AN: Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. I don't have much to say today so I'll let you get to reading :)
Disclaimer: Vivienne Medrano owns Hazbin Hotel.
Concentrating, a steady glow resonating from his hands, Lucifer barely had the mind to pay attention to what the TV Demon was saying. He caught bits and pieces, however, of a friendship that spanned decades... a friendship unlike any he'd heard of in Hell. It made his chest tighten at the thought of what he'd almost allowed to happen. Sure, he may not like or even tolerate the egotistical asshole but he was beginning to see another side of him, one that wasn't as malevolent as he'd imagined the Radio Demon to be. He couldn't think of that now, though, he didn't have time. The man's life was hanging in the balance and if he so much as gave an inch it would tip over into oblivion. So he doubled down on his efforts, half listening to the conversation behind him.
When Vox finally fell silent, everyone stared at him with mixed emotions. Some were smiling, others thoughtful, hell, some even had tears streaming down their faces... namely Charlie. He hadn't told them everything, that much was clear to the King of Hell. He'd told them a lot about the early days when he and Alastor were just getting to know each other, though soon, the overlord began brushing over things quicker... a funny story here, a heartwarming tale there... but he left a lot of holes in the narrative. The moment that piqued Lucifer's interest the most was when he mentioned the deal. That was a prime example of something Vox had glossed over and it made him burn with curiosity.
'What are they planning? Is it as simple as Vox said, that they just want to be the strongest... or is there more to it?' He questioned, eyes never leaving the task before him. 'I'll just have to keep an eye on them in the future and make sure whatever it is doesn't have a negative effect on Charlie.'
It didn't take long after the story ended to finish drawing the holy energy from Alastor's wound. It was now nearing midnight and, after his battle with Adam and now expending so much strength on healing, Lucifer was exhausted. Taking a step back, he stumbled, only to have someone catch his shoulders and steady him.
"Careful there, your Highness," Angel Dust spoke, keeping his upper hands where they were while the lower ones hovered in the air in case they were needed. "It wouldn't be fair to let you face plant after all you've done for Smiles here."
"Dad! Are you okay?" Charlie called, rushing forward as she took in what was happening. "Thank you for helping Angel but I'll take care of him now."
"Sure, Charlie." The spider said, backing off once his daughter wrapped her arms around his smaller form.
He smiled, hoping to reassure his precious child, though he wasn't sure he accomplished it.
"Char-Char, I'm fine, I just expended too much energy is all." He stated, gently patting her hand where it rested on his arm.
She let out a sigh of relief, returning his smile before turning to look at the demon lying on the bed.
"How's Alastor?" She asked, looking back at him with hopeful eyes.
Taking a breath, Lucifer let his gaze fall back on the sinner's still form. Alastor's breathing was easier, the fever reduced to manageable temperatures, but he was still extremely weak. The injury had taken a lot out of him, almost more than he could give, and the king wouldn't hide the truth... not about something so important to his daughter.
"I was able to get rid of the holy energy but the wound itself will have to heal naturally. I won't lie, Charlie, he's in a very precarious situation. His body is drained from fighting the poison." He replied, noticing the not-so-subtle attention of the other demons. "Right now, it could go either way. I'd say he has a fifty-fifty chance of surviving."
A mournful hush fell over the crowd as Charlie threw her arms around him in a tight embrace, trembling slightly. Lucifer carefully returned the hug, softly rubbing her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner.
"I did everything I could, now it depends on his will to fight." The former angel continued, guilt filling him as his little girl's tears fell on his shoulder. "If he makes it through the night, he should make a full recovery given enough time."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Devastation, that's what Charlie saw written on the faces of all who surrounded her once she pulled away from her father's embrace. It was a look she knew was mirrored on her own as she bit her lip to keep a sob at bay. Even with everything they'd done to save Alastor... getting him to safety, treating his wounds, having her father draw out the poison from his system... it still might not be enough. That was a blow felt by each of them, some more so than others, but no one made a sound. It was as if the news had rendered them mute, leaving them to quietly drown in their sorrow.
