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impale-me-radio-daddy · 10 months ago

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The Lookalike (Part 5)

☒ Summary: The first thing you remembered after your death was an argument. “No, this isn’t one of my fucking sluts.” The man behind you exhaled, frustrated. “This is a present for you. Something to help you work through your Alastor fixation.” You awaken in Hell as the near-spitting image of a certain infamous radio host. Unfortunately for you, you immediately fall into the clutches of his nemesis, and then into the talons of the Radio Demon himself.

☒ Warnings: hermaphrodite!reader, deer!reader, they/them pronouns used, Alastor X reader, Vox X reader, Alastor X Vox, drug use, explicit sexual content, reader is in Hell for a reason, Valentino, canon typical scenarios.

☒ Author's note: This is now a series! Part I Part2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 6 Part 6 BONUS SCENE Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Epilogue

Given that you were the same size, and the intention was to have you pose as him, Alastor allowed you to raid his wardrobe without complaint. The bulk of it was variants on the same outfit, a palette swapped version of the suit that Vox had dressed you in, but you found enough pieces in the back to entertain yourself; a dress shirt with suspenders over it, a waistcoat, a jaunty little fez that attached to the hair with a hairpin and a cravat to hide the bruising on your neck.

You still looked like Alastor, but more of a bellhop than a concierge, and weighing the man’s gaze on you, you could tell this had been the right decision. He viewed you as his lesser, and seeing that reflected in your dress gave a less guarded edge to his smile that had not been there before.

Alastor returned your things to you, the wire and the aphrodisiac, and led you out into the hotel proper to introduce you to the rest of the staff.

“This here is Niffty,” said Alastor, fondly, gesturing to the pint-sized demon in a maid’s outfit who ran up to you as the two of you entered the lobby.

“Hello, Niffty,” you said, extending a hand to her. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Niffty stared up at you, her single eye wide and curious. Rather than speak, she placed a large dead cockroach in your open palm, then smiled at you toothily before running away.

Alastor’s eyes creased at the corners. “I think she likes you,” he said. “But who knows, honestly, so watch your back. The others here are Vaggie, with the one eye, the grumpy pussycat behind the bar is Husker, and that one there is our hotel’s singular guest, Angel Dust. Lucifer and his daughter aren’t here right now, but you’ll cross paths soon enough.”

Vaggie stopped and stared, her expression at first confused, and then angry. “Alastor, why are there two of you? What did you do?”

Alastor just smiled obliquely. “What did I do? Why, nothing at all. This good fellow is merely my body double. They’ll be assisting me for a while.”

Angel Dust squinted at you from his perch at the bar, his look appraising. “Soo… They slash Them?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alastor stepped in before you could speak, an arm slung friendly around your shoulders. “Actually I think they’re more of a strangler.”

“So you found yourself a murder twin. Fuckin’ great.” The big cat behind the bar sighed as he polished a glass.

Taking out a handkerchief, you folded it carefully around the dead insect, giving it a little squeeze to check that it was actually dead, and headed over to the bar.

Angel Dust gave you a lascivious grin. “So how was sex with the tv?” he asked, both hands folded under his chin.

This time you felt a chill in the air as Alastor stiffened behind you. You could practically feel the static in his throat.

“I’m sorry?” you cocked your head, apologetic.

“Oh, don’t be coy, I saw the pictures.” Angel Dust winked at you.

“Pictures?” you felt your composure break, just a little. Of course Vox had taken pictures. The bedroom had been studded with cameras, and if you had to guess he probably had at least one embedded in his face. You hadn’t expected him to distribute them though. And though you’d only been in your body a few days, it was a little galling to think of strangers looking at your naked form. Your ears dropped fractionally.

“Oh shit, you didn’t know.” Angel Dust looked genuinely apologetic for about a second. “Well, welcome to Hell, I guess.”

Alastor took a seat beside you, not looking you in the eye. “He didn’t send them to everyone, of course. Only to me.”

“It doesn’t matter who he sends em to if he took em without proper licensing,” said Angel, sagely. “Was he any good at least? Or did he just lay there, with his big flat head?” Angel gestured in a square around his own head.

You gave a tight lipped smile. “I don’t talk about things like that. Past partners, I mean.”

“What’s the harm? Sounds like he already betrayed your trust.”

“Because it’s rude.” You spread your hands. “If I’m just going to behave like the people who wrong me, then who am I, really?”

“You’re in Hell,” said Angel, with a derisive wave of his hand. “Live a little.” He laughed, but Husk slid you a drink across the bartop, and you sensed something that might have been approval in Alastor’s gaze.

Your first week in the hotel passed quickly, with Alastor taking full advantage of your promise to help around the hotel. There were few guests, but the hotel itself was enormous, so most of your tasks consisted of cleaning, dusting, or pulling Niffty out when she got stuck in the air vents.

Alastor didn’t talk about the encounter you had shared, neither the tussle nor the intimacy afterwards, so you were a little surprised when he asked you to move into his room with him. The space inside the room was huge, and at night he would vanish into his personal swamp to do who knew what, leaving you to sleep in his bed with a set of his pajamas on.

A little personal space felt good after days trapped in Vox’s bedroom, but it didn’t take many nights for the bed to feel a little too large with only one body in it. That he was avoiding sharing the bed with you was a certainty; the sheets smelled like him, and more than once you found yourself sleeping curled around one of his pillows, face pressed against the fabric.

The way that Alastor would casually reach out and squeeze one of your antlers if he passed you alone in a hotel corridor told you that the two of you were probably still on kissing terms, or at least that Alastor thought little of such small displays of intimacy.

You spent time watching Alastor where you could, learning his mannerisms and gait. You lacked his magic, of course, but your voice had the same tendency as his to give a tinny, faintly distorted sound, and you found you could replicate his silvery canned laughter with a little effort. The physical part was a little more difficult, with your body still new and a little unsteady, but within the first few days you had a passable imitation of how Alastor walked. There was a quirk to his stride, an intermittent tension to his shoulders, which you began to imitate too. Perhaps it was an injury of some sort, but it was hard to tell. Alastor’s other major quirk was that he never dropped his smile. You didn’t copy that, but took note of it for later.

Walking past the lounge, you caught sight of Charlie and all the residents starting up one of their group activities, and stopped to watch.

Charlie clapped her hands. “Alright, everyone, for our next activity, we are going to do hugging! Everyone pick a partner, and we’ll do a one minute timed hug.”

“We’re one short if we want pairs,” said Vaggie, looking around the room.

“Hey, tall dark and ambiguous,” Angel Dust caught your eye from his place on the sofa, and wiggled an eyebrow suggestively. “You want in on this?”

You checked the watch on your wrist- after hours- and shrugged. “Sure.”

A cold presence manifested behind you. “If my double is joining, it would be remiss of me not to,” said Alastor, emerging from the shadows. His claws settled delicately on your shoulder. “You’ll be my partner, won’t you?”

You glanced back, spotted the possessive look in Alastor’s eyes, and nodded. “Of course. Sorry, Angel.”

Angel Dust gave an audible sigh as Niffty crawled into his lap.

“Alastor? You’re joining? But that leaves us with an odd number again.” Charlie’s face fell.

“That’s okay, Charlie. I can sit this one out.” Lucifer, who had been sitting on the second couch, got to his feet.

“But dad…”

“I’m being a team player. That’s what dads are for, right?” Lucifer gave his daughter a fond smile, which she returned uncertainly. “I’m just gonna take some air.”

“Okay.” Charlie watched her father leave the room, her expression clouded, but she shook her head, taking in the room of people waiting for her to speak. “Uh, okay. So, like I said, we’re going to do the timed hug, and everyone has to ask a question, and answer a question truthfully. I’ll start the stopwatch.”

Sitting in a chair with Alastor was the first time you’d felt his arms around you since he’d climbed atop of you in his bed. His chest fit flush with your back, and he hooked his chin over your shoulder as both of you settled into the cuddle. Had he done this just to stop you from cuddling up with the porn demon? It seemed likely.

“Will you start, or shall I?” Alastor asked, your faces close enough that you breathed the same air. Looking around, no-one in the room was looking at the two of you, each of the participants engrossed in their own quiet conversations.

“Is that your question?” you asked, mildly.

“A question each.” Alastor’s eyes creased at the corners. “Bravo, impostor. I believe we’ve fulfilled the conditions of Charlie’s activity.”

“Not quite. We’re here until the timer goes. So we might as well talk.”

“I suppose. What are you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering why you’ve asked me to sleep in your bed when you have no intention of sharing it with me,” you said, careful to keep your voice low, audible only to him.

“Oh? Is it so surprising that I want to keep an eye on my things?” Alastor’s smile quirked, a challenge. Say you’re not mine. I dare you.

“I don’t see Husk or Niffty sleeping in there,” you said, a soft challenge rather than a direct one.

Alastor trailed a possessive hand from your navel to your chest, making your breath catch in your throat. “Husker and Niffty,” he said quietly. “Do not have my face. Do not mistake their situations for yours.”

“And what is my situation, exactly?” you asked.

Alastor gave a hiss of displeasure at being cornered like this, and you noted the sound. His hand still over your chest, he flexed his claws, the sharp ends pressure points in a pentacle over your heart. “You’re mine,” he said. “Not anyone else’s. Mine.”

That was either deranged or romantic; you couldn’t quite decide which. “Because I look like you?”

“Because no-one else can be allowed to see my- our face. What we look like, in agony or ecstasy.” Alastor’s smile was steady, but his voice had a strained edge even at this low volume.

“That’s just for you, huh.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“I wouldn’t have a problem with that if I felt like you had any intention of seeing my expressions yourself,” you said, your own quiet challenge. You liked Alastor well enough, but an eternity of celibacy was a tall ask.

Alastor laughed in your ear, the sound silvery, his slight chest trembling with mirth. “What would you propose we do?”

You mulled it over, comfortable in his embrace. Given Alastor’s reticence in sharing the bed, straight up propositioning him for sex probably wasn’t the correct route. “I have the bottle of aphrodisiac I took,” you said, careful not to mention Vox’s name. You’d wanted to have it as an option for your eventual hunts, but you had no idea what the suitable dosages might be. “I wanted to test it as a knockout drug. Help with that?” It was an lowball pitch, an objective besides sex and no obligation for him to perform.

“Surely you’re joking.” Alastor rolled his eyes. “I’m not about to be your test subject.”

“Of course not. You’re stronger than me. I’d be the test subject.” You intended the flattery, acknowledging Alastor’s strength, and caught a flicker of something like pride in his face.

“I suppose I could help with that,” he said, his tone light but his eyes betraying interest. “It might even be entertaining.”

Lucifer approached Alastor’s bedroom door with trepidation, and looked around. That Alastor might have been his inferior in terms of raw power, which the fight with Adam had proved, but he was a tricky one. He had been attending Charlie’s activity with his double, but who was to say there wasn’t a third or fourth Alastor in the hotel somewhere. Lucifer stared at a dark patch on the floor in front of the door for a second too long before realizing it was his own shadow.

Cracking his knuckles, Lucifer transformed himself into a tiny snake with a top hat, and slithered underneath Alastor’s door.

If Mr TV man wanted cameras and microphones all over Alastor’s room, the King of Hell would provide.

Despite your earlier bravery, nervousness was a tightness in your chest as you returned to Alastor’s room that night. Memories of your previous encounter swirled in your gut, and you reminded yourself that he hadn’t agreed to a repeat performance, at least not explicitly.

Alastor was already there, laying out a set of small brass scales on his table, picking the small weights from the velvet box with his talons and lining them up beside it. Wordlessly you stalked up beside him, placing the bottle onto the table and picking out a suitable thimble sized container from the box.

Ingested, or inhaled? Ingested, you decided- you had no idea if the stuff would rip up your airways. Balancing the scales, you measured out a few grams. Given that Vox had just left this laying around in his bedroom, you doubted such a small dose would be lethal, and if it knocked you out for the count, you trusted Alastor enough to put you to bed.

You removed your shoes and waistcoat, taking a seat before you swallowed the powder, clearing your mind and taking stock of your body.

The first wave of the drug’s effects hit immediately, and you were glad you’d been conservative with the dose. The warmth spread from your throat to your chest, leaving your nerve-endings buzzing in its wake as it spread.

Alastor watched, giving you a questioning tilt of the head.

You swallowed as sensation flooded your body, struggling to keep a clear head. “I’m going to run, now. Try and stop me.”

The hardest thing was turning away, not immediately offering yourself up for soft touches, skin against skin. Part of you wanted to turn around and offer to wrestle, but you had a good idea of where that would go. That in itself was a useful effect of the drug, but not enough. Someone who knew they were being hunted by you would have the wherewithal to at least try to run.

With your senses on fire, running was a strange sensation, each bound through Alastor’s ersatz swamp dimension feeling precarious, almost drunken. The air was thick and humid, and it almost felt as if it was pooling in your lungs, slowing you down. As requested, Alastor chased, a shadow in your peripheral vision, glimpses of him spurring you on. He didn’t run full tilt, as you were trying to do, but rather proceeded calmly through the bayou, moving closer with his shadow when your quick pace put him too far behind. The closer he got, the harder it was to keep running. Your arousal was evident to you now, your cock half-hard in your pants, your pulse almost tangible through your core, all the quicker for your physical exertion.

Alastor caught your forearm in his hand, and you stumbled, heart dropping in your chest. The drug was something similar to the rave drugs in the mortal world, making physical contact feel like affection, a little like falling in love, a little like a long night under the stars, backs against the ground.

“You’re not even struggling,” Alastor noted, quietly amused. “Do you think this dosage might suffice?”

“I can still run.”

“But you’re not running,” said Alastor. He trailed a hooked finger up your chest and underneath your cravat, pulling your head forward, his voice turning singsong. “You don’t want to run.”

It was true- you didn’t want to run. You wanted to lapse into something more carnal, pull him to the ground with you, but that wasn’t entirely the drug.

You did try to pull away then, but even his light touch felt inexorable. Alastor’s smile shifted, becoming less the surface level curve his face usually wore and more an expression of intense interest. You could feel the drug’s effects intensifying, your perceptions warping in a not entirely unpleasant way as Alastor pulled you to him. Heat in your face, heat in your loins. “Try to run,” he spoke into your ear, the touch of his breath on your skin making your hair stand on end. “Try to escape me.”

You did, some part of your mind still capable of resisting, and you twisted from his grasp, making it a few steps before he was on you again, this time pushing you to the ground.

You gasped into the dirt, your vision swimming.

“Would you like me to take notes?” Alastor asked, pinning you to the ground with one hand between your shoulderblades, the weight of his palm unnaturally heavy. “About how docile you are under the influence of this, how malleable?” He leaned in close, face beside yours. “How you become perfect, vulnerable prey?”

You moved without thinking, turning your head to kiss him. For a few seconds he returned the kiss, tongue sweeping against yours, before his body tensed and he recoiled from you. You rolled to your side, watching confused as he stumbled back, scraping his tongue with his hand.

“Fuck,” hissed Alastor, and it occurred to you the maybe he’d gotten a secondary dose of the drug from your mouth.

“It’s not so bad,” you called to him.

“It’s all very well you saying that,” said Alastor, a little archly, his smile prim. “You volunteered to take this stuff.”

“And you got a fraction of what I did,” you said, keeping your tone coaxing. “We’ll both be fine.”

You crawled over to him, laying your head against his knee, and watched his face, the way his pupils dilated, ever so slightly, antlers larger than they had been a moment before.

“You’ve poisoned me,” he grumbled, but didn’t stop you as you climbed into his lap, or as you leaned in to kiss him again. His body gave a small tremor as your lips touched, and you looped your hands around his shoulders, kissing his cheek, his jaw, your skin feeling like white light where it touched his. “A good showing again, my double,” he said, his smile almost feral against your neck.

“I didn’t poison you on purpose.”

“You would say that,” said Alastor.

He pushed you from his lap and onto the soft ground of the faux bayou, on your hands and knees.

“See what you’ve done to me?” He pressed his hard cock against the back of your thigh, hot through the fabric, and you whimpered, rolling your hips back against him. With a quick and trembling hand he unhooked your suspenders, pulling down trousers and underwear, freeing his own cock with a susurrus of fabric and pushing himself between your thighs.

“Fuck.” You bit your lip, feeling the heat of him, the swell of him, the wetness at his tip as he found friction between your inner thighs. The drugs made his touch feel like love, made your cunt ache and your own cock further stiffen and weep. He pushed your shoulders down and you cried out into the dirt, arching your back as he reached around to grasp you.

“Still, can’t say I object too vehemently,” said Alastor, hand curling perfectly around your cock, pumping in time with his own thrusts. “It’s not so different to masturbation, after all.”

You groaned at the dual sensation, Alastor’s hand firm but steady round your shaft, and the heat of his cock as he fucked between your thighs. “Inside me.” You raised your face from the dirt to speak. “Alastor. Inside me, please.”

Alastor gave a thoughtful hum, but backed off just enough to let you angle and open yourself for him. With the similarity in your stature, it was easily done, and Alastor held himself still as you lined your entrance with his tip, and pushed back onto him. Your senses still heightened by the drugs, the feeling of him was exquisite, every inch of him a heady burn as he filled your cunt.

“That is-” he made a noise in his throat, one of unmistakable pleasure. “That is quite a convenient bit of anatomy, darling.”

That simple utterance was enough to bring a flush to your face, no matter that the man was already buried to the hilt in you. Darling. He had called you darling.

The whole week you had known him, he had called you his pretender, his impostor, his double and on a handful of occasions dear, in the same way that a doting grandparent might call a child, but darling was a different name entirely. Darling hit different when he was balls deep, antlers growing, palm curled around your cock and about to fuck you. Some of it was bound to be your altered mental state, of course, but not entirely. Did he care for you? Did you care for him in the same way? You whimpered, soft animal noises as he began to move inside you.

Perhaps sensing your emotional state, or perhaps from sentiment on his own part, Alastor’s movement was slow, each thrust a burning stretch on your cunt that left you able to do little more than gasp into the dirt as he bottomed out, balls resting against your labia.

“Darling,” he breathed into your shoulder at one such nadir, and the amused exhalation he gave afterwards told you that he could tell exactly the effect that word had on you. With a startle you realized that he had become bigger than he was, not just his cock but the entirety of his body, his torso longer, his arms longer, even his fingers curled around your cock. “You asked for this, remember that.”

“Darling,” you returned, heart in your throat, hoping that he could feel what you felt, and his response was a deep, animal rumble, from inside his inhuman chest as he hunched around your smaller body. It was only one word, one term of endearment, but perhaps it was enough. He fucked you then, not with abandon but control, the control of a man used to inflicting sensation in an exacting and precise manner. Each thrust felt like a descent into madness, bringing tears to your eyes, making your hips quiver as you tried to move against him, but Alastor held your waist with one clawed hand. You came more quickly than you wanted, spilling onto his fingers and the dirt beneath you, and he fucked you through it, the stretch of him enough to make you twitch all by itself.

“Should I finish inside you?” he asked, a tight, trembling edge to his voice, and you realized that his usual playful repartee had been missing all the time he had been fucking you, that this whole time he had been hanging on for sheer life, holding himself from his own orgasm.

“Please,” you whimpered into the dirt, and your suspicions here confirmed as you felt the first hot pulse of his cum inside you almost immediately, a noise from him very similar to the one you had been making, something between an animal cry and the moan of a poorly soldered capacitor.

You felt Alastor collapse against your back, face buried in your neck. He gave a soft gasp, a barely audible fuck, and you pressed yourself against him as he emptied himself into you, pulse after pulse, until his body was the normal size again and his cum ran in thick rivulets down your thighs.

The notification pinged in Vox’s peripheral vision as he was halfway through the quarterly board meeting- new camera feeds now online- and the thought of it made his mouth go dry. He didn’t have much to do here other than closing remarks, and Voxtek’s CTO was deep into explaining some shit that Vox already knew, so what was the harm in it? Just a little peek. To check the system was working. He’d probably just see Alastor reading a book or some archaic fuckin’ thing.

Valentino never attended these things. Velvette did, but rarely, her face stuck in her phone until a particular item on the agenda caught her interest.

The other two did their bit in their respective arenas, but really, Vox was the one holding it all together. The board didn't need him today though. Vox eyed Baxter wearily, watching his chief engineer go through a presentation he'd seen three times before. Really, why shouldn’t he check the camera feeds?

Making sure that none of the feed was displayed on his face, Vox switched to the first of the cameras, and catching a glimpse of movement, switched feeds to one of the cameras in the bayou.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

Alastor hunched over his lookalike, both of them with pants around their knees. Going at it, Alastor's eyes like radio dials, his body elongating as the both of you moved together. Fuck. This shit was live. Vox stifled a groan, then glanced around the boardroom, hoping that no-one had caught his reaction.

Oh, fucking fuck. Vox drew in breath, trying to compose himself.

“Sir, are you okay?” Baxter stopped mid presentation, looking at Vox with an expression of concern.

“I, uh, need to make a call real quick,” he said, and the board gave him confused looks as he stood, picking up his laptop and holding it in front of him to hide the tent in his pants. Live radio demon fucking continued overlaid over the board’s stares, screen-in-screen. “Carry on as you were.”

His cock now too hard for him to walk away with any dignity whatsoever, Vox called on his magic to zap himself out of there and back to the relative privacy of his control room. “Fu-uck,” breathed Vox as he stumbled forward to the control panel, watching with wide-eyed disbelief as he broadcast the scene to the big screen, piping in the audio, the breathing and the whimpering as well as the wet visceral sounds of sex. “Oh, fuck yeah.” He licked his lips, hand at his fly, transfixed by the sight. “That's some good fucking shit.”

Lucifer had fulfilled his end of the bargain and then some. Val and Velvette would have questions as to why they were suddenly giving loads of free shit to Lucifer's daughter, but he could handle that.

Right now, Vox was going to sit down and watch the Radio Demon fuck himself. The board meeting could fucking wait.

