First things first (lore, etc. so skip if you want):
I know it has been a while since I updated. I was so excited for Hazbin Hotel to officially launch and I didn't want to write anything too out of line. Since Hazbin Hotel came out, I have been watching (along with Helluva Boss and its shorts) and developing my own story further with more concrete lore rather than fan-made theories that I was originally using. The other main reason is that I wanted to bring in other characters like Rosie and Carmilla – which we knew almost nothing about from the pilot and brief snippets in the trailer.
Now that being said, this is still fanfiction, so some things are still not 100% based on canon. After all, the likelihood of Alastor and Charlie getting together is slim to none.
In terms of my own story lore, here are some things that need to be said:
- Husker vs Alastor – Alastor did use to hold Husker's soul and had a relationship very similar to the one in the pilot and show. However, as the 20 years progressed, Alastor did change as well – becoming attached to the hotel residents on a much deeper level. After Angel Dust risked his life for him, Alastor felt the need to repay the spider demon. He could not make Valentino give up Angel's contract (not without starting a war with the Vees), so he struggled and pondered for months until he overheard a conversation between Angel and Husker regarding how they felt under the contract. By this point, Husker had basically been given total freedom by Alastor expect for the breaking of their contract. Overhearing their conversation, Alastor decided to speak with Husker the next day. With Angel Dust and Vaggie as their witnesses, Alastor gave Husker a weapon and told him to kill him and Alastor would break the contract – no strings, no tricks. Husker, who had also improved, refused to kill Alastor, even after all he had done to the cat demon and even if it meant his contract was never broken. Alastor then used his magic and forced Husker to kill him. The reason: Alastor had a small clause in the contract, written in fancy wording, that made it impossible for Husker to break the contract unless Alastor was dead/reviving. With the brief powerup that Husker had, the shadow gave him the contract to destroy after pointing out the clause.
- "Vaggie is an angel!" – I had to admit that this caught me off guard in the show. So, in my universe, Vaggie (who told everyone that she was a deceased human formally known as Vagatha) eventually came clean to Charlie about a year before the Lucifer assassination attempt. It did strain their relationship for a bit but Rosie, just like in the show, helped Charlie to come to terms and they reconciled. In my AU, Vaggie was initially a human in a very bad situation that taught her how to fight but Heaven deemed it alright because of her situation. Due to this, Adam wanted her in his Exorcist group (promising she could take vengeance on those who wronged her) and she quickly rose in rank. However, as vengeance died down, her true heart came out and led to her sparing a child and losing her eye/wings.
- Nifty – She is a weird one, as she is absolutely crazy in Hazbin Hotel while I got a more gentle, caring person with some quirks from her pilot appearance. So, in this AU, she is a gentle and caring demon who hides that part of herself behind the psychotic/crazy mask. Now she is OCD-esque when it comes to cleaning and keeping bugs out, so her psychotic tendencies lean mostly in that direction. Only "desiring a bad boy" brings out the rest of it. Alastor was the first demon she met where she felt safe enough to reveal her true nature deep inside, leading to Alastor taking her under his wing. They have a contract with each other, but Alastor only ever activates it in order to give Nifty some fun or bring her somewhere safe (like the hotel). Therefore, Nifty absolutely refused to break her contract with him, even when he offered it (the contract was mutually agreed, so no death clause, and Nifty can break it whenever she wants – even before Alastor started to change for the better).
- Lucifer – This guy was a tough one for me, even before the official show came out. Now, however, I found a good place for him. He is depressed and anxious. He does not trust the other Princes of Hell – which is why he gave them domain away from his own – and absolutely despises humanity because they destroyed the gift he gave them (knowledge of right and wrong). He absolutely loved Charlie (Char Char) when she was a kid, but as she started looking for the good in others and wanting Hell to be better, his depression led to dark thoughts and he pulled away a bit. When the assassination attempt occurred, he immediately presumed Heaven or the other rulers of Hell were behind it (which does not currently seem to be the case). Due to this, he buckled under both internal and external pressure, which led to him verbally attacking Charlie and her dreams in their argument – something he now regrets. Yet the dark thoughts in his mind do not let him rest, so he has not broken to the point that he has in the show and has not had the heart to heart with Charlie that he needs. His whole argument and standoff with Charlie over Aleu were the mask he feels must be worn to protect his real self. Survival/safety instinct kicked in when he told Charlie, Vaggie, and Alastor that they were solely responsible for Aleu and anything that happened because of her. Yet every time he acts while this mask is worn, he will eventually lose it and regret words and decisions he made – which only strengthens the depression looming over him.
