"HAZBIN HOTEL"
•••
The man, who has now introduced himself as Angel Dust, pushes open a door to a large, run-down building and ushers you inside. You stumble in, finding yourself immediately face-to-face with a very tall, very lanky blonde woman. She gasps and takes your arms, helping you to steady yourself.
"I'm so sorry," You apologize, carefully pulling yourself away from her. The woman smiles sweetly and looks over you, at Angel.
"Angel! Who's your friend?" She claps her hands together energetically, kneeling down a bit to get a better look at you.
Angel Dust chuckles and throws his coat on the coat rack, the fabric draping sloppily over the others hanging there. "They ain't my friend, Dollface." He shrugs, walking past the two of you. "Found 'em at a club. They're bleedin' gold from their back. Thought you could help 'em."
Angel makes his way out of the lobby, sleazily waving goodbye. The woman returns her focus to you and puts one hand to her lips, the other tenderly touching your upper arm.
"Do you mind if I take a look? I promise to be gentle." She offers another sincere, blinding smile, and you nod without a second thought. She carefully spins you around, and once your back is facing her, she carefully trails her fingers down your soaked bandages. You wince, and she pulls her hands away. "I'm sorry! Here, let's go upstairs."
The woman wraps a hand around your waist, supporting your weight on hers as she helps you up the stairs. You try to protest— to say that you're capable of climbing the stairs yourself— but you can't deny how much relief her support gives your back. Once upstairs, she throws open one of the first few doors on the right and helps you inside.
"Vaggie," She calls, and your attention snaps to a second, shorter woman in the corner of the room, sitting at a desk. She perks up and gets to her feet.
"Who the hell is this?" She asks, walking toward the both of you. Your eyes linger on her face, because goodness, she just looks so familiar.
The woman that's been supporting you gently maneuvers you toward the plush, royal red bed in the center of the room, and cautiously lays you on it. Your breath catches in your throat as your back hits the mattress, but once you've settled, the pain does as well. "Angel Dust brought them here, they're hurt." She explains briefly to her shorter companion, rolling you so that you're on your stomach.
The second woman steps forward. "Golden blood?" She asks, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrow as Charlie's tender hands work to undo your existing bandages. "What's your name?"
"Y/N," You smile weakly, squeezing your eyes shut as the cold air brushes your now exposed wound. "Thank you for helping me—"
"Of course!" The bubbly one exclaims. "I'm Charlie, and this is Vaggie— oh, Vaggie, could you grab me those medical wrap thingies from the closet? Ooh, and a warm cloth?" She, who you now know as Charlie, asks the other.
Vaggie nods quietly and heads to the other side of the bedroom. After a few seconds, she returns, handing Charlie a roll of cream colored adhesive bandage wraps and the warm cloth. Charlie accepts them graciously.
"This might hurt a little, so I'm really sorry, but it'll be quick!" Charlie warns you, taking the cloth and carefully swiping it across the gash on your back. A searing pain shoots through your spine, and you breathe in sharply. "Sorry, sorry!" Charlie apologizes profusely, swapping the cloth out for the bandages, as she carefully wraps the wound, making sure to tie it snug. "There. That must feel a lot better than those thin things you had on, right?"
"Much," You admit, sitting up and turning to face her. "Thank you so much, Charlie, was it? You are such an angel!"
Charlie cups her cheeks and grins happily. "Aww, it's nothing!" She insists, but the way she taps her feet and giggles tells you that the praise means more than she's claiming it does. Vaggie steps forward, resting her hands on her hips.
"You look exhausted." She tells you, inspecting your face. "You can sleep in here if you want. I don't plan on going to bed anytime soon, unless Charlie does."
"Oh, no!" Charlie waves her hands. "I am wide awake! Take all the time you need to rest in here!"
"You two sleep in the same bed?" You ask, looking between them both with a grin. "That's so sweet!"
Vaggie rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, we're dating? So..." She trails off, watching the way you raise your eyebrows and gasp.
"Oh, you two are together!" You exclaim, putting a hand to your mouth. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to assume otherwise! That is adorable— I love love!" You gush. "Oh, and, you're sure about letting me sleep here? I really hate to inconvenience you after you've already taken me in and fixed me up...!"
"Of course! It's fine!" Charlie laughs and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're our guest, for now, so it's no problem!"
———
Your eyes snap open and you sit up abruptly. You wince, the sudden movement amplifying the dull ache of your wingless body, but pull yourself out of bed regardless. You make sure to tuck the comforter back in and fluff the pillows back out— you'd feel terrible if you left their bed a mess. Your gaze falls to the nightstand, where a glass of water waits for you, a note lying in front of it that reads:
For when you wake up! XOXO, Charlie :D!
