Well, I said I'd write this, and I shall! If you want the full backstory to this fanfic universe, read these other fics in this order:

"Let's Fall in Love"

"As Time Goes By"

"My Funny Valentine"

However, this can also be read first and the others later as prequels. Not sure how much I'll be updating given how unpredictable this past year has been.

Since we've only had the pilot, the "Addict" music video, and a few "Helluva Boss" episodes, I'll be filling in the blanks on characters and this world through speculation, keeping some of the things said in cast livestreams in mind.

Yes, Alastor is still asexual in this fic, and I'll be writing as someone who is also asexual but romantic.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Hazbin Hotel," as that belongs to Vivziepop. None of this is to be considered canon in any way.

The last thing Angel Dust expected to hear as he came down to the hotel lobby that evening was the front desk bell ringing. In the five weeks he'd been crashing here, that bell hadn't rung once.

Perhaps Niffty was polishing it. Or Husk was ringing it in a drunken state. Or Alastor was pulling a prank on Charlie, getting her hopes up that there was an actual guest at the hotel, only to dash them when she saw that wasn't the case. What other explanation could there be?

But the demon sitting at the front desk was not someone he knew.

Angel Dust stopped in his tracks. "Shit, someone actually showed up?"

The demon, or rather demoness, turned to him. She was a bat. He could tell by the ears, and the black leather wings sticking out of her back. She was covered head to toe in golden-brown fur, a shade that almost made her look human.

Her purple stilettos had heels as sharp as knives. Her purple halter dress hugged curves that Angel could tell a corset didn't make, which he envied. The skirt only just met her knees, a small slit allowing the right leg some freedom. The back of her dress was open to allow room for her wings, the neckline plunging. A shiny, oval-cut, amethyst broach shielded her cleavage from view.

She must really like purple. It made sense, given the color of her eyes.

Her black hair was bobbed, two musical G-clef barrettes pinning it back. At the very top was a purple bowknot bowler hat, a white ribbon with a purple musical note pattern tied around it in a bow.

All in all, she looked classy. Even if the hat was a bit out of style.

The bat readjusted the strap of her brown leather satchel as she smiled at the spider. "Excuse me, do ya work here?"

She had a Southeast American accent. Angel wondered if she was from Louisiana like Alastor.

But that question was not his priority. He huffed and gestured to his body with four arms.

"Do I look like I work in this dump?"

The bat sized him up. Angel was dressed for clubbing, wearing a black lace corset, pink platform boots and matching gloves.

"Ya seriously want me to answer that?" she retorted.

Angel gasped, putting his upper hands to his chest. "Don't ya know who I am?"

"Well, ya haven't exactly introduced yourself."

He used one hand to smooth out his hair, placed one on his hip, and two to flaunt his chest fluff. "Angel Dust?"

"No, thanks." She waved her hand. "More into good old hard liquor, ya know? Speakin' of." She hit the bell again. "There a bartender here or what?"

Angel pulled at his hair with one hand and smacked his face with another. "Not the drug! The porn star!"

"Don't do that either." She shamelessly pointed downward. "Vibrator's enough, thank ya very much."

He rolled his eyes. "And what are you supposed to be? Some kind of comic?"

"Formerly." She shrugged. "Some habits are hard to break. Not to sound like a Karen, but is the manager here?"

With an annoyed groan, Angel turned around and cupped his mouth with two hands as he called up the stairs. "Charlie! Vaggie! There's some smart-mouth bat lady here, wants to talk to ya!"

He turned back to find the bat staring at his outfit. "What?"

"Nothing." She looked him over again. "Just thought this was a hotel for redemption, not a whorehouse."

Angel narrowed his eyes and turned back to the stairs. "Charlie! This bitch is judgin' me for no goddamn reason! Even though her brooch is too big for her boobs!"

The bat scoffed. "Could say the same 'bout that corset bein' too tight for yours."

