Chapter Text
It took another hour to get Scarlett back to sleep and Alastor was worn out. He felt emotionally shredded and it didn’t help that there was a dark purple bruise on her cheek for all to see. It started from the bottom of her eye and curled down towards her jaw and he couldn’t help thinking of how much worse it would be if Valentino had gotten her just a mere inch higher.
Hell, a slightly harder swing and he could’ve been nursing a broken jaw. Nothing made him angrier than that she was struck in the first place. He got up from his chair next to the bed and started to pace across his floor. Despite being worn out, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep yet like the two girls curled up on his bed. Niffty was starfishing in the middle and he cracked a small smile.
It wasn’t the first time she’d slept in his bed and it likely wouldn’t be the last. What made him more sad, however, was the fact Scarlett was sleeping curled in a ball. Like she was trying to make herself smaller, less seen. All of this could have been avoided had Charlie and Vaggie just kept their eyes on her.
His steps faltered and he came to a stop in the middle of the room. Despite not really caring about the stuffed fox, he couldn’t help feeling bad for it either. Not only had Scarlett suffered a devastating emotional blow at the loss of the toy, but it now looked like some fucked Frankstein experiment. Not that it seemed Scarlett loved it any less, he noted as she clung to it in her sleep. His kid had had an awful day.
And… that was just it. She was his kid now. Whether he liked it or not. As he watched Scarlett’s chest rise and fall gently in her sleep, he slowly started to come to terms with it. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for that damn kid and the fact that the rest of the Hotel seemed not to share that sentiment nearly sent him into a rage.
As the stuffed fox shifted in its sleep – and why did it need to sleep anyway? – Alastor knew what he needed to do. He strode over to the bed and gently lifted Scarlett’s arm, tugging the toy free from the girl’s hold. He slid the bunny into Onyx’s place and headed towards the door.
“Where are we goin’?” Onyx yawned, stretching its little paws to the air.
“We are going downstairs to talk with the other Hotel residents.” He explained.
“Oooh, more friends?” The toy asked excitedly.
“Not quite.” He responded, turning down the hall towards the stairs. “It is because of them that you were destroyed and Scarlett was injured. It’s nigh time they learned of their fuck ups.”
“So not friends.” The toy deflated.
Alastor made his way into the lounge room and placed Onyx on the coffee table in front of everyone. Charlie was already in tears about something that had clearly gone on before he’d come into the room, but he didn’t care. This needed to be done. He leveled a glare on each of them before pointing his cane at the stuffed fox.
“When I was a young child, my mother taught me how to sew. My father was not fond of me getting holes in my clothes and it was the best way to prevent his ire. Which, is neither here nor there.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “My point is, never did I think I’d need to utilize this skill to fix a stuffed toy. But alas, here we are.”
“What’s this about, Al?” Angel asked, tilting his head.
“This is about each and every one of you systematically failing today. Failing Scarlett spectacularly.” He gestured to the purple fox again, which was looking around at everyone in the room. “This toy doesn’t even begin to cover the amount you all fucked up, either.”
“What do yo–” Charlie started to ask, but Alastor interrupted her.
“I left her in your care, Princess. The least you could have done was make sure she was being watched when you left the lobby.” He raked a glare across the lot of them again. “Every single one of you left. Husker and Angel were off doing who knows what, Charlie and Vaggie disappeared to their room for… what, exactly? Not to mention that even the snake boy told her to go away.”
“You’re all very mean and bad big people.” Onyx added, climbing to its back feet to appear taller.
“The toy has spoken.” Alastor lifted a brow at them, waiting for anyone to say anything.
Everyone was silent for a long while before Charlie let out a broken wail. Knowing better than to touch Alastor, Charlie turned towards her partner and started sobbing into her shoulder.
“I’m sorry! I messed up so much today! First with Angel and then with Scarlett!” Charlie cried.
Alastor could tell Charlie was genuine in her apology, but he wasn’t about to accept it just yet. At the very least not until all the others were apologetic as well.
“It couldn’t have been that bad, right? You seemed to have found her pretty quickly.” Vaggie said.
Alastor grit his teeth in annoyance, but the stuffed fox spoke before he could.
“That moth man hit her really hard.” Onyx blurted out, before holding out its paws to show the room its blood red patches. “And tore me up.”
“Wait, moth… Valentino had her?” Angel asked, appalled.
“Yes.” Alastor responded, teeth clenched.
The room quickly descended into a chaotic clusterfuck of voices as everyone tripped over themselves. Charlie couldn’t stop sobbing and everyone else’s voices blended together until Alastor just couldn’t take it anymore.
“Enough.” He ordered calmly.
The room fell silent aside from Vaggie.
