Chapter Text
Lucifer was reaching his limit. And it didn’t make any sense! He hadn’t cared about the terms the Radio Demon used to refer to him until two days ago, when he heard Angel complaining about the endearing terms Vaggie and Charlie used with each other. Only then had he realized Alastor only referred to him in regal terms.
“Will you spit out already what is bothering you, sire?”
They had retired to the sinner’s room after dinner —well, ‘officially’ each one had gone to their own room— with the intention of spending some time together before bedtime, even if Alastor was reading and him fiddling with one of his ducks. Truth was, their relationship had not changed much since they decided to become… them. Insults and bickering were part of their daily life, but also soft touches and, from time to time in the privacy of one of their rooms, hand holding.
And Lucifer was beyond satisfied with it!
If that was the speed at which Alastor wanted to move —or even if he wanted for them to remain static—, he was game. He would never ask anything physical from him. The naming, however…
“Has the void finally grasped the remaining parts of your brain and silenced you, Your Majesty?”
“Would you stop it?!”
Granted, his reaction had been a bit stronger than what he had planned; arms banging on the table and chair almost falling to the ground when pushing it back to stand. In front of him, Alastor’s eyes widened for a moment, before setting back to his normal expression and bending his neck awkwardly to one side. The deer ears followed cue and Lucifer got distracted for a second. They looked so fluffy…
No, bad Luci! Focus!
“What exactly do you want me to stop doing, sire?”
He groaned.
“That!”
This time, the sinner’s features mixed in confusion and frustration, as if he was really trying to understand the devil but not quite grasping it.
“Is… my bickering too much tonight, sire?”
“No! I don’t mind your sassiness, I like it!”
Oh fuck, now he was blushing at his own words. If he were still sitting, the devil would have banged his face against the table. Instead, he focused on the other man, who at least seemed also a little flustered.
“Well if that’s the case, Your Majesty, then I don’t understand what exactly you are complaining about.”
“Your reference to me!” Lucifer declared, one hand moving in between them. “You should not be calling me ‘sire’ or ‘Your Majesty’. It’s weird when it comes from you now that we’re… We.”
At the other side of the table, Alastor chuckled.
“You’re truly a tiny box full of surprises, sire” he said, continuing before Lucifer had the opportunity to protest against the naming. “Even if in a relationship, you’re still the King of Hell, aren’t you? I’m simply showing the appropriate respect.”
Lucifer huffed.
“We both now you hold no respect for me” the devil threw back. “And I don’t care, because I don’t want you to see me as the King of Hell.”
“Oh? And how should I see you, then?”
He thought about it for a second, the answer seeming obvious.
“As Lucifer. As your… partner?”
The term felt strange in his lips. They had never defined their relationship in a word during the past month, and to start doing it now felt weird. Judging by Alastor’s expression, he thought the same. Still, he considered his words before nodding.
“Very well, then” he finally said. “For the sake of keeping our private and public lives separated, I’ll continue calling you ‘sire’ and ‘Your Majesty’ when we’re out. However, seeing as the same connotation is problematic for you when we’re alone… I’ll start using your name, Lucifer.”
Oh.
Oh fuck.
He hadn’t thought this through.
He hadn’t considered it nearly enough.
His cheeks were burning, his mouth was dry and sweat was accumulating in the palm of his hands.
A chuckle coming from the other man indicated Alastor had also realized this. And oh, did his expression change at the acknowledgement… That damn amused smile.
“What seems to be the matter now, Lucifer?” he practically sang. “Did you change your mind, perhaps?”
“N-No! It’s just, um… weird.”
“Why? It is your name, isn’t it? Lucifer.”
He was going to choke.
“Stop it!” the devil groaned, a hand covering his golden face.
“I see… Maybe another term would be better?” the sinner wondered.
A screeching noise indicated Alastor had stood up, steps coming closer to him until he felt his presence a foot apart.
“Darling.”
He whined.
“My dear.”
Oh, he promised that if one day he found something that made the other man blush, he would never stop.
Then, an amused laugh filled the room and the embarrassment morphed into shame. Lucifer shifted on his feet, suddenly uncomfortable at the memories of Lilith laughing at his flushing reactions. Sure, initially it was funny, but overtime… He wondered if towards the end of their marriage she had kept doing it with a cruel intention.
“Lucifer?”
This time, his name was called with a tone that bordered worry.
“I-It’s ok” he said, chuckling as he removed the hand from his face. “It’s funny, I get it.”
Alastor had on his face the same expression he used every time he wanted to get him to admit what was bothering him, normally during a depressive episode.
Way to ruin the mood, Lucifer.
“It’s just… For a moment it felt like you were laughing at me” he offered, knowing better than to lie. “It’s stupid.”
“Hmm… I apologize if it seemed that way” the sinner said, erasing the distance separating them and taking one of his hands. To this day, Lucifer still found fascinating how perfect skin-to-skin contact felt with him. “Even if your reaction is amusing, I find it mostly endearing. Who knew that the king’s greatest weakness were pet names?”
“It’s not the names, but how you say them.”
“Ah, I see…” the Radio Demon considered. “Would you like me to stop?”
“No!”
The other man chuckled.
“I-I mean… It’s okay to do it if you’re comfortable with it.”
“I am.”
“G-Good.”
In that moment, a realization hit him.
“What about you?” he wondered. “Can I use your name?”
Alastor lifted an eyebrow with an amused expression.
“I admit that having you calling me ‘bellhop’ when we’re alone is rather annoying, even if you rarely do it” the sinner declared. “My name will suffice. I’m not fond of pet names.”
“And, um… ‘Al’?”
Lucifer saw the Radio Demon putting an effort in maintaining his expression neutral, but the swift movement of his ears betrayed him. It was cute, but the devil appreciated his life too much to say that out loud.
“I can approve the abbreviation, as long as it doesn’t become the rule” he said “My mother put a good amount of thought in my name and I would like to keep using it.”
“Of course.”
Happy and fully satisfied, the devil brought their joined hands up and planted a small kiss on the back of the Radio Demon’s palm.
From that day on, their private conversations became somehow more intimate. They were Lucifer and Alastor now. And if he kept blushing terribly every time Al used an endearing term with him… Well, he could live with that.