Authors notes:
This is an AU based on the Helluva Boss and Hazbin hotel universe and demons classes of hell created by Vivienne Medrano. This is less of a crossover and more of an AU. So it is reimagining the Batman universe if it was in the world of Helluva Boss and not them traveling to hell and hanging out with Bliz and Stolas or something. So it will be unlikely for any of the characters from those shows to appear other than maybe a hinted-at quick cameo.
I just recently got obsessed with the idea of what kind of demons the bat family would be in that universe and it spiraled from there, so well here we are XD... This will be a series and I will post more one-shots and fics about it probably doing time jumps and skips, if you guys have any ideas please let me know!
TW: implied referenced human -demon- trafficking, Swearing, Mentioned blood (non-graphic), Fear of kidnapping, kidnapping, have fun yall!
Jason stalked through the decrepit streets of the Greed Ring, sticking to the shadows as best he could. He couldn't be seen. If anyone saw a little malnourished hellhound he would be as good as trafficked before you could say "Satan." He clenched his fist.
Jason took in a deep breath, trying to sense if there were any predators nearby. His fur was sticking up on edge — something about today seemed off, more off than usual. Enough to almost make Jason stay hidden in his den. But he was starving, hadn't eaten a proper meal in over three weeks, being forced to stick to scraps he could sniff out in dumpsters behind some of those rubbish restaurants that charge way too much for the ratings they have.
He needed to find something to make some money tonight, no matter the cost. Jason shivered. He couldn't spend another week hiding in his little hole in the wall of an abandoned apartment building. Jason sighed, the only thing with being stuck living in "Greed" is that everything that could be valuable here was already ransacked or ripped out of a demon's cold dead hands on the street.
Jason is fully aware he is not the only one struggling in this ring, and that there are many homeless demons, trying to get by in greed, trying to get out of this -literal- Hell hole and get a better life. But that's not really in the cards for a hellhound like Jason.
Do you have any idea how hard it is for a hellhound to make it in a place like this? They are already looked down upon by every other demon in hell. The lowest of the low in the rankings of hellborn demons. Jason was trying his best! He didn't ask to be born worthless.
And since his mother died a couple of months ago, Jason was surprised he managed to make it this long without getting taken and thrown to the adoption agency to be sold off as some kind of pathetic pet or novelty to be owned.
People adopt hellhounds all the time. He knows dozens of kids who have been thrown to the jaws of the system. Seen what kind of people buy hellhounds, what they are used for. Jason refused to be a part of it, and he was going to kick and fight till his last breath. Just like his momma would have wanted him to. No being a little purse dog or fuck toy for him.
Something shone out of the corner of Jason's eye. He immediately whipped his head around to face it. It came from a shadow-shrouded alleyway. Jason crept closer, pressing his back against the cracked brick wall and keeping an eye on the mouth of the alley.
He squinted into the darkness. His night vision helped only so much, but he was able to make out the silhouette of a car, a nice one at that, further into the alleyway, almost tucked into the corner. His ears perked up and he felt his tail twitch in excitement. He was about to rush towards it and seize his chance before someone else runs in here with a knife and tries to stab Jason over this jackpot.
But he stopped himself, staying tucked into the shadows, his safe haven. He couldn't let himself get excited about this. A fancy rich car, in the middle of Greed, that hasn't been ransacked already. It's a fuckin' miracle! And way too good to be true.
What if it's a trap, something set for unsuspecting demons like Jason, with someone waiting to jump out with a knife and take what Jason had, and once they would realize that this sad little hound had nothing they would probably just try and make a quick buck off selling him. He shivered.
He eyed the car again, reaching his hand down to his abdomen. He didn't really feel hungry anymore. He didn't have the time to feel hungry. Now it was just a gnawing pain threatening to tear him apart from the inside out. What if this was his only chance? The small voice in the back of his mind whispered.
Those tires looked good enough to get him at least two weeks' worth of meals, three if he stretched it… Jason couldn't pass something like this up. Maybe they just parked, and Jason was the first of many to come across it. Maybe he really just hit the jackpot.
Jason ran his tongue over his teeth, a nervous habit, and scented the air quickly, once more checking the area before venturing out of his hiding spot. He skittered across the alley to the car. Now he was closer, he could see it much more clearly. The hellhound's night vision was really doing him a solid.
He looked over his shoulder every couple of seconds as he took off the first tire, jumping at the faintest sound his over-sensitive ears picked up, ready to bolt for cover at any moment. But nothing happened. Jason made it to the second tire, and then the third, and still nothing had happened.
