Chapter Text
Lucifer Morningstar. That’s his name. Don’t wear it out.
He looks in the mirror of Rosie’s bathroom and tries to see the him that everyone else sees. King of Hell. He’s had many forms over the years. Some human, some less so, and each one had a bit of him in it. None of them were all of him, but he would take what he could get.
The one constant had been his name.
“Sunshine?” Moonlight pokes her head in the doorway; he had been taking too long in the bathroom. “Did you want something specific for breakfast?”
He rather likes being Sunshine. Her Sunshine. “Pancakes?”
She snorts. “The day you don’t want pancakes is the day I stop being a cannibal. Anything that I haven’t already made the batter for?”
He tilts his head and considers the options. He knows he enchanted the kitchen to have complete stocks of anything she could want or need, so the options really are limitless. “You have bacon, I’m assuming?” The quirked eyebrow tells him that’s a stupid question. Fair enough. “I’ve been craving something orange. Thoughts?”
She tilts her head and her hair falls past the shoulder it had been trapped on to make a curtain behind her. He quite likes her hair. “I could make an orange curd for your pancakes?”
“That sounds delicious.” He waves his wet hands at the sink. “I’ll wrap up here and come help you. Did you need help putting your hair up?”
“After breakfast, Sunshine.” She disappears from the doorway.
Sunshine. He likes being Sunshine. He likes that she’s okay with being Moonlight. Rosie and Lucifer don’t sound nearly as nice as Sunshine and Moonlight. Oh, damn. Is this love at first sight? Maybe. He certainly does love her. Hopelessly. And in the grand scheme of things, and in comparison to his very long life, something that’s lasted less than two years certainly feels like it was love at first sight.
Oh, but it’s hard to NOT love someone who matches him blow for blow. Who laughs with him. Who sings with him. Who cooks with him and flings him around. Who doesn’t treat him like some King to bow to, but as a friend to be with.
And he’s not even good enough for her.
He looks in the mirror again. Lucifer Morningstar. Maybe one day he’ll be the Sunshine she deserves.
///
“Sunshine, those pets I want…” Moonlight is almost out the door, her smile twisted in the corner so he knows she’s teasing. But she deserves whatever he can offer, so he sticks his tongue out at her.
“Sun room?”
She blinks in surprise. Then, her smile bursts out of her like a star going supernova and he has to suck in a breath. “Really?”
“I’ll take measurements today. Reinforce the foundation.” Water is heavy. Heavier than people think. It’s why he and Leviathan spent so long figuring out how to build underwater. Well. That and other reasons. It’s never so simple as to have one problem. There’s always at least four and then some. “After I get back from work.”
“I was joking.” She darts over and gives him a quick squeeze hug. “But I ain’t a gal to say no to a good thing. Think about what you want for dinner.”
When she’s out the door, he sighs.
///
Lucifer Morningstar.
He hums as he bops around the hotel. There’s walls to repair, rooms to rearrange, residents to help, plumbing to fix, electricity to reroute, and so much more. Charlie doesn’t have a full staff yet, but he can keep on top of things fairly easily. It’s not like he hadn’t cleaned up whole towns before. A single hotel is nothing.
Lucifer Morningstar.
He prefers being Sunshine.
“Hey, Short King.” Angel Dust leans over the bar top. Sunshine is better than that too. “Al said he was lookin’ for ya.”
He feels his entire being recoil and he knows Angel sees it because he laughs. Lucifer sighs. He should really try to get along with Moonlight’s best friend more. They got along for SOME reason, so there must be something about Alastor that’s either a) entertaining or b) a good friend. Moonlight has STANDARDS and when people don’t meet them, she doesn’t hesitate to do something about it.
He’s seen the way she looms over a cannibal who disobeyed direct instructions. Amongst other things.
“Did he say why, perchance?” He taps at his cane. Alastor always wants something when they talk. It’s never because he just wants to spend time together. No, that would be too sentimental for the man (but Lucifer thinks of where they were before Rosie’s vacation and he’s starting to think he might be wrong about that).
“I thought you two were startin’ to get along?” Angel leans over the counter, the crease in his brow a show of genuine concern, and Lucifer hates to make other people worried. “He didn’t say nothin’, so it can’t be all bad.”
“We were.” Alastor is protective, and Lucifer has a feeling that this conversation is about a certain someone. Not to mention Alastor’s friendship with Lucifer had been in its very early stages. He takes time to befriend. Slowly. Surely. And Lucifer was barely into the process when the vacation came.
