Chapter Text
He looked at the application, Hilda Spellman, the name was familiar, but he couldn’t put a face with it. This wasn’t unusual, for all Greendale was lauded for having a small-town feel, it was actually rather large.
In any case, this Hilda sounded promising. She had experience running a business, a mortuary, but a business nonetheless. Which meant Cerberus called her first, wanting to interview the most promising of candidates before he moved onto the numerous high school applicants with half-finished resumes and spelling errors.
Something stirred inside him when they spoke over the phone to schedule an interview. Her voice was like happiness and bells, sweet and excited. Pushing down the swirling emotions inside him, Cerberus hung up the phone, Hilda agreeing to come in tomorrow afternoon, and went back to work.
The next day he was lost in a mountain of work, having quite forgotten the odd feeling Hilda’s voice had given him… until he heard it again.
“Dr. Cerberus?” The question sounded from behind him and sent his stomach swooping once more.
Turning slowly from where he’d been restocking the coffee bar, Cerberus found a short, blonde woman standing behind him.
“I’m Hilda Spellman,” she greeted, smiling broadly at him and holding out her hand to shake his.
Cerberus took her hand, unable to help but notice how soft her skin was, and shook it. “Welcome Hilda,” he smiled in return, happy how calm he appeared when his demon was peeking its head up in interest. “Let’s have a seat.” He grabbed her application and led the way to one of the booths and slid in across from Hilda. “So,” he couldn’t help but smile at her again and how she sat, eyebrows raised expectantly at him. “Tell me a bit about yourself.”
The interview went smoothly for the most part, Hilda easily answering all his questions, even if she seemed a little unsure about herself. “And, um, what I lack in experience, I do make up for in enthusiasm.” She informed him, tugging her fingers nervously. “I get on with most everyone. I love to read. Um, I love a good chat. I’m a wonderful baker.”
Smiling, Cerberus tried to interject, tell her she already had the job and she didn’t need to keep listing off skills. But she kept going.
“And, I have to say, I’m a very big fan of yours, Dr. Cerberus.” She added in an almost conspiratorial whisper. Taken aback, Cerberus sat back in his chair a bit, the demon in his head growling that it was a big fan of hers. Stuffing the horrid thing to the back of his mind, Cerberus refocused on the wonderful woman in front of him who loved horror hosts and knew he used to be the local weatherman.
Standing, Cerberus walked away from the booth, needing a bit of space to clear his head—the demon not quite as silenced as he wished it to be. “Let me ask you something, Hilda. How do you feel about wearing a costume while you’re working here?”
“While working here…” Hilda repeated hopefully, her nose wrinkling in joy.
A sudden sense of déjà vu overcame Cerberus when she did. Then it hit him, where he recognized her name from, and he was stunned he hadn’t noticed sooner. “You’re Sabrina’s aunt!” He exclaimed, feeling foolish for his obtuseness.
Furrowing her brow slightly, Hilda looked at him in confusion at the sudden change of topic. “Yes, I am. How…?”
“She looks so much like you, down to the, the nose wrinkle.” He indicated to her face and Hilda seemed taken aback but certainly pleased. “How I didn’t realize before you’re related to one of my regulars... forgive me.” He placed a hand over his heart and Hilda laughed. And Cerberus found he wanted to hear that glorious sound again. “Now, about this costume…” He repeated, glancing at her as he went back to the front counter to show her a few things before she started the next day. “It’s part of the aesthetic,” he added, gesturing to his own getup. And, well, he hoped her being in costume would distract him from other things about her.
Hilda stood and trailed after him. “I take it I got the job, then.” She inclined her head a bit and gave him a tentative smile.
Smacking himself on the forehead, Cerberus stopped and faced her. “Yes, of course. How vague of me. Hilda Spellman, would you like the job?” He held out a hand and Hilda immediately took it and shook it.
“Yes. Yes, I do, and I would be just fine wearing a costume while I worked.” She supplied before he could mention it again.
They beamed at one another for a moment, their hands still linked in a frozen handshake, when Cerberus’ incubus purred. The reaction had him dropping Hilda’s hand as though scalded and he moved behind the counter to get her a few things for when she’d start.
After Hilda left, Cerberus’ demon quieted enough for him to finish the day without incident. But it never could leave him be for long and as he was making dinner it started to whisper filthy things about why he hired Hilda.
“I hired her because she was by far the most qualified, she has an amazing personality and would be great with customers.” He argued against the voice in his head. The demon scoffed and Cerberus assumed it would’ve rolled its eyes as well if it could.
But we could, you know, give her some private trainings at work... after hours. It murmured salaciously and Cerberus roughly shoved the idea away, guilt flooding through him as the demon whispered various things they could cover in these ‘trainings’.
“Shut up!” He exploded, slamming his hands on the counter. “Hilda deserves respect and you will give her that. She is not to be gawked after or treated rudely in any way!”
His outburst silenced the demon. And Cerberus sighed and went back to preparing his dinner, not exactly hungry anymore, wondering if the demon would grow weaker over time or if this was what his life would be like forever.