Mania and the Hopeful Celestial

About twenty years have passed since the first time Mania visited Heaven. Currently, Maddie is thanking her infinite patience as she stands near a group of demons who are chatting, drinking, and generally being demonic. In the room next to this one, several demons—some masculine, some feminine, and some androgynous—dance nude on a stage and poles. It's a massive party in Hell, one that Maddie attended just to supervise Mania. She's with the group that's chatting, back turned to Maddie. Maddie's wings and halo are out and shown, but she has been shown no respect because of them. Demons laugh at her and mock her, but they've shown no sign of trying to kick her out. Perhaps that was respect enough.

She taps Mania on the shoulder. "Why are you celebrating? What happened that all the demons would be partying like this? Surely you have more important things to do."

A demon walks by, giving her halo a whack, which causes it to swirl around Maddie's head like a gyroscope for a moment. Maddie turns to see who did it, but the demon has already blended into the crowd. It's the third time already that one has done this.

"What the fuck—Maddie? Where in the Hell have you been? Welcome!—Everyone, look, this is my angel. She claims I'm going to heaven. Can you believe that horseshit?"

One lankier demon with glasses and three short ones drinking wine back away from Maddie nervously, but the rest of them laugh and one even punches her shoulder. Mania, however, just smiles. Club music thumps from a subwoofer installed into one of the rock walls outside one of the broken windows. This particular district of ugly buildings has been ruined for as long as almost anyone could remember.

"You would be right, Maddie, but this is a very delightfully special occasion. The selfish and mutual nuclear destructions on New York City and Munic went through! Hardly anyone evacuated in time. Humans—those wretched bastards—I almost didn't think they had it in them. But their militant pride stops at nothing. Nothing! They've been selling and spending so, so much on weapons."

Maddie rolls her eyes, clearly a bit annoyed.

"That's really why you're partying? Do you have any idea how much work cleaning up the mess this war has caused has been? I've taken like two thousand souls up in the last week! It's a disaster!"

Maddie gives Mania a mostly unwanted hug, her tail wagging back and forth.

"But I'm glad to see you're happy. How's it been? Sorry I haven't been around lately."

"Yep, that's why we're partying. I know you geriatrics in heaven like to party about things like when humans invented the self-cleaning catheter or whatever, but we like to keep it to the exciting drama, yeah? It's not my damn fault that your job is tedious. Just go fucking retire if you're so bored! Just don't forget to pay me visits, eh? I'd miss our dinner trips, miss your favors, and even miss your pathetic begging. Let the souls be someone else's problem."

Mania takes a cigarette from one of her peers, lighting it with the tip of her fingernail. She smokes despite the fact it does nothing for her jaded mind and body and despite the fact Maddie is trying to hug her. The demons stare expectantly at Maddie for some returning insult, one even covering her own mouth.

"It's been better than ever," She proposes.

Maddie opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Wordlessly, she closes her mouth and storms off away into the crowd, ears flat and tail down low.

"You're better than her, don't say anything back," she silently thinks to herself. Her patience was being tested after a long week of seeing charred corpses and ruined cities. She was on the brink of snapping at Mania but knows that it'll only make things worse. Lost in thought, she aimlessly wanders through the crowd of demons.

Mania scoffs, watches Maddie leave, and continues her banter with her wealth-obsessed peers.

The party rages on. The strangers who haven't been introduced to Maddie continue to treat her with remarkable ignorance. Purple, red, and blue disco lights buzz on and then flail around.

However, one unfamiliar demon, a mortal soul with two stubby horns and no tail at all, stares across the room at Maddie with piercing, hazel eyes. He pushes other demons out of the way and approaches straight for her. He waves when he's close enough to just say something to her instead, which he then does.

"Is that a costume?—I'd say that you must have fell right out of the sky, but I thought they put in that rocky ceiling here to prevent divine beauties like you from crashing by."

Maddie blushes deeply, face turning a bright shade of red. Her tail waves shyly. She awkwardly waves at him.

"N-No, it's not a costume. I'm an angel, from heaven. I was just here to check on one of the demons..."

She trails off shyly, not sure what to say.

"But what do you need with me... d-demons don't usually like angels very much. They find us annoying..."

"A real-ass angel? You're really the real deal? That's nice of you to check in with one of us lousy chumps. Whoever they are, they must know they're really lucky to have someone as sexy and caring as you. What I need?"

He steps closer to the angel, and he touches her shoulder. His hand is cool.

"What I need, darling, is your name and number. I would never find you annoying. What awful demon is making you feel unwanted, huh? I could talk some sense into them."

Maddie gives the demon something of a quizzical look, although she is still blushing.

"I'm Maddie, h-hello. M-my number? I don't think calling a Heaven number from hell would work..." she trails off once more, realizing that he probably doesn't literally want her number.

"Don't worry about the other demons, they probably just don't know what to do with an angel around... it's really fine, I promise."

