Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Deep in the headquarters of heaven where everything was made of the most luxurious marble and gold the mood was far from bright and happy as was Heaven’s selling point. In fact, the conference room was filled with a tenseness thick enough to cut through with a knife. It was the head Seraphim and the now-leader of the extermination army Lute that were gathered in the normally bright room. All of Heaven’s rooms and residences were usually flooded with natural light. It accentuated the brightness of the decor and the luxurious patterns swirling through the slates of marble that made up the floors and the walls. The conference room was normally no exception with its large, white table and the most comfortable office chair in the history of office chairs. It was the exception that day. The blinds had been drawn shut, a rare sight in heaven, but they could not afford anyone lipreading or witnessing something they weren’t supposed to.

Lute had not changed her clothes since the failed extermination. Golden blood mixed with the red of sinners was all over her uniform, clotted and dried up to form uneven patches on the scale-like material. The gaping wound where she’d had to tear her own arm off had since healed but the remnants of her sleeve dangled as a reminder of what had happened. She was pissed. There was little other emotion she was able to feel these days after what the hell-cunts had brought upon them. How they had taken Adam away from them.

“We can train every single day for a year but they know our weakness now and they will prepare too. The longer we wait, the stronger they will get. An uprising is more imminent than it ever was so my question is, Sera, will you do what it takes?” Lute spat across the table, leaning her one hand on its surface, fingers curled into a fist. Sera regarded her with a strict calmness but the angel knew better. She knew very well there was trepidation and urgency bubbling beneath the surface.

“And what does it take? What do you expect me to do? Eradicate all of hell? Get rid of the entire realm?” Sera sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You know I cannot interfere. It would bring about judgment day and I will not face His wrath upon hearing we were the ones to break the treaty, rather than that disappointment Lucifer. The only ones with the power to eradicate Hell in one clean swoop are the Ones Before Creation and none of them are in any position where they are likely to do that.”

A tense silence stretched between them. Brows were knitted together in a matter of utmost concentration. It took about a minute but then Lute’s face broke into a broad grin. “That’s not necessarily true. Lucifer is down there. If he were to destroy his own realm… well no one would bat an eye at that, would they?”

Sera scoffed and waved a perfectly manicured hand dismissively. “Luce has never been one to use the full extent of his power and he’s not the destructive kind. He’s much too sensitive. Besides, what would he gain from such a heinous, immoral act?” She questioned but her voice and eyes raised Lute a challenge. The general grinned as she recognised it for what it was: Sera saw potential but needed that final bit of conviction.

“Why…revenge of course.”

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The hotel was experiencing quiet days following the failed extermination. After rebuilding and counting their losses there was a feeble attempt at a memorial held which turned out to be a chaotic mess of the highest order. Some argued that a memorial for those who were already dead was a bizarre thing to do. Rather they ought to celebrate their sacrifices. Others were horrified by the very notion of celebrating someone’s demise. They eventually settled on the celebrations of success which eventually led to the quiet of the after-aftermath. With no threats and no fighting things had reverted back to a routine and whereas some thrived on routine, others were appalled by it. It’d been months and business did start going up. After their victory, more sinners decided to try out the hotel’s advertised rehabilitation. Those who had been cruelly sent to Hell for the most petty of sins and had been regretting their life choices flocked to the hotel’s front entrance in search of validation and moral support. The truly dangerous psychopaths did not dare show their faces. Charlie figured it was a matter of time and believed even those could be redeemed if they truly wanted to be.

Alastor had found life to be…more thrilling as of late. Having spent a century or so in hell already it was refreshing he was still able to experience new things and able to discover more about himself than he already knew. Those ‘new things’ mostly came in the form of one King of Hell.
Lucifer was an enigma of the highest order. The fearsome leader of hell, by all accounts, should be the most psychotic, the most dangerous and the most sadistic of all. Alastor watched from his occupied spot in the kitchen entrance how the King pulled a face and made a high-pitched, truly undignified noise when Vaggie chopped the head of a fish she was preparing clean off and gutted it.
Oh yes, the King of Hell was nothing more than an overly sensitive, cocky, altogether bright and sunny guy. It had irked Alastor at first for how could such a powerful being and the ruler of the most evil of realms, be so bright and happy. Had he been a regular soul, Alastor would have expected him to be in Heaven rather than Hell. Well that is until the man opened his mouth to meet the radio demon head on in a battle of wits. By all the rings did that man have a mouth on him and insults to spare. He had the ability to give sailors a run for their money.

Husk and Angel had regaled him with stories of Lucifer’s demon form and how easily he had taken out Adam once he got serious about it. Alastor had struggled with that one, especially when he had the king pinned to the ceiling with shadowy tentacles, one wrapped around his mouth, simply so the radio host could read his newspaper. It had dawned pretty quickly on the demon that Lucifer was by all means allowing the powerplay to take place. When it came down to it there was no real play but it seemed their dear king enjoyed the thrill of it as much as Alastor himself did. No one had ever matched him blow for blow, word for word. To think the king was holding back infuriated as much as intrigued him. There was no question that as far as wits and insults went, they were evenly matched. Lucifer was simply allowing the physical level of their bickering to be level too.

Alastor was still able to recall the moment that realisation truly settled in. He’d halted his assault and Lucifer had looked up at him with those innocent looking big eyes. There was a spark of realisation from the angel before his face had settled into a smirk. The king had given him a wink before going on his merry way, the bickering they were engaged in all but forgotten, and left Alastor completely dumbfounded. Things shifted just slightly for them from there on out. Lucifer became the only other person, outside of Niffty, who was always allowed in his space. That in itself was strange enough and got quite a few apprehensive looks in the beginning. Lucifer would poke his chest or touch him in any kind of way and people would be holding their breaths awaiting the explosion that was the wrath of the Radio Demon. What was stranger still was how he sought out the king to be in his space occasionally. They traded insults but meanwhile Alastor provided the king with his drink of choice. They sat side by side on the couch as Charlie happily told them about her new exercises, occasionally shoving with elbows or kicking ankles or making comments under their breath. Whereas people were apprehensive at first, awaiting a devastating fight, they had slowly come around to expect their strange…comradeship. Occasionally others got a little too comfortable and mirthful and tried to mingle in their arguments. If they thought they had any right to trade insults and comebacks with them, they had clearly been mistaken for they’d be on the receiving end of the most devastating and wordless team-up. There was a strange kind of trust between them. A trust based on knowing exactly what the other person brought to the table. Lucifer knew Alastor was a manipulative son of a bitch with a meanstreak, short temper and impeccable sense of humor and Alastor knew Lucifer was an overly emotional, impulsive, childish creature with an almost endearing amount of mirth. There was a possessiveness to their bond that neither truly wanted to think about any further. If anyone else tried to take the other’s respective place… well needless to say they could both get a little territorial.

Charlie said they had become something like friends. Both of them scoffed heartily at that.

Speaking of the princess, she was preparing to go on a trip with her girlfriend. A well-deserved time away from all the chaos. It had been a lot for her and they all agreed she’d benefit from some actual rest. This was the very reason Vaggie was trying to show Lucifer how to prepare fish for that’s what they had to do to provide the sinners with dinner. Charlie dragged herself and two suitcases into the kitchen with some huffing and puffing. Both people at the kitchen island looked at her with poorly concealed love and affection.

“Dad… are you sure it’s ok for me to leave? I mean… this is my project. I should be here to guide it!” She started after regaining her breath. The princess wrapped her arms around herself in an obvious display of guilt. Her emotions were just as readable as her father’s. The latter walked around the kitchen island with outstretched arms and pulled her into a hug.

“None of these sinners are going to be any worse off if you take two days to breathe, honey. I’m sure. We’ve got this! You’ve prepared this little team of yours enough that they can handle this.” He cast a pointed look and smirk over his shoulder towards Alastor before adding. “Well most of them.”

The radio demon met the look with one of near exasperation before he disappeared into shadows and re-materialised next to the pair. With an expert hip bump he knocked Lucifer out of the way and took his place, going as far as placing a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.

“Of course the hotel will be fine! I am managing it after all. As for the poor sinners, they will know to behave.” He chuckled darkly. Beside him Lucifer had regained his footing and stepped closer, glaring heatedly over the arm extended towards his daughter up at the demon who promptly ignored him.

Semi-satisfied with the answers, Charlie hugged her father goodbye and waved at Alastor before taking Vaggie by the arm. With a final look around like they wouldn’t see the hotel for months to come, they went out the front door and towards the awaiting car that would bring them to their destination. As soon as the door closed Lucifer turned to Alastor with an insufferable smirk.

“Bet you’re secretly sad you didn’t get a hug. Come here I’ll show you what it’s like.” He teased, playing on Alastor’s obvious discomfort around physical affection. The latter grimaced and took a step away when Lucifer stretched his arms out to him. The king chuckled in dark amusement and took another step closer, making grabby hands. “Come ooonn bring it in pal!”

Without a second thought Alastor conjured a piano to drop on Lucifer’s head, who made a truly undignified screeching sound. It was going to be a fun two days for sure.

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Alastor wheezed, spitting a load of blood on the shattered floorboards. His vision wobbled and blurred as he stared down at his own hands and knees pressed to the splintering wood. The radio static emitting from him was nothing more than a screeching sound like a severely malfunctioning radio. Everything had happened so quickly he was still trying to wrap his head around it when someone held his cane out in front of him.

The Radio Demon looked up to see the worried face of Angel Dust who held out his cane for him to grab. His fur was blackened in places and he looked worse for wear but decidedly better than Alastor was doing. To the side of him Husk appeared, kneeling down as he offered him a means to get up by presenting his shoulders. Husk…his forced companion, knew better than to offer a hand or an arm, instead his whole body as a slightly degraded way of being support for the injured demon. Alastor wordlessly took his cane and placed it firmly on the ground before leaning his other arm on Husk’s shoulders and pushing himself to a standing position.

The three looked at each other with a loss for words. Not even the ever chatty radio host had a comeback. Burning furniture created thick black plumes that wafted through the enormous hole in the front of the hotel. They watched it in tensed silence while Alastor’s wounds began to stitch themselves back together. It made little difference to the weakened feeling that had come over the demon and he gritted his teeth in a grimace, biting back the rage at having been diminished to essentially nothing. The rage was overshadowed by a feeling he had only felt a handful of times in his life, and death: trepidation. Stumbling over to the hole in the hotel wall he looked out over the city, seeing fire rise alongside many screams before an entire block was leveled to little more than dust by the large, floating figure in the air. Bringer of light, they called him.

“Fuck.” Alastor cursed, wondering for the so maniest time how it had all happened so fast.

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It had been five days since Charlie left for her two-day holiday and she had yet to return, or leave a message. Lucifer was in a state of frantic panic and was barely getting any sleep. He spent most of the time pacing by the door, trying to find a way to reach her to no avail. On the fifth day there was a knock at the door and the king rushed to open it with poorly timed relief only to be sorely disappointed to find Cherri Bomb at the door. He huffed and sidestepped to let her in. The gang was gathered in the living room when she asked if they had seen the news yet, an uncharacteristically sad expression on her face. Half interested, Lucifer joined them as they switched their barely used tv on. Immediately they were bombarded with ‘breaking news’ flashing on the screen and the oddly alluring voice of Katie Killjoy informing everyone of a tragedy that had taken place on the other far side of the city.

