Chapter 25 A dance on the rooftops

*

The next day, you arrived a little later at the hotel, prepared some small decorations that you could offer Charlie, and then stopped at a shop to buy something for a certain person. You also picked up some posters for Charlie's hotel. You weren't really an advertising specialist, but you had some ideas that might help the princess put her project forward.

Once you arrived at the door you looked at your watch and saw that it was 9:10 am. Well, you were a little late for your taste. You would have preferred to arrive at 8:00 a.m... but maybe it was better that way... After all, even though you had laughed at the radio demon's bouquet of "charred flowers", you had spent a badnight. The demons of your past weren't going to let you rest.

You needed to take a little time to regain your composure so that you wouldn't lose control again.

*

You took a deep breath and entered the hotel with a friendly "Hello everyone".

As soon as you closed the door Charlie rushed towards you with Vaggie and Nikolai who thrown himself into your arms to welcome you. You kissed his forehead but as soon as the little Beagle let you go, Charlie immediatly hugged you.

You stiffened in surprise and your eyes widened in surprise. You glanced confusedly at Vaggie, who was looking at her feet with a downcast look on her face.

"Am I missing something? "You asked anxiously.

Charlie stepped back to look at you and you noticed that she seemed to be holding back from crying.

"Oh Y/N... you're... you're not leaving? »

Your eyebrows raised in total shock.

"What- Why would I leave, Charlie?" you asked with a chuckle.

"Well... with what happened with Alastor, we figured you didn't want to work here." You replied Vaggie, gently grabbing Charlie's hand to comfort her.

Your expression slowly softened, then with a smile you answered.

"It takes more than that to scare me away. " You laughed. "And you're not responsible of that. It wouldn't be fair to leave you now, I said I'd help you and I'll keep my word."

As soon as your words were spoken, Charlie's smile widened as tears streamed from his eyes. She hugged you again and smothered several small "thank you" through her sobs. Vaggie seemed relieved.

You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little embarrassed by the affection the two girls had for you... in fact, it touched you. A smile appeared on your face as you patted the Princess' shoulder to reassure her.

"I told you so," Nikolai said cheerfully with a big smile.

The blonde laughed and dried her tears. Then suddenly she noticed that one of your hands was caught by a bag.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I had a chance to think about the hotel a little bit yesterday, and I found some activities that demons could do to keep themselves busy while staying at the hotel. »

You invited them to follow you into the living room and took out of your bag the flowers you had sewn early this morning. Charlie's eyes widened at the sight of a white rosebud you'd made.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"I also thought we could use it as a decoration for the hotel."

Charlie nodded and then you added.

"And I wanted to know if the hotel had a garden. »

"Um... yeah, well, it's not really maintained. Why?" Charlie replied.

"Well, I think introducing sinners to gardening can be extremely beneficial to them."

"Why's that? "Vaggie asked.

"Well, gardening allows many people to clear their minds, and you bring something into being, you give life in a way by planting plants and taking care of them. I think some demons would become much more sensitive and a little bit more empathetic if they did some gardening. As far as sewing is concerned, I think it will teach them patience and allow them to think about something other than ... drugs or murder ... well, I guess. Also, some would be tempted to give their creation to their friend without expecting anything in return, so they would be more inclined to learn generosity." You've explained.

*

Charlie's mouth opened as his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"OOOH it's a fantastic idea Y/N I really can't wait to see all this! What do you think of it Vaggie?"

The white-haired girl chewed her lips with concern.

"I'm a little scared to be honest. Are you sure this can work Y/N?"

"I completely understand your concern Vaggie, and I'm not at all claiming that it will work for sure, on the contrary, a lot of demons will think it's stupid in the first place, I have no illusion about it. It will take a lot of patience. »

Vaggie wet her lips and then nodded her head with a smile.

"At this point we can still try. " she said, crossing her arms.

"So does this mean I'll be able to garden? "Nikolai asked with stars in his eyes.

"Yes, my angel, you'll be able to garden." You answered, ruffling her hair.

"So cool! "twittered the child

"We have a small field behind the hotel, the demons can use it."