'I have to do something.' She thought to herself, reaching deep inside for the strength to do so. 'This isn't the time to hesitate!'
Turning back to her father, she watched as he dragged a weary hand down his face. Taking a moment to bolster her resolve, Charlie laid her hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to acknowledge her before giving him a warm smile.
"Go get some rest." She said in a kind tone. "We'll take it from here."
Receiving a thankful look, the princess watched as her dad disappeared in a shower of red sparks without another word. Bringing her attention back to the matter at hand, Charlie took in the dispirited atmosphere that permeated the room before forcing a stressed smile on her face and clapping her hands together to demand attention.
"Alright everyone, here's the deal." She exclaimed, doing her best to remain positive even though she was terribly worried. "Dad said Alastor should be fine if he makes it through the night so the next seven hours or so will be critical. We're all exhausted, physically and mentally, so I think the best course of action would be to take turns watching over him."
Here she hesitated, voice cracking at what she said next. "That way... that way if something were to happen... if Al takes a turn for the worst and doesn't make it... we'll have all had the chance to say goodbye."
There was a moment of silence, the somber mood growing before Vaggie stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. She sniffled slightly, unable to stop herself at the possibility of losing another friend.
"That sounds like a good idea, Hun." The former exorcist stated, taking a brief look towards the others before backing up. "Who should go first?"
"I will, if you guys don't mind, that is?" Charlie spoke before anyone else could offer, knowing she'd be unable to sleep right now as it was.
"I guess I'll go get some shut-eye then," Husk murmured gruffly, his flattened ears betraying how upset he was. "Wake me when it's my turn."
"Same here, Dollface," Angel commented, walking forward to follow Husk out the door. "I want to have next watch, though, got it?"
"Sure Angel, I'll wake you up when I'm done." She replied, a small smile on her face.
"I didn't know the fucker too well, so I think I'll pass on the whole sitting at his bedside thing," Cherri said, voice solemn. "I think he'd be happier to have you guys by his side instead of someone he's known for less than a month."
Charlie smiled, reaching out to pat the cyclops on the shoulder as she passed by. "No problem, Cherri, thanks for everything."
The other woman returned the smile before heading out the door, throwing a "Sweet dreams, bitches!" over her shoulder as she went.
"I'll go get some blankets for everyone and get them settled," Rosie announced, clearly trying not to show how upset she was but Charlie could tell this was breaking her heart.
Nodding in understanding, the Princess of Hell turned her attention to the remaining demons as Vaggie reached out to give her hand a light squeeze. Vox was staring into space, eyes distant as if he were lost in better times. Based on the story he'd just told, maybe he was. Still, she knew he needed to rest, he was injured too, after all. So taking a few steps forward, she placed a steady hand on his arm in hopes of snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Vox?" The female demon questioned, concern lacing her face as she stared up at the unresponsive overlord.
"Huh?" He spoke at last, shaking his head as if to dislodge whatever memory he'd been stuck in. "What is it, Charlie?"
"Go get some rest, okay?" She urged, motioning toward the open doorway. "I promise, I'll call you if anything changes."
He took a moment, gaze shifting from her, to Alastor, then to the door, before he nodded. "Yeah, yeah you're right. I should do that."
Vox fled the room then, as if by doing so he could deny the truth of what was happening.
"Vaggie, could you..." Charlie trailed off, motioning to where their housekeeper had fallen asleep tucked into Alastor's side.
"Sure, no problem." Her girlfriend declared, moving to pick the smaller woman up before turning to walk out the door.
She paused at the threshold, glancing over her shoulder to say, "If you need me, I'll be right down the hall."
