HELLUVA BOSS ONESHOTS

A Little Surprise

The peace of the night at Stolas's manor was shattered by the shrill ring of his phone. Stolas groaned, half-awake, rubbing his eyes as he squinted at the clock. It was well past midnight. He grabbed the phone, surprised to see Lucifer's name glowing on the screen. That was... unusual. Lucifer rarely called him, much less at such an hour.

"Hello?" he answered, voice still thick with sleep.

"Stolas!" Lucifer's voice was frantic, almost trembling—a stark contrast to his usual calm and collected tone. In the background, Stolas could hear faint, muffled crying. "Stolas, I— I need help. There's a child here... she—"

Stolas sat up instantly, fully awake. "A child? Lucifer, slow down. What's happening?"

Lucifer took a shaky breath, gathering himself. "She's six years old. She just arrived in Hell. She... killed her parents in self-defense and then... then she..." His voice faltered. "She didn't know where else to go."

Stolas felt a wave of shock hit him. A child so young in Hell—he'd never heard of anything like it. "Lucifer, that's... my stars. That poor child." His heart ached at the thought. "What do you need from me?"

"I don't know what to do with her," Lucifer admitted, his voice laced with helplessness. "She's terrified. I hoped... maybe... you could take her in for a while, until I figure things out?"

Stolas didn't hesitate. "Yes, of course. Bring her here. I'll do what I can."

A moment later, Stolas heard a quiet sigh of relief from the Prince of Hell. "Thank you, Stolas. I'll be there soon."

As Stolas hung up, he glanced around his dark room, trying to prepare himself for whatever was to come. He'd never dealt with a situation like this before, but he knew he'd do whatever he could for the child.

Less than an hour later, there was a quiet knock at the manor's grand door. Stolas opened it to find Lucifer standing there, holding the hand of a small, trembling girl. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her tiny fingers gripped Lucifer's hand like a lifeline.

Lucifer looked exhausted, yet he managed a slight nod toward Stolas. "Thank you for this, truly."

Stolas knelt down, meeting the little girl's gaze with gentle, comforting eyes. "Hello, my dear. My name is Stolas. What's your name?"

The girl hesitated, glancing nervously at Lucifer before looking back at Stolas. Her voice was a faint whisper, barely audible. "C-Claire..."

"Claire," Stolas repeated softly, offering a warm smile. "That's a beautiful name. Would you like to come inside, Claire? I have some hot chocolate if you'd like."

Claire nodded, her tiny voice barely above a murmur. "Okay..."

Stolas led her inside, giving Lucifer a sympathetic glance as he went. Lucifer looked around, appearing deeply troubled, and immediately pulled out his phone to make a few more calls, murmuring anxiously about finding someone to handle this unprecedented situation. The faint sound of his voice faded as Stolas guided Claire toward the kitchen, where he busied himself making the promised hot chocolate.

He chatted quietly as he worked, careful to keep his tone soft and friendly. "I have a daughter, you know," he said. "Her name is Octavia. She's seventeen. She'd be delighted to meet you, I'm sure."

Claire's face brightened, just a little, at the mention of another child. "Really?"

"Yes," Stolas replied with a smile. "She's very kind and loves making new friends. I think you two would get along well."

Just as he handed Claire her mug, Octavia shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes and looking puzzled. "Dad? What's going on?" Her gaze landed on the small girl, and her eyes widened with curiosity.

Claire shrank back, hiding behind Stolas, clutching the edge of his robe. Stolas put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving her an encouraging nod. "It's alright, Claire," he murmured. "This is my daughter, Octavia. She's very nice, I promise."

Octavia gave the girl a warm smile, crouching down a bit to appear less intimidating. "Hi, Claire. I'm Octavia, but you can call me Via if you want."

Claire peeked out from behind Stolas, eyeing Octavia shyly before giving a tiny wave. "H-Hi..."

Seeing Claire begin to relax, Stolas felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps, with a bit of love and care, they could help this small, frightened soul feel safe again. He motioned toward the sitting room, glancing at Octavia. "Why don't you show Claire the collection of stars we can see from the window, Via? I'll be right here."

Octavia's eyes lit up. "Sure! Come on, Claire, it's really pretty." She held out her hand, and after a hesitant moment, Claire took it, allowing Octavia to lead her over to the large bay window.

As the two children settled by the window, Stolas took a deep breath, watching them with a small smile. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lucifer pacing back and forth in the hallway, still on the phone, his voice laced with urgency and worry.

He approached Lucifer quietly, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Lucifer, she's safe here. We'll do what we can to make her comfortable."

Lucifer exhaled, nodding, but his gaze drifted to Claire, sorrow softening his features. "Thank you, Stolas," he murmured. "I've never had to deal with something like this before. I don't... I don't want her to feel like she doesn't belong."

Stolas nodded. "We'll give her all the support she needs. She'll find her place here, with friends and family who care for her."

As Stolas returned to the sitting room, he saw Octavia laughing softly as she pointed out the stars, and Claire listening intently, her face illuminated by the moonlight. Stolas knew that tonight had brought an unexpected challenge into his life—but also, perhaps, a chance to bring a little more kindness into this world.

And that was a chance he would never turn away from.