Chapter Text
You awake as your plush mattress melted away and was replaced with the hard asphalt. You quickly sit up and rub your eyes. What lay before you was a city that felt like any other city but.. Off. The buildings were a little too crooked, and some had horns. Not to mention the looming red sky above you with two spheres in the sky, one a darker red and the other an angelic white. Where were you?
Before you could continue to ponder you were shoved out of your thoughts as an explosion left your ears ringing and you went to cover them.
What.
What the fuck.
Why are your ears huge and on the top of your head? For that matter, why were you blue? Were those wings -
Another explosion boomed in the distance, sending another pang of pain throughout your body. You shakily stood on unfamiliar feet and ran. You didn’t know where you were running but you just needed to get away . You ran and ran, your heart pounding in your ears as you rushed to a quieter part of the city. Your body ached as you continued to shove past the pain, not stopping until the noise stopped and the city lights died down.
You panted, your hands on your knees as you leaned over and coughed and wheezed. You hadn’t run like that in ages. You swallowed hard, your throat feeling like the desert as you looked up. You were met with a towering hotel with a flashy sign that read, “Hazbin Hotel.”
A hotel? Well, it seemed way more peaceful than where you just came from, couldn’t be that bad. You continued to breathe heavily as you hobbled your way to the front door and knocked, pleading silently that someone would answer that didn’t want to blow you up. Fortunately, when the person on the other side opened the door they didn't blow you up.
Unfortunately, she did hold a spear to your throat. You win some, you lose some.
Your hands shot up as a sign of peace and smiled nervously. Not the most welcoming way to be greeted but considering what you had experienced so far, this was tame. She was gray and looked more human than you did, which felt weird. She had lighter gray hair over one of her eyes, a red X on top. She glared at you with intense hatred. This was already very interesting.
Another taller person in a red suit noticed the two of you and walked up behind the threatening woman. She was pale white with rosy cheeks and blonde hair, a smile plastered on her face as she made eye contact with you.
She lowered the spear that the other held and greeted you with a smile, “Hello! Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!”
You were taken aback with how cheerful she was. You looked around for a moment, considering whether or not this was a trap before speaking, “Hello! Uhm, where.. Am I?”
The two looked at each other before the taller one awkwardly smiled, “Why don’t you come inside first?”
“Oh, alright”
She led you into the hotel, which felt quite homely all things considered. The interior was nicely decorated with furniture and plants. There was also a portrait of three people, one of them looking like the one leading you right now. She sat you on one of the plush red couches that was set near an old TV.
She seemed visibly nervous as she spoke, “Okay, so, you are um.. In Hell!” She laughed awkwardly before continuing, “Welcome..?”
You looked around again, “I died? I don’t remember dying..?” You mumbled, now in deep thought. The more you thought, the more your head hurt, so you gave up. You didn’t really care that much. Not like you had much going for you up there.
“Huh,” You shrug your shoulders, “makes sense.”
You extended a hand, “I’m Twist.”
She seemed taken aback by how quickly you got over being dead and in Hell but she smiled and took your hand, “I’m Charlie!” She grabbed the shorter one by the shoulders, “And this is my girlfriend, Vaggie!”
You offered your hand to Vaggie but she didn’t make any motion to greet you, other than glaring at you. You cleared your throat awkwardly, “So, what’s up with this place?”
Charlie looked like she was about to explode before Vaggie gently put a hand on her shoulder. Charlie took a deep breath before “calmly” explaining her plan to redeem sinners. You crossed one leg over the other as you listened. It sounded interesting, but not for you.
“Sounds neat but I don’t think I’m too interested in being redeemed.”
Charlie’s mood dampened at this and you quickly added, “-But! I could work for you. Like, uh, I can cook!”
Charlie’s eyes sparked again when she heard this and started vibrating in place, squealing with happiness.
“Yes yes yes! It’s perfect! You can be our hotel chef!” She hugged you quickly and then grabbed your hand, dragging you.
“Come, come! You need a tour! Oh oh, this is the bar and the bartender! Husk!” She waved a hand to the bar where a gray cat dressed like a magician, Husk, grimaced at you. How charming.
She introduced you to the other hotel residents and staff, Nifty a short – and creepy – cleaner, an awkward snake guy Sir Pentious, a tall, red, deer, radio guy, Alastor and a white and pink fuzzy spider, Angel Dust. It was certainly a group of people. Not one you expected to see living in the same place, though you guess that's the point.