"Can I see it? " Nikolai asked."

"Of course," replied Charlie. "Vaggie, do you mind showing him?"

"um... all right, all right, Are you coming kid?"

"Lead the way! "replied the child joyfully

*

The princess watched them leave quite dreamily and then turned to you with a slightly more serious face.

"Um, Y/N, you know about... um, your..."

"Let's not talk about this anymore Charlie, I'm fine, and it's better this way."

"Oh, um, all right, but if you want to talk, I'm here, okay? I know I can't really put myself in your shoes because I... well I mean " The blonde got nervous, probably because she didn't really know what to say to avoid hurting you.

To reassure her you put a sympathetic smile on your face and then calmly said.

"Charlie, I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me, it's my problems, not yours."

"No, it's my business, you work here, and I didn't pay attention to what was eating at you, and because of that..."

"Charlie, what happened with Alastor is not your fault, I mean, I didn't tell you about that part of my past after all. You have nothing to blame yourself for. I, on the other hand... I should have controlled myself better, I really could have made a mistake. " You said with your eyes averted.

The Princess's eyes widened and then she answered you quickly.

"Oh no! You don't have to feel responsible for anything Y/N, any mother would have reacted in a similar way. I- don't even dare imagine the horror and pain you must feel sometimes." She grabbed your hands and gave you a smile. "I know I'm repeating myself, but please, if you really feel bad, tell me about it."

You stared at her eyes for a moment and then with a faint smile you replied.

"I'll think about it, Charlie."

Suddenly your ears rose violently on your head when you realized you'd almost forgotten something.

"Oh, by the way! I almost forgot, I've got good news for you. »

"What?" asked the princess.

"I met a demon on my territory, Boris knows him well, and he agreed to help us with the hotel. »

Charlie's face lit up as her eyes glowed with hope.

"Who?"

"It's Fos, he runs a newspaper, if Vox ever accepts this interview and I manage to do what I want, he'll be able to praise your hotel in his next articles. I know print media doesn't mean much in nowdays, but I think it's better than nothing."

You could almost swear Charlie was holding back from crying tears of relief.

If your plan ever worked, she'd regain some credibility in the eyes of the demons, and her project would have a better chance of working. She was getting her hope back.

"Wait before you thank me. " You laughed because you saw that Charlie was going to throw himself at you again to hug you. "Vox has to agree and nothing says I'm completely successful at what I want. »

The sparkle in the blonde's eyes dissipated slightly but she still gave you a thank-you hug.

You stiffened with a slight discomfort but you allowed it.

"Well, what can I do to help you today?" You asked by tapping her shoulder.

"Oh um, if you could help Niffty with the housework that would be really nice, then I don't think I'll bother you any more."

"All right, Charlie, let me know if there's anything you want me to do."

The blonde nodded and went to join Vaggie and Nikolai in the garden. Your smile fell off and you went to get some household products to help Niffty clean the hotel.

At least today, it seemed to be quick... maybe Charlie didn't want to overwork you... especially not after what had happened.

Suddenly a familiar smell took your mind off things.

*

"Hello, Alastor. "You said dryly as you turned in his direction.

"Greetings my dear," replied the stag in a surprisingly cheerful voice. If you didn't know him you'd say he almost looked relieved.

Before he could say anything, you placed a condescending smile on your face while raising your chin slightly.

"The rose stems were original," you said with your arms crossed. "I admit it, you surprised me."

The deer's smile widened to the ears. He put one hand on his heart, and leaned slightly toward you.

"Your words go straight to my heart my dear, I apologize again for my..."moment of madness", I'll watch my words in the future."

Since when did this sadist have a heart? Tss, why were you asking that question? You already knew the answer. You refrained from rolling your eyes at his comment and then you went through your bag.

"I thought of you this morning when I went shopping."

The deer's ears immediately went on alert as it approached you.

"Oh really? Oh dear, you really shouldn't have! I'm really flattered- "

The demon of the radio cut himself suddenly when he saw, in a jar, a tiny green thing of unspeakable disgrace filled with sharp needles.

A cactus? Did You bought him a fucking cactus?

