Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Adam had just walked into the lounge when he heard the frustrated whine followed by a few sniffles and whimpers. 

He'd been staying at the hotel for a while now, after he was reborn as a lamb-like sinner with his mask’s horns growing atop his head. While he usually stuck to himself and avoided the other residents (aside from when he needed to partake in “redemption activities”), these noises were loud enough to draw his focus.  

Immediately upon entering the room, his lamb ears perked up in attention and he found his hooves carried him towards the sounds on instinct. 

He recognized that sort of noise, centuries alive training him to look out for it even after he died and ascended to Heaven. It was part of why Sera trusted him to run the Exorcists, and babysit new heaven-born or younger angels. 

It was the cries of a child . 

That’s not something a good father will ever forget. But why were they at the hotel, of all places? No one here had a kid that he knew of. Then again, he hadn’t really cared to check. 

Wandering towards the couch, he was mildly surprised to see Charlie sitting crisscrossed on the floor, hunched over a pile of papers and colorful pens scattered in front of her. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself, blonde hair sticking wildly out of her ponytail and doing little to hide the tears dripping off her nose onto the ground below her. 

Adam was going to mock, maybe tease the young princess, but the energy to do so died when he heard another high frustrated whine come from the princess. Instead, it was replaced by a familiar sort of protectiveness; a father looking out for his child. She was crying like she was a toddler, and that struck something odd in Adam. 

He did miss his kids, after all. 

So, cautiously, he knelt down beside the girl. His voice was gentle when he spoke, “Charlie? You ok?”
Charlie jumped with a squeak, looking over at Adam with wide, teary eyes. The expression on her face was so familiar, seen hundreds of times by his own children when they were little. Then again by his grandkids and great-grand kids.  Any doubt about wanting to help her was crushed by the pitiful expression before him, although he couldn’t explain why she seemed so young to him.  

He frowned, moving and sitting crisscross beside her. “What’s wrong Charlie?”

Charlie sniffled, turning back to her papers and staring at them for a moment. Then, with anger the size of a toddler’s, kicked them away from her with a huff. “Can’d think!” She whined. Her voice was higher pitched than normal, her words slurred slightly in reminiscence of childhood. 

“Hey, no kicking,” Adam gently reprimanded on instinct. She really did seem like a kid. Why Charlie was acting so much like a child, Adam still couldn’t explain, but the father in him took to a parental role regardless. 

“Sowwy…” Charlie murmured, hugging herself tighter.

Adam patted her shoulder. “It’s ok, kid. What do you mean, can’t think? Are you having trouble focusing on your work?” Charlie nodded. “Do you need some help?”

She furiously shook her head. “Too small now… No want work…”

Adam’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Too small? What do you mean by that?”

Charlie looked over with something akin to surprise, before her expression fell to somewhat thoughtful. She moved to her hands and knees, crawling amidst the papers and digging through them. Adam waited patiently, figuring Charlie was looking for something specific. 

He was right when she gave a little, “Aha!” and proudly handed over a packet of papers to Adam. Across the top read ‘ Coping Mechanisms ’. Before Adam could read much else, Charlie flipped through the packet to a page titled ‘ Age Regression .’

Adam’s eyebrows quirked up and he took the document away from Charlie, carefully skimming through the page, understanding dawning on him the longer he read. 

“Oh, I see…” he murmured before looking up at Charlie. The girl— who was regressed, if the papers were to be believed— was hugging herself again, suddenly shy as she looked anywhere but directly at him. 

Adam smiled at the younger. “How old are you feeling then, pumpkin?” The nickname was instinctual, something he called his own kids, but neither seemed to process it. 

Charlie perked, looking over at him. She held up a hand with four of her fingers up. 

“4 years old?” Charlie nodded in confirmation. “Do you have a, uh– Care…” Adam quickly glanced down at the packet for the term– “Caregiver?”

Charlie nodded again and then pouted. “They no here… Mami out wif Allie, and daddy gon at meetin’.”

Adam had to wrack his brain for a moment to think who was out, but quickly pieced together that “mami” was Vaggie and “daddy” was Lucifer. He remembered the pair mentioning their plans earlier that morning during the required ‘hotel breakfast’, but hadn’t paid full attention to how long they’d be gone. He regretted that now, but it was fine. He knew how to care for a toddler until either of them got back. Even if said toddler was bigger than normal. 

