Chapter Text
Out of all the demons in hell that could have found him, of course it had to be Lucifer. Alastor had never considered himself a lucky man, even in life, but surely this was pushing it. He'd retreated to his ruined radio tower after the fight with Adam, trying desperately to staunch the bleeding of his wound while curled under his desk to avoid any errant debris from landing on him. He'd only managed to make more of a mess, trying to stitch himself together with his powers only for the wound to fester and tear further apart. He knew it was bad. Getting hit by any angelic weapon was nearly a death sentence. But getting hit by Adam's? He was lucky he wasn't dead already.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed since the fight, too focused to bother with the passing of time. But when he heard the hollow thump of footsteps on the ruined floorboards, he snapped back to awareness. He couldn't afford anyone to see him like this. Not when he was so vulnerable to being killed. But he couldn't move. Couldn't summon his shadows to escape or hide. He could only sit perfectly still, ears perked in the hopes of catching a familiar voice.
"Yeesh. This place really did take one hell of a hit." Alastor's eyes widened. He knew that voice, and suddenly he wished he didn't. He would have taken anyone else in the hotel over him. Husk and Nifty? He had control over them. They couldn't hurt him. Charlie? She'd be unable to keep the secret but at least she wouldn't harm him. Vaggie? Unlikely to do anything to upset her girlfriend. Worst case she'd just leave him to succumb to his wounds, though he wasn't sure she'd even risk that. Not with such a tense trust still being rebuilt. Angel Dust? Well, Alastor wouldn't be surprised if he left him to die just to free Husk from his contract. But he also doubted the spider would be that callous. Mocking and annoying for sure, but not malicious. Any of them would have been preferable to- "Ow! I really should clean this up…"
Lucifer. The damned king of hell himself. Alastor wasn't foolish. He knew that the devil was likely able to smite him with a snap of his fingers on any given day. But to be so vulnerable before him? To be at the mercy of the devil himself? Alastor didn't want to necessarily die, but any help Lucifer could offer would have some kind of price. A price he likely couldn't pay since his soul was already bound to-
"Blood?" He stiffened as Lucifer's voice sounded so close to him, mere feet from his hiding spot. And he'd detected the evidence of Alastor's presence. The heels of Lucifer's boots sounded like a clock ticking, telling him his time was running out. He coiled deeper into his hiding spot, half tempted to dig his claws into his wound and take himself out before Lucifer got the chance. Those boots came into view, Lucifer bending to peer under the desk. Their gazes locked for barely a second, though
it felt like an eternity as Alastor held his breath. "Uh…hey Al. What're you-" The devil's eyes shifted, resting on the wound barely hidden by his clothes and claws. "Oh! Oh shit. That's not good." Hands reached for him and a burst of screaming static escaped the deer without his intention.
"Don't touch me," he hissed out, pressing further into his corner. Lucifer didn't pull his hands back, but he did still them from getting any closer. Alastor counted it as a win.
"Okay. Look, uh…that wound isn't going to heal on its own," Lucifer said as if Alastor hadn't already suspected as much, "Angelic steel on its own is corrosive to sinners."
"I'm well aware, sire," he spat, baring his teeth, "don't lecture me."
"I'm not," Lucifer insisted, hands twitching, "but that's not just any wound. Charlie said you'd been fighting Adam and vanished but…but I didn't think you'd actually been hit by him. He got you with his ax, didn't he." Alastor hissed, but tentatively nodded. If the devil was telling the truth, then Alastor was fighting a losing battle with his wound. And while the idea of accepting help from anyone made him want to gouge out his own eyes, the idea of dying because of someone like Adam of all people infuriated him even more. And Lucifer…well he might be the only person in hell who could fix him. At the very least, he knew what was going on. "Okay. That…I was kind of hoping you'd say no to be honest."
"Ha! Well, sorry to disappoint." Lucifer frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
"I can't do this here," he mumbled. Before Alastor could even think of asking what he meant, Lucifer's hands were on him. He snarled, lashing out with his claws on instinct as pain ripped through him. Lucifer, to his credit, didn't even flinch as he lifted him like a sack of potatoes. He just opened a portal and stepped through it with Alastor in arm. Deceptively strong for his small stature. The scent of apples and something akin to honey assaulted Alastor's senses, but his head spun too fast from the
sudden movement to make out anything else. Lucifer laid him gingerly on a bed. Definitely not Alastor's room them. "How're you feeling?"