He put his lower hands on his hips as he faced her again. "Now that's just goin' too far!"

"Sorry, ma'am, but you started it."

"Excuse me!" He crossed his upper arms. "I'm a guy!"

"Whoops." She held up her hands. "Really sorry. Should've pegged ya for a guy with your obvious lack of manners and poor taste in clothin'."

Angel was fuming now. "Charlie! Smiles! Somebody get down here before I bitch-slap this broad into next week!"

The bat widened her grin and flicked her wrist, revealing her sharp claws. "Say that again?"

Before Angel could even raise a fist, Charlie came running down the stairs with a giddy gait.

"Oh, hello!" The Princess of Hell waved. "So sorry for the wait. I didn't hear you knock."

"Why would I knock?" The bat tilted her head. "This is a hotel, ain't it?"

"Oh." Charlie paused at the bottom of the stairs and blushed. "Right. Anyway, I hope you weren't waiting too long."

"Nah." The bat glanced at Angel. "I was just makin' conversation with your exotic dancer here."

Being called such a sophisticated term put out the flames of Angel's rage. He smirked and smoothed out the hair on all parts of his body.

"I suppose he…is an exotic dancer of sorts," Charlie said with a smile, "but he's actually a guest here. Anyway, hi! Welcome to the Happy Hotel!"

The bat jerked her thumb towards the door. "Sign out front says Hazbin Hotel?"

"Right." Charlie tapped her fingers together. "We, uh, recently rebranded, sorry." She held out her hand. "I'm Charlie."

The bat matched the princess's smile as she stood and shook her hand. "Pleased to meet ya, Your Highness. I'm Tina Twinkle, but folks round here know me better as the Songbat."

Angel Dust was surprised to see how short the bat was, about six inches less than the Princess of Hell. She certainly talked big for someone so small.

"Oh, of course!" Charlie clapped her hands. "We spoke on the phone! You own that nightclub, right?"

"Yup. The Reckoning." Tina frowned. "At least I did, before it got blown to smithereens in that turf war tween that Kingpin cobra and that grenade girl."

Angel Dust whistled casually and pretended to be interested in a crack in the ceiling. Charlie forced a laugh.

"Well, let's talk in my office. I'll get my partners."

Charlie put a hand on Tina's back and led the way. The princess squinted at the bat's face.

"By the way, Tina, have we met before?"

"Not formally," Tina said. "But I am acquainted with your dad."

"Oh, really? How?"

"He tried to make a deal with me involvin' seducin' an Overlord and preventin' a hostile takeover of Hell."

Charlie's smile faltered.

"Funny story. Tell ya 'bout it later."

As soon as the ladies disappeared, Husk came out of the door behind the bar, cradling his head. Angel licked his palms and quickly smoothed back his hair.

"Hey," Angel said, pressing his body against the counter. "Where you been all evenin' Husky?"

"Passed out in the back." The cat rubbed his temples. "The fuck was all that yelling about?"

"Oh, this bat girl with a badass attitude came waltzin' in and started talkin' shit about my outfit. But she also called me an exotic dancer, so I guess she's cool."

Husk's eyes snapped open. "What bat girl?"

Angel shrugged. "Some club owner who wants to do business with Charlie or something." He tapped his chin. "Let's see, what was her name? Uh, Tiffany Twirly? Tia Twitter?"

"Tina Twinkle?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Angel raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know?"

"Aw, shit!" Husk glanced around anxiously. "Where's she now?!"

"Charlie just took her to her office—"

"That idiot!" Husk facepalmed. "It's only a matter of time now!"

"You okay, Husky? You look pretty tense." Angel smirked and leaned forward. "Ya need a massage?"

Husk ignored the seductive spider and grabbed the nearest bottle of booze. He was going to need it for the shitstorm that was about to hit the fan.

"So, let me get this straight," Vaggie said, putting her hands together. "You wanna merge your business with ours?"

