Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucifer watched with a distant, unblinking gaze as Hellfire consumed what remained of the First Man. He and Adam may not have been friends since Eden, but that did not erase the fact that they had been. Once. So long ago, it was practically another lifetime. That didn’t change the fact that Adam and Lilith both taught him what being human meant, the potential of their brilliant spirits if only they were allowed to achieve more. That the Heavenly hosts were wrong to keep them simple.

Despite all that had happened because of Lucifer's decision, he refused to regret gifting humanity with free will and all that came with it. It was merely what so many had decided to do with it that he resented. Still, in honor of those initial lessons, he would not let Adam be left to rot or be consumed by cannibals.

"Dad!"

The ashes from the pyre stirred and drifted through the air, the fallen angel watching as they spread. The Pentagram over the Ring brought his contemplation to the cages he was in. Both this small one that he willingly chose, and the larger one the Heavens had placed upon him to keep him chained down, only able to be free by choosing one of two impossible options.

"Dad?"

It had been far too long since he had been allowed the freedom of his true state of being. This minuscule form felt so very confining, chafing after ten thousand years. The sliver of himself that was within it was also so very small that it felt like he was navigating through life mostly blind and with only one hand free from a straitjacket. Were it not for the damage that would be unleashed on those he still cared for, he would truly wish for nothing more than to let this body fall apart and spread himself across the Rings, to emerge from the ruins with his full power and whole in mind and body once again. That was what they wanted him to do though. They hoped to break him, either by making him destroy all he had left that he cherished, or by choosing to submit so he wouldn’t remember cherishing it in the first place.

"Dad?!"

It took him a moment to recognize the sound, to realize it was something meant to gain his attention...

Charlie...

He willed the body to smile, to turn its head and look up at the only other being aside from Lilith that made this shackled existence worthwhile. He compressed his words into speech that could be formed by the limited vocal cords and small mouth, "Hey, Charlie! Sorry, I was lost in thought. What's got you so upset?"

He focused on her voice, this lovely little daughter that contained an essence of himself as well as the indomitable will of her mother. He let her words guide him back down to where he was needed to be, "It's Alastor, Dad! He was supposed to keep Adam busy, hold him off so we could beat the others and group up to take our stand together! Something must have happened! I can't find him anywhere a-and after Sir P-Pentious? Dazzle?! I just can't lose anyone else!"

Charlie's genuine distress was the final push he needed to settle back in and he pulled her close, letting this body's...no, his wings wrap around her, "Hey, don't worry, duckling. I'll find him and make sure he gets back to you, ok?"

She looked at him with so much hope, this precious being that was so like him and yet so very different in the best ways, "You will? Really?! I know you didn't like him, but-"

He shook his head, "There are very few things I wouldn't do for you, Char. I'll take care of this, I promise." It was the least he could do for all the time he had missed of her life, and the fact that he would probably have to do it again. It was safer if he stayed away from her. Safer if she hated him while he treasured her from afar, especially if it meant keeping her from gaining the wrong sort of attention. Already this would have the wrong eyes turning her way, but he couldn’t just stand aside and let her die. His coming to her aid put her at risk, he knew it, but maybe he could still make all of this look like a selfish choice, rather than a sign that he cared too deeply for her.

So she didn’t end up like Lilith.

Unaware of his guilty thoughts, his little daughter hugged him close, spilling words of gratitude at a speed it was hard for his still-sluggish mind to comprehend before she released him and ran off to tell the others. Waiting until she was out of sight, Lucifer shook out his wings and flexed his fingers. No matter how hard it was, he should not have allowed himself to detach, to drift like that. There was far too much he was needed for here right now. It would be a long time before Charlie would be ready to know, to truly comprehend what her father was. If she ever would be. He would never look down on her if she didn’t. Even this small portion of what he was meant to be would be too much for most to look upon and retain their minds.

For now, he would do all he could to make her happy for however long he had before he had to withdraw again. Resolute, Lucifer closed his eyes, calling upon the rarely-used powers granted to him as the King of Hell. The souls of the Pride Ring lit up like beacons in his mind's eye, each unique in their own small ways. Luckily for Charlie's sake, he already knew the shape of the one he sought, making it far easier to single out.

Ah, there it was. Flickering, fading, being eaten away by the last remaining shreds of Adam's holy energies. For a moment, Lucifer considered letting that desperate, grasping, greedy spirit be consumed, removing his stain from his daughter's life...

But no, Charlie said she couldn't lose anyone else...

So Lucifer would ensure she didn't.

***

Alastor fought the urge to groan as he woke up, groggy and disoriented. The fact that he was waking up in what felt like a bed, let alone at all, was a surprise. Whether it was a pleasant one or not remained to be seen. He carefully breathed, taking inventory of his body. The pain he expected from the gash in his torso never came. The other, smaller cuts and bruises could not be felt either. So, he must have been healed by someone. He doubted he had been out long enough for everything to heal naturally.

The demon then reached for his powers, brow furrowing when he found himself unable to grasp them. He could sense them, feel them as he always had since he first fell to Hell. It was as though there was a clear wall between his will and the abilities he relied upon. That was...concerning. It would also explain the lack of radio frequencies around him...

Little else could be gathered without fully revealing he was conscious, so he finally opened his eyes to find an unfamiliar ceiling far above him, much higher than anything in the hotel. Shifting to get a hand under himself to sit up, he froze when someone spoke nearby.

"§†å¥ Ððwñ §ïññêr. Wê ñêêÐ †ð †ålk."

Alastor did not like the way that voice automatically made his gut clench and his ears flatten, that his body returned to a fully reclined state without hesitation. Looking over, he saw what at first seemed to be Charlie's father. However, there was something very wrong with the form by the bed. Crouched atop the seat of a chair, Lucifer was far too still for what he had seen in the previous meeting with the King of Hell. He was balanced on the balls of his feet, no fidgeting or shifting, not even from the wings on his back. Alastor had once had an idle thought that the tiny angelic figure looked doll-like, but this stillness made him feel like the body really was just a puppet.

Over all else, it was the blankness of his eyes that made the deer demon's breath catch, triggering an instinct to make himself smaller, less of a threat. The soft yellow or even fiery red would have been far preferable to the vast darkness currently aimed at him, so empty that he felt like it was going to swallow him up if he looked at them for too long. Despite this, he could not make himself turn his gaze elsewhere. The Radio Demon was certain he had never felt such deep-seated terror as he did right then.

Finally, after a moment that felt like an eternity, there was a blink, a shift in the pressure in the room, and life came back into the King's body. Those terrible voids filled back up with a warm golden glow, the six wings resettling into a more natural position. The change released him from his existential terror and Alastor tried his best to get his racing heart to stop trying to escape his chest, panting as though he had just been chased for miles. What was that?!

What was Lucifer?!

One thing he knew was that he had gotten himself stuck in a situation far, far worse than he had ever imagined possible, quite the accomplishment considering the poor choices he’d made before this. Then, the King of Hell spoke again, driving the icy dread even deeper into the Radio Demon's heart, "I can sense you made a deal with Charlie. I have no qualms about destroying every essence of your being despite my daughter's care for you, but she has decreed that you are to remain. So, lê†'§ †ålk, little sinner."

Chapter Text

Many who knew him would assume Alastor’s biggest concern was being seen as weak. That assumption ignored the fact that he was too much of a realist to not understand there would always be someone stronger. Physical weakness could be countered with cunning anyway. No, the one thing he detested most was feeling trapped. Right now, with the thing that was the King of Hell looking down on him and his powers blocked, he felt like nothing more than cornered prey. Seeing as flight was not available as an option and fighting was absolutely out of the question, he would have to test his captor, find any weakness to gain some sort of control over this situation. A tricky endeavor, considering the level of power he had just sensed from the fallen angel, “Hmph! What is there to talk about, Your Majesty? You already admitted you aren’t going to kill me.”

Lucifer raised a brow, likely at his disrespectful tone, though his head tilted slightly in a manner that spoke more of curiosity, “That's true, but you’re aware enough to know that there are multiple ways to force someone to do what you wish. Even if I didn’t already have the power to simply command it of you as your King, I’ve been around the worst humanity has to offer, mortal. You lot are very creative in the most awful ways.”

That...was not something Alastor wanted to hear. He had thought the fallen angel was too soft to consider torture as a reasonable possibility. And what did he mean when he said he had the power to command it? If he had that kind of ability, why didn’t he use it from their very first meeting at the hotel?! If he was in the King's shoes, Alastor would have ensured anyone who dared to insult him like that would be well aware of their proper place.

Lucifer moved then, sitting more properly in the chair rather than crouching atop the seat. Alastor could feel himself relaxing as he saw the shorter man freely swinging his feet like a child. The ridiculousness of the powerful King of Hell being so whimsical that it honestly made him look smaller made it hard to remain defensive.

… wait, was he doing it on purpose?

Lucifer broke the uneasy silence first, “You see, the crux of the matter isn’t that I can’t; it’s that I won’t. Free will is kind of the whole point of everything I’ve done. If I forced you to do anything, I would be no better than the others in Heaven.”

That did make a bit of sense given what Alastor knew of the reason for Lucifer's exile, but he still needed to know more, “If you aren’t going to force me to rescind the deal, then why am I here?”

“There are two reasons for that! One, the amount of energy required to not only counter the angelic magic in your body but to also rebuild the physical and spiritual parts that had already been stripped away? It’s immense and there was too great a risk of it causing damage to anyone and anything nearby. The palace is fortified to keep my powers from leaking out if needed.”

Just how close had he been to being completely erased?! Alastor wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that. Instead, he prodded, “And the other reason?”

Lucifer gave him a sharp look, “I want to know the terms of the deal. Lucky for you, I already know she didn’t give you her soul, the connection isn’t big enough for that. I know if I ask Charlie, she'll try to soften it and make it seem more reasonable that she went to some lowly sinner rather than calling me.”

Now they were on more familiar territory; the almighty King was still sore about his daughter turning to a sinner Overlord for things first. “What? You don’t trust that your daughter can handle herself?”

“No! I mean, yes!” Lucifer huffed, “Charlie is an adult with her own free will, she has to deal with her own mistakes just like everyone else. What I need to know is what kind of fallout I will have to deal with after you decide she’s no longer useful to whatever game you’re playing. I know your type, you don’t actually give a damn about my daughter or her dreams.”

Alastor wanted to poke further at the weak spot, but he chose tact seeing as his powers were still being blocked, “If I tell you, you won’t hold me here any longer?”

Lucifer nodded, “Yep! I’ll unblock your powers and you can go wherever you want. If I’m lucky, you’ll slink off to whatever slimy hole you crawled out of before you met Charlie.”

“How magnanimous of you, sire,” Alastor muttered as he pushed himself up from the bed, refusing to lay there any longer. This time, the King didn’t say anything against it or use whatever that was before to terrorize him into obedience. “In exchange for an unnamed future favor, I provided with her information on an individual who had found a way to kill Exorcists. It was agreed upon so long as she would harm no one. I would like it noted that I also generously provided her access to an army that was actually willing to stand against angels with her, and I have no intention of harming dear Charlotte myself.”

"At least it looks like you actually believe that right now." Lucifer gave a frustrated sigh, looking up at the ceiling as he muttered to himself, “Still, I thought Lilith would have taught her better than that.” He shook his head, waving a hand, “Alright, you’re free to go.”

Just like that, Alastor’s radio static surrounded him once more. It was astounding how comforting the familiar noise was now that he had control of it again. He spread his shadows out, testing that there was no blockage remaining before he reeled them back in. He could feel his Shadow swirling under his feet though he kept it from coming out in full. He preferred to keep the full capabilities of that particular aspect of his powers hidden as a trump card. The only thing missing was his microphone, but it would do little good to manifest the broken device until he had what was needed for repairs. It could wait for the moment. There were opportunities here that he would be a fool to ignore. Knowledge was power after all and this man… being… whatever he was, likely knew things that he had never even considered before! Plus, he had already admitted that he would not harm the Radio Demon in any significant manner because of Charlie. That darling, naive girl was truly a boon at times! A nuisance and a half, to be sure, but still quite the ace to have up one’s sleeve!

Now secure in his ability to retreat, he got to his feet and gave a mocking bow, “Before I gladly take my leave, I find myself with a great many questions for you. Might I trouble you with my presence for a bit longer?”

Lucifer looked at him with a mix of surprise and confusion. After a moment, he laughed incredulously. Ears pinning back in annoyance, the sinner glared, “Would you care to let me in on the joke?”

The fallen angel gave him an honest grin, pulling one leg up onto the seat of the chair and leaning his head on his knee, “Oh, don’t be so prickly! I’m not making fun of you. I’m actually a bit impressed! Only two other humans have been given some sense of my true self and not run off screaming in terror at the first opportunity.”

Alastor smirked, “I will take that as a compliment.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes at the proud expression, “Drop the smugness, bellhop, I still don’t like you. I would rather not be around you more than I have to.” He gave a long sigh, considering. “I suppose no matter what your reasons, you did nearly die to save my daughter and her people from Adam.” The deer demon grimaced at the reminder but waited for him to continue, “So I will offer you this; one question a month. I can’t guarantee I will be available for more than that. Unlike you sinners seem to think, you aren’t the most important thing in Hell. I have actual duties to attend to that have only gotten worse with the Queen no longer here to take care of hers.”

That… seemed reasonable enough, though the limit to one a month was rather irritating, “I imagine there are further terms?”

“I reserve the right to deny giving an answer. In the instances that I do, you will get to pick a different question. If you don’t annoy the shit out of me, I might even be willing to discuss the answers further. There will be some questions that I will only answer if you give me some sort of guarantee that you will not be telling Charlie or otherwise spread it around. Other than that, that’s it, take it or leave it. I will not be offering again.”

Alastor hummed thoughtfully. It was pretty straightforward, if a bit restricting. Finally, he answered, “While it is tempting, I am uncertain how willing I am to enter a binding deal with the King of Hell.”

Lucifer shook his head, getting to his feet to face Alastor properly with a toothy grin that rivaled his own, “Oh no, there won’t be any binding contracts or anything! You’ll just have to trust that I will keep my word.”

The Radio Demon couldn't help but laugh at that, “Hmmm, very interesting, sire! I believe I can accept your terms. We could even call it a bonding exercise! Charlotte would adore that, hm?” He folded his arms behind his back, rocking on his feet, “You know, others would probably say a person would have to be crazy to trust the Devil!”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing you’re already insane, huh?” Lucifer clapped his hands, rubbing them together in anticipatory glee, “So! What’s your first question?”

Ears cocked in curiosity, Alastor blinked at the sudden lift in the King’s mood. He thought for a moment before shrugging, “I think most of my bigger questions will have to wait. I’ll need time to make sure I word them right to ensure I actually get the answers I want. For now, why are you so excited about this with all your talk of disliking my presence?”

“You’re smart, I’ll give you that,” Lucifer tucked away his wings finally, flopping back onto the chair in a graceless sprawl, “Curiosity, mostly. I've been confined to Hell for over ten thousand years, not much surprises me here anymore. You, though,” He pointed a sharp claw at the Radio Demon, “You aren’t like most of the other sinners I’ve met. You actually have some idea of how much stronger I am than you but here you are, talking to me like an equal! Hell, in the first ten minutes of meeting me, you not only insulted me several times, you actively looked for a way to completely piss me off!” He got more animated with his gestures as he spoke. Alastor found it was far preferable than the lifelessness he had displayed at the start of this. “So now I have to wonder, what will you do with the answers I give you? After all, you can never return to ignorance once you have the knowledge. I think it might be very amusing to see.”

The deer demon gave a more honest bow this time, a true grin on his face, “I am always delighted to entertain!”

“I’m sure you are, Radio Demon,” Lucifer made a shooing motion. “We’re done here for now. I will find you in a month.”

Alastor chose to accept that and slid away into the shadows. It was only when he materialized at the outskirts of the city that he realized Lucifer had referred to him by his title, rather than an insult. Perhaps he had impressed the King of Hell more than he thought. ‘This could be even more advantageous than I first considered!’

***

Lucifer sat near a long balcony window in the royal palace, pensive as he watched acid rain fall over the city. Ever since he healed that damned Overlord that his daughter somehow cared about, his mind refused to let it go. Any other sinner would have been disregarded at this point, and yet he continued to find himself puzzling over the deer demon. There was something about him that the fallen angel couldn’t quite dismiss.

When he had retrieved the nearly destroyed soul from the ruins of the old radio tower, Lucifer had been fairly certain he knew how things would go. The mortal souls condemned to Hell were such self-serving things, petty and greedy for a sense of superiority over others, no matter that they were all in the same flaming dumpster. Completely unaware of just how small they all were in the grand symphony of the universe.

Once behind the wards of the palace, he had begun the tedious work of extracting the searing magics and rebuilding what had already been burned away in the demon. Time stretched, slowing to a near halt as he focused. He could feel the dark layers of sins that had built up in both life and death. Pride at the core, gluttony and greed coating in equal portions, wrath and envy lacing through in bands. Lust was present, but skewed different from most. All that was missing was Sloth, or this soul would have been a prime example of everything that had gone wrong with humanity. It was sickening to touch, to hold that weakened spark and encourage it to grow.

The memory of Charlie’s hopeful face and his own guilt in failing her were the sinner’s saving grace. Lucifer, who was once Samael, the Morning Star, Bearer of Light, had drawn from a well used only one other time in ten thousand years and fed the flickering embers into a full flame once more. As the soul stabilized and began to solidify back into this plane, the fallen angel had placed a barrier over the powers granted by Hell to this wretched creature. He would release it once he was sure there were no pieces still missing.

It was as the sinner's body settled whole upon the bed that Lucifer began to see the myriad threads connecting him to so many others. Some were torn, broken off as the other ends had been severed by angelic weapons. Some bore the thick bands of a soul bond, feeding power back into the holder. Many were odd, the ties steady and strong, but no pulse of activity to show that Alastor actually was giving something in return for the power the souls gave him. Surely that many people weren't stupid enough to just give their souls without any sort of protection or payout or whatever they had wanted in approaching the Radio Demon? His study of the connections was halted when he saw a familiar soul’s imprint on a thread.

Charlie…

Lucifer had forced himself to not shift over, to not simply annihilate the prone form under his fury. He’d had to detach to keep from damaging the body that was straining to contain the energy leaking between planes.

It was then that the sinner regained consciousness...

And had utterly failed to follow the script Lucifer had been so very certain would play out.

Almost all other humans who had felt even a faint echo of this body's core energies had been unable to speak to him at all, let alone converse rationally without intervention. This one had been terrified as expected, but as soon as the fallen angel began to resettle into his physical form, the sinner had pushed back! That alone was enough to spark interest, to slide more fully back into his skin and begin the process of downplaying what had been seen, looking like nothing more than the ridiculously eccentric and small King of Hell.

Then, when the fallen angel had allowed him to regain access to his powers, the Radio Demon had stuck around of his own volition, the smile that was always present turned wide and bright and curious to know more. Lucifer hadn’t been lying when he said only two others had done similar but...those were very different circumstances. Before humans truly knew despair and destruction, before they understood to fear death.

Now Lucifer was going to be willingly seeing the sinner every month. He hadn't been lying entirely when he said he had duties that he had to tend to, but he may have stretched the truth a bit. He likely could have set aside a full day or three to deal with whatever the deer wanted to ask him about. There were two problems there, though. One, he would have to sit around the jackass for hours on end without killing him. Two... well, it gave him an excuse to keep coming back to the hotel when his brain wanted to remind him so highly of why he really shouldn't. At least every moment the Overlord focused on him was a moment he was not digging his claws further into Charlie. He wondered just how much Alastor would be able to handle, how long until...

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to erase someone’s memories after they cracked under the weight of what he was. Nor the second...

Lucifer let the tears fall as freely as the rain outside, his mind full of echoes of voices begging for him to take it all away. At least this time it wouldn't be someone he loved.

***

Somewhere in Heaven

Lute's expression was full of fury as she landed on the sands of a remote island. She technically wasn't supposed to know about this, Adam had made her swear to never reveal it after he told her one night when they'd both been drunk off their asses. He'd never said what the deal was, but it wasn't hard to guess. The beautiful woman sunbathing a few feet from where she had landed slowly turned her head to look at her with a placid, uncaring expression. Lute stormed closer, throwing a halo to the beach next to her, "Adam is dead. Your deal is done and I'm in charge now. Your brat is threatening the very foundation of Heaven. And if you want to stay here," the new Exorcist leader pointed out beyond the Sea of Contemplation towards the gateway that would go back to Hell, "you're going down there and stopping that bitch. You understand me, Lilith?"

"Shit. Azrael!" Lute whirled around to find a Seraphim with red hair and rosy wings at the treeline of the island. Her golden eyes went wide with shock, only to widen further as the air next to the angel wavered, another Seraphim with robes of the night sky and four wings covering his head stepping out from nothing, "Sorry, brother, but we need to get her to agree to forget everything about this."

Purple wings dropped low with guilt as the angel of Death sighed. A blink and the enormous figure was right in front of her, the wings over his face parting with the soft chime of bells, "Forgive me, little fighter."

"Wha-" Horrified screams were swallowed by the waves of the Sea reflecting Heaven's pastel skies.

Chapter Text

The month following the failed Extermination had been positively delightful for Alastor! He'd avoided assisting with the tedious labor of rebuilding, which had mostly been an exercise of Lucifer showing off all that power of his. While the sinner would not have minded terribly watching and learning all he could without having to use up one of his questions, he couldn't afford to be seen as getting too friendly with the King of Hell for multiple reasons. Plus he really did need to ensure everything was working properly with his body and magics after his brush with being nearly erased from existence. Who knew if the fallen angel had missed something from lack of familiarity or had left something out just for the pleasure of holding it over Alastor's head for one devilish reason or another?

