Give Me Your Sins

by eternalscout

Summary:

“You…uh…” Whatever he was going to ask died in his throat as Alastor turned his head to nuzzle his palm.

Lucifer’s brain may have short circuited at that while other parts of him abruptly came online.

Alastor blinked, some of the newfound haziness leaving his eyes as he turned back to face him. He continued to lean into his touch. “You were saying?”

Oh, fuck, how had Lucifer never noticed how hot his voice was before?

“Uh…”

Husk started making frantic shooing motions too from where he stood by the doors.

“…you wanna see my rubber duck collection..?”

Alastor blinked. “What.”

Angel dropped his head back into his hands in defeat.

AKA

Alastor's rut comes earlier than expected. Lucifer volunteers as tribute. An awkward few days and one existential crisis later, Lucifer might just realize his budding feelings aren't as one-sided as he thought.

Chapter 1

Notes:

HELLO FRIENDS!!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

I am committing crimes by posting this. I promised myself I would wait until my other multichapter fic was finished, but then I realized it's five chapters long and February (the month of ~love~) has five Saturdays and...WELL. We could all use some soppy smut to cope with The Horrors™, yes?

Major kudos to Coulombia for betaing this fic for me!!! This was my first time working with a beta and she has been absolutely fantastic!!! You should also check out her phenomenal RadioApple fic!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!

“Pssst!”

Did… Did someone actually just say “pssst” at him?

Lucifer stared blankly around the hotel lobby. He thought that kind of thing only happened in the funny pages. He finally spotted Husk and Angel at the bar, leaning conspiratorially close to one another.

Angel waved him over with another loud “Pssst!”

Dumbfounded, he joined the two there in the otherwise empty lobby. It was late, which meant most of the staff and their gaggle of new residents were already asleep. Only the true night owls remained.

“…did you need something?” Lucifer hazarded on seeing the matching serious looks on their faces.

“We got a problem, short king,” Angel offered by way of greeting, his eyes darting around the lobby as if he was looking for someone or something.

It’d been a few weeks since the extermination. He felt a sinking sensation in his middle. Had they gotten word from Heaven? They’d been eerily quiet after the fact, their embassy left empty and any attempts at contact entirely ignored.

“With..?”

“Smiles.”

He blinked. “Alastor?”

Husk grimaced, nodding as he absently polished an empty glass.

“…did he eat one of the guests..?”

Angel snorted softly. “I fuckin’ wish.”

“Oookay. So…what then?” he asked, glancing between the two of them.

“Have you noticed anything…different about him lately?” Husk hedged.

Lucifer frowned, thinking back. He’d been as obnoxious and annoying as ever, though he’d yet to give him a reason to smite him. They’d gotten to the point where they could be in the same room without immediately going for each others’ throats, but were on a bit of a backslide. Lately, Alastor seemed determined to twist even his most innocuous of greetings into a challenge.

“Maybe he’s been a little more of a dick than usual..?”

Angel snorted. “Ya got that right.”

Husk groaned, ears pinning back. “Don’t let him hear you say that if you wanna keep all your limbs.”

“Okay, I’m clearly not picking up what you’re putting down, so maybe just come right out and say it?” Lucifer cut in.

“And give ol’ Husky here a heart attack?” Angel grinned, gold tooth glittering. “Ya ever notice what kinda demon Smiles is?”

His brow furrowed as he took a seat at the bar. It seemed like this was going to be a longer conversation than he’d thought. “…radio?”

“And?”

He frowned. “Eldritch horror?”

“And?”

“…deer?”

“Bingo!” Angel said, slapping a hand against the bartop.

“So?”

“Deer demon. More of a dick than usual.”

Lucifer drummed his fingers against the bartop. The combination felt like it should ring a bell, but he had nothing so far. He thought he almost had it when the front doors of the hotel burst open so hard they ricocheted off the walls and had to be held open by telltale glowy green magic.

Alastor stormed in. There was no other way to put it. His tight grin threatened to escape the confines of his face. Meanwhile his eyes had gone radio dial and his normally dainty antlers branched out over his head.

He also happened to be covered in blood

And missing his jacket and monocle.

Lucifer couldn’t help but gape. He looked deranged. Even for him.

Angel and Husk looked anywhere but at Alastor as he approached the bar. Husk had three fingers of whiskey ready for him by the time he reached them and he threw it back like it was water. Blood dripped to the floor beneath him, but it didn’t seem to be his own.

While Husk refilled his glass, he rolled his shirtsleeves up in angry, jerky movements, baring his forearms to the shock and awe of all present. He then undid his bowtie, leaving it dangling around his neck.

Oh. Oh. That was…

That was something, wasn’t it?

Was his mouth dry? It felt dry all of a sudden...

Alastor threw back the next drink too, but covered the glass with his hand when Husk made to fill it a third time. Though his eyes had reverted back to normal, his antlers remained extended into a proper rack.

“…rough night..?” Lucifer hazarded.

His gaze snapped to him, burning in its intensity. Lucifer felt a thrill of…

…oh that wasn’t fear, was it?

He took a slow breath in through his nose. His full attention settled on Lucifer as he rested a hip against the bar, angling the lean set of his body toward him.

“Did you change your cologne?” he suddenly demanded.

“Huh? No.”

“Hmm.” Alastor leaned forward, taking another slow breath in, his eyes sliding closed. When they opened again, his pupils were dilated.

Lucifer stared back at him, eyes wide.

“Uh, boss..?” Husk hazarded.

“What is it, Husker?” he ground out, voice deeper than usual.

“You’re gettin’ blood all over the floor. You might wanna get cleaned up before Niff finds out and comes to clean you up herself.”

Alastor wrinkled his nose, abruptly vanishing into the shadows without another word.

“Fuuuck,” Angel groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “Oh it’s gonna be soon, ain’t it? The fuck’re we supposed to do? Is it always like this? I thought he was gonna jump short king for a sec there.”

Lucifer sat up straighter on his barstool. “Jump me?”

And then it all clicked into place.

“Ohhh! Oh, that is not good.”

Husk sighed heavily. “Normally he makes himself scarce for a few days while he waits for the rut to leave his system. Problem is, he ain’t done that yet. Angel’s got a theory on why too.”

Lucifer turned to him, discreetly crossing his legs in the process.

“I’ve dealt with a few deer demons before. We had one who worked at the studio before Val fired him after he went into rut and made it everybody’s problem.”

“Everybody’s problem how?” He knew the basics about Sinners in rut. It sounded…not fun, but how was it a firing offense for a literal pornographer?

“He spent too much time in the studio with all of us,” Angel continued. “Got it in his head we was all part of his herd or somethin’. Got real possessive-like. Which, hey, to each their own, but even Val wound up stuck there ‘til it was outta his system.”

Lucifer frowned. “What? Isn’t he an Overlord or something?”

“Uh huh. Now imagine what it’s like if it’s an Overlord in rut.” He sighed, lifting his head. “I’m prolly gonna have to call outta work for a few days. Might be the only time Val don’t give me shit for it too. Last thing he wants is the goddamn Radio Demon rollin’ up to get back what he thinks belongs to him while he’s outta his fuckin’ gourd.”

“Wait, what? You think Alastor is going to…uh…approach you?”

Angel shook his head. “Dunno, though I might offer if it’ll help him get through it faster. He seemed way more interested in you. But if he’s anything like the guy I used to work with, he’s prolly gonna consider the whole hotel his herd. Or bare minimum, us folks who’ve been here for a while.”

Lucifer froze. “In me?!” he demanded. “Back the fuck up there, buddy, no way. He hates me!”

Angel snorted, giving a small yawn after. “Different strokes an’ all that. Might wanna pop back to the palace if ya don’t wanna deal with him. But don’t expect to hear from anyone here at the hotel ‘til it’s over. We’ll prolly be on lockdown or some shit. Even the gals.”

The gals? As in Charlie?

“I’ll fucking kill—“

“Not like that,” Husk was quick to cut in. “Just…he’s gonna get real territorial. And he’s never had a set territory before. He’s gonna want everyone where he can keep an eye on ‘em.”

“Yeah, no need to bring out the horns an’ fire breathin’. He’s just gonna wanna keep everybody safe. Doesn’t mean he’ll wanna fuck all of us.”

Husk shuddered. “Thanks for that mental image, Ang.”

He gave an expressive shrug as his gaze drifted back to the spot Alastor had previously occupied. “Guess there’s one way to tell how close he is.”

Lucifer forced back his kneejerk reaction, his horns receding along with his other more demonic traits. “How?”

His mouth snapped shut as the shadows around them lengthened and static rose thick on the air. The green of Alastor’s magic ran down the walls as what felt suspiciously like a ward settled over the entirety of the hotel.

“…or that,” Angel muttered, eyeing the walls warily. “Y’know, there is one person who’d definitely fuck him to distraction…”

Husk hissed, tail poofing. “Don’t even fuckin’ say it. You want that psychopath hangin’ around here for a few days? Besides, who the fuck knows what he could talk the boss into when he’s like this?”

Angel winced. “Yeah, ya got a point there, Whiskers.”

Lucifer held both hands up at that. “Hold on there, Busker. Time out. Who?”

The two of them exchanged a look before staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Seriously?” Angel asked. “I mean, I don’t know much about politics, but even I know about Vox an’ him. Didn’t ya get hit with that blackout a coupla months back? That was all cuz Smiles one upped him in their lil’ duet.”

“Don’t let him hear you call it that,” Husk grumbled as he turned to wash the glass Alastor used at the bar’s industrial sink.

“Oh! Yeah, I think I remember that.” He absolutely didn’t. “Sooo…who’s Vox?”

Angel slapped a hand to his forehead. “Ya prolly got one of his phones? Bazzilionaire Tech Bro?”

Lucifer shook his head.

“Has a TV for a head?”

Lucifer tried to picture just what that would look like. “…maybe?” he hedged.

“Yeah, well, if ya see anyone with a TV for a head tryin’ to come in, kick ‘em to the curb. Fuck, that might be part of what the ward’s for. He can travel through electricity an’ shit.”

Well, that was mildly alarming! Lucifer slid off his barstool, pressing a hand to the wall to see what he could determine from the wards. He’d barely touched it before Alastor rematerialized beside him from the shadows, eyes narrowed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his voice all but a static laden growl.

Lucifer slowly pulled back his hand, not wanting to make any sudden movements with those sharp teeth so close. “Nothing!”

Alastor didn’t look remotely convinced.

With a start, Lucifer realized he wasn’t wearing his usual outfit, even without his coat. Rather, he was dressed in what looked suspiciously like a pair of soft silk pajamas in a similar pattern. He wore an equally luxurious red robe fastened overtop them and a pair of red lensed glasses in place of his missing monocle. Apparently it wasn’t just for show.

Even more astounding, his hair was damp, like he’d just gotten out of the shower, and the ends were starting to honest-to-god curl.

Oh, fuck, he looked good. As the thought crossed his mind, Alastor’s gaze sharpened and he leaned closer to him. Their faces were only inches apart, his eyes lingering on Lucifer’s lips.

Lucifer was eternally grateful when a loud knock sounded at the hotel’s front doors, making Alastor lean back. He didn’t even want to think what might have happened were it not for the sudden interruption.

(Not true. He definitely wanted to think about it.)

Alastor’s eyes narrowed into slits as he turned his head toward the door so fast his neck snapped in a way that probably absolutely should have killed him.

Were his mishmashed abilities the result of all the power he’d accumulated since death? Or had he just gotten a few good whacks in on the “demonic powers” piñata?

Alastor prowled toward the front doors and Husk hurried around the bar to intercept him.

“Hey, uh, boss, why don’t you let me take care of it?”

“That won’t be necessary, Husker.”

His calm answer only ratcheted up the cat demon’s anxiety. “Really! It’s no trouble!”

Lucifer glanced toward the door. Who would even show up this time of night? He glanced at the lobby’s grandfather clock. …morning?

Surely it couldn’t be ol’ tv head, like Husk seemed to fear. What were the odds his sense of dramatic timing was that good?

While Husk was still playing keepaway with Alastor, Lucifer took the opportunity to open a portal directly outside the hotel’s front doors to poke his head out and see who was there. He made direct eye contact with what could only be described as a startled man with a TV for a head. His limo waited for him at the curb beyond.

Oh, right, they were in Hell. Dramatic timing of the bad sort should always be expected.

Lucifer frowned at him. “If you like being alive, I suggest you go the fuck away,” he said before leaning back and closing the portal on Vox’s shout of protest. Alastor was at his side in an instant, looking torn between furious and…something else?

Something Lucifer couldn’t put a finger on that looked entirely out of place on Alastor’s face…

“There’s no need for you to get involved,” Alastor said with a closed-lip smile. “I’m more than capable of handling interlopers like Vox, my dear.”

Okay, just because Alastor called everyone ‘his dear,’ didn’t mean Lucifer ever had one directed at himself before. Especially not in what could almost be mistaken for a fond tone.

Taking advantage of Alastor’s lapse in focus, Husk discreetly crept toward the front doors. Angel waved his arms behind Alastor mouthing what could have either been ‘distract him’ or ‘please smack him’. Lucifer wasn’t great at lip reading, so he was going to have to go with the context clues on this one.

As Alastor turned his head back toward Husk, Lucifer reached up, cradling his face with one hand to stop him. Alastor went entirely still, eyes widening in…shock?

He wasn’t good at eye reading either, apparently.

Well, he certainly had his full attention now! But what the fuck was he supposed to do with it? His thumb brushed back and forth across his cheek, more a nervous tic than anything else.

Alastor’s eyes slid closed as he leaned into his touch.

Oh.

Well.

Huh.

He spared another glance at Angel, who looked equally startled by this turn of events. He shrugged, gave him a thumbs up, and then waved his hands at him as if shooing him away.

Husk was almost at the door.

“You…uh…” Whatever he was going to ask died in his throat as Alastor turned his head to nuzzle his palm.

Lucifer’s brain may have short circuited at that while other parts of him abruptly came online.

Alastor blinked, some of the newfound haziness leaving his eyes as he turned back to face him. He continued to lean into his touch. “You were saying?”

