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Camping… Hell on earth. It's nothing but bugs and horrible sleep. Why did I agree to this? Lucifer asked himself while he was walking along a trail leading him further into the middle of nowhere.
Right, Charlie had wanted him to do this. She had insisted he get out and do something for his mental health or whatever other therapy speech she used. He had no idea why she was so insistent on it, his mental health was perfectly fine. Sure, he didn't go out as often as he used to, but he mostly worked from home anyway and it was always Lilith more than him who liked to be out constantly.
Regardless of his protests, Charlie had practically begged him to spend at least one night out camping for the sake of reconnecting with nature. After a few times of her asking, he caved. Lucifer wasn't above admitting that he was weak for his daughter, so here he was in the middle of the woods with a bag of food, water, and a few other essentials.
Lucifer pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was right around dinner time. His phone was only at 80%. As long as he didn't use it much, it would be fine until Charlie came back to pick him up tomorrow afternoon.
Walking a little off the path, he found a decent space to set up camp. Lucifer took out the small tent he had brought and started setting it up.
A few minutes in, he heard a stick snap and whipped his head around to the sound, quickly standing up to face where it came from. He didn't know why he was so on edge. Well, that wasn't true. Apart from just not going out much, Lucifer had been feeling a set of eyes on him since he entered the woods.
At first he had brushed it off as the other hikers on the trail glanced at him as they passed him by, but he got more and more tense the fewer people he encountered on the path. All the tension in Lucifer's body apparently decided to snap back into him with the stick. He looked around for a few seconds before he saw a deer in the bushes and he suddenly felt stupid. It was just a deer. A fucking stumbling deer.
Wait, the deer was stumbling? Lucifer took another look and sure enough, the poor creature was limping and wincing with every step. He knew it wasn't his job to help this random animal, but Lucifer had always had a soft spot for animals. With that in mind, he grabbed the small first aid kit he had packed -Lucifer had a problem with accidentally injuring himself- and walked over to the creature slowly so as to not scare it.
To his surprise, the deer let him walk right over and even stopped moving to let Lucifer take a nearby stick and some medical tape to help the deer steady itself. The creature looked at the makeshift splint for a few seconds before walking around in a small circle to check how well it worked.
The deer walked over to nuzzle the top of Lucifer's head from where he was sitting before walking off. He smiled and waved goodbye to the animal.
He stood and stretched his muscles. Now feeling much less tense, Lucifer walked back to his tent and finished setting it up before lighting a fire because it was starting to get dark. Despite his decently good mood, it wasn't long before Lucifer tensed up again, once more feeling as if someone was watching him.
Finishing the last bite of his dinner, Lucifer looked around as far as he could see and still didn't see anything, but the feeling just wouldn't go away. Not only did he feel watched, it was like something was studying him, paying close attention to every move he made.
Lucifer wrapped his arms around himself, taking another look to confirm that there was nothing. He stood and walked over to the treeline, placing a hand on a tree and squinting to get a better look, but it was entirely pitch black. No matter how much he urged his eyes to adjust to the dark, nothing seemed to change.
“Looking for something?” The sudden voice nearly made Lucifer jump out of his skin. He actually screamed embarrassingly loud as he turned to face the person who spoke.
A flush of embarrassment spread across his face as he saw that it was just a regular guy who spoke and not some kind of monster from his nightmares. “Holy fuck! Don't sneak up on people like that!”
The man raised an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips. “You didn't hear me? I was hitting the trees with a stick so I wouldn't scare you.”
“Oh…” Lucifer hadn't heard that at all and was quite convinced the man had just appeared out of nowhere. “Sorry for freaking out I guess. Wait a minute, what are you doing in the middle of the woods at this time of night?”
The man took a few steps closer and Lucifer backed up before realising he really didn't want to go into the pitch black forest and walked back to the tree he was hanging onto. “I promise you I have no nefarious intentions. I was simply hiking and lost track of time. It's far too late for me to go back the way I came,” the stranger explained.
Lucifer eased up slightly and took a step closer to the fire. “Okay… So, why are you here then?”
