Work Text:
“You, uh, still got some Angel blood on you.” Lucifer pointed out to Alastor, who was cutting up some of the leftover meat from dinner to use for a pot roast in the future. He never seemed to let food go to waste if he could use it somewhere else.
“Hmmm?” He casually looked down to see the golden stain on his sleeve, following the source back to his chest, where the fabric was still very obviously stained and saturated gold. “I must have missed a bit.” He shrugged, and with a click of his fingers all the evidence was gone. There was still very fresh looking blood on his wrist, which he raised up to his lips and licked off.
It was only a few hours since the sinner returned to the newly built hotel, and he acted as if nothing had happened. Like he hadn't faced off against Adam single handedly, and probably was forced to retreat from the battle.
“I can't sense any injuries on you. But you must have gotten hurt. I can heal you if you need it?” Something felt wrong here, but Lucifer couldn't put a finger on what it could be. Maybe it was just how unscathed Alastor seemed to be after a fight to his potential death, but Lucifer just had a gut feeling that there was more going on than just a hidden injury.
“And why would I need you to heal me, your highness .” Alastor needed, putting the last of the meat scraps in a tupperware, and then the fridge. “ If I was hurt, then I'm fully capable of healing myself.”
“Don't be an ass. Angelic wounds don't heal on their own, it'll eat away at you if you just leave it be.” Lucifer rolled his eyes, not surprised in the least that Alastor would be difficult about it. “I might have been exiled from heaven, but I'm still Angel enough to be able to take care of it for you.”
“I can assure you that the so-called first man wouldn't be able to cause me serious harm, even if he threw everything he had at me.” Alastor waved off the concern, as if it was a silly thought he wouldn't entertain .
“Then why would you retreat the way you did?” Lucifer countered, deciding to just be blunt about it if the Demon was going to be difficult and cryptic.
“Because he was dangerously close to discovering my identity .” Alastor snapped, taking a deep breath, as he continued to fuss with the leftovers in the fridge, before finally closing it. “And that would have been very inconvenient, and problematic for a number of reasons.”
“And what's that supposed to mean? Everyone knows who you are, Alastor. You're not exactly ‘low-key’ .”
Alastor turned to give Lucifer a quizzical look, head tilted at an unnatural angle, as if he was missing something very obvious, and trying to work out what Lucifer's words meant.
The emotions on the Radio Demon seemed to flicker like someone was rapidly changing station's. Confusion, concern, amusement, and then finally his grin got wider, before he burst out laughing.
“What's so funny, asshole?” Lucifer was feeling more and more uneasy, he was missing something very big here. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know why it was so hilarious that he wanted to possibly stop the prick from dying by an Angelic injury.
There was the sound of voices passing by the kitchen door, and Alastor quickly composed himself, eyeing the door warily, as if he was worried about who might walk through the door to find them discussing this particular topic.
“Perhaps this conversation would be best had away from prying eyes?”
Before Lucifer could object, the two of them were swarmed by shadows, coiling around them and dragging them through space, before disappearing in a swirl around them. They were on the roof of the hotel, lit up by the bright lights of the hotel sign, and the soft glow of the artificial moon.
“I didn't think Sinners could take people with them with tricks like that.” Lucifer frowned, shuddering since he felt strangely cold after being wrapped into those shadows. A chill ran through him, the air around them felt stale and ethereal, like a graveyard in the middle of the night.
“They can't.” Alastor smirked, leaning on his cane with an almost manic glint in his eye. “You know. I didn't expect anyone to recognise me down here. But I thought when you arrived, that you had seen right through me.”
“I don't really pay attention to Overlord politics. I've got better things to do than keep tabs on Sinners.” Lucifer felt a little uneasy with the shift in Alastor's attitude, something was wrong. There was something he was hiding, right under everyone's nose, and he was loving that he was the only one in on his little trick.
“You took such an instant dislike to me, I thought you knew. But now I realize that you weren't just playing along for appearances. The light bringer truly doesn't recognise me.” Alastor straightened up, taking a few slow steps around Lucifer, almost circling the fallen Angel, like a predator might do with its prey . “The Morningstar, great magician, fooled by my smoke and mirrors. Why, I'm utterly flattered by your ignorance.”
“Just get this over with.” Lucifer was getting impatient, not liking where this might be going. “If you weren't going to tell me what's going on, we wouldn't be up here.”
“Hmm, fair enough.” Alastor laughed, his shadows forming around him and propelling him upwards in a sea of smoke and inky tentacles.
His crimson coat flared around him, before the fabric shimmered and transformed. Three sets of large wings manifested behind him to take him higher. Red and black feathers, tipped with white. The wings, along with the sudden appearance of a glowing black halo, were both reminiscent of the Exorcist Angel's.
He landed on the top of the hotel sign, wings spread out behind him. With a twirl, his cane shifted, the hood extending out into a long, sharp scythe, the microphone still safely nestled inside.
Locking eyes with Lucifer, he gave a cheeky wink, before his whole appearance flickered and faded, shimmering into a completely different form.
