𝐇𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 - Hazbin Hotel

pt 2

Charlie watched with unbridled curiosity as Alastor moved about the hotel as if nothing had happened. An hour ago, him and her father were at each other's throats in the middle of the lobby before suddenly disappearing without a word. She watched from the balcony as the Radio Demon looked around for a moment before finding Niffty, who looked at him funny before running to jump in his arms. Alastor held her for a moment before pulling back to look at her and...apologize? She was sure that's what she was seeing, but that was so out of character.

She needed to find her father.

Charlie hunted him down, finding him in the kitchen with a handful of chocolate-covered raisins that he was happily snacking on. He looked up at her and grinned, also looking as if nothing had happened.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, mostly to her own disbelief but still directed at Lucifer. His eyes widened and he looked at his raisins before looking up at her again.
"Am I not supposed to be snacking on these? Are they Vaggie's?"
"No, that's not...you can have all the raisins you want, but what the hell just happened with Alastor?"
"Ah, him. He just needed help sorting something out. I think he'll be fine for a while."
Charlie blinked incredulously at him before turning to storm out of the kitchen, unhappy that so much was happening in her hotel directly under her nose. She nearly bumped into Alastor, who was coming into the kitchen as she was making her exit. Charlie just groaned and moved past time, much to the Radio Demon's surprise.

"Well," he said, "the princess doesn't seem too pleased."
Lucifer sighed, feeling a bit guilty. "I don't think she likes being out of the loop. She wanted to know what happened between us, but I didn't really want to blab about what you were going through."
Alastor's reaction to the news was nonchalant, shrugging and moving to pour himself a cup of black coffee, but Lucifer figured he'd made the right decision by the demon - although, he did not enjoy upsetting his daughter. "What should I tell her?"
"Oh, whatever you'd like, your majesty! You are the king of hell, and I am just a lowly sinner demon."
Lucifer frowned. "What's up with you?"
Alastor turned his unsettling smile toward the king. "Nothing at all. I'm just stating the obvious."
"Can't be that obvious since it's not really all that accurate," Lucifer shot back. "I was helping a friend-"
"We are not friends," Alastor cut him off. "I am your daughter's voluntary employee. I am the facility manager of this hotel. You helped me to keep her happy and to keep this hotel functioning properly. Do not pretend that it was anything more or less than that."

Lucifer was stunned for a moment before regaining his footing. "Wow," he quipped, "that was...something." He popped the last of the raisins into his mouth before making his way to leave, stopping for a moment only to say, "Think about that the next time you need my help. I don't have to do anything for you. Like I told you, I've grown to like you, and I don't really give a shit if you want to believe that or not. But the next time you're miserably moping around the hotel causing everyone in this place to fucking hate you, and I'm the only left who wants to even say a word to you, really consider if I'm only helping you to appease my daughter." He fixed the demon with a look that Alastor couldn't quite interpret. "If I didn't care, I would've just spilled the tea to Charlie without a second thought." With that, he left the kitchen.

Alastor stood in stunned silence, the coffee now forgotten as he attempted to figure out what the hell had just happened.

-

Two weeks later, Charlie was throwing a 'Love Day' celebration. She wanted the residents of the hotel to focus the day on celebrating whoever it was they cared for, platonically or romantically. In a realm obsessed with the carnal and dark side of relationships, she wanted to enlighten the hotel to the happier, brighter side of love that many of them were blind to.