Chapter Text
The bathtub was the size of an 8 person jacuzzi but without the jets and 3 feet deep. There was also only one large seat along the wall. Lucifer's magic kept the water at a constant temperature and it automatically filtered the water and topped off as needed to account for evaporation so it was always full.
This is where Lucifer was currently enjoying his time. He loved fully submerging in the water and just laying there. As long as he stayed calm the lack of oxygen didn't become unpleasant for a long time. The hot water was comfortable and relaxing. Sometimes he'd surface to take a breath and then sink back down under the water.
He was thinking back over the last year and how different things were now. There had been a lot of missteps and setbacks along the way but overall he was doing a lot better, and his wonderful buck had been there every step of the way.
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Over time, Lucifer had slowly developed a new routine. He already knew lists and routines helped him control his bad days, but he had stopped following one after Lilith and Charlie left his life and it pretty much became one long bad day until Charlie had invited him to the hotel. So Alastor and Charlie helped him develop a new one that grew and adjusted as he improved.
At first it was very simple. Get up each morning and have breakfast with Alastor. Monday thru Thursday mornings was his time to take care of issues in the other Rings. There was always something happening so it kept him busy. Wednesday he'd have lunch with Charlie. It had started with lunch only as they awkwardly navigated their growing bond but eventually lunches got longer and now most weeks they'd spend the whole afternoon together.
Thursday afternoons were therapy and because of this, Friday, Saturday and Sundays were left clear. Once a month Charlie would come with so they could also work on their relationship. Therapy had been terrible at first and he tried to stop going several times but Charlie and Alastor kept him going. For the first consultation Charlie had gone with him and they had laid out the goals. He had also decided he only wanted Belphegor to be his therapist and not one of her staff. He knew that on the job she would stay focused and she was the only one he trusted in the medical world.
Each week was a struggle as past trauma was drug into the light, some things he hadn't even remembered. It didn't help that Lucifer felt responsible for everything bad that happened in Hell since it was his fault it was created in the first place.
But one of the hardest had been his 3rd session with Charlie. They hadn't made much progress since both were afraid of making the other feel bad. But Belphegor had finally taken a strict approach and forced the truth out of Lucifer.
"Lucifer, say how you felt right after Charlie told you to leave"
"I...I was a failure.
I don't care about being King, that's no secret. I can't do anything with the sinners and the Sins handle their rings. Once Charlie was born, she was my only reason for anything.
All I want is to be a good Dad, and I try so hard. To hear Charlie say those things hurt worse than anything I've ever felt.
I failed as her Father. I had nothing else to be."
After that they started opening up more and admitting their fears and hurt they'd caused each other over the years and discovered just how badly Lilith had broken both of them.
For a while all the therapy made the nightmares and flashbacks worse and he was getting scared to sleep. He'd force himself to stay awake for days at a time until he'd pass out. But the nightmares still came.
Of course Alastor had caught on and revealed his own struggles with nightmares. Alastor shared his coping mechanisms with Lucifer and helped him develop his own. One of Alastor's was music, he slept with a radio by his bed every night playing music. Since he'd moved into Lucifer's room he hadn't needed it because as long as Lucifer was in his arms Alastor didn't have nightmares. But he started turning on the radio again at night to help soothe Lucifer.
Another trick was scent. Sleeping in the bayou after stressful days, Alastor had found the smell kept his mind relaxed as he slept and prevented most of the nightmares. Since Lucifer loved baking, he started making cookies and treats 2-3 times a week in his private kitchen so that way the bedroom smelled like a bakery when he went to bed and the scent helped him feel safe. Alastor didn't like eating sweets but he loved the smell since it reminded him of his mother. It felt like home for both of them.
Alastor learned Lucifer had two baking modes. Entertainment and coping. In entertainment mode the measuring and spoons were magically flying around the kitchen like in Sleeping Beauty, scooping ingredients and mixing, while Lucifer guiding everything like a ringmaster and at the same time greasing or sugaring his baking dishes. Alastor stopped coming in the kitchen on these days after he'd been hit in the head by a flying cup of flour and coated with the white dust. Lucifer had laughed so hard he lost control of the rest of the ingredients and the kitchen ended up looking like an explosion happened.
