Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucifer was reaching his limit. And it didn’t make any sense! He hadn’t cared about the terms the Radio Demon used to refer to him until two days ago, when he heard Angel complaining about the endearing terms Vaggie and Charlie used with each other. Only then had he realized Alastor only referred to him in regal terms.

“Will you spit out already what is bothering you, sire?”

They had retired to the sinner’s room after dinner —well, ‘officially’ each one had gone to their own room— with the intention of spending some time together before bedtime, even if Alastor was reading and him fiddling with one of his ducks. Truth was, their relationship had not changed much since they decided to become… them. Insults and bickering were part of their daily life, but also soft touches and, from time to time in the privacy of one of their rooms, hand holding.

And Lucifer was beyond satisfied with it!

If that was the speed at which Alastor wanted to move —or even if he wanted for them to remain static—, he was game. He would never ask anything physical from him. The naming, however…

“Has the void finally grasped the remaining parts of your brain and silenced you, Your Majesty?”

“Would you stop it?!”

Granted, his reaction had been a bit stronger than what he had planned; arms banging on the table and chair almost falling to the ground when pushing it back to stand. In front of him, Alastor’s eyes widened for a moment, before setting back to his normal expression and bending his neck awkwardly to one side. The deer ears followed cue and Lucifer got distracted for a second. They looked so fluffy…

No, bad Luci! Focus!

“What exactly do you want me to stop doing, sire?”

He groaned.

“That!”

This time, the sinner’s features mixed in confusion and frustration, as if he was really trying to understand the devil but not quite grasping it.

“Is… my bickering too much tonight, sire?”

“No! I don’t mind your sassiness, I like it!”

Oh fuck, now he was blushing at his own words. If he were still sitting, the devil would have banged his face against the table. Instead, he focused on the other man, who at least seemed also a little flustered.

“Well if that’s the case, Your Majesty, then I don’t understand what exactly you are complaining about.”

“Your reference to me!” Lucifer declared, one hand moving in between them. “You should not be calling me ‘sire’ or ‘Your Majesty’. It’s weird when it comes from you now that we’re… We.”

At the other side of the table, Alastor chuckled.

“You’re truly a tiny box full of surprises, sire” he said, continuing before Lucifer had the opportunity to protest against the naming. “Even if in a relationship, you’re still the King of Hell, aren’t you? I’m simply showing the appropriate respect.”

Lucifer huffed.

“We both now you hold no respect for me” the devil threw back. “And I don’t care, because I don’t want you to see me as the King of Hell.”

“Oh? And how should I see you, then?”

He thought about it for a second, the answer seeming obvious.

“As Lucifer. As your… partner?”

The term felt strange in his lips. They had never defined their relationship in a word during the past month, and to start doing it now felt weird. Judging by Alastor’s expression, he thought the same. Still, he considered his words before nodding.

“Very well, then” he finally said. “For the sake of keeping our private and public lives separated, I’ll continue calling you ‘sire’ and ‘Your Majesty’ when we’re out. However, seeing as the same connotation is problematic for you when we’re alone… I’ll start using your name, Lucifer.”

Oh.

Oh fuck.

He hadn’t thought this through.

He hadn’t considered it nearly enough.

His cheeks were burning, his mouth was dry and sweat was accumulating in the palm of his hands.

A chuckle coming from the other man indicated Alastor had also realized this. And oh, did his expression change at the acknowledgement… That damn amused smile.

“What seems to be the matter now, Lucifer?” he practically sang. “Did you change your mind, perhaps?”

“N-No! It’s just, um… weird.”

“Why? It is your name, isn’t it? Lucifer.”

He was going to choke.

“Stop it!” the devil groaned, a hand covering his golden face.

“I see… Maybe another term would be better?” the sinner wondered.

A screeching noise indicated Alastor had stood up, steps coming closer to him until he felt his presence a foot apart.

“Darling.”

He whined.

“My dear.”

Oh, he promised that if one day he found something that made the other man blush, he would never stop.

Then, an amused laugh filled the room and the embarrassment morphed into shame. Lucifer shifted on his feet, suddenly uncomfortable at the memories of Lilith laughing at his flushing reactions. Sure, initially it was funny, but overtime… He wondered if towards the end of their marriage she had kept doing it with a cruel intention.

“Lucifer?”

This time, his name was called with a tone that bordered worry.

“I-It’s ok” he said, chuckling as he removed the hand from his face. “It’s funny, I get it.”

Alastor had on his face the same expression he used every time he wanted to get him to admit what was bothering him, normally during a depressive episode.

Way to ruin the mood, Lucifer.

“It’s just… For a moment it felt like you were laughing at me” he offered, knowing better than to lie. “It’s stupid.”

“Hmm… I apologize if it seemed that way” the sinner said, erasing the distance separating them and taking one of his hands. To this day, Lucifer still found fascinating how perfect skin-to-skin contact felt with him. “Even if your reaction is amusing, I find it mostly endearing. Who knew that the king’s greatest weakness were pet names?”

“It’s not the names, but how you say them.”

“Ah, I see…” the Radio Demon considered. “Would you like me to stop?”

“No!”

The other man chuckled.

“I-I mean… It’s okay to do it if you’re comfortable with it.”

“I am.”

“G-Good.”

In that moment, a realization hit him.

“What about you?” he wondered. “Can I use your name?”

Alastor lifted an eyebrow with an amused expression.

“I admit that having you calling me ‘bellhop’ when we’re alone is rather annoying, even if you rarely do it” the sinner declared. “My name will suffice. I’m not fond of pet names.”

“And, um… ‘Al’?”

Lucifer saw the Radio Demon putting an effort in maintaining his expression neutral, but the swift movement of his ears betrayed him. It was cute, but the devil appreciated his life too much to say that out loud.