Aside from the rather understandable trauma response of nightmares the first few nights, it appeared everything was back to the way it had been the morning of the fight, though he did have to go hunting quite a bit. Whatever Lucifer had done to save him had left him rather famished, beyond even his normal constant hunger. Thankfully, the city held no shortages on food, both the more normal sort and the kind that begged for mercy that they had not shown to others. Rosie would likely have his hide for not visiting her immediately after the battle and sating some of the hunger from her quality wares, but much as he adored the darling lady, he didn't dare show any sign of potential weakness or shortcoming in front of another Overlord. Vox had been all too happy to plaster his downright foolish display of bravado in battling an opponent out of his weight class and without properly utilizing his strengths of fighting from a distance.

Truly not his most brilliant of tactics. There were other factors involved in that decision that he could not speak on, even if he somehow wanted to, so he was left without a way of excusing his blatant mistakes that day.

Then, the day before the doors opened back up, a scroll from Heaven revealed that the Princess of Hell's efforts had not been in vain! Sir Pentious, the demon who'd made an even greater error in judgment and had foolishly attempted to take on an opponent Alastor himself had barely been able to land a blow of any merit on, had ascended to the holy choirs! So the hotel had reopened to a line of demons wishing to get in now that they knew it really was possible to be redeemed. Most of them dropped out within a week once they realized it actually took work, and the horror of self-reflection as well as self-betterment. Some of them Alastor had even gotten the pleasure of chucking out the door himself when they got it into their silly heads that threatening the Princess of Hell was going to get them what they wanted.

He hadn’t had this much fun in ages!

To top it all off, he also now had his newest hobby, studying the puzzle that was Lucifer Morningstar every chance he got. With the hotel finished, he could keep his newfound fascination with their monarch more hidden from any unwanted gazes. Alastor had to give him one thing, the King was a consummate actor. If the deer demon trusted his own mind any less than he did, he would have thought their interaction in the palace was little more than a fever dream following a near-double-death experience. But there were little details, microscopic cracks in the facade that one could only see if actively looking for it.

Lucifer didn’t come around often, apparently he had been speaking true about his busy schedule. However, he had given his word to Charlie that he would try to join them for the evening when he could, a promise that had brought much delight to the Princess.

It was during those three evenings before the month was up that Alastor made sure to also be in the hotel, watching the little monarch closely. When with Charlie, Lucifer was energetic and expressive, relishing in every moment with his daughter. When left alone too long, he lost his liveliness. His eyes became unfocused, blinking one lid before the other, like a frog. The fidgeting and shifting inherent to most beings would gradually fade away. Once Alastor had even successfully managed to keep the others away from the King long enough that his hidden Shadow had seen Lucifer’s breathing slow to nearly stopping altogether, his distant gaze lost in the lit fireplace. Apparently the fallen angel required interaction, an audience to perform for, to remember the little things that were simply natural for everyone else. It was utterly fascinating!

That’s not to say he just watched from the sidelines whenever Lucifer was around. No, he continued to poke and taunt the little monarch, feeling a sense of pride when he found the strange being reacted to him nearly as much as Charlie! Perhaps even more so, given that there were times where Lucifer purposely withdrew from his daughter, a flash of grief and guilt on his face when he thought no one was looking.

Yes, there were so many questions Alastor had about this creature that walked among them. He would have to be careful not to overstep and lose the chance at gaining answers.

When the full month had passed, Alastor left his Tower to find Lucifer standing in the hall nearby, leaning against the wall, “Good afternoon, Your Majesty! I was hoping I would see you soon!”

“I’ll bet. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your little games these past weeks, pal. You're very persistent, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged! I have never been accused of simply waiting for things to happen. Though the fact that you noticed and did nothing to stop me says that you are allowing my ‘little games,’ so you must not mind them terribly much!” Alastor twirled his microphone at his side with an unrepentant grin.

Lucifer waved a hand, a sparkling portal opening a few steps away, “We’ll be having our talk at the palace. That way if you piss me off to the point of vaporizing you, no one else will be caught in the blast.”

The Radio Demon gasped melodramatically, hand over his heart, “Such a temper, sire! Why, if I did not know you value young Charlotte’s feelings more than anything, I might actually fear for my safety!” If glares could kill, Alastor was sure he would be little more than ash right now. “Now, let’s be on our way so we can have a cordial conversation without interruption.” He actively chose to step through first, head high and smirking when he heard angry footsteps behind him.

“Keep this up and I’ll call this whole thing off, jackass! You want answers more than I want you in my presence,” Lucifer practically snarled.

As the portal closed, Alastor turned sharply to face the King, bowing low with respect, “Apologies, sire, but I have a reputation at the hotel that simply must be maintained, even should it appear there is no one observing. I promise you that here I will restrain my disrespectful remarks as best I can.”

When he straightened, the fallen angel was far closer than he had been before, causing the sinner to tense. He hadn’t heard the smaller man move at all! Lucifer studied him for a long moment before tilting his head, “You’re telling the truth. Huh. I will hold you to that promise, sinner.” The anger seemed to have completely faded, to Alastor’s relief, “You’re also purposely avoiding wording anything as a question, aren't you?”

The Radio Demon shrugged, “I do not know how much of a stickler for details you are yet, sire. I do not wish to waste my question on something frivolous!”

Lucifer chuckled, motioning toward a pair of comfortable chairs nearby, “'The devil is in the details', isn’t that how the saying goes? Don’t bother tying yourself in knots, I won’t take that sort of advantage over you. I’m not like you Overlords and your petty games.”

Alastor nodded in gratitude and took a seat, laying his staff over his lap, “If so, then will you allow me to make a request of you before we get to my actual question?”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the sinner, suspicious but also curious as he sat down, “What sort of request?”

“In our previous...meeting here at the palace, you were very different when I awoke. Without any ability to fight or flee, I felt the sort of terror I haven’t experienced since I was a child.” He leaned forward, grinning eagerly, “I wish to experience it again, as I am now. I need to know if that feeling will remain.”

That definitely was not anything that Lucifer had expected, that much was clear on his face, “You...you seriously want… Are you insane?! I know I accused you of it before, but now I think it might actually be true!”

Alastor could feel his body shifting a bit, antlers growing as anticipation and excitement coursed through him, “Oh, I’m absolutely serious, sire. I really do need to know what I will feel now that I have all my options available.” His Shadow rose up behind him, all sharp edges and teeth to match its creator.

Staring at him for a long moment, tension slowly left the King of Hell, “You are certainly the first to ask for that. However,” Alastor’s ears folded back at that word, expecting rejection to follow, “I will only do this once, understand?”

His eyes flashed to radio dials at the acquiescence before Alastor reigned himself in, calling his Shadow back down, “I completely understand, Your Majesty, and I will endeavor to not request this of you again. Thank you!”

Lucifer shook his head in disbelief, leaning back in the chair, “Thank me after, if you still find yourself able to speak.”

The change was immediate, the golden glow of those wide eyes draining away into the sort of darkness that was not truly a color but a complete absence of anything. The small body seemed frozen in place as the pressure in the room built to a nearly unbearable level. Alastor felt like a hunted beast again. He breathed in the terror, let it course through him as his shadows swirled under his feet, ready to whisk him away. His every sense was on full alert, seeking the threat that surrounded him. It was positively exhilarating!

"§†ïll ¢êr†åïñ †hï§ ï§ whå† ¥ðµ wåñ†, §ïññêr?"

The King’s mouth moved woodenly with the words, but the sound was everywhere and nowhere, layered and painful to his swiveling ears. Alastor could answer with nothing more than a plaintive whine, his hind-brain demanding he flee. He refused to be a slave to his baser instincts and remained where he sat, claws digging into the fabric covered arms of his chair.

Being capable of making the choice to refuse made all the difference, in his mind.

Gravity slowly returned to normal as the still body across from him began to draw breath, to blink and move the way it was supposed to. The sinner dropped his gaze and panted, heart racing and muscles trembling with the adrenaline still coursing through him. Swallowing down the remnants of fear, he was able to speak the words he couldn’t before, “Y-yes, sire. Thank you.”

There was no response for long enough to make Alastor concerned. He raised his head to look at Lucifer only to find the King had again moved into his space silently. Sharp feedback filled the air as his Shadow rose again, snarling defensively, “Please cease c̠r̨͕͚̾̎̀ö͚̥̼́̋͑ẁ̞̝̔̿̓̕d̨͉̟̋i̬͖̿n̴̛͕̼̉̐g̴ m̗e! I’ve been known to bite others for far less!”

“Huh. I would have said one time was a fluke,” Lucifer returned to his seat, hands folded around one knee drawn up to his chest. “But here you are again, speaking to me like that was nothing more than a momentary inconvenience to you.”

“What? Am I expected to prostrate myself before you?” Alastor scoffed, removing his claws from the shredded arms of the chair.

The King gave a sharp laugh, “That or flee while screaming absolute gibberish in terror, yes! It’s what others have done in the past."

“If I take flight, it would certainly not be announced with screaming. That would only let those I’m running from follow me more easily.” His ears finally came up from his hair when Lucifer doubled over with even more laughter, clutching his sides, “I fail to see what’s so laughable.”

The King wiped tears from the corners of his eyes once he regained the ability to speak, “It’s nothing, don’t get worked up about it.” He waved a hand in dismissal, “Now, your question if you would, once you’re ready.”

Alastor narrowed his eyes in suspicion, uncertain if he wanted to let the matter drop. Several seconds passed before he shook his head and moved on, “What is it that makes you so different from angels like the Exorcists?”

Lucifer leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling as he thought, “Hmm, alright, that’s a safe one to start with, I suppose. How much do you already know of the Heavenly hosts?”

The sinner shrugged, “Not much beyond what I’ve learned to keep from finding myself on the wrong end of an angelic blade. Bible studies were not a large part of my upbringing.”

The fallen angel snorted, “Eh, human religious texts are so full of bullshit made up to suit their needs, its ridiculous.” Dropping his leg so both feet could swing freely, he continued, “There’s a hierarchy in Heaven-born beings. Its complicated to explain and I really don’t feel like dragging this out. To answer your question, at the very top of the metaphorical food chain are the highest class of angel, known as the Seraphim, the oldest and most powerful of which are the Firsts.”

Alastor considered that before asking, “And I take it that is what you were?”

Lucifer raised a finger, a humorless smile on his face, “Correct, but change the ‘were’ to ‘are.’ I may be cast out but they couldn’t take away what I am, only -” He looked like he was about to say more but stopped himself, shaking his head. “Never mind. Basically, the Exorcist army was built from the lowest classes, the most plentiful of angels. Comparing me to them would be like comparing the Earth’s moon to the sun. They both give off light but the moon’s is just a pale reflection of what the sun radiates.”

Eyebrows furrowed, the sinner tilted his head, “If you are so powerful, then why let them-”

Lucifer held up both hands this time, palms out, “I’m gonna stop you there. That’s not something I’m willing to answer so don’t bother.”

Miffed, Alastor considered pushing but he had the feeling he had made a misstep here, “...fine.”

The fallen angel gave a tired sigh, reopening a portal back to the hotel with a lazy wave of his hand, “Good. I’m calling this conversation done.”

Apparently his choice of follow up questions had used up all Lucifer's willingness to speak with him this time. Biting his tongue hard enough to taste blood, the Radio Demon forced himself to stand instead of demanding more, "Thank you for your time then, sire. Have a good evening.”

Better to take his leave now and learn more next month than burn his bridges when he had just barely scratched the surface.

***

Days passed with syrupy slowness after the second meeting. The weight of the years felt particularly heavy sometimes on this little body Lucifer occupied. He could vaguely register the ache of hunger, the stiffness of joints, but he couldn’t quite bring up the will to move from the seat he had been in since the sinner left. All duties that required the presence of the King of Hell had been taken care of for the time being so he waited, left without purpose until the alarms he had set would let him know that enough time had passed and he could visit Charlie.

Lucifer knew that his daughter would be thrilled if he came over for an extended stay but… he couldn’t risk it. She still looked at him with love and hope, not seeing him the way her mother had in the end. The body hurt in its chest as he thought of Lilith. That beautiful, head-strong, compassionate spirit that had reached out to him for centuries, strengthening his connection with this plane so he would not lose himself to the prison the rest of him was held in. Now, that was gone... and Charlie was all he had left. Lucifer would destroy his only remaining pathway to this reality, this final bit of freedom he held, to keep from facing her rejection should it one day come to pass. It would be the last gift he gave his child, safety from himself in case her turning away broke him the way Heaven never could, no matter how much they wanted to.

He registered the hot tears that fell from the body and knew he needed to divert his thoughts. He needed something safer to focus on. So, he breathed out the painful memories and looked at the shredded arms of the chair across from him, willing his focus to narrow, to only see with the eyes of the body, ignore and dismiss the layers that overlapped one another. Reality warped as time reversed in this small room, bringing back an echo of the Radio Demon as he had seen him before.

Lucifer pushed the body to unfold, flexing his fingers as his physical senses fully reconnected with his thoughts. Standing brought a brief dizziness and a sharp reminder of his neglect of the body’s requirements. Right, he would need to eat and let himself sleep soon, his core energies could only sustain this form so long before functionality broke almost completely.

Sighing in frustration, the fallen angel moved to stand in front of the ghostly apparition, studying it closely. This was safe, a puzzle he could ponder as long as he wished. He leaned in, frowning as he studied that frozen expression. The terror was familiar and very obvious, but under it there was something more, something he was having trouble identifying. He circled the chair, looking at the memory of the whirling shadows underneath it.

So, the sinner had been ready to flee but hadn't? Why? How could he have the ability to even choose not to escape or try to make it stop by begging for it? In the fallen angel's experience, existential terror of that nature rid all humans of reason and pride after Eden.

‘Insanity. Absolute, utter insanity. That has to be why this damned sinner was able to recover so quickly.’ Lucifer growled in frustration, pacing the floor as he muttered, “No, that can't be it. That should only have made him more vulnerable to breaking."

Though it pained him to admit it, the fallen angel had been so very tempted to reach into the Overlord’s mind. It would have been terribly easy while he was between states to slip a bit of energy into the wide-eyed demon and root around for what made the Radio Demon so different from any other he’d met. But no… he knew better. Once he touched a human mind that way, it could easily leave scars that no amount of memory altering would fully wipe clean. He may not like the greedy soul, but he wasn’t about to purposely inflict that sort of damage. No matter how much curiosity Alastor made him feel, Lucifer would not do anything that would risk him making that mistake again. He released his hold on the temporal flow and left the room for the first time in several days. Maybe hypothetical answers that made more sense would come to him once he had the needs of this form better taken care of.

Chapter Text

Alastor woke up in a cold sweat for the third morning in a row, phantom pains in his limbs and echoes of hunting dogs in his ears. His Shadow swept through his bedroom, seeking the threat until he calmed enough to call it back. It wasn’t often that his death haunted him anymore, not when he had far worse experiences than what had lasted less than five minutes before a bullet ended it all. That made it all the more frustrating when his subconscious felt the need to refresh his memory. The difficulty with sleeping had started the night after his last conversation with Lucifer nearly a week ago, his dreams full of vague feelings of unease that had morphed into these nightmares of being torn apart without the mercy of the gunshot that had taken him from the pain and terror.

The thought of being around the average hotel resident right now made him feel ill. He was nearly to the point of killing someone if only it would gain him a full night's rest. Much as it rankled, he was going to need to excuse himself from today’s activities, lest he risk slaughtering the first fool to annoy him. Which, while a temporary amusement, would not be conducive to his reasons for being here. He took a deep breath and got to his feet, using his microphone to call on the one soul in the hotel that he would allow to see him in this state, “Niffty, darling! Could you join me for a moment?”

It wasn’t long before he heard her rapid knocking on his door and his Shadow let the little cyclops in, “Hiiii, Alastor! Oh goodness, you look terrible!" She scrambled up the front of his suit, holding onto his lapels while she studied his face with nearly-manic concern, "Do you have a bug? Oh! Can I stab it?!”

His smile turned more genuine as he plucked her up by the back of her dress, giggles leaving her as she dangled from his hold. This little lady never failed to lift his mood, “No thank you, my dear. I just need you to let Charlotte know that I will be unable to join her today. Simply tell her I have a bit of a headache and will be here if there is an emergency, alright?”

Niffty gave an enthusiastic nod, landing on all fours when he dropped her before getting to her feet to give him a mock-salute, “No problem-o! I’ll be in the third floor vents later if you need me again! I think I smelled the bug queen and her elite fighting squad in there! I'll make sure the slaughter is legendary in tribute to getting you feeling better!”

He watched her scamper off, shutting the door after she left to find his Shadow silently giggling at her antics on the wall behind it. She was such an odd little thing, much to his delight. One word he was sure he would never use in describing the tiny sinner was dull. Entertainingly bright souls like her were a rare commodity that so few Overlords saw the value of. Their loss, his gain!

Of course that wasn’t the end of it. That would have been too easy. A mere hour later, there was a tentative knock on his door, “Uh, Al? Sorry to bother you buuut…”

Alastor closed his eyes as he cut off the music, mentally willing the strength to deal with Charlie’s eternal optimism. When he opened the door with his usual grin, she gave him a nervous smile that did not bode well for his already tentative hold on sanity, “Good morning, Charlie! What seems to be the problem?”

Charlie bit her lip for a moment before blurting out, “Okay, look, I know Niffty told me you needed the day off but, uh, somethingprettyimportanthascomeup!”

He really did not like the hopeful pleading look in her eyes as he took a second to decipher the rush of words. She had an awful habit of doing that as though afraid she would be cut off before she was done speaking. Given the way much of the city treated her, it was likely something she'd dealt with so often that it had become ingrained, “Well if it’s so important to you, I will do my very best to aid you. It’s my job after all!”

She loudly sighed in relief, “Okay, good! Woo! Thank you! Dad called about dinner tonight and said he’s bringing my Aunt Bee for a visit, and its been so long since I’ve seen her, and I just want to make sure that everything goesrightandshelikesthehoteland-”

Alastor held up a hand to stop her, “Your Aunt Bee?”

Charlie lit up, “Yeah! You probably know her as Beelzebub or Queen Bee though. I want her to meet everyone on the staff since you guys are like family to me too!”

Lucifer decided, last minute, to bring one of the other Sins over for dinner? Like it was just a matter of little concern? Of course, he did. The King was an absolutely clueless idiot. Charlie’s assertion that Alastor had earned enough of her trust to be counted as family did little to assuage his irritation, even if it did prove he had done well to further his plans. Despite his increasingly foul mood, he gave her one of his most winning smiles, “I completely understand, dearest! We simply must ensure that we provide the finest hospitality for such an important guest! I will make sure everything is in tip-top shape before they arrive!”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyooouuuu!!!”

He followed behind the bouncing and giddy Princess of Hell, imagining all the ways he would wring her father’s scrawny neck when he saw him next. It helped for the first few hours at least. After that lost its ability to amuse him, his excuse of a headache was no longer a falsehood. Between keeping nosy residents from spreading word to every damned soul in the City, to dealing with Charlie’s meltdowns over having enough quality food and drink, Alastor was fairly certain he would have demolished the whole building by now if he only could. Since he couldn’t, he had to settle for being the only one in the lobby waiting for their company to arrive. This way, he at least had a few moments to verbally eviscerate the King for his ineptitude without Charlie attempting to play peacemaker. Thankfully, the girl had agreed to let him welcome them and lead everyone to the dining hall.

Surprisingly on time, a sparkling portal split the air and Lucifer stepped through first. Alastor gave him a terribly sharp grin, “G̞ͦo̓o̸͕ͅd̩̆ ẽv̼͐e͉̒n̍͑̇ï͈n̢̙ͨg̭̋͞,̬ Y͆̏̊o̺̩͝ű̩̉r̔ Mͩ̚a̭͌j̕e͊̆̑s̹͙t͞y̡̜ͫ. I hear you have an important guest joining us! It would have been delightful to have had more than a f̢̫e̙̍w h̵̘̩ͣou͊r̵͕̪͓̈́ͮs no̺t̼̣i̖̲͛̋̏͟c̢̳̲̿́e͇ͣ seeing as you sent your daughter into quite the tizzy!”

Lucifer had the audacity to look confused, “What? Why?”

Alastor leaned in close, his neck snapping in a sharp tilt, “Because, you royal i͆ͤmb́e͈̘̊cï̡̝l̹ͪḛͪ̏, this hotel is important to dear Charlie, and she values the opinions of those she calls family the most. I suppose you forgot that while you were holed up in your little palace all those years and ignoring your only child!”

He could see Lucifer tensing up, fists clenching. Good! An argument with this self-absorbed, overpowered ignoramus might be just what the doctor ordered!

“Hey man, ease up on-”

There was a hand on Alastor’s shoulder. He turned to snap at the one who dared touch him so freely, only to freeze when he saw a dark, dog muzzle with. Very. Sharp. Teeth.

All he could hear was the braying of hunting hounds and the crack of a rifle being fired.

All he knew was that he needed to r̶̡̮͉͖̘̒̾̆̇͒ǔ͔̭̭̩͇̰̋ͭͬ͆n̸͇̮͍̼ͬ̈́̕͡ͅ!̷̢̨̘̜̲̗͒̓!

Lucifer wasn’t sure what had him throwing up a shield between Alastor and Bee’s boyfriend, but he knew something had gone wrong in that instant and acted on instinct. The wall of solid golden light parted the two just before the sinner exploded in a flurry of sharp feedback and even sharper spikes. Almost immediately after the attack started, Alastor and his shadows vanished, leaving two Sins and a hellhound staring at where he'd been in bewilderment. It wasn't long after that Charlie ran into the lobby.