But on coping days Lucifer followed the recipe step by step, measuring and mixing everything by hand. Doing each act individually, no multitasking. On these days Alastor sat at the kitchen table playing music on his staff and would read a book or write down ideas for his broadcasts, providing his presence for Lucifer but not being intrusive. Almost always Lucifer would put his food into the oven and come sit in Alastor's lap while it baked. They rarely spoke, Alastor would just hold Lucifer until the timer went off.
The baking had led to an unexpected addition in his routine. On his baking days he'd give Vaggi and Charlie a plate of whatever he had made since Charlie's sweet tooth was as bad as his own. But one day he accidentally made a triple batch of cookies ending up with almost 10 dozen. Even Charlie couldn't eat that many so she'd taken them to her group therapy session. The next day she told Lucifer the sinners had raved about his cookies, most saying it was the best thing they'd ever tasted, and she asked if he was willing to bake for her sessions more often?
Lucifer had jumped at the opportunity. He had always been an early riser but now instead of sitting around waiting for everyone else to wake up, he could bake. So now every morning at 5am Lucifer was up making his daily treats for Charlie's therapy groups. There was no therapy on weekends but he liked the routine so on these days the treats were in the common areas. Some days were simple cookies and other days were bars or truffles. When he was done he'd package two pieces of whatever he'd made into a small box with a bow, add a good morning note, and magic the box to Charlie's room. Now she woke up every morning to a treat from her Father.
One of the first major missteps happened when Lucifer woke up one morning and it was one of his bad days. He couldn't get out of bed, the depression had gotten hold and he knew today would be a struggle. What he hadn't expected was Charlie. She woke up and when she didn't see the daily treats had panicked. She was so worried she crashed into his bedroom without warning, the doors flying open and smashing the wall. Lucifer had instinctively tried to launch himself from the bed but got tangled in the blankets and fell to the floor in a heap. Alastor had woken up in immediate protection mode, shadows and powers rippling around the room.
Charlie began frantically apologizing and it ended with the three of them laughing about the absurdity of the situation. But it also led to a long conversation between Lucifer and Charlie where he explained his bad days. How they were sportatic and he never knew how long it would last. Charlie asked if he would want to see her on these days. Old Lucifer would have said no, not wanting Charlie to see him like that, but he was trying to be new Lucifer and told her that he'd love to see her but he couldn't promise what his condition would be.
So a new subroutine was developed. If Charlie woke up to find the daily treat missing she'd go to the hotel kitchen and make two cups of hot chocolate. She'd come to the bedroom door and knock for Alastor or the shadow to let her in. As soon as she arrived, Alastor would leave and she'd sit down on the bed with her Dad. Some days he'd perk up immediately, sometimes he'd take the drink but wouldn't talk, and others he'd just lay there. Charlie would take his hand and start rambling about whatever she thought about. She didn't need him to respond, she just wanted to keep him company. Most days it lasted a few hours but a few times it was the whole day and Alastor would return to find them still sitting together. He'd take Charlie's place next to Lucifer for the night and if needed the same routine happened the next day. On these days Vaggi took care of clearing Charlie's schedule and rescheduled sessions.
Surprisingly this had provided a new core memory for both Charlie and Lucifer. It was one of the days where he was semi responsive but didn't talk. He got up and led her up the stairs and trapdoor to the roof. Lucifer positioned himself with his back against the leaf and guided Charlie to sit in his lap and then just held her. She had been so comfortable she fell asleep in his arms. She woke up later to find Lucifer had fallen asleep and the shadow was watching over them like a sentinel.
As the months went by, Lucifer's new routine really started working. He had fewer and fewer bad days, less nightmares and flashbacks, and he could manage seeing things that had been triggers in the past. Emily specifically, but also any photos of Vox that appeared, or when videos of what happened resurfaced.
For a long time whenever Emily visited the hotel Lucifer stayed in his room. She would always send a message to Charlie an hour before arriving to give Lucifer time to leave, but he knew he needed to face her. He'd asked Alastor, Charlie, and Vaggi to set up a meeting with Emily, somewhere private for the five of them and not the lobby. Charlie selected her own room, hoping the familiar setting would help.
The four of them waited with Alastor playing soft music. They heard the portal open in the Hall and then Emily knocked on the door as planned, intentionally giving Lucifer time to prepare himself after hearing the portal instead of having her immediately appear. He nodded and Vaggi opened the door while Charlie and Alastor stood on either side of Lucifer. Emily entered with her wings hidden, again as planned. Emily stopped a few feet away and waited calmly. Without speaking Lucifer slowly stepped forward and walked towards Emily. He stopped about 2 feet away and took deep breaths to stay calm. Finally he held out his hand and Emily carefully took it. "Hello Emily".