“I can approve the abbreviation, as long as it doesn’t become the rule” he said “My mother put a good amount of thought in my name and I would like to keep using it.”

“Of course.”

Happy and fully satisfied, the devil brought their joined hands up and planted a small kiss on the back of the Radio Demon’s palm.

From that day on, their private conversations became somehow more intimate. They were Lucifer and Alastor now. And if he kept blushing terribly every time Al used an endearing term with him… Well, he could live with that.

Chapter Text

They were resting in Alastor’s bayou, the sinner sitting under a dark wooden tree with a book in his hands and a head on his lap. It would be peaceful, if not for the turmoil inside of his mind.

It had not been like that, about ten minutes ago. He was enjoying the story, one hand sometimes slipping down to curl his fingers in Lucifer’s hair as the devil napped. And then, the characters of the book had kissed. In the past, such an act would have made him huff and move on to the next page, zero interest in the long descriptions of the action and feelings involved.

Now, a part of him was curious.

An irritating thought, really.

For the last month or so since he had started this… relationship —he guessed— with the King of Hell, few things had changed between them. Sure, the scene in which they found themselves at the moment could argue against that, but it was his honest opinion. Nobody inside or outside the hotel suspected a thing, their behavior with each other as annoying as always and absolutely zero contact unless they were alone.

In other words, it was exactly what Alastor had asked for.

He should be satisfied with the arrangement, but no.

Hours spent in the other’s room, conversing or just spending time together, had made him grow even more comfortable around Lucifer. At the beginning, just holding hands sent a buzz through his spine. Then, after enough repetitions, it became something enjoyable, his body moving on his own in search of the contact.

This, of course, had been a surprise for Alastor himself, who found himself testing if the same comfortability had expanded to other people, but quickly discovered the truth. Whatever had changed in him, only applied to Lucifer.

Preposterous.

And still, as days passed he found himself moving his hands towards the devil’s face. The other man was surprised the first time, even asking if everything was alright, but the Radio Demon just rolled his eyes and continued his explorations. Eventually, combing the king’s hair with his fingers became a normal action, as it was caring his cheeks and neck. He especially enjoyed the way Lucifer trembled every time he brushed along his throat.

To think that the devil himself would allow such a vulnerable position next to Alastor…

And now, he found himself wanting more.

To touch those lips with the tip of his fingers.

And maybe…

He huffed.

An absurd thought, really. He should continue with his book.

“You okay?”

So lost in his own thoughts, Alastor hadn’t realized the devil had opened his eyes, observing him with a concerned expression.

“Of course, dear” he disregarded, going back to his book. “You may continue with your nap. Judging by the awful bags under your eyes, you need it.”

As a response, the smaller man hit him in the side with an elbow. He ignored the childish behavior, waiting until Lucifer closed his eyelids before going back to observe him. His lips were slightly parted.

“I can feel you looking.”

Alastor rolled his eyes and turned them back to the book, trying to find the line in which he had stopped reading.

“Why don’t you tell me what is going on?”

His fingers clenched at the side of the pages. Silence. On his lap, the king seemed to be waiting patiently. For a moment, Alastor considered what to say that could rail him up enough to start an argument. That would be comfortable territory for him.

Another huff.

“It’s nothing of importance.”

“So, you admit there is something.”

“Will you stop this questioning and go back to sleep, sire? Or should I invite you to leave my quarters so I can resume reading?”

“We both know you haven’t read a word for the last twenty minutes, at least.”

“Because you keep distracting me!” he argued.

Annoyed, Alastor put his knees up, forcing the other man to move away. In a swift movement, Lucifer placed himself sitting next to him.

“And how exactly did I do that while I was relaxing?” the devil complained with a pout, arms crossing over his chest. “Was I breathing too loud?”

Stupidly, the sinner’s eyes settled for a second on the king’s lips. Grunting, he settled the book higher, covering his face to hide the annoying fluster he could feel coming up.

“Exactly!” was his response. “One would think that after millennia of practice, you could breathe less loudly. It’s truly distracting!”

Instead of an offended comment, the Radio Demon was faced with silence. So much, that he would have thought Lucifer had left the room if not because he could feel him still there.

“Alastor” the other man called. He didn’t move. “Al.”

It wasn’t fair, that once they had started their relationship the way in which the devil pronounced that version of his name made him feel warm. Grinding his teeth, he closed the book and laid it down next to him, knowing well he would not continue reading it anytime soon.

“Yes, sire?”

For a moment, Lucifer looked nervous.

“L-Look, I may be wrong. And you can kick me if I piss you off with what I’m going to say!” he started, which of course put him on alert. The king acknowledging his own idiocy didn’t predict any good. “It’s just that, just now… W-Were you… thinking about kissing me?”

A screech in the radio static stopped all the other sounds in the bayou. His pupils, however, didn’t become dials and his shadow tendrils didn’t send Lucifer flying outside of the room. No, he just simply looked away.

“Oh.”

Alastor was not able to control the way his ears bent backwards and warmth rose to his cheeks. It was shameful, to say the least.

“You know that’s… okay, right?” the other man continued. “I mean, I told you that whatever you felt comfortable with was fine. And if you just want to try once and never again, I would not say no.”

Oh, how tempted the Radio Demon was to just let his shadows take him out of the room. Surely a good couple of hours preparing jambalaya in the kitchen would make him feel less… Ugh.

And still, he was curious. A little disgusted about the idea of exchanging saliva, too.

Slowly, Alastor rose his eyes to look back at the king, fingers grabbing now at the black grass underneath them.

“I’ve… never…”

“Oh! That’s okay!” Lucifer quickly said, fully involved. “It’s, uh… easy? You just have to close your eyes and then I’ll get closer and…”

This idiot.

