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Alastor hated the idea of romantic love. It always seemed so forced and most of the time ended in heartbreak. It just didn’t feel like it was worth the effort to him and it wasn’t much of a problem for him either…until recently.
“Al!” an annoyingly cheerful voice called out to him.
“Good evening, sir,” he turned to greet the CEO of the company he worked for. “I was just on my way home.”
So make this quick, went unsaid.
“I was just on my way home too,” Lucifer smiled hopefully. “Do you want to grab dinner together? My treat.”
They had accidentally met when the CEO had gotten off on the wrong floor. His office was on the seventh floor but somehow he’d ended up on the third. If Alastor believed in it, he would say it was fate that they met. The red string connecting their pinkies certainly spoke volumes toward it.
“I appreciate the offer but I’m afraid I already have plans for the evening,” he declined politely. “Perhaps next time.”
“Awww ok,” he slumped with disappointment. “I’ll try again later.”
Or not at all , Alastor thought bitterly.
Lucifer said a quick goodbye and retreated.
Alastor’s smile twitched with irritation as he continued his way to his radio studio to grab his things. He didn’t understand why Lucifer couldn’t take the hint and stop trying to ask him out. He’d declined over twenty times already.
That wasn’t true though, he knew why the other hadn’t given up yet. He glared down at the cursed red string. He couldn’t interact or cut the damn thing. No one but him could even see it.
Lucifer didn’t even know it existed but he was sure the other man felt some kind of pull toward him. He had to because there was no other reason why a five minute conversation would lead to Lucifer constantly seeking him out for a quick chat or asking him on dates.
Alastor grabbed his satchel and left the room, ensuring to lock it on the way out. He was particular about his equipment and didn’t want anyone touching it or ruining his setup.
He was just about to enter the stairwell when he heard his boss call for him. Alastor debated on ignoring him but a passerby informed him that the boss was calling for him. He couldn’t pretend to not have heard now. He grimaced when he turned and saw Lucifer sitting on someone’s desk.
That little man better not have found some way to get his boss to force him on a date, Alastor thought angrily.
“Hi again,” Lucifer beamed at him.
“Alastor, I need you to come in early tomorrow to help Vox set up his newscast,” Ozzie ordered. “You can leave right after your broadcast so we don’t overwork you.”
“Is there a reason his usual team is unavailable?” Alastor said through clenched teeth.
Everyone knew that they hated each other and he wanted to refuse helping but he didn’t want to piss off Ozzie. He was sweet and friendly when he was happy and a boar when he was angry.
“I had to send one home sick today and I have a feeling he spread it before leaving,” his boss sighed and crossed his arms. “I’d rather have you around and not need you.”
“I’m on coffee run tomorrow,” Lucifer interjected and held out a pen and small notepad. “Write down exactly what you want and I’ll get it.”
“You do coffee runs?” he questioned but took the pad. He wasn’t going to turn down a free coffee.
“Don’t be fooled,” Ozzie chuckled. “He only does coffee runs to get out of work.”
“You don’t have to call me out like that,” he pouted. “Walking clears my head anyway. If I work too long I start to space out and drool.”
Lucifer tilted his head slightly as his eyes became half lidded and lifeless. His expression resembled a zombie and Alastor couldn’t help the small laugh he let out at the display. His CEO looked absolutely ridiculous.
Alastor cleared his throat awkwardly as Lucifer beamed at him again and jotted down his coffee order. A black coffee with a little cream.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he handed the pad and pen back before quickly turning to escape.
“I can’t wait,” Lucifer called after him.
“You’re being too obvious,” Ozzie said quietly but he heard anyway.
Lucifer responded but he couldn’t make it out.
Alastor glared down at the red string on his pinkie that led to wherever Lucifer was. He tried to grab it but his hands phased right through.
“Are you alright?” his mother asked as she joined him on the sofa. It was almost time for her favorite show.
“I have to go in early tomorrow,” he replied as he looked at the red string on her finger hanging loose, the other end not attached to anything, like his had been before he met Lucifer.
When he was younger, he had asked about the red strings but his parents had no idea what he was talking about. They thought he was just being playful. He stopped inquiring when people gave him strange looks.