- Lilith – She is the main ruler of Hell, taking over for her husband due to his depression and hatred of humanity/Hell-born. However, not all may be as they seem with her.
- Alastor does not have a contract with someone for his soul right now. However, he deeply cares for Charlie, Vaggie, and the hotel – so he may be willing to sacrifice his soul if the need arises.
- Heaven vs Hell – The Exorcist Angel has not yet been slain, so no additional conflict between Heaven and Hell has come into play just yet. The events of the official show are not yet in play in terms of these two factions (other stories like Angel and Husker bonding have been happening slowly over time). Heaven, however, is just as concerned about the sudden portals as Lucifer and Hell. As of my story's current point, they do not know that a human child is currently in Hell, let alone in the grip of Hell's royal family. Their reaction to this news remains to be seen.
With all of that out of the way, I'll continue the story. There are other things that have happened but those will come up in the story itself. Listed here are the points that are alluded to or implied but will not be directly discussed or referenced, so I wanted to put them out there for all of you. Hopefully that will help clarify some previous moments in the story.
The large, dark bug scurried quickly across the red floor accented with gold, completely unaware of the predators chasing it. Nifty suddenly appeared with her razor-sharp dagger and large, menacing grin. The bug futilely attempted to race away into the shadows lining the long hall but found itself intercepted by the young human child. Aleu slammed a pillow in the critter's path, making it veer right into the path of Nifty's blade. The one-eyed demon started laughing evilly as her pupil shrunk with wicked glee. Aleu smiled happily as her current guardian expressed her excitement for the hunt.
Both perked up as a familiar, melodious ring echoed through the maze of halls and empty rooms. Nifty quickly jumped forward and nudged Aleu's thin shoulders. The human girl nodded silently before taking off down the halls. She was currently on the tenth floor. The ringing bell came from her own hotel room situated across from Charlie and Vaggie's room. An additional door had been added to join her room with Alastor's room, which was next to hers. As the recent three months passed without any issues, the hotel staff and residents had been working to ensure that Aleu was comfortable and happy. She never had a space to truly call her own. The motel room given to her was a temporary space, as the motel owner would kick her out in favor for a paying guest at a moment's notice and hated any decoration the child wanted to put up. Charlie, upon revealing the hotel room to Aleu, had happily used her powers to help the child decorate with anything she wanted. No idea had been off-limits.
Reaching the top floor, Aleu was immediately greeted by Vaggie. The moth demon with one-eye was heading downstairs and gave the child a warm smile with a hair ruffle. In the past three months, Aleu's health had greatly improved. Constant, nourishing food combined with medicine and Charlie's magic ensured muscle and fat rebuilt while her injuries healed. Her rib bone, however, was still fragile and was a constant concern for her caretakers. The bell had rung to summon her upstairs for a check-up. Standing guard at her door was the red-clad Radio Demon and his ever-present shadow. His constant smile grew gentler as his red eyes watched her happily race up to him. His right hand left his staff and reached for her, encouraging young Aleu closer for a hug – an invitation that Aleu never turned down. Listening and observing had always kept the young child alive and safe in the living world, and she used her skills to great effect within the hotel walls. She had overheard that Alastor had a five-foot rule and did not like people touching him without express permission. However, upon her obeying this rule, Alastor had been quick to correct her while thanking her for her kindness. She was one of the few allowed within his bubble, but he always made it clear to her by reaching out.
Released from her hug, Alastor used his staff, held by his left hand, to usher Aleu into her bedroom while his right hand opened her door, "Move along, little darling. Let's get that rib of yours checked." His head tilted to the right as his tone darkened, "Obeying orders and refraining from rough activities are we now?"
