Noctis was looking up from his window at the menacing tower with an apprehensive look on his face as he sat in the limo and fed the hellhound pup a bottle while Carmilla stood outside and spoke to a pair of succubus guards that were mildly surprised in the conversation.
"Why is she helping me?" He asked Clara and Odette after tearing his gaze from said tower.
"Mother finds you to be a potential asset." Odette answered neutrally while doing business on her phone, never taking her eyes from her work. "And you might find some answers as to what is happening to you."
Noctis contemplated that answer as the hellhound pup showed a little more interaction with it's hand gripping one of his fingers that it could reach and continued to drain the warm bottle happily.
"And the clothes and baby stuff?" He drawled cautiously while gesturing to the bags.
Odette continued to show indifference while her sister was quite opposite with how close she was to Noctis and expressing great interest.
"Don't take this as a charity. Mother will be expecting you to repay her in due time." Odette told him, though it was unclear whether her tone was friendly or not.
Noctis had a suspicion that the recent change of interaction from Carmilla was no mere act of kindness. He looked away and continued his study of the overlord as she finished her conversation.
"Who lives here?"
"Someone very old and powerful." Clara answered this time without removing her gaze off the man. "Mother thinks he's the best option of finding answers."
Noctis felt a little giddy at the idea of finding out what was wrong with him but had to compose himself from hopping out of the limo.
"You're surprisingly gentle with him." Clara pointed to the suckling pup.
Noctis felt himself confused at this and adjusted said pup in his arm before tipping the bottle up further.
"It's just an innocent baby. Someone has to take care of it."
Clara looked to Odette with the same surprised expression at his answer. Neither girl expected such a kindness from the man when the most common practice for hellhounds was mistreatment or enslavement. They were just tools for work but the softness coming off Noctis showed that he was something more than a mystery.
"You don't understand." Odette adjusted her glasses and finally moved her gaze to the man as their eyes met. "Hellhounds are treated as tools for work or for entertainment. To most demons they disposable and exist for servitude."
Noctis could feel himself recoil with disgust at the idea and glared silently at Odette as she went back to her work, offering no sense of understanding to the reason behind hellhounds.
"Yeah well not to me." He turned away to see what was happening now with Carmilla while both girls were surprised again by his disagreement. "It's wrong to treat others like that, even if they are animals."
The guards that Carmilla spoke to came with her to the car and opened the door before she extended a hand to him.
"Come with me."
Noctis raised an eyebrow but slowly took her hand and stepped out as the guards stood fast and looked around to the various demons that had seen him. They're response was quick with guns pointed as he was held by his hand and led inside with the overlord.
"Human is entering the tower. Be prepared for lockdown." The first guard whispered into a microphone as various demons on the street gathered slowly with malicious intent.
"Stay back!" The second guard commanded and put one down that got too close.
Noctis flinched at the sound of the gunshot but didn't have the oppurtunity to look back at the corpse falling over as the guards backed away and locked the doors. Carmilla made certain by getting behind him to block his view and focus his attention to the secretary that eyed him hungrily.
Her sense of authority radiated in a scowl as the succubus behind her desk licked her lips to the uncomfortable human.
"Havent seen one of you in ages." She purred with wanting to touch him until Carmilla coughed to get her attention.
"You know why we are here so stick to your job you lustful trash." Carmilla ordered scathingly.
The secretsry bristled at her words but made no move of hostility. She bit her tongue and made a quick phone call to the demon in charge while Noctis finished feeding the hellhound pup.
"Uh...Ms. Carmine?"
"Just Carmilla," she looked back to the comfused man stuffing the empty bottle in the pocket of his new pants. "And what is it dear?"
"Do I burp him?" Noctis asked with an innocence that took her by surprise a little and amused her some.
She had already seen how naive the human was to hell but found endearment that brought a rare smile on her lips as watched him move and adjust the pup to gently pat his back. Just when she thought she had seen everything in hell she found that she could learn more than just the mysteries of this human.
She shook her head playfully and took control his hands to help him properly hold the pup.
"Yes you will burp him. But drape his tail over your hand so it doesn't pinch. And don't just pat his back, rub him gently."
She stepped back with a hint of pride at the man now doing it properly. She could almost call herself impressed by the way he was parenting such a frail creature that would've had no chance with any other caretaker.
But alas the moment of warmth was ruined by the secretary finishing the phone call with a thud of her desk phone.
"His lordship is ready to see you."
"Lordship?" Noctis questioned as he grew curious to who he was meeting.
His only response from the overlord was her hand pressed to his back before he was guided to a nearby elevator. It was clear to him the seriousness of this mystery lord when he saw how her smile disappeared and was replaced with neutrality while the button was pushed.
"When you meet him do not agree to anything should he propose an offer. Let me do the talking for you." Carmilla warned in a tone that was worrisome.
The elevator came to a halt and opened to reveal a vastly grim room of darkness and suffering, painted in black with mounts of demons that were clearly taxidermy in a grotesque manner that captured their last bit of life in horror. Servants bound together in chains scrubbed the floors so slow and devoid of life it made Noctis sick to his stomach while he ceases burping the pup and tucked him safely in his arm.
"What the fuck?" He whispered cautiously.
Carmilla wasn't as disturbed by it as Noctis. In fact she relished the suffering of these sinners while guiding him to the only desk that stained with the faces of demons who fell victim and were carved into the wooden finish.
"Who's that?" Noctis whispered as the figure in the seat stared out his window.
"Hush." She warned
"Thou surprises us with such a visit." The figure turned in his seat and eyed the human with curiosity.
