper from her and began to examine it. It wasn’t long before there was some recognition in Gabriel’s eyes as he appeared to know the address, which made sense to Bee since it was one even he would be familiar with. Though that raised another question. If the address was right, then why did he never get any of my gifts?

When Bee had handed Gabriel over to Manny that cold January night, Beelzebub had known that Manny would need to change addresses at some point, so Beelzebub had the address she would use to contact him be his mother’s address. As far as she knew, it was still the same as it was the last time she’d sent Gabriel something.

“What’s your number?” Gabriel then asked, which Beelzebub also wrote down and gave to him just as quickly.

“666?” Gabriel queried, referring to her area code. “I thought that area code wasn’t in use.”

“It is,” Beelzebub replied. “Just in more isolated areas.”

“What kind of areas?”

“Look, Gabe,” Beelzebub began. She really wanted to spill everything to Gabriel. About what he was, what he was set to inherit eventually. His family in Hell. But only if he chose to accept her into his life. “There is so much about me, about my side of the family that I have to tell you about.”

“So then tell me now,” Gabriel insisted.

“I can’t. Not unless you decide to accept me,” she told him, which he rolled his eyes at. She got why he might be annoyed by that, but it was necessary for his own protection. He needed to be aware of just what he was getting into if she was going to tell him everything about her and his family.

“Don’t think of it as a spite against you, please,” she reassured him. “What I have to tell you is really secretive and the last thing I want is for the wrong people to learn about it.”

“What are you, royalty?”

“Not in the technical sense,” Bee tried to deflect. She knew that she was, but she never really liked being considered as such. Being royalty meant having all of this responsibility that went with it that felt unnecessary and just made her flat out uncomfortable. The title blatantly set her apart from her subjects, which was something that Beelzebub had reconciled her hatred for centuries ago. “I mean, me and your aunts and uncles do get seen as such and we do have major leadership roles.”

“Hold on,” Gabriel interrupted her. “I’ve got other aunts and uncles. How many?”

At that moment, Bee realized that she’d accidentally let that tidbit about his heritage slip. She also realized that she had a problem with revealing things that were on her mind that she probably shouldn’t mention. Yet, she knew that with it out there she might as well give him something. What better way to build some trust with him.

“Seven, maybe eight if your uncle Ozzie and his boyfriend get married. Oh who am I kidding, those two may as well be at this point.”

“Any cousins,” he asked, his interest clearly peaked and his eyes filled with wonder.

“Only one.”

“Really, only one?” he queried, in humorous disbelief. It was the first smile Bee had seen on him since she confirmed herself to be his mother.

“You would think otherwise, but yes,” she responded. Granted she adored Charlotte immensely. She treasured all of the times she brought Charlie along to be her little helper in the kitchen or all the times she and Charlie went shopping together. As a child, Charlie was the absolute most adorable little thing ever but, because of that, she wished that her siblings had had more children for her to dote on.

“Do any of them know about me? Gabriel questioned.

“Just one of your aunts. She was actually the one who delivered you,” Beelzebub replied. Though his response to that was to look at her darkly, as though he were disappointed with her.

“Were you ashamed of me? Am I some bastard child that you had hidden away from the rest of your family?” he rattled off, upset by what she’d admitted to him. Once again, it hit Bee that she’d revealed something hurtful to him just as she had at the start of the conversation. Only this time, just as Gabriel was about to speak, she interrupted him to set things straight.

“It was never like that. You're my only child and I wasn’t ashamed of you,” Beelzebub tried to correct him, holding her hands up in defense. Walking over toward her son, she gently picked up his hand and rubbed it softly. He seemed to pull away at first before stopping midway and letting her hold his hand without consequence.

Looking into his eyes, she continued, “Look Gabe, like I told you before, there are certain things about my side of the family that I can’t tell you. At least not here. I need you to trust me though that I will explain everything to you. If you let me, that is. If not, I’ll leave and never come back. Just tell me, please.”

Gabriel didn’t immediately respond at first. He appeared to be mentally processing what she had told him while deciding how to answer. Bee could feel the indecision and frustration within him as he did so, clearly uncertain as to what to do. Looking away from her, he asked, “How do I know you’re not lying about any of this?”

“Do you feel that I’m lying?” Bee replied in turn. She had chosen to use the word ‘feel’ specifically when asking that question because, if she was correct, Gabriel was an empath just like her. Gabriel inspected her for a moment. He then let out a sigh and shook his head.

“Don’t think your honesty means that we’re okay,” he said in response and rather coldly as well.

“I know,” Beelzebub said. She knew it would take some time before he let her into his life completely. Just hearing him call her by her name and not mom earlier stung deeply. “I know I have a lot to prove to you.” Gabe nodded his head at that. He then pulled his hand away from his mother and proceeded to walk over toward the front doors while signaling for him to follow her.

As the two walked toward the front doors, Gabriel told her, “If you don’t hear from me by tomorrow night, then I think you get the picture,” he told her. Beelzebub wished that remark had stunned her, but it hadn’t. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she could feel that Gabriel still wasn’t ready to sit down and talk with her. He needed time.

“Okay,” she muttered as a reply.

“How long will you be in town?”

“Until Sunday,” she quickly replied. She needed to keep him in the dark about her being a demon for now, so she had to fib before adding, “But I can put all of my businesses on hold if you want to talk after that.”

“Really, you have that much power?” he queried with another raised eyebrow.

“Far more than you think,” she mentioned. And she was not referring to her power as a queen.

Just before he went to open the door for her, he appeared to freeze. Bee could feel the conflicting emotions within her son well up again and proceeded to hold his hand. Gabriel didn’t seem to fight it this time.

Then, Gabe looked at her and said, “I’m not good at the whole ‘sharing your emotions’ thing, I honestly don’t know why I haven’t kicked you to the curb.” The last part of the statement was harsh, but she understood it.

“Why didn’t you?” she found herself asking, curious as to his response.

He paused for a moment before explaining, “I’ve always been good at perceiving people’s emotions and feelings, and I could tell you were at least being sincere. According to the Internet, I’m what you would call an empath.” Beelzebub couldn’t help but release a soft laugh at that confirmation. Even if he was a human, he still had some latent demonic powers activated within him. If only he knew that it went deeper than him being an empath.

“Yeah, so am I,” Beelzebub replied.

“Well that explains it I guess. Also explains why I have no understanding of personal boundaries,” he joked bluntly. Instantly, Beelzebub burst into laughter at her son’s joke which in turn led to him chuckling a bit as well, erasing some of the tension in the room. Beelzebub hadn’t been expecting to cry tears of laughter, but she’d take them over tears of sadness.

Whether Gabe realized that he was taking a dig at his mother or not, Bee found the roast hilarious. She was sure Loona and Vortex, if they heard it, would be desperately trying to hold back their own laughter. Maybe her son did have some hope in the joke department after all.

Once she finally finished laughing, Bee gazed at her son with pride and love. Gabriel in response sheepishly looked away from her, starting to feel uncomfortable again from the affection coming from her.

“But for real though,” Gabriel continued, “Papa never had a bad thing to say about you. Even after all these years, I think he still had his heart set on you.”

“That does sound like your father. Even for the short time I knew him, he was always the hopeless romantic,” Beelzebub reflected, recalling how he’d proposed marriage between the both of them in an attempt to get her to stay.

A part of her wondered what would have happened if she had said yes all those years ago. Would she and him have been able to hide their secret from Lucifer? Would she have completely fallen for the human? She wasn’t sure but, as she had learned these last couple days, the past was never something to dwell on.

“I really do want you to know that I meant it when I said I love you,” she reiterated while putting a hand on his shoulder. “Just give me a chance, please.”

Taking a breath, Gabriel replied, “I’ll consider it.” Although it wasn’t a definite answer, Bee could feel that he was leaning more toward accepting her offer, causing her to smile hopefully.

With that Gabriel opened the door for her and Bee stepped outside. Turning around, Beelzebub gave an awkward smile and waved goodbye to her son who gave his own wave goodbye as he closed the door softly. Through the glass doors, Bee could see Gabriel change the sign on the door from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’. He looked at her one final time before turning around and heading back inside.

As she turned around, she noticed Loona and Vortex rushing over to her from where they were sitting, concern etched into their faces.

Bee, you okay?” Vortex questioned worryingly.

“You’ve been crying Bee,” Loona stated, referring to the dried tear marks beneath the Deadly Sin’s eyes. “Did…did he tell you…,” Loona started but was unable to finish her sentence on account of Beelzebub’s dismal expression.

Bee shook her head and replied, “No, but I’ll explain everything as soon as I get a drink in me, okay.”

Vortex and Loona looked at her with concern, but ultimately decided to not press her on the issue. Nevertheless, Vortex placed an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders which she leaned into as they walked away from the cafe and back toward a more secluded area to portal back to Hell. Loona too held onto Bee’s opposite hand to comfort her, which Bee was truly grateful for.

Gabriel’s response wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no either. And Beelzebub could live with that for now. She just needed to believe that he would eventually say yes by tomorrow night.

Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Decisions, Decisions

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

Manny was nervous. Beelzebub had left last night after they finished hashing the details for how Gabriel would be taken care of before she needed to head back. She promised to be back today in the afternoon with more baby supplies to ‘last him a lifetime’ as she put it. He had no doubt about that given how much money she was already giving him.

As for their son, Gabriel was sound asleep in the crib which Manny had moved into his room before he went to sleep. Fortunately, Gabriel only woke him up once last night, needing his diaper to be changed. Right now, Gabriel was sound asleep in his crib which was still in Manny’s room.

But none of that was what he was nervous about. No, that went to who was about to show up at his apartment. As soon as he’d woken up that morning, Manny had made a call over to his mother and Sofia asking them to come over to his apartment for breakfast, telling them he had a big announcement for the two of them.

He believed a gathering under the guise of a family breakfast would soften the blow of what he would tell them. By how much, Manny hopelessly prayed that it was by a lot.

His mother had been happy for the call and had been more overjoyed when he asked her to come over for his surprise. It had been a couple weeks since he last visited her. He had a hunch she’d be excited to be a grandmother, right after scolding him for being stupid that was.

His sister had been skeptical, asking him if he was alright due to hearing the nervousness in his voice. Manny rarely ever got nervous. Even after what he’d seen in the Persian Gulf, Manny Grimm was still as confident as ever in his demeanor. So of course his own sister would pick out the slight changes in his voice when he called her. Nevertheless, despite it being so sudden, she agreed to show up once he told her that their mother would also be showing up.

Currently, at about nine in the morning, Manny was in the midst of cooking up a simple breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, and toast. As he placed the plates of scrambled eggs and sausage over at the breakfast table, he could hear the tea kettle whistling from the counter, telling him that it was ready. Taking a few coffee cups from the cabinet, he poured the tea into all three cups and set them over at the table.

Just as he finished setting up the kitchen table, about an hour after calling his mother and sister, Manny heard a knock on his door followed by his sister’s voice calling behind it. Opening the door he was met by his mother and sister, both of whom were wearing heavy coats (and his mother a scarf) around themselves. He welcomed them inside and pulled out their seats at the table for them to sit at while they hung their coats and scarves on the rack.

His mother, Maria Grimm, was about five foot one with skin the color of bronze and soft spoken eyes the color of amber just like his. Her age could be seen from her facial features, having some wrinkles around her cheeks and forehead, and there was a lock of gray hair standing out in the open amongst the pitch black locks of her hair, which was styled in a tousled lob cut.

But aside from the wrinkles and gray hairs, his grandmother had aged well for someone in her mid-fifties. She was currently wearing a white knit sweater and some black sweatpants. Around her neck was a beaded silver cross that their father had allegedly given her when they last saw each other.

His sister on the other hand, Sofia Grimm, was a carbon copy of their mother. The only differences being the lack of wrinkles and gray hairs, with said hair being done in a pixie cut, and Sofia standing four inches taller than her. She also had more muscle than their mother given that Sofia regularly worked out just like Manny did. Her outfit consisted of her usual, an indigo henley shirt and jeans as well as a pair of studded gold earrings.

In terms of personality, his sister had always been the no nonsense type of girl who never took no for an answer. Not in the spoiled brat type of way, but rather the proactive feminist making waves and change everywhere she went. Even growing up, Sofia had always been tough on those around her.

She was never the best when it came to expressing her emotions, treating everything almost robotically, and the majority of her dates always ended in disaster because of this. Although, Manny did hear from her that she had made it to date three on her latest boyfriend. Maybe this guy would be the one for her.

Sofia’s eyes, which at the moment were judgemental toward him (seriously, how did she always seem to know when he was in trouble), were a dark gray. According to their mother, her eyes were the same color as that of their father’s, much to Sofia’s own chagrin. While Manny was not a fan of their father for leaving their mother, Sofia held a burning rage for the illusive man that even Manny wasn’t sure what the origin of was.

As his mother and sister sat down at the kitchen table, Manny found himself feeling more jumpy with his nerves on high alert. He knew he was about to be scolded big time.

“It’s so nice for you to invite me over, pequeño,” she told him. Even as an adult, it softened Manny a bit to be called by that nickname. “I do enjoy getting to spend time with the both of you?” Despite her initially smiling warmly at him, said smile had faltered somewhat into a grimace after noticing Manny being a nervous wreck. His mother always knew when something was bothering her children, a trait she’d passed on to Sofia.

“Yeah, I do miss these moments,” his sister admitted. While often speaking cold and calculated, Manny knew his sister loved their family more than anything. “But why exactly did you invite us over? You said it was something important?”

“Well you see-,” he started as he fiddled with his hands before he was interrupted by loud crying coming from his bedroom.

“Is that a baby, pequeño?” his mother inquired, looking over his shoulder toward his bedroom with instant recognition as to what the sound was. It made sense that she of all people would know considering she at one point had two of them to deal with.

“Why is there a crying baby in your room?” his sister then added, just as bewildered by the crying echoing into the kitchen.

Scratching the back of his neck, Manny said with a perturbed laugh, “Well Sofia, do you remember that one night stand I had some nine months back?” His sister was quiet for a moment before her left eye began twitching, picking up on the implications that he had dropped. Of course, she’d remember a conversation involving something I did wrong , he thought with annoyance just as his sister burst into shouting.

“Hijo de puta triste!” Sofia swore loudly, standing up from the table so suddenly that it shook. “I told you that you should have made sure to wear a condom.” Manny tried to shush her so as to not make Gabriel anymore upset, but she just kept going, telling him off about how irresponsible he was (even though he usually wasn’t) and how he should be prepared for things like this being that he came from a military background (which didn’t really apply to this situation but okay).

“That is enough,” Maria hissed, causing Sofia to flinch. Even Sofia knew never to get on their mother’s bad side even after moving out of her house.

“I know that your anger toward Manny is your way of showing you care for him, but do try to remember that you are still his sister,” she scolded. Sofia’s response was to look away from her, though the slightly guilty facial expressions she was making showed that she got the message their mother was sending.

“Thank you ma-ouch,” Manny groaned as he was forcibly bent down, finding his ear being pinched tightly by his mother, who now was wearing a devious smirk across her lips. Honestly, with his sister yelling at him, he had completely forgotten about her. “Scolding this ‘Alborotador’ here is my job after all.”

“Come on mama,” Manny pleaded. “I know it was irresponsible and I am taking accountability!”

“I know you are,” she said before releasing his ear. Manny’s hand instantly went to rub the pained area as he looked at his mother, who now had her arms crossed while she looked at him sternly. “Now, go get me my grandchild, pequeño.”

“Yes, mama,” he sighed, knowing better than to keep his mother waiting. When Mama Maria expected you to do something you did it, no questions asked.

When he walked out of his bedroom with Gabriel in tow, the baby sucking from a bottle of baby formula, his mother had gasped before rushing over and taking the baby from Manny. His mother had instantly cried a few tears at hearing what her new grandchild’s name was, a reminder of the brother she had lost long ago, before she hugged her son.

Even his sister had managed to soften up at the sight of her new nephew. Eventually, once Sofia and his mother were finished fawning over their new family member, the trio decided to take the time to finally eat the breakfast meal before it became cold.

“So where is the mother?” his mother asked, Gabriel seated on her lap while she ate breakfast.

“Yes, where is this woman,” his sister joined, a hint of annoyance at the mention of the woman who mothered her nephew. “Don’t tell me she just dropped him off at your front door.”

Manny shook his head and began the lengthy explanation about Bee. He told them that she had shown up last night and had left earlier to get more supplies for him to Gabriel with. His mother seemed to accept the explanation, but his sister had caught on to his phrasing of him raising Gabriel specifically.

When he tried to explain Bee’s predicament, without mentioning that she was a demon, his sister had become upset, going off about how he was too nice and he was being taken advantage of by some adult party girl. In hindsight, he should have made up a story of her dying or something morbid. His mother, however, hadn’t said a peep about the matter. Instead she was deep in thought, for which Manny was grateful for. One less person yelling at him.

“She just can’t, Sofia,” Manny hissed, wanting to keep things quiet so as not to upset Gabriel.

“What do you mean she can’t, Manny,” she inquired heatedly. This was starting to draw parallels to their father, but that wasn’t the case at all as far as Manny was concerned. Yet he still needed to calm her down before she got explosive. “Is she just flaking out on you?”

“No nothing like that, she’s just-” he tried to explain before his mother finished his sentence for him.

“Not of this plane of existence,” his mother had said knowingly. Normally, Manny would have rolled his eyes at such a statement, but the fact that it was accurate to a ‘T’ was concerning. How did his mother know?

“I beg your pardon, mama.”

“When I first walked inside,” his mother remarked. “I could have sworn I felt the remnants of a powerful aura.” An aura, what was his mother talking about? She wasn’t a psychic, as far as Manny knew anyway. “At first, I thought it was…” His mother paused as her eyes settled on Sofia, who was gazing at her angrily.

“Sofia,” Manny whispered worryingly. Sofia rarely ever became angry, but when she did it was a literal explosion. And his sister right now was about to blow.

“Please, pequeña, I know you are upset about your father-” her mother stated as a matter of fact. After this comment, her sister finally blew up.

“Dios mío, why wouldn’t I be upset, mama. He wouldn’t even stay for either of us!” she replied angrily. Did his sister remember their father? Manny thought Sofia didn’t remember their father given that he left not long after Manny was born (when Sofia was four years old), but apparently this wasn’t the case. He felt hurt that she hadn't told him this.

“What does she mean, mama?” he inquired of his mother.

“It means that you and I are not so different after all, Manuel,” she said before giving Gabriel over to a still fuming Sofia. Their mother gave the young woman a nasty glare telling her to be quiet while handing the baby over. She then held both of her son’s hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

“I know you think I am some naive woman,” she relayed depressingly, shaking her head. “Waiting for some cobarde sin carácter to return home. But, pequeño,” his mother murmured softly, putting a hand along his cheek. “Our family has always had a tendency to attract those of greater power, those who cannot be with their loved ones because of who they are.”

“What are you saying?” he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. What was his mother talking about? That’s when the similarities between his current situation, between Beelzebub and what his mother had said about his father. A person who loved their family but was forced to leave because of who they were. That had been what his mother had said, and it was why Beelzebub also had to leave.

“Papa,” he whispered, his voice slightly trembling. Is she saying that papa is…

Suddenly, a portal opened up in the living room and startled the trio. Just as quickly as it opened, Beelzebub (who was not in her human disguise) had stepped through carrying several large shopping bags in each of her four arms.

“Okay Manny, so I know I’m early but I was able to get all these great deals on all of this…,” Beelzebub began before pausing once she noticed the other two women in the apartment with Manny and Gabriel. Her arms went limp with surprise at the two unknown visitors, resulting in her dropping the bags unceremoniously onto the floor. Though the fact that she didn’t immediately attack was a likely indicator of Manny’s own unthreatened stance.

“Oh, you have visitors,” she stated, still in shock over being seen by two complete strangers in her demon form, the portal closing behind her. His sister had jumped backward, frightened by the woman while his mother didn’t seem phased at all by her presence. Suddenly, the theory about his father was starting to become credible.

“Bee, meet my mother and sister,” he said awkwardly, motioning over to them before motioning his arm back toward Bee. “Mom, Sofia, this is Bee,”

“Maria,” his mother introduced herself calmly and with an unapologetic smile, her arm outstretched for Beelzebub to shake, which she awkwardly did so.

“Beelzebub,” greeted Bee in turn, albeit with some hesitation on her part.

“Beelzebub?” Sofia muttered in both recognition and disbelief. “Mierda, Manny, really?” She looked at her brother incredulously as she said this. All Manny could do was slap a hand against his forehead in frustration.

This was not how he’d wanted this breakfast to go.

. . .

Loona

Ok, maybe we need to stop her , Loona thought as she watched Beelzebub go on an alcohol binge.

Following Beelzebub entering that cafe her son helped run, Loona and Vortex sat outside at Bee’s behest so that she could handle talking to him on her own. Vortex had been hesitant to leave her alone at first, but Loona and Beelzebub had convinced him that Bee could handle herself.

With the glare of the sun on the front windows it was difficult to see what was happening inside. So to distract themselves from what was happening, the two hellhounds engaged in small talk to get to better know each other.

Loona was surprised to learn that Vortex hadn’t grown up in an orphanage, but rather in a rundown apartment complex along with his siblings and mother throughout his childhood. Loona could have been envious, but even Loona knew better to let herself be jealous over that. Growing up where she did taught her that you needed to be grateful for whatever scraps you could get. Vortex and his siblings just happened to be fortunate enough to not be screwed over like her and so many other hellhound pups.

When she asked him what had happened to his father, Vortex had initially clammed up. Loona apologized and offered to change the subject, but Vortex told her it was okay while admitting that his father had passed away during one of the yearly exterminations. Loona gave her sympathies with Vortex adding that losing him had really messed him up afterwards. Loona recalled him mentioning how he knew what it was like to let envy and anger affect how he interacted with others, but she didn’t want to open that specific can of worms out in the open so she chose to change the subject to what living with Bee was like.

According to Vortex, it was both nice and uncomfortable. It was nice because he could now afford to buy and indulge in certain niceties that he normally couldn’t before. That and he could now afford to help his mother by paying off much of her debts. Even if money wasn’t the reason he was courting Beelzebub, Vortex couldn’t deny that doing so had its perks.

What made it uncomfortable, however, was that it was not something he was used to. The first few months of having an unlimited amount of money at his disposal had been odd to say the least because he had no idea what to do with any of it. He hadn’t even wanted to take any of Bee’s money, but she insisted saying that he might know how to put it to good use better than her. That level of trust had stunned Vortex the first time he’d heard it since he was a hellhound (the lowest on the societal chain in Hell), but it cemented within him how much Beelzebub trusted him, and he wasn’t going to betray that trust.

Plus, living in a fancy mansion where servants could be at his beck and call left a bad taste in Vortex's mouth since he always had to work for everything he did prior to meeting Beelzebub. It was why he had taken the job with Verosika, alongside several other bodyguarding positions, in the first place. Loona found herself relating to the issue as she too felt uncomfortable whenever Stolas’ servants asked her if she needed anything. Sure both royals treated and paid their staff decently enough, but that didn’t change the fact that things like servants were not normal for hounds like them.

She also learned during their conversation just how he and Beelzebub first met. According to the hellhound, he had been dared by another partygoer to stack some of the couches together and lift them. Being a little drunk, Vortex had foolishly accepted the dare. Miraculously, Vortex had managed to complete the task without being crushed to death.

Right after, Vortex had been greeted by the Sin herself, who congratulated him on his accomplishment. The two engaged in conversation and became quick friends, and then lovers after another couple months. Loona joked that Vortex sounded like the stereotypical steroid jockey from how he depicted himself. Vortex admitted awkwardly that he had been somewhat of a meat head in his late teens and early twenties but that being with Bee had allowed him to mature with some intelligence to contradict his muscular build.

After about twenty minutes of small talk, according to Loona’s phone, the pair heard the cafe doors and checked to see if it was Beelzebub. They had seen several other people leave the cafe, some customers and others dressed like employees, but many of them gave the pair strange looks. Loona wasn’t sure if it was because they were strangers or not, but she decided to just ignore them instead of flipping people like that off like she usually did. The last thing she wanted was negative attention.

Sure enough, the person stepping outside of the cafe was none other than Bee herself, and seeing her instantly raised multiple red flags for the hellhound. Even from a distance, Loona could see dried tear marks beneath Bee’s depressed eyes and her body language told Loona that the Deadly Sin was upset. Vortex must have seen it too because he took off like a bat out of hell toward the hurt Beelzebub, with Loona following right behind.

When they had reached her, Bee had tried to play things off like she was fine, but Vortex wasn’t having it and neither was Loona. Bee promised to tell them everything but that she needed some alcohol in her system. So, her and Vortex taking opposite sides of the Sin, they proceeded to walk her back to a secluded area before portaling into Beelzebub and Vortex’s bedroom.

After her second bottle of champagne, Beelzebub considered herself buzzed enough to begin explaining to the pair what had happened in the cafe. She explained to the two how she had initially tried to play herself off as some random passerby customer looking to try out a new place. They had needed to move Bee back on track after she began to vividly describe the honey pie she’d eaten. Though hearing about it made Loona crave something sweet herself.

After revealing her identity to Gabriel, what followed was a depressing recounting by Beelzebub of all of the ups and downs their conversation took. From Gabriel going on his own tangent against Bee, to her nearly being sent away by Gabriel, and to the hopeful note that the encounter had ended on, it was all a lot to process.

But the one thing that kept coming back to her head and perplexed Loona greatly was the fact that Gabriel seemed to be telling the truth about never receiving any of Bee’s correspondence. Something wasn’t adding up, but none of the three demons could figure out what or who had intercepted the letters and presents over the years.

On the bright side, Gabriel hadn’t completely sent her off. He was considering letting her in his life, but Loona was concerned that he may say no. While Loona understood that Gabriel had every right to say no, she really hoped to Satan that he didn’t. She wasn’t sure if she could handle seeing Bee depressed again, nor was she sure Bee could handle this final rejection.

Right now, Loona and Vortex were sitting by the kitchenette while Beelzebub was drinking from her fifth bottle of champagne, and she still wasn’t drunk yet. Loona wondered just how anyone had that high of an alcohol tolerance when she knew she couldn’t make it past one champagne bottle without falling on the floor. At this point, Loona was starting to become concerned that they should stop Bee before she started to become tipsy, and glancing over at Vortex told her he had similar concerns as well. Bee wasn’t going to get over this by drinking her sorrows away.

Yet, at this point in the conversation, neither Loona nor Vortex were sure what else to say. The whole thing felt awkward and neither knew what else to say to cheer up Bee aside from telling her that Gabriel may say yes. Loona needed something to break the ice, something to draw Bee’s mind away from this whole thing. Anything.

“So that’s a nice jacket,” she blurted out. Catching Bee’s attention mid sip. Even Vortex was looking at her incredulously at the randomness of the statement. With a cough, Loona tried to play it off by saying, "Sorry, that was random as hell, I-,” before Beelzebub interrupted her with a boisterous chuckle at the statement. Loona in turn laughed awkwardly as Beelzebub set the champagne bottle down and flew over to sit next to the silver furred hellhound, placing an arm over her shoulder.

“Your stuff is nice too. Not exactly your usual goth schtick though,” Beezlebub remarked while fingering the neck of Loona’s blouse. The statement earned a raised eyebrow from Loona who wasn’t sure of the intention of the statement. Beelzebub seemed to recognize this when she added, “I don’t mean that in a bad way, girl. You look good in anything you wear.”

“Thanks,” responded while attempting to cover her blushing muzzle after the compliment. Why do her compliments get to me like that? Bee’s observation wasn’t off though. Loona wasn’t in her usual attire, reflecting just how quickly she’d needed to rush out of her and Blitz’s apartment. Personally, while she preferred her goth attire over the plain outfit she was wearing, Loona could admit that she still did look nice in it.

“How are you feeling, Bee?” Vortex jumped in, a small smile on his face at Bee’s usual unbounded antics.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” Bee grimaced, her colors a dark gray as she leaned back against the kitchenette and stared at the ceiling. “I feel like my heart is about to burst, but I feel more crushed and empty than a beer can at a frat party.”

“With what happened today, I’d argue that that’s normal,” Vortex commented, moving over next to his girlfriend.

“Regardless however, there are a few things about myself I need to change,” she affirmed with a sigh. Vortex frowned at the statement.

“You know I love you the way you are Bee,” Vortex said, leaning over and laying a few soft kisses along Bee’s neck, causing the Deadly Sin to shiver in delight.

“I know you do, Texy, but I’m not talking about my personality,” Bee corrected, confusing the gray hellhound. “I mean like my partying habits. I want to be someone Gabriel would be proud of standing next to,” she added, a tear falling down her face before whispering, “Even if he never is.”

“Bee, you already are someone who he can be proud of,” Vortex comforted, placing a kiss on Bee’s lips in an attempt to get her to stop insulting herself unjustly. Loona too could admit that while Bee had her issues, what she had turned Gluttony into was arguably something for her to be proud of. What in Heaven’s sake is Bee talking about , Loona questioned internally.

“So, me getting so f*cked up from drugs that I wake up in a dumpster with new tattoos is something to be proud of?” she asked rhetorically. Vortex coughed a bit in shock at the statement before laughing awkwardly. Welp, Bee has a point there.

“Okay, maybe you could stop doing that,” Vortex rectified with a higher tone of voice, shrugging his shoulders.

“So no more parties?” Loona asked, recalling her conversation with Beelzebub a couple hours earlier. That was gonna suck if she chose not to go through with hosting them anymore. Though she’d only been to that one two months back, and it hadn’t started all that great, Loona had grown to enjoy it by the end.

“Oh I still plan to throw a few parties here and there. Maybe just once a month instead of every week,” Beelzebub clarified. “It'll give me more time to focus on business in and out of Gluttony.” That was a fair reason, Loona could agree. Despite how depressing the atmosphere was, Loona could sense a newfound determination brimming within the bee-fox demon.

“No more hardcore drugs either,” Beelzebub added.

“I’m sure Belphegor will be happy to hear that,” Vortex commented.

“Yeah, she probably won’t have to change the locks anymore, now that I’m going sober,” Bee stated proudly.

“You know that going sober means not using drugs or alcohol, right?” Loona joked with a smirk. Though, now that she thought about it, wasn’t alcohol technically a drug? Loona chose not to mentally press further onto the question.

“As queen, being sober is what I make it to be,” Bee declared with a faux royal accent, which earned an eye roll and a chuckle from the two hellhounds next to her. At the very least, some color had returned to Bee’s stomach and tail.

In an attempt to get Bee’s mind off of her son for the time being, the two decided to press Beelzebub on what she planned to use her extra time for now that she wasn’t using it for planning parties. Eventually, the conversation teetered toward her plans for expanding her hold on hellhound adoption outside of Gluttony.

“Hold it,” Loona interrupted. “You really don’t have any control over hellhound adoption in the other rings.” Loona knew from her research that Beelzebub didn’t have that much control over the hellhound adoption system in rings outside of her own. But not having any? That didn’t make any sense in Loona’s mind for a very specific detail related to her own adoption by Blitz.

“Nope, not an inch,” Beelzebub clarified, taking another sip from the champagne bottle. “I have been trying for years to get some control, but so far nothing.”

“So then why was your name on my adoption certificate?” Just as Loona asked her query however, the champagne bottle in Bee’s hands shattered into pieces, crushed by the force of her grip. Loona and Vortex might have been concerned about the broken glass into Bee’s palm and fingers if not for the growing air of tension that had instantly begun emanating from the Deadly Sin.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” she asked menacingly, her eyes twitching ferociously. Suddenly, Loona regretted ever choosing to bring it up.

Loona knew she didn’t need to be afraid of Beelzebub as she knew the anger wasn’t directed toward her. Still, out of fear that it might turn toward her, Loona pulled out her phone and showed Bee a picture of when her father adopted her. Beelzebub took the phone from the hellhound and began staring intensely at it, scanning her eyes over the adoption certificate Blitz was giddily holding.

“Oh you didn't know about that,” Loona stated awkwardly, shrinking back a little as she noticed Bee’s stomach and tail somehow turned a deeper shade of red than they already were. Loona took this as an opportunity to pluck her phone back from Beelzebub before she broke it in her hands like the champagne bottle.

“Those motherf*ckers!” Beelzebub shouted, her body growing into her true demon and towering over the two hellhounds. During her growth spurt, the queen had accidentally broken some of the kitchenette stools. “Using my goddamn name like that!”

A part of Loona considered trying to talk Beelzebub down, but then the other part of her wanted to see her kill someone.

There was a lot of abuse and corruption that occurred within the hellhound orphanages in Greed and Pride, and the fact that Bee’s name was tied to it without her knowing was more than justifiably enough to make her enraged. If Loona knew one thing for certain, it was that someone was about to get their ass chewed out, and not in a good way as Blitz would put it.

However, without warning, Bee’s face shifted from furious anger to contemplative thought as she put a finger to her chin. The Sin quickly shrunk back down to size in this position before an evil grin appeared across her muzzle.

“Bee you good?” Vortex asked. The evil grin Beelzebub was sporting was a bit unsettling to the pair.

“Oh yeah, never better,” Beelzebub with an unusually perky tone. “It just occurred to me that I might be able to use that as leverage. So thank you for telling me about that, Loona.”

“Um, you’re welcome,” Loona said, unsure as to what Bee was referring to, but thankful that Beelzebub was no longer big enough to crush her with her fist. Holy sh*t, what the hell had I been thinking back then , Loona berated herself after thinking back to that party two months back.

After calming down from her outburst, the trio got to work on cleaning the mess Bee had made. Well, at least Loona did. Vortex had set Bee down while he carefully pulled the glass from the champagne bottle from her hand, a first aid kit next to him which he used a sewing kit from to sew up the deeper gashes on Bee’s hand.

Just as Loona had finished sweeping up the broken glass and wood pieces scattered on the floor and dumped them in the trash, Beelzebub then asked Vortex, “Tex, could you do me a favor?” To which Vortex instantly nodded his head. “Could you quickly go over to my office and get me my monthly planner from my desk? The pink one.” Vortex replied that he would before heading out of the room.

With him gone, it was just Beelzebub and Loona in the room. At the moment, Beelzebub was texting someone with one of her non-bandaged hands while Loona was on the phone with Blitz.

He had called asking her how everything was, to which she replied that everything went well and that she was hanging out with Bee at her place. He told her to be safe and to bring back the van in one piece.

After saying goodbye, Loona set her phone and her pocket and looked over at Beelzebub. The Sin was burrowing holes into her phone with the intense gaze she was giving it. Loona wondered just who it was she was communicating with. Whoever it was, just how hard Bee was typing with her fingers showed that she was likely angry with them.

Obviously, Beelzebub was still upset about what Loona had revealed to her earlier and the Queen of Gluttony was likely communicating with someone within the orphanage system. Loona was grateful that she wasn’t at the end of that conversation as she had a feeling she’d be sh*tting herself.

Speaking of which, Loona thought back to how angry Bee had been earlier. In just two months Loona had seen Beelzebub in her true demon form on three separate occasions.

And all of it was instigated by something Loona had said. Granted the last two times were unintentional, but Loona was a little upset, feeling like she easily infuriated the Sin by being in her presence.

It brought to mind something she had been meaning to do for a while now but hadn’t, but she wasn’t sure if she should try it with Bee with her still a bit tense. Nevertheless, Loona decided to bite the bullet and talk to Beelzebub about what had been bugging her.

“You know, I don’t think I ever apologized to you for how I acted back when we first met,” she said sheepishly, catching Bee’s attention. “So, sorry.” Scratching her arms, Loona was nervous as to what Beelzebub would say. Fortunately, Beelzebub smiled warmly at her and took her hand, the tension from earlier dissipating.

“Apology accepted,” she replied softly before she herself seemed to shrink in her seat a bit. “At the same time though, I can’t really blame you, I can be really in your face with people and come off as rude,” Bee replied self-consciously.

“My crush on Vortex wasn’t helping things either,” Loona pointed out, to which Beelzebub laughed.

“Well, for what it’s worth, Vortex is a real catch,” Beelzebub admitted with a frown. “I don’t like reading them, but a lot of those gossip magazines like to say that Vortex is the lucky one.” Beelzebub sighed while shaking her head.

“Truth is, I’m the lucky one,” she continued somberly. “Guys like my Texy are one in a million. It takes a lot of patience to put up with someone as obnoxiously perky and blissfully ignorant like me, but Tex does it and I love him for it all the more.”

Now, Loona could argue that Bee wasn’t any easy person to get along with given how personal and obnoxious she could be. But it wasn’t like she was trying to get on people’s nerves. It was just a part of her personality. Bee appeared to be aware of it, but her tone of voice indicated that she didn’t hate herself for it either. Loona wondered if Beelzebub ever shared this kind of information with the other Sins. She and Belphegor looked close if Bee’s Sinstagram was anything to go by, but that didn’t necessarily equate to them sharing everything about each other.

Then it hit her that Beelzebub may not actually have many friends to begin with, this being a combination of Bee’s personality and her status as a Queen of Hell. There probably weren’t that many who felt comfortable or brave enough to get to know such a volatile person.

Only now was it hitting Loona why Beelzebub clung so tightly to her, why Bee loved Vortex so much, because they were some of the only people who had bothered to stick around, who understood her on an emotional level and saw beyond status. It was a depressing revelation that made Loona pity Beelzebub. It must have been lonely for her. Throwing all of these parties and not having anyone to share it all with, at least before Vortex came along. Wait a minute…

“By the way, where is Tex? I’d have thought he’d be back by now,” Loona asked. It had been a while now since Vortex had left for Bee’s office. Loona would have thought he’d be back by now.

“Eh, my office is on the other side of the mansion,” Beelzebub elaborated. That still didn’t exactly explain to Loona why he was taking so long. Then again, it was also possible that the hellhound could have been on the phone with someone. Regardless of the reasons, Loona decided to drop the query before moving onto another question of hers.

“I gotta ask, why do you like me so much?”

“What do you mean?” Beelzebub questioned, confused at the very nature of the question.

“I mean, I’m just some random hellhound with attitude problems that you met at a party,” Loona elaborated. “And you suddenly like me after the first thing I say. Vortex mentioned that I apparently reminded you of a more broody version of yourself, but I have no idea what any of that means.”

Beelzebub didn't say anything for a moment, instead choosing to stare blankly into nothing as she processed Loona’s statement. As the seconds passed, Bee’s expression slowly became more glum. Loona was worried about where Bee’s train of thought was taking her before the Deadly Sin finally began answering her query.

“You know I was a broken wreck after the fall. When I first read you, I could feel some of your own baggage,” she started. Loona wasn’t sure how to take that. Knowing that Bee had read her emotions before meeting her and still was so overly forward with her. Though it hadn’t been like she’d tried to point it out or use it against her. That wasn’t Bee’s style as Loona had learned and the Sin really had been trying to be nice.

“Sorry, I’m not really this much of a downer most of the time,” Beelzebub apologized.

“I must be contagious then,” Loona joked bitterly. It was a common way of life for her to sometimes bring down the mood with her baggage. Or at least that was how Loona felt. The hellhound had never really bothered to ask any of her friends how they felt about her opening up to them about some of her insecurities for fear of being ostracized.

“Nah, you’re nothing but joyful to be around, Loona,” Beelzebub rebutted passionately, startling Loona a bit. It wasn’t often that she was told something like that.

“But anyway, at the same time though, I could feel from you that you had this burning fire inside of you. This bright, beautiful and eclipsing sunlight that wanted to shine over everything. That wanted to show the world what she was made of. No f*cks given,” Beelzebub continued to list off, enamoring Loona with praise. It made Loona uncomfortable because of how unused to it she was.

“My point is, when I look at you. I’m looking at a mirror of myself. That’s why I like you, because you’re a reminder of the fact that no matter how dark and gloomy the world gets,” Beelzebub spoke softly, pushing a lock of her hair from her face and licking her lips, “There’s always something bright and tasty to look forward to.”

“I don’t know, I just…” Loona tried to reason. She knew Bee liked her, but to hear such praise within the explanation. It just baffled Loona how someone who barely knew her could speak so highly of her, especially when she didn’t feel she deserved it. What had she done with her life the last five years aside from bitching and moaning about how much her life sucked. Beelzebub wasn’t having it, however, as she put a finger up to Loona’s lips to silence her.

“You’ve got so much potential inside of you to be great, Loonie girl,” Bee hushed. “But you don’t see that because you’ve been told the opposite your whole life by people who were too cruel to see it. People who didn’t want you to satisfy your desires.”

It was almost too much for Loona. To hear herself being told that she could make something of her life, that she mattered, and so sincerely at that, it made Loona want to cry. And she probably would have if not for Vortex showing up with Bee’s planner in hand.

Hiding away the storm of emotions, Loona distracted herself by asking Vortex what had been taking him so long. Just as Loona had guessed, Vortex had been delayed by a phone call with his mother. Whether or not Bee had noticed her hiding her emotions, Loona was thankful Bee never pushed her on it, the Sin choosing to take the planner from her boyfriend and jot down some notes in it. Vortex, meanwhile, told Bee about a potential date for her to meet his folks, which Beelzebub did her best to walk around to no avail.

However, as much as Loona wanted to stay and chat more, a part of her was still put off by Bee’s praise of her. Needing some alone time to think it over, the hellhound decided to call it a day and head home. Loona said her goodbyes to the pair, telling Bee to call her if she needed anything.

Before she left, Beelzebub gave her a tight hug thanking her for staying by her side for the day which Loona did her best to reciprocate if not for just how lung crushing the hug was. With that out of the way, Loona headed back down to the mansion garage and drove out back toward Pride.

As she drove past the mansion, Loona could see Vortex and Bee waving her goodbye from the balcony. Loona slowed down and waved back before resuming down toward the Hellevator to Pride.

