Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Vaggie was laying across one of the couches in the communal living room and halfway through a good book when she noticed Angel giving her a weird look. "What?"

"Where's Charlie?"

"She's at Fra—Rosie's Emporium. She said she wanted to get some fabric for Niffty to repair some of the curtains."

"And you didn't go with her?" Angel asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vaggie asked.

"Well," Angel lays on the opposite side of the couch, "you're always by her side, ready to skewer any mothafucka that even looks at Charlie funny."

"I'm not her bodyguard. Razzle and Dazzle are."

"The cute goat bois?"

"That's right. Don't let their current appearance fool you. Also, Charlie is the Princess of Hell, daughter of Lucifer. She can take care of herself if she needed to." Vaggie was about to return to her book when the door slams open. Instinct told her to summon her spear in case it was another intruder but sees its Charlie. The moth demon was about to return to her reading until she saw Charlie fighting with her coat. It would have been a funny scene if not for how upset Charlie looked.

Angel and Vaggie exchanged looks before getting up from the couch and walk over to the unhappy Charlie as she slammed her coat on the ground. "Charlie, what's wrong? What happened?" Vaggie asked. The blonde hellborn looked so upset, her brows farrowed and her lips in a frown. The frown quivered before Charlie dropped the angry look and started to cry. "Charlie?" Vaggie moved to comfort her girlfriend, but Charlie moves past her and Angel and heads up the stairs. "Charlie!"

A pair of bleating voices made Vaggie turn to the goat demon duo. "Razzle, Dazzle, what happened?" the pair put down some plastic bags they were holding and started to do some charades. Angel stood silently, confused, but Vaggie was able to understand what Razzle and Dazzle was trying to tell her. "What?! That asshole again?!"

"Who? Was it Killjoy again?" Angel asked.

"No. Someone worse." Vaggie climbs up the stairs and the arachnid followed.

"Who?"

"A guy named Botis. He's Charlie's ex-boyfriend."

"Her ex? What kind of guy is he?" Vaggie paused to give him a look. "I'm not gonna fuck him."

"…To make a long story short," Vaggie continues her climb, "he's a shithead that treated Charlie like crap."

Angel blinks. "Uh…this is Hell, right?"

"Have you met Charlie?"

"…Good point."

"Good evening." Alastor greeted as he descended from the stairs in front of them. "As much as I love to see the despondent distress of some infernal fool for my own amusement, why is Charlie in such a state?"

Vaggie groans. "Just come with me."

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Vaggie vigorously knocks on the door to Charlie's suite. "Charlie, please let me in!...Charlie…" She, Angel, and Alastor stood outside of Charlie's room.

"What happened?" Niffty asked when she appeared.

"Charlie's schmuck ex made her upset while she was out." Angel answered. While he tried to be indifferent, it was clear that he was irked.

Niffty gasped. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have let Ms. Charlie go!"

"Now, now, Niffty dear. There is no reason for you to apologize on the man's behalf." Alastor said.

"He's right. It's not like we knew he was gonna be there." Vaggie said.

"What kind of demon is this Botis fellow?" Alastor asked.

"Try imagining the biggest jerk in the world with an equally big ego and a sense of entitlement."

"…Hmmm…" Alastor hummed thoughtfully.

"What a dick." Angel remarked.

"Couldn't agree more." Vaggie said. She gazes at the locked door sadly. "I really want to comfort her and help her forget that assface."

"Don't you have a master's key or somethin'?" Angel asked.

"I don't know where it is right now." Vaggie said.

"Maybe Al knows. He pretty much knows the hotel layout like the back of his—Hey, where did he go?"

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Alastor materialized into the darkened room, the only light being from outside shining through the window. He spots Charlie curled up on her king-sized canopy bed, laying on her side and quietly sobbing. The girl didn't notice his presence until she felt the side of her bed dip from his weight and she finally registered his radio noise.

She tries to wipe away her tears. "…What do you want, Al?" she wanted to cry more because of how much her voice cracked.

"I wanted to see how you were fairing." the Radio Demon said, his tone not as enthusiastic as he would make it. It was calm and tamed. "Of course, the answer is obvious. Vaggie has informed us of this Botis chap."