After that things had become much easier. On the third visit Lucifer asked to see her wings and he immediately felt his guilt but he didn't fall into a panic attack. Alastor was immensely proud of him. Between the slow approach and a few extra sessions with Belphegor, Lucifer became very comfortable around Emily. He knew he'd always feel a stab of guilt whenever he looked at her, but he'd accepted it was not his fault. Her last visit he'd even gifted her a duck that had 6 tiny wings, 5 white and 1 gold.
The letters had been a huge success. Since the letters had to be screened for threats or plots against either realm, Lucifer had developed a magic filter that did it automatically without anyone needing to read them so everyone kept their privacy. Sera and Emily still kept a watchful eye in Heaven but so far no issues. Alastor was now communicating regularly with his mother and she had given Lucifer some new dessert recipes to try.
Lucifer decided that since his therapy was no longer triggering the need for 3 days of recovery he wanted to fill part of that time. He approached Charlie and asked if she'd be interested in training sessions with him on Saturday mornings. He wanted to help her improve her powers and possibly develop some new ones. He was sure that she was capable of many of the same powers as himself, but Charlie had never been trained to use them.
And so every Saturday at 9am he'd meet with Charlie in his room and teach her to use her powers. Growing the ones she already had and testing to find any new ones. As new powers emerged Lucifer would teach her how to use and control them. Each session lasted 2-3 hours and afterwards Charlie would go find Vaggi while Alastor came back to the room and they'd spend the rest of the afternoon together.
Lucifer had another idea and this time went to Vaggi for her own training. But this wasn't about powers, he meant combat training, especially aerial combat. She was ecstatic over the opportunity and now at noon every Saturday the two of them flew all over Pride as he taught her tricky maneuvers and helped improve her attack speed and technique.
Then the real fun began. Alastor had been sulky for days but kept insisting that nothing was wrong, but that Saturday after his training with Vaggi, Lucifer came back to their room to shower and found Alastor in a terrible mood. Luckily Lucifer was past the point of immediately taking the blame and assuming that he'd done something wrong, so he gently encouraged Alastor to talk. It took a while but finally Alastor admitted he was jealous that Vaggi could train with Lucifer but he couldn't because he was a sinner and with Lucifer's restrictions it wouldn't work. Lucifer thought about this the entire next week and even brought it his idea to Belphegor who said it was worth a shot.
He can't intentionally harm a sinner, but he had never tried for fun especially if both parties wanted it, and decided to try to see what would happen. He warded a huge area at the edge of the pentagram that would contain any powers and invited Alastor to join him. Explaining he wanted to see what happened if they just sparred for fun. He'd created non-angelic weapons to test as well. It was definitely a lot of trial and error, but eventually they learned Lucifer could land a punch or hit that was barely able to leave a bruise, no matter how much strength he put behind it. Whereas Alastor could hit Lucifer as hard as he wanted and not even leave a scratch. If Lucifer sent any type of power towards Al, it would fizzle out upon contact.
And so sparring rules had been established. Since Alastor could not hurt Lucifer physically in any way, the game became for him to catch him. But in return Lucifer could use any power he wanted including shape-shifting, teleporting and portals. Lucifer would dart in and deal a blow to Alastor and then disappear before Alastor could grab him. It looked unfair, and it technically was, but Alastor wanted it this way because it forced him to think outside the box and develop new and ever changing strategies. They had to set a 1hr time limit because they found Alastor wouldn't stop trying until he collapsed from exhaustion. Too prideful to admit defeat, but with the timer he could stop and it wasn't because he gave up. The first time he'd captured Lucifer he'd strutted around for the rest of the week like he was the one who was King. Lucifer was amused and extremely proud of his buck.
The Saturday afternoon sessions between Lucifer and Alastor became a source of entertainment for the Pride Ring. At first only the hotel guests would come out and watch, but eventually many sinners in the ring started coming. They knew Lucifer's restrictions, but watching these two powerhouses go at each other was extremely fun. The crowds attracted Mammon who was always looking for ways to profit. He'd been furious when Lucifer strictly forbade him from selling tickets, but mollified when Lucifer pointedly ignored all the bookies moving through the crowd. One of which, to Charlie's great dismay, was their own bartender Husk.