"Yes, I know, it's nothing grand or... "spiketacular," but I thought it was perfect for you, so I couldn't resist." You said, restraining yourself from laughing at his slightly surprised face.

The deer quickly came to his senses and asked you in a slightly suggestive voice.

"Then am I to understand that you forgive me, my dearest Y/N?"

"I forgive you," you smiled

"Wonder- "

"But I don't forget Alastor."

The deer's smile narrowed a bit and then he nodded.

"Yes, of course I understand."

"All right, well I'd love to talk to you a bit longer but I've got work to do, see you later...maybe" you said as you picked up your bag and went up the stairs. Leaving the demon alone in the hallway, with only the cactus you had given him as a "companion".

**

You quickly cleaned every room in the hotel, strangely enough, Niffty hadn't asked you any questions about Alastor, however you were pretty okay with it.

She preferred to tell you about Nikolai and his precious help. Of course, your pride was easily seen on your face as Niffty praised the child's energy.

However, at one point, the little one-eyed monster dared to ask you:

"By the way, I wanted to know, is there something going on between you and Boris?"

You looked at her pretty surprised at first. You were a little offended that the little monster dared to interfere with your love life, but you didn't want to quarrel with anyone else. You had already done enough damage, and then, you couldn't really blame her, a lot of people suspected that you had a more than "friendly" relationship with Boris, you were much too "close", much too "complicit", much too "concerned" with each other to be just friends, and yet, that's what you were.

"Boris asked me out a long time ago," you explained. "We were still alive then."

"Oh, is that right? " asked the one-eyed woman. "Then why aren't you with him? »

"I refused because I felt no physical or romantic attraction to him. It took Boris a while to accept my choice at first, but he eventually moved on and we remained friends."

"You didn't even try?! I mean, he really seems to love you."

"Niffty, I wish I could love him like I loved my boyfriend... but I can't. I'd be cruel to get into a relationship that I know will never work out. Even though I know Boris would do his best to make me feel good. We don't choose who we love, unfortunately."

The little one-eyed demon looked at you longingly, as if she never heard such a speech.

"It's so tragic."

"it would have been more so if I had agreed..." You said sadly. "Everybody would have been unhappy in that story."

*

You quickly finished your work, then decided to take a well-deserved break. You helped Niffty put away the cleaning supplies, then you went up to the top floor. You glanced over to the door of Alastor's office. Curiously, you were surprised to wonder whether he was there or not. Nevertheless, you didn't risk entering his office again.

Instead, you looked around to see if there was a small trap door leading to the top of the hotel and to your delight, there was one.

Without thinking twice, you easily climbed up to the roof and closed the hatch behind you to avoid indicating your position and thus be quiet.

The roof was completely flat, if the immense lighting that warned passers-by that it was "The Hazbin Hotel" wasn't there, it would have made a very good terrace.

You went under the logo and took advantage of the view by sitting on the edge of the building and letting your legs hang down in thin air.

It was a beautiful view for hell. All the lights in the city were a real spectacle for the eyes, it almost made you think of New York. Everybody looked so small from where you were standing.

You looked up at the sky to see its bright red color. The features of your face slowly became saddened by it. Oh Lucifer, you terribly missed the blue of the sky, just like the stars and the sun. All that red gave you a headache...

Suddenly, something in the sky caught your attention. From a distance it looked like some kind of ball of light or a planet you didn't know exactly. Its light blue color was in complete contrast with the sky of hell, just like the clouds surrounding it. What struck you the most was that some clouds formed a halo above this luminous sphere. Almost like the halo of an angel.

Your eyes slowly widened in surprise, was it Heaven?

*

"Ah you're here darling, I was looking for you"

You almost jumped when you heard his voice, you were so immersed in your thoughts that you had not felt him, or heard him coming. You placed a neutral expression on your face and continued to look at the luminous sphere in the sky.

"What do you want, Alastor?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" you asked coldly.

"Well... " He came closer until he was standing next to you." "It's more of a question I've been asking myself about you and I wanted to know if you could answer me."

You looked at him suspiciously out of the corner of your eye and then said dryly...