As Loona continued down the road, left to her own intrusive thoughts, the hellhound contemplated just what it was she had felt when Bee had explained why she liked the hound so much. Loona knew it wasn’t anything romantic.

She had felt warm for sure, but not in the way that she had when she first met Tex. No, this was something different. Something that she couldn’t really decipher. Something deep that made her shy away from it. Something similar to how she felt when Blitz… No that wasn’t it. It couldn’t be. Loona refused to believe it. Beelzebub was just a friend to her, nothing more.

Wanting to get her mind off those thoughts, Loona’s mind wandered over to that of Bee’s son. Loona could only imagine what was going through his head. The anger and resentment toward his mother, but also the confliction and hopeful contemplation of choosing to allow Bee into his life.

Seeing Beelzebub so broken hurt Loona, and the potential image of her being demolished by Gabriel officially cutting her out of his life was truly getting on Loona’s nerves. If only she could do something about it. But with that thought, Loona unconsciously hit the van’s brakes. But Loona could do something about it, couldn’t she?

Loona, whatever you are thinking. Don’t do it. The whole thing with Gabriel is already volatile enough as is without you risking things, Loona tried to reason with herself mentally. Yet, Beelzebub’s words from earlier kept invading her thoughts and influencing her next actions.

You’ve got so much potential inside of you Loonie girl, but you don’t see that because you’ve been told the opposite your whole life by people who were too cruel to see it.

No one aside from Blitz and Octavia had said such kind-hearted things to her, but even then it still felt so undeserved due to years of being told otherwise. But that faith, that faith Beelzebub had in her. It had stoked feelings of loyalty within Loona toward the woman.

Before Loona knew it, she was driving down the street with a mission in mind. Was it stupid? Yes. Was it risky? Absolutely. Was it even necessary? Do not bother showing her the definition of pointless from a dictionary. She just had to do this for Bee’s sake, even if it was pushing some major boundaries. That was what good friends did every now and then, right?

Through all of her thinking there was one thought that Loona could one hundred percent agree with in regard to her impulsiveness:

f*ck, I’m becoming my dad.

. . .

Gabriel

Should I just call in sick tomorrow. After how the day had ended, Gabriel was starting to consider doing so. Right now, Gabriel was laying down along his couch staring at the ceiling as he tried to process what had happened. After closing down the cafe, Gabriel had made a beeline for his home and dove face first onto the couch. He hadn’t even bothered taking off his shoes because he was just that out of it.

Gabriel truly didn’t know what to do.

His mother had completely blindsided him by showing up out of nowhere. At the very least, she hadn’t tried pretending like her not being in his life didn’t mean nothing. He could give his mother points for that.

Then, there was the revelation that he had over half a dozen aunts and uncles as well as a cousin that he’d never met before as well. It felt odd knowing that he had family that he’d never met living who knows where, much more that most of them didn’t know about him. What were they like in terms of personality? What did they all do for a living? Honestly, Gabriel was considering saying yes to his mother just so that he could meet and learn more about them.

The way his mother talked about her and the rest of her side of the family made them come off as some powerful authority figures. Was his mother trying to say that she was part of the Illuminati or some sh*t like that, and why was that possibility more believable than any other excuse she could have dropped? What had she meant that there was danger to people knowing who she was? And if that was true, how would that impact Gabriel?

His mother could have been lying about that as well to get his attention but, like with the letters and presents, Gabriel couldn’t detect a lie from her. His father had taught him how to read people growing up in order to prepare him for the real world, and Gabe had taken those lessons to heart. It was why he had stopped his mother from leaving when he initially sent her off.

Speaking of which, where had all of the letters and presents gone? He needed to call his abuela to ask her about that. If his mother had been telling the truth like he suspected, then all of them had to have arrived by mail at her place, right? Gabriel wasn’t sure what had happened to them. It didn’t make any sense that his grandmother would keep something like that from him. It just wasn’t who she was. But that wasn’t the most pressing issue at hand.

Should he choose to build a relationship with his mother, this Bee woman who looked like she spent more time getting high than being responsible. On the one hand, Bee had seemed sincere in wanting a second chance with Gabriel. But Gabriel wasn’t a child anymore. There was no childhood for her to be a part of. Granted, while Gabriel was no longer a child, he still relied on his father and the rest of his family for guidance and support. So, that argument for the con crumbled a bit when Bee could also be that for him. Plus, like he thought earlier, there was still the opportunity to get to know his other family.

On the other hand, this whole thing could cause him more grief than not, but that was to be expected. There was always a chance that his mother could hurt him emotionally and betray him like she had with her absence.

But hadn’t his father told him before he died to always give people the benefit of the doubt. Gabriel trusted his father's logic given that it was sound and usually held true the majority of the time. Gabriel couldn’t recall a time when his father’s logic wasn’t true. His aunt in contrast would probably tell him to cut ties with his mother before it was too late, having a deep hatred for the woman for some unknown reason.

As for his grandmother, Gabriel knew that her and his father’s situations were somewhat similar given that both were single parents raising children despite their spouse being missing. Given that his father never talked bad about his mother, just like his abuela never said anything negative about his grandfather, Gabriel assumed that she would tell him to welcome his mother.

Nevertheless, Gabriel couldn’t find it in himself to jump on the decision of choosing to get to know his mother. There was that nagging anger and abandonment that Gabriel felt from years without her, creating this resentment toward her that he wasn’t sure would ever go away. His mother’s sincerity in wanting another chance was the only reason he hadn’t outright kicked her to the curb yet, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough to welcome her into his circle.

Suddenly, a knock on his apartment door pulled Gabriel out of his thoughts and caused him to sit up in surprise. That was odd. He wasn’t expecting anyone. It could have been his grandma, but she would have at least called beforehand. It couldn’t have been his friends either. Even though he was supposed to meet with them later at the bar across the street, that wasn’t supposed to be for another hour.

Getting up from the couch and looking through the peephole, Gabriel saw a tall, thin girl with almost vampire white skin standing uneasily outside. The girl was wearing a purple blouse and jeans, her hair shaved to one side and the other done in long, voluminous, undercut bob. She too had a black choker around her neck, something he only ever so those interested in goth fashion wear. Her eyes were a bright red that were nervous, matching the way she scratched her arm and tapped her feet.

If Gabe was being honest with himself, he thought the girl was kind of pretty (around his age possibly) and he might have considered asking her out if not for the fact that such social interactions were out of his skill set and the woman was a stranger on his doorstep.

Gabriel didn’t recognize her from the cafe nor did he recognize her from town. It was a small community where everyone knew and recognized everyone, and Gabriel didn’t recognize her. She could have been new to town, but Gabriel still held an air of caution as he opened the door to greet the mystery woman.

“Hello,” he addressed the woman calmly.

“Um yeah, hi,” she shyly waved back, her discomfort very apparent. Was she here on a dare or something? Did she not want to be here? Gabriel couldn’t find an answer to these questions as he examined the woman.

“Do I know you?” He questioned slowly, squinting his eyes in confusion.

“No, you don’t,” she replied.

“So, then what are you doing here?” Now Gabriel was feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t like talking to people he didn’t know, and this woman was pushing on that discomfort greatly given that he didn’t know her intentions. For all he knew, she could have been intending to harm him.

“I’m sorry to bother you. I’m honestly not sure why I’m here myself,” she admitted, clearly feeling embarrassed about approaching him at his doorstep. Gabriel could relate somewhat. Even into adulthood, Gabriel had trouble not feeling awkward when talking to people. He was about to ask her what she was doing here before he froze at her next sentence.

“Anyway, my name is Loona, and I’m a friend of your mom’s.”

Chapter 8: Chapter 7: The Truth Comes Out Eventually

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

The breakfast could have gone much worse. At least, that was what Manny believed as he sat at the kitchen table and sipped from his tea. Currently, it was just him, his mother, Beelzebub, and Gabriel in the apartment. Sophia had left in a huff not long after Beelzebub had shown up.

It was probably for the best as she would likely stay heated for a while and that was not something Manny needed on top of all the stress that he was feeling. Plus, his sister knew how to push people’s buttons and the last thing he wanted was for Beelzebub to turn his sister into mincemeat because of something his hotheaded sister said.

Gabriel was in his arms sleeping again. Manny wondered just how long Gabriel would be asleep this time. He’d heard from his mother that babies had irregular sleep schedules due to not knowing the difference between night and day, well that and needing to be fed regularly. So far, the baby had gone through two different bottles of formula in a couple hours. Manny wasn’t sure if that was Gabriel needing a lot of food being a newborn, or just the baby mimicking his mother.

Speaking of whom, Beelzebub was busy devouring much of the breakfast that he had prepared earlier. He knew he’d gone a bit overboard on the amount of food made, but figured he could store it for later. That, however, would not end up being the case with Bee already having eaten the majority of what he’d made. Neither he or his mother minded since they had eaten their fill at least and Sophia definitely wasn’t going to finish hers. He knew the demon before him was the embodiment of Gluttony, but lord the woman could probably eat a whole buffet out of business at the rate she was putting the breakfast away.

“Are you full, miel de abeja?” he asked jokingly as Beelzebub practically inhaled the last of the sausages, which she had sandwiched between two pieces of toast, of which had been glazed with grape jelly. (He’d never seen that combination before and he wasn’t sure if he should have been grossed out by it or not.)

“Nope, not even close,” Beelzebub said while rubbing her stomach, a burp accidently escaping her mouth before she covered her mouth. With a blush across her muzzle she added, “But I’ll be fine for now.”

“You eat quite a lot,” his mother remarked with a smile.

“It’s a part of being the Sin of Gluttony. I have a rather big appetite.” Aftering mockingly patting her stomach, Beelzebub reached her arms out toward Manny, her eyes glancing toward Gabriel. Understanding what Beelzebub wanted, he handed over their son to her, whom she took and began gently rocking in her arms, her eyes locked into a warm gaze.

“Do you think Gabriel will experience gluttonous instincts like your own?” his mother interrupted curiously, but also with a hint of worry. Manny was also interested in the answer to that question. Considering that Manny was the son of a demon, the new father wondered what sort of latent powers he needed to keep an eye on.

Beelzebub put on an exaggerated thinking expression, a hand on her chin, as she thought over the while she continued to rock their son absentmindedly with two of her arms. The fourth arm was holding a teacup which Bee took a sip from. The obnoxious gesture was funny to Manny for some reason.

Manny wondered what it must be like to have more than two hands. From what he could see, Bee could get multiple things done at once, being an effective multi-tasker. And from how busy Bee said her duties as Queen of the Gluttony Ring could get, having the extra appendages was a definite benefit. The only downside would be that she needed to get her clothes done by a personal tailor considering that not many of them dealt in shirts that had four arm holes.

“If he does, it will likely be to a far lower extent. That is if it appears at all,” Bee explained. “Honestly, there’s no telling if he’ll start experiencing any demonic powers.” The last bit she’d said with some worry creeping into her own voice. With all of the concerns of Gabriel being the blood of a demon, it made sense for her to be. Exposure of such powers to the public could be detrimental and put all of them at risk in terms of their safety, and such a thing was the last thing Beelzebub wanted.

“That does raise some concerns, miel de abeja,” Manny said while nodding his head. With what he already had to worry about with being a single parent, now he had to check for any latent demonic abilities within his son. It was definitely a lot more work than he signed up for. But if he could survive a grenade to the face, then Manny was sure he could handle that. “But I’m sure we’ll be able to help Gabriel control them if and when they appear.” Beelzebub smiled warmly at his determination to see things through, to which he smiled back just as warmly.

There was something so precious about that smile of hers. It was so sweet, kind, and carefree. A smile that belonged to a spirit who found joy within that of others. He would help soothe her fears by raising their son. Anything to keep that beautiful smile on her face.

“Well for a heads up,” Beelzebub shared, “Some of the powers you may want to keep an eye on, aside from the gluttonous instincts, would be being able to read other peoples feelings or emotions as well as summoning food and drink out of thin air.”

As if to make her point with the last one, Beelzebub snapped her fingers and summoned a regular glass bottle of beer from nothing. She promptly popped the top off the bottle and took a hearty sip before releasing a sigh of content and licking her own chops joyfully.

“Dear, I don’t believe that now is the time for you to be getting drunk,” Maria scolded lightly, her gaze an incredulous one. Even Manny was shocked by the brazen appearance of the alcoholic beverage, and in front of their newborn son no less.

“Oh that’s cute, you think this bottle of cheap booze here is going to make me drunk,” Beelzebub chided playfully, which earned a raised eyebrow from the matriarch. “Maria, this one bottle won’t even get me buzzed. It’ll take about ten of them to do that,” Beelzebub gloated with pride. Though Manny wasn’t sure why anyone would find that something to be proud of, he couldn’t deny that such a number was impressive.

“And how much does it take for you to get fully intoxicated?” he asked, inquisitive of just how much it took someone like her to get black out drunk.

“Thirty-three,” she stated without hesitation.

“I’m assuming from that specific number that you’ve tested that,” Maria questioned with half-lidded eyes, perplexed by the Sin’s admission.

“I’m a couple billions of years old,” Beelzebub responded rhetorically. “I got a lot of downtime.”

“Must be awfully lonely,” Manny remarked.

“A little But the satisfaction and joy I get from ruling my ring and making sure people are happy more than makes up for it.” Manny wasn’t sure if he believed it, much less that she, did on account of the faint grimace that she was sporting on her muzzle. But he wasn’t going to force the issue out of her. Besides, he had a different person to question. His mother.

“Before Bee showed up, you were telling me something important about my father,” he said.

“What about your old man?” Beelzebub interrupted.

“Well, Miss Beelzebub,” his mother began.

“Please call me, Bee,” the Deadly Sin insisted.

“You’re not the first powerful deity to come across this family, Bee,” his mother told her.

So father really is some kind of immortal figure , Manny thought, in shock at the revelation. Manny couldn’t believe it. After all these years, the reason why his father was never around was because he was some powerful deity who had responsibilities that stretched the bounds of human imagination. It was most certainly a bitter pill to swallow.

Was he a demon like Beelzebub? More importantly, however, did that mean Manny had magical abilities that he had yet to discover? He’d never really noticed anything throughout his life. Nothing to indicate he had magic. Perhaps it was dormant. Regardless, what were the odds that two people in the same family would mate with literal immortal gods? That was probably the most ridiculous part of the whole thing.

“I’m not, who else ha-,” Bee had started, but just as she had, the Deadly Sin paused abruptly. Manny realized her gaze had shifted toward the necklace his mother was wearing before her expression became one of recognition. “Ah, I see,” she said. “Your kids, Manny and Sofia. They’re ‘his’ children aren’t they?”

The question received a head nod from the matriarch, to which left Manny feeling even more confused. He was surprised to see that Beelzebub recognized the necklace his mother wore, but more so that she apparently knew who it had at one point belonged to.

“Wait. Bee, do you know my father?”

“Know him. f*ck, he’s older than me, and I’ve been around for billions of years,” Beelzebub ranted. He is that old. But if his father was older than Beelzebub, then that meant he had to be really ancient. It couldn’t have been God because Beelzebub’s tone lacked the disgust it normally did when talking about the Creator. This only raised more questions for Manny.

“Is he a demon?” Manny asked, more curious by the second.

“Some might call him a demon, but he’s not. Nor is he an angel. I call him a buzzkill, personally. Oh man, I wonder if this whole thing could be a great conversation starter next time I see him,” Beelzebub rattled off. “Like hey, I know it’s been a while, but I just wanted to let you know that I mothered your grand-”

“Bee,” Manny interrupted her, a look of exasperation on his face.

“Sorry,” she apologized sheepishly. “Got lost in my head again.” Manny could only shake his head and sigh. His mother reached a hand out and grabbed one of his.

“Manny, I am sorry I never told you about your father.”

“Why didn’t you?” Manny wanted to know. He wasn’t upset about being told anymore, but he still needed to know the truth.

“Your sister,” his mother admitted. “It broke her heart when he left, and she was never the same since.” That explained a lot actually. Manny had wondered why his sister always became heated when their father became the topic of conversation. The abandonment his sister must have felt from their father leaving them, even if it may have been necessary, must have cut into her soul deeply.

“I thought keeping who he was a secret would prevent you from becoming just as upset and bitter,” his mother explained solemnly, lowering her head in shame. Manny gingerly tightened the grip around his mother’s hand in comfort.

When Manny glanced over to Beelzebub, he noticed her once again in deep thought as she looked down at their son, an expression of sadness across her muzzle. Perhaps she was reconsidering leaving him. A part of him hoped so, but another part also wondered if she shouldn’t. He didn’t want to think like that. He wanted her to be in Gabriel’s life despite the potential threat it could bring. But if Sofia’s experience was anything to consider. It surely was complicated.

“I will tell you everything, I promise, pequeño,” his mother softly assured him. “For now though,” she said, her attention turning toward the demon in the room. “I’d like to learn more about this woman here.”

“Oh, um,” Beelzebub sputtered, caught off guard by the forthcoming of his mother before she spoke awkwardly, “Ask away.”

Well, at least my mom likes her.

. . .

Present

Gabriel

Why did I let her in? Why did I let her in? Why did I let her in? Those were the barrage of thoughts going through Gabriel’s head as he took an obnoxious sip from a cup of black coffee as he stared down the girl (who’s name was Loona with two O's) who had approached his door. Following her admitting to her connection to his mother, Gabriel had told her to f*ck off before the girl pleaded with him to hear her out.

Gabriel wasn’t sure what he was thinking, letting her inside his home. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was too nice of a person or if the girl had seemed that non-threatening, but he was mentally kicking himself regardless for letting her in his apartment.

Currently, Loona was sitting at the kitchen table fiddling nervously with her fingers, clearly realizing how awkward the situation really was. So far she hadn’t really said anything aside from complimenting on the decor in his apartment. It was the one time during their whole exchange that Gabriel smiled, going onto an in depth explanation about some of his favorite bands and TV shows.

It was about five minutes after the fact that Gabriel realized he’d gone on another one of his ramblings, and had forgotten the reason why he was even doing so to begin with. Loona for her part didn’t appear to mind his rambling and said it was okay, laughing softly at his sheepishness as she reassured him.

Right after, he decided to make himself a cup of coffee and asked Loona if she wanted any, to which she said sure. As he brewed a pot for the two within the Keurig, he kept his eyes on the girl to make sure she didn’t do anything funny. She may have been polite so far but she was still a stranger no matter who she claimed to be.

Once the pot finished, steam flowing from the opening in the pot and the sweet smell of cocoa filling his nostrils, he poured the coffee into two separate cups. As the pair took sips from their coffee, Gabriel noticed Loona’s eyes staring at him incredulously. When he asked her what was up, she commented on how he hadn’t put anything in his coffee, to which he replied he liked his coffee black, pointing out that it was better for his own health and he genuinely liked the taste of it.

The response seemed to elicit some chuckling within Loona, the kind that one did when they thought of something funny. When he asked her why, she told him that his choice in coffee made her question if Bee was actually his mom given how she apparently didn’t drink her coffee without cream and sugar at least. It was the ‘at least’ part that got him. From how Loona had described it, Gabriel was surprised his mother wasn’t bouncing all the way to the moon and beyond with how much sugar and creamer she apparently filled hers with. Though the thought of his mother brought Gabriel back to what Loona was here for in the first place.

“So, did my mom send you?” Gabriel asked. He really couldn’t imagine anyone else doing something like this on their own volition. There was just no way right?

“No, she doesn’t know I’m here,” she replied with a sigh.

“Is that so?” Gabriel questioned, his voice carrying out to point out his own skepticism.

“I know you probably think I’m lying, but I’m not. She really doesn’t know I’m here,” she asserted firmly. Gabriel took pause to see how honest her voice felt. He tried to see if she had any tells, but he couldn’t find any noticeable ones from her body language.

On the one hand, it was possible this Loona girl could have been telling the truth. His mother had sounded sensible enough to respect his wishes of thinking things over when she left. Plus, what did his mother gain from sending someone else to convince him to give her a shot. Such a move would likely backfire and, although he didn’t know much about her, his mother’s mannerisms indicated she was far more intelligent than to make a move like that.

Because of this, Gabriel came to the conclusion that Loona was probably telling the truth about coming to him on her own. He had to admit that the girl had guts pulling a stunt like this. He wondered how his mother might react to finding out she was here talking to him. That would be if he ever chose to talk to her again. Oh who was he kidding, he wouldn’t do something like that. The girl hadn’t been hostile to him and it wasn’t like he was petty.

“And why are you here?” he continued. He already knew why she was likely here, or he thought he did, but he figured it was polite to ask.

“To convince you to give her a chance,” was her reply.

“Figures.” As he took another sip from his coffee mug, Loona began to twirl a finger into her hair, playing with it anxiously. She really wasn’t supposed to be here, either that or she was a good enough actor to fool his own skills in being an empath. He wondered if this shy personality was how she always was around people, or if she was only like this because of the current situation. Taking another sip from his coffee mug, he decided to continue his questioning, asking, “Why?”

“Because she deserves a chance,” Loona responded, squirming anxiously as soon as it came out of her mouth.

“Deserves a chance, for real?” Gabriel scoffed, not believing what he was hearing. This girl really thinks my mother deserves a chance to be my mother , Gabriel thought. It was a truly incredulous statement that Gabriel didn’t know how to respond to it. What made this girl think she knows who and who doesn’t deserve a second chance.

“I know it’s hard to believe she deserves one,” Loona tried to reason.

“No sh*t,” Gabriel replied with a hint of anger. “She f*cking left me with my father and didn’t bother showing up at any one point in my life.”

“I mean she could have done worse,” Loona absolved nonchalantly, which resulted in Gabe looking at her angrily.

“What’s worse than abandoning your own kid their whole childhood?” Gabriel exacerbated without thinking, though he hated the words as soon as they came out. He knew full well that there were worse things that parents could do to their kids, but his anger at his mother triumphed over his thought process for a moment.
“Selling your kid to traffickers for drug money,” Loona said bluntly with a hint of anger in her tone of voice, her eyes a reflection of said anger. Seeing it caused Gabriel to freeze.

Okay maybe he was lucky all his mom did was choose not to exist in his life. And judging by the way Loona seemed to shrink in on herself after the statement, and what sounded like a whine escaping her throat, she hadn’t pulled that out as a random example.

“f*ck, that sh*t’s messed up,” Gabriel whispered, still shocked by Loona’s statement. Based on the way that Loona was aggressively tapping her feet while pulling at her choker, not to mention how she seemed on the verge of screaming, she hadn’t meant to reveal that tidbit about herself, succumbing to her emotions just like Gabriel.

He felt pity for her at that moment, but that pity also brought some clarity. Sure he had been left behind by his mom, but there could have been a good reason. Maybe she’d been dealing with mental health issues or a drug habit. Maybe Bee had a valid reason for not being around and she didn’t want to expose Gabriel to that, to hurt him.

Whatever the reason was, at least his mother hadn’t harmed him and abandoned him in the way Loona’s parents had her. And perhaps the fact that his mother seemed to understand her flaws earlier meant that she was willing to work on them if it meant having a healthy relationship with her son.

If it was a guilt trip, it probably wasn’t intentional. After all, who would ever suddenly just reveal such a thing about themselves let alone make it up. Seeing that he had caused Loona to be upset, Gabriel set his mug on the counter and sat across from Loona at the table. By this point, Loona seemed to have calmed down, having taken a few deep breaths of her own, well that and having squeezed the life out of the edge of the table.

Also, was it Gabriel’s imagination or were there cracks where Loona’s hands were gripping the table? Gabriel shook his head. It was probably his imagination. It had been a long day after all. Regardless, he knew he needed to say something to save the situation.

“That is a very fair point,” Gabriel said awkwardly. “Also, sorry for what happened to you.” He hated how the apology came out. He wasn’t good when it came to showing empathy or emotion despite him being an empath. It was an interesting paradox that irked Gabriel and made him wish he could be normal sometimes. He just hoped that Loona didn’t bite his head off.

Loona looked up at him, looking like she was about to say something off-handed before she cooled down and nodded her head, appearing to accept his apology. It was quiet for a moment as the two sat in their chairs uncomfortably. The silence felt unbearable after such an awkward reveal and Gabriel was squirming in his seat because of it.

“Did you ever…,” he started.

“See them again,” Loona finished his sentence on instinct before shaking her head. “No, never again after that. Also managed to escape those traffickers like the day after so nothing bad happened to me there if that’s what you're wondering,” she added rather quickly, wanting them to move away from the topic.

“Good, good. Well, f*ck those mierdas for doing that sh*t to you,” he commented, which elicited a small smile from Loona.

“You seem to enjoy cussing a lot,” she noted coyly.

“Does it bother you?”

“f*ck no,” she responded with a laugh that Gabriel reciprocated. Gabriel found himself liking this girl. She had a nice personality and wasn’t put off by his colorful vocabulary. He didn’t often use cuss words aside from the occasional slip up, but it felt nice to just let loose with them every now and then. “You should hear the things that come out of my dad’s mouth.”

“Your dad?” he asked, confused at her statement. Hadn’t she just said she hadn’t seen her parents since they screwed her over.

Loona picked up on it and replied, “Well, adoptive, anyway.”

“Oh.” Okay that made more sense. She was referring to her adoptive father. “Real sailor’s mouth, eh?”

“Doesn’t matter how you describe it because it’s all an understatement,” she joked with a knowing chuckle.

“But yeah, he adopted me when I was a couple months from aging out of the system,” she continued.

“Seems kinda suspicious,” Gabriel remarked. He’d heard of kids being adopted when they were preteens, but never close to them becoming legal adults. There were a lot of red flags with what she’d said.

“I thought so too at first," Loona said. “I even tried flashing him my breasts just to see how he would react.” That got a boisterous guffaw from Gabriel, who covered his mouth as he tried to stop himself from laughing. Loona herself started laughing from the absurdity of the memory.

“That’s just wild,” Gabriel remarked with a giggle.

“I know, right. But yeah, all I got from doing that was him covering his eyes like he’d just seen a naked grandmother.”

“Hey, grandmother’s need love too,” Gabriel joked with faux defense, feeling more comfortable with his own style of bad humor around Loona.

“Oh shut up before I throw this f*cking mug at you,” Loona threatened, holding up her coffee mug for reference. Though it failed to be much of one due to Loona trying to stop herself from bowling over.

It wasn’t often that Gabriel got on so well with someone, especially so quickly. Maybe it was because she had made herself vulnerable to him. Maybe it was the fact that her talking about her father reminded him of his positive memories of his own. Or perhaps it was because she had genuinely laughed at one of his jokes. (No one aside from his grandmother or father ever laughed at his jokes and that was only because they were usually bad.) He knew he should probably have been standoffish to her given what she was here for, but she was really nice to be around.

“It took me a while to realize it,” she added, drawing Gabriel’s attention. “But he really was just trying to help me out. Give me a chance.”

“He sounds like a great guy,” Gabriel observed.

“Yeah. I mean, he’s not perfect. He f*cks up a lot,” Loona emphasized with her tone, but the chuckle she released following the comment said that she didn’t mind. “But that’s what I’m trying to say. It's worth it to give the people in your life a chance, especially when they are trying.”

“Fair enough, but how can I give her a chance when she barely knows me to begin with?”

“It’s not like Blitz knew much about me at first,” Loona rebutted. To be fair, Loona did have a point. How was his mother supposed to get to know him if he didn’t give her a chance to. A fair assessment. Though he found himself unprepared for the next bit of information that Loona dropped. “Plus, Bee probably knows a lot more about you than you think.”

“How so?” What the heck was Loona referring to? How exactly did his mother know more about him than he thought? Loona herself seemed to realize what she said too late as she awkwardly shriveled in her seat, tapping her fingers against the table as she thought about what to say next. Eventually, she just said it.

“She’s been watching over you from afar for some several years now.”

“My mom has been stalking me?”

“Not stalking you, but making sure that you were doing alright,” Loona shrugged sheepishly, causing Gabriel to roll his eyes at the absurdity of the statement. His mom was allegedly keeping tabs on him. That had to be a load of bull.

As his eyes began to wander, Gabriel caught wind of that of one of the Lego sets he had decorated around the house, that of an orchid flower, a bright purple. He chose fake, Lego flowers over the real thing because the real thing wouldn’t die on him nor did it require any care. Plus, with the exquisite design of the white flowers and green petals sitting atop a powder pot, the false flower really was pretty.

Seeing the flowers, however, reminded Gabriel of a dark event from his childhood. One that nearly resulted in his own death. Back when he was ten years old, his father had taken him on a fishing trip out of town. The trip had been fine at first, but had quickly devolved into chaos when he and his father were literally run over by a group of drunk college kids on a speedboat.

While he and his father had survived, Gabriel had been blessed with a nasty scar across his chest from the boat propeller, just barely missing his heart. His father had managed to pull him ashore from the water and he was driven swiftly to the nearest hospital. The event resulted in Gabriel ending up in a coma for about a week. When Gabriel had eventually woken up, he’d been surprised to find that his entire room was covered in flowers. There had been a variety of different colorful plants, including Purple Coneflowers, Bee Balms, and Black-eyed Susans, arranged across his hospital room.

To this day he never knew who it was that had sent him those flowers for there was never a card that came with them. The only thing he or his family knew was that a bunch of delivery men came in with them saying that someone had paid for them to be sent to Gabe’s hospital room.

Now that Gabriel thought about it, all of the flowers that had been sent to him were those that honeybees especially liked, according to his grandmother that was. Honey Bees. Bee , Gabriel realized. Mom had sent those flowers. That cheeky woman. Gabriel could not believe it. The whole time his mother had been watching him from afar. He wasn’t sure if he should feel happy that she paid attention to him, or upset that she couldn’t take an extra step further toward being with him, or creeped out that she had been watching him without him realizing it.

“You good?” a voice called to him, causing Gabriel to realize that he had been lost in thought for a good couple minutes. Turning his head up, Gabe noticed Loona staring at him with a slightly worried gaze.

“Yeah, just um, remembering some moments from my childhood and um, I think you might be right about mom keeping an eye on me,” he explained pensively.

“That's so.” Loona was quiet for a moment before asking, “You want to talk about it?”

Gabriel wasn’t sure if he should share what had happened with her. It was a traumatic experience for him, one that had left him a deep seated fear of swimming to this day. Then again, Loona had shared personal info about herself. It was only fair that Gabriel did the same.

He did his best to explain what had happened to him, about the accident, about almost dying, and the mysterious gift of flowers that he had received during his stay in the hospital. When he got to the part about the accident, Loona had unexpectedly become enraged by the unaccountability taken by the people responsible for it. Clearly she had her own experiences with people using their own privilege to get out of trouble.

She asked him what happened to the college kids and he tensely told her that, initially, they were never charged with any crimes. This seemed to tick off Loona more as she then, as calmly as she could, asked why not. The one thing about the accident that always infuriated Gabriel, and reminded him just how money could fuel corruption, was the fact that the person driving the speed boat was the son of a politician who lived in the area.

Due to those connections, said father had tried to bribe Gabriel’s family into keeping quiet to protect his son. Unfortunately for that son, Gabriel’s family had made their own impression on the community, which they used to pull people to their side and put pressure on the privileged assholes. To make things worse, the politician ended up dying from a heart attack, and without his father to protect him, the piece of sh*t son and his friends were charged with reckless endangerment and attempted manslaughter.

This result seemed to make Loona smile, to which she said good riddance. And Gabriel couldn’t help but agree. He believed in justice and the good within people, sure, but those assholes had nearly killed him and tried to use their power and privilege to get away with it. Growing up under the discipline and teachings of his father, Gabriel had always believed in consequences and that everyone should accept punishment for their actions. Karma in that case truly was a bitch. He didn’t know what happened to the trio afterward. He knew they had been found guilty but what happened afterward Gabriel didn’t know, and he honestly wanted to keep it that way. Less things to worry about.

“Well, f*ck those assholes,” Loona commented tiredly. The two had moved over to the couch during their conversation to get more comfortable, with Gabriel sitting at the end and Loona laying down against the other end. Gabriel couldn’t blame her for getting comfy on it. The couch was so soft that Gabriel himself had fallen asleep a couple times when he laid down on it.

“Yeah.” It felt nice for Gabriel to get all of that off his chest. It wasn’t a story he often shared with other people given how morbid it was, so it felt great talking about it with someone who could understand his frustrations. Though thinking about the story reminded him of why he was talking about it in the first place.

Loona must have sensed his discomfort as she then asked, “What is it?” Gabriel sighed at her query as he rubbed his eyes, the hot coffee from earlier making him feel somewhat sleepy.

“I just wish I knew why Bee didn’t come see me in person,” he told her, to which Loona gave pause, putting a hand to her chin in thought.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I can only guess that maybe it was because she wasn’t sure she’d be a good mother. Maybe she thought that her never hearing from you meant she wasn’t welcome.” Even with that explanation, Gabriel still found it difficult to justify. There were just so many missing pieces to the puzzle of his mother’s absence that Gabriel couldn’t understand her reasoning as to why she wasn’t in his life. He wondered that, since she was friends with her, that Loona knew more about his mother than she had said so far.

“She told you about the letters?” he questioned.

“More or less,” Loona replied with a shrug.

“And you believe her about them?”

“Oh I believe her. Let’s just say that Bee has a tendency to wear her feelings on her stomach,” Loona admitted with a laugh.

“You mean her sleeve,” Gabriel corrected, raising an eyebrow at the odd spin on the saying.

“That too,” she responded nonchalantly. Gabriel wanted to press more on that tidbit, but he figured that there was just some unknown joke between the two that he didn’t know about and let it go. On the other hand, his mother did seem like a real foodie if her reaction to his honey pie was anything to go by so perhaps that was what she was referring to.

“You know I kind of find it odd that she has an amiga probably less than half her age,” Gabriel pointed out.

“Bit of an understatement but sure,” she said like it didn’t even phase her. “Your mom is just weird like that.” And that he was sure of. After all, how else was he supposed to explain his own weirdness other than as a genetic construct to people considering his own father didn’t fit the bill.

“Why are you here though? What about my mamá is motivating you to go to these lengths?” he asked her. He needed to know. Loona had come all the way to his place just to convince him to give his mother a chance. He didn’t even know why he believed Loona about her association with his mother in the first place aside from feeling that she wasn’t lying.

“Because she believes in me,” Loona stated without hesitation, not even needing to think it over which surprised Gabriel considering that such a question would usually require deep thought.

“Bee, your mom,” Loona continued, “For whatever reason, she believes in me.” Loona’s voice sounded tense, like she was fighting to voice her words. “I haven’t even known her for long, but she makes me feel like I can actually make something of myself.” Gabriel noticed that there was some doubt in Loona’s tone, not toward his mother’s intentions, but toward Loona’s own belief in her own value. That was oddly depressing, but also strikingly familiar to him.

“You’re mom isn’t perfect. I know that, and so does she.” Loona moved her hair out of her face, a small hopeful smile gracing her face, before she said softly and pleadingly, “But please give her a chance.”

Gabriel was stunned. It took a lot to stun him given just how cruel and unusual the world was, but this confession from Loona really took the cake of all confessions. He’d never heard something so rich and raw before. The conviction in Loona’s voice was palpable, so much so that Gabriel could only come up with a single response.

“Okay.”

“Huh,” Loona responded with shock, disbelief written across her face.

“You surprised?”

“Surprised. No sh*t,” Loona replied with exacerbation, now fully sitting up. “I mean, I came in here to convince you to talk to your mom. I’m amazed that you didn’t continueing trying to shut the door in my face. And you’re telling me ‘yes' after one heartfelt monologue from me.” Loona finished her rant with a huff, still looking at him like he had said something incredibly stupid, which he had in a sense.

Damn, the way she puts it, it does sound bizarre. Gabriel could admit that his decision was sudden.

“I’ll admit that it sounds lazy and rushed in terms of plot, if this were a movie or TV show that is,” Gabriel explained. “The truth is my dad never had a nasty thing to say about my mom. Always going on how she was this amazing person who loved everyone.”

As Gabriel reminisced about his father, he thought back to all of the times he had mentioned or talked about Bee. All of the times he said she was beautiful, kind, and caring. Once his father had called her a vixen with the body of a goddess whose skin was softer and sweeter than the honey she made. Though that last one had been behind closed doors when he didn’t think Gabriel was watching him, and the sensual tone of his father’s voice had left the then teenager scarred for life.

“I kind of resented her because, if she loved everyone, then why was she not around to show me that love,” Gabriel spoke with a sadder tone to which Loona gave a nod of understanding. “A part of me always thought it was because a small part of him still loved her. But hearing you vouch for her like that tells me that maybe my papá’s faith in her wasn’t misplaced after all.”

Gabriel always thought his father was crazy for that loyalty toward his mother. It was the one thing about him that Gabriel never truly understood. He had every reason to distrust the girl before him, but the way she talked of his mother felt similar to the ways in which his father had (minus the sexual undertones).

“You really idolized him didn’t you?” Loona queried with a small smile, likely thinking about her own adoptive father. Gabriel could only smile in return. His father had been everything to him, his whole world. A great person who always believed in the good of others and providing everyone with the opportunity to succeed.

His whole childhood, his father had always done his best to respect Gabriel’s boundaries and show him what it meant to live life to the fullest. Helping Gabriel test his cooking skills, the gun and self-defense lessons, and the couple beers they shared while watching football (despite the fact that Gabriel couldn’t care less for sports) were all fond memories that he had of Manny Grimm. Thinking about his father brought tears to Gabriel’s eyes as the pain of his loss still hurt him.

Wiping away the tears, Gabriel said, “Papá was everything a good person and father should be. I’d be a tonto not to.” Loona nodded her head, her smile turning warmer by the minute as she held out a fist toward him in an attempt to initiate a friendly fist bump.

“To great dads,” she said. Gabriel reached out a fist to return the gesture, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Loona in that moment.

“To great papás.” The two young adults sat on the couch for a brief moment. During that time, Gabriel checked his watch and realized what time it was. He was supposed to meet his friends in about twenty minutes. He told Loona that he needed to leave and that she should get going as well. Loona obliged, saying that she needed to get back home as well before her father started worrying. Apparently, he was not aware that his own daughter was here.

As the two made their way out of the apartment and down the building staircase, Loona briefly talked about her own home life. She mentioned how she and her father were likely moving in with his boyfriend and his daughter, the latter of which Loona saw as a little sister. By this point, Gabriel was curious as to what her father did for a living. When he asked she reluctantly admitted that he was a PI who mostly took on missing persons cases. Although the way she said it implied that there was a lot more to it than just that, if not it being a complete lie. Though she didn't sound embarrassed, so it was likely due to his occupation being less than legal. However, that was just an assumption and Gabriel knew better than to make such without evidence, so he chose to accept the answer for now.

As the pair made it into the building lobby, Loona followed up by asking him what his family was like. Gabriel was never one for lengthy explanations, so he did his best to explain it with what little time they had left. His abuela was a retired florist (which was how he knew what flowers had been delivered to his hospital room) and now spent most of her days at her home or working at the soup kitchen when she wasn’t spoiling him or his cousins. Said cousins, Raymond and Chloe, were both handfuls in their own right. The two were classic trouble makers, thick as thieves, but the two had their quirks. Raymond was interested in studying biology and Chloe had an interest in all things robotics. His uncle Chester (whom he referred to as Tío) was a food service manager at a famous French Bistro in town and had given Gabriel many tips about how to cook as well as how to properly run the cafe. He was a very chill individual, but also very assertive and ambitious when need be. As for his aunt Sofia, she and some of his father’s friends ran their own home repair and landscaping company. Oftentimes she was robotic when it came to her emotions and was usually in a mood. How she and uncle Chester got together was honestly a mystery that even his father couldn’t figure out, but hey, they made it work.

As he finished his explanation, the pair were standing outside the building on the sidewalk. Gabriel turned to give his goodbyes to her before he noticed her face was contorted in a grim expression.

“Everything okay?” he asked concerningly.

“Someone must have taken Bee’s letters, right?” she responded, catching Gabriel off guard. He hadn’t expected her to move back to that topic and he wasn’t sure why she had either.

“Possibly sure, but highly unlikely. Maybe they just got lost,” he tried to reason.
“For eighteen years. No way,” Loona scoffed while rolling her eyes. “Someone had to have stolen them.” She was quiet, once again thinking as she walked back and forth along the sidewalk before asking, “Can you think of anyone close to you who might have taken them?”

“What, you mean someone in my family?” Loona nodded, and Gabriel found himself offended. He trusted his family with his life and here was Loona calling their loyalty to him and his father into question. Gabriel was going to tell her off until he remembered something important, or someone. Someone who knew about his mom and couldn’t stand her. And with that recollection came something else.

A memory. It was a faint one, but it was there in his head nonetheless. One dating back to his thirteenth birthday. Every year for his birthday, the family never went out anywhere special, but instead chose to have a small gathering at his abuela’s place. It was nothing special; just a home cooked meal made by his abuela as well as a cake that the family enjoyed before opening presents. Gabriel had never wanted anything big or flashy, choosing only the comfort of his relatives every year. However, what caught his thought process was a comment that his abuela had made toward aunt Sofia. One that Gabriel quickly started developing context for.

In that memory, Gabriel had been sitting on the couch in his abuela’s living room as he and his uncle Chester (aunt Sofia’s husband) kept an eye on his then one and three year-old cousins as they played with their toys. Gabriel hadn’t minded doing so as he had become rather fond of the pair and was excited to spend some time with them and his uncle. Uncle Chester’s occupation as being a food service manager fascinated the young teen who, wanting to become a chef by that point, had wanted to hear his stories about the restaurant industry.

It was during that time when he hyper fixated on a conversation between his aunt and abuela in the kitchen. His abuela had been complaining to Sofia that she didn’t need to be checking her own mail as she could do it herself. His aunt had become defensive saying that she was just doing her mother a favor. It was a silly argument that Gabriel had stored away in his head because of how odd it was. He hadn’t thought anything of it other than Sofia simply helping her mother out with the minor household checklist. Nothing more. Now however...

