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After the whole disaster with the angels and attempted holy war, the hotel was more lively than ever.
A good thing about that was that the princess of Hell couldn't be more happy, despite still having no real idea of how redemption actually worked. The bad thing, as far Alastor was concerned at least, was literally everything else.
Not only was a moment of actual silence outside of his room rare, not only were internal problems in the building almost every day, not only he had to be subjected to the constant and undesirable presence of sinners who didn't got the memo about it was on their best interest to stay away from his path. No, to top it all off: it actually had to get in the middle of his established dynamic with the devil himself.
It was so much easier to have their verbal spats when all the residents could be counted with one hand. Even if neither of them wanted to, it was kinda inevitable that they would end up meeting each other. Sometimes he managed to say something that would make the devil go away puffing and insisting he had better things to do than to stand him. Sometimes he had to endure the devil flapping his own lips and by pure luck managing to bother him. As annoying as it was, there was also something refreshing about a being who had neither admiration or fear for him, while still being far from indifferent.
The overwhelming friendliness of Charlie was too much when it wasn't convenient for him. Angel was too vulgar (when he was there, that is). Niffty could hold a conversation only for so long before she needed to run to clean up something. And Husk would prefer to do anything in his afterlife rather than talk to him. Lucifer, in comparison, just hit that comfortable space between little pest and harmless challenge. A small itch that he could scratch when he became bored and see what happened. Would his skin become infected? Would he get to keep his satisfaction? Would someone end up bleeding? Who knew! But there was only one way to find out.
That was, until the hotel became flooded with sinners. Sinners that, after a while, would forget about how not that long ago were clamoring against their king and later were running petrified from a weapon energized by that same king that they were told was supposed to be innoffensive. Hanging around the king, predictably, confronted them with two unfortunate facts: first, that Lucifer was in fact as dangerous as a dead fly in his usual state, and second, that he could be good company.
Oh, Alastor hated finding that one out. Going to the bar for a late night drink, only to see that pesky little devil making people laugh at some joke or anecdote he was telling while swaying his drink around without spilling a single drop. Going to the music room, to see if using the piano would take away his stress, and see that devil already playing for a small but captivated audience in his golden fiddle. Taking requests, of course. Making up songs on the fly just to make people laugh, which they did.
Now, if that was all, Alastor probably would have find it on himself to just ignore He knew literally all of that already. He had seen it. He had song alongside that man to antagonize him and heard him presenting a show of intimadation before. That man capable of being funny, talented and charming were inconveniences at worst. Nothing worth changing his fundamental disdain for him.
The issue was when those became the whole of their interactions. Among all the people in which, for some reason, Lucifer felt the need to interact with, their eyes rarely managed to find each other. If Lucifer ever became aware that he was on the same room or not, Alastor could not tell. On the moments in which they recognize mutually, it was almost a relief to see that lip curve in premeditated annoyance, followed by a groan sounding like "don't you have another toilet to unclog, belhop" It was downright disgusting the glee with which Alastor could give himself to that battle, his weapons always at the ready, sharp and just waiting behind his teeth to prove themselves that they were, after all, still the bests at the job. Lucifer never argued with the sinners in such the same way. Neither of them had cut so precisely and deeply under his skin.
That was his privilege. His prize. He had worked plenty to be the constant pebble that could ruin the whole day for the king of Hell. Nobody else but him deserved to enjoy such a place.
If anyone had ever suggested to him that he missed those times the most, when the residents could be count in two hands and there were no distractions in the way, he would have slaughtered that mouth, along with the rest of their meddling body. That even assuming there was an universe in which Alastor would even tell anyone about this, something Alastor refused to do in his own.
It just... well, it wasn't fun to spend weeks without ever exchanging a single word with Lucifer. He had been there first, before any of those damned souls. Why should he be the one left aware of that abscence? If Lucifer couldn't kill disrupters like he could and wasn't going to be there to receive the verbal lashing Alastor wanted to deploy, then what was the devil even doing there? What was even the point?