Charlie nodded, eyes determined, then Vaggie was gone and she was alone. Walking over to her friend's bedside, she took a seat, reaching out to take his hand in her smaller grip. Taking a deep breath, she brought her eyes up to his face, drinking in every detail as if it were the last time she would see it. Charlie realized it quite possibly could be.
Choking back a sob, she opened her mouth to speak. "Al, when you first came to the hotel, I thought you were sketchy as fuck."
She chuckled a bit, thinking back on their first meeting and how she'd closed the door in his face... twice.
"I'll admit, I was naive. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Redeeming sinners is hard... who would have thought, right?" Charlie said, voice soft as a whisper. "But even though you thought what I was trying to accomplish was a joke, you still stayed."
That was something she'd be eternally thankful for. Alastor had done so much in the short time she'd known him. He'd brought them Husk and Niffty, protected the hotel, and helped with anything she asked. She couldn't imagine what life would be like if she'd never met him.
"You could have easily used your shadows to flee at the first sign of danger, but you didn't do that." The princess spoke again, gratitude clear in her voice. "You chose to stay and fight for our cause. If you hadn't held Adam off as long as you did, we all would have died. Al, you're the reason we won. We couldn't have done it without you."
Tears leaked from her eyes, falling onto their joined hands as she bent her head, hair falling into her face.
"You've changed, Alastor. You may not see it, but it's true." Charlie sobbed, no longer trying to remain strong. "Even if you're never redeemed by Heaven's standard... I want you to know that you're redeemed by mine. You're my friend, my partner, and I care about you. So, please, live. Your story isn't over yet, there's still so much left unwritten. Don't give up. Don't give in. You are the Radio Demon. Don't let death defeat you when all others have failed!"
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Stepping inside the room, Angel hesitated. Charlie had just woken him for his watch but now, being alone in the room with his friend's unconscious body, he didn't know what to do. Deciding it would be best to stop stalling, the spider stiffly walked over to the bed and stared at Alastor's blank expression.
"Jeez, Smiles, it's so weird seeing ya like this." He said, not bothering to take a seat. "You've always seemed so untouchable, whether it be to my advances or an enemy's attack."
Here he let a little laugh escape. His flirts were always done in fun, never anything serious. Well, not after he realized how uncomfortable Al was with the idea. Instead, he'd taken to teasing him in a way that made it clear to the other male that it was all in jest. The porn star hated the idea of forcing his friends into situations they had no desire to be in. He knew how shitty that was from experience so if he could spare them the same fate, he would.
"I never imagined the day would come where we'd be faced with losing ya like this." He continued, running a stressed hand through his fluffy hair. "You're a dick sometimes, that's true, but you're always there when we need ya. I can't thank ya enough for the times you helped me after a shift. Ya never said nothin', just appeared with a warm meal and smile... and it was enough. It helped more than you'll ever know."
He smiled, refusing to let any tears appear in his eyes as he leaned against the wall. He stayed like that for several minutes, thoughts racing before he sighed and looked back at the other sinner.
"You got people waiting for ya to wake up, Al, so ya better not die." Angel Dust spoke decisively, not taking no for an answer. "After all, death don't seem so entertaining to me."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Stretching out his aching limbs, Husk entered the room to take his turn sitting with his boss, a bottle clenched in one paw. Upon first glance, Alastor's condition seemed relatively unchanged, which was a good thing seeing as it meant the fucker was still alive. Still, he felt his tail flick in agitation. This entire scene wore on his heart in a way he never would have expected it to when he'd first met the Radio Demon.
"Hey boss," He said, moving over to the bed and placing his unoccupied hand on the man's shoulder. "I've never told you this before and I wouldn't be saying it now if circumstances weren't so dire but... I'm thankful you're the one who won my soul. I was a fool, playing a game I couldn't win. It could have ended so much worse for me."
Huffing out a breath at the admission, Husk sank into the waiting seat, hand moving to rest in his lap. He took several minutes, sitting there in the darkened silence while gathering his scattered thoughts into something coherent.