“Oh, yes, that. I noticed the light coming from your fire and was hoping I could stay here until the sun comes up. I'll tend to the fire for you in exchange.”
Lucifer blinked slowly and took another step closer. “Uh, sure? I guess that's fair. Sorry, I didn't get your name.”
The man's smile stretched and walked closer to hold out his hand. “The name is Alastor. Pleasure to be meeting you, quite a pleasure.”
Lucifer paused for a moment before taking Alastor's hand and shaking it firmly. “Charmed, I'm sure. I'm Lucifer.” Something itched under his skin at Alastor's introduction, but he decided to shake it off.
“Lucifer? Quite the curious name. Are you sure I shouldn't be more scared of you?” Alastor commented with a small laugh.
“It's no more curious than yours. I can't say I've ever met an Alastor before.”
“My mother was a very creative person.”
“No kidding.” It was only then that Lucifer realised that Alastor hadn't let go of his hand yet. In fact, he had laced their fingers together and let them drop to their sides.
A flush rose on Lucifer's cheeks, but he didn't mention it. “So, what brings an anxious man such as yourself to the woods.” Alastor tugged him to sit next to the fire and Lucifer gladly joined.
“Not like I chose to come here. My daughter insisted I had to get out of the house and experience nature because I looked like a mess, so she sent me camping.”
Alastor let out a little laugh. “That's certainly something to demand of your parents. I think my mother would rightfully hit me if I told her to leave her house because she looked miserable.”
Lucifer matched his laugh, finding it awfully contagious. “Tell me about it. My parents would've called me insane for thinking that they needed help. Probably would've forced me away from my friends for putting ideas in my head.”
“Ah yes, because adults don't have mental health issues of course,” Alastor said in a slightly sarcastic tone that made Lucifer burst out laughing, the brunet following close behind.
Once they both calmed down, Lucifer looked back up at Alastor to find that their faces were extremely close. He was about to back away and apologize when their eyes met and suddenly everything froze. Lucifer's lips parted slightly to speak, but he couldn't find the words.
Something about being this close to Alastor felt so right when Lucifer knew that being that close to a stranger was hardly ever a good idea. Lucifer backed up slightly and Alastor followed him, getting even closer. Their still entwined hands tightened around each other and the blond felt the air catch in his throat.
Alastor tilted his head a little and they both moved into each other like they belonged there. It took Lucifer a few seconds to realise he was kissing a fucking stranger, but he couldn't bring himself to stop, free hand coming up to tangle in brunet hair.
He was about 1000% sure this wasn't what Charlie had meant when she talked about self care, but Lucifer's self was feeling sufficiently cared for, so it was good enough.
Alastor's arm curled around his waist as their tongues met and Lucifer nearly melted. He hadn't had something like this since Lilith had left… wait, how long had it been since she left? That thought was quickly pushed to the side when Alastor pulled Lucifer into his lap.
Lucifer broke the kiss for air and Alastor immediately went to attack his neck, pulling giggles from the blond. “Wai- shit, that tickles!”
“Does it?” Alastor just smirks against his skin and starts actually tickling Lucifer along the abdomen, leading to the shorter man losing it laughing.
The two of them sat there laughing for a comfortably long time before Alastor pulled Lucifer into a hug. “Alright, I think it's about time we get some sleep,” the brunet said gently.
Lucifer nodded and pulled himself off of the other's lap. At this point, it didn't even process to the blond that this man was a stranger. Alastor was just Alastor and he somehow knew what that meant.
Lucifer woke up the next morning with an empty space where Alastor had been when he fell asleep. Confusion stirred in him as he climbed out of the tent and called out for the other man. There was no response and after about ten minutes of calling with no response, he gave up and accepted that Alastor had either just left or the previous night had just been a dream.
It didn't take long to pack up the tent and start heading back down the trail to where Charlie had promised to pick him up. The eyes he felt the day before were back again and Lucifer felt a little uneasy. Looking around, he found the deer he had patched up, still with the splint on its leg.
