Work Text:
{Years Ago}
"Thank you so much for watching Charlotte tonight, Bee," Lucifer told the fox-bee hybrid gratefully.
Bee was a little surprised that she had been asked to watch the young princess. Well, she wasn't surprised that Lucifer and Lilith wanted a night off from parenting duties since, while Charlie was the cutest kiddo in all of Hell, she was still a kid and could be a bit of a handful sometimes. The Sin of Gluttony remembered laughing her butt off with a young Ozzie when Lucifer had told them about a disaster of trying to get Charlie to take a bath. It seemed her baby magic at the time was still a bit wild so she was transporting randomly in the palace and floating around while they would try to put her in her princess clothes. Mammon wouldn't let go of Lucifer falling face-first into the tub and Charlie laughing while floating above him. All the sins cracked up when Lilith showed them a picture of their king looking like a drowned rat.
"Hey it's no trouble. I ain't busy tonight." Bee assured them, booping a toddler-Charlie's nose. "You guys should go have fun."
"We will make it up to you." Lilith promised, giving her a tired smile. "We need some mummy-daddy time and the servants could use a break as well." She then surprised the young Sin as she summoned a large bag filled with all of Charlie's essentials. "Just to make sure she's comfortable in your home--"
"Not that we think she wouldn't have fun in your lovely home!" Lucifer chimed in with a nervous smile.
"We brought some of her favorite things to make this little sleepover easier for her." Lilith told her. "We have her stuffed animals Razzle & Dazzle, her favorite blanket, some videos of child-appropriate entertainment for her, her bath toys she can play with in your tub before going to sleep, and her favorite pair of pajamas so she'll be nice and cozy."
"And just for emergencies we'll have the telephone numbers for the restaurant and theater we'll be going to. We'll have our magic mirrors on us at all times as well." Lucifer added.
"She will NOT eat cauliflower so don't even try to feed that to her and please don't feed her anything too sugary before bedtime." Lilith requested.
"If she wants to swim, we brought her swimsuit and her floaties." Lucifer added, smirking at his daughter looking longingly at Bee's pool. Charlie was his little duckling for a reason; she loved swimming and bathtime since the water helped her relax.
"And uh..." Lilith whispered, leaning in towards a curious Bee. "Charlotte is potty-trained but it would be best to let her know where the closest bathroom is just in case."
Bee was a little surprised at how...extra they were being but they were first time parents. They were probably nervous leaving anyone--even a close friend/family member--in charge of their precious little hellspawn. But it was pretty flattering they chose her of all the other Sins. Belphegor probably would've been a fine enough choice but Charlie might not have as much fun if she kept falling asleep on the kiddo. Ozzie's was DEFINITELY out since, while he loved hanging out with his niece (which was odd for him since they weren't that far apart in age), Lust was NOT appropriate for a child. Leviathan and Mammon would be too scary for the little lady to spend a whole night with and Satan was way too awkward around children.
Maybe when Charlie was older she could meet them but in the meantime, Bee was the best option for a babysitter/cool aunt-figure she could hang out with.
"Hey not that I'm knocking having Charlie over here for a sleepover but if you're that worried, I could've come up to Pride to watch over her," Bee reasoned. "What made ya wanna bring her down here?"
The two royals looked at each other before giving her a sheepish smile. "We want to make sure she can get to know all of you so some one-on-one time would be a good start." Lilith explained. "Plus encouraging some independence for her would be beneficial in the future."
"We want to try to spend one night away...even thought it'll be hard." Lucifer whimpered, looking at his adorable girl with big eyes.
"Now dear, we promised we would give this a try. Charlie's old enough to try a sleepover at Bee's house. We want to be prepared for any sleepovers she'll want to have in the future." Lilith reasoned with her hubby before looking down at her daughter. "Oh...it'll be so hard to not see her off to sleep tonight..." she sighed.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her." Bee promised, taking Charlie from a very reluctant Lucifer's arms. "You guys SO need this night off. Go have fun and we'll have fun here. Right little lady?"
"Yeah!" Charlie cheered, blinking as Lucifer hugged his baby girl one more time.