All of them froze as they cut to a scene of red and golden blood spilled across a vast crime scene. It was Hell so the news always elected to show everything no matter how gruesome and gruesome it was. The two bodies on scene were beyond recognition but there was the telltale red outfit they immediately recognised as Charlie’s, and amongst the carnage lay an angelic spear.
Disbelief. It couldn’t be. There was absolutely no way.

Katie Killjoy went on about how it had been a large number of haters and rebellious kinds that had swarmed the two and eventually killed them. Angel clasped a hand over his mouth and stifled a sob but his eyes swam with tears, Cherri looked lost as she stared at the ground. Husk was frozen in place, a look of absolute shock on his face.
Alastor’s expression was unreadable thanks to the ever present grin but his hands tightened around the cane so much it made a crunching sound.

Lucifer however. Lucifer laughed at the TV and promptly switched it off. “Nonsense! See, this is why TV is no good for the brain. There is no way my Charlie got ambushed and slaughtered. Please. That’s probably just gold paint. Oooh my, you’re all so gullible.” He was in a state of hysterics. There was simply no way because if he lost her… well what else would there be for him? There was simply no possibility this was true. “It’s all propaganda, I tell you.”

A round of sympathetic looks cast his way made the king bristle and walk away promptly. There was another knock at the door.
Hoping that this time it was his precious girl there to show everyone wrong Lucifer opened the door… only to find some kind of unholy crime scene clean-up crew standing there. All of them immediately took their hats off and pressed them to their chests out of respect, bowing their heads as the worker in the front held out an item to Lucifer on an outstretched palm.

At this point his curiosity was impossible to contain and so Alastor appeared right behind Lucifer to glance over his shoulder at the item that was being presented. Within seconds he was emitting loud static noises. Green glowing symbols flashed dangerously in the air for in Lucifer’s palm lay Charlie’s tiara…smudged with blood. The king himself was completely silent and so Alastor took it upon himself to grow in size, antlers expanding as he loomed over the king and glared directly at the workers. “Leave.” He demanded in a distorted voice. The clean-up crew did not need to be told twice and booked it out of there.

With a blank expression Lucifer turned and walked around the Radio Demon, who shrunk back to his normal form and closed the door before turning a watchful gaze to their king. The rest of the gang gathered in the doorway to the living room but it might as well have been just him and Lucifer there. Something shifted abruptly. The temperature in the room began fluctuating from freezing cold to unbearably hot. The air became thick with raw, unchecked power the likes of which Alastor had never felt before. It elicited a completely foreign and involuntary response in his body and made his knees wobble with a desire to force him to the ground. Strong enough to withstand it, he witnessed how the others immediately sank to their knees unable to put up that same fight. Their expressions were those of bewildered surprise. Alastor couldn’t blame him. The raw power of the King of Hell was no child’s play.

Never had Lucifer been even close to slipping up and displayed an ounce of the power that was filling the room now. With a start Alastor realised just how powerful this being was. How he could have subjugated them all without ever lifting a finger if he wanted to. It was rare for the Radio Demon to feel anything close to fear but this was playing with the trigger of his fight or flight response. For all his wishing to witness the true power of the devil himself, he was beginning to wonder whether the saying “be careful what you wish for” had some merit to it.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions now.” Alastor began trying to diffuse the situation and calm the original sin down. His attempt was met with another surge of power which nearly left him choking on the thickness of it.

“Everything. She gave you…everything.” Lucifer mumbled through gritted teeth, voice uncharacteristically grated. The fallen angel sank to his knees while clutching the tiara. The movement knocked his hat off of his head but it was immediately replaced with his horns as they manifested. His tail whipped out beneath his coat and flicked like a mad cat.
An aura of the purest black surrounded Lucifer in a mockery of a halo. Fire burned between his horns. The room settled for icy cold, breaths fogging in front of their faces. It made the contrast with the smoke that rose from Lucifer’s entire being all the more daunting. He looked searingly hot to the touch.

His hair fell from its usual style, whipping around like the wind was blowing it and his coat ripped off his back by the unnatural bulging of muscles and his wings sprouted forward. Eyes adorned every inch of those wings and his clothing.

“Beg your pardon?” Alastor asked, mesmerised by the true form of the devil he was finally able to witness. What a sight.

“She gave you… EVERYTHING!” Lucifer spat, fire following every word as he turned around to face his subjects for they were little else to him now. His eyes had shifted not to red but to the purest deepest black. A cold empty dread and despair filled anyone who dared look into them but Alastor persevered. “I told her you sinners are good for nothing wretches. Fucking vampires draining any and all light you find. The absolute worst… now look where it got her. SLAUGHTERED by her own people! The ones she was trying… TO SAFE!”

A blast of pure energy knocked clean through three consecutive walls. It knocked the residents on their asses and threw Alastor into a door.

“You don’t deserve her.” Lucifer spat before making his way to the front door. The look on his face warned Alastor that should he choose not to step aside he’d go right through him. So Alastor stepped to the side but only so he could grab the devil by the arm and yank him back, except the other didn’t budge even an atom. It was like tugging on concrete. Undeterred, Alastor continued.

“Your highness, pray tell where you think you’re going. Perhaps you might consider not running away from your responsibilities this time.” The radio demon said exactly how he would have addressed him at any other time. This time, however, it was a mistake. The devil’s head snapped towards him with a sickening crunch of the neck. Black eyes stared right into Alastor’s soul as he released a terrifying beast-like growl.

“You!” Lucifer growled. The next thing Alastor knew he was gripped around the throat by a shadowy tentacle, a mock of his own. No…scratch that. They were his own! Lucifer was manipulating his own power against him. The tentacle squeezed so hard he heard a sickening crunch in his neck. Breathing was out of the question. This wasn’t like how it usually was between them. His powers were bound and used by Lucifer, there was no escape and the man meant business. “Too long I have allowed your childish games. You are nothing to me but the guy who chased my daughter to her death. And for that… you will burn.”

Lucifer threw Alastor against a wall, cracking it and watched with a sick satisfaction as the Radio Demon tumbled to the ground, still reeling and trying to get a grasp on his own powers. Before said demon could get up Lucifer threw a powerful punch to his face. Blood spewed from Alastor’s nose. Red eyes shifted to radio dials and static erupted around him as his form and antlers began to grow but before that could get any further Lucifer had him by the throat again and mercilessly slid a dagger into his abdomen. The Radio Demon’s form retreated and he coughed on a bout of blood forming in his mouth. It splashed across the devil’s face and if Alastor didn’t think he looked at the very picture of what he had thought the devil ought to look like before, he certainly did now.
Pain blossomed and his vision swam but he’d be damned if he showed any weakness, even to Lucifer, and so he met that empty black gaze head on.

“For your information, pet. I am facing my responsibilities. I was sent here, if you remember, to take care of the human souls sent to Hell. That is…exactly what I am going to do.” Lucifer practically growled before discarding Alastor to the side like he’d just grown bored with him. The size of the once funsized king grew substantially until he dwarfed all of them. Only then did he release a blast of angelic power at the front of the hotel, blasting a hole in it and shattering most of the surrounding floorboards and walls in the process. The gust of wind his wings created sent most of the debris flying backwards into the stunned residents as he flew away with only one goal in mind.

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Pain was all Lucifer could feel. It consumed all his light and snuffed it out between cold, wet fingers until nothing remained. Pain and anger fuelled him. If only he had taken out those wretched souls centuries ago his little girl would be back in his arms. Every fiber of his being howled for his precious little bundle of light but the pain had taken control. Who cared about holding back power, those fuckers had it coming. Too long had he let the situation get out of control to the point where Heaven meddled in it and eventually Charlie took it upon herself to try and sort the situation out. She had such a good heart and strong dreams if a little misguided. She was never meant for Hell but that was another one of Lucifer’s failures for you.

Lucifer had always resented his position. He’d been made king of hell not because of his corrupt soul, not in his eyes anyway. He tried to do something nice for mankind and that act of kindness had destroyed every dream he was clinging on to when they cast him out for it. Falling is not something he remembered fondly for it had been quite literally falling. The journey had been so long despite popular belief it had been lonely.. The angel had plummeted into the realm of hell where he was met with vast landscapes of hot rock and desert-like terrains and complete solitude. Lilith’s fate was still being determined at the time. There was reason to believe she was corrupted by Lucifer rather than acted on her own accord because apparently that was who he was now. No longer an angel, not the first to be created with the power of creation itself running through his veins. He was a corrupt madman now hellbent on manipulating anyone who would listen with false truths and evil.
And yet the pain he had felt as he wandered aimlessly across the barren landscapes, stripped of everything except his power, all alone, paled in comparison to the pain of losing his daughter.

Inky black tears streamed down his face leaving clear marks down his white skin. Lucifer roared and released a wave of fire across one of the pentagram points of the city. In a flash all the buildings were lit on fire. Screaming of sinners and the burning of flesh wafted up at him but it was not enough. The pain still clawed at him from the inside out. The devil soared higher and looked down at the city to decide his next target. He wasn’t going to stop until every single sinner was eradicated.

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“We’ve gotta do something! He’s gonna destroy everything!” Angel cried out helplessly to his friends. His eyes were swimming with unshed tears but he reigned it in. Losing Charlie, Lucifer losing it… it was all too much.

“And what, pray tell, do you expect us to do against the biblical devil himself?” Alastor asked, eyes fixed on his cane and brows furrowed in thought. His smile looked strained and Angel thought that perhaps he wished he didn’t have to smile.

“Can’t you do something, oh powerful Radio Demon?” Husk bit towards the demon only to receive a bunch of static screeching as Alastor huffed through his nose.

“Had this been an ordinary sinner, yes, but even my power is nothing compared to his. Might I remind you he’s been around since before the creation of humans. Was paaart of that creation even. This is his realm. His power is immeasurable here.” The Radio Demon bit out like it physically pained him to admit it. “He’s just never unleashed it before.”

“Then what do we do?!” Angel all but yelled, two sets of arms waving frantically. “Everyone in that city is going to die! And we’re next! I have friends there… and I know you all have stakes in that city.”

“We evacuate.” Alastor stated remarkably solemnly.

“What? Are you out of your mind?” Husk shot back. This time there was no reaction to him talking back. In fact the look Alastor gave him was a creepily serious one.

“I’m afraid we have no choice. Gather the rest of the residents and spread out through the city. Find the other overlords and have them evacuate all their people to the hotel. The more we can save the better, I wager.”

“You want to… save people?” Angel’s hysterics visibly deflated in the face of the absurdity of the offer. The Radio Demon heaved a heavy sigh.

“I know it’s quite a stretch but you are right, Angel. I do have investments in the city I would hate to see gone. Can I entrust you with this task?” He asked with a dark, serious tone. Both Husk and Angel looked at each other and nodded.

“Wait, what will you be doing?” Husk asked with an accusation barely concealed in his voice.

“Why I will be doing the most unlike me thing of all! I will distract our dear sovereign, buy you some time, and perhaps get him to see reason.”

