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The air in the Hazbin Hotel was thick with heat and old smoke, even though no one had smoked anything in hours. Y/N walked briskly through the hall outside the bar, head down, wings tucked tight against her spine. She didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Not Charlie, not Vaggie, not Lucifer, especially not Lucifer.

She was halfway to the library when she felt it.

That slow, creeping dread crawling up her spine, like the sensation of being watched by something that didn’t blink.

She didn’t stop walking.

“Going somewhere, Radiant?”

His voice was a velvet knife.

Y/N froze.

She turned slowly to see Alastor standing in the middle of the hall like he’d been summoned by the tension alone. As usual, he wore that old-fashioned smile, a polite, razor-edged thing that never touched his eyes. His hands were in his pockets. His antlers seemed to stretch slightly in the flickering light overhead.

She didn’t answer. Just met his eyes.

Alastor tilted his head. “You’ve been awfully quiet lately. One might say… unnaturally so.”

She sighed. “What do you want, Alastor?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he said, taking a casual step forward. “Just checking in. After all, it must be exhausting, playing the role of the warm, thoughtful guest while secretly gathering information for the ever-so-pure forces of Heaven.”

Her jaw clenched. “You’ve already made your point.”

“Oh, I have so many more to make,” he said cheerfully. “But I’m patient.”

He walked past her, slow and unhurried, until he was behind her shoulder. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think they’d still smile at you if they knew the truth? That you’re here to evaluate their worth, to judge if they’re worth saving? Or if they’re just another failure for Heaven to dismiss?”

“I’m not judging them,” she said under her breath, fists tight at her sides.

“Oh, but they don’t know that, do they?” Alastor purred. “That’s the fun part.”

He walked a slow circle around her, like a predator sizing up prey.

“Lucifer’s been rather cozy with you lately,” he mused. “He seems to think your visit is a kind gesture from Heaven. A little olive branch after years of divine silence. Imagine his face when he learns it’s all a lie.” He clicked his tongue. “Tsk. That would be a tragedy.”

“I never lied to him,” she snapped.

Alastor leaned in close enough for her to feel his grin stretch behind her. “No? You just never told the truth.”

Y/N whipped around to face him, eyes glowing faintly. “Why haven’t you told him?”

Alastor’s smile didn’t budge. “Because I like to see people squirm. And you… are just delightful when you’re cornered.”

There was a pause. A beat of silence thick enough to choke on.

Then, he said it—soft and chilling: “All it would take is one little whisper. One moment of honesty… delivered by me.”

Her voice cracked. “I already gave you the information you wanted. What else do you want?”

He raised an eyebrow, mockingly offended. “Want? My dear, I don’t want anything. Yet. But it’s always good to know where the leverage is.”

Alastor stepped back and tipped an invisible hat. “Sleep well, angel. Sweet dreams, if those still happen for someone like you.”

And with that, he disappeared down the hallway, humming an upbeat tune that sounded like it belonged on an old radio broadcast… if it weren’t so goddamn menacing.

Y/N stood frozen, every muscle tense.

And now he was playing with her like it was a game.

But what terrified her more than Alastor’s threats… was that if he did tell the truth? She wasn’t sure Lucifer would ever forgive her.

Night had draped itself heavily over the Hazbin Hotel, wrapping the building in a rare hush. The distant chaos of Pentagram City hummed like a far-off siren, but within the hotel walls, the world felt still. Quiet. Fragile.

Y/N curled into the deep corner of the hotel’s library, nestled in an oversized velvet chair that smelled like old paper and dust. The book she held in her lap, Some Reflections on Light and Divinity, Vol. I, lay open, forgotten. The words blurred together, her eyes tracing the lines but not absorbing them.

She hadn’t come here to read.

She came to breathe. To think. To not think.

After what happened earlier with Alastor, she needed anything to calm her racing mind. His words wouldn’t stop replaying in her head.

"They'll never look at you the same. Especially not him."

She hugged the book tighter to her chest.

The worst part was… he was right. Lucifer didn’t know. No one knew. The residents who’d grown to like her, who trusted her, who opened up to her, they didn’t know what she was really here for.

An evaluation. A judgment in disguise.

Even if she didn’t want to be doing it, even if her heart wasn’t in the mission anymore, she couldn’t pretend it didn’t matter.

She looked down at the book again, and for a moment, it hurt to see the Heavenly seal stamped on the inside cover. It reminded her of everything she’d been. Everything she’d left behind.

She didn’t hear him approach.

But she felt him.

The atmosphere changed, like the air had grown warmer, denser. When she looked up, Lucifer was there, standing a few feet away in the entrance of the library, hands in his coat pockets, watching her with a quiet, unreadable expression.

He didn’t say anything at first. Neither did she.

“…Hey,” she said, finally breaking the silence, voice soft.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Lucifer replied, stepping further into the room. The door clicked shut behind him, sealing them off from the rest of the world.

“You always retreat to books when your mind’s spiraling,” he added with a slight smile.

Y/N blinked. “You remember that?”

“I remember everything about you,” he said simply.

That knocked the wind out of her. She looked away.

Lucifer didn’t push further. He wandered toward one of the high bookshelves, trailing his fingers along the spines as if searching for something, though it was clear his attention wasn’t on the books.

“You okay?” he asked, after a long pause.

“Yeah,” she lied, her voice barely above a whisper.

He turned to her, eyebrow raised. “I’m fine,” she repeated, a little stronger this time.

Lucifer gave a faint smirk, the kind that never reached his eyes. “You’ve always been a terrible liar, Y/N.”

She laughed once, dry, tired. “I’ve had a lot of practice lately.”

Lucifer crossed the space between them and crouched in front of her chair, placing himself at her eye level. “Talk to me,” he said gently.

She stared down at him, heart clenching. She wanted to. She wanted to tell him everything. About Alastor. About Heaven. About why she was really here.

But the weight of it was too much.

“I can’t,” she said softly. “Not yet.”

He nodded slowly, like he understood more than she’d said. “Okay.”

They stayed like that for a moment, silent, watching each other. She saw it in his eyes then. The flicker of something old and familiar. Something real.

And when he reached up and gently touched her hand, she didn’t pull away.

“I missed you,” he murmured, like it was a confession.

Y/N’s breath caught.

“I thought about you for centuries,” he went on. “Even when I was with Lilith. Even when I was ruling. Even when I told myself you were just part of the past.”

She blinked quickly, her chest tightening.

“I never stopped missing you,” he whispered.

Lucifer’s hand brushed up to cup her cheek. Her heart felt like it was going to burst.

Their faces were so close now.

She leaned forward, just slightly. So did he.

Their lips hovered a breath apart. His hand trembled against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut—

“OHHHHHHH-kaaay, okay, I am NOT emotionally prepared to walk in on this!!”

The moment shattered like glass under a boot.

Y/N jumped, her wings flaring in shock. Lucifer stood up fast, hands pulled back as if he'd been burned. Angel Dust stood in the doorway, arms raised, jaw dropped in delighted horror.

“Jesus fuckin' Christ, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to hang out, not walk in on a soap opera finale,” Angel cackled, strutting into the room like he owned it.

Y/N covered her face with one hand, absolutely dying inside. “Angel, what are you doing here?!”

“Bitch, I live here,” he said, flopping dramatically into the armchair across from hers. “I was bored and figured we could get wasted and talk shit about demons who don’t trim their horns.” He pointed two fingers at Lucifer. “Didn’t realize I was cockblocking Lucifer Morningstar himself.”

Lucifer cleared his throat and smoothed his coat, jaw tight. “No worries. I was just leaving.”

Angel blinked innocently. “Aww, don’t be like that, big guy. You two were getting real cozy.”

Lucifer shot him a look that could've split mountains, but said nothing more. He glanced down at Y/N, eyes softer now, maybe even a little disappointed, and offered her the faintest nod before leaving the room.

The door closed behind him with a click.

Silence returned, thick and awkward. Angel looked at her, amused. “Soooooo… that was a thing.”

Y/N groaned and buried her face in the book. “Do not,” she muttered, “say another word.”

Angel Dust grinned, legs kicked up over the arm of the chair.

“I won’t. Not out loud, anyway.”

TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY HUZZAH HUZZAH

guys my boyfriend is actually the best

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist <3

After playing Red Light Green Light, the guards had led everyone who survived back into the main room. When the guards left, the room had descended into an eerie silence. No one wanted to talk. How could you when you just witnessed hundreds of innocent people die?

After a minute, everyone huddled next to each other in the middle of the room for comfort. No one talked, just sat in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

Y/N decided to sit next to Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and the man that stopped Gi-hun from falling during the games. It was fucked up, but it was sort of comforting to be surrounded by people who had gone through the same experience that Y/N had.

"Sang-woo," Gi-hun said softly, breaking the silence. "You helped me. Thank you." Sang-woo stayed silent, only nodding in recognition.

"And you both did too," Gi-hun said to Y/N and the other man. "You saved my life out there."

"You're alive. That is what matters," the man said.

Y/N didn't have time to reply to Gi-hun before a buzzer went off. The sight of the doors opening and the guards coming out made everyone quickly get up, backing away in fear.

"You have all made it through the first game," the square guard said. "Congratulations. You're moving on. I will now announce the results of the first game."

The screen above the doors started trilling, counting down from the number 456 until the number showed 201. "Out of 456 players, 255 were eliminated," the square guard said. "And 201 players successfully completed the first game."

All the players began to mumble in murmur in fear. Y/N tightly gripped the sleeve of her jumpsuit, desperately wanting to go home to see her sister.

"Please sir!" a woman cried, running to the front of the crowd. "Sir, I'm so sorry. I swear I'll pay what I owe. I'll pay it!" the woman dropped down on her knees. "Please, sir! I have a baby at home. They don't have a birth certificate. I don't even have a name for my child. Just let me leave!"

Other players began to drop on their knees and beg to go home. It really was an awful sight. Y/N watched as the players began to cry and beg.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding," the square guard said. "We are not trying to hurt you or collect your debts. Let me remind you that we're here to give you a chance."

"A chance?" a man said. "We play some kid's games. And you shoot us. You want me to choose that? That's some chance."

"We may be in debt, sir," a man cried. "But that doesn't justify killing us all!"

"This is just a game," the square guard replied.

"Killing everyone out there was a game to you, huh?" another man called out.

"They were simply eliminated for breaking the rules of the game," the square guard said. "If you just follow the rules, you can leave this place safely with the prize money we promised."

"Just keep your damn money. I don't care!" a man yelled. "Let me just go home. That's all I want!"

The players began to yell and shout, begging the guards to let them go home. "Consent form clause 1," the square guard said. "A player is not allowed to stop playing."

"Come on!" a man said. "You think you'll get away with this, huh? The police will come. They'll bust in here any minute now. They'll be here since we all disappeared."

"Yeah!" another man yelled. "And I bet they have everybody's phone tracked here already. Look at all your hostages. You're doomed if you don't let us go!"

"You're all dead!"

A gunshot ringing out made everyone duck to the ground, trying to avoid the stray bullet. Y/N quickly ducked and covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. After a moment, she opened her eyes again to see that the guards had not moved.

"Consent form clause 2," the square guard said. "A player who refuses to play will be eliminated."

"Consent form clause 3!" San-woo shouted, now standing up. "If all the players agree to stop playing, the games can be terminated. Is that correct?"