Oh, fuck, how had Lucifer never noticed how hot his voice was before?

“Uh…”

Husk started making frantic shooing motions too from where he stood by the doors.

“…you wanna see my rubber duck collection..?”

Alastor blinked. “What.”

Angel dropped his head back into his hands in defeat.

Goddammit.

Lucifer panicked, fisted his other hand in the front of Alastor’s pajama shirt, and yanking him down into a firm kiss. Alastor’s mouth fell open in surprise, but he didn’t pull back. It took a moment, but he started kissing him back with equal fervor.

By the time Lucifer leaned back from the kiss, he’d mapped out a good portion of the Radio Demon’s whiskey flavored mouth and his head was spinning.

Alastor panted softly as if to catch his breath, antlers having expanded even further over his head,

Angel was sitting up straight again, all eight of his eyes as wide as they could go while his jaw was practically on the floor.

“…how about now?”

Alastor stared blankly back at him. “Your…rubber ducks…?” he echoed, as if uncertain how or why the two words went together.

Rather than giving him time to recover his wits, Lucifer created a portal into his rooms, pulling a confused and unresisting Radio Demon through with him.

“My rubber ducks!” he said proudly, waving his hand at the shelves he’d installed in his suite to properly house his collection.

It wasn’t hoarding if they were on display!

…or at least that’s what he told himself…

Alastor slowly took in his many creations, somehow looking even more befuddled now that he was face-to-face with them.

“You were…serious?” he finally managed, no hint of his usual radio filter present.

Fuck. How long would it take Husk to deal with TV head?

“You don’t like them?” Lucifer asked, and maybe he only had to feign the hurt in his voice a little.

“I… No, I didn’t say that,” Alastor protested with a shake of his head.

Oh, damn. He really was out of his mind with this whole rut thing, wasn’t he, if he was actually taking Lucifer’s feelings into consideration.

Should he bring it up…? Surely Alastor knew what was causing his sudden fit of insanity…?

“Hey.”

Alastor cocked his head to one side. “Hello.”

“You wouldn’t happen to be feeling a little…strange, would you?”

His ear flicked at the word. “Strange how?”

Lucifer studied his face, trying to determine if he was sincerely unaware or just trying to maintain some level of decorum.

Unfortunately, he doubted Alastor was going to just stand there and wait for him to search “what the fuck do I do with a horny deer demon” on his phone.

He cleared his throat, deciding to rip off the bandaid. Who knew? Maybe the Sinner would do like Husk said and make himself scarce!

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re in rut.”

That brought Alastor up short, brow furrowing. “No, that can’t be right.”

Lucifer arched a brow. “You were literally sniffing me and asking about my ‘new cologne’ a few minutes ago. Your antlers have gotten bigger and stayed bigger, and you’re being nice to me and Husk. Oh, and did you forget you literally just kissed me a second ago?”

Alastor slowly shook his head, eyes widening with a touch of alarm. “No. It’s not supposed to happen for another week or two.”

“It’s not an exact time and date thing,”

Or at least from what he could recall. Most Sinners subject to heats and ruts tended to experience it at the same time as their Living World counterparts. Deer, elk, sheep, and goat Sinners entered into it when the days began to shorten, while other animalistic types went by different schedules. Thankfully when they entered rut or heat, it didn’t last as long as it did in the animals they took after.

Probably because they couldn’t actually breed.

Alastor abruptly moved in front of his full length mirror, one hand reaching up to hover just above his antlers. They extended out past his shoulders now, four sizable points on each side. He stared intently at his reflection, like he was concentrating, but nothing happened.

His lips pulled back from his teeth in a sneer. “Well, fuck.”

At least he hadn’t gone into kraken mode. That was a good sign, right?

“Husk said you usually…take some time to yourself when it happens?”

“Yes.” He didn’t move.

“…is that what you’re going to do this time?”

His eyes shifted in the mirror to meet his. “No.”

Lucifer frowned. “No? Why not?”

“Because a complete and utter idiot decided to kiss me while I’m in the midst of…of this,” he said, gesturing to himself.

“Hey!”

Alastor turned on his heel to face him, eyes once more lingering on his lips. “Why did you…” He trailed off.

If looks could kill, Lucifer would have ended his immortal life right then and there. He watched in mute horror as Alastor sank into the shadows before he could stop him.

“Fuck! Fucking fuck!” he snarled, throwing open a portal and all but vaulting through it to the exterior of the hotel.

Husk and Vox stared at him in surprise. He didn’t have a chance to warn Husk before Alastor materialized beside him, looking nothing short of livid.

Vox’s gaze flew to and then lingered on his antlers in a way Lucifer did not like.

“What the fuck?” Husk hissed at him. “How did you fuck that up so badly?!” As he spoke, he stepped in front of Vox, facing Alastor.

Vox ignored him in favor of leering at the Radio Demon.

“Hey there, old pal!”

Lucifer abruptly stepped in front of Alastor, facing Vox.

“What part of ‘go the fuck away’ did you not understand?” he demanded.

Vox had the nerve to roll his eyes. “I think Alastor is more than capable of making decisions for himself. Right, Al? Besides, it’s not like I haven’t helped him out with this kind of thing before!”

Lucifer’s horns threatened to burst from his head. “Well, I’m pretty sure he would’ve gone to your place instead of the hotel if he was interested in doing that with you!”

He hazarded a glance at Alastor over his shoulder. He was staring at Vox, his body ever so slightly angled toward him. Vox ran his tongue over his lips and Alastor watched its path with a single-minded focus.

Was he even blinking?

“C’mon, Al. Let’s get out of here,” Vox continued. “Let’s go back to my place and I’ll fuck you until you scream. Just like old times. How’s that sound?”

There was an exceedingly long moment of silence before Alastor uttered a single word.

“No.”

Vox gaped. “What?!”

“I said no.” Though he still stared intently at him, pupils blown, body trembling.

“You heard him,” Lucifer said, grinning with all his sharp teeth proudly on display. “So you can either leave right now, or I can yeet you across the city. Your choice.” He could feel the flames flickering at the corners of his mouth as he spoke and knew his eyes were glowing crimson. The area along his shoulder blades itched as his wings threatened to burst out along with his horns.

Fuck. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this mad.

No, that wasn’t true. He could. It was when Adam had attacked Charlie. But why was he feeling like this on Alastor’s behalf?

Maybe the Radio Demon wasn’t the only one feeling protective of the hotel and its residents at the moment…

“Lucifer. Husker,” Alastor said, opening the hotel’s door.

Vox stood there a moment longer in utter disbelief before scowling and storming back down the steps to his limo.

Lucifer waited until his driver closed the door behind him before heading back inside. Alastor was the last to do so, his magic rippling over the door in the aftermath. The instant the door closed, his trembling escalated into outright shaking while his antlers branching out even further and his eyes ticked back and forth into radio dials. He clenched his fists so tightly at his sides, blood seeped from between his fingers, dripping to the floor below.

Fuck, he was wound up…

“…all right, boss?” Husk hazarded, watching him warily.

Alastor didn’t answer him, his attention instead zeroing in on Lucifer.

“I. Suggest. If you do not want to be. Involved in this. You make yourself scarce,” he directed to him, the words barely audible over the increased static in his voice.

Oh. Oh.

“…and what if I do?” The words escaped before he even registered that he was speaking.

Alastor’s eyes burned before shifting into inky black fathomless pools.

“Your stupidity. And lack of self preservation. Knows no bounds,” he ground out.

“My room or yours?” Lucifer replied before he could think too much about all of this.

Notes:

Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and to kudos/comment, if you're so inclined)! It means so much to me!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

Next week's chapter will include art by MysticPirate who I also subjected to this fic while it was still a WIP. You should absolutely check out her amazing Hazbin fics, especially Hell's Unprecedented Resident!!!

Fic title inspired by Whisper by Burn The Ballroom.

You can find me on tumblr at hismercytomyjustice. I yell about things I love on there.

Chapter 2

Summary:

And that was how Lucifer found himself in Alastor’s suite for the first time. He would have spent who knows how long staring at the fucking bayou just sitting in the corner if a certain Radio Demon wasn’t already at his wits’ end.

They barely stepped through the portal before Alastor hauled him up by the collar, pressing him against the door and holding him there with his body as he devoured his mouth.

Oh, shit. They were really doing this, huh?

Notes:

Happy Saturday, friends!!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

Thank you all so much for your support and kind words!!! I have been completely blown away by your enthusiasm and I'm so excited to share more of this story with you!!!

Just a reminder, there's art for this chapter from the amazing MysticPirate!!! You can find the link for it in the end notes!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!

And that was how Lucifer found himself in Alastor’s suite for the first time. He would have spent who knows how long staring at the fucking bayou just sitting in the corner if a certain Radio Demon wasn’t already at his wits’ end.

They barely stepped through the portal before Alastor hauled him up by the collar, pressing him against the door and holding him there with his body as he devoured his mouth.

Oh, shit. They were really doing this, huh?

Lucifer couldn’t decide whether or not he was surprised Alastor was a good kisser. True, he seemed like the type to not half-ass anything, but he also gave off whole-ass “do not fucking touch me” vibes.

Had he learned all this from Vox?

And then his wayward thoughts scattered as Alastor did something with his tongue that threatened to drive him insane.

By the time they came up for air, he was entirely too warm from his growing desire combined with the humid air of Alastor’s room/bayou.

Lucifer was ready to dress (or undress) accordingly.

At some point he’d wrapped his legs around Alastor’s narrow waist to get more leverage and now he found himself at eye level for once with the Sinner. Alastor’s eyes had gone completely black aside from his red irises. It was how he’d looked right before he’d eaten the loan sharks (minus the kaiju height he had then).

Though this time it was due to a different kind of hunger.

…or at least Lucifer hoped so…

Hard to tell with a literal cannibal…

“…you’re sure about this?” he asked, directing the question as much to himself as to Alastor. He earned an annoyed look from the latter for his concern.

“Did you see me take up Vox’s offer?”

“Well, no, but—“

“Then shut up.”

Fair.

Still, he had to know. “Why me? I thought you hated me?”

“Are you usually this chatty during these activities? There are far more interesting ways to use that mouth of yours.” As he spoke, he gently set Lucifer down on his own two feet.

His face flushed at the spike of heat those growled words sent straight to his cock. “Well?” he prompted, trying to keep some of his dignity intact.

Alastor rolled his eyes and the blackness faded away to his normal red on red. “Perhaps you should ask yourself the same question.”

Oh.

Well.

Shit. He had a point there…

Before he could ask anything else, Alastor added, “Have you been with a Sinner in rut before?”

Lucifer gave a slow shake of his head. He hadn’t been with anyone but his wife after his fall.

“Do you know the particulars?” Alastor asked in a businesslike tone that would have been a success if his hands weren’t shaking as he removed his robe.

“I know it usually lasts a few days. And tends to pass more quickly if you…uh…get it out of your system.”

Alastor’s eyes met his. “Correct.”

He was so tense, like he was liable to snap in half at any moment. Was it the discomfort of their present situation? Or was it because he was restraining himself?

Maybe both.

“Any particulars I should know about your rut?”

Alastor wrinkled his nose. “I likely won’t let you leave my side until it’s over. Apparently that is…fairly common amongst cervidae demons. I’ve heard it referred to as the ‘tending’ or ‘lockdown’ phase. While I’m aware I can’t physically prevent you from leaving, I would…advise against it.”

Yeah, he could only imagine the kind of havoc Alastor could wreak when he was even less in his right mind than usual.

Lucifer nodded, waiting for him to continue.

Alastor stared intently back at him, his eyes beginning to bleed black again. “You don’t have to do this. With your abilities, it’s possible you could just…restrain me until it passes.”

The thought made his stomach churn. What did he think he was going to do? Tie him down and gag him with his magic and leave him to sweat it out?

That seemed…cruel. Like literal torture. Alastor had already clearly imprinted on him, or whatever he should call it. Wouldn’t he just spend all of that time fighting to free himself in a panic?

And yet here he was, offering to.

Fuck, that was bleak.

Alastor crossed his arms over his chest, his claws digging into his upper arms until they pierced the flesh there.

Fuck, he was already hurting himself!

Besides, he was kind of the one at fault for directing Alastor’s attention to him in the first place…

Lucifer shook his head. “No, it’s okay. Uh…do you have a preference on how you want this to go down…?”

As he spoke, he stepped forward and Alastor’s grip tightened, blood dripping to the floor below.

Was Vox telling the truth before? Did Alastor prefer to be on the receiving end?

“This…is your last chance,” he rasped, teeth sinking into his lower lip and drawing even more blood along with the words. His ears were pressed flat against his head, his body shaking from the effort of holding himself in place.

Lucifer’s heart ached oddly at the sight and he closed the remaining distance between them, reaching up to ease Alastor’s hands open and away from his arms. His fingers were slick with his blood.

Fuck, for a serial killing cannibal, he was serious about consent, wasn’t he? Then again, cannibal serial killing aside, he tended to act pretty gentlemanly…

Lucifer would never understand him.

He banished the blood with a brief burst of his power, leaving Alastor’s chilly hands in his own. He released one but continued to hold the other as he led him toward what he hoped was the bedroom. The hotel suites had a pretty standard layout, Alastor’s bayou aside.

Lucifer was relieved to see there was an actual bed inside, covered with enough blankets and pillows to make an influencer weep. His rooms were much warmer than those downstairs too.

“You didn’t answer my question, by the way,” he said as he released his hand to bend over and remove his boots. Alastor slapped his hands away, immediately kneeling down to do it for him.

Lucifer caught himself staring again, face flushing at the odd intimacy of the act.

“I’m flexible, but if I have a choice I prefer to be on the receiving end,” Alastor answered, removing his socks next.

Lucifer absently tapped the tips of his hooves against the hardwood. It felt strange to still be fully dressed. Alastor stood again, helping him out of his bow tie and jacket with the same surprising level of gentleness.

Guess the so-called ‘tending’ phase started earlier than expected…

Was he like this with Vox…?

It seemed unlikely, based on what he’d witnessed before. So why was he acting this way now? With him?

