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The Ball had been a success, and nearly two weeks after it took place, it continued to be one of the most discussed topics around the seven circles.
Charlie was delighted that her message had been well received, and while Alastor’s prediction about residents dropping came true, new ones had arrived a few days after, with mixed but not wholly terrible results. It certainly was a work in progress, and Alastor limited himself to being the Hotel manager, since the redemption project was not in his hands and he was more than happy to not be part of its planning.
A few things had changed since that night as well, little details that made Alastor's life interesting.
The rumor mill continued to move at a wildfire pace, and it was annoying but generally tolerable. However, he noticed that since Lucifer read one of the many gossip columns, he’d been far more tactile with Alastor in public. It felt a little like he was marking his territory, and Alastor would be annoyed if not for the fact he had no right to point any fingers, considering he did the same, albeit in other, less traditional ways.
Like scratching his antlers over the headboard. The first time had been during the night of the party, and it had been an accident, but all the other ones that followed hadn’t. It was very clearly some sort of instinct, and part of him disliked giving in to his more animalistic impulses, but Lucifer was his and he was going to let everyone know. Perhaps that’s the reason it pissed him off when Lucifer so rudely continued to fix the headboard, forcing him to immediately endeavor to mark it up again. The King obviously found it amusing, up until Alastor almost destroyed the whole canopy trying to make a point.
Lucifer didn’t “fix” the headboard after that, because there was nothing to fix. The bed was his, and so was the fallen angel sleeping next to him in it, thank you very much.
Still, Alastor didn’t like to answer to strangers. So when new residents and outsiders started coming to him with the excuse of something regarding the Hotel, only to pivot into asking about his personal life and private relationship with Lucifer, he couldn’t be blamed for almost eating one or three of these people.
Perhaps more, but who was counting?
Vaggie had started a very strict code of conduct afterwards, and while some of it was directed at the staff, it was more focused on the residents’ behavior—for their own safety of course, because Alastor could not be expected to not bite when provoked, that was a given.
That was also a work in progress, one would think these new residents had a death wish or something!
Because of these daily annoyances, Alastor had been in a bit of a mood since yesterday, and Lucifer suggested they take some time to themselves outside. It would do them good, being on their own and away from nosy newcomers and other gawking strangers. Alastor wasn’t expecting the place Lucifer chose to spend their day to be the Palace gardens, but now, being there, he felt it was perfect for what they were looking for.
Private, tucked away for them and no one else.
“It’s a little messy, isn’t it?” Lucifer said as they walked the overgrown paths and moved around out of control bushes. “I didn’t exactly keep up with it after I dismissed the gardener.”
“It’s alive,” Alastor argued, a hand kept at the small of the king’s back. “That’s plenty.”
“Well, I did the basics. Water and such… I didn’t want the plants to die, I like them.”
“Having vegetation around is always charming, especially here,” Alastor spotted a large tree, where the shade was lovely, so he walked that way, taking Lucifer by the hand. Which he could do now, whenever he wanted to.
“Yeah, but I think I'll have it properly looked after again. Get some landscapers, and a gardener to keep up with it once it looks good again, and not like the backyard of a haunted castle.”
“I find it charming,” Alastor said, always in favor of letting nature run a little wild, and summoned a table and two chairs under the shade of the three. “But if I may, Sire. You could have the new residents work on it, pitch it as a team building exercise!”
Lucifer chuckled. “Ain’t that free labor?”
“Two birds, one stone,” Alastor grinned, and summoned his tea set.
It felt good to have tea for two.
He felt ridiculously satisfied upon hearing the pleased noise Lucifer made when he tried the brew, and found it to his taste. That simply made the whole thing better.
“Soooo… I kind of wanted to ask you something…” Lucifer began, his tone hesitant.
Alastor set his cup down, not looking forward to this. “What is it?”
“It’s about the thing with Tox,” he said, tracing his fingers on the rim of the teacup. “He was an asshole, and normally I’d leave it at that… but it did something to you, which is unusual and mildly concerning. What was that?”
He didn’t answer immediately. True to be told, he didn’t want to discuss Vox or anything regarding his past relationship with the TV Overlord, it always put him in a mood. Part of him wanted to say this to Lucifer, just to see if the King would let the topic go. At the same time, another part of him wanted to talk and leave things clear between himself and Lucifer in this aspect, because he had the feeling it was going to keep coming back, mostly because Vox kept coming back.