"Hello Zestial," Carmilla kept a professional touch on Noctis' shoulder as he looked straight ahead to ignore the room's ambience. "This is Noctis."
"The human," Zestial hissed his intrigue and leaned forward. "Thou hast raised a stir in the districts of our realm."
Noctis went to protest the matter of his existence in hell but felt Carmilla squeeze his shoulder in warning. He didn't know what to expect out of this meeting, but he knew his best action would be to trust the woman and let her handle the situation.
"Noctis," she turned to the man and gestured to the demon, speaking in a tone both maternal and authoritative. "This is Zestial, the eldest of the overlords. Be respectful."
Noctis took her words to heart and returned his attention to Zestial with a slight bow as the overlord approached from his desk. He kept his gaze down on the floor and didn't budge while being watched.
"Such a strange reason thou hast come, my old friend." He hissed the words in amusement.
Noctis found himself listening to both overlords after Carmilla gently pulled him back up straight, keeping his mouth shut. He thought it best for his well-being even as Zestial dragged a claw across his back.
"Such a strange phenomenon to have a human in our realm." Zestial laughed softly, sending shivers down Noctis' skin.
"Noctis is a unique human with qualities that are beyond mortal capability." Carmilla maintained her grasp of the man's shoulder. "Perhaps you have witnessed what has transpired?"
"Indeed we have heard word of the Vees and their actions but only part of it. What dost thou wish for us to partake in?"
He slowly cracked his gaze down to the human that kept his gaze at the window, peering right into his gaze with interest.
"What dost thou need from us most, little human?"
"An examination." Carmilla answered quickly for Noctis.
Zestial maintained his crooked smile for the nervous man, but underneath lied a twinge of annoyance for his eyes oldest friend knowingly advocating for Noctis in order to protect him from any twist of words.
"An examination thou says?" Zestial tilted his neck with a crack, his smile widening when Noctis shivered.
"Yes, an examination." Carmilla said strictly and led Noctis to a chair.
He was set down at the gentle push of the weapons overlord and had the pup taken before Zestial slithered his way to him.
"How peculiar of thou," Zestial mysef thoughtfully to his friend. "To need answers from such a pathetic creature."
Noctis took that to heart but bit his tongue when Carmilla narrowed her gaze at him, warning him to stay his mouth. He wanted to throw back any insult he could muster but respected the overlord enough to listen to her advice and be still on the chair as she explained.
"He possesses qualities that could be beneficial for us. Hisnhand for example is completely healed after punching Vox."
"Punched?" Zestial questioned with glee and gandered at the hand Carmilla pointed to.
Noctis only nodded and remained silent while his hand was taken and examined by the spider-like demon.
"Mayhaps a deeper reason lies beneath this flesh."
"Perhaps." Carmilla agreed before she shushed the whimpering pup and rocked him in her arms.
"What kind of examination?" Noctis directed this question to her.
Carmilla glared briefly for his speaking when he was told not to but remained close and calm while her fellow demon circled his form.
"An examination of your body and soul."
Noctis' eyes widened before Zestial cast an eerie glow of black and green from his hand and hummed with dark energy that overshadowed the room. The servants made haste to leave in unison out of fear for their master as he closed his eyes and dug into the human.
Noctis took a deep, shaky breath before calming down after seeing how the overlord had not touched him and maintained a safe distance while said glow burned a little brighter.
"How strange….." Zestial hummed with his curiosity piqued as he carefully guided his senses.
"What is strange?" Carmilla asked, almost losing the seriousness and replacing it with concern.
Zestial finished his work and stepped back with a puzzled look, his eyes closed in thought of what his powers found.
"Thou hast a soul that is in pieces but mending with a strange energy."
"Pieces!?" Noctis and Carmilla exclaimed.
"Broken." Zestial added as the mystery grew deeper with the human and weapons overlord listening. "Tis no ordinary healing. Thy soul is not whole and missing a piece, but another of great power put it mostly back together. And now thy soul is slowly mending the cracks."
"What about his abilities?" Carmilla maintained some rational thought but Noctis on the other hand was completely dumbfounded and gawking.
Zestial carried a seriousness about him in that moment and glared at her.
"The abilities belong to thee but untraceable due to the strange energy."
"Neither Demonic nor angelic?" Carmilla questioned, only to see her friend shake his head.
"Thou is definitely not human."
"Anything else!?" Noctis laughed as he felt the weight of this truth crush his mind.
Zestial only nodded and said, "Thou is an existence both fractured and ancient."
"Okay!" Noctis shot out of his seat and went into a laughing fit that concerned both overlords. "I'm a fucking enigma of mystery and bullshit. I'm not even human."
"Noctis…." Carmilla offered pity and reached to hopefully calm him, but was met with her hand harshly slapped away.
"No don't touch me!" He yelled angrilly, shifting from his concerning laughter to hostile. "I'm having an identity crisis!"
Zestial remained eerily calm and turned his attention to Carmilla.
"This proves that the boy is here by no coincidence. Thou has been remade for something that I feel will uncover in time."
"What do we do?" She asked.
Zestial pondered the situation, ignoring the panicking Noctis and pacing the room with Carmilla while attempted to calm him down.
"Noctis!"
"WHAT!?" He snapped before feeling a sting run on his cheek that reddened.
A moment of regret flashed across Carmilla after she saw the shock in his eyes, but she had to put herself back in her place as the overlord she is and be the voice of reason.