He extended a hand to cover the other man’s mouth, sending him an annoyed glare.

“I know how kisses work, sire” the sinner protested, embarrassment dying down. “However, I think I would feel more… comfortable if I was the one leading.”

Still muted, Lucifer carefully nodded, Alastor feeling a smile against his palm. In that moment, the king looked at him as if he was offering a great gift. So stupid.

Slowly, the Radio Demon removed the hand covering the devil’s mouth, letting it slide down until it rested on his neck. He gave himself fifteen seconds to strategize, recollecting the information from kisses in his books. So many choices and… His thumb flickered over Lucifer’s throat and the other man shuddered.

What if…?

Alastor repeated the gesture, moving then his hand higher until it rested in one side of the devil’s face, thumb brushing softly over his ear. At the same time, his own body had sifted slightly forwards and soon enough his forehead connected against Lucifer’s, eyes close. He felt the king’s breath mixing with his, but the expected disgust didn’t come. It smelled like apples. Would he taste the same?

The sinner moved his chin to connect their lips in a light kiss. It was just a brush, barely enough for him to acknowledge how soft Lucifer’s were. He tried again. This time, he separated his lips enough to properly taste the other man, and the devil copied him a moment after.

Yes, apples.

But also sweets. And coffee. And something else. Something… unique.

Suddenly overwhelmed, he pushed slightly back. Not enough to fully separate himself from Lucifer, but sufficient to stop the kiss, faces still impossibly close.

“Good?” the king quietly asked.

He hummed in response, realizing only then that the static normally accompanying him had stopped.

“Enough to repeat?”

Alastor chuckled, pulling fully back to be able to properly look at the other man.

“Maybe another day.”

“REALLY?! I-I mean, yeah, uh, sure…”

This time, a full laugh left his lips.

“My, my, darling… I didn’t expect to be such a good kisser, causing this reaction!”

“Oh, shut up, will you?”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure you would like to do that with your lips, wouldn’t you?”

Lucifer blushed, white skin turning golden.

“You’re horrible!”

Another hum, Alastor’s smile fully satisfied. In between them, their fingers had interlaced over the grass. He was sure to have read a similar scene in some book. Utterly absurd, really.

“You know I mean it, right?” the devil said after a couple of minutes.

“That I’m horrible?”

“What? No! You, stupid little…” he stopped after Alastor’s chuckle. “I rectify. You are truly horrible. However, that was not what I was referring to. I mean about trying new things.”

In between Lucifer’s, his fingers trembled slightly.

“Whatever you feel like, just say it and we can talk some ground rules before attempting anything, just like now” the devil continued, taking the Radio Demon’s hand fully in his. “The only thing I want is to be sure you’ll stop if you’re not comfortable.”

“I can assure you, sire, I will not do anything I don’t want to.”

That much, Alastor was sure of. He had already pushed his boundaries enough for a relationship and he would not do it again. Be it with the King of Hell or anybody else.

“Great!” the other man beamed, jumping to his feet. “Now! I think it’s time for dinner, are you joining?”

His quick movements had made their hands to separate, but Lucifer offered his palm again in a silent invitation. They both knew the connection would be lost the moment they left the sinner’s room. Neither wanted to make their relationship public yet, so they had to bid well moments like that.

Alastor took the offered hand.

Chapter Text

Knowing when to leave a party was as important as dressing accordingly to the theme. Thus why Alastor had abandoned the lobby about five minutes ago, when sinners had started to become far too comfortable shedding clothes. The celebration of Angel’s birthday had been doomed to get out of hand from the beginning, but that didn’t mean he had to stay there to see it. Better to let the young ones have their ‘fun’.

Instead, the Radio Demon took the lift to the top floor, turning to Lucifer’s quarters once there. The king had left the party more than an hour before, claiming he was socially drained and apologizing to both the birthday boy and her daughter. They both had seemed a little disappointed, but were sensitive enough to not say anything about it.

Softly knocking at the door, Alastor awaited for an answer while resting his weight over his cane. Any other day, he would have gone to his own room to enjoy some solitude, but in between the king’s leaving and the debauchery going on in the lobby at the moment, he had observed a few behaviors among couples —or engaged groups— that had called his attention.

Just a few months ago, touch had been a weird concept for him. Sure, he didn’t mind invading other people’s personal space for the shake of emphasis or annoyance, but for the opposite to happen… To say it was uncomfortable was only a beginning.

And yet, his experience with Lucifer was other. He enjoyed the feeling of their hands connecting, or the kisses they shared from time to time. The touch never extended under any cloth, of course, and he doubted it would do anytime soon, but… He was curious about something else, and he knew the king would never attempt a step in fear of scaring him.

As if that could happen! He was the Radio Demon. Not even the devil’s advances could scare him. If anything, the worst thing could happen was him using his shadow tendrils to throw him against a wall if he overstepped. And still, Lucifer would not risk it.

Therefore his current predicament.

“Al?” the small king asked when opening the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Why, my darling!” he chuckled. “With such a welcome, one could think his presence is not appreciated!”

Lucifer pointedly rolled his eyes, moving to one side in order to let him in.

“Cut the melodrama” the devil huffed. “I just kind of expected you to hide in your room once you got tired of the party.”

“Well, dear, just because that’s your standard behavior, doesn’t mean I have to follow cue.”

“Asshole.”

“Just being honest!”

The Radio Demon closed the door behind him as Lucifer walked back to his working bench, no doubt with intentions of keep working in one of his ducks. That was alright; most of their nights together were spent in company but with their own individual activities. Besides, it would make easier for him the next part.