Beelzebub also showed up eventually lured in by the high levels of emotions from everyone. Since fighting for FUN wasn't exactly a common pastime in Hell, the emotions from it were different than other parties and events. The excitement and anticipation from the crowd over what would happen next, and the joy and frustration coming off Lucifer and Alastor was a new emotional cocktail for her.
And this had remained Lucifer's routine. He kept the therapy sessions on Thursdays mostly just to talk with Belphegor, but he still struggled with the occasional nightmare and bad days. His relationship with Charlie was stronger than it had ever been as their new bond was much healthier, built on trust and love. And Alastor...Lucifer had never felt so full. The stubborn buck had stayed by Lucifer's side through everything, the glue holding him together.
All this had led to the events of the last 2 weeks. Satan had come to watch the weekly match, scoffing several times throughout the hour and Lucifer had been pissed, why did he even bother coming. So he flew over and confronted the giant Sin.
"What the fuck is your problem?!"
"Oh come on Lu, you can't even hurt each other. This is stupid. It's boring."
Lucifer never did think things through "Well why don't you take me on then??"
After that everything else was forgotten. All of Hell was bubbling over with excitement to see Lucifer and Satan battle each other. Lucifer purposely picked the 1 year anniversary of the 'events' for the match. He liked the irony of having a battle for fun on the day they'd almost gone to war. Luckily that day was on a Saturday so he didn't even have to change his routine, bonus!!
The Sins all had a meeting to lay out the rules. Lucifer could kill Satan if he wasn't careful and no one wanted that, but the only way it could actually happen is if Lucifer used a large blast of Angelic light or Angelic steel. An Angelic blade would normally not damage Satan enough to die, but if wielded by Lucifer it was different. Surprisingly their physical strength was very similar so neither had to curb their hits.
So it was decided that Lucifer couldn't use his light blast, and neither could use Angelic weapons of any kind. But beyond that there were no restrictions. Hellfire and demonic weapons couldn't KILL either of them but could hurt them, which was fine with both of them. They could both go all out. Lucifer expanded the warded 'ring' to a full square mile. No one else could enter the ring and no power, stray blasts, fire or weapons could exit. And Lucifer and Satan would also be trapped inside the ward until the end of the hour or if one was somehow knocked out. The audience could literally press their faces against it to watch and would be in no danger.
Belphegor said she would have a medical team there just in case. She wasn't that concerned about the two fighters and more worried about fights breaking out in the crowd, especially since she knew a lot of hellborn were coming to watch.
Lucifer told Mammon that he was clear to keep the betting open, but that he had to keep it fair. If someone lost then they lost, but no cheating anyone out of their winnings. Later Lucifer found out that no one was actually betting on either to outright win. The list he saw included:
Who would get the first blood?
Who would land the most hits by the end of the fight?
Who would cause the most damage?
How many feathers would Lucifer lose? - Wait what??? Well that's rude.
Lucifer was so offended he visited Husk in secret and placed his own bet that he would not lose ANY feathers.
On the morning of the fight Lucifer didn't have any lessons with Charlie or Vaggi, wanting to save all his strength and energy. But he spent the day with them as Charlie worried and Vaggi gave her predictions.
"I have my money on you landing the first hit! You're going to kick his ass!!" Said Vaggi thrusting her spear into the air! She wasn't allowed to bring it to the match so Alastor was going to watch with them so he could protect Charlie if the crowd tried anything.
The match would start at 3pm and already almost all Hell was in place. Lucifer had created raised stands along the full perimeter and Asmodeus has helped set up large screens and cameras so it could also be viewed live for those who couldn't get seats. Voxtech, or whatever it was called now, didn't have any tech involved so it could not be hijacked.
At 230 Lucifer headed to the ring while the others left for their reserved seating area with the other Sins. He crossed the barrier and did some light stretching and flew around a few times to warm up his wings. Satan arrived 15 minutes later looking like he'd already warmed up. His assistant Yogirt went to sit next to Charlie. Not surprising those two got along great!
Asmodeus was in the ring going over the rules once more and Belphegor was setting up her medical area. At 259 Lucifer and Satan stood in opposite corners, which was almost 2 miles apart but for their speed this was nothing. And then the cannon went off.
Both moved so fast you could hardly see them. Hellfire was blazing out in all directions from both fighters, and each had conjured demonic weapons. Lucifer landed first blood when his sword sliced across Satan's arm, but it wasn't long before a flying spear pierced Lucifer's leg. It was a brutal battle but everyone could tell the fighters were having a blast. The crowd was in complete chaos. Vaggi was screaming cheers while Charlie sat watching in fear and chewing her nails. Alastor refused to show any emotion but those who knew him well could tell he was nervous.
