Chapter Text
Abaddon sat silently at the kitchen table, waiting for his self-proclaimed ‘caretaker’ to come serve him his meal. It was only a few months ago since the hotel owner, Nathan, found him in a ditch hidden amongst the trees. He scooped him right up and brought him inside, welcoming Abaddon in with open arms. The demon wasn’t sure why. The strange human seemed to get along with all the ghosts that inhabited his hotel, all while being annoyingly optimistic and cheerful about every little thing. His attitude towards Abaddon was even stranger. Nathan was already being kinder than anyone else that’s encountered the demon child, but then a rare guest in the hotel assumed Nathan was his father. It wasn’t a complimentary conversation as the guest was complaining to Nathan about letting his son run around the hotel in such a disturbing manner, yet it didn’t seem to matter to Nathan. All that reached his ears was Abaddon being called his son.
The hotel owner started taking that mistake to heart. It became his cover when guests and townspeople asked about the strangely dressed child. It didn’t bother Abaddon, it was just a cover story for people to leave him alone. That’s what it started as, at least. When Nathan found Abaddon bloodied and dirty in the basement from chewing on who knows what, the demon expected the hotel owner to dismiss him like he always did. Maybe even request that Abaddon cleans up the mess after he’s done eating. Instead, he was met with Nathan’s hands gently picking him up from the floor and carrying him away. To his surprise, Abaddon found himself soaking in a warm bath while Nathan washed his hair and slightly scolded him for not coming to him if he was hungry. His vessel never felt so clean in his time on earth.
Instances like that began to happen more frequently. Carrying Abaddon around, holding his hand, making him meals, cleaning him up after messes, and Nathan even forced Abaddon to ‘go to bed’ once. The demon didn’t sleep, of course, but he did find himself compelled to stay tucked in and lay down until he saw the sun peek through the windows. Abaddon would act annoyed when the cheery man did these things. Sometimes he’d resist and complain and threaten to condemn the man to millennia of torture in the darkest circle of hell. Yet, he didn’t necessarily stop Nathan from acting this way. He could easily damage the feeble mortal body the hotel owner had. Humans were so delicate and easy to destroy. However, the complaining and threats never went beyond simply being a threat. They were empty words. Abaddon couldn’t explain why, but he’d always let Nathan win in the end.
Life in the hotel went smoothly for a while. The demon couldn’t deny that it was better than residing in the forest like he had been. Having a mortal doting over him and tending to his needs wasn’t horrible either. It was like Nathan was worshipping him as the great and powerful demon that he is! He had even begun to try and teach Abaddon how to read and write, how to cook for himself, how to operate the bathtub, and other little things. Abaddon never paid attention to any of the man’s lessons. He had Nathan to do all those things for him, so why should he do them? Nathan also told Abaddon about his family out of state and stories from when he and his sister were children. The two seemed to be getting along, which is why Abaddon was so confused on why Nathan was currently letting him starve to death in the kitchen.
Abaddon sat with his fingers tapping the table impatiently. Decades of living and time had never felt slower as he waited for Nathan to come make him spaghetti. The demon huffed as he stared at the doorway, expecting Nathan to burst in any second and apologize for taking so long. Yet nothing. After a while, Abaddon decided to take matters into his own tiny hands and drag the human here himself. He hopped down from his seat at the table and crawled into the hotel’s ventilation system. Nathan didn’t like it since it usually got him all dusty, but it was the quickest way to traverse the large building.
After a while of crawling around and poking his head into various rooms, Abaddon finally found Nathan in his bedroom. The man was sitting in his lounge chair, that horribly annoying movie he loves to watch playing on the TV. He appeared to be slumped over and asleep. Abaddon climbs out of the air duct and makes his way over. As he does, his foot kicks something small. His gaze flicks down to spot a small plastic container laying empty on the floor. Nathan had told him the bottle was for his ‘human medicine’ and hid it away after Abaddon tried to eat the little hard pellets inside. He didn’t get to it, though. The lid was somehow locked shut despite seeing Nathan easily open it plenty of times. He left it on the floor, walking to stand next to the large chair.
“Nathan.”
He waited for a moment. No response. Abaddon found that Nathan was typically a heavy sleeper. He reached up to grasp Nathan’s sweater sleeve, shaking his arm a little.
“Nathan. I require spaghetti immediately.”
The man’s arm simply slips off the arm of the chair, hanging limply in front of Abaddon. His hand squeezes the sweater sleeve tightly, some strange feeling in him telling him not to let go. He shakes the arm again, giving it firmer tugs.
“I have told you before that I dislike your jokes and surprises. This vessel is hungry. I’ll eat another squirrel and leave its remains in your bed if you don’t get up this instant!”
Finally, Nathan moved. A simple twitch of the hand followed by his eyes fluttering open. They looked different than usual. More bloodshot and tired. Abaddon stares up quietly as his hands continue to cling to the man’s sweater sleeve. Nathan gives the demon a sleepy looking smile, raising his arm up slowly to rest his hand on Abaddon’s head. His words come out in a slur.
“Hey buddy… what’s up…?”
Abaddon quiets for a moment. Something didn’t seem right with the human. He’s seen Nathan sleep deprived before from doing work in the hotel, but nothing like this.
“You are to make spaghetti for dinner tonight.”
A weak chuckle leaves the man in the chair before he winces. His hand ruffles the black hair underneath it gently.
“How about… you try making it tonight…? I taught you how…”
There’s a strange feeling swirling in Abaddon’s gut. He can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but it wasn’t making him feel good. His gaze flicks to the empty bottle he kicked earlier, locking onto it as he spoke.
“Are you ill? You appear to have taken all of your human medicine.”
“…yeah… yeah, I’m ill….”
Abaddon feels the familiar sensation of Nathan wrapping his arms around him before hoisting him up into his lap with a strained grunt. Abaddon’s legs stretch perpendicular to Nathan’s as he gets pulled into the other’s chest. He could hear Nathan’s heart beating much faster than his vessel’s heart. His small fingers fiddle with the sweater sleeve.
“Abaddon… did I ever show you my… cough… my favorite movie…? It’s called Con Air…”
Abaddon listens as Nathan begins to detail the plot in a more than sickly tone. He tries to watch the screen, but can’t help looking at Nathan every time he coughs or stutters. The man’s hands had gotten quite shaky and weak. Nathan’s skin looked nearly as pale as his own.
“After the plane crashes… Nick… uh… Nick cage… uhm…mmn…”
Nathan trails off, going silent as his body relaxes. His hands slip from his gentle hold on Abaddon, falling limp at his side once more. The demon looks up to the man, his grip on the sleeve shifting to hold his whole arm when his gaze meets the deceased face of his caretaker. Abaddon may not be knowledgeable on many modern mortal topics, but he knew the difference between a sleeping man and a corpse. He simply stays quiet, his gaze shifting back to Con Air on the television. Nathan’s arm remained hugged to Abaddon’s chest. He didn’t like the strange dark feeling that’s taking over the vessel he resides in.
When Nathan’s eyes flutter open, he finds he’s become another soul claimed by the hotel he owned. He could see his body slumped in a chair with the credits of Con Air scrolling on the TV screen, but couldn’t find any evidence of his death. He roamed the hotel with interest, but stops when he spots Abaddon chewing on some poor rodent in a dark corner of the basement.