Aleu beamed up at him, "Of course, Alastor! Just as Charlie told me. No misbehaving on my part 'cause I don't want you and Vaggie mad at me."
Charlie's happy voice broke into their conversation at that moment, "Oh? Am I not scary enough for you." Aleu squeaked indignantly as Charlie scooped her up and started tickling her. The blond-haired princess gave a couple playful bites into the air near Aleu's neck as she chuckled, "You best be careful around me. I'm a demon princess, after all, and can punish in many ways!"
Squirming and laughing until tears sprang in the corner of her eyes, Aleu playfully called out, "No! Stop! Help! Alastor, help me! Please!"
The Radio Demon's smile grew before he released a staticky growl, "You dare to think a lowly demon such as myself can save you from Hell's princess? Why, I think that deserves a punishment in its own right!"
Aleu, finally free of Charlie, darted off before Alastor could seize her himself. His shadow quickly gave chase to ensure she did not hide somewhere out of reach. It gave off a dark laugh as the child blew raspberries at it. She then yelped as Alastor's black tendrils circled around her. Quickly she was pulled back and into the demon's powerful arms. She snickered happily as Alastor pinched her left cheek with his right hand. His staff vanished as Charlie stepped to the other side. While his left arm easily held Aleu, Charlie quickly checked on the wounded rib. Her check then moved to the other nasty wounds found upon the child when she stumbled into Hell months ago. The weakened rib was holding, now strengthening with each passing day. The other injuries were now pale pink or white scars dotting over tanned-white skin.
Charlie released a soft sigh of relief then smiled at Aleu, "Your injuries are looking good. However, still follow our rules until I'm absolutely certain that you are healthy." She nodded to Alastor, "She can go back to playing."
Alastor gently lowered her down until she could safely and gently slide out of his grip. Aleu quickly whipped around to face them as she growled, "I'm helping Nifty hunt down the nasty bugs! They can't escape both of us!"
With that, she darted out of the room to chase down Nifty and continue their hunt. It left Charlie groaning with worry while burying her face in her hands. Alastor's left eyelid twitched as he stared at the open door. Turning, he placed a reassuring hand on Charlie's head. She looked up at him then smiled weakly. Her husband bowed at the waist before disappearing as a shadow himself. The small bow and reassuring look in his eyes told Charlie that he was going to follow Aleu and Nifty, ensuring that Aleu was truly obeying the rules laid forth for her health. If she did break a rule or come close to doing so, Alastor would step in without hesitation. It meant that Charlie could return to her lesson plans without delay.
As dinnertime approached, Angel Dust returned with a slight limp and several bruises. Husker, who was cleaning glasses at the bar, was quick to pour his friend a drink and get the nearby first aid kit. Angel smiled before slumping into a seat and collapsing his upper arms and head onto the bar top. Valentino had been pissed about something today, constantly ranting and screaming while hurting anyone he could get his hands onto. Vox had eventually intervened to calm the demon down, but by then Angel had already suffered – not that Vox seemed displeased by the actor's condition. His head rose slightly as Husker tapped the bar top next to the spider demon, not wanting to touch Angel in this state without his express permission. Husker understood that Angel's boundaries strengthened after an unpleasant day with his boss. With the cat demon's help, the actor got his leg supported and bandaged along with his other injuries cleaned and covered.
He had just finished zipping up his preferred, knee-length, black boots, when quick footsteps caught his attention. A happy voice then cried out, "Angel!"
"Aleu! Running around with Nifty today?" Angel Dust replied as the human child raced over to him.
Small feet slowed then stopped well away from the spider demon as brown eyes quickly noted the small, white bandages and Angel's worn-out look. The actor quickly smoothened his fur and gave her a large, toothy smile. Ever since Aleu was allowed to wander the hotel without restriction, Angel had been afraid to let her see how brutal Valentino could be. He insisted on only using bandages that matched his fur color to help hide them and steered clear of Aleu if he wasn't in a good head space or overall condition. However, Aleu had proven her observation skills by always detecting the bad days. She did not understand or know what he was hiding from her, but she knew it was really bad. Part of her wanted to hug him, to help him through it, but she had observed how Husker never touched Angel and how even Charlie gave the spider demon space on these days.
