Hello ! There a another One shot I write ! You can read it as it own, but it related to other story I wrote ! More in my profile ! Please enjoyed !
"Oh, and you're not forgetting what we said about meals, Dad?" asked Charlie, eyebrows furrowed in an almost motherly expression.
"Yes, yes, sweety!" her father replied, waving his hand in front of him, as if to shake off the worry. "You know, I took care of Keekee before you! I remember how to take care of an animal!"
Charlie seemed to hesitate for a few moments, then smiled tenderly at Lucifer, who returned the expression.
"Okay, Dad." she said, taking him in her arms "It's just that it's been a long time since I've gone without her. I'm a little worried, that's all."
Lucifer stroked his daughter's hair and placed a kiss on her scalp. Vaggie watched the scene softly before glancing at her watch.
"Baby." she finally says, "We're going to be late if we don't leave now."
"Yes, sorry!" his girlfriend exclaimed, breaking away from her father and resting those eyes on Alastor. "I'm counting on you to run the hotel in my absence!"
"Of course, dear." said the radio demon, both hands on his microphone. "I can totally administer this place for the duration of your weekend."
Vaggie gave him a knowing look, far from convinced, before looking around. Husk, leaning against the bar, was drinking cheap hooch. Niffty, not far away, was working on an almost invisible task with the strength of an elephant. Alastor stood in the center of the entrance hall, his smile as uninviting as ever. Lucifer stood next to his daughter, towards the front door, and finally, the last person in the hotel that day sat on the sofas opposite the bar.
Adam glanced at her sideways and, with a grimace on his face, gave her the finger before returning to his original occupation, which was knitting. Charlie had told Adam that to begin his redemption, he must first learn to calm down. Knitting was an art of patience and repetition which, moreover, allowed to create things for others. It had seemed to the princess of the underworld that this was the perfect first task to begin with!
"We'll be back in two days," Charlie continued as she repeated this information once more. Lucifer smiled fondly at his daughter, while the others rolled their eyes. "No fights, no parties, no prostitutes," she clarified with a knowing glance at Adam, who growled, "No murders! Just..."
"To defend the hotel", said Lucifer and Alastor at the same time. This startled the two concerned, who glanced at each other hatefully. Charlie look worriedly at Vaggie, who gave her a tired but encouraging smile: they didn't like each other, but they'd stick together. This relieved the princess of the underworld, who turned back to the others.
"Don't make a mess," she finally said. She placed a kiss on her father's cheek and waved goodbye. Vaggie opened the door and, with one last gesture and one last word, they left the hotel.
There was silence for a few moments before Lucifer said:
"Good! Charlie now gone, I'm off to my quarters!" He readjusted his hat and, with a gesture, was about to create a portal.
"Of course," growled Adam, "Mister Depressive is going to lock himself in his pad to cry all the tears of his body because his little fucking daughter didn't want him to go with her."
Lucifer took a deep breath and turned slowly towards the former angel.
"Can you remind me why this jerk is here again?" he asked, looking at Husk. The latter sighed.
"Everyone's entitled to redemption, old chap." replied this one, taking another sip of his hooch. "Charlie's Will."
"Ah yes, that's right." sighed the King of the Underworld.
One morning, Adam arrived at the hotel ready to kill them. He had much the same physical appearance: an obese man with black hair and golden eyes. But his wings were gaunt and bare, as if they'd been eaten and spat out. On his head, two ebony-black goat's horns had sprouted, the base covered in red. His skin, once Caucasian, had taken on a sickly grayish-green hue. His teeth, once normal, resembled those of a shark.
He'd arrived all powerful, as if his angelic strength had transferred to demonic energy. However, this was only a feint. He was certainly powerful, matching the might of an Overlord even if he had no contract, but far less so than Husk, Charlie, Alastor or Lucifer himself. He had woken up in the moors around the city of the pentagram. He realized that his soul had been transformed into a sinner. Completely disoriented, he told himself that if he could bring to the angels the heads of those who had questioned the Big Guy's authority, then he'd be back in heaven. So he stormed into the hotel, ready to take his revenge. He was quickly overpowered.
Before Alastor granted him the tortures he gave to the souls who bothered him, Charlie had stepped in and, with great reluctance, offered to help Adam regain paradise. The First Man on Earth then collapsed into the arms of his former enemy, mourning the loss of his old life and the hope of regaining it.
From that day on, Adam never left the hotel. Most of the time, he kept to himself. During the exercises, he was bad-tempered and impulsive. Charlie had decided to teach him to calm down first, before resuming lessons. That's why he'd started knitting. She had also instructed him to always be surrounded by others and not to be alone. So he decided to stay near the bar, with Husk, who was the only one content to ignore him.