"If you must know, quite like my insides are on fire," Alastor hissed. As much as he hated voicing his pain, it was worth it to see the guilty look on Lucifer's face.
"Right. Should have figured. That's Adam's magic flooding your veins. Hold tight and I'll clear that right out." Alastor shuddered. The thought of someone else's magic ravaging his body, lingering in his very blood, made his skin crawl. But he needed to keep a level head. To not let this go too far without clearing up any confusion.
"And what do you want?" Lucifer paused, halfway through rolling up his sleeves. When had he taken his jacket off?
"What?" Alastor grit his teeth, smile more of a sneer.
"Don't be dense. Nothing in life is free, so what is your help going to cost me?" Lucifer stared at him like he was insane.
"Uh...nothing? I don't know. Can't we make an arrangement later or something?"
"No," Alastor growled, "I will not be indebted to you. I would rather let this fetid wound continue to fester." Lucifer blinked, mouth opening and closing for a moment. Maybe he was coming up with an excuse. Or maybe he was deciding what he could get away with asking for. Alastor's ears pinned back, growing more apprehensive by the moment.
"Then…promise me you won't ever hurt Charlie." Somehow it was both not what Alastor expected and exactly something Lucifer would ask for. The devil looked at him sternly. "I repair your wound, and in return you won't lay a single harmful claw on her."
"As an addendum, we will not speak of this to anyone else," Alastor said quickly. He could easily take Lucifer's terms, but he didn't want this to spread like wildfire. It would make him look weak. Exploitable. And that was unacceptable. Lucifer nodded, holding out a hand.
"No speaking of this to anyone," he agreed, "so, is it a deal?" Alastor reached out a shaking hand, taking Lucifer's and smearing the devil with his blood. There were no theatrics with their deal. Alastor simply didn't have the energy to muster any. But Lucifer's energy flooded him, adding yet another chain to bind his soul. At least this one didn't wound his pride quite as much. Lucifer let him go as soon as it was sealed, taking a steady breath. "Alright. This isn't going to be pleasant."
"Ha! I'm hardly some fragile damsel in distress," he remarked. Lucifer looked down at his wounded body, grimacing.
"Ain't that an understatement." With a snap of the devil's fingers, Alastor's upper clothing was gone. His body shivered against the cool air, breaths ragged as his wound seemingly pulsed. Lucifer placed one hand on his shoulder, a single claw tearing through his magic stitching like it was wet paper. Alastor felt the wound on his chest splay open, bearing his insides to the open air. He jerked against Lucifer's hold, static hissing from his throat in lieu of any actual noise. "Okay," Lucifer was saying, more to himself than Alastor, "now for the extraction."
Pain seared his body, making him jerk and release some kind of animalistic yowl. Lucifer held fast, simply gritting his teeth as he worked with a sharp expression of focus. It felt like someone was pulling out his entire circulatory system, searing energy sliding through his skin while trying to fight against Lucifer's pull. Alastor dug his claws into the sheets below him, shredding the fabric as he sought out any kind of grounding. It was agony. It twisted his stomach and made his lungs ache. This was going to kill him. He was going to die by Lucifer's hand. He'd been so foolish to think making a deal with the devil would be the same as anyone else. He-
All at once, the pain vanished. He gasped sharply, eyes snapping open to stare blankly at the ceiling. His body trembled, on edge as if disbelieving the pain was finished. He sought out Lucifer, watching as the devil's magic burned away the angelic taint he'd pulled from Alastor. Sweat was beading on his forehead, brow furrowed from exertion. If it had taken a toll even on Lucifer, then Alastor would be foolish to believe he could have ever succeeded on his own. Even if he'd known what the problem was. Lucifer flicked away the last dregs of Adam's magic, looking back to Alastor with a shaky grin.
"Hey, you did great," he said, and Alastor hated the soothing tone in his voice. He was not weak. "That's the worst of it. I just have to start closing you up." Lucifer's magic slithered through him, soft and gentle as it began to patch him up. As his nerves relaxed, no longer thrumming with adrenaline and pain, Alastor's eyes rolled back in his head and he promptly passed out.