Might as well get this over with.
“...He wasn’t lying,” Alastor said, trying to keep the self-conscious thoughts at bay. He kept his eyes on the teacup, unable to face Lucifer without feeling like he would die a little from sheer mortification. “About the sex thing.”
“Uh?” he heard Lucifer, and from the corner of his eyes saw him place his elbow on the table to lean closer. “The ‘performance’ stuff? I thought he was just being a douche.”
“He definitely was,” Alastor agreed with a mildly forced chuckle. “But it wasn’t just that. It’s just, sometimes, I just don’t feel like having sex. And back then, no matter what he tried to get me on board, I just…. wasn’t into it.”
He closed his eyes, picturing Vox’s disappointed face every time he’d turned him down. At first he had been understanding—or at least pretended to be—but It had slowly morphed into something ugly as their fights increased. The other demon’s voice echoed in his head calling him unhealthily prudish, a mood killer, and of course, frigid.
The anger made him bitter, and he just wouldn’t stop.
You’re one step from hysteria. That’s how it starts, being all nettlesome and frigid.
Alastor would laugh it off, pointing out he was already insane, that most people in the literal Hell they lived in were, and that Vox’s foolish attempts to give him a diagnosis just for turning him down were pathetic.
He never said it out loud, but his words and actions had become harder to deal with as their relationship crumbled.It was anger thinly wrapped in a mockery of concern, even if sometimes Alastor wondered if Vox would have tried to have him committed to some sort of backward institution to get ‘treated’, if he’d been able to get away with it. The fact his associates had started to sell what was slyly being referred to as ‘love potions’ not that long after their final breakup did not escape his notice, and privately, he was rather thankful he’d jumped that particular sinking ship at the time he did.
Yes, Vox words had been mocking and hateful, unsurprisingly. But they had been hurtful as well, and it got to him. Even if Alastor never gave him the satisfaction of admitting it to his face.
What he hated the most, what he felt that,at least to some degree, they were true.
He braced himself for Lucifer’s reaction, the nagging voice in the back of his head that sounded too much like Vox was whispering how the King was going to be disappointed as well. Because even with his reassurances that what they shared was more than sex, now that Alastor was talking about it openly, everything always seemed to come down to it, and he was going to be left behind.
That’s not what happened.
“But that’s normal?” Lucifer rebutted, sounding confused about why Alastor was even making that case. “People are not always in the mood. There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, unless you’re talking about health issues—which I don’t think you are because we have been pretty active with no issues and Ozzie says we have ‘incredible synergy’, which I think means we are very compatible—”
“Is it normal that sometimes I just loathe the prospect of anyone touching me?” Alastor asked. “I bit him one time when he didn’t listen.”
Lucifer laughed, it was a bombastic sound that Alastor loved hearing. “Oh, I’d love to see his face, I bet it was funny!”
Alastor smiled. “It was.”
That fight that had followed, not so much.
“But yes, it’s normal, or at least as normal as I know things to be?” Lucifer leaned closer, and Alastor finally looked at him. “Same thing happens to me, sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with you—scratch that, there’s plenty wrong with you, but not wanting to have sex? Yeah, that’s not one of them.”
“You sound so sure,” Alastor pointed out, not exactly offended, but maybe a bit uncertain.
“I’m older than dirt, I’ve seen a thing or two.” he said with a playful grin. “Just, talk to me okay? I’ll do the same, and if we both are not into it, then it’s not happening. Simple.”
“But…” Alastor insisted, unable to let it go. “What if you want to and I don’t? You won’t resent me for denying you that pleasure?”
“Whoa, no! Jeez, Al, you’re not denying me anything,” Lucifer said, and added with a wink. “If I wanna get off and you don’t, that’s fine. I can do it on my own, I can assure you that.”
It sounded so simple when laid out like that. They both chuckled, and Alastor felt more at ease, and that made it easier to keep talking.
“...I’ve never felt this strongly about anyone before, and that includes my inclination towards being intimate.”
“Really?”
With the risk of his words getting into Lucifer’s head, he continued. “I enjoyed our first encounters, but it wasn’t until we got closer that I desired them.”
