While he had spent decades in solitude, his only company his ducks and the occasional visit from one of his fellow sins (one could hardly call his meetings at the Heaven Embassy proper socialisation, when he had to deal with Adam most of the time), time had passed by so slowly. Every day had felt like an eternity, every minute dragged out to feel like hours. It was a bit of a shock to his system how fast time seemed to pass now that he wasn’t alone anymore.

It felt like each week passed in the blink of an eye after the battle between Heaven and the hotel. Now that they knew Sir Pentious was in Heaven, Charlie seemed to thrive again, though she often let her stress get the better of her. He knew it was a trait she had inherited from him, unfortunately. Lilith had always been able to handle stressful situations a lot better than he had.

He’d been able to call Angel and Husk proper partners for almost two weeks now, though he had only been able to see Angel during the evening these past few weeks (he practically lived in Angel and Husk’s rooms come nighttime), his schedule even more packed than usual. He hadn’t intended to fall for either of them, but he felt all the better for it. It had been a long time since he felt like this.

 

It was late morning, and Husk had been on an errand for Alastor, grumbling about being treated like a lackey, but when Lucifer offered to accompany him, he didn’t seem to mind quite as much. Lucifer had ignored Alastor’s tutting (for once) about how he had too much free time considering his status.

Who cared when he so rarely got to spend time with Husk outside the hotel? As the bartender, Husk was stuck behind the bar most of the time, it was hard to get him away from it during the day without raising eyebrows. He’d heard from Husk that it had been a bit of a hassle explaining where he had gone when the three of them went out to dinner, but he had somehow managed it.

 

“I saw Rosie get him to skate once,” Husk said as they made their way across the street, barely blinking when a car swerved in an attempt not to hit them. The car crashed into a streetlight just a second later, smoke billowing out of it, the driver throwing themself out of it right before it exploded. Lucifer could probably count on his fingers how many good drivers there were in Pride. “He couldn’t stay on his feet longer than a couple of seconds. I’ve never had to fight bursting out laughing the way I had to that day.”

“That’s fantastic, I wish I could’ve seen it.” Lucifer pushed the door to the hotel open, holding it open for Husk. He gestured ‘after you’, a wide smile on his face. 

“I’m sure you can figure out a way to get him on some sorta make-shift ice,” Husk said, a crooked grin splitting his face.

“Oh trust me, I’ll figure something out.” He followed Husk as he made his way into the kitchen to leave Alastor’s shopping, their conversation moving on to other subjects as Lucifer followed Husk upstairs, not paying attention to the shifting shadows.

 

As Husk stepped into his room, he gave him a smile. “I’ve got about an hour before I’ve got to go down again.”

Lucifer’s fingers tapped the apple of his cane, raising an eyebrow, a teasing grin on his face. “Are you asking me in for a horizontal refreshment? Do we have enough time for that?”

Husk’s laugh was warm in his ears, making him feel soft like jelly on the inside. “Probably not. But if you want to make yourself comfortable for a while, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Lucifer leaned forward, Husk meeting him halfway as he pressed his lips to Husk’s.

 

Their heads snapped to the side at the sound of radio static. Oh, fantastic.

Husk grimaced.

“I see you’ve moved on rather quickly from our dear Angel. Working your way through all the hotel guests, are you?” The look on Alastor’s face was unimpressed, eyes moving between the two of them.

“Wasn’t planning on it, no.” His and Husk’s eyes met, and Lucifer couldn’t help a warm smile from spreading on his lips as Husk spoke.

“Actually, we’ve been datin’ for a little while now. Me, him and Angel. All three of us.”

Though the expression only lasted a fraction of a second on his face, it was one of clear displeasure. If it was due to the knowledge of having had it hidden from him this long or the information itself, Lucifer wasn’t sure. They hadn’t been keeping it secret, per sé, they had just kept it to themselves until the time came that they had figured everything out for themselves first. Mostly how they would go about telling Charlie about their relationship.

The static hung in the air for another moment before Alastor seemed to decide on what to say. “I see. I must say, you have terrible taste in men, Husker.”

The pointed look he sent Lucifer’s way made it perfectly clear that he was talking mostly about him.

Lucifer crossed his arms over his chest, clicking his tongue. “Hey, I’ll have you know I’m quite the catch!”

“Hardly.”

“Hey, hey, come on.” Husk knew an incoming fight when he was one. “Look, Alastor, I know you don’t like him, but who I’m datin’ is my business. You may own my soul, but that doesn’t mean you get to dictate who I’m seeing.”

For a long moment, Lucifer thought Alastor would pick a fight. Surprisingly, he didn’t. “How you decide to squander your time off the clock is up to you, but,” his eyes turned toward Lucifer, narrowing as he met his eyes, the grin on his face twisting into something mean. “There are certainly better ways to spend your time than together with a tacky little clown.”