“Dad?! What just happened?! Where’s Al?”

“I don’t-”

“He left, sugar. Looked pretty upset about something,” Bee interrupted him, a rare frown on her face. “Charlie, sweetie, could you give us just a min? I need to have a little chat with your dad.” Wait, why was she giving him that look? He didn’t even do anything! Alastor had been the one instigating all of this and then freaking out! “In private.”

Charlie, clearly confused and worried, pointed at a door near the front desk, “My office is over there.” Bee practically dragged him that way as his daughter looked at where Alastor had just been, “I hope he’s okay.”

He yelped when the other Sin shut the door only to whirl on him with a snarl, her eyes solid fuchsia, “Lucifer! What. Did. You. Do?!”

Lucifer bared his teeth right back at her, “What do you mean, what did I do?! I didn’t do anything! I wasn’t the one that went crazy and attacked your boyfriend!”

“That’s not what I’m talking about! Don’t play dumb, I can hear -” Bee stopped, narrowing her eyes at him before stepping back, the bright glow fading away, “Oh shit. Mammon... he's been right this whole time, hasn’t he?”

Why was she bringing up that asshole all of a sudden?! He threw his hands up in the air with frustration, “Right about what?! You’re really starting to-” Lucifer cut himself off when he noticed her expression, a deep and terrible grief in her eyes. Oh no. Of all of them, how was it Mammon that had noticed? No, they weren't supposed to know. He'd done so well keeping all of it from them so they could be happy and not worry about him and be free of-

“You...you don’t hear the Songs anymore, do you? They took that from you too, didn’t they?”

He flinched, backing away from her only to be stopped short when he hit the desk, “I don’t- why- what does that have to do with anything?!”

The Sin of Gluttony knelt down, reaching out to brush a hand over his cheek with a painful sort of gentleness, her voice echoing in tones she hadn't used with him in longer than he could remember, “§åmåêl, talk to me. Please. What happened? Why does that sinner have your Harmony in him?”

Everything in him turned icy cold, the shock enough that he barely registered that she had called him his angelic name. That... that shouldn't be possible. It should have started shifting immediately, the process completed within days, maybe a couple weeks at the most! He'd never done anything like that before, but there was no reason to believe that it would remain when all other Creations became new on their own before his Fall. Rebuilding what already Was rather than making something brand new should have made it easier for the Song to change from what it Had Been! A Harmony was not meant to be sustained by something outside of the original soul it was made from!

“He...he has what?! That’s impossible!”

Bee shook her head, “You know I wouldn’t lie about something like that. His own little melody is still clear, but your Harmony is pretty damn strong under it. Anyone with the ears to Hear will be able to tell within seconds that he's totes got your Song in there.”

Lucifer could feel the body beginning to shake, eyes wide though unable to actually register anything it was seeing, “I… Ch-Charlie asked me to make sure Alastor came back to her. She was crying. I just couldn’t let her down, not after... everything. He...Adam hit him pretty hard, there wasn’t much left by the time I got him to the palace. I had to- I didn’t even think-”

“Stay with me, hun. Come on, don’t pull away,” Warmth flowed through her hand, easing the shaking in the body, no, his body, “There we go. Alright, so you saved him. How?”

“I...used my Creation energies. But how did it- Charlie doesn’t -”

“Sammie, Charlie is a whole new soul with half from Lily and half from you. Of course her Song is gonna be different, she got to grow with it. His -you said his name’s Alastor?” He nodded mutely, “Alastor’s was already realized. He lived and died with it. Sounds like it was pretty weak when you used yours to build him back up.”

“But what does that mean?!”

Bee shrugged, giving him an amused smirk, “Who knows? You always did Create new things without a Plan, jumping into an idea tail feathers first. Part of the reason the snooty bastards up top got so upset with you all the time.” She got to her feet, placing a hand on her hip and giving him a cocksure grin, “Alright, come on, Luci. Your kiddo’s waiting for us, and probably worried as hell right now. Let’s go have dinner and then we’ll see what happens next! Knowing your luck, it's gonna blow up in our faces, but it's gonna be a total blast!”

Lucifer wasn’t sure how he got through dinner. He couldn’t even remember much of what was said, only that he had been grateful when Bee took over most of the conversation. She was great at making people lose their worries for a bit and Vortex seemed to get on well with several of the others. That was...good, at least.

Charlie had asked questions none of them had answers to. One minute, Alastor was berating him for being an idiot like usual, the next…

When they got back to the palace, Bee had given him a quick hug before heading home, accepting that he needed space so long as swore that he would call her in the next couple days. She had even promised not to go gossiping to the others immediately to give him time to get his footing before dealing with the rest of them. Lucifer had a feeling she knew the difficulties he had been having with staying connected. She had always Seen more than others realized, even before she Fell.

The King of Hell put his face in his hands as he swore in every language he could remember. He had no clue what to do. A thought came to him and he had to laugh, even if it did sound a bit unhinged. That was alright, no one had really been inside the palace aside from Alastor's brief stay since Lily and Charlie had moved out.

‘Well, that probably explains his ability to tolerate my energies.’

It didn't explain everything, didn't even touch on why it was possible for a human soul to hold and sustain even a small portion of a First Seraphim's Song.

'Oh goody. Guess now I have just as many questions for him as he does for me.'

Chapter Text

It took him a while to work up the courage, but Lucifer eventually relented and shot off a text to Bee. The Sin of Gluttony had seemed pretty relaxed around Vaggie, so more than likely the former Exorcist wasn't a plant or anything, but Bee was also pretty good at masking if she felt like she had to be.

Lu -'Since you know now, could you tell me if there's anything to worry about in Charlie's girlfriend's Song?'-

Bee -'wuz wondrn when u'd ask, Brocifer!'-

-'ur kids got a good eye even if shes tone def'-

Lucifer breathed out a sigh of relief. He'd already known Charlie didn't hear the Songs, though whether that was a 'yet' or 'never would' was up in the air.

Lu -'And?'-

Bee -'And wut? lulz 😈'-

Lucifer sighed and rolled his eyes as he muttered, "Fucking brat."

Lu -'Are they Songmates?'-

Bee -'dunno. lil angel is 2 young 2 tell'-

Lucifer blinked in surprise at that. He'd known Vaggie was pretty young, but for her Song to not even be settled yet?! What the hell were they doing up there that they were sending angels on missions to kill that hadn't even reached that point?! That was going to completely warp their growing Songs! It made a twisted sort of sense that they picked angels that hadn't hit the age of total Clarity. Being unable to hear as the Songs of sinners were torn to shreds by holy steel was the best way to keep them from really understanding exactly what they were doing, kept them from sympathizing and risking disobedience or their Exorcists choosing to Fall. But to send fledglings that should have been under a mentorship still, letting them have a chance to find their Potential, to find who they were before picking the choir that suited them best...

A tear escaped him as guilt made his chest ache. He hadn't wanted to let the Exterminations happen, hadn't wanted to sign that damned agreement. He just hadn't had any other choice. They'd threatened one of the people he'd do almost anything to keep safe. And in the end, Lily had been broken anyway...

Lucifer barely managed to get a message out to Charlie to tell her he'd be busy for a bit before he warded off the palace completely and left the phone where he dropped it. He wasn't going to be good company, not until he stopped hearing echoes of Lilith's screams and his brother's cold laughter.

***

In the days that followed the incident, Alastor did what he always had on the (somewhat) rare occasion that he publicly embarrassed himself. He simply acted as though it never happened. It was either that or kill every witness and sadly, the latter wasn’t an option. Though it took a truly exhausting amount of evasion, eventually Charlie got the hint and dropped all attempts to get him to ‘open up’ about the cause of his sudden outburst. It was a lucky thing that she had been the only one among the more permanent hotel residents that had seen. It didn't help that her father had given some last minute excuse to not visit the last evening she had expected him to be there. The King of Hell was the greatest annoyance in existence, capable of making the Radio Demon's day to day life that much more irritating even when he wasn't around!

Thankfully, Alastor's traitorous subconscious had relented on the recurring nightmares after that night. With each day that passed, it became easier to convince himself that it truly had been of little consequence. Although it remained to be seen how Lucifer was going to behave around him now. If the fallen angel had somehow caught onto any of the cause and showed even an ounce of pity, the sinner was going to b͔it͙͖̅e̤̓̈̉̓ h̥̏͂̎i͌̋m!͍̋ͥ

It was nearing the expected day of their next conversation when he left his rooms and spotted the King pacing at the other end of the hall, just outside of his own doorway. He was gesticulating wildly with one hand, clearly agitated as he spoke into a phone. Alastor wasn’t one to deny himself a chance to eavesdrop and melted into the shadows to get closer.

“Levi, you tell Satan if he so much as thinks about coming over here over this, I will publicly kick his ass all the way back to Wrath! Actually, that goes for all five of you!” The blond paused mid-step at whatever response he got, letting out a long sigh. When he continued, his tone was much softer, “Look, I know you guys are worried. You do realize that I've been dealing with this the whole time, I'm not going to suddenly-”

Lucifer cut himself off as he noticed Alastor standing nearby with a raised brow. "Listen, I gotta go. I have a meeting and they just showed up early. Bye!" He hastily hung up before groaning, “Why do they treat me like this? I’m older than all of them combined!” He blinked, dark brows furrowing, “Maybe. When did Belphegor form…”

The Radio Demon cleared his throat to pull the King out of his musings, “Your Majesty, if you ever do decide to publicly humiliate the Sin of Wrath like that, please allow me to know in advance so I can properly advertise it in my broadcasts! It would be best to ensure the occasion has a proper turnout after all!" Recorded cheering filled the air around them.

The fallen angel laughed at that, "I doubt it would be scheduled. There's a reason we don't all meet in the same place a lot. One wrong word and somehow the whole block ends up a crater. I swear, Mammon has turned into the biggest asshole ever!"

Turning his nose up in mock offense, Alastor scoffed, "Tsk! And here I am, working so hard to gain that distinction! It pains me to know that I fall so short of your standards, your High-ness!"

"Ha, fucking ha, you're so original and clever.” Despite the sarcastic tone, Lucifer had an amused smile.

Alastor tilted his head, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Something was off about this conversation. It was...concerning. If this was some form of pity over the other day... “You know, you are being rather friendly to someone you claimed you despised only months ago. Would you care to tell me why that is?"

Lucifer sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, "Fuck. Yeah, I guess a part of me just wanted to make sure we were on good enough terms before I talked to you about something. I was going to do this in a few days at our next conversation, but I guess I better do it now." He gave a rueful smile, "Hey, at least this means I wasn't lying to Leviathan! They can always tell for some reason."

The sinner shook his head, "Sire, its because you have a terrible poker face. Quite awful really! How anyone can call you the Father of Lies is a mystery!" He spun his staff idly at one side, the only sign of his growing agitation he would allow. "Now, what is it you wish to discuss?"

Lucifer snapped open a portal, "Not here. You go on ahead, I'll let Charlie know I'm kidnapping her manager for a bit."

‘And now he is referring to me as the manager rather than the bellhop or janitor? A concerning change indeed.' Alastor huffed, "This might surprise you, but I am going to have to decline on being kidnapped. You see, should your daughter learn that you have been avoiding her yet can make the time to speak with me? I daresay she might become rather upset and that is not conducive for a partnership like ours! Someone should take her feelings into considerations, hm?"

The blond hunched his shoulders, looking more and more ashamed by the second, "... you're right."

Alastor made no attempt to hide his shock at the admittance, blinking a few times, "I... well, yes, I am, but I must say I was not expecting you to agree so quickly."

Lucifer rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, don't get used to it. And it's not Charlie I'm avoiding. I was planning on trying to catch her alone today, but then Levi called and, well, you know."

Another unexpected admittance. Clawed fingers tapping along the staff of his microphone, he considered the other man's words. He didn't have enough information to conclude who he was trying to avoid if it wasn't Charlie. Still, if it would cause the damned girl to stop second-guessing every interaction she'd ever had with her father in the last few months, perhaps he could offer a small helping hand, "Well, if you require she meet with you without anyone else around, I could be persuaded to grant a distraction. For a price, of course."

Bright eyes peered up at him in immediate suspicion. Oh, good! This strange open honesty didn't mean Lucifer suddenly trusted him. Alastor had worked hard to garner his underhanded and devious reputation, it would be downright offensive if someone was able to so swiftly disregard it! "Something more than the fact that you owe me for saving your misbegotten existence?"

"Actually!" He gave the King a wide grin, tilting his head sharply, "You admitted yourself that it was dear Charlotte's request that had you saving me, so she's the one who has more of my gratitude on that than you."

"Enough to get you to drop the favor she owes you?"

"Ha! No." The lack of surprise or anger at his response meant Lucifer had likely already known it was going to go that way. Points to him for still trying anyway. Now he just had to pick a price that wouldn't be too high, too suspicious, and would leave wiggle room for him to make it work out best for his own goals. "Now, if you wish for me to get the attention of the other residents so you can go reassure your daughter that you don't hate her and aren't planning to vanish from her life again, all I ask in payment is the chance to peruse and choose one book from the royal library." He held up a hand when it looked like Lucifer was immediately going to refuse, "You would, of course, be allowed to veto if you think the books are too dangerous in a sinner's hands. I'm certain I can find something of interest that you'll be fine with me reading."

The concession was enough to make the fallen angel pause and consider the idea, "I'd be watching you the entire time."

"Of course!" Alastor wouldn't expect anything less! And if Lucifer was watching him closely enough, he'd likely either disregard or completely forget about the sinner's Shadow! So many people overlooked that neat little trick!

"Fine." The smaller man grumbled, "Just make sure they don't know we're working together. I still don't like you and don't want to be associated with you."

"Works for me!" He knew better than to ask to shake on it. He'd see if the little King would honor it on his own or if he'd need to be pestered on it, "So, is there anyone particular you'd like diverted for a bit? Or is this just a general act of chaos?"

"... her girlfriend."

Alastor perked up with glee. Oho! This was rather titillating information with a great deal of possibilities on why! Plus he was getting rewarded for something he might have done anyway for free if Lucifer had simply been upfront about that in the first place! Really, riling up Vagatha was just plain fun, having a reason to do so was merely icing on the proverbial cake!

Five minutes later and some creativity with syrup, glitter, a strangely talented band of shadow puppets playing a fast-paced tango, and an extremely annoying set of sound effects using a harmonica, Lucifer had to begrudgingly give the deer some credit. He was impressed at how thoroughly Alastor had wound up the former Exorcist to the point that everyone else was watching with popcorn and placing bets on whether or not she'd land a hit. Even Charlie didn't notice when he came in through the front door, though she looked torn between laughing and rushing over to put a stop to things. "Hey, uh, Char?"

"Cheese and rice!" Charlie yelped in shock before whirling around, "Dad?!"

Lucifer would have been worried about her outburst drawing everyone's attention, but in that second Alastor had summoned a set of cymbals and brought them together sharply behind Vaggie, the crashing noise and her responding shriek filled with Hispanic swearing covered it. Either that was really convenient timing, or the deer had somehow been able to pay attention to things over here despite all the noise and chaos he was causing. Whichever it was, it certainly made it so the audience to the improv comedy show burst out into laughter and had absolutely no idea of the King of Hell's presence, "Didn't mean to startle you, kiddo, sorry. You got a minute?"

"Oh! Sure! Just gimme a sec to stop this and-"

Lucifer quickly grabbed her wrist when she started to go, "Wait! It really won't take long, and I'd rather radar ears was distracted instead of interrupting like usual."

She hesitated for a second, looking back and forth before her shoulders dropped and she nodded, "Alright. Husk!" The bartender looked her way with a raised brow. He'd been watching the show with a mixture of grudging amusement and wariness, wings spread to block the liquor bottles from getting hit by any random projectiles. "Can you keep an eye on things while I talk to Dad? Just... stop them if you think someone is going to get hurt."

Feline eyes glanced at Lucifer before Husk scoffed, "Fuck no. Ain't enough booze in the Rings to make me do something that suicidal. I know better than to get in the way when the boss is having this much fun."

"I'll do it!" Angel Dust chimed in, a handful of popcorn halfway to his mouth, "It'll drive Val nuts if I getta few bites from tall, dark, an' creepy. He'll bitch ta Vox an' then the city'll lose powa fer a day so I'll get some time off!"

Lucifer understood a little over half of that, but it made Charlie sigh in defeat and nod before heading for the front door, so he counted it as a win. He followed her out before a random thought had him speaking impulsively, "Wait, that guy's taller than the janitor, so why's he calling him tall?"

Charlie sputtered a laugh at the unexpected question, "It's just a phrase, Dad."

"Oh. And who's Val? And Vox?"

An uncharacteristic dark look crossed her face, "Two Overlords. I don't know much about Vox personally, but Valentino is a real piece of work. I don't like the way Angel has worked out to get time off, but he's promised not to use it too much and risk that awful man finding a way to close that loophole in his contract."

Lucifer really wanted to press for more information, but he needed to say what he'd come to talk to her about first before he chickened out, "Look, duckling, I wanted to come apologize for going incommunicado on you suddenly like that. It wasn't anything you did or anything, I just..." he looked down, unable to meet the earnest concern and curiosity in her eyes, "I had a reminder of something and couldn't be around anyone for a bit."

She was quiet for a moment before her shoes came into his line of sight as she stepped closer. He couldn't stop himself from flinching a bit when he saw her hand reach towards him and cursed internally for showing that. Her hand stopped, pulling away before Charlie finally spoke, her voice gentle, "Dad? Can you look up at me for a second? I promise I'm not mad."

Lucifer tried to, but this stupid, half-broken brain tied to this body refused. Dammit, he should have been smart and done this in a few more days when he'd had time to script out how to act and talk to her. He'd really been about to chicken out earlier before the annoying sinner Overlord came snooping around during his phone call. Hopeful for a better excuse than his own cowardice, he'd never expected Alastor to turn down a chance to talk to him early, even if the bastard was right to. He couldn't even be mad at him for it since his reasoning showed he at least had some kind of consideration for Charlie's well-being, for all that it had seemingly just been about the deer's standing with her.

A few more excruciatingly long seconds passed before she spoke again, "Come on, lets go sit on one of the benches by the fountain. We can just relax there together for a minute, okay?"

That sounded good. Easy. Maybe she wouldn't mind if he curled his legs up on the seat and wrapped his wings around himself. The courtyard felt too open, exposed, like the closed gateway in the sky was an eye about to turn his way. Considering Sera's tendency to look down on everyone here both literally and figuratively, it might as well be. He followed Charlie over towards one of the benches at the fountain made in honor of Dazzle. She sat down first at one end, which let him pick how close he wanted to be to her. Even if he didn't feel up for touching, he didn't want to be completely out of arm's reach either. He picked a spot and called out his wings so he could curl them forward and sit down before wrapping them around himself tightly. The dark and enclosed feeling went long way towards making the ache in the chest... his chest weaker so he felt like maybe he could breathe more fully. His tongue loosened up finally, "Sorry, Char. Your old man's a mess."

It took a moment for her to respond and it sounded like she was choosing her words carefully as she did, "Dad, you're older than I can even begin to comprehend, and you've been through a lot just based on what everyone in general knows. It would be weirder if you weren't a bit of a mess, I think. I also think there's a lot that you've never told anyone, except maybe Mom."

Yeah, that was true. Even Lilith didn't get told everything though. There was so much Lucifer hadn't been able to protect her from, but what little he could keep from touching the happiness they'd had he had locked down far enough that he had almost been able to forget it sometimes. For a little while, he'd cruelly hoped that a lot of it was gone from this smaller Self's mind, irretrievably lost in the divide between who he was now and the ghost of who he'd been. What he was meant to Be in entirety, past and present combined.

"Dad?"

Lucifer blinked, realizing she was waiting for an indication he was listening, "Yeah, I'm listening, duckling. I promise."

Charlie gave an approving hum, "I know it would be unfair to ask you to open up completely about everything right away, but can you let me in a little bit? I mean, instead of some vague excuse about being busy, just let me know the truth, that you can't visit because something triggered you."

He frowned in confusion, "Triggered?"

"Oh! Uh, it means something reminded you of something bad or overwhelming in the past, making you have some sort of sensory flashback or just emotionally tangling you up enough that you can't do social interactions or normal day-to-day activities!"

Lucifer lifted one wing to peer out at her, "... you sound like one of Belphegor's students."

Charlie grinned proudly, "Thanks! I've been studying a lot of Mom's psychology books! I figured a lot of people in the city are probably dealing with trauma both from when they were alive and being down here in general, so being able to recognize the signs and all means I can maybe help them better! I mean," she rubbed the back of her neck, "I mess it up a lot and try to push to help even when someone tells me they don't want my help, but I'm learning to be better about that!"

... she really was the best of both him and Lilith, plus something even better that was uniquely her. Sure, she had her flaws, what person didn't? But she was still genuinely good in a way that Lucifer didn't think many were anymore. Especially not down here. "I love you so much, Charlie."

Both of them went still for a moment, him for the fact that he hadn't actually intended to say that in that moment and her for the surprise of him unexpectedly saying it. Then her eyes went all big and watery with happy tears and dammit, he couldn't keep from hugging her, no matter the issues of this stupid broken body of his. Charlie slowly wrapped her arms around him as though worried he would pull away, then returned the hug with just as much feeling. "Love you too, Dad. More than anything."

***

Figuring that he'd given the Morningstars more than enough time, Alastor ducked under a wide swing from Vaggie's blade and shadow-slipped over towards the bar, "Did I catch sight of our hermetic monarch stepping outside with our dear Charlie?"