"Compose yourself right now. Having a mental breakdown will solve nothing for you when you are still a target to the Vees!" She scolded harshly, holding in her regret at the unshed tears in his eyes as his cheek burned.
Noctis was hurt by her rough treatment but knew she was right and had to swallow his emotions. He snapped out of his panic and rubbed his eyes dry, trying to collect himself.
"That hurt." He muttered.
Her expression softened for a brief moment before Zestial finally stopped pacing and faced Carmilla.
"Mayhaps this interaction stays with us?" He suggested and sat back down in his seat.
"Agreed." Carmilla nodded as she returned the pup to Noctis. "If word were to get out we could be looking at a full scale territory war amongst the other overlords and potentially the sins for ownership."
"So what now?" Noctis grumbled, still irritated that he was slapped to his senses.
"Now I take you home." She replied firmly and took his hand, surprising him with her sudden decision.
"Just like that?" He questioned as they went into the elevator, wondering if there was any ulterior motive after all this.
"Don't question me."
The scene shifts to an hour long drive coming to an abrupt end with Noctis standing outside the limo and looking up to the hotel. The relief that swept over him was like a narcotic that numbed his nerves, enough to momentarily forget about his problems.
"Remember—" Carmilla remained seated by her window, her eyes carrying a motherly touch of certainty. "I will be expecting you to visit should you have any changes. You have my personal number if something happens. But most of all keep yourself hidden."
Noctis knew this was no casual matter and nodded to her.
"And don't worry. I will handle the mess the Vees started. Just stay near your friends."
"Yes maam."
A faint smile crossed her lips before the limo took off, and he was back to the reality of his situation.
The disheveled man looked to the limo parked in front and deduced that Charlie and vaggie had come back in the end, probably upset that he was still not home.
"Everybody is going to be mad." He sighed to himself and walked up the stairs with the new baby items and clothes Carmilla gave him.
He stopped and looked down at Alastor's shadow separating from his and materializing on the door.
"Be honest. How screwed am I?" He asked somberly.
The shadow gave its usual cackle and materialized the words "You are fucked." before slithering through the crevice to return to his master.
Noctis groaned at the sarcasm but couldn't deny that Alastor's shadow was right. He was certain he had a bombardment of questions and ass chewing coming his way.
He looked down at the pup, locking eyes with him and feeling a twinge on envy at how simple things were for this small creature.
"I blame you."
The pup merely stuck part of its tongue out.
Noctis glared at him momentarily before readjusting the bags in his free hand. He opened the door with all eyes immediately locked on him. Slowly he stepped inside and closed the door while the room remained silent at his surprisingly safe return.
"Noctis..." Charlie breathed his name and couldn't believe it herself that he was back in the hotel without a scratch.
"Finally." Husk groaned and poured himself a drink to calm his nerves. "You have any fucking idea how worried these idiots were!"
"Hey you were worried as well!" Angel Dust barked.
Vaggie remained silent with a judgmental glare while Charlie made the first approach with shaky need to be certain he was really back.
Noctis didn't move or speak when the princess stood before him and touched his cheek, his eyes glistening with overwhelming need and pain while hers were already gushing.
Charlie had a quivering lip as she watched him lean into her touch as if entranced by her.
Finally she wrapped her arms and him carefully to not hurt the pup and cried against his chest while Vaggie was more subtle with her approach.
"You okay?" She asked casually and wrapped one arm around his waist, but the hint of worry was undeniable.
Noctis remained silent and recollected his entire day, soaking it all in as the dam of his emotions shattered in front of everyone.
"Noct?" Angel Dust stepped away from the bar, seeing him cry in silence. "You okay sugar?"
Noctis didn't answer but told everyone he was not okay by shaking his head. He took this moment of peace and pressed his face into Charlie's shoulder before breaking down in muffled wails that echoed in the foyer.
As heartbreaking as it was for him to have firsthand experience of hell and it's twisted inhabitants there was still a part of Charlie that had internal glee of being the one who he fell apart to.
Everyone was concerned now to see the man fall to his knees and drag their worried princess down as she held him tightly with Vaggie.
"Jesus, what did the kid go through?" Husk asked himself before breaking out another glass.
"It's okay. It's okay." Charlie couldn't help herself to whisper soft reassurance in his ear.
"You're home." Vaggie cast her anger aside and held the man from behind, resting herself against his back while his wails continued.
Angel Dust in the middle of this could only wonder what kind of torment Noctis went through and offered a comforting hand to his head, rubbing it to help and try calm him down while Alastor entered the room with glee as his shadow spoke to him.
"Oh you don't say." He hummed, his voice becoming a higher pitch in the midst of his smile cracking wider than his face. "Now that is truly delicious."
"Hey, Noctis is back!" Nifty cheered by her master, clearly not understanding the intensity in the room.
"Not now Nifty." Angel told her firmly.
Charlie and Vaggie looked at eachother and wondered if they should wait to tell Noctis when he was clearly broken up and shaking. Every piece of their beings wanted to tell him how they felt but were ridden with concern that it would be the worst time to speak of it.
"Come on sugar, talk to us." Angel Dust kneeled and continued to rub Noctis on his head, absentmindedly running his fingers through the long hair. "What's got you so ate up?"
"Everything..." Noctis sobbed on Charlie's shoulder, shaking his head some more in refusing to talk.
"Hey princess, bring him over here." Husk pat his bar and started pouring another whiskey but was kind enough to put it on rocks and fill it to the brim.
Both girls didn't know what Husk planned to do but the idea of getting Noctis to open up became their need.