“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Lucifer said with a flirty grin.
“It is. That’s why I don’t want you to be too disappointed when I inevitably tell you that I’m not feeling it that day, perhaps aggressively as well. It’s going to happen.”
Lucifer made a sound of contemplation. “You know that I’m never going to force you to do something you don’t want to, right?”
“...Theoretically, yes,” Alastor mumbled, rolling his eyes. Their relationship might not have been the longest, but as many faults as Lucifer had, he had always known to respect Alstors limits, often without him having even needed to voice them. This was more of a him problem. “It’s not your fault I’m this cautious about the topic.”
“Sure, sure… but if it helps any, just the idea of trying to… push, coerce or otherwise guilt you into sex when you’re very obviously not feeling it is…” he grimaced, shivering a little. “Ick. Setting myself on holy fire would be more appealing.”
Alastor blinked at him. “That’s…reassuring. And somewhat disturbing. Please don’t do that.”
Lucifer nodded with a chuckle. “Look, let’s just be honest with each other, yeah? If you’re not feeling it and I don’t get the memo immediately, just tell me to fuck off. I’ll do the same.”
He already had, Alastor thought, thinking back to the day after their encounter with Vox and how Lucifer just hadn't been in the mood. He had been honest, and rather politely told him to go take a hike. Alastor laughed to himself, at that moment it had felt like rejection, because he was so wrapped in the idea that sex was the only thing he could offer Lucifer.
He had never been happier to be proven wrong.
“Alright then,” Alastor agreed. “Consider it done.”
Lucifer smiled. “That said, is the TV douche going to be a recurrent problem?”
As if on cue, there was a muted electrical explosion in the distance as yet another of Vox’s drones collided against the Palace’s wards. Alastor had no idea how he’d found where they’d gone for the day, and he had even less of a notion why he’d think he could just hover one of his little spies into what was essentially the most heavily magically secured building in all of Pride. If Vox had been any less of a one-track-mind being with a reputation for obsession, Alastor would have suspected he was just trying to claim the equipment losses as tax write-offs.
“He’s more of a nuisance than a problem, most of the time,” Alastor sighed, looking at the distance. “It’s extremely obnoxious that as soon as he doesn’t get his way, he goes for the most stupid personal insults available, instead of keeping a resemblance of professionalism.”
“So, it wasn't just that day?”
“When we had our public spat a few months ago, he told the entire city I smelled bad and had gross hoof feet, among other things,” Alastor responded behind clenched teeth, stomping one foot for good measure.
“What a fucking asshole. For the record, your hoofs are not gross, they’re adorable.” Lucifer said as if Alastor had not been listing complaints, and nudged Alastor’s shin with his boot.
Alastor narrowed his eyes at him. “No comments about my smell then, Sire?”
“You use my body wash, of course I’m not complaining,” the King answered, rolling his eyes.
“Really? And what about before I switched to purloining your toiletries?”
“You know, I don’t think I recall?” Lucifer said, all wide eyed innocence as he batted his eyelashes for effect, ever the bastard. “But I’m one-hundred-percent sure it was delightful.”
Alastor kicked the king’s boot as he laughed, his bad mood dispelled. “Good to know.”
Lucifer reached for another serving of tea. “Him getting personal really bothers you, doesn’t it?”
He closed his eyes, grumbling. “It's childish, and I hate that it gets to me. I shouldn't have to be the bigger person when I'm not a good person to begin with. But I don’t want to resort to immature insults like he does, it’s idiotic.”
“Well… I could make him explode, if you want to.” Lucifer offered, grinning.
“Oh, I have no doubt you can. But there’s no need my dear, I can take care of myself.” Alastor said, leaning onto the table.
“Fine. But if he pisses me off too much, I make no promises,” Lucifer said with a pout.
Alstor gave him an amused smile, shaking his head as he resumed drinking his tea.“If you say so.”
“Actually, don’t you want a restraining order? I can get one of those faster than a parking ticket,” Lucifer suggested, perking up. “I have more lawyers than God. That’s literal, by the way, most of them end up here.”
Alastor laughed, just thinking about Vox’s face when being served his papers.
“I’ll think about it.”