"That depends on whether you really want an answer. What do you want to know?"

"It's about yesterday morning."

"I don't want to talk about this Al-"

"Please let me finish," he cut you off. "I know my "apologies" didn't mean very much to you, and I've accepted the fact that I went too far. But I just don't understand."

You turned your head towards him and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see what you don't understand."

"Your behavior! "Alastor said with a slightly irritated look. "I didn't mean to be so hurtful, yet those simple words were enough to make you lose control, and I don't understand why it affected you so much."

Your eyebrows raised as your heart began to tighten.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear."

This time you burst out laughing, a forced and acid-filled laugh.

"Do you ever give up your ego for five minutes and put yourself in someone else's shoes? "

The deer tilted his head to the side to warn you that he didn't understand what you were getting at.

"Firstly, you wanted me to blow a fuse so that Boris would attack you in retaliation and thus hurt him despite our deal. And secondly, you don't seem to realize how much pain it is for someone to lose a child. The fact that you couldn't have any in your past life because you were too busy jerking off to your ratings doesn't excuse your behavior."

A little white noise came out of his throat, marking his annoyance.

"You have no excuse, Alastor. Here, let's take an example if you want. You're very close to your mother, aren't you?"

"That's right."

"How would you have reacted if I told you with a scornful tone that you were using your mother as an excuse to torture and kill people? That you were hiding like a coward behind her image so that people would "understand" you because you desperately need attention and can't bear to be ignored? That deep down you don't actually feel any love for her, that it's just because you love that she gives you all her love blindly. That it was you you loved behind her because in your youth she was the only one who gave you importance and admiration."

You stopped your speech when you saw that Alastor's smile had become much more dangerous and threatening. His red eyes easily confessed his intention to tear you here and now, his fists were clenched tight to the point of bleeding, a horrible radio noise was coming out of his throat, his whole body was shaking with anger and his antlers had begun to grow.

Yet, despite all this, you remained perfectly calm.

*

"It hurts, doesn't it? " You asked in a neutral tone. "You want me to take back what I said, don't you? Do you have that burning desire to torture me until I beg you to kill me? Well, all you're feeling right now is that I felt Alastor. Well, now does that raise any little questions in your head?"

The deer stared at you in revulsion for a few minutes and then suddenly felt something inside him... he didn't know what it was but it made him calm down. He took a deep breath and relaxed his body.

"Indeed, I understand a little better. I would never have tolerated to be spoken to like that."

"Well, bravo, I'm proud of you, you've unblocked a neuron" you said ironically. "Just a little more effort and we can talk to each other like civilized people without killing each other."

You two were silent for a long time, of course you both wanted to leave, but for some strange reason... perhaps out of pride, neither of you could move.

"You've been here longer than me, can you tell if it's that heaven? "you asked, pointing to the planet. »

"Indeed, my dear." said the deer.

"Amazing... It seems so close and so far away at the same time."

The deer watched you out of the corner of its eye, you seemed so absorbed by this luminous sphere that you barely seemed to notice its presence.

"I wonder what it's like out there..."

"I've never cared."

"Not even a little? " you asked.

"No sinner's going there, so what's the point?"

"To pass the time. " you replied, "Since I've been here, I think paradise looks like hell only whiter and with a much more present nature.3

"That would be plausible," nodded the deer...

*

You were going to talk again but that's when you heard someone screaming on the road, the demon seemed completely drunk and out of his mind he was dancing on the road with a bottle in his hand and singing a bawdy song. Of course there was no need to point out that he was singing very badly.

Oddly enough it made you smile.

*

"I wonder what kind of music they're listening to over there."

"Oh, I think the music of heaven is much more bearable than that horrible music I hear constantly here. The more time goes, the more it's becoming harder to dance to some music, techno and metal really gives me a headache. Before, we had jazz and swing... even tango was more bearable, now it's just "noise" »

You laughed while you turned to him.

"Tango? Really? Do you like it?"

"I like it, though I must admit I prefer the swing, it was much more common in New Orleans."

"You? You dance the tango?" You laughed insolently

The deer's smile got a little tense.

"Do you think I'm not able to do it?"