Cheers and gasps poured out as Satan managed to grab Lucifer's wing and rip out a handful of feathers. Charlie screamed and Alastor tensed but Lucifer easily stayed in the air with his other wings. He got his revenge when he used his teeth to tear a massive hole in the patagium of Satan's wings.
The fight continued until the cannon blasted again at the end of the hour and both stopped and bowed to each other. There was no clear winner. Both were breathing heavily, had several broken bones and were bleeding from multiple wounds and burns. They exited the ward and Charlie was there before anyone else.
"Oh Dad?!?? Oh no!! You're bleeding, you're hurt!! You need Auntie Bel!!" She looked so worried that he pulled her into a gentle hug and she returned it carefully.
"I'm ok Charlie and I promise I'm not just saying that. I'm definitely in pain and need to heal but it's not a bad thing sweetheart. I had a lot of fun!"
She pulled away still looking worried but saw his honesty and smiled. "Ok Dad, just please make sure you rest. I love you." She gave him another hug and walked off with Vaggi to collect her winnings.
Alastor was pretending not to look worried but Lucifer could see him eyeing the burns and blood. His healing was already working, it just took longer since he'd been hit by a Sin.
"Do you need to go see the medics?"
"No my love, I wasn't lying, I really am ok. I just need rest...and a bath" and he opened a portal to their bedroom leaving the other Sins to deal with the aftermath.
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Lucifer was still laying in the bottom of his bathtub, having submerged for the 3rd time now but it just felt so good. The blood was all gone now and the wounds and burns were closed. He ached everywhere since Satan had landed a lot of blows so he wanted to stay in the hot water.
He felt someone join the water and sure enough a pair of hands was pulling him slowly towards the surface. Alastor moved them to the seat and placed Lucifer in his lap. They had learned both immensely enjoyed skin to skin contact. Lucifer was covered in soft scales and ran a little cold while Al had fur on his entire body and ran hot. They loved holding each other.
"You looked really happy today" said Alastor.
"Oh I was!! I had so much fun!! I've never been able to go all out before. Adam wasn't enough of a challenge, but Satan was a great opponent. Maybe we can make this an annual thing?"
"Maybe, but no more than that. I don't like seeing you hurt, even if it's by choice."
"Ok, I promise. No more than one challenge per year" then he chuckled "it might take that long for Satan to heal, I landed some pretty good blows"
They both climbed out of the bath and Lucifer handed Alastor a towel but he didn't take it.
"Actually...I was thinking...well...I wanted to try your way this time."
Lucifer was excited!! Alastor had never wanted to be dried using Lucifer's hot air method. Lucifer loved it and it was also the only practical way to dry his wings so anytime he got them wet, so he didn't really have another choice anyways. But Al had always grabbed two towels and left the bathroom before the air started.
Lucifer nodded and closed his eyes. He stretched his wings as far as they would go and then spread his arms and legs and let his magic flow. It was like having 50 industrial hair dryers pointed at you from every direction. Above, below, all sides, all angles. He felt the hot air moving though his feathers and sting a little where the missing feathers were. The pinfeathers were just starting to form.
When he felt dry he stopped the air and opened his eyes to look at Alastor. And look at Alastor. And look...yeah he couldn't look away, and now he also understood why Alastor had not wanted to do this. Every strand of fur was standing on end from head to hoof. He looked like he had rolled in a pit in the balloons.
Lucifer tried hard, he really did, not to laugh but he couldn't help it. He doubled over and laughed until his sides hurt. When he looked up Alastor was standing with his arms crossed glaring at him.
Lucifer tried to stop but kept giggling. "I'm sorry, you just look so...CUTE!"
Oh he should not have said that. Now Alastor looked really mad. "I...AM...NOT...CUTE!" he growled out through gritted teeth.
"No, you're beautiful and you're mine. And I'm sorry for laughing, but you really do look..." Alastor glared at him, "...fluffy. How about this, I have a really good leave in conditioner that will help. Will you please let me brush it into your fur?"
Alastor kept glaring but finally signed. "Fine, but from now on I'm sticking to towels". He walked over to Lucifer and gently grabbed his face giving him a soft kiss on the lips.
Then he shoved Lucifer back into the tub.
The end