(+ Vaggie)
You smile to yourself and take the glass, sipping the water before setting it back down. With your whistle wet once again, you slip out of the room. You hurry down the stairs, swinging the corner to the parlor.
"Oh, hello!" You greet, raising a weak hand upon finding just how many people have gathered here. You'd foolishly assumed only Vaggie, Charlie, and Angel resided here, but in such a large building, you suppose it checks out for there to be more.
From what you can see, there's a bartender who is—shockingly—tending the bar, a short and petite maid running around dusting everything, Angel Dust lounging on the sofa, Charlie and Vaggie speaking quietly near the wall, and finally, a very tall, very red smiling man standing near the bar. Your nervous greeting attracts all their attention, but you don't dare drop your smile.
"Oh! You're awake!" Charlie squeals, running over to you while Vaggie follows close behind. "Everyone, this is Y/N!" She flicks her wrist, presenting you like a sleek new car on a game show.
"The bartender is Husk, he's a dick so don't bother."
Vaggie introduces, gesturing toward the bartender who snarls and flips her off. "The little one is Niffty, we don't really know what her deal is."
The "little" one, Niffty, races toward you, giggling excitedly as she climbs up onto your shoulders and tugs at your hair. "You smell so clean!" She exclaims through maniacal laughter, nuzzling her cheek against your head.
You simply smile. "Thank you!"
Vaggie sighs heavily and gestures toward the tall red man. "That one is Alastor, he's—"
The man's eyes widen, his seemingly permanent grin widening as you find him suddenly directly in front of you. He twirls his cane in one hand, while the other extends toward you. "Alastor! Such a pleasure, my dear, quite a pleasure!"
You reach out and shake his hand firmly, returning his grin with your own. "A pleasure, indeed! What a magnetic personality you've got there!" You laugh lightheartedly, and Alastor returns it with a brash laugh of his own. Briefly behind his voice, you can hear a semblance of a laugh track— the sort they use in sitcoms.
"Oh my gosh! Y/N, I totally forgot to explain everything!" Charlie gasps. Alastor drops your hand and nods toward you as a sort of acknowledgement, before taking off to do who-knows-what. "This is the Hazbin Hotel! Well, I wanted to call it the Happy Hotel, but Alastor— oh, sorry, anyway! My ideaaa..." She drags the word out for a bit longer than necessary, taking a deep breath. "Is that here, I'll help rehabilitate sinners! To, y'know, help deal with the overpopulation in Hell! I— we— believe that there's good in everyone! You could always stay if you want to! I mean, we don't know if Heaven will actually take the pitch or not yet, but..."
"That is a wonderful idea!" You exclaim, throwing your arms up excitedly. You hiss through your teeth, the rapid motion causing something in your back to stretch painfully. "I'd love to redeem myself! Do you really think this hotel can work?"
"Honestly? Yes, I do." Charlie smiles and nods firmly. "Sinners are my people, and everyone's got the capacity to change, right? And I'm sure that Heaven with agree, if my meeting goes well!"
"Yes! I completely agree!" You extend your hands, not wishing to grab hers without her acceptance. She, thankfully, does accept, and puts her hands in yours. "How on earth did you manage to get a meeting with Heaven? That's so impressive!"
"Oh, well, they wanted to have a meeting with my dad, but he asked if I could go instead." He laughs nervously. "So, I'm gonna use it to pitch the hotel!"
You raise your eyebrows and chuckle softly. "Oh! Well, who's your dad? He must be quite important to catch Heaven's attention."
Charlie tilts her head and smiles. "Lucifer!"
"Oh, fuck!"
———
Charlie takes a deep breath and pushes open the doors to the meeting room. She looks around cautiously, clutching her hands to her chest. "Hellooo? Anyone in here—"
"Sup."
She yelps as the lights suddenly turn on, highlighting Adam, who's seated at the end of the long table. He picks at his teeth, looking around with disinterest. Charlie giggles nervously and clears her throat. "Oh, hi! Um, my dad asked me to come in..."
"Yeah, I know." He shrugs, yawning. Charlie blinks, offput by his blatant display of boredom. Still, she persists, keeping that sweet smile of hers.
"Well, I'm happy we got this meeting, because I have this idea that I really think you'll love—"
Adam shuts down her pitch right away. "Woah, woah, slow down! We've got time... how about we chill for a sec, huh? Get to know each other? How about some lunch, huh, you hungry?" He suggests with a cocky smile. In front of him, a plate of ribs seemingly appears out of nowhere. "These are my favorite, you gotta try one." He picks one up and holds it toward her.
"Oh, thank you..." Charlie giggles weakly and attempts to take the offer, but her hand slips right through the rib, and Adam's hand. "Woah!"