"Come on." Charlie cooed and helped with Vaggie to get Noctis on his feet and to the bar.
Noctis didn't put up any form of a fight and complied with Charlie and Vaggie holding his arms and guiding him to a seat, never taking their hold off him while Angel Dust took the hellhound pup.
"Here." Husk slid the glass over to the distraught man. "Drink up."
Noctis stared at the glass, his eyes hollow with exhaustion of the mental and emotional caliber he suffered.
"I don't drink."
"Well you do now." Husk pushed the glass closer to him, his tone softer than what everyone is accustomed to. "Part of my job is listening to everyone's problems kid. So drink up and talk."
Noctis winced at the idea of drinking his problems down but reluctantly lifted the glass and downed half of it with a disgusted look that had the cat demon chuckling.
"Yeah that's the strong stuff kid. Now what happen out there?"
"I…..I….." Noctis had a hard time piecing the words together and downed the rest of the glass. "Im not human..."
Everyone but Husk and Alastor were surprised by his words that hung in the air with the tension.
Husk furrowed his brow as he tried to understand what made Noctis say such a thing, pouring him another glass.
"Who told you that?"
"Yeah who the hell told you that?" Angel Dust asked after shaking off the uncomfortable shock. "You're as human as they come, right?"
Noctis shook his head and took a shaky breath before downing the second glass and replied tiredly.
"Carmilla took me to see an overlord named Zestial. He…..used his power to examine me and found something."
"Woah." Husk said, showing that even he could be surprised. "Must be some heavy shit if that happened."
"Found what?" Charlie asked, her voice laced to excitement and worry while rubbing her thumb tenderly on his free hand.
An intimate touch not unnoticed by the gang, especially to the knowledge-hungry radio demon.
"Don't know." Noctis chuckled shook his head, his eyes swimming with disbelief. "He said my soul is fractured but mending itself with a strange energy he couldn't tell was angelic or demonic."
"Fractured?" Vaggie blinked repeatedly to this revelation.
Charlie couldn't restrain herself from hugging Noctis tightly and holding on as Husk poured him a third glass. Everyone knew this was an identity crisis and mystery for the man as he slowed his drinking down, wanting not another burning feeling in the back of his throat.
Never in her life did the princess come across such a phenomenon. She wanted to know more and understand what Noctis so different but had to restrain the excitement of having such a heartbreaking mystery that had him so lost in thought.
Vaggie kept quiet and did her best to comfort the man with holding him like Charlie while the room fell silent to this revelation.
"I'm so scared….." Noctis openly whispered.
"Yeah you got every reason to be." Husk agreed.
Noctis looked up from his glass and held a curious look to the bartender that showed a softer frown that nobody had seen.
Husk sighed and remained silent for a few seconds but then spoke again in more wise-giving tone.
"Listen kid I'm gonna tell you right now that you can't sulk on it because this isn't the place to go hide in a corner and cry. This is hell."
"Husk!" Charlie frowned at his lack of compassion.
"Let me finish." He maintained his tone and took a breath before continuing. "So you're not human and having an identity crisis. Get over it. A lot of sinners woke up that way but they sucked it up and moved forward. You're gonna have to do the same, not for us but for yourself. None of us want to see you dead or worse anyway."
Noctis frowned at the blunt truth and sighed deeply in knowing there was no way around it. He would have to endure this new development in his life and he would have to toughen up in order to survive hell. He already had a taste of the real world and wasn't safe whether in or out of the hotel.
Charlie frowned at this but held Noctis a little tighter with Vaggie and smiled at him comfortingly.
"Whatever you are, you're still our Noctis who goes around fixing the hotel."
Noctis didn't know how to answer or feel about that. He already felt so out of place for what Zestial said that he feared it would eventually consume him.
"I don't know what to think right now." He replied quiwtly and stared at his reflection in the glass.
Angel Dust hated seeing him like this, but then again he hated sad stuff and wasn't any good being a comforting person. He only knew what he was good at when it came to moments like this.
He shrugged and put on his nonchalant pervy attitude after patting Noctis on his back with his free hand.
"If it makes you feel any better I'll still grab your butt."
Noctis could only groan and smacked his head on the bar.
"I hate you sometimes."
Angel Dust smirked in triumph of that response while the others stared at him benusedly.
"There's the Noctis I know."
Later that evening, after a long and thoughtful listening of Noctis' dark adventure, the gang took the seriousness of the situation into the dining room after hearing him speak of his entire day from his encounter with Carmilla to the entirety of every gruesome scene he witnessed in the streets. Truly there was pity from most of the group, especially Charlie and Vaggie who were a little on edge of the fact that the weapons overlord was so touchy as described by the man.
Currently he was in the kitchen learning how to change a hellhound diaper and clean the pup while Charlie tapped her fingers loudly on the table in front of the gang, contemplating what what they were going to do next about Noctis' safety.
"Okay so we know now he's not human but we don't know what he is exactly." She hummed to her own thinking as the others watched her continue expressing frustration she was trying to suppress. "And it's safe to say he can't be left alone anymore."
"Why?" Pentious tilted his head while Alastor came out of the kitchen with a steaming pot in one of his tendrils, serving each plate meticulously.
"Uh hello genius," Angel Dust remarked sarcastically to the serpent. "Noctis aint safe no more. All of hell knows he is here in hell and he was snatched in his own room. He's gonna need someone to supervise him at all time."
Alastor nodded in agreement as he set the cooking pot down on the table. "I agree since he—"
"You don't get a say in this!" Everyone except for Nifty and Pentious shouted at the demon angrily.