Neither of his parents’ strings had been attached to anything but there were other people whose strings led off into the distance or were attached to the person next to them. It took a while for him to understand what they meant.
Then one day, his father came home from work and his string was no longer broken. Everything changed so quickly after that. He divorced his mother to be with that other person and abandoned them. He hadn’t tried to contact either of them since.
The damn thing was so arbitrary and he wasn’t going to let some silly string decide his fate. If he ever took a partner, it would be his choice.
“Al,” his mother said with concern and touched his arm. “Are you sure you’re ok? Is it about your boss again?”
She took his silence as confirmation.
“You just need to give him a stern no,” she lectured. “If he retaliates then we can take him to court. No one messes with my baby.”
Alastor chuckled at that.
“Lucifer would never do that,” he replied softly. “I believe I found a solution to my problem but I have to wait until after work tomorrow.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” she smiled and patted his arm.
“I will,” he stood and stretched. “I’m going to read for a bit before going to bed.”
But he didn’t, too worked up about his meeting tomorrow. His friend Husker had called to let him know that he found someone else that could see the strings. Not only could he see them but he claimed he could cut them. After tomorrow, he would no longer be attached to Lucifer and they could both move on with their lives.
Lucifer’s bright smile and flushed face flashed across his mind. A pang of guilt sprouted in his chest. He cursed the string again for forcing him to feel this way. He didn’t like Lucifer, it was all the string’s doing. He couldn’t stand that man’s glowing smile and expressive blue eyes and silly behavior and especially not their banter. It was all born from the string and hopefully he could cut these feelings along with the string.
Tomorrow, he promised himself. It would all be over tomorrow.
“There you are,” Lucifer burst into his studio without knocking. “You forgot your coffee.”
“I didn’t realize I was entitled to coffee if I wasn’t helping out,” Alastor spun in his chair to face the intruder. “I wasn’t needed after all.”
“You still came in early,” he rolled his eyes as he walked over with the white paper cup in hand. “It took me so long to find you that it's lukewarm by now but I figured I’d offer it anyway.”
Alastor took the cup and tried not to jolt when their fingers brushed. He took a tentative sip but the coffee was still warm.
“Did you like my gift?” Lucifer asked as he looked at the antique radio on the desk. “I saw it in the shop window and thought it would go well with the rest of your collection.”
The studio had shelves lined with radios throughout the decades.
“I appreciate the gift,” he stated nonchalantly as he took another gulp of coffee. His heart had fluttered when he saw it, knowing it could only be from one person.
“I was thinking if you were available this weekend,” Lucifer crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the desk. “I have some tickets for the new radio exhibit that just came to town. Maybe we could go together.”
“Do you even like radio?” Alastor tried to hide his flustered face by turning away and sounding annoyed.
“Of course I do,” came the confident reply. “The best things are on it; music, comedy acts, you.”
Alastor almost spit out his drink at that last word, instead he choked and slammed a fist against his sternum to calm his coughing.
“You’re going to be ok,” Lucifer rubbed his back. “Try to breathe.”
Those hands felt warm against him. His heart skipped a beat and he enjoyed the touch for a moment before pulling away.
The string was making him feel and act pathetically. Perhaps his mother was right and he needed to end it on his own. There was the likely possibility that whoever Husker had spoken to was lying as well.
“Lucifer,” Alastor stood and took a few steps back. “While I appreciate your kindness and attention, I cannot accept either.”
The devastated look he got in return was heartbreaking and he almost clutched his chest at the pain but he didn’t stop. This would end today one way or another.
“I am not interested in any romantic attachments,” he continued despite the clench in his chest.
They both stood there awkwardly staring at each other. Alastor didn’t know what else to add that wouldn’t sound insulting and Lucifer just seemed to be struggling to voice his thoughts.
Lucifer frowned, hurt shining from the unshed tears in his eyes.
“I understand,” Lucifer finally responded quietly and reached into his pocket to place something on the desk. “You can keep the radio and the tickets. Someone should enjoy them… Have a good broadcast.”
“Thank you,” Alastor replied, he didn’t know what else to say to that.
Once Lucifer was gone, he returned to his chair and started adjusting his equipment. Alastor removed his glasses to rub his tired eyes and was surprised to find them wet. He had no reason to be crying. His glasses fell to the desk as he buried his face in his hands.