She smiled up at him, "Yep! We are hunting bugs!" Her brown eyes, filled with concern, blinked before she waved to him and bounded off. Before disappearing into another hall, she called back, "Feel better, Angel!"
"F*k!" Angel Dust yelled into his hands as he buried his face. His black eye looked up as he sensed a new presence and saw Alastor standing at the bar entrance. He growled, "What do you want, smiles? I'm having a rough day as it is and now I've worsened Aleu's day!"
Alastor raised an eyebrow before glancing in the direction Aleu ran off then looking back at Angel, "She's worried about you, Angel, but nothing much to ruin her day. Why, I believe it would take an awful lot to worsen her mood while she is here at the hotel." He suddenly appeared two seats down from Angel, also acknowledging that the spider demon needed space in his current state, and chuckled while examining his monocle, "Aleu is a hearty child that cares deeply about you. She simply wants you to feel better. I highly doubt she has any secretive or nasty bone in her body."
A crash coming from the hall made static rise from the Radio Demon. With a quick "excuse me", he disappeared off to find the cause of the commotion. Husker raced around the bar, pausing to ensure Angel was alright as he unsteadily lurched to his feet. Angel reached out to Husker in a silent ask for support. With the cat easily helping him to keep weight off the injured leg, the pair raced after the dark streak that was their friend. They had just stepped into the hall when the lights began to flicker, and a loud static screech filled the air. Both grit their teeth at the painful sound in order to press forward down the hall.
The hair on their backs rose as Alastor's dark voice reached their ears from around the next corner, "And you imbeciles thought that this was a good idea, despite knowing that Aleu was following Nifty around!? She is still healing! SHE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT!"
Husker, pushed on by Angel Dust, sprinted for the corner. His yellow eyes narrowed with absolute horror at the scene that met his gaze. Four egg minions were cowering just beyond an enlarged, thin-framed, and long-limbed Alastor with huge antlers. The radio screech was practically overbearing. Blood ran down from the lower row of sharp teeth as Alastor snarled angrily at the frightened figures. In between Alastor's knees, as he was now way too big for the space, were Nifty and Aleu. Nifty caught sight of Husker from where she was leaning over Aleu's balled form and pointed to a pile of three empty buckets. The cat demon knew that the egg demons had probably meant to play some prank on Nifty and Aleu was unfortunately caught in the middle. His ears flattened as he noted how terrified Aleu seemed under Nifty's small body. His dead heart began to hammer, knowing that if Aleu was having flashbacks combined with sheer terror then Nifty was not large enough of a comforting form to keep panic from setting in. The last time Aleu had gone into panic had not ended well for the child.
Wind marked the passage of Angel Dust. The spider demon had figured out the same as Husker. However, he knew that Alastor was pissed and only Charlie or Vaggie could truly calm him down. Husker sprinted after Angel's limping form. He would not be able to stop Alastor on a rampage but maybe he could get the Radio Demon to cool off enough to not scare Aleu any further. From his peripheral vision, he saw Angel land then slide on his knees and wrap the scared child in his four arms. Quickly he leapt over Alastor's enlarged left hand with razor pointed fingers.
"That's enough!" he shouted, stepping between Alastor's black eyes and the trembling egg demons. His wings flared, attempting to break the demon's attention. When Alastor released a warning growl at him, Husker flattened his ears and prepared for the worst. He growled, desperately pointing in Aleu's direction, "She's terrified right now. You need to calm down and focus on her first, at least until she's calm and not near this situation. At least wait until Charlie and Vaggie get here before you start tearing things apart."
With a ground-shaking roar mixed with his radio screech, Alastor commanded, "MOVE!"
"No!" Husker spoke firmly. He stiffened upon noticing Aleu's brown eyes watching him from amongst Angel's fur. If Alastor struck him now, Husker feared that Aleu would lose all trust in the Radio Demon, her main guardian.