Alastor carefully folded his coat and set it on the hinged ottoman at the foot of the bed before starting on his waistcoat and dress shirt next.

His clothes were treated with the utmost care and he folded everything with military precision. Huh. If he ever decided to settle down, he’d have potential partners clamoring for his homemaking skills between this and the cooking alone.

Alastor pressed soft kisses to each new patch of skin bared, causing Lucifer’s heart to do strange little flips in his chest.

Fuck. Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t to be…taken care of?

If he was being honest with himself, he’d expected to end this with a chunk or two of flesh missing.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so…attentive to him? He wasn’t sure anyone ever had, to be honest. He was used to being the one lavishing affection on others. Not receiving it.

Alastor helped him out of his pants next, leaving him in his boxers. He didn’t comment on how they had little green and red apples printed across them. Instead he leaned down to press his face against the side of Lucifer’s throat, inhaling deeply.

“You smell divine.”

He frowned. Was that supposed to be an insult? No…he sounded sincere. His throat grew tight as Alastor pressed more kisses along it, his arms loosely settling around his waist.

Lucifer’s eyes slid closed as he tried to banish the unexpected wave of emotion threatening to pull him under.

Fuck, why was Alastor of all people the first to treat him like this? Like something to be treasured?

The Sinner leaned back, cupping his cheek as he met his eyes. “Are you all right, my dear?”

Lucifer blinked, surprised to feel hot tears skirt down his cheeks.

“H-Huh?”

Alastor chased each drop with his tongue. “You’re crying. Am I upsetting you?”

He shook his head, embarrassment flooding him. “No. No, I just…wasn’t expecting all of this. I’ve never…”

Alastor tilted his head as he regarded him. “Been worshipped?”

His eyes widened. “Uh…”

“Well, allow me to remedy that,” he murmured, pressing his lips to his in an agonizingly sweet kiss. “Unless you’d rather I didn’t,” he added, still close enough their lips brushed with each word.

“I…” He swallowed hard. “No, it’s…it’s nice. So long as it’s what you want…?”

“It is,” he answered matter-of-factly, like Lucifer deserved something like this.

Fuck.

Oh, this was a terrible fucking idea. If only because of how much it was bound to hurt when Alastor inevitably came back to his senses and never wanted anything to do with him again.

How did he keep ending up in situations like these? Surrounded by forbidden fruit that was always his undoing?

Thank fuck he had a therapy appointment next week. He was going to need it.

“Wh-What about you?” he managed after a moment, voice catching.

“What about me?” Alastor asked, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.

“What do you want me to do for you?”

He gave an absent shrug, as if it wasn’t important.

Lucifer begged to differ.

He tentatively reached up to begin unfastening the buttons of his pajama shirt. Alastor watched him almost curiously while he cupped his cheek, his thumb brushing lazily back and forth across it. His hand was still cold, but it was quickly warming from the contact with Lucifer’s skin.

He finished the buttons, pushing the fabric back to expose his torso. Alastor was just as slender as Lucifer had expected, though what was there was all lean muscle. He had his powers, but he clearly was no slouch when it came to a purely physical fight either. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had a similar build in life.

Lucifer felt oddly soft in comparison. Alastor was all angular lines and sharp edges while he had subtle, gentle curves that made him look far less dangerous than he actually was. Alastor was a dagger while he was more like a rapier. Equally deadly, but not nearly as outwardly threatening.

Alastor lowered his hand so Lucifer could properly help him out of his shirt. He tried to fold it, but his attempt was so miserable that Alastor tutted softly and took it from him, doing it himself. He stepped out of his pajama pants on his own, folding them and setting them in the pile next to Lucifer’s. The black boxers he wore underneath had a higher waistline and a closer fit to his upper thighs than Lucifer’s own.

Sinners came in all different shapes and sizes, but Alastor had a pretty standard deer body beneath it all, his chest consisting of a light mound of fluff and his body covered in a thin layer of fur that was velvety to the touch.

While he was distracted by his perusing, Alastor lifted him effortlessly onto the edge of the bed before kneeling down in front of him again, pressing light kisses along the inside of one thigh and then the other.

“Would you like me to suck you?” he asked, lips brushing against his skin.

Lucifer shivered at the resulting tickle, heat pooling in his lower belly at the suggestion.

Would he? Absolutely.

Should he? Probably not.

It would be better to get this over quickly for both of them, wouldn’t it?

“How about I fuck you instead?” he offered, biting his lip at the heat that flared in Alastor’s eyes at the suggestion. He joined him on the bed, pressing Lucifer onto his back and climbing over him.

“Shall I ride you then, my dear?”

Fuck. The thought of watching Alastor pleasure himself on his cock was equally tempting, but Lucifer wanted to be an equal participant in this, dammit.

He shook his head, rolling them both over so he was on top now, straddling Alastor’s narrow hips. There was a flash of surprise on his face, but he didn’t resist. Rather, he smiled up at him. One of his rare genuine smiles. Something he’d never directed at Lucifer before. Perhaps it was for the best, seeing how he wielded it so expertly.

Lucifer tried not to think of how he’d do almost anything for another glimpse of it.

He dipped his head, pressing their lips together in a lingering kiss Alastor was all too happy to return. He felt the Sinner shift beneath him, belatedly realizing he was trying to slide out of his boxers. Lucifer didn’t give him a chance, instead rocking his hips down against his and earning a startled gasp for his trouble.

Alastor lifted his hips to grind against him. His fingers fisted the blankets as small increasingly desperate noises escaped him. Those sounds threatened to drive Lucifer mad as he met him thrust for thrust. All too quickly, he felt himself begin to tense.

Alastor broke first, back arching from the bed as he gave a strangled, static laden cry. His expression of pure ecstasy was enough to send Lucifer over the edge after him. They panted in the aftermath, hot breath fanning across each other’s faces.

He thought maybe it would take the edge off for Alastor, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Rather, it seemed to push him further into his instincts and he leaned up, nuzzling the side of his throat, inhaling the scent of their sex on the air.

Lucifer snapped his fingers, leaving them both bare and their soiled boxers clean and folded with the rest of their clothes.

Fuck, Alastor was already getting hard again.

Oh, this was going to be a marathon, wasn’t it?

“Fuck me?” he asked as he looked up at him, the request a breathless plea.

Oh. Oh, fuck.

Alastor spread his legs for him, fumbling with the drawer of the bedside table. He didn’t seem capable of taking his eyes off of Lucifer to properly open it.

Lucifer leaned over him, pulling a bottle of oil from the drawer. He studied it, frowning faintly. It would work in a pinch, but was far from the best option.

“D’you mind if we use something else?” he hazarded.

He shook his head. “We can use whatever you like, my dear.”

Lucifer called upon his powers, transporting the bottle of lube in his own nightstand into his hand. Alastor tried to take it from him, but he pulled it out of his reach.

“Let me?”

He seemed genuinely surprised by the request. “Why would you want to?”

Because he wanted a chance to take care of him even half as much as Alastor had taken care of him already.

“It can be fun,” he hedged as he poured some of the lube onto his fingers and reached down between them.

Alastor didn’t protest, but he didn’t look convinced either. Lucifer circled his hole before slowly beginning to press inside, not meeting much resistance. He was completely relaxed, likely due to his present state. Still, Lucifer gradually worked his finger into him before moving it slowly in and out.

The Sinner’s breath caught as he added a second. Lucifer watched intently as he closed his eyes, fascinated by the way his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks.

How could someone so infuriating also be so beautiful?

He curled his fingers and Alastor’s eyes snapped open as he threw his head back with a groan that would’ve made even Angel blush. He spread himself wider for him, another staticky groan escaping as Lucifer struck that spot again.

Yeah, the sounds and sights before him were definitely going to be haunting his dreams for the foreseeable future…

Lucifer added a third finger, slowly stretching him until Alastor was practically vibrating with need. He vaguely wondered if this would be a one and done kind of thing or if there would be a few encore performances.

He was really hoping for at least one encore.

Lucifer finally withdrew his hand, belatedly realizing he hadn’t summoned a condom along with the lube. Not that they had to worry about pregnancy, of course, but he didn’t think Alastor would appreciate the mess.

He made to snap his fingers but Alastor caught his wrist, staring intently up at him.

“I want to feel you,” he growled, his voice sending another wave of heat below Lucifer’s metaphorical belt.

He swallowed hard, eyes wide. “Okie dokie.”

Fuck. Did he really just say that? But Alastor didn’t seem to mind, if his straining cock was anything to go by.

Lucifer spread some lube over his own cock, nearly coming undone in the process.

That would’ve been more embarrassing than the stupid words he just said, so small favors.

Alastor went to roll over, but he caught his hip, holding him in place. It was stupid, but he wanted to see him. The Sinner looked curiously up at him, but didn’t protest.

Lucifer’s other hand settled on his opposite hip as he sought a better angle, using his magic to position one of the pillows from Alastor’s stockpile under the demon’s lower back before urging him to rest his legs over his shoulders. He seemed nonplussed by the position, but didn’t question it.

“Good?” Lucifer asked.

Alastor nodded, taking one of Lucifer’s hands in his own and pressing a warm kiss to the back of it. Lucifer took a breath, face warming, before he slowly began to press into him.

It wasn’t his first time with a man. Far from it. Though it had been a while, give or take a few thousand years. Those encounters had never been as…intimate as this. He hadn’t had the same overwhelming desire he felt now to see Alastor’s face, to watch every minute change in his expression.

How his ears stood high and then folded back as his breath hitched.

How he stared almost adoringly up at him…

It was just the rut, he kept reminding himself. But Lucifer couldn’t deny he was starved for affection of any kind and had been for a while now.

Fuck, this was a terrible idea.

As he settled fully inside him, Alastor pulled him down for a lingering kiss. Another unexpected benefit of the position.

Lucifer gave an experimental thrust of his hips, drawing an obscene sound from the flushed Radio Demon beneath him.

“More. I need more,” Alastor insisted, rolling his hips to draw him deeper inside of him.

He swore he saw stars for a moment there.

Lucifer didn’t need to be told twice, picking up his pace as he pressed into that slick, tight heat. Alastor trembled beneath him, claws scrabbling along his back and shoulders as he rocked back onto his cock in time with his thrusts.

Fuck, maybe it was Alastor’s pheromones, but Lucifer belatedly realized he hadn’t had any trouble getting hard again.

Their coupling grew more frenzied, pillows falling overboard as they moved as one, Alastor seemed determined to press every inch of their bodies together, in stark contrast to his usual ‘touch me and get eaten’ attitude.

It was almost embarrassing to realize how close he was to climax again, but could anyone really blame him with how eager and desperate the Sinner was beneath him? Lucifer was half convinced he could’ve gotten off on the sounds the Radio Demon was making alone, without being balls deep inside of him.

Sensing he was close, Alastor flexed around him, pulling him even deeper, and Lucifer gave a startled shout as the sensation pushed him over the edge. Alastor wrapped his arms around him, gathering him as close as he was able while Lucifer rode out the last of his orgasm.

He was still catching his breath and struggling to string two thoughts together when Alastor turned his attention to nuzzling and lapping at the sweat damp skin of his throat. Like he was…grooming him…?

Damn, he was deep in his instincts, wasn’t he?

Lucifer leaned back, slowly pulling out. An odd rush of pride shot through him as some of his seed slipped out along with his cock, dripping onto the mattress.

Huh.

He should probably ask Angel about those rut pheromones…

Lucifer reached between them to take Alastor in hand, only to pause upon realizing he’d climaxed again without his touching him. The Sinner’s lower belly was painted with his own spend.

Alastor dropped his head back onto the bed, panting softly. Lucifer made to snap his fingers to clean them both up but he caught his wrist, gaze imploring as he shook his head.

Oh.

Oh.

Well. That was something he was definitely only going to think about a normal amount… Alastor wanting to be filled with his seed… Eager to bear his fawns…

Alastor was his. He’d marked him. Claimed him. Bred him.

…yeah he absolutely needed to talk to Angel…

Probably a wise idea to verify if this was normal or if he was losing his fucking mind…

Alastor removed his legs from his shoulders, stretching briefly before rolling onto his side. His frantic need from before seemed to have eased somewhat. Lucifer wondered if they were in the tending phase now and how long that would last.

He continued to kneel on the mattress until Alastor waved impatiently for him to join him, lifting one of his arms to accommodate his smaller frame. He tentatively settled himself in the little spoon position. Alastor wrapped his arm around his middle, drawing him closer, before he returned his attention to licking his neck and shoulders.

Fuck, that was weird. But… kind of nice? Like Alastor was marking him too, while also…caring for him? As much as the Sinner could, at any rate.

How much of the real Alastor was in there right now? How mortified would he be when his rut finally ended?

Things were definitely going to be weird between them after…

…oh, fuck…

There was no way Charlie wouldn’t find out about this too.

He really hadn’t thought this through. Not unusual for him, by any stretch of the imagination, but this seemed like one of his bigger oopsies with more far reaching consequences.

He carefully boxed those unpleasant thoughts up and set them on a shelf deep in the back of his mind for future Lucifer to worry about before he started hyperventilating over fucking his daughter’s hotelier.

At some point during all of his ruminating, Alastor had begun licking the back of his head. He could already feel his hair sticking straight up where he’d focused his attention.

It should’ve been gross. For all he knew, he’d snacked on a rotten deer carcass or a few Sinners before his dramatic return to the hotel. Instead it brought a small, sappy smile to Lucifer’s face as warmth bloomed behind his sternum.

Alastor’s ministrations gradually grew sluggish and then ended entirely when he buried his face in Lucifer’s hair, snoring softly. The sound of static rose and fell in time with his snores. You couldn’t take the radio out of the demon, even when he was sleeping.

Lucifer used his magic to flick the blankets up and over them both before letting his eyes drift close. He’d planned to go to bed soon anyway, and Alastor had already informed him he wouldn’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. Might as well enjoy this while it lasted.

Besides, sleeping meant he wouldn’t be thinking and thinking is what he definitely did not want to be doing right now.

- - -

Lucifer woke from what may very well have been the best sleep of his life a few hours later. He was nice and toasty and found himself wanting nothing more than to stay buried beneath his blankets for the foreseeable future.