"I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you... probably in a gutter somewhere after my bad habits caught up to me." Husk began again, his voice rough as he fought against the emotion threatening to overwhelm him. "I'll admit, I've grown fond of you, even if I don't agree with everything you've done. You're an asshole at the best of times but I've grown used to your brand of crazy... I wouldn't trade it for the world."
He paused, taking a long drink from the bottle of booze he'd stolen from Rosie's pantry earlier that night.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again... you're too damn stubborn to let this get the best of you. Besides, you've still got a lot to live for," the feline said, wiping his mouth off with the back of his wrist as he thought of the story Vox had told. "You want to be the strongest, right? Can't accomplish that if you're dead."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
It was with conflicting emotions that Vaggie walked into the room where the Radio Demon lay. She'd been wary of him from the start, always worried that he would do something to sabotage Charlie's dream. Now, though, she was uncertain. To all intents and purposes he had risked everything for them and the hotel... so much so that he now lay on death's door. Alastor had gone above and beyond, but the question she kept asking herself was why?
"What's your game, Alastor?" She asked, silently moving across the room until she stood less than a foot from the bed. "You act as if you don't care about anything but watching us fail and then you turn around and pull a stunt like this? I can't understand you, hijo de perra."
Taking a seat, she observed the slumbering demon, noting that his complexion seemed to have improved slightly since the last she'd seen of him. That was a relief to see at least.
"I may not particularly trust you but that doesn't mean I want you to die, you hear me Alastor." She growled, awkwardly patting the hand that rested beside her on the bed. "Charlie's counting on you. You're a vital part of the hotel so you'd better wake up."
Even if she was still wary of him, the fallen angel knew that she was beginning to consider him a friend. She wanted the opportunity to get to know Alastor, not the Radio Demon, but the true self he always kept hidden. If he died now, she'd never get that chance.
"Come on Alastor, you can't let that idiota win." The woman expressed, anger burning in her heart at the thought of Adam. "You're better than that... now prove it."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Running into the room, Niffty climbed onto the bed and immediately snuggled back into her previous position. She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to fall asleep and be moved when her boss was in such a state. He needed comfort and care. He needed her... and she needed him as well. Sniffling at the thought of losing the man she viewed as a surrogate father, the little cyclops felt tears once more stream down her face.
"Thank you, sir," she whispered hugging his arm tight to her as she cried. "You took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Without you, I'd have been lost. No one wanted me, no one cared about me. To them, I was just the crazy girl obsessed with cleaning and killing bugs. But not to you. You gave me a home, gave me a purpose."
She smiled wanly, reaching up to scrub at her eyes with one sleeve.
"You let me clean up all the messes, no matter how big or small, and you never get mad at me for it." Niffty hiccuped, her tears falling faster than she could wipe them away. "Now look... I'm the mess... and it's your fault!"
The small woman tried to glare at her boss but her expression came across more sad than anything. Giving up, she settled for reaching up and smoothing down the hair that fanned out around Alastor's head.
"Do you remember the promise you made when you took me in, sir?" She asked, a large smile appearing on her face. "You told me you'd never leave me. Now it's my turn to promise you something. I promise that if you die, I won't be sad. Well, I will be but I'll still smile because I know that's what you'd want, right? After all, you're never fully dressed without one."
She moved back, smile trembling before falling entirely.
"Please don't die." She sobbed, voice filled with anguish. "I don't want to break my promise."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
It was like a knife had wedged itself in Rosie's heart as she sat in the chair at Alastor's bedside, his limp hand held in both of hers with her head bowed. She hadn't prayed in decades, even before ending up in Hell she'd never been the religious type, but she did now. Rosie prayed to whoever may hear her, whether it be God or some other entity... she didn't care. All that mattered to her was for Alastor to survive his ordeal. He meant more to her than she could ever say and the cannibal didn't know what she'd do if she were to lose him.