She led you down a hall and turned to a door, “This is your room!” She said as spread her arms to motion to the room before you.
Your eyes widened in awe as you walked in. It looked so comfy. There was a bed against one of the walls, a side table with a lamp that lit the room on one side. There was a dresser and an empty closet. The window peered out to the front of the hotel and you could see the city you ran from, faint smoke trailing in the deep red sky. There was a door on the other side of the room, which you assumed was a bathroom. It was sparsely decorated, which made sense, but still had a nice home feeling to it. You walked over to the bed, your hands running over the soft blankets and sheets.
You turned around to Charlie, “This is amazing.. Thank you so much, how much do I have to pay to stay here?”
Charlie waved a hand dismissively and laughed, “Oh no, don’t worry! You can live here rent-free, and in return you cook!”
Your eyes lit up, “Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I’ll be glad to cook for everyone here.”
Charlie smiled at you, “Okay, I’ll let you get some rest, I’ll show you where everything else is tomorrow. Goodnight!”
“Goodnight!”
As she shut the door behind her you fell onto the bed letting out a sigh. What a hectic day. You curled up in the bed and was reminded of your new body. You sat up and looked at yourself more closely. You looked like… A blue bat? … With lighter patches scattered throughout your body? But instead of having your wings be your arms, there were separate wings on your back. You flexed them, a weird sensation coursing through your body as you acquainted yourself with your new limbs. You sighed once more and flopped on your back, staring up at the ceiling. You rubbed a hand down your face, groaning. Your body ached and you decided it was finally bedtime, turning the lamp off with a “
Click!
”. You shifted under the covers, and got comfy, your eyes slowly fluttering closed, your mind getting quieter and quieter as you drifted to sleep.
You woke up to an alarm clock going off. You batted at it with your hand, groaning annoyedly. You had no idea where this damned creation came from but you wanted it gone .
When your blind hitting of the noise box didn’t work you begrudgingly opened your eyes and unplugged it. Alas, it was futile as now you were awake. You yawned and rubbed the sleep from your eyes before getting out of bed. You walked over to the window and looked out, the sky a brighter shade than the night before. You sighed, guess this wasn’t a dream.
When you walked around your new room again you noticed your closet no longer empty. You walked to it, a note being left on the hanger with a fresh, clean chef outfit.
For our new chef! We are so happy to have you here and I hope you enjoy your stay! I’m so happy you decided to work here and I can’t wait to work with you. Anyways, enjoy your new uniform! Of course you don’t have to wear this all the time but while cooking it’d be nice if you wore it. Tell me if it doesn’t fit!
Love,
-Charlie
You looked up at the uniform, admiring how clean and nice it looked. Before trying it on you walked into the bathroom and cleaned up, showering, brushing your teeth, the usual. Once you were dry and no longer felt filthy you tugged on the outfit, it fit like a glove. You took a deep breath. First day of work, don’t fuck it up.
You carefully walked out of your room, searching through your brain to remember where the lobby was. Eventually you made it and saw Charlie talking to Vaggie. Your echoing footsteps made her turn and smile at you.
“Twist! Goodmorning!” She smiled and waved. “How did you sleep? Oh! I see you found your uniform! Does it fit well?”
You nodded and waved back, “Yes, it fits great. And I slept really good actually,” you smiled.
“Oh I’m so glad!” Charlie clapped her hands together. “Alrighty, the residents will be awake in around an hour, so I’ll take you to the kitchen!” She grabbed your arm and dragged you once more.
She led you down a different hallway that eventually led to a spacious dining room with potted plants in the corners and two big windows on the side of the room. “This is where you will set the table,” She explained. “And over here,” Charlie said, drawing out the ‘e’ as you two moved through a door to the side, “is the kitchen!”
The kitchen was even larger, various utensils and cooking equipment scattered neatly throughout. It was also very clean, you could have sworn you saw it sparkle.
“Everything you need should be in here but if we end up missing something that you need, let me know!” Her smile never wavered as she explained your daily routine, a bouncing ball of light in the hotel.
You’d get a weekly menu of what would be made for each day and when breakfast and dinner were to be served. You would not be providing lunch as the residents usually were out by then, but you could serve it if you wished. All in all, it was a pretty sweet job and very doable. While you were still having a bit of trouble remembering your life, you did know you were pretty good at cooking and worked at a good amount of restaurants – that’s it though.