”You motherfucker!” Lucifer felt his horns burst out of his skull, rage rumbling in his chest. He took a step forward, only to feel a hand wrap around his wrist. He looked back at Husk, who shook his head, an exasperated look on his face.

“Come on, he’s just trying to rile you up. He’ll be more annoyed if you don’t let him.”

Lucifer glanced up at Alastor, who had raised an eyebrow at the comment, though his grin never faltered. He let his horns melt away, taking a deep breath before looking Alastor in the eye. “Husk is right. I’d much rather do other things than squabble with you right now.”

“Oh, I’m sure you have much more important things you’re neglecting than arguing with little old me just so you can have a tête-à-tête.”

Lucifer felt his nose scrunch in annoyance, but before he could respond, Alastor sank into the shadows, disappearing before he had the chance.

He groaned. “God, I want to hit him so bad.”

“You might need to get in line for that.”

Lucifer felt arms wrap around him, pulling him flush against Husk’s chest. Husk’s voice was pleasant in his ear. “Still want to join me? I know a thing or two we can do before I have to go back downstairs.”

Lucifer felt his heartrate pick up again, only this time for much more pleasant reasons.

 

-

 

It took them three incidents in just as many days for them to know for sure that something was up.

Incidents referring to Alastor suddenly finding immense joy in interrupting alone-time he knew they were having, making it all the more obvious that he was doing it on purpose.

It was making relaxing increasingly difficult.

 

Husk had accompanied Lucifer up to his apple tower, the bar occupied by Charlie planning a party, covering every available space she could find; her trusted whiteboard, every single table, the bar, the walls. It had given Husk a few hours away from the bar, and they had wasted no time to get up to Lucifer’s tower.

The door shut behind them, Lucifer’s arms slung around Husk’s shoulders as Husk pressed his lips to his. Hands tugged at his hair, his legs wrapping around Husk’s waist as his back was pressed against the windows.

Low purring rumbled deep in Husk’s throat, Lucifer feeling their vibrations against his chest.

 

Then, he fell to the floor, landing with a thud and a groan.

He stared at the receding shadows on the floor in front of him.

 

Red flooded his vision. He didn’t have to guess to know where he had been taken. As the flames engulfed him, he transported himself down into the lobby, scowling as he easily spotted Alastor on a stool in front of the bar.

Husk, not having had the time to wipe the shocked expression off his face until now, narrowed his eyes at Alastor from his place behind the bar. He could hear Husk growling as he stepped closer. “Alastor, what the fuck!”

Alastor put on an innocent smile, claws tapping the bartop. “Now, now, Husker, I only wanted you to pour a drink for me. That is your job after all, is it not?”

Charlie, who had been completely absorbed with her planning, looked up from her papers. “Husk? Didn’t I give you the rest of the afternoon off?”

Husk’s glare darkened as he shoved a drink toward Alastor, just barely avoiding spilling it on the bartop (he would not waste good booze). “You did. I’m leaving.”

As he tried to leave, Alastor’s shadows moved him right back to where he started. An angry hiss left Husk as his eyes snapped back to Alastor.

“Come on, Alastor, don’t be so mean!” Charlie looked at him in exasperation. “What’s going on with you today?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea as to what you mean, Charlie dear.”

Lucifer came to a stop in front of Alastor, conjuring his cane to stab it into the floor, missing Alastor’s foot by mere millimeters. “Bellhop. This is getting ridiculous.”

“Your attire? I’m afraid it always has been.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my- ugh!” He clenched his teeth, trying to restrain himself. His face morphed into a strained smile as he turned to Charlie, Vaggie right next to her. “Don’t worry sweetie, Bellhop here and I are going to have a little chat, and then we’ll be right back.”

Charlie looked hesitant, eyes moving between them. “Just talking, okay, dad? Don’t hurt him.”

With his eyes turned toward Charlie, he completely missed the millisecond it took Alastor to hide the most displeased look on his face.

“I promise, Char-Char. No hurting.”

“And I imagine you expect me to hop right along with you for this ‘chat’, do you?”

“Don’t worry, no hopping necessary.” Lucifer leaned forward, hand tightly grasping Alastor’s staff. For a long moment their eyes locked, glares equally deadly. Then, Lucifer turned toward Charlie, a brilliant smile on his face. “We’ll be right back, sweetie, see you in a jiffy!”

He let his portal engulf them.

 

-

 

Alastor managed not to fall by the grace of his tentacles as the chair underneath him disappeared. They found themselves right outside the doors to Alastor’s tower, the corridor outside of it desolate.

