Loona woke up with a groan that sounded like it physically hurt to exist.
"Fuck," she muttered, clutching her head. "I'm never drinking from there again."
She tried to sit up and immediately regretted it, the room spinning hard enough to make her flatten back against the couch. A gallon jug appeared in front of her face.
Max was holding it out like an offering.
She grabbed it with both hands and chugged like she'd been stranded in a desert for a week. Half of it was gone before she even stopped to breathe.
"…You added lime to this?" she asked, squinting at him.
Max shrugged.
"Lucky guess? Plain water's boring."
He didn't mention he remembered exactly what she liked from the other timeline. That felt like cheating.
Loona finished the jug, wiped her mouth, and groaned again.
"Thanks," she muttered. Then her ears drooped. "Oh Satan… I'm so embarrassed."
Max leaned against the wall.
"How much do you remember?"
She stared at the floor.
"…Everything," she said. "Even that stuff with Millie. Oh my God."
Max scratched the back of his neck.
"Well… if any of it was true, I'm flattered. I wasn't exactly popular topside. And I'm not sure Millie meant all of what she said. We just met."
He kept his tone light on purpose.
No pressure.
No pushing.
Loona huffed.
"I was drunk. None of that was real."
It was a lie. They both knew it.
But he let it stand.
"I've got some questions," Max said gently. "Still new arrival, remember?"
Loona waved a paw.
"Yeah yeah. Just keep your voice down."
"I used your computer to look stuff up," he continued. "Hell laws are insane."
"It's Hell," she said flatly. "Humans are the restricted ones."
"It's interesting though," Max said. "Polygamy's legal. Murder's legal. Most things are legal unless you piss off royalty."
Loona nodded.
"Yeah. Polygamy's rare now though. Most sinners don't want to tie themselves down. And marriages between sinners and hellborn are basically unheard of. Can't have kids together."
Max looked down at his hands.
"So I've got no shot," he said quietly. "Thought maybe I could avoid being alone this time."
Loona's ears shot up.
"No— I mean— it's not like that— wait. Both of us?" she asked, staring at him. "You want both?"
Her voice carried jealousy, confusion… and hope.
Max exhaled.
"I was lonely my whole last life," he said honestly. "Figured if I got another chance, I wouldn't hold back."
Loona stared at him like her brain was buffering.
"…You gotta know," she said slowly, "you have to be stupid cute and sexy to pull more than one hellborn."
She froze.
Her face went red.
Her hands clamped over her mouth.
Max laughed softly.
"It's fine," he said. "I think I've got an ability that makes you say what you're thinking. You'll get better at controlling it."
She glared at him.
"Shut up."
"Sleep," he said, tossing a blanket over her. "You're not walking home hungover. Doors are locked. I made food in that sad excuse for a kitchen. I'll go sleep in my three-hundred-a-month closet."
Loona mumbled something incoherent as she curled up.
A few hours later she woke to the smell of food.
Real food.
Not bar food.
Not microwave garbage.
Actual cooking.
She found a plate on the counter and ate in silence.
Her tail wagged.
She hated that it wagged.
"This is stupid good," she muttered between bites.
When she finished, she stood there for a second.
Then walked to the closet.
The door creaked open slowly.
Max was folded inside like a pretzel, somehow asleep in a position that should have broken bones. His ears twitched occasionally in his sleep.
He looked… peaceful.
And weirdly cute.
Loona stared longer than she meant to.
She found a spare blanket and carefully draped it over him.
He shifted slightly but didn't wake.
She closed the door quietly.
Back on the couch, she lay on her side and stared at the ceiling.
"I just met him," she whispered. "And I'm already falling like some dumb romance novel girl."
Her tail flicked.
"He likes Millie. He might like others. But…"
She swallowed.
"…he's genuine. He's not using me. I know that."
She buried her face in the pillow.
"Maybe those stupid love stories aren't complete bullshit," she muttered.
For the first time in a long time, she fell asleep smiling.
[AN: Thank you so mucb. Finally got 500k+ views in this story. Anyways this might be a bit rushed but going to do some time skips. Don't want the story to not progress for 60+ chapters after all. Enjoy and if you have an OC i can think of adding and credit you if you like]