Thank you LunaReader and Oxblood for Beta reading : )


Chapter 9


Charlie made her way down the stairs, catching the faint sound of the hotel door swinging open before her friends' voices filled the expansive lobby. She grew more nervous when she heard Cherri's voice among them.

Spotting Alastor sitting on one of the bar stools, Charlie noticed his smile held a sharp edge, though he appeared amused, giving her a knowing look. Nifty stood beside him, regarding Charlie with curiosity.

Charlie felt the urge to sigh. Of course, Alastor would know Adam was in the hotel and had likely informed Nifty about it. He always seemed to know everything that goes around within the building.

"Charlie, what happened?" Vaggie's voice rang with concern as she rushed over, seizing Charlie's hands in hers, noting the scrapes on her face.

"Damn, bitch, you look like a mess," Cherri observed with a smirk, a hand on her hip, eyeing Charlie's disheveled appearance. "Were you fucking around in the dirt with someone? Damn, wish I'd seen that."

Charlie managed a nervous chuckle, withdrawing slightly from Vaggie's grasp, absently rubbing her arm. She completely forgot to fix her appearance after returning to the hotel. Her ponytail was a tangled mess, with loose strands sticking out in all directions. Her clothes had scrapes and smudges as well due to Adam basically hurling her to the ground.

"Charlie?" Vaggie looked at her, waiting patiently for her to respond.

"Hum… well, I met a bunch of high-ranking angels from heaven," Charlie began. "And, well, let me tell you, they're not the nicest people."

"Yeah, I could have told you that," Vaggie offered a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, and what? Did that asshole actually become a fallen angel?" Angel asked the question they all had been wanting to know since Charlie followed Adam through the portal.

"Damn, I wish I was there when you guys found that dickhead," Cherri blurted out with a hint of annoyance. "I would've made sure he never forgot me…"

"So, they actually took him back?" Vaggie remarked to Charlie, a note of irritation creeping into her voice. "To be honest, I shouldn't be surprised. They've always been so damn hypocritical when it comes to their own."

Charlie bit her lower lip, saying nothing.

"Would you like me to tell them, my dear?" Alastor interjected with a darkly amused tone.

"Tell us what?" Angel asked curiously.

Charlie frowned at Alastor, wishing, especially now, that he would be considerate for others for once instead of treating everything as something to taunt. But she turned to her friends, knowing she had to tell them now before things got more complicated.

"Well… the truth is… they… didn't want Adam to come back with them to… heaven…"

Everyone stared at her in silence, her words taking a moment to sink in.

"Sera and the others didn't…" Vaggie trailed off, struggling to finish the sentence as she was at a loss for words.

Charlie nodded quietly, eyes downcast, as if reading Vaggie's mind.

"Holy shit, he seriously got kicked out?" Angel exclaimed before erupting into laughter, joined by everyone now looking rather amused, especially Vaggie looked like she had been given the best present ever. Well, except Husk, who seemed to watch the scene in silence, his eyes on Charlie, noticing how she didn't share everyone's joy.

"The deepshit is stuck in Hell?" Cherri grinned with her eye glinting with dark glee. "Well, well, well, seems like the perfect opportunity for some payback, isn't it?" she cackled. "Guess who's gonna be doing some haunting tonight, bitches!?"

"Oh, I assure you, you won't have to go far. He's closer than you might think," Alastor chuckled before rising from his seat and sauntering over to the group.

Husk arched an eyebrow in Alastor's direction, while Vaggie stared at him with confusion, her gaze shifting to Charlie, who seemed distinctly uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

In that moment, realization dawned on Vaggie, making her eyes widened. "Charlie, no… Are you serious? Adam's here? In the hotel?!" she let out in shock, before the majority of Charlie's friends were now staring at her in disbelief.

Cherri's jaw dropped but then she quickly recovered. "Oh, I'm going to make that dickhead regret ever fucking with us by blowing up his limbs off, and I'm starting with those wings!" she exclaimed with anger, surging forward, but Charlie stood in her way, her arms outstretched.

"Cherri, stop," Charlie said right away before her voice took a firm tone. "I'm not letting anyone hurt him."