“Where were you that you couldn’t watch her?” Vaggie crossed her arms over her chest, giving Alastor a pointed stare.
“I was on an important errand.” He shot back.
“What’s more important than being at the Hotel?” Vaggie pressed.
“That, my dear, is my business and not yours.” He waved his hand dismissively.
Vaggie opened her mouth to argue further but a whimper from the doorway interrupted them. Alastor turned to see Scarlett rubbing a fist over her swollen eyes, tear tracks evident on her cheeks. In the lighting, the bruise stood out harshly on her face. It was darker than the fur on her tail and ears.
“Darling, what are you doing awake?” He crooned softly, moving to crouch down to her height.
“I-I had a bad dream.” Scarlett sniffed.
“Come here, little one.” Alastor held out his arms, urging her forward.
As she moved closer, he pulled her up into his arms. She laid her right cheek on his shoulder and tucked her arms into her chest, leaving her bruised cheek out for all to see. He turned back towards the lounge and was met by everyone collectively sucking in their breath. Angel gently picked up Onyx and moved towards Alastor and Scarlett.
Alastor could tell the moment Scarlett noticed Angel coming closer, as she tensed up in his hold. He ran his hand up and down her back slightly, comforting her.
“Hey, kid.” Angel held out the stuffed fox in offering. “I’m sorry ya had a rough day.”
Scarlett snatched Onyx from Angel without hesitation, tucking the toy against her chest and shifting in Alastor’s hold. She faced the other direction, laying her bruised cheek on his other shoulder. She tensed from the pain but was otherwise silent and still.
Alastor usually would’ve told her she was being rude, but after the day she’d had he wasn’t about to pull a thread on her safety net. It helped that he was still pretty pissed at the others; they deserved to be brushed off by the kid.
Angel’s hand dropped back to his side and he sighed. Everyone looked uncomfortable; Husk rubbed the back of his neck, Vaggie looked away, and Charlie teared up again. Alastor hated every bit of it. They deserved to feel their guilt, not him.
He grit his teeth and turned to leave the lounge. He was satisfied he’d gotten his point across. Besides, it was late and Scarlett had gotten little sleep thus far.
“Goodnight, Scarlett!” Charlie called tearfully.
The girl didn’t even respond. Alastor wasn’t about to make her, either.
As he turned down the hall leading to their rooms, he hesitated outside her door. He didn’t think she’d be able to handle being on her own for the night, but he really ought to get her changed into some pajamas. As he pushed open her door, she seemed to share his sentiment since she let out a whine of protest at seeing where they were.
“Don’t worry, darling.” He said soothingly. “We’re just going to get you into more comfortable bed clothes.”
He knelt down in front of her dresser and forced her to stand in front of him. The problem was that she curled her fingers into his overcoat and refused to let go. She pressed so hard into his chest that he nearly toppled over.
“Scarlett, you can’t get changed if you don’t let go of me.” Alastor chuckled, trying to gently pry her fingers off of him.
Scarlett let out a loud whine that quickly turned into a scream the more he tried to unhook her fingers from his overcoat. His ears flattened at the noise. It wasn’t until he wrapped his arms around her again that she started to calm down.
“Okay. Alright.” He breathed out slowly, placing his hand on the back of her head and pulling her in close. “We shall go about this differently.”
He stood back up, tucking her close to himself. After a moment of figuring out how to go about getting her changed, he settled on just willing her clothes to be changed with a snap of his fingers. Both of them were quickly switched into bed clothes and he smiled pleasantly down at her.
“There, that’s better isn’t it?” He rubbed his hand up and down her back gently.
She didn’t answer beyond shifting in his hold, her fingers curling around his shirt so hard her knuckles turned white. He sighed softly and continued to rub her back as he carried her from the room to his own. He hated that she was so withdrawn.
As he settled them both beneath the covers, he began to mull over ways to bring Scarlett back out of herself. As much as he was happy to support the girl after everything she'd been through, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up long-term.
Scarlett was asleep fairly quickly this time and Alastor felt himself relax. There was only so much he could do to comfort the kid. He sighed and pulled the blankets over them, making sure not to suffocate Niffty under the covers. Not that she’d care; she could likely sleep through an extermination.
He closed his eyes and drifted off thinking of various ways to bring back Scarlett’s spark. He knew he’d have to teach her how to defend herself. If only to prevent something like this happening again.
Niffty was the first one awake, to no one’s surprise. Alastor woke to the smell of bacon and his nose wrinkled in response. He’d never understand Niffty’s obsession with processed junk. His gaze drifted down to Scarlett and he gently brushed her hair from her face, exposing the bruise on her cheek. It was nearly as dark as her hair and he sighed.
He could only imagine how the day was going to go.
