Chapter Text
Emotions swirled like a tornado, clawing at his throat in the form of a scream. Images flash through his mind, faces both familiar and unfamiliar as he paces the empty home. Flames lick at the sides of the walls, burning whatever photos he hadn't brought to the hotel, their edges becoming black with glowing embers. Cracks form up through the wall as the home struggles to contain the power flowing from Lucifer, its foundation shaking as it fights against falling.
Searing pain races through each fiber, scorching him from the inside as his body pulls whatever power it has left. Tears fall down his cheeks, as his hands comb through his blonde hair. Barely contained rage and pain shock his system, his wings no longer bounded by his magic as they drag against the ground. His tail slices through the air frantically with his agitation as he tries to stop his mind from spiraling. The attempt is useless as he finally screams, falling to his knees.
Flames consume the entirety of the house, bringing down its walls right on top of him.
Smoke eventually clears, allowing Pride's curious sinners to inspect the damage. Lucifer's scream had ripped through the entire city, raw and filled with his torment. Buildings shook from the explosion of power, though not a drop of angelic light touched any of their souls.
"Dad!" Charlie calls out, panicked hands yanking rubble away.
Vaggi and Cherri Bomb start carrying larger chunks of cement away as Husk and Nifty dig through dirt. Charlie desperately tries finding a hint of her father, whether it's a glimpse of his suit or a piece of his hat. She claws at the rocks, tossing them aside as if they weighed less than the air around them. Other sinners begin to join in, clearing away the broken pieces.
"Dad?" Charlie whispers when she finds his mangled body, golden blood surrounding him. Carefully, she pulls him against her. "Dad?"
Lucifer coughs weakly, his eyes fluttering open. The usual ruby orbs she remembers were nowhere to be seen, instead his eyes were red with golden irises and slit pupils. He quickly moves away from his daughter, his flesh feeling as though it was being torn apart.
"Dad, what's wrong? What happened?" Charlie questions, walking towards him.
Lucifer pants, trying to control the intense pain burning through his muscles. "Just…leave me be."
"No, you're hurt, I-
"Now you care?" Lucifer hisses, cutting her off.
Charlie pauses, taken aback by her father's sudden temper. "Dad, I'm sorry."
"Right," Lucifer scoffs before crying out as more pain slices through him.
"I am, I didn't know you were injured after Vox!" Charlie argues.
Lucifer takes a deep breath, fighting both the physical pain and emotional pain swirling through him. He felt as though a tornado was running its course within him, a combination of his experiences from the past two days. "All I do is fuck everything up."
Charlie falters in her steps, her eyes wide. Lucifer slowly turns to stare at her, his expression not full of wrath like she thought it would be, but rather sorrow. For once in her life, Charlie sees just how tired her dad really is.
"I didn't mean what I said. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you…I handled the entire Vox situation wrong," Charlie says softly.
Lucifer rips his attention away and glares at the ground as tears run down his face. "You didn't mean it, but you were right. I do fuck everything up. Your mother has been gone for eight years because of me. Sin was brought into the world because of me. This...this place was created because of me. Look around you Charlie, I'm a failure."
Blood soaks his shirt from the large cut he had, drawing Charlie's attention. She covers her mouth at the sight and takes a step towards Lucifer. "You're not a failure dad. Just let me help you, please."
"Help what, exactly? Go back to your hotel and leave me alone."
Vaggi lands beside Charlie, watching as Lucifer coughs and sits by a pile of rubble. "I think he needs a moment alone."
"No. I'm not leaving him alone like this!" Charlie argues as she storms over to Lucifer. "Just, get rid of the people."
Her dad hugs his knees to his chest and wraps his tail around his legs before using his wings to cover himself. He wanted to teleport out of here, away from the prying eyes of the sinners and from the demands of his daughter. He couldn't stop the spiral of his mental health, he couldn't stop the unforgiving pain as his abdomen feels as though there's lava in it. Yet, when he tries to teleport, the pain only intensifies instead of him going anywhere.
Charlie sits beside him, frowning at the ground. "At least your ducks are safe at the hotel."
Lucifer remains silent, but his chest begins to tighten and his throat feels like it is closing.
"You don't fuck everything up, dad. If anything, I'm the one who messed it all up," Charlie admits while glancing at his torn wing.
Lucifer doesn't respond.
"Can you come back with me? You'll be safe in the hotel and we can figure things out. Together."
He lays his head back and stares up at the crimson sky, letting himself cry silently. He wanted to say something, to push her away again, but he knew his voice would break the second he said a word. So instead, he doesn't say anything, he continues to just stare at the sky.
Charlie doesn't push for him to respond either. She huddles beside him, close enough to let him know she isn't leaving him this time as she studies the damage around them. Despite her mind being consumed with questions, she remained quiet and still. She wanted to know why his wounds weren't healing, what the explosion was, and so much more but she knew better. Right now, her father just needed a listening ear.
~~~
It's not until nightfall when Charlie finally decides they need to make a decision now. Carefully, she pulls one of his wings away and peeks through the feathers to find Lucifer out cold. For a moment she panics, wondering if everything she was told was a lie and Lucifer can, in fact, die. Then she sees the rise and fall of his chest, the furrowing of his eyebrows and whimpers as he fights off the pain, even in his sleep. Dark circles showed under his eyes and his skin appeared dull from his enervation. Pulling away, she mulls over what to do.
She can't leave him out here on his own. Sinners know he can't harm them now and with him in such a weakened state, he wouldn't stand a chance. Yet, if she were to bring him back to the hotel, there's the risk of him freaking out again.
"Are we taking his majesty back to the hotel?" came a familiar voice.
Charlie snaps her attention to see Alastor waiting patiently, a smile plastered on his face with glowing red eyes of an uncomfortable calmness. "You seem better," she responds.
"Well, a few days of rest can heal wounds on a demon. Though, I cannot say the same for our king here," Alastor observes with a tilt of his head.
Charlie glances back at her dad, watching as golden light surrounds one of his wounds, but fails to do anything. With a burst of determination, she glances back at the radio demon. "Can you carry him back with me?"
Alastor's eyebrows raise in surprise for a brief second before settling back into his nonchalant expression. "Of course."
Reluctantly, he carefully picks up the fallen seraphim, failing to avoid his larger wounds. Lucifer hisses in pain, but makes no further effort to wake up. Getting a comfortable hold on him, he waits for Charlie. "Has Vaggi already left?"
"No, I'm right here," Vaggi comments, landing beside Charlie.
Alastor hums as he shrugs before turning towards the direction of the hotel.
Charlie hugs herself, watching her dad's limp hand hang from Alastor's hold. "I never saw that side of him before," she admits.
Vaggi rubs her back, watching Alastor. "He has been through a lot in the past few days. We all have, but he…he was tortured by Vox. That machine stole his energy and we have no idea what damage was done to him. We'll figure it out, we always do."
Charlie nods, but feels a thread of doubt as her dad's wings drag on the ground.