“His daughter is gone. He’s got no one left. What reason is there to see?” Angel asked forlornly, rubbing his sides in a self-soothing manner.

Alastor met his question with an expression that showed he wasn’t worried about it but deep down he wasn’t at all convinced there was anyone who could calm Lucifer down. The black aura, the black eyes, it wasn't just for show. It was the visual confirmation that the last of Lucifer’s light had been snuffed out. While he was cocky and confident in his own abilities, those did not manifest in delusions. He certainly wasn’t under the impression he even remotely had the social skills and empathic ability to level with Lucifer about what he was going through nor how to guide him through it.

That brought him to a bit of self-reflection because hadn’t he reacted quite strongly to the news himself? In the grand scheme of things he supposed there hadn’t been adequate time to let it properly settle in that Charlie…their Charlie was gone. Alastor glanced around the hotel suddenly overly aware of the ghost of her cheery presence bouncing around the space and something stirred in his chest. No, nothing emotional. She was a means to an end. A carefully crafted acquaintance to use when the time was right to end his predicament but nothing more than that. He didn’t care for her! He didn’t care for anyone!
This was all out of selfish need and for the purpose of entertainment.

Red eyes shifted once more to the floating figure of Lucifer and something heavy sank in his gut. Well he had certainly ought to be entertained now, huh?

“Best of luck to you.” Alastor said non committedly before disappearing into the shadows

The Radio Demon reappeared on the rooftop of one of Pentagram City’s highest apartment buildings. A quick scan around showed the sheer chaos and fear that radiated from the city. Ordinarily Alastor would have been more than happy to bask in the chaos and mayhem all but dancing to the melodious screams of the citizens but he had a job to do. If he didn’t do something soon there would be no mayhem left to bask in. There’d be next to nothing left.
His gaze shifted to the sky above where their king had climbed higher and higher, wings flapping ominously slowly as he rained holy light down on the city and citizens. With an effortless blast he leveled an entire block. Alastor had to redirect his focus from his usual approach to a different kind. Entering a fight with Lucifer would have only resulted in certain death and he was not about to let that happen. No, his approach had to be one of defense. His powers focused on agility rather than power. He didn’t have the power to take him on but he hoped he had enough to outrun Lucifer long enough.

Preparing for what was to come the demon hurled a ball of energy at the king’s head. It broke against his skull without drawing so much as a flinch from the fallen angel but it did capture his attention. Lucifer swiveled around and turned his cold stare onto Alastor.

“Your Highness! Why I almost don’t recognise you. All this power and…height… seems so unlike you, don’t you think? How about we continue to leave that to the pros, hmm?” The demon taunted, unable to help himself.

“I am God in this realm. I am the original sin. I am temptation and evil in its purest form! Your power would be nothing if not for me, mortal.” Lucifer replied with a demonic echo to his voice. Much to the king’s dismay the demon seemed unimpressed as he leaned on his cane and studied his hand.

“Hah! Evil? Your collection of rubber ducks would certainly claim otherwise. As for temptation, well, I do find myself quite tempted to rub in how pathetic you truly are. How our mortal depictions of you are most certainly fictitious. If only they knew what a joke you truly are.”

Chains made of pure light burst from the surface beneath the demon’s feet and wrapped tightly around his body before he could even think of responding to them. Alastor gritted his teeth and his ears flattened to his skull as the chains yanked him into a kneeling position. He had to breathe in short bursts because the chains kept his lungs from expanding too far. As it turned out, holy light was not fun for a demon to be wrapped up in. It burned. Not to mention it constrained his powers completely.
Lucifer landed in front of him and the aura of darkness around him was icy cold and filled with despair. Alastor felt like he’d lose his mind if he looked into that void for too long. The fallen angel looked less than impressed from where he stood just a couple of feet away. He loomed over the Radio Demon with an impressive presence.

“Know your place, sinner.” He spat, fire bursting from his lips. Reaching out he took Alastor’s chin in hand, forcing him to keep eye contact. “You are but the fruit of my mistakes. I gave you a gift and you used it to destroy lives, rather than fulfill your own. I lost everything for your kind because I thought you deserved it but after all this time I can see my father was right. You should have never been given free will and now… now I will take it away from you. What choice do you have but to die all over again.”

Something about the coldness in Lucifer’s tone made Alastor keep that eye contact. This side of him, this empty void, took his breath away. He hadn’t felt helpless or weak in so long and he both hated and craved it. A challenge at last and one where all the signs pointed to him losing and yet Alastor couldn’t help but feel for the first time that losing to the devil…might just be an honour. For now he had to change tactics. The very idea of what he was about to do filled his mouth with bile. Blood red drool dribbled down the corners of his mouth. He knew very well he was about to suck up to Lucifer harder than he had ever sucked up to anyone in his life. Correction, he had never sucked up to anyone ever and if they were all going to live to see another day he was sure he’d never live this down. Was this really the way to go?
The darkened figure of his king loomed over him and Alastor decided that there truly was no other way. The usual quips and teases they’d throw back and forth were now received poorly. There was no time for overthinking whether it made him seem unsure or out of his depth.

“I may not be granted a choice and rightfully so, my liege, but you do have one. Spare my existence and I shall be by your side as your most faithful servant. We can rule over this realm together. You the mastermind and I your brute force.” The Radio Demon lied. Right? It was a lie right? Smile growing strained, it dawned on him that it had come to him a little easier than he was willing to admit. Him in servitude? Laughable! That could not truly be what he wanted, right? It hardly mattered anyway for Lucifer burst out in terrible humourless laughter.

“You imbecile! Don’t you get it? There won’t be anything left to rule over! I am just stalling the inevitable, having fun taking my revenge on these damned souls before I will implode the entire realm. Myself included.” The look on the fallen angel’s face was pure, conscienceless evil. “But you won’t live long enough to see that. What, you thought I was incapable of ending it swiftly?”

“What a truly terrible idea! Whatever did happen to making one’s mistakes right, rather than erasing it all from existence? You were granted an entire realm and you are willing to throw it all away?” Alastor couldn’t help but argue.

“Heh…you sound just like her.” Lucifer said in a broken voice, mind drifting to his missing wife…ex-wife…whatever. Silent, black tears streamed down his face but no other movement indicated crying. “You don’t get it, you never could. There is…nothing left worth fighting for. There is no reason left why any of you should be allowed to continue as you are.”

Lucifer leaned in until their foreheads were nearly pressed together. All at once Alastor’s nostrils were assaulted with the scent wafting from what he realised were the tears. It was brimstone and sulfur, sour and bitter. Eyes filled with that terrible void stared into Alastor’s red eyes while they shifted to their radio dials and static screeched loudly around them. The devil grinned.

“I see it all, Radio Demon. I see your doubts about me, your disdain. I see your deal. You thought you could hide that? Not from me. You want to know whether my power is true or fabled? I will provide you the answer.” In a cloud of red dust they disappeared and reappeared down below in the burning streets. Bodies lay strewn around them. Lucifer let go of Alastor’s chin at last and took a few steps back, keeping his eyes and smirk fixed on the bound demon. The angel placed one hand behind his back, just to make a point, and raised his other high in the sky. For a few terrible seconds nothing happened and Alastor’s perpetual smile took on something akin to worry. Then, Lucifer closed his hand into a fist.The entire block, nay the entire point of Pentagram city they found themselves in turned into dust. Dusty remnants of buildings and people alike gently snowed down around them and the roaring of fire in Alastor’s ears stopped so abruptly it left them ringing.

Fuck… fuck shit fuck. The Radio Demon looked around for anything that had remained standing or survived but to no avail. Everything was gone. Lucifer was a creator and destruction was most certainly a creation. His point was proven successfully and Alastor feared there was a good chance there was no happy ending to be found. For the first time in his life he had no idea what to do.

Which meant he had to put his entire non-existent faith in the idea that he could tire out the king of hell. His power was limitless but his body sure wasn't, Alastor knew that much. He had witnessed, once or twice, as his majesty returned from rare summonings to other parts of hell to deal with something or the other, how he would return with bags under his eyes. His feet would drag across the floor and he would ignore any and all comments made towards him or at his disposal. The angel always immediately retreated to his quarters and wouldn’t be seen for at least a full day after which he would emerge with the most terrible mood until he was three coffee’s in. Then, everything would turn around and he’d be right as rain. Why Alastor knew the details to this he decided not to put into question.

“Forgive me, your majesty, for having ever doubted you. I wholly accept my fate. Truly we deserve nothing less. Would you..grant a sinner a final wish? One last chase. For old time’s sake.” Alastor spoke in a strained voice. He prided himself in knowing how Lucifer worked, even despite the state he was in. Inside, the angel had a good heart. He was an angel for crying out loud. A fact that seemed to eluded Alastor of its true meaning until now.

Lucifer regarded him with a bored expression before huffing a fire-y breath and shrugging. “I suppose I could grant you that. What is a few more minutes of misery, hm? You’ve got five seconds.” He said and snapped his fingers. All at once the chains came undone and Alastor, having anticipated a brief window, conjured his tentacles and launched himself as far away as he could. His antlers grew and widened in his surge of power, eyes stuck in their dial state now and he kept on going, kept on running.Surges of power and Eart- Hellquakes(?) left in their wake signified the start of the pursuit. Adrenaline burst through the Radio Demon’s veins as he sped around corners, down streets and into buildings. He slipped into the shadows and reappeared in other places. He hadn’t felt this alive in a long time. With the stakes as high as they were and his own life in danger it had changed his outlook on things dramatically. It wasn’t the time for an existential crisis though. Bright blasts of holy light burst through entire buildings. Always right beside Alastor but never exactly where he was. Close enough to let the Radio Demon know that Lucifer was well aware of his location but was playing with him like a cat with a mouse.

Alastor hated everything about this. He was the predator. He had the killer instincts. He ought to be in that position but here he was presenting himself as both mouse and cheese in the giant trap that was the devil's wrath. Had Hell’s entire existence not depended on his performance he would’ve been raging by now. His image of being fearless and unchallenged had been carefully crafted and executed and this surely wiped every last bit of that clean off the table.
Although, he was the only one attempting anything. All other overlords were off cowering somewhere else and as for the fabled Sins, well Hell would be a blip in history by the time someone reached them. If anything this highlighted the poor communication systems in case of an emergency.

Alastor conjured as many of his little helpers as he could at once and sent them every which way to occupy Lucifer while he took a few abrupt turns. His skin was still burning with the remnant of the chains. At least he’d been given a chance with the regular dagger Lucifer had used.

‘Speak of the devil’ and he shall phase into existence at the end of an alleyway Alastor had just turned down. “Gotcha!” he growled through that strange, demonic dual voice thing he had going on. The Radio Demon matched it by increasing the radio filter over his own voice and the static he emitted while raising himself off the ground by means of his tentacles.

“Not. yet.” he replied before launching himself up and away. Their chase continued in close pursuit in the air. Lucifer was fast with his wings but Alastor was more agile and could drop in an instant. Buildings left and right were blasted. Entire chunks coming out or just plainly evaporating. It wasn't the time to think about extra damage versus preservation. Lucifer was using a lot of energy in his blows, holding nothing back. He was also growing exceedingly more frustrated with their little game and when one of Alastor’s tentacles was blasted so hard with Holy Light it didn't grow back, he knew he was on borrowed time.
It occurred to him there was a surprising lack of screams and people the further their pursuit took them. It seemed Angel and Husk had made good on their word.