“Good morning, sir!” Niffty chirped as she walked out from the kitchen carrying a platter of various meats. She carried the tray over to the table and hopped up onto a chair to put it on the table.
“Niffty.” Alastor hummed, running his fingers through Scarlett’s hair. “Waking us with a meal, I see.”
“Oh, yes! I just–” She cut off as the fireflies distracted her. She pulled out her large sewing needle and started chasing them.
Alastor chuckled and chose to wake Scarlett while Niffty was distracted. He rubbed his hand along the crown of her hair, causing her ears to twitch in response.
“Time to wake up, little one.” He said gently.
Scarlett’s face scrunched up before she turned and hid in his shirt. He chuckled again, running his fingers through her hair.
“Rise and shine.~” He sang lightly.
“Noooo.” She whined, squirming in an attempt to bury herself under the blankets.
“Nice try.” He smirked lightly as he sat up, hoisting her up with him.
Scarlett grumbled under her breath and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. He ran his claws along her spine gently, trying to get her attention back.
"Come on darling, breakfast is waiting. Niffty cooked a special meal just for us."
Unfortunately, the promise of food did not seem to pique Scarlett's interest. If anything, she only buried deeper into his bed shirt.
Alastor merely sighed, making his way to the table and absently fiddling with his antler. Something didn't feel quite right. He ignored the thought, focusing on getting Scarlett settled. It took entirely too long to pry her fingers from his pajamas and get her into a chair at the table. She flopped back against her seat with a huff, but at least she stayed put, hugging Onyx to her chest.
“Niffty.” Alastor tugged the needle free from the bug woman’s hands. “Food, darling.”
“Right!” Niffty nodded, climbing up into a chair Alastor manifested for her.
Alastor folded his hands into his lap as he allowed Niffty to serve the three of them. Having known the woman quite a while now, he knew better than to overstep in certain areas. This being one of them. While she dished out the meal she cooked for them, his hand trailed up to his antler again and he dragged his claws over it.
By the time Niffty was done, all three plates were filled to the brim with various foods. Alastor knew Scarlett wouldn’t end up eating most of it, as she was so small, but he’d cross that bridge when they came to it. It wouldn’t do to upset Niffty and make her think her efforts weren’t appreciated.
“Thank you, my dear.” He gave Niffty a pleasant smile as he picked up his utensils.
Niffty and Alastor tucked into their meal, with Scarlett mostly picking at her food. Before he could address this, however, his antler unexpectedly plopped down onto his plate. He let out a startled squeak, both as static feedback and an unfortunate deer noise.
“Shit.” His grip tightened on his utensils as he calmed down.
Silence descended on the room, with Niffty and Scarlett staring at Alastor. Finally, after what felt like forever, Niffty let out a small giggle. Which quickly shifted into maniacal chortling. She hopped down from the table and bolted from the room.
“Husk!” Niffty yelled as she disappeared out his door.
Alastor grit his teeth in annoyance. He felt like a vein was about to pop in his forehead. He hated this time of year. It didn’t help that Scarlett was still staring at him with a mixture of horror and confusion on her face.
He opened his mouth to tell her to go back to her meal but she interrupted him with an awful screech.
“Are you dying?!” Her breathing picked up and tears welled in her eyes.
He stuttered for a moment, a mix of static like the changing of radio frequencies and sputtering. “Oh, my dear girl, no! You forget, we’re already dead.” He waved his hand dismissively. “No, this is just a yearly inconvenience.”
“Wait, this happens every year?” Scarlett frowned. “Why?”
He ground his teeth slightly but tried to keep a gentle look on his face. He didn’t need to scare the girl anymore than she already was.
“Because I am a deer, darling. It’s just something they go through and subsequently so must I.” He said evenly.
“That sounds awful!” Her ears lowered in sympathy.
“Yes, well, it’s normal.” His fork scraped over his plate as he tried to go back to his meal. Unfortunately, he didn’t have an appetite anymore.
He sighed and put his utensils down. Scarlett hadn’t taken her gaze off of him and it was starting to get to him.
“Are you not hungry?” He asked. When she shrugged, he sighed again. “I hate to waste perfectly good food. But I suppose there’s nothing to be done. Why don’t you go play in your room for a while?”
“No, thank you.” Scarlett shifted her gaze towards one of the trees.
“While I commend your manners, that was not a suggestion.” He stood up and started clearing the table. “Go on, now.”
Scarlett didn’t move further than tightening her grasp around Onyx. The toy had been eerily silent all morning. Alastor sighed and put the plates back on the table, pressing his hands onto the flat of the table and leaning on them.
“Scarlett.” He started, tone firm. “Go play in your room, please.”
“I don’t feel good.” She blurted out, ears flattening to her skull.
