Chapter Text
Lucifer sat in the lobby and watched Charlie running around, introducing herself to the new sinner checking in. She waved excitedly as the guests started for the stairs and turned to her girlfriend Vaggie, thank you very much name tags, and grabbed her hands, jumping in place and squealing.
“Vaggie! That’s another new sinner that wants to try redemption! I need to think up a new game IMMEDIATELY for trust exercises!” she kissed the fallen angel on the cheek and ran for the conference room, mumbling ideas as she went. Vaggie smiled fondly after her and sighed, shaking her head and started to organize the papers behind the counter. Lucifer took a sip of the coffee in his hand, before standing up and walking over.
“You know, she has been like that since she was a kid. Always happy and excited about one thing or another.” Lucifer leaned against the counter, taking another drink of his coffee. Vaggie looked up at the king with a smile.
“Oh, I don’t doubt it, sire.” She looked back down at the work in front of her. Lucifer let the silence grow for a second, fidgeting with his cup before clearing his throat.
“I was never a child. Made into a grown archangel just like my brothers.” Vaggie nodded absentmindedly, busy writing notes in the ledger in front of her. Lucifer leaned over the counter to see what she was doing. The page was separated in small grids with numbers and words in each box, probably indicating the hotel expenses. He leaned back, air puffing out of his mouth.
He was bored. There was nothing was going on and he had yet to see the annoying bellhop today. He had grown quite fond of bickering with the tall red idiot, anything to keep himself ‘entertained’ as he so adequately puts it. The radio demon kept him on his toes, their back-and-forth fighting making Hell a little better. If Lucifer were being truthful with himself, he would rather spend time with the deer demon than without. He turned, leaning back against the counter and glanced around the quiet lobby, noticing the winged cat wiping glasses behind the bar with a blank expression. He turned back to the other angel, resting his head on his hand and picked at the wood.
“So, how were you?” she glanced up, eyebrows raised. “As a child?” he clarified.
“Oh, um,” She pursed her lips, looking to the side with a flash of pain. “I don’t really remember to tell you the truth. I know I used to be a human before becoming an exorcist, but they kind of, take that all away from you.” She hugged herself a little, uncomfortable with the question. Lucifer grimaced, holding his staff in front of himself.
“Listen you don’t have to tell me, it’s ok. I’m sorry.” He waved both hands in front of him and backed away. “I will let you get back to work.” He gave her finger guns and quickly turned and walked to the bar. He hopped onto the stool in front of the counter and tippy-tapped the wood. The cat grumbled and sighed, turning to face the king. Lucifer tried not to take it personally.
“What can I get for you, Your Majesty?” he grunted out. Lucifer continued to drum his fingers, before stopping at the look from the bartender, grinning sheepishly.
“Um, definitely something with apples.” The cat rolled his eyes and grumbled out something that sounded like ‘of course.’ Lucifer watched him pull a few bottles off the shelves, mixing them with practiced ease. Husk turned and placed a cider-colored drink in front of him on a napkin, drizzling the rim with caramel. Lucifer licked his lips and grabbed the glass, taking a drink. He groaned and smiled at the bartender.
“Oh wow! This is so good, what do you call it?” his tail popped out and swished happily behind him as he took another drink.
“It’s a Caramel Apple cocktail.” He went back to cleaning glasses. Lucifer was taking another drink, enjoying the warmth building in his stomach, when the air buzzed with static before Alastor stepped out of shadow, adjusting his blood splattered clothes before walking to the bar. He sat a stool away from Lucifer leaning his head on his folded hands with his elbows on the counter and hummed.
“A whiskey if you would please, Husker.” The static in his voice was a pleasant change from the deafening silence that had sank into the lobby. Lucifer smiled behind another drink, watching as Husk placed a glass down, pouring him two fingers before placing the bottle within reach of the other demon. Alastor downed the glass, pouring another two fingers and taking a sip. Feeling eyes on him, Alastor glanced at the little king in the corner of his eye.
“Hello, sire. Do I have something on my face or are you looking for a fight?” Lucifer blushed gold at being caught, even as irritation joined the way his voice made him shiver. He avoided his gaze and finishing his drink, pushing the glass back towards Husk. Lucifer cleared his throat, drumming his fingers a few times. He has been trying to be civil with the demon, but it was hard when he pushed all the right buttons.
“Just wondering what you were up to, you’re splattered with blood.” Lucifer nodded his thanks as Husk placed another drink in front of him. Alastor hummed and looked down at his attire before grinning sharply at Lucifer with a self satisfied glean in his crimson eyes, causing Lucifer to freeze. Even covered in blood he was beautiful. He furrowed his brows. Ok, that was a new thought. He shook his head, turning back to the bartender, trying to distract that thought process.