That is until he felt someone move in the bed beside him. Panic seized him before his brain helpfully filled him in on just what he’d been up to before he’d fallen asleep. His eyes snapped open, silky red hair and fluffy black-tipped ears filling his vision.

They must have swapped roles at some point in the night. He was now in the position of big spoon, his arm thrown haphazardly over Alastor’s bare shoulders rather than his waist. Alastor had accommodated him by sliding further down the mattress, leaving Lucifer’s head all by its lonesome on the pillow.

Well, this was awkward as fuck. In his infinite wisdom the night before, he’d never stopped to consider there would be intermissions interspersed between all the fucking. Serial killer cannibals needed their beauty rest too.

They’d never cleaned up from the night before either, had they? A shower and a fresh set of sheets were definitely on the menu. In addition to breakfast, judging by the ray of light shining from the small gap in the curtains.

Unless Alastor was already out of his rut…?

In which case things were about to get very awkward and Lucifer sincerely hoped he remembered consenting the night before.

Had he consented? He’d told Vox no, but had it been wrong for him to say yes? Had he forced Alastor’s hand by kissing him to distract him from Vox?

As if sensing his increasingly frantic thoughts, one of Alastor’s ears flicked him directly in the face.

Lucifer slowly lifted himself up on one elbow to peer down at the still sleeping Sinner, marveling at how even he managed to look innocent like this. He realized with a jolt that Alastor wasn’t smiling, his face having gone lax while he dozed.

Oh, that was weird. He was pretty sure everyone believed Alastor was incapable of any other facial expressions. He certainly had until now.

Fuck, he looked so young too. To be fair, everyone was young compared to a being who’d been around since the creation of…well…creation. But Alastor had entered Hell in…what? The thirties? Sometime around then. And he sure as fuck didn’t look like a senior citizen, which meant he was one of the rare Sinners who’d been dead longer than they’d been alive.

Most Sinners didn’t survive their first few exterminations. Not unless they accumulated power or hitched their wagon to those who had it.

Alastor must have been dead for at least ninety years now.

Did he remember what it had been like to be human? Lucifer studied his profile, trying to imagine him as one and failing miserably.

Did it even matter he’d started out as one, given he’d spent two or three times longer as a demon? Lucifer certainly didn’t still consider himself to be an angel…

Something shifted against his upper thigh and Lucifer jerked back from Alastor, staring down between them.

Oh.

Holy fucking shit.

Was that…?

Was that…?!

Alastor sat up, hiding away that adorable ball of fluff in the process. He stared blearily down at him, looking more asleep than awake.

“Is something the matter…?” he asked, voice husky.

“…you have a tail…”

Alastor blinked.

“What?”

“You have a tail!”

His brow furrowed. The repetition didn’t seem to have helped much. “Yes? So do you. And Husker.”

He sounded different, but Lucifer couldn’t pinpoint why. Maybe his mouth wasn’t awake yet either.

“I mean, yeah, but I didn’t know you had one!”

Satisfied the sky wasn’t falling, he laid back down on his side, giving Lucifer a front row seat to the tail in question.

“…can I touch it…?”

“Mmhmm,” he answered, sounding as if he might already be asleep again.

Lucifer pulled the blankets back up over them before ducking underneath to stare in wonder at the appendage. Its coloring was the same as Alastor’s hair and ears.

He might have to dust off his royal seal in order to ban the Sinner from ever hiding it again…

Lucifer hesitated only a moment longer before dragging a finger along the length of his tail, thrilled to find it was exactly as soft and fluffy as it looked.

Alastor sucked in a sharp breath, body tensing.

“Shit, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, jerking his hand away as if he’d been burned.

“N-No,” he answered, sounding as if he were speaking through his teeth.

Lucifer poked his head out from under the blanket, noting the high color in Alastor’s face and how he’d sunk his teeth into his bottom lip.

“…can I touch it again?”

He gave a jerky nod and Lucifer repeated the gesture, making him all but squirm where he lay. The color in his face deepened, his claws twisting in the blankets as if he was trying to ground himself.

Lucifer threaded his own claws through the sinfully soft fur, earning a full body shudder for his trouble.

Was he taking advantage of him right now? Could Alastor tell him no anymore, even if he wanted to?

He made to pull away, but Alastor pressed closer, a soft bleat of protest escaping him.

Oh.

He resumed his petting, watching in awe as Alastor’s breathing began to pick up. His hips gave tiny jerks, seemingly without his input. He hesitated only briefly before reaching around him to wrap his fingers around Alastor’s now straining cock.

Lucifer experimentally brushed his thumb over its leaking tip and the Sinner grabbed one of the remaining pillows, pressing it firmly against his face to muffle the increasingly desperate sounds he made as he rocked between Lucifer’s hands.

It didn’t take long for him to tense, almost sobbing as he came hard over Lucifer’s fingers. He stroked him through his orgasm, nuzzling the back of his shoulder as Alastor’s hips gave one final jerk. His chest heaved in the aftermath as he fought for breath, likely not helped by the fact the pillow was still in place.

Lucifer cleaned his hand with a snap of his fingers before gently easing the pillow back enough so Alastor could get some air.

“You all right…?” he hazarded.

“S-Sensitive,” he managed after a moment. “Want you.”

A thrill went through him at the words. Unfortunately one of them should probably be responsible and keep basic necessities in mind. “How about we get cleaned up first?”

Alastor glanced at him over his shoulder, ears tipping back. “What about you?”

He blinked back at him. “What about me?”

“You didn’t come.”

“Oh! It’s fine! I was planning on washing up anyway. I didn’t realize touching your tail would cause that kind of reaction. Didn’t wanna give you a case of blue balls.”

Alastor blinked. “What?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, moving to get up.

Alastor caught his arm, eyes wide.

“I’m just gonna run to my suite to grab a few things.”

His grip only tightened.

Had he been serious about not letting him out of his sight once they started all this?

Lucifer racked his brain for a way to calm him down. Maybe he just needed to play into his instincts? Particularly the ‘tending’ ones.

“How about you go get a bath ready for us and I’ll be right back?”

Alastor looked like he wanted to protest, ears flattening against his skull, but he gave a small nod, reluctantly easing his grip on his arm.

“I’ll be back before you even finish filling the tub,” he insisted, pressing a kiss to his temple.

The Sinner’s expression softened and he pressed a kiss to the back of Lucifer’s hand in return before releasing him.

Notes:

BEHOLD!!! Art of some sleepy cuddles from from the amazing MysticPirate!!! I wound up tweaking the scene after she shared her vision of Lucifer with a cowlick (deerlick?), haha!!!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and to kudos/comment, if you're so inclined)! It means so much to me!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

You can find me (and Thursday sneak peeks) on tumblr at hismercytomyjustice. I yell about things I love on there.

Chapter 3

Summary:

In which:
- Valentino flirts with double death
- Protective!Alastor makes an appearance
- Lucifer has a head full of pheromones
- And Angel is Doing His Best™

Notes:

Happy Saturday, friends!!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support!!! I can't tell you how happy I am for all the love this little fic has already gotten!!! Seriously, thank you so, so, so much!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!

Lucifer grabbed his pants and button up, throwing both on haphazardly and leaving his boots off for now. His suite was right down the hall. He didn’t really need to portal there. The two of them were the only ones who lived on the floor in order to accommodate his workshop and Alastor’s radio tower anyway.

Alastor watched him go, ears still tilted back. Lucifer gently closed the door behind him only to nearly jump out of his skin when he found himself face to fluff with Angel Dust.

Angel blinked down at him in surprise. He held a tray in two of his hands while a third held his hellphone to his ear. Or close to it, anyway, given how loud the person on the other end was being.

“So now I have to deal with Voxxie‘s case of bitchy blue balls and I can’t have you in the studio? Angie, baby, you are killing me!”

Angel offered him the covered tray before taking a few steps away to focus on his call. Not that it stopped Lucifer from eavesdropping.

“Have ya ever seen him in rut before?” Angel asked, sounding genuinely curious.

The other man huffed. “No. Vox always kept him to himself. He’s always been a spoiled rich brat. Never learned how to share.”

Lucifer’s forehead itched as his horns threatened to make an appearance. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? Alastor was his.

“Wouldn’t let me film him either, though I guess that’s because he breaks any camera that looks at him too long.” He sounded like he was pouting. “The money I could’ve made from that alone…”

Lucifer magicked the tray into Alastor’s rooms as he stalked toward Angel. Angel chose that moment to turn on his heel, freezing when he saw the look on Lucifer’s face. He went pale, eyes round as saucers.

“Uh… Val, I gotta go.”

“Oh~? Is it your turn with the Radio Demon? Did the King of Hell already wear himself out? Or are you all running a train on him? I don’t care how fucked up the pics are, you better send them to me. The things Vox would do for even a glimpse… And the money I could make…” He trailer off, chuckling meanly.

“No one’s taking any pictures,” Lucifer snarled, the hotel trembling on its foundation with the force of his words.

“Who the fuck is that?” Valentino prompted.

“Uh…”

Lucifer held his hand out for the phone. Angel placed it in his palm like it might explode.

“Val, is that your name?” Lucifer demanded.

“Oh! If it isn’t the King of Hell himself! How’s that prude of a deer treating you? The sounds he would make for Vox… Made even my dick wet and I hear that shit all day every day.”

Lucifer forced himself back under some semblance of control. He smiled now, all teeth, while his horns exploded out from his head and his eyes went red. “Tell you what, why don’t you stop by and see for yourself?” he asked, flames licking the corners of his mouth.

“Uh, Val?” Angel piped up, voice quavering.

“Now that’s an offer I just can’t refuse! Is that what you’ve been up to all this time? Fucking your way across the Pentagram? I can appreciate that. I’d do the same in your position.”

“Val!” Angel shouted just as Lucifer crushed his phone in his hand.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” he all but growled.

“…ya really think invitin’ another Overlord here is the best idea for Al right now?” Angel asked, all four hands up in a placating gesture. “It don’t matter how strong ya are, he’s gonna wanna fight him.”

“I’ll take care of him before my little doe even knows what happened.”

“…maybe ya should reconsider that whole thing once your head ain’t fulla his pheromones…?”

Lucifer didn’t answer as he stalked toward his own door. He’d considered portaling but was grateful he hadn’t now. He’d make that Val fucker wish he’d died in an extermination.

Angel hurried after him, reaching for his arm only to yank his hand back when the lights in the hallway abruptly shut off and angry static filled the air.

He and Lucifer both turned to be greeted by Alastor, visible in the darkness because of the green glow emanating around him from his powers.

He hadn’t bothered to get dressed.

Angel threw up his hands as if the other demon had a gun pointed at him.

“H-Hey there, Smiles! Just havin’ a friendly chat with ol’ short king here! He got a little upset and I was just tryin’ t’calm him down!”

Alastor’s neck snapped to the side in a motion that absolutely should have killed him. "Ʉ₱₴Ɇ₮?" he demanded.

Lucifer took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as he stared up at the looming Radio Demon. It wasn’t Angel’s fault he was ready to smite his self-satisfied prick of a boss. “I’m okay now, Al. Angel and I were just talking about some asshat named Val. I got a little heated.”

Alastor’s eyes narrowed into dangerous red slits. “Valentino?” he ominously rumbled.

Angel shot Lucifer a pleading look, his fur standing on end.

Alastor stalked toward them. Upon reaching them, the lights flickered back on and he wrapped his arms around Angel, nuzzling the back of his neck. “I’ll kill him,” he stated matter-of-factly.

The spider demon stood still as a statue, as if afraid even the slightest movement might end with him gutted and bleeding out.

As Lucifer watched the two, he was surprised he didn’t find himself wanting to rip Angel’s head off. Rather, the warmth from before filled his chest as he watched Alastor tend to another member of their herd.

He was so attentive. Lucifer had no doubt he’d be the same with their fawns when the time came. Speaking of, he needed to get to his suite and back again. Or maybe he could just take Alastor with him and breed him there. The thought of the scent of their combined sex filling the room was enough to make his cock twitch in interest.

The elevator suddenly dinged down the hall, doors sliding open to reveal a slightly frazzled looking Charlie. She made it a few steps out before abruptly freezing, staring at Alastor with wide, disbelieving eyes. His more delicate parts were still hidden behind Angel, but he was undoubtedly nude.

She went scarlet, immediately spinning on her heel to all but run for the elevator.

“Charlie, wait!” Lucifer protested. “Did you need something?”

“Not anymore I don’t!” she all but shrieked. She kept her back to them once she made it into the elevator, jabbing desperately at its buttons until the doors slid closed again.

Alastor pursed his lips as he stared after her. “She’s upset.”

“Don’t worry about it! I’ll go check on her!” Angel squeaked. “Uh, m-maybe after I talk to Luce here? In private?”

Alastor looked like he wanted to protest. Seeing his daughter thankfully brought some semblance of sanity back to Lucifer and he gave Alastor’s shoulder a brief squeeze. “We’ll just be a few minutes. Why don’t you go get that bath running, my little doe?”

When Alastor didn’t budge, he wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. Angel remained sandwiched between them, looking torn between terror and lust.

“All right, my dear,” Alastor murmured as Lucifer drew back. He released Angel and turned to head back into his rooms.

Angel all but sprinted to Lucifer’s door, opening it and throwing himself inside. Lucifer followed more sedately after, arching a brow. The instant the door closed behind them, the fog that had settled over his mind dissipated, the result of the wards he had in place, and his jaw went slack.

“…uh oh…”

“You’re fuckin’ tellin’ me!” Angel all but shouted. “I didn’t think it’d be an issue with ya bein’…y’know, you, but apparently I was wrong!”

He absently rubbed the back of his neck, face flushing. “…I don’t know what came over me. Maybe the pheromones…?”

“Maybe it’s ‘cause ya can shift into animals?” Angel offered, fanning himself. “…speakin’ of, nice rack ya got there.”

“Excuse me?”

Angel motioned to his head and Lucifer reached up, startled to find that a set of antlers had sprouted from his head at some point. He abruptly banished them, feeling as if his face was on fire.

