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Lucifer didn’t know what to do, all he knew was something was off about today and he couldn’t think of what that was. He sat back in his chair and looked around the office, Hope was on the phone, Dorak was on the floor with Xander in his lap reading him a book and Ariel was snacking while listening to Hope's conversation… He blinked and as Hope hung up the phone he spoke up, “Hope, where is Alix?” The ten foot tall demon asked and Hope responded,
“They asked for a few days off, I asked if everything was alright but they didn’t want to elaborate and I said okay, why?” Hope asked and Lucifer furrowed his brows together,
“I see… I was just… Curious” he said, but the word felt wrong on his tongue, his stomach was knotting and he felt tense, Hope looked at him quizzically,
“You alright there darlin’?” She asked and Lucifer shrugged while looking at the papers on his desk.
“Can’t say for sure” Lucifer said and he thought back to yesterday, Alix did seem a touch distracted, constantly looking at their phone and their leg was bouncing uncharacteristically. “I have a similar feeling to when you had to take a few days off after Ariel’s attempt to first contact you but it’s much stronger this time…” Lucifer said and he looked at the ceiling, following the beams with his eyes, trying to think of what was happening.
“Maybe you should just call them if you’re so worried” Ariel said and Lucifer looked at the Angel with squinted eyes and grumbled.
“Fine” he said and picked up his phone, he dialed the mortal’s number and waited. After the third ring there was an answer,
“What?” Came Alix’s hoarse voice and the feeling in Luci’s gut intensified,
“Alix, it is Lucifer, is everything alright?” He asked and waited, listening to shuffling and rustling on the other end.
“What do you care?” They asked and Lucifer tensed his jaw,
“I- I do… care Alix, Wha-”
“Since when?” Alix asked harshly and Lucifer stood up from his chair and looked out the window. He took a deep breath and replied,
“Since about a week into your internship, Alix, you sound rough, what’s going on?” Lucifer asked while watching demons come and go out the large window.
“I don’t want to talk about it” Alix said and there was more rustling. Lucifer was about to speak when there was a door creak and a quiet “shit” from Alix before the line disconnected. Lucifer looked at the contact and growled,
“That can’t be good,” Lucifer said and he turned to the others in the room, four pairs of eyes looking at him expectantly, “I’m going to go check on them in person, I will be right back.” He said and walked out of the office. He quickly walked to the doors to paradise and found Alix’s. He took a breath and entered, the dark green grass and path up to the house was what greeted him. He slowly walked up to the door and raised his fist, but before he could knock he heard a crash from inside.
Lucifer had a chill run up his spine and he walked into the house without knocking, “Alix? Where are you?” He asked, he heard noises coming from around the corner and he ducked the doorway to see what was happening. Alix was on the floor, bruised and bloody as a man sat on the couch smoking a cigarette. “WHAT HAPPENED HERE!?” Lucifer yelled and the guy jumped up, he looked like he was ready to fight until he saw the ten foot tall pissed off demon glaring daggers at him.
Alix turned their head and saw Lucifer, their eyes widened and they tried to get up, they coughed and wheezed before falling again. They tried again and successfully stood up, holding their side as they hobbled over. Lucifer reached his arms out and held them close to him to keep them supported. He turned back to the man and growled, “I asked you a question” he said deathly even and the guy stuttered.
“I-it’s none of your business man, this is between me and my wife!” He said, puffing out his chest and Lucifer looked down at Alix, who was hiding their face in his side, he felt them flinch when the word wife left the man's mouth and he got even more pissed. He pulled out his phone and dialed a good friend, “Gregorith, could you and Lily meet me in a paradise?” He asked and the demon on the other side hummed,
“Yeah, we can, is everything alright?” Greg asked and Lucifer said lowly,
“That is to be determined” before he hung up and slid his phone into his pocket. He looked down at Alix and carefully lifted them in one of his arms, he looked around the room and found a smaller couch away from the man that he could lay them on, he did so and turned back to the man. “I don’t know how the actual fuck you got into a paradise but I am positive you don’t belong here. As the Lord Ruler of Hell I will not let this slide.” He turned to Alix who was looking up at him with an emotion in their eyes he couldn’t decipher, “Alix, what happened?” He asked a lot more gently to the injured soul before him,
“I told you-” the man tried to start but Lucifer glared at him and bared his fangs to shut him up,
“I didn’t ask you” he growled and the man stayed quiet while Lucifer looked back at Alix and he nodded for them to speak,
“It’s a-” cough “It’s a long story but-” wheeze “we were married in the mortal world, I didn’t consent to it, my mother and grandmother forged my signature on the papers” large sigh.