It was annoying, but unlike their own fights, not the kind that he wanted to repeat until he got a different result. Just the kind that irritated him and made him angry and had his hands tremble and he had to actively remind himself that he couldn't just throw residents through the windows. Which of course only made him angrier and he had to abandon the hotel entirely until managing at least a few kills to calm himself down. By the time he came back, the environment in the hotel had soften up.
The sinners that wanted to brawl were alredy kicked out to do it elsewhere. The ones that stayed drinking were content as long their glasses could be filled. A few were just laying on whatever surface by chance they end up falling asleep on. These were the only times in which the hotel was at its most tolerable. It didn't seem like a constant circus anymore. At last, some quiet.
Not peace, however.
His eyes quickly scanned the common area. At first, the lack of any distinctive pale stupid face was a balm to his nerves. Maybe Lucifer had just gone early to sleep, simple as that. But then he saw the balcon open and there he was. The top hat and jacket were both away, leaving his blackeneved arms revealed under his rolled sleeves. Hands moving in the air to conjure up more golden figures to relate to some joke he was making. Alastor did not even care to find out the punchline, but whatever it was, it made laugh the mummy like sinner that was talking to her.
Alastor had seen her around. She barely spoke as it was. Just a nuisanse at best when she happened to appear on his way to the stairs or elevators, completely without meaning to. She wasn't nearly agressive, loud or pathetic enough to warrant him commiting her name into memory. If he was forced to think any words to describe her in general, boring would be the only one that would come to mind.
But as he saw her being the only one listening to Lucifer, laughing with him, another ones bubbled up from his interior like spits of molten lava: that damned whore.
There was no one else in that balcony. Only the two of them and their good humor. It mattered none at all that the door was fully open and anyone could see them or join them. Just the fact that they have decided to move to any other area at all in order to keep talking was good enough of an declaration of exclusivity.
Haven't he gone through enough already? How much more patience was he supposed to create out of nothing if this was the result? Why it was only him the only one to even have to be patient at all, while Lucifer got to smile that toothy grin and shrink a little, like he was relieved to get a smile in return? Disgusting, the both of them.
She moved forward to say something. Her hand covered in rags that naturally made her body landed over the forearms of Lucifer, resting over the reil. She was too close, too direct. The subtle movement of her thumb over the skin was the thing that finally set him off. No, that was a lie. Lucifer doing nothing to push her away was what did it.
They wanted to laugh so badly?
Very well. Alastor would show them something hilarious.
---
"And then she said..." said the sinner, her cavernous low voice already laughing, "that I had too much package to unwrap!"
She laughed, and because she did, Lucifer did too. People loved it when you laughed with them instead of asking what was so funny about that. And she had been nice enough to at least want to be nice back. If only he could remember what her name was. He was almost kinda sure that there was a C somewhere. Or maybe was a K?
Fuck if he knew. He was just too exhaust to think about it.
Socializing had always been a sure way to sap all the energy out of him, which was just great when you were a king hanging out in his own palace without a wife or child that could talk to him and he didn't have to see anyone for weeks or months if he didn't want to. But he wasn't at the palace anymore and his child, for whom he would do anything and everything, had told him that here he should at least try to get out there. So people would see that he cared and actually had full faith in the project. That despite everything Vox had said about him, he didn't think lowly of the sinners and he respected them all as his equals.
He just had to hang out around them and sooner or later, that whole public humilliation stunt could be left in the dark. They would see he was a reliable ruler and trust in the royal family (which included Charlie) could be begin to be built.
And what if Lucifer more often than not was still grossed out and disgusted with their presence? And what if Lucifer wanted nothing more in any of the realms to just be back to his bed and rest until the next century? That was nothing compared with approval and satisfaction that Charlie expressed to him about his endeavor. The first time that Lucifer pulled out his golden fiddle to entertain everyone, Charlie had to swipe a tear out of her cheek, her smile so sincere it almost broke his heart. She told him now about how proud she was of him getting out of his shell. About "how far" he had come from his days dennouncing all sinners as violent psychopaths and how the hotel had been helping him too. How could he ever even think to take that joy away from her?