"Out of my way, bitch," Cherri growled. "I ain't fucking playing."

"And neither am I," Charlie responded with a frown. "Because starting today, Adam is staying at the hotel as a resident and he's under my protection," she declared firmly.

"Charlie, no," Vaggie let out in shock.

"You've got to be fuckin' kidding me." Angel said, running a hand down his face with irritation.

"Look, guys, just listen," Charlie started, but was interrupted by Cherri trying to push past her to get to the stairs, but Charlie kept getting in her way. Vaggie had to step in and pull Cherri back to make sure the two didn't end up getting into a fight. Now Cherri glared at Vaggie and looked ready to throw hands with her.

Once Charlie wasn't distracted by Cherri, who had stepped back with annoyance, she turned back to the rest and continued. "What happened up there, it was bad… like, very bad. I… I don't even know where to start, but I…" She faltered, uncertain whether she should tell them everything that had taken place during their meeting with the high-ranking angels. She wasn't sure if Adam would want them to know. The whole interaction between him and his creators was emotionally devastating for him, and he probably wanted to keep it private. "I couldn't abandon him. I had to bring him here."

"Charlie… are you insane?" Angel interjected, throwing his hands up. "I'm going to fuckin' say it again, he literally tried killing us a week ago! Didn't you guys also say he's the whole reason why the exterminations started? And, oh boy, let me tell you, if everyone else in hell finds out he's staying here, we're all going to be seriously fucked! Everyone's going to want a piece of him one way or another."

"Angel has a point," Husk pointed out. "Especially when certain demon lords are going to want to get rid of him to protect their territories in case he becomes a threat to them or for other reasons," he said while his eyes shifted to Alastor whose eyes glowed brighter with an uncontrollable sadistic urge.

"Charlie, you shouldn't put yourself nor your friends here in danger," Vaggie said. "Not for him."

Charlie didn't respond right away, her gaze lowering to the ground. She could still feel Adam's trembling body against her own and all the sadness and fear that was tearing him apart.

"I understand that keeping Adam here is dangerous for everyone, but I'm not kicking him out," Charlie said. She closed her eyes, her heart twisting when she recalled Adam screaming Sera's name after she left him. "I'm sorry, but I can't abandon him."

"Yeah, no, I'm not okay with this shit," Cherri growled before turning to everyone else. "You all think this is fucked up, right?"

Vaggie struggled to contain her frustration with Charlie; it was difficult not to, considering she couldn't understand what Adam had done to warrant such pity from her girlfriend. But then again, Charlie's kindness often clouded her judgment, and Adam must have found a way to take advantage of it.

Right... that was it. After his rejection from heaven, Adam knew the only place that would be safe for him was at the hotel, and knowing Charlie's compassionate nature guaranteed him a place there forever. Adam wasn't as foolish as many presumed him to be.

"I'm going to talk to him," Vaggie said, but before she could stride towards the stairs, Charlie seized her arm.

"I'm sorry, Vaggie, but he can't see anyone right now," Charlie mumbled.

"Oh, is he too embarrassed to show his face to any of us?" Angel's tone dripped with sarcasm.

"He's currently being treated right now by our family doctor," Charlie clarified. "And he's going to be out for at least until tomorrow."

Vaggie's mind flashed back to Adam's broken arm, but why would he be out till the next day, unless… She glanced at her girlfriend's disheveled appearance, and she couldn't help but feel rage ignite within her.

"He attacked you," Vaggie stated.

"Vaggie, please," Charlie pleaded. "It's not… it's more complicated than you think. You have to trust me. He was not in the right state of mind when he lost control. They… the angels, they didn't even care that he was injured, they didn't even try healing him. It was bad, Vaggie, just awful. I had to bring him here. I had to help him."

"I don't care what excuses he had, I'm not just going to let him get away with hurting you. He's done so much already to you and to your people."

"You have too," Husk interjected. All eyes turned to him, and Vaggie furrowed her brow at his direction. He shrugged. "What? It's true. You killed tons of sinners and it just seems a bit hypocritical for you to be the one judging him."