 

Lucifer summoned his wings to raise himself up, leaning so close to Alastor that he could feel his breath on his face. “I’ve had more than enough of you,” he hissed, his anger bubbling inside of him, restrained just underneath the surface.

“Are you going to break your promise to poor Charlie so quickly? You really live up to being a disappointment to her.”

Lucifer, still seething with rage, let his face split into a mean grin. “Oh, I won’t hurt you. I’m going to humiliate you.”

Alastor rolled his eyes. “And how do you propose you do that? There isn’t even an audience to see it.”

“Don’t need one. We wouldn’t want your little secret to come out, after all, would we?” Lucifer’s grin grew as Alastor’s ears flattened against his head. “See, I happen to know a thing or two about angelic energy. It’s a vital part of me, after all.”

“And you,” He looped around Alastor, raising a finger as he came to a stop in front of him, aimed right at his chest. “You’re absolutely drenched in it.”

He could both see and hear Alastor grinding his teeth in rage, static growing louder around them.

“I,” Lucifer drew out the silence, letting himself revel in Alastor’s frustrations as he let himself sink gently to the floor. He clapped his hands together. “Am going to heal you.”

 

The static stopped so abruptly that it made Lucifer’s ears ring from the sudden silence.

“What?”

 

“I was waiting to see if you would figure things out for yourself, which, doubtful, or have the guts to ask me yourself, but you seem to have presented me with a perfect opportunity instead.”

Lucifer took a step closer to Alastor, finger dancing above the centre of his chest, circling the bright light only he could see. Not touching, but close enough to be incredibly annoying. “Nasty little infection you’ve got there. It’ll kill you eventually. It’ll take a long time, sure, but it will. Doesn’t really jibe well with the whole ‘sinner’ thing.”

Alastor grasped his finger, so tightly it would have broken had he been anyone else. 

“I am managing everything perfectly well, thank you.”

Lucifer laughed. “Oh really? So your powers aren’t being limited right now?”

He could see Alastor’s lips twitch in annoyance.

“As much as I might dislike you, Charlie would be sad if you died. So I’m going to heal you. I’ll even fix your little staff if you want me to.”

Alastor paused, eyes narrowing. “And I suppose you would want something in return for this?”

“Of course I do.” Lucifer tilted his head to the side, eyes never leaving Alastor. “It’s a small price, really.”

As the silence stretched on, Lucifer started to smile. “I simply want you to back off. To leave mine, Husk’s and Angel’s relationship alone. I know you don’t like me, but this is getting out of hand, even for you.”

By the strained expression on Alastor’s smile, Lucifer felt like he might consider the price a little bit steeper than Lucifer did. As Alastor stared down at him, Lucifer heaved a sigh. “Look, you really only have two options here. Either you die a slow, miserable, permanent death, so painful words really can’t describe, or you stop meddling in Husk’s romantic affairs. It should be a pretty easy choice.”

Getting a response out of Alastor felt like pulling teeth, and once he finally did, it was clear that he was more than just a little dismayed. “...Fine. I will allow you to heal me.”

“And?”

“...And I will not meddle in Husk’s trysts.” Then, he couldn’t help himself from being a little petty, as he continued. “If he wants to keep such lowly company such as yourself, I suppose that will be his own misfortune.”

Lucifer just barely kept himself from rising to the bait, instead focusing on the part where he had agreed. “I won’t force you to actually make a deal. Instead, ” he said, smile turning sickeningly sweet as he raised himself up again to be level with Alastor. “I trust you realise that if you overstep again, I won’t be so kind next time. I do have the means to give you a brand new infection.”

The static around them grew louder as Alastor held his tongue, though he was clearly pissed off.

Lucifer looped around him, once, twice, coming to a stop behind him. He pushed him toward the door, feeling Alastor withdraw from his touch instantly. He let him. It wasn’t like either of them was going to enjoy what was to come. Well. It would definitely be worse for Alastor. “Now let’s get to that healing, shall we?”

 

-

 

Frankly, Alastor’s room didn’t look as terrible as he would have expected. The forest was even sort of pretty, to be honest, and the fireplace was kind of nice.

Well, no time to dwell on that now. He stepped up to Alastor’s bed, rolling up his sleeves. “Alright, let’s do this. Take off your shirt and get on the bed.”

At Alastor’s clear discomfort, Lucifer rolled his eyes. “Look, it’s either the bed or the floor. And once we’re done, you’re gonna regret it if you choose the latter.”

Grinding his teeth, Alastor unbuttoned his shirt, folding it onto a chair before he moved onto the bed. Lucifer knelt next to him on the mattress, looking down at Alastor’s chest. Even though he had tried to stitch it up, it was still an open wound, festering, slowly chipping away at his flesh. If left to its own devices, it would cave in his entire chest, slowly eating him up from the inside.