“So are ya thinkin’ clearly now?”

“…I think so… Please tell me I didn’t call him what I think I did…?”

“No can do. This shit’s even worse for animal Sinners, especially ones in the same wheelhouse. Y’know, cuzza the whole ‘gotta breed’ thing?”

Lucifer scrubbed at his face with both hands. “…fuck my fucking life…”

“Any chance ya can rescind that invite to my boss now? Because him showin’ up here right now is a recipe for fuckin’ disaster. ‘Specially when Al ain’t in his right mind. Last thing we need is him gettin’ hurt cuzza that. Or word gettin’ out about him bein’ in rut. There’s plenty ‘a folks out there that’d love a chance to fuck the Radio Demon…”

Even with a clearer head, Lucifer felt a surge of undoubtedly possessive anger at the mere possibility. He forced it down, making himself think of the bigger picture here.

The hotel would be under siege again for an entirely different reason. He couldn’t realistically hold off every Sinner in Hell by himself. And Alastor was so deep in his instincts, he was both a danger to himself and others right now.

“…how has this already spiraled so far out of control?” Lucifer asked from behind his hands.

“Cuz Smiles does everythin’ with go big or go home energy? For the record, if ya can ward against his pheromones or somethin’, ya prolly should. We don’t need both of ya actin’ crazy. ‘Specially since you’re prolly the only one who can keep Smiles from goin’ on a rampage right now.”

He lowered his hands back with a heavy sigh. “You’re right. Yeah, I should be able to do that now I know. What’re the odds this Val bitch actually shows up?”

“He’s dumb as a fuckin’ rock, so like 150%.”

“TV head won’t stop him?”

Angel considered the question, absently tapping a finger to his chin. “Dunno. I mean, maybe? Assumin’ Val talks to him first.”

“Right…” Even with the pheromones gone, Lucifer still found himself wanting to pop this Val guy’s head off and mount it on a pike. The thought he’d take advantage of Alastor like that made him livid.

Alastor was so gentle right now. So caring. So unlike his usually prickly self. He was also more vulnerable than ever and Lucifer wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt his d— him.

“Okay. First things first. Does anyone have a number for TV head? Maybe if we call him, he’ll intercept that creep.”

As badly as he wanted Valentino dead right now, the safety of the hotel’s residents (especially Alastor) had to come first.

Angel nodded. “Yeah, if I call Vee Tower, I should be able to get ahold of him. I’m gonna need another phone though…”

Lucifer flushed, using his powers to repair the phone he’d destroyed and handing it over to him with a sheepish look.

Now he needed to ward himself, grab a few things, and head back before Alastor started getting any antsier than he already was.

While he worked on the ward, Angel stepped away, his phone held up to one ear as he wandered over toward the windows on the far wall. Judging from the faint music he heard coming from his direction, he must be on hold.

Lucifer had just finished setting up the ward when Angel sucked in a sharp breath.

“Short king? We got ourselves an emergency!”

Lucifer darted over to the window, eyes wide. His heart lurched in his chest when he looked down to see Alastor dressed in his usual attire, calmly walking down the hill and toward the city proper.

He abruptly threw open a portal, vaulting through to appear in front of the Sinner. Angel was quick to join him, looking warily down at Alastor.

For his part, Alastor was smiling hard but it wasn’t reaching his eyes. Lucifer was still learning Radio Demon body language, but from what little he knew, Alastor was pissed. His smile was close lipped, looking like it was trying to escape the confines of his face. His eyes, meanwhile, burned with anger.

He froze, however, on spotting them. “What are you both doing out here?” he demanded, voice sharp.

“What are you doing out here?” Lucifer countered.

“I’m going to have a quick little chat with that degenerate moth. Both of you go back to the hotel. Now. It shouldn’t take long.”

Fuck. How could he play this so Alastor didn’t go any further off the deep end?

Did he go for submissiveness? Dominance? Feign hurt? Would he respond to any of those?

Angel glanced between the two of them before looking pointedly at Lucifer and jerking his head back toward the hotel. Lucifer tried to communicate with his eyes that seemed like a terrible idea. Angel opened all eight of his in response.

Was there a fucking 101 manual he could pick up for this? He knew literally every language that had ever been created, yet body and eyeball language hadn’t been included despite being the most important of all.

Lucifer huffed, turning around to start back to the hotel. He hazarded a glance over his shoulder, noting Alastor still stood there, staring after them like he didn’t intend to leave until they were safely back inside.

Once they got about halfway back, Angel offered, “Ya wanna fuck?”

Lucifer very nearly tripped over his own two feet. “What?!”

He chuckled. “The look on your face right now! Shit, sorry. Just wanted to see if he could hear us or not.”

“And that was what you went with?! Do you have a death wish?!”

He grinned unrepentantly down at him. “Nah. I was gonna spin it to be about you an’ Smiles if he heard me.”

Lucifer raked a hand through his hair, belatedly realizing he had no idea where his top hat was. “So why are we going back to the hotel and letting him wander off? Weren’t we trying to avoid this?”

“Needed to get ya alone. Look, there’s a few ways we can play this. We just need to hit the right cheat code as far as his instincts go. Didya fuck him or vice versa?”

“Does it matter?!” he squeaked, face burning.

“Yeah? I‘m tryin’ to get inside his head. Ya called him your doe. Is he actin’ more doe like?”

“I mean, I guess? I’m not exactly an expert in deer. Do Sinners in rut usually gravitate toward one or the other?”

“Depends! I mean, the terms are all gendered as shit, but it’s what folks tend to go with as far as rut lingo goes. Definitely oversimplifyin’ it, but it’s a place to start.”

Lucifer nodded, debating on conjuring up a notepad so he could start writing all this down.

Angel absently rubbed his chin with one of his free hands. “So maybe ya need to act like a nice, strong buck? Can ya change your scent?”

“…you really think something like that would work?”

Angel shrugged both sets of shoulders. “Maybe if ya play the part, he’ll chill the fuck out an’ let ya handle shit?”

Huh. Lucifer considered this, crossing his arms in thought. “And if it doesn’t work?”

“He ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

“Aside from my pride?” Lucifer grumbled.

He took a deep breath, trying to settle his frazzled nerves. He let antlers once more sprout on the top of his head, a proper rack, and then adjusted his scent accordingly.

Angel wrinkled his nose as the strong musky smell hit the air. Maybe he was laying it on a bit too thick?

Lucifer opened his mouth to ask as much only to pause as Alastor materialized beside them. His eyes were wide, pupils blown.

Well! Maybe Angel was on to something after all!

Alastor stared fixedly down at him before leaning closer, pressing his face to the side of Lucifer’s throat and inhaling deeply. A faint tremble went through him. His tongue darted out to lick the spot right over his pulse point and Lucifer failed to suppress a shiver.

Angel gaped at the two of them only to give a startled jerk when the faint hold music playing on his phone cut off and a man’s voice sounded on the line.

He gave Lucifer a thumbs up before continuing toward the hotel. “Hey, it’s Angel Dust. I need to speak with the big boss. It’s urgent. Tell him it’s about the Radio Demon.”

If Alastor heard him, he gave no indication. He was far too busy nuzzling and licking every inch of skin he could find. If he’d been able to, Lucifer was convinced he’d find a way to crawl inside his rib cage and take up residence there.

Okay.

He could do this!

…or at least he fucking hoped so…

Lucifer conjured a portal directly into Alastor’s rooms, tugging the unresisting deer after him.

Shit. Maybe he could just keep him compliant via pheromones?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, it left him uneasy. Alastor was already fucked up in the head enough right now. It seemed cruel to take what little control he had left away from him. It might not be a bad idea for a last resort though. To keep him from waltzing out to fight and/or eat all of Hell…

They’d barely made it through the portal before Alastor’s nimble fingers began to make quick work of Lucifer’s clothes. Lucifer dialed back the pheromones and the Sinner’s movements abruptly became less frantic.

Alastor’s brow furrowed, hands stilling on Lucifer’s last few buttons. “I was in the middle of something,” he murmured more to himself than Lucifer. “Going somewhere…”

Uh oh.

“To run a bath?” Lucifer offered helpfully, resting his hands over his.

He cocked his head to one side, lips pursing.

Lucifer rubbed soothing circles into the back of his hands as he tried to tow him toward the en suite.

Alastor’s head jerked up and he glanced around them. “Where is Angel Dust?”

Uh oh.

“He’s still here at the hotel. Probably in his room.”

“Good. Tell him to stay there. I’ll be back shortly.”

Lucifer winced before adjusting the pheromones again, making them stronger. Alastor’s sharp eyes all but glazed over as he yanked him into a bruising kiss.

It was a struggle to keep the two of them moving while his hooves threatened to curl and other parts of him began to take notice of the festivities. He didn’t want to know what would be happening right now if he hadn’t warded himself against Alastor’s scent.

Lucifer’s back hit the closed bathroom door and he released one of Alastor’s hands to try to fumble for the door knob. He managed to awkwardly wrap his fingers around it before Alastor suddenly hauled him into his arms and carried him back to the bed.

Well, he supposed this was as good of a distraction as any.

He snapped his fingers, cleaning them both up. He had no idea if Alastor already had or not, but decided to err on the side of caution.

Alastor dumped him onto the bed, immediately climbing over him before reversing their positions, rolling Lucifer on top of him.

“I n-need… Please…!”

He didn’t even look like he knew where they were right now as he trembled beneath him, threatening to bite through his own bottom lip.

Lucifer considered him a long moment before leaning back. “On your stomach.”

Alastor hurried to comply, rocking back against him despite the fact they were both still mostly clothed. Lucifer snapped his fingers again, divesting the Sinner of his coat, shirt, suspenders, and undershirt. He pressed his hands firmly down against his upper back, kneading the muscle there as he gradually began to lower the intensity of his scent again.

He wasn’t going to fuck him like that. He refused. But maybe he could distract him with something else long enough that he wouldn’t need to overwhelm his sense of smell.

“Wh-What are you doing?” Alastor hazarded after a moment, though he seemed happy enough to stay put once Lucifer straddled his narrow hips.

“Ever had a massage before?”

Judging from the state of his back, he was going to guess that was a big fat no. Unsurprising, given how little Alastor cared for physical touch from others.

Alastor sucked in a sharp breath as he found a particularly tight knot.

“No…? I can give you one instead?”

“Maybe when I’m done,” Lucifer offered, the tip of his forked tongue poking out as he dug his thumbs into the spot.

“A-Ah!”

The muscle jumped under his ministrations as Alastor briefly tensed. He all but melted into the bed once Lucifer managed to loosen it up.

Maybe he should suggest they all do a spa day for one of their redemption activities? He knew Charlie would be on board. He’d just have to figure out a way to convince Alastor…

Lucifer continued his meticulous work, making his way down the length of his back. Aside from the occasional hiss or sharp intake of breath, Alastor was putty in his hands. By the time he finished, the Sinner was out like a light.

Lucifer settled beside him with a sigh of relief before conjuring up some warm compresses to try and stave off some of the soreness Alastor was bound to feel after the release of over a century of tension.

The other man curled around him, fingers loosely gripping the hem of his shirt.

He didn’t bother to hide the fond smile he directed down at him before settling down beside him, gathering the exhausted Sinner into his arms.

Notes:

Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and to kudos/comment, if you're so inclined)! It means so much to me!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

Hopefully this chapter turned out okay!!! Brain is mush à la migraine, so I decided to just go ahead and push it out of the nest.

You can find me (and Thursday sneak peeks) on tumblr at hismercytomyjustice. I yell about things I love on there.

Chapter 4

Summary:

“Eloquent as always,” Alastor said as he faced forward. “Are you going to finish up so you can fuck me again or not?”

There might be smoke coming out of his ears…

“…you seem like you’re feeling more like yourself?”

“I do, don’t I? Best hurry then.”

Notes:

Happy Sunday, friends!!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ So sorry for the delay!!! I was traveling part of last week (went to see Rhys Darby's standup!) and then the constantly fluctuating weather has blessed me with migraines the rest of it, lol.

Welcome to the penultimate chapter for this little fic! Also, fun fact, I only just realized there are four Saturdays in February. I guess I was looking at March before? OH WELL!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support for this fic!!! You are all so incredibly sweet and it means so much to me that y'all have taken the time to read this and let me know what you think!!!

Hope you enjoy!!!

Lucifer woke a few hours later to find Alastor settled between his legs, nuzzling and mouthing at his crotch through his slacks.

Holy fucking shit!

For someone who seemed disinterested in anything sexual ninety-nine percent of the time, he sure knew how to drive a person straight up insane.

His breath hitched as he reflexively pushed up into that warm, wet heat. Oh fuck, was Alastor going to suck him after all? Should he even let him?

The other man’s red eyes met his, practically smouldering with desire.

Fuck, he was gonna be the death of him.

“May I?” he asked, voice rough with sleep.

“Uh…”

Stringing two thoughts together was becoming impossible.

Focus, Lucifer!

“C-Can I fuck you?”

Alastor gave him a slow, sultry smile. “You can do anything with me that you like, my dear.”

Angel Dust had better hope the Radio Demon never decided to switch careers because he was gonna give him a run for his money if he did.

Belatedly, he realized Alastor was already nude, his skin flushed and his dick hard. He snapped his fingers to divest himself of the rest of his clothes too, only to gasp as Alastor took the opportunity to wrap his lips around his cock.

Lucifer’s hips gave a reflexive jerk as his hands scrabbled for purchase on any part of Alastor he could reach. He wound up with a handful of ear and hair as he all but whined at each carefully calculated flick of Alastor’s tongue.

“A-Ah… A-Al,” he stammered, trying to warn him as heat pooled in his lower belly.

Alastor responded by taking him as deep as he could go, apparently never having heard of a gag reflex. Lucifer’s orgasm crashed over him like a wave and he came directly down his throat. Alastor took down every drop he could coax out of him before leaning back to lick his swollen lips.

Lucifer’s cock twitched at the sight, but even his refractory period wasn’t that good. He propped himself up on his elbows as he stared up at him.

How much of this was the deer demon even going to remember?

Would he be mortified if he did?