The chase took them to a piece of barren land right outside the city. Out in the open there wasn't any way he could hide so Alastor manipulated his powers to add in his speed. Seeping in and out of shadows he attempted to put distance between them and the city. The demon glanced behind him to get an idea where Lucifer was but it proved to be a fatal mistake. The angel was nowhere to be found and as he turned his face forward again he was met with the devil right in front of him.

Lucifer caught him with one hand by the throat as Alastor ran right into him. He squeezed his hand shut, effectively trapping the demon.

“I’m done playing.” He spoke oddly monotone and took off vertically. His wings flapped menacingly around them as Alastor dangled above the ground. Both his hands were clutching Lucifer’s forearm and he struggled against the tight hold but the angel was too large and too strong now. Once they’d gained significant height Lucifer flicked Alastor away like a bug and the overlord was spiraling towards the ground. His gaze flickered to the fallen angel who watched his descend expressionlessly. At least that is what he would’ve guessed had it been anyone else but he cursed himself of his vast knowledge on Lucifer’s inner workings because saw it for what it was; a constructed wall to ward against trauma. Alastor was reminded abruptly that Lucifer had fallen so much further than this but despite the differences in distance, he was mirroring his pain, making someone else go through it.

The demon expected to hit the ground, braced himself even but was surprised to instead feel something soft breaking his fall and landing him gently. He opened his eyes, unsure of when they had closed for impact and was faced with the concerned looks of the hotel residents. They’d woven their arms together to catch him. How humiliating.

Immediately regaining his composure Alastor stood up and dusted himself off. “I assume the citizens are safe?” He simply asked, accepting his cane from one sinner he had not bothered learning the name of yet. Apparently he had lost it somewhere during the chase.

“Yeah, or we wouldn’t be here.” Angel spoke, folding his arms. “Things not going well with his infernal darkness over there?”

“I have no idea what you mean. It’s going splendidly! Exactly according to my plan.” The demon spoke firmly, daring a challenge of his authority to be raised.

“Uhuh, guess you don’t want this then?” Husk grunted before presenting a black box to Alastor in which lay a beautifully crafted black rifle embedded with gleaming steel in intricate patterns. Angelic steel. Husk smirked. “Carmilla sends her best and… thanks you for the chance to save her girls.”

“What a thoughtful gift.” Alastor murmured and took the rifle in hand, weighing it. “Quite uncivilized, a gun. But I suppose one should not look a gift horse in the mouth.”

A brilliant blast of holy light hit the ground amidst the sinners, sending them flying every which way with the force of it. Alastor toppled over and skidded across the dirt until he managed to scramble to a halt by means of his tentacles. A warm trickle of liquid ran down the side of his face and as he dabbed at it with a single digit he found the tip of it covered in sticky red. His body ached from the impact and dirt coated his clothing, no doubt his face too. As the demon glanced around he found the others in similar states although some worse than others. Angel was clutching one of his four arms with a pained expression and Husk’s right wing hung down like it hurt to lift it up.

Red eyes lingered on the small frame of Niffty who remained face down in the dirt and Alastor could feel his facial muscles twitch in anger as the air around him darkened. His eyes now radio dials, he fixated them on Lucifer with a fiery rage. The man hung high in the air with a completely blank expression. Clutching the rifle in his hand he took the safety off and raised himself high on those tentacles of his.

“I won’t claim to understand loss and grieving, sire, but this seems highly unnecessary. I would say I’m sorry for what I’m about to do but let us not fool ourselves. I will be enjoying this more than you know.” Alastor boomed, static increasing and encapsulating a truly impressive amount of space. He would’ve grown in size spectacularly if he were able to manipulate angelic steel, but alas. It would dwarf the rifle in his hands and make it inoperable. As it were, he remained suspended by the shadowy extremities and cocked the rifle against his shoulder, pointing the barrel directly at the fallen angel who turned to him with a rage of his own. Alastor decided not to waste a good chance and fired as soon as he had him within the scope.

Lucifer transformed effortlessly into a small bird, then a snake, then an eagle. Anything to dodge the angelic steel bullets that were fired at him. It clearly gave the devil no joy either. If anything he seemed hesitant and always dodged at the very last moment like he wanted nothing more than to catch that bullet. It was so obvious Alastor actually began wondering whether the weapon was able to kill the king. He was only aiming to wound.
Still, the evasive maneuvers grinded on the demon’s last nerve and the grinding of his teeth became so loud it translated into static.

“Stay. Still!” His voice boomed. In retaliation Lucifer sent another blast his way, causing him to fly backwards and only just about land on his feet a couple of feet away from the others. His body trembled slightly as it attempted to power through the immense energy assaulting seemingly everything from nerves to muscles. His smile twitched into something insane as he clutched a particularly sore spot on his side. The stickiness he found upon pressing his hand there caused him to curse softly below his breath. Perhaps it wasn’t going exactly how he had hoped.

“Alastor!” Angel called from the side as he ran up to the Radio Demon. “Give me the gun.” he demanded and truly, Alastor actually felt mildly impressed by the sense of authority in his voice. He considered the demand. Well he considered ignoring it but Angel Dust was a damn good shot. With a grumble he handed the rifle over.

“You were supposed to be her friends!” The demonic voice boomed all around them as if coming from several speakers where there were none. Angel’s hands tightened around the rifle, reloading it with another round of bullets, as he fought against a bout of tears that tried to force their way out. One of his arms was dangling limply down his body while the others moved with little effort. A glare was cast up towards Lucifer once the spider-demon had regained his composure.

“Dontcha think we’re hurtin’ too?!” He yelled back and without waiting for an answer he raised the rifle and shot once at Lucifer. The devil continued as he had with the evasive movements but Angel had anticipated he would, sending a rain of bullets at the spot he figured Lucifer would reshape himself in. Angel’s battlecry rang out across the barren field and was followed by an eerie silence.

It had all happened in a split second but it did turn out that Angel’s calculations were right. Lucifer had appeared where anticipated and had subsequently caught the rain of bullets head on. Even from a distance they could see how white clothes began to turn golden as Angelic blood dripped down his floating body. He wasn’t moving, just kind of hanging midair as his bullet riddled body tried to overcome the physical shock. His breathing came out in laboured wheezes.
Angelic steel or not it would never be enough to kill him but by the gods did it hurt all the same. It clouded his thinking and kept him from acting.

The sight was gnarly and the situation dire but Alastor could not fight the ugly surge of jealous rage that he hadn’t been the one to inflict those wounds, that they weren’t his marks. It had long since stopped being disturbing to him just how possessive he felt over the king of hell. From that very first day when he had captured his attention it had been nothing but a slippery slope. Lucifer had decided he disliked the Radio Demon almost immediately but the fact he engaged in battles of wit and occasionally physical battles was telling. Alastor had been recognised as a significant power by the most powerful being in hell. He was being treated like something beyond a simple sinner, a subjugate, not worth his time. The feeling had become addictive. He found himself craving those battles if they hadn’t been at it for a while. One day he’d walked in on him having a back and forth with Angel. They were both smiling with mirth about whatever it was they were making witty comebacks to each other for. Alastor’s mood had immediately soured and the amount of static he had emitted was completely accidental and had caused both of them to give him a strange look.
Similarly, when Vox had sent him some kind of electronic message making several jabs at him, Lucifer had read along over his shoulder and ‘accidentally’ rendered the main Voxtech WIFI tower useless for five days.

Lucifer’s was his to piss off, just as much as he was Lucifer’s. Was it entirely healthy? Probably not but it was Hell. Who cared?

Alastor took the chance to increase his size to a gigantic version of himself. His antlers spread out far and wide casting large shadows on the area. The amount of angelic power he’d had to endure until then was taking a toll on his body. Exhaustion weighed him down and threatened to sway his focus but he pushed through. With a mighty swing of his hand he made contact with the still stunted Lucifer, sending him flying miles away and crashing into the nearest building. The Radio Demon stalked off in the same direction, waiting for the eventual re-emerge.

“You are mistaken, sire, if you think we will go without a fight. Free will gave us a burning desire to persevere and persevere we shall!” Alastor called out over the static.

“Enough!!” Lucifer’s voice boomed and the building he had disappeared into briefly turned into a large disco ball as streaks of holy light burst through the walls before the entire building exploded into small pieces of debris. The devil’s chest heaved heavily and he wasn’t as sure in his movements as before as he began climbing higher and higher into the sky. “This… ends now!” he said with a finality because he had to. There was no way he was going to last much longer without taking rest. The sinners needed to be eradicated, that was the goal. The rest of hell was going to follow soon enough.

Lucifer focused all his energy, gathering all of it in a ball of vibrant, electrifying energy in front of him. Everything he had drained from his body and poured into that ball and after a terrible moment of nothingness he directed a beam about a mile in width of that concentrated energy at the ground right at the edge of the city. The heat of it could be felt for miles and the brightness was blinding. The first buildings it touched completely evaporated, leaving nothing but burning ash. It would take less than a minute to destroy everything, all it needed was the right push an-

“DAAAAD!!!!” The hysterical, terrified shout broke his concentration and subsequently kept the beam in one place where it slowly started to create a crater. Empty black gaze turned to the sound, familiarity making his ears prickle.
There, at the edge of the city on one of the high buildings stood a brightly shining figure.

Alastor had been blinded by the light and taken aback by the heat, unable to do anything yet. Then that voice cut through the terrible finality of the situation and snapped his attention over. Within seconds he was at the building and shrank himself down to a normal size on top of the roof. There, unharmed and completely alive, stood Charlie. A sense of relief washed through the Radio Demon that he very quickly squashed down. She acknowledged him briefly before turning her tearful gaze back to her father so very high in the sky.

“DAD PLEASE!” She called out, tears falling. The devastation all around was clearly too much for her. At least the bright beam of destruction shut off but her father remained where he was, staring down at them as if he couldn't comprehend what was going on. Panicked eyes turned to Alastor and she clutched her hands to her chest. “Why is this happening? What is he doing?”

“Oh this? This is your dear father deciding to destroy the entire realm with his god given powers. As for the why, it appears he was tricked into believing you were dead. Which evidently you are not.” Alastor was going for composed and no different from usual. He hated how his voice cracked with the strains he had endured. Charlie's expression turned, if possible, even more horrified before casting a heartbroken look up to her father.

“He did all of this because he thought I was dead?” she asked softly.

“Yes, all very sweet and sentimental but perhaps you ought to put a stop before all our untimely demises are a fact.” Alastor instructed, gaze shifting to the devil in Hell’s sky. “He’s slipped quite far into that depression void of his until he became it.”

“M-..my dad's depressed?” Charlie gasped to which Alastor gave her an incredulous look, eye twitching. “Oh my god I am just the worst daughter ever! I didn't even see he was struggling!”

A flash of light pulled their attention upwards in time to see a spear headed straight for them. Charlie yelped before transforming lightning fast into her demon shape and deflecting the spear with a beam of energy of her own.