“So, Husker, how were you as a child?” The question completely caught him off guard, even the radio demon crackling besides him. Husker blinked and glanced at Alastor before rubbing the back of his neck.
“It’s just Husk, Your Majesty. Only Alastor calls me that.” His wings ruffled behind him as he shot a glare at his boss. “And we don’t really talk about our life before, a lot of it’s forgotten and its kind of a sensitive subject to most demons.” Lucifer pouted and nodded. He didn’t want to make Husk uncomfortable. But he didn’t mind making Alastor a little uncomfortable. He turned his body fully, taking a drink.
“What about you? Care to share with the class?” Alastor narrowed his eyes at the king, no doubt trying to figure out what the motive was for the random question. He hummed and finished his drink, pouring a third. He looked at the brown liquid quietly. Lucifer took the time to finish his second drink, pointing to the apple whiskey behind Husk on the top shelf.
He rested his chin on his hand and openly stared at the radio demon while he waited for an answer. His eyes were shining, watching the way Alastor held the glass with care as he took a sip. Lucifer’s smile softened, his gaze gentle while he looked at the demon. His chest was warm and he was happy he had a couple of drinks in him just in case the cat demon happened to be looking over at his slightly flushed face.
“Husker, I think you’ve deserved an early night.” Husk glanced between the two powerhouses before shrugging and walking off towards the stairs. Lucifer didn’t watch him go, keeping his eyes on Alastor. The radio behind the counter crackled to life, making the king jump before it tuned itself, a soft jazz song flowing out of it. Lucifer settled down, removing his coat and laying it on the counter next to him, his body heating up as he poured himself another drink. He
“Why have children started your curiosity, sire?” Alastor turned his body fully to face the angel, smoothly crossing his legs with another sip. Lucifer sighed quietly, feeling a thump in his chest. It was annoying how little the demon had to do to make Lucifer’s body react, though he was sure it was the alcohol’s fault.
“Another sinner checked in today and Charlie was so excited about it. Jumping up and down, squealing, the whole act.” Alastor chuckled and finished his drink, pouring another one. Lucifer tried not to watch as he took a sip, clearing his throat.
“I was telling Vaggie about how Charlie was like as a child, and I asked her what she was like as one, though she didn’t look very comfortable talking about it.” He winced. “I was also thinking about how much I miss her being little. I was away in my workshop a lot of the time, and when Charlie would come and sit with me, Lilith would come soon after and take her away.” He said quietly. “There must have been a reason she started keeping her away from me. I tried to reach out to her when I could, but Lilith always gave me a reason why I couldn’t talk to her. After a while, I stopped and didn’t really try once she was older, other than a phone call once in a while.”
The warm happy feeling was, replaced with the feeling of loss, a familiar pain making his chest tight. He missed so much of Charlie’s childhood because of Lilith taking her away, though he was sure it must have been the right thing to do. Lucifer ran a finger around his glass before downing his drink, pouring another. He was already feeling the effects of the liquor, his mind fuzzy and limbs loose.
The tight feeling in his chest started to sit heavier, his mind weighing it down, almost taking his breath before the pop and crackle of static startled him out of his thoughts. He jumped and looked back at Alastor. His smile was tighter, agitation buzzing around him as he tossed his drink back.
“Your Majesty, if I may.” Lucifer tilted his head with confusion and nodded, the room spinning a little. Maybe he should slow down. He expected a snark comeback, along the lines of her being right to take Charlie away. It used to be his favorite thing to bring up when they bickered, him not being a good father, but it had been a few weeks since he made that kind of comment. Alastor poured another drink, seeming to collect his thoughts and sighed.
“You are here now, helping our Charlie with the hotel and being present.” Lucifer’s mouth popped open at the almost compliment. “There is no reason to sink in the past when you cannot change what happened. Simply continue to be better.” Alastor finished his drink. Lucifer studied his face, noticing the faint flush creeping up his cheeks. The warm happy feeling returned, and he glanced away, smiling down into his drink.
“Thanks, Bambi.” He said quietly. A screech interrupted the radio, stuttering before playing jazz again. The demon hummed and gave a small shrug.
“It is simply an observation.” Alastor avoided looking over at him, his ears flickering.
