Chapter Text
After promising Charlie to get the meeting in heaven, she invited Lucifer to stay the night in the hotel. Not wanting to disappoint his daughter further than he already had, he enthusiastically accepted.
He almost immediately started to regret the decision.
The energy in the hotel was odd, the tension of the looming execution hung over the hotel like a smothering sheet. Everyone except Charlie was on edge around him, offering polite smiles and avoiding eye contact. Well, except for the little cleaning demon which seemed obsessed with him, lurking slightly out of sight and giggling when he caught sight of her. Yikes.
They all seemed to look up to him, or well, down to him in most cases, believing that he could help Charlie with her goal. After some stilted conversations and being propositioned by the tall spider demon (“I’m on the 3rd floor daddy…my door’s always open…”) the various guests at the hotel bid goodnight and left Charlie and Lucifer alone in the hotel foyer.
His mind swimming with despair but desperately trying to disguise it, Lucifer cleared his throat to get Charlie’s attention.
“Charlie! How would you like to have a drink with your old man?”
Charlie hesitated, but smiled widely.
”I’m not really a drinker, dad, but I’d love to sit with you for a bit and catch up!”
They approached the bar area, a slight shudder passing through Lucifer as they crossed the border from the hotel to the ghoulish looking bar. It actually felt colder, and looked terrible. He took some solace in the thought that his daughter didn’t drink, seeing as this area seemed to be an addition from that demon, the one who gave him attitude…he felt his eyes narrow instinctively.
Lucifer’s thoughts drifted to the red demon who was hellbent on antagonising him earlier. What was his name again, Alastor? What a stupid name. He had disappeared as soon as Charlie invited him to stay but he could still feel his presence and it was almost unsettling. But so what? He was the king of Hell. He could give Charlie everything within his power, she didn’t need some sinner demon corrupting his little angel…offering deals…Tightening his grip on his cane and gritting his teeth, he made a mental note to make that guy’s life more of a living hell next time he saw him.
”-heaven like?” The sound of Charlie’s voice behind him broke his train of thought.
Lucifer blinked, refocusing on his surroundings. He was at the bar, Charlie behind him in the seating area, making herself comfortable in a plush arm chair. The bartender was eyeing him curiously, as if he could see right into his thoughts. Lucifer wiped all emotion from his face and coughed lightly.
”Can we talk about that privately, dear? And uh, give me the strongest spirit you have.” He focused on the cat demon behind the bar, who held his gaze and nodded solemnly. He rummaged around in a cupboard, before pulling out a clear bottle with no label. The bartender hesitated, holding the bottle, before shrugging slightly and grabbed a glass from underneath the bar.
The bartender excused himself after making Lucifer his drink, raising an eyebrow when the king of Hell conjured a silly straw out of thin air and plopped it in his glass. He glared at the cat demon, as if daring him to say something. He was really on edge, high strung, ready to snap…whether that was violently or depressively, he wasn’t quite sure.
Surprisingly, the cat demon just gave a small smile and said goodnight, leaving the bottle of spirits on the bar before disappearing upstairs.
Lucifer relaxed slightly, letting out his breath slowly. He grabbed his drink and the bottle, fixed a wide grin on his face and spun around. Hands full, he left his cane leaning against the bar.
”Charlie! We have so much to talk about!”
Time seemed to pass so slowly as they sat there, reminiscing about their brief time together and what they had each been up to since. A large pressure seemed to fill the room, screaming in silence as they avoided talking about her.
He had taken his hat off (they were inside, after all) and it sat innocently on the mini table between them. Examining the decorative snake and shiny apple that adorned his hat, he let his mind drift as the alcohol started to take effect.
As Charlie excitedly gushed over stories about the hotel and her dream, Lucifer’s heart swelled with pride as he saw how much his daughter had grown, so beautiful and pure, the complete opposite of the exact place they were currently residing. He wanted better for her. He felt so guilty, he wanted to just snap his fingers and make her dream come true, but he knew he couldn’t. As he watched his baby girl, he felt the despair inside him grow. But there was no way to dissuade her, she had to fail on her own first…
As he filled up his glass again, the small voice inside him noted that Charlie had been looking between the bottle and her dad several times. He didn’t care though, if he drank enough then that voice disappeared completely. Actually, all thoughts and voices disappeared if he drank enough, giving him sweet peace and quiet from the constant storm of despair and self-loathing that swirled around in his head.
Nursing his drink, he absent mindedly ran a finger along the side of the glass, catching a bead of condensation. He could feel the warm embrace of intoxication entering his mind, making his racing thoughts slow somewhat.
He looked up, his daughter’s face looking down at him with concern. A pang of pain resounded deep in his heart. He’d failed her so much already, what would she think if she knew the whole truth? His vision swam as tears filled his vision. He quickly faked a yawn and leaned backwards, flinging an arm over his eyes to hide them.
”What was that, dear? My mind’s all over the place at the moment, can’t concentrate!” He barked a laugh, hoping it sounded genuine.