“I gotta go talk to my aunt.”

. . .

Loona

Loona wasn’t sure how she had gotten here. She knew she had come back to the apartment to find it empty, Blitz leaving a note that he was on a date with Stolas. She then proceeded to take the Asmodean Crystal from its hiding spot in the cupboards before portaling to the mortal realm. Since she didn’t have Gabriel’s scent nor did she have his location, she would need the crystal to find him. She just hoped her father didn’t find out. She had envisioned the crystal to open up to Gabriel’s front door, and she was thankful that it had actually worked and not attracted any attention. Changing into her human disguise and stepping in front of what she hopped was Gabriel’s front door.

Sure enough, the door opened to reveal Bee’s son himself, and boy, did her nervousness show. It was also around that point that Loona realized just how stupid what she was doing really was. She was sure that Bee was going to kill her and turn her blood into a seasonal smoothie for people to drink if the Sin knew what was going on, and the very thought of those consequences was causing her to feel anxious.

She was just grateful that Gabriel hadn’t turned her away immediately. Even despite his tired eyes staring her down curiously and with suspicion, he still chose to allow her to speak. Well that and he forgot to ask her for proof of her relationship with Bee. Not only did she not have any photos of her with the Queen, but she did not have any of the pair in their human disguises together. If he had asked her for that, it would have been over real quick.

Though that made her wonder why he was so quick to believe her. Sure there was a hint of reluctance in his voice as he considered her words, but he had ultimately allowed her into his apartment to hear her out. But that also could have been because he wanted the conversation to be private. It made her suspect that he held similar abilities in sensing people’s emotions and intentions like his mother, either that or he was incredibly naive. But she had no reason to talk sh*t considering she was just as if not more so for thinking that this move on her part would work as well.

When she had first told him that she was friends with his mom, he had nearly shut the door in her face before she stuck her foot between it and the jamb. She had pleaded with him to let her explain through a cold, stony face that wanted nothing to do with her. With a deep sigh and a roll of his eyes, he opened the door for her and allowed her inside.

Loona hadn’t known what to expect walking into Gabriel’s apartment. She had figured that it would consist of the bare essentials of a kitchenette and a small living room. What she hadn’t expected were the various sets of Legos and posters littering the walls and shelves. She did make out a couple photos and other memorabilia, but they were overshadowed by movie posters and autographed band posters. It reminded her of Blitz and his many horse plushies littered around their apartment, so it wasn’t that much of a stretch to say they had similar decorative tastes. Although it wasn’t within Loona’s own decorative tastes, she weirdly liked it as it spoke true to Gabriel’s self.

It was awkward after that, with silence filling the room save for Gabriel asking her if she wanted any coffee. Normally she preferred her coffee iced, but Loona decided that she needed to be energized for this conversation, so she told him sure. When he gave her the mug of coffee, she was surprised to learn that Gabriel liked his coffee black given how his mother didn’t drink hers without at least two spoonfuls of sugar and a wallop of creamer. She wondered how else he differed from his mother in terms of mannerisms and habits.

Following having drank her coffee, the two began conversing over why Loona was there to begin with. Loona tried to explain that she was there on her own free will and that Bee had no idea about it. He appeared to believe it, but he scoffed when she told him that she was there to give his mother a chance. Something about the way he was suggesting his mother abandoning him was the worst thing a parent could do to their child was eating at her, because she knew full well that it wasn’t. There were worse things most definitely. And she told him just that, what her parents had done to her.

It had slipped out. She found those moments were happening more and more lately with her becoming more accustomed to talking with her friends and father. She hadn’t meant to though. That story was a personal truth that she had only ever shared with Blitz, and saying it outloud brought forth feelings she had pushed down into herself.

Loona didn’t remember much about her time with her birth parents. She was only six when they sold her to those sex traffickers. But what little she could remember was terrible. More often than not her parents were high or drunk out of their minds on the couch all the while Loona had to take care of herself. And whenever she did, eating the last of the leftovers or begging her parents to get more food, the usual response was to yell at her or beat her senseless. Once, her birth father had thrown an alcohol bottle at the wall near her, causing some of the shards to embed themselves in her skin. It was how she got the chip in her ear.

Because of their treatment of her, it wasn’t a surprise to Loona when they dragged her out of the house one night and threw her over to sketchy demons in some alleyway. The men smelled of cigarette smoke and alcohol. Loona had been terrified when her father threw her into the arms of one of the demons who stared at her like a piece of meat for them to devour.

She begged her father and mother to take her back, to give her another chance. But their faces didn’t change as they watched the tears fall down her muzzle. They just turned their indifferent attention toward the stack of cash that the traffickers had handed them before walking away and leaving their daughter behind. It was the first time that Loona had felt truly hopeless and empty, being unable to fight the traffickers as they carried her by the scruff of her neck as she whined softly.

It wasn’t until Loona saw the truck that they were going to throw her in that she finally snapped out of her sorrow and bit the trafficker on his arm as hard as she could, having been caught off guard to her earlier inactivity. The taste of blood was metallic within her mouth, but she had little time to think about it, the one main thought she had was that she needed to run. And run she did. Practically running on all fours as she skirted across different alleys, wading through dirty puddles and dodging moving cars. Loona’s mind was in a frenzy as she escaped from her would-be kidnappers.

Eventually, she found a dumpster to hide in and promptly jumped inside. The scent of the trash was overpowering and putrid, but Loona didn’t care. She may have been young, but her instincts told her that getting caught would be a far worse alternative. She spent the night in that filth, not even able to fall asleep as she hoped to Satan that the men wouldn’t find her. The next day, when Loona was sure the coast was clear, Loona gave herself time to cry and mourn over what she had experienced. EVen after how her parents treated her, she had hoped one day that they would become the good parents she hoped they could be, the ones she saw on TV. So, to have them give her away felt like she had lost out on that chance.

Yet, that realization brought on another important consideration. She couldn’t go back to her parents as they would likely just hurt her. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you view it, she was caught by dog catchers while scouring restaurant dumpsters for food. From there, she was brought to one of the Pride orphanages and thrown in a cage with a few other kids. The next almost twelve years were spent fighting with the other kids, being passed from home and back by people who wanted another servant or punching bag, and closing herself off and becoming the tough bitch she needed to be to survive. That was until Blitz adopted her.

But that was history. Her birth parents were dead to her at this point and Blitz was her true father. And nothing would change that.

Gabriel thankfully didn’t push too deeply for more information. He gave his condolences and that was the end of it. Though she did answer his questions about Blitz. The mood brightened significantly as she told him about her first interactions with her adoptive father, to which Gabriel seemed to get a kick out of and even joked about. She remembered that evening she’d flashed Blitz fondly.

It had been three weeks since he’d adopted her and Loona was still trying to figure out what his deal was. Even when he’d given Loona her own private room and a new phone, Loona still couldn’t trust him fully. So, when Blitz had come back to the apartment with a pizza for dinner, Loona had decided to test his willpower by pulling up her shirt and bra. Instead of his mouth dropping in lust, it had instead dropped in horror along with the pizza. Blitz had then asked her what she was doing before the two got into an argument over why he adopted her. Although she still didn’t have a clear answer to the question, Loona was certain that Blitz’s reasons for adopting her didn’t involve her having sex with him.

Regardless, the story helped to break the ice between the two and made their interactions beyond it quite pleasant. Loona too noticed that Gabriel seemed to be more considerate of her point of view afterward. The way he didn’t judge her and comforted her without pushing her boundaries spoke to how she felt comfortable around him.

Then came the point where she admitted that Beelzebub was keeping a close eye on Gabriel from afar. If it be classified as stalking, Loona wasn’t sure, but she cringed internally as she tried her best to explain it without it coming off as weird or sinister. The revelation however seemed to stir something in Gabriel as he was soon lost in deep thought afterward.

She was surprised to learn about his near death experience from being run over by a speed boat. Bee had never mentioned the event when she first told them about Gabriel, but that may have been because it was a depressing topic in general. Who in their right mind would want to talk about how their son nearly died a pointless death after all. The way Gabriel seemed to be in and out of existence as he talked about the tragedy also implied that he was not quite over the experience. There was some clear PTSD present in his voice as he explained the moment he almost died from blood loss and drowning in detail. Gabriel never said it explicitly, but there was an implication that he had a fear of swimming from a few of his comments on the matter.

It helped Loona sympathize with Gabriel as he too had his own fair share of experiences with death and loss that she could relate to. That feeling of being on death's door because of someone else, despite having done nothing wrong. Loona understood that feeling well.

Loona didn’t show it, but when Gabriel mentioned how that privileged prick’s father had died, the hellhound had been rather delighted, but also instantly became suspicious of the cause of death.

A heart attack was far too much of a coincidence for assholes like that. Beelzebub must have known about what was going on, what had happened to her son, if she sent him flowers. If it was a heart attack, Loona suspected that Beelzebub had something to do with it. The woman was fiercely loyal to those she cared about as well as to her employees and subjects. So for her son to have been unjustly hurt and for the parties responsible to potentially get away with it, oh there would not be a single corner in the universe to hide from her wrath. Nevertheless, Loona was quite satisfied that Gabriel had gotten some justice for being nearly killed.

Those kinds of moments were rare in Hell, with powerful figures such as the Goetia and Sinner Overlords consistently getting away with treating the hellborn like sh*t. Octavia herself had a couple stories about some of the Goetia noble kids her age who flaunted their status and power like they were gods, when in reality they were privileged nobodies coasting off their ancestors’ power. The unfortunate reality of that privilege meant that they often got away with whatever they wanted. So to hear that the same fate hadn’t befallen Gabriel or his family was comforting to the hellhound.

His distaste toward the assholes who nearly killed him was cathartic. And kind of hot too. Say what you will, but Loona liked a guy who told it to her straight rather than dodged around the topic of conversation. His sense of justice and cold distaste toward those who abused it was a decent quality to have, and one that Loona liked in a guy. It helped that Gabriel was rather cute and had some funny jokes that she couldn’t help but laugh at, even if they were bad or corny.

Oh God, forget about me becoming Blitz, I might be turning into Stolas, Loona mentally recalled, thinking back to how the owl laughed at Blitz’s jokes regardless of how tacky they were.

And then came the truth. Her reasons for coming, her admittance of her vulnerability to his mother, how she had instantly become an important figure in Loona’s life after only a few short conversations. After all, letting herself be vulnerable had worked out so far, why not now? She hadn’t expected him to say yes, especially not so quickly. It occurred to her then and there that Gabe had his mother’s tendency to see someone's inner self, though Loona kept that tidbit to herself to avoid hitting a nerve.

Gabe’s adoration of his father was another interesting fact about him that Loona noticed. There was a sense of loyalty and love for the figure who Gabriel admired, who he had lost. Loona could see the pain of that loss on Gabriel’s face as he quietly recalled memories of a time with someone who he cherished. Loona for her part spent the time remembering her time with Blitz. The few times they went on missions together, the times they drove together in the van.

There was one particular memory of recent where she, Blitz and the M&Ms went to a bar and had an office karaoke night. Her and Blitz had gotten a little tipsy, not enough to get black out drunk though, and sung some metal songs together. Loona hadn’t initially wanted to do so, yet the alcohol and Blitz’s puppy dog eyes convinced her to do so. Midway through the song, Loona could see Blitz pouring his heart out into the song, which stirred something in Loona. It may not have been vomit, but seeing Blitz so happy to be on stage, with her she might add, warmed Loona’s heart and caused her to start letting her voice out.

They were both terrible since they were intoxicated, but singing perfectly mattered little. In that moment, Loona was just happy to be singing and laughing with someone she had at long last come to see as her light. She could perfectly understand Gabriel’s adoration for his father. If she were to lose Blitz, it would break her heart too.

Following their toast, Gabriel told her that he needed to go but that he would contact Bee tomorrow morning to talk to her, seemingly set on trying to build something with her. Loona promised him he wouldn’t regret it, and the pair left the apartment and down the steps. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t end on this high note like Loona thought it would.

After narrowly dodging a bullet by avoiding admitting her father’s occupation (how do you tell someone you think is cute that your father is an assassin), she had listened to Gabriel as he discussed his other living family with her. Loona could say that there was something cute about how Gabriel could get lost in himself, going full sections of time discussing things he liked.

But it was as they made it out the lobby doors that an insidious thought began to take hold. A recurring thought about why Beelzebub hadn’t made contact with her son sooner. Somehow, Beelzebub’s letters and presents to Gabriel over the years had never reached their destination. Disappearing as though they never existed to begin with. And the mention of his family made Loona realize that perhaps it wasn’t an accident that they never reached him to begin with, that someone within his circle had betrayed him by hiding Bee’s correspondence with Gabe.

She told him as such, to which he initially became pissed off before his own expression morphed into one of realization, then abject betrayal and horror. Loona hadn’t wanted to be right about her assumption. She knew from experience that that kind of betrayal stung. But the look on Gabriel’s face told her that he knew or at least had a prime suspect: His own aunt.

Currently, Loona was sitting in the passenger seat of Gabriel’s car next to him as he drove over to his aunt’s place. While Gabriel never explicitly said his aunt was the one responsible, it was clear she may hold the answer.

“So, why your aunt?” she asked Gabriel tensely. Gabriel was currently staring down the road, lost in thought but still able to drive safely down the road. And quite more so than Blitz ever did.

“She’s always hated my mother,” he said slowly, his eyes still focused on the road. “I don’t know why, but she’s the only one with the motivation to do so.” That motivation was flimsy. His aunt Sofia could have been a red herring (after all, having a hatred for someone didn’t mean that you would act against them), or perhaps it was just a simple mistake made by the mailing company. Nevertheless, Gabriel was dead set on confronting his aunt and Loona was not going to get in the way of that.

Now that she thought about it, what was she doing in his car to begin with. She should have gone back home, but instead chose to get in the car along with Gabriel. It was instinctual on her part, following Gabriel into his car as he hastily started it and drove down the street toward his destination. A sort of thoughtless action that came with a large amount of risk. Almost like with Bli-. Oh that was why. f*ck, Gabriel didn’t complain when she sat in the passenger seat. Loona knew she was overstaying her welcome, but Gabriel wasn’t complaining, and if she could help she would.

“You think she’s gonna be happy with you showing up out of nowhere?” Loona asked. It was proper etiquette, period, to let someone know you were coming before you came. Okay that was an innuendo Blitz would be proud of. And although they were family, it was possible they had prior engagements too.

Gabriel was quiet, his grip on the wheel tightening as he processed the question before answering, “I really couldn’t give a mierda at this point.” The response stunned Loona given how cold it was. Oh, he was pissed . “I just found out that my mamá has been trying for years to be a part of my life, and the reality that someone in my own family could be responsible for that never happening until now.” Gabriel took a deep breath and released it as a long angry sigh. “I am getting some malditas answers whether they like it or not.”

Why was that hot? Why was that so hot? Loona thought as she stared ahead away from Gabriel. Loona wasn’t sure why, but hearing and seeing Gabriel get serious with that death glare of his was incredibly hot to her. She practically had to fight the blush forming on her face as she turned her head away from him, choosing to focus on the surrounding town.

It wasn’t anything large or congested like Los Angeles was. The streets were clean and the air had smelled soothingly fresh with the planted trees and blooming flowers hanging or sitting outside the different shops and homes adding a delightful touch. It reminded her of Stolas’ greenhouses with all of the different plant varieties creating a smell of earth and sweetness that caused her to relax.

“This place is really beautiful,” Loona commented in awe.

“Yeah, it is,” Gabriel remarked, a smile returning to his face. “Probably one of the few places in the U.S. that hasn’t been turned into some glorified mega city or metropolis.” Loona nodded her head in response. The town really was so beautiful and colorful, blending in perfectly with the flora coating the roofs and window sills. Beyond the buildings were a variety of parks full of forestry connected by sidewalks.

“Fun fact, this town, Meriton as it is called, is a garden city,” Gabriel added with pride.

“What’s that?” Loona asked curiously. She’d never heard that term before.

“Basically it’s one of those environmentally friendly concepts. The community was built with the idea of making commutes short and housing affordable, with the added bonus of lots of forestry and plant life surrounding the community. As you can smell, the air quality here is very fresh,” he pointed out with a chuckle.

“I could tell. Smells much better than where I live,” Loona admitted with wonder.

“And where’s that?”

“Los Angeles,” Loona lied. Once again she couldn’t tell him that she was a demon from Hell. That would likely come up once Gabriel talked with Bee, and LA was similar enough to Hell for it to not technically be a lie.

“I’m so sorry,” he said with faux pity. This earned a boisterous laugh from Loona, who couldn’t help but find his response hilarious. Pride may have been her home, but it was still a sh*thole.

“You get used to the smog and freaks after a while I suppose.”

The newly renovated old town buildings and stores gave way to a suburban neighborhood full of identical homes. Though, unlike in the suburbs she’d seen in Hell, these homes were all organized in a circle. Loona too could see various different paths leading out of the different sects of the community and back to the town center. Loona recalled Gabriel’s earlier comments about the town being designed with shorter commutes in mind, and came to the assumption that he was being serious.

As they passed the different homes, Loona could see young human children playing together along the street and in their yards. The ones on the street were all dressed up in medieval outfits and fighting with cardboard swords and shields. Loona thought it was stupid, but she could admit that the kids looked to be having fun in their handcrafted outfits. Said kids moved out of the street as Gabriel and her approached. Some of the children waved at them as they passed by, to which Loona and Gabriel waved back.

The sense of community within this place was strong as a couple adults were chatting with each other as they enjoyed the evening sun on their porches or grilled juicy burgers and hot dogs on their grills. The latter caused Loona’s mouth to water. Forget the palace, Loona wouldn’t mind getting to live in this place.

Eventually, Gabriel pulled into a specific driveway within the neighborhood and stepped out of the car. The brown-painted house the driveway belonged to looked like your typical suburban home. The lawn was recently mowed and there was a small flower garden in front of the porch with a few daisies and hyacinths as well as a few ornaments. Loona got out to follow him as he approached the house, but was stopped as he held out a hand.

“Look, I appreciate you coming out with me. I do, but could you please stay back by the car for now. I need to talk with my aunt privately and a stranger being there, especially one close to Bee, might make things worse.”

“Fair enough,” Loona said, watching Gabriel walk onto the porch and ring the doorbell. After half a minute, the door opened to reveal a sandy brown skinned woman with graying black hair. She and Gabriel seemed to engage in some choice words with the other before Gabriel followed her inside. Loona wanted to follow him in, but she didn’t want to make things worse for him than they already are.

As she waited for Gabriel, Loona hopped over on top of the hood of his car and looked through her phone, where she noticed she had a couple new text notifications. One from Octavia and the other from Myra.

Checking Octavia’s contact first, she noticed that Octavia had texted,

Via: How did your thing with Bee go?

Loona sent a reply.

Loona: It went well.

Via: Where are you at, now?

Loona wasn’t sure if she should tell Via or not. She didn’t want to keep secrets from her, so she sent another reply.

Loona: Still in the human world. I’ll explain when I get back.

Via: I’ll hold u 2 it.

With that out of the way, Loona moved over to Myra’s contact.

Myra: Heard from Tex that you and Bee made up. That true?

Loona: Yes

Myra: That’s great news. Been wondering when you’d do it.

Loona felt sheepish reading that last text. She wouldn’t deny that she had been pushing off talking with Bee since she last saw her.

Loona: I know. I know. It was a long time coming.

Myra: I’ll say. By the way, is there something going on between Bee and Tex. Tex said they were fine but I’m not so sure.

Loona paused as she read and reread the text. It occurred to her that Myra wasn’t aware of Gabriel’s existence either. While she could get away with telling Via, she couldn’t do the same with Myra. Tex certainly wouldn’t be happy if she told his sister what was going on. Thinking about it, Loona sent a short text trying to absolve herself from providing an answer, but also relieving Myra’s curiosity.

Loona: Don’t worry. They’re fine, I promise. Bee was just dealing with some issues on her end. Tex will tell you about it eventually, I’m sure. Just don’t push for it.

Myra: Okay. I’ll trust you on it. Hey, we’re all getting together again at Barry’s tomorrow night. Wanna join? You can bring Via with you if she wants to come too.

Loona smiled as she read the text. Barry’s was a popular bowling alley in downtown IMP City. She and the M&Ms had actually had a company outing there just two weeks ago. She wouldn’t mind going back there again with Octavia and the gang.

Loona: I’ll ask her, but sure. C U tomorrow.

Myra: Sweet. See you tomorrow, girl.

Just as she’d received the text from Myra, Loona’s ears twitched as the sound of a car waded into her peripheral. Turning around, Loona noticed a black Sedan pull into the driveway beside the car. An older man, with tan skin, his forehead slightly wrinkled, and neatly combed back dirty blond hair stepped out of the car. The man in question was wearing a white dress shirt and black pants and brown dress shoes, his stance being poised and disciplined. Loona suspected this to be Gabriel’s uncle Chester, the one who worked as a food service manager. As he approached, Chester looked at her with curiosity and some apprehension, which made sense considering Loona was a stranger to him.

“Uhm, hello there miss,” he greeted with a wavering smile. Loona noticed he had an accent similar to that of Stolas and Octavia. Did that mean he wasn’t originally from this part of the human world, Loona wondered.

“Loona,” she replied politely.

“Well, hello there, Loona. Can I ask what you are doing sitting atop my nephew’s car,” he questioned.

“Just waiting for him to come outside,” she told him truthfully, turning her attention to a notification on her phone.

“Oh.” Chester scratched his neck uncomfortably. “Are you friends with him?”

“I suppose,” she replied with a shrug. She wasn’t sure if they could be considered friends. A part of her wanted to. He was a nice guy. But he was also a human, so there was the chance that it could all go horribly wrong.

“Are you his girlfriend?” Chester asked with a coy smirk this time.

“I wish. I mean…f*ck!” Loona shouted in embarrassment, pulling up the hem of her shirt over her face to hide her blushing cheeks. Chester laughed at her turmoil. Oh, why had she let her guard down around him. She should have known this complete stranger would have pulled a fast one on her.

“Well, if you do get together with him, just know he is a nice chap,” he continued, pestering her over her accidental admission.

“I’m not…I mean…you f*cking suck, you know that,” she flustered, pinching the bridge of her nose. This response only caused Chester to laugh harder. Loona would have thrown something at him if not for the fact that the only object she had on hand was her phone.

“Not a word of this to him,” Loona tried to threaten, though the embarrassment in her voice did little to make it effective. Chester for his part though, motioned his fingers over his lips in a sealing motion to signal he understood. Loona could only roll her eyes and cross her arms at how the conversation had turned out.

“Do you know why he’s here?” he asked with a chuckle. Loona decided to use this as an opportunity to rile him up.

“Do you not want him here?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, of course not. I love my nephew like I do my own children,” he defended passionately. Well, at least he’s not an asshole , she thought.

“Let’s just say, your wife may or may not be in a lot of trouble with him,” Loona explained.

“Oh Christ’s sake, what did she do now?” he asked with an annoyed tone. But that fact he said ‘now’ implied that this likely wasn’t the first time his wife had done something impulsively. Weirdly, his reaction felt similar to that of Stolas’ for when she or the M&Ms had to explain to the owl what stupid shenanigans Blitz had gotten into.

Loona was about to tell him to go inside and ask her himself when a certain scent caught her attention. A familiar scent. It took another sniff for Loona to realize that it was Bee’s scent that was hitting her nose. In fear, Loona turned around half expecting to see the demon lord of Gluttony behind her only to see that no one was there. Yet the scent was still there. Loona took another deep sniff, causing Chester to look at her oddly.

“You good there, Miss Loona. You're sniffing like a dog over there.” Loona bit back a retort given that he was not aware of her being a hellhound. Nevertheless, she jumped from the car and began to follow the scent. It was faint, like it belonged to Bee but more in a secondhand nature. Something she’d likely touched. The scent took Loona to the back of the house. She was followed by an unsure Chester who was calling out to her and asking her what she was doing. Loona didn’t bother to reply, continuing to follow the scent to the backyard.

The backyard wasn’t much of anything. Just an empty field connected to a stone porch with some glass tables and chairs for patio furniture. In the background was a line of birch trees and other houses. But there was also a wooden shed, its walls painted red and the roof made of stone tiles, and that was where the scent was coming from.

“What’s in there?” Loona asked, turning her head back to Chester.

“Just some gardening and yard tools. Oh and the lawnmower, too,” he replied slowly. Loona squinted her eyes at Chester, examining him for any kind of tell. When she couldn’t find any, she huffed and continued stomping over to the shed. As she tried to open the shed doors, she found that she couldn’t do so. When she looked down, she realized why. There was a black padlock between the door handles keeping them shut.

At this point, Chester was becoming uncomfortable, his patience running thin as Loona practically invaded his property. As Loona examined the padlock, he said, “Now Miss Loona, I know you seem to be friends with my nephew, but would you kindly not touch-”

As he was talking, Loona yanked the padlock off the door and startled the human, who backed away nervously. “Or you could just keep ignoring me and break a stainless steel padlock,” he spoke with a hint of fear, probably never having seen someone break a padlock with their bare hands. It occurred to Loona that perhaps she shouldn’t have done that considering she was breaking her own cover, but the familiarity of the scent was too enticing for the disguised hellhound.

Opening the door revealed the inside of the shed. Loona took another sniff of the air, finding that the scent was coming from the floor, right beneath the lawnmower. Moving it over revealed a cellar door and, like with the shed door, there was a padlock keeping it shut.

“Do you know what’s down there?” Loona asked tensely as she ripped off the padlock like she did the last one, causing Chester to squirm.

“No, my wife does though,” he told her apprehensively. It was clear to Loona that while he likely didn’t know, he was still very much aware of his wife having a secret within the cellar.

“Figures.” Flipping the door open resulted in dust flying in every direction. The dust flew into Loona’s nose and caused her to sneeze. Unfortunately for Loona, this resulted in her own human disguise disappearing and her true form showing to the human behind her. Chester yelped, tripping back and falling on his behind before swiftly getting up and backing toward the door. As he leant against the frame, trying to regain his composure with deep breaths, Loona put her human disguise back up and examined the human before her. Something was up with his reaction. Although he had initially been frightened, he wasn’t cowering or begging in fear like she thought he would be. If anything, he seemed to be taking the whole reveal a little too calmly, having stopped his hyperventilating half a minute ago.

“Bloody hell, Sofie really wasn’t bluffing about demons existing,” he mumbled through deep breaths. His eyes were still wide and uneasy.

“You know about the existence of demons,” Loona said more as a statement than a question.

“I mean yeah. With what Sofie can do, it’s not that surprising in retrospect,” he responded calmly, his hand subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck.

Loona’s head turned sideways as she tried to process that comment. What was he talking about when he said ‘what his wife could do?’ Was he saying she had powers? Loona shook her head. There were too many holes in the picture for her to make sense of it, so Loona chose to turn back toward the cellar and peer inside.

Pulling out her phone, Loona turned the flashlight function on and scanned the inside. Loona had had her own suspicions about what was inside the moment she smelled them, so she hadn’t been surprised when she found what she was looking for in the tiny chamber. But that didn’t stop the pit in her stomach from forming, for Inside the cellar was the missing correspondence that Beelzebub had sent her son. Stacked upon each other were yellowed envelopes and boxes covered in dilapidated wrapping paper, all of which were covered in varying degrees of dust, cobwebs, and dirt.

“It’s all the sh*t Bee sent Gabe. Holy f*ck,” Loona whispered, still in shock over how Gabriel’s own aunt had hidden all of his mother’s messages and presents to him over the years. How in heaven was she able to pull this off?

“Bee?” Chester asked with confusion.

“Gabriel’s mom,” Loona told him, and his eyes went wide as dinner plates.

“Oh, Sofie. So this is what you’ve been hiding here,” Chester sighed.

“Did you know about this?” Loona asked quietly, turning her attention away from the cellar. Chester shook his head and crouched down next to Loona as he gazed down into the cellar, his eyes tired and hurt.

“I had my suspicions, but I never found it in myself to confront her about it,” he said, giving Loona a side glance before sighing again. “Gabriel’s not going to like this.” Loona chuckled darkly at the comment, turning her attention back toward the cellar’s contents. Gabriel wasn’t going to like this. What was Bee going to think about this? Should Bee even know about this to begin with? Loona wasn’t sure, but she was sure about one thing.

“No, he’s not.”

Chapter 9: Chapter 8: Betrayal and Forgiveness

Chapter Text

Gabriel

It wasn't easy. Keeping the anger from his voice or facial expression wasn’t easy, but somehow he managed to do it. When his aunt had first opened the door, she had immediately sensed Gabriel’s anger, asking him what was wrong. When she opened the door, the woman looked genuinely concerned. Oh how that was about to change real quick, he thought spitefully. Gabriel asked her if anyone else was home, to which she said that Chester was still at work (which made sense since his car wasn’t in the driveway) and that the kids were playing down the street (which Gabriel knew since he’d seen them while passing by in his car).

He then asked her to speak in her office, to which she reluctantly obliged, although she still asked him what was going on. Gabriel didn’t say a word, choosing to ignore her while speed walking toward her home office. When they got inside, Sofia shut the door behind them and continued to question him as to what was up. Gabriel wasn’t really paying attention, lost in his own head as he stared at a photo of a younger Sofia and Manny that was hanging on the wall.

After a moment, he said, “My mother came down to the cafe to see me.” This got a visible reaction from his aunt, who flinched at his reveal.

Taking a deep breath, she responded, “Oh, did she now.” It was obvious to Gabriel then and there that Sofia still hated his mother. The light of hatred was ever so present within her eyes as they thought of the woman in question. As for why, that was something he intended to figure out.

“I know right,” Gabriel admitted with some faux humor to his tone. “She just showed up just as I was closing up and said she wanted to catch up with me.”

“I’m sure you told her off, that perra,” Sofia said with a tense laugh, clearly disgusted by Gabriel’s telling of the story. He wasn't sure why, as he had every reason to be upset with her too, but hearing his aunt insult his mother made him upset.

“I mean, yeah I did at first,” Gabriel admitted. He very nearly had done so if not for his father’s words of second chances holding him back.

“But two things stopped me from outright kicking her out completely,” he continued as he paced around the room. It was a habit of his whenever he was speaking. He generally hated sitting down and preferred pacing whenever he was doing something.
“The first was that she actually seemed really apologetic about not being in my life. And you know how Papa was about giving people second chances when they were trying, right?” To this, Sofia only shook her head, her eyes tense with spiteful inquiry.

“The second, according to her, was that apparently she’s been sending me letters the last several years wanting to get to know me.” At this statement, Gabriel noticed it. It was subtle and easily missable if one weren’t paying attention, but Gabriel was. And he noticed his aunt’s eyes had widened just a tiny bit, and in such a fashion as though she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. Jackpot.

“Is that so?” she said, her voice wavering ever so slightly.

“I mean it’s so weird because I never got any of those letters. But the strangest thing about her telling me that was the fact it didn’t feel like she was lying about it” Gabriel released a dark chuckle while blowing on his hands and rubbing them together, trying to cool his nerves for what was to come. Sofia herself was tense in her demeanor, standing tall and with defiance, but Gabriel could see it waning with each passing second. He needed to push harder now.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about the letters would you?” he asked her swiftly and with intent, staring her down.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t like the insinuation sobrino,” she replied back with the fire Gabriel had known her for his whole life. He liked that fire. He did. The way she stood tall and proud and fought for herself and others. He liked that about her. Her trueness to herself. But right now, that fire was in the way of the truth that he desired, and he was not going to stop until he got it. He learned from the best after all.

“Alright, I am going to cut to the chase, Tía,” he said. It was now or never. No beating around the bush. “I know that you;ve been checking Abuela’s mail for her as a ‘favor’,” Gabriel highlighted with air quotes. “But let’s be honest, I think we both know the real reason was that you were checking to see if my mother sent anything.”

“Sobrino, yo no- (Nephew, you don’t-),” Sofia defended with the anger in her voice rising, resorting to doing so in Spanish.

“No soy estúpido (I’m not stupid), Tía Sofia,” Gabriel responded back, sticking to a fully fully Spanish conversation too. There was an odd electric feeling circulating across the room at the moment, one Gabriel felt himself put off by, but that he chose to ignore. It was probably his nerves. The two family members just stared at each other for what felt like eons, two walls that were strong in their resolve, not moving until one collapsed under the pressure of its own weight and pride. Eventually, Sofia’s wall collapsed with a grunt of anger.

“Hice lo que pensé que era correcto (I did what I thought was right),” she admitted defensively.

“Dios mío, Tía,” Gabriel said, shocked not by the confession but by how unapologetic his aunt was about it. Though now he was starting to get a headache conversing in Spanish. It wasn’t always easy mentally shifting between two languages, having only fairly recently taken up the language.

“Why?” he asked in English.

“Why? Sobrino, you have to understand that that demon woman was only going to bring sorrow and death to this family. I was doing what was best for you.” Again, there she was calling his mother a demon. And why does she sound so literal using the term?

“Best for me, mi culo,” Gabriel retorted. “You just wanted me to suffer just like you.” This gained a visible reaction from his aunt, whose eyes were beginning to twitch with anger.

“Pardon me,” she whispered. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife given how thin it was, but Gabriel wasn’t deterred by it.

“I know Abuelo wasn’t around when you were young. And I bet that him being gone pissed you off. So when my mother wanted to be a part of my life, you couldn’t have that. That’s what this was about.” This accusation seemed to snap something in Sofia as she released a pulsing dark violet energy from her body and into the room. The sudden strike of the energy sent Gabriel back a few steps, but otherwise he was fine. The same could not be said for the room as all sorts of papers were sent flying across the air and onto the floor. Pictures hanging on the wall were also sent falling from their notches and crashing onto the floor, some of which sent broken glass from the frames everywhere.

“You know nothing, Gabriel,” his aunt muttered angrily, causing the young adolescent to shiver in fear and awe at the pulsating energy emanating within the room and his soul. Sofia looked rightfully pissed off at Gabriel for making his earlier suggestion, the area around her eyes taking on a blacker tone as though she put on way too much eyeliner and her hair was frazzled like she’d been struck by lightning. Strangely enough, Gabriel was not as fearful as he should have been by the energy pulsating from his aunt. If anything, there was something comforting to this purplish black energy, as though it were a piece that was missing from his inner being. Gabriel just couldn’t fathom as to why.

Gabriel could only stare as he felt the raw dark energy emanate across the office from his aunt. Never before had he ever seen her use such power before. He didn’t even know that she was capable of it. However, just as quickly as it appeared did it shrivel away into nothing as Sofia’s eyes widened in realization at what she was doing. To which she promptly collapsed onto her knees, tears flowing from her eyes as she wept sorrowfully at the realization that she’d nearly harmed her nephew.

The scene before him threw Gabriel off spectacularly. He honestly had no idea how to proceed with this now. Gabriel could feel the sadness wafting off of his aunt as she collapsed in on herself, broken by her emotions. He wasn’t sure what to think about this. Clearly, he’d been off in his assumptions about his aunt’s reasoning for keeping his mother from him, but he still needed to know why. The more Gabriel thought about it, the more he began to remember all of the good memories he had of her.

When he was eight, Gabriel had stumbled into her office while exploring his aunt’s home. While staring at the photos and certificates on the wall, Gabriel was surprised by his aunt Sofia from behind. She had briefly scolded him for being where he wasn’t supposed to be before deciding to bring him outside to show him something outside. Since he was tired, Gabriel couldn’t remember much of the lesson of the conversation, but he could remember his aunt making a bunch of dead flowers come back to life with a wave of her hands. At the time, it had felt like a dream, and Gabriel barely remembered it since it had been close to his bedtime, but now it was fairly obvious that he should not have been surprised by his aunt’s magical prowess. And then there were their little humorous conversations they had when she tutored him with math during high school. Those bickering conversations always resulted in the two laughing uncontrollably due to Gabe saying something ridiculous that Sofia couldn’t help but laugh at with Gabriel following in turn.

The one thing that both of those events and many more had in common was the familial love shared between the two that Gabriel cherished, especially since he saw his aunt as the mother he never had.

There was more to this that he wasn’t seeing. He was still angry with her, but he knew that yelling at her wasn’t going to solve anything. A chill tone was required to resolve the tension. As with all people, there were events that his aunt had undergone that influenced her belief system, that influenced his aunt’s decisions in regards to this. And Gabriel needed to know them.

“Tía,” Gabriel started, putting a hand over his crying aunt’s shoulder. “Why did you keep my mother from meeting me?” His aunt stared up at him, her eyes wet and pitiful, as she contemplated her response. After a moment, she sat back against her desk and patted the ground next to her, signaling for him to sit. Reluctantly, Gabriel did so and waited for her response as she wiped her eyes. He wondered if Loona could hear or even feel what had happened. Heck, he wouldn’t be surprised if he started hearing police sirens in the next five minutes.

“What did your mother tell you about herself?” his aunt eventually asked.

“Not much,” he responded. “She said I come from a large family and that I have several aunts and uncles as well as a cousin.”

“That you do. But did she tell you what they are?” This caused Gabriel to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. What exactly was she trying to infer with that statement? It wasn’t like they weren’t human, right?

“Tía, what are you saying? You’re talking as though they aren’t human.”

“Because they aren’t sobrino,” his aunt said more firmly. “They’re demons.” The admission gave Gabriel pause. Had he heard that correctly?

“My mom is a demon?” Gabriel muttered thoughtfully. He wanted to argue with his aunt about the claim, but given what he saw her do, something told him that she was telling the truth. Wait, wouldn’t that make him a Cambion. On another note, how did he even know what the word Cambion meant in the first place. Probably read it while reading Harry Potter or some crap like that.

“Yes, she is, and a Deadly Sin at that,” Sofia elaborated seriously. Gabriel tried to check her face for any indication that this was some sort of joke, but he could not find any. She was being serious. His mom was a demon, his mom, that weird overly excitable woman that had shown up at his workplace, was a demon. There were so many thoughts going on through Gabriel’s head because he could not fathom that the woman he met today was a demon.

After all, he had always believed that demons were just a myth considering that there was no physical confirmation of them existing. More importantly, if this was the case, why hadn’t his father told him. You would think that something like that would be very important to mention to your child. For Heaven’s sake, he had literally been baptized as a baby. How did that even work? Oh, he was starting to develop a headache.

“Why didn’t papa tell me? Why didn’t any of you tell me?” he asked. His father had kept some things from him, especially about his mother that was for sure. But this type of secret was so insane that Gabriel felt that he very much should have been made aware of it.

“Personally, I’ve wanted to tell you for years now.” his aunt admitted, seemingly sharing Gabriel’s own sentiment about the secret. “But your father told all of us to keep quiet, saying that it was better that you were kept away from all of that. And after he died, I wasn’t sure if I even should. You had enough going on in that head of yours at the time.” Her gaze saddened at the mention of her now late brother.

Gabriel too felt upset at the mention of his father, and he had to admit that his aunt had a point with the last sentence. He’d been an absolute wreck when his father passed away and any mention of his mother at that point likely would have sent him over the edge of insanity. He was better now, but mentioning his mother back then would have been like putting salt over a fresh wound. But it still didn’t answer the question Gabriel was looking for an answer to.

“So, what does all of that have to do with you preventing my mother from speaking to me?” he questioned intensely. Why had his aunt kept this from him? Why had any of them? He was twenty four for God’s sake. He was emotionally mature enough to handle that kind of information.
“This, sobrino, this has everything to do with what I did.” she replied with vigor.

Sighing, she confessed to him, “The truth is, sobrino, that my papi, your abuelo, is also a being of great power,” which wasn’t surprising all things considered. He had never met the man who always had a sense of mysticism and danger to him whenever his grandmother mentioned him. Gabriel wanted to press as to what he was, but decided better to let his aunt continue with her story.

“When I was a child,” she continued, “I treasured all the time I spent with Papi. All the lullabies, the trips across the world, his love, all of it I treasured. Then, one day, some horrid people came for us, because we were his family. Manny and I almost died because your grandfather chose to stay with us.” Gabriel’s eyes widened at this admission. He had never heard about any of this. Had his father?

Sofia then pulled up the hem of her shirt, causing Gabriel to gasp in surprise when he noticed a long thick scar similar to that of his own running along her hip and up to her armpit. Subconsciously, Gabriel too rubbed at the scar on his own chest, harkening back to the accident from when it occurred. His aunt had never talked about this, let alone anyone else in the family. It made him wonder again if his father knew about the scar much less where she got it from?

The whole thing troubled Gabriel because it meant that he truly knew so little about his own family. He thought he knew everything about his father and aunt, but clearly he had yet to even scratch the surface of their heads. Gabriel wanted to interrupt Sofia to tell her to hold on, but he was so mesmerized by the story, but the truth of what his aunt was telling him, that he couldn’t find it in himself to do so.

“And then he left,” his aunt said bitterly this time. Your grandfather abandoned me, your father, and our mother. He left all of us.” Gabriel could feel the resentment echoing off of his aunt as she said that last part. He had suspected she held some resentment toward his grandfather for that, but clearly it was only minor compared to the physical and emotional PTSS she likely held.

“He probably did it to protect you,” Gabriel rebutted. There were lots of reasons why his grandfather could have left them. If anything, seeing his own family in danger because of his presence meant that he needed to leave them to protect them.

“Maybe,” Sofia scoffed, though she seemed to relent to his point of view. “But that doesn’t change the fact that beings like our parents care little for us. We are just specks in their long lifespans on this mortal coil.” Once again his aunt appeared upset, likely reminiscing about a happy memory from long ago. “It took me so long to realize that me and your father, and our mother, was just a fad for him, and one that eventually he lost interest in.”

