Chapter Text
There were some things that should be left to mystery. At least, that's the philosophy Lucifer lived by for 10,000 years, and it was how he wished to continue living. In Eden things were different of course, but one could only stick their hands in the flame so many times before they got tired of being burned.
How long has it been since he expanded his knowledge? Since he bothered to use his magic for anything more than party tricks? Lucifer should have cared more (being a fallen angel and all), but he couldn't find it in himself to be bothered.
Lucifer cleaned up another pile of rubber ducks, watching with an unamused glance as they disappeared at the snap of his fingers. He had been procrastinating this for days, only now getting to it because he had no choice. Wait, is that what his floor looked like? Man had it really been that long since he cleaned? The blonde just shrugged before continuing his work.
When Charlie originally wanted his help with the hotel he couldn't help but be a little wary. A hotel to redeem sinners? Ridiculous! And even after the whole Extermination thing he still found it slightly ridiculous! Yet one look into his baby girl's eyes was enough to somewhat change his stance. Did he think sinners could rise to heaven? Eh, he didn't know. Yet he did know that his daughter was passionate about the idea and that was what truly mattered at the end of the day.
A long long time ago there was a time his daughter's beautiful gaze would be pointed his way. She would stare up at him with so much unconditional love that it would make the fallen angel shrivel up in joy. Back then she believed he hung up the stars (not entirely untrue), yet now it seemed the only thing they had in common was their last name.
Lucifer moved to get rid of another pile of ducks, fingers hanging in the air mid snap, and his magic crackling in excitement as he readied a spell. Except it never went farther than that. As the moment he dared to allow his magic to overtake the pile of ducks he was rudely interrupted by an incessant ringing.
“Shit!” When Lucifer jumped his magic reacted accordingly, flying from his fingers like a bolt of golden lightning so it could dance freely in the air. He bit his bottom lip, watching the rogue magic in apprehension.
Magic was a lot more predictable than most gave it credit for. The energy itself was similar to electricity; wild on its own, but can do amazing things with an outlet. Now the problem arises when it does not have an outlet. Thankfully his bout of accidental magic dissipated quickly, disappearing into a shimmer of golden light as though it wasnt there to begin with. One crisis averted.
Suddenly another ring rang out throughout the room, tearing Lucifer away from his thoughts. It took a second, but he quickly recognized the atrocious as being his phone.
Look, the king of Hell did enjoy all the little innovations throughout the years. Television shows, photography, and the many other little trinkets human’s invented never went unnoticed by Lucifer. Yet he never really could grasp it all. So annoying, and rots your brain out to boot! He shifted through his pockets, digging around until he produced the familiar form of his smartphone. The screen had some cracks, and the case was far from mint condition, but Charlie got it for him so he refused to replace it. Speaking of his daughter it was her face staring back at him from the bright screen of the phone.
“Charlie!? Calling me a day early!? B-But what do I say!? What does she want to talk about!?” The moment Lucifer’s mouth opened he couldn't shut it again. Words pouring out like a gushing faucet as panic overtook every other emotion he had.
I mean, maybe it wasn't so odd that she was calling him. They were father and daughter, even if they didn't really act like it most of the time. This could have just been one of Charlie’s efforts to repair their nonexistent relationship. It wouldn't have been the first time, and probably won't be the last. Lucifer watched as his phone rang one last time before cutting to voicemail. Crap, he didn't mean to miss her call! His hands flew to call her back, but was quickly stopped when her picture popped up on the screen once again. She was calling him back so soon? This time he made sure to answer.
“Char Char! Sorry I missed your call sweetie, I was just cleaning up-” He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence as his daughter’s frantic voice was enough to cut him off.
“Dad. Can you come to the hotel? Right now?” Each word was emphasized, showing a level of urgency that Lucifer had not heard from his daughter before. Honestly, she almost sounded close to tears.
“Wait, is everything ok? Is someone attacking the hotel!?” He hated to admit it, but the angel attack had put him on edge. The silence from the other end definitely didn't help that feeling. The tension building the longer the seconds passed by.
All of the sudden Lucifer found himself back to that day. His daughter at the mercy of Adan, his blade to her throat, and his heart pumping deep within his chest as he tried desperately to make it in time. What if he was too slow? What then? Would he have lost his baby girl? Would his sacrifice have been for nothing?