“You didn’t touch your food, so clearly it isn’t that it’s disagreeing with you.” He tilted his head. “What’s the matter?”
She shrugged absently, her gaze drifting down towards Onyx. She brushed her fingers lightly over the fox’s ear, causing the toy to nuzzle into her hand. She didn’t know how to begin explaining how she felt.
“I cannot help if I do not know what is wrong, little one.” His expression softened and he sat back down.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged again, sniffing back tears. “My tummy doesn’t feel good.”
“Does it hurt?” He asked, moving to kneel in front of her. He shifted her chair so she was facing him and pulled his glove from his hand to feel her forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”
“It’s full of sad.” She frowned.
“Biiiiiiiiiig feelings!” Onyx threw out its arms wide.
Alastor sighed and shifted his hand from her forehead to the side of her head, gently running his fingers through her hair. He didn’t know how to help her navigate her feelings. Hell, he’d shut down his own for the longest time.
“I am sorry to hear that, darling.” He said sincerely. “Maybe you should lay back down for a while.”
Scarlett nodded and slid from her seat. He backed up enough to let her through and she wandered over to his bed, curling up under his blankets. And that worried him more than anything; she’d never agreed to lay down without making a face or a huff in response.
He made his way over to the bed and tucked the blankets in around her before sitting in the chair he’d left by the bedside. She was asleep in minutes and he scratched at his remaining antler. It was about to be a trying time for them both.
But maybe it didn’t have to be for her. She needed a guard of some sort, but maybe he could make her a friend to ease things.
As he manifested a bolt of red fleece cloth into his lap, Onyx forced its way out from under the blankets. He leaned back in the chair and propped his feet up on the bed, dragging a pair of scissors along the fabric. He may not have had much experience making stuffed animals, but what did he care if it came out wonky? Scarlett probably wouldn’t even care either.
“What are you doing?” The stuffed fox asked, resting its little paws on his leg.
“I am making something for Scarlett.” Alastor responded, finishing cutting out the crude shape.
Onyx gasped, its eyes lighting up with glee. “Another friend?”
“Something like that.” He mused, as he started cutting a second shape from orange fleece fabric.
The toy sat down on the edge of the bed and politely watched Alastor, swinging its legs quietly. He glanced at Onyx every so often as he cut a couple shapes out from a final black fleece. When he’d imbued the stuffed animal with magic, there was no telling what sort of personality it would gain. He’d never done something like it before, but he supposed it made sense the toy would be as polite as Scarlett was.
“Hold this.” He ordered, handing the orange and black shapes to Onyx.
The toy, for its part, looked overjoyed to be able to help. It hugged the fabric pieces to itself. Alastor chuckled lightly as he threaded a needle and started to sew up the red pieces. The toy was like an overexcited kid. Not unlike how Scarlett had been at the beginning. He was really hoping this new ‘friend’ would help bring her back to herself.
For the better part of a couple hours, Alastor sewed the new toy and made light conversation with Onyx. He paused every so often to fluff the fur on its ears and stubby little tail, but eventually he held a crude looking cat in his hands. It looked eerily like himself and he couldn’t help being amused with how it came out.
“What’s that?” Onyx asked, climbing into Alastor’s lap to get a closer look.
“A cat.” He smirked. “I never much liked dogs.”
“It’s smiling. Like you.” The stuffed fox pointed out.
“Yes, indeed it is.” He put the stuffed cat down onto his bed. He closed his eyes and pushed magic into it.
The toy came to life and instantly sank its teeth into Alastor’s hand. His eye twitched at the pain but he broke out into a grin. This was exactly what he’d wanted for Scarlett. Something willing to protect her.
“It’s perfect.” He pried the cat from his hand and scooped it up before gently nudging Scarlett awake. “Little one, I have something for you.”
Scarlett snuffled a bit before blinking awake. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, sitting up. Alastor dropped the cat into her lap and watched as it started to bat at the young girl.
“What is it?” Scarlett frowned, looking at the cat. “A kitty?”
“Yes, and he’s all for you.” Alastor stretched a bit, putting his feet back on the ground to lean forward. “Do you like him?”
“I do.” Scarlett gave him a genuine smile and Alastor nearly melted; he was so thankful to see it. “Does he have a name?”
“Nope. He still needs one. Why don’t you give him a name, darling?” Alastor brushed a lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“Mm… Stitches. I like the name Stitches.” She scooped the cat into a tight hug.
Stitches, for his part, allowed this and just started batting at her hair. Alastor relaxed. He’d worried, based on the cat’s reaction to meeting him, that it may not take kindly to Scarlett, but it seemed to have taken to her well.
“Stitches it is.” He smiled, running his fingers through her hair. The unhinged little cat was going to be a perfect addition to the Hotel, he just knew it.