"…Oh…"

"May you tell me what transpired during your encounter with him?" Alastor asked.

Charlie didn't want to waste Alastor's time on something that was her problem. Why would Alastor wanted to help anyways? Doesn't he find the suffering of others entertaining?

With a sigh, Charlie says, "I was getting out of Rosie's Emporium when I met up with him. I was going to ignore him, but he said some…mean things to me."

"Like what?"

"…He said that I was a foolish princess with my head in the clouds. He told me that someone like me would never amount to anything and this was a waste of my time, that I should start acting like a real princess by being obedient and follow orders. And that's not the worst of it. He even said that the sinners in my hotel are nothing more than fleas on rats, that you all deserved this endless punishment until you're erased by the Exterminators, no matter your reason for being down here." Alastor wanted to chuckle at the last part. Of course, Charlie would think that. "He said that I'm better off going back to him then to spend time with sinners. But, I won't! I won't go back to him!" Charlie could almost feel her horns growing.

"…Is that so?" Alastor said. "…From the way I see it, you are still his."

Charlie sits up. "What?" Alastor didn't turn to face her, keeping his back towards her.

"You are still thinking about him. He makes it so he would always be in your head by berating you and putting you down. To bring forth all your shortcomings and flaws in order to make you feel worthless and small." Alastor explained. "It gives him satisfaction. A feeling of control. That he knows that no matter what you try to do or try to say, you will always belong to him." There was a shift in the air. "It doesn't have to be that way, of course. If I recall, you've learned from your father to—how did you put it— 'not take shit from other demons', yes?"

"…Yes."

"And you have found an amazing significant other in Vaggie, correct?"

Charlie sniffed. "Yes." she said with a little more confidence.

"Then I see no issue on the matter anymore." Alastor said, getting up and summoning his mic cane. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. For the hotel, of course." He finally turns to her. "As do you."

Charlie could feel more tears welling in her eyes, but not out of sadness or frustration. It was appreciation. "Thank you, Al."

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear." With that said, Alastor disappears into his shadows.

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Vaggie, Angel, and Niffty all pressed against the door, trying to listen for anything.

"…I don't hear nothin'." Angel said.

"Neither can I." Vaggie said.

"Maybe she cried herself to sleep?" Niffty wondered.

"That's even worse!" Vaggie said. "Angel, you stay here while I go—" the door suddenly opens, causing Vaggie and Angel to fall over.

Charlie blinked. "Guys?"

"Charlie!" Vaggie said, instantly on her feet and hugs her. Charlie returns it with her own, taking in Vaggie's scent. Vaggie eventually pulls away and cups her love's cheek. "Are you okay?"

Charlie leans into the touch and nods. "Yeah. I am now."

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Botis is enjoying a glass of red wine and music from a nearby radio, experience an afterglow after having sex with a prostitute from Porn Studios. The harlot wasn't the one he wanted to sleep with, but the one he did, Angel Dust, wasn't available at the time. Too bad. The whore was sexy looking in all those portraits.

Suddenly, the radio started to malfunction. Botis clicks his tongue. Stupid antiques…he thought. He reluctantly rises from his recliner, wearing nothing but a robe. He adjusts the dial and hits the radio. It's starts to play normally again. Botis goes to return to bask in his pleasures until the radio started to glitch again. Getting mad, he turns to the radio only to see the device's appearance had changed. It looked as though the cathedral styled radio had gain a grin and its dials were resembling eyes and it glowed an ominous red.

"What the fuck?" Botis muttered, his chest feeling heavy from the dense radio static hovering over him. Unbeknownst to him, the shadows behind started to shift and change and tall figure emerged from the inky blackness. The figure stretched up, long antlers protruding from its head. It possessed a twisted smile and dark eyes with dial tones for pupils.

Like a python, shadow strikes.

"The best kind of show happens behind closed doors…"

As I was writing this fic, I've realized that Alastor has some similarities to Fai from Tsubasa Chronicles. An easygoing and flippant man with a much darker personality than he lets on who likes to screw with other people for shits and giggles. Same could be said for Dazai from Bungou Stray Dogs.

Makes me more curious about Alastor's character. Of course, there's always a chance he could be more different than what we vision him to be.

Please, leave a comment!