Fallen Star || Hazbin Hotel

| 18 |

"May I have a quick word with you, Estella?"

Lucifer's words hung in the air for a moment as she tried to process what he said. She could feel Alastor's gaze burning into the side of her face—for whatever reason.

She wasn't sure where the conversation could lead to and she sure wasn't able to read Lucifer's face, as if he had a facade on, causing her to be wary of the king's intentions. But then yet again, he had never given her a reason not to trust him. And so, she reluctantly nodded her head, offering a soft smile before removing herself from the residents of the hotel and making her way beside Lucifer, accepting his outstretched hand before the two of them teleporting to the King of Hell's palace, supposedly the room he occupied most of the time from how messy it was—to be exact, filled with rubber ducks.

"Don't mind the mess," Lucifer said, awkward chuckling following after as he kicked one of the squeaky toys out of the way with his foot.

She stood rooted to her spot, unmoving, as she surveyed her surroundings. All she could see were piles and piles of ducks, all with unique characteristics as if each one of them represented someone different. She picked up a nearby one at random, lifting it up to her eye level as to inspect the carefully designed thing with eyes filled of curiosity.

The rubber duck in her palm began to move on its own, backflipping—to her surprise, intriguing her even further, then billowing fire in her direction, compelling her to duck away just in time from getting caught in the flames.

Lucifer turned around once he heard the commotion behind him, eyes widening upon finding Estella nearly engulfed by flames.

"Hahaha," he began laughing, but the tone of his voice and his widened panicked eyes suggesting he was anything but amused. "Not entirely family friendly things, they are—it's better if you don't touch any of them."

Estella silently obeyed, tossing the duck back into the pile before following Lucifer to the table placed in the room, one of the places which didn't have any rubber ducks around.

Lucifer motioned for her to take a seat on the only remaining chair and instead, taking to stand while she sat. And so she did, sitting down on the chair while looking up intently at Lucifer, waiting for him to say something, anything to hint as to why he had brought her here.

He took a deep breath.

"I don't want you to go to Heaven."

She quirked a brow.

"Not like that! I meant—I'd prefer if you stayed down here—in Hell."

She raised both her brows.

"Father, that sounds so wrong."

She watched as Lucifer went over to a corner of the room to rephrase the words he was to tell her in a not-so offending way.

As she began to bore from the incoherent mutters Lucifer was making, she let her gaze drift to the qualities the room held. Since the only thing the room had were rubber ducks, there weren't many things to look at. But just then, her gaze landed on one of the rubber ducks placed on the workbench not-so far away. The duck had platinum-ish white hair protruding from its head, violet eyes staring back at her own, and black wings tucked tightly to its side.

She cast a glance to Lucifer's figure who was still haunched over, trying to figure out what to say. Seeing as he was making no move to get up from his position, she quietly stood up to walk over and examine the toy duck. Upon reaching the workbench, she gently picked it up with immense care as if it was a real, living, breathing being.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the rubber duck she was holding greatly resembled her.

She remembered how back up in Heaven, when she has been yet to be cast down to the depths of Hell, she was almost certain Lucifer had a thing for her. She wasn't oblivious to it. And so, she had used his vulnerability to her own selfish impulse, the reason to their fall.