That last assumption had felt rather deep to Gabriel as it made him wonder if his own mother felt the same for him. He didn’t want to think like that. His mother had seemed to want to be in his life, and he sure as hell didn't feel like some cheap object to her. But then again, she could have been a good actor. There were lots of them out there and he still didn’t know much about her.

“And your mother was about to do the same to you,” Sofia finished. “When she initially stayed gone, I was content with that. At least you wouldn’t have any memories of her to feel upset about her absence.” Gabriel raised his eyebrows at that comment. He supposed that she was right about that, but that fact didn’t make it any better. “And then that first present came,” she paused, her voice tense and angry.

“I hadn’t meant to stow upon it. I was just over at your grandmother’s for brunch, but I saw it nonetheless. And I was angry. She was going to put all of us at risk by staying in your life. And I could not watch you, any of you get hurt or die because of her presence.” At that, his aunt took a long, tired deep breath before laying her head back against the desk, rubbing her forehead to soothe an unseen ache.

“But it still hurt me, Tia,” he said. “Not hearing from her all these years hurt.”

“A powerful being as old as her,” Sofia countered. “I couldn’t believe that she could care about you. I knew you were just a fleeting moment for her, one she could choose to remember and forget whenever it best suited her desires. It was my papi all over again, and I would not allow you to suffer that same sorrow or harm from her very presence.” Gabriel wasn’t sure how to feel about that. It felt like his aunt genuinely believed that his mother just saw him as an accessory or thrill to check off a bucket list. All it really told him was that his aunt most definitely needed therapy.

Sofia stood up from the floor and walked over toward one of the fallen wall photos and picked it up. Gabriel could see it was one of the whole family from their trip down to the Colorado mountains. All of them were dressed up in rafting gear as they had gone white water rafting just earlier. It was a great memory.

“A part of me thought that by hiding the things she sent, you never would have been let down by her the way my papi did. Like I knew she would eventually.” As much as Gabriel wanted to agree, it was a flimsy argument at best and a desperate one at worst, but he couldn’t exactly fault his aunt for it either.

Trauma had a way of making people do stupid things. While his father didn’t talk much about it, he knew the old man had some trauma from his time in the military. This was something similar. Nevertheless, he couldn’t agree with his aunt on this one. While she was right about a lot of things, she wasn’t right about this.

“Yes, she never let me down,” Gabe started, “But she was never given a chance to make those mistakes. If she was like that I would have found that out on my own. And you don’t know what she saw me as. She told me the opposite when we talked,” he remarked, thinking back to the love he felt from his mother’s voice since they last spoke.

Just as he stood up to comment on it, the door to the office slammed open and in stepped Loona, her face laced with worry.

“Hey Gabe, I felt some weird sh*t going on, is everything-” she began, before noticing the pair standing in a messy office before noticing his aunt in the corner. The girl then released a deep growl that surprised Gabriel and caused him to flinch at how weird it was. Gabriel put his hand up to calm her down.

“Everything is fine,” he said, to which Loona reluctantly unclenched her fists in response and crossed her arms. Her face slowly softened before she awkwardly pointed a thumb behind her in the direction of the backyard.

“Hey, um, I found your stuff in the shed out back,” she told him.

“The locked shed,” his aunt pointed out, her voice tensing up a bit.

“Well lady, if you don’t want your padlocks broken, you shouldn’t be storing stolen sh*t behind them,” Loona snarked with a devilish grin, which Gabriel chuckled at. Sofia could only pinch the brim of her nose and groan, mumbling about needing to buy another lock. Looking behind Loona, Gabriel could see his uncle Chester standing behind her in the hallway, looking highly uncomfortable with a stranger currently in his home.

“Here,” Gabe said, throwing Loona his car keys. “Can you just put them in the trunk of my car?”

“Um yeah, sure.” She looked at him one more time, checking to see if he was fine. Gabriel nodded his head and did the same in confirmation before heading back in the direction of his uncle.

“Come on, fatty. I hate spiders, so you’re helping,” Loona spoke nonchalantly.

“What did you just call me?” his uncle asked exasperatedly. Gabriel had to hold back a laugh at that bizarre insult.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it,” she responded seriously as she pulled him aggressively outside with her.

“What does that even mean?” his uncle rebutted as he tried to keep pace with the girl.

Gabriel shook his head at the ridiculousness of the whole thing before turning his attention toward his aunt, who now had both her hands on her desk, her head down in shame.

“You should hate me,” she muttered pitifully as he walked over to her.

“I should. But I don’t,” Gabriel admitted quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. f*ck, was he tired. At this point, he just wanted to go home and fall asleep after the long day he had. Forget tomorrow’s shift. “You’re still my tia, after all.”

“But I’m gonna need some space for a bit,” he said, closing his eyes and taking a breath. His aunt shuddered in response to the coldness of his voice.

“That’s fair, I suppose,” she responded, still having yet to look back at him. From her voice, Gabriel could feel a hint of regret, signaling to him that she at least was beginning to realize how much she had screwed things up.

“I’m going to go," he mumbled, no longer feeling comfortable enough to stick around and needing time to recuperate himself mentally. He honestly didn’t know how else to end the conversation, feeling uncomfortable just standing in the quiet of his aunt’s office. “See you around.” That was the last thing he said as he walked out of his aunt’s office.

He wasn’t sure what to feel as he stepped outside. He had accomplished what he had come here to do, and now his relationship with his aunt, while not broken, was definitely strained. Ever since his father’s passing, he had done his best to not shut himself off from his family and stay in contact with them. Only now, this revelation had thrown a wrench in those plans. As much as he loved his aunt, he wasn’t ready to forgive her for this. Not yet. He still needed time to process the betrayal.

On top of that, there was also the apparent truth that he was the literal spawn of an actual Biblical demon from Hell, which actually exists as it turns out. So much for being an Atheist, he thought. Wait, that likely meant that Loona was a demon too didn’t it. Yep, he was definitely going to have to confront her on that. Did he have the energy to do that? He would find out when he got home. Oh, he should probably let Loona drive him home because he had a massive headache right now.

Dios mio, his mama was a demon. A demon. How was he supposed to feel about that? He had been raised in a Catholic household and now it turns out that his father had procreated with a demon. This was absolutely insane. And it seemed completely antithetical to the nature that his mother expressed while she was talking to him earlier. f*ck, this feels like something right out of a Percy Jackson novel, he thought. And he actually liked reading those books as a kid.

But he was certain about one thing, and that there was absolutely no way he would let his mother know about this.

. . .

Loona

“So, what now?” Loona asked as she stepped out of Gabriel’s car. It was the first thing she had said to Gabriel since getting into his car. After dragging along Gabriel’s uncle and having him help her carry the stuff in the shed to Gabriel’s car, while annoying the guy who was very clearly a human version of Moxxie in Loona’s mind (nothing was going to change that), she ended up driving Gabriel and the presents back over to his apartment building. She hadn’t been surprised when Gabriel asked her to drive him back to his place. The guy had looked absolutely drained and exhausted from the difficult conversation he had had with his aunt.

Shortly after having found the Gabriel’s packages from Bee in the shed, Loona felt an odd energy dissipating in the air. Loona wasn’t sure what it was having never felt it before, but her instincts were telling her that it was dangerous. When she had reached what looked like an in-home office, which was in disarray when she entered, the energy was gone but she could feel some traces of it lingering in the air. Inside were both Gabriel and his aunt Sofia, both of whom looked like they had been awake for three days straight without any caffeine.

Nevertheless, Loona was ready to put a bitch down to defend Bee’s son only to be settled down by said son who was trying to keep a cool head. Although she hadn’t wanted to leave Gabriel alone given the condition of the office, the aunt looked subdued and pitiful enough for Loona to give him the benefit of the doubt. So, with Gabriel’s car keys in hand, she went out back with Gabe’s uncle and proceeded to carry the packages back to the car. Covered in cobwebs and moldy wrapping paper, it was a disgusting ordeal handling the packages, most of which were likely damaged beyond repair. Bee would probably be heartbroken if she knew the fate of all of these gifts.

As for the drive back, Loona hadn’t been sure what to say. She could tell just by looking at Gabriel that he was exhausted and wouldn’t be in the mood to drive. As soon as he’d gotten into the passenger seat and put on his seatbelt Gabriel had been out like a light, the only sound being that of quiet breaths coming from Gabriel as he attempted to rest his eyes.

As she drove, Loona began to come up with potential scenarios over what might have gone down in the office. Loona didn’t know what to think considering how quickly it all went down. She honestly couldn’t imagine why his aunt would do something like preventing her own nephew from seeing his own mother. It was so bizarre and cruel, and Loona wanted to pound the woman into the floor for doing something so awful. Yet, the only reason she didn’t was because Gabriel hadn’t, or at least he hadn’t seemed visibly angry. Maybe her intentions had been good, but the execution was poor. Loona couldn’t figure the whole thing out. She’d have to ask Gabriel after they got to the apartment.

“Now,” Gabriel said, still exhausted, “We take this stuff up to my apartment. And we don’t speak of what happened to my mother.” Loona’s eyes widened at what he was suggesting. He wasn’t going to tell Bee about what his aunt had done.

“You mean you’re not going to tell Bee about this?” Loona asked, wanting to confirm if he was serious or just tired.

“Nope,” he responded lazily, picking out a package from the trunk and carrying it into the building. This raised another red flag for Loona. She had no doubt that this betrayal hit hard for Gabriel, but for him to be so emotionless. A part of her was wondering if his odd, nonchalant behavior was connected to his tiredness, or if he was just bottling in his anger like a volcano. She hoped it was the former as the latter brought nothing but heartache down the line. She knew from experience. Taking a couple packages and a bag of letters, Loona followed him inside and chased him into the elevator.

“Why?” she asked as the doors closed, allowing them some privacy.

Gabriel released a sad sigh before saying, “My tia screwed up with this whole thing. She did. But she's still my family. And she didn’t do it solely out of malice. She’s clearly hurting and she thought she was protecting me.”

Loona was stunned. Gabriel had sounded so neutral, not a hint of anger present in his voice as he explained his reasoning, his loyalty to his family.

“I don’t want to lose any more family. Not after…,” he paused as his voice cracked slightly, the emotion of the day starting to catch up to him. Loona snuck a hand onto Gabriel’s shoulder as he thought about his late father in an attempt to keep him calm. Gabriel looked at her with some surprise, a complete stranger trying to comfort him, but he gave a soft smile and a nod of thanks as the elevator doors opened up to his floor.

As they continued moving the packages into the apartment, Gabriel began to open up to her about his feelings on the matter. According to Gabriel, his reasoning for his cool attitude over the situation was more him trying to be reasonable. He didn’t want to wallow in anger and bitterness toward his aunt as it was her own that resulted in her hiding his mom’s gifts and letters in the first place. And while he had no intentions of cutting his aunt off completely, he wasn’t fully intent on forgiving her immediately either.

Truthfully, Loona felt some respect for the human. In his shoes, the disguised hellhound might have just about torn the aunt apart, pissed on her corpse, buried her ass, then pissed on her grave. His high ground approach helped her draw parallels between him and Vortex. Tex might just have a shot at getting along with Gabriel. But boy is it going to be awkward, she laughed internally.

When she asked him what the strange energy she felt was, Gabriel reluctantly explained to her that it had come from his aunt, who apparently had latent magical abilities she inherited from her father, Gabriel’s grandfather, who was also some unknown deity. When she asked him who it was, he told her that he’d never asked, choosing to let the mystery sit for now until later. Huh, so Gabriel has the blood of two different powerful beings. If anything, it sounds like something out of one of those Percy Jackson novels that are popular up here. Though she was still curious as to who it was. What lingering energy she felt reeked of death which was why she was so off put by it. She just hoped that his aunt chose to stay away for now and not interfere anymore.

As the pair brought the last dilapidated package into the apartment, the sun was setting, the light from outside fading into darkness illuminated by the light posts and signs on the local buildings and restaurants. By this point, Gabriel’s mood had gone up somewhat, managing to trade some banter with Loona as the pair sat and relaxed on his couch. Loona swore that if Blitz knew about her sitting next to some guy on his couch, he would be having a meltdown. She wondered how he was doing at the moment. Thinking about Gabriel’s father made her fortunate that he was still alive, that he had chosen her out of all of the hounds in the orphanage. She had a good life because of him, but she hasn't done much to show her appreciation. Maybe she could get him a gift, something nice that he would like just to show her appreciation, or as a bribe to not kill any future boyfriends. Yeah, probably for the latter.

“So, before you go, can I ask you something?” Gabriel asked her suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Sure.” Gabriel was quiet for a second, hand covering his chin and eyes in thought as he contemplated his question.

Finally, he asked, “Can you get rid of that disguise of yours?” The question of course startled Loona and sent her into a series of garbled sentences as she tried to figure out a response. Seeing how put off she was, Gabriel added, “I know you’re a demon.” Ah, she knew she was forgetting something. So the aunt did tell Gabriel the truth about his mother. Still though, Loona wasn’t sure if she should give credence to the aunt’s explanation.

“Relax, I’m not mad, just curious.” Gabriel told her, sitting down on the back of the sofa as he looked at her encouragingly. Loona still wasn’t convinced however. After all, she really wasn’t supposed to be doing this. “Look I’m not gonna judge you for telling a mentira (lie). I get it. I probably wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen what aunt Sofia could do.” Giving it some thought, Loona decided to just give in and let him see it. She was already this deep into their interaction. May as well just tell him the truth given that he already knows about the existence of demons.

Just to be safe however, Loona walked over to the apartment windows and pulled down the curtains to prevent anyone from seeing inside. Turning back to face Gabriel, who had now jumped over the sofa and was sitting over the edge of the seat, Loona let her disguise fade to reveal her true form. Loona could see Gabriel’s eyes widen at the flurry of indigo swirls of magic flow over Loona’s body as her bare skin gave way to fur and her mouth a muzzle.

“Wow. What kind of demon are you?” Gabriel queried, eyes mystified by her appearance. Loona wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

The female hellhound was used to men staring her down, though that was usually because they were either interested in her or were pissed off at her. She preferred the latter as it typically meant that she would have an opportunity to blow off steam. Gabriel, on the other hand, was neither of those. Instead, he was looking at her like she was a newly discovered temple in one of those archeology adventure movies. Yes she thought about her body being a temple sometimes, but she was pretty sure Gabriel was looking to feel her up like that. Rather he was more amazed by her very existence in general. She supposed it made sense considering she was the first demon he had ever seen, probably.

“A hellhound,” she responded, though just as she had, she noticed a glint of something in Gabriel’s eyes. She knew that glint all too well given that Blitz had it all the time. The glint of a bad joke that was about to be told. She honestly should have seen it coming, but she was definitely not prepared for what he was about to say.

“Nah, you look like something a horny pervert would draw,” he joked. Loona stared blankly at him for a second. Had he really just said that?

“You’re an asshole, she commented, punching him hard in the shoulder. Despite the strength of the punch, Gabriel laughed as he scooched to the side from Loona. Yet, Loona couldn’t help but let a smile form on her muzzle. She wasn’t sure why, any other asshole and she would have beaten the sh*t out of them, but Gabriel had this charm to him that his intent wasn’t harmful. Well that, and it was such an insane comment that Loona couldn’t find it in herself to fully commit to beating his ass. Humans could be freaking weird after all.

“Fair enough. I will say you do look prettier without the disguise.” This caused Loona to blush furiously, which earned a laugh out of Gabriel and another punch to the shoulder from Loona. Of course he had to say that. Of f*cking course he did, she thought annoyingly. She was definitely not telling any of her friends about this as they would no doubt rib her for it.

“You sure you weren’t projecting with that horny pervert comment?” she asked.

“Well I am a virgin, so maybe,” he admitted. Did he really just admit to that, and without feeling embarrassed? She knew several hounds who would have died on the floor if anyone revealed that about them. So for Gabe to just admit to it without any embarrassment was off putting, but in a funny kind of way she supposed.

“You have no shame in admitting that?” she asked incredulously. There was no way that this guy didn’t understand the concept of a filter, right?

“More like no common sense,” he said. Ah, yep, should have seen that coming, no understanding of what a filter is. Got it.

“Well I guess you and your mom have something in common at least,” she snickered. She remembered the first time she had met the Deadly Sin and how she had mentioned finding her ‘brother’ Satan hot without a shirt on before deliberating on the semantics of it. She got a sense of where Bee was coming from, sure, but that didn’t change how awkward the whole thing was especially for her boyfriend that was standing right next to her.

“So, my mom’s a demon too, huh,” he said more as a statement rather than a question.

“That depends, you gonna hit on her too? Incest-looking ass, Loona cracked back, wanting revenge for his previous comment.

“Oh shut up,” Gabriel snorted. This is nice, Loona thought as she sat down on the couch next to Gabe. Being able to just relax next to a friend. Wait, did Gabriel technically even count as a friend. At this point, maybe. Loona wasn’t sure. She’d need to ask him later.

“Yeah, she is, Queen Beelzebub,” Loona remarked.

“Queen?” Gabriel asked, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, she’s the Sin and ruler of Gluttony.”

“Gluttony, why does that not surprise me,” Gabriel muttered sarcastically. It did make sense in some ways, Loona supposed. Both had a fascination with food and Beelzebub was a literal party animal, though that last one didn’t seem to ring true with Gabriel if her gut instincts were telling her anything.

“So, does that mean that the whole rings of Hell thing is true?” he queried.

“Pretty much,” Loona shrugged. It wasn’t that odd of a question. In his question, she would want to know more about Hell too. Though she had to wonder how he wasn’t freaking out about this. She was sure most humans would be sh*tting their pants at even being in the same room as a demon. “I’m surprised you're not freaking out right now.”

“Honestly, I’m too tired to make a big deal out of it. Plus, I’m more the type to stay cool unless I’m really angry or frightened.” It was a fair answer. Definitely reminded her of Vortex who, despite his large build, was more of a gentle giant in terms of his personality. Yeah, those two would get along nicely if Gabriel ever got over the whole being his mother’s boyfriend thing when he found out.

“And this doesn’t frighten you?” Loona asked, pointing a clawed finger at herself. Again, how was he not afraid of her?

“Ever since my accident, nothing ever really scares me anymore, not even death,” he explained. Loona nodded her head as she could relate in some manner. Having experienced a lot of messed up things in her childhood, the only fears she ever really had were in relation to her family or socializing.

“Fair enough.” After that, the pair just sat in silence, choosing to simply bask in each other's company in the quiet apartment. Checking her phone, Loona realized that it was starting to get late. She probably needed to get back home before Blitz did. He hadn’t texted her asking where she was so that meant he was still out with Stolas, but Loona didn’t want to push her luck up here more than she already had.

Just as she got up from the sofa to signal her leave, Gabriel asked her, “Do you think she really cares about me, that I’m not some fleeting moment for her to remember or forget?”

“What do you mean?” she asked worriedly. Gabriel’s face was mired in depressive thought not unlike how Blitz would get on occasion.

“I mean, she’s been around for who knows how long. Plus, she’s choosing now of all times to get to know me. There is this part of me that is wondering if she’s only doing this to get it off her chest. That she’ll forget about me within about a month from now.” Gabriel didn’t say it, but Loona suspected that this was something the aunt likely planted in his head.

“I think your aunt was projecting there,” she told him.

“Maybe, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a good point. I mean, I suspect that Bee means well, but how can I be sure?” Much as Loona hated to admit it, there was fair reasoning for Gabriel to think that way. Beelzebub was known more for her wild parties that left her passed out in a dumpster than being responsible. Gluttony and indulgence were the very core of her personality, and Loona didn’t know whether or not Bee could commit to being a decent mother. But then that wouldn’t be fair to Beelzebub either. Bee had seemed really remorseful about not being in Gabriel’s life and even wanting to cut back on some of her own partying habits just to prove herself as a capable parent.

“Honestly, I don’t know. You’d have to ask her that yourself. But, from my experience with her, as limited as it is,” Loona started, “Bee really seemed like she wanted to give being your mother a shot, and when she puts her mind to something there’s no real stopping her.” Gabriel took a breath as he contemplated what she said. “I saw with my own two eyes that she cares for you, and the one thing that Bee wants more than anything is to be your mom.” With that, Gabriel smiled softly at her and nodded his head, seeming to believe her words, and Loona was thankful that she could at least alleviate Gabriel’s concerns. The moment would have been nice if not for Gabriel once again saying something stupid.

“Anyone ever told you that you make a good therapy dog?” Gabriel cracked with a chuckle.

“Okay, I’m leaving,” Loona said bluntly as she got up while rolling her eyes. She had to resist punching him again. Seriously, where was the dude’s filter? In retrospect, however, she probably should have seen that one coming.

“No but seriously, thanks for this,” Gabriel added, catching onto her annoyance at the joke and standing up to meet her. “I really do appreciate you helping me with all of this.”

“No problem. This was nice,” Loona admitted, though she didn’t smile since she was still miffed by the ‘therapy dog’ crack. Despite all of the depressing moments, this evening was really fun. “What are you going to tell her about those,” she added, pointing to the stack of packages by the kitchen counter. There was no doubt in Loona’s mind that Bee was going to have questions once she saw them.

“I’ll just tell her that they got lost in the mail,” he said. Loona raised an eyebrow at his plan. Really, that’s what he’s gonna do. There is no way that Bee would believe that.

“You sure she’ll believe that?”

“If I make it sound convincing enough,” Gabriel pointed out. “Besides, I think my mother will be more concerned with wanting to spend time with me than thinking about the letters.” To that, Loona saw his point. Beelzebub desperately wanted a relationship with her son, and that desperation would probably result in her not questioning his story. Well, that and her low attention span.

“So I guess this is goodbye,” Gabriel said, rubbing his fingers together.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Loona nodded. “You think we’ll see each other again. Would you mind that?” Aside from the dog jokes, Loona could admit that talking with Gabriel was fun. He was calm, collected, and an overall great person to be around.

“You seem like a buena dama,” he confessed to her.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Loona accepted with a smile. She wasn’t sure what that meant but Gabriel’s tone suggested to her that it wasn’t offensive. Regardless, she was beginning to consider buying a Spanish translation book just to understand him.

“It means nice lady.”

“Remind me to brush up on my Spanish next time we see each other. Also, no more dog jokes,” she suggested. While she didn’t think Gabriel meant any harm with the jokes, nor were they the most racist things that had been said to her, she still found them offensive all the same.

“Ah, mierda, was I being racist with those?” Gabriel moaned, his voice becoming concerned at that realization.

“Probably, but I’ll let it slide for now,” Loona said, feigning disappointment. Well, at least he seems remorseful about it.

“Well I’ll do my best not to offend you next time,” he promised. At his assurances, Loona let herself smile, the two shaking hands as a symbol of their new friendship. Pulling the Asmodean crystal from her pocket, Loona summoned a portal back to her apartment.

As she stepped through the portal, she could hear Gabriel comment, “Portals. Wasn’t expecting that.” Turning around, she noticed Gabriel was bent over to the side as he inspected the tear in space. She wasn’t sure why, but the human’s amazement at the magic was absolutely adorable.

“Well how do you think I got up here from Hell?” she asked him. Gabriel just shrugged at her comment.

“I don’t know, I figured there was one of those special secret pathways like in Alice in Wonderland,” he confessed to her. Loona could only shake her head and laugh at his assumption.

“You literally just learned about the existence of Hell and you're stumped by the existence of portals,” she chided jokingly.

“I wasn’t expecting it, sue me!” he pouted defensively, crossing his arms. Loona smirked. He is such a dork, she thought as the portal closed between them.

But just before it did, Gabriel managed to wave to her and shout out, “Adios, amiga!” And with that, the portal shut, cutting off the human and hellhound from each other.

“Well, that was something," Loona said aloud to no one in particular.

Looking around the apartment, Loona noticed that it looked about the same as it did when she left, meaning she was right in her assumption that Blitz hadn’t yet returned home. Walking over to the kitchen area, Loona went through the fridge to heat up some leftovers for dinner. After the long, emotional evening she’d had, the hellhound was too tired to go out and get something to eat.

As she went through the cabinets for silverware and plates, Loona thought about the events of the day. Meeting Gabriel had been a treat for sure. She hadn’t meant to share some of her past with him, but he at least had been receptive and understanding. He was definitely a dumbass, especially with those stupid comments he’d made, but at least he was honest about being one, so that was a plus. Nevertheless, he was also kind of cute too. Loona blushed at the memory of him calling her pretty in her natural form. She couldn’t even tell if that had been part of the joke. If it had, f*ck him. (Though, he didn’t seem like the type to do that.) If not, how was she supposed to deal with that? (Good lord, that opened up a whole other can of worms.)

Trying to push those thoughts down, Loona focused her mind on finishing getting her dinner ready. Wrapping a paper towel over her dinner plate, she placed it in the dainty microwave and set the time for a couple minutes. As she waited, Loona subconsciously backed away from the machine as it sounded like it was a few more runs from exploding. Okay, well that’s another reason to move out of this place.

Then, there was the whole thing with Gabriel’s aunt. Yikes, it was just a train wreck of a situation with his family. Loona felt sympathy for Gabriel in regards to what he must have felt. Granted, what his aunt had done wasn’t nearly as bad as what her parents had done to her, but Loona still could relate to that feeling of betrayal. Whether Gabriel chose to ever forgive her was up to him. Personally, Loona wouldn’t, but she also knew that this Sofia woman was still Gabriel’s family. A very close and personal tie to his father that the human still cared about. She just hoped it worked out for him all the same. That woman better pray that Bee doesn’t find out about the letters and packages, or there will be literal Hell to pay. f*ck, I hope Bee doesn’t find out about what I did. She really hoped that the Deadly Sin didn’t find out about this. Loona didn’t know how they would handle it. On the one hand, they could be extremely mad at Loona for going behind her back to talk to her son. On the other hand, she could also be really happy and in the hellhound’s space for helping to convince Gabriel to give her a chance. Loona couldn’t decide which scenario was better.

Yet, despite these worries, Loona was more concerned about how Bee was going to handle interacting with her son. Could the Deadly Sin focus on making sure her son was comfortable with whatever arrangement they made? Would Bee be able to follow those boundaries? Could Beelzebub set aside her party lifestyle in favor of being a mother? Okay that last one wasn’t realistic, in Loona’s opinion. Just about everyone enjoyed the parties Bee threw at her club/mansion and it would cause a stir if she just stopped them permanently. Plus, Loona really did like the one party she went to by the end of it so she wouldn’t mind the Sin throwing one every now and then.

Walking over to the living room, Loona sat down on the sofa and put her legs up on the ottoman. Things have worked out so far. Who knows, she may just get this win after all, Loona surmised as she turned on the TV to one of the horse shows Blitz watched. Oh I cannot believe I let dad get me addicted to these kid shows.

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: This is Family

Chapter Text

25 Years Ago

Manny

Things are now falling into place , Manny thought as he finished moving the crib into the nursery. The newly painted blue walls were covered. A lounge chair sat in the corner. In another corner was a box containing a variety of toys that Beelzebub had bought for their son. Opposite the crib was a dresser for other supplies such as clothing and diapers. Atop the dresser was a beehive lamp, a touch of Beelzebub that Manny felt lit up the room. Through the window, some sunlight was showing through, coincidently toward the spot where Manny planned to place Gabriel’s crib, but Manny saw it as a sign that things were as they were meant to be.

It had been a month since Beelzebub had brought Gabriel to Manny, and his life felt like it was falling into routine. He had moved out of his apartment and back in with his mother, who was really delighted that she got to spend more time with her grandson. Fortunately, his mother had also kept his and his sister’s rooms the way they were so he had somewhere to sleep. Although, he definitely needed to remodel the room considering that it was littered with much of his old relics from his adolescent years. Beelzebub had appeared every other day when she wasn’t busy with her work in Hell, helping to take care of Gabriel or helping design the room or buying new supplies for taking care of Gabriel.

During those times, his sister was not so strangely absent given that she despised the Deadly Sin. Fortunately, that hatred didn’t appear to extend to her nephew as she took well to being an aunt. As much as his sister could be a pain, he knew she had a heart. It was just damaged and closed off, from what Manny suspected had to do with their father leaving. There had always been an itch in the back of his mind telling him otherwise. Like a memory that had yet to resurface. Thanks to his mother, he knew what that itch was.

She had pulled him aside a couple days ago as they were finishing things up and had finally confessed to him the truth about his father. About why his sister was so bitter. And about why his father had needed to leave in the first place. Manny couldn’t believe it at first, but after everything he had witnessed the last few months, there was no denying any of what his mother was telling him. To think that he was the son of a being that powerful and feared. It certainly explained why his fighting skills and senses were top tier now that he thought about it. Death literally ran in his blood.

“I still think he could use some more stuffed animals,” Manny heard a familiar female voice behind him say. Turning around, he could see Beelzebub (in her human disguise, wearing a rainbow colored blouse, a matching skirt, and some black stockings) standing in the doorway holding their son Gabriel, who was sound asleep.

“I don’t think he needs anymore,” Manny said, nodding his head over to the box of toys that was filled to the brim, a couple toys sticking out from the cracks. At that moment, the box burst open from the pressure of having so many toys and stuffed animals forced into it, startling the pair. The two adults stared at the mess of toys, then back toward each other. Manny smirked at the demon as though to tell her ‘I told you so.’ In response, Bee rolled her eyes and pouted.

“Whatever,” she muttered childishly. After cleaning up the mess, the pair finished preparing Gabriel’s room. Bee had finished storing all of the baby supplies in the cabinets while also providing Manny with a couple month’s worth of formula and baby food that she had created out of inspiration from her own child. The Sin mentioned that she was going to start selling her new brand, ‘Baby Beez’, down in Hell to see how demons liked it. Manny had a hunch that it would be quite popular considering that he had tasted the demon’s food before.

Truth be told, he had never tasted something so incredible before this. Even his mother’s cooking couldn’t compare to what Beelzebub could make on the fly. It was like his taste buds were dancing in Heaven. Manny wondered if their son would inherit his mother’s superb cooking skills. Another thought for another day.

Today, however, was a very important day. One that Manny had been dreading for a while now. The day that Beelzebub would leave. Quite possibly the last day that either he or his son would ever see her again.

“So, this is it,” he said softly. Beelzebub, who had placed their son in his crib, was standing over said crib as she looked at him longingly.

“Yeah,” she responded, too distracted by their son to face him. Manny could see it in her eyes. For a woman who was all about encouraging people to fulfill their wants and desires, Beelzebub refused to allow herself the chance to be a mother. It was ironic, really.

“You can stay,” he told her, walking over to stand just behind herself as he too looked over their son.

“A part of me wants to stay, ya know,” she confirmed to him. “To just give this whole domestic thing a shot with you.” At that moment, their son woke up and reached his arms toward the pair, releasing a series of mums and gaggles that Bee cooed softly at. Yet, her expression soured as she remembered what she had been saying just before. “But I know deep down it would never work. I’m already breaking so many rules just by being here. Besides, too much time here and heaven might catch on. I don’t want to risk either of you or your family getting hurt because I want to be selfish.”

“It’s not selfish if you just want us to be a family,” Manny pointed out.

“There are plenty up in Heaven who would disagree with you there,” Bee remarked sourly. The part of Manny who grew up Catholic wanted to disagree with the demon, but there was also a large part of him that knew there was more to Heaven than met the eye. Manny still believed in being a good person, but he was getting a vibe from her that much of the lore and history about Heaven and Hell was biased in favor of Heaven. Whether or not that assumption was true, he’d figure it out after he died.

“Then Heaven is stupid.”

“Watch out or an angel just might come down and smite ya,” she joked. Manny laughed softly in turn. He wanted her to stay. He did. The only reason he wasn’t was because of what his mother told him.

“My little baby bee,” Beelzebub spoke softly, rubbing a finger along their son’s cheek. Gabriel in turn reached a small hand to Bee’s own, causing the Sin to coo. “I’m sorry that I can’t be here for you. I’m sorry that these are the circ*mstances for your existence.” Bee’s smile dropped, her eyes becoming misty.

“I know that you won’t remember this, but I want you to know that I will always love you. I’ll always be thinking of you and watching over you. I love you so much.” Bee gently kissed her son’s forehead and hummed a tune to put the baby to sleep. Picking him up one final time, Bee removed her demon disguise and wrapped her arms instinctively around their son, her eyes closed as she nuzzled Gabriel’s forehead. The demon looked as though she were mourning, and in a way she was. Manny had no idea what the future held, but he knew that there was a good chance that this could be the last time she ever saw her child again. As such, he chose to stay silent so as not to ruin the touching moment.

After what felt like hours, Beelzebub released a long, saddening sigh before turning her gaze toward Manny, nodding her head to signal that it was time. Manny nodded in reply and walked over to take his son from her arms.
“You think we’ll see each other again,” he asked her quietly so as not to disturb Gabriel.

“I don’t know. I have a lot of things to figure out up here before I consider being his mother,” Bee told him, tapping a finger to the side of her head. “Maybe when I do, I’ll come visit. Maybe send a letter to check up beforehand.” Manny nodded. He learned from Bee that she had her own habits from partying that she wasn’t the most responsible individual in the world. Granted he also knew humans who were even less responsible than her. Still, he was glad that at least she was trying to figure herself out beforehand.

“Besides, I think you’ll do great without me,” she added confidently.
“How can you be sure?” While Manny didn’t think much about it, he was still petrified at the idea of being a father. Sure he had his mother and sister to help him out, but there was so much that could go wrong at any moment and he was scared at the prospect of screwing things up.

“I’ve always been good at reading people,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Demons, humans, and angels alike. And from what I’ve felt from these babies here,” she added while twirling her antennas, “You have a great f*cking heart. One so great and honest that I have no doubt you’ll be an excellent dad.”

Manny smiled at her compliments and looked down at their son, who was gripping his shirt tightly as he slept. Beelzebub leaned down and kissed their son on the head one final time before pulling a crystal from her pocket and opening a portal back to Hell. The opening of the portal caused Gabriel to mumble a little, but the baby was still fast asleep against his father’s chest.

“I guess this is goodbye,” Manny said. Staring longingly toward a future he knew deep down that he would never have.

“Yeah,” Bee nodded sorrowfully, her smile bittersweet as she stepped through the portal. Standing opposite Manny, the two stared at each other for a moment. For Manny, the moment symbolized who they were, two people of different worlds so far apart that they could never truly coexist without the balance of the universe breaking into nothing. Yet, the only true acknowledgement of their kinship, of what they felt was in Manny’s arms, the sleeping infant that Beelzebub had chosen to give him.

And with a final wave of goodbye from Beelzebub, the portal between them closed, the potential future that could have been closed forever. Manny released a tired sigh as he looked down at his infant son. I can do this , he thought as he carried him back to his crib and laid him inside. I can do this for Bee.

Once long ago, his mother had told him that everyone had a purpose for existing, a purpose that was fluid and constantly changed as time passed. At that moment, as he gazed happily at his son, he realized his own. His son. To watch over and teach him what it meant to be human, to be a good purpose. To give him the skills and mindset to be incredible. But most importantly, to give his mother peace of mind. That her only child would be in good hands. He could do that. And he would. For as long as he lived, Manny promised to himself and to Beelzebub that he would raise their son to be the best version of himself he could be.

For this, this infant before him, was his true purpose.

. . .

Present Day

Gabriel

Send the text. Send the text. Just send the flippin text, already. Gabriel’s head was not quite recovered from the revelations from yesterday. As a result, Gabriel had called in sick for the day, telling Jack that he wasn’t feeling well. Jack had been worried considering that Gabriel almost never called off, and for him to do so meant that something was seriously wrong. Gabriel told him not to worry and that some family matters had come up but that he would be fine by Monday. Gabriel wasn’t too worried about tomorrow either since Sundays were the one day of the week he didn’t work, well that and the café was closed on Sundays in general.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he was supposed to join his friends over at the soup kitchen across town tomorrow. He could choose to blow that off too considering he still needed to talk with his mother, but then a thought came to mind. An interesting thought. A crazy one at that. Would it work? Who knew, but it was a way of testing his mother. Oh wait, no that was next week, he realized. Mierda, was he mentally screwed or what that he got his dates messed up.

In fact, at the moment he was trying to work up the courage to send his mother the fated text that would give her the signal to come over. He had spent two hours trying to come up with the right words, read and reread the text thousands of times, but still hadn’t sent it yet. It had been so long since he had second guessed himself, not since college.

At that moment, Gabriel received a text notification from his grandmother. Saving the text as a draft, Gabriel checked his notifications to see what she had messaged him. He hadn’t heard from her since Thursday and he suspected that the reason she was texting was because she and his aunt had talked. He knew it would happen soon but, regardless of when, he had no idea what to say.

Abuela: Are you okay?

Gabriel let out a sigh of relief at the simplicity of the message. At least, she wasn’t badgering him with question after question. Typing in a quick reply, he wrote:

Gabriel: I’m hanging in there.

Abuela: What are you doing right now?

Gabriel: Considering what to text my mother.

There was a brief pause in the conversation as he saw that his grandmother had been typing for about two minutes after his last text.

Abuela: I’m disappointed in Sofia for what she did.

Gabriel shook his head. He figured it would be along those lines. Maria was the biggest proponent of the concept of family that he knew. What aunt Sofia had done would have definitely disappointed the matriarch.

Gabriel: So am I. But it is what it is.

Abuela: You seem too calm about this.

Gabriel smirked at her response. His abuela and aunt had always been the more vocal of the family whereas he and his father had always been more calm and thoughtful. That wasn’t to say there was anything wrong with that. There wasn’t. If anything, he liked it when the two women stood up for him. It was just a difference of personalities.

Gabriel: No use in being angry. More important things to worry about.

Abuela: Fair enough.

Gabriel: Why didn’t you tell me the truth about her, let alone our family?

Abuela: I was concerned with how you would take it.

Gabriel: Were you worried I would become resentful like Tia.

Abuela: Yes.

Gabriel sighed. Why couldn’t things in his life ever be simple anymore? Sometimes he wished that he didn’t have to worry about curveballs like this.

Gabriel: Look, I gotta figure out things with my mother. How about we talk about this later in the week.

Abuela: Alright, I’ll let you get back to it. Let me know what she says. I’ve been wanting to talk with her again. She was a nice woman. Love you, Nieto.

Well, at least I don’t have to worry about abuela hating my mom too , he thought sarcastically.

Gabriel: Love you too abuela. Talk to you later.

With that, Gabriel sorted back to the drafted text, and reviewed it once again. Why was this so difficult for him? It was just one text. Yeah, and to a woman who you barely know, remember , his inner thoughts relayed to him. Gabriel moaned in annoyance and set the phone on the coffee table while rubbing his temples.

Looking to the side, Gabriel noticed the hoard of presents that sat out in the open, naked of the wrapping paper that had been stuck to them, for the most part anyway. He’d spent the day going through each and every one of them to see what it was his mother had sent him. Gabriel could tell when each of them had been sent based alone on what they were. As for the letters, they were all pretty much illegible due to years of exposure to water and mold.

The ones sent during his early years consisted of one of those baby activity saucers, a box full of bee-themed baby toys including one of those puzzle block sets, and a variety of other things that he would have liked prior to turning four years old. The gifts seemed to increase in maturity as he went through them. There were a couple CDs, some posters, and... Gabriel had to do a double take when he saw the PS4 console. Well the resale value is gone there, Gabriel thought as he noticed that the box itself was severely waterlogged. There was even a Lego set of the Titanic present amongst them. His mother had really gone all out with these gifts.

One of the more recent ones, and probably his most favorite, was a signed copy of chef Andre Rush’s cookbook ‘Call Me Chef, Dammit!’. Gabriel had felt himself go giddy holding the copy, especially since it was actually in decent condition. Andre Rush was one of his all time favorite chefs in the world, top 5, largely because of his military background and work ethic. Okay, even if that Loona girl hadn’t shown up, he would have called his mom just for that alone.

Now that he thought about it, the baby toys were much more waterlogged compared to the later presents, likely since they had spent longer time in the shed. Better those than the book , Gabriel thought as he looked back at the cookbook lying on the counter. He had spent maybe an hour reading through it before calling it quits.

His mother had put a lot of thought into those gifts. The fact that she had been keeping her eyes on him, paying attention to his likes and dislikes. He thought back to the love he felt emanating from her voice last she spoke to him. There was something so genuine about how she’d spoken to him. So honest and true to heart that pulled at him. With that, a spark of adrenaline entered his bloodstream. Gabriel knew he needed to do this. Picking up his phone, Gabriel pulled up the text and hit the send button before throwing the phone back down on the table. Laying back down against the couch, Gabriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

And now I wait.

. . .

Beelzebub

“You f*ckers have been using my goddamn name on your f*cking adoption certificates. My name, and without any kind of approval! I am a mother f*cking Sin, bitch, that’s right! If ya’ll don’t find some time for a scheduled meeting in the next five minutes, then I will personally come over there and turn you all into a new specialty co*cktail at my club! AM I CLEAR?” Beelzebub shouted into her phone furiously as she spoke with the head of the ‘Hellhound Foundation’.

Eventually, the head of the place seceded to Beelzebub’s demands and scheduled a meeting with her for Friday. It was later than she wanted it to be, but she couldn’t deny that it was better than nothing. Plus, she was too tired to argue anymore. With how much stress she was feeling waiting for Gabriel to send her a text, assuming he chose to want to speak to her, Bee was mentally drained.

Earlier that day, wanting to distract herself, Beelzebub had chosen to drown herself in her work which started with once again trying to fix the hellhound orphanage in Pride. After learning from Loona that the orphanage over there was using her own name on the adoption certificates (For f*ck’s sake, to even call them that was a joke considering that they technically listed the hellhound’s as the property of the buyers.), Beelzebub had been rightfully furious and had decided to use that fact as a way to get a personal tour of the place.

