bakerstreet | Let him cook

[ooc: a second hello from emp! Let me know if you'd like me to change anything at all, and feel free to switch up the format if you're not a fan of brackets :) ]

Um, Dad?

[It's not like the sight of Lucifer with his back turned, shoulders hunched as he works obsessively, is a strange sight to her. But in all of her memories of being little, and even when she got older, it had been him hunched over a workbench trying to perfect some new invention and not hunched over what looked like sixteen separate kitchen disasters.]

Dad? Angel says you've been in here for seven hours now and-- oh, it's not that you're not welcome to use the hotel kitchen! Of course you are, everyone is, it's... um...

[Other people want to use the kitchen and have been put off by the manic energy of the King of Hell.

It's not like she shares their nervousness, of course she doesn't, this is her Dad. It's just... well, their relationship is only just newly rekindled, and she's afraid of saying or doing something to make him shut her out again, go back to only wanting to speak to her when he needed something. So she doesn't want him to feel unwelcome or judged, even if one of the pots is bubbling over with a thick tar-like substance.

What is he even doing in here? She didn't know he cared about cooking, or even that he knew how... she has no idea that he might have overheard her talking to Vaggie yesterday excitedly about how family dinners could be a great team bonding exercise, and how Alastor had chimed in with Capital idea, my dear, I can't wait to see what's on the menu. If she did know he'd overheard, this might make a lot more sense.]

[ Family dinners, right?!

It sounds easy! Super easy, they've got kitchens these days and you put stuff in the hot boxes and BAM. Family dinner, your daughter looks at you like you hung the moon like she used to when she was little, creepy deer guy moves to fuckin' Hawaii or something and everything's perfect. Except that uh... so far it hasn't really been going that way. Apparently there's an element of precision to this whole thing? It doesn't respond to his tinkering the way his inventions do, that is to say that most of it is just turning into black sludge that doesn't look appetizing at all.

To his left is what was supposed to be an omelette, but looks more like three different whole eggs floating in seaweed alongside an alarming amount of cream cheese. Next to it is an entire steak, and that at least was probably fine, before he microwaved it for thirty minutes. There's also what appears to be a large cube of salami (it's banana bread, with red food coloring), something unidentifiable that appears to still be alive, and then of course the boiling tar which is supposed to be a soup. ]

Charlie!

[ He whirls around to see his daughter, all smiles and - oh, his eyes are terrifyingly bloodshot. ]

Seven hours, huh? Is that all it's been? Just figured your good ol' dad would whip something up for one'a those family dinners. Y'know, like the old days!

[ The old days when Lilith was home to make things that were actually edible! ]

[Not good.

Why does he look so manic? why are his eyes bloodshot like that? Is he hurting or-- wait and a minute. His words catch up with her with an almost audible record scratch, and her expression goes from confused and worried to emotional and happy in about 0.4 seconds flat.]

You... you're making dinner for us? All... all of us? A family dinner?

[Her heart feels so very full all of a sudden, and even the thick smoke coming off the tar-soup suddenly smells like a father's affection. He really did care about her dream if he was cooking for all of them!]

All?

[ He looks confused for a second, taken off guard by her phrasing - all meaning... oh, shit, yeah. She wanted it to be a thing for all these weirdos, didn't she? Quickly, Lucifer puts that smile right back on his face. ]

I mean - yeah! All of us!

[ Yes, he definitely only had himself and Charlie in mind during this entire venture. Which makes the amount of food he's ruined genuinely hilarious, because if any of it were edible it would have fed them both for roughly a month. ]

Well, obviously except for your weird... deer guy. Probably a vegan, right? Gluten free, all that? Yeah, real shame he won't be joining us. But everyone else!

Dad!

[The excitement mutes just a little as she rolls her eyes. Honestly, what is it with her Dad and Alastor? Why can't they just get on?]

I know you and Alastor didn't get off to the best start, but I bet that's because he was just-- um, nervous! Right! He was probably nervous to be meeting the King, so you should cut him a little slack.

[She bats hopeful eyelashes at him. Even she doesn't believe Alastor was just being nervous and social awkward, but she wants her Dad to be the bigger man.]

We're all family, so that means we all need to be at a family dinner, and that includes Alastor. Oh--! But you're right, there might be dietary requirements for everybody, it'd be awful if someone came and couldn't eat what we made... then they'd feel left out, and alone, and not part of the family, like we didn't care enough to--

[It's rambling time!]