The shape of Lucifer visibly deflated at the sight. He seemed to recognise the signature of her powers from way up there at least.

“Dad!! It's me!! I’m fine!! Please…please come back to me. I need you!!” The princess called out, letting her voice boom while tears fell from her red eyes. “I LOVE YOU!”

The inky black halo around the fallen angel flickered in and out of existence. They watched with bated breath whether or not she really managed to get through to him. “That's it dad. Come back to me.” Charlie encouraged from where she stood, soft enough to make it seem like she was talking to herself but it almost seemed like Lucifer heard her for the halo snapped out of existence and with a comical pop he was immediately back to his normal fun size. Both Charlie and Alastor breathed a sigh of relief but that too was short lived. A second after being back to his normal size Lucifer’s wing stopped flapping and the king tipped over until he was falling head first back towards the solid ground. His wings almost cocooned him but nothing else moved.

“DAD!!!!” Charlie screamed in fearsome panic, reaching out for him as if she could stop his rapid descent. Before she could do anything else though, Alastor had jumped into action. Before he himself could even decide whether it was a good idea he had already given in to the impulse. Inky black tentacles shot out, gripping the edge of the building and launched him with incredible force. His eyes remained with razor sharp focus on Lucifer as the distance between them closed and closed until they collided but Alastor was ready for it. He had his arms ready, twisted his body and caught the king midair. It knocked the air right out of him but Lucifer’s face was pressed to his chest and he could feel the feathers against his arms where they were trapped between them and their owner’s back. Together they continued their descent towards the ground and Alastor scrambled for ideas. There was a stirring and a single eye, back to normal thankfully, cracked open to look up.

“....Al?” he croaked out with a graveled voice. The demon in question looked down at him with his perpetual grin but was unable to form a coherent response. How did he get there? Why did that seem to be the right decision? How the fuck was he going to get out of this one?
Another stirring and with some difficulty one arm broke free from being trapped between him. Lucifer raised the hand towards the ground and manifested a giant, orange-y bouncy bubble. Just in time too. Alastor braced himself for impact, tightening his arms almost subconsciously and then they bounced off before hitting the ground with much less momentum.

The demon grunted as his back hit the hard floor and his head bounced off of it. The weight on top of him was at least not crushing. In fact he was remarkably light. He was also very much unconscious now. Alastor stared down at the slack face as he held the still body in his arms. His own clothes had quickly become tainted with golden blood, the same that coated the entire side of Lucifer’s face and hair. It still trickled from the gaping gun wounds in his torso.

“Imbecile.” Alastor muttered, very much repeating what he had been called as he used his powers to push himself to his feet. Rather than leave Lucifer on the ground he found himself holding on, rather shifting the angel until his chin was hooked over his shoulder, legs wrapped around his waist even if he couldn't hold them there himself. He was carrying Lucifer like a child, which seemed fitting because in Alastor’s opinion that's how he had behaved…plus he was that short.

Lucifer’s head lolled to the side and pressed against his neck. Alastor briefly stiffened but found himself able to relax a lot easier than he had anticipated.

“Dad! Daaad!” Charlie's cries sounded rather close and as Alastor turned around he saw not just her but the other residents bounding over too. Niffty was back on her feet and looked like she was doing fine enough from where she was draped over Husk’s shoulder. Good.
Above them the sound of wings flapping indicated Vaggie's arrival on the scene.

The princess ran towards Alastor and placed a hand against her father's cheek before grabbing his limp hand.

“Oh dad…y-you're gonna be ok, I promise.” she sniffled, trying very much not to look at all the blood that was clearly her father's that coated both him and Alastor. Vaggie walked up behind her girlfriend and put a hand on her shoulder for support. As the two turned to face the rest of the group they were met with such vastly different expressions it startled both of them. Angel broke the silence first, settling for anger as he jabbed both their shoulders with a finger.

“We thought you were dead! What the fuck is wrong with you!” he exclaimed though the water in his eyes gave away the emotion bubbling just underneath. Vaggie glared at the finger and swiped it away.

“It appears we were set up. We…it's a long story but I believe this is exactly what they wanted. We’ll explain back at the hotel.” She said, looking around the group.

“What who wanted?” Husk asked in annoyance.

“The exterminists and the head Seraphim.” she said solemnly as she watched Charlie throw herself at Angel in a tight hug as she apologised over and over again. He carefully kept the rifle away from her but flinched when she pressed on his injured arm which made her erupt into more apologies and guilt. Niffty gasped from Husk’s shoulder.

“Baaddd angels.”

“You can say that again. We should really get back. I checked with the residents of the city, they are…justifiably scared but there's a lot of them unharmed. We’ll have to conduct a mass headcount.” Vaggie said in a businesslike manner before looking apologetically towards her girlfriend.

Angel pulled himself from Charlie's death grip and turned to Alastor before holding two of his arms out in offering.
“I can take him if ya want. I know you don't like the physical contact and stuff.”

The Radio Demon’s expression was schooled into one of neutrality as he looked from the gathered bunch toward the unconscious king pressed against him. Something surged in his gut. An almost primal feeling to not relinquish his…something. Prey, perhaps?

“Actually, that's quite alright.” Alastor replied and to further prove the point that it was not up for discussion he began the long walk that would take them back to the hotel, pointedly ignoring the openly surprised gaping expressions.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Angel remarked behind his back but they all followed all the same.

Charlie remained close by Alastor’s side, mostly to keep an eye on her father who was still very much unconscious. The angel was warm pressed against the demon and between the gentle pressure and the soft blonde hair rubbing against his jawline and neck, it was not at all uncomfortable to be this close to someone. How very odd. Alastor had never considered himself to be a hugger or a touchy person. In fact the idea more or less repulsed him but this he found oddly comforting. Or perhaps it was the thought that Lucifer would be absolutely horrified to find out who exactly it was that was carrying him like an insolent child. Ah yes, that definitely widened Alastor’s grin.

Exhausted and strained they all arrived at the hotel. Charlie guided Alastor up to her father's tower where he was more reluctant than he’d anticipated to lower the fallen angel onto the bed. Once he did though he nearly flinched at the high pitched shriek Charlie let out upon seeing the several bullet holes Angel had managed to make. They also managed to get a good look at where the side of his head was bashed in after Alastor had flung him through a building. It had taken the demon all his willpower to control the amount of static that wanted to release in pride of that accomplishment. His fingers twitched by his side and he curled them into fists lest he gave in to the temptation of running his fingers through that blood coating blonde locks. His mouth watered at the idea of tasting what he had inflicted. Charlie would have frowned upon it though.

It took a bit of convincing for Charlie to believe that her dad was going to be alright despite having become swiss cheese. He couldn't be killed by such weapons. He just needed time to heal.
Having eventually made their way downstairs they then had to deal with the elephant in the room which was the miraculous survival of the two girls and why the fuck they had stayed away for so long.

Too guilt ridden to respond, Charlie turned puppy eyes on Vaggie who sighed and sat forward, giving each of the residents her undivided attention.
Initially they had gone on their two day trip. Halfway through it though, they got a message delivered from Emily saying Sera had agreed to them meeting again and she was dying to take them past some of her favourite sites in heaven. They agreed, thinking it was just going to be a day trip but the day dragged on and they had so much fun. Sera came to find them and suggested they stay in heaven for a few nights. Vaggie explained she could just slap herself for not realising sooner that Sera offering such a thing was sketchy as fuck. Charlie had tried to contact her dad or the hotel to let them know she’d prolong their stay away but Sera assured her there was no service up there for hellbound mobile devices. However she had a direct call link with Lucifer and would inform him and wasn't that just the most convenient?
It wasn't until that day that they realised something was amiss and only because they ran into Lute who just couldn't keep her mouth shut and made some comment about not having a home to return to anymore.

She had orchestrated it all, provided the angelic blood and the bodies and stole Charlie's tiara from her luggage. But Lute had miscalculated when the news of Charlie and Vaggie's supposed death would appear on the news. They had managed to return in the nick of time. Emily had been devastated upon finding out what was going on while Sera was furious for Lute having spilled the beans. They rushed down as quickly as they could, albeit still confused why they wouldn’t have a home to return to if they had been presumed dead, and found the consequent destruction.

“I had no idea he was doing that bad. This… I can’t believe he’d give everything up if he lost me.” Charlie said, hunching in on herself and clutching both her arms.

“Hm, let’s summarize, yes? He led a rebellion, lost, was cast out, fell all the way down here. His wife left him, his daughter was very nearly estranged. He’s hardly done anything worthy of his title and keeps himself completely isolated and is a total joke!” Alastor chimed in while counting each point on a finger. “It’s a surprise he didn’t snap sooner but I suppose you are the last light in his life or something to that extent.”

Charlie turned a quick but heated glare towards him before averting her gaze and hunching in tighter on herself.

“I.. suppose I never thought of it that way. My dad, he… he was always so cheerful. I never saw him frown even once. He’d make me toys and try to make me smile but I never considered…” The blonde grunted and took her head in her hands. “I’ve read the story of mom and dad so many times and yet I always glossed over the most important fact! He never got to see the good that came of his gift, only the evil. It’s like…. It’s like…” She searched her friend’s faces for the right words to fill in what it was like.

“Like a porn without the orgasm?” Angel opted.

“Gambling without a jackpot.” Husk said steadfastly.

“Stabbing without killing!” Niffty called out in truly unhinged fashion.

“Tearing someone limb from limb but never hearing their delightful screams.” Alastor added unhelpfully.

Vaggie turned her disgusted face from their patrons and smiled softly at her girlfriend. “Like no day at the end of a long night. No light in the dark.”

“Y-..Yeah. We need to find ways to show him what good came from giving free will to the world! Surely there must be things that brought you and countless others joy during your life? Something that brightened the spirits. Perhaps we can find some way to get some of that down here. Right guys?” She offered with a hopeful smile but was met with a lack of enthusiasm. “Come on, you guys. He helped tip the battle against heaven in our favour and played a huge part in restoring the hotel to what it is now. After all this time…doesn’t he deserve a little help?”

Consciousness seeped back into the fallen king agonisingly slowly. Trying to breathe in proved to be difficult as it seemed like his chest had been crushed by a stampede of hellhounds. Pain filled every inch of his body but it was nothing he hadn’t experienced before. Lucifer cracked one eye open before the other, waiting patiently for his vision to stop wavering and focus. His breath came out in short wheezes. What had landed him in this position eluded him as of yet. His brain felt rather scrambled, like he had binge watched some cheesy hell soap opera for the past week. Lucifer grunted pitifully and gave some serious thought to just going back to sleep rather than face this fresh (ironic) hell that had presented itself. His eyes began to slip shut but as luck would have it that is when he remembered what had happened. He gasped and shot up in his bed. The force of it and the pain that followed sent him reeling and tumbling sideways until he landed on the floor with a thud.