Tina nodded. She sat with her ankles crossed on the opposite side of the desk. Charlie sat in a big, red, cushioned chair with her girlfriend standing dutifully at her side.

"Since our businesses have similar goals," Tina said, "I think we can help each other out."

Charlie's eyes widened hopefully. "You believe in redemption?"

"Eh…" Tina made a so-so sign. "In a way, yes. I'll be honest, I don't know if gettin' a demon to Heaven is possible."

"Oh." Charlie deflated.

"Only cuz it's never been done before." Tina held up a finger. "But I do believe a demon can better themselves if they put their mind to it. For more personal reasons than divine."

Vaggie crossed her arms. She wasn't sure what to make of the Songbat yet, as she hadn't heard of her. Tina looked harmless with that sweet face, gentle smile and composed demeanor. But looks could be deceiving, especially in Hell. And the last demon who'd come to them with a business proposal hadn't exactly been trustworthy.

"This isn't some kind of prank, is it?"

"Vaggie!" Charlie put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's fine, I get that a lot." Tina folded her hands neatly in her lap. "See, before The Reckoning was…destroyed, I saw it as more of an unofficial crisis center than a club. The demons I hired to work there were troubled souls. Runnin' from abusive relationships, lost their homes in turf wars, hidin' from Overlords they'd pissed off. Some of 'em were minor sinners who didn't have much power. Former pickpockets, drug addicts, suicides, the occasional rebel teen. I offered 'em shelter and protection, they provided work."

Vaggie narrowed her eye. "What kind of work?"

Tina held up a hand. "It was no strip club, if that's what you're thinkin'. The entertainment we provided was tasteful." She rolled her wrist. "Maybe some girls liked to show off a little skin, but nothin' too raunchy. Those who weren't much for entertainin' would work as servers, bartenders, bouncers, accountants, whatever their skillset.

"But I don't just hire anybody off the street, mind you. I have each of my employees sign a contract promisin' to be on their best behavior." She listed sins off her fingers. "No drugs, no brawls, that sort of thing. At least while workin' under my roof, that is. What they do in their private lives is their business."

Vaggie's eyebrows shot up. "And that works?"

"You'd be surprised what some demons down here are willin' to do to avoid gettin' mixed up with wackos like Valentino and Vox." Tina cringed a moment. "My offers for employment are considered to be more than fair. The pay's not bad either."

Vaggie was still wary. "What'd you do to get down here?"

"Vaggie, don't be rude!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Well she can't be that reasonable if she ended up in Hell!"

"No, it's perfectly fine." Tina shifted in her seat. "I killed my boss who I was havin' an affair with. But it was in self-defense."

"Right," Vaggie said, not taking her gaze off her.

"But I'm not here for me. Since our neighborhood blew up, I need a new place to house my employees. I figured since y'all are lookin' for sinners to rehabilitate, I can refer 'em here. Course, it'll be their choice whether to come or not."

Charlie and Vaggie exchanged a look.

"How many sinners are we talking here?" Vaggie asked.

"Oh, about…" Tina took a moment to count on her fingers. "A hundred and fifty, give or take."

Charlie's and Vaggie's jaws dropped. Was she serious?

"Given how used they were to livin' under my rules," Tina went on, "I'm sure they could be the perfect guinea pigs for this experiment of yours. Some might be willin' to earn their keep, seein' as y'all clearly need some staff around here."

She saw that they were still too stunned to speak. "Course, if y'all aren't prepared to take that many guests at once—"

"No!" Charlie jumped up. "I mean yes! We'll do it!"

"Charlie, wait." Vaggie sat her back down. "Let's consider this carefully."

"She's right," Tina said. "I did just come at ya out of the blue with this." She looked between the hotel managers. "Besides, didn't ya say ya had two partners, Your Highness? Shouldn't ya take it up with 'em?"

Charlie rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, he's, uh…he's…"

"Not very reliable," Vaggie said bluntly. "And he's been moping like a baby all day. Every time we try to bring it up, he yells at us not to bother him until tomorrow."

