Hazbin Hotel Season 3

Chapter 13: MVP: first_pair_of_nuts

T/W: self-harm, mentions of suicide

Alec pushed on the enter key again, groaning as it jammed. Although the new devices he had gotten were very impressive and state-of-art, they were a bit wonky and he was still getting used to both the hardware and software. It was also overheating way too easily, and the feeling of the growing warmth on his lap made him want to throw the device away.

But at the same time, he couldn't push away the memory of seeing Charlie look so helpless, beaten down. After Vaggie had asked him to check up on her before leaving, he had gone to Charlie's room and found her lying on the floor, tear streaks falling down her cheeks. The signs of trauma were... familiar with him, and after covering her body with a blanket and blowing out the candles, he decided that if there was anything he could do to help her, he would.

Husk and Angel's date wasn't purely because he shipped them. Charlie believed in him, and even if he didn't know if the hotel was worth it, he'd believe in her. So he couldn't take a break, or stray away from his goal. Never mind that Saturdays were his break days from work, he had to do this.

"Whatcha doing?" He looked up to see Adam, lounging on the sofa. Is he speaking to me? "Wait, you're a tech wiz, right? Do you know if there's a video game console here somewhere? All I can watch on this stupid TV is Thai Dramas, and they're interesting but... I need my Rocket League."

Alec pushed back his hair, the red streak slightly warm to the touch. It was almost comforting but he pulled his hand away, knowing that if he kept it there any longer, a hole would be burned into his fingerless gloves again. And they're expensive too. These are the third pair.

In the brief periods of time when he didn't have any, he had to steal some foundation to cover up his scars, and was so jumpy, everyone probably thought he had PTSD. They don't need to know about that.

"Um, I've also got a vBox? The latest one, if you want to use it," Alec offered. He didn't have much time for video games anyway, so it may as well go to someone who would use it.

"Sweet!" Adam jumped up, adjusting his spongebob shirt. "Where is it?"

"In the TV cabinet." Alec fidgeted in his seat as he watched the post go public. It was a short compilation of fun jokes and moments he had captured over the past week. He refreshed the browser, painfully slow (he should probably get them to improve the wi-fi. They were the royal family, for god's sake). There was nothing at first, but then he refreshed again, and there were hundreds of likes, comments, and new followers dropping in. "Oh, wow." He clicked refresh again, and the follower count kept rising up.

Adam glanced at him from where he was fiddling with the controller. "What?"

"The post is already viral." Alec shook his head impressed. "I've never seen any Sinstagram account gain this much traction, this fast."

"That's the power of fame!" Adam stretched lazily. "Everyone here's basically famous."

Alec rubbed the back of the neck, suddenly feeling incongruous. "Yeah... I guess I hadn't really understood the extent of it until this."

Adam nodded understandingly and then picked up another controller, holding it out as if offering it to Alec. "You wanna play?."

"I dunno." Alec glanced back at the laptop, where he was also setting up a website for people to register for the hotel (that coding camp finally paid off). It would definitely beat the large crowds that gathered outside the front door every morning, and they made it impossible for Alec to reach his work in time. He had been late four times. If I keep that up longer, I might just get fired. "There's a lot left for me to do."