Yet, this alone wasn’t the primary reason she had gone true demon form during the phone call. No, this had far more to do with her research just minutes prior to making the call. Wanting to learn more about Loona’s experiences growing up, Beelzebub had done an internet deep dive into the building. Beelzebub gasped when she saw pictures of the inside of the building, which looked more like a maximum security prison than it did an orphanage. Beelzebub shed a few tears as she gazed heartbreakingly at puppies huddled in too small cells staring sadly through the cell bars.

If this is how they were treating the infants and children, then how are they treating the adolescents? she thought as she turned to finding information about elder children. However, she couldn’t find much information at all. In fact, Bee could not find a single record of any hellhound who aged out of the joint within any ring of Hell. Bee felt a pit in her stomach as her mind turned to a dark thought, but she pushed it aside, not wanting to believe that even in Hell could someone be that cruel.

A deeper dive into supply shipments into the so-called orphanage revealed an interesting medication known as Pentobarbital that was being brought into the building in large quantities every so often. Curious as to what function is served, Bee looked up the medicine on her phone and found out it was an anti-seizure medication. The deadly sin had been about to ignore the oddity until her eyes caught sight of a single word amongst the information in her browser. Just one word that sent her into a frenzy that caused her to fly outside and start tearing up the forest behind her mansion. Euthanasia .

Beelzebub had never felt so furious in her entire life. Even when she had been kicked out of Heaven for introducing addiction to humanity in the form of alcoholism (like with Lucifer and the Apple, that had never been her intention) Beelzebub had never been this livid. The queen of Gluttony didn’t care if anyone recorded her tantrum, she was rightfully angry that her hellhounds, her honorary children, were being euthanized in droves. Even if she didn’t technically have proof, just an assumption, there was no doubt in her mind that this was what was happening. Bee had no idea how long this had been going on, just how many children had had their lives snatched from them before they really began, but Beelzebub was not going to stand for it. At this point, she could care less about ticking off Lucifer. Her mind was set. She was going to tear up that place whether he liked it or not.

By the time she had calmed down and shifted back to her normal size, Vortex had arrived back home from work. Her boyfriend had been worried when he noticed the torn up backyard and had asked her what was wrong. On top of the stress she was feeling in regard to her own son, it was all too much for her. Beelzebub broke down into tears and sobs as she threw herself on top of Vortex, hugging him tightly while he gently nuzzled her neck. Beelzebub wasn’t sure how long she’d been crying, but by the time she stopped, she realized that Vortex had carried her back to their bedroom.

As she came too, she felt Vortex laying right behind her, his arms clasped around her stomach as he rested her muzzle on her forehead. How could anyone make her feel so good despite such a horrid reality? Beelzebub couldn’t answer the question, but she was thankful nonetheless that she had people like Tex and Loona.

Oh f*ck, Loona. The silver-furred hellhound who Beelzebub had taken a liking to had grown up in that building and had even admitted to having been adopted by that imp Blitz only a month before ‘aging out’. Did the girl know that she was a month away from being euthanized by the staff, to having the life snuffed from her. Looking back on it, Loona’s shyness and initial aversion to socializing made so much more sense now. Growing up in that environment would have mentally screwed with anyone. The thought of it was making Bee herself feel nauseous, and so alien.

A month ago she was living the dream high as a kite, sometimes literally, partying it up in her club and providing enjoyment to her people. Now, within the last two weeks, she had been brought down to her lowest, depressed by her failures as a mother and for those hellhounds beyond her ring. While it was a necessary revelation, it still sucked to experience it all the same.

Seeing that she was awake, Vortex asked her what was wrong and the bee-fox demon reluctantly explained to him what she had learned about the Pride Kennels. She felt his grip around her tighten as she relayed what she had discovered about the fate of children at the kennels. She could feel his anger bubbling at the information and she felt the same. It wasn’t fair what was happening. Even though it wasn’t technically her fault, Bee felt some form of responsibility for what was going on with those pups. She knew things were bad, but she never knew that it was that bad.

With renewed vigor, Beelzebub had called the kennels and demanded a personal meeting and tour of the facility in order to begin laying down the law. Beelzebub would have stormed down there immediately if not for Vortex pointing to reason. As he readily explained, what Bee had on the place was only circ*mstantial at best. And if she was wrong, though Beelzebub doubted that, she would have to face Lucifer for her error. Yet, she was not having any of it when kids were literally dying. She hadn’t mentioned the euthanization during the call because she knew that if she mentioned it that she would lose it again, but the anger alone was enough to get the representative to comply with her needs. After the call, she and Vortex just sat in bed for the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company and watching a movie on Voxflix. Bee needed it after that horrible revelation, and having Vortex next to her kept her from mostly sinking back into a depression. Please, could she just get one win this week.

At some point, Vortex walked over to the kitchen and made Bee her favorite iced coffee. The sweet and energizing beverage sent a delightful shiver up Bee’s spine as she sipped on it. She wasn’t over what she had discovered earlier. Oh no was she still mad about that, but it was certainly more manageable now.

“You heard back from him, yet?” Vortex suddenly asked her, drawing her attention away from the beverage.

“Not yet,” Bee shook her head. “He said that if he didn’t reply back by tomorrow night….” Bee couldn’t even finish the sentence out of sorrow. She hated waiting. She hated not knowing what he was thinking. But most importantly, she hated herself for not being what he needed her to be.

Suddenly, Bee’s phone pinged, indicating that she had a text notification. She was still tired from yelling that she didn’t bother checking who it was that had texted her. Reading the text, Beelzebub took a sip from her iced coffee before immediately spitting it back out in shock, catching her boyfriend off guard as he was in direct fire of the drink. Putting a finger up to her boyfriend’s lips, Beelzebub reread the text over and over again just to be certain she was reading it right.

Wiping himself off, Vortex looked over Bee’s shoulder trying to see what had caused his girlfriend to air out her beverage onto him. Before he could even see who the contact was, Beelzebub flew into the air and screeched what had to be the loudest happy scream he’d ever heard. The Sin was literally jumping or he should say flying through the hoops hanging from the ceiling as she spun around while crying tears of joy. Out of nowhere, the deadly sin tackled her boyfriend onto the bed and hugged him tightly, sobbing at finally getting a chance to fix her mistakes.

“I’m guessing that was him,” Vortex guessed, unable to think of what could have brought his girlfriend’s spirits up like this. Bee nodded her head furiously and wiped away the tears from her face.

“He says he’s willing to give me a chance,” she told him, showing him the text message Gabriel had sent her. The message read:

Hello, it’s me Gabriel. I’ve been thinking things over and I am willing to give you a shot. But it has to be on my terms and you need to be honest with me from here on out. I’ll be waiting for you at my apartment. Try to be there at about 10:30. I’d tell you my apartment’s address, but I have a feeling you know where to find it. We’ll talk more before leaving. See you tomorrow, madre.

“This is it baby, this is it,” Bee spoke giddily, flying over to her closet. The message had been short and simple, but Beelzebub was not perturbed. In fact, Gabriel had called her madre, which she assumed meant mom. It was the first time he’d called her as such when addressing her, and she felt completely high from the positive vibes as a result. Not inhibited from the negative emotions from earlier in the day (She had waited far too long for this moment.) Beelzebub was a flurry of perpetual energy. As soon as she opened the door, Bee hit a big red button to the side of the door. In an instant, a long rack shot out from the closet containing a shopping mall’s worth of clothing.

Despite defying the laws of physics, the rack holding hundreds of pounds of clothing hung stiffly. The queen quickly took to searching through the clothing, trying on several pairs of clothing. This was it. This was her one chance to begin making things right. She needed to look perfect.

“Uh, Bee,” Vortex tried to get her attention.

“Not now Tex, baby,” Bee told her boyfriend, not entirely focused on him. “Gotta come up with the perfect outfit tomorrow. Oh hey do you think this top would be nice. Nah too revealing. Oh what about these–” Bee rattled on as she tossed around clothing.

Suddenly, Bee felt a pair of arms lift her off her feet. It took Bee a second to realize that it was Vortex, who was carrying her bridal style away from the rack. While it was surprising to say the least, Bee wasn’t entirely objectionable to the move. She liked being draped in his big, meaty arms, especially at night. Vortex promptly set her down on their bed before putting his hands on both her shoulders.

“Calm,” he spoke sternly. Beelzebub was frozen as she stared into his eyes, or one eye to be exact. Within a few seconds and a couple deep breaths, Beelzebub realized that she had jumped into this without thinking, again. Bee immediately blushed at the thought, well that and being so close to her boyfriend’s muzzle. If the timing were more appropriate, she would be tongue deep into his muzzle right about now.

“I’m sorry baby,” Bee apologized, cheeks still flushed with redness. “I got carried away again, didn’t I?”

“A little,” Vortex chuckled. “Here, let me help.” From there, Vortex walked over to the clothing rack, tip-toeing over the piles of clothes lying on the floor, and searched through her selection. Within a couple minutes, Vortex had returned with a pair of plain gray sweatpants, a pink tank top, and a matching pink long-sleeve wool sweatshirt for her to wear.

“Nothing too fancy. Definitely do not want to overdo it. Call it a gut feeling for whatever this event is,” Vortex added. She had to admit that Vortex had a fair point. Whatever this test of his was, Bee knew that she had to play ball with it, and that included choosing dress wear that was casual.

She didn’t want to dress in anything too revealing only for him to bring her somewhere that such clothing was highly inappropriate. While Bee was an overzealous partier, she understood the concept of tact, though she was not the best at exercising it. Thankfully, Tex never judged her for it which was another reason she loved him so much.

“Well, I think this will do quite nicely. As a matter of fact, I think it just screams MILF. What do you think, Texy?” Bee asked in a sultry tone, causing her boyfriend to stutter profusely. Boy did she love making this beefy hunk of a man fluster with her voice. Time to up the ante. “In fact, to celebrate, how would you like to fulfill the ‘F’ part of it?”

“Yes, maam,” Vortex responded happily, dropping the clothes to the side and picking up Bee by her hips to carry her deeper into the bed.

. . .

The Following Morning

Ok, Bee you got this. You got this. Think of this as practice for when you’re meeting Vortex’s family. Maybe when this is all said and done, we can just go out to a bar and talk. No. No. No. Gabe’s got work tomorrow and he’s not into alcohol. Man, I still cannot believe that. I mean, drugs I get. But not a bottle of scotch every now and then. I have to fix that at some point. Heck, maybe I could find him a girlfriend. I know he’s single-

These were just a few of the barrage of thoughts circling Bee’s head at supersonic speed as she waited by Gabriel’s front door after knocking. Adorning the clothing Vortex had picked out for her prior to their love-making session, Beelzebub felt like such a bundle of nerves that she could explode from the pressure of them circulating inside of her. This was much, much earlier than she normally woke up given her own partying lifestyle. Even after drinking her usual coffee, she was still not her most perky self.

It was happening. It was happening. She was finally getting a chance to make up with her son. On top of all of the mental sh*t she had been dealing with, Bee was so excited to just have this win. All she had to do was go with the flow and not overthink it. Yeah, she could do that. It was how she paraded through most of life anyway. She could totally relax and let things play out as intended, right?

Oh, who was she kidding, this was her son. Her estranged son whom she hadn’t spoken with until two days ago. For once, she was beginning to understand how Loona felt walking into her party a couple months back. She was so out of her element. This heartwarming stuff was not in her skill set.

Calm down, Bee. Calm down. Take a deep breath and relax. He told you he wanted to make this work, and so you just have to play it cool. Don’t say anything dumb and you’ll be fine.

After what felt like forever, the door finally opened to reveal her child. Gabriel, who was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a black t-shirt with a green wolf’s head on the front, his hair tied into a ponytail. He appeared awake and apprehensive as he stood in the doorway, unsure of what to say. Similarly, Bee felt the same way as she mentally tried to navigate the awkwardness of the interaction.

“So hey, how’ve you been?” Bee blurted out rather forcefully.

“I mean, I’m not feeling terrible, ya know,” he responded nervously in turn. Well, at least he’s just as unsure about this as I am.

“Can I come inside?” she asked, wanting to move this into a more private setting.

“Oh, yeah, sure come on into my humble abode.” Gabriel stood aside and welcomed her in. Stepping inside, Bee was surprised by just how tacky and disorganized the décor was, being a mixture of pop culture memorabilia, yet oddly enough there was a sense of organization to it that Beelzebub recognized. The living area was designed with Gabriel’s taste in mind. Must have decided to go wild with decorating once he got his own place , she pondered. Which she could relate to certainly. Although it took awhile for her to adequately do so, she was able to model the Gluttony ring to her own unique style and that she absolutely adored.

As she was admiring the décor, Beelzebub felt her nose tingle at a delicious smell permeating through the air. Being the Sin of Gluttony and a (figuratively) massive foodie, Beelzebub could tell what something was made with just from the smell of it. Is that what I think it is? Cream cheese, graham crackers, sour cream, and… OMG, Oreos.

“Is that an Oreo cheesecake that I smell?” Bee asked, suddenly forgetting her own nervousness from moments ago. Gabriel, whose eyes turned over to the kitchenette toward a couple objects covered in tin foil, smiled at his mother’s guess.

“Uh, yeah. How could you tell?” he asked curiously.
“Call it a baker’s intuition, but OMG does it smell so good,” she praised happily. The Sin rushed over to the counter where the cakes were and carefully removed the wrapping to look at the creamy, chocolatey goodness. Oh, does this look so good. She was so mesmerized by the perfection of the dessert that she didn’t notice her son, who was now behind her, pull the wrapping back over the cheesecake.

“It’s not for you,” Gabriel chided playfully.

“Aw, not fair,” Bee pouted.

“I got a call late last night from work,” he told her, causing her eyebrows to raise. “A last minute order for a fundraising event downtown."

“And do you usually work on your days off?” she asked with a hint of concern. Bee hated that Belphegor overworked herself despite being the Sin of Sloth. And so she hated the idea of her own son overworking himself to death as well.

“Normally, no,” he shrugged. “But I needed something to keep my mind off of everything. It’s been a mentally draining past couple of days.” Beelzebub wilted at hearing that. She instantly despised herself for causing Gabriel to feel so much like sh*t that he needed to overwork himself to destress.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered sourly. Gabriel seemed to recognize this as he fumbled facially to try and reassure her.

“Don’t be, really,” he spoke softly. “I don’t consider it work since I actually do like baking. Really helps to restore rhythm to my soul.”

“That’s an odd way of saying it’s good for your mental health,” Bee smiled, finding humor in Gabriel’s reassurances and way of speaking.

“Well, I have ‘odd’ written in my genetic code,” he joked while running a finger along his arm to visualize what he was saying. Beelzebub chuckled at his unusual sense of humor before taking a deep breath. She would only be delaying the inevitable if she didn’t let him get to what he wanted to do.

“So, how do you want this to go?” she asked him with trepidation.

“We’ve got the whole day to ourselves,” he told her. “Will give us more than enough time for you to tell me all about my demonic heritage.”

“Oh yeah, there is so much–” Beelzebub paused, the sentence finally catching up with the rest of her mind. “You, you know about–”

“Hell,” he interrupted her. “Yeah, I know. My aunt Sofia told me the truth about our family’s heritage.” Bee could sense that Gabriel was troubled as he mentioned his aunt. She knew from her previous experiences with Manny’s sister that the woman did not like her one bit. Granted she could understand why given the circ*mstances of what happened to her, but it still peeved her that Sofia would project her anger onto her like that. As for his grandmother, Bee could say that the woman was a lot more pleasant to be around than her daughter. The woman hadn’t berated her like Sofia had and was quite understanding of the circ*mstances given that she herself had lived them too.

“Oh,” Bee started. She honestly wasn’t sure what to say to that. “And what do you think?”

“Well, I could tell that my aunt has a lot of issues,” Gabriel shrugged blankly. To that, Bee could also agree with. “And I wanted to see for myself the kind of person you are.”

“You mean you weren’t scared that this wasn’t some kind of plot to curse your soul?” she asked sarcastically.

“I won’t deny that that thought definitely went through my head a couple times,” Gabriel admitted. “But at the same time, you could have just done that when we were alone at the Hive.” Gabriel sighed before walking past her toward the dining room table and sitting down. Gabriel tapped the top of the table to signal for her to sit down which she obliged to.

From there, Beelzebub answered her son's questions about her. It started out with questions about what she was and what she did, what Hell was like, what the rest of the family was like. Simple questions that Bee was more than happy to explain to him. Gabriel had been intrigued as she explained to him how unlike Hell was compared to the biblical depictions of the place.

During the conversation, Beelzebub removed her disguise to show her son her true form. He was modestly surprised by her insect-like appearance, not realizing that the whole ‘lord of the flies’ moniker was more accurate than he thought. She also laughed when Gabriel got spooked by her black third eye when it blinked at him.

“Thank goodness, I’m not epileptic,” he told her with a chuckle. Bee released a guffaw at that joke, finding it hilarious in hindsight considering that such a thing had in fact happened once with an epileptic human who had summoned her once. The end result of her arrival was that Bee had spent five minutes bent over on her knees as the human who summoned her violently twitched on the floor, all the while she was asking him if he was okay. She probably would have helped them if not for how shocked and confused she was by the situation.

Eventually, the questions became more difficult for her to answer. They ranged from where she’d been to why she chose to give him up in the first place. She had to explain to him that she had been forced to give him up because he was born a human and that he was afraid for his life if it came out that she had a human son. Gabriel's eyes widened slightly at her admission of the danger. He had been looking at her with some disdain after asking the questions, as though he were expecting some kind of lousy excuse, so Beelzebub was relieved when he appeared to accept her answers. His disdain turned to understanding as he nodded his head in acceptance. Finally, he asked her the one question she knew she would have to answer.

“Why did you have me?” The question took a moment for her to register, her eyes blinking in confusion, before she blurted out an answer.

“It was a one night stand, your dad and I. We were both intoxicated as sh*t.” Beelzebub internally groaned at the statement as soon as it came out. She knew that it wasn’t the answer Gabriel was looking for considering that his response was to roll his eyes at her.

“I figured that, but why keep me?” he asked, a little more frustrated. “Why go through with the pregnancy in the first place? Am I just something on a bucket list for you?” Bee flinched at the last question. It stung to hear such a thing and in such an accusatory manner as well. It wasn’t unreasonable however.

Even before the rebellion, before her fall, Beelzebub had always wanted to be a mother. When she was helping the big man with monitoring the creation of new galaxies and planets or participating in politics, the Sin had always had the dream of having children of her own. After the fall, she had thought that such a thing had been taken from her physically. Much as she hated to admit it, even the notion of adopting some of the other hellhound children never felt right to her. This was for one big reason, being that she would eventually outlive them, and Bee wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle that when it inevitably happened.

So when Beelzebub realized that she was pregnant, she had taken it as a sign that it was meant to be, that she now had a chance to finally give life to the world, and she told him as such. Beelzebub told him all of this and more, how difficult and dangerous the pregnancy was for her and how it literally almost resulted in her demise on the day of his birth. She didn’t want to tell him that fact, but she needed him to understand how much he meant to her, that she was willing to die if it meant he got a chance to live.

Being alive for so long, Beelzebub had seen so many faces throughout her life in Hell and before in Heaven. One would think that immortality was a blessing, but in reality it was a curse. Watching the people you cared about grow old and die off left a large stain on Bee’s heart that she at one point swore off from making relationships. The Deadly Sin rarely ever chose to make friends because she knew they would be dead within the next sixty or so years, maybe less.

Taking on Vortex as a lover had been a major leap for her because of this reality and, while she tried not to think about it, knew he was going to die one day. The gluttonous party girl inside whispered into her ears that this was good, that she shouldn’t have to be tied down to a single man. She was Gluttony at its purest and, even when she was helping hellhounds, needed to embody it in her behavior at all times.

Yet, Beelzebub didn’t want to be forever tied down to the instincts of her sin. She wanted to live beyond that, experience what it meant to be alive like the hellborn and all of humanity did. It was that desire that drove her to seek companionship with Vortex and that drove her in choosing to keep Gabriel a quarter of a century ago. Even if she was left heartbroken by grief in the end, she would at the very least know what it meant to experience love in the first place.

“I chose to have you,” she whispered, gripping both his hands in a soft, motherly manner. She looked deeply into her son’s eyes and told him with pain, “Because I wanted to have you. My only regret is that I let fear keep me from showing you that until now.” She hated leaving Manny alone with Gabriel. She should have stayed, but even then she was still afraid. Afraid of choosing that love, when she was immortal, when so many hellhound children didn’t have that love. Her own fears had seeped into her own mind and kept her from choosing motherhood, and she couldn’t find it in herself to forgive herself for it.

“I didn’t realize something like that could kill you,” Gabriel muttered, stunned from the revelation that his mother had nearly died giving birth to him. Hearing the halting of his voice as he spoke, Beelzebub couldn’t hold herself back any longer as she flew over to Gabriel and hugged him tightly with her four arms, catching him by surprise as his face went into her bosom.

“Mierda, what-” Gabriel sputtered in her grasp. Instantly, Beelzebub could feel how uncomfortable her son was from her touch and recoiled. Examining her son’s expression, she could see he was staring at her with a mixture of incredulous uncertainty. I overstepped again. f*ck.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days, and I learned about some horrible sh*t involving this one hellhound orphanage. I just…I got a little emotional,” Bee apologized, embarrassed as she flew back into her seat, unable to look Gabriel in the eye. If she had, she would have noticed that Gabriel himself was unsure of what to say, feeling unsure whether he should have embraced or despised his mother’s touch. He was also hoping that he wouldn’t have any weird dreams over it either.

“It sucked to hear that you went through all of that,” he spoke up in a cumbersome manner. Beelzebub felt awful now, her colors turning a grayish blue as she realized she probably screwed up again.

“The last time I held you,” she said quietly, staring off into space, “I was helping your dad put the finishing touches on your nursery. You were so…” Beelzebub couldn’t finish the sentence, cupping her hands together as she reminisced about the little amount of time she spent with him as a baby. He truly had been so small, so innocent, so beautiful, more so than any song she’d sung, any party she’d thrown, any food she’d tasted.

“Look, I’ll let it slide. It has been a long time for you after all,” Gabriel relented sympathetically. “We’ll talk about physical contact later, okay.” He then gave her a small smile. This was enough to put her at some ease and return some color to her body. However, his facial expression quickly turned to deep thought.

“Is that why a lot of my old toys are bee-themed?” he asked abruptly with a small chuckle, his eyes in recognition over what she’d said earlier.

“It was my personal touch, before I left that is,” she smiled. “I wanted to leave some part of myself with you.”

“Well you certainly did considering that bees are my favorite animal,” he laughed, causing Bee’s heart to swell. It was so nice to hear him laugh.

“You’re welcome,” she replied jokingly.

“Hey, can I show you something?” Gabriel asked her, pulling Bee’s attention from her phone.

“Sure, what is it?” With her reply, Gabriel got up from his seat and walked over to a door on the far side of the apartment. Curious, Bee followed her son inside the room, discovering that it was Gabe’s bedroom. Said room was styled similarly to the living room, containing a variety of knick knacks and memorabilia from pop culture, though mostly from horror films. There was even a shelf in the corner containing lots of props, including a fake hand and a bloody machete.

Personally, Beelzebub hated horror movies. Despite being the nightmare of most Christian’s dreams, she was absolutely terrified of watching horror movies, especially that one movie franchise involving the killer in the hockey mask. What was his name? Jackson? Jasper? She’d figure it out another time. Overall, horror films were just not her thing. Except for those Exorcist movies. Those were actually just hilarious considering how much wrong they got about demons.

“So, I was curious about the whole letter and present thing,” Gabriel spoke, interrupting her train of thought.

“I really did send you them. You have to believe me,” she pleaded with him. She was wondering if this topic would come up again. She really wanted him to believe her because she had in fact sent them to him. She had braced herself for another argument only to be completely blindsided by what he said next.

“Oh, I do. Because I managed to find them.” This caused Beelzebub to freeze in shock. She was going to ask him what he was talking about before he opened his closet door and turned the closet light on. As soon as they did, Beelzebub saw them, all of the presents she had sent him over the last couple decades.

“Where did you…?” she started, not believing what she was seeing. She bent down to her knees and picked at the aged presents she had sent him.

“I went down to the post office yesterday to check to see if they had any packages from an unknown sender,” he explained albeit robotically, “Pretty much had a whole stockpile of your things. The letters are damaged beyond readability due to a flood, but a few of your presents to me managed to survive.”

Bee wasn’t sure whether to believe Gabriel about what he’d told her. There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind trying to convince her that there was more to it, but she chose to ignore it. The Deadly Sin was just happy that her son believed her and that he finally got the correspondence she’d been sending him over the years, even if some of it was too damaged.

“Look,” Gabriel started, pulling Bee’s attention from the closet. Gabriel sat on the edge of his bed, fiddling with his fingers as he took a deep breath. “I’m not sure where to go with all of this. I know that everything seems to point toward you caring about me, but…,” Gabriel paused, hesitant to say what was on his mind, but Bee knew what he was going to say.

“You’re scared that I’ll leave you again,” she stated as a matter of fact. She could see it in his eyes and body language. He was hesitant to show much affection to her as a consequence she surmised.

“I’ve already lost my father,” he continued. “I don’t want to get comfortable with calling you mi madre for you to just pull a disappearing act on me.” His voice had cracked as he finished his sentence, looking away from her while covering his mouth. Bee had to stop herself from jumping on her son again, instead choosing to sit down next to him and clasping a hand over his.

“I know what it’s like to be burned by the ones who were supposed to care for you,” she recalled, harkening back to when she had been kicked out of Heaven for the honest and accidental mistake of introducing addiction to humanity as well as her support for Lucifer. She hadn’t even wanted to go to war against Heaven. She just had a few different ideas about how people in Heaven could live, and was promptly banished without any chance to defend herself. “I’d never put you through the same pain. Unless you tell me otherwise, I’m staying. I’m not making the same mistake I made last time.”

And she meant it. Even if he seemed to turn out fine, the queen wasn’t going to abandon him again. She was going to make up for lost time and be his mother. It was her new purpose she decided. Gabriel stared at her, mouth open with surprise, eyes filled with hope as he tightened his grip around her hand.

“Thank you,” he whispered happily, and Beelzebub smiled. Beelzebub shook with contained excitement. This was it. This moment right here was what she was hoping for. It wasn’t full acceptance of her, yet it was enough for Bee to know that she was wanted. He wanted her to be his mother. And she was content with that.

“Do you know if padre is-?” he started, his voice hesitant as he began asking his question.

“In Heaven?” she caught him, knowing what Gabriel was asking. “I tried tracking him in Hell just in case. Never found him, so my guess is he did make it up there. Though I’m not surprised.” This resulted in Gabriel releasing a breath that he didn’t appear to realize he was holding at the information that his father had found peace in the afterlife. A tear ran down his face, to which Bee noticed and pulled out a handkerchief from thin air, proceeding to wipe her son’s face with it. A stunned Gabriel playfully tried to push his mother away to no avail, accepting the babying from his mother. Better late than never, she thought as she twirled his hair before having her hand swatted by him.

The two spent the next hour continuing to get to know one another. She told him more about her day-to-day life being the ruler of Gluttony, the parties she threw and the various restaurants she ran, her favorite food. It took her forever to realize that she’d been rambling on for half an hour before Gabriel interrupted her. Blushing, she decided to stay quiet and listen as Gabriel explained more about himself.

Gabriel told her about his time in culinary school and his training in various different New York restaurants as well as this all-male cooking club he was a part of. Beelzebub was intrigued to learn that Gabriel had friends that he hung out with regularly and more so when she learned he was single. She decided to egg him on about this, asking when he would make her a grandma, to which he embarrassingly told her he wasn’t interested in either. Beelzebub laughed at her son’s embarrassment. If this was what being a mother entailed then she didn’t want to stop. You know what, maybe I could set him up with Loona, she realized. She did call him hot when I showed her and Tex a picture of him.

While she was thinking of setting her son up on a date, he decided to change the subject, bringing up a moment from the past she wasn’t expecting him to talk about. His accident. When Beelzebub had first found out what had happened to Gabriel, she had already been exhausted from a long week of nonstop work, having to deal with a sudden outbreak of Hellbies across the Gluttony ring. The outbreak had been the result of a major scandal in Sloth, where a bunch of doctors had cooked up a scheme to make more money by giving fake Hellbies shots to hellhounds while selling the real shots on the black market.

That had been a terrible week of watching child and adult hellhounds alike suffer from Hell’s version of rabies, watching many die slow painful deaths, foaming from their mouths while family watched in horror. It had not been a good week to say the least but it was somewhat satisfying to learn that Belphegor had rightfully placed each of those doctors into a never ending nightmare that they wouldn’t wake up from.

So when she found out her son had been the victim of a drunk driving incident, to say that Beelzebub had wanted to go on a murder spree was an understatement. It was bad enough that she had to watch several children be put down due to a very preventable disease. But now, her baby had been put in the hospital because of that douchebag’s adherence to alcohol, to gluttony, her own Sin. However, she was too enraged to deal with her own self-loathing at the time.

Once she found out what had happened, Beelzebub had immediately gone up to kill the politician’s son, only for said politician to literally have a heart attack at the sight of her. Now, the reasonable thing to do would have been to call an ambulance and have them save him. Except, Beelzebub didn’t do that for two reasons.

The first being that she was a demon and it was not her responsibility to save a human. The second was that this human was trying to prevent her son from getting any form of justice after his son hurt hers. Instead, Beelzebub just sat on the desk and watched him die, telling him that she was going to find him in Hell when he fell down there (because of course he would) and turn him into a limited edition wine. And boy did she make through on that promise. To this day, that chianti was her personal favorite whenever she was feeling overly petty.

Now she could have gone after the son too. After all, he had drunkenly run over her son with his boat and nearly killed him as a result. But, by that point, reason had finally resettled itself within her head and made her realize that killing him would paint a target on her back by Heaven as she was not allowed to directly kill humans in accordance with peace treaties with Heaven. Plus, with the dad dead, the snobbish tool would most certainly get his own comeuppance now.

Of course, she had other things to worry about, like making sure that her son was okay. Sometime during the night, Beelzebub had snuck into the hospital to check up on her son. Seeing him wrapped in bandages and covered in bruises very nearly broke Bee’s mind into pieces. It took all of her willpower not to break down crying as doing so would alert Manny who was sleeping in a chair next to their son. Beelzebub wanted to wake him up, to tell him that she was here, but she couldn’t.

The self-loathing from earlier had started to kick in, and she was feeling the effects of it. Despite it not technically being Bee’s fault for the accident, (She hadn’t forced that stupid drunk tool to drink while piloting a boa.t) alcohol had been her creation. She had gifted it to humanity with the hope that they would relax. Instead they abused it to harm themselves and others. And here sitting before her was her son, broken by the consequences of her actions even if unintentional. She couldn’t find it in herself to face him after that, to be his mother. She still chose to send birthday presents and letters every year out of the large part of her that loved him as well as had his hospital room filled with flowers. But she felt too ashamed to face him or Manny, thinking that they would hate her out of association.

“What happened to me wasn’t on you, madre,” Gabriel told her, awkwardly taking her hand to comfort her.

“Gluttony was the reason you got hurt, Gabe. Alcohol was my creation and you got hurt because of it.”

“People have the free will to do whatever they want. It’s not your fault that people are irresponsible assholes,” Gabriel countered. Beelzebub saw his point, she did. But it didn’t change that she had handed humanity the beverage in the first place.

“Maybe. It still sucks that my own creation has hurt people. I give humanity sh*t all the time, but I can’t deny that I have a role in how sh*t they can be,” Beelzebub mumbled beneath her breath.

“I think you put too much of a burden on yourself. You know, for someone who’s such a partier, you’re not as chill as I expected you to be,” Gabriel remarked.

“Ruling Gluttony comes with a lot of responsibility despite what you might think,” she told him as she laid down on the bed. “As for the parties, they’re a way for me to relax and reset my mind from all the negative sh*t that comes with the job,” she chuckled darkly. The weekly parties were her way of giving back to the people of Gluttony while also helping to distract her from what she wasn’t able to do, to help her feel as though she was doing good for the hellhounds, which she was. But it sometimes felt hard to remember that. “More often than you think, there’s a storm cloud in my vagin*.”

As soon as the statement came out of her mouth, Beelzebub put a hand over it. Had she really just said that out loud in front of her own son. Gabriel burst out coughing at her statement, visibly trying to hold a laugh at how inappropriate it was.

“I’ve never heard anyone say it like that before,” he sputtered out with a forced chill facial expression. Beelzebub smiled. At least she was able to make Gabriel smile with her own stupidity. That was something. Eventually, Gabriel pulled her out of her funk with a question.

“You know what you need?” Gabriel asked her with a hint of enthusiasm. Beelzebub shook her head curiously, sitting up straight. Where is he going with this? she wondered.

“You need to get those colors up,” he told her, pointing to her stomach which was a sickly gray. “And I still have some baking orders to finish. So…” he paused, hoping that she would get what he was asking of her. It took Beelzebub a few seconds to catch on, and when she did she felt her heart stop.

“You want to bake with me?” she questioned with a hopeful tone.

“Why not? I want to see where I get my skills from. Or are you gonna mope around here all day like a perezosa,” he challenged her edgingly. Beelzebub felt a fire in her chest at Gabriel’s dare. She had dreamed of something like this for ages. Beelzebub shaked giddily as she jumped up from the bed. The Deadly Sin could already imagine the kind of powerhouse duo that they could be in the kitchen. Plus, hearing Gabriel edge her on made her want to prove herself to him, to show him that she was good for more than partying into the night. And hadn’t he said earlier that baking was good for his soul. Time to see if he wasn’t lying about that.

“I have no idea what the f*ck you said, but you are on, mister,” she spoke loudly and with a competitive smile to him, poking a finger into his chest before following Gabriel into the kitchen.

What followed next was arguably one of the best moments of Beelzebub’s life. The pair spent the rest of the day preparing several different desserts, including a carrot cake, raspberry lemon bars, and a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries on top. All of it had Beelzebub giddy with excitement to be making so many different sweets with her son. The perfect mother-son bonding experience in her opinion. And their chemistry in the kitchen. Screw whoever said it was a bad idea to work with family because she and her son were on fire in the baking scene.

With a fridge and several cabinets full of baking supplies, the two had gotten to work on creating the desserts that Gabriel needed to make for work. At every step, the mother and son duo were in sync, knowing each other’s steps without having to even ask as they prepared the

“Hey, taste this for me, madre,” Gabriel asked her as he held out a wooden spoon with cream cheese icing for her to taste. Beelzebub tasted the icing, swirling it within her mouth with her tongue as she savored it. It was delicious, no doubt, but…

“Could use some more corn starch. We don’t want it to be too runny,” she told him swiftly, getting right back to placing the carrot cake batter in the oven. After setting the timer for thirty minutes at 350 degrees, she moved over to the lemon filling for the raspberry lemon bars. Beelzebub had made these types of bars thousands of times beforehand, but she had never done so with someone she was in such great sync with.

“Try this lemon filling,” she said, holding out a spoon with the yellow filling for Gabriel, who tasted it, swirling the filling in his mouth in a fashion similar to the way Bee had done earlier. His face was in deep thought as he contemplated the taste.

“Another half cup of sugar and another tablespoon of lemon zest,” he critiqued before moving back to mixing the white icing. The more they worked in tandem, the more that Beelzebub felt her heart piece itself back together. It was perfect. They complimented each other so well and checked each other at every step of the baking process. Within four hours, the pair’s clothing was covered in flakes of flour, strawberry and lemon filling, and icing, but they were finished.

“This all looks so incredible,” Beelzebub whispered in awe at the different desserts that they had made. One would think that such a load would take an entire day to make with just two people, but not for the Queen and Prince of Gluttony. “You were incredible, Gabe.”

So were you,” Gabriel blushed, still not used to hearing the praise from his mother. “But yeah, I think the people who paid for this are going to pay extra after tasting it,” Gabriel smiled as he began placing the desserts into containers to be moved later. Seeing her son so happy, being able to work with him so freely, Beelzebub began to feel her throat tighten and tears form in her eyes as she sniffled. This feeling is a better high than what any of Bel’s drugs can give me.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked, concern on his face.

“Oh, sorry,” she muttered under her breath, wiping at her eyes. “This is all so…” she couldn’t finish her sentence as she dealt with the raw emotion flooding her system.

Gabriel released a sigh before saying “Come on,” opening his arms out for her. Beelzebub immediately jumped at the opportunity and wrapped her four arms tightly around him. Bee felt whole as Gabriel wrapped his arms around her in turn.

“Oh my baby bee, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this,” she cried. It had been a long time coming, but she had finally begun to build a connection with her son, and she could feel from Gabriel’s vibes that he wanted to continue building it with her. She couldn’t wait to tell Vortex about how the meeting went.

“I could say the same, madre,” he replied.

“Oh we have to take a picture to commemorate this. Our first mother-son baking session,” she realized, pulling away from Gabriel.

“If you insist,” he relented with a soft smile. Beelzebub placed an arm around his waist, and he did the same for her, as she pulled out her phone from her pocket and held it out in front, camera facing them.

“Say, honey pie!” she cheered with a large goofy smile as she chanted the phrase alongside Gabriel and took the photo. Moving away from Gabriel to inspect the photo, Beelzebub felt her heart melt once again at the sight of the embrace between her and Gabriel, frozen in time on her phone. It was a bit messy and the pair definitely needed a new wardrobe change, but that was what made it so perfect. It was familial love at its finest.

Oh, I am definitely making this my new screensaver.

Chapter 11: Interlude: Meanwhile, in Heaven

Chapter Text

Manny

Even though Manny knew that Heaven was real before dying, he had still been unsure about what would become of him in the afterlife. After all, he had fought in the military, killing people, and had produced a child with a demon. Thankfully, he had been decent enough of an individual beyond those hiccups and had been allowed beyond the pearly gates. However, he hadn’t realized that his appearance could also change upon death.

The first time he had looked in a mirror after being let into Heaven, he had been startled to learn that he no longer looked like a human but rather a brown wolf-like creature with a brighter tan patch of fur around his left eye where he’d been injured during the war. Said eyes had also changed, the sclera becoming a bright red and his iris and pupils a gray and black respectively. It’s certainly better than the facial scarring, he thought as he took a sip from a smoothie. I can only imagine what people in wheelchairs look like after arriving here.

Speaking of arriving in Heaven, the first thing he’d done was try to find his late uncle Gabriel. It had taken some time, but he was able to find them. They were much older than he suspected given that they were a child when they died> But as he later learned, people who died young didn’t stay as children forever in Heaven, but instead were given a second chance to grow up to adulthood before their bodies stopped aging. He and his late uncle had spent the week getting to know one another. He had especially been curious about Maria and how she was doing, to which Manny had happily replied. Overall, it had been a pleasant experience and the two continued to spend every Friday night together.

At the moment, he was sitting on a stool inside a smoothie bar, relaxing with two of his army buddies who had also died, one during and one after the Gulf war. First was Emery, who had tragically been killed by the same grenade that scarred Manny’s face. He looked exactly as he did when he was still alive, dark-skinned with a shaved head and piercing black eyes. The other individual was his friend Malcolm, one of his friends who he had started his business with after retiring from the Seals and who had passed away as a result of a fatal plane crash. Like Manny, he also did not resemble his old human self. Instead he ironically appeared as an actual seal, which had to be a nod to the fact that he was the best swimmer out of all of them. It was safe to say that Manny and Emery fell down laughing when they saw him for the first time.

So far, living in Heaven had been somewhat boring for the ex-soldier. Truth be told, he hated sitting around all day with nothing to do. Sure he could perform all of the same activities that he had and much more when he was still alive, but there was no responsibility to the lifestyle. He was a Winner who was supposed to simply relax as was his gift for being accepted into Heaven. Yet, he knew deep down that this lifestyle wasn’t for him.

He hoped Gabriel was doing fine. Last he had seen his son before he passed, Gabriel had looked like an absolute wreck. It was the closest to tears that Manny had ever seen his son. He missed him. He missed his mother, his sister, and the rest of his family. It was the one downside of being in Heaven, that he couldn’t see his family.

At the very least, Manny had passed away knowing he had done all he could for his son. He had succeeded in raising his son to be the best version of himself and had taught him what it meant to be a man. If Bee was here, she would tell him that she was proud of him. He wondered how she was doing. He hadn’t heard from her since she left him and Gabriel twenty five years ago. He hoped she was doing okay, though he was a little disappointed that he never heard back from her.

“Ooh, this-ss is-ss quite divine, Miss Emily!” A loud Victorian voice yelled excitedly from behind them. Turning around, the trio noticed a snake-like angel (a cobra snake maybe?) wearing a top hat with an orange eye near the tip of the crown sipping from a smoothie like it was the greatest thing in the world. Said angel was also wearing a Steampunk Victorian-styled jacket and had a tail that lagged behind him.

As for the cobra snake’s companion, Manny instantly recognized her having seen her from afar, the Seraphim Emily. He knew of her through the grapevine. From what he had heard, Emily was the younger sister to the head of the Heavenly Council, another Seraphim ironically named Sera. He had never met Emily in person, but word of mouth painted her as a bubbly and slightly naïve individual who’s energy always managed to make people on their worst days smile. Reminds me of someone I used to know , Manny remarked, thinking about a certain female demonic entity.

“I heard some interesting things about him,” Malcolm whispered, pointing to the cobra snake. He was bent down so as to help keep his voice low.

“Like what?” Manny asked curiously as he bent down to meet his level.

“Supposedly, that snake dude used to be a Sinner from Hell.” This earned an eyebrow raise from both Manny and Emery. Manny was shocked to hear that someone who had spent time in Hell had made it through the pearly gates because it apparently had never happened before.

“Really?” Emery queried with apprehension, clearly unsure if their friend was messing with them or not.

“Yeah. Apparently, he was redeemed,” Malcolm confirmed.