"I'm Mr. Rowan Chavez. You ought to just call me Bonewagon. And that's totally fine, who needs numbers really. Let's just make the best of right now. How's that sound, babe?"

He smiles, putting his other hand on her other exposed shoulder now. He rubs them, studying her soft and pleased expression. Much more attentive than Mania, anyway.

"I'm only going to worry myself with you, then. What do you want, Maddie? Why are you really here, if you're wandering off from the demon you checked on, hmm?"

"Oh, I got a bit mad at her. It's really nothing, demons are just like that sometimes. S-so what exactly do you want with me? If you aren't after my number what do you want? Are you trying to get to heaven? I can help you out with that."

Maddie nervously fidgets with her purse, not used to someone being so forward with her. Her normally calm demeanor is utterly gone, at this point in time.

"Wait is that an option? You can get me into heaven, just like that?"

He waves his hand in the arc of a rainbow in front of Maddie and him, and then he bursts into laughter.

"Alright, alright, I'd be very grateful if you could do that for me obviously. But first, I want to have a little bit of fun with you. That'll cure you of your anger, you know. So what do you say, doll? Are you ready for me?"

With the question of heaven brought up, Maddie goes on a tangent.

"Well, it'll take you a while. Depends on what you did in life, and how willing to let go of your sins. Some devils, like Mania, will take hundreds of years. You look pretty new here, so it'll take a while... oh. What do you mean, have a little fun? Are you going to show me something? Sure, I'll go with you. I like having fun from time to time."

Maddie looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to lead her to wherever they were going.

"Oh, I tortured a few prisoners of war. But I'm better now, really. I'm serving my time, showing you some fun, and then you'll just snatch me out of here. Deal? So let's get started, Maddie."

He winks at two fellow demon men, who holler at the angel and him. He leads her away from the densest part of this building, away from Mania and the mob.

Mania's eyes contact Maddie's, however, as Mania slides away to a quiet room with a succubus as well-endowed as she is glamorous.

...

Maddie steps out of the room, significantly more aware of what humans and demons find to be enjoyable. It wasn't unpleasant by any means, but her mind wanders. It definitely could've been better, but she can't put her finger on why. Then, looking around, she sees Mania coming out of a similar room and makes eye contact with her. Maddie blushes fiercely and then realizes why it could've been better. While she was in that room, she couldn't stop thinking about Mania. She nervously walks up to Mania, taking her hand.

"H-hi Mania. Is the party almost over? I should get back to work... Don't you have work to do too? Shouldn't we go home now?"

Maddie clearly wants to leave the party. She's a bit uncomfortable but wants Mania to come with her. She wants a familiar face to chat with, even if the face in question will ridicule her.

Mania accepts Maddie's hand. She's panting.

"Yeah, Maddie. Teleport me home, please. It'd take forever to walk. I'm bored for now. I'll try again tomorrow, and I'll bring some damn alcohol that time or something."

She fakes a gesture of slitting her own throat at the succubus leaving the same room Mania came from, the same nymphomaniac Mania spent the hour with.

"Look, I'm done—I'm not going to cum. It won't happen. Get lost."

The succubus sighs coyly and spreads herself on the carpet for anyone else to see. Mania faces Maddie again. The catgirl's hair is unkempt.

"What the Hell happened to you? You definitely fucked that guy. Aren't your kind supposed to keep their shiny pants on?"

Maddie fidgets, clearly nervous about answering the question.

"I uh, got curious. You look like you did something similar, though. Y-yeah, let's go back home.

Maddie's halo flashes, and they are transported back to Mania's tower. Walking on shaky legs, Maddie stumbles onto the couch. Unbeknownst to her, it's extremely easy to see up her skirt. She's not wearing anything underneath it, apart from some white stains.

"Angels can pretty much do as they please. I'm sure plenty of angels do this kinda stuff."

"Well, no shit, I'm a demon afflicted with sexual desires I didn't ask for. You're just someone convinced that she should help people."

Mania lays down on the other end of the couch, and she stares at Maddie's exposed body from this angle. She smirks, and she removes her binder with her schedule from her purse.

"What a nice pussy you are... Giving yourself up to just anyone like you're worthless."

Maddie blushes as she realizes that she forgot her underwear. The blush grows deeper as she realizes that Mania can see up her skirt and the cumstains around her pussy. Maddie hurriedly pushes down her skirt, trying to preserve some semblance of modesty.

"H-hey, stop that! You do it all the time, don't call me worthless... I was just curious."

Maddie looks disheveled and exhausted as she lies on the couch, clearly not used to having sex.

"I didn't say you're worthless. I said that you did that 'like' you're worthless. Be as curious as you want, you weirdo. Just get some damn standards."

She shrugs and updates something into her schedule, dismissing Maddie. She'll have a stab at an elite liquor store after some sensitive meetings in East Europe and East Asia. It's a great time to be a capitalist and a consumer.