The first two tires were stacked neatly behind the dumpster while he continued pulling off the bolts of the third. But suddenly, his fur stood on end. He could feel the shiver up his spine. He was being watched. His movements stilled as he glanced around in every direction. No one was here. He couldn't smell any nearby Imp or loan shark — not even a succubus. Nothing.
His muscles tensed like a spring, he flicked his ears listening for any sign of what might be making his instincts go haywire. His mom always told him to trust his instincts. He slowly stood up. He could take the two tires and go, leave the third. He would be fine. He would have maybe a week's worth of food then, and he could deal with that. He had certainly dealt with less.
He looked back down at the tire he had his hands on. Only one more bolt… he could get it off. He needs this. Again, Jason licked his teeth and quickly went to work on the last bolt. There was an eerie sound of feathers ruffling and his ear snapped in that direction. Deeper into the hallway. He stared in that direction for another second, still nothing. Jason was too jumpy.
Suddenly, two yellow glowing eyes were staring at him, a form surrounded by moving shadows. Their eyes were high enough to tell Jason that this demon looking at him was at least seven feet tall. Jason stood frozen, looking into the eyes as they stared back into his soul.
"What are you doing?" The voice was deep and gritty, yet ominously calm. It filled the whole alley and seeped into Jason's bones. The hellhound scrambled back away from the car, his hands shaking in fear.
"Nothing, mind your own damn business!" He snapped, trying to put as much of his growl into it as he could. But it still sounded like a puppy's whining.
The figure stepped closer. As he did, Jason could see now that the demon wasn't hiding in the shadows, but was actually made of them. His body was a mix and mash of moving shadows melding in and out of the darkness of the alleyway. Jason gripped tighter onto the tire iron in his hand as he got closer.
The demon-bird-shadow-thing tilted his head to the side, almost at a ninety-degree angle. If Jason wasn't too terrified right then, he would have been concerned that the demon had just broken their neck. "Where are your parents, puppy?" The voice echoed off the walls.
Jason growled at the name "puppy". He wasn't some dog. Only his momma got to call him puppy. "Doesn't matter. Fuck off."
"It's not safe out here."
"Yeah, no shit." Jason bit back more remarks about how this bird was literally stalking him right now and being creepy as fuck… "I'll just be leaving now."
Jason turned to bolt out of the alley, ready to abandon his tires if it meant he could leave with his life and not be trafficked and sold. He turned on his heel and made it only two steps before a large hand almost about half the size of Jason's torso wrapped around his shoulder to pull him back.
Jason squeaked in fear and swung the tire iron as hard as he could into the shadowed mass. There was a squawking sound of pain and the hand let go, tire iron clattering to the ground. Jason tried to make a run for it, but the alleyway was then shrouded in shadow, and the figure was suddenly in front of him. Jason almost tripped over himself as he scrambled back. Small whines of fear escaped him.
"You're not safe here son, when was the last time you ate?" Jason's heart was in his throat. This fucking creep was just getting worse.
"I'm not some fuckin' stray, leave me alone." If this bird just decided to come in and take Jason to the pound or something, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him.
The shadow bird leaned his head down to be almost eye-to-eye with Jason, who no longer had his tire iron on him. "You were trying to take the tires." He stated matter of factly.
"No!" Jason answered too quickly. He licked his teeth.
The bird's eyes looked over to the dumpster where the tires were clearly hidden. Jason's breath hitched. "Well, what did I see you doing then pup."
"I was just… I, it doesn't matter!" His tail was so far between his legs he was almost able to hold it in his hands, but he wouldn't dare try to show his fear in such an obvious way as clutching at himself for comfort. "Just let me go, I didn't do anything to no stinkin' tires."
The bird made a cooing noise to himself. "I see. Well then, if it wasn't you, would you mind helping me put them back on?"
Jason glanced back at the tires, and then at the car, now propped up on some old cinder blocks he dragged over. "Will you let me go if I do?" Jason said quietly.
The bird didn't answer, but it's not like Jason really had a choice in this matter, did he? He nodded at the tall demon and slowly started putting the tires on again, undoing all of his hard work.
The bird just stood behind him and watched with an examining eye, tilting his head from side to side. Once Jason was finished, he slowly stood up. "There, Your sinkin' tires are back on. Can I go now?" The small whimper in Jason's voice made him hate how pathetic he sounded. He took a step back and the bird's head snapped to him. He froze.
"It's not safe out here for you."
Jason held onto the sleeve of his hoodie. "I know, which is why I want to leave."
"I can take you to a shelter for a bit. You will be cared for there." Jason's heart shuddered, eyes blown wide. He did everything the demon asked. They can't seriously do this to him now. Jason tried to book it again down the alley, but the bird's hand wrapped around his forearm, holding him in place.