He chuckled a little, leaning forward, tears blinked away into submission and grabbed his drink.
Charlie’s big eyes looked at his face, trying to read the emotions fighting below the surface.
“Before, I-I…asked what Heaven was like, Dad. Can you remember?”
Lucifer sipped from his straw, a loud sucking noise filled the room as he emptied the glass. Ah. Time to deflect. He sighed dramatically.
”No, not really, Charlie. I, uh, try not to think about it too much, you know?” He gave a weak chuckle. “It’s a bit of a…sore spot for me.” he finished lamely.
He wanted to be more honest with Charlie, now that they had repaired their bond. She didn’t need to know everything, but he felt like he had to at least maybe warn her…warn her that Heaven never listens to Hell and if she kept pushing, she could end up fallen, like him. He couldn’t let that happen.
Charlie smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
”You seem tired, Dad. Maybe we should go to bed - I’ve got a big day tomorrow and I also need to talk to Vaggie about it. The 5th floor’s completely empty, and there’s a really nice suite on that floor, too.”
Lucifer nodded, relieved the conversation was over. His head felt heavy. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. He wished he was home, surrounded by his ducks, his own bed, and no one around to disappoint…except himself.
“Thank you Charlie, I’ll head up now. See you in the morning?”
Charlie nodded, and embraced her father warmly before standing up.
”Good night, Dad.”
”Good night, Charlie.”
-
After their warm embrace and watching Charlie ascend the stairs in the foyer with a small wave goodbye, Lucifer stood, wobbling slightly. Glancing at the bottle on the table he could see there was over half left. Plenty enough to get blackout drunk, then. Grabbing the bottle and staggering over to the stairs he hummed to himself, weaving back and forth as the room spun around him.
He contemplated portalling up to the 5th floor, but decided against it as it was very likely he would accidentally open a portal somewhere else…like mid-air, or that spider demon’s room. He shuddered slightly. Although, the thought of walking up several flights of stairs made him feel sick. He stared at the bottom step thoughtfully, steeling himself for the ascent.
Although, glancing back over at the bar area, he contemplated just sleeping in one of the bar chairs down on the ground floor, but shuddered as the tacky decor seemed to drain the room of its warmth. And as he didn’t want to be seen waking up looking all disheveled in the morning by the hotel staff, he decided against it. Taking a swig from the bottle he relished the burn as the liquid raced down his throat, the fuzziness of drunken stupor blurring his mind further. Strange. He felt hot. Really hot. Feeling warm was a usual side effect of alcohol, but this felt more like a fever. His coat was sticking slightly to his now sweat-covered back. Loosening his bow tie, Lucifer eyed the stairs again placing his foot on the first stair. Oh man, this was going to be hard.
Swaying back and forth while holding onto the stair’s railing, he had managed the first step when there was a crackle of static in the air which made Lucifer whip around, albeit somewhat clumsily.
”Sneaking up on someone is pretty cowardly, you know.” He slurred, somewhat loudly to the tall red demon who had manifested himself next to Lucifer.
The demon’s wide taunting grin was plastered across his face, eyes narrowed as he towered over Lucifer, the lights in the foyer flickering slightly.
” An unfortunate choice of words.” He hissed at the smaller man.
Lucifer was nonplussed as he looked up into the could-be terrifying face of the radio demon. He returned a look of boredom, as the demonic posturing was irritating him more than anything.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to get to my bedroom.”
The room darkened as the shadows grew longer, tendrils snaking their way towards the pair by the stairs. The lights on the walls flickered once and went out. Only the glow from the two pairs of eyes glaring at each other could be seen.
”You wanna fight?” Lucifer leaned in, he could feel the demons hot breath against his face. It stank of death. “You’re nothing.” He spat. “A pitiful sinner, scrabbling around like an ant underneath my heel. I could end your fucking life like that.” He clicked his fingers.
The radio demon said nothing, eyes burning intense holes into Lucifer’s, who could only feel his rage rising in response. Is this what he wanted then? A fucking fight? Bring it, bitch. He was itching to pummel something into the ground, and if it was to be this annoying deer demon’s face then so be it.
Lucifer leaned in even further, his nose a hairs breath away from Alastor’s. He let a shit eating grin sprawl across his face as he thought of the perfect taunt. “Sinners like you are just the lowest of the low. Real pieces of shit. Big talk but as soon as shit gets real, you flee with your tail between your legs. Just…like…earlier.” He drawled slowly, watching the red demon’s face strain with effort as the toothy grin seemed to want to rip his face apart - his eyes were wide and ticking radio dials had appeared where his irises used to be. A rattling sound resounded deep within Alastor’s chest as he grew in size, his whole body swelling to fill the room. Loud cracks sounded as his limbs extended, sharp claws ripped through leather gloves and reduced them to tatters. Huge sprawling antlers sprouted from his head and bumped and scraped against the ceiling.