Lucifer nodded, “alright, I can tell talking is difficult for you right now, I got all I need to know, you just relax” he said and Alix nodded, relaxing back into the cushions. Just then there was a knock and Lucifer called “come in.” Gregorith and Lily came into the house and saw what was happening, recognition flashed on Lily’s face,
“THERE YOU ARE YOU LEVEL EIGHT BASTARD!” She yelled and Gregorith sprang into action, he lunged forward and grabbed the guy, holding his arms behind him and the guy tried to fight but failed against the much larger and stronger opponent. “Do you realize how much hell you put all of us through? The amount of work and Demonpower we had to use to find your ass?” Lily ranted and Lucifer’s gaze got darker,
“Ahem” Lucifer said and all eyes were on him, “I am bumping him down to level nine permanently, and there I want him to experience the absolute worst torture and the darkest pits of level nine, am I understood?” He asked and the two Hellp Desk workers nodded, they started to guide the man out.
“You can’t do this! I belong here! I didn’t do anything wrong!!” The man yelled and Lucifer rushed in front of him, Gregorith let go of his arms in surprise and Lucifer grabbed around the guys neck, he lifted him into the air and grit out,
“Say another word and I will make you beg and plead to go to the void, of which I will refuse over and over and over again, do you understand?” The man tried to nod but couldn’t, Lucifer understood and dropped him on the floor, as Gregorith and Lily walked the man out Lucifer went over to Alix. “I know speaking is difficult but do you have a first aid kit around here?” Lucifer asked and Alix nodded,
“Down the hall, first door on the left, top shelf” they said and coughed, Lucifer nodded and retrieved the little plastic box, well, it was average for mortals but in his giant hands he might as well be holding a box of kleenex. He made his way back to Alix and sat on the floor next to the couch they were on, “You realize this is kind of pointless? I’ll regenerate eventually” they laughed and coughed and Lucifer looked through the box of medical supplies while replying,
“Yeah, I know, but that’s in time, I am focused on the feeling now, which you are in pain and I am going to help you through it” he said and Alix wholeheartedly laughed and coughed, “careful there” Lucifer said as he brought out antibacterial cream and bandages, “alright, give me your face” he said and Alix rolled their eyes.
“Demons might be able to detach their faces but mortals don’t work that way” they said while leaning toward Lucifer and the demon rolled his eyes,
“You know what I meant and Demons can’t do that either, dumbass” Lucifer said as he slowly wiped the blood off their forehead, the room fell into a comfortable silence as Lucifer carefully and meticulously patched them up. He got more angered at the mystery man the more cuts and bruises he cleaned and patched, as he was wrapping one on their elbow Alix spoke up,
“You’re surprisingly good at this” they said and Lucifer felt the ghost of a smile tug his lips,
“Yeah, I learned a lot of practical skills when I was a child, perks of having an absentee father I suppose” he said and Alix hummed thoughtfully.
“That’s fair I guess” they said and the two fell into silence again. After Lucifer was done wrapping their other arm he looked at them,
“It seems you have some under clothes injuries as well, however I will not take care of those without your permission” he said and Alix smiled softly at him.
“I give you consent to strip me” they said and Lucifer blushed,
“Idiot, not like that!” he said and Alix laughed loudly again,
“I know, I know, alright, help me?” They asked while slowly sitting up and Lucifer nodded, he focused on the wall while he helped them remove their shirt, when the cloth was off he heard Alix laugh, “you’re acting like a teenage boy about to lose his virginity, you can look you know” they said and Lucifer huffed.
“I am simply trying to be respectful” he said as he gazed into Alix’s eyes, the mortal shook their head and laid back down. Lucifer took an imperceptible breath and looked at their torso, he felt sick to his stomach at the severe discoloration, especially around their stomach and rib cage. The yellows, greens, and blues telling a horrific story of what Alex experienced, Lucifer glared at the marks but took care of them just as gently. Lucifer was glad there wasn’t a chest for him to try to avoid, that wouldn’t have gone well, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the man saying wife. “They’d be a spouse, not a wife jackass” Lucifer mumbled and he felt Alix’s chest and stomach move and vibrate with their laughter.