Husk's far too clever eyes gave him a studying look before he nodded towards the window, "Yeah, Princess Daddy Issues is talking with the King of Daddy Issues."

Whatever conclusions the bartender was coming to, he at least had the intelligence to hold his tongue. Most of the time. "Well! I've gotten my morning warm-up exercises in! Perhaps I should pop over and give the royal fool a good runaround as well!"

"Hey! I'm not done with you, cabrón! Get your creepy radio ass back here!"

"My radio waves are in my antlers and microphone, not my posterior, darling! Should Charlie be concerned that you've been focusing on that part of my anatomy?" He chuckled at her snarl, side-stepping just in time for her spear to get embedded in the wood of the bar, making Husk squawk in offense, "Do we perhaps need a refresher on that sexual harassment in the workplace seminar she gave a few weeks ago?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Many, many things, my dear, I assure you! Now, I've had quite enough of playing with you, so I'll be taking my leave! Tata!" He melted down as Vaggie leapt for him, trusting Husk knew to divert and defuse her now that Alastor was done with her. For a moment, he thought he heard Angel Dust give a disappointed groan, but then he'd slipped too far away to be certain on that. Taking a more circuitous route so he could materialize on the opposite side of the fountain, he couldn't resist listening in.

"- wish I could help him out more, but Angel won't let me get anywhere near Valentino to see if I can find a way to get him to dissolve the contract."

Lucifer's scoff echoed his own. The day Valentino released Angel Dust willingly was the day that Alastor himself would be welcomed in the pearly gates. The King seemed to be of similar sentiments. "What does that have to do with wanting to let the cannibal deer bite him?"

Ah. Now Alastor was extremely curious on Charlie's take on that whole situation.

"Well, um, first off, Valentino is in a three way alliance with two other Overlords, Vox and Velvette. I'm fairly sure Vox and Val are a thing, but I try not to get too much information about them or I might just get so mad I'll knock down their freaking tower myself!"

... that might be amusing to see! Alastor put a mental pin on that thought to add into a future scheme if he really wanted to see the Princess bare her fangs. He had a veritable treasure trove of information on things both of the male Vees had done over the years that would certainly light a fire under her if he timed it right!

"Anyway, the way Angel's contract is set up, Valentino can demand reimbursement for any sexual acts he does, even if it's not actual paid sex work! It's awful! But because Alastor is apparently pretty famous for his lack of interest in it and because several people here in the hotel have vouched for it being from an attack, Valentino can't claim injuries that Al gives him are in any way related to the studio or his work as a prostitute."

"... I'm still a little lost why this is an okay thing, kiddo."

"Weeeeellll, heh," Alastor could practically see the way Charlie would be awkwardly looking anywhere but at Lucifer. "See, Al's a bit... weird. When it comes to doing nice things for people."

Nice?! The deer grimaced. Where in the devil had the young woman gotten it in her head that anything he did was to be nice?!

"He'll always find a way to do it for the wrong reason. Or, at least that's what he'll tell people. I think I'm starting to see the truths in his lies though, and it's a way of making himself seem selfish when he wants to help."

Alastor had every intention of popping up over there and stopping this slander right this instant, only for his Shadow to suddenly manhandle him and force him to remain on the opposite side of the fountain! Blasted menace!

"You see, Vox has history with Al. I'm not sure if they used to be best friends or something more, but that guy has a seriously creepy thing about trying to keep an eye on Al at all times. And I do mean all!" Charlie made a retching sound, "So if Al bites Angel and Valentino recognizes who it's from, he goes complaining to Vox, who tries to go finding proof on if it was something more than just Al attacking him for getting in the way. And Al... he knows what he's doing. There's always something almost flirty that he says after biting Angel, which makes Vox angry, and when Vox is connected to the electrical lines like that and gets upset, it overloads all the grids in the city for a while."

"... which means the porn studio can't do any recording."

"Yep! And the sex clubs don't have any power either, so no stripping shifts. The prostitution jobs are a little harder to get out of, but Angel says those are the easiest of the three sides to his work and I've learned to trust him on that. Al acts like he just does it because he was in a bad mood or whatever, but I've seen him be in a nearly murderous rage and not hurt anyone, so I call bull."

"Huh. Right thing for the wrong reason."

"Yeah. You gotta look reeeeally hard past the sharp teeth and all the sarcasm, but Al's pretty great once you put aside the killer cannibal thing."

Alastor glared up at the hollow eyes of his Shadow, ensuring it heard very clearly that if it did not release him this second, he was going to destroy every bit of the magic holding it together. It vanished, leaving him glaring at thin air. Well, now he needed to salvage this situation before Charlie and her naive optimism had even the King of Hell thinking he had some sort of soft-hearted goodness just needing a chance to shine, or whatever rot that girl had going through her blond head at times!

"So, what other things can you tell me about-"

"Yoͣ̉̃ͤu̻͗̆ͫ̇rͣ M͎̗̑̑̕͟͜aj̹̯̻͖͍͛e̯ͥ̋sty!̓" The air around Alastor warped and glitched as he popped up in front of them, grin wide and radio dials bright, "How lovely of you to finally join us after your hectic work schedule had you cancelling on poor Charlie last minute! Do I need to expect you to bring any more of the Sins with you this evening, or will it just be your ego we need to accommodate for at the dinner table?" Both Morningstars looked rather bewildered over his rather aggressive interruption of their conversation and that was just fine by him! He needed to get the two of them to get any of these silly ideas of charity and compassion out of their thick skulls this instant! He was the Radio Demon, terrifying Overlord of Pentagram city for the better part of a century! He would not have his reputation tarnished by a couple cloud-headed royals! "Actually, I do believe it might do well to place a rule that all non-residents of the hotel and staff need to put in a minimum of a twenty-four hour notice to ensure proper standards of hospitality are able to be met. We wouldn't want to risk word getting out that we failed to properly host such beings of noble rank at our fair establishment, right Charlotte?"

Lucifer was getting that guilty look again, but Charlie was failing to react as expected. Alastor had thought she would either get defensive on her father's behalf or try to play mediator and placate them both. Instead she was looking up at him with narrowed eyes and a serious expression that didn't bode well at all. "You know what, this might be something for you and Dad to work together on! After all, I know you had to do a lot of work to make sure dinner went well, even if you couldn't stay to enjoy it."

... dammit, there she went pushing at that again.

"So why don't you two have a nice long chat about setting up some sort of system so we can more easily have guests like Aunt Bee without it causing too much stress on the staff and supplies, okay? Okay! You two have fun!" Both Alastor and her father were left staring after her as she swiftly walked away, waving back at them with a wide grin.

There was momentary silence in the courtyard before Lucifer coughed awkwardly, "Well, I mean, I do need to talk to you about something anyway, soooo..."

"If I go along with this, you will immediately forget any ideas your daughter gave you about me being any form of good or kind!"

The smaller man held his hands up in a motion of surrender, "Sure, sure! Fine by me!" He snapped open a portal again and Alastor was nearly through it when he caught a murmured, "Whatever you say, Cleopatra."

The shriek of enraged feedback echoed through both the hotel courtyard and palace.

Chapter Text

Almost all feelings of anger and irritation at the Morningstars was forgotten when Alastor stepped through the portal to find himself inside a truly large music room with a magnificent grand piano near one of the windows. His fingers twitched; he had never been of the status to be able to play one of those in his life and Hell generally didn't do instruments of that quality, not for the sinners in the Pride Ring anyway. He vaguely heard Lucifer say something about going to get them some drinks or something of that nature, Alastor really wasn't paying much attention, though he did note the highly nervous tone of the fallen angel's voice. All he could really think about was how much he wanted to see if that gorgeous piano sounded as heavenly as it appeared. 'Well, if the King didn’t want me touching it, he shouldn't have let me be in here unsupervised.' With that decided, he took a seat at the bench and tested out a few scales to familiarize himself with the keys before playing out a simple melody as a warm-up.

Lucifer knew he was just stalling for time, dragging his heels and avoiding actually talking about things as long as he could, but how did someone explain something like this?! Not only did it mean explaining Songs to someone with no frame of reference, (which he really sucked at by the way) it also meant baring the reason why he hadn't noticed the issue himself. He'd actually have to say it out loud. With Bee, she'd made the connection and all he'd had to do was confirm what she said. Alastor had no way of knowing what this meant, how... identity stealing it was to be left in Silence as he had, how lost it made a person feel.

How crippling it could be if word got out.

There was a reason Lucifer had gone along with the ridiculous diversion Alastor had offered to play. He had wanted to see if the deer really was willing to follow through on such a thing without revealing to Charlie even by accident that her father was avoiding her girlfriend. Surprisingly enough, even when it was clear that he was angry with him and Charlie, Alastor hadn't leaned on even a vague suggestion of letting that small secret spill. Instead he had chosen to press on the more well known issue of failing to properly notify everyone of the Sin of Gluttony's visit.

The right thing for the wrong reason. That was what Charlie had said was the best way to explain the Radio Demon's motives. Maybe it was time to focus more on the things Alastor did rather than getting hung up on the reasons the Overlord gave for why he did them.

The sinner was just beginning to roll the notes into what had been a popular ballroom number when he was alive, his microphone playing the accompaniment, when he got the feeling of being watched. Pausing, Alastor looked over towards the door to find Lucifer had returned and was leaning against the frame, a strange expression on his face, “Think you can keep playing while I talk? Music helps with... things, especially when it’s someone else playing.”

Well, far be it from him to turn down a royal request! Alastor grinned in delight and went back into the song he had started, “Certainly, your Majesty!”

“Lucifer.” Fingers stilling for a beat, he looked over to meet the King’s gaze, “For right now. This is going to be difficult enough to explain and I would rather not deal with formalities on top of it.”

“... alright then, Lucifer.” There was a growing sense of anxiety in the air that felt like his own and yet foreign at the same time. It was unsettling and confusing and had his teeth itching with the need to bite the source of it to make it go away, but if that was himself then that would just be ridiculous. So he covered that feeling by focusing on the most intricate melody he could remember how to play, keeping his eyes on his fingers and the keys.

Lucifer came closer, setting a tray with some drinks on a table nearby before moving to lean against the side of the piano, looking towards the floor as he talked, “This is going to require a bit of history for you to understand what I mean, so don't think I'm just stalling, okay?” He waited for the demon to nod before continuing, “Angels, both Heavenly and Fallen, can hear music, a sort of... well, a symphony in all of existence. Not just things like animals or people, but in planets and stars and the spaces between. It’s... there is no way to really describe it to someone who can't hear it.” There was pain, a growing sense of grief in the-no, his chest. He started pacing, trying to calm himself so he could keep the connection clear, “Each being has a unique Song to their soul, something that reflects what they truly are at their core. There's layers and ways of obscuring parts, but generally what you hear tells you pretty clearly what the person connected to it is like. Bee told me that I apparently messed with yours when I saved you from Adam’s energies.”

Lucifer wasn’t surprised to hear the music stop at that, Alastor’s concern clear in his tone, “What do you mean by ‘messed with’?

He gave a long sigh, trying to remember how he had worded this all the way back in Eden when two other curious souls had asked about the different kinds of angels and what they were capable of, “Seraphim as old as I am have a unique power within our core because we were formed with the first and strongest wave of Creation that began this universe. It starts out with the same Song as us, a Harmony of soul energy that matches us completely, but as what we create begins to take its place in the symphony, the melody changes to fit what it is without the connection to us.” He turned to face Alastor, forcing himself to meet the sinner’s gaze, "Your soul, your Song, was nearly gone when I got you back to the Palace. Bee heard it when she saw you at the hotel. She said that you still have your original Song, but it’s thin, weak, and my Harmony is under it, keeping you afloat.”

Alastor felt rather confused. He didn’t feel any different than he had before the battle… “Wait, you keep saying that Bee is the one that told you of this. I take it that means she's a Fallen then?" The other man nodded, "Didn’t you just say all angels can hear this music? Why didn’t you notice it yourself?”

Aaaaand here was the tough part. There was no good way of asking the demon to continue playing, it wasn't like Alastor currently felt any real reason to give him any sort of comfort like that. Swallowing down the urge to call out his wings and hide behind them like he had with Charlie earlier, Lucifer forced the words out, “They, the other Firsts, have made me unable to hear the Songs anymore. I'm... I've been left Silenced. I can’t even hear my own unless I-” He cut himself off with a huff, “Anyway, I wasn’t able to hear that the Harmony wasn’t changing to match yours when you were whole again and it’s not like I knew to look for any sign of my original energies still being there. So...yeah, that’s it.”

The demon tapped his claws on the wood of the piano, thinking. He could tell Lucifer was waiting for him to lash out but, quite frankly, he was too stunned to really feel anger. Besides, he wouldn’t even be around to be angry right now if the fallen angel hadn’t put him back together. There was also the fact that there was something fascinating in all of this. Souls having songs, harmonies, the truth of a person being laid bare for anyone capable of hearing it. Well, that last part was both intriguing and downright terrifying. What would other angels be able to hear when they were near him? Would anyone be able to tell the chains on him from whatever his song was? Also, what was with the way Lucifer emphasized certain words? It was almost like an accent, but not quite. Alastor forced himself to keep focused on the most relevant parts for now, “Is there anything I should be particularly worried about with this? I’d really hate to find out that I’m on borrowed time until your harmony or whatever runs out.”

Lucifer blinked, “I don’t honestly know. This has never happened before.”

Alastor sighed in frustration, muttering, “So for all we know, I could cease to exist at any time? That would be... inconvenient.”

The fallen angel sputtered and choked on a laugh, “Inconvenient?! Seriously, that’s all you have to say about it? You really are crazy.”

The Radio Demon smirked at having broken up the overall stifling mood in the air before he gave a smug and haughty huff, “I think you meant to say ‘remarkable and uniquely talented.’”

Lucifer snorted, “You’re uniquely something, alright. How can you be taking this so well?”

Alastor shrugged, “What good would it do me to tie myself up in knots over something that cannot be changed? It certainly seems like you have been doing that enough for the both of us.” Besides, he preferred to break down in privacy, thank you very much.

The sinner turned back to the keys and began a lighthearted tune, turning over everything he had learned. Beyond the ramifications possible with soul songs, it was intriguing to know there was a form of music to everything. Frankly, he felt a bit slighted by the universe that he wasn’t able to hear it.

Lucifer had a feeling that the piano was helping the sinner think, so he let the deer demon continue to play. It wasn't like he wanted the music to stop now that it was going again. Human instruments couldn’t touch the magnitude of the symphony of the universe, but the ones with a true passion for it put so much of themselves into music that there was almost an echo of it. He hadn't been lying when he said it helped. Lilith's singing had once been a balm when the Silence began to overwhelm him. He pushed away that thought, leaning against the piano again to let the vibrations aid in keeping him from going too far down that path.

It was understandable but the fallen angel was pretty sure Alastor didn't really grasp the full scope of this. The Radio Demon mentioned ceasing to exist as a possibility, but that wasn't really likely. A First's Harmony wouldn't simply fade away like that, no. Lucifer feared that he had unintentionally caused irreparable damage to the sinner and his soul, that maybe in some way his efforts to save his daughter's friend would end up destroying who he was at his core. A humorless smile crossed his face. It was always the unintended consequences that ended up biting him in the proverbial ass. Impulsiveness and curiosity were not unique to him, but he was the only one of the eldest Seraphim who did so much without listening for any hint of a Plan. Bee was right, the others had utterly despised how he went about things.

"I have a question for you, si-Lucifer."

He looked over at Alastor with a raised brow, "I doubt it's only one."

There was an amused, almost teasing slant to that permanent smile, "True. But while you have been terribly accommodating thus far, according to your terms for our arrangement-"

Lucifer huffed, "This is hardly a simple conversation to appease your curiosity. Ask whatever, as long as you understand there are still some things I can't and won't answer."

Alastor had no right to look so delighted at that. It reminded Lucifer too much of the endless curiosity in Adam and Lilith in the beginning. "I couldn't help but notice in all your talks about the universe, you made no mention of God or anything of the sort. Is there a God?"

And this right here was what had made Lucifer start to fall in love with humanity. They had the ability, no, the drive to question what was generally accepted as fact, no matter how the answer might affect them. The fallen angel looked away, unsure if he wanted to risk the Radio Demon seeing his likely sappy expression right now, "There was a time where I would have said yes. We Firsts all felt it was best to allow that belief in order to keep the younger ones from feeling too lost and overwhelmed in the vastness of existence. But the truth is, none of us know for sure. We can feel what we call Plans, a sort of knowing where something needs to be Created in order to strengthen the overall Song. Beyond that, no singular being has made itself known to any of us."

There was a distant feeling of betrayal, speaking those words aloud to someone who wasn't even an angel. At admitting to something that no one had truly doubted and questioned out loud in front of the Firsts before. Well, if the other First Seraphim wanted to strike him down for telling a full truth where there had been always been ambiguity, they knew where to find him.

"So who is it that determines who gets sent to Hell or Heaven?"

He let Alastor see his wide grin at that, "Your guess is as good as ours. That's what has the older angels of Heaven so scared of Charlie. She's doing something they all had accepted as impossible. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They've been too quiet."

Alastor's ears went back, "I agree with you on that. Centuries of violence and yearly massacres don't just stop because of a single battle won and one redeemed soul." Something seemed to cross his mind and he snorted, his ears relaxing again, "Ha! Look at us, getting along and agreeing on something! Why, one might even call this bonding! Charlie would be insufferably delighted!"

A question that had been simmering in Lucifer's thoughts came up and this seemed like the best chance he would get to ask, "Do you actually care about her? Charlie, I mean."

The music stopped as Alastor froze. Those red eyes seemed almost hunted as they met his before looking back at the keys, ears low but not completely flat back this time. Lucifer waited patiently. Finally, there was a quiet but honest, "I don't want to."

The King of Hell could accept that, hearing what was left unspoken. He didn't press further, simply letting the quiet become something more relaxed between them. It was only when the tune began again, something softer and thoughtful this time, that he put a risky request out there, "I'm going to ask you not to tell Charlie or anybody else about this. I can't trust that all of the Fallen out there are truly on our side. If any of the wrong ones found out, it could cause some serious issues. And... Charlie has enough on her plate to be worrying about something she can't do anything about, alright?"

"Two books."

Lucifer blinked in confusion, furrowing his brow as he tilted his head, "Huh?"

Alastor gave him a look that was full of smug confidence, "You can buy my silence with letting me pick two books then, sire, rather than simply the one from the diversion I created earlier."

So they were back to 'sire' now, huh? He had a feeling that meant this was one of those things where the sinner was putting a price out because he was expected to, not that he had any real intention to go spreading such a vulnerability. Still, to keep the peace and let the man hold onto his mask of selfish ambitions, Lucifer nodded, "Alright, two. But I'm watching you the entire time, busboy, remember that."

They both shared a sharp grin that the fallen angel was fairly sure was only surface deep for them both.

"Now that the true point of this conversation is done with, I propose that we come up with a list of important figures you are likely to bring over to the hotel for a visit, their food, drink, and entertainment preferences, as well as an agreeable amount of notification time to be given before you simply drop a noble in our lobby and expect it to be a casual affair rather than something that could be causing half the city to come ogle while the other half attempts to write slander about the quality of hospitality we offer such prominent guests."

... dammit. Lucifer had completely forgotten about that. Ugh.

***

They had parted ways soon after that, with Alastor leaving under his own power rather than using one of the King’s portals. He wandered the city for a time before returning to the Hotel, his mind far too occupied to feel comfortable with slipping back into his role there.

And if he just so happened to use some of the more crude vermin on the streets as test subjects to see if there were any previously unnoticed changes in his abilities, that was simply prudent. It would have been irritating to find out something had changed and he lacked proper control during a fight where he was less certain of his success. By the end of it, he didn’t sense any differences in any of his powers, much to his relief.

As far as his contract went, there was no real way to manifest his chains and examine them without either the holder of his leash doing so or seriously attempting to disobey one of the terms. The first would be disastrous. If there was something altered enough in his soul to affect the appearance of the chains and it was noticed, there was potentially a chance for the contract to be adjusted to account for the difference. The fact that there was a little wiggle room in it now that hadn't been found yet was a matter of unknown outside assistance and his owner's arrogance in not looking it over again.

The second, well, there were really only three options there. He would have to purposefully step aside and not give his all in defense of the Hotel, let the Princess be under serious threat of death, or attempt to tell someone the identity of the one that held his contract. There was one more clause but if things got to that point, it would be too late to do anything anyway.

The first two were out of the question, too much risk of exposure and he wasn’t... comfortable with the idea of Charlie being harmed like that. The only reason he hadn’t been forced back into the fight when Adam got to her was because of his lack of awareness due to being unconscious from a fatal wound. A small loophole, but an important one to know of.

Alastor shuddered at the memory, his hand coming up to touch at the spot where he still felt phantom pains at times. His body may have been healed, but his brain refused to fully accept that there was nothing there. As far as the third option…

He considered going to Rosie, but while he truly did trust her, there was still a risk of his contract holder sensing the attempt. His fellow Overlord may be strong, but she was just as likely to become as ensnared as him. The staff of his microphone creaked as he clenched his fist at the thought.

Lucifer was the only one he knew that might be strong enough to know and not be at risk of being included in the retaliation for the attempt. Charlie had potential, but she wasn’t anywhere near the level of her father yet. The problem was the King had no reason to aid him, not really. He might have saved Alastor from erasure, but that was only at the behest of his beloved daughter. There was too much chance the fallen angel would simply decide he was too much of a risk and a threat; that he would choose to finish what Adam had started.

No, Alastor would have to wait. To see where this all led before he could trust Lucifer to that extent.

Chapter Text

It was a few days after their rather... enlightening conversation that Alastor learned something else about the King of Hell. He had absolutely no tolerance for alcohol.