#alastor x you #alastor x reader #alastor x y/n #vox x reader #vox #vox x alastor #hazbin x reader #antlerplay

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hxzbinwrites · 1 year ago

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Hi! 👋

I just read your Vox soulmate AU and I LOVED it. If you're still taking requests, could you do something similar with Husk but his soulmate has powers like scarlet witch. His soulmate is very protective and sweet on the winged kitty. Maybe throw in a kiss or two 😘.

If not, it's cool. Keep up the great work and can't wait to read more!

Husk x Soulmate! Reader | Saving Me

Warnings ⚠️: Cussing, Short :(

Sighing, Husk watched as Charlie and Vaggie cuddled together on the couch in the lobby. After everything, the lies and heartbreak, they still were okay. They still loved each other.

Husk has had his soulmate string for a while now, but Alastor prevented him from leaving to go chase it. It was worse than not having one at all, seeing that stupid string tug and beg for him to find his match, his other half.

His tired eyes looked down at his cup, his rag scrubbing the inside of it. He really wished that stupid damn deer would kick the bucket already.

“Husk!” Charlie said, looking over at the grouchy cat.

He raised an eyebrow, looking up at the Princess from under his eyelashes.

“Now that the hotel is revamped, do you think you could put some of these flyers out? Especially because it’s rent free!”

“I guess.” He said, taking the flyers.

————

When everyone was having dinner together, a strong knock on the door was heard.

Charlie sprinted over to the door, excited to meet a potential new client of their hotel.

The door revealed a woman standing there, an Halloween-like Witch costume on her.

“I’m here for this…’Hazbin Hotel’” She said, extending a hand to Charlie,”My name is (Y/n), I’m a witch. I was as well when I was alive, hence the costume I fell down with. I think it’s cute nonetheless.”

Charlie’s squeals of excitement alerted everyone at the dinner table. Mostly everyone was walking over to investigate, except for Husk. He sat there at the table, uninterested. Last thing he needs is some other annoying person pestering him, he’s got his paws full with Alastor’s bullshit and Angel’s hormones.

He ignored the crowd as they went to go show the newbie their room, walking back towards the bar to wash the remaining dirty cups.

“Husker~!” Alastor said, popping up out of thin air like the freak he is

Husk’s ears were pinned back against his head, his frown evident. “What?”

“You haven’t welcomed our guest!” He said, his head tilting menacingly. “I think you should.”

Husk, running a paw through his fluffy fur on the top of his head, sighed. “I gotta finish my job here first. You made me come here, you bastard.”

“Hmm.” Alastor said, glaring at him over his shoulder,”Alright! Just make sure you treat them well, you’re still on a leash, pet.”

Husk didn’t reply, just focusing on his job as Alastor met the rest of the crew at the end of the tour.

Husk looked up at the newbie, immediately dropping the class, letting it shatter on the ground.

“Husk!” Charlie said,”are you okay?!”

He didn’t reply, looking into his soulmates eyes. Finally, he finally found them. He could cry like a baby right now. He quickly walked around the counter of the bar, drowning out everyone’s concerned comments.

Everyone stopped talking when he stopped right in front of the newbie, before dipping them and kissing them deeply. Husk felt like he couldn’t bring them any closer, that nothing was close enough.

Gasping for air, he finally broke it off, smiling down at the flustered witch.

“Husk! What the hell?!” Vaggie said, scowling,”you can’t just do that! That’s assault!!”

“No…no it’s okay” (Y/n) said,”I-I found my soulmate. He’s a cute, grumpy kitty.”

Husk rolled his eyes at that last comment, before he looked over at Alastor.

He was fuming, the radio demon was clutching his staff so hard it could’ve snapped.

“Husker. I told you not to find your soulmate. It’s in your contract.”

“Well I technically found him” (Y/n) said, putting her hands on the cat’s chest. Husk knew the situation with the man who owned his soul and his soulmate was extremely serious, but he was fighting the urge not to purr.

Alastor pondered for a moment, before pulling up the contract again. He scanned over it before the witch snatched it from his grasp.

“Sorry, ‘Radio Demon’” She said, in a mocking tone,”Since our string faded away, and your ‘client’ didn’t seek me out, he didn’t go against your agreement. I own his soul now, and he owns mine. He’s no longer in your possession.”

Alastor’s smile was so tight his teeth could crack, seeing the contract rip up and Husk’s chains fizzle away.

“So? Husk was it?” (Y/n) said, grabbing his paws,”I think we have some catching up to do.”

“I agree.” Husk said, planting a light kiss on top of her forehead.

“Sorry I didn’t seek you out earlier” She said, “I-I thought you didn’t want to meet me, but I now know the truth.”

“Thank you love, thank you for saving me.”

————

Word Count: I’m lazy i’ll put it later 💀

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anonymousewrites · 11 months ago

Text

Nature of the Human Soul (Book 1) Chapter Five

Platonic! Hazbin Hotel x Teen! Reader

Father Figure! Alastor x Teen! Reader

Chapter Five: Bonding through Battle

Summary: Charlie and Vaggie try to get the Hotel to bond, and (Y/N) trains with Alastor.

“That looks perfect!” said Charlie after Razzle and Dazzle helped her hang a “Happy First Week, Sir Pentious!” sign above the door. “Ah, I’m so excited that Sir Pentious is staying at the hotel.”

“Uh, Pentious was just trying to take over the city with his weird steampunk bullshit a few days ago,” said Vaggie, crossing her arms.

“And he was working with the Vees,” said (Y/N).

“He apologized for that, and he hasn’t tried to take over the city from here!” said Charlie positively.

As if summoned, Pentious pushed in a strange, cannon-like device with his Egg Bois riding on top.

“What the hell is that?!” cried Vaggie.

“Oh, hello, purple female,” said Pentious. “It’s my new invention, ‘Skin Flayer 11,000.’ I’m really looking forward to shooting the other residents.”

(Y/N) stood up from the couch. “I think that’s my cue to leave.”

“He’s harmless!” said Charlie.

“Tell that to the cannon!” said (Y/N), escaping out of the room. As they went, they saw Angel coming down the stairs. “Don’t go in there.”

“Huh? Why? I want a drink,” said Angel.

“Pentious is considering shooting everyone right now,” said (Y/N).

“Can’t we just get Smiles to throw him out?” grumbled Angel.

“Yeah, Charlie’s against that,” sighed (Y/N).

“Damn it,” muttered Angel.

“(Y/N)?” said Charlie, peeking into (Y/N)’s room.

(Y/N) looked up guilty from where they were trying to grow a giant thorny rose in the middle of their room.

Charlie stared. “What is that?”

“Decorations…?” said (Y/N), smiling awkwardly.

Charlie sighed. “What are you planning on doing with that?”

“Just putting it up in my room,” said (Y/N) brightly. And to squeeze the life out of people if they try to hurt me.

“…Okay,” said Charlie, accepting the explanation. “I’m asking people to come down for a hotel meeting!”

“Do I have to?” said (Y/N).

“I’ll send Vaggie to get anyone who doesn’t come,” chirped Charlie.

“I’m coming,” said (Y/N), standing up instantly.

“Hi, guys, thanks for coming!” said Charlie, all guests and staff (minus Alastor) gathered in the lobby. “It’s been brought to our attention that there may be a little…tension in the hotel.”

Understatement, thought (Y/N), glancing at where Pentious was hissing at Niffty as she tried to approach. Husk and Angel were with them on the couch, avoiding the snake demon.

“Tension that can be counterproductive to what we’re trying to do here,” said Vaggie.

“We think this group could really benefit from trust exercises!” said Charlie. She grinned. “Yep, we’re doing trust exercises!”

“So what’s with the whole, uh…this?” asked Husk. He gestured to the stage Charlie and Vaggie had set up with a sign saying “Trusting 101.” “I’m not about to put on some show for these fucking chumps.”

“Oh, I will, but it’s cash up front, and I know that one—” Angel gestured at Pentious “—can’t afford me.”

“I’d really prefer not to see the show you’re suggesting,” said (Y/N).

“Gross, I’d never think of a spider,” hissed Pentious.

“Right, well, let’s get started.” According to Vaggie, none of them were getting a choice. “Charlie?”

“Hey, wait, where’s Alastor?” asked (Y/N), raising a hand.

“He had some errands to run,” said Charlie, smiling. “So he can’t be here right now.”

(Y/N) put their hand down. “Oh, okay.”

Some part of them was a little disappointed. Alastor was…odd at times, but they had enjoyed training with him. He had been focused and tough, but it had helped (Y/N). They respected that.

“Alright, are we good to get started now? Any more questions?” asked Vaggie.

Angel put his hand in the air. “Can I leave?” Vaggie narrowed her eyes dangerously, and Angel lowered his hand. “Never mind.”

“Alright, we’re good,” said Vaggie. “Go ahead, Charlie.”

“Actually, I thought maybe you could take the lead on this one,” said Charlie. “I trust everyone, so maybe you know better about how to build it properly.”

“What?” Vaggie blanched. “I, uh, don’t know if I’m qualified.”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be easy. I’m sure you can handle this,” encouraged Charlie.

“Yeah. Um, sure. I can handle this. No problem,” said Vaggie nervously. She stared at the group, none of whom seemed easy to deal with. She straightened her shoulders and began to pace in front of them formally. “Alright, so we are going to start with trust falls,” she said, sergeant-style. “Each of you are going to share something vulnerable with the group about yourself and then fall backwards while the rest of the group catches you. Got it? Who wants to go first?”

Charlie waved her hand. “Ooh, ooh, me! Me, me!”

“Alright, get up there,” said Vaggie, unsurprised that her girlfriend was eager to go first.

Charlie ran up onto the stage and looked over them all. “I love you guys,” she announced. “Like really, really love you!” She turned around and fell backwards.

No one stepped forward to catch her, and Vaggie ran to help Charlie.

“Gotcha,” said Vaggie.

“That…felt…good!” said Charlie. “Angel, why don’t you go next?”

“Fine,” said Angel, walking onto the stage.

“This time, everyone needs to catch him,” said Vaggie, hands on her hips. “Okay?” She pulled out her spear. “Unless you want me to hurt you.”

“Somethin’ about myself, huh?” said Angel, considering. “How about this?” He grinned. “I loooove to suck—”

“I sweat to fuck, if you say dicks!” growled Husk, and (Y/N) nodded in agreement.

“—Popsickles, ya sicko!” said Angel, smiling mischievously. “Get your mind out of the gutter.” He fell off the stage and into Husk’s arms. “But, you know, dick’s too.”

“Drop him,” said (Y/N), crossing their arms.

Husk didn’t need to be told twice, and he let Angel fall to the ground.

“Alright, (Y/N), for that, I say you go next,” said Angel.

(Y/N) sighed and stepped up onto the stage. Everyone looked at them expectantly, and (Y/N) felt the petals of their hair wilt nervously.

“I, uh, I think Hell sucks, but I like being here with you guys. It’s nice to be with people who are actually good people,” said (Y/N). They squeezed their eyes shut and let themself fall backwards.

To their surprise, they were caught, and when they opened their eyes, Angel was smiling at them. Quickly, (Y/N) rolled out of his arms and cleared their throat. They didn’t want to do anything else vulnerable the entire day.

“Uh, Pentious, you can go next,” said (Y/N).

Thankfully, once Pentious got on the stage, his dramatics successfully distracted from their vulnerability.

“I…don’t want to live without my minions!” said Pentious. “Nobody catch me.” He fell back, but Vaggie and Charlie caught him before he could hit the ground. “Damn it.”

“That’s great,” said Vaggie. She let go of Pentious. “Wow, you are slimy. Okay, good job. Err, Niffty.”

Niffty giggled and ran onstage. “Sometimes I kill mother bugs in front of their children as a warning to others.”

Everyone stared at her. She leapt from the stage. The group took a step back. Niffty crashed to the ground.

“Yay! Pain!” she cheered.

She ran back up and jumped again, hitting the ground just as hard. Charlie pulled Vaggie to the side to speak for a moment, but that didn’t stop Niffty, and while the rest of the group stared at her, she continuously jumped and hit the ground with a maniacal laugh.

“Pain!” cheered Niffty.

“What are they going to make us do next?” whispered (Y/N) to Angel.

The spider demon put his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna make sure we don’t do anything stupid.” Quickly, he ran over to speak to Charlie and Vaggie with his own ideas.

(Y/N) sighed. “His idea is going to be inappropriate, isn’t it?”

“Definitely,” said Husk.

“Great.” (Y/N)’s asexuality shivered.

“Angel! What the actual fuck?!” said Vaggie, crossing her arms.

Angel had brought the group to a BSDM club. (Y/N) immediately turned around and walked out. They weren’t dealing with that shit today.

As it turned out, the next “bonding activity” wasn’t much better since Vaggie had taken military-like control of the group once again. They stood above a warzone of demons fighting and killing each other. Vaggie was proudly staring down while the others’ eyes widened.

“This is how you learned to trust people?!” cried Charlie.

“There is nothing stronger than the trust between comrades in arms!” declared Vaggie. “Buckle up, buttercups, because today you boys become men! You—”

“Wait, wait, I can’t fight without my minions!” cried Pentious as he was grabbed by Vaggie.

She dumped him onto the battlefield. “—are going to survive together! And you—”

“D-Don’t you even think about it!” cried Angel.

He was thrown unceremoniously off the side of the roof. “—Are going to make this hotel work!” said Vaggie. “So get to it!”

“Wait, wait, give me a moment to prepare myself!” cried (Y/N), but they were picked up and thrown over as well.

Niffty jumped over on her own, eager to fight.

“They’re shooting at us!” cried Pentious, cowering.

“Yeah! Hahahaha!” cried Niffty, running at several enemies.

“I’ll cover us,” said (Y/N), trying to take charge of the situation in some way. “Angel, can you grab Pentious while he freaks out?”

“Why me?!” cried Angel.

“Because Niffty is stabbing people and I’m going to get us a path out!” said (Y/N). “So grab the snake and drag his ass out of here!”

“Okay, okay, got it!” said Angel, grabbing Pentious and throwing him over his shoulder.

(Y/N) raised their hands, and vines ripped out of the ground to cover the group on both sides as they made a run for the building to get back up to Vaggie and Charlie. (Y/N) ran through the makeshift tunnel while Angel gave a war cry and carried Pentious over his head.

They ran up the stairs back to Charlie and Vaggie, panting all the while. Angel unceremoniously threw Pentious down and gave the two women a thumbs up.

“Made it,” he said.

“I hated that,” groaned (Y/N), their roses wilting.

“Let’s go home, guys,” said Charlie quietly, sadly.

“Ugh. We just walked up all those stairs,” groaned Angel. Nonetheless, he grabbed Pentious by the tail and dragged him out with him.

(Y/N) looked between Charlie and Vaggie before leaving the rooftop. Whatever was going on was a domestic fight, and they had nothing to do with it. They couldn’t help solve it, so they had to wait for Charlie and Vaggie to work it out.

“You guys survived,” said Husk after the “recruits” collapsed on the couches of the hotel.

“Of course we did!” said Angel.

“I saved everyone’s asses,” said (Y/N) proudly.

“Hey, I helped Pentious!” said Angel.

“True, you dragged the dead weight,” said (Y/N), laughing.

“And (Y/N)’s vines slapped people back left and right. It was awesome,” said Angel.

“I guess Alastor is teaching you something,” said Husk with a begrudging smile.

“He’s…you know, he’s Alastor, but I’m actually learning from him,” said (Y/N) with a smile.

“I liked stabbing!” said Niffty.

“We could see that,” said (Y/N).

“Well, hey, I’m glad you all made it and can take a fight,” said Husk. He looked at Pentious. “You did okay, new kid.”

“Really? Oh, well, I suppose I did get into a little rough and tumble today,” said Pentious shyly. He looked at Angel and (Y/N). “And thank you for pulling me out of there.”

“Eh, no problem,” said Angel, slapping him on the back.

“You owe us,” chirped (Y/N) with a grin.

“Alastor,” called Vaggie from the stairs as the Radio Demon walked in the door. She and Charlie had been pleased to see that some form of bonding had actually occurred. “Failed to get rid of the eggs, I see.”

“Yes, well, the little monsters proved to be rather useful,” he said.

“Why don’t you give them back to Pentious?” said Vaggie.

Tears welled up in Pentious’s eyes. “Really?!”

“Yeah,” said Vaggie. “After today, I guess I can trust you with them.”

“Just don’t threaten to shoot us again,” said (Y/N) with a grin that was more threatening than kind.

Pentious looked at them nervously. “I will not be trying to.”

“Not after watching you on the field,” teased Angel.

“Oh?” said Alastor, his grin widening. “Is my training paying off?”

“Don’t take credit for it,” muttered Husk. “Kid did it on their own.”

“I got everyone back safely,” said (Y/N), putting their hands on their hips proudly.

“A quick learner,” said Alastor. “Let us see what else you can do.”

“Alright!” (Y/N) brightened.

“Oh, great,” said Husk, throwing up his hands. “Let’s teach the kid to do more damage.”

“I’m fine with that,” said (Y/N).

“Excellent!” said Alastor.

Husk groaned. They didn’t need a second Alastor, and Husk didn’t want the kid getting into trouble because Alastor was…himself. Unfortunately, what could he do? (Y/N) wanted to learn to control their magic, and Alastor seemed all-to-willing to show them how. Husk could only hope it didn’t end with (Y/N) getting hurt.

(Y/N) dodged Alastor’s shadows, but they twisted and grabbed the rose demon midair. (Y/N) squawked unceremoniously as they were suspended upside down in the air.

“Ahaha!” Alastor laughed and grinned. “You still lack the instincts to use your magic and run around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said (Y/N). “Can I be put down now?”

“Free yourself,” said Alastor.

(Y/N) narrowed their eyes. The challenge was set.

Briars sprouted out of the ground and arced through the air. Roses bloomed as the vines grew. They constricted around the shadows, and as the darkness fought back, the thorns pierced them, and the shadows melted away, forced to let go of (Y/N) by their plants. (Y/N) twisted and landed on their feet on the ground.

“Excellent! What a quick learner,” said Alastor with a grin. “Your mistakes are entertaining, but I much prefer when you aren’t hopelessly unable to learn.” He spoke brightly as if it was such a kind statement.

“Well, I have one more thing I really want to learn,” said (Y/N).

“Oh? Do tell,” said Alastor.

“I need to keep a smile on my face,” said (Y/N), smiling widely.

Alastor tilted his head. “Really?”

“Yeah. You seem…stronger, more intimidating with it. You don’t seem upset by anyone or anything.” (Y/N) grinned. “And I want to have that strength.”

Alastor’s grin widened and sharpened. What an ambitious demon. He had chosen well. “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”

“Right,” said (Y/N). They brushed the dirt off their pants and looked at the clock. Time was up since Charlie had planned some activities for the evening. “I have to go. Are you coming to tonight’s ‘rehabilitation?’ ”

“I have errands to run,” said Alastor vaguely.

(Y/N) nodded. They walked to the door and paused in the doorway. “Hey, Alastor?”

“Mm?” Alastor hummed in acknowledgement.

“Thank you.” Alastor looked at them, but before he could say anything, (Y/N) continued. “I know that you’re only teaching me to somehow help yourself, but, still, thanks. Whatever you’re trying to gain from this, it’s still helping me. I’m getting what I want, and it’s because you’re putting effort into teaching me. So, despite this not being as selfless as Charlie would want to think, thank you, Alastor.” They grinned. “And whatever you’re hoping to get from me, I won’t make it easy for you to get.” (Y/N) disappeared out the door.

Alastor watched them go. How unusual (Y/N) was proving to be. They had correctly assumed he wanted something from them. After all, with Alastor’s current…predicament, he needed all the power he could muster, and having (Y/N) stronger meant that, if he could create a contract with them, he could use their magic for his own gain. (Y/N) saw that, and yet they decided to thank him anyways.

It was weak. It was sentimental. It was…interesting.

Alastor should back off from his plan since (Y/N) had seen through it. They understood what he wanted and could avoid his attempts to manipulate them. And yet, just as they were willing to keep learning, Alastor found he was just as willing to continue teaching.

What an oddly entertaining sentiment.

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iarrelm · 11 months ago

Text

Hazbin Hotel Swap AU - Alastor. Husk. Nifty.

Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel

I saw a few different versions of this AU going around and thinking about it made me want to draw my own take on it.

I don't have this fully fleshed out yet but I've been thinking about it for the last few days so here's what I've got so far.

Alastor -> Charlie

He still started out in Hell as the Radio Demon

However, when he disappeared for 7 years, he came back as a seemingly changed man. The first broadcast on his radio show after 7 years of silence was an advertisement for the Radio Demon's new project: The Hazbin Hotel.

Not very many sinners actually managed to hear that advertisement but those that did thought they were hallucinating tbh

I wanna say the reason why he wants to try rehabilitating sinners is mostly because he spent his 7 year hiatus with Lilith, who asked him to do this for her so she could try to convince Charlie (and Lucifer) that they're wrong about sinners. And Alastor decides to do it because Lilith promises that she'll free him from his deal the moment he gets a soul into heaven.

For this AU, I'm gonna say the person who has Alastor on a leash is Eve, and his deal with her is completely unrelated to his 7 year absence.

Because of all that, despite founding the hotel, he doesn't fully believe it's possible to redeem a soul. And it shows sometimes no matter how much he tries to convince the guests otherwise.

Nifty -> Vaggie

When Alastor brought up the hotel and asked for her help, she jumped at the chance and agreed without hesitation.

Alastor is still an overlord and still owns some souls. He owns Nifty's but made it clear to her that he was asking, not ordering, her to help with the hotel.

Before Charlie brings in more staff, she was the one that handled cleaning and pest control and all that other stuff.

She helps him brainstorm ideas for activities. Unfortunately both of them are pretty unhinged so at least 80% of those ideas are unusable

Husk: What the fuck is "Knife Monopoly"?