"Hahaha! I fuckin' got you, bitch! You should've seen your face! Good shit!" Adam cackles, kicking his feet under the table.
"Wait. You're not actually here?" She asks suspiciously, crossing her arms.
Adam raises an eyebrow. "What? Me, come down there? I mean, look, love your tunes, pretty fuckin' hardcore, don't get me wrong... but everything down there is just so... eugh! You know? Haha... ew." He sighs and stretches his arms over his back. "Speaking of which... you uh... don't know anyone named Y/N down there, do ya, babe?"
"What, Y/N? I do, actually." Charlie smiles, nodding proudly. "You know them too?"
"Of course I fuckin' know 'em, they're an angel?" Adam scoffs, pointing out the fact as though it were obvious.
And, honestly, it should've been. Charlie suspected something about you, golden blood being a very definitive indication of you belonging to holy arms, but she hadn't really considered you might be an actual angel. "Oh, haha... right. Um, anyway—"
"They doin' okay? I don't really fuckin' care, honestly, but," Adam shrugs again, taking a sloppy bite out of one of the ribs. He licks his fingers and sighs obnoxiously. "Y'know, they're weak and shit so I'm just wonderin' if they died already."
"What? No, no! They're fine! They're actually staying at my hotel, which is actually what I wanted to talk about—"
"Oh, sweet! Tell 'em Lute is fuckin' fired for me, will ya?" He asks, leaning over the table with a grin. "Heard they got their wings torn out before they were kicked out, how's that whole thing doin'?"
Charlie hesitates. "Wait. Heaven did that? Their wings were— their wings were torn out of them? That's what that was!?" She grows frustrated, throwing her hands up. "How— who!? Why?"
"Ooh, I take it that it was a pretty nasty aftermath then? Yeesh." Adam chuckles. "They're uh... they're recovering though?"
"Yeah, no thanks to you guys." Charlie mutters, averting her gaze. If the first man, someone so appraised, is such an asshole, and the higher ups of Heaven physically tore someone's wings from their body, then what the hell is so great about Heaven? They're no better than sinners!
"Relax, babe! We're comin' back to bring 'em back up here, soon." Adam smiles, slurping the meat off the bone of another rib. "Cause y'know, we're movin' the next extermination up. Couldn't wait a whole year to bring 'em back and slaughter all you little devil cunts, am I right? So, we'll be back in six months, sound good?"
"What!?"
———
You stand beside Vaggie, speaking in hushed whispers. For the first time since Charlie left, the two of you finally have a chance to speak one-on-one, which is certainly needed as of now.
"I can't believe they'd kick you out. I mean, that's why you're here, right? You're... what, fallen?" Vaggie whispers, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "And that fuckin' gash on your back. It's brutal."
"Not any more brutal than what happened to you, Vaggie," You plead, bringing a hand to your chest. "Your eye, your wings... oh, what could you have possibly done to deserve any of that? You were always such a good soul... quiet, perhaps a little offstandish, but good."
Vaggie chuckles weakly. "No, I... I mean, I did a lot of shit. I didn't deserve to be in Heaven, no one in Adam's army does." She sighs, letting her shoulders slump. "But you were a literal angel, not a soldier."
"I don't know. I'm sure it was for the greater good." You confess, laughing weakly. "Ah, no one's perfect, after all! I'd been hearing things, and it frightened them enough to deem me a threat." You sigh and shrug. "Nothing I can't fix! I'll fix myself right up here, with the help of yours and Charlie's!"
"They kicked you out for hearing shit? That's so... fuckin' like them." She groans and forces a smile. "Well, it's... cool to see you again. Charlie definitely likes you."
"Yes! Such a sweetheart!" You gush, waving your hand. "I never would've guessed she was the daughter of Lucifer. Here's to praying that my associations to her don't damage my chance at getting back in!"
"They shouldn't. Charlie, she's... she's nothing like that."
Your conversation halts when the door flies open, and Charlie runs in. Everyone, including Vaggie and yourself, turns their attention to her. The poor girl looks so distressed, you just want to scoop her up and wrap her in bubble wrap.
Charlie pants, shaking her head desperately. Vaggie perks up and rushes over to her.
"Charlie! How's it go? Did they listen?" She asks, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. Charlie looks at her with flushed cheeks and wide eyes.
"I didn't even get to pitch it— and— and they're moving the extermination up to six months, and—"
"Extermination!?" You blurt out, confused beyond belief.
"They moved it up!? Why!?" Angel Dust adds from his spot at the bar, throwing his many arms up in frustration.
"You didn't know!?" Charlie asks you.
Alastor, standing in isolation in the corner, widens his ominous grin. "Well, this just got interesting."