“I didn’t think that Sinners could get redeemed.” Manny said, deep in thought over what that meant for the future of Heaven.

“Me neither, but hey, you learn something new every day. But that’s not the crazy part,” Malcolm continued.

“What’s the crazy part?” Emery asked with full investment. Manny was also quite curious as to what this ‘crazy part’ was.

Malcolm looked around and over at the cobra-snake and Emily, who were paying them no attention as they giddily conversed about the former’s new ideas for ‘Heavenly Inventions’. Making sure the coast was clear, Malcolm said, “He supposedly underwent the redemption process through none other than the Antichrist?”

“No way,” Emery whispered in disbelief. Manny, however, wasn’t as skeptical considering what he knew from Beelzebub about her niece Charlie or Char-Char as she called her. He was about to remark on it when a voice interrupted them.
“I’m telling you that that is what I heard. Plus, the Antichrist was up here a few months ago,” Malcolm rebutted.

“She was?” Manny queried with confusion. He hadn’t heard about this. Emery and Malcolm looked at him with shock. Man recalled hearing about her from Beelzebub when she first presented Gabriel to him. The girl was apparently fascinated with human culture.

“Seriously, have you been living under a rock? Even I heard about it,” Emery said, checking over Manny’s shoulder to make sure they weren’t noticed. “Everyone was talking about it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear about it. Sue me,” Manny complained. “Still, you have to admit that it's really incredible. Really changes your perception of Hell.”

“You actually believe it,” Emery questioned. “Are you forgetting what the Bible says about the Antichrist? It has to be all bullsh*t.”

“I can ass-ssure you that it is-ss not bulls-ssh*t, gentlemen,” the voice said, startling all three of them who turned to face said Cobra snake, who was staring at them with a look of apprehension that was undercut by the fact that he was still sipping from his smoothie. As for Emily, she also had a glare of disappointment for talking about him behind his back. Manny was indifferent to it all as he took in the angel before him. Emery and Malcolm had looks of ashamed embarrassment over being caught nonetheless. Manny, while slightly ashamed, had played it more coolly and decided to break the tension by introducing himself.

“Manny Grimm,” he greeted, holding out his hand, surprising both Emily and the snake angel. Hesitantly, the cobra snake took his hand and shook it in kind.

“Sir Pentious, though you can just call me Pentious,” he said. Pentious. I’ve never heard of that name before.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb that you lived during the Victorian Era,” Manny said.

“Yes, actually,” Pentious responded awkwardly, clearly put off by how casual Manny was.

“You’re not put off by him?” Emily asked, quizzically.

“Not really polite to judge people without knowing them,” Manny responded with nonchalance. “Besides, while I don’t know his backstory, the fact he spawned here has to show he is a decent compañero, am I right?” Manny smiled at the cobra angel who looked at him with surprise before he grinned happily at the realization that he wasn’t being judged for who he was. Pentious shook his hand in an excited fashion, nearly dragging Manny out of his seat, thanking him for being so kind. This also seemed to bring a smile to Emily, who relaxed knowing that the conversation wouldn’t be a confrontational one.

From there, Pentious and Emily joined the trio and answered their questions about Hell. Manny would admit that he was excited to learn more about Hell than what Beelzebub had already shared with him prior.

“So what’s Hell like?” Malcolm asked.

“It’s not all fire and brims-ss-tone. We’re actually a lot more modern than you would think. We have hous-ssing, jobs-ss, healthcare, everything modern humanity does-ss.”

“I guess Hell isn’t that bad after all,” Emery said with a smile. Manny too nodded his head at the adequate conditions. Beelzebub had really undersold just how modern and up to date the place was.

“Though it is-ss quite a violent place down there,” Sir Pentious added. “I had heard ss-some of the more recent SS-Sinners compare it to a place called Los Angeles-ss.”

“And I take it back,” Emery blurted out, resulting in Manny and Malcolm snickering. Both of them had been to the city for contracts for their business and they would definitely agree with Emery’s assessment.

“So what’s your history?” Manny asked.

“My history?” Pentious asked, confused by the question.

“You know, your life history. How you ended up in Hell, what led you to end up here? Or if you don’t feel comfortable sharing,” Manny added. He didn’t want to push him away after all. Pentious, however, seemed to take this positively as he jumped out of his seat and shifted his posture like he was performing a Shakespearean monologue.

At that moment, all of the lights except for one in the center of the room went out, startling everyone except for Pentious, who was clearly encouraged by the low light setting. In the background, Manny could hear the bartender mention something about a bad fuse. At this point, everyone had their eyes on the serpent angel who had moved beneath the singular working light, anticipating his story.

“It was the late 1800s-ss. I was but a lonely inventor during those times. An ambitious mind who believed he was above all else, when in truth, I was desperate for the love that my father never gave me,” Pentious rambled. Manny was about to speak up before he felt a hand grace his shoulder. Turning around he saw it was Emery, who shook his head and mouthed to him to be quiet. Manny raised an eyebrow until he noticed that Emery appeared to be invested in the story that Pentious was telling. Releasing a sigh, Manny shook his head and decided to pay attention to Pentious’ story as well.

“It did not matter to me what I did, who I hurt, I was desperate to prove myself. And when one of my inventions backfired, ending my mortal existence, I found myself falling into a pit of my own making. I spent the better years of my afterlife in Hell seeking power, desperate to fulfill the empty hole in my heart, to achieve the approval my father never gave me. With me and my darling egg bois-ss, we scoured Hell for power, to be the greatest,” Pentious shouted as he shot a fisted hand into the air. Egg Bois , Manny thought. What the heck are Egg Bois?

“My Egg Bois-ss, my greatest creation, although artificial, were my most wonderful minions-ss, and like the children I never had.” Pentious hugged his arms to his chest, eyes glazed in remembrance as though he were holding said Egg Bois in his arms. Oh, so Hell’s version of the Minions. Gotcha.

“Then one day, I met her. Daughter of the Mornings-sstar,” Pentious proclaimed. This resulted in several angels gasping in shock at the mention of the Antichrist, yet everyone was still too stunned to speak up.

“Charlie was-ss a guiding light at the end of a long dark tunnel, whose joyous-ss charisma and forgiveness-ss taught me what it meant to live for one’ ss-self and for those around you. For the first time in forever, Me and my Egg Bois-ss were not alone. I had friends, a family whom I found companions-sship with,” Pentious cried, a few tears running down from his eyes which he rubbed away.

As he watched, Manny heard nearby sniffling, which he saw belonged to Emily as she sat down and blew her nose into a box of tissues that she was sharing with other angels who had seen the dramatic retelling and were crying their eyes out too.

“And then I found love, love with ss-such a beautiful woman,” Pentious recounted with hearts in his eyes. Pentious leaned against the bar and feigned a hand against his forehead, his face goofy with love as he thought about said woman. “Oh how I remember Miss-ss Cherri Bomb, her one beautiful eye, her luscious pink hair, her rejuvenating ss-spunk. Oh, how I miss-ss her touch, her voice, her entirety.”

Manny could hear a few ‘awws’ from Emily and a few other angels as Pentious described his lover. Hearing Pentious pour his heart out for this mystery woman gave Manny deja vu to his own thoughts about Beelzebub. He knew he probably still didn’t have a shot with the demon, but it was still nice to think about her.

“This is better than most of the stuff that Disney’s put out in recent years,” Malcolm whispered, eating from a bucket of popcorn that he and Emery were sharing. Where did they get that , Manny wondered while reaching a hand over and picking some popcorn for himself.

“Everything had been great, but then, the heat of battle was ss-soon upon us. A force so deadly, so cruel and heartless, came to challenge the hope and love the Princess so gallantly stood for,” Sir Pentious yelled with heated anger. Some of the audience gasped in horrific awe at the conflict that Pentious painted as horrid. Manny looked over at Emily and noticed her looking at the ground glumly, shame written on her face at the mention of this unforeseen enemy.

“And so I and many others stood up alongside her,” Pentious proclaimed. “Her valiant knight I was-ss, commander of the air, stood up alongside her and my comrades-ss to fight this-ss great and powerful evil. The battle was long and arduous-ss. At first we were winning, but then our enemy’s commander unleashed a terrible power that shifted the tide of battle in their favor.” As Manny listened, he noticed Emily’s mood had darkened, her wings wilting in on themselves. He held a deep suspicion as to why, but he didn’t want to make any assumptions. Moving next to her, Manny cupped her hand with his and squeezed it softly. As a surprised Emily turned her attention to him, Manny gave her a comforting smile which Emily found herself returning, her wings fluttering. He found himself deciding then and there that he liked that smile.

“And just as I was about to commence my attack, darkness took hold,” Pentious’ voice shouted, pulling the pair’s attention from each other. They had completely forgotten what they were watching in the first place. “It was dark, empty. Some small part of me knew I was dead, that I had died a second time. I wondered if that would be it for me, only for a small light to appear in my periphery. It grew bright and brighter. I was terrified. Was this the end of my conscious life forever? And then I was here. Here before me, stood Heaven in all of its glory. I was in Heaven. I am in Heaven!” Pentious shouted with exuberant glee. Several patrons around the smoothie bar cheered for the former Sinner as he proclaimed his achievement.

“Later, I discovered that despite my demise, my friends had overcome the enemy that had ss-stormed the gates. They had defended Charlotte's dream. Charlotte had wished s--so greatly for Sinners to be redeemed. For those who deserved it to overcome their SS-Sins and reach Heaven. And here I ss-stand before you, telling you that she was right. She was right!” Pentious shouted, taking a bow just as the lights of the smoothie bar finally came on. The patrons of the smoothie bar clapped at Pentious’ retelling of his tale in Hell, some of them throwing flowers at the makeshift performer as he thanked them for being such a great audience. Manny and Emily themselves cheered and clapped for Sir Pentious who returned to the bar to continue talking with the group.

Another half-hour later, the group decided to head their separate ways, calling it a day. Emery and Malcolm left separately, telling Manny that they would see them later. As for Pentious, he had bade Emily goodbye as a white-furred girl, who had red eyes with long flowing hair and wore a red dress, had walked up to the former Sinner and was engaging him in conversation. Manny had noticed her checking Pentious out earlier, appearing nervous as though she was scared to ask him something. From what he had managed to hear, the girl was curious about him having seen family members of hers while in Hell. He heard her mention the name ‘Anthony’ as the pair walked out of the smoothie bar.

With them gone, it was just him and Emily. The pair were facing the bar, basking in each other’s company in the semi-quiet smoothie joint. Manny had noticed Emily’s declining mood at the mention of this mystery enemy during Pentious’ performance and was concerned about her mental well-being as a result. He wanted to bring it up but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up or where to start. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry long.

“Thank you,” Emily whispered. “For comforting me. It meant a lot.” Manny nodded his head and took a final sip from his smoothie before pushing it back to end of the bar. Turning around, Manny leaned back and released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“There’s more to that story, than what Pentious was letting on?” he asked. Manny could feel Emily’s flinching at the question. Her frown was palpable. Nevertheless she nodded her head truthfully.

“I used to think that Heaven was this perfect place,” she muttered, her voice tight. “But then, after Charlie came here, I realized that it was far more corrupt than I could have ever imagined. And what made it worse was that Sera, my own sister, was at the center of it.”

“Do you want to talk about it, buena dama?” Manny asked. Emily was clearly holding onto something deep and painful. He didn’t like seeing the normally bubbly girl down in the dumps like this. He hadn’t known her long, but he could tell that it was out of the ordinary for her character. Emily was quiet, not responding at first to his question.

Manny was about to drop it entirely before she suddenly responded, “Not here.” With that, Emily got up and signaled for Manny to follow her. The pair left the smoothie bar and made their way to a park. The sky was a bright orange to reflect the evening atmosphere. Manny could see couples going for walks and children playing in the grass, reminding him of his own home prior to Heaven. The pair made it to an isolated bench and sat down. It was there that Emily told him the truth about what was eating away at her, and to say he was horrified couldn’t have better explained his feelings.

Apparently, for the last several hundred years, Heaven had been sending angelic warriors down to Hell every new year to exterminate demons in the Pride ring of Hell to control their overpopulation ‘problem’. However, if Manny had to guess, this seemed more like an excuse to put the people of Hell down more than they already were. Emily explained how she had learned during Charlie’s meeting with Heaven about the exterminations, and how horrified and betrayed at her older sister that she would ever greenlight something so horrible and cruel against Hell. Manny had to agree with her anger toward her sister. It didn’t matter if the residents being slaughtered were that of Hell’s, no one deserved to be slaughtered for simply existing.

Emily did her best to hold back tears as she recounted the heated argument between her and Sera after the meeting with Charlie before the council had gone sideways. She had tried so hard to convince her sister to end the exterminations right there and then, to give Charlie’s idea a chance. Yet, Sera had been ever so strong in her position, claiming that allowing Sinners into Heaven would only serve to destroy the haven, that allowing just about any one of them beyond their gates would taint Heaven’s purity. Emily had argued back and forth with her sister trying to explain to the older seraphim that Sinners would be given the choice to seek redemption, and that while not every Sinner deserves redemption, that the ones that did deserved hope for such a thing. Sera of course had pushed back at every step of the way and the argument ended in a stalemate.

It was needless to say that the tension between the sisters had become tight before Pentious’ ascension and only more so afterwards, with the elder sister still pushing back on the idea. Emily explained with an angry huff that she was going behind her sister’s back at this point, planning on speaking to the archangels about the redemption of the first Sinner and calling for an end to the exterminations all together.

By the time that Emily had worn herself out from releasing all of her anger at her sister, night had begun to befall the pair, the park now empty of everyone except for them. Emily took the opportunity to release one final scream of rage at the air, tired from the lies and betrayal that she felt in her own life. Said bout of rage had also resulted in the Seraphim dropping her human form, becoming avian in appearance. When she realized this, Emily blushed and turned away from Manny, who’d been objectively cool throughout and had not been phased in the slightest by her form change. He did have experience with it.

“Sorry,” she whispered quietly, shame written in her voice over her outburst.

“You're okay, Emily. Besides, I think you look prettier in this form,” he said, wanting to cheer her up. Emily blushed at the comment.

“You think so?”

“Of course. It’s who you are after all,” he told her with suave charisma. And he meant it too. She was pretty in her human form, but there was something much more attractive to the seraphim about this form, something more natural. Perhaps it was, as he had said, because it was her true form. Regardless, he found himself liking the girl. He loved her personality and her passion. She had a fire within her that few could match. If anything, he was having flashbacks to his time with Beelzebub.

“You seem more open to the idea that there is good in demons,” Emily pointed out.

“That’s because I have more experience with the supernatural than one might think,” he said casually before the gravity of the statement came to mind and he found himself being stared down by the seraphim, who was perplexed by his comment.

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“My father is one of the Four Horsem*n,” he finally admitted. Instantly, Emily’s eyes went wide with amazement and she gasped excitedly.

“Wait, as in the Four Horsem*n of the Apocalypse?” Emily asked, seeking confirmation of what he’d told them.

“Death specifically,” Manny confirmed with nonchalance. Now that he thought about it, he never really told Gabriel the truth about his family heritage. He had wanted to do so when Beelzebub returned, but she never made that leap forward. As a result, Manny had decided that he would let his son live in bliss of the truth about their family, not needing to worry about the burden of their family’s legacy. After all, even early into adulthood, the only ability that Gabriel seemed to possess was that of being an empath, which was something that many humans that weren’t of demonic descent had.

“Huh. Now that I look at you, you do look a lot like him,” Emily spoke up with a cooler tone, peering closely at Manny.

“You’ve met my father?” Manny asked curiously.

“Once a few decades ago,” Emily stated. “He was a bit broody. Took the whole guiding the souls job seriously. I didn’t even know that he had family on Earth.” Manny wasn’t surprised by this. From what his mother had told him, after Sofia had nearly died when his father’s enemies attacked them, he had taken extra effort into concealing their identities, which included exiling himself from them. While Manny wished it hadn’t come to that, he understood the reasoning behind it.

“Would you be able to use your connection to the council to get me in contact with him?” Manny asked hopefully. He’d wanted to meet the one responsible for his and his sister’s existence for so long now.

“I’d be more than happy to. I bet he’d be happy to be reunited with his son,” Emily responded with glee. Despite how late it was, the two continued to converse with one another. Emily told him about her childhood and her role within the council as a guide for new Winners, and Manny told her about his life from when he was still alive. He told her about his son and how he was a manager at his own cafe right out of culinary skill due to his own work ethic and natural talent. It felt great talking about Gabriel with the seraphim, who listened to his every word with rapt attention.

“It’s bizarre to think that you have such a tantamount connection to the afterlife,” Emily muttered, clearly still amazed by the revelation.

“I mean, it’s not my only connection,” Manny blurted out, though he immediately regretted it.

“What’s your other one?” she questioned, gazing at him impatiently. Oh he had walked himself into that one hadn’t he. On the one hand, admitting to such a thing could be considered sacrilege to an angel like her. On the other hand, she also seemed very receptive to and curious about demonkind. After some thought, he decided on the latter.

He admitted to Emily that he had had a one night stand with the Sin of Gluttony Beelzebub, to which Emily nearly blew a gasket over. Though fortunately it was more so over how such a thing had happened in general rather than it being an affront to Heaven. He explained to her how, at the time, he hadn’t known about her demonic origin until nine months later when she brought him their son, Gabriel. Emily had been shocked to learn that the son he’d mentioned was a cambion. He had to put a finger over her beak to get her to quiet down. Last thing he wanted was for the wrong person to learn about Gabriel’s demonic heritage.

Emily at least wasn’t looking at him with contempt, but was instead interested in what happened next. He continued by telling her how Beelzebub was forced to leave Gabriel in his care out of fear he would be a target in Hell, as well as by Heaven if she stayed. Manny noticed Emily opened her mouth to argue against that point before closing it. Much as Manny hated to admit it, hearing about the exterminations made Manny realize just how far Heaven was willing to go to punish demon kind for trying to build their own society. He shivered at the thought of what they would do to his own son.

Emily thankfully wasn’t judging of him by the end of his story. If anything, Emily appeared to hold a stronger level of admiration for the ex-soldier more so now than before for choosing the route of a single father. She praised him for taking the responsibility of raising his and Beelzebub’s son while pitying the Sin for making the difficult sacrifice of giving away her only child.

Looking down at her, Manny couldn’t help but find himself more and more attracted to her until a thought came to mind, one he had never really chosen to act on.

“Say, pájara bonita,” he asked, catching Emily’s attention. “What do you say we try this out again another time.”

“Like a date?” Emily asked with astonishment.

“Sí. After all, I do quite enjoy your personality. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but you are ever so nice to be around.” Emily blushed at his comment, but couldn’t keep an albeit tired smile from her beak.

“You’re a real go-getter huh,” she teased, leaning against his side.

“Well, my son did want me to put myself out there,” Manny joked coyly, thinking back to all of the times that Gabriel had encouraged him to start dating. Then again, maybe Gabriel was right. It was time for him to let go of Beelzebub and find someone else to find love with. Perhaps that could be with someone like Emily, and if not, then he had all the time in the world. Perhaps, he had found his new purpose.

“I think I’d like that,” Emily mustered through a deep yawn, tired from her earlier rant. Leaning back against the bench, the pair looked up at the starry night sky, watching the bright and mesmerizing light show of stationary and shooting stars, galaxies brighter beyond reasoning, glisten wonderfully. I could get used to this , Manny thought as he felt Emily curl against him, a soft chirp escaping her beak as she cuddled against him. Manny stifled a laugh at the adorable sounds and just chose to simply enjoy the company of Emily.

A feather from her body shed itself off and flew into his nose, causing him to sneeze. Emily snickered before she herself sneezed when a couple of his hairs got into her nose. Fur and feathers. Manny thought. How ironic. The two looked at each other briefly before bursting out into laughter. High from the moment, Emily pressed her beak against Manny’s muzzle, surprising him. However, rather than pushing her away, he chose to lean into it, enjoying the feel of her lips against his. With my luck, he thought, she just may be the one.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side, but not for the reason he thought, as he was unaware of someone watching them, an angel with white hair and a golden mechanical arm listening in to their conversation. If they had seen her, they would have seen her sickening smile, her eyes moving to reflect a plan forming in her head. A dark and truly un-angelic plan. It would take awhile to set in motion given that she had more important matters to settle, one involving a particular demoness running a hotel, but she would get it done all the same. All of Heaven and Earth would be purified of any and all demonic presences, no matter what.

Chapter 12: Chapter 10: Double Trouble!

Chapter Text

Beelzebub

Beelzebub had never felt so high in her entire life before, and she wasn’t on any drugs at the moment. No, the reason for her high was her developing relationship with her son Gabriel. Following their baking session together, Beelzebub had been overwhelmed with the positive emotion of familial connection that she had begun repairing between herself and her son. Gabriel too had been more receptive of her by the end of their meeting at his apartment and was open to getting to know more about her and their family.

Even though they were taking baby steps, Beelzebub was nevertheless buzzing with excitement at the opportunity to be a mother. She opted to text him once every evening just to check up on him, sending him a quick text or a selfie of herself at work. She didn’t know if she was overdoing it, but Gabriel never seemed to mind. If anything, he was joining in, sending his own pictures of him at his job in the kitchen or in his apartment.

The photos absolutely made her day seeing him so happy. It was a great contrast to the depressing thought of what she had in store for tomorrow, for this was when she would inspect the main hub of hellhound adoption in the Pride ring. When she wasn’t managing her business’ across Gluttony or spending quality time with her long time boyfriend, Beelzebub was mentally fuming over inspecting the kennels. Even knowing that it would be horrible couldn’t prepare her for what she could potentially see since Hell always had a way of surprising her.

Today, though, was not a day to worry about that. That was tomorrow. For now, she had more important things to worry about, like the double date she and Vortex had with Fizzarolli and Asmodeus. She had made the arrangement with Asmodeus just prior to her recent depression, and was ever so looking to hang out with her favorite sibling, aside from Belphegor of course.

Beelzebub had wanted to go out to a club or restaurant for their double date, however, Asmodeus had his own reservations about that. As he had pointed out to her, with him having come out publicly with his relationship with Fizz, they would be hounded relentlessly. And while they could have gone to one of the clubs in Lust, such a club didn’t sit right with Beelzebub for a plain double date. The two compromised on having a simple dinner cooked by Ozzie in his tower. Beelzebub could get down with that. Aside from herself, Asmodeus himself was a strong contender for best chef in Hell. It was true what they said after all, the best way into your partner’s heart was their stomach.

It was evening by the time she and Vortex had arrived in the Lust ring, the blue hued sky a deeper indigo as they stepped out from the Hellevator. For the date, the pair had gone for more casual wear since they would just be eating in Ozzie’s kitchen. Beelzebub had chosen a pink studded jacket over a black t-shirt and some torn jeans. As for Vortex, instead of his typical black t-shirt, shorts, and spiked vest, he was wearing a formal black suit and pants.

“You didn’t have to go with that outfit, Texxy boo,” Bee teased, as she stepped into a taxi cab.

“I’ve seen how people dress at his clubs. I wanted to be prepared with something formal,” he said after shutting the taxi cab door. To be fair, Vortex had a point. Even though plenty of depraved sexual acts (by angelic standards anyway) happened within Ozzie’s clubs, the majority of people who went more often than not were wearing formal wear. It was a contrast to the very nature of Lust, though this may have also reflected Ozzie’s reframing of the Sin under a framework of consent. It was a sign that Ozzie was against the barbarity of the darker parts of his Sin.

“It’s his kitchen, not one of his clubs,” she told him before telling the taxi driver to take them to Asmodeus’ tower. “Besides, this isn’t formal.” Beelzebub poked his chest playfully, kissing him on the muzzle.

“Uh, yes it is Bee,” he blushed with confusion.

“Not for you it’s not,” she retorted.

“You have your own special definition of formal for me? Should I even ask?”

“Let’s just say that it involves a lot less than what you are wearing now, baby,” she said with a sultry tone. Vortex guffawed at the mental image of what she was implying. Bee leaned against her boyfriend and giggled as he kissed her forehead. Sometimes she felt like a high school cheerleader with how she melted under Vortex’s presence, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Once they reached the tower, the pair walked inside and were greeted by a muscular incubi at the front desk who directed them to the central elevator. While Beelzebub wasn’t put off by it, Vortex found himself squirming a bit at the sight of dild*s and other sex toys hanging from the walls. Probably from all the times I ‘punished’ him during our alone time, Beelzebub surmised.

“So you’re sure about bringing Loona with you?” Vortex asked after the elevator doors closed. Earlier, Beelzebub had mentioned to Vortex that she had hired IMP to act as bodyguards for her and her team, more so the latter, while they inspected the Hellhound Foundation.

Vortex had wanted to come himself to support Bee, but she had told him not to worry, to focus on his job with Verosika. The hellhound wanted to argue further, but he knew better than to try and change Bee’s mind. Once she was set on something there was no stopping the bee-fox demon.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I know Loona and her dad run an assassination company. I got a bad hunch from the place and I wanted to be safe. Plus, it gives me a chance to thank Loona in person for coming with you to help me last week,” Beelzebub explained. She really did owe Loona for helping snap her out of her funk. She was such a sweet pup despite her gothic attire and sometimes sour demeanor. Oh she was so gifting the girl with one of those cars from her garage. Which one, Bee still had yet to decide on, but she would give the hellhound one, maybe all of them.

“Aren’t you immortal? I know you can handle a few caretakers with your arms tied behind your back,” Vortex countered with an eyebrow raised.

“Immortal doesn’t mean I’m unkillable, Texxy. It just means that my death won’t be from aging,” Beelzebub corrected. Much as she hated to admit it, she was still capable of being killed, and considering how horrid the place was, she had her suspicions that they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Man, this place is really tall, Beelzebub thought, realizing that the elevator still had yet to reach the top of the ‘Coital Needle’ as it was coined by the populace.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea, bringing Loona I mean? You know that she has a history with that place after all.” Beelzebub nodded her head in confirmation. Initially, Beelzebub had called Loona just to thank her for helping her with talking to Gabriel, but then the conversation turned to what their weekly plans were, which led to Beelzebub admitting about her inspection of the Hellhound Foundation in Pride. When Beelzebub had joked about needing security for the job, she had been shocked when Loona offered her and IMPs services for it. Beelzebub had tried to convince her otherwise, but the hellhound had been persistent in doing so, which Beelzebub reluctantly agreed to.

“I know. I told her as such when I called her. But she said she would be okay with it,” Beelzebub explained. Beelzebub was proud of the gothic hellhound. From closer inspections of Loona’s vibes, Beelzebub could feel the sorrow and pain emanating from her. Whatever the girl had been through, it was enough to taint her spirit to the point that she was uncomfortable around people in general. Honestly, Beelzebub admired her for wanting to face her past in such a vulnerable manner. It showed the Sin that was right about her assumption of the girl’s character.

“Personally, while it’ll be painful, I think it will bring her some closure. In fact, that's why I think she wanted to go in the first place.” Vortex nodded his head in agreement just as the elevator finally reached the top floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, Bee guided her boyfriend, hand held in his, as they walked down the hallway toward a large double door. Bee could hear voices coming from behind beyond it, one deeply suave and the other loud and scratchy. Vortex was about to knock before Bee lightly grabbed his hand, telling him to wait. Vortex looked at her with confusion for a moment, only for him to realize what she wanted to do. He could only roll his eyes as his girlfriend kicked open the double doors and shouted out into the kitchen.

“Wassup, bitches!” Beelzebub yelled as the doors collided with the walls with a loud bang. This caught the attention of the seemingly only occupant of the room whom stood unsurprised and amused by her entrance.

“Bee, how’re you doing, girl?” Asmodeus called out, the rooster demon strutting over to her in his usual pinstriped suited get-up.

“So, so great Oz,” she told him, pulling the rooster into a tight hug. “Like, mountain of ice cream, great.”

“I can tell. You seem extra chipper compared to your usual self,” Asmodeus pointed out, picking up on her ecstatic body language.

“Nothing wrong with a little extra pep in your step.”

“And by pep you mean a hint of cocaine,” Asmodeus jabbed back playfully.

“Nope, this all just cotton candy happiness,” Beelzebub emphasized, motioning her hands down her body in a sensual manner, to which Asmodeus snorted. Beelzebub meant it when she told Vortex and Loona that she would refrain from hard drugs.

“Oh, it is so nice to hang out with you again, Bee,” he said with a mellower tone.

“Same Ozzie. By the way, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend,” she said, turning to her boyfriend who was very obviously staring at Ozzie for the simple fact that he was literally twice as tall as both of them. Ozzie, unsurprised by the gazing, chuckled humorously and held out a hand toward the muscle hound. This shook Vortex out of his stupor enough for him to try and shake the hand before him. Said hand was bigger than Vortex’s head, so it was an awkward shake to say the least with Vortex being nearly pulled off his feet.

“Vortex,” the hound sputtered.

“And as you know I am Asmodeus, though you can call me Ozzie,” the lustful Sin responded. “I’m so happy to meet the hound who won Bee’s heart. She has told me so much about you.”

“Oh she has, has she,” he said uncomfortably, glancing over to Beelzebub who suddenly looked embarrassed. Oh, her and her mouth. I completely forgot about the sh*t I shared with him.

“Yes, and I hear that you are quite the master in the sack,” Ozzie added with a smirk. Vortex blushed and gave a half-hearted glare to his girlfriend.

“No, no, no sex jokes Ozzie,” she stated, poking a finger at his stomach. It still amazed her that she was even smaller than him in her base form. “This is supposed to be a relaxing dinner.”

“Didn’t you just drop one in the taxi on the way here?” Vortex added, earning a half-lidded glare from Bee. You didn’t have to tell him that.

“See, the hypocrisy of this woman,” Asmodeus teased, fist bumping the hound. Oh you wanna play that game, Oz.

“Says the rooster who spent half a decade denying to Hell that he was in love.” Ozzie took the punch well, smirking and laughing softly at the playful jab.

“Touché. But speaking of my love, Fizzie Frog,” Asmodeus called. Oh yeah, she thought, completely forgetting that she had heard two voices prior to entering. Where is that jester Ozzie loves so much? At that moment, a figure popped down from the ceiling, swinging from bars and jumping through hoops as he descended down onto the floor with a roll before jumping and waving his arms out.

“Now that is how a real queen makes an entrance, bitches” Fizzarolli shouted while feeling himself up. Oh I can see what Ozzie sees in this guy, Beelzebub thought. Maybe we can have a foursome together. Fizzarolli then proceeded to take a bow before Bee and Vortex while Asmodeus whistled in the background.

“Oh I love you for all eternity now,” Beelzebub screeched giddily Fizz, ambushing the imp who was surprised by her forwardness. Beelzebub wasn’t the envious type and she could admit when she was bested. That entrance really was something. Plus, it helped that Fizzarolli’s vibes were ever so sweet to her. Where has Ozzie been hiding this adorable cutie this whole time, she wondered.

“Uh, Ozzie help,” Fizzarolli pleaded as Bee nuzzled him. She honestly couldn’t help herself. He was just so adorable. Though it wasn’t Ozzie that would try to stop her, but rather Vortex.

“Down, girl. Down,” he commanded half seriously.

“No, he’s got such sweet vibes. I could literally eat him up. He smells so sweet,” she whined, the comment of which caused Fizzarolli to gulp nervously, unsure if she was being serious or not.

“You let go of him and I’ll make you those peanut butter brownies you like so much,” Vortex offered, resulting in Bee freezing in place.

"With the caramel glaze?” she asked with puppy eyes.

“Yes,” Vortex nodded with a huff, trying hard to hold back a laugh at her childish antics. Sometimes it really amazed him that she was the ruler of a whole ring. At his confirmation, Beelzebub gave a quick look to Fizzarolli before letting him go and moving back toward Vortex.

“You better keep your word,” she pouted with arms crossed. She absolutely loved his peanut butter brownies. And that caramel glaze; utterly to die for.

“You two really are just perfect for one another,” Asmodeus complimented with a raucous giggle. The rooster had taken to picking up his boyfriend and placing him on his shoulder, the pair nuzzling each other. Oh, that is absolutely adorable. They’re sweeter than cotton candy.

“We could say the same about you, too,” she responded in kind. “I just love both of your vibes. You’re like avocado and chocolate.”

“Does that even taste good?” Asmodeus asked incredulously. Even Vortex and Fizzarolli were giving her weird looks. Uh, these people have no taste in the culinary arts.

“Don’t knock it till you try it, and it tastes amazing. You’ll just die when you try it.”

“I’m sure we will,” Fizzarolli joked with an eye roll. The jester jumped down to the floor, standing a couple feet shorter than the both of them and extended one of his robotic arms toward Vortex, which he respectfully shook.

“A bit much don’t you think,” Fizzarolli cracked, pointing to Vortex’s formal attire and causing him to roll his eyes in slight annoyance. Getting a better look at him, she could see that the jester wasn't wearing anything formal. Aside from his usual jester cap, he was wearing a black tank top with a heart symbol in the middle and matching cargo shorts. Nevertheless, Bee giggled at her boyfriend’s overdressing issue.

“I told you so,” Bee whispered into Vortex’s ear, causing him to blush in further annoyance.

With the introductions out of the way, the quartet of demons made their way to the kitchen and sat down for dinner. For said dinner, Asmodeus had prepared a mostaccioli pasta dish glazed with a tomato sausage sauce and ricotta cheese filling. As a side, he had served cheesy garlic bread and sauteed zucchini. It was all so divine, if Ozzie wasn’t so busy running his factories, Bee would absolutely hire him at one of her restaurants. Even Vortex, who wasn’t normally as gluttonous as her, was going for thirds when she was on her sixth refill.

As they ate, she and Ozzie spent the time questioning each other’s respective partners, wanting to learn more about them. She listened casually as Vortex told him about his family and his job with Verosika. Despite her being one of Ozzie’s top succubi, he and the hellhound had never really met before due to scheduling conflicts. Bee was comforted to see that despite the slight intimidation that Vortex felt toward the rooster demon that he got along nicely with him. Of course, she found herself later wishing that this wasn’t the case when Ozzie asked for embarrassing details about Bee. The smirk that Vortex gave her sent her into a full body blush. He was lucky she loved him, otherwise she’d skin the hellhound alive.

As for her and Fizzarolli, Bee had wanted to obtain all of the juicy deets about him and Ozzie; what they did together, how they met, and embarrassing stories about Ozzie as revenge as well. From what she had learned, Fizz had been brought to Ozzie by Mammon early into his career so as to attain newer prosthetics so that he could perform better. Beelzebub sometimes forgot that the jester was both legally deaf (needing cochlear implants) and a quadriplegic.

She had heard from Belphegor that the jester had been brought to the hospital after a nasty fire at his old circus fifteen years ago, though the main cause of the damage had apparently been done by improperly stored fireworks. Beelzebub had to hold back a shiver at the amount of pain that Fizzarolli must have endured at such a young age, and the fact he was still alive after even that was in of itself a miracle.

From there, Fizz and Ozzie developed a working relationship, with the former becoming a manager and performer at his main club on top of working for Mammon. Eventually, the two started sleeping together, which he did with all of his employees. Yet, Ozzie admitted that out of all the people he’d slept with, which was a lot, there had been something different about Fizz. In fact, after Fizzarolli, no one else could ever make him satisfied the way the jester did. Beelzebub knew soul mates were a real thing (as she often wondered if Vortex was hers), and she had a strong feeling that Fizz and Ozzie were that. It made her heart swell knowing that someone she saw as a brother was finally settling down with someone he loved.

Fizzarolli eventually moved in with Ozzie at the latter’s suggestion and the two had been happy ever since, passionately exploring lust and raising their own pack of quieves together. Beelzebub squealed when she saw the pictures of the pack of insectoid chihuahuas surrounding the couple, and cooed even more at a particular picture of Fizz cuddling up next to an albino one named Precious whom was in her own wheelchair. The two were absolutely the perfect match together.

She even laughed her butt off hard when Fizz regaled her with a tale about how Ozzie had once tried out acrobatics to impress the jester. By the end of the story, Beelzebub had finally gotten an explanation as to how Asmodeus had ended up in a full body cast a couple years back.

Of course, Ozzie retaliated by joking about how Fizz wasn’t allowed to prepare food in the kitchen and how the last time he had tried, they had needed to renovate the whole place. Beelzebub could have sworn that the kitchenette looked brand new, but she figured that Ozzie had just decided to renovate it out of principle. Beelzebub couldn’t believe that anyone could be that bad, until Ozzie mentioned that Fizz had somehow managed to burn water, and there wasn’t an ounce of oil involved. Watching Fizz cover his face in embarrassment while Ozzie patted his back to comfort him told her the story was in fact true.

As for what Fizz was planning to do now that he no longer worked for Mammon, the performer was thinking of doing his own solo act touring the seven rings, wanting to perform for a wider audience without conning them out of all of their money. He too had plans for a special yearly event similar to the clown competition, but free for all to attend and perform. Beelzebub loved the idea, and thought it was a great way for people from all walks of life to get recognized. Fizzarolli felt the same.

Overall, the double date had been an absolute blast.

“So, Bee,” Asmodeus asked, drawing her attention from her ninth helping of pasta. What, she was a hungry girl, what did you expect from the Queen of Gluttony. “I hear it’s been rather quiet over at your end. From what I hear, you haven’t thrown one of your parties within the last few weeks.” Beelzebub fortunately was prepared for the round of questioning this time around. She knew she needed to tell him about Gabriel at some point, but for now she needed to be quiet about him. She needed to be sure that no harm would come to her son.

“Things have been a little, iffy on my end of things lately,” she admitted, her tone slightly sullen.

“Are you okay?” Asmodeus asked with concern. Bee wanted to share the truth about Gabriel with Ozzie. She did. After all, like with Bel, they shared almost everything together. It made her sick, making her feel as though she was betraying her friend. Yet, it was a necessary evil.

“I’m doing a lot better now, especially thanks to this one here,” Beelzebub spoke softly, putting a hand over Vortex’s, her gaze toward him full of love and appreciation. Vortex returned her gaze and turned his hand to grip hers. “Though I am planning to throw a big bash within the next few weeks to make up for it,” she added. Asmodeus opened his mouth to ask more before something else caught his attention.

It was a knock at the door sounded, causing Ozzie to groan in annoyance, complaining about how he told the staff not to bother them for the evening. Walking over to the door, he opened it to reveal a female succubus with brown hair holding a package much too big for her as seen by the fact that she was struggling to hold it over her head.

“Package for you Oz,” she stammered tiredly to which Ozzie instantly pulled the box from her, the succubus releasing a gasp of relief. Said box was the standard cardboard package with different tags stuck onto the sides. The succubus would have spoken more if Asmodeus hadn’t kicked the door shut in her face as he headed back toward the kitchen table.

“Were you expecting something?” Fizzarolli asked, perplexed, but nevertheless occupied by the garlic bread that he was stuffing down his throat. Beelzebub got up from her seat and walked over to Ozzie. From Fizzarolli’s tone, the package was a factor that neither of them were expecting. This concerned her for a lot of reasons. The most present of them being that it could have been an angelic bomb sent by an assassin. Hadn't one tried to harm Fizzarolli more recently, she wondered, thinking back to an earlier conversation she had had with Ozzie.

“No,” Asmodeus shook his head, turning it over to inspect who the sender was. Asmodeus’ eyes went wide as he read the recipient name.

“Oh, it’s for you, Bee,” he said with surprised uncertainty, peering down at the tag just to be sure he was reading it right.

“Wait, really?” Beelzebub asked with wide eyes, taking the package from Asmodeus. This was odd. Who in the world would send her of all people a package, and why send it to Asmodeus. Now normally, common sense would dictate that she would use magic to open the package from afar. However, Bee was not one for common sense. Taken off guard by the fact that the package was for her she, without thinking, stuck a claw through the tape and cut open the box.

“Hold on, Bee. I don’t think you should–” Asmodeus tried to warn her. Unfortunately, he could not stop her from opening the package which, as soon as she opened it, blew up green paint all across the bee-fox demon’s face and upper torso. Beelzebub had been left stunned by the explosion, falling onto her rear and staring off into space as she tried to regain conscious thought.

“The f*ck,” Vortex shouted, rushing over to his girlfriend to check up on her.

“Crikey, that was too good!” a voice shouted from the balcony. Turning toward the balcony, the demons were stunned to see a larger demon (in terms of both height and width) wearing a green money-themed jester suit and cap. Said demon was holding an old-timey camera which he was recording the whole event with. “This is so much better than the time I made Sheila and her dogs sh*t their britches.”

“Mammon!” Asmodeus shouted with heated anger matching the flames erupting from his mane.

“Mammon!” Fizzarolli squeaked, falling out of his chair and hiding behind Asmodeus’ large form. Mammon, who was bent over laughing uncontrollably, wiped his brow before shoving the camera into his inner coat pocket.

“Did you seriously interrupt our double date just to prank Bee?” Asmodeus asked furiously. Vortex, upon hearing the accusation, released a deep throated growl toward the money-loving Deadly Sin. Beelzebub, for her part, was still slightly out of it as she tried to wipe away the paint from her eyes to no avail. It didn’t help either that she couldn’t hear much of what was being said, her ears ringing from the explosion.

“Partially, I figured I would kill two stones with one bird, or however it goes, and get my number one employee back,” Mammon explained casually, pulling out a cigar from his pocket before lighting and smoking it freely.

“Oh, you motherf*cker!” Asmodeus screamed, wanting to tear his fellow Sin to shreds for the offense. This however, seemed to spark something inside of Fizzarolli as he stomped out from behind his boyfriend to the Sin of Greed.

“I am not yours Mammon!” he stated with unwavering confidence, Mammon looking back down at him with unbridled anger. “Besides, don’t you have the twins? Are they not enough for you?” The mention of the twins Glitz and Glam caused Mammon to flinch, his body language becoming more nervous and irritable.