Alastor and Nifty: :)

She's Alastor's biggest cheerleader and helps him out by enthusiastically participating in any and all hotel activities with a smile

Husk -> Angel Dust

Instead of Alastor, Husk sold his soul to Vox, who became interested in the Gambling Demon after Alastor was seen going in and out of his casino.

Vox ends up using Husk as something like a personal assistant. He runs around all over hell doing anything and everything Vox asks him to.

Immediately after losing his soul, he moves into the Vee's Tower. It's nice because the Vee's tower is one of the most protected places in the pride ring, which means none of the souls he used to own will be able to try to come after him. Unfortunately this also means that Vox has access to an employee that can work overtime whenever he needs him to.

Husk is... so tired.

So when Alastor offers him a room at the hotel, Husk agrees before he can finish his pitch.

Later, he hears the full thing - that Alastor is trying to redeem sinners and thinks he can get Husk into heaven. Husk isn't sure what exactly made Alastor believe that, but a free room is a free room

(He is grateful though. So even if he doesn't think there's a chance in hell that he's getting into heaven, he does put in some effort toward rehabilitation.)

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel swap au #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel husk #nifty hazbin hotel #my art #i was coloring these and i wanna say that alastor's color palette almost defeated me #i wanted him to look a bit more friendly so i added in some brown so the red wasn't so overpowering #but then picking where to use the rest of his colors and where was a struggle #husk and nifty were easy af #i just gave husk and shirt and a tie with vox's colors #and for nifty i just added some yellow and moved her blood splatters around #this would never happen in the show but i really want husk and alastor to be friends okay

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doe-eyed-fool · 1 year ago

Text

Fallen {Chapter Three}

Alastor x (fem)Reader

Warning: Very ooc Lucifer (I made the first few chapters before the series came out)

"Redemption?" I wonder aloud. "Yes! This is my hotel, and here, me and my staff help sinners better themselves for a chance of being redeemed!" Charlie says enthusiastically. But it didn't make much sense to me. Why would sinners care about being redeemed? Could they even be redeemed?

That sounded impossible, unheard of even. But held my tongue, clearly this was a passion project of hers. I wouldn't want to spit on her dreams.

"How...nice." I say with a smile. "But may I ask why you would do all this?" Charlie's eyes lit up at the thought of me being interested in knowing more.

"I believe that everyone deserves a second chance to be good. Everyone has good in them, even if they don't believe they do. And I think, with a little help, we can shape them into the best versions of themselves as they can be. Then they can get into heaven after all their hard work on improving."

I almost couldn't believe the words coming from her. She seemed so kind, so, not demon-ish at all! I couldn't help but wish her luck. She really believed that the sinners and demons of hell could be better people. In some ways, I agreed. I do believe people can change and be better. But, a lot of those creatures out there were here for a reason.

"So, are you here to check in?" Charlie asks me. "Uh, I-" I was cut off by Alastor. "Why yes, she is!" I shot a concerned glance at him. "Wonderful!" Charlie claps excitedly. "Come on, I'll give you a tour and introduce you to everyone!" Before I could protest, Charlie grabbed my hand and began walking.

Before she left with me she turned to Alastor. "I'll be back to help. We mainly just need to fix the place up from our last extermination." Alastor nods his head. "Of course my dear. Take your time." Charlie gives him a thumbs up before walking me away.

What was Alastor up to? Charlie showed me different areas of the hotel, and even introduced me to the staff and guests. First I met Vaggie, who turned out to be Charlie's girlfriend. She was pretty abrasive, but Charlie told me it wasn't anything personal towards me. Other than that, she was a fine demon and she clearly loved and cared about Charlie.

Next I met Angel Dust, a spider demon, he was uh...Something else. Smug too. I tried to keep my eyes on his and not his skimpy clothing. Apparently he was a porn star. I felt bad for him. Mainly because I was concerned for his safety. But he looked like he could handle himself, hopefully.

Then there was Nifty. She was nice, and very hyper. Excited to meet me and become friends, her singular eye looking me up and down frantically.

Before I could finish talking with her and move on to the next person, she picked some lint off of my dress. A clean freak I suppose. I said my goodbye before meeting the last person on Charlie's list. His name was Husk, a cat demon. And a rather rude demon at that.

He had no interest in meeting me or even spare a glance my way. Charlie apologized for his behavior before leading me back to the lobby.

"We can work on getting you a room shortly. I just have to make sure everything is all set first. Things got a little out of hand after the extermination. Then we had some demon attack us right after, thankfully Alastor got rid of him. In quite the horrifying way..." She laughs weakly before clearing her throat. "Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us."

I only offered a false smile and nod. "So, I've been meaning to ask." Charlie begins. "How do you know Alastor? I mean, everyone knows him, but you seemed to actually be friends with him." My mind blanked for a moment as I tried to think of a explanation. "Uh well, Alastor kind of helped me out a bad spot." That seemed to have caught Charlie's attention.

"Really? What happened? If you don't mind me asking." She asks. Darn. "Well, he...Uh, I was lost. Yeah, I got lost and, he helped me. I'm sure you know how hell is. So...dangerous and and all that." Charlie nods. "Trust me, I know." She chuckles. "Being the princess of hell, I'm aware of a lot of things that go down on a regular basis. But not everything, my dad knows way more than me." My eyes go wide for a second.

Did she just say princess of hell? Does...does that mean her father is...

There was a knock on the front doors of the hotel. "I'll get it! Excuse me for a moment Y/n." Charlie says before heading for the front door. She straightens out her suit before opening the doors. "Welcome to...Oh, hey dad." Standing before Charlie, was a demon.

But not just any demon. This demon was known by all, in heaven, hell, and earth alike.

This demon, was none other than Lucifer himself. But could that really be him? He looked nothing like how I thought he would. For one thing, he was much...shorter, than I picture him to be.

Charlie's takes after her father's looks, as he had the same pale white skin, blonde hair, and rosy cheeks to bring it all together. They even shared the same eyes. When he spoke, it only sent more surprise and confusion through me. "Charlotte! How have you been?" His voice was a higher pitch than I imagined.

Not deep and masculine, but not feminine either. Somewhere right in between. "I'm fine." Charlie says with a weak smile. "What uh, what are you doing here?" She asks carefully. "I just wanted to check on my daughter. This year's extermination was no joke! The angels were relentless, I haven't seen so much carriage in a while." Lucifer walks past her into the hotel lobby, he looked around. "So, this is the hotel you've been working on."

Charlie follows after her dad, nervously fidgeting with her hands. "Yep." Lucifer chuckles. "Adorable." He says with a shake of his head. Suddenly his gaze fell onto me and I froze in place. "A new guest of yours?" Lucifer glances at his daughter for a moment. When she nods he looks back to me before approaching me. My breath was caught in my throat, my hands began to tremble.

He was but a step away from me, he looked at me with a grin. "What might your name be, little demon?" He asks. I couldn't bring myself to speak, my cowardice only seemed to have amused Lucifer. "Well? Are you going to tell me?" He smirks.

I glance over at Charlie, I don't know why, but I was hoping she could help me somehow. But she only kept her gaze on the floor, holding her arm close to her side with a nervous expression. I turn my attention back to Lucifer, who was still waiting for me to give him my name.

Finally I swallowed the large lump in my throat and speak. "Y-Y/n." I murmur. "Y/n." Lucifer repeats leaning in closer to me. His eyes bore into mine, his grin dropping slightly. "Strange..." He narrows his eyes. Suddenly Alastor's voice caught our attention.

"Lucifer, my good fellow! I had no idea you would be stopping by!" Lucifer looks over his shoulder before his grin returns to his face. "Alastor. Always a pleasure." He thankfully moves away from me and towards Alastor.

I could finally breath normally again, my heart wouldn't calm down as it thumped harshly against my chest. "I thought I might pay this place a visit. After all, it means so much to my daughter." He was far shorter than Alastor. Though, Alastor kept his same respectful demeanor when talking to Lucifer.

"Of course." Alastor nods. "It's quite the hotel. Very...Unique." Lucifer laughs at that. "You're right about that my good man."

Lucifer glances back at me as still talks with Alastor. "I thought this place would be in shambles after that extermination. Turns out my daughter can fend for herself after all." Charlie's expression fell at his words. "Anyhow. I should be on my way. Lots of work to be done, and business to attend to." He walks past Alastor and back towards the hotel entrance. "Oh, I almost forgot." He stops just before the door.

"Alastor? You haven't seen anything out of the ordinary lately have you? I ask because I know how attentive you are when it comes to anything new and unusual."

"Hm. Afraid not. Why? Has something occurred that I should know about?" Alastor asks. Lucifer shrugs. "I can't be sure. But I could have sworn I saw something quite strange fall from the sky early this morning." I noticed that Alastor's smile tightened slightly. "A new sinner?" He asks.

"Perhaps. Though, I've yet to see a sinner with such unordinary wings." Lucifer said lowly. My heart dropped down to the pit of my stomach. "But then again, I am so very overworked." He sighs. "Must have been my imagination."

"Maybe so." Alastor says calmly. Lucifer's smile turned sinister. "I'll be seeing you around, Alastor." He says before stepping out and closing the door behind him. I stare at the door unblinking, my hands trembling.

I look over at Alastor, despite his smile, I could tell he was upset. I would have asked if he was alright, but Charlie walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry about that." She sighs. "I didn't know my dad would ever come here. He's never been interested in my project, I guess I shouldn't have let my guard down. Are you alright?" She asks me.

I nod my head. "I-I'm ok." Charlie offers me a small smile before taking my hand. "Let's get you to your room. You can relax for a bit."

#alastor x reader #alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #charlie morningstar #hazbin hotel charlie #lucifer #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel lucifer #ooc

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rowayneau · 2 months ago

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Hazbin Hotel x Twisted Wonderland -Ramshackle Hotel Dorm (Part 3)

-->Charlie opens her hotel lounge on the weekend so that the students can come to decompress and hang out.

-->She also arranges to have plenty of activities for the students to participate such as art therapy, sharing circle, ice breaker games etc. Mostly therapeutic activities for the students to let out their stress and frustration.

-->This is because after the first Overblot incident, Charlie is told that stress and negative emotions will build up blot more faster than usual. Knowing this, she decides to open her hotel lounge as a small hangout therapy center to counter this.

-->She also wants to lessen the tension between all the dorms in the school

-->At first, nobody shows up. They are teenagers and they pride themselves on not admitting the need for mental help. Plus it makes them look weak, like RSA students with all the touchy feeling activities

-->But as the story progresses and more Overblots happen, the lounge slowly gets more guests each weekend. Especially from the Dorm Heads, whose attendance is mandatory for them to come here during the weekends and attend Charlie’s sessions.

-->There are even free drinks at the hotel bar as an incentive to get more guests to come.

--->Husk created a few varieties of non-alcoholic drinks so that he can serve some to the students.

-->It’s a big hit but he is only allowed to serve it at the hotel and Charlie only open the hotel’s bar on the weekend

-->It’s a direct competition to Monstro Lounge and Azul didn’t like it one bit, but can’t do anything about it.

-->The Ramshackle Hotel Dorm is considered a staff dorm so he can’t touch it. Charlie activities are considered educational and have a positive impact on the students mental health

-->So any form of interference or sabotage or attempts to take over it will have grounds for severe punishment.

-->At least the Ramshackle Hotel Dorm only opens on weekends and is more of a therapy center, not a restaurant like his dorm.

-->Vaggie usually keeps an eye on the students visiting the dorm. She doesn’t trust these troublemakers not cause havoc with their petty fights

-->Really keeps an eye on The Idiots as they have known to cause trouble as much as she looked away for a second.

-->Ace and Deuce do help out by playing host and helping other students mingle. They also help the other students to engage in more Charlie activities and redemption/therapy plan

-->They did it with the promise of unlimited free drinks from the hotel bar whenever they wanted. Not just on the weekends.

-->Yuu is Charlie assistant during this time and helps Charlie as the number of guest grows

-->Grim and the pet gang have been promoted to therapy pets. Students can come and pet and hug them to release their frustration.

-->Charlie is so happy that she is doing something to help the students. She is also learning a lot about mental health and how it’s different for everyone to find the right steps to overcome it.

-->This has Charlie thinking more on what kind of redemption she wants for her people. And the need of Heaven's cooperation if she wants to make it work.

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radioisntdead · 5 months ago

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How about reader who's a powerful sinner and joined the Hotel as Charlie's muscle (Vaggie had to convince her to get an enforcer) and basically escorts Angel to and from Valentino's and to make sure he gets out on time and unharmed. When Angel leaves one day late and with a black eye, reader goes in and either puts the fear of Satan in Valentino, or just straight up beats the piss out of him before bringing Angel back to the Hotel.

(This may or may not be a frequent power fantasy of mine.)

Good evenin' my dear! I did this in a headcanon way because I couldn't write it into a full fledged oneshot, I hope you don't mind!

Hazbin hotel x Security guard! reader headcanons

Going to hell had it's pros and cons, mostly cons but one big pro was you becoming positively RIPPED.

Like superman, batman levels ripped and you didn't have to do the work to obtain them! You did on the other hand have to do the work to maintain them.

Despite your rather buff physical appearance, you were rather wholesome and craved redemption and that's what brought you to Charlie's redemption hotel, or rather the Hazbin hotel!

It was a rather lucky coincidence that the day you came to the hotel, Vaggie was trying to convince Charlie to take more security measures after extermination day more sinners were coming to the hotel and at the same time more sinners were targeting the hotel for some reason.

It was odd being both a guest and technically a staff member but you handled it well! You got to wear a shirt that Charlie made that read 'Security', you got a nice room to sleep in at night, you made friends, etc etc

You didn't have to do much since Alastor and the literal king of hell hung around the hotel but you did check the food that was delivered there, wander the grounds at night, and escort the hotel guests as they do whatever they did when they weren't at the hotel, like Angel dust.

You'd walk him to the studio, hang around outside wearing noise cancelling headphones and playing on your phone until he was done and escort him back to the hotel.

He wasn't thrilled at the fact he was basically being babysat during the walk to and from the hotel but the two of you eventually grew close, enough to call each friends.

Sometimes after his job the two of you would go grab something to munch on, like ice cream or a actual meal and shit talk his boss, or chat about stuff, before returning to the hotel.

You surprisingly didn't have any incidents during the time you had escorted Angel, that was until something happened, you didn't know what since Angel dust wouldn't tell you but you did know that your friend had bruises and a black eye given by none other then that purple headed grape lookin' ass moth man gave it to him.

You knew exactly what you had to do, so you did your job, you bought Angel dust an ice pack, and then walked him back to the hotel.

Then you grabbed yourself one of your hoodies, covered yourself and walked yourself back to the scene of the crime, and waited until Valentino walked out of the Vee's tower.

And just tackled him, now he may have had the height advantage and more arms but you had the muscle strength to TEAR HIM APART.

Now I can't exactly describe it because I don't really want to write gore at the moment but I can give a censored version with gifs!

Violence was enacted!

After beating Valentino to a bloody mush, you waltzed back to the hotel and took a well deserved nap!

Good evenin' folks! I do hope you enjoyed these! Lowkey imagining the reader as one of those buff biker guys that have like a little baby kitten, I want a baked potato rn, anywho As always thank you for tunin' on in, I hope you all have a wonderful night!

Psst! You should join the discord

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you

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phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess · 11 days ago

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Okay but imagine mimzy joining the hotel as a resident.

Not because she believes in redemption, but a complex interplay between, needing to hide out from a high tier person she pissed off, knowing Al is too annoyed with her to just handle it like ususal after last time, and knowing that goody two-shoes Princess Charlie won't throw her out... so therefore Al won't either.

Husk would be furious, and one can only imagine how Al would feel.

I don't think he owns her soul, but we don't have a lot of information on that front. So he can't order her to leave... but if he did, and Charlie found out, it would jeopardise his standing at the hotel. Which had been shaky since the rebuilding, what with his injury limiting his already curtailed powers.

Charlie tries to be So Kind and Helpful and engage Mimzy in redemption activities. And maybe she does one, but Mimzy has Loud OpinionsTM the whole time which is fine. Charlie is counting to ten in her head. Because we don't yell at guests! :)

Vaggie had gone to Alastor after day two to tell him to covertly get her out of the hotel.

He replies, actually looking somewhat chagrined behind that smile, that he would if he could. But they both know Charlotte would be upset and work out why she'd gone... even if she was infuriating.

Angel was originally loving it. Mimzy does NOT know when to shut the fuck up about secrets she knows. And normally he likes that kind of person, it used to help him keep tabs on all sorts of people for Val before he was reduced to just an expensive hole on screen... and boy, wasn't that a depressing line of thought!

But after a bit, you get the feeling that harmless fun stories start to tip into deeply personal shit no one (especially not current or former overlords who had a lot of enemies that might take advantage of drunken story time to find a good place to stab the men in the back) deserved to have shared without their consent.

He knew more about Husk, and Alastor, and even that Rosie lady, than he could ever have dreamed... and it frightened him. Val could theoretically ask the right questions at the studio... and then everything would be forced out.

Angel had noted the tension in his hunky bartender and cervine hotelier recently, this broad was like a haemorrhaging wound full of secrets. She didn't care that her actions hurt people, or put targets on the backs of people she considered friends... the most dangerous kind of person. It was all justified in her head, because it turned out okay (for her) in the end.

He and Cherri had known a few, but none had her level of skill. So Angel knew how to handle a bird like her, just get her a bit tipsy and head her off to a more secluded table so her stories were just for him and sometimes Niffty. Not the other residents. At least two of which he assumed were under Vox... specially the slimy guy.

Sure, it's fun to know about the first time Mimzy met Alastor and how they'd dismembered a guy for aggressively flirting with both of them. Angel can admit he's still human enough somewhere in this body to lose it laughing each time Mimzy recalled how it'd taken Al three days to work out he had also been a target of affections. He'd thought the man was just naturally vulgar and handsy...

Because yeah, that tracked.

And perhaps the overlord wouldn't kill him for knowing that, 'cause at least it seemed Husk and Al were aware of his efforts to manage Mimzy and her MouthTM. Keep her from the others and do damage control when he wasn't at the studio. And sure, she also had interesting stories of her days as a sex worker, and an owner of her own brothel-slash dance club... turns out she had something similar down here, and no one disrespected her staff.

Watching something shorter than Lucifer manifest a bazooka from between those bazongas, especially a weapon longer than she was tall, had been quite An Experience. She thought his ability to manifest extra tommy-gun wielding arms was just as neat, so there was some genuine bonding there, to a degree.

But it was the other stuff, like... like how he now had to live with the knowledge that Husk had been so depressed he'd drunk himself into a stupour for the last years of his life. Or that Alastor had been so little when his mother was murdered, and then his father went 'missing' in a way that made Mimzy grin darkly and lick her teeth. No doubting where she got the cannibal sheen from.

Or that Husk's power had been torn down through outside influences, and left him... this. Or that Mimzy had managed to get both the men to play dress up for her dancers on at least one drunken occasion. And like, yeah, filing that away for later, but also it was the sorta thing a friend holds onto for their own memories.

He knew Husk purred when he was happy, and Alastor had a tail he hid because it was too cute for his image. Mimzy didn't skimp on details about when she'd spent time with the pair of them... or when they'd all done gods know what in a bloodsoaked cabin in a bayou somewhere when bloodlust overcame normal barriers and curiosity reigned. It was sorta hard to imagine... but Angel couldn't help but worry about how he'd feel if Cherri was out there spouting off about them experimenting to just anyone.

Like, Angel could do ladies, for the screen and double-pay when Val was pushing for more money. Had to learn that somewhere, right? Cherri was damn good at it, and she had no expectations, just laughed and made it easy for 'em both. Angel was good with body language and all, could usually work out what made people tick and that's why he was Good at what he did. But having a verbal guide, and someone who wouldn't judge if you mucked up, helped no end.

Val had at least been pleased when the films came out and got enough notoriety with a new demographic Angel hadn't been able to touch yet (heh). Not enough to keep forcing him to do that ongoing, but enough that if they wanted a curveball he'd be the pizza delivery guy getitng an enthusiastic tip from a hot straight couple on occasion to bounce the ratings.

Not to mention, some of his coworkers didn't fall under the female category, but had different requirements to usual, and now he knew how to make that work real well. So it'd worked out okay in the end. Those films were far more fun to make as well, now he didn't feel like he was fumbling. But the point was... that was his and Cherri's business.

And, Angel did feel like some of what Mimzy said shouldn't be aired. He got the whole... 'ace of some kind', vibe from Al, and Mimzy often liked to joke about teaching him things. That's not cool to go sharing around... Everyone starts from 0, you know?

Some people stay there their whole existences, and that was fine with Angel too. Same way he wasn't much for rockclimbing, and someone out there would rather die than go a day without it... to each their own. Good for them.

S'why he often diverted guests who were flirting with the overlord, the few brave enough that is, before the deer worked out what they were doing and ate them in the least sexy way possible. Although, based on that last scented-candle-dolphin looking sinner, Angel would bet twenty bucks they were into that shit and were hoping to provoke some kinda vore experience...

Either way, Mimzy was a wild fuckin' ride of a woman. She often switched between tales of insane hijinks (hiding bodies, stealing cars, fucking with the racist cops and causing general mayhem) to hard topics from life like struggling to make rent, her dancers coming home bruised and sobbing, the way their clients were mysteriously found devoured by alligators who often came when called by name but the pigs don't need t'know that you got me?

That Alastor had at least two pet alligators as a child who helped immensely with clean up and their names were hard to pronounce but the fuckers didn't like Mimzy much unless she approached meat-first. That line made Angel choke on his drink and she'd rolled her liquid black eyes fondly. Stating that she's still not sure why they hated her on sight but she bit one once when it smacked her with its tail... so perhaps that had something to do with it.