Alastor crawled up the length of him, pressing their lips together in a kiss that left Lucifer’s head spinning.

“Still going to fuck me?” he murmured against his lips.

“M-Might need a sec…” he squeaked.

He nodded, leaning back to absently trace random patterns across his chest with one cool fingertip.

“A-Actually…” Lucifer sat up.

Alastor leaned back to accommodate him.

“Why don’t you get on your hands and knees for me?”

Something flared in those too red eyes as he moved as directed. Lucifer settled behind him, grabbing the bottle of lube in the process. While he’d prepped him not too long ago, it couldn’t hurt to do it again. It would also give him some time to get himself back together.

He pressed a slick finger into him and Alastor moaned as he rocked his hips back to take it deeper. It wasn’t long before he added a second, curling them once he did.

Alastor tried and failed to muffle a startled bleat.

Lucifer continued to work against that spot, rubbing the tips of his fingers firmly against it until he felt the Sinner start to tense. He kept his fingers deep inside him as he leaned around, wrapping his lips around the head of Alastor’s cock.

The Sinner gave a static laden cry as he rocked further into his mouth. He didn’t last long, whimpering as he came. Lucifer brushed his tongue against the tip of him before drawing back to check on him.

Alastor’s tail quivered in the aftermath, his ears pressed flat against his skull. He panted softly, eyes unfocused as he came back down from the edge.

“Do you still want—“

“Yes!”

Lucifer swallowed thickly as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and settled behind him on his knees. Alastor rocked impatiently back against him, eliminating any fears he had about overstimulation.

When Lucifer didn’t immediately take him up on the offer, the deer tipped forward, pressing his cheek into the mattress, clearly intending for Lucifer to mount him.

Oh.

Oh fuck.

Oh fucking fuck.

All rational thought abruptly went out the window as Lucifer was consumed by the need to claim him.

Breed him.

Fill him with fawns!

Wait, what?

He mentally checked his wards, finding them still fully in place. Which meant his instincts were starting to get the better of him the longer he stayed in a deer-like form or his earlier lapse due to Alastor’s pheromones had been more potent than he’d thought.

Why was it, after everything else they’d done, this was what threatened to completely unravel him?

Lucifer forced the ridiculous thoughts from his mind, trying to be gentle as he slid inside him. Alastor made a sound of protest in the back of his throat, his claws tightening in the sheets.

“Y-You okay…? Should I stop?” Maybe he was oversensitive after all?

“Don’t you dare stop!”

His spine reflexively straightened at his commanding tone. “Right! Not stopping then!”

Maybe he could request some lessons from Alastor on how to be more assertive before the end of his rut…

Lucifer settled fully inside him, panting softly as he gave him a moment to adjust.

Had Alastor always been this aggressive? What had his life been like before he died? His early days in Hell? How had he died in the first place?

These were exactly the kinds of thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking if he hoped to retain some semblance of sanity and normalcy after this…

He rested his hands on Alastor’s hips as he began to pick up his pace.

The absolute stupidest thing he could do would be to fall in love with a Sinner, especially a Sinner in rut, and especially especially Alastor. His daughter’s business partner. An unrepentant serial killer cannibal. An Overlord.

Who’d almost died protecting his daughter and her dream.

Lucifer wasn’t convinced Alastor’s reasons weren’t steeped in some scheme or other, but most people didn’t risk their lives for someone else’s dream. And, as much as it rankled, he saw the way Alastor looked at Charlie sometimes.

Charlie was hard not to like, of course. But he wondered if she or the infamous Radio Demon realized how tightly she was beginning to wrap him around her finger.

The thought should have pissed him off. Absolutely would have, prior to him kissing Alastor. Now it was hard not to wonder what the Sinner would be like with fawns of his own.

Their fawns.

Lucifer had always wanted another child. Charlie had asked him more than once for a sibling, but Lilith had been opposed. Her reasoning was sound. Hell was dangerous. Heaven was dangerous. They’d probably gotten lucky with Charlie‘s conception anyway.

It hadn’t stopped him from wanting though.

Fuck!

How the fuck had he already circled back to that?!

…then again having procreation on the brain was hardly strange given their current…ahem…activities…

Lucifer just needed to turn said brain off. That was all. Before it got him in any further trouble. Thinking right now was the enemy because thinking led to things like imagining and imagining led to things like…

Like…

He took a deep breath, weakening the wards he’d established to keep Alastor’s scent out. Not entirely. Just enough to redirect his own focus. His antlers grew heavier on his head and he picked up the pace of his thrusts, a low growl escaping him.

His doe.

His.

His, his, his.

Alastor was his.

Not because of some misguided feelings, but because of the rut. The instincts driving them both. He’d claimed Alastor for this mating season and when it was over, they would part ways.

It was as simple as that.

Lucifer felt himself getting close, spurred on by the sounds his mate made as he bred him. He readjusted his hold on the doe’s hips so he could press even deeper, drawing a strangled, static laden cry.

His doe made to reach underneath himself, to palm his own cock. Lucifer knocked his hand away with another growl.

He would come like this. Untouched. He would come solely because Lucifer filled him with his seed.

Some distant part of him noted he was probably gripping the doe’s hips too hard, that bruises were sure to follow.

Good. Alastor would look at them later and remember who put them there. Who he belonged to.

But it wasn’t enough. Bruises would fade. He needed something more permanent. To warn off others and so his mate would never forget their time together.

Lucifer’s arm tightened around Alastor’s waist like a vise, pulling the Sinner’s back flush to his chest as he came. He held him there, even as Alastor’s legs trembled.

He didn’t pull out as he maneuvered them both onto their sides, his face pressed between his shoulder blades. He kept him right where he wanted him as he began grooming him, nuzzling and licking at what skin he could reach.

As they lay there, catching their breath, he loosened his hold around his middle enough to palm Alastor’s cock. The Sinner whimpered as Lucifer confirmed he, too, was spent.

Oversensitive.

His doe needed rest. Sleep was trying to drag him under too, despite the fact they’d both woken up from a nap not too long ago.

Lucifer finally pulled out as he felt his eyelids growing heavier. He shifted up the length of Alastor’s body so he could actually breathe. He nosed along the side of his throat, reveling in his scent, only to pause when he realized the skin there had become tacky.

Blood?

Ah. Teeth marks. His. Staking his claim.

Good.

He turned his attention to nuzzling the short hair at the nape of his doe’s neck as the Sinner’s breathing grew deep and even.

When Lucifer next woke, he realized Alastor had rolled over at some point and they were now face to face.

He also wasn’t the only one awake.

Alastor’s eyes were soft when they met his, but far clearer than they had been for the past…however much time had passed.

Two days? Three?

Did that mean his rut was over? Or would it be soon?

It couldn’t be over yet. Otherwise he would’ve launched Lucifer through a wall by now.

“G’morning,” Lucifer eloquently garbled.

Amusement flickered across Alastor’s face.

Definitely still in rut.

“If you’ll release me, I can go get a bath started for us.”

He blinked, belatedly realizing he still had an arm wrapped tightly around the other man. He withdrew it with a sheepish look.

Alastor leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead before he climbed out of bed, still completely bare. He made his way to the ensuite and Lucifer watched him go, a wistful expression coming to his face.

…so much for trying to turn his brain off…

He established his wards as he struggled to rouse himself enough to actually get out of bed. Alastor saved him the trouble, returning to lift him into his arms and carry him to the bathroom. He stepped into the tub with him, sinking down into the hot, lavender scented water.

He encouraged Lucifer to lean back against his chest, wrapping his arms loosely around him from behind. Despite his best efforts, Lucifer felt his eyes begin to burn.

He was going to miss this when it was all over. This softer, attentive side of Alastor. The thought of the inevitable revulsion on his face and the barbed insults that were sure to follow made him queasy.

Alastor wasn’t the one stupid enough to catch feelings. His brain was just marinating in enough pheromones that this seemed like a good idea at present. Was he really so touch starved and desperate for affection that he’d begun to fall for him?

No. He’d been attracted to the Sinner from the beginning. It was rare for anyone, let alone a human soul, to challenge him. To not immediately fawn or flee or freeze in his presence. Alastor had treated him like the deadbeat father he was, and only after he’d greeted the other man by thoroughly insulting his choice in decor.

Not because he actually hated it. No, Lucifer had lashed out because it was a physical reminder of the fact some psychopathic Sinner had been there for his daughter when he hadn’t. He’d been angry at himself and had taken it out on Alastor, never giving them a chance to start off on the right foot.

True, Alastor still might’ve been a complete asshat, but Lucifer was the one who’d fired the first shot.

And then, as abysmally stupid as the choice had been, Alastor had gone toe to toe with Adam. But had it really even been a choice? The only other person powerful enough to fight the First Man head on was Charlie.

Instead of Alastor up on that roof, it could’ve been his little girl. And without Alastor’s shield, Charlie and her friends may have been slaughtered before Lucifer could intervene.

Waiting for Heaven to break the treaty first had been agonizing. But Alastor kept Adam busy long enough that he hadn’t had a chance to wipe them out with a single blow like he had with the snake guy and his blimp. Adam would’ve undoubtedly targeted Charlie first too, just to get back at her parents for their perceived slight thousands of years ago.

How he could be so grateful to Alastor while still not trusting him was beyond him. He was an enigma wrapped in a mystery. His rut was lulling Lucifer into a false sense of security. At any moment, he’d stumble into a bear trap and suffer all the more because he wanted to believe so badly one wouldn’t be there.

He felt himself slipping deeper into the dark place that had been his constant companion since his Fall. Where every foolish decision he’d made haunted him.

Would he be able to stay at the hotel after this?

Would it be too painful?

The thought of retreating to the palace and sequestering himself in his workshop made his heart ache. He finally had Charlie back in his life and now he’d fucked up all over again because, in his infinite wisdom, he’d fucked her hotelier and caught feelings.

Lucifer was suddenly pulled from his negative spiral as Alastor gently rubbed his temples with the tips of his claws.

“You’re thinking too hard. I’m beginning to worry you might strain something,” he drawled in his ear.

His face flushed. “You must be feeling more like yourself if you’re insulting me now.”

Alastor hummed noncommittally. “If you wet your hair, I’ll wash it for you.”

Rather than dunk himself, Lucifer snapped his fingers to achieve the same result. Moments later Alastor began massaging shampoo into his hair. Whatever Lucifer had expected scent-wise, it wasn’t delicate florals, vanilla, and sandalwood. There were other notes to it he might be able to tease out if given the time.

His eyes slid closed as tension seeped from his body and he finally relaxed against Alastor.

“You’re good at this,” he mumbled.

“I’ve had a great deal of practice.”

“You have?”

“Mmhmm.” He didn’t elaborate.

“Am I allowed to return the favor…?”

“I believe you’ve already given me something similar,” he replied as he lightly tugged on Lucifer’s hair.

“I want to,” he insisted. “Wait, what are you doing?”

Alastor conjured up a mirror and held it out to him. Lucifer stared at his reflection only to be greeted by a sudsy mohawk. He gave a startled snort of laughter.

“Why?”

“Why not? It’s not often I get my hands on hair with your texture.”

Lucifer tilted his head back to look up at him. As he did so, Alastor snapped his fingers and his hair abruptly switched to curls.

Tight, springy curls.

“Whoa! Wait, you have curly hair?!”

Alastor arched a brow.

“Or…did you make it curly…?”

“This is my natural hair.”

“What?! Why do you straighten it then?!”

He snorted softly. “I don’t straighten it, I relax it.”

Lucifer blinked. “What’s the difference? Why wouldn’t you want it to be curly?”

“Old habits. Though it’s far easier and less time consuming now than it was while I was alive. Are you going to rinse your hair yourself or shall I dunk you?”

He rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers again. Rut pheromones or not, he had no doubt the Sinner would think shoving him under the water was hysterical.

Alastor applied conditioner next with the same level of care and attention, humming softly to himself all the while. Lucifer didn’t recognize the song.

Would Alastor tell him what it was if he asked?

“Now leave that in until we’re finished here.”

Lucifer offered a mock salute before turning around and scooting to the other side of the large bath. Alastor followed suit, though he used the detached shower head to wet his hair.

“Please try not to get any in my ears,” he said as he handed him the unlabeled bottle of shampoo.

“I won’t,” Lucifer promised as he began to work his fingers into Alastor’s hair. It felt thicker than it had before, maybe due to the volume it now held?

“Do you shampoo your ears too?”

“Yes. Can you be trusted on that front?”

“I’ll make my mohawk permanent if I get any in your ears,” he insisted, earning a soft chuckle.

As he worked the product into his hair, Lucifer’s gaze drifted down to his slender neck and then his shoulders where there were not one but two matching bite marks. They started at the curve of his neck and ended in the meat of his shoulders.

His face warmed as he stared at them.

“…I don’t remember doing that.”

“Hmm?” Alastor murmured, leaning back into his hands.

“The…uh…”

“The delightful marks you left on my person?”

Shit. Was that sarcasm? Was he pissed?

Lucifer’s hands stilled and Alastor glanced back at him over his shoulder. Their eyes met and he smirked.

“I like them.”

Oh.

Oh.

“And judging by what I now feel pressing into my lower back, so do you.”

Lucifer felt as if his face were on fire. “Uh…”

“Eloquent as always,” Alastor said as he faced forward. “Are you going to finish up so you can fuck me again or not?”

There might be smoke coming out of his ears…

“…you seem like you’re feeling more like yourself?”

“I do, don’t I? Best hurry then.”

“…I will never understand you…” Lucifer muttered to himself as he resumed his washing.

Alastor all but melted against him when he reached his ears, a soft bleat escaping as he pressed closer. Lucifer found himself smiling again by the time they finished up in the tub.

They both toweled off before donning fluffy robes, not bothering to fully dress given their plans.

“…I’m sorry I kind of forced your hand with all this,” Lucifer offered as they settled back on the bed after he snapped the sheets clean.

Alastor snorted softly as he tugged him closer by the front of his robe. “Do you ever shut up?” he asked, just before claiming his lips in a lingering kiss.

Lucifer decided to err on the side of caution and assume the question was rhetorical as he kissed him back. Alastor made a soft, pleased sound in return.