At. All.

Lucifer was in the lounge with Angel Dust while Alastor relaxed with a book at the bar. There had been a mixup in plans and communication that resulted in Charlie and Vaggie being on a date when the fallen angel showed up to spend time with his daughter. The crestfallen expression had been almost painful to witness,  but Angel managed to convince him that he was still welcome to stick around.

Alastor was unsure if Lucifer was truly as unphased by the spider's flirtatiousness towards him as he appeared, or if this was one of those times when the King was having trouble maintaining awareness. Either way, the porn star had eventually eased up at the lack of reaction only to perk up when Husk brought him a brightly colored concoction, "Thanks, babe! Hey, you wanna try one a' these?" He held the drink out towards Lucifer, who took it with a distantly curious expression after an uneven blink.

Definitely one of the less aware moments then. Now the question was whether Alastor wanted to try to see just how listless the little King could get, or draw him back out for one of their amusing tiffs.

Decisions, decisions.

Husk rolled his eyes and grumbled as he went back to the bar, "Guess that means I gotta make another one. Thanks a lot."

"Iffin yer reeeeally mad about it, I can make it up to ya, Husky!" Alastor could practically hear Angel's eyebrows waggling.

"I'll pass, thanks."

A testament to the spider's current stage of boredom that he didn't let it drop there. "Aawwww, yer no fun! Betcha I can make ya smile as big as Smiles there if ya gimme three, no, two minutes! I'll even wait til we're somewheres private if exhibitionism ain't yer thing."

Alastor lowered his book to give Angel a warning look. If he dragged him any further into this conversation, he was going to regret it. Husk scoffed, "Don't go thinking I'm that easy to please, Legs. Now shuddup, or you can make your own damn drink."

Angel Dust grinned, "Oh? Thatta challenge I hear there? Ya gotta-"

The usual banter between the two was interrupted when Lucifer giggled, "You two are cute! 'S nice t'feel 'nstead of the usual ickiness."

All three of them looked at the fallen angel with mixed levels of curiosity, finding he had drunk about a third of the glass, but looked like he was already extremely tipsy with a bright gold flush on his cheeks. Lucifer held up the drink, "This's really good! Dunno whadit is, but I like it!"

Angel Dust was the first to recover, "Uh, yer Highness-"

"It's your Maaaaajesty! Highness would be Charlie-bear. Cuz she's the Princess, yanno?"

Angel just nodded, talking slowly like he was handling a temperamental child, "Okay, yer Majesty. Yanno that's got liquor innit, right? Cuz I'm staaartin' ta think ya didn't."

"Really?! Huh, I dint even taste it." Lucifer grinned, taking another sip, "That 'splains a lot. Alc'hol makes things feel weird. 's why I don't drink. Bodies are weird 'nough."

Husk snorted, "Wouldn't have taken you for a lightweight with how long you've been around."

The fallen angel huffed, pouting, "Oy! Alc'hol wasn't 'nvented yet! Dint know how t' make th' liver work with it way back when 'n now I can' change it!"

Angel Dust looked curious and amused, leaning forward, "Didja just say ya made yer liver? Like, ya got ta pick everythin' out? 'Scuse me fer askin' and no offense, sir, but why do ya make yerself so cute 'n tiny all the time, short king?"

Alastor closed his book and got to his feet, uncertain if he should intervene. He had to admit he was curious about that as well.

Lucifer raised a finger in the air, "One! Past me took th' whole 'Be not afraid' thing waaaay too ser-usly. 'N two, can't make a new one 'nymore. Can make m'self look like am-an- aminals 'n can make m' wings 'n stuff go poof!" He waved a hand widely, a puff of red glitter accenting his words. "But 'm stuck wit' this as th' d'fault," he gestured at himself. "If I knew they were gon' lock me in, woulda r'moved some stuff." He glared at the ceiling, "Who's idea wuzzit t' make these things break if it dint get touches 'n hugs 'n shit?! Wuzzint me!"

"Ooookay then, I think ya've had enough, yer Majesty."

Angel easily pulled the drink from him, but the King tried to take it back, whining, "Heeey! 'm still drinkin' thaaat!"

The spider demon yelped, holding his hands high and away when Lucifer fell onto him, face landing right on his fluffy chest, "Uh, sir?!" He threw a worried look at the other two, "Guys? Should we be callin' Charlie or somethin'?"

Lucifer hummed, not even trying to reach for the glass anymore, seemingly content to stay where he was, "'s soft. Miss cuddlin'. 's too quiet without Lily."

Uncertain of why he felt it necessary to intervene, Alastor shadow-slipped over to the couch, "Alright, I think that's quite enough of this foolishness!" He lifted the King up off of Angel by the back of his shirt, his body dangling from the tight grip like a ragdoll.

"I can take him to his room, boss," Husk stepped up, ready to relieve the Radio Demon of the burden.

"No, that won't be necessary, my friend! I'll get this rascal squared away! You two have a pleasant evening," Alastor ignored the look of surprise from the bartender, one of his tentacles coming out to take Lucifer in a more secure hold. The fallen angel looked halfway asleep already, not even protesting being wrapped up like that.

As the Radio Demon went up the stairs with his charge, he made a mental note to rile the royal buffoon up into a proper fight soon so as to dispel any thoughts the other two might be entertaining about him going soft. As soon as he was out of their sight, he huffed.

'Why am I even bothering with this? Husk would have handled getting Lucifer settled someplace just fine!' For some odd reason, the idea of the bartender being near Lucifer when it was obvious there was even less of a filter between the fallen angel's thoughts and words made him uncomfortable. It didn't feel like a concern for his contracted soul's wellbeing. He also knew that Husk wouldn't speak on anything he heard from Lucifer without coming to Alastor with it first.

...

Actually, the thought of the little King spilling any secrets to Husk, especially ones that Alastor himself hadn't managed to pry from him yet made the feeling worse. Stopping at the top of the staircase and rubbing a hand over his face, he gave an aggravated sigh. Was he seriously starting to get that territorial over Lucifer's time and secrets?! The deer knew he had a tendency to get possessive of people that interested him, but a being capable of wiping him off of existence with a wave of a hand?!

He was drawn out of his self-admonishments when Lucifer muttered something, "Apologies, sire, but I didn't quite catch that."

Alastor really hoped the door to the King's tower was unlocked as it was unlikely the fallen angel had the wherewithal to bypass the wards he had placed on it.

"Said y' c'n leggo. Know y' don like me."

He brought forward the dark tentacle he had carrying Lucifer and raised a brow, looking at the rather pitiful expression on the fallen angel's face, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

There was that uneven frog blink as Lucifer seemed to be fighting to focus on him, "Yer always callin' m' names n' makin' fun of me. Y' wanna fight all th' time. Youuuu think I'm a bad King, wish I am but thas not the point."

Alastor hummed, relieved when the doorknob turned easily. "And what part of that says I don't like you? I don't bother wasting time interacting with people I dislike unless I feel I must."

"...yer a weird human."

"Why thank you!" Alastor chuckled at the confused look Lucifer gave him, "Do you think you can get yourself to bed?"

"Mmmm, prob'ly. Pu'me down?"

Alastor set him on his feet before releasing him, though he kept the black limb nearby just in case. The fallen angel swayed a bit but managed to stay upright, glaring at his own feet, "'f I could make hellfire ri' now wi'out burnin' th' whole hotel down, I could make this go 'way. Brain's all echoey n' words 'r hard."

"Well I'm sure Charlie will be very grateful to see the hotel still standing when she gets home. Have a good night, sire." Alastor turned to leave, stopping with his hand on the doorknob when he heard a small sound of protest, one ear swiveling to better catch the soft words that followed.

"Can y' stay? Jus' til the body goes t' sleep? 'S too quiet 'n here."

Cursing himself, the Radio Demon looked back over his shoulder to see Lucifer with his arms wrapped around himself, face still turned downward. He really shouldn't humor this. The King was likely going to regret being vulnerable like this when he woke up...

Then he heard a small sniffle.

Dammit.

***

Lucifer tried to pull his wandering thoughts together as he focused on keeping upright. It was stupid that the body could have so much effect on his clarity. He was eons old, this was stupid! Alcoholic drinks were one of the things he couldn't decide whether they fell on the side of good or evil. They could make things feel soooo much better or really, really bad. Sometimes both at the same time. Charlie said it was a moderation thing once. That it was good until it went bad. Lucifer guessed it was kinda like him that way. Lotsa people thought he was fun until he got to be too much.

Too loud, too intense, too forgetful...

He blinked and looked up when he heard a loud sigh. Oh! Alastor was still here? He was kinda looking at the ceiling like he wanted to go all murder spiky on someone again. Lucifer wondered if he had done something dumb again, like the night with Bee. He hadn't thought it was a big deal, but apparently he was wrong, like usual.

"-sire?"

"'S kinda funny. Y'r more scareduva hellhound th'n me."

Whoops. He probably shouldn't have brought that up. There went the screechy noises and the spiky antlers. To be honest, he kinda liked the noises, all static and crackles when it wasn't music and funny sounds. It was almost like there was a Song following the sinner that he just didn’t understand yet...

Huh, Alastor looked surprised now. Those fluffy ears were upright and turned toward him. It was better than the 'Lucifer is an idiot' look but what happened? He was just standing here?

"You don't even know you're talking, do you? I think its time for you to get to bed, your drunkeness."

Yeah, he was probably right. Lucifer waved a hand, trying to swap into his pajamas but instead had about a dozen rubber ducks fall out of thin air around them. Oh, right. That's another reason he didn't drink...

Woah!

The world suddenly tilted again, but instead of falling on the floor like one of his ducks, he was all wrapped up in one of Alastor's tentacle things again. It was weird and a little cold but kinda... nice. Like getting hugged by a ghost. The mental image made him giggle.

"I think I will make a hotel-wide rule ensuring you are not to be served anything with alcohol after tonight."

... that was probably a good idea, yeah.

He felt a bit sad when he saw his bed. Drinking also made it hard to control the dreams. It didn't help if he disconnected from his body, cuz then it would just stop processing the stuff and be just as drunk when he got back into it. Stupid old broken body was dumb. Then there was his brain! It liked to bring up bad things if he didn't block it. Like the guilt he'd felt, waiting for Adam to go too far and break the deal keeping him away from the fight. Dazzle's death had cracked the chains, but for some reason it took the the First Man actually hurting Charlie to shatter them. The sheer terror of knowing if he had been just a few seconds slower...

"-ajesty?"

Or the way Lily had looked, curled up on the floor, protecting their unborn daughter from her husband and his brother...

"-cifer?!"

The cold sense of righteous satisfaction on the one he had once thought of as his closest companion. The cool darkness to his fiery light for untold eons. In that moment, Lucifer had known the one he once referred to as his brother must truly hate him. That Michael of all people had pushed him into-

"Dammit, Lucifer! S̵̗̩̲̞̑͊̑̓́̑T͉̓ͩ̈̀̋͘Ô̸̧̧͡P̰̒ͫ̅̔!"

Shock brought him back into the body as it was dropped to the floor. He scrambled to get up when he saw Alastor on one knee, hands over his ears and blood dripping from his mouth.

No, no, no, no!

Panic-fueled adrenaline cleared every bit of haze from him and he reached out, placing his hands on either side of that bowed head and willing his powers to fucking cooperate! Praying to a deity he wasn't sure existed that he hadn’t gone too far, broken that fascinating mind. Like he had with Lilith...

Like Eve.

***

Warmth. Light. A comforting hum blanketing from all sides.

Alastor hadn't felt this weightless since he was a young child. Too young to know what the world was really like. Too young to understand why his Maman sent him out to play in the woods when his father came home some nights, even if he was supposed to go to bed soon.

That man's death had been far too quick when Alastor was 14.

His screams had been much more satisfying as the Radio Demon's first broadcast.

A tugging sensation pulled him from his musings. Something was... someone was talking to him?

"-managed to trip one of the archangels into the river. Think that was Felian, if I remember right. Adam thought it was the funniest thing. His laughter was almost as obnoxious as yours back then, Bambi. Aha! There's the offended ears! You waking up now?"

Lucifer's voice was entirely too perky. Alastor opened one eye to glare at him as he tried to figure out what had happened. Apparently he was in a bed, the fallen angel sitting cross-legged in a chair beside it.

... why did it look like Lucifer had been crying?

"Soooo, what's the last thing you remember?"

Brows furrowing, he fought through the haze, "... ducks?"

Lucifer put his hands over his face, "Of course, you would hold on to the most embarrasing part. Where did those go, anyway? I checked the living room but they weren't there."

Alastor felt a bit of amusement, more of the memory coming back to him, "No idea."

There was a huff, "I call bullshit! You're going to find the worst possible time to pull them out in front of the others, aren't you?"

He gave a noncommittal hum, feeling his mind clearing a bit more and a faint taste of copper in his mouth, "I... you were having... something happened? I bit my tongue and the pain made it so I could yell at you. You needed to stop doing... something?"

"Well, that explains the blood," the King gave a tired sigh, "Yeah, that’s probably going to be a bit hazy for a while. I had to mess with your head a bit. I, uh, accidently started disconnecting and you were touching me. Well, your tentacle thingie was, but it was attached to you so... yeah."

"Eloquent, as always, your Majesty." Alastor took a deep breath, getting both eyes to open up and focus this time.

"Hey, you're back to sarcastically calling me an idiot! Good! Didn't fuck anything up in there too badly then!"

Lucifer looked far too happy for having obvious tear stains on his cheeks. The grin he had on was strained, the kind the demon recognized as a brittle mask. Pushing himself upright, Alastor was trying to come up with a retort when he caught a scent, "Why does it smell like smoke and sulfur in here? And how long was I out?"

"It's been about half an hour. And, well," Lucifer looked over by the doorway with a flush of guilt, "I, uh, took a bit of a risk and used Hellfire to burn the alcohol out of my bloodstream. It mostly worked, panic makes enough adrenaline to clear the mind so I only burnt a little bit of the carpet."

Well that explained the smell and why his Shadow still wasn’t back. He'd hidden it in Charlie's to keep an eye on the ladies while they were out, just in case. At least he hadn't lost much time, "So, you can purposely interfere with someone's mind?" He wasn't sure he was comfortable with that thought.

Lucifer's flinch didn't help, "I really, really don't like to. Anything more than blurring or blocking recent memories runs a high risk of permanently damaging the psyche."

Alastor had the distinct feeling the King was speaking from direct experience rather than common knowledge, "Considering I can kind of see what happened, I'm assuming you simply blurred mine?"

Lucifer nodded, "Yeah. There's only so much human minds can handle, especially with direct contact. Making it seem like a dream was enough to calm yours down. I did an overall look to make sure I hadn't done any real damage but I guess you pulled me out of it fast enough that there's just some, er, psychic bruising? It's not the right words but close enough. Nothing looked torn, thankfully."

He tilted his head, careful to only show idle curiosity, "So you don't see a person's memories when you do that?"

The fallen angel shook his head with a smirk, "Nope! All your dirty secrets are safe in that neat little twisty brain of yours!" The sinner's relief went unnoticed when he looked at the floor, his good humor slipping a bit, "I guess since you're okay, you should probably go. It's understandable if you don't want to be around me for a while, so I won't hold it against you if you want to cancel the next talk at the palace."

Alastor was quick to scoff, wary of the King's mood shifts after what had happened, "Nonsense! I am a gentleman of my word, good sir! You asked that I stay until you fall asleep, and what sort of host would I be to deny our most royal guest such a simple request?"

Lucifer looked at him like he'd suddenly grown a halo, "Really? After all that? Something is seriously wrong with you, you weirdo."

He grinned widely, normal people were terribly dull in his opinion, "So many compliments tonight, your Majesty! Why, I might actually think you like this 'lowly sinner' after all!"

"Don't push your luck, bellhop," Lucifer grumbled, a faint flush in his cheeks.

And if the sinner noticed a lack of bite to the insult, he chose not to call it out. For now.

***

When Alastor went back downstairs in the morning, he found Charlie flitting worriedly about with several guests in the lobby looking a bit hungover. When she noticed him, she rushed over, nearly vibrating with concern, "Al! Are you ok? We think someone might have tripped one of Sir Pentious's old sonic traps or something! Everyone I've seen so far said there was this weird wave of pressure last night and now they all have a headache. I'm trying to figure out why so we can fix it."

Alastor blinked at the rush of words. A part of him wanted to hint that her father was the source. To make her wonder if the King was hiding something from her. It would be an easy way to strain the relationship. Lucifer would quickly pull back, hide away again if he knew he'd hurt so many of his daughter's guests. Charlie would be hurt, losing trust in him when he refused to talk to her.

It would be something that made the holder of his chains very happy.

"Well, I'm right as rain, dear girl! I will do a full sweep of the hotel grounds to see if there is anything that was missed in cleaning up from the battle."

"Ohmygosh thanks, Al! You're the best!"

"I know! But thank you so very much for recognizing that fact, my dear!"

Chapter Text

Three nights later and Alastor was noticing a pattern. After being hit by Lucifer's energy, nightmares he had thought were under his control would resurface. This one was one of his least favorite, full of the sounds of chains and mad laughter that would turn to shrieks of rage at the slightest offense.

Tearing himself from the dream with the feeling of fingers running over his back and arms like he was nothing more than a damned pet, the clinking of chain links persisted. The general unease of the dream swiftly turned to an even more intense sort of fear as he opened his eyes to find himself still in the nightmare, only this was no figment of his damaged mind. Nausea threatened to overtake him as he looked around the softly glowing platform that stretched seemingly without end. One could walk in any direction for days only to find themself right back where they started.

He knew that from personal experience.

Alastor realized then that he could still feel those fingers on him, though it was muted. That could only mean one thing. Sitting upright, he turned to find his Shadow wrapped up in chains. It was struggling to get free, but they both knew it was pointless. The woman standing next to it and petting it affectionately was the only one able to restrain it like that. Though they were surrounded by darkness here, it was empty of anything that they could use to strengthen it or him to get loose to escape from her.

Roo gave him a wide grin and a playful wave, "Hiiii, pretty beastie! You called my name in your sleep. Were you dreaming about your Master? You must have missed me!"

Oh no. The magic stitches he'd put in to hold against speaking her name must have worn out at some point. Maybe when Lucifer's energy tore through him or the dream haze he'd put his mind in after? The wave turned into a grip on a dark red chain that she pulled yank him forward, "You've been a naughty, naughty, naughty pet, haven't you?"

Alastor knew immediately what she was referring to because the chain between them was visibly riddled with dark cracks. Thinking fast, he tried to explain, "I-it's not my fault, I swear! It probably happened when I almost got destroyed in that last Extermination."

Using the leash to get him in reach, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced him to meet her eyes, "Explain."

'Spin the truth, she always knows when it's a lie. Bend it to make her look in the wrong direction.' Careful not to use names because the wrong one at the wrong time could trigger a fit, he swallowed hard, "The leader of the Exorcists struck me down with holy steel. The King's daughter begged for him to save me, but apparently I was nearly gone by the time he got to me. The amount of energy it took to heal me was immense according to him."

Roo shoved him to the ground with a snarl, "He takes everything from me! Angels always lie, and steal, and lie, lie, LIE!"

Alastor hated remaining down under her like this, but standing back up while she was in this sort of mood would only make him even more of a target. Her eyes were wide and wild, the chains around them rattling with her anger. The ones that were on her currently snaked over her limbs, wrapping tight enough to indent her pale skin. Even his Shadow went still in its bonds, staring at her with wide eyes. Once he'd thought the creature was something she'd made to watch him, now he knew it was something that had manifested when he died, perhaps an odd part of his Judgements that he hadn't figured out what sort of punishment it was meant to be.

An unhinged sort of giggle left her, "He's not allowed to have my beastie! You're mine! MINE! I'll destroy you myself before he gets to have you too!"

Shit. She was in one of those moods. She'd been like this before she finally released him with orders to go to the hotel. He didn't want to relive that experience if he could help it. He'd already sacrificed so much of his dignity in front of this mad creature to ensure she did not use any of her powers on him again. What was a little more? He kept his voice as gentle as he could make it, "You still need me, remember? You need me to keep getting close to the Princess, that way you can get back at the lying angel. And look," he raised the cracked links closest to him to make her look at them. "they're damaged, but they're still solid, see? I'm still yours."

Thankfully the lack of his usual sass and generally pitiful appearance on the floor was enough to get her chains to settle, "You'll sign the contract again."

No, no, no! That wasn't what he wanted at all! As the scroll appeared in Roo's hand, he knew he had no other choice. He couldn't afford to let her take the time to actually look at it. At least she didn't want to draw up a whole new one. Still, if he agreed too easily, that would be suspicious. "Why though? You can see I'm still bound to you, right?"

She gave him a menacing grin that was all teeth as she summoned one of the shackles at his wrist, pulling it into reach of the scroll, "That wasn't a request, pet."

Swallowing hard, he took the scroll from her. Everything in him screamed to not do this, but what choice did he have? No matter her plans, this mad thing might very well decide she'd prefer him destroyed and start over. She'd waited however long to find a soul that she'd be able to pull through the cracks in her prison. Now that she'd managed it with him, it likely wouldn't be hard to get another. Souls as dark as his weren't exactly a rarity in Hell.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the faded signature he'd place on this ninety years ago, back before he'd truly understood exactly how much he was giving. Though he wanted to unroll it further, to see if he could find what had been secretly changed aside from the one clause he'd figured out by now, Alastor simply took the quill she held out to him and signed it once again. Watched as all those lovely cracks in the red filled back in, the chains feeling heavier than ever.

Now came the worst part. "Good, beastie! Now, let's seal it with a kiss!"