Jason whipped his head around and bit down as hard as he could on the arm. The man made a grunt of pain but didn't let go. Jason could taste the blood on his teeth. It made him want to throw up. "Let me go!" He yelled, trying to tug his arm away from the unrelenting grip. Jason wasn't going anywhere. "Please! Please, You can't take me there. You don't understand how bad it will be!" Jason was begging now – he didn't care. He knew he had no chance of escape.
The bird tilted his head in confusion. "It will be safe for you."
"Are you a fuckin' moron!?" Jason winced, in case the bird lashed out at him, but when he didn't, Jason continued yelling. "I'll be ripped to shreds there, trafficked before you even get me through the door! If you really are worried about 'keeping me safe' like you say, then you shouldn't be signing my death sentence. Please, I don't want to end up like my momma." Tears fell down his cheeks and soaked into the fur.
The bird leaned right into his personal space, eyes narrowing in thought. Jason's ears were pinned back against his head. He failed to hold back the aterrified snarl. But he didn't seem to be threatening the shadow-controlling demon. "Please, you can't, anywhere but there. They won't even give you any money for me! They'll just say the check's in the mail but never really send it… You won't get anything out of taking me there, I swear. Just please let me go." Jason sobbed at the end, his eyes closed, head hanging low. There was no hope.
Jason flinched at the sudden feeling of a finger gliding across the fur on his cheek, wiping away a tear. He opened his eyes, and the bird was crouching in front of him. His body was taking much more of a shape than before, and Jason could even make out the individual feathers in the shifting mass. "It's okay, I won't take you to the shelter then. Alright."
Jason's eyes widened. There was no way. He felt his tail twitch for a split second, but looking into the demon's eyes showed he was still contemplating something. There was always a catch.
"I'll take you home with me." the bird settled on.
Jason whimpered and snarled at the same time. One fucking hell of a catch.
Jason started struggling. "I'm not some fucking dog to be owned, I don't know what you want from me." The bigger demon's hand stayed firm, not letting up for a second.
"Puppy, it's not safe here. You will stay with me until I find you a good home." While his voice was calming, the words he was saying weren't.
"I'm not a pet!" Jason cried.
The bird hummed. "I know you aren't, and you never will be. You will be treated like a normal person. I know what you fear, and I won't let anything like that happen to you." Jason looked to the ground, giving up on struggling. "I have food, and a warm place for you to stay. You can do whatever you want there, I won't stop you, and you won't have to worry about where your next meal will be or if you will be stabbed just for walking outside."
Jason would have laughed if he had the energy, if that wasn't an 'I have candy get in my car kid' pitch if Jason had ever heard one. But if what he said was true… No. Jason couldn't think like that. He was just some fancy rich ass bird that wanted a pet hellhound that they managed to snag off the streets. That no one else owned or would miss.
Maybe once Jason was there he could steal something and escape. This demon was definitely rich, judging by their car. There was a chance Jason could make it out of here, more of a chance than he had if he went to a shelter. "Will you come with?"
The bird tilted his head. It's not like Jason had a choice. He nodded.
The bird's feathers seemed to puff in happiness- relief, maybe? He stood up straight and led Jason around to the other side of the car, opening it for the hellhound to get in. Jason took a deep breath and stepped up into the backseat of the freakishly huge car.
Once Jason heard the door slam, he knew he just sold his life away. Nothing will be left for him. He curled up and clutched his tail. He failed. Sorry, Momma.
Authors notes:
Lol here we go, the first part in my AU series! Hope you enjoyed it. This is meant to be an onshot but if enough people like it I'll add a chapter two or maybe more! We will see what people think!
Some smaller info for people interested! Bruce is a Goetia which has powers over shadows, He is one of the lower Goetia's but still well known in the community. He was raised by his Imp butler Alfred after his parents passed away and none of the other Goetia wanted to take him in. So he is basically a Goetia with an Imp father figure :D. I kind of imagine the way that Stolas acted with his butler as a child in So2 Ep 1, which definitely gave me Alfie and Bruce vibes and I loved it (Jumpstared my ideas for this fic.)
Dick Grayson is also an Imp that was a traveling circus that went through the rings of Hell, similar back story to what happened in the comics. And Jason is of course a hell hound. Most of the other bats are TBD depending on people's ideas! So please share! it is likely that Both Damian and Tim will Be Goetia, but I will see how that will work into my story.
Either way! please let me know if you have any ideas for scenes or how things would work in this universe! I will have a discord server for this AU linked on my AO3 because you cant link on unfortunately. So if you want to share thoughts please join us there! Have a great day!