"You're not helping," Angel grumbled at Husk.

"I just think we all need to calm down and-" Charlie didn't get to finish what she had to say when Cherri interrupted her.

"The bastard is the reason my nemesis is dead."

Charlie felt her chest pang with sorrow. She glanced at their friend's altar, the proud image of Sir displayed, the one who also had the greatest potential to become redeemed and go to heaven.

"And that dickhead incinerated him into nothing without a second thought," Cherri added coldly.

"I mean, you've blasted him plenty in the past too," Husk remarked bluntly, earning a glare from Cherri.

"Seriously, Husk, you're not helping," Angel reiterated to the bartender.

"And must I remind you our snake friend attacked the hotel and tried killing us as well?" Husk added ever so casually.

"Damn it, Husk, shut up!" Angel snapped now at him.

Husk rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced over to Charlie. "So, what? Are you planning to help him get redeemed so he can go back to heaven?" he asked.

"So he can try killing us again?" Angel grumbled in response.

"I... I know I'm asking a lot from you guys," Charlie spoke softly. "But Adam needs us. There is good in him, I know there is. There's a reason why he was in heaven in the first place, right? I can't tell you guys what happened during our meeting with the high-ranking angels, but I can ask for you guys to trust me. He really needs us, and well..." she paused for a moment before glancing at them all. "The angels, they... they want me to shut down the hotel," Charlie revealed to them, casting a shadow of confusion over everyone. "I don't know why. They told me it disrupts the order of things, or, honestly, I don't know, they kept dodging questions. They said heaven is cutting all ties with hell, which I guess explains why the Heaven Embassy is gone. They seriously believe no one can redeem themselves... and maybe... if I help Adam –"

"You think if we help Adam go back to heaven, then that will what? Make them change their minds?" Vaggie was the one to ask with a frown.

"They think Adam is a lost cause just like they do with all of you," Charlie explained. "We've proven that souls from heaven can, well, turn bad, but if Adam becomes an angel again, then... it will prove that things aren't as black and white as they think they are. That any soul can change and move between heaven and hell." She then turned to Vaggie. "Don't you believe in me and in everything we're doing, Vaggie?" she asked her girlfriend quietly, her gaze searching Vaggie's conflicted expression. She then turned to address everyone. "Yes, Adam has done many terrible things to us and our people for many years. He's messed up big time, but... just because he was an angel doesn't mean we should treat him any differently than anyone else who has stepped into this hotel and wants another chance. He should also have an opportunity to change, just like the rest of you. It's only fair."

Everyone just eyed her before she let out a sheepish smile. "And, well… technically, we already got our revenge on him by… killing him…so… we're kind of even with him…?"

The room fell silent again, before Cherri noticed how the majority of the room now looked conflicted after Charlie's speech, well, except for Alastor and Nifty, who had different versions of amused expressions etched on their faces.

"Fuck this, I'm outta here, didn't think you guys were so fuckin' lame," Cherri said with annoyance before she walked out of the hotel.

"Please don't tell me you expect us to befriend him too…" Angel grumbled after a long moment, all of his arms crossed in front of him.

"Well… would be nice if he has a friend or two here," Charlie commented with a small smile now that at least one of them wasn't completely against keeping Adam in the hotel, even though he wasn't thrilled about it.

"We're seriously fucked," Angel sighed.

"Well, now that I think about it, as long as Lucifer is staying at the hotel, I highly doubt anyone is going to come here looking for trouble," Husk brought up.

"And, don't forget about our ever so powerful host," Charlie pointed out with a smile, turning to the Radio Demon who did his best to control the eye twitching that almost made its presence known. "Since Adam is our guest, the host has to protect him as well. And no one would dream of messing with Alastor, isn't that right?"

Husk held back his amusement at the way Alastor looked visibly tense, especially as he knew how the overlord probably wanted nothing more but to torture Adam and broadcast his screams for all of hell to hear.

Now, Alastor had no choice but to protect Adam. How ironic…

"I'm guessing we're going to lose the few new residents we just got this past week," Angel grumbled. "'Cause, if I were them, I wouldn't want to fuckin' stay here."