"That's right, Mr. Radio Demon." You answered. "I can't see you dancing on that."

"It's rather me who finds it very difficult to see you dance on it. You're so cold and icy that I'm surprised you're not unfamiliar to this dance."

*

You stood up to face him.

"You'd be really surprised."

At that moment, the deer laughed, took his microphone and turned it on.

*

"Well, surprise me, Darling." Declared the deer, putting one hand on your waist and grabbing your wrist.

Its touch almost made you blush instantly with embarrassment.

"No Al-"

"Come on, my dear, prove me I am wrong." the deer laughed as music came out of his microphone. To the ear it sounded like an Argentinean tango.

*

You followed its movements with some disapproval.

"You're impossible," you said in a lower and suggestive tone, dropping yourself slightly on him as one of your legs wrapped around his waist. Alastor, who had placed one hand behind your back, gave you a small blow with his index finger to ask you to bend your back, which you did without too much pleasure, then you straightened up to let him drag you gracefully to different parts of the roof.

*

Strangely your steps were perfectly synchronized, as if you had always danced together. You were doing your best not to make mistakes in your movements because having your (F/C) jeans on was not really a good choice of clothing for this kind of dance.

Little by little you let your body follow the rhythm of the music. How long did the little deer whim last? You didn't count. You were much too focused on your movements to be interested in it.

Alastor wasn't afraid to lift you up in the air, of the movements of your beautiful legs around him or the moments when you were forced to be pressed against his body.

At times he seemed to hear your heart rumbling in your chest. Oh were you afraid? Or were you stressed? He couldn't say. However, he liked the way you looked at him, you looked both troubled and angry. It suited you very well.

Oh Lucifer, he'd never admit it, but he loved those little moments with you so much, it was always such a special and unusual entertainment, almost... "disconcerting.". He liked to feel that he could touch your body, that he could destroy it at any moment. But he also loved the energy that you gave off, the energy that was just as devastating as his own, threatening to drag him into another hell far worse than the one he was living in.

He was both fascinated and distrustful of the mesmerizing and unpredictable power that you possessed.

The deer brought you closer to him, as his hand slid down your back giving you several shivers down your spine. Your left hand snaked across his upper back, giving you a better grip on his shoulder as he guided your body to the right and then to the left.

After a while, neither you nor he paid attention to the slightest noise, it was just you dancing on top of a roof.

Strangely enough, even though your mind was screaming that it was dirty, repulsive, and that such lousy swine only deserved your contempt, you couldn't stop your body.

His smell had intoxicated you completely, your stomach was boiling with hunger and a burning desire to let your instincts take control. It was so tempting to let go.

To just... bite him.

Towards the end of the music you approached him without really thinking of what you were doing, completly short of breath, lost between your instincts and your reason.

One of your legs got stuck close to his waist, the other bent slightly to push your body forward, at that moment you could feel his breath against your face slightly disturbed by the turn of events.

You were so close, so close that you could feel the atoms of his lips touching yours, so close that his smell that blurred your best judgments, silently invited you, in the same way that the snake invited Eve, to taste the forbidden fruit.

At this point both of your legs were on the ground, one of your hands was holding his shoulder, the other had delicately deposited itself on his cheek.

The deer had not moved its hand behind your back but its other hand had settled near your neck and its thumb was against your jaw. He too was just as lost as you were, he didn't know what he felt or even what he was doing. This dance was just a challenge, nothing more. Then why did he feel so... "strange"?

*

One move forward could have bridged the gap between you, just one.

*

Suddenly a foul skidding sound woke you both from your trance-like state. Your eyes widened like those of the deer. However, before either of you said anything you heard an angry voice screaming and another groaning in pain.

Without thinking you ran to the edge of the building to see a man dressed in red and white and who had a hat. At his feet was the battered body of Angel Dust who was desperately struggling to get up. You could not shout or scream at the man because your mind was still too foggy from ... "this dance" to think properly.

The man got into his car and left Angel on the ground in a pitiful state.

You turned to Alastor in fear and the only words you could find to warn him of the situation were:

"Call Charlie, quick!"

*

*

*