Suddenly a blast of light blinded him and Alastor, causing the enlarged demon to hit his head on the ceiling. Charlie appeared between Husker and her enraged husband. Her red eyes with bright pupils and showing horns meant that the princess came showing power. Vaggie was now standing between Charlie and Angel Dust, helping to block Aleu's sightlines of the events. Alastor let out another screeching-roar that shook air and ground. However, due to Charlie's overwhelming power, instinct was commanding that the enraged demon back down in this situation. Slowly he returned to a smaller form, his antlers and clawed hands tearing into drywall and carpet as he did so. However, upon shrinking down, everyone knew he was far from calm. His irises still flickered like a searching radio dial and his antlers were still larger than normal. Clawed hands gripped his radio staff tightly. Seeing her husband calming down, Charlie let her eyes return to normal and her horns to disappear.
Charlie spoke gently, "Angel, can you, Husker, and Nifty please take Aleu up to her room?"
"Yes, Charlie," Angel replied as he stood up, his arms securely wrapped around the trembling girl.
The child's trembling made Charlie flicker in indecision between reaching for her and keeping her place before Alastor. However, a soft whimper escaping Aleu's throat cut through the darkened hall like a knife through warmed butter. Alastor's head snapped around to look at her. Seeing her terror, the static died down, the antlers and claws returned to normal, and the hallway lights were allowed to shine once more. Alastor cautiously reached for Aleu but Angel stepped back as Husker intervened. Both demons understood that Aleu needed time to process what happened before she made her decision on whether to trust her guardian. If Alastor touched Aleu in that moment, her reaction may be adverse. As Alastor's hand dropped, the trio carried the child out of area.
"¿Eres un pendejo?" Vaggie spat angrily at Alastor.
Red eyes closed as the Radio Demon struggled with the still-fresh anger coursing through his veins. He looked at Vaggie, "I acted without thought, Vaggie dear. I do apologize. Emotional outbursts such as this are unbecoming of a gentleman."
Charlie rested a calming hand on each person's shoulder. She tried to smile, though worry over Aleu clouded her gaze. She then sighed and signaled to the now empty hall, as the egg demons had taken Alastor's worry over Aleu moment to split, and asked, "Can you at least explain what happened here, Al?"
Alastor ear black-tipped ear twitched with anger before he spoke, a growl barely contained, "Nifty and Aleu have been chasing bugs all day. At some point, four eggs decided to pull a prank on Nifty." He signaled to the damp floor and empty buckets, "They partially filled those buckets with water and had intended to drop the buckets on Nifty as she ran past chasing a bug or heading to another spot to hunt. Well, something went wrong and the buckets crashed down around Nifty and Aleu, which summoned me from the bar, where I was talking to Husk and Angel." His hand balled into a fist as he growled, "Hearing how those worthless, idiot excuses for life almost hurt a healing child made me mad. So mad that I lost control of myself. All I wanted in that moment was to severely punish the eggs and I forgot all about Aleu." He looked sideways at Vaggie and sighed, "And yes, Vaggie, I am an idiot for the mess that I have caused. F*ck! I might have broken Aleu's trust in us!"
Vaggie grabbed Alastor's left arm as Charlie exclaimed, "Al! Don't be so hard on yourself! You acted out of worry for her safety, but you didn't actually hurt anyone!"
"I know she is scared right now, but we have to hope that the trust we've built will survive," Vaggie said gently. Her eye then light up with a thought, "Perhaps, after she has calmed down, you can apologize to her, just as you did with us now. That might swing her back to us, if she is having doubts."
Hell's princess nodded enthusiastically, "Plus, I highly doubt that this will be enough to break her trust. After all, we've helped her in ways no one has before. Even in your anger, you didn't hurt the eggs or Husker or her. Especially her." She smiled warmly, "I trust Aleu to think before she jumps into any action. I agree with Vaggie – apologize to her after she calms down and we'll see how everything plays out."
Alastor stepped away from the pair, tugging at his hair as he muttered, "I hope that you are right."