“I think one more ought to do the trick,” he said upon drawing back. “Which means I’ll have only lost a few days rather than a full week to this year’s rut.”

“…so what, we fuck one last time and then you suddenly get post nut clarity?”

“We most certainly will not if you ever use that phrase again.”

Somehow, even with the rut still in his system, Lucifer was convinced Alastor would find a way to abstain.

“…happy to be of service…?”

Alastor smirked, drawing him back in for another kiss.

Lucifer gradually relaxed into it, even as he began to dread what was to come after. But he’d agreed to help.

This was him helping.

Alastor wrapped his arms around him, pulling him on top of himself and parting his legs to give him room to settle between them.

“How do you want it this time…?”

He ignored him in favor of slipping his tongue between Lucifer’s parted lips.

Body Language 101 would’ve been really helpful right now.

Suddenly Alastor rolled them over, reversing their positions so he was on top now. He unbelted his robe and slid it from his shoulders before untying Lucifer’s too and opening it.

Despite his mental state being all over the place, Lucifer’s cock had no such reservations. Alastor grabbed the bottle of lube, pouring a generous amount onto his fingers before he began to stroke him.

Lucifer hissed as he pressed up into his grip, clutching the sheets beneath him for dear life. Satisfied, Alastor straddled him, eyes locked on his as he slowly sank down onto his cock without any additional prep for himself.

Lucifer’s hands shot to his hips as a sound he wasn’t entirely proud of escaped him at the display. Alastor looked smug as he lifted himself up and then eased himself back down.

Yeah, he was never looking at or existing in the same room as his daughter’s hotelier again…

Alastor’s ever present grin turned wicked as he gradually began to pick up the pace, moaning softly as he used Lucifer to chase his pleasure.

He was beautiful like this. Face and throat flushed, as brimming with confidence and control as ever.

Alastor’s eyes slid closed, lips parting as he panted softly for breath. His eyelashes trembled against his cheeks as he neared the edge.

The sight alone was enough to bring Lucifer right along with him.

He broke first, hips arching as much as they were able from the bed as he spilled inside him. Alastor followed soon after, making the lights in the room flicker as he groaned and spilled across Lucifer’s belly.

They both fought for breath after, though Alastor stayed put right where he was.

At some point, he didn’t know when, Lucifer had held him so tightly that bruises were now blossoming across the Sinner’s hips. He winced when he caught sight of them. The demon followed his gaze, eyes lighting up in what could only be delight.

Before Alastor slid off of his softening cock, he leaned forward, pressing their lips together one final time.

Notes:

Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and to kudos/comment, if you're so inclined)! It means so much to me!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

You can find me (and the final Thursday sneak peek) on tumblr at hismercytomyjustice. I yell about things I love on there.

Chapter 5

Summary:

The final chapter!

Alastor and Lucifer, sittin' in a tree! C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-N-G!

Notes:

HELLO FRIENDS!!! My sincerest apologies for the unexpected delay for the final chapter of this little fic! I've had an absolutely delightful time with a month straight of migraines and an OCD flare up, but am doing better now!

Thank you all so much for your kind words and support throughout this little fic!!! It means the world to me!!!

Also, if it's your thing (which it probably is if you're here!), I'll be posting a few oneshots for Bottom Alastor Week over the next few days (right now the plan is three of them, but we'll see if I manage to crank anything else out, haha). Only one will be RadioApple right now. The other two will be RadioHusk and RadioStatic!

Hope you enjoy!!!

Lucifer had been dismissed the next morning with a boisterous, “Thanks, chum! I’ll handle the rest on my own!”

He’d dreaded seeing the others in the aftermath, but no one commented on what he and Alastor had spent the last few days up to. Aside from Charlie dissolving into borderline hysterical laughter or excusing herself a few times when he and Alastor happened to be in the same room.

Lucifer feared things would be unbearably awkward between himself and the Sinner too, but they’d settled back into their usual routine, albeit with a bit less open hostility. Alastor still poked fun at him, but now no more than he did with the others.

The radio host was downright peppy after his rut, full of energy and all genuine smiles. Lucifer tried to keep his distance, but the Sinner always seemed to find a reason to be near him when they were in the same room.

Alastor eschewed his usual wingback chair on game night, settling next to Lucifer on the loveseat. Though he was an early riser, he often made a pitstop to the kitchen hours later when Lucifer, bleary eyed and half awake, finally made his way down. He’d make himself some coffee, black, and place a second mug, tailored to Lucifer’s exact specifications, on the table in front of him without so much as a word.

He even volunteered to work with him in the garden during their weekly chore assignment. He spent the time chatting at Lucifer, unbothered by his stilted replies, while simultaneously using his shadow tentacles to spear every VoxTek drone that drifted too close.

By the time the next weekend rolled around, Lucifer found himself seated late Friday night at the bar. He didn’t feel like talking and Husk didn’t press. Instead he wordlessly set Apple Cinnamon Mule after Apple Cinnamon Mule on the bartop in front of him. The only real difference between the drink and the traditional Moscow Mule was the addition of apple cider. Husk also added sliced apples and a cinnamon stick for garnish.

He must really look pathetic if the surly bartender was going out of his way to zhuzh up his drinks.

It was good. Strong, but not too strong. It made it easier to pretend he was enjoying a cozy night in rather than trying to drink himself into oblivion.

The hours crept by and soon only he and Husk were left at the bar. Lucifer had almost worked up the energy to portal himself to his room when the hotel’s front doors opened and Alastor strode directly over to the two of them.

Lucifer didn’t think he imagined the wary glance Husk shot between them.

“You’re out late,” Husk said as he grabbed a glass and a bottle of rye.

“Yes, well, needs must!”

That said, Alastor set a small white box tied with twine down in front of Lucifer. He blinked owlishly at it as he took another bite of apple slice.

“Well, are you going to open it?” Alastor asked as he settled on the stool next to him.

“…is it gonna explode or something…?”

He belted out a laugh. “Ha, ha, no! But I’ll keep that delightful suggestion in mind for next time!”

Next time?

“Husker, you’re no longer needed here. Why don’t you toddle up to dear Angel Dust’s bed?”

Husk’s jaw went slack as he stared back at him.

“Really, Husker! If it was supposed to be a secret, the two of you shouldn’t make such sappy faces at one another while in mixed company!” he chided, taking a sip of his drink.

Husk didn’t comment, instead picking his jaw up off the floor and abruptly heading toward the elevators. Which left Lucifer alone with Alastor. And a mystery box that might not explode.

Alastor set an elbow on the bartop, resting his cheek in his hand as he stared down at him.

Lucifer avoided his gaze, instead focusing on the little box with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. “…what is it?”

“Why don’t you open it and find out for yourself?”

He tentatively reached for it, sliding the twine off. He steeled himself as he lifted the lid only to gape down at what looked suspiciously like a ring inside.

“…what…?”

“I noticed you stopped wearing your wedding ring a few weeks back, but haven’t stopped your habit of fidgeting with it despite it no longer being there. I thought you might like a replacement.”

Alastor plucked it from the box, slipping it partway onto one of his own fingers and then brushing his thumb across it, causing it to spin.

Lucifer stared.

“I’ve heard they’re all the rage these days,” Alastor continued. “There are other types, of course, but this seemed the best suited to your predilections.”

He took it off, holding it out to him. Lucifer gingerly took it. There were apples etched into the gold band. It was real gold too, clearly meant to last.

“You didn’t have to get me a present for helping you,” he protested as he slowly turned it over and over again in his hands.

“Who said that’s what it’s for?”

His brow furrowed and he hazarded a glance up at him. Alastor had one of his genuine smiles on. “…what else would it be for? You’re not exactly in the habit of giving me presents.”

“I’m not!” he cheerily agreed.

Fuck, Lucifer couldn’t accept a ring from him. But how the hell was he supposed to say so without coming across as rude or ungrateful? The last thing he needed was for Alastor to level the hotel in a fit of pique.

“…you don’t think people might get the wrong idea?” he heard himself say.

Alastor hummed in consideration. “Such as?”

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe the fact he’d been walking on eggshells for the past week, but Lucifer suddenly couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you really going to make me spell it out for you?” he demanded, shoving the ring back into its box.

Alastor arched a brow, unperturbed by his outburst.

“Look, last weekend might have been a one and done thing for you, asshole, but we both know I’m a fucking idiot and it’s already been hard enough for me to move on without you pulling shit like this!”

“Well, I can hardly argue with that logic! You are a fucking idiot.”

“Fuck you!” Lucifer snapped, shoving away from the bar.

He, however, forgot he was seated on one of its stools and succeeded only in pitching himself and the stool backward. His miserable, booze pickled body failed to react in time for him to catch himself, but he didn’t fall. Instead his barstool righted itself of its own accord, leaving him dizzy and gripping tightly onto the counter.

“Are you quite finished?” Alastor drawled.

The fight drained from him as quickly as it had come. Lucifer dropped his head into his hands, shoulders hunching. “…I don’t fucking know…” he mumbled, voice thick.

“Do me a favor, will you, and consider a moment why I might have noticed your wedding ring is gone.”

Lucifer’s brow furrowed as he tried to think. “…to make fun of me?”

“Am I making fun of you right now?”

He squinted up at him. “You called me a fucking idiot.”

“You called yourself a fucking idiot,” he countered.

Lucifer scowled, unable to argue with that logic.

“Do you think I would have agreed to spend my rut with you if you’d still been wearing it?” Alastor continued.

“How am I supposed to know?!” he demanded, throwing his hands up.

Alastor sniffed. “I may be a lot of things. A serial killer and a cannibal, to name a few. But I am not a homewrecker, nor am I a harlot.”

That actually startled a laugh from Lucifer.

“So, I ask you again, why would I have noticed your wedding ring was gone weeks ago?”

Lucifer hated the part of him that dared to actually hope right now.

Alastor stared calmly back at him, the Jeopardy song starting up from the radio behind the bar. Lucifer glanced curiously over at it.

“…because you didn’t want me to be wearing it…?”

“Look at you! Not as pathetically hopeless as we were both beginning to fear!” he crowed, going so far as to punctuate the statement with jazz hands.

“…because you’re not a homewrecker?”

“Which means?”

“…you…wanted to spend your rut with me…?”

“Because?”

Lucifer swallowed hard, half convinced he was about to be laughed right out of Pride, if not Hell entirely. “…you…wanted to spend it with me…?”

“It’s not precisely how I intended to broach the subject, but you decided to speed things along by kissing me while I was half out of my mind with lust.”

Lucifer blinked once. Twice. “…I thought you hated me?”

“My dear, if I truly hated you, you would not be here right now!”

Physically or alive-ly?

“…okay?”

Alastor gave him an indulgent smile and a patronizing pat on the head. “You’re here because I want you here.”

Bold words coming from a Sinner. Then again, Lucifer had been moping over said Sinner for almost a week now…

“The time we spent together removed any lingering doubts I had about our compatibility.”

“…thank you?”

He snorted softly. “And given how utterly pathetic you’ve been in the intervening days, I’m convinced you, too, are amenable to something more than a weekend tryst.”

“Wow, don’t hold anything back over there, asshole.”

Alastor continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Which is why I’d like to ask you if you’ll go steady with me.”

Lucifer inhaled the final sip of his drink, devolving into a hacking fit. The Sinner pounded his back with far more force than necessary, offering him a napkin in the aftermath.

“G-Go steady?” Lucifer finally croaked.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“You…want to date…? Me…?”

Alastor pursed his lips, eyes flicking into radio dials and back again. “If you ask me to explain this to you again, I will rescind the offer.”

Lucifer fell silent as he studied him, searching for any sign this might be a joke or some bizarre test or something. Though Alastor’s posture read as both confident and relaxed, when he actually looked at him, he noted his ears were held so straight they were almost trembling while his brow was ever so slightly furrowed. His smile was also starting to fray at the edges.

Was… Was Alastor nervous?

“Can you at least tell me why you want to date me first?” Lucifer asked. While he was genuinely curious, he was also not so subtly stalling.

The sound of shifting radio stations accompanied the slight tilt of the Sinner’s head. “I suppose that’s a reasonable enough request.”

Was he stalling too?

He tapped the tips of his claws against the bartop as he gathered his thoughts. “Hmm… Despite being the most powerful entity in Hell, you are alarmingly pathetic.”

Lucifer’s brows slammed down. He wished he hadn’t finished his drink so he could throw the rest of it in the smug bastard’s face.

Alastor didn’t seem to notice. “At first I loathed that about you. All that wasted potential…” He sighed theatrically. “I’ve since realized it’s not so much that you actively choose to be pathetic, but rather that you struggle to be the opposite.”

Maybe he’d just throw the entire copper mug at him instead…

He turned in his seat to fully face him, the corners of his mouth twitching further upward. “You’re nearly as delusionally sentimental as your daughter—“ Scratch that, Lucifer was going to hit him so hard he’d come back to life. “—which is a trait I’ve become rather…fond of in both of you.”

Wait, what?

“You have the entirety of Heaven against you, yet you still believe in your silly little dreams!”

He really should’ve been sober for this talk. His mind was reeling and he couldn’t figure out if he’d misheard the deer demon or if the alcohol had finally gone to his head. Maybe both.

“—against my better judgment.”

Wait. Shit. He was still talking!

“What?” Lucifer blurted, his nerves getting the better of him.

Alastor looked down his nose at him before rolling his eyes. “I knew you were drunk, but I didn’t realize you were that drunk. How many of those have you had, my dear?”

Lucifer stared down at the mug as if seeing it for the first time. “I dunno. I lost count.”

Alastor tsked as he stood, offering a hand to help Lucifer down. He took it more because he wasn’t sure if he could actually get down on his own than because he wanted the help. Even so, he stumbled, falling against the Sinner, who easily caught him.

“Are you able to make it to the elevator or should I get Niffty’s cleaning cart?”

“I can walk,” Lucifer retorted.

Alastor offered him his arm and he reluctantly took it. He kept his steps slow and measured while Lucifer bobbed and weaved alongside him.

When they made it up to their floor, rather than steer Lucifer to his door, Alastor led him to his own. He frowned up at him when he realized.