"Bye Char-Char. We love you." Lucifer told her, giving her one more kiss on the head before being dragged away by Lilith. She was a lot more calm when saying goodbye but still felt a melancholy about leaving Charlie for an extended period of time. "If you need anything, your auntie Bee is here for you. But we'll come back tonight if you need us." she told her baby, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"Bye-bye mommy! Bye-bye daddy!" Charlie waved, Bee guiding them out and reassuring them over and over that Charlie will be fine.
She might be a wild party animal but she'd never let Charlie get exposed to her parties until she was MUCH older. Charlie was way too sweet to see what went on at her parties. They didn't normally get out of control but they could get pretty wild once the drinks started flowing. Once Lucifer and Lilith had left back to Pride, Bee let out a sigh of relief. She was glad they cared so much about their little girl but they really needed a break from being parents for a bit. One night of fun for adults would be good for them both. And plus...Bee could spend time with the best kiddo in all of Hell!
"Phew! Finally it's just us." Bee joked before looking down at Charlie. "So...what do ya wanna do first?"
"Swim!" Charlie squeaked.
(...)
"YAHOO!" Bee cheered, jumping into her indoor pool with a flourish. Charlie, who was wearing a frilly one-piece swimsuit and a swimming ring and floaties, laughed as she was splashed. Unlike a lot of kids her age, she didn't mind getting splashed. Bee popped out from the water, spitting some water out and grinning at her. "Come on in! The water's great!" she waved.
"Um...um...will you catch me?" Charlie asked.
Bee swam up to her, holding both sets of arms up. "I've got you, sweetie. You're safe here," she promised, silently thinking 'your parents would have my fucking hide if I didn't.'
Charlie slowly crept up to the edge of the pool, looking nervously at the water before looking at Bee's friendly face. She had to be brave for her auntie; taking a deep breath, Charlie leapt into the pool, letting Bee catch her as she entered the water. "I did it!" Charlie cheered, giggling as Bee spun her around.
"Nice work, kiddo!" Bee grinned, letting her float in her ring and floaties for a bit to get her used to the water. While she loved swimming in her pool of honey during her parties, chilling out in her regular pool was pretty nice too. Bee was perfectly content doing the backstroke in her pool while Charlie paddled around like an adorable puppy. This was the start for a very fun day for the aunt and niece duo and there was more fun to come.
"Hey you wanna play Marco Polo?" Bee suggested.
"What's that?" Charlie wondered.
"Well one person closes their eyes and shouts 'Marco' and the other says 'Polo', trying to catch 'em." Bee explained. "It's a pretty fun game at my parties. It's kind of like hide and seek but in a pool."
"Yeah! I wanna play!" Charlie cheered.
"Okay. I'll close my eyes, count to ten, and then the game can start. And no leaving the pool." Bee grinned, covering her eyes and loudly started to count slowly.
Charlie giggled as she paddled as far away from Bee as she could. Once Bee finished counting, she kept her eyes shut as she started to swim around. "Marco!"
"Polo!" Charlie giggled.
Bee smiled to herself as she started to swim towards Charlie's voice. While she couldn't see the little princess, she could hear her with her big ears. She might be swimming away for now, but she'd catch her. "Marco~!"
Charlie covered her mouth, trying to smother her giggles as she started to swim away. "Polo!"
It seemed their little game of cat and mouse would last for a while. Charlie was small so she could get out of Bee's reach pretty easily but Bee's ears were big so she'd be able to track Charlie even without seeing her. Bee kept back a bit, wanting to give Charlie a chance to get away but she'd get tuckered out eventually. By the time the princess's splashes slowed down, Bee managed to grab her around her middle and picked her up.
"Got ya!" she grinned.
"You're good!" Charlie complimented, laughing as she was plopped back down in the water.
"Aw thanks. You ready to get out? I can put on a video for you if you want?" she offered.
"Oh yeah!" Charlie nodded, paddling over to the side of the pool. She didn't want to use the ladder or stairs so she slammed both arms on the side of the pool, pulling herself out of the water and flopping onto the deck like a seal, rolling away from the pool much to the amusement of Bee.
'She's so freaking funny!' Bee giggled to herself, flying out of the water and shaking herself dry. She landed by Charlie and helped her dry off before wrapping her in a fluffy towel. "Let's get you all cozy on the couch and we can watch your videos."