“N-No, nothing like that! But, um,” Lucifer couldn't hide the relief he felt at that moment. He didn't even care if Charlie heard the sigh he let out as all of his tension melted away. His daughter continued, “It's just something I need your help with so please hurry.” Her words were spoken so quickly, so rushed, yet Lucifer didn't need to know why. Not when his Char Char needed him!
“Hang on, sweetie! I’ll be there in just a second!” He ignored the way his voice pitched. Sure, she said there wasn't anything wrong. But this was also his daughter they were talking about! Charlie could be set on fire and she would still say everything was fine! Carefully he tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder, hands slightly flailing about as he attempted to open a portal.
Now there were many things the king of Hell suspected to see. The hotel on fire, or maybe that tacky bellhop finally snapped. Yet when he stepped through that portal into the brand new lobby of the Hazbin Hotel he was met with the most unusual thing he had ever seen, and that was saying a lot since he's been alive for over 10,000 years.
Furniture turned upside down, curtains pulled from their rods, and the strangest thing being four little forms-
“O-Oh! Dad! You got here faster than I expected.” Charlie sounded at the end of her rope, and when he turned to face her Lucifer realized it was more than that. For the lack of a better word his daughter looked like a mess. Right away Charlie pulled him into a hug, squeezing her father with a tightness he hadn't felt in years. If she was being this touchy with him then Lucifer supposed he wasn't imagining what he just saw. Slowly, they pulled apart.
“H-Hey, Charlie,” The phone slipped from his shoulder, falling to the floor with a deafening thud. He didn't bother to pick it up though, not when he got a good look at his daughter’s face. For one, her smile was strained. Lips twitching slightly as she did her best to keep her composure. Little blonde baby hairs were also sticking out of her normally perfect braid, and seeing how Charlie hadn't made a move to fix it yet spoke volumes. “So, what's going on?” Lucifer spoke softly, watching as Charlie’s face quickly dimmed into an almost comical frown.
“W-Well, we may have had an oopsie here. Um, Alastor may have gotten an injury during his fight with Adam and-” “Hey! Get off each other! How long are you two going to act like wild animals?!” Wasn't that Charlie’s girlfriend? Maggie? Gabby? Something like that.
“Oh no, not again.” Lucifer had a feeling this was not the first round of chaos, especially after hearing the low sigh that escaped his daughter’s lips. All of the sudden she took off into the middle of the lobby, leaving her father to watch on in shock and horror.
Crazy shenanigans were pretty normal for this place, Lucifer had gotten used to it, but what he wasn't used to was the absolutely strange sight in front of his eyes. Of course there was Charlie and Maggie, but what truly caught his eye was the four strangers. He had noticed them before, but he supposed his mind wanted to believe he made it all up.
There, in the center of the room, were two little boys tangled up against one another. It was obviously meant to be an intense fight, but if you asked Lucifer it looked more like two kittens having a spat. Their hands and feet doing whatever possible to make contact with the other, and barely even noticing as both young women tried to intervene.
“Nononono! We talked about this! We don't hit our friends! Though I know you don't see yourself as friends it still isn't nice to hit! Wait, that doesnt mean to start biting!” After several seconds Charlie was finally able to at least grab one of the boys, holding him up from under his arms as though he was a stuffed animal. The action finally allows Lucifer to get a good look at the kid, and lets just say shock was the least of his worries.
“Charlie, honey, is that a human kid?” He allowed an awkward laugh to escape his lips, eyes scurrying about the room to take in the other little forms. Oh crap, they were all humans! What in the world did his daughter do!? He never taught her to make portals, and even if she could do that it wasn't as if she had a human disgu-!
“Dad! It's fine! Um, this is what I wanted to talk to you about,” The young woman smiled awkwardly, holding up her new prize until he was level with her face. The boy himself definitely didn't seem pleased by the action, yet the strained smile that was spread across his features never seemed to falter. There was a slight twitch of the lip that was somewhat familiar, and the kid was wearing an oversized red suit, but…..oh god dont tell him.
“So, an angelic wound may have or may not have turned my friends into kids and I don't know what to do.” Charlie was trying so hard to stay optimistic, but Lucifer could see how the situation was killing her inside. He couldn't blame her for that, not when the overwhelming feeling of dread was consuming him where he stood.
“This has to be a joke.”