"But you are," Vaggie pointed out with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, of course I am. I'm getting free rent," Angel blurted out. "And… can't lose the only friends I got…"

Charlie's eyes welled up with some tears before rushing over to him and throwing herself at him, her arms around him tightly.

"Thank you, Angel," Charlie squealed before looking up at him with eyes bright with joy. "I promise, this will be good for everyone."

Angel sighed and just patted her head with one of his hands before giving her a small smile.

Vaggie, on the other hand, was glaring at the direction where Adam was possibly staying.

"We should probably do our best not to let anyone else in hell, for now, know about this," Vaggie mumbled.


Cherri stormed down the streets of hell, fighting the urge to blow something up as she made her way to her favorite bar. Once inside, she went straight to the bartender and demanded a bottle of vodka for herself, then began chugging it.

She sat there for a while, glaring down at the bottle, her grip tight. A painful twist gripped her heart as she recalled Sir Pentious offering her a shot, his awkwardness lingering in her memory.

"Why did that loser have to get himself killed?" she muttered. "And in such a lame way, too."

Next to her, two other girls were having their drinks and gossiping over the latest news that was all over social media: Adam had returned to life, but as a fallen angel, from what they guessed based on the horns on his head.

From what Cherri could gather from their conversation, they believed he was gone for good, returned to heaven through the portal that had appeared in hell.

"Oh, trust me, bitches, the dickhead ain't back up there," Cherri interrupted with annoyance as she waved her bottle around, gathering the attention of both the girls and one of the bartenders. "Lucifer's kid brought him to stay at the hotel."

The girls and bartender were surprised to hear the news, and other people began to gather around as Cherri continued to vent about everything Charlie had said regarding Adam being rejected by heaven, and her frustration with Charlie for believing he deserved a second chance.


Adam awoke in complete darkness, lying there in agony, pain lanced through his chest and left arm. His pale skin quivered from how cold he was. He was disoriented, unsure where he was, and he slowly sat up. Golden cuffs encased his wrists and neck, while chains bound him, their ends vanishing into the surrounding void. He stared, weakly, at his restraints, and for a moment, he thought he was in some nightmare, and he could have sworn he had dreamt something similar before, but he could hardly remember.

"Up here, my Adam," a voice dripped with dark amusement, causing a chilling sensation to run through Adam's spine. He hesitantly looked up when he saw the silhouette of a woman looming before him.

"Eve…?" he let out with a hoarse voice, confused, recognizing her instantly based on her body. The dark, glowing red smile etched on her face was the exact one he had seen her have when she had finished eating the forbidden fruit back in the Garden of Eden. Her whole body was encased in darkness.

Truth be told, seeing her again after thousands of years of not was unsettling. He had tried avoiding thinking about her for many reasons. One mainly because they had such a complicated relationship.

"Not… exactly," came the reply from the smiling creature. With a sudden tug on the chains, Adam stumbled forward, and she seized a handful of his hair, yanking him upright to meet her gaze.

Adam stood frozen at the spot when nothing but darkness greeted him, except for the twisted curve of her smile.

"You poor thing," the voice echoed mockingly. "Cast away… so alone… so scared, never wanted." With a cruel laugh, she released his hair but maintained her iron grip on the chain around his neck, yanking him closer to her, on his knees, even though his legs quivered under his weight.

His heart pounded in his chest as her icy finger traced a path down his cheek, sending more tremors through him. "This is just a dream…" Adam whispered; his voice barely audible, as he was trying to make sense of his situation.

"Hmm… is it, though?" she purred, her grin widening. Slowly, she trailed her fingers down his neck, tracing the lines of his injured chest, sending waves of agony through him.

Adam tried to pull away from her, but she continued to hold on to him tightly. And for some reason, he couldn't find the will to even smack her hand away from him.

"You know…I can make all this pain go away," she cooed, leaning in before whispering into his ear, her breath cold, making Adam feel nauseous. "You don't have to feel so scared, so alone, not…anymore… Especially when even he doesn't want you anymore…" She nuzzled against his head, and in that moment, Adam felt something stir in him, especially the way she mocked and the touched him, making him try to yank away from her.