Now that this particular heavy talk was out of the way, Alastor wanted nothing more than to hold Lucifer and just enjoy the breeze, but he knew there were still a few things they had to address, and it was Alastor’s turn to bring up uncomfortable topics.
“I wanted to talk to you about something as well,” Alastor started, and Lucifer bit his lip.
“I know that tone. I’m not going to like this, am I?”
“Not sure, but it is still important,” Alastor said, apologetically. “Or at least I think it is.”
“Well, I got you talking about stuff so, it’s fair,” Lucifer shrugged, about to raise his teacup when Alastor reached to place a hand over his, stopping him. He laced his fingers with Lucifer’s, wanting to feel his warmth.
“I think… you should tell Charlie, about that thing,” he said, motioning to his neck with his free hand.
“...Why? She can’t do anything about it, it’d just make her sad,” Lucifer argued, his voice small and his eyes downcast.
“It’s not about that,” Alastor rebutted, and tried to look for the right words.
Lucifer didn’t look up, but he didn’t push him away nor let go of his hand. “Then, what is it about?”
Alastor tried again.
“She’s your daughter, she cares deeply for you. She knows you care now, but I think she should know you have always cared. And that you would have helped before, had you been allowed to.”
Lucifer made a face, but he didn’t immediately refute him, and that told Alastor he was at the very least considering his words. The King sighed heavily, and rested his head against his folded arms on the table.
“I don’t want her to see it,” he eventually said, his free hand absentmindedly running over his neck, like he was trying to soothe phantom pain. Alastor hoped it was phantom pain, and nothing else. “It’ll just hurt her.”
That wasn’t the only reason, so Alastor pressed.
“You think she will be angry with you?”
“I mean, yeah? It’s a possibility I’m afraid of—or that she’ll try to do something about it, like try to bargain with Heaven,” Lucifer answered, looking more distressed by the minute. Alastor reached for him with his free hand, stroking his cheek. The King immediately leaned into it.
“...I don’t want to believe she would do something drastic or that she will turn her back on me, but what if she does? What if it puts her in danger? Then what? Al, I’ve been keeping this to myself for so long. Sharing it with you was… it was a risk but I also thought it was… important.”
It warmed him, to know that Lucifer trusted him with something so personal. “You don’t have to show her the collar. Not even tell the exact details, if you really don’t want to. Perhaps just explaining the impediments Heaven put on you will be enough.”
“You think…?”
“She wants to understand you,” Alastor reasoned. “Your daughter admires you, she has always cared about your opinion. She might not say it out loud, but anyone who bothered enough to see was able to recognize it.”
Lucifer closed his eyes, and Alastor reached to comb his claws through his hair, giving him time to think. Lucifer leaned into his touch, and eventually nodded.
“She doesn’t need to know the gory details,” Lucifer insisted. Alastor didn’t push him, it was a reasonable compromise. “But I will talk to her… explain this, and other things she should probably know.”
“It’ll be good for you both,” Alastor agreed. Even if he was not completely sure that would be the case, he thought that just by taking into account Charlie’s nature, it would definitely be good for them. Especially Lucifer, being isolated and carrying that kind of weight… Alastor almost shuddered by just thinking about it.
They finished their tea, and lingered in the garden for a couple more hours before making their way back to the Hotel.
Lucifer and Charlie’s conversation would be another day, it was a heavy topic that required Lucifer to be in a better headspace to talk about it. Alastor had offered him his support, whether it was just letting him know he was there for him, or to be present if he felt he needed it. Time would tell.
For now, he had a radio show to host, and two royals as his guests.
***
Charlie was very excited. If Vaggie’s expression was anything to go by, she had probably been talking about it all day. Alastor would have very likely needed to worry about her actually bursting into song in the middle of the show, had he not already personally taken care of that.
It’d just cost him one favor between friends, and this had been the time of his choosing.
Alastor had not been entirely selfless. He’d needed to get rid of that favor before Lucifer found out about it, and this had been the most convenient way to go about it.
He didn’t want such a thing to jeopardize something that meant so much to him, something he’d never thought he would have. It hadn’t been easy to get rid of such an ace up his sleeve, but the way Lucifer looked at him—with fondness and trust that went beyond everything he had felt before—was more important than that card, and not something he was willing to jeopardize.