Before jerking the conversation to increasingly-wild tales of her nights dancing with first Al and then Husk in speakeasies when life was easy. Dropping into maudlin territory when she mentioned the confusion of her boys being sent off for the damned war so young and then coming back slightly different. Still fucked up like all of 'em... but changed. They told her some, but not everything, and suppressed whatever stressed them out at night with alcohol and chaos.

Growing nostalgic at her memories of Al's ma, and how she would be so kind to even weird white girls who pestered her son endlessly, despite the social stigma of the time. Mentioning that Ma used to make the nicest food, and always had something available at all time of day for the hungry child or jumpscare of a husband, who could arrive at any time. Mimzy actually whispered that she stopped eating there after a bit, unless she brought something to share, when she realised that they didn't have much and were including her n their planned meals.

Small ttowns, small incomes. And anyone who dared to be less than exemplary members of town, much less non-white, tended to get less than the minimum wage... because who was going to force the hands of employers to be fair? Who cared? Nobody, really.

Angel was particularly enthralled by the tales of frenetic murder. The way Mimzy spoke about helping Al hide the hacked apart body of his father, as the named allgators fought over the severed slop like he'd dumped an ocean of treats out for them.

Mentioning the way she learned to reset bones and bind wounds so well, 'cause of the brute... the time he'd even swung at her because as a white man, he felt he could even discipline another person's child. It wasn't unacceptable in those days, of course but...

Then dancing off into a tale of when she was fucking two guys in their crappy creaking car to distract from the fact Husk was rifling through their office files for dirt to leak to the local newspapers about the corrupt politician they served. As Al arranged for at least one of the men to end up in the freezer after she was done; they cost of meat was high, these days, and he'd roughed up Birdie one of the smaller dancers. He'd tried to do worse but Husk'd ejected the man out a window. Mimzy had gone to him and his pal under the guise of 'making amends' as if they'd been in the wrong. hah, the fools.

Least the pal was good with his tongue... she'd waggled her eyebrows at Angel, and threw a pointed wink at Husk who ignored her like his life depended on it. It was then Mimzy dropped the bombshell that while she'd suggested the plan of course, Husk or Al could've managed either role if they'd needed to. (And that little statement made Angel's brain buffer for a good few minutes, and the world went fuzzy as he waited for blood to return to the brain).

On some evenings, she fell into conversation about the mundanity of causing social chaos by shopping together or being seen hanging out with one another in bars, on what looks like dates, to pushing boundaries at the local parks and 'desecrating' whites only fountains... and then the full-blown argument the trio had had after spending ten minutes unsuccessfully trying to fold a fitted sheet whilst half-blitzed on ether. None of them had realised that the bottle had fallen on the floor and was pooling in the small room, until later on. It had made things interesting at least.

They'd stored that little item more securely in future.

To her memories of the prim way that Al learned to talk in french-creole from his Ma, and the loss (read 5 stages of grief) they experienced when he dropped his natural accent for the radio. That damned world english he needed to affect to be considered a faceless white radio host... because if someone found out the truth, then they would've gone a'lynching.

The stark sides of the times, black and white, and anyone or anything in the middle was somehow both more human than one side and less than the other. And how she was considered tainted for impinging on her own 'pure' heritage for being seen with first a half-breed and then a black man. The scandal of it still tickled her.

"Oh, sure," Mimzy would joke aloud flapping a hand nonchalantly. "It was the fact I had non-white 'friends' that soiled me... not the fact I was a hooker and a floozy, not the brothel or the dance clubs, not the occasional girlfriend I ruined for anyone afterwards cause I can lick the paint off a trailer hitch... not the fact I publically showed my claim on those boys so deeply anyone would be terrified to try flirting with 'em. And that's just the stuff people saw!"

She'd laugh, raucously and slurred from drink, hinting at the murder, mayhem and debauchery happening in the shadows of their day to day. How they would lure in a target with Mimzy or one of her dancers, or even Husk or Al depending on the preference, and get them alone... before taking them somewhere secluded.

Depending on the nature of their crimes, sometimes the targets would be left to wander lost until they died of exposure, othertimes they'd be mercilessly hunted through the bayou by primarily Al and sometimes the other two. Sometimes they'd be alive for days in the hidden shack. Sometimes... rarely, someone who deserved a pound of flesh would be brought with them for a quiet vengeance.

An intriguingly terribly kept secret, all the dancers knew, and they kept quiet. Mimzy sometimes murmured that she wasn't sure if Al would have even hurt them if they told... they were a small community, after all. And he, and husk and mimzy kept 'em as safe as they could for the time, the place and the nature of the work.

Angel finds himself wishing that he'd had that level of chaotic care in his life, because he might've not died to a random overdose on a grungy club's bathroom floor. Stomach and guts filled with the loads of faceless people who only saw him as a pretty face and a warm hole, not caring as he twitched his last. What if he'd been with people who would have seen him as Anthony? Who would've at least tried to get him help or held him softly when he died? Fuck, the morose thoughts that shit conjured were devastating.

He'd been a toy in life, and now in death Valentino had the rights to him. Husk'd torn down his persona so devastatingly and made him feel Seen in a terrifying way... and Al had turned down his sexual favours that first day (and ever since though those aren't really serious)... there was something about them that made him feel weirdly safe.

They would kill him sure,if he pushed them or betrayed them or put everyone in danger, but he never got the vibe that either male sinner would hurt him like Val. And THAT train of thought always fucked with his head severely... because these were/are Overlords. Worst of the crop and all.

But in another life, he could've had the security of one of Mimzy's dancers. Left him feeling all kinds'a ways.

The way she talked about it was nostalgic and fun. If insane. Couldn't have been weirder than being a closeted mafioso in the Familia, back in the day.

Alastor was the ultimate serial killer, finishing off victims and dissecting them as he would. But Mimzy recalled the joys of getting her hand in there and Husk always seemed to have a proud gleam in his eye as they spoke about this sort of stuff.

Angel admitted that he'd been more than a little fascinated, and maybe not all that altruistic when it came to listening in to Mimz and her chatter on occasion.

He knew Vaggie sometimes listened in, but grew disgusted quickly, and Charlie had eavesdropped on more than one occasion before getting overwhelmed - disgust, sorrow, the sudden realisation that none of her sinners had a singlular event of Bad Choices in life but more like a collective nightmare of trauma, pain, social pressure and decisions that brought them to Hell. That perhaps she wasn't so prepared to manage that with group hug therapy and Daily Affirmations as she thought.

Eh, she's got some backing from the medical sin, Sloth was it? Maybe they could get an actual psych up in here or something. Either way.

The real issue was stopping Lucifer from listening in to too much. That'd be like handing a molotov to an angry teen, because he and Al still hadn't really gotten over day one's big bitchfit of the musical variety. Funny as hell, but the sniping was getting more personal from Lucifer's end with just the right level of pain to actually hurt the deer.

Was the king a bit of a hot mess with mental health issues out the wazoo? Sure. Maybe he needed to hear that in a kinder way though. Not reminded of his not-great parenting by a smart-mouthed red twink with a god complex who seemed to be prodding for reasons Angel couldn't quite discern.

But Lucifer had started sniping back using some truly devastating tidbits from Mimzy's stories, and publically too. Which had been the main reason that the side wall had been replaced a total of eighteen times this month alone (not counting one incident of Cherri Bomb drunkenly panicking that the front door had been removed and they were trapped in the hotel, but she'd been fully zooted on some new stuff at the time and, well, her goal had been to save them, so...)

Angel had mentioned to Charlie that Luficer was being a bit of a dick, and gave examples that sincerely distressed her to hear, and she'd stepped in. The barbs had at least pulled back to general tanting, which saved the hotel and staff's sanity to some degree.

One just didn't live long if they made Yo Mamma jokes at the Radio Demon. Just putting it out there for future reference.

There was some truly dark shit in these stories, too. The times that Al, husk and Mimzy had been too late to get to one of the dancers... and all they could do was ensure the perpetrator was annhilated. The police had little care for some dead whore... much less the ones that might've gone spreading tales about the corrupt officer's own extra-marital affairs with them. Good riddance and all.

Sometimes the dancer had been working off-the-books, but often they thought they'd found The One for them, and it was just a cruel little lie boxed up in pretty wrapping paper. Either they wanted another worker for themselves, or someone who'd be grateful enough for the 'rescue' to capitulate to any depraved want from their 'saviour', whatever, whenever and wherever. Angel could sure fuckin' sympathise on that one.

There were times a target nearly got too far with Mimzy, hells even Al and Husk had had to play defense on a few occasions, when the others didn't arrive fast enough and someone decided Wait meant Make Me. Those... those felt too close to home too.

Husk refused to meet his eyes at those times; at first Angel thought it was outta shame, but after a coded not-talking-about-it conversation, it was more like... that Husk felt bad that he'd at lest known help was coming. But Angel never had that option with his fucking contract.

He tried to reassure Angel that there would be a way, but always fell silent.

There were takes of broken bones, black eyes, stab wounds and hooking bullets out by candlelight as the others pinned them down. It was... chaotic. Angel could feel himself there in those tales, he'd had similar experiences. The way your hands trembled as they pulled stitches through the flesh of someone you knew and cared for; hurrting them to help as they choked back a scream from the pressure.

Sitting beside someone in a strangling darkness, afraid that their stillness was more than just being knocked out; roving their chest with your eyes to check for breath, and sometimes reassuring yourself by searching for a pulse. It was... familiar. Or when it was your turn and you begged them to stop even just to say it, as someone pulled the blade out from you, hands roughly holding you down as they used burning antiseptic to try and keep you alive...

Those were the memories that fell deep into your brain and hopefully stayed there unless triggered. Memories of pain fade, of course, but sometimes things brought that mess back up. Like Mimzy's words. Husk hadn't needed to ask, just poured him a drink that he kept outta Vaggie's line of sight as he served it to Angel. They didn't make eye contact.

She'd flipped the conversation back to soemthing light-hearted, like the day a circus had come through their middle of nowhere hometown and that'd been a hoot. First time they'd seen any animals like elephants or tigers outside of posters or books, the few that had photos at least. Nearest zoo was in the larger city hours away... and who had the cash for that?

Mimzy spoke about the thngs they'd wanted to do, too. If there'd been time. Like seeing the beach... it'd always sounded so exciting in the books, and even a few of the films that had come out they could afford to see. The bayou was great and all, but... endless salty water and sunshine? It sounded like something from a fantasy.

They were going to go one day. That'd been the plan. When things were more stable... she'd drifted out of that one quietly, then flipped to an innuendo so crude Charlie (who was NOT eavesdropping) bit her fork too hard and had to spit the severed metal out.

There was a tale or two Mimzy came at a few times, but never quite finished. The first one was seemingly about finding out Al had died, and what'd happened... that was the first time Angel thought he saw the real Magnolia behind the Mimzy, the way her hands shook and that glass-sharp voice quivered... not describing exactly what she'd seen, like the words caught in her throat. But... enough to say it hadn't been clean.

The regret sat in her throat. Heavy and choking.

They'd buried what they could find, but... well. There wasn't much.

Husk and her, they'd fallen apart, then. Without the buffer of both being ticked off at Al, and equally endeared by his insane personality, they just clashed. The third voice that would redirect and frustrate and cajole and endear was gone...

Husk drifted away and found some woman in a few towns over. She thought they were happy or so Mimzy assumed 'cause there was 'at least a sprog or maybe two' as she put it. But that didn't last. And then he was dead too. She'd been talking herself into going to go drag his miserable drunken ass out of his house for months now and finally got around to mustering the nerve... only to find him Gone. That'd been a nightmare unto itself, she'd been furious with the fool for not daring to wait til tomorrow when she'd at least have closure.

And then... life continued.

The police started to come down harder on her dance studio, her brothel as people started to rile up about anti-segregation and doubled down on that bullshit all american way - the white way of living and all that bullhockey. She'd ended up alone, in the end... half her dancers jailed for indecency or other don't-tell-my-wife-or-ill-kill-you type charges, some took up with clients and their false honeyed words, and she couldn't do a thing to save them...

All those lives. The dancers, their kids, the whole system died... because the world wasn't ready for something like them. Not now. Not yet. And it turned everything sour... until the day she died. Too young for some; but much too long from her perspective, after everything.

All that was left was having chaotic fun until the ride stopped. Stealing cars, robbing the rich blind, fucking with people left and right, to feel something and to sow chaos in her wake.

They'd never forget Mimzy. And when someone recalled her, they'd never forget Al or Husk or her dancers, that was tied into the legacy after all...

At least they overturned prohibition before they ventilated her for pissing off some mobster family. She'd laugh about that, then skirt away to a funnier story or topic.

She was like a gobstopper, with things buried underneath that hard shell. Maybe one of those scary ones from Gluttony that started to reform from the core out if you left it alone for a few hours - stomach acid neutralised this, thankfully, cause Angel didn't mind using Beads on occasion but that sounded like laying an egg and he... wasn't usually up for oviposition films. They had other sinner stars for that.

Mimzy would swing into a non-sequiter so fast it felt like whiplash. Stories about her boys getting so plastered that she had to carry and/or drag them back to the backrooms of their club, and how the pair were nightmares when hungover. In different ways.

Alastor apparently decided that if he was suffering, then everyone should be, so he was always excruciatingly cheerful and loud and bright and Husk'd threatened to shoot him more than once. To which Alastor would jokingly tap his forehead and say 'I think a ventilation hole might let the demons in here out, so go ahead!' which... hadn't been funny no more, looking back on it, given how he died.

And Husk'd be this lump of misery that had to be dragged to the kitchen for greasy food to try and return himself to himself. Mimzy usually just felt furious at every miniscule sound until the headache died down with another glass of something strong.

And the stories of how life just kinda sucked back then. Pooling cash to work out groceries because between everyone, they could afford to feed them all til the next week's paychecks came through, but the dancers' wages came first, then rent and studio upkeep and attire. Drink prices could be negotiated for the right entertainment at the local speakeasy, you play an instrument and sing for a few hours, you can drink on the house to certain exceptions and all.

Then there was the... the not-talked about part. The racism, the bigotry, the intolerance of anything that wasn't white guy and white gal popping out babies (but even the idea of pregnancy was taboo for some weird ass reason and those poor birds back then ended up wearing big boxy dresses to pretend it weren't happening). Mimzy was always chuffed about the irony of the world they lived in back then.

Not to mention the whole cornflakes business, she nearly fell off her chair recalling that one. Husk'd snorted, and Angel had had a brief moment of heart-eyed haze over that...

"The what?" he'd eventually asked, slightly confused.

"Oh ya so precious, not knowin' but back in the day people got real fuckin' weird about fuckin', right? Don't need to tell you that, do I? But then you was a city boy, it was worse in the smaller places where people were so high strung it was a wonder not many went mad. But anyways, the whole sex for marriage thing was out there, and there was also the silly stipulation that even then having a good time or even a weird but okay fumble with your mr or mrs should be done only for making kids right? The priests championing that bullshit often ended up being secretly guilty of affairs or kid fiddlin' so we know why they got so heated about it." Mimzy explained, her words like an oncoming locomotive that couldn't be dodged now he'd switched the tracks.

"So's you see... even married you were supposed to control yaself. The time for fourteen kid families was over cause people weren't dying as babies and all no more, and even the post war population efforts were petering out... so they came up with the idea that bland foods equals bland thoughts. And somehow a guy made a cereal out of called cornflakes, and it became this big thing, you see, to be seen eating it. You young'uns call it virtue signalling." she snorts. "It was kind of like saying 'I could fuck but I ain't gonna 'cause I can control myself' and expecting applause. You know, I used to offer it to my dancers 'cause it was a quick meal you could buy cheap enough, and was pretty good with some milk and sugar or fruits. They loved the irony of it."

"Okay, yeah, that's funny... people were weird as shit back then. Did you know Pentious told me the Victorians, back when his ancient ass was alive, were super into sex and prudishness all at once? Was a real thing to get ya nipples pierced in those times... and seeing an ankle could give a man a life-threatening hard-on." Angel offers back, thinking fondly on the odd rants the inventor had gone on when they'd been drunk together... before the battle. Missed the snake nowadays. And not just 'cause he and Cherri had taken the guy's twin dongs for a test ride and wanted another ticket, neither.

"Right? Humans are humans all the way through. The more they push back on a topic, and make a fuss, the more I can see right through 'em. Cept the... whatchacall'ems, aces... and the archery ones... had a few dancers like that come through. Just legit didn't have interest, but didn't mind the activities involved... had some aros who were natural seductive types and could spin a romantic fantasy like you wouldn't believe. Or maybe you would, I've seen ya work, Angel. Always got top dollar for the illusion of intimacy. The rest of us, though, we're just animals that learned how to make taxes a thing and nothing got better from there." she shrugs.

Husk uncharacteristically had another tray of drinks delivered to them by Niffty. Which sparked a story about her meeting Niffty in life. It'd been brief, that first time, she was only very young... but her father had clearly been a piece of work.

Her mother didn't seem the kind of woman who'd been in the USA of her entire own volition, or perhaps the isolation of being the only person of asian descent in a world of scornful white faces was the issue, but she seemed nervous constantly. They'd seen the family come into town that first time., and the gossips were all abuzz about how such a wonderful man could choose someone... like that.

You couldn't not notice. Mimzy had been all for befriending the woman, making a point to pretend that Husk was her husband, so she understood it could be hard to be seen as just another interracial couple in these times. Her quick eyes noting the make-up too thick in some places and not enough in others. Asking questions without asking directly what was happening exactly.

Meeting the funny little girl who stayed quiet and removed the heads from her dolls as she played silently in the corner. Watching them with wide, fearful eyes as if she expected pain from every man in her vicinity. The marks of make-up present here and there, to make sure the teachers wouldn't ask questions.

You had to know to look, after all. And most people would turn away to avoid the truth of it in any case, who wants to know what happens over the picket fence? It was a family problem, we shouldn't pry!

[Those who got too loud, too nosy, tended to get lobotomised after all. Just about anything could be solved with a little brain damage!]

Keeping to yourself was all the rage!

Well, unless you're two nosy fuckers and their reluctant tag-along. They'd met little Niffty, and couldn't help but decide to intervene.

Unfortunately due to oversight little Niffty'd been huddled in a corner when they came for her father the night her mother went screaming into the street for help. Neighbours twitched their curtains closed even as the distraught woman ran past, a knife in her forearm where she'd blocked the blow that should have killed her.

Lucky thing that the trio had been heading out for 'work related puposes', huh? Lucky they were nearby to help and squirreling her with one of the sympathetic families nearby as an ambulance was called. They'd headed back to the house to deal with the culprit.

He'd died slow, in the household he'd ruled with an iron fist... but there'd been a moment of Ah, Bugger when it was discovered that the whole scenario had been seen. The police took hours to arrive, thankfully... and they only really took notice when it was discovered that the husband had mysteriously fled. 'Work stress' and 'family issues' were on the official report.

Little Niffty had been taken out of the home and brought to her mother by then. The police arriving to a home empty of life, and covered in blood. Thankfully, racism and misogyny worked for them this once... the police naturally assuming the small quiet woman couldn't have hurt her husband without a man's help. But all neighbours said she was a recluse with no friends...

Niffty never said anything, not to anyone but her dolls... and the police couldn't make sense of the statements she giggled at them. Putting it down to foreign nonsense and female hysteria and grief at the loss of her Daddy. Thankfully.

That shouldn't have worked. But it did.

Kept an eye on the kid for the next bit, or at least they sure tried. But life got in the way, then Niffty and her mum moved them to a city where things were safer. Where there were other people from their culture there, had established parts of the city even, so they had some sort of allies in this strange country.

Mimzy'd found it strange to see their little Niffty in Hell but then, when Mimzy heard what'd happened... ain't no surprise. Al had found her first, of course, she had begged him to look after her soul and he couldn't refuse.

Seems some asshole of a husband'd tried raising a hand to Niffty one too many times, and something had snapped in the lovely doll. Something about demanding clean home, clean life nonsense one too many times, and then she'd murdered him so violently it took three rounds from police to take her down.

In retrospect, Mimzy laughed, they might've given her the idea on how to dispose of unwanted baggage, unfortunately. Still, turns iut Niffty made the fucker drink bleach as he died, so perhaps if he was down in the Pit and Al hadn't found the miserable wretch yet,Niff's former husband had the sense to stay away. They'd get him eventually though.

Angel had had to leave for a shift, but that left his head reeling, finally putting together some pieces on why Niffty was like that.

Sure his body was doing all the right things during the taping of 'Hoes in the Garden: Fertilise my Crops' the newest farm-themed, dirt-inclusive film line for the Wrathian market... but his mind was busy putting things on a mental corkboard and using lots of red string.

Val had even been in a good mood for some reason, complimenting Angel on his performance, and suggesting he take the rest of the night off to rest his voice for tomorrow. Something about a cowboy themed shoot based on some imp festival where most of the competitors ended up pummelled. His role was to play the glorious prize and get railed over the largest fake pumpkin-o-lantern Angel thinks he's ever seen in his afterlife. Those sinners in the set design team needed a raise... or therapy. Maybe both.

Either way, he's a tad too tired to clock the unusual affection from Val. It hadn't even been a bad day at work, either. Just, a lot of takes from different angles, and by the time he'd done his fourth theatrical climax, a 7/10 for anyone wondering, Angel was ready for a nap.

It was later that he recognised something was up. Bit late then, though.

Back at the hotel after a shower and a 'five minute nap' that'd taken about three hours and left him muzzy, Angel had come down to find Charlie wringing her hands. Part of the lobby is SINGED, and he's pretty sure that wasn't like that when he got home... but he also didn't hear any alarms go off. So, this was a bit of a mindfuck either way.

"Look toots, it was an accident. Promise I won't try that again... just got curious, alright?" Mimzy is placating, but not apologising. It has the tone and cadence of an apology, but not the intent. Husk is glaring across the room, his wing the only thing holding Vaggie back from launching at the short sinner.

Lucifer is examining the damage to the ceiling with his wings out, and damn, Angel can't help but think about how fuckin' hot their King is when he's all... angelic. Like the opposite of Smiles, sorta... no idea how to categorise it, but they're like the opposite ends of the spectrum unless Lucifer goes all Devil.