“This is going to hurt like a motherfucker, so I suggest you put those tentacles of yours to good use and gag yourself. Wouldn’t want you to swallow your tongue.”

“Oh, so you do like my commentary after all, sire.”

“Yeah, sure, let’s go with that. Tie your arms and legs down too, would you?”

Alastor was clearly displeased by the situation, but when the other option was to let it continue to fester, he clearly came to the conclusion that it was better to go through with this, as humiliating as it would be.

Lucifer watched Alastor summon a smooth piece of wood, clenching it between his teeth. Tentacles rose out of the shadows, wrapping around Alastor’s wrists and ankles.

Lucifer snapped his fingers, soundproofing the room in an instant. He started to summon every ounce of healing magic that he still possessed, the glow of his power growing stronger, its glow slowly moving up his fingers and onto his arms. As he felt the heat of it become unbearable, he rested his fingertips against the stitches on Alastor’s chest.

They snapped in an instant, the sound loud in the silent room.

Slowly, he pushed his fingers into the wound, the cavity hot around them. The tainted energy felt unpleasant, making him nauseous. He could feel Alastor twitch, pained groans escaping him despite his best efforts.

If the heat of his magic was painful to him, it was tenfold as bad for Alastor.

He pressed deeper, until his fingers brushed against something sharp. Something that vibrated so fast it almost sliced his fingers open as he touched it. He closed his eyes, concentrating. He reached out with his mind, grasping it so tightly it hurt.

 

As he started to pull he heard Alastor scream.

 

He felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes at the intense pain as the infection struggled against him, clinging to every cell of Alastor’s body that it could reach. Lucifer didn’t let it. He held on tighter, feeling it try to tear away. But if it did, he knew it would truly kill Alastor, and he couldn’t have that right now. As he noticed Alastor’s tentacles start to vanish, he quickly summoned ropes of his own, making them wrap around him before he could move and make him lose his grip.

With Alastor’s screams bouncing off the walls, he pulled the angelic energy out of him, falling backwards off the bed as the last remnants of it finally lost its grip.

Alastor’s screams stopped, leaving the room in complete silence aside from Lucifer’s gasping breath.

He stared down at his hands. The infected angelic energy thrummed beneath his fingertips. He slowly started to cleanse it, the effort making his hands shake.

As he felt the final corrupted cells of the energy melt away, he looked down at his blackened skin. Golden cracks danced on his skin until they locked in place, forming fine lines along his fingers, like hairline cracks in glass.

He snapped his fingers, hissing at the pain, but the glamour flickered on, leaving his hands as stark black as they had been fifteen minutes ago.

 

Getting off the floor, he gathered his breath, releasing the ropes that were still tying Alastor to the bed. He plucked the block of wood out of Alastor’s mouth, rolling him over on his side. He didn’t need him to choke on his own vomit after all his efforts.

He jumped backwards as a tentacle weakly smacked his hands away. His eyes moved up to Alastor’s face, meeting his eyes.

“Huh,” he said, eyebrows rising. “I’m surprised you didn’t pass out from that.”

“Don’t patronise me,” Alastor said, voice shaking. How was he still managing to smile right now? Lucifer hadn’t been watching his face while he healed him, surely his smile must have dropped then?

“I wasn’t.” Lucifer rolled his shoulders, body feeling tense. He would hurt all over come morning. “Genuinely. That was a lot of pain to take on all at once. Good job.”

He had the distinct feeling that Alastor was seething, but then, he had known going in that Alastor would hate every minute of this. It had taken him a while, but he had finally realised part of why Alastor hated him so much, just a few days ago. Alastor hated not being the most powerful person in the room, hated not being the one in control of any given situation. Of course he hated Lucifer. And now, having to be helped by him to avoid death?

The lack of control had to drive him crazy.

He was a bit annoyed with himself that it had taken him this long to connect the dots.

He stood up, rolling his sleeves back down. “You’re gonna feel like shit for a couple of days, then you’ll be right as rain. I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day.” Reaching out for Alastor’s staff, he looked down at Alastor’s attempt at repair. Closing his eyes again, he channeled some of his magic into it, fingers closing around the break.

As he opened his hand, there was no longer a sign of it ever having been broken.

He gingerly placed it next to Alastor on the bed.

The smile he gave Alastor was almost kind. He knew that healing his infection had been made so much more painful due to Lucifer being Fallen. Had he not been, this would have been a lot easier for both of them. He couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for him, despite their relationship.

 

As the flames engulfed him, he started to think about how to best explain Alastor’s absence to Charlie.

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