Come to think of it, it seemed odd that he was in his room. Never mind that! Charlie… he needed to find Charlie! He needed, more than anything, to know it hadn’t been some fever dream but that his daughter was really truly alive. Forcefully pushing himself up to a standing position he forced his stiff, aching body into motion until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. By the heavens and the earth he looked awful! Not only did he have the worst bedhead in the history of bedhead, but he was absolutely covered in his own blood which had since dried on his clothing. There were splashes of red blood too. The implication that formed was a truly disturbing one. Pulling at his clothes with disdain written on his face his senses suddenly prickled and snapped him to high alert. A glimpse of movement in the shadow in the mirror caught his attention and he whipped around with a glare.

“I know you’re there. Creep.” He said in a voice graveled from both overuse and no use. How long had he been out? The shadows before him shifted and pooled onto the floor before the tall figure of Alastor sprung up from it. The grin on his face was unnervingly calm and judgmental as he regarded the king.

“Well look who decided to finally wake up.” The demon taunted. Lucifer’s eyes narrowed before glancing around the room.

“Why the hell are you here? Where is Charlie?” A scary thought caused him to pause and his eyes to widen. “S-She is actually…right?”

“Alive? Yes, quite alive. Our dear Charlie is a little busy at the moment cleaning up the mess you have so thoughtlessly made.” Alastor’s grin turned more sinister as he stepped through the room like he owned the place. As much as Lucifer wanted to yell at him to get the fuck out, the words that had been spoken to him hit a nerve and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. He was so occupied in it that he hadn’t noticed the demon stepping closer until he was right beside him sporting a smug expression. “You on the other hand, my liege, look about two inches from Death’s door. What a gnarly sight. Truly unbecoming.”

The Radio Demon grinned wider as Lucifer threw him a sideways glance. The latter was about to respond when he was shocked to find his head forcibly tilted sideways by fingers threading into blonde locks. The angel blinked dumbly as those fingers carded through the locks that had been stuck together by blood. A head wound, he noticed by the tenderness of the area. The demon nudged his head further to the side until Lucifer released a grunt.

“Such a mess but at least the wound has closed.” he said as if he had been monitoring the damn thing which…what? Lucifer batted the hand away in a flurry of hand motions and stepped back to the mirror with a growl. He checked the side of his head between the hair and sure enough there was newly healed skin right in the centre of all the blood. It must have been quite a gnarly wound. His eyes trailed to his waistcoat which contained several holes that definitely hadn’t been there before. Curious, he unbuttoned his waistcoat and removed both that and the shirt underneath until it revealed the several round scars that looked truly horrific. Lucifer whistled, almost impressed.

“No wonder my breathing is so impacted!” He called out as he felt along his back for any exit wounds.

“All of them are out of your body. I checked myself.” Alastor chimed in, leaning on his cane and against the far wall. Lucifer scoffed immediately.

“And I am supposed to believe you wouldn’t leave one to make me suffer while you had the chance?”

“Yes.” Alastor relayed and made a point of making eye contact in the mirror. “I didn’t let you fall when I could, did I?”

The king stiffened and looked away from those piercing red eyes. The memory was a little hazy but it was rushing back to him.
Hanging high in the sky and hearing his daughter’s voice pierce through the madness that had become his brain. How the sense of relief that absolutely flooded and drowned him had eventually shut off his power. He had felt so incredibly exhausted then. His vision went out of focus and then he was suddenly falling. His eyes had been looking at the sky much like when he had first fallen and the loneliness and humiliation clawed at him. Lucifer had surrendered, given up essentially, when suddenly there was something pressed against him and wrapped around him. It was warm and moving. A body next to his and his first thought had been to whisper Lililth’s name but she wasn’t there anymore so who…?
He had looked up only to see he was wrapped in the arms of the Radio Demon himself. In his exhaustion he’d been unable to protest or make some kind of witty comeback. He had only managed a surprised “Al?” before it dawned on him they were still falling. He had to try and save the demon like he had tried to save him and so… he did. Right before the world went black he made certain they wouldn’t die on impact.

“You didn’t… Thank you.” Lucifer mumbled softly to which Alastor hummed and a silence stretched between them.

“I gave you that head wound, you know?” The demon sounded almost proud of it which… screw him!

“I vaguely recall. Tried to shoot me too but you couldn’t swing that, could you?” Lucifer shot back with a truly insufferable grin. Alastor’s eye twitched and the air darkened as the soft drone of static increased.

“Guns are the most uncivilized way to harm or kill someone. Having said that, I’d have no trouble finding my aim now.” The demon claimed. Lucifer let out a hearty laugh, though winced a little with the force of it.

“In your dreams. Some people are just meant to be… game.” The devil taunted, smirking in a manner true to his title. Alastor surged forward and made a grab for the man who transformed into a snake at the last second with a cry of “whoop!”. Growling, the deer demon stomped down on the end of the snake’s tail as it slithered away between his legs and into the opposite direction.

A loud hissing noise sounded over the static for all of two seconds before Lucifer changed himself abruptly into a rhino and subsequently knocked Alastor over with his giant ass, sending him flying into the wall.

On the ground level falling dust and a rumbling coursing through the hotel alerted the princess of hell to the awakening of her father and the fact that something was going on. Terribly afraid he was having another episode she bolted up the stairs in the direction of his room.

Meanwhile Alastor had grown so tall he had to sit with his knees pulled up to his ears while pressing a hand down on the rhino’s back and holding the horn firmly in his other hand. The painful spot on his backside said it was absolutely necessary to contain that damn horn.

The rhino struggled before transforming once more to his humanoid shape. Alastor shrunk himself and used the airborne momentum of doing so to pounce on the angel who squawked indignantly. The two rolled over the floor until Alastor had him pinned down. There was a manic glint in his eyes and a sinister pull to his smile as he gazed down at his prey but Lucifer… he was only chuckling. There was mirth in his eyes as he struggled far too weak for what Alastor now knew was his true power.

The door to the bedroom swung open to reveal Charlie who immediately scanned the room for what the hell was going on and what she needed to do. Her face turned, if possible, paler upon seeing her shirtless father who was still covered in blood and now gnarly scars, pinned to the floor by Alastor who was heaving as something red dribbled down his chin, with his eyes turned to dials and his antlers spread out wide.

“U-Uhm…” she stuttered.

Rather than bursting into an explanation Lucifer’s eyes welled up with emotion and tears immediately streamed down his face. He knocked Alastor off of him effortlessly and ran straight for his daughter with his arms outstretched.

“C-Charlie!!” He called and she just barely caught him in the death squeeze he called a hug. With her in his arms and her gentle scent in his nose the fallen angel truly broke down and burst into ugly sobbing. “Don’t ever scare me like that again! I-I thought I lost you!”

Despite her obvious disdain at his bloodied and beaten appearance Charlie immediately indulged in the hug and squeezed her father close to her. She gently stroked through his hair and whispered shushing words but the emotion was clear in her face.

“I know, dad. I am sorry. We were tricked. I’ll tell you about it soon but we’ve got other urgent business to attend to.” she said, only causing Lucifer’s sobbing to increase.

“I know! I’ve killed and destroyed so much. Oh god you must be so disappointed in me.” he sniffled, wiping at his face. Charlie's face softened.

“What? Dad, no. Yyyeesss there was a lot of destruction. Half the pentagram is in ruins and we’re missing one and a half point completely. I suppose we can't really call a pentagram anymore now. And yeeessss there were a lot of lives lost. B-But you didn't meant to!” she attempted to awkwardly defend. Lucifer’s sniffling stopped rather abruptly and he searched for his daughter’s eyes with a surprisingly serious look.

“I did mean it. Charlie…” Lucifer sighed, taking a few steps away from her to hide how his face
hardened. It didn't matter to him that Alastor was watching. Let the bastard know. “You…. give all your love and care to these people. The thought that they were the once to take you from me. I-I…they didn't deserve to remain here.”

The sullen king wrapped his arms around himself and glared daggers at the floor. Some of that residual pain and anger resurfaced and manifested in a breath of fire. A gentle hand on his cheek lifted his head to look back at his sweet girl. There was so much understanding in her eyes that it briefly choked him up.

“It is not for us to decide who remains and who doesn't. They come into our realm and it's up to us to not distinguish between them. They may be of…questionable morale but they are our people and that means something to me. This is our home. If we don't teach them how we want them to behave on our turf, who will?” Oh yeah, it was definitely one of her pep talks. “Dad, you always shone so bright. I could see it and I was drawn to it! And I know others will be too.”

Lucifer sighed in defeat before turning a proud smile onto her.

“When did you get so smart, kiddo?” he asked with a soft chuckle before his face snapped back to crisis mode. “But even so, I…can’t lead these people! I’ve been absent for, well, forever! No one is going to take me seriously!”

“That may have been true before and trust me, I certainly still know better, but it would appear things aren't the same as they once were.” Alastor chimed in, sharing a secret look with Charlie that immediately pissed Lucifer off.

“What do you mean? What the fuck are you talking about?” he demanded. Both Charlie and Alastor walked over to the window of his tower, the one that looked out over the front yard. With a frown the angel followed them and upon seeing their expectant looks he gazed out the window. The sight that stretched out before him truly blew his mind.

Dozens of large party tents were erected on the stretch of land between the hotel and the city. The entire driveway was covered with sinners buzzing about. Soft sounds of music and the murmur of conversation wafted up to the tower and when he opened the window it was joined by the scent of all kinds of food. Lucifer’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull as he looked down.

“What is all this?” he asked, justifiably confused.

“It started out as a means to do a headcount of how many we lost. As well as a way to document who had lost their homes and where to relocate them and well…” Charlie trailed off, looking expectantly towards Alastor who looked down upon the scene below with a look between annoyance, impressed and a certain arrogance.

“Don’t get me wrong, we were ready to hand out the pitchforks. Surely they had every reason to want you gone but what happened baffled all of us. They rallied together beneath your proverbial banner.” The Radio Demon explained. “You had been something of a myth so far but now these poor, ignorant sinners figured you were kept away. Your little display of power went a long way in instilling both fear and respect. They want to officially accept you as their king. Can you believe it?” He added a laugh track to it for good measure but Lucifer was nowhere near interested in engaging with him.

“What? B-But I don't know the first thing about being king to the people! Lilith handled state affairs! What do I do? I can't go down there!” the angel freaked, slamming the window shut and stalking away from it like it had burned him.

“You can! I believe in you, dad! This is the chance we’ve been waiting for. We can actually make a difference. Perhaps we can come up with a better system. Hell may be forever but it doesn't have to suck forever. With the people actually listening to you we can drastically change the quality of life…or death…down here as well as rehabilitate those who can still be redeemed.” Charlie explained with vigor before grabbing both his hands and keeping him from walking away. “You’re not alone now. You have all of us and Alastor told me kings have advisors. You don't have to make any decisions on your own if you don't want to.”

“The first advice would be to shower off that golden stuff from your…everything, and jump into a fresh pair of clothes.” Alastor commented, observing his hand with faked interest while he sat down in a chair. Lucifer glanced down at himself and winced, only mentally agreeing. Charlie looked thoughtful towards her father.

“Are you sure you’re ready to face them?” She questioned. “I mean… It's kind of the make or break moment and if you’re not ready yet I can totally understand. You can stay here.” She offered though seemed reluctant to do so. The angel looked at himself in the mirror again and took a deep breath.

