"ANGIE ANGIE ANGIE!!!" I yelled frantically knocking against Angel's door later that day. Angel opened the door confused.

     "Is there another fire or some shit or are you bugging me just for shits and giggles?" He asked. I shook my head.

   "No! I need your help." I said. Angel furrowed his brow in confusion.

   "Did you piss someone off?" He asked. I shook my head again.

   "No, actually quite the opposite..." I stated. Angel narrowed his eyes at me before I saw the lightbulb switch on in his head. Angels eyes widened, his eyebrows shot upward.

    "Wait...you mean smiles asked you-?!" I nodded vigorously.

   "Yes! He did!" I said excitedly. Angel looked shocked beyond compare. He processed for a second.

    "Holy shit, this is fucking huge." He said. I nodded.

    "Exactly!! He also wants me to help plan the date....but that's my problem....where do you take an overlord of hell, the radio demon specifically, on a date...especially in this shithole..?" I asked. Angel winced as he recognized my predicament.

    "Yikes, I see your point." He said. "Here, come on in, we'll think it out some while I'm getting ready." He suggested, stepping aside gesturing for me to come in. I smiled.

   "Angie you're the best." I said. I stepped into his room as he shut the door behind me. I walked over to the bed and sat down, taking a look around. As I looked, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, the small pile of coats on the ottoman was moving. I turned my attention fully to the sentient pile of clothes, watching it wriggle and shift around until suddenly a little pink snout poked out from under the pile. It exhaled heavily before sniffing a little. Despite being a bit confused, I slowly reached out my hand for the snout to sniff. Sure enough it started sniffing my hand, moving closer to my hand, causing a set of chunky cheeks to be revealed, followed by the cutest black eyeballs, dark pink floppy ears and spots, tiny horns and a little set of chubby front legs and teeny tiny hooves. It was a little demon piglet. He sniffed my hands again, and gave them a little lick. I laughed a bit as he licked me, his tongue tickled.

     "Aw, hi there you little ball of cuteness." I greeted. The piglet snorted in response. Angel stood in front of me smiling.

    "I suppose I forgot to mention I have a pet pig." He said. I nodded.

   "No shit my dude." I replied. He rolled his eyes.

   "Well, (Y/N), I'd like you to meet Fat Nuggets. Fat Nuggets, this is (Y/N)." He introduced us.

   "Oh my god, you couldn't have picked a better name for him, that's the best name ever." I said excitedly. Fat Nuggets crawled all the way out, hopping onto the bed beside me, sitting down like an esteemed little gentleman. I beamed at him, trying to contain myself from losing it over a cuteness overload. I slowly pet him on the head and he oinked happily, pressing his hand into my hand.

    "Nice to meet you too Fat Nuggets!" I laughed. Angel looked at the clock and sighed.

   "Ok, I'm gonna shower real quick, then we can get started with brainstorming. Keep Fat Nuggets company while I'm in the bathroom, will ya?" He requested. I nodded.

   "Of course, besides, how could I say no to this cutie?" I asked, petting the piglet again. Fat Nuggets oinked happily in response to my pets. Angie smiled.

"Good, be out in a jiff." He said before grabbing his towel, bathrobe and towel closing the bathroom door behind him. Fat Nuggets crawled close and laid his head down into my lap. He was so squishy and loveable, I wanted to squish his little cheeks so bad. Nonetheless, I continued containing my excitement and pet his little head, gently scratching around his little horns. That seemed to be his sweet spot, cause he'd release happy squeals when I would do that. As I continued to pet Fat Nuggets, I felt something vibrating under my leg. At first I shuddered hoping and praying it wasn't a vibrator or some other toy. I mustered the courage to lift my leg and find out what was vibrating. To my surprise, it was Angel's phone. As I picked it up from under me, I saw several messages come in. I normally don't snoop but I caught a glimpse of a few choice phrases that had me concerned.

"Angel Dust you ungrateful slut!"

"Don't forget who fucking owns you you slippery shit twink!"

"I hope you're ready for a long shoot day you irredeemable whore."

I furrowed my brow. I stared at the screen as his phone blew up with more and more concerning texts. I knew I didn't really like Val based on his vibes at Lucifer's party and the way Alastor acted around him and Vox. Plus, Angel mentioned a few times that he's a dick, but I never realized quite to what extent that was. My heart sank as I realized Angie was putting up with this and likely worse for who knows how long now. Fat nuggets whimpered as my face fell. I set the phone down on the bed next to me, face down. I felt sick to my stomach. I wanted to confront Angel about the problem but how does one even go about this correctly when it's clearly super touchy....