So he'd taken to ranking hotness in the hotel on a bored day... try and sue him. Angel'd kill anyone who tried to foreclose on Fat Nuggets.

"Well, sire, is this something you can magic away with a snap or are we going to need to put effort into reinforcing the structure?" Alastor calls up to the King, manifesting without undue surprise at the chaos. "You might want to hurry on your proclamation, Niffty is near vibrating out of her skin with desire to clean the mess... and I need to know what we're telling her."

Indeed, the maid is a red and white blur in one of his hands, held just away from the body, and the impression of a darting eye is somewhere in the disturbing illusion.

"Oh, it's the layabout, come to actually get your hands dirty or just summon thralls for it?" Lucifer comments dryly, doing an unnecessary backflip to hand upside down right in Alastor's face. The sinner looks like he's debating biting it clean off.

"Hilarious, if only you put as much effort into your scathing wit as you do your daughter. Now the question remains am I releaseing Niffty or is this something you need to fix? Are any of the above floors compormised by the damage?"

The King pauses, and looks up again. "...no, they're fine, it's all superficial damage that canbe handled easy enough. I can just snap it back to how it was, you know, Niff...ty?"

The name isn't that hard to remember, but the king is clearly proud all the same. She pauses. "No, I want to, mr big bad boy!"

"Poetry." Alastor hums, and releases Niffty along with a handful of small dolls from his shadows. They take up cleaning under Niffty's directions. "We should leave them to it."

His head does a full one-eighty before his body follows, aiming right at Mimzy. Angel winces, shoulders tensing at the crunch. He's never gonna get used to that...

"Now, Magnolia, you are going to explain what you thought you were doing and why you shouldn't be thrown out of this hotel. Actually apologising for the damages you wrought would be the best place to start." He prompts, as his power surges green around them and little runes flicker into the air. Mimzy appears like she might have recognised she fucked up. Just a bit.

"Al, baby, you and Husky know sometimes I just get clumsy... it was an accident." she placates, waving it off but taking a step closer to Charlotte.

"Then apologise to Charlotte, and try to mean it. We both know you're only here because whoever you have bothered to the point of needing protection is unlikely to try and extract you from under the Princess's care. The least you could do is not destroy the place within the first few months of operation..."

She heaves a dramatic sigh, "Fine. Princess toots, I'm sorry I set a few things on fire and broke that statue, I didn't mean to. Your weird candle making positivity lecture thing wasn't ear-bleeding or excruciating to be part of either!"

"That's... okay, Mimzy. After all, we can fix this. But... I feel like maybe we might try a one on one talk therapy option to find out why you feel the need to cause chaos and ruin everything good in your life, but we can talk about that later. Okay?"

Mimzy looks about three seconds from slapping Charlie right across the face. "There ain't nothing wrong with me, you spoiled, priviledged little goody two-shoes. We didn't all come from some fuckin' ivory tower where everything was handed out to us, and that gave us weird quirks. So back right off with that condescending bullshit."

Vaggie is interjecting spear-first when it's yanked from her hands by an inky black tendril. "Vagatha, not every situation calls for the nuclear option. Or are you desperate to return to the days of killing off sinners for merely existing in a way you dislike?" Alastor snarls. Something about the situation has pivoted the Radio Demon's opinion in a heartbeat. Maybe it was the angelic steel pointed at someone who may somehow care for.

Strangely, Husk moves behind Mimzy and puts a paw on her shoulder. "Drop it Mim, she's not... ready to see things that way. And you do cause absolute fuckin' chaos wherever you go. No two ways about it. But... if things're that bad out there you need to be here, you need to learn to work inside the rules."

"Oh fuck you, Husk! Because we were always sooooo good at doing what society thought we should... huh? You two abandoned me, after everything we went through, so you owe me some goddamn backup when im dealing with princess privileged over there!"

"And how many more decades were you intending to keep rehashing that line? We've dragged you out of insane situations hundreds of time individually and together, Mimz, and you just seem to find another one. Sounds self-destructive to me... trust me, I'd know." said the alcoholic, shrugging. "Your afterlife though. But you don't get to disrespect Charlie like that and get away with it."

She pouts, deeply, and rolls her eyes. "Okay, fine. Look, Im here for my own reasons but it... ain't as bad as I said, Princess. I'm sure we can... find something to chat about, gal-to-gal, in your little therapy sessions. But you need to tone it down... no wonder people ain't flocking here, you're too..." she waves a hand at the radiating positivity and uncertainty. "That."

"What I believe you are trying to say, is that you have concerns about the qualifications of our dear Charlotte to provide psychotherapy, given her perspective on life is very... limited compared to that of sinners. And that she could not possibly understand the complexities of what being taken for mental health support in our time meant... or who would be targeted. Correct?" Alastor says, looming over her and ignoring Vaggie tugging her spear back from his tentacle.

Charlie frowns. "What does that mean? What was it like? The pamphlets I have show rehabilitation facilities and psychologists..."

That startles a laugh out of Angel. "Oh, Char-Char... even in my time... which was after those guys... it was bad. You either got drugged up until you couldn't feel a fucking thing or have a thought society didn't wantcha to have, or they shocked your brain until you were all blank potato inside. Oooh, there was also the chance they'd lobotomise you, get in there with what was like a big piece of metal andd just scoop out ya brain... or maybe you've be used for a psychotropic drug trial, so they can see what happens. Or they could just lock ya up or keep you in one'a them insulin comas until you died. It was fucked up... you're lucky these guys're even willing to hear you out about therapy 'cause we'd all have been targets for involuntary treatment in the day."

Charlie's mouth is hanging open. "That's horrible! Why would anyone do that? Doctors are supposed to help people!"

"They thought they were, Charlie. But this was also the time when there was one Normal set of people and the rest of the world was Wrong. So, when you see something as Less then... anything is fair game. You know they didn't use anaesthesia on animals or babies until the 80s right? Didn't think they could feel pain right." Husk grumbled, only pulling back when he saw Charlie was about to start sobbing.

"ENOUGH!" Lucifer boomed, pulling everything to a close and shoving the sinners out of the way in all directions with his wings as he went to comfort Charlie. "Honey, it's okay, it's okay there may have been some things that happened in human history that weren't great... but none of that is happening now! You're doing great with the sinners!"

"B-but they DID happen... and th-the-the sinners I'm trying to h-h-h-hell-help lived through it! No wonder we c-can't get mooooooore!" she sibs, and Vaggie is there, stroking Charlie's hair and making soothing noises.

Angel is hauling Husk to his feet, and turning to help pull Mimzy off off of Alastor, eyes warily watching the volatile Devil in the periphery. Sure, the Devil form was hot as well... but there was little rationality in there when Charlie was upset or in any way at risk of harm, even if only the emotional kind.

"No wonder she's sheltered, if that's how his high'n'mighty reacts to her gettin' a reality check. You're lucky I'm here, boys, I think there's some things a gal needs to share with your little redemptionist over there." Mimzy frowns, resettling her bazongas in the short attire and pumping her hair. "She's got moxxie, I like her, but this ain't gonna fix nobody. Not if she doesn't get the chance to hear the shit we slogged through to get here. Not everything in life is rainbows, and I'll be damned again if I let miss sunshine over there come at this the wrong way."

"Hey Mimz, you good? I know Al's bony but didn't think you'd landed hard enough for that level of blood." Husk prods at her dress, and she glances down. He frowns immediately, putting some things together. "Not yours. Shit, how long have you been hiding that, Al? Thought you learned your lesson on that shit after we ran into that mob family in 28."

For his part, Alastor was sititng up against the nearby wall, disgruntled from being so carelessly batted aside by Lucifer. All powerful arrogant angelic bastard. You could feel the anger simmering behind that smile... always had it out for authority figures, even in life.

Blood was clearly leaking from beneath his shirt, not that the deer was willing to acknowledge it. Mimzy sat right down on the man's lap, no hesitation, and Angel thought he was going to choke on his own tongue at the sight. Anyone else tried that, they'd be in pieces right now. Except maybe Husk... now he knew about that little dynamic. Or, maybe Niffty? But she was different, crawled all over the guy.

Angel was about 60% sure Alastor would laugh if he tried that under normal flirtatious circumstances, because that's the dynamic they've cultivated... but right now, he'd die. Straight up no hesitation.

"It's fine, Mag-... Mimzy landing on me when the melancholy mallard shoved us out of the way simply snapped the remaining stitches. It's nowhere near as dramatic as it looks, I assure you."

"Gotta be angelic of some kind if it ain't healed yet." Husk narrows his eyes, expertly deflecting the hands that tried to stop him from opening the topmost layer of coat. He'd clearly played this game before. "Thought something was fucked when Adam went to try and get Charlie, couldn't find you after..."

"Then you understand why it is vital such information is kept from the prying eyes of sinners who might run to another overlord with that information, yes?" Alastor snipes back, tone low to avoid drawing royal attention. His tendrils glitch but manage to grab Mimzy and pull her off him... only for the space to immediately fill with Husk. The bartender not even twitching an eye.

"You gonna calm down and let me see? I could tell the king we might need some help..." Husk grins, and Angel is shocked to see Alastor's ears go flat against his head. What the FUCK he thought those were like hair tufts?!

"Do it, and I tell everyone about what happened at Madame Rosary's speakeasy in 1932, and why we were banned."

"Says more about you than me..." Husk actually hesitates.

"Please. Smiles. I'll do anything to know what happened." Angel interjects, rummaging in his chest fluff for his mini first aid kit - always helpful when you worked for a guy like Val. "I'll suck ya di-..."

"Ah, Husker, it seems you already told him the story!" Alastor teased, as the cat's expression flushed under the fur. Mimzy smacked the overlord over one of his ears, earning her a wounded glare.

"Hey, you tell it properly or the hot spider guy's gonna think all the wrong things about that night. Now stop distracting so we can deal with this... and don't you dare shadow yourself elsewhere, or I'LL start talking about the nights in the cabin. I'm sure that fuckin' picture box'd pay top dollar for that information..."

Alastor begins to waver slightly.

Husk digs his claws into the man's injured side. "Hey, no translating into radio waves neither, you're predictable when you're cornered smart ass. It's why we-... forget it. This ain't good, and we need to get this sorted before someone sees, alright?"

"Sees what?" Vaggie asks, suspicious disdain dripping from the tone. Only to pull up short. "Did... did I do that?"

She darts her eye to the tip of her reclaimed spear.

"No." comes the clipped reply as Husk is garbbed by the scruff with a tendril and hoited into the air. Alastor shoved himself upright with less grace than normal, surprisingly even himself with the sudden complexity of the task. "I would ask you to ignore this little situation, and I will handle Mimzy's antics. Go see to your girlfriend..."

Vaggie tenses.

Alastor's tone softens. "Vagatha, on top of today's upset I strongly suspect that she is still quite burdened by the loss of her little dragon friend and the snake fellow. I have caught her staring at their respective monuments on at least four occasions today alone. There is more going on under the surface than she is willing to allow you to see... so I would kindly suggest you stop poking your nose into my business and go play loyal but loving knight to your princess."

"Fine. But not because you told me to."

"That's the spirit!"

"You're still so good at playing up the charm when you tell someone to fuck off, Al." Mimzy giggled, playfully batting him on the shoulder. "But enough about that, let's patch this up or I'm gonna go tattle to Rosie that you hid this from her and you know what she'll do."

Husk and Alastor's expressions went frighteningly blank for the barest heartbeat.

"That will NOT be necessary my dear Magnolia. If I find you shared this information, I will send you through regeneration myself."

"No you won't Boss. C'mon..." Husk says, reasserting normality with the one sentence, enough that even Alastor seemed to relax. "We can fix this up in the kitchen, they won't come in there. Don't think either of 'em have ever cooked without magic in their entire lives..."

Angel paused outside the kitchen, uncertain if he would be allowed in as well. The decision was made for him by Mimzy, who dragged the starlet inside by his lapels and sent a pointed glare at the now-watching royal family (and to-be, in the case of Vaggie). A real 'stay outta this' that meant business.

Realistically, it was like an ant threatening a god... but the point was, Mimzy had at least vaguely attempted to make a claim here.

Angel pauses as the doors swing shut, beacuse not only is the coat off but Alastor is allowing Husk to help remove the undershirt and this is more of Alastor than he's ever seen before. It's like seeing your PE teacher in a ballgown or something, sure it's possible... but you never think about it, so it doesn't really exist ni your universe.

Apart from the fluff there, and boy does he wanna compare to see if it's as soft as his own or Husk's. He vaguely wonders if anyone in Hell knows that... but then, he'd learned all sorts of shit about these three in the past few months. The kind of shit that blew his mind.

He thought his human life had been unusual, 'cause of the drugs and sex and mob violence... but it was only a different kind of chaotic nightmare. None of the affectionate one for all three musketeers type relationship these three had had going on, though. Would've been nice.

Vaguely, he hands over the first aid kit he'd found in his chest fluff. It had an enchantment on it to make it bigger on the inside, you could hide something palm sized in his fluff, easy enough, but you couldn't store much in it that'd be useful without a little magic.

Husk is already tugging the damaged bandages off, trying to be careful despite the urgency he was clearly feeling. A lot of the blood was getting to the sticky stage where it went glue like, and that always felt like a nightmare to pull off of fur.

"Fuck me sideways..." Angel murmurs, as the full extent of the injury is bared. There were signs of healing at the furthest edges, but the torn stitches frame the rest of the very much still angry and weeping wound from shoulder to opposing waist. The snapped cords had pulled and bruised at the skin, and there was this persistent Heat to it.

"Why, as we've established through viewing your delightfully bizarre show and tell submissions, my good fellow, I believe many others have beaten us to such a feat." Alastor laughs, and there's no disdain or cruelty in the tone. It's just a jibe. Like he does to Husk on occasion... cool, cool, so he's not going to be eaten for protein. Excellent.

Husk puts a paw right beside the wound. "Can you stop goddamn talking and laughing, you self-destructive asshole? The whole thing keeps gaping so hard I think your guts are going to fall out." There's a pause as he whips around to point at Angel and Mimzy, "Do NOT."

"That's what he said!" the pair chorus, and startle the other.

"Oh... I think we're keeping this one, he's got a helluva sense of humour. This the guy you're sweet on Husky?" Mimzy bats her eyelashes, grinning knowingly. "I see you still like 'em tall and gorgeous..."

Husk growls back. "Hey, can you do a little more helping and a little less trying to hook us up. And what do you mean 'still' name one other-..."

Alastor is actually looking at him with his ears partially down. "Are you saying I wasn't tall and gorgeous to you Husker? You absolute cad!"

Husk seems to be trying to work out if he's being played or the crazy bastard is serious. The grin is hard to work around until you start to notice Smiles' quirks.

"I'm pretty sure you're fucking with me, Al... but you know you were always stunning, you bastard. Well, actually, no. The only one who didn't notice was literally YOU... had to beat people off with a stick, me and Mim, not that you ever noticed." The cat rolls his eyes, handing an antiseptic pad over to Mimzy, and smiling as Angel intercepted it.

"You what now?" a burble of radio stations changing filled the air as the Radio Demon's confusion let his control slip for a moment. A sharp static screech rang out at the first touch of the pad to the wound.

"You. Were. HOT." Husk elaborates. "For a cocky motherfucker who liked to spread chaos and pick fights with people in bigger weight classes, just for the hell of it. You think I would've stuck around for all that crazy if you two weren't ridiculously attractive?"

Alastor lets out a dramatic gasp. "Why Husker, are you suggesting you only liked us for our Looks? How dare you say such a thing, reducing us to mere arm dressing you cruel cassanova! Mimzy be outraged for us both I don't have the bandwidth right now."

"Well what answer do you want? I can never tell with you." Husk sighs, exasperated, but in a fond way. "I never regretted the crazy shit you both brought into my life, or being with you, and yes you were attractive in life so that factored in. But when you died it fell apart. Happy?"

"I would be if-" Alastor pauses with a hiss as Angel carefully dabbed at a rather persistent trickle from the middle of the wound. "If you could stop using past tense about our general attractiveness..."

Husk's tail paused mid-twitch, ears alert. "What?"

"Hah, he didn't realise. Well, I find both looks appealing, but you know me... it's also about if the sweet inside the wrapper is just as good. And I knew you two had my back, back then... if not now."

"Okay, first of all Maggie, you start shit all over Hell and then run to us for help. It gets old fast, especially when we literally spent half our human lives doing that. You don't do as much reciprocating here. "

She waggles her eyebrows. "Oh, if you wanted me to get Reciprocal you should have said husky..."

"Not what I meant and you know it. When was the last time you pitched in to solve our problems, huh?"

She pouts and crosses her arms. "Hey, I helped with that fish overlord... and I helped confuse Vox enough that time to help you both break out of his clutches!"

"I-... yeah, okay, fair."

"And I';'ve been lookin' into something for Al for his dea-...mppph!"

"You know about that too? How the fuck...? Al, you need to warn me that Mimz knows, she's a potential leak for this mess." Husker rounds on the guy, and Angel feels the slight flinch under his hands. "I know you can't talk about it, but whatever the fuck is happening, you can at least give me some part of the mess to help."

"Why?" Alastor asks.

"Why?" Angel finds himself echoing accidentally, taking on a small pair of scissors to remove the remaining sutures. They're not ideal, but he'd used worse in his days as an impromptu medic in life and on the set. He feels eyes fall on him, and the heat of them is... it feels like a sniper dot for the intensity.

"I mean... he owns your souls right? Even if you did have some throuple type shit going on on earth, and it sounds like ya did, right now he Owns You. Why would you even care if the guy who owns you is on a leash, much less help him? Right now... this could be your chance to get your souls back,"

He startles as two different sets of hands grab his wrists, and mentally plays back the conversation. "Whoa, I don't mean I'm a threat or nothing I'm just... trying to figure this out. Cause I don't-... it wouldn't be like that for anyone else, I don't think. You get this golden opportunity for freedom AND power on a plate but you'restanding here throwing it away. I can't think of any other sinner who would. Hell, I've seen family betray one another for a sniff of this type of chance."

"That's the thing, Angel Dust, emotional bonds are far stranger and prone to logical fallacy than any other. They do not kill me or use this as a chance for freedom, because... I strongly suspect some part of them still cares if I live or die." Alastor chuckles darkly. "Long after I myself stopped caring. But, if you must know, their deals are not anything like yours. I made them to protect them. No one touches what belongs to the Radio Demon... and no one tries to gather a debt from one of those under my charge. Be it cash or flesh."

"You can see how it's fucked up to like, enslave your friends right? Friends? Lovers? Partners? Whatever ya are."

"Perhaps, but this is hell. Did you not also make strange decisions under the influence of affection? What would you do to keep Miss Bomb safe if you had the power to make deals? What of your piglet... or, hmmm, Husker here? Dont worry, I don't ask out of jealousy, merely curious." Alastor purrs, claws digging through the steel benchtop as Angel has to tug at a thread. "Steady on, my effeminate fellow... that's unfortunately very aware of your ministrations."

"Just say it hurts, Smiles. I've been there and have the season pass at this point for this kindsa shit. Nearly done, though." He pokes his tongue out the side of his mouth in concentration. "You know, this... heat... or whatever it is, I don't think it's normal. Might be an infection? Can angelic steel cause infections? I never knew anyone alive long enough after an Extermination to know."

"I... have no idea! There's the fun of it! But you can survive an angelic blade, it merely takes far longer to heal that you would expect. Quite the nuisance when other overlords are always sniffing around seeking weaknesses."

"Yeah, I can imagine it sucks being all powerful and getting humbled like that." Angel snipes back, suddenly angry. Not with Al, not per say, but the idea of Overlords in general just seemed to flick a switch.

"Being a run of the mill sinner may seem a nightmare, Angel, but there's hidden dangers attached to being an Overlord that I don't expect you to understand." Alastor frowned, tone... not patronising, but perhaps tired. "At the moment you look over your shoulder every time you leave a location to see what chaos the world is bringing and if it intends you harm. But you, a sinner with a claim on you, know that there will be likely retribution should someone hurt you... apart from the moth, that is."

"And what? You big guys have it worse?"

"No. No I'm saying that the same applies to overlords, but the people waiting in the dark are on another level. Everyone you meet wants something, Angel, and they are always watching to see you fail. Every deal brings power and a soul, but it equally means another one to watch over and protect. If you fall, they fall. And if you should gain the attention of the wrong person... things can jeopardise your souls."

There's a pause as Angel applies a numbing agent to the tattered skinaround and in the wound. Alastor seemed confused by such a gesture, clearly having braced for the matter to be dealt with otherwise.

"I'm not going to sew you up without giving you something, you weird ass deer... I know you overlords are tough but... you don't always have to be, right? Wait, hold on, have you been doing this yourself without even the decency of a panadol or two? You-..." it dissolves into some sort of italian then.

Alastor looks to Husk for a translation, sees the grimace, and decides not to ask. "Angel, even you benefit from being so known, from being Valentino's and part of the Vees. Not in a good eay, but there is a fear about what reprisal would exist if someone tried something not sanctioned by your overlord. There is a sick comfort in that, correct? If someone toppled your moth tomorrow, you wouldn't know anything about the person taking ownership of your soul... not how to appease them, or what they wanted. A level of fear and dread you haven't had to face for decades I assume?"

"Yeah...?" Angel asks, prodding at the area and noting the slight flinch. He puts more cream over the injury and waits.

"A good overlord, and I assume there have to be some out there, cares about at least some of the souls under them. For example, if someone harmed Niffty I would turn them inside out and hold their soul in their body until they had expressed enough sincere apology that they deserved the chance to die." The air went thick with scrambled distortion and symbols for just a moment, before it flickered out. "Why, they practically beg for death at the end, ha hah! In anycase, it is imperative for someone with souls under them to ensure they maintain their status. Both as a means of self-protection, and to keep those leashed to them safe. But every soul you contract may choose to harm you unless specified specifically otherwise in their deal... and even then a third party may be used or an injury that Could be Fatal can be imbued. It's all about the wording. And that's before you even consider the threat of other Sovereigns against yourself... and any hint of weakness results in everything crumbling."