“Why thank you good sir” Alix said in an accent of some kind and Lucifer felt his face heat again,
“Sorry, didn’t mean to say that out loud,” he said and felt Alix laugh yet again, “you seem awfully giggly today” he commented and Alix went still,
“Yeah, can’t say I know why” they replied and Lucifer huffed a laugh himself,
“It’s not bad, just different” he said and smiled at the memory of Alix’s first day in the office when he said the same thing. He finished wrapping Alix up and asked, “do you have a loose shirt you could wear? Or would you prefer to stay like this?” Lucifer asked and Alix hummed in though,
“I don’t have any loose top clothing come to think of it, aside from my cardigan but it’s currently covered in blood…” They said and Lucifer nodded, he thought for a moment then said,
“Actually…” and he stood up and started to undo his own shirt, he removed it and gently raised Alix to wrap the fabric around them, “there, that should work for now” he said and Alix didn’t say anything but Lucifer did see a light blush across their face.
“Thank you” they said as they brought the collar over their nose, Lucifer watched as they took a deep breath and their body relaxed almost instantly. He nodded and cleaned up the medical stuff, putting the box back into the closet and the wrappers into the trash. He turned and knocked his horn on a hanging light he hadn’t seen,
“Shit, sorry” he said and Alix smiled at him from the couch,
“It’s alright, I guess my paradise wasn’t built for the Lord Ruler of Hell” and Lucifer smiled as he made his way back towards Alix.
“You’d be surprised, I can actually move quite comfortably in here” he said and sat on the floor, his back facing Alix, and groaned lighty while rubbing his horn.
“You alright?” Alix asked from behind him and Lucifer hummed an affirmative,
“Yeah, Demon’s horns are just a bit more sensitive than most people would think, I’ll be alright” he said and he heard shifting behind him, then there was another hand on his horn.
“Oh?” Alix asked, their voice extremely close to Lucifer’s ear, causing the Demon to shiver,
“Y-yeah, there are nerve endings in them which is why if a Demon’s horn cracks or breaks it feels like we broke an arm or something” he said and Alix nodded.
“I see, I know your tails are sensitive, Hope and Dorak talk about it way too much, but I didn’t realize your horns were too” they said and Lucifer slowly turned towards them, he backed up and leaned his head down onto the seat cushion so Alix had better access to his horns.
“Yes, our tails are sensitive, as are our wings for those of us who have them, for both, the closer to the base the more sensitive they are. Our horns aren’t as sensitive to general touch, but harsh impacts don’t feel great” he explained and he waited as Alix processed the information.
“Alright, I’ll be sure to be extra careful of your horns, wings and tail then” Alix said and Lucifer laughed lightly,
“That is appreciated” he said and he felt Alix nod.
“And your fangs?” They asked and Lucifer raised his head to look at the mortal,
“You mean these?” He asked and showed his teeth, Alix nodded, “I am unsure, it seems different for each Demon, for some they are, but for others they’re just regular teeth. I’ve never had anything to say if mine are particularly sensitive or not however” he said and Alix’s brows furrowed.
“I feel like you’d be able to tell when making out with someone” they said and Lucifer felt his heart stutter,
“Well, in order for that to happen I’d have to actually have made out with someone…” Lucifer said and Alix’s face softened in understanding,
“Ah, yeah, honestly I’m surprised you don’t have people lined up to bang you, I know of at least ten mortals who find the idea of you sexy as is” they said and Lucifer shook his head.
“I’ve had offers, yes, but I never went through with any of it, just never felt… right I guess?” He said, his voice raising at the end, as if he was asking himself,
“Wanna talk about it?” Alix asked and Lucifer hummed,
“I’m not sure, it's just… It always felt like I’d be taking advantage of the situation, being the Lord Ruler of Hell and all, the power dynamic was just always too one sided, it never felt… okay” he said and Alix nodded.
“I can see why that would be a worry for you, but you do know that for souls here in the Afterlife you can’t actually force them to do something they don’t want to?” They asked and Lucifer shrugged,
“Yeah, I know that, but you don’t have to do anything to make someone feel like they have to follow your instructions, and that’s not how I want a potential partner to feel” he said, looking sadly down at the cushion, just the idea that someone would say yes to him only to truly not mean it upsetting him.
“It’s alright Lucifer, there’s nothing for you to feel bad about, your worries are very valid and understandable, especially with the mortals now. There’s no need to feel bad, you have done nothing wrong, okay?” Alix asked and Lucifer nodded, pointedly ignoring the way that Alix saying his name made his stomach flip. He opened his mouth to speak when a very specific ringtone rang loudly, causing them both to jump a bit, Lucifer looked apologetically at Alix and they gave a reassuring look back.
