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The day had been a normal on for the occupants of the Hazbin Hotel. Niffty was buzzing around cleaning the lobby, while Husk sat behind the bar drinking as Angel Dust flirted and attempted to engage him in conversation, and Charlie sat with Vaggie on the sofa brainstorming new ideas for reforming their guests and attracting new ones – meaning more than just Angel Dust. The peace was shattered, however, when a wave of magic enveloped them all, and once it dispatched, they found their bodies had swapped sex. As they all began to express their confusion, Alastor materialized, similarly sex-swaped.
“Nobody panic!” the Radio Demon said, then paused at hearing the slightly unfamiliar voice before going on. “I had a slight mishap with a bit of magic I was trying, there is no need to be alarmed!”
“No reason to be alarmed?!” Angel Dust exclaimed, voice slightly higher and sounding a bit shrill in his panic.
“You wanna fuck around with your magic and shit, fine, but leave the rest of us out of your voodoo accident crap,” Husk yelled, getting up in the Radio Demon's face.
Alastor, as usual, didn't seem to react to the cat demon getting up in his face other than to roll his eyes. “Now now, my friend, this is only a temporary situation. I shall be working to correct this – and figure out what went wrong! – and the effect should wear off within the day even if I am unable to reverse the transformation beforehand.”
There was more clamoring at that. “Should?!”
Charlie then approached the Radio Demon and said, “well, thank you for coming to let us know what happened. I'm sure that we would be even more freaked out if we didn't know.”
With that, the Radio Demon nodded and then disappeared, presumably to work on restoring them to their proper bodies.
Vaggie sighed. “If we don't want to risk anyone seeing us like this, we should probably lock the doors and stay inside.,
Everyone agreed.
Despite what Charlie would have expected, had she been asked to think about it before this episode, Angel Dust was the one who was the most freaked out and distressed over his female body, considering he often wore feminine clothes, and how he fluffed his chest fur, but perhaps that had been ignorant of her. What was even more surprising to her, Alastor was the one who was the least bothered by it. Or, at least, he seemed so. He'd made no remark upon being in a new body other than that slight unfamiliarity in his voice that first time he spoke. Alastor seemed to be the only one who didn't seem particularly bothered by it one way or another. Everyone else was openly uncomfortable.
Then, of course there were the practical logistics associated with having a body of a different sex.
“Hey, how the fuck you chicks supposed to aim this thing?!” Husk yelling out had been one memorable example.
“You just sit on the toilet like you're going to take a crap, Husk!” Vaggie shot back. “You don't need to aim anything!” her girlfriend had then dissolved into muttering under her breath about men, and entitled Overlords and the Radio Demon.
There was a minor kerfuffle that evening, when Charlie went to investigate shouting coming from the kitchen.
“The fuck ya' doing here? Ain't you supposed ta be working out how to fix us!?” Angel yelled
“I'm cooking dinner. Do you not want an evening meal?
“Of course we want fucking dinner you son of a bitch!” Husk growled.
“Well I can't do both things at once!”
This devolved into more yelling, before Charlie went to break it up. To Alastor she said, “I'll finish up dinner, and bring some up to you. I think everyone would be more comfortable with the idea that this,” she gestured vaguely, “is being worked on.”
Alastor raised an eyebrow. “Well, if they'd rather chance your cooking....”
“I've gotten better!” Charlie defended, though it was a bit halfhearted. Alastor was still trying to work out how she had set that water on fire.
“Fine, I was only trying out a pasta dish. If Angel Dust wishes to risk disintegrating spaghetti, that's his business.” After catching a grateful smile from Charlie, he then dissolved into the shadows.
“I'll take your Italian cooking any day if it'll get me out of this body!” Angel Dust exclaimed, and that spoke volumes.
Sometime after dinner, which wasn't terrible but definitely not up tho the standards the Hazbin Hotel's residents usually enjoyed courtesy of Alastor, another wave of magic swept through the Hotel and once it subsided everyone was back to their usual selves. Relief was expressed and everyone went back to the usual activities.
The following days were a little tense, most of the residents still upset at Alastor – Angel Dust even took a swing at him – and so the Radio Demon had decided to give them all time to cool off.
Charlie made a point though to check up on him.
“I'm a little surprised at how calmly your reacting to all this.”
“Ha, well, if I don't give them time to cool down, Angel Dust or Vaggie is likely to provoke me, and if I slaughtered either of them, you'll get upset an insist I leave, and then how am I going to be entertained watching this whole fiasco fail?”
“Is there anything you need – or would like to? – talk about regarding your own, er... change?”
“Not really, it was a transformation much like any other – unexpected and strange to be sure, but it was temporary, and I knew that.”
“Not everyone can be so... intellectually objective about it, though. What you know in your head doesn't always dictate how you feel about something.”
“I suppose. I change forms perhaps more regularly than other Sinners so maybe I have become accustomed to physical changes. Regardless, I know who I am, and no matter what form I wear – whether it is a reflection of my soul or not – that will not change.”
“As long as you're being honest about how you feel, not burying it because you think it makes you look 'weak'. Because it doesn't.”
“I'm not. Ignoring a problem allows it to fester, or create a blind spot, and that is a weakness.”
“Alright. And so long as you accept that others might not feel the same way as you do and don't judge them for feeling uncomfortable.”
“They'll feel what they feel,” he replied dismissively.
“Cool just so we're no the same page. I'll see you later.”
“Of course, Charlie.”