The guards didn't answer him for a moment, staring at him. Y/N guessed that they probably had annoyed faces under their masks. "You are correct," the square guard said.

"Okay. So then, let's all take a vote," Sang-woo said. "If the majority wants to leave, then everyone here gets to go home."

The guards stayed silent for another moment. "All right. As you wish," the square guard said. "We will take a vote to decide on the termination of the game."

Everyone started to get up off the floor, excited murmurs ringing out, the players excited and relieved that they actually got to go home. Y/N slowly got up, a small smile slowly creeping up onto her face.

"Before we vote, let me announce the prize money for the game as previously promised," the square guard said, clicking a remote. The room went dark, music started to play as the giant piggy bank from earlier was lowered down. Y/N stared at the piggy bank with wide eyes as she watched as hundreds of stacks of cash were dropped into the piggy bank. "A total of 255 players were eliminated during the first game," the square guard said. "A hundred million won is at stake per player. Therefore, 25.5 billion won of prize money has been accumulated so far."

That was more than enough to cover all of Y/N's debts.

"If you wish to give up playing, the 25.5 billion won will be sent to the bereaved families of the late players. 100 million each. However, you will all return home empty handed."

Y/N felt the air from her lungs rush out of her, like she had been punched in the stomach. If she left, she wouldn't get to keep the money?

"Excuse me?" asked a woman. "So then, if we can complete all six games, how much do we get?"

"Since there were 456 players, the total prize money is 45.6 billion won," the square guard answered. "And with that, we will now begin the voting."

Y/N watched as the guards came down with a white roll of tape, using it to divide to the room, the guards moving the players to one side of the room. They brought down a podium with two buttons. One of the buttons was green with a large O, the other was red with a large X.

"As you can see, there are two buttons in front of you," the square guard explained. "If you wish to continue playing, press the green button with an O. If you wish to stop playing, then please press the red button with the X instead. After you finish voting, move to the other side of the white line and wait. Voting will be done in reverse order of the numbers on your chests."

"Player 456, please cast your vote."

Y/N watched as Gi-hun walked up to the podium. It looked as if he was debating which button to press. Finally, after a moment, Gi-hun pressed the red button, the score board above showcasing his vote.

After that it was player 455's turn to vote, then 454 and so on. She watched as the other surviving players were called up to the podium to vote, picking at her lip anxiously as she watched the players vote yes or no. 

"Player 256, please cast your vote."

Y/N's eyes snapped up towards the guards. She could feel all the players eyes on her, waiting for her to walk up and cast her vote. She took a deep breath before walking up to the podium. Her hand hovered over the red button, debating her options. She so desperately wanted to go home, wanting to see her sister, hug her and never let her go.

But at the same time, a small piece inside of her wanted to stay. She knew that if she left the games, she wouldn't be able to get a job, and that she wouldn't survive the next time the loan sharks came to visit her. 

With one final exhale, she moved her hand, pressing the blue button.

She walked to the other side of the room, holding her head down, avoiding the dirty looks from the players who voted to leave. 

Upon it being Sang-woo's turn to vote, Y/N was relieved when he also voted to stay, him standing next to her, pushing up his glasses as the two of watched the other players vote. 

Finally, it was player 001's turn, the old guy who miraculously made it past Red Light, Green Light.

Right now, the count was where the amount of people who wanted to end the games had just one more vote than the people who didn't. But if 001 voted to stay and continue the games, the votes would be tied. What would happen then?

Y/N continued to pick at her lip as she watched the old man at the podium. Everyone watched in anticipation. 

He pressed the X button. 

Y/N felt the life drain out of her as she heard the players who voted to leave cheer loudly. What was she going to do? Where would she go? How was she going to pay off her debts now?

Was she going to die?

"The majority of the players have voted to terminate the games," the square guard said. "Therefore, this game is now terminated."

Most of the players who voted to stay began to protest instantly.

"It truly is a pity that we must say goodbye to all of you like this, but we will not completely seal the door of opportunity for you," the guard said, making everyone quiet down. "If the majority of you wish to participate again, then we will resume the game. So, goodbye for now."

Y/N had to cover her mouth to stop herself from throwing up again. This was supposed to be her last chance of saving herself and making a life for herself. Now that the games were over, it seemed that her life was actually over. Even if the guards did give them at another chance at playing, how long would that take? A few days? A few months? Y/N didn't have a few months. 

'This is it,' Y/N thought. 'I'm actually going to die.'

SORRY THIS IS SO SHORT

I JUST GOT BACK FROM DC AND IVE BEEN SO EXHAUSTED LOL

and also i have a boyfriend now so yippee

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

All of the Hotel residents sat in the lounge. It was very, awkward to say the least, due to everyone finding out that Vaggie used to be an Exorcist from Heaven. Vaggie leaned against the wall away from everyone, an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"So, like, where are your wings?" Niffty asked.

"Niffty, I don't have-"

"Did you ever think maybe she's sensitive about her lack of wings?" Angel Dust said from the couch. "Just like her lack of tits."

"Yeah, where are your tits?" Niffty said, putting her hand on one of Vaggie's boobs. Vaggie angrily knocked Niffty off the TV that she was sitting on. "Any other questions?" she said.

"I got one," Husk grumbled. "How come every time Charlie talks to Heaven, we get in deeper and deeper shit."

"It's not her fault," Vaggie reasoned. "Angels are just-

"Liars?" Y/N interrupted. 

"Difficult," Vaggie finished. "But Charlie's trying her best."

"Yeah, well, her 'best' is turning out real well so far," Husk said, walking way to the bar. 

"And where is 'Miss Fearless Leader' anyway?" Angel asked. "Isn't it about time for another doomed to fail plan?"

"She's upstairs, coming up with something I'm sure," Vaggie said, looking a bit nervous. 

Y/N and Alastor looked at each other. Alastor seemed to have the same idea as Y/N, given the smirk on his face. Alastor melted into the shadows, while Y/N flew up the stairs, walking down the hallway and standing in front of Vaggie and Charlie's bedroom door. 

"Knock, knock," Y/N said as she knocked on the door. No answer. 

Knock, knock.

Still no answer. 

Sighing, Y/N opened the door, expecting it to be locked. As she went inside, she saw Alastor standing over the side of the bed, Razzle and Dazzle holding out tissues, and a big lump in the middle of the bed, that was probably Charlie. 

"Oh, Charlie, you look like an absolute mess," Alastor smiled. Y/N walked over to where Alastor was, standing next to him. 

"Go away please!" Charlie groaned, covering herself up with more blankets. 

"Oh no, no, no!" Alastor sat on the bed. "Is that any way to act after picking a fight with all of Heaven and dooming everyone you love?"

"I have enough on my mind without hearing your sadistic idea of a joke, asshole!" Charlie yelled. 

"Who's jokin'?" Y/N said, suddenly appearing next to Charlie, scaring her and making her fall off the bed. "Everyone is waitin' for you in the lounge, waitin' to see what you have planned next."

"I cant!" Charlie said from the floor. "How can I face them after failing them all so hard? They came here to be saved and all I gave them was more pain. I'm just as bad as the cruelest Overlord in Hell anyway. Maybe worse! At least they don't go around giving false hope."

"Well, I never expected to see such a miserable display of self-loathing from you," Alastor smirked, sitting on the bed next to Y/N. 

"Oh, fuck you Alastor!" Charlie angrily said. "All you do is stand there smiling while you watch us struggle and fail. I don't know how you can enjoy all this suffering so much."

Alastor put his hands on Charlie's shoulders. "Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath. A smile is a valuable tool, my dear. It inspires your friends, keeps your enemies guessing, and ensures that no matter what comes your way, you're the one in control."

"But I'm not. I'm the farthest thing from in control," Charlie groaned. "The person I trust most has been lying to me for years, Heaven refuses to listen, I can't prove that the Hotel works, Adam has an invincible Exorcist Army pointed right at my doorstep, and there's nothing I can do about any of it."

Y/N and Alastor looked on each other, wicked smirks on both of their faces. "We know something you don't know," Alastor said in a sing-song voice. 

"Huh?"

"Those big, bad angels are not as invincible as we originally thought," Y/N grinned, wrapping her arm around Charlie. 

"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked. 

"Just that you and everyone else might have more of a chance than you thought," Y/N answered.

"How? I'll do anything!" Charlie pleaded. 

"Anything?" Alastor smirked. "Then let's make a deal."

"You, you want my soul?"

"Your soul, heaven's no!" Alastor exclaimed. "All I need from you is one itty bitty favor. What's a favor between friends?"

"I won't hurt anyone for you," Charlie said. 

"Who's asking?" Alastor laughed. "One favor at a time of my choosing, where you harm no one. In return, we tell you what we know." Alastor held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Razzle and Dazzle tried to block Charlie, but she moved out of the way, some of her demon form coming out. "Deal," Y/N grinned as she watched Charlie and Alastor shake hands. Green symbols began to show up everywhere, all over the walls, and Y/N guessed all over the Hotel.

"No!" Vaggie burst in the room, her spear in her hand.

"Right on queue," Alastor said, letting go of Charlie's hand.

"What did you two do?" Vaggie yelled, running towards Y/N and Alastor. "Let her go!"

"Vaggie stop!" Charlie blocked.

"What? No..." Vaggie said, a crestfallen look on her face. "Charlie, please tell me you didn't."

Charlie crossed her arms. "I made a deal with Alastor,"

"Charlie-"

"Oh, calm down, she still owns her soul," Alastor said.

"They gave me info that can save the Hotel, but we're going to need help," Charlie reasoned. "The Angels can be defeated and Carmilla is the key."

"What? Carmilla Carmine?" Vaggie asked.

"She killed an Exorcist in the last extermination," Charlie answered. "She knows how they can be harmed."

"But I, I didn't even know that was possible," Vaggie stammered.

"If you did, would you have told me?" Charlie asked, walking past Vaggie to get her coat.

"Charlie-"

"I need you to go to her, convince her to teach us," Charlie interrupted. "If she can, we might have a chance."

"With just the eight of us?" Vaggie asked.

"No," Charlie looked down. "We're going to need numbers, too."

"We know a special someone who can help," Y/N said. "As long as Charlie can be her normal charmin' self."

"What's that Alastor said about smiles?" A small smile coming onto Charlie's face.

"Good girl," Alastor patted Charlie on the head. Y/N and Alastor began to make their way towards the door, stopping to wait for Charlie.

"Are you with us or not?" Charlie asked. Vaggie groaned but agreed.

Charlie, Alastor, and Y/N all made their way towards the the front door, Y/N and Alastor ignoring the confused glances and questions from the other Hotel residents as they walked out the door.

The three of them were now approaching their destination, Cannibal Town. As they walked, Charlie ranted to them about Vaggie, frustrated that she kept something as big as being a former Exorcist from her.

"Three years! Three years I've been sharing my life with her and I tell her everything!" Charlie ranted. "My hopes, my dreams, my insecurities, my embarrassing habits, what fucking deodorant I like, and she keeps something like this from me!? Why would she lie for so long? Does she think I wouldn't accept her? What about me? Me says-wait where are we?"

"Cannibal town!" Y/N exclaimed, grabbing Charlie's shoulders and guiding her into Rosie's Emporium, Alastor following close behind. "There's a very good friend of mine and Al's we think you should meet."

"In Cannibal Town?" Charlie reluctantly asked. "But it's, it's, surprisingly nice here."