The problem was that Lucifer was still, well... him. He could entertain a room, hold a conversation, make food and music and dance with everyone if he had to, everything well adjusted and functional people did to show they were sociable, approachable and trustworthy. But he wasn't sure for how long he could keep the facade going. There were so many people now, way too many to keep up.
It was far easier when it was one on one, but not at the end of an already long day of being present for everyone else. His entire body ached to be left alone. He had come to the balcony for some fresh air, only to find instead that this sinner was already there and, well, it was going to be rude to ignore her.
"And you know what else?" she said and Lucifer consciously had to lift his eyebrows along with his smile, like he was very, very interested in whatever is that she had to say. Why couldn't she just go to sleep already? "The other day I was..." she continued, but then her face looked away from him.
Lucifer understood why a second later, when the sound of guns going off made the both of them jolt. They saw a group of sinner already shooting to the windows or whatever they could reach from the ground. One of their bullets went to point the balcony at the third floor. One of the crystal doors behind them shattered. She immediately cowered behind the riel, trying to make herself as small as possible.
Sinner couldn't die definitely without angelic weapons. The pain that would cause them to respawn was bad enough to want to avoid it at all cost. Before being confined in that stupid trap by the square man, Lucifer didn't fully understand that. Now he did.
"It will be fine," said Lucifer, trying to be reassuring. "They didn't made any demand so they are just being a little rowdy, that is all. They will get bored in no time!"
It had been weeks since the last time they had a random attack like this one, though. When Lucifer helped rebuild the hotel and officially decided to stay, they only happened a handful of times.
She lifted her gaze to him.
"Aren't you going to do anything?" she questioned, her voice sounding louder in the brief time between the sinners recharging their guns to shoot again. "Attack them back or something!"
Lucifer felt it like an arrow struck right in the middle of him.
"I... I can't. Didn't you hear?" he said, trying to keep his smile but also so akward. Oh please, let not be this the moment in which he had to explain the whole punishment thing again. Doing it in front of Charlie's girlfriend was one thing, but keep reiterating it was just humilliating. "I-I can protect..."
"Seriously? God, you are useless!" she huffed and cowered again when the shoots went off all around them.
Lucifer stared at her, a slight frown forming in his face. Was it too much to ask for people to insult him without bringing up his father? It made it sound like they were giving the reason to him even after all this time. Yes, he was useless from the start, sir, you were right to cast him aside, absolutely. He was born useless, sir, and somehow that is his own fault rather than yours.
Well, there it went the thinking she was nice enough to deserve the effort from his part. At least he could be glad that he never bothered to remember her name.
"Oh, what is this? Some little midnights treats? Don't mind if I do!" resounded a voice that seemed to come from the air itself. Lucifer released a long sigh when the laughter of the radio demon expanded from under the balcony. His black antlers appeared first, followed by the tip of his long red ears and then came that horrible bob and the crooked neck. At that point, the head cracked to turn towards both of them. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" spoke the demon, mouth unmoving and glowing in old vintage yellow. As he did, the screams of the sinners on the floor could be heard as their bodies were either consumed by shadows or torn apart by tentacles born out of the ground. "I sure hope that I am not interrupting anything! Do not worry, please, for a real demon is going to take care of things for once! You may as well sit down and enjoy the show!"
She didn't do that. As soon Alastor turned his head back to his targets, to continue their suffering, she scrambled her feet together to run away. Other residents were interested into seeing. They all came to the windows and rushed in, looking over the riel to what now was an absolute massacre. Too many eyes, too many curious voices and for fuck's sake, he couldn't keep doing this anymore. Couldn't they just leave?
"What happened?" asked a sinner with long rooster like legs, looking at him, at Lucifer and he could only make incomprehensible noises with a hand gesture. Couldn't he see already what was the issue? That his own species was to blame?