He needed to cut this damn string so he wouldn’t feel like this for hurting Lucifer. He needed this to truly be over.
Alastor arrived early at the diner and sat in one of the dingy blue booths. He ordered a drink and appetizer while he waited. He knew Husker would likely want something to eat.
Husker arrived with a tall thin man behind him. His personality was as bright as his clothes.
“Hey there,” the new man greeted and slid into the booth next to Husker. “Whiskers said you can see the red string of fate, like me.”
“Don’t call me that,” Husker grumbled and picked up the menu. He grabbed a few nachos from Alastor’s appetizer as he ignored them.
“I can,” Alastor nodded. “Are you aware that-”
“Whiskers and I are soulmates!” the man interrupted and hugged Husker's arm. “Yeah.”
“I don’t believe in that crap,” Husker shrugged off the hug.
“He’ll warm up to me,” he leaned his elbows on the table and seductively rested his head in his hands. He showed off an impressive amount of cleavage with the position. “So you want to cut your string, right?”
“Indeed,” he lifted his hand. “I don’t believe in soulmates either and I want to be rid….of……it.”
While he was speaking the effeminate man reached forward with a pair of safety scissors and cut right through the string before returning to his original position.
“That it?” he asked with a cheeky smile. “Whiskers promised me a nice date if I helped ya. You’re welcome to join if you want.”
Husker groaned and narrowed his eyes with annoyance.
Alastor couldn’t register feeling for a few moments after the string was cut. It all came back to him in a rush as his hand shook violently and it felt like a piece of himself had been ripped from him. His forehead collided with the dirty table as he tried to hold in his wail of pain.
“Is that normal?” Husker asked with concern.
“Nah,” came the stunned answer. “It definitely ain’t.”
“So this soulmate shit is actually real?” he shouted with surprise. “I thought you both were fucking with me.”
“Nope,” came the simple response. “So about our date, maybe we should reschedule. I think your friend needs you.”
“I’m fine,” Alastor ground out and lifted his head shakily. “I’ll be leaving now.”
“I don’t thin-” Husker started.
“Consider us even,” Alastor stood from the table and took a moment to steady himself. His entire body throbbed. “Your debt has been repaid.”
He tried to walk away normally but a hand encircled his arm when he almost tipped over.
“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” Husker glared at him as he grabbed Alastor’s waist to steady him. “Your mom will kill me if I let you leave like this.”
“Well, I can’t let my soulmate die,” the other man opened the door for them. “Let’s get going.”
It was probably the oddest thing that had ever happened to Alastor.
Alastor nearly slammed the door to his studio in his anger. He still felt terrible from cutting the string yesterday and he had wanted to call out but some part of him wanted to make sure that Lucifer was fine. A very small part.
He’d seen Lucifer from afar and had waved politely at him which was returned with a polite smile and wave before he turned his back to Alastor and walked away. It shouldn’t make him as angry as it did. It shouldn’t hurt this much.
His gaze landed on the cut string and a sharp pain shot through his body.
It would go away soon, he reassured himself. It had to.
“Still bothering you, huh?” Angel Dust, the man who cut the string, asked. “It’s been, like, two weeks? You sure you didn’t like him?”
“What feelings I had were due to the string,” he growled. “The same goes for Lucifer. I’ve spoken to him a few times and he doesn’t seem affected at all.”
“And you followed me on my date to complain,” Husker mumbled as he looked over the menu. “You wanted him to stop bothering you.”
“And I’m happy with that,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, you sound real ecstatic,” Angel mumbled.
“But it is unfair that only I’m suffering the consequences of the cut,” he finished.
Husker looked up to say something and stiffened.
“God damn it,” Husker rubbed his face in exasperation.
Alastor turned to see Lucifer standing by the hostess stand with his obvious date. She was taller than Alastor and had blonde hair similar to Lucifer’s. Her voluptuous body was barely concealed by a deep purple dress that sparkled when she moved.
“Is that the guy?” Angel leered. “He’s hot!”
Alastor glared at him.
“Sorry, I thought the eye candy was for everyone,” he laughed and turned to Husker. “What are we eating today, Whiskers?”
