Hazbin Hotel Season 3

Chapter 17: People Can't Change

"Angel?" He glanced up to see Cherri in the doorway of his room, and he almost stood up and walked over there and slammed the door in her face but he couldn't do that because he was just tired and he couldn't lose his best friend. Angel reminded himself to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. "I'm coming in."

He nodded, scooting over on the bed so she could sit next to him. They were quiet for a bit. That was part of what Angel liked so much about being with Cherri. She was loud, and would bomb an entire building if she wanted to, but she also knew when to be quiet, when to just listen. He rubbed the sensitive fur behind Fat Nuggets ears, feeling the thin hairs slip through his fingers. The pig squealed and bounded off to Cherri, who smiled and indulged in his requests.

"He likes you better than he likes me," Angel muttered, a bit fondly. "Bitch."

Cherri snorted. "Maybe because I don't half-strangle him to death every night."

"I don't do that!" Angel protested, but he could feel his fingers curl up against the sides of his arms, digging into the skin as the silence built up again. "Why didn't you tell me?" He blurted. "Y-you could've told me that you did it. I wouldn't have been angry or anything."

Cherri winced. "Angie..."

"But I'm still feeling a bit upset? Which doesn't even make sense because he was a fucking perv and he was horrible so why am I sad that he's dead? I-I wanted to kill him myself so many times and now that he's gone and I'm free I just don't feel..." his voice trailed off and he pulled his knees to his chest, knowing that he was being unfair, so fucking unfair. "Why didn't you tell me?" He repeated desperately.

Cherri swallowed. "Look Angie... I'm sorry. I really am."

"But ya shouldn't be! I should be thanking you, I-"

"No you shouldn't," Cherri said firmly, cutting Angel off. "Because I stole that from you. You should've been the one to sink that dagger in his chest, you should've killed him. Or you should've broken free. Angie, it was your right to do that and I did it instead so I am so sorry."

Angel stared at her for a minute, feeling his eyes well up with tears but he wiped them away. "Thanks," he said quietly. "That... that means a lot."

Cherri smiled and was quiet for a second before a smirk grew on her face. "So... what's going on between you and Husker?"

Angel froze, knowing his cheeks were tinged pink, which was embarrassing since he never blushed. "What?"

"You and the bartender," Cherri said impatiently. "The sexual tension is thick enough to cut with a knife."

Angel tried to think of a lie to tell her, but he also knew that Cherri would see through it right away. "I might have kissed him? Not-not anything else."

Cherri stared at him. "Just kissed?"

Angel flushed but nodded. "Just kissed."

Cherri groaned. "That's fucking boring."

Angel grinned back at her. "I dunno. I guess we're taking it slow and..." he fiddled with his sleeves, trying not to think about how they hadn't talked about it afterward. "I kinda like it?"

"Woah."

"What?"

"You fucker." Cherri grinned. "You actually like him. Like like like him."

Angel paused in his action of playing with his sleeves. "I... I guess." But what if it ends up going bad again? Like the first time?

She frowned. "What's wrong?"