Chapter Text
“You ready, duckling?” Lucifer asked, looking over at you as you sat next to him in the back of the limo he apparently had.
“As ready as I can be, I guess,” you said, fidgeting with your outfit a bit.
Lucifer spent a couple of weeks getting you prepared for everything you were about to experience. Most people didn't get a rundown of Hell before they got thrown to the hellhounds, so you were eternally grateful for the lessons. You didn't realize how complicated everything was down here, as apparently there was a whole hierarchy going on that you somehow fit into now that you were a sinner. There was even a hierarchy among sinners, the ones at the top being called Overlords. There were a good handful in Pentagram City, one of them being part of the Hazbin Hotel staff. That was a bit surprising, but you really had no frame of reference for these things. Lucifer made it a point to keep you out of the affairs of Hell outside of his family when you were still human.
Lucifer exited the limo and before you could even think about opening the door for yourself, he was at your side opening it for you. You smiled softly up at him before getting up and out of the car. You didn't know why you felt so nervous, especially because you knew at least one person in the group of people you were about to be forced to meet. Lucifer decided to keep you being in Hell a secret from Charlie as a surprise for her, remembering how close the two of you were when the demon princess was younger.
“Charlie might actually attack you with love once she realizes it's you, so, beware of that. The rest of them are… well I won't say harmless, but they won't tackle you to the ground like she will,” Lucifer warned with a soft chuckle, moving to open the door for you. Always so gentlemanly.
Stepping in, your eyes widened a bit just as the grandeur of the hotel. The interior was still the signature Morningstar Red, with gold accents. There was a statue in the middle of the lobby commemorating Dazzle, of whom you learned was one of the casualties in the war between the hotel and the exorcists, as well as a large painting of Sir Pentious for the same reasons. You may not have known him, but, you knew that he made a great sacrifice for everyone here and you respected that greatly. The bar across the lobby had a green hue around it, and it was being attended by a cat demon with wings that looked like a casino dealer barfed his deck all over him. Oh, that's what Lucifer meant about sinner forms being a little… interesting.
The parlor not too far from the bar had a few people settled at it, all of whom had their attention directed toward you, immediately causing you to freeze up. Lucifer rested a hand on the small of your back to keep you going forward. “You're okay, duckling, they don't bite– well, they won't bite out here, that's not allowed.”
Oh, good. Biting wasn't allowed in the parlor, but was allowed in other places? This place got better by the second.
As you approached the group, all of them peered at you curiously. Or at least, you thought they were curious. There was a girl with long, white hair and grayish purple skin with a big red X over one eye, and another interesting-looking sinner who seemed rather fluffy and sporting a pastel pink aesthetic. The girl with the X over her eye looked at you with a more scrutinizing gaze than the other guy, but your focus wasn't really on them, it was on the familiar face of Charlie, who seemed a bit confused.
“Hey, Dad! I didn't know you were visiting today!” She said, getting up to meet you two halfway. You could practically see the hamster wheel turning in her brain as she tried to connect dots, her eyes darting between you and Lucifer.
Lucifer grinned at his daughter, all the love and happiness that he usually had in his eyes when he saw her very much present. “I didn't wanna ruin the surprise, Apple Pie,” he said, bringing her in for a bone-crushing hug that she easily reciprocated. Ah, so she got that from him.
“Surprise?”
Lucifer nodded his head toward your direction and it seemed like something clicked in her brain now that you were right in front of her.
“...Duckie? Is that you?”
You smiled warmly. “Sure is, Charlie. Nice to see you aga– oof!”
You were scooped up into a hug similar to what the father-daughter pair had shared moments before. “HolyshititsbeensolongsinceI’veseenyouuuu!” She said way too fast for you to process immediately. That, and your air supply was dwindling. Thankfully the hug didn't last too long as you were finally let down. She looked down at you, blinking a bit before gasping. “Wait– if you're here, what happened? Weren't you… human the last time I saw you?”
“Ah, don't worry, Char, it was virtually painless,” Lucifer butted in, though he side-glanced you to confirm that it was and you nodded. Virtually. You were numb for most of it. “I figured the hotel could use some more help, so I cashed in a favor to get someone I could trust to do the job right down here.”
Charlie blinked before giving her dad a pointed look. “Dad, you didn't have to do that. What about Duckie's life on Earth?”