Alastor twitched with mild static coming from his microphone but remained composed even when he was so rudely interrupted.
Vaggie was the first to stand up from her seat and point an accusatory finger at the radio demon, her hostility radiating in the room while her other hand gripped her spear shakily.
"You were in his room. You saw everything and didn't stop it. Noctis isn't just traumatized but now having an indentity crisis after goinf through a bunch of bullshit just to get back here."
"Not to mention it's your fault his existence is now open to all of hell and there's no telling who will come after him." Angel added in the scolding.
"My fault you say?" He asked with lack of concern.
"Yes it's your fault!" Vaggie raised her voice and smacked the table, bouncing the silverware with the force of her hand. "If you hadn't pulled the crap you did we wouldn't be here talking about how to keep him safe!"
Alastor maintained his nonchalant smile and shrugged before he took his seat next to husk who clearly had nothing to say, though the grunt he breathed said enough about where he sat in the matter.
"You don't care at all, do you?" Vaggie asked in a quieter tone, her anger rising higher at his dismissive attitude.
"No. I don't." Alastor told them bluntly, receiving bewildered looks from the group. "I saw an oppurtunity and took advantage of acquiring information through the use of our disheveled friend, and now we have more understanding to his person."
"That's not being a friend, Alastor!" Charlie slammed her hands on the table and showed her disapproval with how her hair whipped with her anger. "Friends look out for eachother and care for one another, not use them for gaining information!"
"That's what a friend is?" Pentious looked up curiously from his plate.
"Yes!" Charlie yelled before Vaggie pulled her back down in her seat.
"Sounds strenuous." Pentious commented and went back to eating.
"Anyway!" Charlie had enough of this banter and toned down her powers. "The point is Noctis has to be supervised at all time."
"All the time?" Husk asked, obviously uninterested and annoyed.
"Even in the bathroom?" Angel Dust asjed for his own mischievous reasons.
"Not what she meant you horny jackass!" Vaggie said scathingly.
"What about bedtime?" Nifty chirped in.
Charlie took a deep breath and pondered that before nodding with a mix of reluctance and thoughts of her own about being alone with him.
"Especially when it's time for bed. We can't let him be alone or someone might find the chance to take him."
Angel Dust was already getting ideas to the matter and smiled lustfully until Vaggie gave him a warning look and turned her spear on the table to him.
"I aint sharing a bed." Husk grumbled, clearly leaving no room for argument.
"I wouldn't mind having my snuggle buddy." Angel Dust wiggled his eyebrows at the girls, his tone evident of challenging them again about their feelings for Noctis.
"No." Vaggie said coldly before she and Charlie looked to one another with the same nerve-racking idea.
They already knew Nifty was a mental basket case and unpredictable, Alastor was definitely a no in their eyes, and Noctis was already unfriendly with Pentious as is due to what happened during the blimp incident. It was the logical choice but a deeply personal and embarrassing one they had to propose to the man for more than just their own reasons.
"He's already under a lot of stress." Charlie sighed down to her plate and move her food around with her fork.
Vaggie already had enough emotion for the two of them and wasn't the kind of woman to sit around and just wait. Everybody knew how hard-headed and confrontational she was with anyone and anything. She felt the rush of confidence for Charlie and herself surge through in the clash of nervousness and certainty.
She shot up out of her seat with everyone watching as she said loudly.
"Screw it!"
"Vaggie?" Charlie watched for a brief momwnt as her girlfriend stormed to the kitchen and realized what she was about to do.
Panic set in for the princess before she darted out of her seat to catch the irritated woman stomping into the kitchen where Noctis was struggling with learning to clean the hellhound pup in the sink and getting himself soaked in water.
"Vaggie let's talk about this rationally." Charlie tried to nervously talk her down as they got closer to the frustrated man fighting to wash the splashing pup.
Vaggie forced herself to stop and face Charlie, twitching with annoyance of the situation.
"Okay let's talk. He can't be left alone with anybody in there and right now his life is in danger." She replied with a harsh tone.
Charlie grew annoyed by the conflict between them and looked away for a moment to collect herself, unaware of Noctis hearing them so close.
"I understand that but you can't just go up to him and tell him what we are planning to do."
"Tell me what?" Noctis asked from the kitchen sink, only to be left unheard by the two arguing.
"It's now or never Charlie!"
"He just got back home safe and sound!"
"Perfect time to lay it down on him when he's already having to process so much."
"Uh…..girls….." Noctis started to dry the hellhound pup in a towel and approached cautiously, feeling that he was walking into a warzone.
"We need to talk to him first Vaggie!"
"And we are. I'm just gonna do it for both of us!"
"Girls…." He tried again and began to feel uncomfortable at how their bickering accelerated to full blown yelling that had the pup whimpering.
During this argument though they had put on a dramatic show for everyone else that was peeking inside as they held their plates and watched.
"He has no idea how relationships work in hell." Angel Dust commented quietly to Husk.
"No shit." Husk grunted but was entertained a little at the banter as Noctis kept trying to step in.
"Girls what are you—" Noctis was starting to understand he wouldn't get a word in with the two starting to shout.
However, the pup was keen to sensing the hostility and began to whimper in his arms for protection. That right there was enough to fuel himself from his depressing identity crisis into a man of valid anger that slowly boiled with each passing second the girls not calming down.
"I want to tell him but this isn't the time Vaggie!"
"It is the right time!"
"We can't just drop this on him!"
"YES WE CAN!"
"NO!"
"YES!"