Lucifer looked at his former brother, one eyebrow raised, as Adam continued to stare and knit whatever it was he was doing. A sock, perhaps?
"So, dickhead," began the King, "it wasn't Charlie who didn't want me to come, it was me who decided not to go to this meeting. It was the sinners who demanded my daughter's presence. Going with her would only discredit her. Besides, I don't think people who potentially want access to redemption would be reassured by the Devil's presence."
"Yeah" chuckled Adam "Excuse, excuse. It's mostly that you're a pansy who doesn't want to get politically involved in the affairs of his people. No wonder the Underworld sucks, with a fucker like you running it."
"Surely you're a much better example!" said Lucifer, stepping forward with a dancing step "Look at you, Original Man, founder of the Human species, inhabitant of Eden and leader of the Exterminators, now sitting in the living room of these enemies knitting ..." he paused, leaning in front of the new sinner, as he looked at the object he was creating "A condom?"
"It's a glove, asshole!" cried Adam. He tried to hide his creation behind his arm.
"There are no fingers," remarked the angel.
"... a mittens," corrected the man.
Lucifer raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. Husk merely smiled and took another sip. Niffty cocked his head to one side, clearly intrigued, while Alastor, with his most mocking smile, looked at him with disdain.
"You forgot a stitch," the King of the Underworld finally said with a smug grin, before walking away towards the stairs. Adam grunted and began to grumble as he realized that Lucifer was right.
Suddenly, knocking sounded at the door. Alastor's ears perked up at the sound as the rest of the residents glanced towards the huge doors. The radio demon frowned: they hadn't expected anyone to come. Since they'd renovated the hotel, no one had shown up.
"Well then, bellboy?" he heard coming from Lucifer "Are you going to open up?"
When the sinner glanced at the King, he wore his usual relaxed, defiant expression.
"Indeed," he said solemnly, "as manager of this hotel, it's my duty to welcome new arrivals. It's always more rewarding to come face-to-face with a lord than with beggars."
Alastor made his way to the entrance, while the devil's burning gaze rested on his back. He arrived at the doors and elegantly opened them wide.
"Hel-" he began before cutting himself off, surprised.
He expected to see someone of normal stature. Ordinary sinners measured the average height of the living, although of course there were exceptions. Most of the time, souls with a larger build had an animal, bestial appearance.
The man standing in front of him was tall. He couldn't see his face from where he stood, as it was hidden by the top of the door, 7 feet above the ground. He was human-shaped, with a rather slim build, if not for his proportions. He was dressed in a dazzling white suit, with touches of exquisite light blue, as if they were pieces of sky. No skin was visible, as the man wore golden gloves. Around his wrists, interlaced gold rings, as if encompassing a sphere, moved on their own. Eyes seemed to form and close randomly on the metal part.
"-lo." finished Alastor.
"Oh sorry!" exclaimed a deep male voice, loud and cheerful. "I've made myself as small as possible, but it seems I'm still too big!"
The demon frowned at this sentence. What did he mean by small as possible ? Only powerful sinners had the ability to change size. He knew everyone who fell into that category. But he regained his composure.
"Don't worry! The interior is more spacious!" he said, in his most welcoming radio voice. "And don't worry, I may be the radio demon, but I have no intention of harming you."
Although his tone was jovial, there was an underlying threat. Everyone knew the power of the Overlord. He was feared by all sinners, new and old alike. Especially since the end of the extermination.
A thunderous laugh sounded in his ears, pure and divine. A laugh he'd heard only once before, on the night of the hotel's inauguration, coming from an angelic person.
"So don't worry, my noble friend!" replied the man "I feel in no way threatened! May I come in?"
The demon was shocked by his earlier realization but, without letting on, he kindly stepped back from the opening.
"Please," he said.
So the man stooped and thrust his huge frame into the hall. Silence accompanied his arrival as Husk, Niffty and Adam stared at the newcomer, dumbfounded.
"What the fuck" exclaimed Adam at last, "Why does this jerk look just like me?!"
Indeed, the newcomer had the same features as the First Man. Same handsome face, same black hair, same golden eyes, although his skin was bluish rather than grayish-green. The difference lay in the way he present. Adam wore a goatee and was unshaven. The man's skin was smooth, as if no hair growth was possible. The fallen man's hair was messy and untidy. The stranger's was sleek, in a very '30s chic style.
A generous, benevolent smile was on the guest's face as he peered into the hall with curious, innocent eyes.