“It was entirely too long, so don't feel too bad about it,” you reassured her. “I'm always happy to help you out, you know that, Charlie.”
Charlie looked like she was about to burst into tears of happiness. She hadn't changed a bit since she was a young demon. The girl who seemed to distrust you immediately came forward to stand with Charlie, looking up at her before looking straight into your soul.
“Who is this?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh! Vaggie! This is Duckie, she was my old babysitter for like, ever!” Charlie explained. “Duckie, this is my girlfriend, Vaggie!”
“Nice to meet you, Vaggie,” you said with a small smile, offering up a hand to shake. Vaggie took it with an ironclad grip that threatened to break your hand. A proper handshake.
“Likewise… Duckie,” she said. “That's not like, on your death certificate, is it?”
“Oh, gods no, that's just what Charlie called me when she was little. Do feel free to use it, I really don't mind.” You did mention your actual name, for posterity.
Charlie blinked. “Wait, that's not your name?! Why didn't you correct me?”
“How could I have? You were too cute to correct! Seriously, I don't mind the nickname,” you chuckled, waving it off.
“Oi! Charlie, when are you gonna introduce Duckie to the rests of us?” The pink, fluffy demon called from the parlor proper.
“Ohmygosh, I’m soooo sorry! Hold on!” Without so much as a warning, you were being dragged over to the rest of the group. You could hear Lucifer chuckle from afar, not even making a move to save you. Ah, well.
“Duckie, this is our first resident of the hotel, Angel Dust!”
“You can just call me Angel, toots. Put ‘er there,” he offered one of his many hands, and I took it to shake. Now that I thought about it, he looked kinda like a weird spider, bug, thing. Spider seemed to fit him better.
“Pleasure to meet you, Angel.”
“You bet your sweet ass it is,” he grinned at you, his one gold tooth glinting in the light. You snorted, you liked this one.
Charlie carted you off with a nervous chuckle. “Welcoming as always, Angel!” She said over her shoulder as she scooted you toward the bar. “Anyway! This is our bartender Husk! He's a little bit of a grump, but you'll get used to it.”
“I’m sure he and I will be fast friends, I am a bit of an alcoholic and love me a good bartender who's got attitude problems,” you mused. The cat demon gave you a dead-eyed look before snorting and going back to cleaning the glass in his hand.
“Oh you may be right, he usually doesn't do that on first meeting,” Charlie said, a bit surprised. She looked around a bit, letting out a hum. “Husk, you wouldn't know where Alastor and Niffty ran off to, would you?”
He just gave her a shrug and a headshake. “Beats me.”
“Fiddlesticks,” she pouted. “Thanks anyway! We'll have to catch them on the tour– if you're up for one, that is?”
You gave her a nod and were immediately whisked away on a tour of the whole establishment. Lucifer had decided to disappear somewhere, leaving you alone with Charlie and Vaggie. She was tagging along, as Angel had started flirting with Husk and that's not anything anyone wanted to see.
“It really is nice to see you again, Duckie. I’m kinda surprised you took so long to get down here, you were my babysitter like, centuries ago,” Charlie said as the three of you meandered the halls. You got a good look at all of the decor and the overall vibe of the place, the apple motifs a very Lucifer signature. If there was one thing the Morningstars had, it was a good sense of theming.
“Well, I didn't mean to let the deal go on so long, but your dad always caught me in the middle of something so I always told him no when he would do his bi-centennial deal-speil,” you said, shrugging. “I probably could have gone for another couple centuries if he didn't cash in his last favor.”
Vaggie seemed a little out of the loop here, her eyebrow furrowing. “Wait, you had a deal with Lucifer?”
“Mmhm. It's a long story, but the deal was that I was protected for life in exchange for favors. It didn't occur to either of us that because I was human, the vagueness of the deal basically made me immortal,” you explained. “So I've just been a little errand dog for the past five centuries, hence me being Charlie's babysitter when she was little.”
Vaggie blinked, looking over at Charlie. “Wow. Man, your dad is really bad at making deals, isn't he?”
Charlie let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah. He's still beat-up over the golden fiddle incident. The guy was really good.”
“Wait– are you talking about… The Devil Went Down to Georgia? Am I hearing that right?” you asked.
“Oh, no, just this one time Dad got a little too cocky with his fiddle playing and made a deal with a guy on Earth to see who was better and–”
“That was real? Of all the songs about the Devil that we humans made up, that one is real?” You let out an incredulous laugh. “I'm kind of impressed, not gonna lie.”
