The first rays of Hell's eerie red "morning light" seeped through the blinds, painting the bedroom in a warm, infernal glow.
Charlie was the first to stir. Her wings twitched slightly, her tail curled around her leg as she blinked awake… only to realize Max's wolf arm—well, the remaining one—was wrapped securely around her waist. His tail had wrapped around them too, the fur now fluffed in sleep, making a cradling cocoon around both her and Vaggie.
Vaggie blinked awake next.
"…How did—?" she whispered, struggling lightly.
The more she shifted, the tighter Max instinctively held her.
Charlie giggled, whispering back, "He cuddles like a hellhound puppy. Once you're in his grip, you're not going anywhere."
It took another minute of strategic wiggles and careful prying before they finally slipped free.
When they stood, Charlie brushed her hair back—and that's when she noticed something.
Max's shirt had ridden up slightly when he rolled over. On the small of his back, clear as day, glowing faintly like burned-in digital ink:
30:43
Charlie squinted. "…What is that?"
She gently reached down and touched the numbers.
The numbers moved.
Shifted—as if avoiding her finger. Almost… alive.
Vaggie leaned in, eyes narrowing sharply. "That looks like a timer."
Charlie nodded. "A countdown. But for what?"
They exchanged a look.
Vaggie whispered, "We should wake him. Carefully."
Then she smirked. "Or… we could do it the way you like in all those sappy stories you read. Morning kiss, gentle nudge—"
Charlie flushed. "Tempting. Very tempting. But I have a better idea."
She clapped her hands softly.
"Razzle, Dazzle. Wake him up, please."
The two goat demons teleported into existence with unholy enthusiasm.
Razzle immediately charged forward and bit Max's tail.
Dazzle followed by launching himself belly-first onto Max's back like a bowling ball.
Max jolted awake so violently he nearly kicked himself off the bed.
He hacked, coughed, grabbed his tail with his only arm.
"G–gah—damn it! I was hoping for a kiss, not a hit squad—ow!"
Vaggie sighed, rubbing her temples. "Charlie, I thought we were trying to take care of him, not traumatize him."
Charlie, smiling sweetly, leaned down and kissed Max's cheek.
"What can I say? He can be a bad influence."
Max groaned dramatically, but smirked. "Yeah, noticed."
Charlie went into the bathroom to change, leaving Max staring in betrayal at the tiny goat demons.
"I gave you donuts after your bath last week. Donuts. And this is how you repay me?"
He pointed accusingly. "Remind me not to buy you any next time. I don't even have to hide my powers anymore—I can teleport you into bubbles for baths now."
Both goat demons froze, then whimpered, clutching each other.
Satisfied, Max rolled off the bed and stretched—wincing slightly as he remembered he only had one arm.
"I'll leave so you can change, Vaggie. I'm just a guest here. Thanks for taking care of me, by the way. And changing the bandages—even if it was, uh… a little pointless. Still appreciate the gesture."
He hugged her gently and turned to go.
"Wait," Vaggie said. "We have questions. Small ones."
Charlie emerged from the bathroom at that moment, dressed in her usual clothes—white jacket crisp, bowtie perfect, hair flawless.
Max whistled. "Someone's looking heavenly today."
Charlie rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile.
"Sit," Vaggie said. "We need to talk."
Max sat on the bed, tail wagging lightly.
"So," he said, "what do you wanna know? How I get my looks? Why my tail fluff stays soft? I swear I don't know. I think it's natural."
Charlie giggled. "I thought you used that hellhound shampoo Loona showed you."
Vaggie cleared her throat loudly. Time to focus.
Charlie nodded, face serious.
"Max… we saw numbers on your lower back. A timer. Do you know what that is?"
Max blinked in confusion. "Numbers? On my back?"
He went to the mirror, peeled off his shirt.
Both girls blushed faintly—not the first time they'd seen him shirtless, but still—
Max stared at the reflection.
"…Damn. That's what he meant by glitches."
Charlie stepped closer. "So you do know what it is?"
"Kind of." Max sighed. "I didn't know it would be physical. But… part of my deal with God was getting access to the human world for 48 hours total. I figured it'd reset at some point. Guess it's counting down permanently."
Charlie gasped softly. "So you were in the human world for… eighteen hours?"
"Pretty sure, yeah. Maybe more. Some of it probably got eaten up when we visited Heaven."
He shrugged. "Oh well. Means I'll need to bring back more food next time."
Charlie and Vaggie glanced at each other, silently panicking.
"What happens when it hits zero?" they asked at the same time.
Max blinked. "Creepy. And nothing dramatic. I'd just be stuck here in Hell unless I'm summoned or I do possession tricks. Nothing dangerous."
With a snap, he switched into his usual clothes.
Charlie retrieved his rings and slid them gently back onto his fingers one by one, like she was helping dress a prince.
"Well… come back safe," she said softly.
"I don't want you losing your other arm."
He leaned down. Charlie kissed his cheek.
Vaggie kissed him next—swift but sincere.
Max smiled, tail wagging.
"Always."
And then he teleported away in a puff of red mist.