"BOTH OF YOU CUT YOUR SHIT!" Noctis roared.
It took every ounce of willpower not to burst into a chastising fury after Charlie and Vaggie jumped at his voice, and judging by the vein in his head he was ready explode while the pup yelped fearfully.
"Damn," Husk drawled quietly, looking surprised at the man. "Who knew the kid actually had some balls."
"Color me surprised." Angel added in bewilderment.
After a short minute of collecting himself and rocking the pup to calm him down, Noctis turned his attention back to both girls with a hardened glare that spoke volumes of disapproval to their behavior.
Charlie understood it and ringed her hands in shame while Vaggie maintained her cold glare, although there was a bit of guilt she kept inside for acting so childish that it made Noctis snap.
"Now—" he took a deep breath and softened his expression. "What in the literal hell has you two at eachothers throats?"
Charlie and Vaggie both went red a little and remained silent as he waited patiently for the answer they were clearly struggling to let out. Eventually the embarrassment became too much for the princess and she looked away, rubbing her own arms nervously while Vaggie put on her dominant attitude and stepped forward.
"Well what is it?" He asked curiously.
Unfortunately his power over them ended quickly with Vaggie taking the pup from him and placing it in Charlie's arms, which made no sense to the man as he stood there with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed now.
"Vaggie what are you—"
His question was shortened abruptly by the demoness grabbing his collar and jerking him down to her eye level. His breath hitched at her aggression and felt unsure whether to resist or remain still while her eye bore into him.
"Shut up and listen!"
Noctis flinched and looked conflicted while Charlie remained silent, reluctantly letting Vaggie do the talking. He didn't move though and was definitely intimated by her confidence and dominance of this strange moment.
"Yes ma'am."
Vaggie's eye narrowed dangerously as she tightened her grip on the collar of his shirt, her voice dropping to a low growl.
"Charlie and I have feelings for you, and from now on you belong to us. And while we understand you're going through a lot, this isn't up for discussion."
The silence emanated in the kitchen before Angel and the others murmured to this amusing development as Vaggie stunned the man but continued her explanation with Charlie standing behind her and standing firm while she rocked the hellhound pup.
Noctis felt overwhelmed again by her words and actions, his heart throbbing as he processed the depth of what Vaggie was saying with such passion.
"And from now on we are all keeping an eye on you at all time because you are not safe. So from now on you are sleeping in our room and if you say no I'll kick your ass across this entire hotel."
She released his shirt and crossed her arms while looking at him in his eyes, her expression fierce and protective.
Noctis stood silent again, stunned by Vaggie's declaration and filtering this heaviness of her makijg such a claim as she stood her ground with her girlfriend taking her turn now.
Charlie's expression was still nervous but softer with relief that the man didn't just freak out or reject them on the spot, her eyes now locked on him with those strong feelings burning inside.
"Noctis...I..." she groaned while the frustration drove her to having disheveled hair as she dragged her hands through it. She had never gone through this kind of interaction with someone before and was uncertain how to put it.
"Spit it out babe." Vaggie ordered her firmly.
Charlie huffed and finally broke out of that shell, her voice stern after she puffed up her chest to muster what courage she could find and looked to him with newfound determination.
"Vaggie is right. We have feelings for you and it's not for discussion. You're our boyfriend now and from now on you'll be staying in our room because you can't be left alone, not after what happened."
A long silence passed between the three of them as the weight of those words hung heavily in the air. Charlie and Vaggie waited with intense need of a response as Noctis attempted to understand.
He shifted uncomfortably in place while trying to calm the blush on his cheeks by taking slow breaths, his mind racing though with his heart which made it very difficult.
"Me?" He finally spoke though questioned with a finger pointed at himself, his expression full of disbelief.
"We didn't stutter." Vaggie answerd coldly.
He blinked repeatedly and trying to process, continuing to drag the conversation, staring at them blankly and becoming aware by memory the interactions they've had together during his stay.
"Dating you two?"
"Yes." Charlie cringed nervously.
His face ran hotter as he remembered and caught on the various instances of how touchy and close they were.
He gulped this new predicament in a lump of uneasiness while Vaggie's patience started wearing thin.
"It would be best for you to say yes." She growled dangerously, digging her nails into her own crossed arms to stop herself from snapping.
"Please." Charlie mouthed, pleading to him.
Meanwhile with the Vees….
Vox was raging and swearing left and right after they returned to their tower empty-handed with not a clue as to where Noctis had gone. He tossed equipment and blasted his electricity all over the room after replacing his broken screen, screaming and yelling in his part of said tower.
"Would you chill the fuck out?" Velevette sneered after easily dodging a blast that flew wildly.
Her answer was nothing but the tv demon still in a fit of obsessive rage that had him smashing the console to his computer.
"I'm gonna find that fucking human and rip his soul out! And when I do I am going eat it and shit it out and drop the remains at the doorsteps of that hotel!"
"Kinky." Valentino teased.
Velvette was already annoyed as is from how Noctis escaped and didn't find in herself the energy to press on with Vox throwing his tantrum.
She typed on her phone for her own agenda and said uncaringly.
"You're the fucking moron who thought it was a good idea to piss him off. Now he's fuck knows where and we're short of a flesh bag that is obviously not as mortal as we thought."
Vox shuddered from the sensation of knowing that Noctis was not at all normal and slowed down enough in his rage to smile sadistically, his screen crackling with energy.
He hated to admit it but he knew Velvette was right that he was the whole reason Noctis got away even when it was revealed that the man could defy death by floating. That alone though made him hungrier to own Noctis and use whatever power inside for his own dark purposes, especially to being Alastor to his knees.