"Isn't it though?" Alastor said as they walked inside. "And it's all thanks to a very special someone."

The three of them walked into the emporium, a line of cannibals in front of a large desk, and things like perfume and scarves were on shelves to buy.

"Well who hasn't thought about eating their first husband," a voice laughed. "I certainly would have if he didn't taste so bad. I tell you what, you bring old tall, dark, and armless to me and I'll straighten him right out for you, okay sweetie? Now here's my card-oh my stars! Do my eyes deceive me?" Y/N smiled, waving to Rosie.

"Alastor! Y/N!" Rosie said, making her way outside the crowd. "Where have you two been? These halls really lost some of their sparkle without your lively presence and, oh. Who's this you brought with you?" she asked, referring to Charlie.

"Now where are your manners?" she playfully scolded. "Introduce us why don't ya."

"My apologies, Rosie," Y/N smiled. "Charlie, this is Rosie, the most delightful and dangerous Overlord on this side of the city!"

"Always such a sweetheart," Rosie gushed.

"And Rosie, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Princess Charlie Morningstar," Alastor introduced, pushing Charlie forward. "Daughter of Lucifer and heir to the throne of Hell."

"How do you do?" Charlie awkwardly smiled.

"Well, well, isn't this a regal surprise?" Rosie pushed Charlie behind her desk. "Can I offer you something to eat? I'm sure I have a leg around here or something, oh, what am I thinking? Small thing like you, you're probably watching your figure." Rosie opened up a box filled with fingers, offering some to Charlie. "How about some nice pinky fingers instead?"

"Um, no, no, thank you though," Charlie laughed awkwardly.

Rosie patted Charlie on the head. "Oh, look at you, so polite! Alastor you could learn a thing or two."

Y/N giggled, following Rosie and Charlie as Rosie ushered Charlie to sit down. "Tell Auntie Rosie what she can do for you. Y/N, my love, I got a primo connect on a guy with about eight blocks of territory and not enough to goons to run it. Prime pickings for a deal to be made, wouldn't you agree?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid me and Al and here for different kind of business," Y/N stood next to Alastor and Charlie, who was sitting in a chair across from Rosie.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense!" Rosie sipped on her tea. "I'm a very busy woman."

"Well, as you know," Charlie started before freaking out. "The extermination is coming early, it'll be here in a month, and they're coming for my hotel, and my friends first, and I, I, I, I-"

"We need your help," Alastor interrupted. "Well, your cannibals help at least, to fend off the attack."

"Wow, when you ask a favor, you don't start small, do ya, Your Highness," Rosie set her cup down. "Oh now, don't fret! I didn't say I wouldn't help, but I assume there's more to this plan than a bunch of unarmed cannibals."

"Oh, your people will be far from helpless when we're done with them," Alastor smirked. "Any by the end, they will be able to eat. Their. Fill."

"Well, in that case, sure why not,"

"Really?" Charlie asked, her eyes wide.

"What can I say? I like your moxie, girl," Rosie said. "And these two have never done me wrong before."

"Oh thank you, thank you!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Cannibals and Cannabis assemble in the square!" Rosie yelled into a megaphone as the four of them walked to the town square. "Now darling," she said to Charlie without the megaphone. "You know I would do anything, anything for my clients, but I can't exactly command all of Cannibal Town to follow someone else into battle. Now don't get me wrong, they love carnage and bloodshed, but to get this group into line, you got to win them over."

"Settle in! Settle in! Important meeting!" she yelled into the megaphone.

"But how do I-" Charlie began.

"With sparkle!" Rosie interrupted. "Razimataz! And that oh so appealing moxie of yours."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Y/N grinned. "When was the last time you've ever failed to inspire someone?"

The four of them walked up the gazebo stairs, Alastor and Y/N leaning against the guard rail. "Think this'll work?" Y/N muttered.

"Oh, I know so," Alastor replied.

"Now fair warning," Rosie warned. "This group sticks together. So in order to convince any of them, you'll need to convince all of them. And there's one in particular-"

"Ugh, Susan," Y/N groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Susan," Rosie confirmed. "Susan, who's a bit of an uh-"

"Ornery old bitch?"

"Yeah, that," Rosie agreed. "She's tough. But win her over, and the rest will be easy as pie. Ready?"

"I guess," Charlie hesitantly said.

Rosie spoke into the megaphone again. "Everyone, we have a very special, very royal guest this evening! Please put your bloody hands together for Princess Charlie!" she revealed Charlie in front of a microphone.

"Boo!" said a raspy voice. "Bring Rosie back!"

"Susan?" Charlie asked.

"Susan," Rosie, Alastor, and Y/N said at the same time.

Charlie tapped on the microphone, an annoying ringing sound emitting from it. "Heh, sorry," Charlie winced. "Uh, okay, uh my name's Charlie-"

"Boo! Get off the stage!"

"-and I run this hotel with my partner, well with someone-"

"Boo! Get off the stage you blue blood bitch! Boo!"

"-wait a second, let me start over-"

"We don't give a shit about some hotel!"

"-Angels are coming to kill us all and-"

"Leave before I eat those big ass eyes of yours!"

"-and with your assistance we can make a stand-"

"Boo! Where's the showmanship? Where's all the finesse? Fucking mediocre,"

 "Fuck you you old bitch!" Charlie yelled into the microphone, flipping Susan off.

The whole crowd of cannibals gasped. "Okay,"Rosie intervened, pulling away a growling Charlie. "We'll be back after a brief intermission."

Y/N and Alastor stood in the gazebo, watching as Rosie ushered Charlie away and back into the emporium.

"I didn't know that you knew Rosie this well," Alastor said.

"Yeah, we've been friends since I fell," Y/N said, reminiscing on old memories. "She's the one that got me to come to the Hotel."

"Interesting," Alastor murmured. "Maybe if I would of known, I would of gotten to see you again sooner."

Y/N blushed. "Oh well, at least I'm here now,"

"You are correct my dear," Alastor smiled. "And I'm glad that you are."

Charlie and Rosie walked back to the gazebo a few seconds later, a nervous look on Charlie's face. Alastor offered his microphone to her, a reassuring smile on his and Y/N's and Rosie's faces. Charlie took the microphone with a grateful smile, starting to sing into the microphone to all the cannibals.

~also didn't know how to write this part im sorry :(~

After all the singing and dancing, Charlie, Alastor, and Y/N headed back the Hotel, half of Cannibal town following them from behind. They met with Vaggie, who now randomly had a pair of Angel wings,  at the gates to the Hotel, behind her was crates of different kinds of weapons, and Carmilla's daughters wheeling them.

That reminded Y/N to stop by to see Carmilla to stock up on weapons, especially because of what would happen next month.

Y/N was now lounging in the library a few hours later. Most of the Hotel had settled down for the night, except for Charlie, who would occasionally come into the library looking for different kinds of books that could maybe help in the defense of the Hotel next month.

Y/N sat curled on a velvet chaise by the window, a thick book open in her lap. Her wings hung over the back of the seat, and her boots were kicked off nearby.

Her sharp eyes scanned the page, but her mind wandered.

Reading helped. It always had. Back when she was alive, books were the only thing that kept her grounded. She’d read on rooftops, in train cars, even before assassination attempts. Fiction was her escape then, and even now in damnation, it offered a kind of breathless calm she couldn’t find anywhere else.

She had just turned the page when—

“You always were a Brontë girl, weren’t you?”

The familiar voice curled in from behind like smoke.

Y/N didn’t flinch. She marked her page with one finger and looked up slowly. Alastor stood near a shelf to her left, one hand tucked behind his back, the other spinning the dial of an old radio set to silence. His smile was as calm as it was sharp.

“I was,” she said evenly. “Though not for the same reasons you liked Poe.”

“Oh?” Alastor stepped closer. “And what reasons were those?”

“You liked the endings. I liked the middle.”

He chuckled, the sound low and theatrical. “Touché.”

She sighed playfully and closed the book with a quiet thump. “What do you want, Alastor?”

“Just wandering. Saw the light on.” He glanced down at her bare feet and the open book. “Didn’t expect to find you in such… a vulnerable pose.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Readin' is vulnerable now?”

“For you?” He tilted his head. “Yes.”

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You always talked too much.”

“And you never said enough,” he replied softly, stepping closer.

The air shifted, dense with something unsaid. Something old and rusted, but not gone.

Y/N stood, book still in hand. “This was my quiet place.”

“And yet I always seem to find you in your quiet places,” Alastor murmured.

She turned toward him, and didn’t step away. Their faces were closer now, shadows flickering between them in the golden light. His smile had faded into something more genuine. Almost boyish.

“It wasn’t all bad, was it?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. “No. Not all.”

Her fingers brushed his lapel. His hand hovered near her cheek, not quite touching, afraid of breaking the moment. Their eyes met, still knowing, still dangerous. The space between them crackled like a radio tuning in to a forgotten frequency.

They leaned in.

An inch. Half.

"Alastor? Are you in here?"

The door creaked.

Both heads turned, Y/N’s hand dropping, Alastor’s stance straightening like a switch had been flipped.

Charlie stood in the doorway, sheepish, one foot still outside like she could back out if she had to." Oh!” she said, flustered. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt! I was just looking for Alastor. I needed his help with something."

Alastor blinked once, then gave a wide, unfazed grin. “Delightful. I’ll be right there.”

Charlie nodded awkwardly and closed the door.

Y/N sighed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “You were always good at slippin' away right before something happened.”

He adjusted his tie, smirking. “I prefer to keep people wondering.”

She turned away and picked up her book again, not sitting this time.

“Maybe next time,” she said without looking at him.

Alastor paused in the doorway, casting a glance back at her silhouette framed by the window.

“Next time,” he echoed.

Then he was gone, and the library returned to its silence.

Only this time, Y/N didn’t open her book again.

ONLY TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT

cant believe i started this a year ago <3

dont worry, i'll continue the story once season 2 comes out

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist <3

@maksdust @trippoverrt @slytherin4ever @lucifers-silhouette @a-small-tyrant

@mo-0-o @cutiebimbo @bbakaricanbake @mommymilkers0526 @mikariell95

@al-of-the-stars @martinys-world @mysticwitchcraftco @the-spamtong-1997 @flamewriterr

@diffidentphantom @alastor-simp @mydeeralastor @shadowqueen1322

Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine

You guys are on my mind

You asked me what I wanted to be

But now I think the answer is plain to see

I wanna be famous

I wanna live close to the sun

So pack your bags 'cause I've already won

Everything to prove, nothing in my way

I'll get there one day

I wanna be famous

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna famous

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna be famous

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna be famous~

It was still the night from the last challenge, The Killer Bass were now surrounded around a campfire, too tired to do anything else, but too depressed to go to bed.

They had only won two challenges even though they competed in five. It made the the whole team feel down. Did they really suck that bad?

Y/N sat on a trunk next to Duncan, her head in her hands. She wondered what he dad thought of her. She wondered how he was doing. Was he eating healthy? Was he drinking enough water? Was he being taken care of? Was he proud of her?

Y/N wanted to go home.

The sound of obnoxious crying made Y/N turn her head around, seeing Bridgette holding a crying Sadie's hand, guiding her to sit with everyone else around the fire. Sadie continued to sob, tears and snot leaking down her face, she hugged a piece of wood and held it close to her.

"It was a long goodbye," Bridgette said.

