Chapter Text
Lucifer has been a shut in, for the most part, for over a millennia. He used to keep up with the other sins regularly, arranging endless competitions just for fun, and because they had each other. Forever and always.
But as the years went on and the human souls that landed in hell somehow only got worse, and Lucifer had found it hard to leave his home at all. It got easier- it was easier to just… stay inside, especially when every step out his doorway was only met with the worst humanity had to offer. Their tension rose, high enough to reach the heavens, and Lucifer could feel the reaction mirror, it was all…
So eventually he stopped going to see the sins. Everything that was happening, it was all out of his control and it hurt and he couldn’t face the others like this. And with the events a couple weeks ago, he’s had to fight the urge to lock himself in the castle. The only reason why he returned to the hotel was because Charlie apologized to him and pleaded with him to give her another chance, to stay at the hotel and stay involved. And there is nothing within his ability that he wouldn’t do for her.
Regardless, it doesn’t mean that he isn’t terrified now that his secret has been torn open right in front of the entire city. He’s spooked with each step anyone takes in his direction.
“Don’t fret so harshly about your little slip up, your majesty.” Only slightly mocking Lucifer, Alastor steps up beside Lucifer near the railing without sparing the other a glance. Sipping from a glass, “Most of the sinners who watched the rally were under Vox’s control, which leaves them to not really remember what happened.” Alastor peeks at Lucifer through the curls framing his face.
Sliding his thumb along the side of his teacup, Lucifer thinks back to how he always would start to feel out of it when he tried the new television tech a few decades back and quickly chose to forego it in favor of his extensive collection of physical media.
As comforting as Alastor’s words may be, it does little to ease Lucifer, especially when the words are coming from him of all people. Alastor has been almost friendlier toward him and he’s at a loss as to specifically why. Still picking fights and getting provoked in turn, but Lucifer knows he’s up to something. It’s the other reason of why Lucifer agreed to come back. He loves Charlie and a part of him is believing more and more in her dreams everyday, but there are some sinners he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to trust. Not in the way Charlie does.
“Mhmm.” Lucifer keeps his gaze down to the crowd of sinners filling the lobby, skin crawling at the fact that the little dark corner he sought safety in at the distance is being invaded. But Alastor has a knack for finding him. It happens too often for Lucifer to think it coincidental or unintentional. And he’s having trouble finding the motivation to pretend not to notice. Don’t get him wrong, he is absolutely dense a lot of the time, but once he interacts with someone enough times… “Didn’t you quit?” Part of him doesn’t want Alastor to leave. He knows that Alastor had found out his secret very early on and has yet to exploit it. Lucifer hates that he finds a sick sort of comfort in that.
“I talked it out with our darling Charlie,” our? “and, admittedly, I wasn’t feeling particularly well after the fight with the angel army. So I didn’t quite have the motivation to help. But I’m feeling better and want to still help with this little hotel, which the project leader managed to prove this whole thing is more than just a pipe dream.” Alastor’s permanent smile brightens, “And to top it off, I heard you would be staying! It seems this hotel has all the entertainment I need.”
Lucifer takes a deep breath and before taking a sip from his tea mumbles under his breath, “Say it like you mean it.”
The record screeching doesn’t startle Lucifer, neither does Alastor fully turning to look at the king. Once Alastor realizes Lucifer isn’t going to elaborate or try to take a swing at any of the wide openings Alastor left for him, he straightens his posture, analyzing Lucifer like he’s been replaced by someone he doesn’t recognize. “Well, admittedly, I know I am not the only one between the two of us who finds a sense of enjoyment from our little tiffs.”
“The last big one I lured you into,” to avoid visibly deflating against the railing, Lucifer takes a deep breath and straightens his posture, mirroring the radio demon despite still not looking at him, “you quit.”
Attempting to laugh the comment off, Alastor waves his hand, “Oh please, like I said, I wasn’t in the mood.”
“Yet you still got baited into the argument instead of moving on, Alastor.” With a roll of Lucifer’s wrist, the cup disappears to it’s place in his room as he begins to walk away.
Ears pinning back, Alastor rests a hand on the rail and harshly clutches the glass in the other. He copies Lucifer’s movement of dismissing his glass and begins to pace after him. “Honestly, Lu, are you rea-”
A simmer of anger rises in Lucifer, causing him to stop and quickly pivot, Alastor almost stumbling into him from his sudden change in course, “Don’t call me that! I’ve given one person permission to call me that.”
Alastor’s grin turns smug and his ears perk back up, thrilled with himself that Lucifer is finally reacting, “Is that so?” His curls nearly bounce as he tilts his head.
Lucifer can sense a trap, but pushes back regardless, “Yeah!”
The king of hell thinks he imagines the way Alastor’s eyes seem to narrow playfully. “What’s her name?”
“Wha-” Lucifer takes half a step backwards, “What does that have to do with you and I?”