The deer started following him and now that Lucifer was getting a better look at it, the creature was strangely coloured. It had the same patterns as a normal deer, but instead of brown and white, it was red and black. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before, but it was beautiful.
The deer continued to walk alongside him until he got to the parking lot just outside the forest. The creature stared at him as he got in Charlie's car, but he didn't pay much mind to it. It was probably just the deer's way of thanking him.
“So, how was camping? Are you feeling any better?” Charlie asked in a hopeful tone. He could still hear the slight worry she was clearly trying to hide. Lucifer hated that he made her worry so much, but was also grateful she cared enough to actually try to help.
“Yeah, I'm feeling much better, sweetie… Thanks for pushing me to do this.”
Charlie's smile softened and she relaxed a little. “Of course. I'm just glad I could help.”
The rest of the drive was in comfortable silence as Lucifer stared out the window. He could hardly believe that this thoughtful and determined young woman was his own daughter. She clearly didn't get those traits from him, but he's proud she found them regardless.
When she dropped him off, Lucifer made sure to give Charlie a big hug before she left and tell her that he loved her. The smile never left his face as he walked into his house and put his camping supplies away.
He was about to flop down on his couch when he noticed something in his backyard. One quadruple take later and Lucifer confirmed his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. The deer from the forest was curled up and sleeping outside his back door.
“What the fuck?” he said aloud because it was just plain ridiculous.
Lucifer slid open the door and kneeled down next to the deer. The creature immediately raised its head and looked up at Lucifer before confidently standing and walking into his house like it owned the place.
He sputtered and quickly went in after the deer. To his utter bewilderment, the creature wasn't getting dirt on the floors. It was perfectly clean. In fact, it almost looked disgusted by the mess in his house. The deer then proceeded to jump up on his couch and lay there.
Lucifer couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not only had a random deer followed him from the woods, it apparently had opinions on his cleanliness and had decided it lived here now.
“What the fuck is going on?”
The deer looked up at him once more and shook its head before rolling onto its back. Lucifer was about to say something else when he was suddenly flashbang by a random burst of light coming from the creature.
When he finally gained his bearings enough to see, Lucifer looked back at the couch and was surprised to see a lack of deer and a now prominent amount of man on his couch. The same amount of man he'd made out with the night before.
Lucifer could only stare. He genuinely had no words because what the actual fuck just happened.
Alastor let out a chuckle and sat up straighter, placing his hands in his lap. “Something wrong, my dear?” he asked with a tilt of his head like he was innocent.
“Something-” Lucifer let out a bunch of less than graceful noises, trying to form some semblance of a thought. “You- deer- man- what the fuck?”
Alastor let out another laugh and stood up. “Yes, I imagine this is all overwhelming, but I can assure you I'm very real.”
“So I've got a weird transforming deer in my house.”
“Technically I was human first.”
“Well technically, I'm gonna throw your ass out if you don't explain.”
Alastor held his hands up in surrender, his smile never faltering. “Alright, I do owe you that much. You see, it was a tragic tale. I was a newly orphaned little boy when I wandered into the forest and came across a humble cabin. Inside was a kind lady who took me in, but little did I know that she was secretly a witch and-”
“You're bullshitting me, aren't you?” Lucifer crossed his arms across his chest.
Alastor's smirk got wider. “My my, called out so soon. I admit I love spinning tall tales. I was merely born with the ability to do this. I'm unaware how it's possible and I stopped questioning it a long time ago.”
Lucifer nodded and let out a sigh. “So why are you in my house?”
Alastor shrugged casually and sat back down on the couch. “I don't quite have a place to live and you seemed quite interesting. I can simply go back to the woods if you wish, but I enjoyed your company and would like to stay in it for as long as possible.”
A flush came over Lucifer's face. “What? So you wanna be like my live-in boyfriend or something?”
“Now you're getting it,” Alastor said with zero shame as if that was a normal thing to admit to.
Lucifer lifted a hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose. “Okay, this is just…” He let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I'm tired. I'm gonna go lay down and get some rest and I'll decide later. Just don't break or steal anything.” He didn't even wait for a response before walking off to his room.