The sound of more people coming towards made Y/N inwardly groan. She already knew who it was. "What do you guys want?" Courtney sneered. "Come by to rub it in?"

"We got some extra dessert after out tuck shop party," Trent smiled. Y/N saw that Beth was holding up a platter of green jello with a gummy worm in it. "Thought you might want some."

"That's weirdly nice," Y/N remarked, eyeing the team with suspicion.

"Okay, Owen stunk up our cabin and we need some time to air out," Gwen said, rolling her eyes over to Owen, who farted silently.

"Oh, dude," Trent said in disgust.

Beth walked over the Courtney, holding up the jello to offer it to her. "No!" Courtney said quickly, a freaked out look on her face. "I mean, no thanks."

"What, are you on a diet or something?" Duncan asked.

"No! I just don't like green jelly, okay?" Courtney snapped, crossing her arms.

Beth shrugged, walking over to DJ, Duncan, and Y/N, offering them the jello instead. "No thanks, I'm good," Y/N said. Instead of saying something, DJ screamed, "Snake!" and knocked the platter out of Beth's hands, the jello all over the ground.

"Chill dude, it's just a gummy worm," Cody said, holding up the gummy worm.

"Sorry for trippin'," DJ sighed. "Snakes just freak me out."

"I feel you," Tyler said, patting DJ on the back. "Chickens give me the creeps, dude."

"You're afraid of chickens?" Gwen asked.

"Wow, that's, that's really lame man," Duncan laughed.

~Confessionals~ "So suddenly, everyone's having this big share fest by the fire," Gwen said. "Like Beth went on and on about how her mortal fear is being covered by bugs, Harold's afraid of ninjas, even Heather admitted she's afraid of sumo wrestlers."

--

"What's my worst fear?" Gwen shivered. "I guess being buried alive."

"Walking through a minefield. In heels," Lindsay said shakily.

"Flying, man," Owen admitted. "That's some crazy stuff."

"I would never go up in a plane! Never!" Izzy chimed in.

"I'm scared of hail," Geoff said. "It's small but deadly, dude."

"Being left alone in the woods," Bridgette said, looking down.

"Bad haircuts," Sadie said tearfully. "Oh, okay! I changed mine!" Lindsay said. "That's so much scarier than a minefield!"

Cody had to think about it before giving her answer. "Having to diffuse a time bomb under pressure."

"Open areas of water," Y/N bit her tongue. "Like lakes and oceans."

"I'm not really afraid of anything," Courtney said proudly.

"Bullshit," Duncan said, disguising it with a cough.

"Oh really?" Courtney said. "Well what exactly is your phobia?"

Everyone around the campfire looked at Duncan, curious to see what the fearless badass was most afraid of. Even Y/N, who Duncan talked to the most on the island, didn't have a single clue what Duncan was afraid of.

"Celine Dion music store standees," Duncan muttered, his head down. Y/N started giggling uncontrollably, covering her mouth when Duncan glared her, still giggling even though her hand was covering her mouth. "Not funny," he glared. "Oh yes it is," Y/N laughed.

"Exsqueeze me?" Cody smirked. "I didn't quite get that."

"Dude, did you say Celine Dion music store standees?" Trent asked. Duncan hid his face in his hands, embarrassed that everyone was laughing at him.

"Ooh! I love Celine Dion!" Lindsay squealed, before a look of confusion appeared on her face. "What's a standee?"

"It's the cardboard cutout that stands either outside in the inside the music store," Y/N explained, still slightly giggling.

"Don't say it!" Duncan snapped.

"Kind of like a flat Celine," Y/N smirked.

"So if we had a cardboard standee right now..." Courtney smiled.

"Shut up!" Duncan shouted, covering his face. "What about you, huh?" he pointed to Trent.

"Okay, well I hate mimes," Trent said. "Like a lot, alright." Courtney rolled her eyes.

"Courtney you have to be afraid of something," Y/N said. "Everybody said what they're afraid of. Now it's your turn."

"Nope, nothing," she smirked.

"That's not what she said last night," Duncan whispered to Y/N, Geoff, and DJ.

"Duncan, did you ever consider that maybe I was just humoring you and your lame-o story?" Courtney frowned.

"Sure princess. Whatever floats your boat," Duncan smirked.

"Shut up!" Courtney snapped.

A little bit after that, everyone decided that it was too late, and they decided to head to bed. Y/N said goodnight to her other friends like Gwen, Trent, and Leshawna, and headed off to the Killer Bass cabin. 

It was the next morning, each teams were sitting at their respected table in the mess hall, a bowl of Chef's oatmeal in front of everyone. Chris was at the front of the mess hall, grinning mischievously at all the of the campers.

"Campers, your next challenge is a game I like to call Phobia Factor," Chris said. "Prepare to face your worst fears!"

Y/N immediately froze up, her eyes widening.

"Worse than this?" Leshawna pointed to Chef's disgusting breakfast. "We're in trouble," Gwen said.

"For our first victimes, Heather, meet us all in the theater. It's sumo time!" Heather spit out her tea all over Trent.

"Gwen, you, me, the beach, a few tons of sand?" Gwen gasped and her eyes widened, a scared look on her face.

"Wait, how did they know those were your worst fears?" Lindsay asked.

"Because we told them," Gwen sulked, putting her head on the table. Lindsay still had a confused look on her face. "At the campfire last night," Trent said, patting Gwen on the back.

"Wait! They were listening to us?" Lindsay shrieked, standing up.

"It's a reality show, Einstein," Gwen frowned. "They're always listening to us."

"That's like, eavesdropping!"

"Chef Hatchet, didn't you have a special order for Tyler here today?" Chris asked. Chef, who was frying something up, nodded his head, a malicious smirk on his face. Chef handed Tyler a fried up chicken, Tyler grabbing it with a freaked out look. He hesitantly took a bite. Nothing happened at first, but then a chicken appeared where he took a bite, making him scream loudly.

After that, Chris had everyone gather outside to watch Beth face her fear. What she had to do was jump into a kiddie pool filled with worms. It made Y/N cringe when she imagined all those slimy worms all over her.

Everyone else seemed to think the same thing, everyone had disgusted looks on her faces, DJ even threw up.

Beth didn't seem to have a problem with it, shrugging and jumping into the kiddie pool. Y/N grabbed Duncan's arm when one of the worms was really close to touching her.

"Are you scared of a little worm?" he laughed.

"Oh shut up, you're scared of cardboard cutouts,"

That shut Duncan up real quick.

Beth was at the bottom of the kiddie pool for a few seconds, resurfacing with a big smile on her face, and worms covering her and inside her mouth, earning the Screaming Gophers a point and making Y/N wanting to puke. "And Beth sets the bar way up there," Chris said, making the Screaming Gophers cheer and Owen faint.

Next it was Lindsay and Sadie's turn, the two of them having to wear very ugly wigs. The two of them had very terrified looks on their faces, cringing as Chris very slowly.

Then it was Owen and Izzy's turn, the two of them having to fly up in very poorly looking plane flown by Chef. Y/N watched from the ground as she saw the plane fly, the plane doing all these rolls and flips. It would have been cool to see if the plan didn't look like it was about to fall apart.

It was Harold's turn next. He was in the bathroom when ninjas ambushed him. Obviously Y/N didn't see what happened, but the Chris told their team that Harold knocked himself out with nun chucks. So no point for them. 

 Everyone watched as Leshawna was chased by Chef dressed in a ridiculous spider costumer, Leshawna shrieking and screaming as she was chased. It made Y/N want to laugh, but Leshawna was her friend, so she didn't.

After that, everyone gathered around the outdoor amphitheater, sitting on the bleachers to watch Heather confront  a sumo wrestler. "Oh this is gonna be good," Y/N smirked, watching as Heather shook as she looked at the sumo wrestler. The sumo wrestler came running towards her, an angry look on his face. In response, Heather crouched in fear, the wrestler tripped over her and rolled down the hill, earning the Screaming Gophers their second point.

"It'll be okay, Bridge," Y/N hugged Bridgette before she had to face her fear. Her challenge was she had to spend six hours in solitude in the woods.

"Thanks, Y/N," she said shakily. "I'll be okay, I promise."

After Bridgette walked into the woods, Y/N went to the beach to watch Gwen face her fear. She was in a glass box, and all she had to was stay buried for five minutes.

"There's enough air for an hour, you only need to do five minutes," Trent comforted.

"As long as we decide to dig you up," Chris said, shoveling the sand onto the glass box.

"Not funny, Chris!" Gwen shakily cried, genuinely freaked out.

"Sheesh, take a pill," Chris smirked.

"I'll be listening to whole time," Trent smiled, handing Gwen a walkie talkie. "Just yell for me if you panic and I'll dig you right up."

"Goodbye cruel world," Gwen said as Trent closed the air slot, Chris continued to bury her.

After that it was DJ's turn. Everybody went back to the theater to watch him conquer his fear, which was having to touch a tiny little snake.

"Hey, you can do this buddy!" Duncan cheered.

"Yeah, go DJ!" Y/N hollered.

DJ stood on the stage, shaking and deciding whether he should just do it, or risk losing the challenge for the team. "It blinked!" he screamed, jumping back.

"It means she likes you," Sadie called out.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "It's the smallest snake ever, DJ, come on!"

"Yeah but it's slimy and scaly and slithery-"

"We need this point DJ!" she screamed. "Suck it up!" Y/N rolled her eyes and scowled. She really hated when Courtney acted like this. Everyone else on the team seemed to think the same thing.

"What, we're heading back to Loserville, people," Courtney said.

"Doesn't mean you have to be a bitch about it," Y/N muttered.

"What was that, Y/N?"

"Oh, nothing,"

DJ took a deep breath and with his eyes closed, very slowly picked up the snake with his finger, earning the Killer Bass a point and making everyone cheer.

"See, fear is only in the mind," Courtney said.

Now it was Trent's turn. Trent was supposed to be keeping Gwen company while she was still buried, but got distracted and started running when he saw a mime. "Just talk to him bro! And ask him to go away!" Chris said using a megaphone. "Okay, we've got two minutes before Gwen's done. Cody, you're up."

Chris told everyone else to go back to the campsite while he dealt with Cody. Cody had only ten minutes to diffuse a trash can bomb. If he didn't diffuse the bomb in time, it would explode, garbage going everywhere.

Now it was Duncan's turn. A few feet in front of him was a Celine Dion cardboard cutout. Y/N stood next to a scared and terrified Duncan. "Isn't she pretty?" Y/N asked. "I promise you, she's really nice."

"Just one hug and you're done," Chris snapped his fingers.

"That-that looks really real, man," Duncan stuttered.

"Dude she's made of cardboard!" Tyler shouted. "Get in the game!"

"Hey, you can back out if you want," Y/N smiled, grabbing Duncan's hand. "No one's forcing you yo do anything, besides Courtney. But if you don't want to do this, that okay."

Duncan took a deep breath, blushing a little bit when he realized Y/N was still holding his hand. "All right, I'll try," he said.

"You got this," Y/N grinned.

"Okay, okay," Duncan hyped himself before running towards the cutout with his arms open. With a determined look on his face, he hugged the cardboard cutout, lifting it up in the air, and earning another point. The Killer Bass started cheering and hollering. Y/N had the biggest grin on her face as she walked towards Duncan.

