Chapter Text
A cloud of red smoke enveloped Angel Dust, filling his lungs, and causing him to choke. The chain around his neck tightened, and was sharply yanked by the dark figure that loomed over him.
"Where do you think you're going?" the figure hissed, pulling Angel towards him. "You know there's no escape for you~"
Freezing, Angel found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the figure's vermilion eyes that bore into his very soul like a hot knife.
"You're mine forever!" the figure laughed darkly, then suddenly bit down on Angel's neck, causing the spider demon to let out an ear-piercing scream.
XXXXXX
Angel Dust bolted upright, clutching his chest, and breathing heavily. It took him a moment, but eventually the realization that he was in his own bed in the hotel hit him, and he calmed down somewhat.
This was far from the first nightmare about Valentino he'd had, nor was it the worst one, but that didn't stop his heart from racing fast and hard.
Trembling, he untangled himself from the covers, and made his way to the closet. After a nightmare like that, there was only one way to comfort himself enough to feel safe again.
As Angel took a box out from the closet, his pet pig demon woke up, and trotted over to him, sniffing at the box and oinking softly.
Angel smiled a little, and gently patted the pig on the head. "Hey, Fat Nuggets."
Once more, Fat Nuggets sniffed at the box curiously.
"Sometimes, Daddy needs to not be big," Angel whispered, opening the box.
Inside were a variety of items, including adult-sized diapers, a pink baby blanket, several pacifiers, and some soft toys.
Yes, this was how Angel Dust chose to deal with nightmares and trauma: Age regression.
Angel took a few items out of the box, then made sure to stash it back in the closet so it couldn't be found. He diapered himself, then put a glittery pink pacifier in his mouth before crawling back into bed, Fat Nuggets following him.
Angel snuggled into the covers, holding his blankie close, and focused on the rubber teat in his mouth. Sure enough, he soon found himself relaxing, and fell into a deep slumber with Fat Nuggets by his side.
XXXXXX
"Angel? Angel!"
A series of loud knocks on his door caused Angel to stir from his sleep. Groaning, he spat out his pacifier in order to answer Vaggie. "Whaaaat?" he whined groggily.
"Charlie wants to see you in the lobby right now. She has something to announce. So get up already."
"Fine, fine, just give me a minute!" Angel snapped.
He waited, listening to the sound of Vaggie walking away from the door, then quickly took his diaper off and stashed his baby things back in the box in the closet.
He was lucky Vaggie hadn't decided to just let herself into the room. The very idea of being caught like that sent a chill down his spine.
Once he finally made his way down to the lobby, he immediately spotted a very excited looking Charlie bouncing on her heels.
"Oh good, you're here!" she said, her already bright smile widening.
"Yeah," Angel replied flatly, running a hand through his hair. "Vagina made sure I wasn't getting anymore sleep."
"That's still not my name," Vaggie said.
Angel ignored her, flopping lazily onto the sofa. "So, what did ya want?"
"Well," Charlie began, "I was up late last night, doing some reading, and I think I've come up with a promising new idea to help get you on the path to redemption!"
"That's certainly new," Angel chuckled sarcastically. "What specifically did you have in mind?"
"Regression therapy!" Charlie exclaimed.
Angel froze, his whole body stiffening.
"...What?" he asked quietly, praying he misheard her.
"Regression therapy," she repeated, no less enthused.
Angel stood up, clenching his fists. "How did you find out?!" he demanded.
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me! You're makin' fun of me!"
"Angel, I don't know what you're talking about, honestly!" Charlie said.
"Yeah, she's just trying to help you!" Vaggie added
"Bullshit! You obviously know! Why the Hell would you suggest 'regression therapy' unless you knew I used age regression as a coping mechanism?!"
"Wait, age regression?" Charlie asked.
"Stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about!"
"Angel, when I said regression, I meant regressing back to your life on Earth. You know, to see what set you on the path to Hell?"
Angel's blood ran cold. "You... What?"
Charlie hesitated before saying anything further. "Do you maybe wanna talk about-?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Angel bolted from the room, heading back upstairs and slamming his door shut. He slumped against the wall, sinking to the floor as he buried his face in his hands.
Concerned, Fat Nuggets trotted up to Angel, and nuzzled him.
"I outed myself, Nuggs," Angel said with an embarrassed sob. "I outed myself like a damn idiot."
Fat Nuggets oinked quietly, and climbed into Angel's lap to comfort him.
Angel hugged the demon pig closely, continuing to cry. How could today get any worse?