Indebted
"...lieve you don't belong here? Perhaps you're sick of rotting in this crowded Hell hole for one littl..."
It was hard to see anything. Everything was blurred, the world spinning; your nerves were both numb yet painfully aware. You could hear a familiar voice speaking right beside you.
"... at if we said you could be redeemed? Personally flown up to the pearly ga..."
You blinked your eyes until you could see again, and surprisingly, it worked. The voice at your side was your radio, coincidentally blaring an... advertisement for this place? When did you guys get a spot on a station? Before you could chase the thought, the blissful numbness retreated, leaving you with a sudden weight over your whole body. To stop your face from slamming back into the wooden surface, you planted your hands down to catch yourself.
"...otel for Rehabilitation at (666)-914-1215 for more details and schedule your intake today! Check in and... check out th-that rainbow in you...?"
You couldn't help but snicker at the sudden nervousness behind her voice. It wasn't long before you felt bad about that though, only left grinning weakly. You knew she was a little more careful when it came to public speaking since... that day. It made you wonder how long she's been shamed by the demons who don't care for what she's doing. She's been here longer than a person could live, right? For a long while? You were just barely able to keep that smile present. Your eyes slid from your hands to the journal between them, observing what you had decided to doodle earlier. It fueled your smile only a little, but fueled it nonetheless.
Little sketches were plastered over the paper, each of the people you first met here. Your boss: Vaggie, and beside her, her boss: Charlie. Whenever they were around each other, there was something... wholesome in the air. You could sense the love surrounding the both of them, it kind of made you jealous. You never made it obvious, but you really liked seeing them together, it made you happy when you saw they were happy. You'd likely not admit it though, maybe if only the two of them were in the room. Charlie had an admirable... y'know what? She was just admirable. She was stunning, an angel in this pit of despair. You truly felt sorry for her. Vaggie was caring as well, but she was also on guard most of the time. The day you met, you knew she didn't trust you, and it was rightfully so; this was Hell, you could've done anything. You felt sorry for your boss too, having trust issues really does frighten you around people you've yet to know. The fact that the two of them were now fond of you made your heart race.
In the next row of sketches were Niffty and Angel. Niffty was sweet, a kind soul though constantly overeager. She couldn't sit still unless you had asked her to, and you usually didn't. The little cleaner did however have sort of... an obsession with you? Obsession might not be the right word, but she always looked at you as if she were in awe. She paid so much attention to you that you could read her a novel and she could recite it back to you. You two also had a little collection of selfies she took when you'd help her tidy up. Husk said it was because you were "a man", but, could that really be the reason? It was laughable. But you didn't want to assume. Angel... goodness, where could you start? He was just... untamed. The first thing that came to mind was always that look of disgust you first received when he first laid eyes on you. Though, once you'd gotten new clothes and were able to present yourself decently, he seemed more willing to share company with you. Now, he just liked to tease you with almost serious sexual advances. He had laid hands on you once, but you reacted a way that must've told him it wasn't a good idea to do that. You two were starting to become better friends though, at least it felt that way.
With a chuckle, your eyes drifted to the cat you had most trouble sketching. Husk was... what did Niffty call him? A tsundere? There was a possibility that admitting he enjoyed company was embarrassing to him. Being a man of little words, a good amount of them being "fuck off", after enough drinks, he'd slip into casual conversation with you. You could've sworn he smiled once, but only for a moment. He was distant a lot of the time, so maybe he was afraid of growing attached to someone here in Hell, a place where anything could be ripped away from you and you only had an eternity (or until an extermination) to mourn it. You knew how to play a few card games thanks to him, and Husk was some sort of magician (unless it were just demon powers) since he was able to poof a case of tokens out of thin air for poker.
And... Alastor.
A few lively knocks were heard at your door, startling you since you sat so close to it. Turning the radio off, you had started to get up.
"Room Service!! (Y/n)!!!" That cutesy voice called out, making you roll your eyes, but genuinely smile a bit wider. You opened the door, but before you could get a word in, the little cleaner filled in for you. "(Y/n), you're alive! Oh, thank goodness! Or thank Lucifer, I don't know why I said that- Man, you might be the only decent person living here! Everyone's rooms are so messy but yours is so neat! Do you even own anything? Maybe we-" You couldn't help but laugh. It was always a pleasure to be in her presence, really. It was then you saw there were two more people in the doorway.
"Charlie? Vaggie...?" You raised a brow, smile vanishing for a second, but a second only.
"(Y/n), you're alright..." The blonde sighed, holding her hands to her chest. She looked very relieved, though it made your heart drop.