"Get your disgusting hands off of me, you fuckin bitch," he snarled at her, his gold eyes flashing bright from anger.

The woman pulled away; her smile continued as wide as before. "Ah, such bad manners," she said. "But… you'll definitely change your tune soon… unless… you want to end up just like the rest of them," she giggled darkly before releasing her hold on his leash. She backed away to vanish within the darkness, leaving him alone.

He didn't waste any time trying to break off his restraints by tugging at them harshly. Then suddenly, a bloody red glow began to pulsate above him, making him look up. When he looked up, his eyes widened in shock when he was met with a horrifying sight - a sea of bodies hanging limply from flickering, glowing chains, all suspended above him. Many of the bodies were mangled, blood from their deep wounds seemed to evaporate, painting the sky red. Majority of them looked like sinners to Adam, based on their demonic appearance. However, his blood ran cold when he recognized the familiar tattered uniforms of some of his exorcists hanging directly above him.

With a sickening lurch, the chain from his neck suddenly shot upwards into the sky, dragging Adam along with it. Panic surged through him as he clutched desperately at the chain with his uninjured hand, his claws digging into the cold metal in an attempt to fight against the pull.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he cried out in terror, his voice choked with panic as he felt himself being lifted off the ground. But his struggles were in vain against whatever force that was dragging him higher and higher. He did his best to hold on to himself with his hand, so he wouldn't be strangled, but his breaths came in ragged gasps, his heart hammering in his chest as tears welled up in his eyes as he felt he was losing the little strength he had left.

"Sera," he whispered sadly, his voice barely more than a choked sob as he called out for the one he believed could come to his rescue, who believed had the power to do so. But his plea fell on deaf ears as he was mercilessly pulled further up close to the rest of the bodies of the recently slayed exorcists, from the last raid they had, that hang lifelessly, along with the other victims dangling from their own chains, their vacant eyes staring into nothing, with mouths hanging wide open forever in a silent scream.

With a final, desperate gasp, Adam shut his eyes tightly, told himself it was just a nightmare, desperately urged himself to wake up, when suddenly, darkness consumed him.


Adam's eyes shot wide open, his breathing fast, sweat forming on his forehead. His right hand immediately gripped tightly to the warmth that held him.

"You're okay, Adam, it was just a nightmare," he heard a soft voice next to him say. "You're safe."

Sluggishly, he glanced over to whoever just spoke, finding himself staring with utter confusion when he met Charlie's gaze, soft and comforting.

Adam had the urge to yank his hand out of her grasp, but a huge part of him wanted to keep holding onto it, especially when he felt her thumb caressing his pale skin, comforting him while he tried to calm down his racing heartbeat.

Once he managed to calm down his breathing, he scanned the room, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Feeling disoriented, he felt relaxed seeing walls with decor and a ceiling with no mangled bodies hanging above him.

The dream had felt so real… but he decided to not think too much about it since it was just some nightmare.

Looking down at himself, he found his left arm in a cast, his chest tightly wrapped in gauze. His wings were limp, lying next to him, cocooned in sterile bandages. The pain from his wounds was only a slight ache, which confused him.

He felt uncomfortable when he realized only sheets covered the rest of him.

"Adam, are you in pain?" Charlie asked when she noticed his mended wounds. "Our doctor has put you on painkillers, but if you're still feeling terrible, don't be afraid to tell me so we can give you a higher dose."

There was no response from Adam.

"Do you know where you are?"

Adam's brows furrowed as he tried to remember the last bits he could, his thoughts feeling sluggish and disjointed. His heart continued to ache as he recalled every painful word from Sera and the other high-ranking angels. But the ones that hurt the most were…

"Do you remember what happened?" This time, Charlie's voice made his eyes close, moistening up, but at the same time, something red burned inside of him as Sera's words replayed in his mind.

"Farewell, Adam."

Sera didn't say anything else to him, didn't even bother to say that she would miss him. She had simply lectured him on how he had failed them, on the fact he had fallen before dismissing him as if he was nothing more than some bug that never mattered to her.