The espectacle didn't last too long however. It must have been barely a few minutes since the radio demon came out in his gigantic form and Lucifer was still surrounded by people, facing a suddenly quiet street.
Too quiet actually.
"No need to thank me!" said the head of Alastor, emerging from the dark in front of them. The completely dark eyes with only glowing red dials looked at them. "I took care of the pest as the host of this great establishment out of to do!"
Lucifer pinched his lips to a side at that. He couldn't be sure, but he kinda felt like those eyes now were looking directly at him.
"Yeah, unlike that useless angel!" came out a voice from the bar. It wasn't the voice of the resident he had been talking before, but it was loud. "He just stood there and let it happen! He was waiting on us to die again!"
"Hey..." protested Lucifer, lifting a hand, when another of the sinners closer to him gasped.
"He is bleeding! For that such small thing?"
He was? Lucifer looked at his side, at his legs. He found a smear across his chest. A powder of golden pigment that exploded with a lose bullet. He had bought it that morning to decorate a new duckie and forgot entirely that he had it there.
"What is the point of a king if he can't even protect us for one second?" protested another voice, to which followed another, and then another, all with the same accusation.
Lucifer could only close his eyes. It did nothing to shut them up. If anything, they were getting louder.
All their voices punched and scrambled together against his temple, palpitating underneath. Enough. This was enough already. He had to run away now.
"My wounds reopened up!" he said dramatically, holding his chest. He stumbled his own way to the riel, landing... against the hand of the radio demon? Okay, whatever, fuck, it would do. That gigantic palm was enough to hold his entire body. "Belhop!" he said, reaching out to him. "Take me to my courters so I can mend this wound!"
He was ready to hear a negative, maybe another mockery, and just teleport himself there to give the entire day for a complete waste of his time and effort. But that sinner surprised him actually lifting him up, scooping him off the balcony to be moved closer to the chest. The other hand of the demon came to cover him above, his fongers cutting the rest of the world in long black and red fingers. A cage where Lucifer barely had room to sit. What the hell?
"You ingrateful scum," growled the demon, the vibration of the sound feeling like a small eartquake from where Lucifer was. The bars of his enclosure were moving ever so slighty, as if barely surpressig the need to use the clwas. "You all treat him like your own personal jester and this is how you act when he gets hurt? After all the attention and entertainment he gives you for free? I bet not one of your ever stopped to think his daughter is the only reason why it's not your bones the ones I am dining with. It would do you good to remember that the next time you feel to act like petulant children."
With those words, repeated in stereo through every phone on their hands, they dissolved into the shadows. Lucifer had only travelled like that in a handful of time and would never say that he enjoyed it. It always felt like being thrown into a pool with a towell over his head, with needing a few seconds to being able to realize that he could still breath. But before he had managed to do that, suddenly there was light piercing through his eyes and he end up with his face against the floor.
A soft fluffy floor, though. The carpet around his bed. Lucifer sighed with such a relief that he wouldn't mind just stay there, in the floor, where he didn't have to socialize with anybody or face anyone at all. Wouldn't that be so nice?
But what was he thinking, of course he couldn't have that. Just as his bones were surrounding themselves to the gravity, tentacles turned him around to see now the normal face of the demon looming over him. He didn't even had it on him to be surprised at all, his little sign outside of his room be damned. He could still kick him out somehow, but at that point of the night, why bother?
Bambi sniffed him once before his fingers went over his chest. His shoulder seemed to collaps as he showed to Lucifer his finger's covered in powder, not blood.
"Care to explain?" said the radio demon, lowering his eyebrows over his eyes.
"Yeah, okay, you got me." Lucifer rolled his eyes as he saw down, snapping his stripped vest away. Leaving himself with a completely white shirt underneath. He raised himself up to then sit at the corner of his bed. "I just wanted to get out of there."
"By pretending to be wounded?" questioned the radio demon, straightening up.
"It was the first distraction that came to mind," excused Lucifer with a shrug before sighning deeply, letting himself fall to his bed. "Whatever, it's done now. You can go and I can die of the fucking embarassment in peace."