Alastor ignored them as he watched Lucifer place a hand on the woman’s back to guide her to their table. There were two candles and a vase of pink roses for decoration. He pulled out the chair for her before taking the seat across from her. They chatted and laughed, never taking their eyes off each other.
“He gonna be like this the rest of the night?”
“Unfortunately.”
Lucifer looked around the restaurant before his eyes landed on Alastor. He couldn’t look away when their gazes locked. Lucifer’s easy smile dropped then his eyes snapped back to the woman when she said something. Lucifer scratched his head nervously as the woman turned to look at him next. Alastor looked away then and noticed his two companions were making out.
Alastor stood with a grimace and went to the restroom. Lucifer didn’t even look at him as he passed.
He splashed water on his face and resolved to simply leave so he didn’t have to watch Husker’s poor excuse for flirting. Before exiting the restroom, he glared down at the broken string on his pinkie.
As he passed Lucifer’s table again, closer this time than the last, his foot caught on something and he fell forward toward a waiter. The waiter stepped away in time but dropped his tray full of dessert on the floor with Alastor.
He flinched when he tried to sit up and his arm refused to move. There had been a sharp pain as he landed.
Alastor flushed when he realized that he’s fallen in the middle of a crowded restaurant and was covered in chocolate, ice cream, and fruit pie. He’d already have run away if his ankle didn’t throb, almost like something had hit him forcefully so he’d fall.
“Shit, are you ok?” Lucifer dove to his knees, uncaring about dirting his pants. “I think your arm is dislocated.”
“I’ll be fine,” he clumsily sat up. He had to grit his teeth against the pain.
“Lily, let’s reschedule Charchar’s graduation dinner,” Lucifer wrapped an arm around his back. “I gotta take Alastor to the emergency room.”
“I’ll let our daughter know,” she looked down at his ankle with worry. “It looks like his ankle is swollen too. He won’t be able to walk on that.”
Alastor looked down but couldn’t tell if it was swollen from where he sat.
“Can you please ask the valet to get my car?” Lucifer asked the hostess. “How much pain are you in Alastor?”
“Excruciating,” he grumbled as his face flushed.
Lucifer huffed out a small laugh.
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” he shook his head. “You can’t be that hurt if you’re making jokes.”
“I never said I was embarrassed,” he turned his heated face away.
“Put your good arm around me.”
Before he could ask why, Lucifer put an arm under his knees and easily lifted him from the floor. Alastor flailed and gripped the other man’s shoulder like his life depended on it.
They had to look ridiculous as Lucifer carried him from the restaurant. He was sure Husker was getting pictures.
The valet opened the passenger door for them and Lucifer carefully sat him down and buckled his seatbelt. Alastor’s heart skipped a beat when Lucifer’s face was only an inch away and he brought a hand up to caress Alastor’s face.
Lucifer pulled away with a smirk and licked chocolate sauce off his thumb.
“You owe me dessert after this, Al,” he laughed at Alastor’s dumbfounded face before closing the door.
The drive to the ER was silent, with Alastor staring out the window the entire time. Sitting in the ER waiting wasn’t much better. Neither of them looked at each other as time slowly passed. Eventually it turned into them waiting in a private room.
“How are you feeling?” Lucifer looked up from his phone to ask.
“It’s just a dull ache,” he replied with a sigh, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. He was lying down on the bed provided.
“I’m sorry if this is awkward,” Lucifer played with the pop socket on the back of his phone. “I guess I should have asked if you wanted me to call someone for you… To replace me.”
His mother went to visit her sister for the weekend so he was all alone. He supposed he could have called upon Husker since he was already at the restaurant but things had happened too quickly.
“I would ask how you’re feeling about all this,” Alastor hissed. “But you seemed to have moved on just fine.”
More silence.
“That was just my ex-wife,” Lucifer stated. “We were celebrating our daughter’s college graduation tonight.”
Alastor hated how those words lightened his mood and made his heart flutter. He threw an arm over his eyes.
“Do you believe in soulmates?” Alastor asked suddenly.
“No?” Lucifer sounded confused from the question.
“I don’t either,” he said with frustration. “What if I told you that I can see little red strings connecting people to their soulmate? What if you could see them? What would you do if you met that person?”
“I would get to know them.”
Alastor lifted his arm to see Lucifer’s contemplative expression.