"Keep fighting, sweetheart." She murmured, bending to place a kiss on the fallen deer's forehead. "I know you're tired, I know how painful it must be, but you have to hang in there. You've never been one to give up so don't you go starting now, understand?"
Giving the unconscious man a teary smile, she returned to her previous position, taking a moment to smooth out the blanket covering his thin frame. It was nearing dawn and his odds were looking better by the moment but she wouldn't allow herself to feel relief just yet, not until he opened his eyes and she once again saw a smile on her adoptive son's face.
"I was never blessed with a child of my own when I was alive, though I never regretted it," Rosie spoke once more, a thoughtful expression on her face. "It simply meant I was free to do whatever else I desired. I focused on my business and helping others, it gave my life purpose. Still, if I would have had a child I'd have wanted them to be like you."
Her smile widened as she stroked her thumb over the back of his hand.
"Even with the murder." She joked, face crinkled in mirth. "There is not a thing I would change about you Alastor, I accept you for who you are, fully and unconditionally. I always have. So please, please come back to me."
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Having had plenty of time to think as he lay awake all night, too worried to sleep for fear of hearing that Alastor's condition had taken a turn, Vox walked into the room with purpose. He made his way to his friend's bedside as he'd done multiple times that night, taking a seat, and grabbing Al's hand in an unwavering grip. He said nothing, simply sat there staring at the other overlord's chest as it rose and fell with each breath as if daring it to stop. Minutes passed spent in this way. Finally, seeing no sign of change, Vox let out a shuddering sigh and allowed hope to flourish in his heart.
"You scared the shit out of me, Alastor, I hope you know that." He said, running the hand that wasn't holding Al's over the back of his head. "This was almost worse than when you disappeared on me seven years ago, without a word, I might add. I can't believe you thought you could just take off like that! It doesn't matter how busy I was, I could have fucking helped, dammit."
He snickered, remembering the confrontation that had transpired a couple of weeks before Alastor had told him about helping Charlie with the hotel. He knew the bastard wasn't dead but he had no idea how to track him down so when he'd arrived home after a long day at VoxTek to find Al sitting at his kitchen table as if he'd never left, he lost his shit. Vox had ranted and raved at the other demon for the better part of an hour, never letting the deer get a word in until he ran out of steam. Turns out Al had left a note for him, all those years ago. A note that Vox had accidentally thrown away without noticing. After they'd both finished apologizing the TV Demon finally found up what his friend had been up to.
"That relic you were looking for sure would have come in handy in the fight against Adam, huh, Al?" He reminisced, wishing now more than ever that his friend had been able to find the artifact back then. "That fucker wouldn't have stood a chance. Imagine, a sinner like us with the power and strength of a Sin. We would rock the very foundations of Hell!"
Sadly, Alastor had returned empty-handed having learned the fucking thing was merely a legend, all that time and energy wasted on a fruitless venture. The other overlord had been discouraged after his return, moping around in a funk, and hadn't perked up until he saw the princess' appearance on the news. As much as Vox was jealous when the older male decided to support the hotel, he was also extremely thankful to them for pulling Al out of the rut he'd fallen into.
"Don't worry, pal, we'll find another way... and we'll do it using our own strength. We don't need some shitty relic to become the strongest, we made a deal, after all." Vox spoke once again, an unbridled fondness filling his soul. "So hurry up and get better, already, I can't do this without you... I refuse to."
Movement drew his attention and he watched in awe as Alastor's face twitched. Taking in a sharp breath, Vox leapt to his feet, knocking over the chair in his haste to reach the door. Upon doing so, he quickly called out for the others, informing them that Alastor was waking up before returning to his friend's side. Multiple sets of footsteps were heard before Charlie and the rest burst into the room, quickly gathering around Alastor's bed. The world seemed to hold its breath as they waited, silently watching the overlord's face shift into one of discomfort. As the light outside Rosie's Emporium grew brighter, the Radio Demon's eyes fluttered open.