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Alastor hummed cheerfully to himself as he came down the stairs. He was going to whip up something in the kitchen when he saw Charlie. Well, part of her. She was face down on the front desk.
”Charlie?” He got a mumble in response. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your date? Surely it’s not over already.” Another mumble. “Dear, this conversation is a bit one-sided.”
”He dumped me. Ten minutes before he was supposed to pick me up.” She finally raised her head and looked at him.
“I’d be happy to dismember him for you.”
”Not worth it. Ugh. Why is it so hard, Al?”
”Why is what hard?”
”Dating! This was the first guy in over a year that I was interested in. Two great dates and suddenly he ‘doesn’t feel like we have a connection.” Charlie used air quotes and rolled her eyes. “It’s always some sort of crappy excuse. We don’t have a connection, I just don’t have a lot of time right now, you’re great but I’d rather see how things go with Lisa.” Charlie sniffed. “Ok that last one was a little specific. But it still sucks! Is something wrong with me? They always jump ship before the third date.”
Alastor had an idea. “Let’s find out.”
”What?”
”Grab your jacket. We’re going out.”
”Al, I appreciate it, but-“
”You said you wanted to know if something was wrong with you. You know I’m capable of being brutally honest, so we’ll go out and I’ll tell you.”
”I…feel like I should be insulted, but I’m not sure?”
“I’m just saying, I won’t sugarcoat it if there’s some reason it’s not working out. And regardless, I’m hungry and was going to have dinner anyway.”
”I guess it’s better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself.” Charlie shrugged.
”That’s the spirit!”
Charlie sat in awkward silence across from Alastor, who had his trademark and somewhat unnerving smile. “I imagine you talk to your dates, don’t you?”
”Sorry, this is just weird. You’re my friend! I already know you.”
”Pretend that you don’t. I’m Alastor! Pleasure to meet you, dear.”
”I’m Charlie?”
”You don’t sound so sure.”
”Sorry.”
”Stop that.”
”Stop what?”
”Apologizing so much!”
”Oh! Sorry. Wait, no, um-“
”Well this date is a disaster.” Alastor smirked.
“You’re making me nervous! You’re kind of intense!”
“Alright, hang on a moment.” Alastor got up and left the table. What the heck was he doing? He came back a moment later with a normal looking smile. “Hi, are you Charlie? I’m Alastor. Pleasure to meet you.”
He’d dropped his radio voice and it was somehow weirder that way. It made him seem so normal. “What’s the problem now?”
”Sorry, I’ve never heard your regular voice. It’s nice! It just threw me off. Ok, starting over.” She exhaled and tried to calm down. “Nice to meet you, Alastor!”
”May I join you?”
”Of course.”
Alastor sat down and smiled at her. “You know, I don’t go on blind dates very often. Never, actually. But now I’m glad that I did.”
Charlie felt heat rise in her cheeks. Damn, he could be smooth when he wanted to be. “I don’t go on a lot of blind dates either. I stay pretty busy with the hotel.”
”The hotel?”
“I own the Hazbin Hotel, the one for rehabilitating sinners? It takes up a lot of my time, but I love it. I feel like I’m making a difference.”
”Ah yes! I have heard of that place. Do you run it by yourself?”
”No, I have a business partner. And I’m pretty lucky, he actually enjoys doing the accounting side of things. That’s not my area.”
”Tell me about this business partner.”
Charlie gave him a strange look. “Well, he’s a bit intimidating at first. He loves making people nervous. But once you get to know him? He’s a teddy bear.”
”A teddy bear, huh?” Alastor smirked.
“Oh definitely. He likes to pretend he doesn’t care about anyone, but I know he cares about me. He’s always got my back, and I’ve always got his.”
”I’ve heard he’s easy on the eyes, too.” Alastor grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.
“He sure is. It’s hard to not just rip his clothes off every day.” Charlie smirked and sipped her wine, rolling her eyes.
“My, my! Sounds like I have some competition.”
”Oh, I don’t think so. I’m not really his type. I’m not sure he has a type, actually.”
”Then how do you know that you’re not?” Alastor said quietly with a smile that made her stomach flip flop.
“Oh, I’m WAY too cheerful for him. And against violence. He seems to really enjoy it.”
”Hmm. Perhaps he likes that about you.” Alastor’s intense gaze was making her nervous for a different reason.
“I don’t know, he’s very private about his thoughts and feelings. I’ve known him two years and I know very little about him.”
”Well, what would you like to know?”
Charlie thought to herself. “Hmmm. Where are you from?”
”Really? That’s your question?” He smirked.
”It’s a genuine question!”
”Louisiana.”
“Well I know THAT. I mean where you grew up. Your neighborhood, places you liked to go, that sort of thing.”
”Well, technically I lived in New Orleans, but it’s quite large. My little corner of it was on the bayou.”
”On the what?”
”The swamps. It’s a magical place, if you don’t mind the mosquitos and the alligators. I spent a lot of time exploring when I was younger.”
”So you were an outdoorsy kid?”
”Sort of. I spent time outside not so much because I enjoyed it, but because I preferred it to being at home.”
”Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
”Eh, my situation wasn’t unique. Happens all over the world. But, my happiest moments were climbing this enormous tree near my house. I could see so much of the bayou from there.”
”That sounds really nice.”
”It was. What about you? What was it like growing up as royalty?”
Charlie made a face. “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, I know other people have much worse upbringings. I didn’t enjoy it. My mother was very strict and wanted me to be a proper young lady.”