“I wouldn’t fall head over heels for them just because of some string but I wouldn’t reject them either,” he shrugged. “If the string is right then I’ll find that out on my own but if not then I could always continue looking. Who knows, maybe I'd become friends with that person.”
Alastor was stunned by that response.
“Is this the part where you tell me that you can actually see the string and yours isn’t attached to mine so you won’t even give me the time of day,” Lucifer looked down morosely. “You already rejected me, Alastor. You don’t have to do it again. I’m not planning to use this to woo you or anything. I just want to make sure you’re ok.”
A twist in his chest and the lump in his throat prevented him from replying right away.
The doctor entered, halting all conversation.
“I’ll be in the waiting room,” Lucifer stood and quickly made for the door. “Give you some privacy.”
Alastor royally messed up that conversation. He hadn’t meant for Lucifer to take it that way.
He nearly cried when the doctor reset his arm but the rest of the visit was quick and they wrote him a prescription for some painkillers before wheeling him back to the waiting room.
Lucifer looked worse for wear but smiled anyway.
They stopped by the pharmacy to grab the prescription and Alastor took them in the car. He felt exhausted and fell asleep soon after. By the time he opened his eyes, Lucifer was tucking him into bed.
“Lucifer,” he slurred slightly as he grabbed the other man’s arm. “You are my soulmate.”
“Huh?” he raised an amused brow. “Is that so? I think the meds are making you a little loopy.”
“I had the string cut because I didn’t want some damn string to tell me what to do,” he grumbled. “But I can't stop thinking about you and you don’t even seem to care anymore so it was all the string in the first place.”
“Alastor, I don’t like you because of some string,” Lucifer rolled his eyes. “I’ve been listening to your show for years and I think you’re incredibly funny and insightful. Also, I’m not dumb enough to get off on the wrong floor in my own building.” He chuckled and bent down slightly to run a hand through his hair. “I didn’t expect to see you that quickly and panicked. You’re an interesting person, Al. The more I talk to you, the more I want to talk to you.”
Alastor gave him a blank stare.
“Go back to sleep,” he sighed. “You’ll feel better in the morning.” Lucifer pulled free but paused at the door. “Don’t bother coming into work tomorrow. I’ll send you home.”
He was an idiot, he thought to himself as he threw off the covers to limp after Lucifer. He threw open the front door but there was no sign of Lucifer. His car was still parked in the driveway.
“What are you doing?”
Alastor whipped around to see Lucifer standing in front of the kitchen door.
“I thought you were leaving,” he replied, slight panic in his voice.
“You were a handful as a child, weren’t you?” Lucifer shook his head playfully as he approached. “Get back in here, you loon.”
He pulled Alastor back inside and closed the door behind him.
“I’ll have you know, I was well behaved,” Alastor hopped over to the sofa to sit down.
“So you grew out of it,” Lucifer teased and joined him.
“You’re infuriating,” he glared at the other man’s cheeky smile.
“I’d say you like it but I recently learned otherwise.”
“I do like it,” he snarled then his eyes widened in realization.
“Is that so, my dear soulmate?” Lucifer smiled mischievously and leaned closer. “Those meds of yours are pretty strong, huh?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he turned away with annoyance. “I cut the string, our feelings will…will-”
Alastor trailed off as he looked at the string on his pinkie. It was no longer broken and was connected to Lucifer’s again.
“And what are those feelings?” Lucifer grabbed his jaw to force their gazes to meet. “You have to tell me directly or I’ll just have to back off again.”
Damn the string. Damn fate. And most importantly, damn Lucifer too.
“I like you,” he admitted softly.
“Forget about the string, Alastor,” Lucifer kissed him. “And only focus on me.”
“Ok,” he breathed softly.
They exchanged a few more chaste kisses before Lucifer stood and helped him up.
“Oh, by the way,” Lucifer smiled cheekily. “Those pain meds they gave you are just over the counter stuff so they weren’t affecting you at all.”
Alastor achieved a deer in the headlights look.
“What do you mean that it reconnects after you cut it?” Alastor shook Angel by the collar violently. “What's the point of cutting it?”
“Whiskers!” Angel shouted desperately.
“You're on your own,” Husker scrolled on his phone impassively.