As horrific things full of eyes and spikes poured from her mouth, he let his mind go elsewhere, focusing intead on the memory of the small win he'd been given in this cruel game that had him as little more than a sacrificial pawn.

***

Several months ago

Charlie looked so wary of him for the first time since he appeared on the hotel doorstep months ago. Unsurprising. He was rather playing up on the theatrics in this. He had to, to try to give her whatever tools or weapons against what was coming that he could. While this time it wouldn't be what she feared most, the next time it might. It was part of the terms of his contract, after all.

"You... You want my soul?"

Eventually, but not yet. He would buy time for now, play a rather delicate game of ensuring she understood the weight of deals without burning her trust, "Yoṵ̈́̊r̢͆ só̸ͅul? Heavens! No, all I need from you is one itty bitty favor. What's a favor between friends?"

"I won't hurt anyone for you."

Good! Bargaining rather than blindly agreeing was a start. The term was a vague one that left far too many openings for her own harm, but he was already dragging this out too long. It wouldn't do for them to be interrupted, "Who's asking! One favor, at a time of my choosing, where you harm no one! In return, I tell you what I know! Do we have a dȩ̸a͡l?"

"... Deal!"

As they shook hands and the power flared out from the room, it had taken every ounce of his self control to not reveal his shock as he felt one compulsion of his own contract fade away, the clause completed on his end. But... he hadn't made the deal for her soul yet! So why...

His thoughts went to the note he had carefully hidden away somewhere only he could access.

'Act as though everything is as planned, even if you figure out what has been altered.'

He had simply needed to make a deal with one Charlotte Morningstar. No soul binding contracts necessary. Ha!

***

Charlie frowned as she restlessly tapped one of her glitter pens against the paper on her desk. Her office had an open door policy, literally, so she could see out into the lobby clearly and know immediately if there was a new guest or someone looked like they needed help. Right now she was ignoring the itinerary she'd been trying to make to watch out for a familiar red figure that she hadn't seen all morning. It was unusual for Al to miss breakfast, even more so for him to not make an appearance by now without sending some sort of message about his absence.

It made her worried.

Sure, he might have just... slept in, or popped out into town and forgot to say anything, but he was pretty predictable with his routines. That was the only thing predictable with him. Trying to guess what he was going to say when he opened his mouth was like trying to throw darts blindfolded and drunk. You'd miss way more than landing a hit on the target, a bullseye was practically a miracle.

Speaking of unpredictable conversation partners, Charlie caught sight of Niffty pushing a cart with a large stock pot and sewing supplies towards the elevator. If anyone knew what was up with Alastor, it would be her. Even when she claimed not to know, there was... something that told Charlie she did and was just not telling because Al asked her not to. At least knowing he was up to something sneaky would be better than her imagination going wild to the point of wondering if he was in a ditch somewhere wounded by a sinner using angelic steel. Like that stupid Vox who kept lording over how Al had gotten hurt against Adam when the Vees were all too cowardly to come out of their big gaudy tower and take a stand themselves!

Decision made, she got to her feet and hurried across the lobby, "Hey, Niffty? You got a second?" The little cyclops paused, looking back at her curiously. Feeling it was rude to just immediately demand to know where Al was, Charlie motioned at the cart, "Looks like you cooked enough to feed half an army. What's all this?"

Niffty did one of her mock-salutes, likely playing off of the army comment as she pretended to give a sit-rep, "Just some repair and replenishment supplies for my favorite bad boy, ma'am!"

Her serious expression broke into a fit of giggles over her own ridiculousness. The fact that she was so laid back kept Charlie from immediately freaking out over Alastor needing 'repair supplies.' Maybe it was for his neat but creepy puppet things? Curiousity had her reaching for the pot lid despite knowing she probably shouldn't given Al's preferences. When she lifted the lid, the briefest scent had her nose feeling like it was on fire and she rapidly shut the pot again before taking a few steps back with watering eyes, "Holy crap! That smells really spicy!"

"Yep! I think the bug queen caught him and dragged him in for an interrogation again. He wouldn't have given her any information on the rebel forces, but she always leaves icky bug gut tastes in his mouth, so washing it away with the spiciest gumbo I can make gets him back on his feet and in fighting shape to battle her forces fast!" She pointed at the sewing supplies, "That's just in case she forgot to put his fingers and toes back in the right places again!"

More than a bit confused and concerned, Charlie looked over to the bar and Husk to see if maybe he'd heard that and was willing to provide a translation from 'Niffty-speak' into non-crazy person language. The feline didn't seem worried, just rolling his gold-on-black eyes with a shrug, "That one doesn't come up much. You know how she is about the damn bugs. My best guess is boss had to go have a chat with someone she doesn't like. Spicy food usually means he had to take a bite out of someone nasty, so she's probably just making sure someone didn't get in a lucky hit before he tore them apart."

Charlie looked to Niffty for confirmation on that, but she was already in the elevator and the doors were sliding shut, "I'll tell Alastor you were worried about him!"

Great. Even odds on if that would have the Radio Demon avoiding her and her 'sappy, misplaced feelings' or if it would ruffle his pride enough to come find her and hiss at her like a disgruntled cat over her thinking he was weak or something like that.

... huh. Maybe she was getting better at blind dart throwing than she thought.

***

Lucifer was drawn from the half-sleep state he tended to put the body in to avoid nightmares by several bright energies 'knocking' at his wards. It didn't take long for him to recognize them. He frowned as he got up from the cot he kept in his workshop for when he couldn't handle going to his regular bed. Why in the hell were the other Sins here?!

Oh. Oh no. There was only one reason he could think of. They'd decided to gang up on him.

No, no, no. Nu uh! Nope! He was going to pretend he wasn't home. Better yet, he'd teleport over to the hotel, Charlie would probably love if he joined them for breakfast. Dealing with sinners doing uncomfortable bonding and trust exercises would be so much better than-

A diamond shaped portal opened up, Ozzie's faces looking down at him with unusual seriousness, "Don't even think about running, man. This is an intervention." He leaned in a bit and looked at the small mountains of rubber ducks, "Long overdue by the looks of it."

Bee suddenly appeared at the edge of the portal, waving, "Sorry, not sorry, Lulu! You asked about that cutie patootie's Song? Figured that meant it was safe enough to tell 'em once everyone had a free day!"

... dammit. He'd forgotten he'd left Asmodeus with an 'emergency key' through the wards, "You guys really don't need to-"

Lucifer was effectively cut off by one of the other Sin's fingers pressing against his lips, "Lu, you got only two options here. You can keep your dignity and let us in the front door, or I can let the others in this way where Satan and Mammon can see this mess."

Nope! That was not an option, and the big blue lug knew it too! "Fine, gimme a second, you brats."

"Sure thing, big daddy!"

With a cheeky wink from all three of Ozzie's faces, the portal closed, leaving Lucifer staring despairingly at empty air. There was a time when people actually respected him, he was sure of it. Blowing out a breath, he teleported to the entry and dropped the wards, glaring at the other six Sins as they came in, "What's the occasion?"

"Don't you be playin' dumb, Lu," Mammon folded one set of arms over his chest, pointing at Lucifer with a free hand, "Yer a fuckin' moron, but yer smarter than that."

That reminded him, "Speaking of morons, how the fuck did you figure it out, asshole?!"

The Sin of Greed sneered, "Cuz you been fightin' n' gettin' pissy wit' me fer ages, dumbass. You know how many goddamned headaches I got cuz you didn't realize your Song went loud as shit?!" He hooked a thumb towards Satan, "This fucker does the same shit, but at least he ain't old enough ta make me feel like my bloody brains are gonna melt outta my ears! He pro'ly thought you were doin' it on purpose and got in the habit cuz 'a you, numb-nuts!"

Fuck. That would explain it. Mammon, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub had been the youngest when they all Fell and became Sins. Even as torn apart as he was, the intensity of his Song was probably a bit hard to handle at high volume. Thank fuck everyone but Fallen were unable to hear, he'd probably have literally melted some brains on accident.

Satan looked like he was considering setting Mammon on fire, which yes please, but Bee put two fingers to her lips and blew out a sharp whistle, "Cut it out! I'm calling a code Armageddon here, so pack it away boys!"

Ozzie, Bel, and both of Levi's heads nodded in agreement with her, which made it a majority vote for the code to go into effect. Just great. Code Armageddon was something they'd all agreed on for Hell-wide emergencies where they all needed to work together. It meant until the meeting was over, all personal issues with each other had to be put aside to focus on the problem and make sure everything got taken care of. The last one had been called because of his signing the agreement with Heaven over the Exterminations. Keeping from telling them all of why had been damn near impossible, but for once he actually earned his title Father of Lies. No matter their history, he refused to let them know just how weak he was or have them looking at him and Lilith with pity.

"Lucifer." Belphegor's even tone drew him out of his thoughts to find her in front of him, "Have you been taking the medication I made for you?"

Wincing, he stepped back, "Eh. I, uh, really didn't like how it made me want to sleep all the time."

Several of the eyes on her neck narrowed as the one on her forehead lit up bright, "And you did not discuss this with me because?"

Shit. Today was 'take Lucifer to task for all his fuck-ups' day, wasn't it? "Seriously, guys, you don't have to worry about me. I promise, I'm-"

"If you say 'fine,' I'm going to start yanking your damned teeth out, Lucifer." Satan snarled, "Do you have any idea how fucking pissed we are that they did that to you?!"

... wait, they weren't mad at him? When he repeated the question aloud, they gave a collective sigh of frustration, Levi's left head glaring at him, "Oh, ve are mad atchu for lyink to us." Their right head nodded, "But ve are more mad at dem for pretendink dey is de good guys ven dey is willink to do sometink like dat!"

That got several nods of agreement and Lucifer could admit to feeling a bit better for the fact that they were angry on his behalf. Bee clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention, "Alright, now that he doesn't look like he's going to run away any second, I vote we get some grub and all sit down for a meal before we grill him for what else he's been hiding from us."

Oh hell no. Down that road lay meltdowns and panic attacks and losing his shit. He was not ready for that sort of talk. Lucifer scrabbled for any valid sounding excuse to get out of it.

When an alarm went off on his phone, he was elated. Please let that be something important! His mood did something funny when he saw the note attached to the alarm. Maybe it was just because it was providing him a way out of this, "Guys, we're going to need to find a better day for this. I have an important meeting that I can't just -hey!"

Satan had plucked his phone from his hands, looking at his screen dubiously, "Talk to Charlie's parasite?"

That got several curious looks and he tried to figure out how to tell the truth without giving away that he probably could delay or move the next conversation with Al. It wasn't like they actually had a set day, just it had happened to work out that they were both free on the same day each month, "Charlie's got an Overlord crashing at her hotel. Sinner with a serious creepy vibe that I just know is there with ulterior motives. Char wants us to get along, but I want to figure out why he's there. We have an agreement for scheduled meetings, it gets him away from her for a bit since he won't leave under threats and I can't do more drastic measures since she considers him a friend."

Bee frowned, "That the static fizz dude from the other night? The one that almost skewered Tex?"

Oh good! Whatever that freakout had been about, it put extra weight behind why he wanted to keep such an unstable soul away from his daughter as much as he could. "Yep! That's him."

The way they all looked at him had him remembering the other part of that evening. Oh boy, Bee must have told them about that too. Ozzie smirked, fist on his hip, "You know, I think I wanna meet this crazy fucker that's got you all up in him."

... he just had to make that sound so much dirtier than it was. "No. Absolutely not. I want him gone from Charlie's life, not more interested in sticking around because it might get him the attention of the Sins."

Leviathan and Satan shared a look, the left head starting, "Ve could help scare him off if de little parasite is dat bad for Charlie." And the right adding on, "Or ve could make him disappear into Bel's labs vile hyu is vit her. Den she vouldn't be able to blame hyu?"

For some reason, that idea didn't give him any sort of good feelings either. Which was weird. Shouldn't at least fantasizing about it be amusing? Even if he knew it was something he wouldn't agree to in reality? Setting that aside to pick at and panic over later, he shook his head, "Thanks for the offer, but no. Look, I have nothing going on all next week. Why don't you guys pick a day and we'll talk then?"

Hopefully somewhere between now and then, the actual Apocalypse would hit and he wouldn't have to worry about explaining anything to anyone!

***

Meanwhile in Heaven

"Sera."

The High Seraphim nearly shrieked in alarm, her wings flaring wide with eyes opening all along them. When she found it was Michael standing in front of her, she blew out a breath. He had been one of the staunchest defenders of Heaven since the disaster in Eden, proving his loyalty against the traitorous Samael tenfold and then some. His intensity was a bit... off-putting at times, but his advice was always sound, "Commander. How can I help you?"

"I have come to speak with you on the so-called 'redeemed' soul."

Sera frowned, getting to her feet, "Yes? Sir Pentious I believe is his name."

"I have reason to believe it is actually a plant sent by Hell to spread doubt and dissent." Michael walked past her to look out of the windows of her office at the city below, "It may be wise to contain it until we can be certain that the soul is truly pure."

All in all, it wasn't entirely impossible. She had spoken with the redeemed herself. He seemed rather prone to anxious fits under her gaze, though many human-born grew nervous when she turned her attention too fully upon them. "He has shown no sign of attempting to tempt others into Falling. The only concern I have is his continued desire to reach out to a soul down there by the name of Cherri." Sera moved to stand next to him, looking out over the city and all the precious souls they had vowed long ago to protect. She was careful not to make contact, Michael was very reticent about touch unless he initiated it, "Emily seems to rather taken with him as a friend."

The Commander made a small sound at that, something she wasn't entirely certain on the feeling behind it. His Song remained as calm as it ever did, never wavering even in the heat of battle. It was something she appreciated in the volatility of these trying times. He reached out and placed a gloved hand on her arm, "Perhaps, but it would be wisest to be safe. What's the harm in restricting the soul's movements for a limited time, so long as all needs are met?"

... yes, that didn't seem like too much of an issue, so long as it was only temporary. One could never be too cautious. Sera nodded, "I will see to it."

Michael gave a small smile in response, though it never reached his eyes, "Glad you and I could come to an agreement. Emily, she's the young one you've taken under your wing, correct? She's at an age that she can take on more duties. Have her meet with me later."

Strangely enough, despite the honor it should have been that Emily was deemed ready to step up in the ranks of Heaven, Sera felt the urge to tell him no. She pushed the odd impulse aside, "Let me know when you have time and I will make sure she comes to see you when she has no other obligations."

With that, he vanished just as swiftly and silently as he had appeared, leaving Sera with that unsettled feeling deep in her core.

Chapter Text

Alastor considered his next words carefully, letting his fingers wander aimlessly over the keys of the piano. Niffty's assistance had been vital in getting back to rights to ensure he could be ready for the monthly conversation. After what happened a few nights ago, he wasn't going to cancel or reschedule. Lucifer likely would have taken that as a sign that the incident had shaken him and tried to permanently cancel the entire arrangement or some other such nonsense. Between the fact that Alastor abhorred anyone believing he couldn't handle a little thing like having his brain scrambled, and that this delightful little series of interactions was a small way of rebelling against his so-called Master's wishes without her knowing, he refused to allow himself to falter and let the fallen angel pull away. Especially not right now with her laughter still ringing in his ears and her touch ghosting over his skin. At least the fallen angel's energy only affected him in moments of understandable anger or loss of control.

Lucifer had brought him to the music room again. From the relaxed expression on the King's face where he sat on the floor, leaning his head against the side of the instrument, the Radio Demon felt the comment about music played by another person helping him was not an exaggeration. This would probably be the best time to ask about something he was sure the fallen angel would be reluctant to speak on. Before attempting, he turned up the volume on the frequencies that followed him. Lucifer had drunkenly admitted to liking the noise of the static so it would be best to use every advantage he had, "What really happened back in Eden?"

His ears flicked when he felt a small change in pressure. Not enough to signify Lucifer was losing control again, but Alastor was sure it was a sign that he definitely wasn't happy with the question. One gold-lit eye opened to look at him and he kept his gaze on the keys, reminding himself to stay patient and to gracefully accept if Lucifer decided not to answer. "...why do you want to know?"

The sinner felt a thread of excitement, knowing that not being turned down outright meant it was likely his question would be given a proper response so long as he didn't mess up, "The story everyone knows seems too...simple. Too clear cut for reality. Things are always messier than the winning side makes it seem."

Lucifer huffed, falling silent for a time. Alastor tried adding in a lighter note to the melody and his reasons, "Plus, given what I know of you, the fact that you have apples everywhere seems like a giant middle finger to Heaven. You tend to hide away from the things you feel guilty for, not flaunt them for all and sundry."

The King scoffed, turning his full gaze on him now, "You really do watch and pick apart everything around you, don't you? It's no wonder you held out against Adam so long. Most would have just been batted away like that snake fellow."

He allowed a proud smile to cross his lips. His defeat may have been humiliating, but to know that he had done better than others in the same place would have did help ease the irritation of it.

Lucifer shifted a bit, bringing his knees up to hug close to his chest. It made him seem even smaller, all curled up like that. Such unfathomable power with such a tiny body compared to most that inhabited this realm. It was a bit curious, poetic almost when one considered that the form seemed to be little more than a meat puppet for what lay within it. Alastor wanted nothing more than to dig his claws in and actually find the core of the angel, to see the truth of it for himself rather than just that mysterious, invisible presence he'd experienced before. The fallen angel appeared to come to a decision then and began speaking, "The apple wasn't really an apple. There was no tree set in the middle of Eden with a giant sign saying 'Do Not Eat.' That would have been stupid. Even if the humans had avoided it, what's to say a squirrel or something wouldn't climb up there to take a bite?"

True enough. The impulse to make a snide comment was held back by sharp teeth in his own tongue. He had promised to remain at least mostly respectful here and he wasn't about to be foolish enough to interrupt when it seemed like he might be getting a full meal rather than crumbs this time.

"Humans were an experiment. A first attempt to make something complex enough to be caretakers for our creations while angels could be free and focused on making more Songs. But you were supposed to remain simple enough to follow commands without question or concern. At first, I agreed with the idea. It wouldn't have been able to happen if I hadn't."

Alastor was very curious of that. Listening without commentary was a great deal more difficult than he'd ever imagined. Hopefully the King understood at least a little just how much he was being given in this.

"The other Seraphim were very hands off about the whole thing. Once Adam and Lilith were made, they were content to just watch things happen with the lower class angels guiding things. I was the only one that wanted to interact with them directly. At first, it was all following the Plan. They were happy enough to tend to the garden with no worries at all. Then... they started asking questions, wanting to know more about the world and universe at large." Lucifer gave him a look, "A bit like you, without the whole murder-happy craziness."

The sinner grinned, unrepentant in the least, though he didn't like the whole comparing him to Adam part.

"I should have probably noticed then, that their Songs started to change. I'm pretty sure I was the problem, like usual. Back then, I didn't have a constant hold on my energy. We knew they couldn't handle seeing us fully but I didn't think my energies could have an effect. They both just seemed so fascinating, eager to learn more about everything to the point that I..."

Bright eyes dimmed and the air around them seemed to grow heavy with something that wasn't physical. Was this another sign of that control being loosened? That little extra bit slipping out enough to be felt? A glance out the window showed clouds rapidly building on the horizon. Alastor's heart skipped a beat as he remembered hearing about the sudden storm that had hit the night Lucifer lost control at the hotel. Was the King of Hell capable of affecting the very weather of the realm if he wasn't careful with his energy and moods?!

Unaware of the awe building within his solitary audience, Lucifer sighed, "But then... Lilith started to resent Adam and he started to push for more control over her. They never ate the Fruit, but you saw how Adam was. Every bit as arrogant and condescending as any other human could be. Lilith left him even though she shouldn't have even thought to. I was too infatuated at that point to realize and, by the time I did, it was too late. Their Songs were just as complex as any young angel. The others didn't hear them, never got close enough and assumed it was just a small error since I didn't tell them about the change. The angels that worked closest with me in the garden kept quiet as well. They were just as fascinated by these beings that were so different from us. Then... we made Eve."

Lucifer shuddered a bit, a tear falling unnoticed as distant thunder rolled into hearing, "I helped form her, but Mi... one of the others finished her. Tied her to Adam's Song and made sure she was so constrained that she would never dream of leaving the First Man. When I saw her for the first time, that's when I truly knew that what we were doing was wrong. That it was unnatural to force their Songs in the direction we wanted rather than letting them flourish on their own. I tried to tell them but they all ignored me. So I..." He took a deep, shaky breath and shook his head. "The Fruit wasn't my first attempt. But it was the only way to ensure humanity wouldn't just be erased by the others as a mistake."

Things felt quiet then, Alastor mulling over the information as he continued to play. He knew Lucifer had glossed over what happened with Eve, he wouldn't push there, "What did you do that they couldn't just erase us?"

Lucifer grinned through his tears, vicious and victorious, "I put a part of myself in the Fruit. I made humanity an integral part of Creation. If angels destroyed you before your Songs were realized without me taking back what I had given, it would create Silence. A space in the symphony where there was nothing." There was a strain in his voice, "And that Silence would eventually spread until all of existence would fall quiet. True Silence, for those who have always been surrounded by the Songs, would drive all angels to madness and despair. So they had to let Eve live. They couldn't erase Adam without admitting to the others what I had done, making them wonder why. It was too likely even more would agree, would break the unity that had kept all of them trusting in the guidance of the Seraphim. They sent the two humans out into the world, likely hoping that they would quickly perish on their own without the resources of the garden. The rest is history."