Lucifer took his phone out of his pocket and saw a video call from Hope, he sighed and answered, “Hope” he said in greeting,
“Hey Lucifer! We wanted to call and see if everything was alright? You’ve been gone a while” Hope said and he watched her eyes flick down and back up, a confused smile on her face, before Lucifer could ask what Hope’s expression was for he heard Dorak speak,
“Yo, Lucifer, what happened to your shirt!?” Lucifer looked down and blushed, he coughed and looked back at the screen,
“Alix is currently using it, why?” He asked as evenly as he could and he saw smiles on too many faces,
“What are they using it for?” Ariel asked from behind Hope and Lucifer didn’t like the undertone of her question, to Lucifer’s surprise Alix spoke up.
“My clothes are dirty so Lucifer, very kindly, loaned me a shirt to wear” they said and Lucifer looked at them over the phone, he saw them looking at the ceiling, their face and ears red now. The demon started to get concerned for their health, he believes this is how mortals look when they have a fever so he asked,
“Alix, are you feeling alright?” They looked at him confused and nodded slowly, “okay, I apologize, you simply looked feverish and I was curious if you were okay” he said and they smiled widely at him, his heart tightened at the sight.
“I’m fine Lucifer, thank you for your worry” they said and he nodded,
“Lucifer, can you put Alix on?” Hope asked and Lucifer raised a brow at Alix, they shook their head while staring at their bandaged arms and Lucifer nodded at them.
“No Hope, I cannot, they wish to stay out of frame for now” he said and Hope looked even more confused,
“What did you do to them, Lucifer?” Ariel asked, a large smirk on her face, Lucifer glared at the Angel on the screen,
“I took care of them, why?” He asked pointedly and Ariel laughed,
“I’m sure you did, I’m sure you took real good care of them” Ariel said and Lucifer growled,
“Listen here Angel, you are trying to insinuate something that simply did not happen, so stop it, it is disrespectful to both Alix and myself, nothing like you are thinking happened, got it?” Lucifer asked with a growl in his voice and Ariel paled,
“Yup, got it, sorry, I’ll shut up now” Ariel said and Lucifer nodded,
“Alright then, I will be going now to keep an eye on Alix. Hope you are in charge of the office, I do not believe I will be there for the rest of the day.” Lucifer explained and she nodded back at him, they exchanged farewells and Lucifer hung up the phone, putting it on the table behind him.
“You look really annoyed” Alix said and Lucifer rubbed his temples,
“Yes, Angels really are the biggest snoops, and a handful like to insinuate untrue situations, thankfully Ariel at least knows when to knock it off, there are some who just keep pushing and pushing” Lucifer explained and Alix looked contemplatingly at him,
“I guess when you have a cosmic peeping tom for a ruler that tends to happen, huh?” Alix asked and Lucifer laughed,
“Yeah” he said.
“Are Demons born with horns or do they grow later?” Alix asked and Lucifer rubbed his in contemplation,
“I guess it depends on the Demon? There are some who are born with them but some aren’t I guess, I personally was born with them, but they were very dull so as to not harm my mother” Lucifer said as he thought back to his mother telling him the story of his birth.
“That makes sense, but they’re sharp now?” They asked as they ran their hand down one of his horns to the tip,
“Yes, please be careful, they tend to catch and cut” Lucifer said and he felt Alix gently feeling the tip of his horn. He tried to ignore the stirring in his belly from the action and stayed as still as stone to not accidentally hurt them.
“Do you know why Demons have horns? Mortal animals have them for defense and to establish dominance, but Demons don’t do that, do they?” Alix asked and Lucifer looked at them,
“Hmm I suppose they are just to make us look intimidating? I can’t say for sure though seeing as we’ve always had them and I can only guess we always will” he said and Alix nodded.
“Can I feel the edges of your wings? I know you said they’re sensitive so I’ll be careful” they asked quietly and Lucifer straightened up and turned so they had easy access,
“Go ahead” he said and he felt their fingertips brush against his wing, it made him shiver but they continued,
“They’re closer to a bat’s wings than I would have initially thought, in a lot of mortal art Demon wings are feathery but black instead of white” Alix explained and Lucifer smirked.
“Yeah, I do not understand where mortals got that idea, the only demons who have feathered wings are the original fallen angels, it is to establish their positions, but the rest of us after them all have leathery ones. Technically I suppose I was classified as a fallen angel myself but that was actually my father” he explained and Alix nodded in understanding.