“No, this has taken too long already. It’s about time I step up and take this seriously. Better late than never, right? I…I will be fine.” He decided resolutely even if it wavered a bit towards the end.

“I’m so glad to hear you say that. I’ll prepare everything for your arrival. Shower, eat something and… oh my gosh I can’t believe I’m saying this but… listen to some of Alastor’s advice? I-I’m sure you can filter through the horrifying stuff. No offense, Alastor.”

“None taken.” He chimed cheerfully.

“But he does know a thing or two about how to maintain authority and leadership. Just… try not to kill each other, alright?” Charlie continued before pressing a kiss to her dad’s cheek who simply pouted at her before glaring pointedly at Alastor. With a quick ‘okay bye’ Charlie excused herself.

Rather than grant Alastor a verbal response Lucifer simply huffed indignantly and disappeared into his bathroom to complete the first of his tasks. The hot water quickly washed away any and all traces of what had transpired other than the scars themselves, but they would fade overtime. By the time he was done he felt significantly better and more awake. The angel fixed his hair and got into a fresh, clean version of his outfit. Stepping out he was greeted with the truly bizarre sight of Alastor pouring him a cup of tea to go alongside a true breakfast buffet. Scrambled eggs, various buns, warm foods, cold jams. It truly smelled delicious but given the person who had prepared the table, he was more than a little wary.

“You are aware you can’t poison me, right? Nor will some kind of potion or concoction work on me.” He pointed out with his face screwed up. Alastor turned to him with the broadest of smiles.

“Well, a man can dream.” He replied in a creepily cheery voice before taking a seat at the other side of the table.

Strangely satisfied with the answer, Lucifer took a seat and didn’t tease himself any longer but dove right into the stack of food, devouring half of it in absolutely no time. Their silence was almost companionable with Alastor only sipping on a cup of tea. On Lucifer’s side this mostly meant he had the time and space to spiral further into the memories of what had happened and all he had inflicted. Glancing at the Radio Demon he saw flashes of their interactions. The angel looked away with something akin to shame.

“You eh…you heal okay?” He finally asked after clearing his throat.

Alastor narrowed his eyes at him and let his lips curl into a sneer rather than a grin. “Like you inflicted anything of value on me.”

Lucifer scoffed, expression immediately turning sour and his fists banged on the table. “Oh well excuse me, mister big-shot. You are such a liar! I threw a lot of Holy Light at you, that’s no joke on a demon but nooooo mister I-am-so-tough is too good to admit it still burns whenever he moves, hm? Just let me take it away!”

“Fuck..off.” Alastor bit back almost ferally. The angel threw his arms up in exasperation and grumbled about how there surely was no one more stubborn in the universe but he let the subject go in order to finish his food. Afterwards, however, he briefly dabbed his mouth with a napkin before unexpectedly throwing it in Alastor’s face to blind him. In a swift motion he jumped on the table and perched himself on the edge right in front of the demon who scrambled to get the napkin off. The glint of surprise at seeing Lucifer so close was something he would cherish forever but not before he grinned wickedly and pressed a hand to Alastor’s chest.

“Zap!” He called out cheerfully as his hand glowed and he sucked out all the remnants he had inflicted in one second. Alastor growled and pushed Lucifer off the table single-handedly before standing abruptly. For a brief second he was taken aback by how much lighter and less sore he felt. It had almost become a perpetual droning in the background that he dealt with but now that it was gone there was definite relief in his system. Still, there’d be no ‘thank you’ coming from him anytime soon.

“You’re welcome, my pleasure, please don’t feel the need to pledge your undying loyalty to me right away there’s plenty of time for that.” Lucifer snickered after rising up and parading around proudly under Alastor’s seething gaze.

“You insolent little pest! Why I ought to leave you to your own devices and watch with glee how you’ll eventually screw this up too.” Alastor spat while dusting down his uniform.

“Ah ah ah! But you won’t. I’ve seen inside your soul now, Al. You can’t help but see this through. Ever the power-hungry demon and my my, doesn’t being by the side of the biggest boss in all of hell just provide the most delicious power of all. If only you could convince him to listen to you, and you alone.” Lucifer said with a smirk.

“How much did you see?” Alastor asked completely out of the blue, eye still twitching in poorly concealed frustration.

“Enough.” The devil replied and his eyes flashed a brief red as his face settled into a ticked-off kind of serious. “We’ll deal with that later.”

The silence returned as Lucifer grabbed his cane and hat. Not long after they were wandering down the hotel halls on the way to the ground level and what would be awaiting the king outside the hotel’s doors. The hallway was the same which he’d taken so many times but it felt darker and longer now than ever before. With every step he took the earlier courage and resoluteness instilled by his daughter seeped into Lucifer’s boots and turned to lead. His figure began hunching further and further in on himself and he clutched the apple-topped cane to his chest before coming to a stop altogether.

“I can’t do this! I can’t be their king. I was never cut out for this…just because they made me the ruler of this realm doesn’t mean I had any ambition to be!” He rambled on, hands winding into his hair.

“On that we can agree.” Alastor replied unhelpfully as his smile twitched with annoyance. He pondered the repercussions of leaving the pathetic excuse for a king to wallow in self-pity but for the eventual goals he was attempting to reach, he really ought to do his job. “As much as I despise saying this, you have more leadership qualities than you might think. You have the best interest of the people at heart, it shows in the gift you have given humanity. I believe that somewhere deep, deep...truly impossibly deep inside you, there is a born leader.”

Big shiny eyes turned to the Radio Demon with hope glistening in them. “You really think so?”

“Don’t make me regret it.” Alastor said through gritted teeth, ears twitching. “But if I might make a suggestion I would advise to emerge in a form more true to your title. The display might be enough to sway any brave soul from asking questions that are too difficult which should save you some face.”

Lucifer pondered the advice for a while. He didn’t particularly like the idea of terrifying people into behaving and he wasn’t one to show off his power. The idea of being on their level was much more appealing to him. It had always been. That had been his problem ultimately, how he had wanted to be by the humans’ side whereas the other angels wanted to be above them. Something completely out of reach for them. However, the pros far outweighed the cons because as much as he hated it, Alastor was right. It would keep people from questioning him for sure and if they wanted to accept him as their king, didn’t he need to set himself apart?

Before he could change his mind he closed his eyes and let his horns come out and rise in front of his hat. A golden snake slithered up the side of them and curled around both horns near the tips, with an apple perched between its face and tail. Hellfire sat gently between the horns. Behind him his tail uncurled and whisked around like it was stretching itself after having been cooped up. Re-opening his eyes revealed them to be red, his pupils having gone yellowish. A couple of eyes manifested on the inside of his coat.

A subtle glance over towards Alastor was met with a simple nod of approval and the two continued down the hallways and down the stairs. They reached the bottom just as Angel Dust emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of sweets. Upon seeing them both he froze and the plate tumbled to the ground where it broke. Lucifer looked rather impassively from the broken plate to Angel’s face which was flitting quickly between guilt and something like fear. It created an uncomfortable feeling in the angel’s stomach.

“Wow, hey, watch out there. Those things… Those things can be slippery.” He attempted to break the ice, adding a set of finger guns which Angel apparently mistook for a callout because there was a flash of panic in his eyes.

“I-I didn’t want to shoot ya! There was so much goin’ on and I-”

Lucifer shushed him by placing a hand on Angel’s shoulder and giving him a brilliant smile despite his demon form.

“Thank you, Angel Dust. What you did was very brave and unfortunately necessary. I… I should be the one to apologise to you.” He said in a voice so calm and warm that it immediately deflated the fear and guilt in the pornstar’s eyes.

“Nah there’s no need for that. I’d say we’re even.” Angel said with some careful mirth. “You didn’t uhm…sustain permanent injury….right?”

Lucifer laughed heartily and patted his own chest before wincing slightly. “Oef. It eh.. It’s a healing process but no lasting damage, don’t you worry. You got me good though! You’re a hell of a shot. Guess I know who to call for security.” The devil winked and patted the spider-demon on the shoulder. His other hand made a flicking motion in the air and the broken plate stitched itself back together with the sweets carefully placed upon it.

“I’d be honored.” Angel said with a smile and picked up the plate before offering Lucifer one, which was eagerly taken. “There’s plenty more outside. Oh and there’s candy apples. Someone wagered you’d like those.” He said before shuffling away and disappearing out the door.

“What nonsense.” Alastor scoffed and looked over to the king who was frozen in the stare of a starving man at the door leading outside.

“Candy….apples?” He whispered before he let out a squeal and made to bolt out the door.

In a split second Alastor had grabbed a hold of the black tail and yanked the fallen angel back towards him. The latter’s pupils immediately disappeared into glowing red as he turned his head around and hissed like only a snake could do. Fire spat from behind his teeth, making little clouds in the sky and yet still Alastor thought there was a brief subtle golden hue to his face that wasn't there normally.

Amused by the display, the Radio Demon refused to let go of the tail and kept a firm grip. The skin was somehow both leathery and silky. It felt a lot like a snake.

“Not so fast, your shortness.” He grinned maniacally as Lucifer elicited another hiss. “It would be truly unbecoming of you to indulge like a pig in these sweets. You have to consider your image right now.”

“Oh yeah because nothing is going to help my image like you holding me by the damn tail.” Lucifer argued, folding his arms over his chest and pouting. In response, Alastor leaned down just a little, grin growing impossibly wider.

“No one can see us here.” He argued in a low tone and expected a comeback right away but Lucifer turned his face away and huffed out a little fire. Once more it did seem like his cheeks began to turn golden but Alastor figured it was possibly the heat of the fire. Snickering, he finally relinquished the tail from his hand which immediately and defensively curled up behind the angel’s back. “Now, remember to hold your head high and don’t engage in conversation. Any…sweets…you want will be brought to you. They’ve set up a seat for you in the centre of the festival. There, you will need to accept the brought sacrifices.”

“Oh they still make sacrifices in my name? I always liked those.” Lucifer said almost cheerily which caused a bewildered look from the Radio Demon to which he simply shrugged. “What? There was good food being sent my way occasionally. Fresh meats, vegetables. It’s about the only thing I receive from Earth other than you wayward souls. There’s not nearly as many sacrifices now and most of them are blood sacrifices and I just… that’s not who I am, you know?” He went into detailed description, one hand landing on his hip as he cocked it slightly, waving his other hand around animatedly.

Alastor was struck by how truly bizarre Lucifer’s already quirky and flamboyant mannerisms looked on him in demonic form. It was both mesmerising and just plain wrong.

“Right. Anyway, the sacrifices will be made by the overlords in the name of the people living on their turf, they will pledge their fealty to you and that will conclude the official part of all this.” Alastor continued to list. The angel seemed to contemplate all of these so the demon simply chose to walk on and go to open the door for him.

“You’re an overlord.” Lucifer suddenly said, making Alastor stop in his tracks. He didn’t turn back around to face the king.

“Yeeessss.” He drawled, leaving the “what's your point?” hanging in the air.

“Shouldn’t you pledge your fealty to me?”

“Hah! Over my dead soul.”

“Right… but shouldn’t you put in a sacrifice in the name of the people you own?” Lucifer continued to ask in a truly curious tone. Alastor turned a quarter of the way to look at the man from his peripherals.