“I mean, you don’t have a problem remembering my name, I assume it must be the same with you and the one person you’ve given permission to use a nickname for you. You two must be closer than you and I, at the very least.” Alastor taunts him like this is what he lives for, “So, what’s her name?”
A flaming breath is hissed from Lucifer’s teeth, and in that moment he’s reminded of a few weeks back, when he was on that stage and that mouth little mortal dared to think he knew anything about Lilith. “You know what- this isn’t worth the aggravation. Goodnight, Alastor.”
With a quiet sigh, Alastor replies in kind with, “Goodnight, Lucifer.”
Just as Lucifer loses the fire in his step and spares a thought about apologizing, he turns, and Alastor’s ears suddenly perk up and his voice soars in energy, “We’ll chat again in the morning!” Alastor laughs as he falls back into the shadows and disappears.
Muttering under his breath, Lucifer snaps his fingers, teleporting to his room.
He hasn’t had it in him to unpack yet. He hates that he’s lied to Charlie about it, told her he’s settled back in just fine, perfect! Haha, don’t even worry about it, it’s like he never left.
… Lucifer glides a hand over the bed, dropping the final shreds of the mask. Just for tonight.
Charlie has bigger things to worry about. She’s already apologized to him more than he can handle, and she wants him to feel like this is his home too, because it is, but… Lucifer has lost too many homes. And right now, he’s at an impasse. He doesn’t want to let Charlie down, and going back to the castle will do just that, but staying here means more of a possibility of repeating his recent mistakes, and… Heavens!
Falling backwards onto his bed, Lucifer buries his face in his hands with a loud groan. With Alastor provoking him, or worse Lucifer provoking Alastor-
He’s bound to slip up.
Maybe…
A new approach.
Yeah.
Lucifer sits up, balling his hands into fists as he nods. Pause a moment to change the perspective. He tries to remember what that cannibal lady once told him. She’s always been well adjusted. The few times he had met her anyway.
He pulls his shoulders back, letting go of the tension in his shoulders and in his fists. He focuses on pushing it all out through with the air in his lungs with a shaky breath, a breath so shaky he tries again, opening his palms. The physical shift, helps. How he managed to remember this and not her name is beyond him. Lucifer thinks back to some of the things Alastor said in their conversation.
“Admittedly, I wasn’t feeling particularly well after the fight with the angel army. So I didn’t quite have the motivation to help.”
Not having the motivation is Lucifer’s specialty. He rests his elbows on his knees, leaning forward to rest his mouth against his clasped hands. Alastor has been notably happier since escaping from the Vees. He knows that there was some type of fight between Alastor and that TV head demon while he was…
Lucifer flinches and shutters at the memory of those moments. It may be best to fast forward a bit.
He remembers being real out of it when he had finally been able… break out from the restraints and crawl out from that hole. He… he remembers Charlie and her-
The kings sighs in frustration with himself.
Charlie and her absolutely lovely and supportive girlfriend had tried assisting in patching him up, but out of everything his daughter had to worry about that night, he was not going to be another one, especially not with all the trouble he caused, or at the very least contributed to. And as much as she tried to stand her ground, he did too, but… he knows he definitely didn’t have the energy to do so. But he knows something convinced her to let up.
Someone.
It… wasn’t her partner. No. She was just as stubborn as his daughter about it. What convinced them was…
Lucifer’s eyes widens.
Alastor.
Fucking-
Yes, it was Alastor who assured them, and Lucifer had felt begrudging gratitude, and was mostly just relieved that Charlie finally dropped it. And Alastor did as promised and sought to tending to Lucifer. Burying his face in his hands again,Lucifer hisses out a groan. What made him feel that he could trust Alastor when he was like that? He’d lost his damn mind.
Feeling his heart rate speed up, Lucifer panics to remember what happened as he was left in Alastor’s oh so capablehands.
The memory that begins to replay calms his rapidly rising blood pressure. Lucifer had been out of sorts and was in so, somuch pain; a pain he… Hadn’t felt since crashing into hell. Not even when he and Satan had gone too far in their spars…
But Alastor, he treated Lucifer with a gentleness that the king didn’t know the radio demon could even possess, even when acting. Not towards him. Alastor had calmed his nerves in that moment by playing some music. It was something soft and serene. Warm and kind of upbeat while still soothing and delicate. It bore a resemblance to how Belphegor would put on an album while calming Lucifer and Satan down from any of their heated arguments. As the radio demon had played music for him, he would warn Lucifer whenever something was about to sting or burn or hurt worse before it gets easier.
And though Alastor was in a good mood, it wasn’t from the sorry state Lucifer was in. He was… chipper.
And no matter the reason or plotting Alastor has for helping Lucifer, doing him a favor, Lucifer still has to at the very least thank him. Even if the sinner takes the golden opportunity to hold it over his head.
Being owed a favor from the Devil himself.
With a snap of his fingers, Lucifer changes into his sleepwear and reaches for the stuffie from Belphie, thinking up a plan for how to give his gratitude in the morning as he falls asleep. To, at the very least, begin to repay Alastor.