And that’s how it went for a while, you made breakfast and dinner and sometimes lunch if a lot of people were still at the hotel. You had a free room which you slowly decorated more to your taste until it was practically your own Heaven in Hell. You grew closer to the other hotel residents, Husk tolerated you, Nifty enjoyed how clean you kept the kitchen, you and Angel shared a love for shitty rom coms, Charlie enjoyed having another worker, Vaggie didn’t seem like she wanted to murder you at all times and Sir Pentious talked to you about whatever weird weapon he wanted, but wasn't allowed to, make. Alastor.. Well, he was still creepy but you could like, hold a conversation with him. Most of all, they all seemed to enjoy your cooking, which is what really mattered to you. You loved seeing how much they ate of your food, you worked hard and seeing the happy faces on these sinners made you feel accomplished.
This morning Charlie seemed rather distraught as she walked up to you.
“Hello Charlie! Is everything alright?” You asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She sighed and shook her head, “My father is coming over, I need to talk to him.”
You didn’t know much about Charlie’s family but you knew enough to know she and her dad weren’t close.
“I need you to prepare a bigger meal than normal, I want to show him that sinners can be good and therefore redeemed,” she explained as she handed you a list of foods that were to be made. “He’ll be here tonight, so that should give you plenty of time.”
You nodded to her, “You got it! I’ll make the best meal that he’s ever eaten, he’ll have no choice but to help you!” You flashed a toothy grin, hoping to rekindle her positive attitude.
It worked, a bit, as she smiled back at you before turning around and walking away, “I have to go get everything set up, good luck!”
You set off, looking over the list what felt like a million times, before you entered the kitchen and got to work.
After several long hours of work you were finally done. You wiped the sweat from your forehead before bringing the trays to the table. You set the table for each guest and laid out the dishes. You had finished just in time, you could hear the King of Hell enter and.. Butt heads with Alastor? Alright, not what you thought would happen but that’s Alastor’s grave, not yours.
You waited impatiently until it was dinner time. You watched Charlie bring in everyone to the dining hall and she introduced her dad to you.
“Dad, this is Twist! He is the hotel’s chef,” She said with a hand motioning to you.
You bowed, “Pleasure to meet you, your highness.” That’s how you greet royalty, right?
He waved a hand, “Oh please, call me Lucifer. Any friend of Charlie’s is a friend of mine.” He said, his voice sharpening as he side-eyed Alastor.
As you straightened yourself, you realized how short the King of Hell was. And you had to admit, he wasn’t bad looking. He shared many features with his daughter, the blonde hair, pale skin and red cheeks, but held himself in a more regal manner. Well, as regal as he could as he glared at Alastor.
You turned to the large table, “Tonight I have set several small dishes of honey garlic pork chops, lemon garlic butter shrimp, fried spring rolls, stuffed mashed potatoes with the main course of cedar-plank salmon.” You say in the most professional voice you can muster.
As Lucifer walked to a chair you were quick to pull it out for him and sat him. He seemed caught off guard by this for a moment but quickly composed himself. You pushed in his chair as he sat down.
Once everyone sat down, they began eating. You stood off to the side, trying not to make it obvious that you were staring at Lucifer. He ate neatly, which you were thankful for as his white and red suit was making you anxious. You looked for any sign that he was enjoying it and luckily you saw that when he tried the salmon. His eyes seemed widened as he slowly chewed, taking in the flavor. He looked at you and nodded. You smiled widely and did your best to keep your composure.
When everyone finished eating, Lucifer, Charlie and Vaggie stayed seated and began talking.
As they talked about the hotel, Lucifer awkwardly avoiding stating his opinion, you grabbed the dirty plates and other dishes to bring back to the kitchen. You got to work cleaning the dishes. You filled the sink with warm, soapy water before rolling up your sleeves and grabbing a sponge. As you cleaned you could hear Lucifer and Charlie talk intensely before their tones changed. When you came back out to the dining room after cleaning and putting up the dishes in their place, they were embracing each other, Lucifer on the brink of tears.
“I’ll get you that meeting with Heaven,” He promised her as they pulled apart. “But I won’t be able to join you, will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” Charlie said with a reassuring smile.
“That’s my girl,” He said, his lip quivering for a moment before it was gone. “I’ll be around more often, I promise.”
And with that, he was gone, disappearing in a swirl of red.