Slowly, Alastor removed his gloves and placed them inside the pockets of his coat, just to remove this one as well. The king’s back to him made the self-awareness run lower as he approached one of the chairs in front of the chimney to leave the garment there. It felt incredibly unpleasant, to have his back so exposed in a room that was not his and in the company of somebody else different from his shadow.

“Hey Al, look at this duck that I was… Oh.”

He almost laughed at Lucifer’s reaction when turning around. The moment his eyes made contact with the tail attached to the base of Alastor’s spine, the figurine on his hands fell to the ground.

“My, I must really be a view, if I have rendered you speechless just by removing my coat” he commented, trying to hide any kind of nervousness.

A few more seconds of silence, and then…

“YOU HAVE A TAIL?!”

The devil advanced in long strides —or as long as they could be with his tiny legs—, one hand stretched out. The Radio Demon turned instinctively, back against the chair behind him.

“No touching” he pointed out.

Lucifer’s fingers retracted immediately.

“Ok, yeah, uh… I need a moment.”

The other man’s eyes wandered up and down his body as if he had grown a second head. Hence the reason why Alastor kept his back covered.

“It’s just a tail, dear” the sinner stated with a sigh.

“Uh, no” the king protested. “It’s not just a tail. It’s your tail and, have you seen it?! I bet it’s fluffy and soft! It looks so cute!”

Of all the words… Alastor felt his pupils change into radio dials and his antlers grow a bit.

“I can assure you, sire, there is nothing cute about me.”

“Nope, I beg to differ” the devil chuckled, only stepping back when the Radio Demon growled. “Ok, ok… Not cute, then.”

And just like that, Alastor went back to normal.

“Can I just ask… Why now?” Lucifer continued. “Not that I’m complaining! But…”

“It felt adequate, to show you a part of me that only a number of people in Hell have seen” he admitted, walking towards the other man slowly. “And… There is something I want to try.”

“Oh, um… Okay” the king nodded. “What is it?”

Distance between them reduced to almost zero, Alastor grabbed one of Lucifer’s hands and put it on his waist, sparkling a bunch of new sensations. Not exactly uncomfortable, just… different.

“Uh… Al?”

“Just don’t touch my tail.”

He didn’t exactly give the other time to respond, body bending down to press their lips together as he pulled the devil’s other hand up onto his hair, just at the base of his ears. He felt Lucifer’s surprise breath against his mouth, fingers squeezing at his waist at the same time as his other digits brushed softly over the sensitive hair. Alastor kissed him again, muzzling the other sensations down to avoid feeling too much.

His hands moved up from Lucifer’s shoulders, cupping his head so his fingers could entangle in the short hairs on his neck. At the same time, the devil decided to explore more of his ears, from the base to the tip, making him shiver in what he could not deny it was a pleasure.

Months ago, Alastor would have found the situation infuriating. Not because he didn’t enjoy it, no, but because he didn’t understand. Why was touch with Lucifer so different? What was the devil doing to him, that he was willing to explore further than what he normally thought tolerable? He had spent uncountable hours trying to find answers just to end with a headache. Now —and several conversations with Rosie after—, he knew there was no point in trying to explain it. There were few good things in Hell, and if he could find pleasure in his relationship with Lucifer, why try to justify it? The Radio Demon never attempted to understand why he enjoyed broadcasting his enemies’ dead screams, after all.

When air became needed —by him, at least; he knew the king could babble without breathing for hours—, he finally pulled slightly apart, forehead resting over Lucifer’s. Alastor could still taste the apple dessert from when their tongues had played with each other, chuckling at the mere idea of not being repulsed by the saliva of other person in his mouth.

“Did you forget to brush your teeth after dinner again, dear?”

“Guilty.”

The sinner could feel Lucifer’s smile against his skin, their lips still brushing. Slowly, he pulled further back to be able to properly look at the other man, his hands descending back to the king’s shoulders. In exchange, the devil squeezed carefully his hips, both arms around him now that he could not reach the demon’s head.

“Mm… Does this mean that you’re okay with my hands wandering a bit?”

Lucifer’s expression was wary, as if scared of pushing him away by making the wrong assumption. Such an idiotic man. Still, he appreciated gesture, as tedious as it could be to be treated as a fragile thing.

It’s not treating you like glass, Al, Lucifer had said once. I just want to respect your boundaries.

The King of Hell, one of the most considerate men Alastor had met in his life and afterlife.

“As long as they stay over my clothes, yes” he nodded, ears flickering. “And no tail, for now.”

“No tail, Devil’s honor” Lucifer agreed, one palm solemnly up.

Of all the people to choose, he had to go and like this stupid one.

“Can I ask what prompted this?” the king said, head slightly turned to one side. “You didn’t exactly answer before.”

Why, indeed.

“I know you like contact” he declared, a finger coming to close the other man’s lips before continuing. “Shut up, I’m the one doing the talking now. And I didn’t do it solely for you; I was curious, too, about how your touch would feel in my ears. I must admit it didn’t disappoint” under his digit, Lucifer’s lips became a smile and the Radio Demon rolled his eyes. “Of course, this doesn’t mean there will be any other advances soon, or maybe ever again.”

Letting the king care his ears —because calling it ‘petting’ was just wrong— and see his tail was already more than enough, especially considering how sensitive they were. In all honesty, he had half-expected his body to pull away the moment Lucifer touched his ears, but instead he had leant in the contact.

As said, Alastor had stopped trying to justify his —and his body’s— behavior around the king some time ago. He had bigger problems to worry about, all things considered.

“Well, I’m just glad you enjoyed it” the devil said after a second. “I surely did, your ears are so soft!”

The Radio Demon rolled his eyes again, even if he could feel a blush growing up his cheeks.

“I would like to reciprocate.”

That caught his attention, ears flickering and neck bending in an angle he knew infuriated the other man.