Tina snorted. "Men, am I right?"

"But she's got a point, Vaggie." Charlie turned her chair towards her girlfriend. "Shouldn't we wait for—?"

"Honestly," Vaggie whispered, "he'll just find a way to sabotage our plans. Or scare her away before she can get a word in."

"Whoever this guy is," Tina said, flashing her tiny vampire fangs, "he should know I don't scare easily."

Vaggie looked the bat over again. "It sounds like a good plan, but a little too good to be true."

"I've drafted a contract." Tina reached into her satchel and pulled out a manilla folder. "Feel free to look it over and make any amendments of your own."

Charlie opened up the folder and she and Vaggie skimmed it over together. The contract dictated that any demons to take up employment at the Hazbin Hotel, under Tina Twinkle's referral, were obligated to refrain from any sinful activity including, but not limited to, a ban on drug use, a limit of two alcoholic drinks an hour, no stabbing, dismembering, exploding, pickpocketing, skinny-dipping…

Charlie flipped through ten more pages. "This is a very…thorough list."

Tina crossed her arms with a smirk. "I'm a very thorough person. I can also provide ya with each employee's file on request. I always run a background check on their sins to make sure they're not psychopathic killers or something."

"Hey." Charlie stopped on the eleventh page. "What's this 'three strikes policy?'"

"Oh, I believe in second chances," Tina said firmly, "but in the event one of my employees violates their contract three times, like I catch 'em wasted or punchin' a guest more than twice, they're out." She jerked her thumb behind her. "Contract's null and void. No exceptions."

Charlie frowned. "That seems a bit…harsh."

"No, no." Vaggie waved her hands. "Angel Dust might actually behave better if he knew there were consequences!"

Charlie cringed as she examined the rest of the contract. "I'm still not sure."

"Tell ya what." Tina stood. "Y'all take me and my employees on for a thirty-day trial period. If it doesn't work out, at least I'll have the time to make other arrangements. If it does… Well, who knows?" She spread out her wings. "Maybe some of us will make it to Heaven."

Vaggie's suspicion slowly turned into admiration. "You're good."

Tina shrugged. "One thing I learned from my ex-husband was how to do proper business."

Vaggie leaned down and pulled her girlfriend in close. "Charlie, we've never gotten an offer like this! I mean," she lowered her voice, "a hundred and fifty potential patients? And already relatively well-behaved!"

Charlie nodded. "It could actually work."

"And even if these sinners don't work out, the hotel will still get more attention!"

Tina's grin widened as she held out her hand. "So, we have a deal then, Your Highness?"

As soon as she said this, the room grew dark. The only source of light was the purple glow from the Songbat's outstretched hand. A string of purple musical notes, accompanied by some haunting piano music, swirled around her face, illuminating her fanged smile and violet eyes.

And just like that, her innocent image was shattered.

"Whoa, whoa there!" Vaggie slammed her hands down on the desk. "You didn't say anything about being a dealmaker!"

The atmosphere returned to normal as Tina retracted her hand, wearing a look of confusion. "Isn't dealmakin' necessary in the business world?"

Vaggie pointed at her. "A contract's not the same as a demon deal, and you know it!"

The Songbat looked between the hotel managers. The moth demon's distrust was back, and the Princess was smiling nervously.

"Sorry." Tina put down her hand entirely. "Didn't realize that would make y'all uncomfortable. The handshake's mostly a precaution, to ensure that my employees don't go back on their word." She flexed her fingers. "Much more bindin' than a piece of paper. But…"

She calmly sat back down. "Since y'all seem to be less morally askew than what I'm used to, I suppose I could trust y'all enough to just sign the contract."

Charlie glanced at Vaggie, who shrugged.

"Absolutely!" Just as Charlie was picking up her pen, she looked at the three blank lines reserved for all the hotel managers' signatures and frowned. "Oh, but, uh…we can't sign any contracts without Alastor."