A deep rumbling and shaking had taken over the room as Alastor grew and grew, his shadows smothering the remaining surfaces, flailing wildly, upturning couches and tables. Lucifer, who just seemed annoyed at the show, scratched at his face casually.
”Yeah, whatever.” he muttered, flicking a pale finger carelessly. A beam of golden light shot out-
And somehow missed Alastor completely, hitting and destroying the newly restored wall behind him instead.
Alastor blinked, composure momentarily broken before turning his head to view the destroyed wall. Shoulders sagging slightly, the shadows receded as his composure settled. He allowed himself to shrink back to his regular size, and adjusted his suit as he glared at the smaller man who at least had the grace to look embarrassed.
”Oh, that…that was an accident.” He said meekly. He knew how much this hotel meant to Charlie and destroying part of it felt like a betrayal of trust. “I’ll, uh, fix that.”
Tilting his head to the side in a completely unnatural manner, Alastor smiled, the smile not reaching his eyes. Although, it hardly ever did.
” Don’t be ridiculous!” His voice dripping with fake sincerity.“ That is a job for the hotel and its staff, not its guests .”
Lucifer eyed the demon suspiciously, wary of the sudden mood shift. “I don’t know why it did that, I was aiming for you.”
” No harm done!” Lucifer growled, clenching his fist in response. “There’s no need to put Charlie’s dear hotel in between our petty quarrel,” Alastor resumed, Lucifer’s jaw twitched slightly. “ Besides! You are in no fit state to resume our little spat. ” His eyes dropped to the bottle in Lucifer’s hand.
”What, this? I know how to handle my drink, fuck-face.” Lucifer drawled, lip curling in disgust. How he wished to just reach up and wrap his fingers around that throat, and just squeeze-
” Clearly .” Alastor’s eyes swivelled to the open wall. A brick fell on cue, dropping with a loud thud on the floor. A curious expression crossed his face as he pretended to examine his claws.
Shaking, Lucifer imagined all the things he wanted to do to this demon. Oh, how he longed to just let loose and smash this fuckers stupid, grinning face into the floor. Maybe then he would stop fucking smiling.
Bemused by the short man’s rage, Alastor twirled a finger and a shadow shot forward to grab the bottle from Lucifer’s hands.
”Hey! I’m drinking that!”
Running a finger around the rim, Alastor gathered a bead of the liquid on the tip of his finger. He seductively licked the tip, tongue flicking out to lap up the liquid. Lucifer stared, mouth open.
“Hmm. You know, you really should be careful who you accept drinks from in Hell.”
”What?” Lucifer croaked. He peered at the bottle in Alastor’s hand. The clear liquid sloshed around innocently.
He was still incredibly warm, but he had put it down to the fact he had been gearing up to fight this fucker again. Although, now, he was aware that the heat was pooling somewhere, very, very specific.
“The bartender?” He said incredulously.
”He is…an employee of mine. I merely asked him to serve you from a particular bottle.” Alastor shrugged innocently.
“Wh- Charlie could’ve drank-“
Alastor held up a hand to silence him. “I would not have let it happen. Your daughter is safe while she is under my care.”
Ignoring the obvious taunt, Lucifer pointed at the bottle. ”What the fuck’s in that?” He demanded. “What are you, some kind of pervert demon who spikes people’s drinks and then takes advantage of them?” He took a step back, the room span around him as he wobbled on his feet.
Alastor gave a wry chuckle. “ No, no…that is not my style at all.” Usually. He added silently to himself. “You’re merely drinking from an old stash of mister Angel Dust, a resident here. He swore off such substances and disposed of most of his contraband…but I managed to acquire a few before they were destroyed .” Alastor pulled out a small pocket watch from his waistcoat, nodding slightly before snapping it shut.
“W-what’s your plan here?” Lucifer laughed, his voice a pitch higher than he wanted it to be. “You can’t kill me, you know. I-I’m pretty sure I can’t BE killed.” Another laugh, as Alastor matched his gaze, expression unchanging. “So w-what, you’re just gonna attack me while I’m drugged? That’s weak, and not to mention cowar-“
A black tendril shot out and struck Lucifer right in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Shadows coiled around his torso, writhing up his small body, forcing him to his knees in front of Alastor. The tendrils pinned his arms to his sides tightly, wrapping around in a way that couldn’t allow Lucifer to release his wings and break free.
”Stop saying that word.” Alastor growled.
A trail of golden blood trickled down from Lucifer’s mouth. He couldn’t focus, he felt drained and weak, his power inaccessible, locked away somewhere deep inside him. The heat pooling in his belly flared and he shook his head, trying to clear it. He would’ve felt fear, if he wasn’t burning with rage.
”I’ll fucking kill you!” He spat, laughing maniacally. “How could you think you could get away with this? As soon as I’m this shit is out of my system I will rip you from limb to fucking limb!”
Alastor seemed unphased. Instead he tapped his fingers against his radio cane and met Lucifer’s gaze. “ Ah, my dear king. But in the morning you won’t remember a thing… ”