"I get it, we're fucked no matter which end of the pyramid we sit on right? Just.. differently. I don't think I'd handle that sorta pressure, same way I don't think you'd switch places with me for anything." Angel shrugs, touching the wound again and getting no response. "Hold still, I was always good at my threadwork but flesh is always a little tougher than fabric you know."

"Husker, find out whatever is in that little kit of your paramour, and ensure that we order twice the amount of whatever was used. I would not like to hear that he ran out simply because his generosity outweighed his common sense."

"Sure thing boss..." Husk said, turning away the small smirk that was threatening to grow across his features. He leans in close to Angel. "That's his way of sayin' I think he likes you, and he appreciates the care you've shown. He's just a stubborn fucking ass about it, always has been. I think if he had a genuine emotional heart to heart it might kill him."

"Sounds like someone wants me to drop his soul from my list and let you manage your own debts, hmmm?"

"Nah, you won't." Husker grins. "You still love me, even after all this shit. Or you wouldn'tt put up with a fraction of the nonsense Mimzy and I get up to."

He received an audience booing for his troubles, but those ears were twitching as if unsure whether they wanted to pin back. Alastor seemed to think on his response before opening his mouth to retort...

The moment is ruined by the doors being blasted open and Lucifer strides in, flanked by Charlie and Vaggie. Both holding his arms and pulling as if to stop the King, but not exactly succeeding.

"Okay Bambi, we need to talk about your little degenerate friend-... what the fuck happened to you?" The king pulls up short, confused at the scene before him. Charlie gasps, and her eyes are filling with tears again before Vaggie can get there to assuage her.

"Nothing that requires your interference, your lowness, and rest assured I have spoken to Mimzy about maintaining her manners. She has agreed to make more appropriate conversational decisions in future... but let's be realisitic here, sire, this was going to happen eventually. Charlie has only ever known Hell, and the version you and... her mother... cultivated. Of course she wouldn't understand the complexities of human lives, of societies, and of the inherent power and control put in place even in systems made to help those struggling with various issues. Such as Mimzy and husker pointed out."

"Listen asshole, there's such a thing as easing people into terrible news, you could try it." Lucifer snarls back, eyes flickering to red.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but isn't Charlie older than literally everyone else in this room excepting yourself? That seems a long time to leave her ignorant... human history is a subject that will never end if you don't start teaching the fundamentals now. Why, ha-hah, if you think about it, each day passed adds more to the curriculum!"

"Did I like, knock you into a wall or something? Or is he generally this level of asshole even without a concussion?" Lucifer asked the room at large. Waving it off magnanimously, he points at the wound. "That's not going to heal for the next decade if you keep using basic first aid at it, there's Angelic Grace in it, idiot. For that you'd need, oh, well look at that... Me... to remove it."

"No, a decade isn't that long in terms of eternity, little majesty. I can wait." Alastor parries, noting that Husker and Mimzy have shifted slightly to be between them. Angel continues sewing flesh back together, warily watching Lucifer from the corner of his eyes.

"Fair enough, suffer then. But if your annoying thrall ever causes my Charlie that level of distress again, I end both of you."

"Dad, please, we just talked about this!" Charlie hissed. "I need to know this sort of stuff to help, and yes it was shocking and I was upset... but not for ME! For Mimzy and Al and Husk and Angel and the thousands of Sinners who went through that, who might be afraid of help because of their experiences in the past... and that's before coming to Hell. Imagine how they feel now?"

"I heard you, Duckling, but my point stands. There's a right way and a wrong way... and he's probably doing it for entertainment."

"Well so what? He's helped us, and fought for us and clearly it's my fault THAT happened..." she gestures at the wound. "So if all I get back is the occasional uncomfortable truth and an offer to have like, people for dinner, that's fine with me. We're okay, dad."

"What was that bit about eating people?"

"Oh unclench your tightness, it's a joke. I know sinner is an accquired taste..." Alastor waves off, and gets a silent look of reproach from Angel who nearly dropped the needle into the wound at the unexpected movement.

"Yeah, what's that taste like? Chiken, pork?"

"Ah, it differs from person to person..." A laugh track plays and the spider snorts, oh that was TERRIBLE. "And besides, my good arachnid, I would have thought of all people present you'd be well versed in having sinner meat in your mo-...mmmph?"

Husk had slapped a paw over the smart mouth, as Angel's fell open in shock. Had the overlord just seriously made that joke?

"Ignore him, he gets difficult when he's injured and you left the door open for that one."

"No, I mean, that was fuckin' hilarious and I didn't expect it outta Smiles. Where has this rude sense of humour been the whole time we've been livin' here?"

Mimzy scoffed at Al. "You still playing polite hotelier? Pfft, okay that's fair, miss pretty princess there might straight up die if you made one of your fancy word naughty quips at her."

"She's made of sterner stuff, ususally, I promise." Alastor mutters, as Husk removes the paw warily. Thinks better of it, and covers the man's mouth again before a pussy based joke escapes. He's suffering enough in hell without the terrible puns.

"Can you behave, Al? Some of us are having a heck of a day and that was before we find out you were hiding this sort of shit again." Husk mumbles, letting his shoulders sag and the wings droop a little. Mimzy would be vocal as hell about injuries, and Husk would be stoic until they were safely out of the firing line, but Al used to do the old 'oop, i think im feeling off' and then collapse on you bullshit. This was toeing the line here for husk's tolerance.

Lucifer rolls up his sleeves, after some pointed whispering from Charlie, and approaches. Alastor rears back snarling with all his teeth. Angel fumbles for the thread.

"Can you stop it there Short King, I'm nearly done and you're sending the patient into bloodlust."

"What? Oh, don't worry about it, I can pin him down easy enough... King of Hell and all. Overlords mean nothing to me."

Angel felt anger rise up, and noted the way Al stiffened. "hold up, ya Majesty. Might want to rethink that statement cause it sounded fuckin' awful, and pro tip... just cause you CAN doesn't mean you Should. Val can pin me down and pour acid in my face if he's mad, but it don't mean I want him to. He could also do it to put a bandaid on a burn he's given me. Same sentiment though."

That pulls Lucifer up short, and the angel frog blinks. "What? I'm just going to pull that Grace out, he should be thanking me?"

"You could try asking, or not making it sound like you're forcing yourself on someone... that kinda language is really fucking triggering when you've been there. And I know you've been overhearing Mimz here prattle on about their lives up top, you know full well that they've all dealt with being forced, being made to do something, even if it never got far. Like with me. The memory doesn't distinguish that... your brain tells your body to panic."

Angel finds he's furious at the King, and for what? Some words? The intent behind them? The fact that he felt Alastor shaking for just a split second before the Overlord overrode that reaction with anger?

"I didn't-..."

"You didn't think. No. I get that, it's just... you need to, though. Little things can send you into a spiral... I know you know what that's like. I've got eyes, Short King, you've been there too."

"Well, okay, I apologise for setting everyone off with my words. I'll use a better statement next time, okay? Now if the big bad overlord is done having all the regular sinners defend him, can he please be a big boy and let me get this over with?"

Oh, there go the antlers.

Husk puts a wing between them. "Just want to put it out there, your majesty, that being talked down to by authority and referred to as 'boy' or 'girl' as an adult is... something pretty common in our time. For It was the racism, you see. Might want to pull back on that too. Hard to tell in sinner form what everyone was before, but the memories don't fade out that fast. Still gets me heated under the collar when I hear it."

"Er, okay... then could the big angry deer please let me within like a foot of him so I can pull the Grace out, because you're functionally useless..." there's a very pointed pause, and you can feel a fight coming on, but it's suddenly clear his majesty has zoned out. Vaggie claps her hands near the King's ear. "What? Oh, what was I saying? There's something pressing on the wards... not sure what though."

Alastor closes his eyes, and grimaces. "Worry not, that's merely Vox seeking to play voyeur again. I will deal with it in a moment."

"Are you sure? I could swat him like That!"

"It's a matter of principle, if Vox is turned away by you, he will wonder why I didn't do it. And he will either come himself, or send another spy... and despite Charlie's best attempts, I'm not certain the next one will be swayed by a song about apologies."

"...fair. What was I saying? Something about that rendering you useless at defending the place? Whatever, I don't technically have to touch you, but it could help make it faster."

"...if you must."

In a painfully awkward 45 seconds, the King presses two fingertips to the still open portion of wound and concentrates until small globules of something metallic and bright begin to at the location. They seem to be expanding from unseen miniscule amounts over time.

Carefully pulling away, Lucifer calls the droplets to him, letting them sink into his palm and disappear. "Whew, okay, that was more than I thought. All gone though, so that mess will heal on its own at the normal rate. And if we're lucky, there'll be no Charlie the 2nd out of that one..."

Everyone pauses. "What?"

"Kidding, you should see your faces! It took a decade of concentrated energy and some very specific magic to create you, Sweetie, you were planned out more meticulously than the construction of any Ring in Hell. Just wanted to crack a joke, you're all so tense. Sheesh, touchy much today?"

"Please don't ever try comedy your majesty, your little clown outfit if more than enough..." Alastor retorts dryly. Angel carefully returns to the task of closing the wound the last two or so inches and ties off the thread. "Thank you my good man."

His expression glitches for a moment, before the lights flicker and something explodes outside. "Vox has been thoroughly removed from the premises, for now. Do pay attention to any update requests you may get on those infernal devices, the terms and conditions can allow Vox to use your phone as a portal if you agree. Not to mention they're all just pretty little spy cameras for him... though not here, thankfully."

Husk and Mimzy are passing a bandage around the too-thin torso, and the fact Alastor isn't protesting, means that this wouldn't be the first time. And he clearly knows he wouldn't win if he tried.

The minute it's tucked square away, Husk smack the overlord on the undamaged side of his chest. "Don't pull this shit again."

"Aw, don't be mean Husky... you know you love playing nursemaid." Mimzy titters, winking at him until the cat hisses back.

"I've got a whole costume for that if you wanna try that on for size...?" Angel offers, enjoying seeing two sets of animal airs flicker his way then flatten. "Oh c'mon, don't I get a little something for today?"

"You can have a date with Husker and the satisfaction of eating part of the moth when I get the time to kill him in a challenge. How does that sound?" Alastor offers vaguely, slipping his shirts closed and buttoning rapidly to the throat. "Try pushing the outfits again and I will have Niffty alphabetise your growing toy collection according to her own internal narrative."

Angel gasps in horror. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh but I would!" Alastor grins, sharply, and Mimzy laughs. "Now go and do something that isn't gawping at us, and I shall look over what we have in the pantry for dinner. Mimzy, you would burn this palce down and you will recall a no-cooking clause in our deal, so please vacate the area. But do try to ease up on the my dear Charlotte, and at least pretend to capitulate to her exercises... you are a resident after all."

She grumbles, crossed arms and petulant expression on full display. "Thanks I get for keepin my boys alive,I tell ya, no gratitude..."

Lucifer rolls his eyes, "Okay, enough of this... I'm going to check the small red one hasn't destroyed the hotel. Coming, Charlie? Vaggie?"

"Er, sure..." Charlie seems slightly shellshocked and leans against Vaggie as they follow her father out. "Today's been... a lot."

Angel rubs his arm, awkwardly. "So uh, you don't mind if I like take Husk for drinks or something? I never really worked out what your status is down here."

"Husker is free to do as he wants... and he likes you. I suppose I am rather fond of you as well, given how well you handle a crisis and your commitment to the hotel. Especially now that we can see the real you under that fake persona..." Alastor replies.

Angel can't help but chuckle. "Pot. Kettle. Smiles."

"True. How bold of you to sass an Overlord, Angel. You will be an intriguing addition... should you wish it."

"Like... as a soul on your chain when you kill Val, or to this whatever it is? Cause no offence, but I don't do broads outside'a films and when Val's holding me hostage for cash. And I dunno how I'd feel about all of you anyway, that's a lot..."

husk rolls his eyes. "He doesn't mean date us, just like, putitng up with them and dating me. If you want. They're kind of attached, even if it ain't official anymore... call it karmic bullshit or something. We can be exclusive if you'd like, though; I haven't messed about with them since before I died."

Angel let out an indignant squeak. "What? You got these two hotties here and you ain't even tried their demonic forms out for a test drive? Husk, Husker, Whiskers, baby, are you serious? I'm almost tempted to do it for you..."

"...please do restrain yourself, if at all possible, Angel. I think we've contaminated the counters enough for one day." Alastor responds, wiping down the same with an antibacterial spray Charlie insisted they utilise. "And if dearest Vagatha came in, we may just kill her from shock to see someone misappropriating the kitchen in such a manner..."

Angel needs a long moment as his brain pauses to absorb several creative visuals. "Uh.... I mean, I got time and there's still heaps in that cleaner, right? Maybe you could get Spooky Jnr to keep Vaggie out?"

"Oooh, I'm game if you are... won't touch ya, but I'll be here." Mimzy grins, taking in all of Angel.

Husk covers his eyes with a paw and groans. "Okay, for one, no one's getting up to anything in here because I think we'd all prefer to break in our sinner forms somewhere more comfortable than this. Two, you you fucking idiot are injured and we're not breaking those stitches again. And for three, this one is mine until further notice so back off..."

"Wait, wait, wait, NONE of you have gotten frisky in these forms?"

"There's never been a need, or a time when the three of us were on the same page and in a similar headspace." Alastor shrugged.

Mimzy rolled her eyes, "Listen, I've got a busy schedule so... I was getting to it. Also a lot shorter than I used to be so that took some getting used to."

"Not to mention SOME ASSHOLE disappeared for like 7 years without warning just when everyone was finally getting along and addressing the shit we needed to from our sudden deaths." Husker replied.

"There was a reason, I just can't say. Not yet, anyway." Alastor shrugged. "Why, did you miss meeeeee....?"

"...yes, you smug fuck, of course we did. Niffty was fucking beside herself it took Rosie and me to keep her from throwing herself at angels during Exterminations..."

The ears drooped. "Ah... well, if it's any consolation, I didn't choose to leave. It turns out you can be summoned by people in-..." the words crackles off into a forced silence. The shadow pointed upwards.

Angel felt his eyes blow wide. "No fuckin' way. Who could have the power to-..."

The answer jumped out at him, something from an earlier conversation about Charlie. The way everything hinged on her and pushing Lucifer away.

"It's... the other parent, ain't it? Of your not-kid, Charlie, right?"

"...you are too clever by half to be just a porn starlet, dear Angel."

Husk's fur bristled. "What's she got on you? Why give someone like that your soul?"

"Lack of choice. Like I said, I am familiar with angelic wounds."

"Healed by that person? Or made by that person?"

"Ah, husker, why not both? No need to dwell on it for now. There is nothing immediate that needs managing. You have a date with your arachnid... you still have your card?"

"What? Of course I do, you know I do why are you trying to distract me from this?"

"Because nothing can be changed now. So why worry? Feel free to have dinner out, I will leave portions of whatever I come up with in the fridge for you, should you decide to go dancing or some other exhausting outlet that means dinner is not quite enough."

Behind the deer's back, Angel and Husk shared a Look. Mimzy nodded at them, and Alastor tensed for reasons he didn't understand.

"Actually, I'd like to stay and see what you're making. My Nonna and Ma taught me a whole bunch of stuff but nothing like what you cook. You mind?" Angel offers.

"Its been a while since we all made a meal together... and I promise to keep an eye on Mimzy so she doesn't set anything ablaze." Husker adds.

"Hey, you don't complain when I offer other options for dinner..." Mimzy simpers, and the collective groan in the room makes her laugh so hard she almost falls off the bench. "Oh, c'mon, that was a good one."

"Yeah yeah..." Husk rolls his eyes and washes his hands. "What do you need me to chop up for this?"

Angel watches the process like a hawk, cheerfully asking to take on dicing the meat when he sees the overlord flagging as the repetitive motion wears on his wakening nerves about the injury.

Mimzy is exceptionally helpful and not at all a menace, as long as someone is paying attention to her actions the whole time.

It's not clear when the room filled with soft music, but it was nice. The aroma of a meal nearly done wafted about, and it took a moment before anyone noticed the deer had fallen asleep atop one of the chairs. Tucked into a corner, one elbow on the bench and his head resting on the hand attached.

The music emanated from him, somehow.

"Aw, fuck me that's cute..." Angel grins. He'd have to burn this into his brain cause if he took a photo it'd wake Al, and Vox'd have a field day with that kind of image.

"...you should've seen him when he was alive." Mimzy murmured back. "Cute, less red... just as easy to trick into exhausting himself when he was being stubborn about it."

"One of my best magic tricks was getting these two to look after themselves." Husk shrugged, huffing a chuckle as he plated up some of the thick, chunky stew. "Now dig in before it gets cold, and I'll drop some plates out at the dining table."

"You could get Niffty to-... oh, nope, she's found Al already."

Angel blinks across the room to find Niffty fast asleep in Al's lap. She hadn't been there a second ago and they were facing the only doors. So how...?

His thoughts slowed as he took a bite of the stew, and suddenly the starlet realised he might just have to join this crazy whatever it was with Husk and the others, just to get food like this everyday. If his Nonna was here, he's sure she'd want the recipe.

But, as good things in Hell often do, the moment was spoiled by the sound of his phone going off. He had work to get to.

Well, at least it was just some backcountry pumpkin-based fuckfest. Nothing he couldn't handle.

---

Or so he thought.

The minute he arrives, the chain manifests, dragging him into the dressing room set aside for Angel Dust.

He panics, mentally, trying to think about what he might have done or not done to get this response. Only to come face to face with Valentino AND Vox.

Vox leans forwards in his chair, grabbing hold of the chain and pulsing blue up the length. Taking temporary ownership.

"Now Angel, I understand you've been spending time with dear Mimzy, that little nightmare, and she's been sharing some fun factoids about the Radio Demon! Some of the others in the hotel were putting bits and piecces out there and our lovely Velvette collected that information on our behalf."

Angel felt his heart plunging into his stomach.

"Yesterday, all of that went silent... so I thought I'd go right to the source. The one who's spent a lot of time around her in the past few days if the photos are to be believed, gathering intel for us. That's what you were doing, right? Of course you were. You love Val, and want to make him happy."

"Yes Mr Vox, of course." he simpers automatically. "Anything for Val...entino."

"Of course, of course! And naturally, given your knowledge, and the heh radiosilence of the last day or so, I think it's only fair that I ask some questions to clarify. How does that sound? Could you tell me the truth, Angel?" Vox grins, looming.

Apologising, even as his heart begins to thunder and his stomach roil with the thick taste of shame and betrayal, Angel feels his smiling lips move. "Of course, Mr Vox... anything for the Vees."

"Good boy, Angel..." Valentino purrs, carding though Angel's hair. "Now tell my Voxxy what he really wants to know... does the radio demon have a tail?"

Angel could have cried from the odd thrill of relief such a stupid satement brought. Please let them all be so vaguely intrusive and easily answered.

"According to Mimzy, yes he does. I havent seen it, but she said it was like a deer's, but red and white and black."

"Is he really with that woman and the cat?"

"It's complicated, they had a thing when they were alive but I can;t get a read on them now. It's like..." he pauses, trying not to be seen as impertinent. "Like the Vees, you all move around each other just knowing how to work as a trio, but if no one was paying attention or you didn't need 'em to know, no one would know if you all shared a bed or whatever. You know?"

"...good answer. Now for the big ticket question... is Alastor still injured after fighting Heaven?"

Angel felt sick. Why can't he have one good thing? This was going to ruin any chance with husk, with Charlotte, and break the fragile trust he'd made with Smiles.

"Yes. He is. But the King did something to fix it, so I dunno."

"...Angel, does Alastor own his own soul?"

He pauses, as if thinking. "Mimzy didn't say anything about that sorta thing, you want me to ask indirectly?"

But that swirling eye was getting so wide, filling his vision.

"Oh, I think you might know some more than that, you just need help to put it together, huh? I know how smart you are Angel..."

"I... don't... think so... something... about... he said..."

"Good boy, yes?"

His mouth is moving on its own and he can't stop it. "Alastor... said something to... Husk... aout being summoned... elswhere. Didn't go by choice... seven years? Don;t know what it means."

"And who do you think owns the Radio Demon, Angel?"

"Think... hates Lucifer... loves Charlie... said something weird... other day... think... Queen?"

Vox's expression went from psychotically aroused to abolute malicious joy in a split second. He released the now dizzy Angel, who flopped forwards right into Valentino's waiting arms.

"Good boy Angel... very good boy. You've done so well." Valentino purrs at him, and Angel feels the hands travelling over his body to the places that tingled up his spine. It was clearly a Reward day.

"Well, that changes the game completely, my old friend..." Vox murmurs, as Angel is steered across the room to the plush couch and a half dozen hands toy with his every nerve. Vox watches detachedly.

If only he could warn them that Vox knew.

If only-... but he couldn't, not yet. The contract was in place for now.

Time to perform, and then get home.

As Valentino did his best to show Angel his pleasure for a task well done, Angel found his mind wandering back to thoughts about cooking earlier. And he vaguely wondered if there'd be stew in the fridge when he returned...

"Good boy, Angel..." Valentino whispered, and his body shuddered but his mind was already at the hotel.

"Thank you Daddy..." he whispers, just the right amount of breathless that got them likes on their online content.

"I think you can have a night off, see what else you can hear..."

"Oooh, you spoil me Daddy, I will, I promise!"

I will... kill you the first chance I get, Val. Promise.

He is halfways back to the hotel before his mind catches up, but he doesn't let the 'dazed lovedrunk smile #4' he perfected so well for the camera, drop. Aware of the surveillance cameras watching his route home.