“Well, since they’re gone, are you ok with me watching you? I don’t think you should be alone right now while you’re feeling little.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “You wan’a wach me?”

“Only if you want me to. I’m pretty good with you youngins! I am the first dad, after all!” Adam teased, puffing out his chest and putting his hands on his sides playfully, making Charlie giggle. 

“Otay!” She grinned. “We color?”

“If you want to sweetie, then sure!”

Charlie squealed in excitement, jumping up and gathering the papers and setting aside blank ones. Adam got up too, helping the little out by grabbing all the forgotten pens strewn about. 

Once everything was found, they pulled over the coffee table so it was next to the couch and sat with their own blank papers and the pens laid between them. Adam leaned against the front of the couch, on the floor, and Charlie was across from him. 

Charlie happily got to work drawing, starting with a line of stick figures all holding hands. Adam sorta began to color something, but gave up mid-way and was content just watching Charlie draw happily instead. It reminded him of his own kids, when they learned how to use rocks and bark as paper and pencil. It was oddly endearing, and maybe a bit nostalgic, to watch Charlie draw. 

At one point, her tongue stuck out and her brows furrowed in concentration, carefully coloring in a piece of her drawing as in-the-lines as her regressed mind could. When she finished that small section, Adam made sure to praise her for “doing so well coloring in the lines!” Which made her beam in pride.

He pretended not to notice how that made his heart swell, his own children’s expressions blending with hers. 

Around 20 minutes later, Charlie finally exclaimed “Don’!” just as the doors to the hotel opened. Vaggie and Alastor strolled in, with the latter thanking Vaggie for her assistance and disappearing into the shadows as soon as they crossed the threshold.

Charlie’s head snapped over towards the door and she squealed, “Mami!” Jumping up, she bolted towards Vaggie. 

“Charlie!” Vaggie exclaimed right back, opening her arms and quickly scooping Charlie up as the little jumped and wrapped her legs around the ex-exorcist’s waist. “Hows my little girl doing?”

“I draw! Look, look!” Charlie squealed, pointing towards the coffee table and Adam. 

Vaggie looked towards the man and visibly tensed, eyes narrowing. Adam noticed her tighten her grip protectively around Charlie. 

Adam rolled his eyes. “Before you freak out at me, I did nothing wrong. I found her regressed and watched over her while we waited for you. I promise.”

Charlie vigorously nodded her head in agreement. “He comfo’ted me, mami! Me and Adam color! Look!” She tugged on Vaggie’s shirt, leaning half out of the former angel’s grip now, to try and get Vaggie to walk towards the lounge. 

The caregiver did so, walking over to Adam and sitting down at the couch next to him. Charlie immediately scrambled out of her arms in favor of grabbing her drawing and presenting it to the older pair. “Look!”

The drawing was a bunch of stick figures with various different features drawn onto them, clearly representing members of the hotel. Charlie was at the center, evident by the long yellow hair and red eyes, with Vaggie on one side and Adam on the other (evident by his horns and lamb ears). Next to Vaggie was Lucifer, then Alastor, then Nifty, and next to Adam was Angel, then Husk, then Razzle. 

Both Vaggie and Adam cooed at the little, with Vaggie praising, “It looks amazing pequeña!”

“Can we han’ it up, mami?” Charlie pleaded. 

“Of course we can, bebe,” Vaggie agreed. 

Adam reached under the table, where Charlie’s previous work stuff now lay forgotten, and grabbed a tape roll that had been discarded. “Here, I can do it. Where do you want it kiddo?”

“Whe’e all can see!” Charlie cried, clapping her hands excitedly. Adam and Vaggie chuckled at the response. 

Adam carefully taped the drawing above the fireplace, figuring that was a safe bet. Once done, he sat the tape down on the table and looked at Charlie. “Good?”

Charlie was beaming and she squealed, “T’ank you!” and wrapped Adam up into a tight embrace. 

Adam smiled and hugged back. “You’re welcome. Now, go hang out with your mami ok? You be good for her.”

“I will!” Charlie agreed, letting go and flopping down onto the couch beside Vaggie with a giggle. 

Vaggie watched the scene unfold with a soft smile. As Adam turned and began to walk away, she quickly called out, “Adam?”

“Ya?”

“Thank you for watching her.”

Adam gave a thumbs up. “Anytime. If there’s one thing I’m good with, it’s kids. Let me know if you ever need a babysitter.”

And with that, he headed back to his room.