Charlie had looked an amusing mix of crestfallen and offended at the safeguard to ensure the lack of musical numbers in the show, but she would have to console herself with arts and crafts.
The cards she was holding in her hands with notes and topics were interesting, if a little unnecessary in Alastor’s opinion. It wasn’t like he was going to quiz her or try to make her look bad like Katie Killjoy had done, but still, he let her be, especially since she wasn’t the only one who found the cheat cards reassuring. Lucifer had been going over his own slightly less glittery ones as well. Alastor wasn’t sure if it was solidary or the King actually needed them, but either way both Morningstars were ready in his studio.
It was time for the show.
“Salutations dear Sinners!” he began. “Tuning in was the right choice for you! I know you’re just dying to hear about the news that our brightest stars in all of Hell are about to share with your unworthy ears…”
It took him not even a minute to sink into the moment, and why wouldn’t he? This was his medium, his forte. He’d loved this in life, and that had certainly not changed after a fiery landing in Hell had quite literally remade him into becoming one with his favorite medium of communication.
Alastor carried the show with the ease and confidence that doing something like this hundreds of times gave you. He directed the interview with the mental notes and key topics he had memorized—no need for silly cards for him, thank you—and gave Charlie plenty of space to answer. He made sure to only redirect the topic into a more favorable direction when he felt she was straying into something too close to the kind of topics the general public would laugh off, had no clearance to know, or was making Lucifer cringe too hard to not do something about it.
It was funny how all of this had started with Alastor being furious about Lucifer’s indifference, not knowing at the time that all he wanted was for the King to keep him in his line of sight. He had learned a lot since then, and in such a short time it was hard to process, but he had not felt this content in decades, it was a highly welcomed change of peace.
Looking at Lucifer smiley so fondly at him felt like coming home after a storm, and he let himself bask on it for a moment, before their attention went back to the princess.
“...and that’s why it would be so good for anyone who seeks a chance for redemption to try!” Charlie concluded. “It’s not easy, I know, but it is also not impossible, just just need to give yourselves the chance!”
“It might not be in the cards for everyone, your Highness,” Alastor had to point out.
“Yeah, that’s… yeah, that’s true,” Charlie cringed, before taking a deep breath. “But if anybody feels they have it in them, then the Hazbin Hotel is the place for you!”
Lucifer smiled lovingly at his daughter. “External relationships are shifting, and Redemption has been confirmed to be possible, but let me be clear, for those who think of Hell as their only home, it still is.”
“Of course,” Charlie agreed. “That’s not gonna change.”
Alastor exchanged a glance with Lucifer, smiling. Perhaps what got to him the most was that Charlie didn’t think of Hell as a horrible place, and the only reason she had started the hotel was in favor of looking for an alternative to Heaven’s Exterminations. This was her home too, after all.
“Very thoughtful, you Highness,” Alastor grinned. “Anything either of you would like to add before the end of this broadcast?”
Charlie simply smiled and shook his head, while Lucifer leaned closer to the microphone, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Well, now that you mention it…” Lucifer started with a smirk. “There's been a lot of silly rumors floating around, and I applaud you guys for being so creative about them. But as entertaining as that is, the truth is a lot more simple. Lilith and I are no longer and item, and yes, I am in a committed and very exclusive relationship with the Radio Demon—”
The studio lost power, and so did the Hotel, followed by all of Pentagram city.
Somewhere in the hotel Angel was shouting about how everyone owed him so much money, Charlie was trying and failing to hide her laughter, and Lucifer was grinning the kind of sharp smile that promised a lot for the night and then some more, just thinking about it made Alastor feel hot in the face.
He was probably going to feel a certain way about all of this later, when he remembered how to talk, since flustered static seemed to be the only sound he could make at the moment. His shadow was of no help, having all but swooned over the control panel.
Lucifer stood up and walked to stand next to him, scratching the base of his ear and kissing his temple. He could feel the smirk against this scalp, his ear flicking Lucifer’s nose.
“Is the Vee’s tower on fire…?” Charlie asked, squinting into the darkness at said building, which was producing an alarming amount of smoke and gathering a non insignificant amount of firemen.
Lucifer all but cackled, ever the bastard.
“Now that is what I’d call performance issues.”