“The twins are fine,” Mammon spoke, though his tone and the slow pacing of him saying so told them that it was the opposite. “But they don’t have the same charm as you Fizzi Boy. Please come back to me. I’ll give you whatever you want.” The desperation in Mammon’s voice as he begged Fizzarolli to return to him caused Fizz to scoff. Looking his former boss dead in the eye, he said a single word,

“No.” And with that, he walked back to his boyfriend, who stood behind him, hand over his shoulder as he gave Mammon the middle finger.

“Oh come on, Fizzi, forgot about this chicken and–” Mammon continued to beg, however, he was interrupted by someone he should have been paying much more attention to. A giant fist collided with Mammon’s face, sending him crashing into the wall behind him. It took a second for him to regain his composure, but once he saw the origin of the fist, he very nearly pissed himself. Standing several feet taller, and radiating unbridled rage, stood Beelzebub in her true demon form. The Deadly Sin had finally managed to get the paint out of her eyes, though her face and upper dress were still as green as Mammon’s clothing, with the help of Vortex and her hearing had also managed to return. The moment she realized that it was Mammon she lost it. Out of all the times to try and prank her it was when she was on an important date.

“You ruined my outfit, my date,” Beelzebub screamed, “You are going to sit down and listen or else I will throw you off this tower!”

“Right, thank you–” Asmodeus jumped in, thankful that Beelzebub was standing up for his Fizzy Frog. Unfortunately, this was the wrong move as Beelzebub turned her head, and so fast that it was incredible she didn’t get whiplash, toward him with a venomous glare.

“Shut up, Ozzie, and sit the f*ck down before I put you back in that full body cast!” Asmodeus released an uncharacteristic squeak and rushed to sit down at the table, his form still as he watched Beelzebub continue to physically reem Mammon. Being the third in line to the throne of Hell itself, Beelzebub was no slouch when it came to being a ruler, and that included punishing people.

While she often appeared happy and carefree to the public, Beelzebub had a sense of authority that, when brought out of her, that even most of the Sins backed down from. And when she was angry at someone, that person better start praying to God that she didn’t go too hard on them.

After Beelzebub finished with her beatdown of Mammon, the jester covered in bruises and one of his arms in a sling, the angry queen threw the fat Sin onto a chair in front of Asmodeus, who was equally terrified.

“Now, we are going to settle this like demons and talk it out,” she commanded with a hint of insanity in her tone. Out of all of the times for Ozzie and Mam’s bullsh*t to get in the way, it had to be today, on the one day she was looking forward to all week. Even if Asmodeus wasn’t responsible for what had happened to her, she was going to settle the drama between Mammon and Asmodeus right now, so help her God. Both Mammon and Asmodeus nodded their heads at her in fearful agreement.

“Mammon, let me make myself clear,” Beelzebub started, her tone causing an audible gulp of fear to escape Mammon’s throat, “You are going to leave Fizzarolli alone. You are not going to force him to be yours. And anytime you speak to him from here on it will be cordial and respectful. Do I make myself clear?” The feral growl that escaped her throat sent audible chills into every person in the room, though the one that escaped from Vortex was the opposite of fear, let's just say. This is what happens when you mess with Mama Bee.

“Y–yes,” Mammon stuttered, nodding his head in agreement. Then, Bee turned her head to Asmodeus, the Sin of Lust shrinking at her gaze, though less angry toward him, still sent fear down his spine.

“Ozzie, Mammon is going to apologize to you and Fizz,” she spoke coldly. “You are going to accept that apology and then that will be the end of it. Neither of you will antagonize the other and this issue will be a figment of the past. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Asmodeus responded quietly. With that, Mammon turned over to Asmodeus and apologized before giving a similar apology to Fizzarolli, promising to never bother him again. Asmodeus similarly accepted it and said he would let bygones be bygones. And with that, a switch seemed to flip inside Beelzebub, whose demeanor suddenly became cheerful and excited, contrasting the dark and cold atmosphere she had created prior.

Shrinking back down to normal size, Beelzebub walked away from the pair toward the fridge, said pair releasing deep sighs of relief, and pulled out a beer that she chugged down before throwing it with force onto the ground, the glass breaking into pieces.

“Isn’t it fun when we all get along?” she asked with a creepy tone like that of a serial killer, eye twitching. Mammon and Asmodeus could only shake each other’s hand and smile back, not wanting to make her angrier than she already was.

Meanwhile, Fizzarolli and Vortex were watching with shock and tranquility respectively. The two had been sitting across the room watching the spectacle with unease, or at least Fizzarolli was. Vortex, on the other hand, had been unfazed by his girlfriend’s true demon form, having gotten used to when she would break out in anger.

“Were you turned on by that whole thing? Fizzarolli asked the hellhound, noticing the Hellhound rotate his legs uncomfortably as though he were suffering from a raging boner.

“And you don't get turned on when Asmodeus goes full demon?” Vortex retorted, pointing over to said Sin. Fizzarolli chuckled, shaking his head in fairness before turning back to the scene with the three Sins.

“I don’t know, I’ll admit that I myself am a little terrified when she gets big like that,” a voice next to them caught the pair’s attention. Said figure was dressed up in a white suit dress attire with a white top hat, his white face home to a nervous smile and cheery red cheeks like that of a clown. In his hand was a cane with a golden apple on top. Beneath the hat, the imp and hellhound could see neatly combed blonde hair.

“I mean it can be somewhat scary at times, especially when it’s at one of her parties. Don’t want anyone getting hurt, ya know,” Vortex admitted.

“Oh I know. You know what they say, with great power comes great responsibility,” the man laughed. The infectious nature of it caused Fizzarolli and Vortex to chuckle, though this was only for a moment before the pair’s eyes widened at the realization of whom they were speaking to.

“Who the hell are you?” Both Vortex and Fizzarolli shouted in shock, taken aback by the presence of the stranger. The other three Sins caught wind of their shouting and turned to see what they were screaming about before freezing in silence. Bee herself felt her blood run cold at the sight of the figure before her. What the Hell is he doing here?

“Luci, is that you?” Asmodeus asked amongst the palpable silence. This question caused the eyes of both Fizzarolli and Vortex to bug out of their skulls, both hellborn immediately getting down on their knees and bowing repeatedly before the true king of Hell.

“Oh, please forgive us, Lord Lucifer,” they chanted simultaneously. Beelzebub and Asmodeus slapped their foreheads at the ridiculousness of their partners. As for Lucifer, he too looked uncomfortable watching the pair kneeling before him, begging for forgiveness at not recognizing him. His sharp-tooth smile formed into an uncomfortable frown as he stared at the pair of Hellborn whom he’d been speaking with earlier.

“Uhm, you’re forgiven,” he spoke awkwardly with a crooked smile, unsure of how to proceed. “Please, stop with the whole worship thing. I mean, we’re all demons here right.”

"Lucifer, what are you doing here?" Bee asked, her eyes turning as she watched the two hellborn get up from the floor while trying to recover what little dignity they had left.

“Oh, well I was planning on checking up on everyone after my seven year absence. When I saw that you three were gathered here, I figured I’d make this my first pitstop.”

“Oi, Luci, how are you doin mate?” Mammon asked with a nervous smile, still freaked out from Bee’s attitude moments ago.

“I’m actually doing great Mam,” Lucifer said with glee uncharacteristic of the King of Hell. “Is everything fine with you? You look like you’ve seen a few battles? Did you happen to wander into Pride last month when Adam and his exorcists were there?” Lucifer laughed uncomfortably, unsatisfied with his own joke, all the while Mammon sneaked a terrified glance over in Bee’s direction.

“Oh sh*t, yeah, they pushed up Extermination Day by half a year,” Beelzebub blurted out. She’d completely forgotten about that. Now that she thought about it, she thought she heard something on the news about it being canceled due to Charlie.

“Yeah they did,” Lucifer confirmed with a frown. Though it didn’t stay long when he happily said, “And it would have been a bloodbath if not for my little girl. Here, let’s sit down and catch up.” Lucifer teleported himself over to the kitchen table and summoned a cup of apple juice that he promptly took a sip from. Not wanting to turn down the King of Hell, both Sin and hellborn alike sat down around Lucifer as he regaled them about Charlie and the moments leading up to the extermination.

Lucifer began his recap by telling them about Charlie’s dream of starting the hotel to redeem Sinners to stop the exterminations, which the Sins already knew about. When Beelzebub had first heard of it, she wasn’t sure if Charlie would be able to do so. After all, the Sinners were down here for a reason.

Out of curiosity, Bee had asked Lucifer where Charlie had gotten the funds to open the hotel in the first place since she knew that Charlie had sworn off from using the family’s funds. Lucifer shrugged his shoulders, unsure as to the answer himself. The question probably would have gone unanswered if not for Bee noticing Mammon shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

When she confronted him about it, the Sin of Greed admitted to having given Charlie the funding to start her hotel in the first place when she approached him for money. In one of the few moments where Mammon had been generous, he’d given Charlie the loan for the hotel more so as a gift, without the expectation of her paying it back. The admission left everyone in the room stunned since Mammon wasn’t known for his gratuity. Beelzebub had always wondered where Charlie had gotten the money for it. She’d just assumed that Charlie had used money from the treasury to fund it. As much as she couldn’t stand Mammon half the time, she could acknowledge that if there was one person he cared about enough to set aside his greedy nature, it was Charlie.

Beyond that revelation, Lucifer continued by explaining to them how Charlie had called him a few months prior, wanting his help with the hotel. After a few musical numbers and dealing with an asshole radio-loving deer sinner, Lucifer had agreed to get Charlie a meeting with the angelic council. This sent the other demons in the room into a frenzy at the prospect that Lucifer would even bear fruit to the notion of such a thing. As for the outcome of said meeting, despite proving to Heaven that Sinners were not entirely a lost cause, the council had still voted against Charlie and kicked her out of Heaven. This hadn’t surprised any of the Sins since they too had plenty of experience with the hypocrisy of the angelic council.

Then came the battle in which Charlie fought against the exorcists. The very notion that Charlie had been in danger and none of them had known had made the other Sins guilty. They had all been so focused on their own lives that they failed to see that one of their own, their niece, was in trouble. When she and the other Sins questioned why Lucifer hadn’t been there from the start, he had to remind them that he couldn’t interfere until they tried to harm Charlie or any other hellborn, otherwise Heaven would be legally allowed to start a full scale war on par with the original agreement between Lucifer and Heaven.

This admission resulted in an outburst from Vortex, who told the King of Hell about having lost his own father to the exorcists when he was a child, and that he knew of several other hellborn who had lost family members to the angels. Beelzebub did her best to comfort her boyfriend as he grew angry with Lucifer over how he nor his ex-wife didn’t know about what was going on. The realization that Adam hadn’t been enforcing that particular rule stunned Lucifer, who was only half-surprised at such a fact given that it was Adam.

Seething, Lucifer promised to talk to Heaven about their failure to leave the hellborn alone. Vortex wanted to argue more, but Bee cupped her boyfriend’s chin and nuzzled her forehead against his, humming a soft tune to calm him down. She was upset with Lucifer too for not knowing this, but she knew it was pointless to argue about it now, especially since Lucifer genuinely did sound serious about wanting to step up as a leader of Hell. It was a nice change of pace from the usual depressing, slothful demeanor that Lucifer carried with him.

He finished his tale by noting how he’d shown up in the nick of time to help Charlie before beating the sh*t out of Adam. However, Lucifer noted that he hadn’t been the one to finish Adam, but rather it had been Charlie’s housekeeper at the hotel. Beelzebub recalled meeting Adam once prior to Hell’s creation in the garden. He had come off as the most sexist and ignorant piece of sh*t she had ever met, and it didn’t surprise her to learn that he hadn’t changed since entering Heaven.

“And so that is how my daughter restored my faith in humanity,” Lucifer finished with glee, taking another sip from his cup of apple juice.

“You must be proud of her,” Beelzebub assumed, a small smile forming on her muzzle as she recognized the look in Lucifer’s eyes as similar to her own for her son.

“I am. I really am, Bee.” Lucifer had been quite the dreamer before his fall from Heaven. The angelic council had essentially broken him by forcing him to see only the worst that humanity had to offer, effectively crushing his ability to dream. So, while she wasn’t on great terms with Lucifer, it was refreshing to see that spark within him again.

Especially with Lilith having left, she thought, her mind turning to the woman in question. Lilith divorcing Lucifer had shocked all of them as they had believed that the pair were the perfect power couple. Unfortunately, it appeared that, behind closed doors, nothing was peachy between the couple, with Lilith becoming dissatisfied with Lucifer and leaving without a single air as to where she went. Beelzebub had been slightly disappointed in Lilith when she disappeared because she hadn’t just left Lucifer, she had also left Charlie behind as well.

Granted, none of them had been there for Charlie or Lucifer in hindsight. Beelzebub felt some guilt for choosing not to talk with either of them, but that was something she could change. Before she could speak on it, Lucifer threw everyone in the room a curveball that none of them were expecting.

“By the way, Bee, when are you going to introduce us to your little tyke?” Lucifer asked aloud. At first no one, not even Bee, seemed to register what Lucifer had said. However, after a few seconds, the faces of each of the demons around the table shifted to confusion as they took in Lucifer’s question. As for Beelzebub, she had become frozen in shock at the realization that Lucifer knew about Gabriel. In her mind the same phrase echoed in a maelstrom of a storm: He knows.

“Wait, what are you talking about Luci? Bee doesn’t have any children,” Asmodeus claimed.

“Yeah, I think we’d all know if Sheila here had a few gremlins sucking at her–” Mammon started before, a hand slapped him over the head. Said hand had come from none other than Fizzarolli, who used the opportunity to slap him before he finished his sentence.

Yet, when they all turned their attention to Beelzebub, the Queen was frozen in abject horror. Vortex noticed the eyes on her and proceeded to shake her by her shoulder, trying to snap her out of the shock. Once she did so, Beelzebub shrunk in on herself, her stomach and hair turning a deep burgundy to match her shame at keeping such a secret from her family.

“Bee, do you, do you have a kid we don’t know about?” Asmodeus asked more softly. After a moment, Beelzebub nodded her head, yes, to which Asmodeus and Mammon stared at her with gaping mouths. Fizzarolli for his part whistled awkwardly, unsure of what to say about the reveal. As for Lucifer, he himself was feeling anxious at how Beelzebub seemed to recoil at being called out for having a secret child, even if unintentionally.

“When?” Asmodeus asked.

“Twenty-five years ago,” she replied guiltily.

“Jesus Christ, Sheila. f*cking why?” Mammon questioned, his voice filled with hurt. It was one of the few times that Bee had seen Mammon genuinely upset. It made her feel worse than she already did.

“Look, I didn't want to keep Gabriel from you guys. I just–” Beelzebub began to explain before being interrupted by Lucifer.

“You named him Gabriel? The f*ck, Bee?” Lucifer exclaimed, a tad furious and betrayed. In hindsight, she should have expected him to be furious about that particular name. After all, he was actually Lucifer’s brother.

“It’s a long story,” she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for the other Sins to hear. “Just know his choice of name has no connection with the actual Gabriel, Luci.” Lucifer opened his mouth to argue, but chose against it. Bee was grateful that he gave her the benefit of the doubt on that topic.

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner, Sheila?” Mammon asked again with concern severely uncharacteristic of himself. Beelzebub found it odd considering that she had quite literally beat the sh*t out of him moments prior, but it went to show that, deep down, Mammon saw her as a sister, saw all of them as family.

“Because I was worried about how Lucifer would react,” she said pointedly.

“Why would I care?” he asked, clearly offended at the idea that he would harm her or his nephew.

“Because he’s a cambion. You outlawed us from having children with humanity, remember?” she blurted out, before covering her mouth, not having meant to share that tidbit about Gabriel. Ozzie and Mammon’s eyes widened at what Beelzebub had said. Hell, the admission sent the latter into a coughing fit. Lucifer, however, appeared only more confused at Bee’s explanation.

“I did?” he asked no one in particular, scratching his chin before his memory came back to him. “Oh, yeah I did do that didn’t I.” Though his aloofness to it seriously threw Beelzebub for a loop, causing her to look at him incredulously.

“Did you seriously forget about that rule?” Beelzebub asked with disbelief. There’s no way that he forgot about it. And if he did, does that mean he stopped caring to begin with? There’s no way, right?

“I mean, I made that rule like several millennia ago when I was still pissed off at Heaven. f*ck, me and Lilith made a lot of stupid and petty rules in the beginning. In all honesty, there is that and like a bunch of other ones I cannot even remember making that I could care less about now,” Lucifer rambled without pause, unaware of the fuming Beelzebub sitting opposite him. Vortex had scooted himself away from his girlfriend having sensed she was about to explode.

“In retrospect, you not introducing him sooner makes a lot of sense when I think about it now. But anyway, what’s he like? When can we meet this kid of yours? I cannot wait to give him his own duckie.”

By this point, Fizzarolli, Mammon, and Asmodeus had also moved away from the table, having noticed the angry red energy radiating from Beelzebub. Lucifer, for his part, was blissfully unaware until he heard the table shift.

Looking up and noticing Beelzebub, her eyes facing the ground, he asked “Uhm, Bee you good?” There was no reply at first. In fact, it was dead silent in the room save for Beelzebub’s heavy breathing. The tension was high strung, and Beelzebub was about to break it. Growing into her true demon form, the Queen of Gluttony pounced.

“You mother f*cker!” she screamed, eyes bloodthirsty, as she charged at Lucifer.

“Bee, wait what are you, oh my Heavens,” he shouted, jumping out of the way as Beelzebub broke through the table and chased after him. Meanwhile, amongst the crashing and screams of rage, the two hellborn and remaining Sins watched the spectacle with expressions of dumbfounded confusion.

“Should we help him?” Vortex asked, concerned that his girlfriend was making a mistake in trying to kill Lucifer.

“Nah, let the buggers tire each other out. Means more snacks for us, anyway,” Mammon said, summoning an extra large bucket of buttery popcorn in his lap, allowing the others to have some in a rare showing of gratuity.

“For once, Mammon, I actually agree with you,” Asmodeus said, flinching at Beelzebub, whom nearly hit Lucifer over the head with the kitchen island. He groaned at the prospect of renovating the kitchen again as he took a handful of popcorn from the bucket. The trio huddled around Mammon as they watched Beelzebub turn the kitchen into a warzone as she hunted for Lucifer, who surprisingly wasn’t doing anything to fight back. Instead, running about in fear for his life.

“Damn, this is some good popcorn,” Vortex complimented, stuffing another handful of the buttery treat into his muzzle.

“It’s one of the few things I don’t go cheap on, doggie,” Mammon told him, causing the hound to growl at him over the degrading nickname.

“For yourself anyway,” Asmodeus snarked.

“And don’t you forget it, mate.”

The one-sided fight went on for several more minutes before Lucifer, covered in scratches and with an outfit torn apart and barely hanging from his shoulders, was tackled by an atomically furious Beelzebub.

Twenty-five years. Twenty-five years she had kept Gabriel a secret from the other Sins, because she was terrified of what Lucifer might do to him should he find out about his origin. It was one of the primary reasons she gave up being his mother in the first place. And now she was finding out that it was all for nothing. Oh she was mad. So flippin mad. She was going to kill Lucifer. She was going to–

Cotton Candy! Cotton Candy!

Beelzebub paused, teeth inches away from tearing up Lucifer’s face, as her ears caught wind of an automated version of her own voice. It took a second to sort through the muddled pool of her own mind to realize it was her phone’s ringtone. Pulling it out of her jacket pocket, Beelzebub gasped at the sight of the caller id, which displayed an old picture of Beelzebub smiling next to a tiny blonde haired child.

Oh f*ck, Charlie. Charlie was calling her. What the hell was Charlie calling her for? Either Charlie had a supernatural sense when it came to her father’s safety or this was a giant coincidence. Looking down at Lucifer, who was gazing at her with uncertainty. It was there that she remembered what she’d been doing in the first place. Oh, if it wouldn’t break her heart, Beelzebub rationalized mentally, pulling away from Lucifer and answering the call, putting the phone against her ears.

“Hi, aunt Bee,” a high pitched and cheerful voice responded as soon as the call began. Beelzebub felt her heart melt at the sound of her niece’s voice, one of the few things that could make Beelzebub smile on short notice.

“Oh, hi Char-Char,” she greeted with a slightly forced happy voice. The use of Charlie’s nickname drew the attention of everyone in the room, having recognized the Sins’ favorite nickname of the Princess of Hell.

“Charlie, hey it’s-,” Lucifer attempted to call out before a kick to the face from Beelzebub sent him flying into the wrecked kitchen table.

“Oh yeah, you’re dad’s with me,” Beelzebub told her. “Oh he’s doing fine. Don’t you worry about him.” Looking over to where Lucifer landed, Beelzebub could see the fallen angel try to stand up before falling back down on his back, possibly concussed from the hit. Serves the dick, right, she thought angrily. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea to hold a grudge against Lucifer for this.

After all, in the end, it was Bee’s choice to hide Gabriel from everyone, and it didn’t sound like Lucifer meant to cause her to hide him from all of them. But Beelzebub was tired. She’d been pranked by Mammon, forced an intervention between him and Asmodeus, and on top of all of that she had the orphanage to deal with tomorrow. She was not in the mood for bullsh*t right now.

“But anyway, how’s my favorite niece doing? I heard that that new hotel of yours is becoming popular over there,” she added. Despite her quiet anger, she really was proud of her niece for working so hard to accomplish her dream.

“Yep, we’ve got a whole batch of Sinners coming over so we’ve been extra busy over here.”

“That’s great to hear, Char-Char. Are you calling just to say hi?”

“So, um well I don’t know how to tell you this,” Charlie started anxiously. Uh oh. Beelzebub knew that tone. That was the tone of someone who had bad news.

“Is everything okay?” Beelzebub asked worryingly. The other Sins noticed her tone and rushed over only to stop when Beelzebub held a hand out to halt them.

“I just, uhm, got a special visitor today,” Charlie stated bluntly.

“Oh, you did?” Beelzebub questioned with curious uncertainty. That was it, seriously. “Who?”

The line on the other end was silent for a good minute. Beelzebub could hear faint voices on the other end, implying that Charlie had her hand over the speaker. Beelzebub was about to say something when Charlie finally responded, “Well they claim to be my cousin, Gabriel.” That was when the ringing started. It was dull at first, but quickly became louder and louder as the seconds passed.

“I’m sorry, what?” Beelzebub uttered, her head feeling light at what Charlie had told her. She was so distraught that she didn’t even feel the phone slip from her hand and fall onto the floor with a crack. Gabriel was in Hell. Gabriel is in Hell. Does that mean he’s…

Beelzebub didn’t get a chance to finish the thought as she literally collapsed from the weight of the stress. The ringing was deafening at this point. She could feel herself being caught by someone furry before she managed to hit the ground, concerned and horrified voices puddling within her ears through the awful ringing. Not long after that, everything went black.

Chapter 13: Chapter 11: Unexpected Guest at the Hotel

Chapter Text

Gabriel

Life was odd. That was a bit of an understatement. Life was so bizarre that one would need to only look out on the streets to see it. Watching people, each with their own unique and odd quirks, with backgrounds that ranged from tame to the outright perverted. As for Gabriel, he was somewhere in the middle, or at least he was now. A week prior his life could have been considered tame. Now though, it had completely upended itself, showing a new layer that Gabriel never knew existed. And if he was being honest, he didn’t hate it either.

When his mother had shown up at his door Sunday, he’d felt a large sense of relief, a weight of uncertainty that had been lifted off his shoulders. He hadn’t known what to expect. A part of him had suspected that she would ghost him again like she did his whole life. Gabriel never liked surprises, as they often threw off his daily routine, but he found himself to be grateful with that surprise.

The only thing he’d been a little uncomfortable with was the sudden hugs, though he supposed that he was fine with it by the end of it. Plus, the warmth and love radiating off his mother made his heart squeeze in a manner similar to that of the praise and love his father had given him, so that was nice.

From his mother, he’d learned more about life in Hell. As Loona had explained to him prior, Hell was far more modern compared to what the Bible said of it. It wasn’t the fire and brimstone that Christians painted it as, but rather a morally dubious series of rings consisting of their own respective settlements.

His mother was the ruler of the Gluttony ring of Hell and was responsible for a variety of different shopping brands, restaurants, and clubs. In fact, her own mansion served as one of her clubs and was also nicknamed the Hive. Gabriel found the coincidence humorous, a sign of the connection he held to his mother. He always wondered where his passion and natural talent for cooking and baking as well as his love of honey came from. Now he had an answer.

His mother had also gone into greater detail about his other extended family. He had half a dozen aunts and uncles matching the other deadly sins as well as a cousin who was the literal Antichrist. It almost felt overwhelming if not for his mother vouching for each and everyone of them, albeit reluctantly he noticed. She mentioned how although there were major issues, they still operated like a big semi-functional family, emphasis on the semi part.

As for her true form, Gabriel had been half-surprised by what he’d seen. He knew that the great Beelzebub was the lord of the flies and would have some type of insectoid features like the four arms and the antennas, but that was it. Instead, her form was largely vulpine, looking like a mutant fennec fox from an apocalypse film. Though it made more sense once he learned that the primary hellborn from her ring were the hellhounds.

And then came the more difficult questions. The ones that Gabriel was scared for an answer for. After his fight with Aunt Sofia, he’d been unsure about Bee’s intentions with him. He needed to hear from her what she wanted from getting to know him, getting to be a part of his life. Fortunately, his mother hadn’t beat around the bush in that regard and had admitted the truth to him, but it wasn’t very nearly what he’d anticipated. Sure he had expected her to say something along the lines of making sure no harm befell him due to her presence, which held more credence with what he knew about his own grandfather. Yet, he was fully unprepared for the whiplash of the difficulties of her pregnancy with him.

While he wasn’t a medical professional, he knew enough to know that being pregnant wasn’t as simple as waiting through nine months of hunger pains, morning sickness, and shorter periods between usage of the bathroom for a baby. There were serious medical concerns depending on the individual. To hear from his mother that she was at risk of dying, to hear her desire for a child despite it, in her voice, chilled him to the bone. There was a sense of desperation to her voice that highlighted how much she wanted an opportunity to be a mother, only being held pack from full participation by the icy grip of fear.

This was further seen after he showed his mother the vast hoard of gifts and letters she had sent him over the years. He had released a mental sigh of relief when she didn’t bother to question his albeit terrible explanation (honestly, he had no idea how the postal services worked). Learning about his mother’s insecurities about her own Sin, and the reason she fell in the first place, was saddening enough, but to hear her blame herself for his accident because of it made him see her for who she was. An ancient being, a strong woman, doing her best to seek comfort and purpose beyond her curse, but was nevertheless haunted by it at every step. It was odd to see someone love and hate themselves for their vices, especially since the latter reasoning had nothing to do with her, but rather the fact that people were inherently flawed. His mother hadn’t forced that tool to get behind the wheel of a boat while drunk and didn’t put him in the hospital.

Honestly, he hadn’t planned on baking that day with her, but seeing her so down in the dumps made him not want to end this meeting on a sour note. And he definitely hadn’t regretted it either. He had heard people complain about how they hated working with their parents, but Gabriel wasn’t sure what they were talking about. He had so much fun baking alongside his mother. The two had been in perfect sync with the different steps of the baking process, and were constantly providing each other proper criticism. He’d never met anyone who had his instincts when it came to his sense of cooking or baking, let alone his sense of taste. It was especially difficult in the kitchen when he checked his team’s work. He did his best not to come off as such, but there was a certain pettiness to how he judged other people’s culinary creations, dropping critiques for the tiniest imperfections no matter how small or how minimally impacting they were on the overall product. Having his mother alongside him, having someone who had those instincts, made him feel not so alone.

As for the event that they had baked those items for, although Gabriel had said it as a joke, they really had paid extra for the dessert items after tasting them. In fact, the woman in charge of the organization was so amazed by the incredible taste that she had contracted his bakery for several other events in the city and the neighboring towns. The entire week he had been swamped as a result, needing to work longer hours in the kitchen baking the dessert load necessary to fill their quota. With how much they were making, Gabriel was considering talking to Jack about hiring another person or two to help with baking.

Currently, Gabriel was sitting on his couch reading that cookbook that his mother had brought him, sorting through it for potential ideas or recipes to test out in his apartment. He’d just gotten home from closing up the cafe and was using the time to relax. He checked his phone again for a text from his mother. She’d been sending one every evening to check up on him. Looking at the date at the top of his phone, Gabriel remembered that tomorrow was Friday. Normally, such a thing would not have mattered much to Gabriel, but it held significance since a week from tomorrow was the day his whole life had changed entirely. It was crazy to think that within a week, his whole life had been turned upside down. Not just with his mother, but his father’s side of the family as well. He still hadn’t talked with his aunt since last Friday, but he was still speaking with his grandmother, asking her how things were.

Setting the book aside, Gabriel took a break and laid down, his head on the arm of the couch and his fedora on his head and over his eyes. Taking some time to reflect, Gabriel began to think about the reality of his heritage. It still amazed him that he had such otherworldly origins. He still didn’t know just who his grandfather was. Despite how scary it was, the prospect of learning more about his origin was very exciting. He really did want to know more about his heritage and find solace with the family he never knew he had until recently.

He was so entranced within his own head that he didn’t notice the electric feeling surrounding his body nor the shadowy energy circling at his fingertips. With his eyes closed, he was virtually unaware of the cloud of energy moving across his entire body until it completely consumed him. Gabriel hadn’t even realized something was wrong until he’d felt the couch disappear beneath him before briefly falling onto hard concrete with a loud thud, his fedora flying off and floating to the ground.

“Ow, dios mío!” he cried in pain, rubbing the back of his head. “What just happened?” When he opened his eyes, Gabriel paused, his brain short circuiting at what he was seeing. He was certain however that was no longer in his apartment as his apartment did not have a sidewalk covered in dry blood nor did it contain an entire bustling city. In fact, the people walking along the sidewalk didn’t look like normal people either. There were a few short hooved creatures with red skin and long horns, a couple walking dog-like creatures similar to that of Loona. But aside from them, there was an amalgamation of different beings coming in different forms. They all looked like characters out of a cartoon.

Of course, the most prominent thing he noticed about his surroundings was the smell, like that of decaying corpses and cat piss. How do New Yorkers live in this kind of filth, he mentally joked to stay sane. But for real, his sense of smell was suddenly so much stronger for some odd reason. In fact, even his hearing was in overdrive, able to pick on the tiniest of sounds. It was overloading his senses and causing him to mentally freak out.

Standing up, still a bit unsteady on his feet as he leaned over to pick up his hat and place it on his head, Gabriel tried to find reason with what he was seeing beyond the sensory overload. What just happened? Where am I?

“Disculpe sir, could you tell me–” Gabriel began to ask before the person in the taxi, who looked like a cross between a guppy and a lizard, gave him the middle finger.

“Hey f*ck off!” he shouted as he drove off down the street and inadvertently caused himself to crash into a lamppost.

“Well, I wanna say this is NYC, but the red sky says otherwise,” Gabriel surmised. Panicking from the chaos in the street, he continued running down deeper into town, the noise and the new environment making him go slightly insane.

“And…oh sh*t!” Gabriel yelled repulsively. Just when he’d thought he’d seen it all, did Gabriel turn his head toward an unassuming building only to find two individuals in gimp suits performing very sexual acts. Both of them turned their attention to Gabriel having heard his shouting and were looking at him nastily for interrupting their special time together. Who in the hell does that with the curtains up, Gabriel thought. “That sh*t’s so insane it’s got me cursing in English. What the f*ck!” If his grandmother was here now, she would be washing his mouth out with soap.

Suddenly, a loud honking sound drew Gabriel’s attention. Turning around, he saw a giant truck heading right for him. In his disgust at the provocative scene, he’d accidentally stepped out onto the street. Oh mierda, he whined, closing his eyes. Get me out of this situation. And with that line of thought, Gabriel found himself phasing out of existence, reappearing in a smoky gray cloud on the opposite sidewalk before scrambling onto his feet and running off deeper into the city. He was so put off by everything that he couldn’t even bother to freak out about the fact that he had the ability to teleport. He probably would have been traumatized if not for his boating accident having zapped whatever fear of death he had from him.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been running but he eventually tired himself out, coincidently stopping before a glass display full of working TVs. Ok, ok, Gabriel. Calm down. Calm down. You’re in a new place and you can apparently teleport yourself. That explains the new place, but where is this place? The answer to that question became obvious as soon as he noticed a truck with a pentagram on the side passing by. Looking up at the sky he noticed another large pentagram hanging in the sky, staring menacingly down at him as though to say ‘screw you’. His eyes widened at the realization of what it implied. Hell. Okay, I’m in Hell. How did I teleport myself to Hell? Holy sh*t, I can teleport. How?

Rubbing the side of his head, Gabriel paused when he noticed that the feel of his hands against his skin felt different. Looking at his hands, Gabriel realized why, because they were. No longer were his hands the bare palms that he had as a human. Now, they were clawed at the end and covered in fur, appearing similar to that of a werewolf. Now that he noticed it, he also felt an odd feeling on his back like an appendage that was being held down. It was driving him insane. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Gabriel turned the camera feature on, and did a double take when he saw himself, nearly dropping his phone in the process.

His human face was gone and had been replaced by one more wolfish. His mouth and nose gave way to a long muzzle (which explained why his sense of smell was so much stronger) and his ears replaced by long pointed ones similar to that of a fennec fox, with insectoid antennas on the tips. His bare tan skin was now no longer bare, instead being covered by dirty blonde fur.

As for his hair, the root region and mid-shaft of his hair follicles was still brown, but the tips gave way to a floating lava-lamp fluid similar to that of his mother’s. The only thing that had remained the same was the color of his eyes and the amount of arms he had, which he was thankful for since he liked the shirt he was wearing. He looked like a demon.

“Santa mierda,” he mumbled aloud, feeling his new facial features with disbelief.

Gabriel tried to process the how of it all as he leaned against a lamp post. He’d been thinking about Hell prior to him ending up in it, but it really wasn’t that simple was it? Looking at his hands again, Gabriel noticed the shadowy energy circling his clawed fingertips. It felt familiar. Paying more attention, he realized why. It was the same energy as the one his Aunt Sofia had expelled at her house. Gabriel had so many questions.

What else could he do with these powers aside from teleportation? Did his father have powers like him, or did they skip a generation? And why had they only activated now? The only one he had an answer for was the last one, and even then the answer was shaky at best. Could it have been my close contact with Tia’s abilities, or was it due to being in close contact with my mother? Wait, does that mean I inherited powers from her too? Granted he knew his skills as an empath were from her, but what else could he do? Mierda, I am suddenly too tired for this.

Just to test it out, Gabriel looked over to a pair of human-like demons with gray skin, black eyes, and sharp teeth eating from a deer carcass on the ground. Gross. Attempting to try it again, he concentrated on beaming himself next to the group. He knew it was probably a bad idea, but his curiosity and the fact his mind was still racing were a more powerful influence at the moment. With himself more focused on his bodily autonomy, he felt static ping across his body as the same shadowy cloud surrounded him, and just like that, he was standing next to the group of demons, who became startled by his sudden appearance next to them.

“Disculpe!” he called to them, his voice unusually loud due to his anxiety. The three demons, he assumed they were demons anyway, were staring at him with a mixture of hunger and attention, the former making Gabriel more uncomfortable than he already was. “I’m new to Hell. Do you know any place that would be safe for newbies like myself?” Gabriel hoped he didn’t sound too nervous or tasty for that matter to the demons. The two looked at each other, then back at him, then back at each other again before smiling creepily back at him. Oh please do not tell me that he just made a mistake.

“Ooh, fresh meat,” one of them said, a female with brown hair beneath a bonnet. “What do you think? Ya think this one will make a nice dessert?”

“Lo siento? You mean that’s a dude?” he asked, his voice tensing in horror as he paid closer attention to the dead figure, who seemed much smaller than your typical deer.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t be cannibals otherwise,” the second one said, this one being bald and wearing a suit and tie.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Gabriel whimpered. “I mean, you don’t want me. Besides, I could probably prepare an actual deer that would taste better than that.” And I’m starting to ramble again, aren’t I?

“So you’re a chef,” the female said, her eyes lighting up if that was possible since she didn’t appear to have any to begin with.

“Ever worked with venison?” the male asked.

“I have. Definitely one of the harder meats to cook ya know. Para principiantes, there’s only one decent way to cook the meat, medium rare. Also requires a slower cook so that the meat is licitación,” Gabriel rambled, unable to move as the pair came closer to him. He was absolutely terrified of dying by the hands of cannibals. Out of all the ways he thought he might die, eaten alive by cannibalistic demons was not on his list. Just as he was about to crap his pants, however, the two demons burst out into laughter, practically keeling over.

The male cannibal put his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and said, “Relax kid, we’re kidding. Besides, we don’t eat people like you.” Gabriel released a sigh he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“And what are people like me?” he asked.

“People who aren’t assholes or pedos. Now that is meat that is of good quality to us,” she told him enthusiastically. Well, at least the cannibals have some level of morality, he thought with relief.

“Yeah, I am definitely not either of those,” Gabriel confirmed, still put off by them, but more so at ease knowing they weren’t going to kill him.

“Although, I will say that you definitely smell familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on it,” the man said, licking his lips.

“Couldn’t tell ya,” Gabriel responded, though he knew the reason. If these people were cannibals now, then that meant that they were likely so when they were alive too. Note to self, don’t let any cannibals know that you are not in fact dead. He had a hunch that they would try and eat him for the nostalgia of human flesh.

“If you’re looking for a safe place, Princess Charlotte has a hotel where you can stay for the night,” the lady said, pointing downtown toward a large sign that read ‘Hazbin Hotel’. Princess Charlotte, he thought. Did she mean Charlie, my cousin? If it is her, then she is my best bet of not dying.

“Well,” Gabriel started, clapping his hands together. “Thank you again. I’ll be sure to let Charlie know you helped me. Bye,” Gabriel shouted, speed walking away from the pair and in the direction of the so-called hotel that his cousin lived in. I’ve probably only been down here for less than an hour and already am I going insane.

As he made his way toward the hotel, Gabriel took greater awareness of the city around him. Aside from the buildings that were old and dilapidated or on fire, and the ones that had dead corpses hanging through broken windows, the city actually looked somewhat nice. There were demons laughing with each other, screaming obscenities, and causing full on riots. (It reminded him a bit of Portland, Oregon.) Gabriel could see demons of varying types milling about their day-to-day lives walking down the street or entering or exiting different buildings, some of which hosted billboards offering different services.

One in particular featured a red demon with a white splotch over his right eye and who sported long black and white horns. Said billboard appeared to be a marketing advertisem*nt for an assassination company. Gabriel would have found such a thing repulsive, but he had to remember that this was Hell after all. Now that he thought about it, this was the Pride Ring wasn’t it, the one where Sinner demons resided, and where Loona lived. A small part of him hoped that he would run into her again if only to tell her how things with his mother went. Well that and she’s kind of cute.

Eventually, after what felt like forever, Gabriel could see the hotel close within the periphery. Just before he made it however, he paused at a memorial built to the side of the building. At the center of an arrangement of flowers stood a large gold-rimmed painting of a snake demon wearing an old blue captain’s uniform. Said snake was surrounded by egg demons with pointy teeth and large yellow eyes as he sat down, face regal and composed. Gabriel didn’t know who it was but the fact that the flowers appeared relatively new and there a few dead petals lying around told him that they were replaced regularly by the staff, implying that whoever it was in the picture meant alot to them.

Moving on from the memorial, Gabriel rounded the corner and stopped once he saw it, his eyes wide in awe. The building was absolutely stunning. The central part of the front of the building, above a shiny glass awning, stood a large key with the word Hotel posted vertically within and surrounded to the sides by windows. Just above it was another key handle structure with an eye in the center, which Gabriel flinched at when it blinked at his. Seriously what is up with all of the eyes around this place. He’d seen several of them built into the foundation of the sidewalk, buildings, they were everywhere.

Flanking this were designs of Xs and playing cards, and on the end bar on top were musical notes. To the right side, the building was in the shape of a giant ship, with its own starboard and a funnel with horn-like extensions (perhaps antennas) sticking out the top. The left side, however, was more typical of a regular high scale hotel, with glass windows adorning as the walling. Just above the left side was a glass tower leading up to an apple-shaped dome.

Gabriel could name a handful of mega star hotel owners and chefs who would gawk at the sight of the building and call it disgusting or utter confusion. Yet, Gabriel was willing to recognize the passion and creativity that was put into the hotel, with each part of it being a piece of the essence of the ones who helped build it. It was a true passion project matching the crazy atmosphere of Hell. Besides, if the outside is this good, then I cannot wait to see the inside.

Standing in front of the front entrance was a large stone statue of a dragon-like creature. Walking closer, Gabriel noticed a plaque near the base. Upon further inspection it read, ‘In Memory of Dazzle. A Loyal Companion To The End.’ Gawking at the statue, Gabriel found himself recollecting his own childhood. Back then he and every other child had been obsessed with dragons. Obsessed with riding them with having them as a pet, or battling alongside him. He wondered if this had been Charlie’s pet. Or was it familiar? He’d heard that particular term thrown around a couple of times in the DnD and Harry Potter circles in high school.

Nevertheless, Gabriel walked around the statue and beneath the awning toward the glass automatic sliding doors. With his every step, Gabriel could feel his nerves bundling. He was likely about to meet his cousin for the first time. His older cousin who he had no knowledge of except that she was a counselor and enjoyed musicals. Oh that explains the musical note. Stepping through, Gabriel expected to be greeted with a warm welcome if the outside was anything to go by. He wasn’t wrong about it being a warm welcome that was for sure. Just not the type of warmth he was expecting from a hotel like this.