That... that was very different from the stories preached by the churches, but he could see how the core of it had been used to keep it sounding like the truth. And the silence, or perhaps Silence, since the emphasis and near accent on it seemed to have some importance, that was what Lucifer had said they'd done to him. That what would drive all angels to madness and despair was something he had been living with for ten-thousand years. Alastor could feel his mental box for the King of Hell shifting to accommodate so much more than what he had originally believed of the fallen angel. "Then you and the Queen were sent to Hell, her name forgotten and yours vilified."

Lucifer snorted, "Mine was forgotten too. Lucifer Morningstar is like saying the same thing twice. It's stupid, but at this point I like it. Means the ones that attempt to summon me are knocking at the door rather than forcing me up there."

Alastor blinked, fingers stilling on the piano for a beat before he continued playing, "You really can be summoned?" He had thought the King of Hell was simply too powerful for that. Perhaps he could have gotten a better deal than the one he was in?

"Since my real name has been all but forgotten, it's easy to refuse." Lucifer sighed, "I usually ignore it unless someone makes the mistake of a human sacrifice. Then I don't care if they see what I am. They are going to Hell anyway and summoning me makes it hard to contain things in the body. Not my fault they fucked around and got sent down here earlier than they would have liked."

'So it was for the best that I hadn't thought of that as a valid option.' Once again, Lucifer had referred to it as 'the body', not 'my body'. The demon really wanted to know what Lucifer truly looked like. Every hint he got of it said that knowing would destroy him but the itch of not knowing was getting hard to ignore. He turned the music more jaunty and playful, "I have one more question for today, if you are willing to permit it."

Lucifer snorted, "I'm awful at sticking to rules if you haven't noticed." He waved his hand in a kingly fashion, his expression haughty though his tone was teasing, "Ask away, peasant."

Alastor gave a dignified sniff with an upturned nose, "I don't take orders from you, sire." The atmosphere was more relaxed now with their banter, confirming the likelihood that the tone of music could affect the King's mood. Another glance at the sky revealed the clouds were also lightening and beginning to scatter. Interesting... "You said the Seraphim couldn't have been able to create humans without your agreement?"

Lucifer hummed a bit, "Yup! It has to be all eleven of us, though technically it's twelve. Raziel... never-mind. He made it so his presence wasn't necessary before he up and vanished on us. If even one of us refuses, the complexity is lost and whatever being is brought to life will be no more than a simple creature of instinct alone. A single string instead of a full instrument. Between being unable to make a new Creation like you guys and their inability to safely erase my mistake... well, that's why they are trying so hard to break me."

He blinked, seemingly surprised at his own admittance before looking at Alastor apprehensively. The sinner stopped the melody, staring at the King of Hell as more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Heaven wasn't content to simply leave Lucifer to rot for all of eternity. No, they wanted to break him to their will. Knowing how erratic the fallen angel's behavior was, how long would it be until they succeeded?

***

Lucifer could feel the panic building as it began to strain the connections, threatening to pull him and the body apart. He tried everything he could to get it under control, but the heart kept racing, breaths becoming shorter. The mind raced with the knowledge of what was and what could be. Only Lilith had known what Heaven was attempting to do though he never told her exactly what would happen to him if he did submit to the will of the others. It was enough that she knew all of humanity would cease to exist, including the sinners in Hell. In fact, all of Hell would be wiped clean, not just the sinners.

Once Lucifer himself was back in line, only knowing himself as Samael once more, rewriting the wills of the survivors among those that had followed him, had chosen to Fall when he was cast down, would be easy. It would be as though the last ten thousand years had never happened.

Charlie, his beautiful baby girl with her own Song still growing... what would they do to her?! They couldn't risk the Silence by erasing her, he had ensured her soul was as tied to Creation as he could, so what-

He was knocked out of his thoughts when something struck him in the head with a sharp squeak before landing at his feet. Lucifer blinked as he looked down at the bright yellow object, failing to recognize it for a moment before he realized it was a rubber ducky.

One of his rubber duckies.

Looking over at Alastor, he saw the sinner had a hand over one ear and a mildly pained expression. Behind him was his Shadow creature, most of the other rubber ducks cradled in one arm against its chest and one being tossed casually in its hand, obviously ready to be thrown like the first.

"Did you just... throw a duck at me?! Is that really what just happened here?"

Alastor chuckled before rubbing at his ear and blinking several times. The pained look faded away quickly, "It worked, didn't it? I wasn't going to deal with you practically weeping all over me again if I touched you. It's terribly undignified of a King to behave as such over a lowly sinner like myself, after all! Even if that sinner is a cunning and terribly charming Overlord of great esteem with a terrifying reputation."

Lucifer felt something in him shift then as he started laughing hysterically at this insane, morally bankrupt creature before him. Despite the fact that the Radio Demon was nearly everything that the fallen angel had not wanted humanity to become, he found he genuinely liked the damned soul! Perhaps it would end up leaving a scar just as everything else had, but he already knew he would never heed the part of him telling him to back away before it was too late. It wasn't in his nature and, knowing his luck, it was too late already. "You got the terrible part right, you maniac!"

Alastor got to his feet and attempted a bow, only his equilibrium was still a bit off. His Shadow moved quickly to catch him with a tentacle. Really, the thing was oddly independent in thoughts and actions for something made by a sinner's magic, especially since Lucifer was fairly sure Alastor hadn't been in Hell a full century yet. "Whoops! Apologies, but it appears you managed to give me two left feet, sire! Well done! I haven't been this graceless since the time dear Mimzy convinced me to try her associate's bathwater gin. Dreadful drink, but it certainly proved true the nickname of giggle water for the stuff! Haha!"

Not even five minutes out from dealing with Lucifer's energies leaking and the sinner was already laughing and treating all of this like nothing more serious than a minor magical overload. The longer he spent around the man, the more oddities and curiosities that revealed themselves. Dangerous, considering the fallen angel knew his own weakness for unique and curious people and things. He forced himself to look away from Alastor and focused instead on the rubber duck he'd picked up, one that had been used as a tool to stop his downward spiral instead of the demon doing the smart thing most others would have done if they were capable of it like he knew Al was and running far away.

Yes, this was a very dangerous game they were playing. He didn't think either of them were going to stop, not when it had just started to get so interesting.

Chapter Text

Charlie could honestly say that right now her life was almost perfect! Her dream, her hotel, was working! (Well, it had worked once so far but she was sure it wouldn’t be long before another soul ascended!) Everyone currently in her life was supporting her and helping out in any way they could! Even her dad!

Speaking of her dad, something really weird was going on. Well, weirder than her life already was, given she was the Princess of Hell, had a former Exorcist for a girlfriend, and was dealing with traumatized souls that had spent years believing there was no hope for anything better so they might as well accept it and give as good as they got down here.

Charlie had been so excited when he said he was free for a bit and could stay over for a few nights. (Although he'd muttered something about 'until the others drag me away to torture.' Which he refused to explain. Ugh.) Though he had resisted the idea before, she hadn’t been above using what Vaggie called her ‘kicked puppy eyes.’ Was it underhanded? Maaaaybe? But this was for his own good, dammit! And she'd won even! So ha!

See, Charlie knew her dad had problems. Even if there weren't already signs in the way he acted, he was the first one Heaven had chosen to punish and had spent ten-thousand years stuck down here. So yeah, it would be freaky if he didn't have some issues at this point. She couldn't even begin to guess everything he'd been through. Sure, he smiled and laughed and tried his best to seem like everything in his life was just fine, that he was happy to be here for her whenever he didn't have to do whatever he was doing when he left, but sometimes it felt... forced. Fake. She had to wonder if she only was seeing it now after really working with the different ways sinners coped with trauma rather than just reading about it. For all that her dad wasn't human, he had lived among them for a long time, was married to one even! So it made sense he'd subconsciously pick up on their ways of handling things, both healthy and unhealthy.

Did any of them really work for him? Or was he going through the motions because he couldn't think of any other way to get by?

Shoving away the part of her brain that was trying to go down the rabbit hole of wondering if there were any studies on the psychology of fallen angels in Aunt Bel's textbooks, Charlie breathed in the calm of the early morning quiet in her office and the lobby, tapping her glitter pen against the paper she'd been doodling on. (Yes, she was well aware the pens she used were silly and unprofessional, thanks, Al.) Being up this early gave her a bit of time to sort her thoughts out, set her goals for the day, and made it so she didn't wake up her girlfriend with all her restless movements going on along with her restless mind.

Glancing at the childish doodles she had made, she had to snort. Ducks. Specifically rubber ducks. That was what had started this train of thought. Charlie had noticed that anytime her dad came over lately, one or more rubber ducks would also make an appearance at some point in the visit.

But it wasn't him bringing them.

At first, she thought it was. A few days ago, a sharp squeak had her looking over at her dad to find a rubber duck at his feet. He'd gotten all flustered and quickly made it vanish. She figured it had dropped out of his pocket or something. Then he and Al had gotten into an argument over something and she'd been too worried it would end up in cracked walls and busted windows again to really think much about it. Neither of them admitted to what they were fighting over that time, though she thought maybe her dad started it because he'd looked a bit surprised when Al also refused to explain.

Then there'd been another random duck. And another after that!

It was once Charlie caught sight of one hitting her dad on the back of his head that she realized it wasn't him dropping them, but somebody throwing them at him. As far as she could tell, it was always when he had gone quiet and wasn't really there. She had learned to recognize what the signs of dissociation actually looked like from Angel Dust and that was one of the reasons she had really started pushing her dad to come visit more. If he was doing that in the middle of a room full of people, how bad was it all alone in the palace? 

As soon as she knew someone else was hitting her dad with the ducks, it didn't take long for her to figure out who it most likely was. There was only one person in the hotel regularly who could be happily chatting away across the room and still cause mischief for someone that far away. That left her with the question of why? It was so... silly and harmless and cute, it didn't really fit his normal sort of pranks and jokes, especially the ones aimed at her dad. Those usually had a bit of metaphorical teeth as sharp as his real ones.

Speak of the cannibalistic deer, Charlie caught a familiar shade of red at the edge of her vision, making her raise her head. No one else was around, maybe this would be a time when she could get some honest answers from him! Getting to her feet, she trotted closer to catch up with him before he got to the front door, "Al! Good morning!

"Good morning to you as well, dear girl! Did you hear we are to get a bit of acid rain later today? I'll be on the roof later listening to the screams of those too busy looking at their mind-rotting cellular devices to pay attention if you'd like to join me!"

... sometimes she wasn't sure if he was honestly asking her to do these things with him, or if he was just saying it so he could weird her out, "Uh, no. Thank you for offering though." Charlie mentally steeled herself for whatever convoluted or ridiculous answer she was going to get before she spoke, "I just wanted to ask, why are you throwing rubber ducks at my dad?"

"Me?" He dramatically put a hand to his chest, "Oh, no no no! I would never touch one of those cutesy things!"

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, about to call him out on lying, when she realized he was probably playing one of those word games where he misdirected with the truth. Pointing at his feet, she adjusted her question, "Then why is your Shadow throwing them at him?"

Al's eyes lit up with clear delight and pride that she'd caught on, "Well done! I suppose we've been too obvious with it." Behind him, his Shadow came up and started pulling out ducks, tossing them in the air until it was juggling seven of them with a playful grin, "A bit of light merriment and shenanigans, my dear."

Uh huh. Sure. Like that wasn't setting off her bullshit alarms at full blast. She was about to say as much when delighted shrieks and laughter had her looking toward the stairs to find Niffty sliding down the banisters with a rag under her feet like a makeshift skateboard or something. Getting to the bottom, she tumbled to the floor, rolling until she came to a stop against Charlie's leg. The little cyclops gave a happy wave, "Morning, Princess!"

Glancing over towards Alastor, she sighed in frustration at finding him and his Shadow gone. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked down at Niffty again with a raised brow, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

That got a slow blink, "Did what?"

Ugh! Why did she like these manipulative little shits so much?! She was starting to understand Husk's avoidance of acknowledging their antics unless he was forced to. Guess it was time for plan B, aka cornering her dad because he was more likely to let something slip. Like if he and Al were friends enough that the sinner was weirdly helping him, why did they keep fighting so much? Maybe she'd be able to catch him while Alastor was out.

That decided, Charlie went back to her office to finish writing a letter to Emily. It had been a few weeks since she got anything back, but she was sure the angel was just busy. Last she'd heard, her friend was starting the process of seeing if she was ready for a higher position of authority, which was great! Emily was firmly for the idea of redemption, so her having more weight behind her opinions was sure to help keep things peaceful between Heaven and Hell!

***

A Few Weeks Earlier in Heaven 

Emily blew out a breath, staring at the door and trying her best to fight down her nerves. This meeting was important for more than just the fact that she might be getting a chance to make her voice heard in general. She was about to meet Michael, the one who stood over all the military forces of Heaven! Sera might be the High Seraphim, but everyone knew that her brother often advised her on many matters. While there were discussions of negotiations for peace, there were also preparations being made for war! If she could make him see that it wasn't necessary, that there really was hope for something better than senseless pain and death, maybe she could make everyone else see it too!

That wasn't the only reason for her nerves though. Sera had called her in to talk before this, a worried tone in her voice and Song as she spoke, "Please, Emily, promise me if you find the path you are on to be too much, come to me. It's not that I doubt your ability, it's just..."

When she trailed off, Emily had flown over to give her a hug, "It's just what, Sera?"

The elder Seraphim returned the hug after a second, the anxiousness in her settling into warmth and care. This was why Emily knew she had a real chance at making things better for everyone! Sera let herself drop the responsibility and burdens that weighed on her so much easier than she used to, she had just needed someone to remind her she was more than only the High Seraphim! That she was allowed to relax and feel the Joy of Heaven too! "It's just Michael can be very intense and has high expectations of others. I think he forgets that not everyone can work as tirelessly as him. He makes me look lazy at times."

Well, that just meant Emily had to find a way to do for him what she'd done for Sera! She had a lot more confidence in her abilities as a Joybringer since Sera took her under her wing, it should be easier this time around, right?

That thought in mind, she straightened her spine and knocked on the door. Almost immediately she felt the privacy barrier over it fall away, giving her the first hint of the Commander's Song. One of the biggest differences between the Firsts and other angels was that their Songs always filled the room, no matter how they much they pulled the energy of their souls back. His was... calm. Like a lake on a moonless night, no breeze over it or creatures within disturbing the surface. It made her curious about what was underneath the still waters.

"Enter."

The first thing she noticed about his office was that it was dimmer than most, the bright lights of Heaven softened by tinted windows. The second was that there was no decorations, nothing to really personalize the space. The third... "Oh wow, you look a lot like Charlie!"

Michael raised a brow at her from where he stood in front of his desk and Emily could feel her face grow warm with her embarrassment, "Sorry, that just kind of slipped out!" She moved closer, spreading her wings slightly in greeting as well as holding out her hand, "Hi, I'm Emily. Sera said you wanted to meet with me?"

He made no move to take her hand, simply nodding once and shifting his wings in answer to hers, "Michael. And yes. Tell me, were you referring to Charlotte Morningstar?"

She dropped her hand without worrying at his lack of response to the gesture. Some angels and humans just didn't like contact with strangers, if at all. Nodding, she gave him a bright smile, "Yes!" Unlike Sera when Charlie was mentioned, his expression remained neutral. Which, hey, that was maybe better than offended or angry! "I only met her once, but we exchange letters pretty regularly."

"I see." The Commander moved to take a seat behind his desk, motioning towards a rather comfy looking chair, "Please have a seat." After she did, he lifted one of the papers on his desk, "I read that you have been one of the more active of the upper choirs in pushing for peace negotiations. Explain your reasoning."

Right to the heart of the matter. Yeesh, she'd kind of expected a bit of small talk or a bit more easing into the subject so she could get a feel for how he felt about human souls in general. Still, Emily wasn't about to let that throw her off! She clasped her hands in her lap, trying to seem as calm and mature about a serious discussion like this as she could, "Yes, I believe it is our duty to seek peaceful resolutions to the antagonistic relationship between Heaven and Hell. It has already been proven redemption is possible, wouldn't it be right to work with Princess Morningstar on figuring out what worked so that those who truly want to enjoy the peace of our realm have a chance to obtain it?"

There was still no real sign of a deep reaction, his expression, wings, and Song remaining completely neutral. It was a little creepy honestly, but he probably had a lot of practice keeping himself calm with the wars and all that. Emily hadn't been formed until after the last one, so she didn't really know for herself what it would have been like for him.

"You certainly seem truly set on it. Would you say meeting Princess Morningstar helped you form this opinion on the matter?"

Emily thought on that for a moment. He seemed awfully curious about Charlie for some reason, "While I would like to believe I would have felt this way regardless, seeing that the Princess of Hell was such a kind and caring person with so much joy and excitement over coming up to Heaven made me feel like we might have a lot in common. So it probably did make what was already there stronger?"

"Has there been any mention of the King or Queen of Hell in your conversations?"

There was a slight brightness to his eyes now. Oh! She was starting to think maybe he was trying to find a roundabout way of asking about Lucifer, "Charlie doesn't talk about her mom much, but apparently she left a few years back. Her dad comes to visit sometimes, but it seems like he's pretty busy from what she says."

The brightness faded back again and he gave her a nod, "Thank you. I apologize for getting diverted from the purpose of this meeting. The fact is that we are actually setting up a team for potential future peace negotiations, and your name has been mentioned a few times."

Emily knew her own Song picked up in volume with her excitement but it was all she could do to keep from leaping in the air, "Really?!"

"Yes. We are thinking about making you in charge of the delegation. After hearing you speak, I agree with them. Now, I do have options for other members of the delegation here. I find it's best to let the one running the operation to pick their team. Let me go through each of the candidates with you."

Emily tried to be attentive as he spoke in detail on various angels and their qualifications, she really did, but between the dimness of the room, the steadiness of his voice, and the calmness of his Song, she soon found herself beginning to yawn, "I'm so sorry! I promise it's not you, I just-"

"It's quite all right. I've been told in the past that my Song has that effect on some. We can continue this meeting another time. Am I correct in the fact that you do not have teleportation magic?" She nodded in answer, so he offered, "I can either transport you to your personal space, or I have a cot in the other room if you would like to use it for a time. It may even assist for you getting used to my Song so that this does not happen in the future. I have found exposure reduces the soporific effect."

Emily was torn. Yes, her own space would be nice, but she didn't want to end up like this everytime they spoke for more than twenty minutes! It was so embarrassing! After a moment, she got to her feet, her wings moving to convey gratitude, "That's very considerate of you. Thank you very much. If you really don't mind..."

Michael stood as well, motioning to the door nearby, "Not at all. Rest well." He waited for a long moment after it shut behind the young Seraphim before placing a barrier on this side of it to ensure voices could not be heard. The shadows behind his chair melted away to reveal a kneeling figure, her left arm gleaming golden in the little bit of light that came through the windows, "Do you see now how dangerous that creature truly is? Your friend has already been influenced into thinking demons can be redeemed rather than seeing them for the threat they are to the purity of Heaven."

The response was quiet and resigned, "Yes, sir."

"Will you continue to resist my Command as your predecessor did?" He opened a drawer and pulled out a small angelic steel blade.

"No, sir." Despite her words, Lute glanced towards the door before looking up at him with fear clear in her golden eyes, "But... please, she's pure hearted. I will do all I can to cleanse the universe for you. Just, leave her as she is, please?"

"Captain, are you questioning my will already?"

She flinched and shook her head, "No, sir. I will go do as you Command of me. Thank you."

"Good." Placing the blade to his own hand, he sliced open his palm without hesitation, "Now, accept my blessing as your Commander."

A momentary gagging noise left the Exorcist that was followed by harsh breaths. Soon after, she looked up at him with eyes that had gone black with white pupils. Good. He'd finally broken through the stubborn will Adam had infected her with. Michael hated all the effort that had been wasted in trying to get the First Man fully under his Command. He still didn't understand why the fool had not kept to the plan. He should have withdrawn from the field when Samael appeared, not continued fighting until his death.

Oh well. Now he was free to do as he wished to the rest of the two-wings without Adam resisting and breaking his hold in response, "Take these seeds to your subordinates and ensure they all are given my blessing as well."

Her breath hitched for a second, and he paused. Was she going to fight against his will on this also? When Lute simply raised her hands to accept the inert pieces of red, black, and white, he continued, "Save three for the upcoming mission. I'm taking no chances after Adam's failure."

"Yes sir." At his wave of dismissal, she got to her feet, her eyes returning to their normal gold on white before she put on her helmet. He watched her leave before looking towards the door where the young Seraphim now rested. Emily did truly remind him of his brother back before everything went wrong.

"She could be kept too. You have grown strong enough now. We Know that Samael would be happier with another young one like her under his wing once we remake this universe as it was meant to Be."

Yes, he would be. It would take time to make her into one of Michael's. Even as young as she was, she was a six-wing, but his brother's future happiness would be worth it. It would also be a good test of how close they were to being strong enough to bringing a First under his Command. If they could do more than just subtly influence the others, then this would all fall into place much faster.

They'd start with a single large seed with this one first.

***

Emily had to admit, for all that the Commander's spaces had no real decor, his furniture was truly divine! She had thought all of Heaven's beds were perfectly the same, but what he called a cot was like she imagined being swaddled in Creation's Light would be like! It wasn't long after laying down that her eyes slid shut and she fell deeply into sleep.

The shadows in the room began to move towards the young Seraphim.

***

Sera told herself she was being ridiculous for the thousandth time as she paced. Yes, the meeting with Michael should have been over hours ago, but knowing Emily, she had somehow managed to charm even her stoic brother into conversing long beyond the allotted time! That was all!

It was fine. Everything was fine. Emily promised she'd come see her as soon as the meeting was over, she'd never failed to keep a promise before.

If she kept this up, Sera thought she might actually start molting!