“You’re not tryin’ to take advantage of me, are you? ‘Cause I might let you…”

“It’s adorable you think you are appealing in that sense in any way, shape, or form in your current state.”

“Hey!”

Alastor ignored him as they entered his suite. He made a beeline for the en-suite, turning the shower inside on with the help of his shadow.

“Now, are you capable of washing yourself or do you need assistance?”

“I don’t wanna shower.”

“I’m not asking. You seem as if you need some assistance breaking out of your latest depressive funk.”

“S’your fault.”

“I disagree,” he said, beginning to help him out of his clothes with the same care and attention he’d shown during his rut.

Lucifer felt his eyes and throat begin to burn.

“Why’re you being so nice to me?”

Alastor gave him an exasperated look. “Because you’re in danger of tipping from amusingly pathetic into obnoxiously so.”

“Why are you such an asshole?”

He hummed noncommittally as he began to steer him toward the shower. Lucifer’s hand caught on his sleeve.

“…will you stay?” he asked, not looking up at him. If he looked up at him, he might start crying for real.

“I suppose I should at least ensure you won’t drown,” Alastor murmured.

Lucifer shot him a baleful glare. He grinned back at him, snapping his fingers to divest himself of his own clothes before herding him into the hot shower.

Once they were both inside, Alastor turned his attention to helping Lucifer wash up. He kept his touch light, not lingering, making good on his word that he didn’t intend to take advantage.

Lucifer slid his eyes closed, redirecting all of his focus onto his sense of touch. He’d felt touch starved after the past weekend, had desperately missed the casual intimacy they’d shared. He didn’t always want intimacy though, which had been one of the many strains on his and Lilith’s marriage. She wasn’t much of a cuddler. Truth be told, he didn’t know if Alastor was either. While he’d gotten quite an eyeful of him (among other things), Rut Alastor was not Regular Alastor.

He’d been left wondering how much of their time together had even been real Alastor. He didn’t seem the type to dote or be gentle under normal circumstances. But was that because Lucifer read him correctly or was it because he’d read him all wrong?

Once he was finished cleaning him up, Alastor turned to shut off the shower. Lucifer caught his wrist, shooting a pleading look up at him. What he was asking for though, he had no idea. The Sinner stared down at him for a very long moment and Lucifer began to worry he’d pushed too far, been too needy.

Instead, Alastor snapped his fingers and seated himself on a wooden shower stool. “Oh, very well. But if you get water in my ears…”

This! This was what he was asking for! A chance to give as good as he got.

How had Alastor known that?

“I won’t,” he swore as he began to lather up his hair.

He was drunk, not suicidal.

Alastor gradually relaxed under his ministrations, his perfect posture easing into something less regal. Lucifer carefully tended to each ear too before helping him rinse off.

He washed the rest of himself quickly before shutting off the water and grabbing them both fluffy towels and even fluffier robes. Lucifer wasn’t sure if these were the same robes they’d used before. Either way, he was warm and cozy by the time Alastor led him to his perfectly made bed.

His shadow turned back the covers for them and Alastor got him situated before joining him under the blankets. They were both still in their robes.

Did that mean…?

Lucifer reached for the lapel of Alastor’s but Alastor caught his hand, holding it in his instead.

“Go to sleep, my dear. We’ll talk in the morning when you’re not three sheets to the wind.”

A few stray tears escaped as he tentatively cuddled closer to him. Alastor allowed it, wrapping an arm around his middle and assuming the position of the big spoon.

Lucifer swore he heard him singing softly as he drifted off, though he couldn’t quite make out the words.

He woke hours later, warm and content for the first time in days. Someone was carding their fingers through his hair. He leaned into their touch with a pleased murmur.

“Have you sobered up then?” Alastor prompted, voice rough with sleep.

Lucifer’s eyes snapped open as his hazy memories from the night before slowly resurfaced.

Alastor’s room. Alastor’s bed. Alastor pressed up against him. Alastor’s claws combing through his hair.

…he wasn’t kidding about going steady…

Even the Radio Demon wouldn’t go to all this trouble for a prank.

It was too…too…

Domestic.

Which is a word he never would have associated with the Sinner before now.

“Oh, dear, you’re thinking too hard again, aren’t you?”

Lucifer’s brow furrowed as he quietly stared at Alastor’s shadow on the far wall. Disconcertingly, it felt as if it were staring back.

“You took care of me last night,” Lucifer finally managed, voice small.

“I was returning the favor from a week ago.”

He twisted around in his hold so he could get a better look at Alastor’s face. His eyes were lidded and his hair mussed.

“You didn’t have to.”

“I didn’t,” he agreed, resuming his petting.

“And you…want to date me…”

“Against my better judgment, yes.”

“Because I’m pathetic.”

“Endearingly so.”

Lucifer scowled up at him. “You’re really bad at this.”

“You’ve yet to say no.”

Shit, maybe he was pathetic…

“You’re not worried about what dating me might do to your reputation?”

“Do you think I would ask for such a thing without considering the consequences and implications?”

No. No, he didn’t.

Bastard.

“Maybe I’ll actually consider it if you give me a reason beyond me being ‘endearingly pathetic’.”

As if he hadn’t already. He’d taken care of him last night and still was even now.

“Well, I suppose I’m also attracted to power, which you have in spades.”

“Yay.”

“And I’ve found it quite difficult to get you off of my mind.”

That brought him up short.

Lucifer lifted his head to meet his eyes.

“It’s not easy for me to trust someone else. Everyone has ulterior motives, of course. However…”

He trailed off, gaze growing distant.

“…when you offered to help me through my rut, when you sent Vox away…”

Alastor blew out a slow breath. “Part of me believed you’d be eager to send me off to Vee Tower for a week. Even if that wasn’t what I wanted.”

His smile grew rueful. “I probably would have wound up there, were you not at the hotel. When I felt the rut coming on, even if I didn’t realize that’s what was happening, I was drawn to the hotel instead.”

Lucifer felt his face warm. “…I can’t take all the credit for that. Angel and Husk said you probably viewed the hotel as your herd by that point.”

He wrinkled his nose in distaste. “The true Hell is all of these ridiculous animal instincts. I must say, I rather envy Sinners who were lucky enough to manifest without them.”

He chuckled softly at that. “Why? Then you wouldn’t be so adorable!”

Alastor shot him a look that could curdle milk.

“I never would’ve broached the subject of you joining me for my rut, but I was selfishly grateful when you did. I was in a very…vulnerable place. But I felt…” He hesitated, looking as if he were trying to find the right words. “…safe with you.”

Lucifer sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening.

“While you often don’t use your power, you also don’t misuse it. There are plenty of people out there who would’ve relished taking advantage of me in such a state.”

He met his eyes again. “You didn’t. Nor did you make me feel lesser than for being subject to such base urges.”

“Shit… Alastor, I—“

“You also happen to be an endless source of entertainment! Every morning I wake up wondering how you’ll manage to accidentally insult your darling daughter or one of her dear friends!”

Mortification quickly usurped whatever other feelings had been brewing in his chest.

“They talk about you, you know. About all of your many gaffes!”

His stomach sank.

“And they agree! You are endearingly pathetic! Especially given the fact you’ve yet to realize we all know they’re unintentional gaffes at this point. Every time you look as if you’re convinced you’ll be tossed out the front doors on your ear!”

He had the fucking nerve to chortle at that.

“Angel Dust still refers to Vaggie as ‘Veggie’ from time to time. And it will forever be one of my greatest regrets that I wasn’t present when you oh so sincerely told her ‘fuck you very much’ instead of ‘thank you’. You really are at your worst when it comes to your daughter’s paramour.”

Alastor brushed Lucifer’s hair from his eyes as he grinned down at him. “There is a list and everything! Husker has been trying to convince Charlie to lift her ‘no gambling’ rule so we can start taking bets on who you’ll unintentionally insult next. Of course the rest of us already do without her knowledge.”

“I’m so glad to hear it’s all just one big fucking game for you,” Lucifer retorted, scowling.

“It is! Which is why you should stop fretting about it! Though I fear that now I’ve told you, you’ll endeavor to try even harder not to put your foot in your mouth…”

Lucifer didn’t answer, instead dropping his gaze to Alastor’s chest fluff as he struggled to rein in all of the emotions threatening to spiral out of control. Embarrassment, shame, anger, despair…

“It’s completely different from how they all viewed you before.”

He blinked, hazarding a glance up at him.

“There is a fondness there now. A familiarity. And the only reason they don’t bring any of this up around you is because we’re all incredibly aware of how sensitive of a topic it is for you.”

“…you’re not just saying that?”

He snorted softly. “When have I ever gone out of my way to spare your feelings?”

True enough…

“So you want to go steady with me because I’m pathetic and make you laugh?”

“Precisely!”

How the fuck had he gotten into this situation in the first place? And yet… Alastor was still staring down at him with those soft eyes and genuine smile, looking as if he hadn’t had this much fun in ages.

He was looking at him like that because he was Lucifer. Not because he was the Devil or the King of Hell or The Prince of Darkness or whatever-the-fuck other monikers he’d been given over the centuries.

He wanted to be with him, with Lucifer, who just so happened to be all of those other things.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at him and only seen a man.

A lonely, awkward little man.

He blew out a slow breath.

This was either going to be a terrible decision, or one of the best he’d ever made.

“All right. Let’s ‘go steady’ then. But there are gonna be some ground rules—“

“I've already prepared mine in writing. Perhaps you should review them before entering into an agreement.” Alastor smirked. “Or do you make a habit of signing without reading the terms and conditions?”

“Are you fucking serious right now? You’re the one who asked me to go out with you in the first place!” he retorted, attempting to sit up.

Alastor kept him in place with the arm still around his middle.

“Well, if you’d rather not…” he drawled.

“No. Fuck you! I wanna see your terms and conditions. Knowing you, you probably put something in there about banning circus themed decor or some shit.”

He gave a put upon sigh before summoning a neatly folded sheet of paper. Lucifer snatched it from his hand, unfolding it in order to skim its contents.

The bastard’s penmanship was beautiful, even when detailing some of the most batshit requests he’d ever seen put to paper.

“I’m not letting you banish my hellphone to whatever the fuck a ‘dimension of shadows’ is,” he grumbled, conjuring up a red pen to start making amendments.

“Fair enough.”

“No television in the bedroom. Fine. What in the unholy hell do you mean by ‘biweekly Just a Taste Tuesdays’? Just a taste of what?”

His gaze drifted lower and his eyebrows shot up. “Both parties shall maintain separate finances and assets, to be revisited should the relationship progress further?”

He shot him an incredulous look. “Why is that even in there? Why would I want any of your stuff? I’m like…the richest person in Hell!” Excepting maybe Mammon. “If anything, you should want my stuff!”

Alastor stared down his nose at him. “For one, you have nothing of interest to me. For another, I have excellent taste. And don’t think I won’t notice if something goes missing.”

“Why would I want to steal your stuff?!“ He gestured pointedly to his bedroom set. While well-maintained, it had all clearly seen its share of wear and tear over the years, as indicated by the occasional scuff mark, scratch, and chip.

“Y’know I could just fix all of it up for you, right?” Though Alastor was more than capable of doing the same.

He gave him a black look, snatching the pen and paper from his hands to add his own changes before handing them back.

“Lucifer Morningstar will not damage Alastor’s property and will leave all of his assets as is? Damage?!”

“For someone who claims to have no interest in my things, you’re putting up quite a fuss!”

“That’s because you…you—!” Lucifer groaned. “You’re fucking impossible, you know that? For the record, I don’t care if you have access to my finances. I have more money than I know what to do with!”

“And when was the last time you balanced your checkbook?”

He stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “What?”

“Well?”

“No one uses checks anymore! Everything’s online and with cards now! You can even pay for shit with your phone, y’know, if you had one!”

Lucifer paused, immediately going to add another note to the contract only for the fountain pen to vanish from his hand.

“Don’t even think about it,” Alastor growled, the shadows lengthening around them.

“How am I supposed to get ahold of you then?”

“Just say my name while standing in a patch of shadow or a dark room.”

“What, like you’re Bloody Fucking Mary?”

“Who?”

Lucifer made a grab for the pen. Alastor placed one hand on his forehead to push him back, leaving his hands to swipe uselessly in the air between them.

He sighed heavily as he sat up, keeping Lucifer at arm’s length. “It looks like this will take longer than I thought. I suppose I should let Rosie know I’ll be late for lunch.”

Lucifer conjured up his own pen, the tip of his tongue poking out as he hurried to scribble his own list of demands on the paper.

Alastor snapped his fingers and the document was abruptly replaced by a coloring page. Its edges began to smolder as Lucifer stared down at the old timey scroll drawn on it, his eyes sweeping back and forth across the anachronistic bubble letters it bore.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL

THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S GOODS

“Be a dear and keep yourself entertained while I give her a call.”

”Fuck you,” he retorted, conjuring up a notebook of his own.

It was good to know upfront that being in a relationship with him wouldn’t make Alastor any less obnoxious.

As annoyed as he was, Lucifer couldn’t help the wide grin that came to his face as he began to write. He had a feeling Alastor had gone to extremes on purpose in order to negotiate down to what he actually wanted. In addition to throwing in a few digs, of course.

Two could play at that game.

1. Because he’s obnoxiously tall, Alastor agrees to get Lucifer things from high shelves without cracking any short jokes.

2. Alastor is not allowed to teethe on any of Lucifer’s very nice furniture.

3. Alastor will stop popping out of his shadows to scare Lucifer on purpose.

4. Lucifer is allowed to use as many pet names for Alastor as his heart desires.

5. Alastor agrees to watch a tv show or movie with Lucifer at least once a week of Lucifer’s choosing. Without bitching or sabotaging the tv.

“Might wanna tell her you’ll see her tomorrow instead!” he called after him, grin widening. “This is definitely gonna take a while!”

Notes:

Thanks so much for taking the time to read (and to kudos/comment, if you're so inclined)! It means so much to me!!! Hope you enjoyed!!!

You can find me on tumblr at hismercytomyjustice. I yell about things I love on there.