Vaggie had her elbows propped on a cart, which had a bowl of food and a glass of water. "We were a bit worried when you didn't show up for dinner." A gentle smile spread across her lips. "At first, we thought you went out, but your name wasn't in the sign out book."
You looked down in shame, hand fidgeting with the door handle. How much time had passed? You couldn't remember when you had knocked yourself out, but you did just come to a little while ago. "I-I'm sorry, I must've passed out..." Charlie shook her head with a pout and Vaggie nudged the cart, making you step aside as they entered the room. Niffty ran back over to you, her eye focused on you as she attempted to tug on your pants, but they were more form-fitting so she just held you.
"Don't be sorry, (Y/n)!! Didn't we tell you that you needed more rest? Though if you are sorry, say it to Husk and Angel! You must've been acting reaaally weird if Husk was worried about you! He even stopped drinking for a bit! Husk? Not drinking? That's weird! Yeah, you should let him know you're okay! And Angel!"
"I'll make sure to do that." You bent down with a smile, ruffling her hair and then fixing it out of habit. She just smiled at the contact. "What's that?"
Charlie extended an arm to her side as if showing off the bowl of food. "It's tonight's dinner! Al took over the kitchen and made some killer paella!" With a wide grin, she spun around to grab it, and was greeted by an uncertain looking Vaggie, likely judging Charlie's words based on how she addressed it.
"... It won't kill you, don't worry."
Before you could respond, Niffty was going wild again, looking around your mostly empty room. "I'll... make sure to thank him... later." You suddenly had that twisting feeling in your gut again. "I don't think I've had paella before." Vaggie seemed to perk up, grabbing the glass of water and silverware while Charlie carefully picked up the bowl, packed with with various meats and vegetables. You had doubts you would be able to finish it, though you finally caught the scent starting to fill the room.
"These are the leftovers, actually." Charlie gave the bowl a glance before looking over her shoulder. "Vaggie said you aren't supposed to put paella in bowls or plates, so we ended up waiting in case you'd show up." She laughed, but spoke before Vaggie could. "But we were worried enough to let that slide. I hope it's enough for you..."
The more time that passed, the better it smelled. But the more you smelled it, the more you were reminded of who made it. It had a very mixed scent, you saw the rice and the vegetables, the meats and the seafood, and all of their fragrances complimented each other in a way that would normally make you salivate. Were those mussels? Was it a disgrace to say you might've never had mussels? At least you had no memory of them...
"Of course, I don't usually have that big of an appetite." You flashed a larger grin for a second, swiveling to your small table for one and making room. The faces everyone else made to each other confirmed that you didn't eat much, their concern washing away before you turned back to them. Even when you were alive, you didn't eat often. You loved food as much as anyone could, but a lot of your eating was forced. In fact, sometimes you'd have to remind yourself to eat because you'd forget. The feeling just wasn't recognisable, and the few times it was, it wasn't much so you always found it to be no big deal. That might've been part of why you always either felt low on energy or lightheaded. "You can put it here."
"Alri-"
"Oooooh, what's this?"
You partially froze the moment your journal was in Niffty's little hands. The other two stood in question, placing the meal where they were told and stepping towards Niffty. Her eyes sparkled as she almost stopped functioning entirely. She let out a squeal, jumping in place while she had the biggest smile on her face. You gulped, feeling the heat in your cheeks grow and streak down your neck. She was admiring the drawing closely, taking time to soak in everything. You had the immense urge to cover your face, but you knew it wouldn't get you out of the situation.
"I-"
"Is that... us?"
Now that your bosses were also behind the little one, you really wanted to hide. Your grin was straining, your body tense, yet refusing to move. And if you could move, what good would it do? To take the notebook out of her hand would be rude, and you couldn't just rush out into the hallway. Part of you were afraid they'd find it weird as well, but it's not like you had much power over the moment. Clearing your throat, you just pushed all of those thoughts back. "U-uh... yeah..." You clearly hadn't gotten rid of how shy you were about them seeing. The silence was nerve racking, but it was alleviated as you slowly saw their faces light up as well.
"You drew this?"
"It's... really cute."
"It's super cute! (Y/n), you didn't tell me you were such a good artist!! Oh, did you do fanart when you were alive? I made SO much fanart, I would love to see more of what you draw! Oh jeez, this is so good-"
Charlie rubbed Niffty's shoulder and gave her a look, which helped her calm herself down from how excited she was. Though her words could've been over the top, it made you proud in a weird way? A good feeling, aside from it being something you didn't want them seeing, at least not yet. But hey, fuck it, right? Might as well do what you were thinking about doing as you were sketching.
