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The message arrived at the hotel in a silver envelope with his name carefully written on the back. Alastor picked it up with a hum, saving it in the inside pocket of his coat before checking the rest of the correspondence and organize it by host or staff members. Of course, he also kept those directed to the hotel, to further study them with Charlie once she was back from the outing with her paramour.
It was not until he finished his morning tasks that the Radio Demon allowed himself some time to retract back to his own room. The quarters had been transformed to accommodate an office and other working rooms, since he now spent most of his social time in Lucifer’s room. Needless to say, Alastor still kept a bed and a comfy space for himself in his old room, as sleeping next to the other man was something only happened on exceptional days.
At the moment, the devil was dealing with some royal business in Envy, which gave the Radio Demon enough privacy to deal with the issue at hand. And so, he opened the silver envelope.
“To the Radio Demon,
The book you asked for is finally in my possession. We can meet at the I.M.P office during working hours or at my palace afterwards.
-Stolas of the Ars Goetia”
Fantastic news, no doubt! Satisfied with the letter, Alastor put it back in its envelope to save it in his pocket again. He used the gesture to check his chest pocket clock as well, making sure there was enough time for the small trip before lunch time. Considering it should be fine, he straightened up his coat and melted in the shadows.
Reaching the building where the I.M.P office was didn’t take him long, the path a known one as he had paid them several visits before. His name was also well-known in Imp City, which together with his public association to Lucifer made people cross the road upon seeing him. As if he would cause himself indigestion by eating an imp! Still, he didn’t protest when the building’s lift emptied for him, therefore reaching the right office in only a few minutes. Humming at the lack of screaming at the other side of the door, he knocked at it.
“Come on in!” a light voice called from the inside.
No needing further invitation, the Radio Demon let himself into the room. Surprisingly, there were no clients waiting on the side chairs, and the place was lacking its usual screams and flying weapons. Which could only mean one thing.
“I reckon the rest of your… team is on a mission?”
“Alastor! That was quick, I thought you would respond to the message before appearing here” Stolas commented from behind his desk. “And yes, Blitzø and the others are on Earth right now. We’re fully booked for the week!”
“Good to hear business is going well, Hell can always use new souls to deal with” the Radio Demon smiled. “Now, I would have sent a response, but I found myself with some time this morning, and wanted to be done with this ordeal as soon as possible.”
The Goetic demon smiled softly at him, bringing out from a drawer a thin book and offering it to him. Carefully, Alastor took it in his hands and passed the few pages of it to check its contents, even if he was uncapable to understand the language.
“As per required, it is written in original Danish but with the typography you wanted. Not an easy book to find, I must say! It’ll be an anniversary gift, I recon?”
More than satisfied with the tome, the sinner put it away in the shadow dimension with care. Then, he turned his attention to Stolas. They had properly met a few weeks ago at the Gala and the Goetic demon was aware of his relationship with Lucifer, seemingly happy about it, even suggesting a double date one day. It went unsaid that Alastor had yet to agree to the offer.
“Something of the kind” he answered to the bird’s question. “Thank you for the assistance on this matter, I’ll make sure to send the payment before the end of the day.”
“No hurries! I already told you it was not necessary to pay any fee, this was just a favor among friends!”
And what a weird concept that was; to have become friends with a Goetic demon, as well as other of Lucifer’s acquaintances. At the moment, the connections the Radio Demon possessed could easily make him the most powerful sinner in Pride. Of course, that also meant he was more conscious about his own insignificance in the rest of Hell, where way more dangerous demons roamed free.
“Nonsense, hard work should be compensated, independently of personal relations” he assured. “Now, I would love to stay and chat, but I fear dear Charlie will be back at the hotel and attempting to cook lunch. I’ll come over another day after work for tea at your palace, if it’s alright with you.”
“That would be lovely!”
“Perfect, I’ll make sure to send a message first” Alastor chuckled as he turned around. “See you soon, Prince Stolas.”
“Have a safe trip back, Alastor! And send my rewards to Luci!”
Fortunately, he was able to save lunch —and the kitchen— before the damage went too far, Charlie apologizing like a desperate soul. As much as Alastor had come to tolerate —or even enjoy— the girl’s presence during the last year, he had to forbid her from attempting to cook without supervision ever again. They may have enough money to rebuild the hotel ten times, but that didn’t mean he was happy with having to waste resources in food and kitchen hardware every week.
It was not a surprise to find the king absent during the rest of the day, as he had already warned them he would most likely be back at night. And while the Radio Demon missed —there was no point in denying it now— the bickering and his general presence, it also gave him the opportunity to finish his daily tasks and properly prepare his small gift.
Lucifer was tired. Not only had he been productive all day, but also forced into a series of conversations he didn’t have energy for. At the moment, his brain could not work properly anymore, instead screaming at him for a place to hide and disappear for a year or so.
Uh, that was probably not a good sign.
Anyways.
It was already late by the time he reached the hotel’s lobby, so he ignored dinner in favor of resting. He couldn’t die of starvation, anyways, —already tried, no use—, so it shouldn’t matter much.
Alastor’s presence in the quarters was not a surprise, the Overlord reading over some papers by the heat of the chimney, even when the room was already warm enough. One could point out that they had an office just across the hall to deal with paperwork, but after some time he had come to realize the Radio Demon liked to have some company during the last hours of work. Even if a silent one.
