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"And you know what? He said we're not even dating!" Lucifer frowned, setting the bottle of wine on the table. "That jerk! I hate him!"
"So you asked him to formalize your relationship, and he said there wasn't a relationship between you?" Cherry looked at the king in surprise, frowning.
The devil pursed his lips, barely holding back tears. He nodded weakly.
"Seriously, dude? God, he's a complete idiot," the Angel said, rolling his eyes. "You slept in the same bed, kissed, and he says it's not a relationship?"
"That's so unfair!" the fallen angel said, raising the bottle of wine again. "Alastor is a total jerk!"
"And I always knew that Radio Douchebag wasn't cut out for relationships," Cherry said smugly, crossing her arms. Her face was flushed from the alcohol. "Right." "Dump him, shorty," the spider interjected, smirking. "You'll never have a normal relationship with men like that."
"That's why I'm single. All men are the same!" the pink-haired girl shouted, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
The angel and Lucifer exchanged silent glances, but decided not to remind Cherry that she was still sitting in the company of these same men.
***
"Wasn't I right?" Alastor asked, placing a bottle of rye whiskey on the counter. "I didn't tell him anything. He just assumed we were dating. I was just trying to clear up a misunderstanding, and he kicked me out of the room…"
"Yeah, yeah, boss. You're always right," Husk replied dryly, continuing to polish the glasses.
Niffty sat down on the counter next to them, dangling her legs. She looked from one man to the other, studying them thoughtfully.
"But don't you love him, sir?" she asked suddenly, her gaze landing on the red-haired man.
End
"What?" a voice rang out in the room, and Alastor looked at the girl in surprise. "What are you saying, dear?"
"Hmm... You acted like you were in love," Niffty replied, tilting her head to the side and thoughtfully placing a finger to her chin. "I read about it in a book!" "Ah, your twisted head must have gotten it all wrong," Alastor said slowly, stroking the girl's head. "It's just... our king... is quite interesting."
At that moment, the demon cat finally set his glass down on the counter and shooed Nifty away.
"Boss, of course, I have nothing against you, but you really acted like you liked His Majesty," Husker said, crossing his arms.
"I don't understand what you mean, my dear friend," said the Radio Host, his smile widening even further.
"He's the only one you've ever been this close to," Husk said, frowning. "I thought you'd changed with him, like… you actually… fell in love with him."
"Don't confuse interest with love, Husk," the red-haired man muttered irritably. "Love is weakness. And I'm with our dear king out of boredom. He's just… an interesting pawn in my game."
"As you say, boss…" Husk muttered under his breath, leaving the bar, taking Nifty with him.
***
The next few days passed, well... as expected.
Lucifer completely ignored Alastor. He talked to everyone, even paying attention to Nifty when she asked him questions. But he passed Alastor in silence, without even saying hello.
This was a first; they never ignored each other. Even during heated arguments, they might yell, insult, or even fight, but ignoring each other? Never.
"Hmm, that's something new, Your Majesty," Alastor thought, watching Lucifer leave. "But you don't think this will bother me, do you?"
***
Alastor seemed offended by this.
That evening, Al was cooking dinner. Lucifer always enjoyed the Radio Demon's cooking, and despite their quarrel, he came to dinner to try the sinner's dishes.
When the king entered the dining room, everyone was already there except him and Alastor. He froze, realizing there were two empty seats next to him and that he would likely have to endure the Radio Demon's company for the entire dinner.
For a moment, he even considered returning to his room immediately.
"Dad! You finally came?" Charlie smiled happily and waved at him. "Hurry up and sit down."
She pointed to the empty seats, and Lucifer sighed heavily. He walked over to the chairs and sat down. The one to his left remained empty, and Angel sat on the right.
"I see everyone's here, right?" Alastor's voice rang out, and Lucifer turned around.
Well, of course. After all, this man couldn't find any other place to emerge from the shadows than behind the devil's back.
"I hope you enjoy my food," Alastor said to everyone, but for some reason his gaze remained fixed on the blond. "Enjoy your meal."
Lucifer frowned and finally turned away from the Radio Demon, picking up his cutlery.
Alastor instantly appeared right in the chair next to him. Lucifer decided not to look at him and focus on his food. He took his first bite.
"Oh... This is delicious..." Lucifer was about to mentally praise Alastor for his cooking when he felt a strong burning sensation in his mouth.
He covered his mouth with one hand and grabbed a glass of water with the other. He took a quick sip, but it didn't help. A strange chuckle came from his left.
The blond turned his head and saw Alastor's smug face before him. That idiot slipped something into his food!
"What did you do to my food!" the fallen angel screamed, still feeling the burning sensation in his mouth.
"Dad? Is something wrong?" Charlie looked at them worriedly.
Lucifer looked around and noticed everyone at the table was looking at them. Oh well.
"That idiot slipped me something spicy," Lucifer said, summoning a glass of milk with his magic. He took a sip and felt better.
"Come on, Your Majesty, how dare I do this," muttered the Radio Demon. "I cooked according to my dear mother's best recipe. Perhaps you're just too weak for so much pepper and spice?"