“Can I see your full wingspan?” They inquired and Lucifer looked around the room,
“I can try to show you, I’m not sure how well it will go though” he said and stood up, he slowly spread his wings, making sure not to hit anything within Alix’s home. “There we go” he said and watched Alix stand up and walk around him,
“Oh” they said quietly and Lucifer hummed, “there is a very very faint pattern on your wings, did you know that?” They asked and Lucifer nodded,
“Yes, it is to establish me as my fathers child, it looks like feathers without actually being said material” he said and Alix nodded behind him. He felt their hand touch his wing again and felt them lightly trace the designs. They got a touch too close to the base and Lucifer gasped, he felt them retract their hand quickly and ask,
“You alright? I’m sorry” Alix said and Lucifer shook his head,
“No, no, I’m fine, like I said, closer to the base the more sensitive they are” he said and turned to face Alix, he looked down as they looked up.
“I never realized just how tall you are” they said and Lucifer blushed, Alix only came up to his stomach.
“Yeah, I was roughly ten feet the last time I checked” he said and Alix smiled,
“Holy shit dude, are your joints okay?” They asked with amused concern and Lucifer rolled his eyes,
“Yes, they’re fine, unlike mortal anatomy, Demon anatomy is much better designed.” Lucifer said and Alix rolled their eyes.
“I’m really tired, but um…” They said and looked off to the side, Lucifer tilted his head and asked,
“What’s up?” Alix looked up
“I’m not sure I can sleep alone… He… Really rattled me… I didn’t sleep a wink last night and today was… exhausting to say the least” they said and Lucifer nodded,
“I can stay,” he said.
“That’s not… What I meant” Alix said, they took a deep breath and said, “just follow me” and Lucifer did just that. He followed them to a room, their bedroom. “I don’t think you’d be able to fit in this bed” they gestured to the mattress, it was very small. Lucifer shrugged,
“I can try” he said and went to the mattress, he laid down and his legs were so far off the end that his feet still touched the ground, “hmmm” he said and shifted a bit, “I can just sit on the floor?” He asked and Alix shook their head,
“I wish that would work, but when I’m rattled I need contact” they said and sighed. Lucifer thought hard.
“I suppose you would like to stay in your paradise?” Lucifer asked,
“Actually I’d be perfectly fine with leaving, memories and all” they said and Lucifer nodded.
“You got it,” he said and stood from the bed, “would you like to stay with Hope or even Xander?” He asked and Alix shook their head,
“Can I stay with you?” They asked and Lucifer shifted his weight, nobody has been to his home before, “I don’t have to, I was just wondering” Alix said and Lucifer shook his head quickly.
“It’s alright, come on” he said and gently put a hand on their back, leading them out of the door. He walked them to Hell’s entrance and they walked through, he led them to the elevator and punched in the code 333, a mockery his father made of the holy trinity. He watched the numbers go by and felt Alix lean further into his side, he rubbed and squeezed their shoulder gently while they waited for the elevator.
The elevator opened and dinged signalling their arrival, he walked with Alix into his home, “shit, this is huge” Alix said and Lucifer shrugged.
“It’s actually perfect for me” he laughed and he felt Alix gently nudge his side with their shoulder. He guided them up the stairs but halfway up Alix had to pause, out of breath they said,
“Goddamn, how are you able to do this every day? What are you made of?” They asked and Lucifer rolled his eyes, he bent down and lifted them into his arms, theirs instinctively going around his neck.
“Sturdier material” Lucifer said and continued ascending the stairs until they reached the door at the top. He toed it open and walked over to his bed, gently placing Alix in the middle of it and he watched them relax. “My bed nearly swallows you” he joked and Alix shrugged,
“It’s comfortable” they said and he nodded.
“Alright, I’ll be right back, I’m going to change” he said and they opened their mouth but closed it and nodded. “What’s up? I’m not going far, just into the closet right there” he said and pointed at the door to the right of the bed, Alix covered their face with their hands and mumbled something that Lucifer couldn’t hear, “I’m sorry, what?” He asked and made his way closer to them,
“Can you keep your shirt off?” They asked in a rush and Lucifer had to blink rapidly a few times to comprehend the question.
“Uh, yeah I can, any particular reason?” He asked, Alix buried their face into his pillow,
“Just…” they started but stopped and Lucifer gently squeezed their shoulder.
“It’s alright, you don’t have to explain yourself” he said gently and they nodded. He walked over to the closet and quickly changed into sweatpants and returned to the bed. He crawled in and made sure to keep a respectful distance between him and Alix. The mortal shuffled over and nuzzled into his chest. Lucifer’s face flamed again but he slowly and carefully wrapped his arm around them. They nuzzled closer and breathed deeply, relaxing more. Lucifer got an idea and started quietly humming London Bridge.
He felt Alix’s breathing even out and he too fell asleep with them.