The radio demon huffed in place. For a second there, Lucifer expected he would protest and make up some excuse to hang around. No out of any sense of compassion, no, no, no. After all, this was a prime opportunity to bother him and shave away until the last possible molecule of his tolerance for any kind of interaction. Finish the day with a last drop of shit on top of everything else. Why the hell not?
But then his steps started to move away to his door, Lucifer groaned louder as he lifted a hand.
"Wait," he said it through a fry, not especially strong, so the man was completely free to ignore it if so he wanted to. Lucifer kinda wanted him to. Also didn't want to.
"What," replied Alastor, a sneer coming through his voice even before Lucifer rise up.
He took a deep breath. Fuck, why did it have to be him. Then again, in reality, it could have only been him. The only current overlord in the entire hotel who, for some reason, had took it upon himself to protect the hotel of his daughter. Who was also the biggest asshole he had known in centuries.
"Thanks," he said, looking to the other side of his room, his back to the demon. "For taking me out. I guess."
"I won't do it a second time," warned the demon and Lucifer had to chuckle because yeah, that was exactly what he would have thought he would say.
"Still," he replied, the laugh agitating his shoulders as he turned towards him. He was already in front of Lucifer's door, literally one step away from taking the handle and going out. "What was that little speech, though?" couldn't help to ask.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," said the demon with a slight shrug, like it didn't matter.
"You know that even when you covered me with your hands, I could still hear you, right?" he teased lighty, and hand to stand up when he saw Alastor reach out for the handle. "I am just saying, I am no one's jester," he clarified, crossing his arms. Alastor had already opened up the door. "It's called socializing, bambi. You should do it sometimes."
A crackling of radio popped as Alastor closed with a sudden thud.
"I beg your pardon?" he questioned, the trembling of his eyebrow revealing his annoyance.
"You heard me, mister recluse." Lucifer took a step towards him. "I feel like I haven't seen you or heard from you in a long while. I don't know where you have dissapeared to, but I was trying to make relations happen here. I suppose you don't know anything of that."
"Is that so?" said the demon, crinkling his eyes. "And how is that going out for you, your Majesty? All the good laughs and songs of the world apparently aren't enough to buy some loyalty."
"See, but here is the thing," pointed out Lucifer, absolutely delighted to finally get to say it out loud. Even if the one listening to was going to be that guy. "I don't give a fuck about any one of you or what you think of me. I was only trying to appease Charlie. Joke's on me for trying to be a good father and not just saying it only to fuck off the next second."
Alastor blinked, stunned by those words. Lucifer grinned, putting his hands on his waist.
"Got anything to say to that?" he encouraged, greatly enjoying with getting to silence that radio demon.
Alastor walked a step towards him. Then another and another. Lucifer forced himself to not move at all as the man stood in front of him, staring him down while he had no choice but to glare by lifting his head.
"Charlie?" said the demon, as if confirming that was a word they both knew.
"Charlie, yeah. What, did you think I suddenly got a taste for mortal souls? Ha, no, thank you." He spin over his heel, moving towards his small bar on the corner. Barely moving his finger in the air, his favorite drink was already getting prepared, the sweetest one in all of Hell that the bartender never got quite right. Alastor kept coming closer as he finished the mixure and he could take one long, refreshing gulp. "To tell you the truth, I almost prefered it when it was a smaller group. Now there is too much people, isn't it? Want one?"
"Of that? I don't think so," replied Alastor simply and he went to grab a bottle of whiskey, serving himself on a small shot glass he made appear. "And for once, your Majesty, you may have said something I agreed with."
"So I am right then?" asked Lucifer. When Alastor cocked an eyebrow, he sighed. "It's because of all the people that you aren't around."
"I wasn't aware that you were paying such attention to my going and comings," said Alastor, almost melodically as he took a sip.
It had to be good whiskey because he looked absolutley elated with himself.