And broken time is broken friendship. At least as far as Lucifer can tell. Alastor is a dime a dozen in terms of withdrawal from humanity.
When Lucifer doesn’t offer more, really he’s in his head too much, Angel nods. “He has been real jumpy since ya got back. Somethin’ with tall, dark, and cannibal.”
“Dark?” Husk and Lucifer ask at the same time. They exchange a glance.
“You know! Dark.” Angel huffs. “The eyes, and the bones, and the black nails.” When neither of them respond he crosses his arms. “I ain’t wrong and you know it.”
“She does wear black lipstick.” Lucifer mutters. “I suppose. You’re somewhat right.”
“Hah!” Angel sticks his hand out. “Hand it over.”
Husk rolls his eyes and places a 20 in Angel’s palm. Lucifer has a distinct feeling he’s been played, so he rolls his eyes and leaves to do some electricity. He’ll get to be a mouse for a bit. He LIKES being a mouse. As long as Niffty isn’t around.
///
He’s on top of a chandelier, a bulb in his mouth (birds aren’t as good at screwing in light bulbs so mouse hands it is), when Alastor drawls, “I do believe that form is how one finds themselves on the end of Niffty’s knife.”
Lucifer peers over the edge and sees Alastor looking up. There’s a tightness to his being. A twist in his smile that resembles a scowl. Mm. “Would you like to change the light bulb?”
“Hah-HA! No.” Alastor twirls his microphone cane. “Not when you’re already doing it and are so adept at the simple things.”
Was-- Was that a compliment? Lucifer needs a moment. That was a compliment. Right? Maybe. He pulls away from the edge of the chandelier to finish replacing the burnt out bulb. When he scurries back to the edge, dead bulb in his mouth, he stops, holds the bulb in his paws, and asks, “Can you catch this?”
“Certainly.” Alastor does catch it, and then it’s gone in a whirl of shadows into whatever trash can Alastor has in his little pocket dimension. “Do you always use a mouse?”
“Depends on the need.” Lucifer turns into a bird and flaps his way down, turning into his humanoid form with a flip and twist in the air to land on his feet in front of Alastor. Alastor is not Rosie. He does not get a ‘ta da’. “Being inside walls is easier in smaller forms.”
“I see.” Alastor taps at his cane. “Do you have time for a game of chess?”
There’s a blip of a thought in Lucifer’s head that he should deny it. Chess is with Rosie, but chess with Alastor WAS fun. In a different way. He tilts his head. “You just want coffee.”
“Well, I wouldn’t object to a cup if you’re offering.” There it is. That’s the Alastor from before the vacation. The one that is a little more willing to give and get. Lucifer actually kind of LIKES that Alastor. “Remember the deal with the humidity!”
The twist of Alastor’s heel is a sign that the conversation can only continue once they’ve reached the little library nook. Lucifer doesn’t mind, he trots along, able to keep up mostly because he gives himself more powerful legs that can propel him a little faster, and hums. When Alastor joins him in humming, Lucifer smiles.
There’s the Alastor that Lucifer can be friends with. Now he just has to figure out how to keep that Alastor around.
///
The little nook is perfect for hiding away from everyone. Just them in Lucifer’s room, a couple chairs, a small table, and books to drown out the world. He waves a hand and summons a chess set, a rolling tray with coffee and cannibal snacks, and lets the world around them turn into Alastor’s bayou.
Lucifer hadn’t known how much of himself he’d let out of control until--
He stares at the chess board. He’d given himself the black set because Alastor preferred to go first.
Maybe he should have listened to Bee. Then he wouldn’t be unable to sleep without Rosie by his side. He really had let himself go around the hotel. Around Rosie. Around everyone because it had been so long since he’d had to be a person. And it had hurt people.
“Ah. Winter.” Alastor leans back into his seat and closes his eyes for a brief moment before coming back to reality. Lucifer makes sure he’s pulled away. No smells, nothing but the bayou and the chess set between them. Alastor plucks the coffee from the tray. “You do make a decent enough cup of coffee that I tolerate your cheating. But try to not cheat.”
Lucifer snorts. “You being bad at chess is not me cheating.”
The way Alastor taps at his cup without giving a comeback tells Lucifer many things. One of which is that this meeting is not about chess. Alastor wants something.
“Come on, Al.” Lucifer leans back into his chair and decides to let his chess pieces move without his hands. He needs to remind Alastor who he is on occasion. Small things work best. “You wanted to talk.”
“Me? Talk?” Alastor places a hand to his chest and gives a face of mock surprise. He scoffs. “Why, I invited you for a game of chess. No need to insult me by insinuating ulterior motives.”