A small squeak emitted from Tina's throat as she stiffened. "Alastor?"

"Yeah, the Radio Demon's our third partner." Vaggie rolled her eye. "Unfortunately."

"He's been in a bit of a mood today," Charlie said. "We can go get him right now and—"

Tina snatched up the contract. "On second thought, this probably won't work out after all."

Charlie stood. "What? Why?"

Tina didn't bother organizing the papers as she stuffed them into her satchel. "I can't work alongside the Radio Demon."

"Ugh!" Vaggie facepalmed. "I told you taking him on would scare our guests away!"

"Sorry to have wasted your time." Tina sprang up and bowed. "Good day, Your Highness."

"Wait!" Charlie chased after her. "Alastor may look scary, but he's not so bad once you get to know him! And he's helped so much with the hotel so far!"

Tina huffed as she threw open the door. "Al believin' in redemption? Yeah, right."

Vaggie tilted her head. "Al?"

"Come on, Miss Twinkle!" Charlie followed the Songbat into the lobby. "You said so yourself that redemption is possible!"

Tina gritted her teeth. "Not for that son of a—Husk?"

She stopped when she saw the cat demon at the front desk, holding a bottle in his paw. Angel Dust turned on his stool to see what the commotion was all about.

"Is that you, Husk?" Tina approached the bar.

Husk looked up at her and snorted. "I can't believe it. You really showed up." He raised his bottle. "Al know you're here yet?"

"No." She pointed a finger. "And ya better not tell him, or I'll—"

"Hello, Tina."

She felt the radio static on her skin before she heard his voice. Tina winced and sighed before turning on her heel to face him.

There Alastor stood, at the bottom of the steps. He looked just the same as always, in those polished tap shoes, that tattered but elegant waistcoat, that microphone staff propped behind his back, and that perpetual Cheshire Cat grin. His eyes glowed warmly as they raked over her figure.

"It's been a while, ma petite chauve-souris."

Vaggie stepped into the lobby, whipping out her spear. If the Songbat was afraid of the Radio Demon, Vaggie was ready to prevent him from trying anything funny.

But there wasn't a trace of fear in Tina's expression. The minute her eyes met Alastor, they narrowed into a scowl. She stomped over to the Radio Demon, her wings fanned out and her fists clutched at her sides.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

There was a twinge of amusement in Alastor's smile. "I'm manager of this hotel. What are you doing here?"

Tina pulled on the strap of her bag. "Leavin', apparently."

Before she could take a step, Alastor grabbed her wrist. "Oh, but dear, I thought you were looking for housing for your beloved employees."

"How did you—?" Tina shook off her surprise and wrenched her arm back. "You've been spyin' on me again, haven't ya? Who told ya this time, Chesterfield?"

He tilted his head. "How else was I to know what you were up to? You never call."

She scoffed. "Even if I wanted to, ya don't even have a hell phone! Just that old rotary-dial thing no one knows how to use anymore!"

Alastor bent down to her level. "It's an antique!"

She turned her nose up. "It's outdated, Al!"

Everyone looked back and forth between the Radio Demon and the Songbat. It was weird seeing someone so small, hardly bigger than Vaggie, talk so boldly to someone so tall. Especially when it was someone as intimidating as Alastor. She didn't even back herself up with a weapon, just glared at him coldly.

But even while shouting, Alastor didn't seem infuriated by Tina's insults. He looked down at her with a half-lidded gaze that was almost…gentle.

They bickered as if the others weren't even there. And they addressed each other so informally.

"Do you two," Charlie said, pointing between them, "know each other?"

"Know each other? Ha-ha-ha!" Alastor replied without taking his eyes off Tina. "We've only been married for twenty years!"

When coming up with Tina's personality and look, it was sort of a blend of Eartha Kitt, Mrs. Maisel, Betty Boop and Alice Angel. You'll find the explanation of why she's a bat in "Let's Fall in Love."