X Reader Oneshot Book

[Cuphead|Casino!Devil x Adopted Child Reader] Breakfast

[Dedicated to the ever radiant S203324! Thank you so much for your request, I had a lot of fun with this one! Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy!]

Written: Friday, 9th October 2020

"Y/n?" A three succinct knocks woke the not-quite-teenaged girl from her slumber, messy hair tumbling from her mouth. Her Dad's personal assistant tapped his foot impatiently as she dragged herself from the bed, opening the door just a crack to let the hallway light stream in. She mumbled a "what" and King Dice rolled his eyes slightly. "Y/n! Your father has invited you to breakfast."

With a spark her eyes burst to life, and she closed the door quickly, a grin spreading across her face. Then she remembered her friend and opened it once more. "Thank you, Dice. I'll be there in a moment!" A quick nod from him and she raced into action, the door barely clicking shut as she sprinted for the bathroom, remerging with her hair tamed and teeth brushed.

She'd always found her teeth strange, ever since she was a little girl. Where her father's were large and jagged, capable of tearing a man's arm off with ease, hers were small and flat, sitting delicately like a string of pearls against her crimson lips. She laughed now, but she used to wonder for days when her "adult teeth" would grow in.

She slipped into the standard uniform for her father's casino, adjusting her bowtie before leaving her room in complete darkness once more.

She tapped lightly on the door of the dining room, pushing her way inside. Her father was not a short man, to say the least. As she pulled up a chair, she had to crane her neck to see his eyes, although, as she'd come to learn, he could change his height at will. "Morning, Papa!" She chirped, sitting next to him. He looked troubled, his head resting on his hands, eyes darkened slightly.

"Ah, good morning, Y/n. How are you today?" Y/n hummed happily in response, noting the slight nervousness in his tone.

"I'm happy to be sharing breakfast with you! Did you get some time away from the souls?" She picked up a waffle, beginning to wolf it down.

"Yes, I've put Dice in charge of the casino for now. Y/n, how old are you?"

"I'm twelve, Papa, thirteen in four days!" It brought a grin to her cheeks as she thought about the charity of her family, the casino's employees, and how they'd throw her a birthday party every year, even if she'd insisted they didn't have to.

Most of them she'd know since she was a baby, but sometimes newcomers would join them. Like the cup brothers, only recent hires but two of her firmest friends. She could always count on them for a laugh, and they were only a few years older than her at sixteen. It was the closest she'd known of the outside world, they'd tell her fantastical stories, often starring them, other times they'd bring her books and pressed flowers and other beautiful things from the isle.

She didn't mind not being allowed to leave, the Devil was very overprotective of her, for good reason. She wasn't sure what the reason was, but she trusted him with all her heart, and couldn't wait to be an adult so she could see the world for herself. But for now, that was just a faraway dream.

"Y/n." The Devil waved his hand in front of her face, shaking her from her trance.

"Sorry, Papa, what was that?"

"There's something I need to tell you." His face was pinched as he looked at the innocent flower that sat before him, eyes still full of hope. He took a deep breath, a profound warning light blaring in his chest. "I'm not your biological father." Y/n blinked twice, processing.

"I figured." She chirped, placing a tiny hand on his. "I figured as soon as I saw your teeth and saw that mine didn't match. I was wondering when my horns would grow in, I was wondering whether my eyes would turn yellow, but nothing ever happened."

He was shocked, he had prepared for disownment, screaming, crying, but not warm indifference. "So, you're ok?" Y/n smiled softly, climbing from her chair into his lap.

"I'm ok, but..." She leaned her head against his chest as his arms came to wrap around her. "Why did you take me in?" The Devil sighed, desperate for a cigar but nonetheless too conscious of his young daughter's health.

"I think you're old enough to hear the story."

A rainy Tuesday night, some twelve years ago...

A young woman carries a bundle in the crook of one elbow, shopping bags dragging her down as she hurries through the streets, heels tapping on the cobblestones. She's soaked, no doubt about it, and so is the baby, who promptly begins to cry, it's wails echoing around her as she grimaces. She spots a building in the distance, lit up like a Christmas tree in early December, that looks warm and dry. It isn't until she approaches that she realises her mistake. The Devil's Casino towers over her.

Something thrums in her skull telling her to run, but she's tired and enters anyway, leaving her bags by the doorway, the now quiet baby nestled in the pile as she heads for the bar. She slides onto the barstool, slamming down a twenty and sculling whatever ends up her grasp. It warms her core, veins suddenly alight, inhibitions suddenly torn away. In this alcohol-induced buzz, she heads for the craps table, head too fuzzy to hear the bundle begin to fuss in its makeshift cradle.

When she hears the dreaded cry of "Snake Eyes, you lose!" her heart skips and she offers the one thing she has left. Her daughter's soul. "Two souls for the price of one, you must be a fool!" The Devil cackles, but she restates; her daughter's life in exchange for hers.

The casino goes quiet, conspiratorial whispers fill the air, only interrupted by the piercing shriek of the hungry bundle, still cold and wet, despite the casino's warm interior. The woman signs her contract, every move monitored as she plucks her baby from the piles of groceries and delivers her into the waiting arms of the Devil's right hand man, Mr King Dice, who has an almost murderous look in his eyes. With her deal completed, she marches toward the exit, posture straight and head held high as she takes her shopping and disappears into the rainy night once more.

With a snarl from the Devil, the casino jumps to life once more. He whisks the bundle from King Dice, cradling the child against his chest. She stops fussing, falling back to sleep with a fistful of his fur in her tiny hand, snuggled into his warmth. Something like affection surfaces in the Devil's heart- or what's left of it- and he decides to care for the child evermore. Dice smiles in approval, placing a light hand on his arm as praise before he goes to prepare her room.

"And the rest, as they say, is history." Y/n looked almost sad, but soon brightened, clutching at his fur just as she had done since she was a child.

"At least, when that woman sold my soul, she sold me to someone better." She wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"Your mother?"

"She may have given me life, but she isn't my family, you are. The casino staff are, Dice is! And I couldn't have hoped for a better one." Her voice softened. "Thank you, Papa." She shoved her face into his chest, smiling when he patted her back quietly, pretending not to notice the tears welling in his yellow eyes.