"I did it!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah you did!" Y/N said, the two of them hugging each other. After a second they realized what they were doing, and let each other go, chuckling awkwardly.

"Sorry about that," Y/N coughed.

"Nah, you're fine, it's okay," Duncan said, the two of them looking anywhere else.

"Y/N, it's your turn," Chris said. Shit. "Go change into your swimsuit and be at the beach in five minutes."

Five minutes later, Y/N was standing on the sandy beach in her swimsuit, multiple different thoughts going through her head. Thank God Duncan was going swimming with her, or else she would of quit the challenge before it had even began.

"All right, Y/N. All you need to do is swim around for only fifteen minutes," Chris explained.

"Yeah, yeah I can do this," Y/N shakily said, walking into the cold water. Duncan didn't say anything, walking behind her. 

Y/N walked stiffly toward the edge of the dock. The lake seemed darker up close, like it went on forever underneath. Duncan stepped up beside her, shirt off, tattoos visible under the fading light. Y/N wished she had a little more time to admire his tattoos and lean build.

“You ready?” he asked.

“No.”

“Too bad,” he said, grinning. “Come on. I’ve got you.”

She hesitated, then jumped with him.

The cold smacked her in the chest like a punch. Panic clawed up her throat instantly. Her arms flailed. “Y/N. Hey.” Duncan swam closer, steady hands on her shoulders. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. Just breathe.”

She clung to him without thinking, eyes wide and gasping. “I can’t—I can’t—”

“Yes, you can,” he said firmly. “You’re not sinking. I’m right here.” Slowly, she nodded. Her breathing evened out.

They floated for a bit. She gripped the water like it might turn solid if she tried hard enough.Ten minutes in, she was swimming small laps near the dock. Not graceful, but alive.

“You’re doing better than I expected,” Duncan said, watching her.

She smirked weakly. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

He swam beside her for a moment, then asked, quietly, “Why are you so scared of this stuff anyway?”

She froze mid-stroke. Water lapped softly around them.

He waited.

Y/N sighed. “When I was six… before my mom left, she was supposed to be watching me at this apartment pool. She said she’d be right back, just going inside to answer the phone. Told me to stay out of the water.”

Duncan stayed silent, eyes on her.

“I didn’t listen. I went in. Slipped on the steps. Went under.”

She glanced away, like she could still taste chlorine in the back of her throat. “I remember the water in my nose. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream. Just sinking. Everything felt huge and empty. I honestly thought I was gonna die.”

“Your mom find you?”

“Eventually. I don’t know how long I was under. A neighbor pulled me out.” Her voice turned brittle. “My mom was too busy yelling about me not listening to even realize how scared I was.”

They floated in silence for a moment.

“That’s why I don’t do water,” she finished softly. "If I can’t see the bottom, it’s like… it all comes back.”

Duncan nodded, his face unusually serious. “That’s messed up. But you’re not that kid anymore.”

She met his eyes. “Don’t feel like it.”

“You don’t have to,” he said. “You’re still out here. That counts.”

The buzzer on the dock went off. Chris’s voice echoed across the water. “And that’s fifteen minutes, baby! Phobia faced!” Y/N let out a shaky laugh and swam toward the dock. Duncan followed, climbing up beside her.

He handed her a towel without a word. She took it, hands trembling slightly. “Thanks,” she muttered. “For asking.”

He shrugged. “Thanks for not letting me drown out there.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please. You’d cling to me like a leech.”

He grinned. “If it means getting that close to you, maybe.”

She bumped his shoulder with hers, smiling despite herself.

Everyone was beginning to finish their challenges. Gwen got dug up, Lindsay and Sadie got to take off their ugly wigs, and Izzy an Owen got off the plane, kissing the ground as soon as the touched the ground.

Now it was Tyler's turn, everyone gathered around a chicken coop to watch as he faced his fear.

"All right gang, we're in the ninth inning," Chris said. "Tyler, for your challenge, you need to get in this pen for three minutes with these chickens." Chris opened up a box to reveal a chicken with two baby chicks.

"You can do it Tyler!" Y/N cheered.

"Yeah, unless of course you're chicken," Duncan laughed. Y/N hit him hard in the ribs, hoping it would leave a bruise.

"I'm not sure we're getting anywhere on this one," Chris said. Tyler was in the pen, but he was completely frozen, rocking himself back and forth on the ground.

"Tyler, this is the last challenge, quit being such a girl!" Courtney snapped. "You have to do this or we're going to lose."

Cody pulled out a calculator, pressing all sorts of buttons. "Actually, if you do the math, you can't possibly win and the score's seven to four."

"Not necessarily," Chris smirked. "We've got one more challenge set up."

"Who? It can't be me," Courtney said. "But I didn't-"

"You didn't have to," Chris interrupted. "W"e're always watching you and your reactions."

Y/N though back on it. What was Courtney afraid of? She replayed last night in her head, trying to remember if Courtney reacted strangely to something. Then it hit her.

"You're afraid of green jelly?" Y/N burst out. "You're getting on us for not getting over our fears but you're afraid of something so simple as green jelly? Oh man, that's way too much."

Courtney glared at her, but didn't say anything, too embarrassed to speak.

"I knew it!" Lindsay said. "Didn't I tell you guys they were eavesdropping?"

"Oh, who cares," Courtney said. "It's not going to make a difference."

"Let's make this interesting then," Chris said, walking up to Courtney. "I'll give you triple points if you can complete it."

Courtney sighed but agreed to the challenge. A few minutes after that, everyone was standing at the bottom of a tall diving board, a pool of green jelly at the bottom, which Chef was stirring. Courtney looked up in disbelief.

"You're afraid of jelly," Duncan giggled.

"Shut up!" Courtney seethed. "Only the green kind. It's like sugary, jiggly snot!"

"You can face your fear and dive straight into this pool of jelly," Chris said. "Or let your team lose yet another challenge."

Courtney sighed, her head down as she walked to the ladder and began to climb. "This is insane. I could seriously die doing this."

"Oh, that is cruel," Gwen cringed. "It's probably warm by now. Warm, green jelly. Snotty, bouncy-"

"You're not going to make me quit!" Courtney yelled down as she climbed. After a few more seconds, she finally got to the top, her legs seemingly turning into jelly as she looked down. After a moment, Courtney covered her face with her hands. "I can't do it! I'm coming down!"

The Killer Bass looked down and sighed in disappointment, the Screaming Gophers cheering that they got another win.

"Then there you have it," Chris smiled into the camera. "The Gophers win invincibility this week. Again."

Y/N walked away from everyone, frustrated that the Bass lost another challenge. She was definitely voting Courtney off, that stupid hypocrite. 

An hour later, it was time for the elimination ceremony. Chris had already handed the marshmallows the campers who had completed their challenge. Y/N chewed on her marshmallow as she watched the rest of the ceremony unfold.

"There are only two marshmallows left on this plate," Chris said. The only campers who didn't receive a marshmallow were Bridgette, Tyler, and Courtney. "The three of you did not complete your challenges today. One of you is going home tonight and cannot return. Ever. The next name I'm gonna call, Bridgette."

Y/N was relieved to see that Bridgette was leaving. She really hoped that Tyler was staying instead of Courtney. Although she hardly talked to Tyler, she liked him a lot more than she liked Courtney.

"The final marshmallow of the night goes to, Courtney,"

Fuck.

"You'll get that chicken next time," Duncan smirked, patting Tyler on the shoulder. Tyler got up from his trunk and walked very slowly to the dock.

"Looks like a new pecking order has been established here," Chris joked.

"It's not like he can cry fowl," Duncan chuckled.

"Time for Tyler to fly the coop," Geoff laughed.

"He won't be flying high tonight," Bridgette giggled.

"Okay that's enough!" Courtney stood up.

The air smelled like smoke and pine, and the lake in the distance was quiet now—no cameras, no yelling, no challenges. Just stillness.

Y/N sat on a worn log her arms around her knees. She stared into the night sky, replaying everything that had happened earlier, diving into the water, the panic, Duncan’s voice pulling her back to the surface.

She heard footsteps crunching over dry leaves.

“You always brood this dramatically, or is it just a post-trauma thing?” Duncan’s voice broke through the quiet, teasing but softer than usual.

She smiled faintly without looking at him. “Just trying to decompress.”

He sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched, but not quite. Neither of them spoke for a moment, watching the stars in the sky.

“I never said thank you,” she said eventually, glancing at him. “For earlier. For staying with me in the lake.”

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was to me.”

He didn’t respond right away. Just stared into the fire, jaw ticking like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start.

After a beat, he muttered, “You did good. Most people would’ve bailed.”

“I almost did.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t. That’s what matters.”

Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten. She watched the flickering light dance across his face, normally so smug and unreadable, but right now, he looked… different. Open. Guard down.

“You surprised me, you know,” she said quietly.

“By not being a total ass?” he smirked.

“By giving a shit,” she said, nudging his boot with hers. “I didn’t think you’d actually get in the water.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, well… guess I don’t always do what people expect.”

They lapsed into silence again. Not uncomfortable, just heavy with things unsaid. Riley could feel the words forming in the back of her throat, unspoken and fragile: I like you. But she swallowed them down.

He probably didn’t feel the same way.

Duncan glanced sideways at her. She looked tired but strong, hair messy from the lake and wind, eyes glowing in the firelight. He wanted to say something too, something real. But the thought made his stomach twist.

Instead, he said, “You gonna be okay next time we hit the water?”

Y/N nodded slowly. “I think so. I mean, I’ll still freak out. Just… less.”

“You can always hang on to me,” he joked, but it came out gentler than usual.

She smiled. “I might take you up on that.”

Another moment of silence. This one stretched a little too long. She wanted to stay. He didn’t want her to leave. Neither moved.

Eventually, Y/N stood up, brushing ash off her hands. “I should get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Duncan said, standing too. “Me too.”

They both hesitated.

“Night, Duncan.”

“Night, Y/N”

She turned and walked toward the cabins, the fire’s glow fading behind her. Duncan watched her go, scratching the back of his neck, heart beating faster than he liked to admit.

Why the hell did she have to make it so hard not to like her?

Y/N climbed the steps to her cabin, closed the door softly, and leaned against it with a sigh.

Why does he have to be so impossible to read?

Neither of them knew the other was standing on the edge of the same feeling.

But for now… that was close enough.

i cant wait to write them being so down bad for each other

reader is now officially head over heels for duncan <33

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist <3

@sc4rrc @casualluminaryobject @kys-kawaii0 @that-b-word-lol

"I can't believe I'm actually watching this. Angel what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Y/N was sitting on the couch between Charlie and Vaggie, watching a porn movie that starred none other than Angel Dust.

One of the bonding lessons was show and tell. Every week one of the residents would show something and talk about it, hence the name. Last week was Niffty's turn and she showed her dead cockroach collection. It was a little weird, but Y/N would take that over watching Angel get fucked in the ass any day.

Y/N sat on the couch, wanting to punch that stupid smirk off Angel's stupid face.

"It's, uh, very honest," Charlie stuttered before turning her head away in disgust.

"Ew," Vaggie said, an obnoxious moan coming from the TV. "Okay, enough of that. Angel what the fuck."

"What? You said it was show and tell day," Angel defended himself. "I'm showing you my best film and I'm tellin' you that it scored me a win over that bitch Tiffany Tit Fucker!"

"Y'know, not a very convincing interrogation scene," Husk said from the bar, cleaning glasses.

