Summary/disclaimer: It is time for another chapter of Bee in the Bonnet. Enjoy the 2000-word chapter. I do not own Hazbin Hotel, Viziepop, or others do.
Cerberus had been old when he retired.
500 years… Or perhaps more. He did not age as he was the servant of Beelzebub, the Queen of Gluttony. He was a warrior and her best servant, as she had been distracted with ruling the ring.
He would not have retired if he had not wanted to take care of his son.
This son would be called Mastiff…. A powerful demon who had been a unique hellhound.
"Dad? You said I would meet her when I was old enough." Mastiff stated before he snorted, rubbing at his nose as he wished to scratch it.
Cerberus sighed, realizing his child had a point. He knew that said child had a point, as Cerberus was aware of what was growing now upon his mind.
They were going to have to meet Queen Beelzebub… If Cerberus were to retire? Someone would have to take the role of her chief servant and bodyguard.
Mastiff had not silenced his tongue about wanting to fill that role.
Mastiff was his son, but being the head servant of Bee's court was something new to even Mastiff… It was a demanded thing.
He wanted to meet Bee, and there was little Cerberus could have done for now.
There was too much at stake for Cerberus.
Beelzebub wanted to deal with something else to distract himself for now.
He would not be able to relax until he met Beelzebub and until she was allowed to see if she needed another servant.
"You pester me with these demands." Cerberus hissed with his jaws snapping shut as he wished to have been for now, as he wanted it to be.
"You promised, Dad." He heard and cursed himself.
"Fine…. But she will not be what you expect. I want you to know this." Cerberus stated before he sighed.
He would relax once more as he wanted Bee to meet him.
Mastiff was annoyed as he wished this and something else as he wished it to be for now.
(10 minutes later)
"You are a pain," Mastiff stated before he sighed to himself.
They looked ahead… He cursed and questioned if there was even a single way to get out of his arrangement with the queen.
"There was something else to deal with if you wished it to be done with… But I am tired and old." Cerberus stated with a tired voice.
He was tired, and they were tired. He knew that the Queen of Gluttony would want to meet him.
He had more to deal with, and the Queen had more upon her mind than just them…
They entered, and Cerberus also felt he hated it.
There were buzzes… Her servants, her soldiers… There were hellhounds as well, soldiers who served their queen.
"Cerb?" He heard and cursed internally.
"Your Highness." He returned, bowing as he looked at his son. "Kneel." Cerberus hissed as he looked at his kid.
There was a hearty laugh. She could see… Of course, she could.
"Stop. Ok? Stop, we are old buds, Cerb… OMG, Mastiff!?" They heard Cerberus sighing as it happened...
There was a buzz of wings as a figure landed in front of them. It was Beelzebub… Or Bee as the queen seemed to fancy.
She looked the same as when Hell and the underworld first formed. Her fur was golden and pulsed with energy from her domain, and her pink eyes gleamed at them.
She wore what she usually did in her home: a pink crop top that exposed her belly. He could still see the outline of her bra along with her pink and beige shorts… Bee was never one for regal regalia.
"You got so big! Cerb, you never bring him over anymore!" Bee said, circling them with her wings buzzing like a machine gun.
"Because he was foolish," Cerberus stated as Bee snorted.
"He went to ONE party I invited you to and drank. Big whoop, he is not the only hellhound who gets drunk at my parties, Cerb." Bee stated, crossing both sets of her arms. "You look old, how old are you? 200? No, 300… I forgot you came here last year."
"He is barely 18, your highness… He is a child stupid enough to wish to take my place among your court." Cerberus growled, looking at him.
"And?" Bee asked, crossing her arms.
Cerberus sighed. She did not care, she never did.
Queen Bee focused on parties, so the others had to run her court for her. He knew she wished to make her subjects happy, but they were supposed to serve her, not be content and party.
Perhaps he had failed her worse than he believed this would end for now.
He felt tired and unsure of what his child would do and what Beelzebub would think of him.
Cerberus could only sigh at his former master, who seemed eager to ignore him.
"I should… Shall leave." Cerberus hissed before he slowly and surely stalked away. "Do not think this is a fun little distraction, boy… Your lineage is one of duty and war." Cerberus hissed before he vanished.
Bee snorted, rubbing at the bridge of her nose with one of her four hands.
She would always consider Cerberus her friend, but he annoyed her in terms of being so serious.
He was her closest ally and someone who did well as a servant, but he would never live up to her best efforts.
"Let me guess… You want your pop's job?" Bee asked as Mastiff tilted his head. "Cerb only gets prissy when something big happens, and since the next party isn't for another month? The only thing I can think of is you becoming the next guard dog of gluttony." Bee stated.