“Why, my dear! It seems like this time I have to be the one reminding you that my actions were not done with the intention of an exchange.”

Alastor could say without a doubt those were words nobody apart from Lucifer had heard him pronounce.

“I know” the devil responded. “I’m also doing it for me.”

Lucifer stepped back, letting go of the sinner’s waist, and his wings spread out behind him.

Lucifer loved his wings. He always had. From the beginning of times —when he lived in Heaven and they used to be fully white and not a feather out of place thanks to the daily preening with his brothers—, to his arrival in Hell. Even after he Fell, old wings tortured out of him and new ones —red inside as proof of his punishment— grew, he still loved them.

There was not much that he thought could surpass the feeling of flying —how free he felt—, even as chains tied him to Hell. And Lilith understood that, helping him to take care of the feathers he could not reach. Or at least she did, until their relationship became colder.

Then, depression hit and preening his own wings became too much of an effort. By then, it seemed easier to cut them out when they were ugly enough, the pain associated with it at least putting a stop to his brain for a while.

Until Alastor invaded his life.

The Radio Demon had done a lot of things for him since they met, but to remove the knife he was using to hurt himself and instead carefully bring his wings back to their glory, was one on the top ones. It was probably in that moment when Lucifer properly started to fall for him.

And now, his feathers were back to be a little ruffled. The devil had taken care of the ones he could easily reach with certain periodicity, not wanting to let old habits come back. Wings, however, were not made to be preened alone.

“I saw the feather you have in your room” he said once the initial surprise left the Radio Demon’s expression.

It seemed silly to him, really, to display so carefully an item that by all means was damaged; tip slightly bent downwards and raquis broken. And still, Alastor kept the feather in a glass box, next to the other objects he liked to have on display.

“I, uh… Thought you could help me with my wings again?” the king suggested, brushing his own neck and suddenly feeling insecure. “That way you can, um, get another feather more good-looking for your room.”

In front of him, the Radio Demon bent his head to one side again in a creepy angle at the same time as he squinted at him.

“I’ll assist you, but I don’t want another feather.”

“B-But the one you have is ugly and broken.”

“I don’t mind. It is a valuable object of my collection and I’m not looking forwards to change it anytime soon.”

And oh, was Lucifer blushing again.

That demon would be the death of him.

“O-Okay.”

“Excellent! In that case, why don’t we move onto your bed? I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable there, dear.”

Still slightly overwhelmed, Lucifer turned to face the mattress, carefully seating on it with his knees underneath and wings fully expanded. Even if it was in a similar position, it felt different from the last time Alastor had helped him with them. Now, it felt more intimate, more vulnerable. The devil understood now what a gift the sinner had given him by letting him touch his ears and see that fluffy tail.

“They look better than the last time” the demon observed, the tip of his fingers brushing over the top left wing and making him shudder. “Do you have some oil? I read it can help with impermeability, and you should probably shower with them out today to eliminate dust and dirt.”

Lucifer turned so fast that one of his middle wings slapped Alastor on the face.

“Sorry!” he exclaimed, pulling the damn appendages down. “I-I just… You read about how to preen wings?”

The Radio Demon removed one small feather from his face and let it fall to the ground, expression more amused than irritated.

“It would be more correct to say I read about how to properly take care of them, not only through preening” he pointed out. “I was curious.”

“Oh, that’s great! Yeah, um… Good!”

Fuck, why couldn’t his brain just behave normally for once?!

“Now, dear, about that oil…”

“Ah, yes!” the king quickly conjured a bottle in between them. “Here, this should be enough.”

Alastor nodded, moving one finger in a circle to indicate him to turn, which he did.

“Is it okay if I start?”

“Yeah, knock yourself out!”

When a couple of fingers came to brush the joint in between his top wings and his back, Lucifer trembled.

“Sensitive, aren’t we?” the sinner chuckled. “These seem to have grown back well enough, but I’ll check them anyways. Tell me if I overstep.”

“Sure.”

In silence, he left the other man work on his wings, fingers combing the feathers with oil, carefully positioning them in the correct direction or softly pulling from the ones that needed to detach. It was obvious, by the way his hands moved, that Alastor knew what he was doing. His movements did not show the doubt the devil felt when he preened him the first time, nor did he pull too strong or from the wrong feathers. Even the oil was being carefully spread in a sensitive way.

If it wasn’t because he didn’t want to miss the feeling of the demon’s hands on his wings, Lucifer would have fallen asleep. Instead, he focused on the nostalgic sensation, on the idea of this event repeating itself with periodicity.

After his first meeting with the Radio Demon, he would have never thought he would be offering his back —his wings— to him without fear. Trusting him. And for a while, he could not believe Alastor had a pure interest of him, too used to sinners getting close to him for favors. If being honest, that fear still remained deep inside of him. But, for now, this was good.

For now, Lucifer wanted to stay in this room, with Alastor’s hands combing his feathers, a soft jazz melody playing in the background. It felt so domestic, so them, that he had started to remember how home felt.

Chapter Text

Alastor was feeling murderous, but he had crossed the threshold of the hotel a few minutes ago and that meant he could not continue with the manslaughter. No, that had been taken care of on his way there, the streets of Pentagram City becoming a little redder as he maimed and sent for reconstruction almost every sinner that appeared in front of him.

If the morning hadn’t been hard enough with assisting Lucifer and Charlie with the future meetings with Heaven, he had had to go and attend another meeting in the afternoon, this time with the Overlords. And of course that was the day the Vee’s had to go and decide and join it together. As if dealing only with Velvette was too little punishment.

No, on top of that he had to put on with Valentino’s sex comments and Vox’s idiocy for several hours. If it wasn’t because he had zero interest in take care of their deals and industry, he would have erased them long ago. They were not even worth enough to add their torturing screams to his broadcast.