They share a smile. It’s a simple thing. Just a moment of acknowledgement that they DO know each other beyond a passing word.
“Well seeing as sitting in silence is boring, I did have a topic in mind while we play our game.” There it is. Lucifer waves a hand to indicate his willingness for this to continue. It’s better than dodging Niffty now that he’s charmed her shoes to make her extra fast.
She almost got him earlier.
Alastor taking a moment to consider his words is concerning. “You should not allow your emotional attachments to Rosie bring her down.”
Oh. Lucifer feels like he’s been turned inside out. He feels like there’s a black hole in his chest that’s eating up every bit of him. He feels like his entire being, inside and outside his avatar, is dying. “Oh?”
“She’s a busy woman. She has a town to take care of. She can’t afford silly distractions from people who are not worth her time.” While Lucifer had KNOWN he wasn’t worth her time, he had at least hoped he could enjoy being her friend. It’s starting to be hard to hold himself into a corporeal form. “You might be a King who can offer some substance, but there is your ability to become overly attached.”
Lucifer did become attached to people quite quickly. Part of his shtick really.
There’s a switch in Alastor. A narrowing of the eyes that comes with him leaning over the chess board.
“Do not bother Rosie.” Alastor growls, growls at Lucifer, and some part of Lucifer knows he should react to this. But. Moonlight is in the back of his mind, and he should be nicer to Alastor, and … Alastor is right. Lucifer isn’t worth Rosie’s time. “The inane nonsense that has filtered its way into her head is beyond ridiculous. Your affect on those around you is your burden to bear. Letting it affect Rosie is a sign of your incompetence.”
Lucifer takes in Alastor’s words. He wouldn’t normally. He has some Pride in him, and Alastor used to be another sinner on the pile. But after coming back into the world, seeing Charlie, meeting Rosie, Lucifer is starting to piece the parts of him together that care.
Alastor stares at Lucifer. “You are a distraction.”
Lucifer moves a pawn forward and watches Alastor’s gaze snap to the chess board. He sets his coffee cup down.
Lucifer isn’t worth Rosie’s time. He knows that now. He knew it before, but now he knows. He waits for Alastor to move his knight out from behind his defensive line, the first move Alastor always makes, before he moves out a knight as well. Lucifer doesn’t deserve Rosie’s friendship. He’s a distraction, at best.
“Rosie needs someone who supports her, not someone who pulls her away from her duties as an Overlord. She needs--” Alastor stops and stares once more at Lucifer. Lucifer doesn’t think he’s ever heard Alastor stop talking before. “Damn you.” Alastor stands and points to the window that lets Lucifer see Cannibal Town. “She needs someone who lets her be herself behind closed doors. Someone who offers their time without restrictions.”
Oh, this is something Lucifer should pay more attention to. Alastor is telling him things Rosie needs. Right. Lucifer can work with that. He can work towards being good enough for Rosie. He can earn the right to be Sunshine.
“Someone who brings her things she needs rather than superficial nonsense. A pretty bauble is nothing to Rosie. Nothing. Though she does need a reminder of flowers on occasion.” Alastor starts to pace. “She needs someone who matches her energy. Who compliments her creativity. She needs someone she can bounce ideas off of.”
Hmm. That’s harder to do without using some of Rosie’s time. He does like talking shop with her about her clothing, writing, cooking, and anything else she wants to try, but it does take her time. Lucifer can do flowers though. And things she needs. She does need a new toaster! He could start there. He had been going to get one anyway.
“She needs someone willing to tell her she’s overworking herself.” Lucifer snorts, and Alastor waves a hand in agreement. “She needs a fellow cook. A fellow artist. A fellow game lover. Damn. Damn. Damn.” More growls come from Alastor as his horns grow and green light flickers around the room. The bayou disappears so they’re in the library. A reminder to Alastor to watch that he doesn’t damage the books. “She needs someone who gives her what she gives them. She needs someone who gets along with her cannibals and knows them.”
It’s an impressive display of power that Lucifer is seeing. If it wasn’t directed at Lucifer for him not being what Rosie needs, he might clap and offer some feedback on where to shore up the weak points. Little bits of aura that were thinner than others.
Hmm. He could get to know Rosie’s cannibals more. Dany and him already get along well enough. He likes Dany. Sarah is interesting, and he could get her more books for the library. The other day Mildred had asked if he could find her some modern dry erase boards to work with. He could talk to Hermosa and see if Mildred needs anything else.