    I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I gasped and jumped as I was snapped out of my thoughts. I sighed in relief as I saw it was just Angel.

    "Woah, shit doll, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare the shit outta ya like that." Angel said. He furrowed his brow. "Are you okay?"

    "Not exactly..." I started. Part of me wanted to keep quiet but I couldn't keep it in. I sighed. "Your phone got lodged under my leg around when you left the room and it was blowing up, and as I took it out from under me, without any intention of snooping, I caught a tiny glimpse of what Val is like towards you....and...I can't lie to you Angel, it scares me. I can't even imagine what he's like with you in person when he's like that over the phone..." I said trying to keep my cool. Angel stared at me as a silence fell over the room. Angel glanced down at his phone, picked it up and turned it on, seeing the messages I was talking about. He sighed as I teared up. He looked at me like I was a wounded puppy. Angel tightened his robe and held out his four arms, and pulled me into a hug.

   "Don't worry about me okay? I'll be fine. I can handle Val just fine on my own. I promise. Just....promise me you'll never go near him...ok? He's not someone I want you or anyone under this roof messing with." Angel said a bit choked up. I felt my heart sink as I hugged him back. I knew he was putting on a strong face for me, but I wanted to be able to help him. If fulfilling this request was all I could do for him right now...then so be it.

   "Ok Angie. I promise." I agreed. Angel let go and smiled softly at me.

   "Good. Thank you." He said. I nodded. Angel took a deep breath and started picking out his outfit for the day. "Ok, now, let's start thinking of ideas for your date shall we?" He suggested.

  "Okay." I said. I tried not to think about it anymore but it was still lurking in the back of my head.

  "Well, I'm not sure about places that Strawberry Pimp likes cause I don't really know him that personally. I think the only one who might know that is Niffty. She's the closest thing to a friend he's got around here." He said, laying his outfit out on the bed. I leaned against the wall.

   "Fair. Maybe a trip to the record shop, the book store....if we were still living I'd say swing dancing but they don't really have that kind of shit in hell...." I said. Angel nodded.

   "Yeah you're right. He might like going to the record shop. I will say though, I think if anything he's a pretty simple guy from what I've gathered." Angel said. I heaved a sigh. There was no helping it. I walked to the door and opened it a crack, took a deep breath and called out.

   "NIFFTY, COULD YOU COME HERE PLEASE!!" I hollered. As always, in seconds, Niffty came scampering to the door.

   "You called (Y/N)?" She asked. I nodded.

    "Yes I did Niffty. Me and Angel need your help with something special." I told her. Niffty looked very intrigued.

   "Ooooo what is it?" She asked. I motioned for her to come inside. Niffty zipped over to the bed and sat down. I closed the door behind me. Fat nuggets jumped into angels lap as he sat down at his vanity table. I could tell fat nuggets was not a fan of Niffty. I chuckled a little.

   "Ok, Niffty. You seem to know Alastor better than most of us, and you've definitely known him longer than any of us have. What are things Alastor enjoys?" I asked. Niffty tapped her chin quizzically.

   "Hmmmm.....lemme see..." she thought out loud. "He loves jazz music, he likes comedy, especially puns and dad jokes, he likes to read, he likes anything that reminds him of New Orleans and the olden days...." Niffty rattled off. As she said those things, a lightbulb went off in my head. I gasped.

   "That's it! I think I've got it. Niffty, would you be willing to help me with one more special favor?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Time skip to the following morning)

I grabbed the portable record player suitcase, pre selected records, and the picnic blanket and hiked out to the woodland spot where Husk and Niffty suggested I go. I felt so nervous. All I could think was how much I hoped Al would like the surprises I had for him on our first date today. I eventually reached the clearing that we marked with a circle of rocks in the dirt. I carefully set the record player down, off to the side and then took the blanket and unfolded it. Once I opened it I shook it and fanned it out then laid it flat on the center of the circle. Once I laid it out, I grabbed four of the heavier rocks from the circle and set one on each of the blanket corners to make sure it stayed put. I dusted myself off before I turned to head back to the hotel.