When the doors close behind him, Angel collapses to his knees, and then Husk is there, and Angel is sobbing.

"What did he do? Angel, are you hurt?"

"No, No I-... he made me... the things I know... he wanted to know..."

"It's alright Angel, this was inevitable. I will handle this." Alastor advises.

"Not with that injury, mister!" Mimzy interjects.

"Wait, not tonight, they'll assume I said something. They know about your... tail... and you and husk and mimzy. They asked about your deal... I'm sorry I couldn't... his eye..."

"It is genuinely alright Angel, Vox has been obsessed for decades, its no surprise he found out. Merely a nuisance that I now must kill them all rather than one at a time."

"Okay, but not tonight... when we go to end them, I want them to have no chance to stop you. Can't do that when you're injured, right?"

"Hmmm, true. Alright, we shall pencil it in... next week sometime. Let's get you settled, we have some food set aside as you never finished yours." He glanced over the other. "Or perhaps Husker can escort you to your room for a quick shower, the effect that little eye trick has makes one feel quite in need of one..."

"Oooh, Husky, change your mind about the nurse costume? I'll take a spongebath anyday for you, Sister Whiskers..."

"Keep that up and I get Al to bathe you."

Angel felt his expression deepen into Lustful Thoughts #6 and there was a record scratch. "No, I shan't be available. Injured and all that..."

Mimzy howled with laughter.

"You lot are fucking crazy... I want in." His mouth says before his brain can catch up.

"Welcome to my nightmare, legs..." Husk groans, pulling Angel up and walking them towards the elevators. "Let's get you cleaned up and fed. We need to plan for next time the Vees pull this shit... you can get around questions with careful answers, you know?"

Mimzy paused on the way back to the kitchen, checking no one is around before she sidles up to Al. "You wanna go bang in the King's room, as a big old Fuck You to the guy?"

"Hmmm, tempting, but maybe later... I feel it would have more impact with more participants. And besides, we need to feed the spider some food and the right lines to use under hypnosis... so, let us focus on that for now."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine... but can I at least pet your tail in the kitchen?"

"...I have never understood your fascination, but I see no harm in doing so away from prying eyes."

He had no way of knowing that the covert selfie she took of herself in the act, which was then sent to Husk, would be intercepted by Vox and cause a three day power outage across the Ring.

Lucifer could never prove it was Alastor's fault, but he sure acted like it was until the lights came back on.

-----------

ENDish

this took hours of my weekend for no one to read but me

such a bizarre and likely ooc concept but... why not. at least i have some creativity returning!

#hazbin hotel #alastor #mimzy #husk #angel dust #lucifer #charlie #vaggie #niffty #vox #alasotr / husk / mimzy somewhat #headcanon and au i guess #husk / angel #alastor / mimzy / husk / (angel)#phoenixwrites

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ilovemybishies87 · 11 months ago

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The Vacation from Hell - Chapter One

Inspired by @damntheyare's amazing fanart. I did end up changing a couple elements because I suck and did not realize who the cat and dog were supposed to be until after I had completed the chapter. Sorry, KeeKee and Razzle/Dazzle!

This will also be posted to AO3, along with all future chapters, once I have an account. Until then, enjoy!

*EDIT* Now posted to AO3!

Alastor wasn’t sure how he found himself in this situation. No, that wasn’t quite accurate. He had some semblance of an idea. The Princess of Hell was known for her harebrained projects, but none more harebrained than a hotel with the sole purpose of redeeming the lowliest of Hell’s sinners. It was ridiculous. Laughable!

But between the song she had belted out to the idea itself, he considered himself sold. Of course, she had no experience running a hotel. That wasn’t so much a flaw as it was a feature. He could only imagine relishing her failure once the futility of her goal dawned on her. Until then he would bide his time in the shadows—a most fitting place, if he said so himself!—playing his self-assigned role as co-manager.

There was only one, tiny problem: he had seriously underestimated how much the universe wanted to fuck him over.

______________________________

“I need to visit a hotel!” Charlie announced.

The ragtag band of guests and staff were lounging in the common room a few days after Sir Pentious’s pitiful attack on the hotel. All except Niffty, who had made it her mission to clean the place from top to bottom. Vaggie and Angel Dust sat next to each other on the sofa, scrolling their phones. Husk stood behind the counter at the bar, finishing his inventory of liquors for the night.

Alastor turned to Charlie standing on the opposite side of the room. Papers plastered the wall behind her, filled with all the ideas she hadn’t yet written off as futile. She seemed frozen in place while she waited for a response.

Eventually Angel Dust pulled his gaze from his phone long enough to give her a brief glance and laughed. “You live in a hotel!” A pair of arms made a sweeping motion around them, emphasizing his point. “Why do you need to visit one?”

Charlie shook her head. “I know that, Angel! I meant a thriving one!” she said, and her grin stretched wide. “One on Earth!”

Alastor raised a brow at her declaration. This time her statement did not go unnoticed. Vaggie’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. Angel Dust’s phone dropped onto his lap as he stared at her, incredulous. Even Husk stopped in the middle of his count, ears turned in the group’s direction.

“Hon,” said Vaggie, once the initial shock had worn off, “that sounds—”

“Like the best idea ever? I know!”

“Not what I was going to say,” Angel Dust muttered. He picked up his phone and started scrolling again.

“Just consider it field research!” said Charlie as she crossed the room, hardly able to contain her excitement. “Only for a couple of days, of course. I can’t leave the hotel vacant for long, in case a guest decides to check in.”

“But there are too many unknowns!” Vaggie said, throwing her hands in the air. “Have you ever been to Earth before? People don’t exactly look like they do here.”

“I could wear a disguise!”

Vaggie slapped a hand over her face. “Do you even know how to get there?”

“Not exactly,” Charlie said after a moment, deflated. “But surely someone knows the way!”

Alastor took the opportunity and made his way over to them. “Naturally!” His microphone materialized in his hand. “You needn’t worry about the where or the how, my dear. Nothing my magic can’t handle, not at all! I can get us there and back in a jiffy!”

Charlie stared up at him, hands clasped together. Her eyes practically shone. “Really?”

“Well,” he added, side eyeing Vaggie with a smirk, “maybe not all of us.”

Vaggie put her arm between him and Charlie, shielding her from the Radio Demon. “No way! Even if I thought you knew how to get there—which I don’t—”

“Well, I do.”

“And you do your little voodoo, so you guys blend in—”

“Not voodoo,” stated Alastor.

Vaggie ignored him. “I would never trust you alone with Charlie!”

Charlie looked between her and Alastor. “Vaggie, I don’t want to go without you either! But,” she said sheepishly, “he sort of has a point?”

“Excuse me?!” Vaggie took a step back, eyebrows furrowed.

“I'm just saying,” Charlie continued, wringing her hands, “I’m not thrilled leaving the hotel alone. But if someone stayed here . . . well, there’s no one I trust more than you.”

Vaggie sighed. “I appreciate it,” she said. “I really do! Still, I don’t trust him.” She glared at Alastor’s grinning face. “What’s the catch? You trying to use this to get Charlie to make a deal? I won’t let that happen!”

He couldn’t fault her for jumping to that conclusion. The thought certainly crossed his mind, albeit briefly. But the rewards far outweighed any inconveniences. A simple glamour would solve their . . . unconventional appearances. And while he didn’t particularly desire returning to Earth, the trip would be worth the despair the princess would face once she realized how much of a farce her little Hazbin Hotel truly was.

“Shame,” Alastor said, and flicked his claws. “But perish the thought! Consider this a sub-clause to our original agreement.”

“But why?” Vaggie demanded. “What’s in it for you?”

“You remember—”

She groaned. “Ugh . . .”

“The entertainment!” they said in unison, Vaggie less enthusiastically.

“Come on, Vaggie,” said Charlie. She placed her hands on the other woman’s shoulders. “We won’t be gone long. This trip is what the hotel needs for inspiration!”

“I don’t know. You really think you’ll be fine?” Vaggie glanced at Alastor. “Alone. With him.”

Charlie bit her lip. “It’s fine. Although,” she continued, hesitant, “I would feel a bit more comfortable with added company.”

“Tsk! Very well.” Normally Alastor wouldn’t cave to requests, but he would allow her this small victory. “If you must, we can take Niffty and Husk.”

Husk turned to the trio from his spot at the bar. “Who the fuck said I wanted to go?”

“A trip!” said Niffty, seeming to materialize from nowhere. “Will there be bad boys?”

“What about Angel Dust?” asked Vaggie, and pointed to the Spider Demon who remained silent during their entire exchange.

Angel Dust shrugged and got up from the sofa. He headed off to the staircase, calling back to the group, “Meh, no thanks. I did my time, thank you very much!”

“Then it’s settled!” Alastor wrapped his arm around Charlie, causing her to nearly tumble into him, while pointing his microphone to Husk, then Niffty. “The four of us will go to Earth to do a little ‘field research,’ as it were, while you”—he pointed to Vaggie next, who pushed the mic away— “stay with the hotel."

“I didn’t fucking agree to this!” said Husk, throwing his towel down.

Niffty ran up the stairs behind Angel Dust, laughing maniacally all the way. “How many knives should I bring?”

Vaggie put her head in her hands. “This is a bad idea. . .”

“Ohh, I can’t believe this is happening!” Charlie said, bouncing up and down. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Oh, there’s so much to plan! How do we make reservations? Where do we stay? What should I pack?” She turned to Alastor, suddenly serious. “Do I need to bring sunscreen?”

Alastor chuckled at her enthusiasm. “I’ll let you worry about those last two, my dear. Leave the rest to me! Everything will be ready by tomorrow morning.”

______________________________

The transportation spell took him all night to complete. There were slight alterations for the trip that made casting easier said than done. Part of the blame, in this regard, lay with him. Alastor knew that as time passed in Hell, so too had it passed on Earth. And he had no intentions of going to the Earth of the present.

He allowed himself a small shudder as he finalized the last bit of magic. If he was expending his precious energy he would take them to some place—some time—more civilized, more familiar. Perhaps he was tempting fate returning to his old stomping grounds. And sure, a hotel from times past might not be the most effective for Charlie’s particular goal. But considering the circumstances, she had no right to complain.

After a short breakfast the other five residents gathered back in the common room. Vaggie seemed more annoyed than usual, arms crossed over her chest as she stood by Angel Dust, sleep still in his eyes. Charlie had several bags by her side, including one oversized pink rolling suitcase. A smaller black suitcase was next to Niffty, which if Alastor had to guess was filled with various sharp instruments. Even Husk, despite his protests, had packed a worn leather bag that clinked when he placed it on the ground.

Alastor brought nothing; it wasn’t as if he couldn’t simply conjure what he needed. He did, however, end up forgoing his usual red blazer and shirt ensemble. The pants remained the same, but he decided a thinner white button-down and red waistcoat would be more manageable. Ironically, not even Hell could compare to the omnipresent heat—and humidity, oh the humidity!—of New Orleans.

“Did I pack enough?” Charlie asked, for once not in her usual attire. She donned a more casual pair of thin pink sweats, topped with a sweatshirt a few shades darker, decorated with hearts. She tugged on the bright orange and green purse strapped across her shoulder. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

Angel Dust eyed the bags around them. “It’s, what, two days? This should be good.”

“Six, actually,” said Alastor.

"WHAT?!" Vaggie shrieked.

He gave a noncommittal shrug. “With the energy I'll be using transporting all of us, and bags, not to mention the glamours—”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You can’t possibly expect me to use my valuable resources for a couple of days, my dear,” Alastor said, not to Vaggie, but to Charlie, who was currently taking inventory of what she packed. “That shouldn’t be a problem, right? It’ll give you more time to get the full ‘human hotel’ experience.”

“Umm,” Charlie said. “It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but you have a point. With six days I’m sure to get the full hotel experience, and then some! I did have a question, though.”

“I have many questions,” Vaggie interrupted with a raised hand.

Alastor shook his head. “Manners! Charlie was first.”

“You mentioned glamours. I assume for you, me, Niffty and Husk,” said Charlie, not missing a beat. “How do they look? I mean, how are we going to blend in on Earth?”

“Why don’t I show you instead?”

Summoning his radio mic, Alastor pointed to the ground. Intricate symbols glowed beneath Charlie’s feet, the physical manifestation of the spell. A mirror sprouted from beneath the floor in front of her and a wave of green light washed over her form.

“Charlie!” Vaggie reached out. She turned to Alastor and pulled out her spear, pointing it at his face. “What did you do to her, you piece of—!”

Alastor rolled his eyes. “Oh, relax.” He pushed the weapon away as the light faded revealing Charlie, no worse for the wear. He turned to the blonde-haired demon. “See for yourself!”

The glamour for her had been simple enough. Her skin, including her black-stained lips, shifted from a porcelain white to a more human peach tone. Unfortunately, her most standout feature, her rose-red eyes, turned an inconspicuous shade of brown.

Pity. Red suited her so much better.

Her attire remained unchanged. Something about altering her clothing felt wrong, almost too intimate. He figured they could attain more period appropriate clothing once they arrived.

Charlie leaned in close to the mirror, taking in her new form. “No one will suspect a thing!” She glanced behind, where Alastor stood watching. “What about you?”

The same symbols appeared beneath his feet. He had struggled somewhat with his own appearance. Unlike Charlie, who—despite being Hellborn—more-or-less resembled a human, his own demon form was anything but. The claws, the teeth, the deer-like ears: they all had to go.

He went back and forth on how close his glamour should be to his former life. In the end he went the simple route and replicated how he looked while alive. Dark brown hair replaced his usual striking red and black strands, the style short and unremarkable. His eyes were the same dark shade as his hair, but he allowed himself a pair of red sunglasses in its place.

“What do you think, my dear?” He bowed ever so slightly. “Convincing enough?”

Charlie’s eyes widened, but it was difficult for him to decipher her expression. She met his eyes but averted her gaze just as fast. “Yes. Is that . . . how you were when you were human?”

“Yes, indeedy! The clothes, not so much.”

Angel whistled low. “Wow, the strawberry pimp is not so . . . strawberry.”

Vaggie shook her head, unimpressed. “What about Niffty and Husk?” she asked. “How are you having them blend in?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll approve the forms I’ve chosen,” said Alastor with a smirk.

Niffty nodded so quickly she nearly lost her balance. “Whatever you choose!”

Husk grumbled a response that no one, not even Alastor, could understand.

“Well, we’ve wasted enough time already!” the Radio Demon replied. “We really should be on our way!”

“Wait—!” said Vaggie.

Alastor tapped the ground three times with the end of the microphone. Four scarlet circles, inscribed with intricate scripts, appeared beneath his and Charlie’s feet, as well as everyone’s baggage. The circles appeared under Niffty and Husk as well, along with the same lime symbols as the glamour.

“Do take good care of the place while we’re gone, you two!” Alastor called out as he faded from sight. “It would be a pity if there was nothing for Charlie to return to.”

“I didn’t volunteer for nothing!” exclaimed Angel Dust.

"I have every faith in you, Vaggie!” Charlie said, her voice taking a far-off tone as she also disappeared. “We’ll be back before you know it!”

Vaggie turned to Charlie. “Please, be careful up there! And, whatever you do, don’t—” She tried grabbing her hand but found nothing. Whatever warnings she intended to pass along were never heard.

As quiet as a breath, the group had disappeared.

______________________________

They were definitely in New Orleans. Tiny balconies overlooked the street from the second floors of the buildings surrounding them. His clothes clung to his skin, soaking in every drop of moisture it could hold. Alastor could even make out the smell of spices of Cajun cuisine from a restaurant nearby.

But something was wrong.

An oppressive buzz of electrical energy surrounded him, threatening to overwhelm his own magic. He wasn’t unfamiliar with the hum of static in the air—he had been a radio show host, after all, and quite adept with the technology of his time—but it was nothing like this. Smog, as thick as Hell’s and almost as noxious, spewed from automobiles unlike the ones he remembered. There were more of them too, almost as many vehicles as there were people.

Something had gone horribly wrong.

Space was simple enough to traverse. Moving from one physical point to another was as easy as a snap of his fingers. Or, in this case, a few taps of his mic. Time, on the other hand, was much trickier. It wasn’t linear like one would imagine, but almost a gordian knot, twisting and turning into itself, with present, future and past all jumbled together until it was hard to distinguish between the three.

Alastor found Charlie a few paces away, no worse for wear. The bags were neatly by her side. “You all right, my dear?”

“I should’ve asked what weather to dress for before I started packing,” she said, fanning herself. Even with the thin material, she was clearly regretting her choice of outfit. She might be accustomed to the heat of Hell, but the humidity was something else. “At least our luggage made it. But what about Husk and Niffty? I don’t see them anywhere!”

“Meow!”

They looked down. A black cat with rather unusual ears for the average feline glared at them, at him more specifically.

“Why, Husk, my good fellow!” Alastor said, partly to distract himself from his growing headache. “Why the long face?”

“Oh my!” exclaimed Charlie. She knelt to pick him up. To Alastor’s surprise, she did not end up getting scratched. “What happened to Husk?!”

Alastor waved dismissively. “Not to worry! This is simply the result of his glamour.”

“Yip!”

A small black and tan mutt nosed his shoe, tail wagging so fast it might fly off. Feathered ears perked at the sound of his voice. Alastor’s grin widened as he scooped up the animal and held it under one arm.

“I knew I could count on you to stay close by, Niffty.”

“Niffty!?” Charlie bit her lip, but he could see the corners of her mouth turn up, as if torn between disbelief and excitement. “I mean, I guess this disguises them.” An alarmed look crossed her face. “They won’t stay this way permanently, right?”

“Of course not, my dear! Probably.”

“Al!”

“The spell will revoke once we return to Hell, glamours and all,” said Alastor, rubbing his fingers to his temples.

During their exchange he caught a glimpse of some passersby taking notice of their group. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t mind putting them in their place, but right now he was not in the mood. Between the drain on his magic and the unpleasant realization of when he was, he wanted nothing more than privacy.

“We probably should get to our hotel to check in.”

With Niffty still under his arm, Alastor grabbed Husk’s bag and placed it on top of the black luggage. He also managed to situate the extra bags Charlie packed—why did she have to pack so much?—onto the larger suitcase she had dragged with her. He regretted his decision to turn the two into animals. An extra pair of hands would’ve been welcome.

“Well, my dear, ready to go? I would offer a hand, but—”

“Oh, no! Don’t worry about it! We have our hands full with these two.” Charlie juggled Husk awkwardly as she reached for her luggage. “Lead the way!”

He took a deep breath, strengthening his resolve.

“Hey, Alastor.”

The Radio Demon looked back. His grin nearly slipped from his face; his throbbing head momentarily forgotten. She was clearly struggling, suitcase veering off course. Husk had clawed into her sweatshirt and climbed his way up to perch on her shoulder. And yet she smiled, a smile brighter than the sun beating down on them.

The shades covering his eyes were not enough to protect him.

“This is unbelievable,” said Charlie. “You’re amazing!”

She could not know. She could never know. That the great Radio Demon had made an error of this magnitude, of this caliber. She had to believe this was all part of his plan, for this trip she desired, that he foolishly granted.

Alastor gritted his teeth and forced his grin even wider.

This was going to be Hell on Earth.

#hazbin hotel #radiobelle #charlastor #alastor #alastor the radio demon #charlie morningstar #chalastor #charlie x alastor #alastor x charlie #platonic chaggie #maybe one sided chaggie at most

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teddie-bear420 · 10 months ago

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Emily, the princess of hell, and her cranky angel body guard!!

More cold hazbin hotel!! Yay

Emily replacing Charlie as a protagonist will make things a whole lot different. In the show proper I feel like Charlie is really dumb, not knowing what gets people into heaven, trying to run a rehabilitation center with alcohol and most of all not realizing that her gf was an angel. She is such a girl fail (i love her tho lol)

Emily has turned to a life of law! Since sera was a judge it inspired emily to become a lawyer (lame excuse to put her ass in a suit) and her goal is to get to heaven with her redeemed friends!

Lute and emily arent in a romantical situation yet but there is a lot of sexual tension between the two. Their dynamic is rich daughter and hot body guard :3

The way i see them meeting is when lute tries to kill vaggie they get into a real tussle! But vaggie totally beats lute to a pulp! (Vaggie totally punched lutes eye out) Like have you ever seen some smart mouth dude get his shit rocked? Yeah that happened

Lute cried like a bitch lol

So emily swoops in with a contract, promising to save lutes life in exchange for her labor (basicly lute now works for emily)

Lute was so mad when she woke up. But she begrudgingly continues to work with emily in hopes of taking her place in heaven again. Other sinners spread rumors of a pure angel doing the bidding of a demon! That demon (emily) must be pretty cool and sexy right?

Here is the rest of the swapped cast too!

Overlords 🔄 hotel staff/guests

#teddz stuff #hazbin hotel #cold hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lute #lute x emily #hazbin hotel emily #vaggie #fallenwings #emilute

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darcydarlingdabbles · 2 months ago

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At Mid Winter ~ Part 2

RadioApple❄️Human Au/Age Gap✨Top!Dom!Alastor

✨Divorced Dad!Lucifer❄️Explicit~

❄️✨☕✨❄️

☕ On Ao3✨Become my Arc Reader✨On Tumblr ☕

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: sweet stolen glances, dark chocolate mouse, and a little bit of coffee~

Lucifer stepped out of his two door coup onto the snow-dusted gravel drive, his polished black dress shoes crunching on the icy crystals.

He drew in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air, gazing up at the grand hunting lodge nestled among towering snow-capped pines.

The stately log structure exuded cozy luxury, glowing windows beckoning him inside with promises of warmth and merriment.

He glanced over as Alastor emerged from the backseat of Charlie’s SUV, adjusting a crimson scarf around his neck.

A smile played at Lucifer's lips watching his dashing partner, but he quickly looked away, trying to maintain a friendly distance.

Charlie and Vaggie spilled out next, their cheeks rosy from the cold and eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Wow, this place is amazing! Like something out of a fairytale!" His ever excited daughter exclaimed, bouncing on her heels.