"Yeah but now we know the fucking meat sack is a powerhouse."
"A tasty powerhouse." Valentino commented as he didn't understand what his lover meant.
He dragged his hands down his screen and put on some manner of professionalism, though the twitching rage remained with the static radiating off his body.
"He damaged my face and floated. No human in existence has been capable of doing that. So it's obvious he's hiding something that could be a stepping stone in our positions as overlords."
"No, you think?" Velvette replied sarcastically with a smile. "Well newsflash dumbass, he's long gone somewhere in the city and probably being skewered or sold."
"No," Vox drawled dangerously, spinning away to glare out to the city with possessive glee. "He's alive and hiding. I can feel it."
He took a hand and dragged it down the glass, scratching it needily with Hazbin Hotel in sight as he spoke to the reflections of his allies.
"We gotta have that soul. He will show up."
"And IF he does?" Velvette emphasized the IF with her continuing sarcasm.
"WHEN he does," his smile cracked wider than his screen. "We are gonna take his soul and use it to get to the top of the food chain."
Later that night…..
"Come on. Pick up." Noctis pleased quiwtly over the phone, staring down at Carmilla's phone number on the card as he snuck away with Charlie's phone.
He stood outside on the balcony of Charlie's room after being forcefully led upstairs when his answer never came and it irritated Vaggie to taking control of the situation. He felt robbed of the last bit of freedom he had to himself as the ringing became a mockery of the hope he was clinging to.
"This is Carmilla speaking ."
Finally a shred of relief for the man. He looked up to the night sky and sighed, collecting his thoughts and looking back to both girls talking in the bedroom and eyeing him every so often.
"Ms. Carmine, it's Noctis."
"Noctis," she sounded surprised on the other end. "It's quite late for you to call me. Have you experienced something already?"
"Sort of," he drawled and stepped out of view, pressing his back against the wall. "I need your help understanding something."
"Very well. What is it?" She replied in a curious tone.
"Dating." He put it bluntly.
"Dating?"
"Yes ma'am."
He listened to the overlord stifle a laugh before speaking in that motherly tone he remembered in the limo. It felt embarrassing as is to be asking about dating and only worse that such a woman was finding amusement in his predicament.
"What do you need to know about dating?"
"Well….." he peeked back around the corner to the pair still talking yet making sure he was still there. "Charlie and Vaggie, mainly Vaggie, basically gave me no option and said that I'm their boyfriend."
"Really?" She mused thoughtfully.
"Yeah…." He sighed wearily and slid down the wall, planting himself on the cold surface. "I don't understand this when dating back on earth is a slow process."
"Ah I understand what you're needing to know." She stated matter of factly. "Well dear, you will need to come to accept this new role since the culture down here in hell is far different from what you are accustomed to in the mortal realm."
Noctis was afraid of that and braced himself mentally, keeping his emotions in check while wanting to know the answer behind what the girls did.
"I'm listening."
"Good boy. Now you the first thing to understand in dating is that it doesn't exist down here in hell. Forget it."
"It doesn't?" He asked curiously.
"It doesn't. Here in hell our kind make claims to those we desire. What they did was just that, they claimed you as theirs and there will not be a development in the relationship. It is just there. The term boyfriend is simply a title."
"You gotta be kidding me." He said benusedly, hearing her actually giggle on the the other end.
"No dear, this is a custom amongst many demons. There are different forms of companionship in hell."
"Like what?" He was already dreading what he would hear.
"Well for example Imps typically stick to a single person for the rest of their days or more commonly the succubi partake in multiple lovers. And in a more intense situation the hellhounds can take multiple mates that are strictly loyal to them. Or in severe situations the lovers will make a deal to bind themselves together."
Noctis didn't know what to think now with his knowledge turning upside-down. His mind was filled with every piece of experience shattered instantly by this revelation that oddly made sense to him about the girls.
"So let me get this straight—" he hopped back up with a grunt and began pacing, unaware that Charlie and Vaggie were watching him. "I'm not dating Charlie and Vaggie. I'm basically theirs and it's final."
"To simplify it, yes. You have been claimed."
"Fuck me…." He groaned, making the overlord chuckle a little too darkly for his tastes.
"Language young man, but I'm sure that moment will come in time."
He blushed at that implication and was stricken with various thoughts of that matter with no sense of controlling his imagination. Such imagery hit him like a truck, seeing seductively foreard thoughts of both girls and making himself uncomfortable in so many ways as a man.
"That's not funny!" He exclaimed into the phone, only to be given laughter from the overlord. "Just tell me what I should do!"
"I'm sorry." She giggled.
He knew she wasn't sorry for provoking his male urges like that. All he could think was the overlord had her own twisted sense of humor and how annoying it was.
He listened to her collective breathing before she said, "You must go with it."
"Excuse me?" He replied in a higher tone, unsure if Carmilla had actually said that.
Sadly his ears did not betray him.
"You heard me. You don't have a choice in the matter given your current situation. You're safety is top priority. Plus you cannot tell me you don't harbor some feelings for those girls."
Noctis tried to protest against that, hoping that Carmilla would understand and have better advice for him. But he wasn't prepared for the heaviness in his chest that came when he looked into the bedroom and saw that Charlie and Vaggie were both patient and worried about him on the other side of the window. Charlie stood there waiting on him to give an answer, staring right at him and pleading in her gaze while Vaggie carried a mix of annoyance and fear with how she crossed her arms tightly.