{Pride Ring}
Lucifer and Lilith were out having some adult fun at the opera. As much as they enjoyed their outings with Charlie, it was nice to have a night where they could enjoy some culture for more...mature tastes. Charlie was a little too young to appreciate this type of music for an extended period of time. Operas were usually four hours with an intermission or two but she would've gotten way too fussy and bored for that. So a little culture and fine dining was a nice treat for the both of them.
"So what's this opera about again?" Lucifer asked, taking his seat in the box.
"I believe this is more of an operetta than an opera and 'Die Fledermaus' is about a bunch of comedic misunderstandings." Lilith read from her pamphlet. "Perhaps when Charlie is older, we can take her. I think she might like this one."
Lucifer removed his hat before letting out a small sigh. "Lillie I know this is important for us but..."
"You're missing our little girl?" At her husband's nod, Lilith cupped his face and kissed his forehead. "I miss her too but we both need this night out. We don't want to get burned out. As important as our role of being parents is, we need to remember to take care of ourselves so we can keep Hell running."
Lucifer took her hand and kissed it. "You're right, my love. Bee will take good care of her so for Charlie's sake we should have a good time." he decided, settling into his seat.
"That's the spirit dear," Lilith smiled, squeezing his hand. "Let's enjoy this time we have together. It'll be nice to be in the audience for once instead of performing. A break will do us both good."
{Gluttony Ring}
Charlie was happily watching her videos as Bee was working on dinner for her special guest. Cauliflower was a no-go but that wasn't a problem since didn't really like cooking with it anyway. But with a lot of demon kids she knew and from observing some humans on earth, a lot of people loved spaghetti and meatballs. The smell of sauce simmering on the stove and garlic bread cooking in the oven? It was absolutely perfect for a cozy dinner.
"Hey Charlie! Wanna help me make some meatballs?" Bee called.
Charlie paused her video--she had seen this one before--before running into the kitchen with Bee. "I can help?" she guessed.
"You know it! Cooking is more fun when you got a little help so if you wash your hands, you can help make some meatballs." Bee told her, amused at Charlie's excited hopping. She helped her onto a stool and thoroughly helped her wash her hands before helping her over to the counter.
"How big do I make 'em?" Charlie wondered.
"Mmm...a little bigger than a golf ball." Bee decided, picking up some seasoned meat and rolling one meatball for a demonstration. Charlie watched eagerly as she wanted to make sure that she didn't mess up. Spaghetti and meatballs were one of her favorite meals for dinner so she wanted to do it justice.
"I think...this should do it!" she smiled, holding up one finished meatball. "Think you can handle that?"
"Uh-huh!" Charlie nodded, grabbing some meat and forming it into a meatball herself. It was a little lumpy but close enough to the right size. As they worked, Bee humming as her mane turned pink from happiness, the young princess looked at her curiously. "Auntie Bee?"
"What's up?"
"You can make food appear, right?" she recalled.
"Oh you know it, girl." Bee nodded proudly.
"Why do you like cooking?" she wondered.
Bee blinked before giving her a smile. "Well it's fun first of all but second, I like getting a feel and taste of something I make first before I conjure it up." she explained, getting out some noodles to put in the pot. "I get a lot of my energy when the demons I party with are happy. If they're eating something yummy, that makes their energy taste super good. If it isn't, it tastes like cardboard."
"Eew! You eat boxes?" Charlie teased, laughing as Bee scooped her up and flew around with her, poking her belly.
"Oh you're really funny, goofy girl!" Bee grinned mischeviously before setting her down. "Just like your dad!"
It didn't take too long to finish prepping dinner. Bee browned the meatballs a bit to give them some color and cook them a bit before letting them cook in the sauce. Homemade sauce was absolutely perfect for these meatballs, letting the flavor soak in and cook while they relaxed. Store-bought sauce and frozen meatballs could do in a pinch, especially if she was feeling lazy, but Bee felt energized having a house guest over so she wanted to do it right. She had made the garlic bread earlier by taking a baguette and slicing it in half to cover it in garlic butter and herbs before putting it in the oven. Her house was going to smell amazing.