"Well, there is a difference between the kind of headache you are and all the others are, so there is that," said Lucifer easily, conjuring a bucket of ice for both of them to let rest between them. The bar was the only thing between, a solid place where Lucfer could rest his arms and cheek against them. "Not to mention, I can't argue with those sinners without them bringing the whole... you know, the rally stuff. So I have to play nice with them. You and I burned that bridge a long time ago. Believe it or not, that makes it easier."
"Indeed," agreed Alastor in a pur, lettting his arm rest close, inclining forward. "The pressure of being civilized can be quite stiffling."
"Exactly. Fuck being civilized," said Lucifer, lifting his long glass. Alastor chuckled as he clanked his shorter glass against him. Lucifer was thinking to say something about how but it was worth it because of Charlie, but what came out of his mouth instead was. "Your hands are really cold."
Alastor coughed a little in the middle of a new sip.
"What," he said, positively lost.
Lucifer considered changing the topic. But it was already up there and now that it was, he was actually interested.
"When you hold me, they were so cold. Like, I know you are all dead already, but it was like bone cold. Is that your normal temperature?" he asked, putting his palm up. "Can I see?"
"See what?"
"Your hand," said Lucifer to then shrug. "Or I could touch your forehead like a little kid."
"For what? Are you sure you aren't drunk already?"
"Your tentacles are slimey and also cold," replied Lucifer, ignoring the bait. "So I was curious, that is all. You know already I literally cannot harm you so..." he let the words hand there, still offering his palm.
Alastor stared at it like it could still, somehow, containt an arm that could desintegrate him in second. With a little shake of his head, he extended it forward until Lucifer could take it between his index and thumb, brushing over the knuckles.
"Oh, no, they are warm," said Lucifer and lifted the hand between them. The hand of Alastor facing his own with all of their fingers extended. Even on their default forms, Alastor was still bigger in comparison to him. He made a little wave and chuckled at seeing them all move together. Alastor was just followed him without any protest, like a small little dance they were doing.
"Hey..." he said, suddenly an idea coming to him. But as soon as he raised his gaze to look up, Alastor pulled himself away, coughing into his hands as he looked away. Maybe Lucifer was a little drunk after all. He could swear that the radio demon was... blushing? Oh, but that had to be a trick of the light or something. The guy was covered in red already. All of that bouncing over his face, that was all. "Uhm, are you good or...?"
"I am fine," said Alastor quickly and grabbed his shot again, finishing it all now before serving himself more. "You were saying?"
"No, I just... Do you think Charlie will mind if you and I start going out?" asked Lucifer. A loud record scratch followed up his words as Alastor froze. Now he could be absolutely sure that it was indeed blush what he had growing from his neck. Lucifer still needed another second to understand what the hell that reaction was about. Once he did, his own face flared up. "I meant, get out! Just... hang out! Like, I don't know, socialize. Between the two of us. I don't even mean like all of the time, just for her to see oh, these two get along, I guess I don't need my father to go speak to anyone else for the day! You can be my redemption card!"
Alastor now opened up his eyes at him, like that was the single most crazy thing that ever came out of his mouth. To be fair, he wasn't wrong. A serial killer cannibal sinner being the one to redeem the devil was a hilarious concept.
"Just once a day," insisted Lucifer, because he was so damn tired of entertaining anyone and speaking with this sinner was easier. Annoying, but easier to deal with. "One little interaction for her to see that I am talking and I am building relations and whatever and then you can go out to do whatever is that you do."
Alastor cleared his throat, returning to the bar to put his glass down and take a piece of ice with the thongs.
"Is this a deal?" he asked, letting the cube land on the amber liquid to sway it around. "Quid pro quo, your Majesty."
Lucifer actually laughed, before he pointed at him.
"No, no, you cheeky bastard. I know you and the sinners like deals very much, but this won't be it. This is just an agreement between gentlemen."
"Mmm," said Alastor. Somehow Lucifer already knew what was going to come out of his mouth before it did. He leave it pretty easy to pick. "If it's between gentleman, it will be me and who exactly?"