Barely taking his first step into the hotel, Gabriel was met with trouble as he was forced to duck as a literal ball of fire came flying at him, only just barely missing him thanks to his quick reflexes. Unfortunately, as he dove to the ground, a piece of glass lodged itself into his left palm. Gabriel cursed quietly as he held tightly onto his wrist and stared at the wound. He didn’t want to pull it out as doing so would make the bleeding worse.

Looking up to see where it had come from, Gabriel found himself frozen in perplexity at the sight before him. The entire hotel front lobby was in shambles, vases were knocked over and in pieces and the carpeting had burn marks all over it. The curtains and the bartop in the corner was on fire, and the front desk had a rubber duck chandelier fallen through it. It didn’t take Gabriel long to find the cause of it all, which was a giant vacuum cleaner the size of a t-rex spewing molten hot red flames.

“Dios mío, Baxter! What did you do?” a tough, feminine voice shouted angrily. She had gray skin and wore a hotel worker uniform consisting of a red shirt and a black skirt. She also had long gray hair despite sounding young and had a large eyepatch with an X over her left eye. She was holding a spear that she used to smack away the fireballs from herself.

“It was supposed to help with vacuuming!” an angler fish demon with yellow visors (Baxter, he assumed) cried out, the lure hanging from his head glowing erratically to match his fear. Baxter was hiding behind an overturned table, his head peeking out above it before ducking back down to avoid another fireball.

“How does shooting fireballs even correlate with cleaning?” a deeper, more gruff male voice shouted. Said male was a black cat demon wearing a red top hat. He was flying around the main lobby while trying to avoid the fireballs being shot out by the monstrosity.

“Ooh, pretty fire,” a high pitched yet petite voice said. Turning to the bar area, he could see a tiny female cyclops with short red hair and wearing a maid uniform staring deeply into the fire like a moth to a flame that was burning atop the bar. Just before she could, however, a tall demon (seriously, he was pretty sure that most humans didn’t have legs that long) covered in fluffy white fur and wearing a pink tank top and shorts picked up the little munchkin with two of his four arms.

“Oh, no you don’t Nif,” he chided, his voice in a 50s New Yorker accent. Suddenly, another fireball came Gabriel’s way forcing him to dodge again.

“Come on Angie, I want to stab pretty fire,” she pleaded, trying to fight against ‘Angie’s’ grip on her.

“Where the f*ck is Charlie and Al, vagin*?” he shouted with an annoyed huff. vagin*. Okay, there is no way he just called her that, let alone that being her actual name.

“They’re busy marketing the hotel downtown,” the gray-skinned woman with the X over her left eye said. The vacuum monstrosity began to start hopping on its handle like a pogo stick and spewed flames at her. She swiftly dodged the flames and stabbed it at its handle, causing it to topple over. “And how many times do I have to tell you, my name is Vaggie!” That is a very unfortunate name, he cringed mentally. Whoever named her that had to be a misogynist. There’s no other explanation.

“And what about short, blond, and handsome, isn’t he supposed to be helping out?” The spider demon asked.

“Lucifer said he was catching up with the Sins from the other rings,” she responded, watching in horror as the giant vacuum cleaner grew a pair of arms in the form of two long hoses that spewed more flames like mini flamethrowers. Lucifer, as in the fallen angel and King of Hell, Lucifer. Even now, Gabriel still couldn’t believe that one of his uncles was the literal ruler of all of Hell.

Releasing a loud battle cry, the woman grew giant angelic wings and sped at the creature so fast, Gabriel got whiplash from turning his neck to catch up with her; she had jumped at the things faster than Sonic the Hedgehog. The monstrous invention fell onto its back, the arm nozzles spewing the fireballs being sliced off and ending the tirade of fiery blaze. She proceeded to finish off her kill by stabbing her spear into its heart, resulting in electrical sparks spewing into the air. It was a miracle the woman hadn’t been electrocuted.

The so-called vacuum screeched a terrible gurgling sound before it finally shut down. Vaggie, who appeared about ready to blow a gasket much like the vacuum cleaner, looked up into the air and screamed a cry of victory, holding her spear horizontally in both hands, like a hunter celebrating their kill, before slumping over slightly in exhaustion. At that particular moment, a banner that was hanging from the ceiling fell down in front of her as though agreeing with the chaos of the scene, backed up by several speakers screeching sounds similar to that of monkeys.

Gabriel could only stare blankly as the hotel crew did their best to reorient themselves and put out the remaining fires with buckets of water. Despite how insane it was, Gabriel couldn’t find it in himself to be horrified by the scene before him, only amused by the chaos. He was so amused that he completely forgot about the piece of glass in his palm. When the woman named Vaggie opened her eyes, she was looking directly at Gabriel, first in indifference, then in shock, and then horror.

“Uhm, hola,” he mumbled, giving her an awkward wave.

“Mierda!” Vaggie blurted out in terror, throwing the spear away and into a wall. At her cursing, the other members of the hotel looked toward Gabriel, gaining similar expressions of horror. Well, except for the small cyclops demon for she had escaped the spider demon’s grip and was stabbing the already dead vacuum to death. They quickly gathered themselves and stood at attention, save for the angler fish who was busy inspecting his creation, and put on their best smiles for him.

“Hello, sorry for the mess. Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!” Vaggie introduced with awkward charisma. It took him a second to realize that she thought he was a potential guest.

“Gabriel,” he replied, holding out a hand for her to shake only for her to blanch at the fact that it had a piece of glass in it. “Oh yeah, forgot about that.” With the adrenaline settling down, he realized he was in quite the amount of pain. A couple minutes later, Gabriel’s hand was properly treated and sewn up with help from Vaggie. As she finished tightening the bandage, Gabriel felt it was finally time to break the ice.

“Is your name really Vaggie?” Vaggie visibly wilted at the question.

“Unfortunately,” she groaned.

“Take a guess what it means cutie,” the spider demon teased, leaning down to her ear. Gabriel blushed at the comment. He’d never been hit on by a guy before. He assumed that they were dude anyway. He honestly couldn’t tell with the voice and the chest fluff.

“Dios mío, Angel, te arrancaré los brazos y te los meteré por el culo!” she shouted, pointing the tip of her spear just beneath his throat, though Angel wasn’t phased in the slightest. In fact, he looked like he was turned on by it. Though that wasn’t the main thing that caught his attention.

“You speak fluently in Spanish?” he queried with genuine excitement. It wasn’t often that he ran into someone who was fluent in the language, or someone who was and could hold long conversations with him in the language.

“Yeah, do you?” she responded back with similar enthusiasm.

“Sí, puedo,” he responded. “Qué diablos pasó aquí de todos modos?”

“Solo tratando con algunos de los otros residentes. No puedo pasar cinco minutos sin que algo salga mal,” she grumbled tiredly, though he noticed the smallest of smiles. Despite her anger, he could sense that she found some enjoyment working here.

“No parece importarte si esa sonrisa dice algo,” he pointed out.

“Qué puedo decir. Es mi casa,” she said, arms out so as to emphasize the hotel itself.

“Incluso la araña cachonda?” he asked with a smirk, eyes glancing at Angel. Angel noticed this and gave him a perplexed look.

“Incluso la araña cachonda,” she responded with a sigh. Gabriel chuckled at the response which left Angel appearing more confused than he was prior.

“Uhm, you two gonna start speaking in English again, because none of us have any idea what you are saying,” Angel complained, waving a finger between Gabriel and Vaggie.

“What’s the matter, Angel? I thought you liked a guy who was bilingual,” the black cat jabbed with a knowing smirk. Angel released a loud huff and crossed his arms, back turned to the black cat, who laughed at Angel's reaction.

“When I can speak the language, sure, Husk,” Angel replied, annoyed at the comment. Rolling his eyes, his expression turned back to lustful horniness as he then asked, “Say, do you–?” Gabriel didn’t even have to hear the rest of the question to know what he was about to ask.

“I’m straight,” he interrupted bluntly, holding up a hand to further pronounce his declining of the invitation. Angel, for his part, appeared to at least accept the response.

“Got it,” he said with a smile and four thumb’s up. At least he’s choosing to drop it, for now at least. Gabriel was about to explain his situation when he was interrupted by a loud female voice.

“Alright everyone, get to cover, cause it’s bomb ti–” the Australian voice shouted from atop the staircase. A cyclops woman with white skin and pink hair in a ponytail stood holding two bombs, one in each hand ready to throw them down into the lobby, only to be stunned by the fact that the carnage from before was already over, her expression turning from excitement to disappointment in the blink of an eye.

“Seriously, you already killed it, without me? You guys are no fun,” she whined, blowing out the fuses of the bombs in her hands before throwing them to the side. Gabriel was pretty sure that regardless of if they were put out that having them lying around was a hazard.

What a warm welcome this has been, Gabriel thought. He watched as the hotel crew welcomed their ‘bomb expert’, the group huddled together and joked about it being a compliment to her, the vacuum choosing death by Vaggie rather than death by Cherri, which she took a kick out of. As for Vaggie, she was busy berating the angler fish, Baxter, and telling him to take his invention back to the basem*nt. Making him swear to test his inventions before bringing them out for use in the hotel. Meanwhile, the small cyclops was speeding around the hotel with a duster and doing a surprisingly good job with cleaning, much of the debris and leftover burn marks somehow gone. He wasn’t going to lie, if he could hire her to work in his kitchen, he absolutely would.

Then, the girl, Cherri pointed over to him and asked the others, “Hey, who’s the cheeky fox with the tacky fedora.”

“Tacky,” he responded with a displeasing tone, pulling at his fedora. How dare she call his hat tacky? Personally, he didn’t care all that much when people called the fedora dumb. Still, he liked playing it up just to see other people’s reactions to his defense of the hat. “This hat is not tacky.”

“Oh it so is. I mean, you ain’t an archeologist or a gangster if your clothes are anything to go by so I don’t see why you’d be wearing one.” Gabriel was about to continue his faux argument with her, but he was defended by the last person he expected to be defended by; Angel.

“Hey, now Cherri. No need to disrespect a man’s outfit. Besides, as a man who loves wearing clothing that breaks the standard norm,” he stated, emphasizing his feminine choice of clothing with his arms, “I can respect someone who has weird taste.”

“Finally, someone who gets it,” he nearly shouted, giving the spider demon a fist bump.

Now this was the type of warm welcome he was expecting.

. . .

1 Hour Later

After watching as the hotel crew cleaned up the mess, the group moved over to the rec area of the hotel, which consisted of a variety of different areas including it’s own bar, a couple pool tables, and a game/TV station, where each of them began introducing themselves and the hotel to Gabriel. It was here where he got confirmation of where he was. The Hazbin Hotel as it was called was a place for Sinners to come where they could be redeemed and make it into Heaven. It was located in Pentagram City, which was located in the Pride Ring of Hell which was where Sinners were restricted to. Although they had yet to see anyone be redeemed, they were nevertheless left confident in Charlotte’s dream after a major battle they had with Heaven.

When Gabriel asked them for more specifics, the atmosphere became a little somber, with the normally horny Angel wilting at the mention of the battle. It was clear that despite winning the fight, there was a sense of loss that came with it. This was confirmed when they revealed that they had lost a member of the team, the Snake demon from the painting outside, Sir Pentious. He caught the pink-haired cyclops woman, Cherri as she was called, physically wilting at the mention of Sir Pentious. He suspected that she had a connection with, possibly feelings for, the snake. Gabriel decided there and then not to push further on the topic, choosing instead to focus on the aftermath.

Since rebuilding the hotel, the crew had been extra busy seeing an influx of guests wanting safety or considering Charlie’s idea. The angler fish demon from earlier, Baxter, was one of them, seeking potential redemption while also wanting a safe place to test his inventions. He could see from the strain on Vaggie’s face that she was beginning to regret letting him in because of the latter reason. As for the crew themselves, they were perhaps the weirdest group of people he had ever met, and he absolutely loved that about them.

First was the spider demon, Angel dust, an incredibly gay (male as he learned after asking awkwardly) p*rn star and the first guest at the hotel. The spider was absolutely crass and rarely spared a moment to drop a sexual innuendo. Yet, despite his somewhat aloof nature, there was a sense of devotion and loyalty to the hotel and the crew. Gabriel assumed that based on his accent and the fact that he was a spider, he died in the 1950s and had been a part of a mafia family, hence it being a ‘web of crime’. He was currently lying down on a long camel back sofa with his pet pig ‘Fat Nuggets sleeping on his stomach. The pig in question was a miniature hell pig as it was so aptly named but was still absolutely adorable. It was better looking and more behaved than a chihuahua so that was a plus too. With two hands, Angel soothingly rubbed Fat Nuggets’ back with and played with the cat demon Husk’s wings with the other two much to the cat’s chagrin.

As for the winged cat demon, who was sitting next to Angel, he was the hotel’s bar tender and, as a result, the go to guy for giving personal advice. He was also apparently a gambler, which he admitted was the main reason why he ended up working at the hotel in the first place, being required to work at the behest of his ‘master’, the Radio Demon Alastor. Gabriel would have asked more about that if he didn’t suspect that it was a major sore spot for the demon. Nevertheless, the demon appeared to have grown a soft spot for the hotel and the spider next to him. Despite how annoyed he looked at Angel playing with his wings, he never smacked the spider’s hands away. Gabriel was even sure he noticed the tiniest of smile’s gracing Husk’s muzzle. It was clear that despite his gruff nature that he held a soft core that showed itself during gatherings like this.

Next was the pink-haired cyclops, Cherri Bomb, who was facing them while sitting on a bar stool. She was actually the newest crew member at the Hazbin Hotel, only joining the crew after the battle with Heaven in honor of Sir Pentious’ sacrifice. Aside from the comment about his hat, Gabriel did warm up to her once he got a feel of her personality. She was the wild one of the bunch. Prior to the hotel, she had been a chaos bringer on the streets of Pentagram City, causing chaos for the ‘Overlords’ of Pentagram City and getting involved in turf wars for the thrill of it, and it showed. She was an independent, untamed woman with a moral sense of decency who enjoyed a good party, whether that be in a club or on the battlefield. Gabriel guessed that she had died fairly recently, within the last thirty years, and was from Australia if her accent was anything to go by. Her love of all things bomb-related was another quirk that he was curious about. The only thing that she would say on it was that it was connected with how she died in the first place, and Gabriel chose to drop it at that.

Then there was the other cyclops, Nifty, who was currently jumping around the room with her duster and dusting the room like her life depended on it. She was the hardest out of all of them to figure out given just how psychotically perky she was. Here I thought that my OCD was bad, he laughed internally, afraid that if he did so vocally the girl would tear him to shreds. He had seen her dead insect puppets and he was not about to anger her. Though with her effectiveness at cleaning, Gabriel had to guess that she was likely a housekeeper or house wife when she was still human. And given her fixation on him as another potential bad boy, he had a sneaking suspicion that her insanity had something to do with her murdering a handsy male client or a cheating husband. Still, given how Angel tried to protect her during the scuffle with the vacuum cleaner, he assumed that the hotel staff saw her as one of their own.

Lastly, there was Vaggie, the co-leader at the hotel, the other being Charlie, who was Vaggie’s girlfriend. Gabriel found himself getting along with her well not just because of the fact that she spoke Spanish, but also because of her militaristic work ethic which Gabriel shared some aspects of with. Gabriel had to admit that he was also curious the most about her wings since they appeared more angelic than demonic. From what he could gather, Vaggie held a tough, somewhat pessimistic personality. Though she was a skilled leader and devout to the goal that the hotel sought to achieve. He suspected from the way that they talked about her that Charlie’s personality was the exact opposite of Vaggie’s, making her cheery and positive attitude the foil to Vaggie’s reserved and pessimistic personality. He could already imagine the dynamics between the two.

With the introductions out of the way, Gabriel then took the time to gently let them down on the fact that he was not there as a guest. They seemed to deflate somewhat at his admission before beaming with curiosity at why he was there in the first place. Awkwardly, Gabriel spent the next ten minutes trying to explain to them that he was actually still human despite not looking like it. They probably wouldn’t have believed it if not for Gabriel showing the small cut he had on his hand, which they remembered had oozed bright red blood instead of the black demonic blood of Sinners and Hellborn alike. This confirmed to them that he was at least likely telling the truth to them about his heritage.

When they asked what his connection to Hell was in the first place, Gabriel then explained that he was a cambion and first born son of the Deadly Sin Beelzebub. This resulted in several shocked gasps and a spit-take by Husk onto Angel, who simply licked up the alcoholic beverage off his face, finding it kinky which of course he did. To say they were all shocked was an understatement.

“So let me get this straight,” Vaggie recounted while rubbing her temples, “You’re not actually a Sinner, but a human who somehow magically teleported themselves to Hell. Oh and you’re the child of one of the Deadly Sins and you’re Charlie’s cousin.”

“Bastante,” Gabriel replied, nodding his head, a little too nonchalantly. Vaggie proceeded to rub her temples and sink into her chair.

“Ya know, I want to be surprised,” Husk admitted with a tired sigh before taking a large swig from a bottle of beer, “But after everything we’ve seen in the last year, I can’t really be surprised anymore.” Gabriel had to chuckle at that. He knew the feeling at this point all too well.

“Right back at you whiskers,” Angel jumped in, earning a half-hearted growl at the nickname.

“Blimey, and here I thought you being a fallen angel would be the most shocking revelation I learned, Vaggie,” Cherri added. Gabriel’s eyes widened at this revelation while Vaggie cringed.

“You were an angel?” Gabriel asked with surprise. He knew that those wings were more angelic than demonic.

“Long story for another time,” she sighed, sinking into her chair as she stared at the ceiling. Just before Gabriel could say anything else, he was pushed back into his seat by none other than Nifty, who was far stronger than he anticipated her to be. He would have tried removing her from his lap if not for the knife pointed at his chin.

“Are you a bad human boy?” she asked, her grin extra vicious due to being aware of him being human. Yep, this girl definitely has issues with men, he thought frightfully.

“Uhm, I mean mi padre raised me to respect women if that’s what you’re referring to,” he told her as composed as he could, though a tiny squeak did escape his mouth as he spoke to her. The tiny cyclops leaned closer to him, inspecting him like he were a petri dish. He looked over to the other crew members, each of whom were petrified also at her actions. Gabriel was ten seconds from crapping his pants before she finally removed herself from his lap, doing a backflip onto the floor.

“Ok,” she said with a disturbingly sweet smile before instantly jumping back to cleaning the hotel. Gabriel released a sigh of relief and he could hear some of the others release their own.

“Sorry about her, she can be a bit much,” Vaggie apologized, her tone indicating that she was also a bit frightened. In fact, everyone in the room was frightened by how odd she was.

“Ella está bien,” he waved it off, choosing to play it off in an attempt to get his heart to stop racing. “She is not nearly the most ‘in-your-face’ person I’ve met. Better than a ‘Karen’, am I right?”

“Preach to the motherf*ckin choir,” Husk cheered, raising a glass in agreement.

“Down with them entitled bitches,” Cherrie joined in. Gabriel and the rest of the hotel staff laughed at the cheer, thankful for the breaking of the tension from moments earlier.

“I am curious,” Angel then asked, setting Fat Nuggets on the floor to play in a recreational pet area that Charlie had added for extra marketability, “If you’re technically still human, then why do you look like a demon?”

“Well if he is a cambion, then it would make sense that entering Hell would result in his body undergoing a temporary transformation to acclimate to it,” Vaggie stated, though there was lingering doubt in her tone.

“You still don’t believe me?” Gabriel questioned.

“It’s nothing personal. It’s just Hell. Lots of grifters end up down here, ya know,” Vaggie explained. At this, the other three demons gave their own agreements to the statement.

“Check’s out,” Gabriel agreed, before thinking deeply, “How else can I prove it?”

“Well,” Vaggie thought, “Charlie did mention that Bee can summon large sweets with the snap of her fingers?”

“Oh yeah, she did show me she could do that,” Gabriel recalled. When the two had met on Sunday, just before she left, Beelzebub made him a large honey pie with a flick of her fingers. Gabriel’s eyes had gone wide at the sight of such a large dessert that wasn’t a wedding cake. It was barely a week later and he still had yet to make it through one-fourth of the thing.

“You talk as though you two were estranged up until a week ago,” Cherri commented with a humorous laugh.

“Funny that you say that because I actually was,” Gabriel admitted awkwardly. At this, Vaggie slapped a hand against her forehead in annoyed disbelief. Cherri and Angel gave him looks of perplexity, but Husk’s reaction was the most interesting.

“Seriously,” Husk laughed with amusem*nt. “Damn, if Alastor was here, he’d joke about you changing the status quo up by having mommy instead of daddy issues.” Gabriel wasn’t sure what that meant, but given that Loona herself seemed to have issues with fatherly authority, it was a lot more common in Hell than one would think.

“I can give you mommy issues if you’d like Husky,” Angel spoke in a sexual tone, sitting up and rubbing the cat demon’s shoulder lustfully. Flinching in response, Husk proceeded to flick Angel in the forehead, who could only laugh at having gotten one over the cat.

“f*ck, I can’t even be mad at you. I walked right into that one,” Husk grumbled, taking another swig from his beer bottle. Though, Gabriel saw the smallest of smiles grace Husk’s muzzle, indicating he didn’t entirely or was just pretending to hate Angel’s advances and innuendos.

“Uh, Angel, was it?” Gabriel asked, turning his head to the spider demon who nodded his head in response. “What’s your favorite dessert?”

“Gelato,” he stated with a shrug.

“What flavor?”

“Vanilla.”

“Let me guess, because it reminds you of something else that’s white,” Gabriel said, his eyes rolling at the potential innuendo.

“No, ya know, not everything about me has to do with sex,” Angel rebutted with a huff, crossing his arms in annoyance.

“I wonder why we’d think otherwise,” Husk teased with a smirk, to which Angel stuck his tongue out at him.

“But for real, my momma used to make it for me and my sibs sometimes after dinner or when it was really hot during the summer. Oh and momma used to mix chocolate chips and peanut butter with it.” This admission caused the surrounding demons except for Gabriel to look at him with surprise. Perhaps, Gabriel thought, it was one of the few times that the spider demon had ever shared something personal about his past.

“I’ll try. No promises on if I’ll be able to or not,” he said, getting up from his seat and rubbing his hands in anticipation.

“By the way, how did you get here?” Vaggie asked with confusion. “You said you teleported yourself here.”

“Yeah, watch,” Gabriel told her, intent on concentrating on teleporting again. The hotel crew watched in anticipation as the same shadowy energy circled around Gabriel before overtaking him completely. Within the blink of an eye Gabriel had jumped from one end of the room to the other and back.

“That is f*cking wicked, mate,” Cherri uttered in awe. The others held similar reactions, though Gabriel noted that Vaggie appeared not nearly as surprised, almost as though she were familiar with it. Another question to ask later.

“I know, right. Honesty, I’m just grateful that my clothes teleported with me,” he said humorously, which brought a genuine laugh from the rest of the hotel crew, even Vaggie. Gabriel had to admit that gaining control of your abilities was a lot easier when you understood your limitations. He thought about trying a longer distance, but was unsure if such a thing would lead to him becoming physically exhausted. This could have been easily disproved by the fact he transported himself from Earth to Hell, but he had to remember that that first time was trans-dimensional, not trans-locational. To be frank, Gabriel didn’t want to push his luck, but he was curious as to what he could do.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriel did a couple stretches and rubbed his fingers together to cool his nerves. He could do this. This was a piece of cake, or gelato anyway.

“Alright, gelato, gelato,” Gabriel chanted. Closing his eyes, Gabriel immersed himself with thoughts of the creamy dessert, feeling its dense texture, recalling its sweet smell. If he could embrace its identity he could produce it. His mother had said something similar when she showed him how to do so. “GELATO!”

With that single shout, a large bowl of the creamy goodness appeared out of thin air in front of Angel Dust. With quick reflexes, he managed to catch it as it fell by waist area, though he was dragged down a bit due to the momentum and weight of the king-sized dessert. Fortunately, the bowl didn’t spill its contents onto the carpeted floor, the entirety of the dessert remaining within its confines. The hotel crew gathered in awe around the large bowl of vanilla gelato that did in fact have peanut butter swirls and chocolate chips.

“Dios mío! Dios mío!” Gabriel chanted excitedly, practically marching in place as he felt a sense of accomplishment. He then heard someone chuckle next to him, who turned out to be Vaggie as he looked her way.

“What’s so funny?” Gabriel asked, still high from his excitement.

“It’s nothing, it’s just you reminded me of Charlie there for a second,” she told him, with a smile.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” he said in response.

“She’s a bit forward, but you’re gonna love her.” Gabriel nodded his head and the two joined the rest of the crew who each had their own small spoons that they got from the rec’s bar. Cherri, Husk, and Angel, had all taken bites out of the gelato by the time the two arrived to meet them. Cherri and Husk both were smiling and complimenting Gabriel for how sweet and tasty the dessert was, both giving him a thumbs up in approval. As for Angel…

“Angel, how is it?” Vaggie asked. “Angel?” It was here where everyone finally noticed the expression on Angel’s face. The spider Sinner was in a state of absolute shock as he slowly chewed the creamy dessert. The crew looked on in concern as Angel continued to be in a state of shock as he stared at the gelato. Before they could begin to shake some sense into him, the spider demon burst into tears, stunning everyone in the rec area.
“What did you do?” Vaggie asked Gabriel with exacerbation. Gabriel himself wanted to give an exact answer to Angel’s response to his magical dessert, but he couldn’t come up with a decent one.

“I don’t know, I’ve never brought someone to tears with my food before,” Gabriel tried to reason, unable to believe what he was seeing. Sure, he had people screaming in delight at his culinary prowess, but never anyone actually crying from it. Fortunately, however, Angel, despite his crying, managed a response to answer it.

Though, he was more focused on the smell of the gelato. Dios mío, my senses are through the roof. It smells so good. Is this what madre was talking about when she said the smell of food gave her a high. It was certainly much preferable to the smell of blood and sh*t from outside.

“It tastes just like how momma used to make it,” he cried, taking another spoonful and practically chugging it down. Husk bent down and rubbed Angel on his back, unsure if he was providing the right comfort to his friend. As for Gabriel

:Hey, everyone, we’re–” a feminine voice shouted, catching everyone’s attention. Turning around toward the entrance of the rec center, Gabriel noticed two more demons.

The first was a male in a red pinstripe suit and bowtie, his hair bright red with black tips and his yellow teeth sharp as a shark’s. It took Gabriel a moment to realize that the tips of hair rising from the side of his head were in fact his ears, which were deer-like. He had a monocle hanging to the side of his head and he carried with him a cane that doubled as a microphone.

Gabriel assumed that this had to be the mysterious benefactor of the hotel and Husk’s boss, Alastor, the Radio Demon. Gabriel wouldn’t deny that the man exuded evil from simply standing, sending some chills up Gabriel’s spine. This is someone who I don’t want to get on the bad side of.

As for the other one, a young woman, she wore a red dress suit with a black bowtie and tap dancing shoes. Her skin was snow white save for the red spots on her cheeks that made her look like a circus clown. She had stunning red eyes and long neatly combed and braided blonde hair that ran down to her knees. He assumed that this person had to be his cousin Charlie.

Definitely not what I had in mind when thinking about the Antichrist. If that hair is anything to go by, she must definitely have seen the movie, Tangled, Gabriel internally chuckled.

“Uhm, why is Angel crying? Oh, please don’t tell me I missed a breakthrough with his counseling?” she asked pleadingly, her eyes becoming like that of a sad puppy. Strangely enough, Gabriel found it adorable and fitting for her personality.

“Nah. The new guy just made him cry with his gelato, which is actually pretty great,” Cherri complimented, taking another spoonful of the dessert.

“New guy?” Charlie asked confusingly before noticing Gabriel standing by the freakishly large dessert. Awkwardly, he gave his cousin a wave to which she returned with extra enthusiasm before she bent to the side and noticed the large bowl of gelato that stood out in the rec center. Before she could say something, however, she was interrupted by a disturbing realization.

“Wait, where’s Nifty?” Alastor asked with a hint of fear in his tone, causing the other crew members and Charlie to visibly freak out. This told Gabriel that Alastor rarely if ever let his fear show, and the fact that he let it slip was concerning. Even Angel had stopped his crying at the sight of Alastor’s nerves flaring.

Suddenly, the Gelato dessert exploded onto everyone. From within popping out like a weasel was Nifty, who was covered in cream. Mierda, when and how did she get in there without any of us noticing? Gabriel asked himself, suddenly feeling apprehension at the even more unusually chipper smile the housekeeper had on.

“It’s so sweet!” she cried out in hyperactive joy. “I have so much to clean!” Instantly, Nifty jumped around the room far faster than she had previously. She was like a supersonic bullet so much so that Gabriel could only see flashes of her as she zoomed around the recreational area, knocking into things and causing the hotel crew to dive for cover.

“You gave her sugar!” Alastor freaked out, black tendrils oozing from his back as he did so.

“How were we supposed to know, jackass!” Husk shouted, pulling Angel into his arms and diving behind a pool table.

“Hate to say it, but deer boy’s got a point,” Cherri chimed in ducking as she barely missed having her head taken off by Nifty. “If the girl can get blackout drunk from a couple glasses of moonshine, then we should have seen this one coming.” Cherri jumped out of Nifty’s way again only to hit a wall face first, knocking herself out cold.

As for Vaggie, she was standing in front of Charlie holding out her spear to protect her while Charlie looked on in bewilderment. It seemed like they were handling themselves fine. Alastor meanwhile was trying to grab the tiny cyclops with his tendrils to no avail.

Gabriel on the other hand, was standing out in the open, unsure of what to do as he narrowly dodged the housekeeper several times before his luck eventually ran out with him tripping on the rug below him. Looking up, Gabriel found his life flashing before his eyes as the housekeeper zoomed in his direction. Gabriel, too afraid to use his powers, closed his eyes and waited for his demise.

Only seconds later it never came. Taking a peek, he noticed that Nifty had stopped her speed run across the recreational area and was now doing her best to stand on her two feet. The sugar crash had set in just in time. The housekeeper’s eyes were zoning in and out of consciousness as the sugar rush she was experiencing finally entered the end of its run.

“So much sugar. Must…clean,” Nifty uttered before finally collapsing onto the floor face first. The only sign that her heart was still beating was that of her loud snoring, which echoed around the room. At the sound of it, everyone peered from where they were hiding for the second time that day and looked around at the aftermath. Although it wasn’t nearly as bad as last time, the room was still a mess.

Gabriel for his part did his best not to visibly freak out over his possible near death experience. Instead choosing to loudly take deep breaths, which was not working. Forget amusing, this much chaos completely sucked ass more than a p*rnstar, than probably f*cking Angel which was wild.

“Dios f*cking mío!” he screamed, jumping onto his feet and storming off. Pacing around the recreational muttering tiny curses in a mix of Spanish and English. He was so done at this point. “That’s twice this place has got me cursing in English, you know that!”

Staring at Husk, he noticed a bottle of alcohol in his hands. Ah screw it. He teleported over to the cat demon, taking him by complete surprise, and took the bottle from his hands before chugging the whole thing down. Gabriel rarely, if ever, drank alcohol, never finding the appeal of it as well as the fact that he was the victim of a drunk driver.

Now, however, he was starting to understand the purpose of a couple glasses of whiskey after a long, hard day. He proceeded to throw it down onto the ground, the glass spraying in different directions, before teleporting back into one of the arm chairs exhaustedly. He was already starting to feel a light buzz, likely due to his lack of exposure to the liquid. Standing to his side, he found Vaggie giving him a sympathetic gaze.

“Is this what you deal with everyday?” he asked her with pity. In response, Vaggie sighed and nodded her head.

“Pretty much,” she replied.

“Oh, then I’m gonna need another bottle,” he laughed darkly. Vaggie chuckled at the comment.

“Don’t we all?”

. . .

Not long after that, Gabriel introduced himself to his cousin Charlie, who pranced around giddily that she had a cousin. She had been initially unsure of his honesty at first, but came around to the idea once she noticed Gabriel’s similarities in his demonic form to Beelzebub as well as the large bowl of gelato she’d seen earlier. Charlie was positively thrilled to have another family member to hang out with and talk to.

She, Gabriel and Vaggie decided to say farewell to the rest of the crew, leaving them to clean up the mess made by Nifty before heading up to Charlie and Vaggie’s suite. Inside, the trio were greeted by a small, flying red goat-like creature in a suit that Charlie introduced as Razzle.

According to Charlie, the flying goat had used to be one of her dolls growing up before her father had used his magic to turn them into a living familiar to be her assistant. Gabriel asked if the statue of the dragon Dazzle outside had been another one, to which Charlie glumly admitted it was, but that he had been killed during the battle with Heaven. Razzle for his part burst into tears at the mention of his brother, summoning a box of tissues that he blew his snout into while Charlie patted him on the back.

From there, the trio sat at the window alcove overlooking Pentagram city. Gabriel had to admit that the view was pretty nice from up above. It reminded him of the view from atop the Empire State Building in New York City.As night began to take hold over Hell, the trio relaxed with some honey-laced tea that Razzle had brought them before Charlie and him began to talk each other’s ears up about their lives and personal tastes, wishing to know more about each other.

As they talked, the pair came to the conclusion that they held many major similarities. They both liked musicals and storytelling in general, fascinated by the different miniscule aspects of tone, character development, and a variety of other features interacting together. This made sense with both of them often making spectacles of themselves when they broke out into some kind of performance. They also both managed their own businesses in hospitality in some sense and were very passionate about their work. And while Gabriel wasn’t often comfortable with someone so forward, Charlie’s joyful personality really drew him in, making him feel fine.

“I still can’t believe that I have a cousin,” Charlie spoke happily, cuddled up next to her girlfriend. It had only been a couple minutes yet Gabriel could tell that the two were an adorable couple.

“I’m still trying to put together that my mom is a demon,” Gabriel chimed in with a relaxed tone. After a long day, he just wanted to go home.

“You’ve really been estranged from her up until a week ago?” Charlie asked with uncertainty.

“Pretty much,” Gabriel shrugged. “She just showed up at my workplace wanting to reconcile.” Gabriel frowned, recounting the moment his mom had walked in and later admitted who she was to him. “Almost told her to screw off, but I decided to give her a shot and let her give her side of the story. She said that because I was born human that she couldn’t take care of me herself.”

“I suppose it makes sense,” Vaggie thought. “You are a cambion, so your very existence comes with its own set of dangers.” Gabriel figured it would make sense. Since she herself was once an angel that she would know about how Heaven would respond to the existence of a cambion amongst humanity. “Though the teleporting powers are a little odd.”

“Actually, those aren’t related to mi madre,” Gabriel clarified.

“What do you mean?” Charlie inquired.

It was here where Gabriel had to explain to them that Beelzebub was not the only deity that he was descended from, telling the couple that his grandfather on his father’s side was some powerful, ancient figure that he was unfortunately unaware of the identity of.

“And you don’t know who he is?” Vaggie queried.

“No, I still have to ask mi abuela about abuelo. Do you have an idea, Vaggie?”

“What?” she stuttered, confused by the question. Even Charlie gave him a perplexed look at what he was implying.

“I noticed the way you looked at me when I first showed it off. You looked like you were familiar with it,” Gabriel answered, causing Vaggie to blush at how perceptive he was. It was something not many caught onto. Even when he didn’t appear to be paying attention, he nine times out of ten was.

“Maybe,” Vaggie admitted before shaking her head. “I’m not sure. It’s like a memory in the back of my head that I can’t pull at. I know I’ve seen that magic before. I just can’t remember where or even when I saw it.” Vaggie deflated at her inability to come up with an answer. Gabriel didn’t mean to put any pressure on her and he told her as such. He was okay with not knowing right now. It wasn’t like his life currently depended on it.

“It’s okay Vaggie, you don’t have to overwork yourself,” Charlie comforted her girlfriend, giving her a quick peck on her cheek, which she smiled at. “Besides, maybe Aunty Bee knows.”

“Good point,” Gabriel affirmed.

Wanting to change the subject, Gabe asked Charlie about what his mother was like, what her experiences with her were. While he learned a lot about his mother on Sunday, he wanted to hear from someone else who didn’t have too much stake in the responses. What he learned from Charlie sounded similar to what he’d picked up from his mother. She was an easily excitable go-getter, the closest of the Sins in personality to Charlie, yet was very serious when the time required it. She was very doting toward her niece throughout her childhood.

“I remember when I was a kid. Aunty Bee would come over to babysit sometimes and we would play around in the kitchen all day. I had so many sugar rushes when I was with her,” Charlie recounted with a nostalgic gaze. Gabriel could feel a hint of envy building in his stomach at the thought. Even if they had technically reconciled, he still wished that she and him could have had some quality time together during his childhood. He probably would have continued focusing on it if not for Charlie’s next comment. “Man, two hundred years really does fly by.”

“Wait, two hundred years? You don’t look a day over twenty five,” Gabriel pointed out with confusion. There was no way that this girl could be over two hundred years old.

“Oh, stop,” Charlie giggled, a blush creeping on her face. “I’ll have you know that I’m actually two hundred and twenty five.” Gabriel looked at her perplexed before it finally hit him.

“Oh, right, demon,” Gabriel surmised. “I completely forgot.” Gabriel chuckled. Madre was not kidding when she said that Charlie was my older cousin.

“By the way, we should probably call your mom,” Vaggie reminded, “Tell her that you're here and get you back home.” Honestly, Gabriel had completely spaced on that objective since the run-in with the vacuum. Nevertheless, he nodded his head and stood up from the alcove, ready to pull his phone out and call his mother. Before he could check to see if his phone had service, he was intercepted by a now sad Charlie.

“Ah, do you have to go so soon?” Charlie pleaded with puppy eyes. Seriously, that had to be the most adorable thing ever. How did one resist such cuteness?

“Sorry, Charlie,” Gabriel apologized sincerely. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I got work tomorrow morning and we are especially busy right now.” Well, that and he needed to recoup after the mess downstairs, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.

“Bummer,” Charlie pouted, seeming deflated that her new family member was leaving so soon.

Holding a hand under her chin and lifting her eyes to his, Gabriel said, “No fruncir el ceño prima, maybe on the weekend when I’m not working I can come visit. Or better yet, you could come over to my cafe during my lunch break and we could chat there.” At his suggestion, Charlie beamed with excitement, absolutely loving the idea of traveling to Earth for the first time to meet her cousin.

“I’m pretty sure if people found out the Antichrist was in your place of work they’d be signaling the end of days,” Vaggie teased with a smirk.

“Eh, I like a good change of pace every now and then,” Gabriel shrugged. Honestly, he would love for all of those Christians who were overly devout just to see Charlie and introduce themselves. It would totally make a killer prank show. Taking the opportunity to check his phone, he was disappointed to learn that his phone did not have service in Hell.

Wait, so how did madre call me in the first place? Are Hell phones just magical by nature? Is that why I was able to send a text to her in the first place? Uh, this is too much for one night. Seeing his distress, Charlie pushed his phone down and pulled out her own, waving it in her hand at him.

“Here, I’ll call her,” Charlie offered, searching through her contacts before clicking the call button on one labeled, ‘Aunty Bee’. “It’s been so long since I last spoke with her. It’ll be great to see her again.” The phone rang for a goodwill, Charlie pacing a bit, before the call was answered.

“Hi, aunt Bee,” Charlie greeted enthusiastically, shaking with glee. Gabriel leaned over toward Charlie, his now heightened sense of hearing picking up his mother’s tone on the other end. Her tone, while happy, appeared somewhat forced. He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected that they had caught her at a bad time.

“Is that, Dad?” Charlie asked with surprise. Gabriel and Vaggie looked at each other, the former recalling what the latter had said earlier about Lucifer during the fight with the vacuum. Gabriel was about to comment on it when his ears flicked at the sound of a flesh-on-flesh collision coming from the phone. “What was that noise? Is he okay?”

“Gabriel leaned over to Vaggie whispered to her, “My heightened sense of hearing picked up on someone getting their culo whooped through the call.” Vaggie had to hold back a guffaw at the implication of the statement.

“I don’t know what’s going on but I would love to be a fly on that wall,” she giggled, looking over to Charlie to hope she didn’t hear their conversation.

“You kidding me, my mom is the fly,” Gabriel bantered in turn.

If you say so,” they both heard Charlie relent hesitantly, though her expression became excited as the call continued. “Yep, we’ve got a whole batch of Sinners coming over so we’ve been extra busy over here.” Eventually, Charlie became nervous, both Gabriel and Vaggie knowing that the main point of the call was about to arrive.

“So, um well I don’t know how to tell you this,” Charlie started anxiously, a worried voice sounding through the phone in response. “I just, uhm, got a special visitor today,” Charlie stated bluntly. “Well they claim to be my cousin, Gabriel.” After this admission by Vaggie, it was silent on the other end of the phone call. Gabriel did his best to listen in, only to hear a loud thud and some shouting through the phone. What the heck just happened. Did she just faint?

“Auntie Bee? Auntie Bee?” Charlie asked worriedly, her pacing becoming more erratic. Honestly, Gabriel was becoming worried too, but just as he was about to take the phone from her to talk to his own mother, another deeper male voice sounded through it.

“Uncle Ozzie,” Charlie gasped, not expecting someone else to answer the phone, and neither was Gabriel. He suddenly held a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t quite place.

“Uncle Ozzie?” Gabriel asked aloud, the name sounding familiar to him.

“Asmodeus,” Vaggie whispered to him, “He’s the Sin of Lust.” Gabriel nodded his head in confirmation. Lust huh. I can already imagine the conversations about sex that I’ll have with him, Gabriel mentally groaned.

“Why do you have Aunt Bee’s phone?” Charlie questioned worriedly. As Charlie listened to their Uncle Ozzie, her facial expression turned from worry to outright horror, until she literally screamed, “What do you mean I just killed her?”