At that moment, the Angel sitting next to Lucifer took a bite from the devil's plate.
"Damn, Smiles." The spider's smile turned crooked. "This is really spicy!"
Lucifer looked at Alastor. His eyes turned red, and horns began sprouting from his head.
"Dad, stop!" Charlie and her friend quickly rose from the table.
That evening, Lucifer almost killed Alastor.
***
The next day, Charlie called her father into her room for a serious talk.
"Are you asking me to make peace with him?" Lucifer asked, looking at his daughter in bewilderment.
"What? Oh, no, no. I know what happened between you, and that Alastor treated you badly…" Charlotte began, awkwardly looking away.
"He did something terrible," Vaggie interjected. "What? Don't look at me like that, Charlie. It's true, we all thought Alastor was actually in love with your father! He's too good at deceiving people."
"Vaggie…" the princess looked at her girlfriend with pity.
"I always told you not to trust that idiot," the former exorcist continued, crossing her arms.
"Haa… Okay, let's end this conversation…" Charlie turned to her father. "I'm not asking you to make peace, just... talk. Your arguments will only get in everyone's way. You need to resolve this issue by talking to each other! And for that, someone has to make the first move! I've already talked to Alastor about it, and... well, I think you're adults, you can figure it out yourselves!"
They were both too proud to make the first move. Naturally, no one talked to anyone.
***
Four days later
"And anyway, it's all his fault!" Lucifer said, setting a glass of apple cider on the bar.
"I see," Husk replied dryly, pouring the devil another drink.
"Why should I make the first move if it's his fault?" he asked, taking another sip of his drink.
"Uh-huh," Husk said quietly, slowly beginning to clear the bar.
"Why are you answering so strangely?" the devil asked, finally noticing the sinner's dispassionate answers.
"First of all, I'm a bartender, not a psychologist, Your Majesty. I listen to your problems, I don't solve them," Husk said, continuing to arrange bottles on the bar. "And secondly, you've been coming to me for three days straight complaining about the same thing."
Lucifer looked away awkwardly. After his conversation with Charlie, he still hesitated to speak to Alastor first. However, he decided it would be nice to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
"Do you know where Alastor is now?" Lucifer asked, biting his lip. "I don't care, I'm just... I'm just curious..."
The bartender finally looked at the king with an expression of utter disbelief.
"As far as I know, the boss is in Cannible City right now," Husk said, continuing to clean the bar. "I think he went to visit Rosie."
Lucifer frowned. Alastor had been visiting Rosie a lot lately. The devil didn't like it. But it definitely wasn't jealousy!
***
"And where did I go wrong?" Alastor asked, sipping his tea. "Lucifer provoked our argument."
"Alastor, have you come to me to complain about the same thing again?" Rosie asked, frowning. "Because if that's the case, then I ask you to leave, young man."
Alastor winced, his smile strained, and he silently took another sip of tea.
"I want to remind you that you came here so I could help you understand your feelings. But I certainly don't want you complaining to me about your life." Rosie smiled, pouring herself and Alastor more tea from the teapot. "So, let's begin."
"I don't see what else there is to find out," Alastor said coldly. "As I said, I'm simply interested in Lucifer; he distracts me from boredom."
"Really? Let's find out." The woman's smile turned predatory. "Lucifer is in love with you, right? How would you feel if he suddenly felt the same way about someone else? Or, for example, if Lilith suddenly appeared and Lucifer returned to her?"
Alastor froze, clutching the cup in his hand. The thought of his angel belonging to someone else didn't appeal to him, but he didn't want to show that to Rosie.
"A stupid question; I don't see why I should answer it," the Sinful Doe said hesitantly.
"What. Will you. Feel?" the woman repeated loudly, ignoring everything, even the Radio Demon's words.
Alastor tensed. He clenched his fists and imagined the devil in the arms of another. This... This was terrible.
"Oh... You don't even have to tell me anything, dear," Rosie covered her mouth, giggling. "Your reaction speaks for itself. It's jealousy, dear."
"Jealousy? That's ridiculous, Rosie," the sinner said nervously. "I just... I don't like sharing what's mine. Just like I don't like sharing my souls, like Husker or Nifty."
"Hm? Oh, good. Perhaps you need more time to process all this." The woman paused. "Okay, one more question. How would you react if Lucifer died?"
The Radio Demon tilted his head to the side, looking at his friend in confusion.
"Lucifer is the King of Hell, my dear. He's immortal." Alastor started to speak, laughing nervously, but was interrupted.
"Answer the question, Alastor." The woman took a sip of her tea, giving the man a menacing look.
Alastor looked down. He considered Rosie's question. Would his life change if Lucifer were gone? Well, if that happens, his whole life will return to how it was before the devil appeared.
If that happens, he'll wake up alone in the morning again. He'll never be able to look into those beautiful eyes again. He'll never hear that beautiful, divine voice again.
For Alastor, this shouldn't mean anything. He should ignore this strange feeling in his chest, like his heart is breaking. After all, he's dead, he has no heart. He can't love or attach himself to anyone, he's absolutely...