Charlie's eyes widened. “They made a song about it? Oh. My gosh. Dad would be crushed if he knew– or does he already know? Did he ever pay attention to human music when he went up there to see you?”
Your laughter continued, only this time it was good-natured. “Oh, Charlie, dear. Never change,” you said at the end of your laughing fit. “I'm sure he's heard it, stewed over it, and gets pissy when someone plays it in a bar. You really don't need to worry about it,” you said, patting her shoulder.
Hell's Princess took a much-needed breath and nodded. The Morningstars were rather silly, you've noted. Very neurotic. You understood Lucifer, to an extent, but seeing it in his daughter made you feel… what were the words you wanted to use? Protective of her? Something like that. “Let's continue with the tour, yeah? I think you've only shown me like, third of what's here.”
Charlie brightened a bit at that prospect, mainly to get the conversation onto something else. The grand scale of the hotel was something you hadn't been expecting, and it would take some getting used to, but you liked the idea of a change in pace. You tried to keep yourself occupied in your longevity, picked up hobbies, learned new skills, but you always ended up in a rut somewhere. This was new and exciting, and you had a feeling a dull moment never passed in the hotel.
“So, Charlie,” you started once you ended up back in the lobby, “your dad mentioned having extra help around here would be good. You're the brains of the operation, from what I've seen, where do you need me? I'm a jack of all trades, so I can do pretty much any task you give me.”
Charlie thought for a moment, humming a bit as she tapped her chin with her fingers. “I thiiink we could use another manager? Alastor is the host, but he also gets busy doing… whatever he does on his walks, so it'd be nice to have another hand on deck,” she said. Lucifer had said something about that, but he didn't say it in the most charitable way. He really did not like that guy. You hadn't even met him yet.
The sudden sound of radio static filled your ears as something appeared behind you, the air dripping several degrees very rapidly causing a shiver to run up your spine. “Why, Charlie, dear! I think that's a swell idea, seeing as we've acquired a few new guests since our little tiff with the angels. Having another hand around here would surely be a big help,” a filtered voice sounded.
You jumped, a yelp escaping you as you looked back to see a very red demon with the biggest, yellowest grin you've ever seen on someone standing way too close for comfort. He looked at you with a scrutinizing gaze, much like Vaggie had, but it was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking with the ever-present smile that lined his cheeks. It almost looked like it hurt.
“There you are, Alastor! I was wondering where you'd run off too,” Charlie said, smiling at the taller demon. “This is Duckie! She used to be my babysitter but Dad called in a favor, so now she's down here to help with the hotel! Isn't that amazing?!”
Alastor's eyebrows rose a bit with the new information presented to him. “A friend of Lucifer's? Interesting, didn't know he had those,” he mused. “Also interesting to see such an old soul so new to Hell. My, my, you're quite the little mystery, aren't you?”
A nervous laugh leapt from your throat. This guy was scary . The tone in his voice was deceptively amicable, but you just knew he was sizing you up to see if you were a threat or if he needn't bother with an insect such as yourself. Either way, the feeling of self-preservation you'd long since thought was lost to time came back the instant his smile twitched to somehow widen across his face and his eyes narrowed along with it.
“It's a… long story, definitely not one for introductions,” you said, hoping that'd give him some cause to drop the subject. He seemed to relent, and you felt your shoulders relax a bit. Had they been that tense the whole time? “It's um, a pleasure to be working with you, though, Alastor. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time in the future to discuss… origins.”
Alastor let out a cackle at your words, shaking his head. “Oh, dear Duck, you are a hoot , “ he said between laughs. “You Morningstars sure know how to pick ‘em, Charlie! I'm sure this one will do just fine here in our establishment.”
Charlie practically beamed, happy to know everyone seemed rather welcoming of the newcomer to the hotel. “Ohh this is gonna be so fun! I'm super excited for you to get settled in and everything. I'm sure Dad's already making up your room as we speak, so let's go over everything and make it all official! I promise it won't take too long!”
***
Hours. It took many, many hours. Not that you minded, of course. Catching up with Charlie while doing all the official paperwork was actually kind of nice. Hearing about the exploits of the hotel from her perspective was riveting, seeing as she had s first hand in most of it. The whole situation sounded absolutely bonkers, to say the least. You didn't even really realize what time it was until Vaggie came over to tell Charlie she was heading to bed. By then, you'd already gotten everything signed, it was a matter of filing it away and beginning your training. That could come later.