[ Nervous. Right. Definitely looked real nervous back there, crowing about birth parents ~~and making a couple of actual points Lucifer would rather not think about~~. Luckily for him he doesn't get the chance to make any kind of remark about that, because Charlie's already moved on to a new rabbit hole.

He blinks, momentarily overwhelmed by her torrent of words. ]

Whoa, hey, hold on a sec Charlie..!

[ He holds up his hands, reaching for her upper arms in a steadying gesture. ]

We'll just make a bunch of stuff, yeah? Something for everybody! Look, I already--

[ He looks over his shoulder, meaning to mention that he's already made a pretty solid variety, but notices that one of the 'dishes' has crawled halfway off its plate. He frowns at it. It winces and shuffles back to its spot. ]

[His touch and his words both help to calm the frenetic nervous energy that always seems to be bubbling just under the surface when it comes to matters of the hotel and its guests, it's perhaps a bit embarrassing to have got carried away into an anxious spiral so quickly, but she knows her Dad won't judge her.

She lets out a little breath, her expression softening as she bends to give him a quick but fervent hug.]

Thanks, Dad.

[Not just for the comfort, but for trying to support her dreams this way. She already has a fiercely determined look on her face when she straightens up.]

You're right, we can do this! We can make a variety, enough for everyone, together! That's... if you don't mind my help?

[ His chest puffs out - he got a hug! From Charlie! That he didn't have to ask for! It's not exactly hard to do, sure, but it's real nice to get the affirmation. Like a gold star in dad-ing, which is something that's totally achievable and normal to want. ]

Yeah!

[ A father daughter activity? Depression fully forgets to make him nervous about fucking it up and he almost bounces on his heels at the idea. Fuck yes! He makes an effortless gesture like throwing something over his shoulder and poof, the kitchen is immediately back to the way it was when he started. Better, even! It's sparkling clean and set up with impeccable mise en place. White truffles, bluefin tuna, you name it.

It's a little much. He's trying. ]

Great!

[His enthusiasm and hers are feeding into one another, but the determination to do this right is at least somewhat tempering the ridiculous glee. For now. There's no surprise when the kitchen is suddenly pristine and full of things that look mouth watering even before they've been made into proper dishes, her father's powers are much greater than cleaning messy rooms.]

I probably should check if anyone has allergies, though, right? Or, um... intolerances.

[That's the right word, isn't it?]

Vaggie will know, I'll just-- I'll be right back. Don't move, okay?

[And with that she darts away, practically vibrating with the dual excitements of a new hotel bonding activity, and getting to spend time with her Dad.]

Edited (I know how to spell...) 2024-03-12 08:47 (UTC)

[The sound of her voice echoes from a nearby room when she finds Vaggie, a tumult of words that becomes... something more musical than mere words]

🎵 There'll be meat and eggs and fish and rolls
We'll fill all the plates and cups and bowls
It'll feed their stomachs and their souls
Our family dinner

And before that we'll go out, just Dad and I
To get the ingredients we need to try
And our relationship will be strengthened by
Our family dinner

Nothing will go wrong t-- 🎵

[Oops, the song is cut off short by Vaggie who, much as she loves Charlie, refuses to sing about vegetables of all things. There's a few more moments of quiet conversation, before Charlie's footsteps getting closer again.]

[Looking a bit like she might burst into song all over again, Charlie skids back into the kitchen.]

Okay, Dad! Let's do this~!

[ Left to wait, Lucifer cheerily bobs his head along to what he can hear of Charlie's impromptu family dinner song. She's always been such a talented little lady, man, how proud can one dad get? He's even humming the tune when she comes back, a couple of those ducks of his bobbing to it in the air nearby. There'll be meat and eggs and fish and rolls, da da da...

He straightens up again when she reappears, laser-focused. ]

Alright Charlie, put me to work!

[ Ready for her to take the lead! Please. He's not real good at that part. ]

[She claps her hands together and a few sheets of paper with a pen appear on the table.]

First, we need to make a menu! We should go through everyone and assign a dish just for them, even if it's just a side or a dessert, right? Then nobody will be left out at all.

[She looks up at him as if he's going to have any idea what the residents of her hotel like to eat, like she's sure he's been mingling with them and making friends like her heart desperately desires.]

Let him cook

lucifer morningstar ( hazbin hotel )

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perfect again!!

oh no Lucifer, I laughed very hard

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1/3

2/3 - try not to judge me

3/3 and done

okay but you should know that is the BEST tag i've ever gotten bar none

<3