"So after dinner, you wanna make brownie sundaes?" Bee asked, cleaning up the mixing bowls she had used earlier.
"Ooh yummy! We extra chocolate sauce and whipped cream?" Charlie guessed, her eyes sparkling from excitement.
Bee giggled before opening her pantry of ice cream toppings which was every little kid's dream come true. "Like you even need to ask." She was surprised to have her magic mirror ringing right then. It was probably the Morningstar parents so she'd need to take it. "Hey Charlie I'm gonna take this call real quick. You mind waiting at the table?" she requested.
"Okay!" Charlie smiled, scampering over to the table.
Bee smiled a bit before pulling up her mirror; her instincts were right. "Hey you two. How was the opera?" she asked.
'Surprisingly engaging and quite humorous. How is Charlotte doing?'
"Oh she's great! We had fun in the pool and she was watching her tapes for a bit before helping me with dinner. It's cooking right now but it'll be done soon." Bee explained, smirking as Lucifer popped into frame.
'She's not worried or homesick is she?'
"I'm keeping her entertained and safe." Bee promised before trying to get a look at their surroundings. "Where ya having dinner?"
'Oh it's this seafood place Leviathan recommended. They said it was some of the best in all of Hell.'
"Still weird they eat seafood when most of their ring is filled with aquatic demons but I ain't judging." Bee shrugged, her ears perking up at the sound of the timer going off. "Oh that's the garlic bread! Enjoy dinner! I'll call you if we need anything!"
Bee soon flew by the oven and picked up the freshly toasted garlic bread, sniffing it as she began to cut it into pieces. The pasta had drained earlier and was resting in a bowl lubed up with olive oil to make sure it didn't get all clumpy. Not too much to overwhelm the taste but just enough. Bee liked to serve the pasta separate from the sauce and meatballs for guests just in case they liked eating their food separately but was happy to see Charlie mixing up her sauce and pasta together.
"Alright let's dig in!" Bee grinned, taking an end piece of garlic bread and dipping it into the sauce before taking a bite. "Mmm! So freaking good!" she gushed, taking a bite of pasta. "Perfectly al dente and the meatballs cooked through. Nice work, sweetie."
Charlie, who had twirled her pasta into a ball and was eating face first, looked up at the queen with a sauce-covered face and a big grin. "Mmm...'frank oo! Dis ish yummy!" she gushed.
Bee blinked at how messy Charlie was when she ate before letting out a laugh. "You know what, it's just us! Let's enjoy it!" she shrugged, twirling her pasta and taking a big bite. She might need to take a shower later but she didn't care. Food made with someone she cared about meant the world to the young Sin. And seeing her pseudo-niece enjoying cooking with her made her hope they could cook more in the future.
But as she saw Charlie trying to cut up her meatballs, Bee decided that they might want to make something a little less messy for next time.
{...}
"Aww that is adorable they're cooking together." Lilith giggled before putting her magic mirror away.
"Nothing too dangerous I hope." Lucifer fretted.
The Queen of Hell shook her head in reassurance. "Oh I'm sure we would've heard something if things went awry. From what I could tell, she was making something very child-friendly for her." Lilith told him.
"That's a relief." he sighed before laughing. "Do you remember when I first gave Charlie pancakes? S-She just took the whole thing and bit into it!"
"Ah yes I remember that day. We learned never to leave syrup alone on the table with her either." the taller demon woman giggled. "She was so sticky we had to cancel that meeting with King Paimon to clean her up."
"Oh that's right! I told King Paimon it wouldn't be a problem if he came by later but he insisted on waiting another day." he snickered. "Don't know why he was so worried. It wasn't like our meeting was in the dining room."
"You know he hates his messes dear." Lilith reminded him. "I seem to recall from when Charlie was working her way up from breast milk to baby food that she had a tendency to want to play with her food rather than eat it."
"How could I forget?" Lucifer smirked. "Mammon would never let me live down that green stain on my suit that he insisted was baby poop when it was just mushy peas."
Lilith couldn't help but smile from the unknowing revenge that Charlie had gotten in her father's honor. "I think he might've regretted tossing Charlie up and down in his arms when he met her as a baby. She puked all over his jester outfit." she smiled mischieviously.