“Long day, darling?” the sinner asked, eyes not moving away from the papers.
The king huffed. That could be an understanding. And why was Alastor so good at catching his mood just with his bare presence? It was not fair.
“Yeah” he mumbled, kicking his boots out and dragging his feet to the bed. “Uh. What is this?”
There was a thin package over the covers on his side of the mattress. A present, judging by the duck-decorated paper around it. The mere image of it made his pupils widen and mind giggle. Did they had more of that wrapping paper around? He was ninety-nine percent sure that covering himself with it would make him feel better.
“Are you losing your sight due to old age, my dear? It is evident it’s a gift.”
“I can see that, you asshole” he pouted at the other man, who still didn’t look at him. “What I want to know is why is there a present on my bed. It isn’t our anniversary.”
“It is not.”
Lucifer rolled his eyes.
“Then?”
“Why, darling, I was not aware that one needed a specific reason to offer a gesture to someone else.”
The tone of innocence in Alastor’s voice was suspicious enough to make him wonder if the object in front of him would suddenly explode. But, then again, the Radio Demon had already given him several presents that led to a boost of serotonin he really needed at the moment.
And the wrapping paper was cute.
Carefully, he picked the gift up and removed the transparent tape in a way that didn’t disrupt the paper, managing to get it out without any damage. Perfect for another use. Or maybe to pin it in his office to look at it from time to time. Were some of the ducks wearing sunglasses?
“Lucifer, I can assure you the important part is not the wrapping paper.”
Ah, right.
Looking down, the devil found himself holding an incredible thin book —almost a magazine, really—, with a baby swan drawn in the cover, looking lost in the green background. On top of it, in silver calligraphy, the title read: Den grimme ælling, written by H. C. Andersen.
“Did you… Did you seriously get me a children’s book, Al?”
Sure, it was about a duck —or that was what it looked like—, but… Really?
“I did” the other man confessed, finally looking at him with an expression that lacked the expected mockery. “It is a fairy tale from the nineteenth century, one that I think you’ll find… Illuminating. If you haven’t forgotten your Danish, that is.”
Alastor was being serious. Huh. He would bite. Even if that meant going back to a language he hadn’t used in a very, very, very long time. Curious now, the king turned away from the other man and removed his clothes until he was down to his pants and undershirt, climbing on the bed to hide himself under the covers. The ducky blanket he threw over his head was heavy enough to calm the ache of his body, and its softness helped with the overwhelming outside sensations. He knew well how ridiculous he looked like, but he couldn’t care less. The only soul he allowed to see him in that state was the Radio Demon, and he had turned out to be considerate enough to not mock him about it.
Once he was comfortable, he rested the book on his bent knees and observed the cover carefully. The paint was beautifully done, even if he didn’t understand why the story would be called ‘the ugly duckling’ just to have a swan drawn in the front. On the first page he found a small summary about the author, a Danish man that had lived in between 1805 and 1875 and had a tough life, being discouraged several times from writing. And yet, he became famous for it. The title in Lucifer’s hands was an original version —not one of the adaptations done over time—, and the illustrations had been drawn to accompany the fairy tale and help in its immersion.
Even if fluent in all languages, it took the king a bit before his brain was focused enough to properly start reading —some letters still changing their order in a word and leading him to confusion—, but once he started he could not stop.
By the time he reached the last page, he could feel the tears flooding his eyes.
‘Så megen lykke drømte jeg ikke om, da jeg var den grimme ælling!’
A single drop fell on the paper, his body slightly trembling at the overwhelming sensation of… everything.
From the beginning, all the small swan had wished for was to fit in and live in peace with his siblings. But he had been mocked and chased away, alone in the world. No place to fit in. Nobody who would understand him. The only option he could consider, to put an end to his miserable life.
Until he found a home. A place where he fitted in. Where the others saw him for what he truly was.
“There are some who have always known they are different from those in their surroundings. They are destined, from the day they are born, to be something else.”
Lucifer quickly blinked away the tears in his eyes, looking up to find Alastor walking towards him, voice bared of radio static. Raw. Precious.
“Those who are not understood, are subjected to mockery and teasing when they go out. Loneliness and weeping when they’re at home.
Going out into the great wild world can make one feel less strange, and less alone. It is the beginning of an adventure, of an enormous change in one’s life.”
The sinner’s words echoed in the silent room as he sat on the edge of the mattress, peeling down the blanket over Lucifer.
“You might try a new home, but you know it’s not yours. You’re lonely from where you’re from, even if you’re not welcome.
At any moment, the painful hardship of an abandon life can come back, like an angry, cold season.”
The devil swallowed down a sob as each sentence broke him a little bit more, warm arms curling around him, his body being brought up onto Alastor’s lap. The Radio Demon’s chest against his back was soft and strong at the same time, a barrier protecting him from the world. Cocooned like that, he felt safe even in his despair.
A soft kiss was left on top of his head just before the sinner’s lips came to rest next to his ear.
“And one day you see, as clearly as your own reflection, that you belong in an entirely different world from the one which was presented to you.
This new world, the one in which you belong, will welcome you, and you will never be the same again.”
Lucifer hid his face in Alastor’s chest as he wailed, heart aching. And yet, it felt good. Right. As if the emotions he had been holding in for thousands of years were finally coming out. Voiced into the air in a way he could have never done himself.
“You’re not alone, Lucifer” the sinner declared, true as it could be. “This is where you belong.”