Red and black fluffy ears changed to long curved horns, two more small sets beneath it. His black tipped bob inverted colours, two distinct streaks of gold appearing to frame his grinning face. Off white, bone coloured skin looked pale amongst the darkness of his hair and features. His Irises, now a bright piercing gold, practically glowed against the black scalatra of his eyes. He spread his arms to show off his new look in its entirety, the long black military-style coat he now wore whipping behind him in an artificial breeze.
“Recognise me now, brother ?” The Radio filter was gone, and a familiar but ancient voice from the past sealed the final nail in the coffin on who this individual was.
“Azrael.” Lucifer half growled, his own horns made an appearance, Angelic wings bursting forth in a flash of blinding light, soaring up to be face to face with his fellow Angel. His blood red glare spoke for itself that he wasn't happy to see him, let alone realising that he'd been here the whole time, hidden in plain sight, right under everyones nose. “What are you doing in Hell?”
“Is that anyway to greet an old friend, Luci?” Azrael smirked, not flinching as the King of Hell tried to intimidate him.
“Answer the question.” Lucifer crossed his arms, hovering in the air infront of the other being, bringingbhis face right up to lock eyes. “You're in my house now. And I have the right to eliminate anything that threatens Hell or my family.”
“Threats, really?” Azrael shook his head, taking it as a funny joke and not the intimidation it was supposed to be. ‘How could I stay away? A morningstar hoping to improve the lives of sinners. Call it nostalgia, but I was curious to investigate.” Azreal shrugged, taking a step back, only to casually sit down on top of the sign, looking out over Pentagram city. Lucifer landed next to him, remaining standing.
“The Angel of death , got curious about redemption? Forgive me for not believing that for a second.” Lucifer scoffed, crimson feathers bristling behind him.
“Believe what you wish. When I arrived, I was just expecting you to be up to your old tricks. I was quite surprised when instead, I found yours and Lilith's little spawn. Her trying so desperately to renew the ashes of a dream that you let burn into despair.” He looked up at the King of Hell with a more honest look, amused and sincere. “I wasn't lying when I told Charlie this was all very entertaining for me.”
Lucifer didn't like any of this. Azrael was not like any of the other Angels, he was a wild card, allowed to operate outside of the seraphims orders if he wished. He was able to freely traverse the nine realms, including Hell, but he was never a political figure.
The Death Angel's work was independent of Heaven and Hell, keeping the paths souls took between them and the mortal realm running smoothly, making sure no soul ended up where they weren't supposed to by mistake.
“The ‘Radio Demon’ has been around for the best part of a century. Long before the hotel.” Lucifer pointed out, unimpressed with the reasoning the other was giving. There was no reason he should be sticking around here, apart from morbid fascination. “Explain yourself, Azrael .”
“Indeed I have. Heaven started to see certain individuals as a threat.” The angel made himself comfortable on the sign, his scythe resting besides him. “ I was the obvious choice to take them out.” He grinned, looking over to the rebuilt Radio Tower fondly. “So I decided to have a little fun with it.” He added, the radio filter and transatlantic accent returning. A jarring thing to hear come out of the Angel's exposed form, instead of the familiar Deer Demon.
“Does the seraphim know you're here?” If heaven had initially sent him here to kill Overlords, then it wasn't out of the question for Azrael to be here on another ‘holy assignment’. He wouldn't stand for Heaven interfering with his domain.
“Hmmm, probably not since I came back from my ‘sabbatical’ . When the exterminations were agreed upon, I was no longer needed, so I left. Simple as that.” He shrugged.
“And the disguise?”
“ Tsk . It would hardly go down well if Hell knew an Angel was down here killing such powerful Overlords.” He pointed out with a tut, as if that was so obvious a Child should have realised that. Lucifer had to agree. If Hell knew about Azrael, there would definitely be a rebellion brewing among the Overlords.
“I don't take kindly to heaven coming down and killing Sinners without permission. If I did the same in heaven it would be declared as an act of war .”
“Who said I didn't have permission? Your wife not only agreed, but she even singled out specific Overlords that were being problematic.” Azrael laughed, realising just how out of the loop the king had been with the running of his kingdom. “Seems she didn't tell you a lot of things. Too bad you have to just take my word for it though.”
Lucifer wanted to object, wanted to defend his marriage, his wife, but he knew for a fact that Lillith had always been a little secretive. She was punished for wanting her autonomy, wanting to be independent, and that had never died down or been tampered during her time in hell. If anything, being allowed to practically run the pride ring herself had only encouraged her to separate herself from Lucifer when it came to the business side of things.
“ Fortunately your daughter was the first to make a move against Heaven. A Hellborn defending her territory is less of a messy situation, than sinners forming a rebellion. Don't you agree?” Azrael's voice was playful, not quite teasing, but very much amused by the whole situation.
“So, you're sticking around to see the aftermath?” Lucifer accused, still suspicious of him, but slightly less afraid that he meant immediate harm to Hell and the hotel.
Azrael let out a long sigh, letting his chin drop into his hand where it was braced against his knee. “Truth be told. I find myself enjoying the theatrics of being ‘the Radio Demon’.” He tilted his head, and his visage changed back to Alastor, the only thing amiss being that his wings were still draped behind him like a feathered cloak, flowing over the back of the neon signage. “I never intended for him to be more than a mask. He wasn't supposed to have any connections with sinners, or petty rivalries. And now he has also made his mark on this charming hotel.”