”I take it that you’re not one, then?” Alastor chuckled.
”Oh definitely not. I loved running around the palace, climbing trees, playing jokes on people… My mom wanted me to sit quietly and look pretty.”
”Well, you’ve excelled at one of those things.” Alastor gave her that smile that gave her butterflies again.
”Damn, Al! You’re smooth!” Charlie giggled. “Anyway, she wanted me to marry this other prince and have a bunch of royal babies. No way THAT was happening. She thought my purpose, and the purpose of all women, is to create the next generation. Basically baby machines. But I wanted much, much more than that.”
”I imagine this led to some disagreements?”
”That’s an understatement. We don’t even talk anymore. She thinks I’m an embarrassment to the family.”
”Why on EARTH would she think that?!”
”Because of my dream, and the hotel. I’m hell’s favorite punching bag. The butt of all the jokes. People don’t respect me at all, even though I’m a princess.”
”Ah, I can see why it’s so terrible for you to want to improve the lives of others. So shameful, really.” Alastor said sarcastically.
”You joke, but that’s how they feel.”
”They?”
Charlie looked down at her hands while she spoke. “My dad doesn’t support my dream either. He disagrees with my mom about being a baby machine, but he still thinks the hotel is a waste of my time, and that people don’t deserve second chances. We aren’t on speaking terms either.”
”I didn’t realize. I’m terribly sorry, Charlie.”
”It’s ok. The family you choose is just as important, and I’ve got a great one.”
”That’s a good attitude to have.”
”What can I say? I’m a glass half full kind of girl.”
Alastor sat back and smiled. “So tell me, Charlie. What do you look for in a partner?”
”Uuuuuh business or romantic?”
”Romantic. I already know about your taste in business partners.”
”I guess, when it comes down to it, I want someone I can eat waffles with.”
Alastor blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
”I’m not someone who wants big romantic gestures or things like that. I want someone that I’m comfortable with, and someone who makes mundane activities like eating a waffle enjoyable. I want someone to share the little moments with, you know? Someone I can tell about a funky looking cloud I saw, or someone I can share my favorite songs with. And someone that I can just sit quietly with and be content.”
”What a unique perspective. I like it!” Alastor grinned.
“So what about you? What do YOU look for in a partner?”
”You know, I’ve never really desired one. I’m very comfortable on my own, I have been for most of my life. But I’m beginning to see the merits of it. So I think if I were to have a partner, I’d look for someone that wasn’t like me.”
”A redhead?” Charlie smirked.
“Yes, but also personality wise. I think I would like someone who could balance me out. I think I would balance her out as well. So if she’s the opposite of me, I suppose she’d be VERY cheerful, and innocent too. Someone who couldn't even imagine harming another soul.”
Charlie snorted. “Good luck finding THAT. I mean, we’re in hell, so finding someone like that would-“ Charlie froze and her eyes went wide as she connected the dots. “Oooooooooh.”
”I agree, someone like that is very hard to find. I’d never even considered wanting a partner. But after a solid 90 years of solitude, I think what I’d really like is someone to eat a waffle with.”
Charlie chewed on her lip anxiously. “There’s a lot more to it than waffles.”
”Oh, I know. I’m afraid my lack of experience may be a bit of an issue, but I’m confident that I can figure things out. As long as she’s patient with me, I think it will work out wonderfully.”
”But what if it doesn’t and then you have to see her all the time?”
”You know, it hadn’t even crossed my mind that it might not work out. I’m very confident that we’d be compatible. And it’s not like we’re strangers! I’ve known her for two wonderful years. In that time, I’ve learned plenty of things about her that I like. She hums a lot, especially when she’s doing something like paperwork. She loves giving little gifts to make people happy. And she has the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. I just have to hope that there’s room for me in it.”
Charlie was quiet for a moment. “I think there might be. I just worry about one thing.”
”Oh?”
”That he’ll get bored and leave me. He’s all about the entertainment. What if I’m not entertaining?”
”That, my dear, would be impossible. So what do you say? I know a guy that checks all your boxes.”
”And I know a girl that checks yours.” Charlie grinned.
“Just to be completely clear, I’m asking you out.” Alastor smiled.
“And to be completely clear, I’m saying yes. Though aren’t we technically already on a date?”
”I suppose so. But I could do much better than this. I didn’t really have time to plan.”
”I don’t know, I think it’s pretty perfect.”
”Is that a challenge, Charlie?”
”I think so.”
”Well then! I accept your challenge!” Alastor snatched the check as it was delivered and ignored Charlie’s protests. “It’s a lovely evening. How about a moonlit stroll back to the hotel?”
”That sounds lovely. Though hell at night can be pretty dangerous…”
”Not when you’re with me. I AM the danger.” Alastor grinned.
“Wooooow. That was cheesy.”
”Yes, but I stand by it. Shall we?”
Alastor insisted on walking her to her door. “Well, this is me. Thanks for walking me home.”
”Of course. I wanted to make sure you got home safely.” He chuckled.
“I had a really good time tonight, Al. Thanks for taking me out.”
”Believe me when I say that it was my greatest pleasure.” He took Charlie’s hand and kissed it, giving her butterflies all throughout her body. “Goodnight, Charlie.” He began to walk down the hall, but she grabbed the back of his jacket. “What did you-“ Charlie crashed her lips against his, genuinely startling him.
Charlie pulled away and smiled. “Goodnight, Al!” She went into her room and closed the door.
Alastor stood in the hallway grinning like an idiot. What a great evening.