He felt his breath hitch before spinning back around to hide behind the wall.
"Your silence tells me you can't deny. Whatever you may be, your heart longs for that companionship all creatures need. So I strongly suggest you embrace this chsnge not just for your own safety but for their benefit. After all, any other demon would just ruin you in every way, shape and form."
She finished in a tone almost motherly and barely contained eagerness to this amusing drama , hearing him steady his own breathing.
Noctis continued to ponder in silence as the severity of his situation came into focus. He looked at the chaotic city and then back to the window. He didn't know what to say….. he didn't know how to say anything right now.
But was he really content with being alone?
Back on earth he had nobody to share a relationship with, it was always him alone and rejected even for friendship. He had been a pariah all his life and forced to close his heart off to the idea of having feelings for someone.
No one wanted him on earth, not even his first crush in high school that baited him into being the laughing stock years back.
Nobody had ever wanted him, nor given him a shred of love affection.
Yet behind him, just past that window, two women waiting anxiously for him to accept this inescapable fact that Vaggie out in his head earlier.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes….
"Fine, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let them dictate everything I do."
"Good boy." Carmilla praised in a gentle tone. "Now it is very late and I have business to attend in the morning. Stay safe and just be ready for certain changes."
"Changes?"
That didn't sound reassuring as her laughter returned.
"Yes dear, you're going to learn that demons have a possessive nature. Good luck."
Before he could ask any further questions Noctis was left with the phone call going dead and a barrage of thoughts about what she meant by possessive.
Unfortunately his time being alone ran out when Vaggie opened the window and glared down at him with her eye twitching in annoyance of his long need to talk to someone.
"You wanna tell us why the hell you were out here alone and on Charlie's phone!?"
Noctis stood up and collected himself while the spear user snatched the phone away and handed it back to her nervous girlfriend that checked the call log immediately.
"I needed to talk to Carmilla." He answered calmly and walked back inside, standing in the reddened moonlight that beamed inside with both girls staring in confusion.
"Her?" Vaggie growled , taking an aggressive step to him until Charlie touched her shoulder.
The princess frowned at this answer but kept calm enough to approach in a more friendly manner, though it was clear she was uncomfortable that he would seek anything from an overlord.
"Noctis, why would you call Carmilla of all people for advice?"
She finished that question with a hint of uneasiness in her tone.
Noctis chuckled nervously for the first time since his kidnapping and scratched the back of his head.
"I've never been with anyone before and I needed to know how this works."
"How what works?"
Vaggie softened her posture after asking him.
"Dating," he slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Or as she put it, dating isn't a thing here in hell."
Both girls blinked at this answer and figured out what he was needing to know.
Vaggie nodded to Charlie and replied calmly.
"No. Dating isn't a thing down here in hell. It never is. It's why I said you belong to us. Charlie and I have had these feelings for awhile and after what happened we couldn't just wait anymore."
"Our relationship isn't even normal." Charlie added as she gestured to herself and Vaggie. "We may be girlfriends but we're stuck together. When we got together we decided that was it."
"Just like that?" He questioned with a tilt of his head, still in disblief that it was so simple.
They nodded together and replied in unison.
"Just like that."
Noctis frowned at their answer but figured that he was better off just going with it instead of invoking Vaggie's anger any more.
He exhaled in defeat and looked back on their bed to find the hellhound pup in a blanket that was mushed together like a nest. At least he had the relief of seeing the pup rest peacefully while suckling on his new pacifier from the various baby items Carmilla bought.
"At least Max is sleep."
"Max?" Charlie asked curiously, taking one side next to the man while Vaggie took the other.
Noctis nodded with a rare smile out of all the drama and said.
"Yeah, short for Maximillian."
Eventually he seemed to snap out of the stupor of this crazy day that filled him with dread. He tore his gaze from the pup and laid back on the cushiony bed, staring up to the ceiling with irritated acceptance.
"Fine. I'll give it a shot." He breathed, sounding vexed by the fact his life was about to change. "But that doesn't mean you two are gonna order me every which way."
Charlie finally had a reason to smile and internally squealed before flopping back to hug his arm tightly. Vaggie on the other hand laid back and groaned tiredly.
"Finally….."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Charlie whispered these words like a mantra as Noctis remained still in his new spot of their lives.
She continued to overbearingly hold onto his arm and even nuzzle to it while Vaggie rolled over and grinned slightly that her girlfriend was acting like herself again.
"About time you just accepted."
"Don't push it." Noctis warned flatly.
Vaggie raised her eyebrow for her own amusement and rested her hand to his shoulder, no longer nervous to place her touch on him.
"Get used to it." She teased, receiving a growl from the man.
Suddenly Charlie sat up with a surprised expression but maintained her smile as a thought came back to her.
"I just remembered that the boiler is backed up again."
Noctis raised an eyebrow in suspicion and sat up as Charlie turned placed her hands on his leg.
"Can you fix it tomorrow?"
"How long has it been backed up?" He asked innocently before the entire hotel shook at the sudden explosion coming from the basement, making both girls yelp and Max wake up in a cry while Noctis' eyes widened.
It was no longer a wonder now that the boiler was completely destroyed, but the voice thwt came next was only fuel to the fire of his stress.
"There's my favorite toy!" Angel Dust hollered happily after picking up his 'toy' that shot up through the floor and into the foyer. "Must have gotten stuck when I flushed it on accident."
Noctis reached his boiling point at that moment and roared for all to hear across the hotel.
"ANGEL DUUUUUUST!"