The only consolation he could find through the day was that nobody was at the lobby apart from Husker, who knew better than to serve him a glass of Rye whisky and let him go in silence. And now, finally, peace in his own room.

The Radio Demon shed his coat and shoes almost as soon as he closed the door, letting the garments on the ground to worry about them tomorrow. The gloves and bowtie followed them soon enough, a groan leaving his lips as he walked towards one of the comfy chairs in the left side of the room. His hooves made a soft noise on the ground, breaking the irritated static coming out from his cane. With a huff he let himself fall in the armchair, one hand coming up to massage his temple, smile tight.

“Uh… Everything alright, Al?”

Yes, the sinner was aware of Lucifer’s presence in the room. Had been, since the moment he opened the door, really. For some reason beyond his comprehension, the devil liked to spend time there when he had to stay away for several hours. It was a weird and clingy behavior, but he couldn’t seem to care as everything Lucifer did in those situations was lay down on the bayou without causing any disturbance.

“Long day” Alastor groaned after a minute, letting out a sigh. “All the Vee’s were present and accounted for the meeting. It was marvelous.”

“Ah” the other man eloquently contributed.

He felt more than heard Lucifer as he approached, a pair of hands soon mingling with his hair and providing soothing movements. The sinner was far too tired to keep up any mask. He let his head fall on the devil’s middle body as he followed the feeling of his fingers brushing carefully his ears from base to tip. Shamefully, Alastor could also feel his tail complacently moving at the base of his spine, but if Lucifer noticed at least he didn’t comment on it.

“You seem tired, Al” the king voiced with a chuckle. “Perhaps you should go to sleep, instead of sitting here.”

The words took a minute to settle in his mind, as the light head massage he was receiving was rather distracting, but he finally nodded in agreement. As Lucifer started to move away, the Radio Demon gripped his arms around the other’s waist and lifted him up on his lap just to stand a second after. The loud yelp the devil let out as a response was something he would have to mock about another day.

“Um… Al, what are you… uh… what are you exactly doing?” Lucifer asked as he started walking.

“Going to bed, obviously.”

Alastor was far too tired to even try to joke about it. Instead, he put the devil down on the side of the mattress he normally left undone and then dropped next to him. Similarly to a goldfish, Lucifer opened and closed his mouth several times without uttering a word. Rolling his eyes, the Radio Demon pulled him closer with one arm and then guided his hands back up to his head so he could resume his previous actions. To the king’s credit, even if his brain still seemed to be fried, his fingers started moving immediately.

Just as the sinner was about to close his eyes, Lucifer’s voice broke the comfortable silence.

“Are you… um, are you sure about this?”

“I wouldn’t have thrown you on the bed otherwise, Lucifer” he sighed with a tired expression, static almost gone. “You can leave after I fall asleep, if you’re not comfortable.”

“No! Nooooo. Nope” a pause. “Ha-ha. No. I’m staying.”

“Good.”

“Just, um… maybe we should change into our night clothes?”

Alastor hated that he was probably right. But he was far too comfortable as they were, and he felt like behaving childish for once in his life. It was not as if he had had many chances to do so when he was alive, anyways.

“No” he huffed, squeezing the king’s waist.

“I could… change us with magic?”

In other circumstances, he would have say ‘no’; he didn’t like Lucifer using his powers for mundane things, at least no when they referred to him. That night, however, he felt comfortable enough making exceptions to his own rules. Alastor nodded. A moment later, he felt a soft and tingly breeze move around his body and the comfort of his night clothes settling over his skin, red satin sitting easily over his short fur.

Curious to see Lucifer’s choice for himself, he had to contain a chuckle at the view of a long blue pyjamas with rubber ducks all over it. He could count with one hand the number of occasions he had seen the other man in his night wear, and all except one had been with the present outfit. A favorite, as it seemed.

“Goodnight, Al” the devil muttered, a soft kiss being placed on his temple.

He shuddered in comfort, satisfied with the feeling of the king’s fingers carefully brushing his ears as the Radio Demon settled against his body, head resting over the other’s chest.

“Goodnight, Lucifer.”

Chapter Text

A morning out in Cannibal Town with dear Rosie and an afternoon Overlord meeting in which he put the Vee’s in evidence was everything the Radio Demon needed to consider a day as ‘satisfactory’. He felt revitalized as he paraded inside the hotel almost by dinner time, most of the sinners inhabiting it lazing in the lobby. As per usual, he made a quick check to ensure that yes, Husker was attending the hosts behind the bar —while also drinking and talking to Angel, of course—, and Niffty was chasing behind some annoying bug. Everything in order, then.

Or so he thought.

“Hi, Al!” Charlie exclaimed as she planted herself in his way. “Quick question, do you know where my dad is? He was supposed to help with dinner preparations, but he’s not down yet.”

The Radio Demon sighed, rolling his eyes while maintaining his typical smile.

“Well, my dear, you have to consider that my arrangement with your father does not imply having him attached to my hip” he said. “Therefore no, I don’t know where he may be. Did you try his bedroom?”

“Yeah, I… Uh, tried both yours and his, but he didn’t answer” the princess explained with a mix of embarrassment and worry. “Maybe he went for a walk in the city?”

Under other circumstances, Alastor may have used the opportunity to fluster Charlie further. As much as the young lady repeated she was completely fine with the relationship he and her father had entangled themselves into, she didn’t seem yet capable of talking some details without reddening. It was surely entertaining to see!

“Perhaps” he answered instead.

In all honesty, he doubted that was the case; Lucifer rarely entertained going down to Pentagram City alone, and if he had gone visiting any of the other Rings at least one of the staff members of the hotel would have received word. His best guess? The moronic man had gotten caught up in another of his duck inventions and forgotten to check his clock.