"All right, dickhead," Angel frowned. "What makes you think you have any right to insult my work to my fuckin' face?"

"Oh please," Y/N scoffed, making Angel glare at her. "This script sucks ass. I'd rather watch a rom-com. And that's saying something."

"Fuck you!" Angel hissed, flipping her off. "This is classy art."

Another obnxious moan came from the TV, making Y/N roll her eyes. She was concerned for Niffty though, who looked like she was very much enjoying the porno. But then again, Niffty was a strange woman.

"That's bullshit," Husk said, walking towards him. "You get drunk and bitch about them all the time. Everyone likes to bitch to the bartender! I know everything about you and these motherfuckers at this point."

"That one," he said, pointing to Sir Pentious. "That one is an insecure buffoon who's lonely ass watches you idiots sleep." Y/N moved a little bit away from Sir Pentious.

"Princess is a bleeding heart who wants to solve everybody else's problems except her own her own," Husk said, taking a sip from his drink.

"What?" Charlie stuttered. "No, I, what, oh no,"

"This one judges everyone and everything because she hates herself," Husk said about Vaggie, making her groan.

"Little miss butterfly over here feels like she needs to help everyone with their issues because no one helped her with with her own," Husk said, making Y/N roll her eyes.

"And Niffty," Husk paused taking a swig of beer. "You don't even wanna know what her deal is."

Angel started laughing, cluctching his stomach. "You weren't kidding, wow," he said, getting in Husk's personal space. "Kitten's got claws, meow~"

"And you!"Husk snapped, ducking away from Angel. "Don't get me started. I see right through you and all your bullshit, and how fake you are."

Angel laughed sarcastically. "Me? Fake? Wow, I had no idea. Guess that's why I'm an actor, dumbass. And-"

Angel's phone started ringing, the tune of some circus melody playing. "Hold that thought," he said, walking away to answer his phone. "Hello?"

"I don't even know why you guys are having this argument," Y/N scoffed.

"You and me both," Husk grumbled, taking another swig of beer.

Y/N watched Angel as he spoke on the phone. From his body language, she could tell that he was nervous to be talking to whoever he was on the phone with.

'Probably talking to Val,' she thought, a wave off uneasiness passing through her.

Angel hung up the phone. "Well, looks like Val needs me for an, uh, emergency shoot,"

"Mhmm sure,"

"You know what, fuck you," Angel snapped. "I don't give a shit what some drunk ass bartender thinks of me. So why don't you just crawl back to whatever cave you came from, porn critic."

Angel began to walk towards the door, leaving Husk to stare off at him, growling. "Angel you can't leave yet!" Charlie ran after him. "We haven't finished our exercises for the day."

"I'm sure you'll manage without me," Angel said, opening the door.

Charlie slammed the door shut, a desperate look on her face. "There isn't much time left for the Hotel to prove itself!"

"Dollface, it's my job, "Angel said, an annoyed look on his face. "I know you want to fix everything, but unless you can fix my boss, there's nothing you can do."

Angel slammed the door shut behind as he left. Charlie groaned, collapsing on the floor. "Ugh, why is this so hard! What am I doing wrong?"

Vaggie and Y/N walked up to Charlie, the two of them sitting on either side of her. "Well, I mean, you're the princess of Hell." Vaggie smiled.

"So?"

"You don't really use the power that comes with the title, sweetie," Y/N said. "And I know you don't want to, but maybe you can command a little bit more authority?"

"But that's so mean!" Charlie whined.

"It's not mean exactly, it's uh, aggressive kindness," Vaggie stuttered.

Charlie got off the floor, a determined look on her face. "Okay, I could be so aggressively kind to Angel's boss that I convince him to let Angel spend more time at the Hotel!"

"Sure, whatever gets you there babe,"

"Hey uh," Y/N stammered. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Thanks Y/N, but I can do this own,"

"Are you sure? I mean, the porn business is really gross, and I don't want you to have to deal with someone as disgusting as Valentino,"

"Oh! Do you know him?" Charlie grinned.

"Oh uh, no, I've uh-" Y/N stuttered, not wanting to tell Charlie how she actually knew him. "Y'know what? You've got this, just promise not to try and hug him."

Without Charlie and Angel, the Hotel was weirdly quiet.

Niffty was off cleaning the bathrooms, Sir Pentious was in his room, probably working on of his inventions, and Vaggie was in the lounge, sitting on the couch waiting for Charlie to come back.

Who even knew where Alastor was.

Y/N walked around aimlessly, bored out of her mind. She just wanted something to do. She could watch TV, but she didn't feel like supporting The Vees by watching one of their stupid shows.

"I need a drink," Y/N murmured, making her way to the bar.

"Surprised to see you hear this early," Husk smirked as she sat down on one of the stools, the same stool she always sat in, the middle one.

"Oh yeah, like you down a bottle of beer at nine in the morning," Y/N scoffed.

"Fuck off," he said, but with no bite behind it. "What'll it be this time?"

"Mhmmm," Y/N thought before grinning. "Surprise me."

Husk rolled his eyes grabbing a bottle of tequila from under the bar, pouring it in a glass and sticking a lime on the rim.

"Why don't you ever just stick to orderin' one thing?" he asked.

"Where's the fun in that?" Y/N stuck her tongue out.

It got quiet. Painfully quiet. Y/N grabbed her drink, taking a few sips. "You ever drink just to feel something different?" she asked, voice low and half-laughing. Her eyes didn't leave the glass.

Husk didn't look up from where he was drying a bottle. "I drink so I don't feel shit."

She smirked. "Romantic."

Husk hummed but didn't reply.

Y/N leaned into the counter, her wing tips brushing the edge of the bar. "You know, for a washed-up cat demon, you've got a certain charm."

Husk finally glanced at her, just a flick of his golden eyes. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"I haven't decided yet."

He grumbled something under his breath and lit a cigarette. She watched the way his claws clicked against the lighter, the small shake in his fingers he tried to hide. Maybe it was the drink, or maybe it was the way he always got quieter when it was just the two of them, but there was something gentler about Husk in these moments. Not soft, exactly. Just... less sharp.

"I'm bored out of my mind," Y/N groaned. "What are you doing today?"

Husk blew out a puff of smoke before answering. "Probably going to drink myself to death,"

"You're already dead though,"

"Doesn't matter. Nothings stopping me,"

Y/N chuckled, missing the way Husk's eyes softened at her. "You're too much sometimes," he grumbled.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Still figuring that shit out,"

"Could pretend you hate having me around a little more convincingly," she teased.

"I don't pretend."

That made her pause. Her wings gave a small, unintentional twitch. Subtle, but enough that she knew Husk noticed. He always noticed. He just never said anything.

"You mind if I sit here for a while," Y/N said after an awkward pause. "I'm just going to wait until Charlie comes back. I promise I won't annoy the hell out of you."

Husk chuckled, putting out his cigarette in the ash try beside him. "I already know that's a load of shit."

"Kiss my ass,"

It was now night time, probably around 10pm. The hotel was quiet for the most part. Charlie had came back to the Hotel a few hours ago, her eyes glossy. She refused to talk about what had happened, all she said was that she messed things up for Angel.

Y/N understand what she meant, so she didn't pry anymore, giving her a hug and telling her that it was going to be okay, and that Angel would forgive her in the end.

She had spent the whole day at the bar drinking and talking with Husk, the two of them talking as if they had been friends for years. It was refreshing to see how easy he was to talk to. She didn't have a lot of friends down in Hell, besides Lucifer and Lilith, but after the divorce, she never saw Lilith again, and Lucifer was always too depressed to want to talk to anyone, and she really didn't consider anyone at the Hotel her friend besides Charlie and Vaggie.

But it wasn't just that. Whenever he talked, she could feel herself getting giddy, wanting to know more, like she wanted to know everything about the grumpy cat hybrid.

They were in the middle of a conversation about the Las Vegas strip when the front doors slammed open. Angel walked in the Hotel, an exhausted look on his face and dark bags under his eyes.

He looked like complete shit.

He slumped down onto a bar stool, laying his head on the bar. "I need a drink. The hardest you can make."

Husk turned around, grabbing a glass and pouring liquid inside of it.

"You look terrible," Y/N said.

Angel Dust sighed and straightened his hair. "Not possible," he cockily scoffed. "Just a long shoot. Nothing new." Angel grabbed the glass right out of Husk's hands and downed it in a few seconds. "I said a strong one."

"Excuse me," Husk said. "Didn't realize this was a drink to forget kind of night." Husk slid another glass across the bar over to Angel.

"Oh, I forgot you're the wise old bartender who's seen it all," Angel mocked, knocking down the glass and spilling the drink all over the bar. "Get the fuck over yourself and pour me a real drink."

"You're being a real asshole, y'know that," Y/N hissed, moving her arm away from the spill.

Angel ignored her, rolling his eyes in response.

"If you got a problem, you're not gonna find the solution at the bottom of a bottle," Husk wiped down the counter. "I should know, I've been looking there a long time."

"Oh sure, then where should I look, hmm?" Angel smirked. "In your bedroom maybe? Under your covers? Maybe we can go look together."

"Don't even start," Husk snarled.

Angel sat on the bar, kicking Y/N in the process. "Oh come on, I bet I can make those wings flap~"

"Stop it!" Y/N yelled, surprising Angel, making him fall and knock over his drink. "Just stop it, Angel. You and I both know that this whole act you put on is bullshit, so there's no point in trying to convince anyone that you're nothing but a fake."

"Call me fake again you dirty bitch!" Angel growled, his eyes glowing. "I fuckin' dare you!"

"Fake,"

"Fuckin' asshole!"

Angel got up from his stool way too fast to get to Y/N, hitting his head on the roof of the bar and falling to the ground.

"You done?" Husk asked.

"You know what? You would be fuckin' lucky to get a chance to fuck me!" Angel yelled, throwing a glass bottle at the wall next to Husk. "You know how much I'm worth? You know how many people would kill to have Angel Dust come onto them!? Fuck you and fuck you too! Have fun being lonely pieces oh shit!"

He stormed off, stomping his way towards the front door.

"Oh, the hell?" Vaggie asked, who just walked into the lounge. "Angel, where are you going?"

"Out!" he screamed before slamming the door shut.

"Husk, Y/N," Vaggie said. "What did you do?"

"Made him a drink," Husk shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh no, he looked really upset," Charlie frowned.

"It's just Angel, he'll be back in five hours just fine," Y/N sighed.

"I'm not so sure," Charlie looked down. "I really messed up at the studio today and he got, it was, it wasn't good okay?"

"Gee, it sounds like someone, or some people, should go after him," Vaggie said loudly.

Y/N and Husk stared at Vaggie.

"People that are named Husk and Y/N,"

"Are you serious?"

"Oh, you've got to be fuckin' kidding me," Husk grumbled. "Why don't you go if you're so worried?"

"Because I'm not the one who sent him storming out" Vaggie answered. "You guys caused it, so now you drag him back."

"No, don't force him back," Charlie intervened. "Just make sure he's safe. I pushed too hard earlier and I only made things worse. Look, he'll come back when he's ready, I just don't want anything to happen to him until then."

Husk and Y/N groaned in frustration.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go write one hundred apology letters and a lesson planned for tomorrow about boundaries!"

Y/N rolled her eyes, beckoning Husk to follow her out the front door. "Your lucky I love you so much, sweetie."