"Hey I tried to warn him she was feeling punky that day but he wouldn't listen. That's totally on him." he reasoned.
The stories they had to share with Charlie even in the short time she was in their lives made their existence in Hell more bareable. She wasn't a traditional demon, being far more sweet and kind than most demons her age, but that didn't change the fact they loved her very much. Her curiosity was infectious and she had so much love to give that it made Lucifer and Lilith dote on her. Of course if she did something naughty, they would correct that behavior accordingly but she was an overall well-behaved toddler that was just as silly as her parents.
And they loved her all the more for it.
{...}
Bathtime for Charlie was a little bit of a hassle since she was a bit of a splasher but leaving her face covered in pasta sauce probably wouldn't have made for a comfortable sleep. Once she was all cleaned and put in her jammies, Bee tucked the little princess into her guest room with Razzle and Dazzle all cuddled up with her. She was surprised even after a brownie sundae with vanillia ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, Charlie was starting to doze off. She was only 3-4 years old so she would probably be tuckered out no matter how much sugar she ate. They had a long day together after all.
"Alright I'm gonna be down the hall if you need me, okay?" Bee told her, taking her crown off her head and placing it on the nightstand.
"M'kay..." Charlie mumbled, letting out a cute yawn.
Bee smiled as she left Charlie in the room, leaving the door open a crack just in case before getting ready for bed herself. She stretched a bit, surprised that she was already this tired without even throwing a party. Charlie was a pretty easy kid but still, watching over a toddler wasn't easy so she might knock out even without Belphegor's Sleepytime Chocolate. Bee had just finished putting on her pajama shirt when she felt her stomach growl.
"Man seriously? I'm still hungry?" she groaned before letting out a sigh. "I'll have a banana and some milk. That'll knock my ass out." Bee was about to fly down to the kitchen but stopped when she heard whimpering from the guest room. "Charlie?"
To her concern, she saw the little princess tossing and turning in her sleep, moaning in distress almost like she was...crying?
Bee immediately flew into her room, touching her shoulder to get her attention. Charlie woke up with a start, shaking a bit as she tried to look around. "M-Mama? Daddy?" she sniffled.
"Hey it's okay. I'm right here honey." Bee promised, allowing Charlie to crawl into her arms as she sat with her. "Bad dream?"
"U-Uh-huh..."
Bee gave her a hug before summoning some tea to help calm her down. "Drink this. It'll help you feel better," she offered. She held Charlie in her lap as she slowly drank from her cup, gently rubbing her back to help her relax. "That better?"
"Yeah..."
"What's got you so scared?" Bee asked gently.
"I...I was in the palace...but I couldn't find anyone...not you...not mom...not dad...no one...I was alone..." she whimpered, her shoulders drooping a bit.
Bee felt her ears fall a bit hearing how scared the little princess was. She was usually so cheerful and optimistic so seeing her being this afraid and sad was worrying. She didn't want to have to call her parents to come get her but she was feeling homesick...she might need to. Bee sat Charlie on the bed, giving her a sympathetic look. "Do you want me to call your mom and dad?" she offered. To her surprise, Charlie shook her head no.
"I don't wanna go home yet...but...could you stay with me?" she requested shyly.
Bee was surprised but gave her a warm smile, re-tucking her into her bed as she picked up Razzle and Dazzle for her to hold. "Sure thing. Want me to sing you to sleep?" At her nod, Bee shut her eyes as she started to hum, absentmindedly stroking her hair. "Cotton candy skies...Sweet as apple pie. I can't help but shine...Brighter than the starlight" Bee smiled as Charlie slowly started to doze off, staring at her lava lamp-like stomach as she was lulled into sleep. "Cotton candy skies...Sweet as apple piе. I can't help but shine...Brighter than thе starlight in the sky"
Charlie was soon out like a light after that, small snores escaping her lips. Bee smiled as she watched her sleep, wanting to make sure she was out cold before heading back to her room. Babysitting definitely wasn't easy but she had a lot of fun just spending some one-on-one time with her niece. Maybe the could hang out some more in the future where she could babysit up in Pride or cook with her on a rainy afternoon.
She definitely knew she'd be getting her a lava lamp for her birthday as a reminder of their time together in Gluttony for their first sleepover.
[END]