“I’ll send him your way if I see him.”

“Thank you, Al!”

With that, he was finally free to retire to his own quarters, losing the gloves, coat and shoes for commodity purposes. It was not like anybody else than he and Lucifer could reach their floor of the hotel so late in the day, anyways.

He spent around an hour bussing himself with a book he had wanted to finish and a good glass of Rye whisky from his private bar. But of course, because he had developed these horrible feelings through the last months of his afterlife, he could not stop thinking about the tiny idiot that would normally be pestering him at this hour.

See, the King of Hell was a walking catastrophe. Completely uncapable of keeping up a normal schedule unless he had it —literally— printed in front of him. Instead of dividing his daily tasks in a logical order to have time for everything, he focused on irrelevant activities like creating new rubber ducks and then perished among the piles of paperwork he had to deal with as the Devil he was.

Did that render Lucifer useless? Not exactly, as for all the time losing he also had these days of hyperfocus, in which he would reduce by more than half all those serious tasks that required his attention, often forgetting to pay attention to his own needs in the process.

As established, a catastrophe in short legs.

Or at least that was how he used to be, until Charlie and Alastor intervened. Now, the devil was capable of following more or less a daily routine, attending to his tasks and taking care of himself —and others— in the process. It hadn’t been easy to get him to this point, but they did. If it wasn’t because Alastor had zero interest in it, he would have say that simply act of patience should have guaranteed him redemption.

Nonetheless, all that also implied that by that hour Lucifer would have stopped doing whatever he was doing and go down to socialize —normally helping with dinner or setting the table—, or come looking for Alastor for some private time together. Knowing the first situation hadn’t manifested, the Radio Demon had expected to have the king knocking at his door by then. Instead, silence ensued.

Running his claws against the table, he decided to finish his whisky and then get out of his room. Lucifer’s energy was still inside of the building, which meant the devil was there also, probably in his room and —just as he had suspected— unbothered by the pass of time.

After the first nock on the king’s door, nothing came out.

“I really hope you haven’t forgotten about dear Charlie in favor of your ducks, darling” he sighed as his hand reached for the knob and gave himself entrance to the room. “That would be rather—”

He stopped dead on track when the sweet smell of angelic blood hit him like a wave. In a good demonstration of how fast it could move, his shadow turned on the light of the quarters, opened the curtains to let some of Hell’s night light inside and closed the door behind them. A moment after, Alastor had pulled up his walls to make sure they would not be interrupted.

There was a small bump on the bed, completely drowned by the covers and immobile.

He cannot die, his brain reminded him.

Which for someone with the king’s condition was rather torturous, as he had once explained him.

“Come now, my dear” he said as he approached the bed in long strides. “You should not keep Hell from your presence, if only for a day. Even with your tiny frame you would be missed!”

The mocking rendered him no reaction, confirming his first assumption.

Now, the question that invaded his mind was: how? How hadn’t he noticed the signals? How had he let it get so bad? Sure, Lucifer had been rather clingy the last couple of days, but nothing out of the normal. He also seemed to have followed his normal routine and interacted with the staff, maybe with a few weird remarks and some strained smile, but nothing too bad.

Or so he had thought.

No point on dwell in the past now, he reminded himself, work with what you have.

If Charlie hadn’t seemed his father in the whole day, it meant that Lucifer had stayed in bed since Alastor had left. Those were far too many hours of the devil listening only to his own voice. And even if bad days were less usual now, they still happened and in those days the devil was weak against the malice in his mind, feeding him lie after lie.

The sinner seated on the border to the mattress, carefully extending a hand towards the covers to peel them off. There was a little bit of resistance, but the king finally gave up and let him uncover the small body in fetal position, face embedded in a pillow.

“There you are” he chuckled, no allowing an inch of worry to slide out. “You’re being missed today, darling.”

A sob broke the silence of the room, Lucifer’s face shaking against the cushion in denial. As if the statement could only be a lie. As if he didn’t believe himself of enough importance despite being the King of Hell, Charlie’s father, Alastor’s… Alastor’s.

And the Radio Demon wanted to scream to the Archangels in Heaven and the God that his own mother used to pray so much, telling him how benevolent it was. He wanted to bring them down to Hell for torture. Because as good and pure as they were, they had managed to destroy the man in that bed. They had made him claw at his arms time after time until there was a stain of golden blood on the sheets big enough to worry anybody, even if there were no scars on the angel’s black skin. They had desecrated his mind so much that their voices still prevailed over Alastor’s and he just couldn’t have that.

And if that had not been enough punishment to him, then Li —she— had put him back together just to break him further after. And there was only so much a man —devil or not— could take.

His anger would not help him now, however, and he had to make a conscious effort to push down the eldritch magic threatening to come out, his shadow abandoning the sadistic expression it had acquired in the last couple of minutes.

Moving slowly, he shifted to pull Lucifer into his arms and against his chest. In moments like this, his funny size acted as a clear advantage and Alastor was thankful for it.

The other man fought back, of course. He had only seen a similar situation to that two other times through their time together, and his reaction was always the same; to push away. The Radio Demon, however, was even more stubborn than him, and therefore always stayed.

This time was no different, but Alastor pressed the king’s body against his chest until the battle stopped and soft sobs ensued.

“It’s ok, my dear” he murmured with a softness he would never let anyone else hear. “You’re not alone, and you’re more than enough.”

Lucifer hurt.

He hurt so much that he wanted to cease his existence. To rest forever. To just… end.

The day hadn’t started so bad, at least not the first time he woke up as Alastor left the bed. He had been happy then, his head following the soft touch of the other man over his cheek as goodbye. However, his mindset had changed completely when he properly awoke a couple of hours after.