Ah. Rosie wanted to get Bart a new set of butcher tools as a celebration of the 120 year anniversary of his shop. Lucifer forgot to ask if Bart wanted angelic steel. OH! Daisy wanted to talk to him about computers. He could do that. He did sort of want to teach her more about soldering.
“She needs someone who lets her be an Overlord.” Let is a strong word there. Rosie IS an Overlord and Lucifer would rather eat a wing than try and stop that. She’s one of the good Overlords. As far as he knows.
“She needs someone who is her friend first.” How could anyone NOT be her friend?
“She needs--” Alastor throws a tentacle in Lucifer’s direction and Lucifer bats it away with a huff. At least TRY to kill him properly. “She needs someone who gets along with her current friends.”
Lucifer can certainly try and get along with Alastor more. He’s working on convincing Dany she’s Rosie’s friend.
“You.” Alastor advances on Lucifer. “Are a menace. You are the worst thing to have ever happened to her. How dare you be those things.”
It’s pretty easy for Lucifer to be the worst thing that ever happened to Rosie. Pretty easy. Just who he is. Alastor is right. The world is quiet for once. Lucifer’s head is quiet for once. He can’t make his voice anything but small, tiny, minuscule in comparison to the void in his heart. “Anything else I’m doing badly?”
“No. Unfortunately.” Alastor disappears into shadows, taking the green and dancing lights with him. His empty coffee mug and moved knight the only signs he was here.
At least Alastor was a good friend to Rosie. He gave Lucifer some insight, and Lucifer will take it. He will need to try harder to get Rosie the things she needs. That way he can stay being her friend without bringing her down. Right. Okay.
- Flowers
- Gifts of what she needs
- Get along with cannibals.
- Get along with friends (Alastor’s the tough one here).
- Help with her hobbies/job/creativity
Oh boy, Lucifer has really fallen down as a friend. There were SO many things Alastor said she needed that he wasn’t providing. What else was there?
With a flick of his hand, Lucifer pulls out a notepad, the yellow kind that Rosie has turned him onto, and spins his fingers to pull a pencil from the pencil pocket dimension. He writes down everything Alastor said. Everything Rosie needs. Because if Rosie needs it, and Lucifer isn’t good enough, he can at least try to get her what she needs.
///
He has his list. He has his plan. He needs to make sure Rosie is supported and happy and has everything she needs.
“Moonlight?” He steps into the house, drops his keys off in the little bowl she put for him (he likes doing things by hand, and she never seemed to mind him taking up a little space), and puts his coat on the coat rack. “You home yet?”
“In the dining room!”
He steps through the living room to see Moonlight at the dining room table with her head in her hand and her pencil tapping at one of her notepads. She has another pencil in her mouth, that she likely had to take out to shout at him, and he sighs. Another order must have come in. He told her to stop taking them.
Sliding into the chair across from her, he hums.
Moonlight sits up to pluck the pencil from her mouth with her free hand and twirls both of them in his direction. “I’m just designing.”
He sees the words on the pad and raises an eyebrow.
“Okay, so part of designing is writing down things that need to be done.” She puts the pencil back in her mouth, carefully so she doesn’t break it with her teeth, and talks around it as she goes back to writing. “I’m fine. Not even tired.”
She’s definitely tired.
He hums.
“I will turn you into a stew.” She looks away from her writing long enough to narrow her eyes at him. She wouldn’t and she couldn’t even if she wanted to. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?” He gets up to make tea. Probably something without caffeine. Maybe something to put her to sleep. Chamomile?
“Being worried. I’m fine.” She yawns and the pencil in her mouth drops to the table. The speed in which she picks it up to put it back in her mouth is incredible. “Really.”
“How many orders did you do today?” He asks through the kitchen door. He doesn’t need to shout, he can just put one of his eyeballs next to her on the table. She glares at it. “And how many of Charlie’s uniforms did you finish?”
“I don’t like these questions.” She mutters as she continues to write. She ignores the eyeball.
“Did you think about cooking dinner?” Lucifer continues to hum while his eyeball talks. “What would you like?”
She eyes him as he walks back into the dining room and sets her tea down in front of her. “That’s chamomile.”
“Congratulations.” He nods and slides back into his seat. “Your sense of smell is still wonderfully intact.”
“I want matzo ball soup.” She sighs and goes back to writing. “Would you mind cooking?”
“Not at all. As long as you don’t mind talking to an eyeball.” He stands up, letting his eyeball float around to look over her shoulder even when she bats at it. The eyeball speaks when he starts to cook. “I do believe I told you to stop taking orders from other Rings.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re tired.”