“No, I'm afraid I have no plans on leaving anytime soon.” There was a fondness in his voice. Something more human than most of the heavenly host ever felt. “ Besides , darling little Charlotte seems quite attached now. We wouldn't want to disappoint her now, would we?” He said with a knowing look in his eye. “Not when her little plan seems to have finally come to fruition.”
“Ha! As if you actually believe in redemption. Lucifer scoffed, clearly not believing what he was hearing. “You made it pretty damn clear that you thought it was a ridiculous idea.” Lucifer, dropped down to sit besides the confusing Angel. Looking like this again, it was almost hard to think of the fake Sinner and the Angel as one in the same.
“There's no denying it now. Would you like to be the one to break the news to her? After all ‘The Radio Demon’ would have no way of knowing that a sinner had already been redeemed.” There was a mischievous aura around Alastor now, the tell tale look of someone who knew more than someone else, and was enjoying the fact immensely.
“Woah, woah. Hold on now. Let's rewind a little there. A Sinner actually got into heaven ?” Lucifer whipped around to stare at the Deer, his own face a perfect mask of confusion and glee. “You have actual proof it works ?! ”
“I don't pay much attention to the well worn pathways that mortal souls take to their afterlife. But I always know when a lesser pathway is used.” Alastor explained, his lips ticking upwards at seeing that bright smile return to the lightbringer.
“ For example , I knew instantly when one of my girls had fallen. Of every being in Hell, somehow you're little princess managed to find and rescue her before I got a chance to investigate.”
“Vaggie’s one of yours?” Lucifer blinked, momentarily distracted from his excitement.
“Did you honestly think the seraphim would trust Adam , of all people, to create an Army? They needed someone to fashion soldiers of death . My exorcists took my place, and I was no longer needed down here. Unfortunate really. They were instructed to kill without discrimination. I was very selective with who I targeted.”
“Okay, let's shelf that for now.” Lucifer didn't know how he felt about that. His daughter was dating a heavenborn Angel, a holy killing machine, created directly by the Angel of death . Suddenly Vaggies defensiveness and eagerness to fight made a lot more sense. “You said a Sinner took a path you weren't expecting?”
“Charlie's little snake friend took a path I wasn't actually aware existed .” Alastor emphasized, gesturing up at the heavenly sigil in the sky. “He took a direct route to heaven. Even bypassing the pearly gates completely. Most of heaven probably aren't even aware of his arrival. It's rather exciting, isn't it? It's not often we get to experience something new .”
“Sir Pentious did it… Charlie , did it! Oh. Wow , I gotta tell her!” Lucifer jumped up to his feet so fast he almost fell off the edge of the sign, using his wings to help him balance.
“And how, precisely, are you going to explain how you know this information?” Alastor asked, standing up and retrieving his scythe, which quickly shrank back to its usual microphone shape and size.
Lucifer deflated slightly, realizing that logically, neither of them should know, and there wasn't a good way to explain it either. “You think the Seraphim will let her know?”
Alstor sighed, stepping off the sign to half fly, half glide back down to the rooftop, followed closely by Lucifer. His wings disappeared, the last hint of the Angel beneath the mask sent back to the ether. “I don't know… This has never happened before. Heaven is going to have to decide what to do. And we both know that takes time .”
“Yeah. Especially if people are fighting over it.” Lucifer wrapped his arms around himself, unintentionally being thrown back into thinking about his own trail. How long it had taken them to condemn him, and how all his pleas fell on deaf ears, trying to explain why what he did was the right thing.
“The princess succeeded . That's enough for now, even if she can't get it confirmed yet.” Alastor reassured, placing a comforting hand on Lucifer's shoulder. “For now, we have to continue as normal. Which includes our little rivalry .” He added with a smirk, patting the others shoulder before stepping away, the radio filter returning to his voice. “Think you can manage that? Your majesty. ”
“Are you kidding? Now I know you're more on my level, I don't have to pull any punches.” Lucifer laughed, dusting off his coat and mentally pulling himself back together. With a snap of his fingers he summoned a golden portal to take him back down into the hotel. “I'm not traveling via your freaky shadows again.” He said bluntly at the raised eyebrow he received.
“Suit yourself. I'll see you at breakfast then. I believe it's Nifftys turn to cook somthign. It should be an interesting affair.” Alastor disappeared in a swirl of shadows, leaving Lucifer to shudder at the prospect of whatever Niffty considered to be suitable as food.
It was going to be weird to see Alastor the same way, now that he'd lifted his mask in front of him. But Lucifer was confident that he could keep this secret. Charlie may have to know in time, but not tonight. For now it was back to life, as normal as it could be under the circumstances.
Stepping through the portal to the lobby, he couldn't help grinning at Sir Pentious's memorial, knowing that he was quite literally in a better place now. Sera better hurry up and let Charlie know, because he was so excited to see her reaction when she found out.
Today was indeed a happy day in Hell for Lucifer Morningstar.