I had dinner cooking back in the kitchen. A few of my relatives who spent a few years in Louisiana would cook authentic Cajun dishes for family gatherings, and luckily for me, I managed to remember some of the recipes. I wasn't sure what specific dishes he liked the most, so I decided to do a whole feast for Al to choose from, consisting of gumbo, dirty rice, and my personal favorite, jambalaya. This was going to be a team effort. I asked Niffty to watch the kitchen for me while I went to start setting things up. Husker and Vaggie helped me get all the ingredients I needed last night. And Charlie had the most important job of all, distracting Alastor. I didn't want to risk him popping up and ruining the surprise.

"How's the food looking Niffty?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen. Niffty turned to me from the stove, which she stood on top of a large step ladder to see over. "All good! I finished the dirty rice for you and set it aside. The gumbo and Jambalaya are still cooking at the stove here, but I think they're almost done." Niffty told me.

"That's perfect! Thank you Niffty. Any word from Charlie or how her diversion is going?" I asked. Niffty nodded.

"Yep! Charlie has him helping her prepare for the meeting with heaven." She informed me. "She also has a backup emergency plan involving Pentious and his eggs." She said. I smiled in relief. Everything was going according to plan.

"Good. Thank you so much for helping Niff." I thanked her. Niffty grinned.

"No problem! I'm gonna get back to my cleaning now. Bye!!" She said before zipping off. I turned back to the pots and taste tested them a bit. I seasoned the gumbo a bit and stirred the pan of jambalaya, and set the stove to medium-low. I quickly ran up to my room to finish getting dressed for the date. I quickly did my hair and makeup and changed into my pre selected outfit. Once I was ready I took a deep breath before I rushed back to the kitchen to pack everything up into the picnic basket. It was almost showtime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Alastor's POV)

I finally finished my business with Charlie after several hours. I felt a bit irritated that she kept me from my daily visit to the front desk to see (Y/N) during her shift. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her all day. I couldn't help but wonder what she could be up to....

I teleported to her room, I knocked, no answer. I didn't feel her presence there. I teleported to the lobby. I didn't see her at the front desk or at the bar where she'd usually be at the end of her shift. How unusual...where could she be?

"Looking for (Y/N)?" I heard. I turned around. Husk stood behind the bar, cleaning glass cups, looking at me with a partly smug smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him. Something was off.

"Perhaps. I assume you know where she is then?" I asked. He nodded.

"Head out back, you'll know where she is." He said. I stared at him suspiciously.

"Hmmm..." I hummed making my way out to the back of the hotel. As I closed the door behind me, I noticed footprints in the dirt. It was definitely (Y/N)'s. I followed them towards the woods. This was very out of the ordinary indeed. I kept following until I started to hear a familiar sound. It was a song. As I kept walking I realized it was no ordinary song, it was my favorite song.

"Hey, hobo man, hey Dapper Dan,
You both got your style,
but brother,
You're never fully dressed without a smile!"

I hummed along curiously as I followed the sound through the trees. As the music grew louder, my nose picked up a whiff of a glorious smell. I knew this smell. Cajun cuisine. Soon, I saw string lights strung around several trees by a nearby clearing. I approached, and as I entered the clearing, I was met with a lovely sight. (Y/N), dressed in a lovely vintage dress, one that reminded me of the kind my mother used to wear when I was a boy. She wore it so well. She knelt on top of a red blanket on the ground, laying out plates and glasses on the blanket. I could hardly believe my eyes. No one had ever done something like this for me before....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
( (Y/N)'s POV)

I looked up after I set out the dishware and saw Al standing and staring curiously at me. I smiled.

"Perfect timing Al." I beamed. He furrowed his brow confused.

"What's all of this?" Alastor asked. I stood up, brushing myself off.

"Our first date. I wanted to make it special for you. You do so much for me, and for everyone at the hotel, I wanted to return the favor." I said. Al stared at me dumbfounded. I chuckled at his baffled smile.

"Come, sit down. I made us dinner." I invited him over. Al hesitantly came over to the blanket and sat down next to me. I took the cases of food out of the basket and started to dish them onto our plates.

"I made Cajun food, I heard it was your favorite." I mentioned. Al cocked his head to the side.

"When did you do all this?" Al asked.