Bad days sometimes tend to come as a surprise, or with so little warnings that he is uncapable of preparing himself for the crash.

Initially, Lucifer had acknowledged the reality and gone through his ABCs as he knew he should do.

‘Routine is good to keep your mind on check, dad’ Charlie used to say.

‘To follow a proper schedule is imperative to ensure your little brain doesn’t derail, dear’ Alastor would add.

Problem was, even thinking on the first step of his normal routine had suddenly become too much. What was the point, anyways? He knew how everything would end, sooner or later. Charlie would realize he was a horrible dad and forget about him. Alastor would come to the conclusion that he was not worth the effort, just as Lilith had. The Sins would get used to his absence once again, keeping Hell alive by themselves. And he would be alone in his castle. Existing in solitude.

And it was just—

Too much.

He didn’t want to feel.

He didn’t want to…

He just didn’t.

And therefore Lucifer had stayed in bed, trying to destroy his own existence in vain, as his skin kept growing back didn’t matter how many times he teared it down to the bone. His body would prevail, because this was Hell and his punishment. Not even sleep would come back for him, giving his brain a respite, and he was forced to just exist in agony.

Waiting.

Praying.

Begging for it to end.

The sudden break of the dark thanks to the chandelier of the room was uncomfortable and painful, but not near enough to distract him from the linear thought his brain was fixated on. The king hadn’t even realized Alastor had knocked on the door, and that meant he would have to improvise his speech. Somehow telling him that it would be better for him to leave now, before Lucifer stained him too much and he lost precious time on a broken man that could not even act as the Devil and ruler he was supposed to be.

His body, however, stubbornly remained in place, no reacting as a static voice filled the silence of the room or the mattress dipped to one side. He barely put any resistance when the bed cover was pulled off him, too tired to protest. His body shivered, but he was uncapable of feeling the cold.

 “…You’re being missed today, darling.”

Something in him broke. It was not fair, that such a statement could come out from Alastor as anything else than a lie. How could he be missed, if he had been gone for years and nobody cared? If day after day he had screamed for help in the silence of his palace as he tried to end his life over and over again.

Warm arms embraced him and he tried to fight back the comfort he didn’t deserve and still craved. Because at the end of the day that was all Lucifer wanted; to have the reassurance that he was not alone. That even if he was a sorry excuse of a king, of a devil, of a father, he still was…

“…you’re more than enough.”

Enough.

He hung onto Alastor as he cried, loud screams irritating his throat and letting it become raw. And still, the Radio Demon stayed. He held his pathetic form against his chest and breathed soft words that mixed with threats towards anybody that had ever made the king feel useless.

Sometime after —maybe a few minutes, maybe a couple of hours—, his voice gave up and his eyes dried, face still buried in the sinner’s body. There was a growing pain in his head and a feeling of shame building up in his belly. No prideful man would ever make a display as ridiculous as the one he just put on.

Lucifer only noticed he was being carried when another light turned on. He felt himself being carefully dropped on a wooden stool, Alastor having to disentangle his limbs from his person. The tiles on the floor indicated they were in the bathroom, and his brain slowly started to catch up with the present. He frowned, blinking as he tried to understand what exactly was going on.

At one point, a couple of hands started to undo the buttons of his pajama shirt until it was completely off. He only reacted when his figure was promptly pulled up on his two trembling legs and then the two hands were back to remove his pants.

Conscience finally coming back, he lifted his eyes from the floor of the bathroom to see that in front of him Alastor was practically naked, only his underwear covering him. And that was just… Wrong.

Lucifer looked away immediately, because this was not how he wanted to remember seeing Alastor’s bare body for the first time. The Radio Demon was a piece of art that should be worshiped and appreciated. Anything else would simply be ungrateful.

“S-Stop” he muttered, voice raw and painful.

“You need to take a shower, my dear” the sinner simply responded, lifting one of his legs and then the other to fully take off the king’s pants.

“I… I can do it alone.”

At that, Alastor just kept silence, which was rare on him but at the same time not. Because Lucifer knew what he was thinking, even if it didn’t make sense because he couldn’t kill himself.

“Nonsense! I’m also in need of a shower after such an eventful day, and I would dread going all the way back to my quarters when we have a perfectly functional shower in here, don’t you agree?”

“B-But, you… I… We—”

“It’s quite alright, darling” the demon pressed, grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around. “Now, why don’t you bring out your wings so they can be cleaned as well?”

A soft finger brushed through the middle of his back as it had done numerous other times, and his angelic appendages came to life in a second. As they had been preened by Alastor shortly ago, they were in perfect state and some cleaning would make them shine even more.

“Perfect.”

And why did a word make him feel like crying again?

“I’ll start the water” the sinner continued. “Join me when you’re ready, my dear.”

Lucifer once again looked away as the other man walked into the shower, completely naked and in a display of trust they had not crossed before. After a beat, his hands moved for the first time in hours and pulled down his own underwear to follow Alastor.

The warm water on his back made his body relax and his wings flutter a bit. The hands entangling on his hair as apple scented shampoo was spread on his head were unexpected and still pleasurable, his mouth opening to let out a mix of sob and whine. This… This was…

Different.

He didn’t remember doing something similar with Lilith in all their millennia together. The gentle care lacking any kind of implication. Careful hands trailing his body with soft touches as they removed any remaining of golden blood from his arms.

It felt… marvelous.

He had experienced more than enough naked intimacy through his existence, but this was unique. Something he had never shared with anyone besides Alastor, and that made him feel better. More like himself.

And even if he kept his eyes glued to the ground, even if most of his mind still felt disconnected from reality, he also noticed that breathing was not so difficult anymore. That the thoughts of ending were not there lurking. That tomorrow would come, and he would still be there, but not alone.