You were shepherded to your room, Charlie chiming in that she was a few doors down if you needed anything. The key was taped to the door with a note from Lucifer.
“Here's your room, Duck! I tried my best to make it like a modern version of your old cottage. I know you said you missed it one of the last times I was at your apartment, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Let me know if I need to change anything!
-Lucifer”
You smiled softly at the note before taking the key. You slotted it into the lock and opened the door, being met with exactly what he had described. It was updated with a few more modern amenities, but what looked like a little shrine near the kitchenette caught your eye. A spice rack filled with herbs, an altar that matched your old set-up to a tee, and your mother's cauldron right underneath, still in as pristine condition as you left it. Your smile turned sad seeing that. Lucifer's attention to detail was annoyingly sweet sometimes. He probably kept everything from the cottage when you moved into a city apartment, which had you wondering why he would go through all of that trouble just for you.
“I hope it's okay, I'm still getting used to having a space limit when I create things. Charlie said I needed to stop making rooms bigger than they appear so guests don't get lost in them,” Lucifer sounded from behind you.
Turning, you looked to see that he was leaning against the doorway of your room, a reverent smile on his face. “Oh, hush, it's perfect,” you said, waving him off. “You were right, I did kind of miss the cottage.”
Lucifer chuckled, taking a few steps in. “I figured as much, you've always been a creature of habit. I was a little surprised when you even wanted to move to the city, but I guess experiencing everything once is kind of your thing,” he said.
“That is true, I think I've experienced just about every human experience there is to have, so I guess I get to work on experiences in Hell,” you said.
“That is true. Just, um, steer clear of getting your body ripped apart. You'll come back together eventually but it's just a lot of mess and hassle– and pain, by golly so… so much pain,” Lucifer chuckled awkwardly. “Anyway– so um, thank you, for going along with all of this. I just… I want Charlie to succeed, especially after everything that's happened.”
You nodded as he spoke, sitting on the nice plush bed that was provided. “I do too. What she's doing here is brave. As someone from the outside of all the Hell politics nonsense, I think trying to find a way for people who ended up here for poor choices instead of truly evil deeds to find a way out is important. You might not have been there for all of it, but you raised a good kid, Luci.”
The King of Hell smiled warmly at you. “If I remember correctly, you had a hefty hand in it too, duckling,” he said.
You blinked. You had babysat Charlie quite a bit, especially when she got a little older and the Morningstars got busier. There was one, and only one instance of her calling you ‘mom’ on accident. It was sweet, but you could never replace Lilith like that. “Yeah, yeah I guess I did.”
“I'm glad to have you here for good now, though. Portalling to Earth all the time really sucked,” he chuckled. “I’ll, um, I’ll let you get some rest. Big day tomorrow. Charlie's just down the hall, but I've got the apple-themed wing on the top floor if you need anything.”
You gave him a knowing smile. “I'll keep that in mind, Lucifer,” you said as you stood to usher him out of the room gently. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Duck.”
When the door closed on him, Lucifer looked at it for a solid minute before taking in a breath and scurrying his way to the elevator. Sometimes he liked to be normal. You had been on his mind longer than he cared to admit. Aside from Lilith, you had been one of the most solid constants he'd had in his long, long life. The last 500 years of knowing there was someone who would always be waiting for him, even if it was begrudgingly sometimes, made him feel wanted. It made him feel valued.
That was the whole reason he brought you here to Hell. He needed his rock now more than ever. It took Lilith being gone for an extended amount of time for him to come to terms with that. It also took him almost losing his little girl to realize he didn't have much in this world. With Lilith gone, had Charlie not made it through that fight, you were all he had. Sure, the Sins in the other rings would be there for him, but they all had their own things to do. Their own lives to deal with. All he had was you, and he was most certain that all you had was him.
Maybe now the two of you would have a semblance of family again, even if it was weird and mismatched. From what he'd observed today, you slotted in nicely to the weirdly partitioned puzzle they had going. His lips twitched upward slightly at that thought as he began getting ready for bed.
Things were starting to fall into place. He just hoped the nature of the realm he unwittingly created wouldn’t come to bite him in the ass as it had done so many times before. Maybe, just maybe he could have a sliver of happiness again.