"Perfect for a bunch of rich people to part with their money." Vaggie muttered, taking Charlie's gloved hand.

Alastor chuckled, swinging shut the SUV door. "Indeed! The university has outdone itself securing such a splendid venue. I anticipate a spectacular soirée!"

Lucifer's heart fluttered at the jaunty tone of Alastor's voice, but he kept his eyes trained forward as they headed for the lodge's grand front doors.

Animated chatter and laughter echoed around him as other guests arrived. He smiled and waved to a few familiar faces, hoping his nerves didn't show.

Large social events always made him feel on edge these days, especially without Alastor by his side as an anchor. But they had agreed—well, Lucifer had insisted—that discretion was key to avoid drawing undue attention or gossip.

As an elegantly appointed doorman ushered them into the lodge's lavish front hall, a wave of delicious warmth washed over Lucifer.

He loosened his scarf, drinking in the classic alpine decor—a massive stone fireplace crackling with a welcoming blaze, overstuffed leather couches and armchairs piled with plush throws, dark exposed beams strung with evergreen garlands and twinkling lights.

All around, a flurry of activity buzzed as event staff hurried about hanging glittering ornaments, setting up the bar, and arranging poinsettia centerpieces on linen-draped tables.

Lucifer turned to Alastor, fighting the urge to take his hand. Their eyes met and the blonde felt a warm, unspoken affection passed between them.

Between Alastor and the charm of this place, Lucifer felt his anxieties melting away.

Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so nerve-wracking after all. Not with his beloved daughter and Alastor by his side, even if from a subtle distance. He allowed himself a small, secret smile.

As Alastor, Vaggie, and Charlie were whisked away by the event coordinator, their luggage was promptly loaded onto a gleaming brass luggage cart.

"Your bags will be taken to your room, courtesy of the university's performing arts college," the coordinator informed them with a bright smile. "It's one of our finest double rooms!"

Vaggie raised an eyebrow. "We're all sharing a room?"

"Of course! It's quite spacious, I assure you. Perfect for bonding with your fellow students!" the coordinator chirped before turning to Lucifer. "Dr. Morningstar, your bags will be delivered to one of the suites on the top floor. Only the best for our esteemed board members."

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Lucifer nodded graciously, but his thoughts were preoccupied with Alastor.

He wished they could steal a moment alone together before the festivities began.

But, appearances had to be maintained.

As if reading his mind, Alastor flashed him a discreet, reassuring smile before clapping his hands together. "Well then, let's get to work. We’ll make tomorrow night a spectacle to remember."

“That’s the spirit, Mr. LeBlanc.” The event coordinator said, with a chipper smile and a clipboard.

Alastor linked arms with Charlie and Vaggie, guiding them towards the towering Christmas tree that dominated the far end of the great room.

They immediately fell into an easy rhythm, Alastor taking charge of hanging the higher ornaments while the girls focused on the lower branches.

Tinsel flew, laughter rang out, and Lucifer couldn't help but admire how naturally Alastor commanded a room.

Lucifer himself lingered near the fireplace, unsure of where he fit into the bustling scene.

He fiddled with the buttons of his tailored red jacket, one Alastor had picked out for him.

Alastor had been doing that quite a bit lately—taking charge of Lucifer's outfits, encouraging him to branch out from his standard fluffy, chunky knit sweaters.

Lucifer found he rather enjoyed surrendering that small bit of control. Especially when Alastor seemed to relish in taking it.

"Lucifer! Is that you?"

A familiar voice snapped the blonde out of his reverie.

He turned to see his old colleagues, Emily and Sera, approaching, their faces bright with surprise and delight. Well, the shorter of the two looked bright. Sera was always toweringly tall and stern.

Emily reached him first, clasping his hands warmly.

"My goodness, you look wonderful!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. "That jacket is stunning on you. Red is definitely your color."

Lucifer ducked his head, feeling a pleased flush creep up his neck. "Thank you, Emily. That's very kind of you to say. It’s good to see you again, too."

He couldn't help but privately credit Alastor for his elevated appearance. His companion had an impeccable eye and took such joy in dressing him.

Lucifer found himself looking forward to their private fashion sessions, Alastor sliding his clothes on with teasing, reverent fingers.

Only Alastor could make the simple act of getting dressed feel like the sultriest of foreplay.

Sera peered at him appraisingly, a smile playing at her lips. "Emily's right, Lucifer. You look…happier. Relaxed, even."

Lucifer chuckled softly, letting his gaze drift back to Alastor, who was now dramatically draping garlands around Charlie's and Vaggie's shoulders.

An involuntary warmth spread through his chest. Perhaps his inner contentment was becoming more and more visible on the outside as well.

"I suppose I am happy," he murmured, almost to himself.

Lucifer chastised himself, as the brunette often had, about his lack of poker face before turning back to his colleagues, determined to be present in the conversation.

The night was young, and there would be plenty of time for covert glances and secret smiles.

For now, he would simply bask in the joy of being surrounded by the people he cared for most, even if he couldn't hold his beloved openly.

The strength of their bond transcended public displays—it lived in every inside joke, every brushed hand, every meaningful look.

And that, Lucifer decided, was more than enough.

❄️✨☕✨❄️

As Lucifer conversed with Sera and Emily—administrators, he reminded himself, the professors had been more like his friends—his gaze kept straying to Alastor, who was now untangling a string of lights with deft fingers.

The younger man moved with an easy grace, his smile never faltering as he joked with Charlie and Vaggie and fellow students who had been volunteered to impress donors.

He couldn't help but admire the way Alastor commanded attention without even trying, his natural charisma drawing people in like moths to a flame.

But beneath the admiration, a flicker of insecurity churned in Lucifer's gut. Alastor was so effortlessly charming, so comfortable in his own skin. Lucifer sometimes wondered what Alastor saw in him, with all his anxieties and uncertainties.

As if sensing his gaze, Alastor glanced up, his eyes meeting Lucifer's across the room. Giving him another of those stolen, secret smiles. Softer than his overtly charming public face.

Lucifer felt that melting feeling all over again.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, the blonde noticed a young man watching Alastor as intently as he was.

The student was tall and lean, with electric blue eyes and a calculating expression. He looked as slick as the amount of gel in his oily black hair.

Lucifer frowned slightly, a prickle of unease running down his spine.

But before he could dwell on it, Ozzie, a well-loved psychology professor, clapped him on the shoulder, grinning broadly.

The blonde gave a guilty start.

"Lucifer, my man! It's been too long. You really should consider coming back to teach, you know. The humanities college isn't the same without you."

Bee, from sociology, nodded in agreement, her eyes twinkling. "The students adored you, Lucifer. And your research was always so fascinating. We could use your history expertise around here."

Lucifer smiled, pushing thoughts of the mysterious student to the back of his mind.

"I do miss it sometimes," he admitted. "But I'm enjoying this new chapter of my life. Focusing on my writing, spending more time with Charlie…"

Ozzie’s eyes lit up with mischief. "Oh yes, we've heard all about this new chapter of yours, Lucifer. Particularly the... romantic subplot."

Bee chuckled, nudging Lucifer playfully. "Come on, Dr. ‘Star. Spill the beans. Who's the lucky lady? Or gentleman? We're not ones to judge."

Lucifer felt his cheeks grow hot. He hadn't prepared for this, hadn't expected the rumors to spread so quickly.

His eyes darted around the room, desperately avoiding Alastor's direction.

"I…well, that is to say…" he stammered, tugging at his collar.

The room suddenly felt far too warm, the crackling fireplace no longer cozy but stifling.

Bee laid a gentle hand on his arm, her expression softening.

"We didn't mean to embarrass you. We're just thrilled to see you happy again. You were always so dedicated to your work. It's wonderful to know you've found someone special."

Ozzie nodded earnestly. "Absolutely. After everything you've been through, you deserve some joy in your life. We're not fishing for gossip, truly. We just want to celebrate."

Their sincerity washed over Lucifer like a soothing balm, easing some of the tension from his shoulders. He took a deep breath, centering himself.

"Thank you," he said softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I appreciate it. And yes, I am…I am happy. Happier than I've been in a long time, actually."

As he spoke, Lucifer's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Alastor, who was now regaling a group of students with an animated story, his hands gesturing grandly.

The sight made Lucifer's heart swell with affection.

Quickly, he snapped his attention back to Bee and Ozzie, hoping they hadn't noticed his wandering eyes. But judging by the knowing looks they exchanged, he feared he might not have been as subtle as he'd hoped.

"Well, whoever they are," Bee said warmly, "they're clearly good for you."

Ozzie agreed, clapping him on the back. "It suits you, my friend."

Lucifer ducked his head, both touched and flustered by their observations.

"You're too kind," he murmured, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket.

As he spoke, the scent of cinnamon and pine wafted through the air, mingling with the rich aroma of mulled wine.

Laughter echoed around them, punctuated by the soft tinkling of ornaments.

Across the room, Alastor's mirth rang out, bright and clear.

Vaggie was tangled in a string of lights, her expression a mix of annoyance and reluctant amusement as Charlie tried to free her. Alastor, meanwhile, was doubled over in levity, his eyes sparkling with sabotage.

"My dear, you look positively radiant!" he declared, grinning at Vaggie's predicament. "I dare say you've found your calling as a human Christmas tree."

Vaggie scowled. "Har har. Very funny. Now are you going to help me out of this mess or not?"

Alastor tapped his chin thoughtfully, his smile turning sly. "I don't know. I think it rather suits you."

Charlie, ever the peacemaker, stepped in before Vaggie could retort. "Here, let me help," she offered, carefully unwinding the lights. "We've got a lot more decorating to do, and we need all hands on deck!"

As Lucifer watched, he couldn't help but marvel at the easy camaraderie between the three of them.

Despite the lingering tension between Alastor and Vaggie, they worked together seamlessly, their banter filled with a grudging fondness.

It was a testament to their love for Charlie, Lucifer realized.

They were both willing to set aside their differences for her sake, to find common ground in their shared affection for the bright, kind-hearted young woman who had brought them all together.

As the trio turned their attention back to the decorations, chatting and laughing as they worked, Lucifer felt a sense of deep contentment settle over him.

This was what the holidays were all about, he thought—coming together with the people you loved, finding joy in the simple pleasures of tradition and togetherness.

Let the world keep turning outside these walls. Here, in this moment, they had everything they needed.

❄️✨☕✨❄️

Vox sauntered up to Alastor, a sly grin playing on his lips. "Well, well, if it isn't the star of the show," he purred, his eyes raking over Alastor's form appreciatively. "I must say, Alastor, you're looking dashing today."

Alastor's smile remained firmly in place, but there was a coolness to his gaze as he replied, "Why, thank you, Vox. You're too kind."

He kept his tone light, almost playful.

Undeterred, Vox leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know, I've been watching you work all day. The way you handle those decorations…you’re pretty skillful, magical, even."

Alastor chuckled, a sound that was equal parts amusement and warning. "Ah, well, luckily one of us has a modicum of awareness, " He stepped back smoothly, maintaining a polite but firm boundary between them. “lest the magic spell be broken.”

Vox opened his mouth, despite the befuddled expression on his face—

Just then, Lucifer entered the room, his eyes immediately drawn to the interaction unfolding before him.

A rush of jealousy surged through his veins, hot and bitter, as he watched Vox's blatant flirtation.

He tried to school his features into a neutral expression, but the tightness around his mouth and the shadow in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

What the hell was that kid doing? Fawning all over Alastor like that? Lucifer fumed silently. He took a deep breath, pushing down the insecurities that threatened to rise up and choke him.

The blonde needed to calm down—Alastor was not going to be swayed by some cheap flattery and cheesy pick-up lines.

Forcing a smile onto his face, Lucifer approached the group, his voice carefully casual as he said, "There you are! I've been looking all over for you three. I thought we could all grab a late dinner at the lodge restaurant, if you're up for it?"

He studiously avoided looking at Vox, focusing instead on Alastor, Vaggie, and Charlie. But even as they agreed and began to gather their things, Lucifer couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease.

❄️✨☕✨❄️

The cozy ambiance of the lodge restaurant enveloped them as they stepped inside, the aroma of hearty winter dishes mingling with the crackle of the fireplace. Soft laughter and the clink of cutlery against plates filled the air.

As they settled into their seats, Lucifer found himself seated across from Alastor in the booth, with Charlie and Vaggie to his left.

He tried to focus on the menu, but his gaze kept drifting back to Alastor, drinking in the sight of him in the flickering candlelight.

"So, Charlie," Alastor said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over the table. "Tell us more about your upcoming performance. I'm sure it's going to be absolutely spectacular."

Charlie beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, I’m so excited! We've been working so hard on the choreography and the music. I can't wait for everyone to see it!"

As Charlie launched into a detailed description of her upcoming song and dance at the gala, Lucifer found himself only half-listening. His mind was still churning with thoughts of Vox and the way he had looked at Alastor, like he was a prize to be won.

"And of course, Alastor will be performing as well," Charlie chimed in, her words jolting Lucifer out of his reverie.

"What?" Lucifer blurted out, his eyes snapping to Alastor's face. "You're performing too?"

Alastor sighed, though he didn’t seem remotely bashfull. "Ah, yes. It was meant to be a surprise, actually. I didn't want to steal the spotlight from Charlie."

Charlie's eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise. "Alastor! You didn't have to do that for me," she exclaimed, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. "You know I would have loved to share the stage with you!"

Lucifer felt a wave of emotion wash over him, a mix of pride and affection for Alastor's thoughtfulness.

"That's incredibly kind of you, Alastor," he said softly, his eyes meeting the other man's across the table. "But Charlie's right. You shouldn't have to hide your talents."

Vaggie, however, narrowed her eyes, her gaze flicking between Alastor and Lucifer.

"That's…unusually considerate of you, Alastor," she said, her tone laced with skepticism. "Since when do you pass up an opportunity to show off?"

Alastor's smile tightened almost imperceptibly, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. He leaned back in his seat, fingers drumming lightly on the table.

"My dear Vaggie, always so quick to assume the worst," he said, his voice light but with an undercurrent of tension. "Is it so hard to believe I might simply want to give my best friend her moment to shine?"

“Yes.” Vaggie said simply, to Charlie’s admonishment.

Lucifer watched the exchange with growing curiosity, sensing there was more to Alastor's decision than he was letting on.

He caught Alastor's eye, raising an eyebrow in silent question.

Alastor held his gaze for a moment, then sighed.

"If you must know," he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, audible only to those at their table, "I was attempting to be…respectful. Lucifer has been incredibly proud and excited for his daughter, who also happens to be my best friend, and I…didn't want to intrude on their moment."

The words hung in the air, heavy with implication.

Lucifer felt his heart skip a beat, touched by Alastor's consideration. He hadn't even thought about how Alastor's involvement might affect his ability to focus on Charlie's performance.

For all Alastor warned Lucifer that he was no good with relationships…that sure was one hell of a forethought.

Charlie's eyes widened in understanding, a soft "Oh" escaping her lips. She looked between Alastor and her father, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "Al, that's…that's really thoughtful of you."

Vaggie's expression softened slightly, though a hint of suspicion still lingered in her eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, settling for a noncommittal hum.

Lucifer found himself at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the depth of Alastor's consideration. He wanted nothing more than to reach across the table and take the younger man’s hand. Show his partner a little of how grateful he was for the gesture.

But they were out in public. Students, staff, and stakeholders in the university all chatting and eating around them.

Later, Lucifer promised himself.

“So, if we’d like to get back to our discussion of Charlie’s rigorous rehearsal schedule.” Alastor said, clearing his throat, picking up his fork with a finality to his tone.

If Lucifer didn’t know better, he might just think his partner was blushing in the candlelight.

As the conversation flowed around him, Lucifer let himself relax, basking in the warmth and laughter of his loved ones.

As the meal drew to a close, a sense of contentment settled over the group. Lucifer leaned back in the booth, savoring the warmth of the restaurant and the easy camaraderie between his companions.

Charlie and Vaggie were the first to excuse themselves, citing a need to rest before the big day tomorrow.

"Oh, Al," Charlie said, pausing as she stood. "Did you... um, did you move your bags already?" Her attempt at subtlety was endearing, if not entirely effective.

Alastor's smile never wavered. "It's all taken care of, my dear. No need to worry."

Charlie beamed, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Great! Well, goodnight, you two. Don't stay up too late!"

With a wave, she and Vaggie disappeared, leaving Lucifer and Alastor alone at the table.

“And then there were two,'“ Lucifer chuckle, his gaze drifting to the dessert menu.

The selections were tempting, an array of decadent treats designed to satisfy any sweet tooth. But as he reached for the menu, he hesitated, his mind flashing back to the countless texts from Alastor, gentle reminders to take care of himself, to prioritize his health and well-being.

His partner's concern, his desire to see Lucifer thrive, it was a constant source of comfort and support

Lucifer's internal debate was interrupted by the waiter's arrival, ready to take their dessert order.

He glanced at Alastor, a silent question in his eyes, wondering what the brunette would choose.

Alastor's hand gently brushed against Lucifer's as he reached for the dessert menu.

"Allow me, darling," he said with a warm smile, his eyes scanning the options. "Ah, perfect. We'll have the dark chocolate mousse, please. And an espresso for me."

Lucifer felt a blush creep into his cheeks. He loved how Alastor always seemed to know exactly when to take the reigns from him.

As the waiter nodded and slipped away, Alastor turned to Lucifer, his gaze soft and sincere.

“I thought, dessert might be off the table,” Lucifer shrugged, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Given all the indulgences this weekend.”

Alastor glanced around, and then, deftly, moved towards the center of the circular booth. Far enough to maintain the facade, but close enough that Lucifer could feel a warm hand on his thigh.

"You know, I want you to be healthy, but not at the expense of enjoying life's little pleasures.” The younger ducked his head and lowered his voice, catching Lucifer’s ear. “Besides, I happen to adore the way your body feels…all soft and inviting."

Lucifer's blush deepened, his heart fluttering at Alastor's words. It was moments like these that reminded him just how lucky he was.

"Thank you," he murmured, his hand finding Alastor's beneath the table. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

“Suffer, probably,” the brunette chuckled.

But just as they were leaning in, lost in the moment, a familiar figure approached their table.

Vox, the brash student who had been watching Alastor earlier, stood before them, an ambitious glint in his eye.

"Alastor, there you are," he drawled, his gaze flicking between the two men. "Almost thought you’d gotten away from me. Mind if I join you?"

The words were on the tip of his tongue—he very much minded.

But, Alastor squeezed his hand warningly under the table, before subtly letting go.

Lucifer didn’t like the shift in the atmosphere, the easy comfort of their private moment evaporating in the face of the intrusion.

Beside him, Alastor sat up straighter, his smile never wavering even as a hint of steel crept into his eyes. "Vox," he greeted, his voice smooth and controlled. "What a surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

As the three men stared each other down, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, Lucifer couldn't shake the feeling that their evening was about to take a very unexpected turn.

Without waiting for an invitation, Vox slid into the booth beside Alastor, his arm draping casually over the back of the seat.

Lucifer felt a surge of possessiveness, his jaw clenching as he watched Vox's fingers brush against Alastor's shoulder.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Alastor," Vox began, his voice low and conspiratorial. "A little birdie told me you're performing at the gala tomorrow night. Is that true?"

Alastor's smile remained fixed, but Lucifer could see the barely perceptible tension in his shoulders. "Indeed, I am," he replied, his tone light and airy. "It's a tradition I'm quite fond of, you see."

Vox leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of admiration and challenge. "Well, I was wondering if you might be interested in a little... collaboration. You and me, on stage together. What do you say?"

Lucifer's heart raced, a sickening feeling twisting in his gut. He glanced at Alastor, trying to gauge his reaction, but the other man's expression remained unreadable.

"An intriguing proposition," Alastor said, his voice carefully neutral. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline. You see, I've already prepared a solo piece, and any quality performance requires ample time to prepare."

Vox's smile faltered for a moment, a flash of irritation crossing his features. But he quickly recovered, his grin turning sly. "Ah, well, that's a shame. I feel like we could make some beautiful music together."

Lucifer blanched at the blatant innuendo, nearly knocking over the dark chocolate mousse that had appeared unnoticed at their table. The delicate glass wobbled precariously, threatening to spill its velvety contents across the crisp white tablecloth.

Lucifer's hand shot out to steady it, his fingers trembling slightly as they gripped the cool surface.

Alastor's laughter rang out, clear and melodious, cutting through the tension like a knife.

It was impossible to tell if he was laughing at Vox's audacious flirtation or if he found some genuine amusement in the situation.

“Oh, I’m certain you would think that.”

Lucifer watched, his heart pounding, as Alastor reached for his espresso. The small, white porcelain cup looked almost comically delicate in his long, elegant fingers.

Steam rose from the dark liquid in wispy tendrils, curling around Alastor's face.

With deliberate slowness, Alastor raised the cup to his lips. He took a sip, his eyes closing briefly as he savored the rich, bitter flavor.

When Alastor's eyes opened again, they were gleaming with an unreadable expression.

He set the cup down with a soft clink, the sound seeming to echo in the sudden hush that had fallen over their table.

Lucifer found himself holding his breath, every muscle in his body tense as he waited for Alastor's response.

A/N: You know what happens to Vox in my fics by now XD

And no, that was not a typo. Lucifer has a Doctorate in Ancient History in this.

Well, yes, it was an originally a typo. But then I went with it.

I then made Ozzie a professor of a Psychology, because of its link to sexuality and a weird human sexuality teacher I had.

And Bee is a sociology teacher because food is a driving force of culture and societal norms.

☕ On Ao3✨Become my Arc Reader✨On Tumblr ☕

#radioapple #radioapple human au #radioapple fic #radioapple smut #alastor #alastor hazbin hotel #lucifer hazbin #dom!alastor #sub!lucifer #top!alastor #bottom!lucifer #AtMidWinter-DarcyDarling

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