“I sacrifice my sanity to you on a daily basis. Figured that would suffice.” He shot back. “Besides. I don’t exactly own a lot of turf. I own the radio and I own strategically placed pawns.”

“Hmm, alright.” While the king was seemingly satisfied with the end of the conversation Alastor was decidedly not. Somehow he hadn’t anticipated that question to be asked and it had stumped him slightly. He didn’t like being stumped. Besides, if it had been him he would not have been satisfied with the answers given and demand more… demand a sacrifice to be made. How very strange.

There was little time to dwell on it for much longer as Lucifer approached and Alastor opened the door to reveal the king to the outside world. The sinners in their front yard stopped whatever they were doing and turned around to gape at their king who began the descent of the steps. To the Radio Demon’s surprise his advice was completely followed. Lucifer made no signs of contact with anyone and walked in a solemn straight line towards the path that would lead them to his seat.
It worked like a charm for when he reached the first line of sinners they got down on one knee as a sign of respect. The rest of the crowd followed suit and before long the entire mass was kneeling to their king.

Lucifer looked over the kneeling crowd unsure how to feel about it. They respected him because they feared him and that was never what he had wanted. Still, there was something so deeply satisfying about finally being recognised. The weight of the fate of these souls pulled at him unexpectedly and he thought for the first time that it must have been what Charlie felt and why she fought so damn hard for her hotel. With the crowd now crouched down below his eye level he had a clear sight of the throne that had been prepared for him, with his daughter waiting by its side along with her girlfriend. He really ought to get that name right.
Charlie looked something between happy and unsure. He figured it was the display he was putting on. He saw her eyes flit to Alastor and must have found something there she understood because when she looked back to him she was all smiles and thumbs up.
Stupid fucking Alastor and his stupid bond with his daughter.

Puffing his chest out proudly Lucifer felt himself come more into his own as the embodiment of pride; a title he had always felt was placed upon him as a form of mockery. Taking the final steps up to the throne he flashed his daughter an awkward smile before sitting down. Immediately he folded one leg over the other and propped his elbow on the armrest so he could lean his head on his hand. His tail flicked as the only sign of both anticipation and an impatience to get it over with. The Radio Demon materialized behind the throne which was something he could sense quite easily in this form. He had expected the demon to speak to the sinners somehow. Did he need to say anything? Lucifer shifted, readying himself for a speech he did not prepare with no clue what to say but Alastor’s hand pressed on his shoulder and halted him. He sent the man a half-hearted glare but before he could argue or ask what the fuck he was supposed to do, one of the oldest overlords began to speak. The king recognised him as Zestial. The overlord made his way to the front of the crowd. He spoke, and every sentence was repeated in turn by the entire crowd. A great booming sound of so many voices.

“Rex tremendae majestatis
Qui salvandos salvas gratis
Salve me fons pietatis
Salve me fons pietatis
Quantus tremor est futurus
Quando judex est venturus
Damnata, invisus, ubique, ab omnibus, ad infinitum
Rex tremendae majestatis”

Lucifer was overwhelmed by the words of devotion that were dedicated to none other than him. Something tugged at him. Something mighty that was almost…a sense of belonging. From there on out it was like the king he was supposed to be had woken inside him and he finally settled into it. Somehow, he knew exactly what to do. By the end of their words and once the silence had returned to the people, Lucifer rose and held his hands out in front of him in a grand gesture.

“Rise.” He commanded and they did. The surge of power and pride carried him on effortlessly. “Sinners, overlords. I acknowledge that for some time I have been absent. Different times are upon us now. Times in which I will take a much more active part in the future of Hell as the rightful ruler of this realm. I do not plan to upset your constructed hierarchy in the city. In fact I will be working closely with Hell's overlords as we shape our future but make no mistake! Should you choose to rise against me? Against us? Rest assured the last thing you will ever feel is the heat of the Morningstar.”

There was a beat of nothing before a careful, slow applause began to sound out. More hands joined, and more still until there was big thunderous applause all around.

As he looked to the side he caught Charlie looking somewhat nervous and unsure. It dawned on him this was not exactly what she’d had in mind when she advocated to them taking back the control of Hell and being more active. As the ruler of the realm Lucifer knew how true the term ‘a necessary evil’ was and how important it was. There was room for kindness and all the things she wanted but if they couldn’t even maintain the facade of being worthy of their loyalty it was better to give up immediately.

“Well done, sire. Quite the speech. Now for the sacrifices.” Alastor chimed off to his other side, taking notes on a list he seemed to be keeping. The sinners had gone back to their festivities while Hell’s overlords began queuing up before the throne. First there were some new, up and coming faces dropping by to wish him well, pledge their loyalty to the throne and offer a specialty from their respective districts. There were a lot more overlords than Lucifer seemed to remember but then not all of them were big-time hotshots.

Eventually they reached a trio of overlords Lucifer recognised vaguely as being the ones that controlled most of the entertainment industry.

“The Vees, sire.” Alastor presented and whereas he had managed to play the part of the faithful assistant and advisor with a casual tone, here it became strained and annoyed immediately. Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him before looking upon the three with a bored expression. His eyes lingered on the one sporting a TV-screen for a head. He sported a giant, fake smile while the moth-demon by his side just looked Lucifer up and down with a truly perverted glint in his eyes and the girl on his other side just seemed mightily annoyed as she texted away on her phone. All of the sudden it dawned on the king where he had seen their leader before and remembered the message that Alastor had received from him. Lucifer narrowed his eyes to thin, glowing red slits.

“Hey heeey, your majesty! Good to see you, good to see you. Have to say big thanks for not destroying any of our studios, buildings and towers. We’re able to get right back to giving these sinners their daily dose of entertainment!” The TV-screen, Vox as he remembered, spoke animatedly. Lucifer waved a dismissive hand and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s call it a…happy…accident.” He replied which briefly shut Vox up.

“Rrrriiiiigght, anyway, of course our company is at your disposal, your majesty. Whatever you need, we are ready to stand by your side and uhm… Velvette?” He glanced to his side and elbowed the girl who sent him a heated glare. “Velvette. The gift.”

“Ugh… fucking bullshit.” She mumbled but produced a giant gift basket containing various electronic equipment and DvD’s. “Tadaa.” she said in a flat tone and laid it at Lucifer’s feet.

The devil himself, while interested in some items, was not impressed by their display overall. The other overlords at least had some respect when standing in front of him. These three had all the looks of mere teenagers and he was reminded of Charlie’s rebellious phase.

“Your gift and pledge have been received.” Alastor spoke matter-of-factly which meant so much as “byee!”. Vox, however, had other ideas as he fixed a glare on the deer demon and it seemed for a second his screen glitched.

“I would strongly suggest you make a change in personnel, sire. I mean come on… this guy as your advisor? We are the future of Hell! He’s stuck in the past. You can do better than that. I’ll tell you what, we’ll take him out for free!” Vox exclaimed with no small amount of evil laughter. The static around Alastor increased and the pencil in his hand snapped cleanly in two. He was getting a rise out of the Radio Demon and that made something real ugly flare up inside of Lucifer.

Two fists slammed on the armrests and the hellfire between his horns burned a little brighter. The attention of all four overlords snapped to him but his pure red-eyed glare was focused only on Vox.

“Are you questioning my judgment?” The dual tone in his voice seemed to quiet the three Vees down a bit. “Openly insulting both my choices and a member of my staff is an act of fucking treason, bitch. I should skin you for this.”

The three gulped and Vox stammered through an apology as they bowed their heads. The destruction he’d wrecked was fresh enough on their memories, clearly.

“You are in luck. Enough destruction has been wrecked. Leave with yourselves still intact.” He dismissed, the corner of his mouth twitching in an amused smirk.

The Vees mumbled something beneath their breath and sulked off into the crowd. Lucifer watched them disappear with narrowed eyes after which they flitted over to Alastor who was watching him with that perpetual grin but with eyebrows furrowed into something of a frown.

Carmilla, Zestial and Rosie were both greeted more personally with a handshake or a hug or even a kiss on the cheek when they approached. He hadn’t been completely absent after all. He knew some of the older Overlords quite well. It wasn’t until a decade or so ago that he completely up and disappeared from the public eye. He had met them on a few occasions, mostly when a situation within the city became too dire or for official ceremonial business. After they left things finally started to quiet down enough for Charlie to approach and sit on her haunches besides the throne while she beamed up at her dad. Vaggie came to stand by her side with something of an impressed smile.

“I have to say it’s kind of super bizarre to see you so serious in this role.” Charlie said with a chuckle. “Being the big boss and all that. It’s… it’s not what I expected.”

The angel turned his red eyes onto his daughter and patted her gently on the head. “I kinda got that feeling already, sweety. You need to remember that them being our people is not enough. We need to be their leaders which means that while we keep a firm grasp on the light inside of us and gradually introduce it, but we need to be someone they can relate to just the same. Someone they can rally behind. That… means you’ll occasionally see a side of me that I’m not super proud of.” He said, twiddling his thumbs in a guilty manner.

“We’ll be fine, dad. I trust your judgment.” Charlie’s eyes mirrored that trust she instilled so easily in him and not for the first time did Lucifer price himself lucky to have her for his daughter. “I might not always like what you have to do but I trust you to decide what’s right.”

Charlie leaned into the gentle touch given by her father’s hand against her cheek before she rose up and took Vaggie by the hand to explore some of the festivities. Her girlfriend seemed quite contemplative no matter where they went until finally the princess had had enough.

“Alright, out with it. I can tell something’s on your mind.” She poked Vaggie’s side playfully only to receive a chuckle and have her hand batter away. Vaggie’s eye quickly returned to the throne where the king still sat.

“I don’t know. I have this nagging feeling we should not have pushed Alastor to be any kind of advisor. I know you like him but he’s a bad influence.” She finally said, folding her arms over her chest and watching with a narrowed eye as Alastor bent over at the waist to say something directly to Lucifer’s ear. The latter frowned in contemplation and nodded slowly, seeming oddly agreeing. Charlie followed her gaze and her own expression softened.

“Alastor may be a bit sadistic at times but he wants this realm to thrive as much as we do. I don’t think we have to worry. Besides..” She watched as her father twisted a little in his seat and all of the sudden pinched Alastor’s cheek between two fingers, looking with some form of endearment and endless amusement as he seemed to coo at the demon whose eye was twitching enough to be visible from a remarkable distance. The demon slapped the hand away and shot the king a glare. Charlie chuckled softly. “I think my dad’s got him handled.”

“Uhm, Charlie.”

“Yeah?”

“I think Alastor is telling him about what happened…why we were gone.” Vaggie winced as she nodded her head in their direction just as they glanced their way. Both girls stiffened, caught in their gazes as Alastor’s mouth kept moving and Lucifer’s eyes grew wider by the second. His face contorted with anger and by the time Alastor stood up straight the king was positively vibrating with it.

“WHAT?” He shouted, slamming his fists down so hard the throne cracked. His entire body heaved with the heavy breaths and the fire between his horns flared angrily, nearly setting the entire tent ablaze. Charlie winced at the sight.

“Ooohhh shit.”