"This morning. Everyone helped. I asked Charlie to keep you busy today so we could keep it a surprise." I explained. Al stared at me in shock once more. I turned back to the plates and finished dishing up. I closed the containers and started putting them back in the basket, and grabbed the bottle of wine Husk got for me. After I uncorked it I poured some into our glasses. I set the bottle to the side and sat down and picked up my plate.

"Bon Appetite." I said. Al picked up his plate and his spoon and scooped up a bite of food. He observed it for a moment before slipping the spoon into his mouth. He froze. I felt my heart sink. I looked down at my lap.

"I'm sorry, I know it's probably not the best...I had to go off of my memory for the recipe. I was afraid of th-" I was cut off by the feeling of Al's lips against my cheek.

"Stop your fretting my dear. This is some of the best jambalaya I've ever had! Though I will admit, it cannot surpass my mother's, not by a long-shot, haha! But nonetheless, it's positively divine! You even managed to get the spice mix just right!" He exclaimed, before shoveling another large spoonful into his mouth. I blushed dumbfounded. I smiled as he ate it happily. I too started eating with him.

"Thanks Al. I'm happy you like it." I said. Al nodded.

"I love it! I love the song choice as well. How did you know this was my favorite song?" He asked. I smirked at him and shrugged.

"Oh, call it a lucky guess." I replied. Al chuckled taking a sip of his wine.

"I must say, no one has ever gone to such lengths for me before. This is a very new experience in my book." Al admitted. I raised my eyebrows.

"Really?" I asked. Al nodded.

"Indeed. Besides, can't really keep up my fearsome reputation in hell if these sinners know I can be won over by a song and a meal made by an absolutely lovely girl, now can I?" He asked. I rolled my eyes laughing.

"If you say so, Al." I said, finishing off my glass of wine.

"What about you hmm?" He asked me.

"What about me?" I asked. Al nodded.

"Ever had someone do this kind of thing for you before?" He iterated.

"Ah. Hmm....not really. I mean...I've been taken on several dates, just not like this." I said. Al's smile grew slightly.

"I plan to change that." He stated. I smiled.

"I'd love that." I told him. There was a small lull before Al piped up again.

"So since you've been on a date before, what do you usually talk about on dates?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Oh I dunno, lots of things I suppose. Your likes, your dislikes, your interests, your experiences and stories, the list goes on really." I said.

"I see. And what kind of activities do you typically enjoy on dates?" Alastor asked. I thought about it for a moment.

"Well, I like playing games, talking, especially going dancing." I said. Al set his empty plate aside. Al stood up, straightening his coat, then set aside his staff. He leaned over and held out a hand to me.

"In that case, might I have this dance, (Y/N)?" He asked. I beamed.

"I'd be honored, Alastor." I said as I took his hand. Al helped me up and glanced over to the record player which got a bit louder as he did so. The song started over and Al placed my free hand over his shoulder and then rested his hand against my waist. With that he began to dance with me and hum along to the song. He spun me in and out and had me do a twirl which made me giggle. Soon he even started to sing along to the song.

"So, Senator, so, janitor, so long for awhile, You're never fully dressed,
Though you may wear the best,
You're never fully dressed without a smile." He sang. I couldn't stop smiling as I heard him sing.

"I love your voice." I complimented. Alastor smiled down at me.

"Why thank you my darling." He thanked me. I giggled.

"You were alive in the 20's right?" I asked.

"That is correct my dear, up until bright and shiny 1933. Why?" He asked.

"Do you know any swing dance moves?" I asked. Al laughed heartily letting go of me and stepping back.

"Of course I do! Any man worth his salt in those days, especially in Louisiana, knew his moves. My specialty was this one, it's called the East Coast Swing." He said, shooting me a wink as he prepared to put on a performance for me. I stepped back and watched eagerly. In seconds he took off dancing like a pro. My jaw fell open.

"First you start with some basic swivels...and then go into a bit of stop and go....then a twist and underarm turn." He narrated as he danced. I applauded as he took a small bow.

"Bravo! That was amazing!" I said. He chuckled confidently.

"Thank you thank you, it was nothing really, you're too kind." He said, coming back over to me. I laughed softly at his cockiness. We both sat back down on the blanket. As we did I remembered I had desserts.

     "Oh! I almost forgot." I said, rummaging through the basket then pulling out the plate of chocolate covered strawberries. I carefully removed the plastic wrap over them and laid them in the middle of the blanket.

    "Thought these would be appropriate. You never really struck me as someone who has a big sweet tooth." I admitted.