"Ha ha," replied Lucifer, rolling his eyes. "I am serious. You do this one thing for me and I..." Lucifer frowned, realizing the one flaw of his brilliant plan. "I don't know. What do you want? More money? I can pay."
"Please, don't insult me like that." Alastor dismissed him with a handwave. "My prices are far too great for you to afford."
"Jst say what you want already, bellhop."
"Host," replied Alastor, knocking his glass in the bar. "In fact, that could be a start. A recongition of my labor here in this hotel. The same labor with which you benefited from not that long ago."
"You enjoy eating people, though," pointed out Lucifer, earning himself another glare until he groaned. "Okay, fine, fine. If that is that important for you, whatever. I still rather that than another afternoon of people asking me covers in the fiddle. And listen, I didn't say it back then, but all of those people have terrible taste in music. The only reason any of them sounded good was because of me, not them."
Alastor huffed, but his shoulders looked more relaxed.
"Proper treatment, for once," determined Alastor, taping his chin, "and what else?"
"What about just the possibility of saving me?" said Lucifer, giving him a sly smirk. "The one and only time someone will want your company, Bambi. I know this is a lot to take in. Remember to breath."
"Fuck you," replied Alastor, with no bite at all as he finished his second drink. "I can't think of anything concrete right now. Could I tell you at a later date?"
"Ah, the famous mysterious favor. Charlie told me you already used that trick on her before," commented Lucifer and he chuckled when Alastor's ears lowered. "Don't get me wrong. Normally I don't want any of you ever making deals with my daughter, and if you try that with her again, I will respond, but seeing as it turn out okay, I will allow it. As for our situation, and seeing it's not an actual deal, I can see to it. I am not going to be... what is that you said? An ungrateful scum?" he teased with a grin, enjoying with the way now Alastor's ears flickered, irritated. The face of the man could remain neutrals, but his body was still ever so expressive. "Not going to lie, Bambi. That was kinda hot."
The eyes of Alastor turned black, his smile becoming fixated while his voice spelled out of him, low and dragging like a threat on itself.
"For your information, I only said that because I like stricking fear in the heart of how many people I can. It is fun!" He slammed his hand on the bar, straightening up. "If you are done already with such improperities, I will say good night to you, your Majesty!"
"Yeah, yeah," accepted Lucifer this time, dedicating him a toast. "Just remember to see me tomorrow and I will make sure Charlie is there. We don't have to be overtly friendly or anything, just... you know."
"Civlized," said Alastor, looking at him over his shoulder. "For once a day, I think I can manage that. Can you, sir?"
"As long it's just you and not everyone else," said Lucifer, lifting his hands over his head to crack his back. He felt like he was going to sleep so much better knowing he wasn't going to waste all his energy just in talking to people.
The sound of Alastor's steps stopped in the way to the door.
"Another thing," he said, fully giving his front to him while keeping hands at his back. "Stay away from the others, your Majesty. After seeing what I saw today, I do not believe is in your best interest to come close to them. I will handle Charlie's expectations so she won't demand more that you can bear to give. Do we agree?"
Lucifer frowned slightly.
"Yes?" he said, doubtful. "I mean, I literally said all of this to you so I wouldn't have to."
"Wonderful!" said Alastor, perking up so much that a round of applause sounded around him. With a satisfied hum, he gave a flamboyant bow as he dissolved into the shadows. A black spot of ink ran down his door and dissapear, the radio static going along with him.
Lucifer finished with his glass and went out to his bed. Laying on top, he wondered if he could convince Alastor somehow to carry him on that giant form again. That looked like fun. Then he had to laugh at himself because right, as if he could convince the demon of doing anything just for the sake of entertain him. Even right now, the deal maker just wanted whatever favor Lucifer could provide. Most sinners, but especially overlord, only ever operated in terms of what could benefit them. That had always been the case since the start of everything. It would take a lot more than one nice gesture to make him forget that.
But still, though.
It was nice to have someone on his side, for once.