She smirked. She had known Mastiff for a while; he had been born years ago, but she had come to see Cerberus then… She knew the kid and knew he was young but powerful, his father had plenty of power.
Granted? His father was also a stick in the mud who refused to relax… But someone who was the son of Cerberus had plenty of power… Plenty of ability to climb the ranks of Hell.
"He is retired. Big Grumpy decided to step down years ago… Nobody took up the position… But you? I know you, Mass… You remind me of your dad." Bee stated, rubbing her eyes. "Walk with me…. Ok?" Bee asked as she slowly started to fly up.
Mastiff was silent, but he decided whether his future queen would give an order. He would follow it as well as he could… So, he did that slowly.
"Cerb and I go back centuries… Old man ever… Say anything about me ruling Gluttony since it was made?" Bee asked as Mastiff nodded. "Right, we talked at your last birthday… Weird, I usually remember those parties." Bee stated, rubbing at her arms.
"You had a LOT of your juice there," Mastiff said as Bee hummed. "I drank some," Mastiff added.
"Right… You hold your drink better than your old man. Then again? You heal, he only seems to heal if someone tears an arm or a leg off." Bee added as she frowned.
"How is that scar your dad got the last time he fought?" Bee asked as she frowned deeper.
She knew better than to tease her former servant about his service regarding wounds. She would have been hurt far worse if she had Cerberus die on her, and she knew he had given a lot to serve her…
But it still felt weird when it came down to things. Bee was never going to be able to forget what she asked of him.
Something else had to break for now. Bee knew better than he what would happen when her greatest servant had slowly retired. She had more enemies than she knew about.
Bee hummed as he thought of it. Mastiff was no fool at the second or ever….
Mastiff was young, and his power was too much for her; at the end of the day, he had more left.
He was able to think, and Bee knew that he was tired for the second time.
"Cerb? Go… I will take the kid." Beelzebub stated as her eyes widened.
"You can go home; I will pay you again." Bee stated as the Hellhound snorted.
"Do not disrespect the queen, child." Bee heard as Cerberus departed. "She rules this ring. This is her domain." Cerberus stated before he sighed to himself.
Cerberus was exhausted, and she knew it. He had worked hard as one of her soldiers… Now he rested in his part of her kingdom, his little domain.
"You want to work for me?" Bee asked, pointing at herself. "Your old man asked that for you…? Cerb was never told he had to work forever. Had he wanted to retire? He could… His services were entirely relaxed as Hell expanded. Gluttony only needs a guard dog when the big stuff happens." Bee said, gesturing around.
Mastiff shrugged. It was not a dismissal of the queen nor an attempt to make her look bad, he knew her duties and the duties his father had dealt with.
He had been too tired…. He was bored, and he would not relax for now.
He had to do something. He had been too much for now as he wished it to be done… He had to learn something, and it would not.
He had been too much; he had been too unwilling to relax. He would never relent… There was something else here.
"Sit, kid," Bee said, patting next to her. "You and I have something else to talk about," Bee said as she paused and crossed her legs.
She knew they had to take focus… He was unsure now.
That would not change much more when it was going on now. He had been too much, and it had hurt them both now.
He had worked as he wished it to be done.
"Are you ok?" Bee asked as he looked over at Mastiff.
"What are you doing? You and I have not talked in a while. The last time we talked was when I was at your birthday party, kid." Mastiff heard as Bee hummed.
She would not be able to understand it all too much as he wished.
She knew what she would address, they had work to deal with. He was going to be done as he wished…. And sat down to pause to try and think.
Something told him Bee was not mad, but he had answers to get from her.
Something about him had been tired. He had been too much and yet he had not been enough….
Bee looked at him, her eyes widened as she smirked, she knew what he was like and what they were doing now.
He was too focused as it came down to the wire; he was capable of so much. He would not let her down, but he was terrified.
It would hurt, he had hurt, and that was enough. Something within him told him just how well this sort of work.
The Hellhound was too tired, far too tired, far too unsure. He had been too tired as he cracked his fingers and looked to the side.
Something else was going on, and he was as unsure as he wished it to have been.
Bee looked at him with a smirk. She smirked far too much, and he had too many questions.
He had to learn now as he paused. He had been too much… But he had plenty of work left.
It was something new to understand and he would not let it all end.
Perhaps he had been too much for now.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I wish to point out that the next chapter will be a bit longer and will show Bee and Mastiff interacting. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words, and will show off both Mastiff and Bee. Until then? Lighting Wolf is now out!