The familiar feeling of the young Seraphim's energy politely pushing at her privacy wards nearly had her rushing to the door, but she stopped herself, took a breath, and calmly went to allow Emily in, "You're late."

That got a sheepish smile and an embarrassed laugh in response, "Yeah, sorry about that, Sera."

The older angel sighed and stepped aside, motioning for her to come in, "How did it go? And why are you so late?"

"Um, well, I, uh..." Emily's wings were tight with embarrassment as she finally blurted out, "I started falling asleep during the meeting, and he let me use the bed at his office, and ohmygosh it's the comfiest bed ever!"

Sera blinked and her feathers fluffed up in bewildered confusion. Michael had a bed? She didn't think he'd taken on such a human habit as sleeping like so many of the younger angels had.

"But!" Emily grinned as she held up the glowing files in her hands, "There's talks about creating a peace treaty delegation and he says he thinks I should be at the head of the team!"

... this was the first Sera was hearing of it. She decided she would go talk to Michael herself after this rather than dampen the smaller angel's delight right away, "Please be careful on writing about this to Morningstar."

Emily blinked up at her, "Oh, I know. I'm going to wait until it's official before I write to her."

That was surprisingly reasonable of her. Usually Sera had to practically argue with her about what could be written to the Princess of Hell.

"I'm going to go look through these and see if I know any of them personally and who looks like they might be willing to work with demons. I'll talk to you more later, okay?"

Sera watched as the angel she considered her little sister went towards her own private rooms in their shared space. It was unusual that Emily was so caught up in something that she didn't give Sera a hug before going. Chalking it up to excitement, she started to draw the magic to teleport to the hall outside the Commander's office when she remembered he'd been scheduled to go on an inspection of the various choirs stationed throughout the universe. That meant she'd be unable to speak with him for a few weeks since he never took a communication crystal with him.

Fine. She'd just make sure Michael had a message when he got back to meet with her first thing.

It was a few days later that Sera realized she hadn't had to evade any questions from Emily about Sir Pentious's whereabouts for a bit...

Because the young Seraphim had stopped asking after him all of a sudden.

Chapter Text

Lucifer had Known down to his fractured core that it had been far too quiet for too long. He thought he'd done well in not trusting it, in being ready to become the distant, uncaring father figure that his daughter resented and didn't trust again. Then it stayed so calm, so terribly easy to look into Charlie's pleading eyes and crumple like a wet noodle. He let himself agree to stay over for a few days, until the dreaded meeting/interrogation with the other Sins where he would have to try to find a way to satisfy their questions without endangering them in the end.

What was the harm of it, just this once? He hadn't felt Heaven's watchful gaze turn towards the hotel in weeks! He'd get a chance to really create some happy memories with his daughter to bring him comfort when the inevitable happened.

Lucifer Morningstar, the eternally optimistic idiot despite the fact that he'd been given the lesson time and again that he wasn't allowed peace, or happiness, or even just contentment. This was the Hell he'd made, after all. His eternal punishment for refusing to bow his head. It would remain his prison and his responsibility until the universe was destroyed.

His only hope that he clung to desperately was that he remained strong enough for it to not be by his own hand. That hope shattered along with his control when he saw Michael with Charlie’s hand in his.

***

Earlier That Day

Alastor was starting to suspect something was changing within him. It didn’t take much to believe it was due to the Seraphim’s Harmony. During their discussion about Eden, he had chalked up some of it to paying such close attention to Lucifer with no other distractions. As Charlie succeeded in getting her father to visit more, he had to accept that there was more to it. He was starting to sense changes in pressure around the fallen angel even when he wasn’t panicking or whatever else triggered that strange sensation that was no longer simply terrifying, but also painfully loud. He was still figuring out what each variation meant, but he had a general idea so far.

When Lucifer was calm or happy, everything felt pretty normal. Boredom and exhaustion brought a sense of gravity lifting a bit, like something was pulling away. Annoyance, embarrassment, and frustration put a sharp line directly toward the source of the emotion. Guilt and panic were the worst ones and what he was already familiar with, those making Alastor’s ears ring and his chest tighten as his heart raced. He assumed those were the ones that were most likely to trigger Lucifer's disconnect from his body..

It was... strange, having his own internal sense of the King’s emotional state. Surprisingly eye-opening as well. Lucifer seemed pretty expressive, but what he showed was not always what he actually felt. The up side was that Alastor could tell when the facade of control was starting to crack and had enough time to find a way to discreetly have his Shadow drop or throw a duck before it went too far. It seemed the bright toys were disruptive enough that it pulled Lucifer away from whatever caused the problem in the first place. The down side was that he was going through so many of the damned things already! Was it triggered more at the hotel, or was the King this bad even elsewhere? He didn't dare to entertain the idea that it could be even worse outside of his influence, it was... depressing.

Somehow while this was going on, the ducks had become a bit of a game. The fact that the Radio Demon always had another despite having gone through the original number was clearly driving the fallen angel up the wall. It was hilarious watching him try to figure out how the sinner was getting more. Alastor was waiting for him to admit defeat and ask directly. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them that Lucifer wouldn't use any extra abilities in catching him. Such an innocent pastime was surprisingly refreshing! And now there was the opportunity to potentially get Charlotte involved! He just had to decide if it would be more amusing to have her as an ally or a target. Ally was truly tempting. Goodness knew the two Morningstars walked on eggshells far too much around each other so maybe-

With an audible record scratch, Alastor froze on his way back to the hotel as he fully registered his line of thinking.

...what was he doing?!

He shouldn't, couldn't let himself get so close to them. There was too much at stake, too many uncertainties about what was to come! He snarled and clenched his hands into fists, claws digging into his own palms. Damn Lucifer, damn Charlie, and, most of all, damn himself for letting this go on!

He couldn't listen to the part of him buried so deep that he didn't remember it existed sometimes. The one that still ached when something reminded him too strongly of his maman. The piece of him that wondered if she would still love him, even knowing what he had become...

Taking a deep breath, he smothered that voice. He couldn't afford to get attached, to be sentimental, especially with Lucifer and Charlie, not until he could get free of her! Resolving to find a way to step back without cutting off what trust he had gained, Alastor slipped back into the hotel and his role within.

***

Charlie never did manage to catch her dad alone or anything before everyone gathered together for a relaxing afternoon of just quietly enjoying each other's company. She knew this sort of bonding was just as important as more active displays like trust exercises. Being able to show that everyone could coexist peacefully was one of her big goals for the city too! She wasn't so much of an optimist to think that everyone would want to be redeemed.

The mental image of Alastor with a halo and wings in pastels nearly made her choke with repressed laughter. Her amusement was quickly cut off when a familiar flirtatious drawl caught her attention.

“Well, well! If it ain’t the Big Dick in charge!”

Charlie put her face in her hands, fighting the urge to apologize on behalf of her friend. She knew it was just Angel's way of talking, that he did it as naturally as most people breathed. Especially after he'd been working such horrendously long shifts that she'd barely seen him in passing as he went to collapse in bed or dragged himself back out the door for the next. That he was back earlier today, that he was smiling and flirting playfully, gave her hope that maybe Valentino had finally eased up for a bit.

Her dad just blinked at the greeting and looked up from his mocktail at Angel. Charlie thought it was pretty awesome they had a whole line of non-alcoholic drinks now that were still fun looking. She had been so excited when Al brought up the idea! “Heeey. Uh, sorry about the whole 'face in your chest fur' thing, Angel.”

“The WHAT?!” She hadn’t meant to shriek like that. From the expression on Alastor’s face, that had hurt his ears. Oops. “Sorry, uh, I meant-”

“Nobody told ya?" The spider made a show of accentuating his chest with his hands, "Seems there ain't no one that can resist the fluff, not even royalty! Last date night, yer dad showed up and -mmmph!”

Angel was cut off when Lucifer stood on the rungs of the bar stool he had been sitting on, wrapping him in a headlock and covering the spider demon’s mouth with his other hand, “Hahaha! Sorry, Char! I, uh, don’t think you need to hear -Ack! Did you seriously just lick me?!”

“Yup!” Angel Dust waggled his eyebrows as her dad took his seat again, shaking his hand off with an expression of disgust, “I can lick way more’n that, iffin you got the dough for it, yer royal hotness!”

“Enough, Angel!”

Oh thank goodness, Vaggie had come back into the room! She was better at the whole being firm on boundaries thing. It made it easier for Charlie to add in her own plea, “Please don’t proposition my dad in front of me? Or, like, at all?” She was pretty sure her whole face was going to be permanently red now.

Lucifer snorted, “It’s not like it would do any good anyway. You wouldn’t have anything to work with.” He balanced his drink on the tip of one finger, tongue poking out of the side of his mouth with the effort.

It was cute to watch but what?!

“What?!” Apparently she and Angel had been thinking the same thing.

Blinking, Lucifer looked around at the mix of curious and stunned expressions around him, “What? I’m an angel? What would I need that stuff for?”

Husk was the first one to break the flummoxed silence after that, “Your Majesty, you have a daughter. That usually implies...”

“Oh! Yeah, I can have any of the equipment if I want, for a bit anyway, but I only did while we were trying for Charlie. So it’s been, uh,” He set down his drink as he looked up in thought before glancing at her in embarrassment, “Sorry, Char. What year is it now?”

“I’m 206 now, Dad,” She said, a little hurt that he'd forgotten, but mostly overwhelmed by information that she really wasn’t sure she had wanted to know.

“Yeah! That! So about 207 years then.”

Angel opened and shut his mouth several times before squawking, “But... I mean... yer wife? Lady hot enough ta make a gay man look twice? Lilith?” Her dad looked away at the name, shoulders nearly to his ears, “Wha-”

Alastor snapped his book shut sharply, cutting Angel off and catching everyone’s attention, “Riveting as this conversation has been, I find myself quite done with it! Shall we move on to other topics n̟͉òw̟?” His radio dial glare said he would brook no argument.

Angel Dust didn't seem to catch on though. He whirled around and pointed at the other angel in the room, "And you, Vags! Does this mean ya don't got a va-

"Finish that sentence, and I will fucking end you, Angel!" The matching murderous expressions on Vaggie and Alastor was kinda funny, if she was going to be honest.

Charlie threw a worried look at her dad again, just in time to see him catching yet another bright yellow duck before it could land on top of his head. The toy in his hand had Lucifer’s shoulders dropping back down and, when he looked at the group again, a soft version of his smile was back. That just confirmed it for her. Alastor was somehow aware of her dad's triggers, (That her mom was one was no surprise at all, even with what little she knew.) and the ducks were being used as a distraction, or grounding technique, or something!

“Wait, wait, wait!” Husk looked at her with narrowed eyes, “Did you say you’re 206 years old?! Since fucking when?!”

What was with people getting so caught up on her age? She was as immortal as every other noble demon!

A knock at the door had Charlie getting to her feet, more than happy to have an excuse to get away from the conversation for a moment. Opening the door to find an angel that looked almost exactly like her dad, just in shades of pale blue instead of red, was not what she had been expecting at all. Extra because she was almost sure one of the two Exorcists standing at attention behind him with mismatched arms folded behind her back was Lute!

"Charlotte Morningstar? I apologize for the sudden intrusion," A gloved hand was held out in greeting, "My name is Michael."

Polite habit had her accepting his handshake before she heard a small sound behind her.

"... no."

Turning her head, she saw her dad staring at their clasped hands with what she could only describe as abject terror in his eyes. Then the room, no, the whole hotel began to shake! Time seemed to slow down. A blink and Michael was in front of her, his wings spreading out protectively and sword drawn. He had the blade aimed at her dad, who was now glowing so strongly that it almost hurt to look at him. Eyes appeared on his wings and in the air around him, but they weren't like his demonic ones. These burned as bright as stars, as bright as the jagged lines beginning to spread across his body with the sound of cracking porcelain.

Layered voices surrounded them when she felt one of the Exorcists grabbing her arm, attempting to pull her back as the other also moved to stand in front of her protectively with her spear at the ready. Like they really thought her dad was going to hurt her!

"ñð."

"ñð† ågåïñ."

"ñð† hêr †ðð."

"Ððñ'†."

"þlêå§ê."

"Ì ¢åñ'†..."

"Ì ¢åñ'† §†ðþ ï†!"

"ñÖ!"

The last word shattered the windows with the force of it, the skies outside pouring down acid rain that the turbulent winds blew sideways. Lightning crashed, striking close enough to nearly deafen her as the familiar red and gold of his portal magics warped the air behind him. Just before he vanished through it, a whisper slipped through her mind.

'I really wanted to stay. I love you, duckling.'

Lute's grip on her arm was painfully tight, the sharpened points of metal fingers digging in hard enough to draw blood as Charlie fought and struggled to break free, to reach her dad before that portal closed! Terror seized her as the magic vanished from sight, making her cry out, "Dad! No! Come back!"

Then dark tentacles wrapped around her and yanked her away from the angels, dragging her through a thick barrier swirling with familiar red symbols and eyes. "Al! Let go! I have to go after-"

"Hush, listen to me!" Al hissed, his ears flat back and eyes wide with the sort of fear she'd never seen before. Dark streaks on his upper lip made her think he'd had a nosebleed. All around them, the other staff and guests were bound up tight with shadows covering their eyes, mouths, and ears. Why?! "We will go after your father, but I have to keep you safe first, Charlie!"

"Dad won't hurt me!" She asserted with complete confidence.

"Not him," he continued to whisper, looking at the spot in the barrier he'd dragged her through warily. It was heavy enough to almost completely block any sight of the outside. "If Lucifer Morningstar is scared of that angel, we need to be careful. Do not speak of me or let them separate you from the others. The Shadow and its magic was a gift from a friend."

Charlie was nearly hyperventilating as Alastor melted down to slip away and his barrier broke, leaving her with an uncanny, creepy angelic copy of her father looking at her as the shadows released everyone else. They all quickly got to their feet, some scrambling back from the angels, others taking defensive stances and pulling out weapons. She quickly held up her hands, "Put those away! We don't know what's going on!"

She was grateful when they all listened, though they continued to watch the three angels warily. Vaggie came up to her side, her voice quiet, "Are you alright, babe? Did Al -" She froze, her eye going wide as she registered the Seraphim in front of them, "W-why is the Commander here?!"

The angel that looked so much like her father stepped forward and Al's Shadow rose up between her and Michael protectively, though it didn't look like the deer anymore. Instead it had taken on her silhouette! The Seraphim studied it with a bland expression, "Odd abilities, for a child of the Morning Star."

"A g-gift from a friend," she responded, her voice strained. Which wasn't really a lie, now that she thought about it. "What just happened? Where's my dad?"

"I don't know where he has gone, but I fear he has misunderstood my intentions here as a threat. Our last meeting was contentious and did not end happily. I am hoping to change that," He held out a hand towards her, ignoring the way the Shadow bristled, "I can help you find him swiftly, and we can clear this up."

A... misunderstanding? Charlie looked at the gloved hand being offered to her. Was it really something so simple as that?

"In fact, I came here to meet my niece, and to pass on a message from Emily."

His niece? Did he mean her? The rest of his words registered then and her breath caught, "Emily?"

Michael gave a nod, "Yes. She is in charge of building a team for peace negotiations. She would have told you sooner, but we needed it to be officially recognized before we could release the information."

Hope welled up in her. Peace negotiations? Really? That sounded so wonderful! If this really was just a misunderstanding, then they needed to go find her dad right away and-

The Shadow got between her and Michael for a second, and she suddenly remembered red eyes wide with fear, whispered words spoken with an edge of desperation.

"Do not speak of me or let them separate you from the others."

Charlie blinked, finding her hand had been stretched out halfway towards Michael's. What was she doing?! She didn't know this angel, he was someone who had just scared her dad so badly at the sight of him! She couldn't trust him, especially not with how freaked out Al had been too! The Radio Demon had sneered at Adam holding a holy steel axe over him, but fled from this Seraphim!

Putting her hand over Vaggie's on her arm instead, she took a step back and shook her head, "I-I'm sorry, but I think you should go. I need to make sure everyone here is okay too. I'll find my dad and tell him what you said later. Please have Emily write me all the details soon, okay?"

He frowned, his eyes narrowing at her, the first real expression that had crossed his face,  "I promise, I only wish to reconnect with my brother and get to know you. We are family, after all."

Family? Charlie looked at those blue eyes and it was like she could almost feel how much he wanted to be a part of hers. 'Maybe Alastor was wrong, and this really was just a misunderstanding? Whatever happened between Michael and -'

A shriek was her only warning before she saw a streak of black and pink heading straight for Michael and the Exorcists behind him. Moving before she really thought about it, Charlie snatched Niffty up and pulled her back, the little cyclops waving around an angelic dagger that she could have sworn they took away from her after the Extermination, "Let me stab him! I neeeeed to add the bug king to my collection!" Niffty's eye was wide and her pupil tiny as she grinned far wider than should be possible, "I'll put him in a jar and shake him up to watch him squirm! Reeheheheheeeee!"

"YOU!" Lute went from standing quietly and calmly behind Michael to drawing her sword with a snarl that could be clearly heard through her mask. Vaggie immediately responded, pulling out her spear as well and standing next to the Shadow.

Michael placed a hand on the Exorcist's flesh arm, "Stand down, Captain. Now." The look he was giving Niffty made Charlie hold her close protectively. "It seems we have no choice but to leave for now. Take care in approaching your father, I would hate to see history repeat itself. You don't want to end up like your mother."

With those ominous words of warning, the three angels vanished, no sign of magic in their wake and only adding to the creeped out feeling Charlie had.

The cuts on her arm burned.

***

Alastor breathed a long sigh of relief as the odd sense he had of those angels vanished. It had been risky sending Niffty in, but he'd had a feeling the golden armed Exorcist was the same as the one he was told had cried over Adam's death. He'd banked on the sight of his killer setting her off and was glad to be right. Now it was time to put his best face on and go see what they could do to figure out what had happened to Lucifer and how to fix it.

'Eugh. He's going to owe me the entire royal library and then some at this rate!'

The echoes of the fallen angel's terror still had his chest burning nearly as badly as being cut down by angelic steel had. That level of fear alone had him suspecting he knew why that angel had come here and it wasn't for Lucifer.

There were two Seraphim that the one who held his chains wanted destroyed. While he knew the King of Hell was one, the lying angel, the other was the one who had imprisoned her and kept her chained, the one she shrieked about stealing her children as well as her freedom. The stealing angel wanted the Princess of Hell, and his so-called Master was determined to get her first so she could have leverage for her freedom.

That was why he had run. He couldn't afford to be seen or known if that Seraphim was the one. He just hoped the angel caught no sign of Lucifer's Harmony in him before he fled.

***

Standing over the cracked and cooling form of his poor, misguided twin's physical body in the palace, a few thin threads left tethering it to Samael's soul, Michael Knew this wasn't the end. There was no chance the heart of his brother would actually abandon his child forever, half-breed abomination or not. No, Samael was too stubborn for that. It was one of the things he admired most about his bright Morning Star twin. No matter how many times he broke, he always found some way to pull himself back together and keep going. At this point, it was almost like a game for just the two of them, getting to watch his precious brother break over and over again, then trying to guess how the pieces would be reassembled.

One of these days, Samael would break the right way, and then he would understand the truth that Michael did too.

'We do not have the strength to keep him as ours yet, but -'

"Not ours," the Seraphim said aloud as he crouched down and removed a glove, gently running a finger over a tear-stained cheek under those empty eyes. He could almost believe he felt some warmth, stealing the phantom sense of it away to ease the cold numbness and aching emptiness within him. That was why he needed Samael to come back to his side, to be as close to him as they once were. He was broken, incomplete, dead inside without his twin's Light, "The rest of the universe can be ours, but Samael is my brother."

'Yes, yours. Bless him with a seed again before he returns. Perhaps it will take hold long enough for us to bring him closer to accepting what must Be this time.'

Yes, they could try again, and again, over and over. Michael was willing to try as many times as it took to regain the warmth of his brother's eternal, unconditional, unwavering love in the place where his own heart was meant to be. Only then would the Commander be whole, and strong enough to do what must be done to remake this cold universe, to wipe it clean of filth and start anew.

"Just wait, you'll See one day. I know it hurts now, but you'll be so much happier when my work is done. Two young ones under your wings, both pure hearted angels and knowing nothing but Joy. Those of our siblings that have earned the right to be purified will know their place beneath us." And those that had always scorned his brother would be cleansed from the universe just like the rest of the filth. Michael almost wished Samael was actually here, but he wasn't ready to hear this yet. His brother was full of mercy and forgiveness that the Commander could no longer feel. "You were once a god, did you know that? The whispers showed me. It makes sense now why you have always been special. It was stolen, but I will find the one who dares to use it instead of giving it back to you. Then we'll be gods together and I'll be able to keep you by my side forever. I won't let anyone else touch you or take you from me."

He sighed as he felt Heaven's watch activate and begin to search for the source of the disturbance they had likely picked up on. Though the wards here would keep the view itself out, there was still a risk of his higher level energies being recognized. Things were not yet ready for him to step up and fully take Command. That the watch had remained inactive this long had been due to careful planning and maneuvering. Sera's paranoia could be as much an annoyance as it was a useful tool. "Looks like this round of the game is over. Well played. We will speak again soon, brother."

Michael placed his blessing to one of the body's cracked spaces and watched it burrow in before vanishing once more. It would ensure the remaining threads held until the fallen Sins surely came to his aid, so loyal to his brother that he had already decided they would be kept and purified. Who knows, perhaps it would even take hold enough to spread to the prison containing Samael's core and begin their work there too. He didn't dare approach it himself, the one time that he did had revealed a powerful will and fury he was unable to contain and Command yet. Better to break the heart to his will first, then deal with the echoes of who Samael had once been.