    "You're right my dear, I've never been very into sweets." He stated. Al picked up a strawberry, removed the leaves and popped it into his mouth. I took one and bit into it.

   "Are you one with a big sweet tooth?" He asked. I shrugged.

   "I don't know. Sometimes I love sweets, other times I just don't." I explained. Al nodded.

   "I see, I believe my mother was the same way." He said.

   "You've mentioned your mother a few times. Were you guys close?" I asked. Al's overbearing smile softened a little.

   "Indeed we were. As you might have gathered, I was born in the late 1800's in Louisiana. My father left my mother and me not long after I was born. I never knew why, my mother never wanted to talk about him. He was never a part of my life, but I didn't really care. It was always me and mother. She loved me unconditionally, which no one else ever did. Since I was mixed, my mother being creole and my father a Caucasian, I was frequently hassled by other children when I'd go out. Racially prejudiced bullies were rampant in those days, still are even now, even if less proudly...but I could always count on her to comfort me and reassure me." He said wistfully. He gestured to the record player. "One of the things I remember her doing that I cherish most was, when I was sad or upset, she would sing that song. It would keep me smiling for hours on end." He explained. I smiled.

     "She sounds so wonderful. No wonder you're so amazing Al." I said. Al smiled and nodded.

   "Indeed. I know she definitely would've loved you if I had brought you home to her for dinner at any point." He chuckled. I blushed.

  "I was also a popular radio show host when I was alive too!" He mentioned. I raised my eyebrows.

   "Did you really? That would certainly explain a lot now that I think about it." I said.

   "Yes indeedy! In my late teens, early twenties, I applied to a local radio station and they interviewed me and found that I was good with crowds and had a performative air about me. So, they gave me the job position they had open for a radio show host. I was quite popular, not to brag." Al scratched his head for a second. As he did, I noticed the little red X on his forehead. I had seen it in passing one or two times before when it wasn't being hidden behind his bangs, but I never really thought to ask about it. I cocked my head to the side.

  "Um...Alastor, can I ask you a personal question?" I asked, wiping my hands. Al gave a nod.

   "Of course my dear. Ask me anything at all." He consented. I swallowed as I prepared to ask him.

  "You don't have to answer this at all if you don't want to, but....I kind of noticed that you have a mark on your forehead and from what I understand, that comes from how you died...I guess what I'm trying to ask is...how did you die?" There was a moment of silence. Al blinked a few times at me before taking a deep breath.

   "(Y/N), as I'm sure you know, overlords are not the type of sinners who were sent down here for something small....typically sinners who become overlords are some of the scummiest humans.." he said. I nodded.

  "Yeah, you're right, I know." I confirmed. Al gave a nod.

   "Well...around when I applied for that job, my mother died. She was very sick. When I finally lost her, I lost my one friend, the only person I could call my family, the only one I could confide in. Things got worse in my life and I sort of snapped somewhere along the line. I ended up changing....and I eventually started to kill people. Like a hunter killing prey, I lost count of just how many people I murdered. I even partook in cannibalism from time to time. Well....what I didn't know was that my habits would be my undoing.  One day, I was out in the swamp, getting rid of the bodies of a few of my recent victims at the time....and I heard a twig snap. Before I could turn around, I was shot by a hunter. I ran, and I heard barking. Dogs started to chase me. I tried to get away, but to no avail, I was bitten and held back by one of the dogs, and I was shot once more, this time, right between the eyes. I suppose it's a twist of cruel fate that I was mistaken for a deer by a hunter, and hunted to my death. Like the roles got reversed and I was given a taste of my own medicine...." He said. I furrowed my brow.

   "I see." I said. Al sighed.

   "I knew I would have to tell you someday. I understand if this information puts you off from my advances...but I-" I cut him off with a hug. I held him tightly. Al slowly hugged me back.

   "Al, I honestly couldn't hate you if I tried..." I admitted. Al slipped a finger under my chin and lifted it up so I was looking up at him. He leaned forward and slowly placed his lips on mine. My eyes fell closed as we shared our first kiss. After a moment, all pulled away. He stared at me.

   "Is something wrong Alastor?" I asked. Al just stared at me again, and started to shake his head.

   "No, nothing at all. I'm just taking in the view." I furrowed my brows.

   "What view?" I asked Al chuckled.

    "You my dear. You're the view. The prettiest one around."