When he woke up from his nap 2 hours later, Lucifer was expecting either chaos or Alastor to be completely gone, but instead he walked out of his room to find the house significantly cleaner and the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. He walked to the kitchen to find Alastor there filling two bowls with food that was still steaming.
Alastor took one look at Lucifer basically drooling and laughed, sliding one of the bowls onto the kitchen island toward the blond with a spoon in it. Lucifer didn't hesitate to dig in and he nearly melted into the floor with the first bite, letting out a sound that he would've been embarrassed by if the food wasn't just so fucking good.
“I'm glad you like it. I spent a long time perfecting the technique for it,” Alastor said with an air of confidence as he took a bite from his own bowl.
“Like it? It's like an orgasm for my mouth.” Alastor nearly choked on his food and Lucifer made a mental note to definitely keep referring to things like that.
Lucifer took another look around the cleaned space and found that there was still some mess to it. Alastor had left certain things alone, clearly recognising what was a mess versus how Lucifer simply liked to keep his space. It made the space still feel lived in, just neater.
It didn't take long for Lucifer to adjust to another person living in the house and it surprised him just how quickly it happened. It shouldn't have been a surprise, his ex-wife had only been gone for… he still couldn't fucking remember. There were a lot of things that were out of place like that in the weeks since Alastor moved it.
It started with Lilith. He couldn't remember how long they'd been separated for.
Then it was Charlie. Each time she visited, he remembered far more than he should have. Not just bad memory becoming clearer, but he remembered more birthdays of hers than were even possible and a few times his subconscious asked where her red cheeks were.
Then it was Alastor himself. Occasionally Lucifer would open his mouth to ask what kind of meat the other was using in their meal before abruptly closing it because he had no reason to ask. Other times Alastor would slide his hands across Lucifer's body and the blond would react like it was second nature and not something he was completely out of practice in.
One night, Lucifer's curiosity and concern got the better of him. “Hey Alastor. How do you know me so well when we've only known each other for a month?”
Alastor looked up from his nightly reading completely unbothered. “Well, it's because I've been paying such close attention to you.”
Lucifer shook his head, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. “I mean deeper than that. You seem to know what I mean before I've even told you. Every single time. There wasn't trial and error when we kissed or cuddled or hugged. You knew how to pull me out of a panic attack without having seen it before. And on top of all of that, you knew how I like my shit organised without me saying a single thing about it.”
Alastor stared for a few seconds before sighing and closing his book. “Are you feeling alright sweetheart? You seem paranoid over simple observation.”
“Paranoid?” Lucifer sounded offended. He felt offended. This guy thought he was fucking paranoid?! “Fine, you don't think that's weird, I'll give you something weird. I've never seen you naked and yet I know for a fact you have a scar on the back of your right thigh from where you fell on broken glass as a kid.” Lucifer paused to process his own words. “Why the fuck do I know that?!”
Alastor's smile faltered and that seemed to surprise Lucifer more than anything. His face isn't supposed to do that… what? Faces can frown, so why does seeing Alastor frown feel so significant?
The brunet places a hand on Lucifer's shoulder. “I think you're just tired, my dear. You should get some sleep. We can talk more when you've rested.”
The blond snapped out of his gaze and shoved Alastor's hand off. “That's exactly what I mean! You-” He hesitated. “I… fine. I'll get some sleep, but I'm getting my answers in the morning.”
And with that, Lucifer laid down and went to sleep. Alastor waited about half an hour after the other fell asleep to stand and walk into the hall.
As he had done many times, he summoned his staff from the shadows and stepped toward the window. “He's starting to become more self aware. No memories yet, but he's questioning things,” Alastor reported calmly while staring out the window into the black abyss.
The zones of no importance to Lucifer were always empty. Alastor couldn't even go down the stairs since they didn't exist, not while Lucifer's mind had no reason to create them.
“Noted. Keep a closer eye on progress and try to keep the illusion intact until he remembers.”
“I know the drill.”