The Radio Demon sighed heavily. When he was human, he'd seen how these foolish feelings could destroy people. He'd seen how that damned love destroyed his mother, and now? Now he sits here and pretends he feels nothing for the devil.
"Rosie... I don't really know how I feel about Lucifer. But... I know exactly what I want." Alastor lowered his ears, looking at his friend. "I want him to be mine, I want him to be mine. I want to hear him, see him…"
"Oh, my dear, that's a good start, though you still have a lot to figure out with your feelings." The woman laughed loudly. "In any case, I've given you a push, but now you have to decide for yourself. I assume you already know what to do next?"
"Yes." The man rose abruptly from the table, his face serious, his smile widening. "I'm afraid I have to go. I have important business," Alastor said, finally turning to leave the store.
"Important business… Well, well…" Rosie took a sip of tea, watching the man leave.
As Alastor walked out the door, the woman turned her head to the window, continuing to watch the man until he finally disappeared from her sight.
"Ah… First love is always wonderful…" she said, smiling and remembering her first husband; he was a romantic. And very tasty.
***
Alastor stood at the door to Lucifer's room. His smile widened, and he finally knocked.
No one answered. The Sinner waited a minute before knocking again.
There was still no answer. This was beginning to irritate him. Lucifer was definitely in his room; Alastor had learned this from Husk. So why hadn't the king opened the door?
The Radio Demon sighed, calmed down, and knocked on the door again.
"Whoever it was, go away." The devil's tired voice came from behind the door. "I don't want to talk to anyone."
So the king really was in his room, excellent.
Alastor didn't answer. Lucifer's chances of opening the door if he knew who was behind the duel were slim to none. Which meant he had to keep his identity a secret until the devil opened the door. He knocked again.
"Did I say something you didn't understand?!" Lucifer's irritated cry rang out.
Apparently, the devil was in no hurry to open the door, so Alastor knocked again. Heavy footsteps were heard outside, and then Alastor heard the door creak.
"What the…" Lucifer paused, looking at the sinner in surprise. He glanced at Alastor and immediately frowned. "You?"
Lucifer froze, unsure how to react. Alastor, however, seized the opportunity and quickly slipped past the devil, entering the room.
"What the hell?" the king glanced back at the sinner. "I didn't invite you, go away."
Alastor ignored the king's words and simply summoned his shadow tentacles to close the door. He walked further into the room and looked at the king again. In his mind, he assessed his angel's appearance. His hair was disheveled, and his skin was noticeably pale. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. And it seemed the king wasn't entirely sober. Perhaps.
"We need to talk, Your Majesty," Alastor said, stepping closer to the devil again. Stepping closer, he placed both hands on Lucifer's waist, squeezing him.
"Talk?" Ha! The blond man broke free from the sinner's embrace. "Okay, let's talk, Al. Tell me, what have I been to you for the last six months? A passing distraction? Or your cure for boredom?"
"My angel..." Alastor frowned as Lucifer pulled away from him.
"Oh, angel, huh?" the blond asked mockingly. "Can you stop calling me that, Alastor? We're not a couple, right? So why the nicknames?"
"Lucifer, you don't even want to listen to me, let me explain!" This argument was starting to get on Alastor's nerves.
"You don't need to explain anything, Alastor. It's clear." The devil crossed his arms. "We're just not right for each other. I need a relationship based on love, and you don't feel that. If that's the case, then there's no point in continuing this weird, half-relationship." "Let's just... forget about all this and get back to being friends." Alastor froze. His eyes widened as he looked at Lucifer. How could he say that so easily? However, he still had no intention of letting his angel go so easily.
The Radio Demon grabbed the king, holding him tightly as the devil tried to break free.
"I hope you've said everything, Your Majesty," the sinner growled, his smile turning predatory. "Because this conversation is beginning to tire me." "Now listen to me, my angel."
"Alastor...?" the devil looked at the Radio Demon in surprise. "You... what?"
The sinner took advantage of the devil's confusion and, using shadows, transported them to the other side of the room. Now Lucifer was sitting in his chair, and Alastor was kneeling before him. This allowed them to look each other straight in the eye, something the difference in their heights had previously prevented.
"I admit, I was wrong, my angel," Alastor said quietly, resting. He rested his head on Lucifer's lap. "I should have... explained myself sooner, instead of waiting a few days."
"A-Alastor?" "Are you drunk?" Lucifer's face turned golden, and his eyes filled with confusion. "N-no, wait, I was the one drinking, so why are you acting like this?"
"I've never felt affection for anyone except my mother," Alastor continued, ignoring the devil's words. He placed his hands on Lucifer's hips, beginning to caress them. "I told you the truth when I said I didn't consider us a couple. Even now, I can't say for sure how I feel about you. But..."
Alastor raised his head and reached for the angel's face. He moved closer so Lucifer could feel his breath on his lips.
"But?" the blond repeated hesitantly, looking at the sinner. The golden blush on his cheeks grew even brighter.
"I know for sure that I want you by my side. And for you to be mine, only mine." Alastor finally pressed his lips to Lucifer's, drawing the devil into the long-awaited kiss.