Lucifer sipped his drink and studied the gold ring on his finger. He had been thinking of removing his ring since he started to more enjoy the deer demon's company. He had been seeking him out more, and sure it was to bicker and fight but it hadn’t felt violent for a while. Now he can admit, maybe it wasn’t the first time he thought the demon was beautiful.
He knows that seemed a little drastic over some new feelings, but if Lucifer was being honest with himself, his marriage had been over for a very long time. Even before Lilith took Charlie and left without a trace, they hadn’t been happy for a while. Lucifer quietly sighed and twisted the metal. Maybe Charlie would want the ring. Alastor cleared his throat, causing Lucifer to look back to him.
“When I as a small child, we were poor. We didn’t have much and got a lot of our clothes and things from neighbors. I had not much interest in playing with the other children, and they had no interest in me. I would rather spend my time in our house with my mother.” Alastor’s voice was low and vibrated subtly. Lucifer shivered at the tumbler of his voice; his full attention focused on the demon. He downed his drink.
“Did you get excited about anything, like Charlie?” He wasn’t sure what made him ask, considering this was the Radio Demon he was talking to, but he was so warm and tingly, and considering he was sharing of his human life with him at all he was gonna take what he could get. Alastor hummed, actually thinking of an answer.
“I did get excited about learning new things. You see, schooling was scarce where I lived, and because I am colored, the schooling available around us did not permit me to attend. She would mend the clothes for the neighbors, watch their kids, clean their houses.” His ears tipped back in irritation. “She could do all that, but I was not aloud to go to school. So, I accompanied her wherever she went.” Alastor had a small smile on his face, a real one Lucifer was sure very few, if any, had seen. He blinked, taking another drink before continuing.
“As payment for some of these jobs, we received money or something of my choosing. I would almost always pick out a book. Anything I could learn from, I read when I could. Though the first chance we got, I was able to take home a small radio.” His smile stayed genuine, his eyes gazing away in the past.
The fact that the king was lucky enough to see this soft smile, instead of the sharp angry one that was constantly presented, filled him with a rush of warmth that had nothing to do with the alcohol coursing through him. Lucifer felt special, knowing Alastor never shared something like this with anyone. He poured another drink; how many had he had now? And sipped it, glancing back at Alastor, finding the crimson eyes already on him.
Lucifer swallowed heavy and watched him back, feeling the heat coming off the other demon. He didn’t notice as he leaned forward, flickering to Alastor’s lips for a second. They were wet with whiskey, slightly parted for breath, looking softer than his hair.
Lucifer’s eyes climbed back to the deer demons, noticing the flush darken across his cheeks. Alastor quickly blinked a few times and averted his gaze, bringing a fist to his mouth and coughing. He stood up a little too quickly and if Lucifer hadn’t been watching his body like a hawk, he would have missed the stumble. Looks like they both drank a bit too much.
“Well, sire.” His voice was heavily layered with static. Alastor took both bottles of whiskey’s and used his shadows to put them back on the shelf. “As much as I love drinking and reminiscing, it is late and thus, I shall bid you ado.” Alastor locked eyes with Lucifer again, a small stutter of breath leaving the angel as the demon did a small bow and sunk into his shadows. Lucifer stared at the spot he left, heart beating faster. He groaned and crossed his arms, burying his face down. His head swam pleasantly, his body warm and relaxed.
“Those eyes…” he mumbled quietly. Rubbing his head back and forth across his sleeves he sat up and huffed, standing up into a stumble, catching himself before face planting in the lobby. Ok, so he was a lot more drunk than he thought. Snapping his fingers, he poofed back to his room in a sparkle of red and clumsily took all his clothes off, slipping on the ducky pajamas laying across his rumpled bed from this morning.
He fell onto his bed and crawled forward sluggishly. He hummed and wrapped up in his blankets, like a burrito, wiggling with a comfortable sigh as he thought about his conversation with Alastor. He had a huge library at the palace he knew the deer would love to see. Lucifer smiled, thinking about how he would read to Charlie when she was little, making up voices for all the characters in the stories. The sudden wave of nostalgia hit him hard, and tears gathered in his eyes quickly, rolling down his face and into his pillow.
“This is why you don’t drink so much…” he slurred out, rubbing the tears away just for more to fall. His chest stuttered with a sob, and he groaned as his hands covered his face. He pulled the blanket over his head, covering him as he huddled tightly into the fetal position.
Father, he wished he could go back and read to Charlie as a child again. To hold her and see her get excited about simple things, like his new ducks. He closed his eyes, darkness another blanket for his spinning mind. As he sunk fully into sleep, he felt a subtle shimmer in the air and didn’t see the small twinkling lights flash around him before disappearing.