"I sort of... uh..." Clearing your throat again, you did your best not to linger on those thoughts that always stopped you from doing stuff like this. Stupid doubt wasn't going to be your obstacle this time. "Ever since you guys had taken me in, well... I-I just think I'd be lying dead somewhere had it not been for you guys..." Your voice almost reduced to a whisper at the end of your sentence. Gulping it down and forcing your lips up, you continued. "So I thought... maybe I could make you guys something...? These were warm ups but... I mean if you want..."
"Are you saying you... want to give this to us?"
When Charlie spoke up, you felt the red rush right back to your face. "I mean, I don't have scissors in here, but... I thought maybe if I cut them apart, you each could... If you'd like." You ripped your eyes away from them. Honestly, it was unbelievable you still felt a bit iffy. Your confidence in your artistic ability wasn't great, and it definitely showed.
"I would love that! Husk would love it, Angel would love it, Alastor would love it too!"
"Yeah, I actually... this is too sweet, (Y/n). Charlie...?"
"I... It would be the biggest honour!"
You felt your chest tighten at the positive reactions. Your face scrunched up slightly as you pondered how some of the people in Hell seemed to have bigger hearts than people on the surface. And yet, it all seemed so wrong. Something had to have been off, right...? No... You didn't let your paranoia kick in, you didn't want to think "what if they were just acting". That would just be shitty of you to do. You wanted to appreciate you felt cared for, that you felt wanted, and to deny it would be a dick move. Your smile remained, though it shook a bit.
With a snap of her fingers, a pair of scissors appeared before Charlie. You couldn't hear words in this moment, just nodding to the group of happy lady demons. She removed the paper from the book and began snipping. You guessed her question had been if she could cut the picture or something along those lines. You smiled widely as you saw they kept the top sketches together; the couple kept the doodles of them intact. Charlie then cut a cross to detach the other four sketches. They were small, maybe pocket sized, so you concluded the guys might lose theirs within a day.
As much as you hated to admit, you owed a lot to Angel and... Alastor as well. You didn't mind owing Angel (well, maybe you did), but Alastor... the thought actually made your skin crawl. You didn't hate the guy, he was actually your role model for a little, but you knew he shouldn't be. He was here for a reason much more opaque than everyone else. You knew he's fucked up humans and demons alike, and after thinking about that earlier, that's likely why you felt so troubled. How feeling as if you'd vomit at the thought of him watching you. You were scared of him.
"I could give it to them if you want!"
Niffty snapped you out of your thoughts, letting you realise you had something to say as well.
"That's very kind of you, though I... wanted to give them in person and tell them I'm alright. And, to thank... Alastor for the food." With a shaky sigh, you held your head high once more. "... Thank you guys for checking up on me." You suddenly caught yourself spilling more and more. "It... really means more than you realise." It was always nice to smile genuinely, it was much less work. You could tell they noticed, maybe, they actually could've just been reacting to how grateful you were, but they seemed content nevertheless.
"Of course! This is the Happy Hotel, did you expect anything different?"
"Haha, no, I didn't... Thanks."
The silence was comfortable.
"We'll let you eat in peace, glad you're doing okay." It was comfortable even as Vaggie broke the silence. "Niffty, we should make sure the others haven't destroyed downstairs yet."
"Oh man, you're right! All of them seem destructive, oooh no, we gotta go! (Y/n)! We should hang out later!! I'm serious, it'll be fun!" She bounced up and down, you gifting her a warm smile in return. "Enjoy your dinner!"
"Yeah, we'll let you eat before it gets cold!" Charlie's voice was an odd mixture of panicked and satisfied, making it incredibly hard to interpret it. She waved, Vaggie nodding and turning as she led Niffty and the cart out of the room. Before Charlie left, she turned around to face you once more, her rosy cheeks puffed and her balled fists lifting beneath her chin. You tilted your head, and she exhaled. "Thank you too, (Y/n)."
"For what?"
"Well... After I saw your drawings, I... thought the patrons would enjoy an arts and crafts night! A fun family activity! Would you be willing to participate?"
Hearing those words would've made you tear up if you had not improved on holding tears back. The residents weren't all friendly, but bonding in a way like this, some kind of event, would likely bring people together. It was such an... uplifting idea. Your eyes had hit the carpet, sliding over to the table after. You eyed the sketches on the table on top of your journal, right beside your dinner. Smiling, you let your eyes close.
"Yeah... I'd really like that."