"Alright, let's go find that coked up asshole,"

It took them a little while, but Y/N and Husk were able to locate Angel Dust at a dingy bar called the Black Dot, a bar Y/N used to frequent back before she met Lucifer and Lilith. They walked inside, seeing demons of all kinds either passed out drunk, or having crazy sex in the corner.

It made Y/N cringe, her wings wrapping themselves around her for protection.

Y/N elbowed gently when she saw Angel Dust in a booth, snorting cocaine with a drink in his hand, surrounded by a bunch of shark demons. "I'm so fucked up!" he laughed obnoxiously.

"Gimme a whiskey," Husk muttered as he sat down on the bar, setting a stack on the cash on the counter. The bartender poured him a glass of whiskey. "I meant the bottle, jackass!" he growled, snatching the bottle from the bartender's hands.

"You want anything?" Husk asked.

"No thanks, I'm good," Y/N answered, keeping an eye on Angel.

"So I said, 'You couldn't afford me in a million afterlives.'" Angel Dust said, still unaware that Husk and Y/N were watching him. "I got better options, right boys?"

The sharks around him laughed very loudly, making Y/N roll her eyes and curse under her breath.

"Hey, baby. Be a doll and bring me another one? Daddy's out of juice," Angel asked one of the sharks. 

The shark walked up the bar, sitting right next to Y/N, making her scoot closer to Husk. After the bar tender finished pouring two cups, the shark pulled out a bottle with mysterious pink liquid inside, and poured it into Angel Dust's drink, and walked away as if nothing happened.

"Son of a bitch," Husk murmured, getting up from his seat. "Stay here, I'll handle this."

"You sure?" Y/N asked.

Husk nodded before walking over to where Angel and the sharks were sitting. "Here you go darling," one of the sharks said, about to hand the drink to Angel. "Just for you-ah!"

Husk grabbed the shark by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up in the air. "Nice try, fuckhead," Husk snarled before throwing him into the jukebox.

"Let's go," he grabbed Angel as all the other sharks began to pull out guns. Y/N rushed over, grabbing onto Angel's arm and pulling him out the bar with her. "What the fuck?" he asked as they ran. "Hey!"

"What the actual fuck are you two doing here?" he asked as they got outside and continued to walk. "Let go of me!"

"No way, we're taking you back to the Hotel," Y/N answered, tightening her grip on Angel.

"Get off!" Angel yelled, prying himself away.

"That fucker put something in your drink!" Husk said.

"You don't think I can tell if someone spikes my drink?" Angel angrily said. "I do this all the fuckin' time!"

"You let people drug you?" Y/N asked.

"You think I ask for it!?" Angel yelled. "I don't ask for any of this shit! I didn't ask to be this way! I didn't ask for Charlie to save me! I didn't ask for you to save me. I can handle myself."

"Really? 'Cause I just saw someone self destructing," Husk reasoned. "It seems like, I don't know, you might need a bartender to talk to."

Angel laughed. "Oh, now you're gonna act like you give a shit about me? You think after how you two treated me I'm going open up to you? Please,"

Angel started to walk away. Y/N stood there exasperated by the whole thing and just wanted to go home, but at the same time, so understood what Angel was going through.

"Maybe you would get treated better if you were real, and not some bullshit version of yourself, always pushing my boundaries!" Husk called out. "Lemme tell you, no one in that hotel cares who you are! How famous, how hot. So you might as well just cut the act."

"It's not an act!" Angel turned around suddenly to face the two of them, tears in his eyes. "It's who I need to be. And this! This is my escape! Where I can forget about it all and how much I hate, everything."

"A place where I can get high and not have to think about how much it hurts," he said tearfully. "And maybe if I can ruin myself enough in the process, if I end up broken, I won't be his favorite toy anymore, and maybe he'll let me go."

Angel sat on the curb, putting his head on his hands. Y/N and Husk looked at each other, unsure of what to do and how to handle the situation.

Y/N slowly walked over to where Angel Dust was sitting, plopping herself down next to him, Husk on the other side of him. "I know how you feel," Y/N said softly.

Angel scoffed. "Sure you do,"

“No. I mean I really know.” Her voice changed then. Quieter. More brittle. And that caught his attention. "Do you remember the pornstar, Mariposa?"

Husk and Angel nodded, curious where she was going with the story.

"That was me," Y/N confessed. "I worked for Valentino before you did."

Angel's and Husk's eyes both widened, but the two of them didn't say anything, wanting to see what else she had to say.

“He found me not long after I fell,” she said. “Figured a butterfly demon was marketable. Said it would be ‘aesthetic’, moth and butterfly, predator and prey, all that artsy shit. He wanted a brand.”

"Holy shit," she heard Husk mutter.

“I made him a lot of money. Fast. We did shoots together, him, me, sometimes others. Whatever he thought would sell. It didn’t matter how fucked up it got, as long as the tape rolled and the credits had his name on them.”

Her voice didn’t shake, but there was something hard and distant in it now. Like she’d talked about it a thousand times in her head, but never out loud.

“I didn’t get out because I was brave,” she said. “I got out because I got lucky.”

Angel looked at her, frowning. “How?”

She gave a small, bitter laugh. "Charlie's parents. I met them at one of those stupid promo events Val would always drag me to. We became fast friends after that. They made a deal with him. I don’t know what kind. I just remember waking up one day with my contract altered. I still belong to him, on paper, but he can’t touch me. Can’t use me. Can’t put me on camera or throw me in one of his fucked up projects.”

Angel stared at her like she’d grown a second pair of wings. “I had no idea,” he said softly.

Y/N turned her head toward him, her expression unreadable. “You wouldn’t. No one knows, not even Charlie. Only Lucifer and Lilith."

Y/N looked up to the sky, not noticing the way Husk was looking at her. "Anyways, I'm telling you this so you know that you're not alone. I know we haven't really gotten along, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Angel looked at her for a moment, before a small smile appeared on his face. "I guess I might have been too much of an asshole to you, I'm sorry."

Y/N smiled back. "You don't have to apologize. I also acted like a mega bitch." Y/N scooted a little bit closer to Angel before wrapping one of her arms and one of her wings around him. Angel tensed up a bit, but eased into it.

"You can join in too if you want, Husk," Y/N joked, not expecting him to do anything. She was surprised when he grumbled something under his breath, but put one of arms on Angel's shoulder.

"Thank you," Angel smiled, his gold tooth glinting.

"Anyti-"

"There he is! They're fuckin' huggin'!? Get 'em!"

Those stupid sharks came out, shooting their guns at the three of them. Bullets were bouncing off of every surface. The three of them ran and took shelter behind a car.

"Shit," Husk growled, pulling out a stack of playing cards. "You two stay down. I'll deal with this."

Y/N and Angel stayed down while Husk jumped on the car, throwing his cards at the sharks. "Y'know what? Fuck this!" Y/N yelled. "Do you have any weapons?"

Angel Dust smirked before sprouting more arms, those arms holding machine guns. "I didn't know you could do that," Y/N said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," he purred, handing her a gun. "Now let's go kill some assholes bitch!"

Y/N grinned, jumping on the car and shooting some a shark that was on Husk. "Suck on this fuckhead!"

With a manic grin on her face, she continued to shoot the shark until he wasn't recognizable, until he was just a pile of blood of guts.

"That was badass," Husk smirked as Y/N helped him up.

"I know," she replied, shooting more sharks with a giant grin. It took them a few minutes, but the three of them were successful in killing all the shark demons.

"Woah, that was fun," Y/N panted, wiping the blood off her face.

"That wasn't something I was expecting to see," Husk chuckled.

"Like I said, you two don't know me," Angel winked. "Sex ain't the only thing I'm good at."

"That's good to know," Y/N joked. "Maybe you're not such an asshole."

"Hey, I already said sorry, didn't I?" Angel giggled, lightly hitting Y/N shoulder.

"Let's go home," Husk said. "I'm tired and I need another drink."

The three of them walked into the Hotel, laughing and giggling at some story Angel was telling about Valentino.

"He had like three bills. And it took him like thirty minutes to count it. His eyes are so shit," Angel laughed.

"And this is the guy you gotta take orders from?" Husk chuckled.

"I know! What a fucking joke, right?"

"I'm so sorry Angel!" Charlie cried, running up to Angel and hugging him "I promise I wont ever, ever, ever, ever, ever-"

"Charlie, it's fine. I get it," Angel smiled down at her. "Thanks for caring about me."

Charlie started crying even harder, tears streaming down her face. Angel picked her up and handed her to Vaggie. "I think this is yours," he said.

"Okay missy, let's get you to bed," Vaggie said, taking her from Angel. Vaggie carried away Charlie, who was still blubbering about Angel and how beautiful forgiveness was.

"Hey," Husk said. "How 'bout that drink?"

"You guys go on ahead," Angel yawned. "I'm fuckin' tired and I wanna go to bed."

"Oh okay," Y/N replied as he walked off. "Goodnight Angel."

"Goodnight losers,"

Y/N laughed. "Still think he's gonna be a horny little shit?"

"Absolutley,"

The two of them walked to the bar, Husk getting behind the counter and Y/N sitting on he usual stool. "What'll it be?" he asked.

"Um, gimme a Cosmo," she answered.

Husk got to work on her drink, the two of them staying in silence as he did.

"That was nice what you did. Openin' up to Angel about everything," he set the glass down and leaned on the bar, arms crossed. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t.” Her voice barely above a whisper.

“You didn’t have to say shit,” Husk went on. “Could’ve let him spiral on his own. Hell, most people would’ve.”

“I couldn’t,” she said. “Not when I knew exactly what he was feeling. What it’s like to be owned by that bastard.” There was venom in her voice now. Bit back, controlled, but burning underneath.

Husk tapped his claws against the counter, thinking. Then he reached beneath the bar, poured a glass of something dark and amber. Not for her. For him. He took a slow sip before speaking again.

“You’re tougher than you act.”

She finally met his eyes. “I’m not tough. I just survived.”

“That’s what tough is,” Husk said flatly. “It ain’t about walking through Hell untouched. It’s about walking through it at all. And still being you on the other side.”

She looked at him, really looked. His crumpled bow tie and suspenders. His perpetually annoyed expression. The way he was never quite still unless he was drinking. A broken man in a broken world, pretending he didn’t care, but somehow always knowing exactly when to show up.

“You know,” she said, voice softer now, “when Lilith and Lucifer got me out of that contract, I thought I’d finally be free. But it’s not like that. It still lives in me. The way he touched me, talked to me, looked at me... it doesn’t just go away.”

“I know,” Husk said quietly. “I don’t need to know the details to know the damage.”

They sat in the stillness, that heavy, familiar silence that always wrapped around them like a worn blanket. The hotel buzzed on above and around them, but here it was still.

Safe.

“Thanks for saying that,” she said, almost shyly. “I didn’t think you’d bring it up.”

Husk shrugged. “I don’t do the touchy-feely shit often. But when someone says the kind of thing you said, owns it like that, it deserves respect. Even from me.”

Y/N cracked the smallest smile. “You gonna write me a poem next?”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t push your luck, butterfly.”

But there was a small curve to his mouth, the faintest twitch of amusement, and Y/N felt something warm bloom in her chest.

Not love. Not yet.

But maybe something like the beginning of it.