But… could he blame them?

He had fallen and was now like the rest of the losers in hell, tainted, disgusting, nothing more than mistakes that deserved to suffer for all eternity or cease to exist.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Charlie said to him. "At least, not right now. I know you must be scared and so hurt, but I want you to know that you're safe here. I know we didn't exactly have the best start. Things were… complicated between us, but I'm hopeful for a fresh start, Adam. I want you to know I'm here to support you, to help you. Whatever you need, whatever you're going through, we're in this together. You're not alone. I brought you to my hotel, and you can stay here as long as you want. This is your home as long as you want it to be."

Adam felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, suppressing the urge to let out a nasty laugh. She brought him to the hotel he had originally sought out to destroy? Well, it was destroyed during the last raid…

Oh, the irony.

However, Adam's stomach churned with nausea as he dared to think about the place the angels had abandoned him. That's right, Charlie had promised not to leave him at that wretched place... After...

Charlie squeezed his hand reassuringly as she felt his trembling grip tighten even further. "You're among friends here, Adam," she said softly. "You're safe. You're not alone."

"Friends…" Adam let out a quiet, tired, hoarse snort, avoiding eye contact with her. "Now… that's… the funniest shit… I've ever heard…"

Charlie observed him with a sympathetic smile before it vanished. "Adam, I…" she paused for a moment, trying her best to have control of her own emotions before she continued. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. I… didn't meant for all this to happen. Everything I'm doing here is meant to help people and… I promise… I promise I'll fix this..."

Adam shifted under the covers, feeling heaviness in his heart grow worse when he took in her words before succumbing to the exhaustion weighing heavily upon him, the fog in his mind thickening. His grip on Charlie's hand remained steadfast, refusing to let go as he closed his eyes, wishing desperately that he was still stuck in a long nightmare, hoping to awaken back in heaven.

Deep inside, however, he knew he was merely evading the truth for his own comfort. He knew where he was, and there was nothing he could do about it.

But, just this once, he longed to be a fool and hope in hell, even for a little bit.


In their meeting room, Vox, Valentino, and Velvette were gathered around the table. Suspended from the ceiling before them, countless monitors displayed paused frames, each depicting Adam in his demonic form. One monitor captured him on the street, another showed him soaring above the towering buildings, and another of his frozen frame standing where the Heaven Embassy once stood with an expression of bewilderment and shock.

Many cameras strategically placed throughout hell by Vox ensured he had tabs on anything interesting or important. The moment he heard about Adam being in hell, he pulled in every moment his cameras had captured of Adam.

One display played out how citizens of hell were reacting to Adam's appearance as a fallen angel and the disappearance of the Heaven Embassy. New feeds were now coming in with people raging about how Adam was still in hell and staying at the Hazbin Hotel. Vox zoomed in on a shot where Adam stood, his wings pulled by his sides, holding his injured left arm against his chest, looking slightly panicked as Charlie and her friends stood by him.

Valentino had an air of sadistic satisfaction emanating from him like a foul perfume. His lips curled into a twisted smile as wisps of smoke curled lazily from the cigar between his fingers. "Yeah... I want him," he said to Vox and Velvette, his drawl languid.

"You think Lucifer's bitch is going to let you take him?" Velvette raised an eyebrow, her phone in her hand as she scrolled through more posts about people's opinions on the matter.

"No, but I have my ways," Valentino chuckled darkly.

Vox, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anticipation and greed, interjected with a grin. "If we have his soul under our control, then hell itself shall definitely be ours for the taking."

He recalled with relish the memory of Adam's power, based on how he had defeated Alastor. Vox's gaze lingered on the monitors where Adam clung to his injured arm. "But we're going to have to make our move soon before it's too late," he said. His two friends exchanged amused smiles before they started plotting their next move together.


Author's After Note

A peep created an awesome fan comic based on a scene of the story : ), you can look at under the tumblr profile of jiyuukaze : )

I also posted the fan comic on chapter 9 of archive of our own

Please leave a review/comment since I do enjoy reading what you all think : ). If you do like the story, please leave a kudo in archive of our own 3