“I’m wide awake.”
“You yawned.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He uses the eyeball as a form of headbutt. She turns to scowl at it.
He sighs. “Alright, tell me about your day outside of you being far too busy.”
She goes back to writing. “Dany seems tired. I think I need to give her a vacation but she wouldn’t take it even if I offered.”
“She does tend to overwork herself.” Lucifer pauses as he drops a couple balls into the broth he’s made. “Like a certain someone I know.”
Moonlight doesn’t fight him on that. She knows she overworks herself, she just doesn’t try to stop it. He understands. It’s very easy. Taking on too much is part of being in charge sometimes. It sucks. She sighs. “Tell me about your day.”
“The usual.” He thinks some onions would be nice. She liked it last time he added them. “Fix some wires, change some light bulbs, beg Charlie to hire some staff. Deal with Alastor.”
“And you say I’m overworking myself.” Moonlight laughs and lets the pencil drop from her mouth onto the table. “Dealing with Alastor AND the hotel? That’s two full time jobs, Sunshine.”
“Yes, and I had to deal with Alastor wanting to talk to me about YOU.” He shouldn’t have said that. He shouldn’t bring attention to the fact that he’s not good enough. That’s not a good idea. That’s a very bad idea. “He’s a good friend. Wanted to tell me what would make you actually happy. Thought I could do better.”
Stop. Being. Honest. Lucifer. He KNOWS how to lie. Why isn’t he lying?
“You could do better?” Moonlight whispers as stares at the eyeball. He hums in response. Yeah. He could do better. Do more. Rosie was worth it. “Did he really tell you that you could do better?”
“Unfortunately.” Lucifer sighs and brings out the soup. “Sometimes I think he’s antagonistic but has a good heart about it. Hard to tell with him.”
Moonlight looks heartbroken. He supposes she doesn’t like her friends not getting along.
“I’ll work on being nicer to him.” He whispers as he puts down the soup. “Maybe if we get along more, everyone would be happier.”
The tapping of Moonlight’s pencil speeds up and she bites her lip. He wonders what’s wrong. She has a question in her eyes, he can see it, but before he can ask there’s a knock on the door. It’s dark out. The streetlights are on. He looks over his shoulder, but Moonlight is already moving. Fair enough. No one likes to be left waiting outside in the cold.
The door opens, and Lucifer lets his eyeball float closer. He’d rather not be seen right now. He’s tired.
“Sarah?” Moonlight blinks at the cannibal on her doorstep. Sarah. Librarian. Lucifer thought of her earlier, or he might not have remembered that. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you usually asleep by now?”
Sarah bounces on her feet and leans in a touch. “Oh, I was just in the neighborhood!” Rosie’s home is out of the way, it is NOT in a neighborhood. “And I saw your light on.” That one is fair. “And I thought I’d come by and say hi.”
“If you want to make a bet, you can just say so.” Moonlight snorts and waves a hand at the eyeball. The eyeball’s pupil expands to plop her notepad and pencil in her hands.
“That’s rude, Rosie!” Sarah scoffs. “Pleasantries are important. I do care about you, you know.”
Moonlight waves a hand. “I told you to come by anytime. Did you want to come in?”
“No, no, I know you’re probably wrapping up dinner. Sorry, I would have come later, but I didn’t want to come when you were asleep.” Sarah gives a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
“Hah, as if I’m going to bed anytime soon.” The wink offered has Sarah back to her bouncing self. “Bet?”
“Are the Dany dating bets still open?” Sarah leans in to whisper more. “I want to bet on the reveal being within the next two years. I already sent Veron the cash. Three thousand.”
“The Dany bets are open.” Moonlight mutters. “Two years? That’s pretty close, Sarah. She’s kept it close to her chest for a long time now. What did you see?”
Sarah makes a zipping motion across her mouth and throws away the key. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You saw something.” Moonlight wiggles the pad at Sarah. “Spill.”
“Bye, Rosie!” Sarah spins and hops away. “I’ll see you around!”
“I know where you live!” The shout Moonlight offers is said with a smile. She closes the door and tosses the pad into the air so it disappears when it hits the eyeball. “I’ll ask Harold tomorrow.”
“Harold is a gossip, but he doesn’t like to gossip about Dany.” Lucifer appears beside his Moonlight and starts to direct her towards the dining room. He removed her work supplies and left just the food. “He’ll tell Paul and Daisy, I would go to Paul.”
“Mmm.” She nods. “You’re very right. Do you think a day and a half for Paul?”
“He’s booked out this week, maybe try next week?”