OMG THIS TOOK SO WRONG TO WRITE

sorry it took me so long to upload it :(

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

Taglist <3

@mysticwitchcraftco @diffidentphantom @wendigonamecaller @barrythestrawberry041 @jx3-xd

@thefrogisautistic @kittykat3232013 @blueberry-muffin323

The night had settled deep over Hell. Even the Hazbin Hotel, so often alive with chaos and clashing voices, was hushed now, bathed in dim red-orange glow from the ever-burning skyline beyond its walls.

Y/N walked alone through the corridor on the third floor.  Most of the residents were asleep, or at least pretending to be. Even Alastor's eerie hums had faded from the halls.

She paused outside the old conservatory, a mostly forgotten room full of long-dead plants and cracked windows that overlooked the crumbling skyline. With a soft push, she slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

The room was cold and silent.

Y/N reached into her sleeve and withdrew a small golden seal, round, slightly warm to the touch, and engraved with divine symbols only an angel could read.

She hesitated. Then, voice barely above a whisper, she spoke the activation phrase:

"Veritas."

The seal floated upward, glowing with gentle white-blue light. It hovered before her, and a moment later, a voice echoed from within.

"Y/N,"

"Hello, Sera," Y/N whispered.

"Your silence over the last two weeks is noted. Have you found anything?"

Y/N stiffened. "Nothing yet. The hotel's residents are... flawed, of course, but not actively dangerous. At least, not in the context we feared."

"And Lucifer?" Sera asked. "Is he involved in corrupting the process?"

Y/N's fingers curled slightly. "He believes I'm here to observe. As Heaven publicly stated, to 'support the rehabilitation initiative.' That's what he thinks this is."

"It is not support," Sera said flatly. "It's surveillance. The Council agreed to give Charlie's project the benefit of the doubt, yes, but only under scrutiny. You are not a guest. You are an investigator."

"I haven't forgotten," Y/N replied, a bit more firmly than she intended.

"Then act like it,"Sera said more firmly. "You're getting too close. The reports we've intercepted about this hotel suggest potential ideological infection. You're not there to make friends with sinners."

Angeline's jaw tightened. "These 'sinners' are trying. Most of them, anyway. And the truth is more complicated than Heaven wants it to be."

Sera's voice was calm. "Complication leads to corruption."

"No," Y/N said, her voice low. "Complication leads to understanding."

The sigil pulsed, then dimmed slightly.

"Are your loyalties compromised?"

"No," Angeline replied. Not right away.

There was a pause. Sera seemed to weigh her words before speaking again."You have two months left. Two months left to investigate this hotel. And if Lucifer catches on to the true reason you're there, we deny everything. Understood?"

"...Understood."

The seal flickered once, then vanished from the air, turning cold and inert in her palm.

Y/N stood still in the dark conservatory, her hand trembling just slightly. She tucked the seal back into her sleeve, then slowly looked up at the shattered ceiling above her.

Outside, the stars were still out, distant, eternal, and indifferent.

She exhaled slowly.

Lucifer didn't know. Not about the real mission. Not about how little Heaven actually believed in Charlie's dream. He thought she'd come as a gesture of peace. A watcher. A diplomat.

And she hadn't corrected him.

That part hurt the most.

The library of the Hazbin Hotel wasn’t used much. It smelled of scorched wood and damp parchment, the shelves cluttered with cracked spines and forgotten knowledge. It was one of the few places in the building that felt quiet ,  which is exactly why Y/N had retreated there.

The pressure of her dual life was weighing on her shoulders like lead. She sat near a tall, warped window, where the eternal red light of Hell streamed through a cracked pane. A book lay open in her lap, but her eyes weren’t on the words. Her mind was replaying the night before,  Sera’s voice, cold and sharp as glass.

She didn’t hear him arrive.

“You know,” came Alastor’s smooth, lilting voice, “for someone with wings, you walk around here like you’re dragging chains.”

Y/N flinched inwardly. She slowly closed her book. “Alastor.”

He emerged from the shadows between the shelves like a stain bleeding through wallpaper, all crimson and teeth and tailored charm.

“You’ve been fascinating to watch,” he continued. “So careful, so polite… but never quite relaxed. Like a guest who knows the dinner party might end with a knife in the back.”

“I suppose that’s a fitting description of Hell,” she replied, voice guarded.

“Oh, certainly,” he agreed with a grin. “But not everyone here’s pretending they’re just observing.”

She tensed. Her eyes flicked to him, and he caught it.

“Ah. There it is,” he said, almost giddy. “The truth’s peeking through.”

Y/N rose from her chair slowly, spine straight and wings drawn slightly in. “You followed me last night.”

“I watched, darling. I listen. It’s what I do,” he said with a slight bow of mock civility. “And I saw something most interesting. You, whispering into a glowing sigil. A divine frequency, if I’m not mistaken. You were reporting.”

She didn’t answer right away. Her silence was answer enough.

Alastor took a step closer, smile unchanging but eyes sharper than glass. “So, what’s the truth, angel? You're not here to cheerlead this little redemption project, are you?”

“No,” she said finally, voice low. “Heaven lied.”

His smile faltered, only a fraction. Just enough to notice.

“They told Charlie they supported her plan. That they were sending me to observe, as a gesture of faith. But that was never the purpose. My mission was to investigate the hotel. Its residents. Him.”

Alastor leaned back slightly, the grin creeping back. “Now that… that sounds more like Heaven.”

She continued, each word tasting bitter in her mouth. “They don’t believe anyone here can change. They think the hotel is a naïve fantasy. A threat, even. If I report anything suspicious… anything they can use… they’ll shut it down. Quietly. Or violently, if they have to.”

Alastor’s chuckle was soft but humorless. “How poetic. Heaven sending a spy cloaked in feathers and goodwill.”

“I didn’t lie to Lucifer,” she added, sharper now. “I just didn’t correct him.”

“Oh, how noble,” Alastor said, clapping his hands once. “Still a lie of omission. And if he found out…” His smile widened cruelly. “Oof. That would sting, wouldn’t it?”

Y/N’s wings shifted behind her, restless. “You got what you wanted. What now? Are you going to threaten me? Tell everyone?”

Alastor tilted his head. “I could. But where’s the fun in that? No, no. I’d rather keep this between us… for now. Provided you continue being such a helpful little fountain of holy knowledge.”

“You want information,” she said, jaw tightening.

“Bingo!” he chimed. “I want the inside scoop. Heaven’s playbook. What they fear, what they want, what they’ll do next. Because I get the feeling this little hotel is just the first domino.”

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Fine. But I’m not telling you everything. Just enough to keep you quiet.”

Alastor’s grin never wavered. “Of course, of course. A little honesty goes a long way. So, tell me something useful, hmm?”

Y/N folded her arms. “Heaven’s been monitoring demon energy surges, especially concentrated ones. They’re worried Lucifer might be rallying power again. They’re paranoid he’s planning something.”

Alastor’s brows rose in genuine intrigue. “How delightfully paranoid of them.”

“They also believe Charlie’s project isn’t really about redemption. Some of them think it’s a front to manipulate Heaven’s politics. That she’s her father’s pawn.”

Alastor’s grin stretched. “Now that is juicy.”

Y/N’s face darkened. “They’re wrong. About her, at least.”

“And about you?” he asked, leaning in.

She didn’t answer.

After a long moment, Alastor clapped his hands together once, crisply. “Well! This has been absolutely enlightening. Don’t worry, dear. Your secret is safe… for now.”

He turned and began to walk away, humming a dissonant jazz tune as he vanished between the shelves.

But just before he slipped fully out of sight, he called back:

“Just remember, I don’t mind dancing with angels. But I never do it for free.”

The library fell quiet again, the air somehow colder than before.

Angeline sat back down in her chair, hands trembling just slightly as she reopened the book on her lap.

She had just made a deal with the Radio Demon.

And the worst part?

She wasn’t sure if she regretted it.

The Hell skyline stretched wide and blood-red above the Hazbin Hotel. The rooftop, while cracked and uneven, had become something of a refuge, a place where chaos below could be drowned out by the illusion of stillness.

Y/N sat at the edge, wings draped behind her like a blanket of starlight, legs folded beneath her. She hadn’t said much since coming up here. She just wanted air, space, after her encounter with Alastor earlier that day.

Then came the familiar shift in the air, the subtle hum of old magic and charm.

Lucifer appeared beside her, just far enough away to respect her space but close enough that she could feel the quiet gravity of his presence.

“Evening,” he said, voice soft, less theatrical than usual.

“Hello,” she replied, looking up at him with a tired smile. “Didn’t expect you to come up here tonight.”

“I could say the same to you,” he chuckled, settling beside her with a sigh. “Seems we’ve both made this place our escape.”

She nodded, watching the fake stars pulse in the Hellish sky above. “Not exactly the same as Heaven’s view.”

“No,” he agreed, leaning back on his hands, eyes on the horizon. “But it has its charm.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the kind that wasn’t awkward but filled with unspoken thoughts neither had quite worked out yet.

Finally, Lucifer exhaled and said, “You ever think about the past too much?”

Y/N glanced at him. “You mean all the time, or just tonight?”

He smiled at that, a real one, faint and worn.

“I’ve been thinking about Lilith,” he said quietly.

That caught her attention.

Lucifer rarely brought her up. He talked about Charlie. About the hotel. About power and sin and pride and rage. But not Lilith. Not the woman he built a kingdom beside.

Y/N shifted slightly, giving him her full attention.

“I keep replaying everything in my head,” he murmured. “Like maybe if I just… handled it differently, we wouldn’t have ended the way we did.”

“She loved you,” Y/N said, gently. “And you loved her.”

“I did,” he said, staring at the city lights below. “But we changed. Hell changed us. We were a storm in the beginning, full of fire and defiance. It felt invincible. But eventually, the storm burned itself out.”

He paused, swallowing hard. “I wanted to believe we could hold it together for Charlie. But that just made everything worse. We weren’t partners anymore, just ghosts trapped in the same castle.”

Y/N’s heart ached for him. She knew the Lucifer of Heaven, the bright, clever, arrogant rebel who once lit up every room like a supernova. And now, here he was, stripped down and tired, grieving not just a marriage, but a life he’d lost a long time ago.

“She left because she needed something you couldn’t give anymore,” Y/N said carefully. “That doesn’t mean you failed. It just means… you both changed. And that’s okay.”

Lucifer looked over at her, eyes glassy but not wet. “I think the worst part is how empty it felt afterward. Like I was still playing king, but the throne didn’t fit anymore.”

She reached out and gently placed her hand over his. “You’re not alone, Lucifer. Not anymore. You have Charlie. You have this insane hotel full of sinners who’d throw themselves into fire for her."

 “And you’ve done more for me than you realize.”

His gaze softened. “You mean that?”

She nodded. “You’ve made Hell feel… not like home, exactly. But like somewhere I can breathe. Somewhere I don’t feel like I’m just carrying out someone else’s plan.”

Lucifer turned his hand over, threading his fingers with hers gently. “That’s what I always wanted,” he said. “For someone to choose to be here. Not because they were damned or broken or banished… but because they wanted to stay.”

Y/N leaned her head on his shoulder, wings curling slightly around them both. “Then maybe you’ve finally got that.”

They sat like that in silence again, not heavy this time, but soft. Peaceful.

Just two old souls under a false sky, healing together.

I PROMISE I PROMISE IM GONNA UPDATE MORE I PROMISE

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

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