"Oh, truly, grandios !" he exclaimed enthusiastically, gesturing wildly with his hands "How ticklish and colorful! You've really understood the spirit of redemption! It's enchanting!"
He took a few steps forward and quickly arrived at the center of the room, his eyes raised to the ceiling. He placed a finger on his chin.
"Hmm, too bad this one's white," he says, "I'd have imagined a fresco or something. A ceiling like that is boring! Whereas a beautiful fresco detailing history... Now that's nice!"
"Are you an interior decorator?" asked Husk, empty hooch bottle in hand.
The man's laughter echoed through the hall.
"No, but let's just say I dictated a few guidelines to those who built my buildings," he replied, clasping those hands together in front of him in a relatively pious pose.
"A builder, eh?" growled Husk "Can I get you a drink?"
"With great pleasure," agreed the stranger.
"What will it be?" asked the cat demon.
"Red wine, please."
Husk raised an eyebrow, then his shoulders. He began to search the bar for something to answer the guest's request.
Alastor had come up slowly behind the newcomer. He watched him attentively. He felt his body tense at the man's presence. His muscles tensed with anger and helplessness. His mind was tortured by contradictory thoughts, wrestling with each other like scavengers over a corpse. He wanted to flee while wanting to fight, to disappear while provoking, to kneel while dominating.
He was sure the man was an angel, and not just any angel. A truly powerful being. Yet Adam didn't recognize him. So high an authority that even the First Man on Earth would never have met in person.
"Hey, asshole!" shouted Adam at the newcomer.
The latter turned gracefully towards his interlocutor. The new sinner was still seated on the sofas, pointing one of his knitting needles at the stranger.
"Yes?" he asked, in a gentle tone.
"You didn't answer my question!" retorted Adam "Why does your cake face look so much like me?! Don't you know that face is copyrighted?!"
The giant still had a smile on his face, but his gaze had become much less benevolent. It was neutral, as if the man were looking at a painting or a work of art that he hardly inspired. Alastor felt a surge of pressure almost imperceptible to the average sinner. The kind that accompanies a powerful blow. This disappeared immediately when the unthinkable happened.
With a protective gesture, Lucifer stood between the stranger and Adam. His arm was outstretched backwards, as if ordering Adam not to move. The angel's face was closed, ready for battle, but Alastor made no mistake. Lucifer was terrified.
"What are you doing here?" asked the King of the Underworld.
As soon as he appeared, the man lost his neutrality, his eyes lighting up with thousands of tiny glimmers.
"Oh, Lucifer!" he murmured softly "My beautiful morning star! What's happened to you? Where are your beautiful eyes?"
He tried to take a step forward, but was stopped by a demonic fireball that came crashing down in front of him.
"What are you fucking doing here?" the angel repeated menacingly.
The giant looked down at his feet, where the flames of hell were dancing. He extinguished them by stepping on them.
"You've always been so rude," he sighed, "Humans have taken a lot of the words you've invented, you know? When I look at Earth, it saddens me to see so many people swearing."
"They're free to do what they want," Lucifer growled.
The stranger's gaze turned hard.
"Whose fault is it?" he replied.
A tense silence settled over the room. Alastor watched the exchange with interest. Husk, now wary, had left the wine glass on the bar and moved towards Niffty, to restrain her. The latter, almost hysterical, was desperate to clean the floor at the giant's feet. The former Overlord knew this was a bad idea. Adam, puzzled behind Lucifer, was torn between anger at being treated like a child and the need to feel protected.
The man sighed at last.
"I came to see Charlie," he said finally.
Lucifer tensed and his face tightened into a protective mask.
"You'll stay away from her," he threatened, his voice hissing like a snake.
"I just want to talk," continued the stranger in a gentle tone.
"You'll never see her, do you hear me?" cried the King of the Underworld.
"We need to talk about his redemption project," continued the giant, but in a more irritated voice.
"I forbid you to even lay eyes on her!" screamed the angel, his voice beginning to split.
"In itself, it's not a bad idea," declared the stranger in a tone that showed he was beginning to lose patience.
"Now get the hell out of my kingdom!" exploded Lucifer, in a terrifying voice that sent shivers down the spine of most of the room's residents.
"And who's going to make me leave?" retorted the man, without raising his voice but clearly dangerous.
Suddenly, a black tentacle emerged from where Lucifer's flames had been. The giant took a step back. He turned his attention to Alastor, whose menacing smile and eyes began to transform.
"Me, my good sir." he said with the saturation in his voice very much present. "As manager of the hotel, it's my duty to protect it from disruptive elements. You have not come to repent. You are therefore invited to leave."
The stranger raised an eyebrow and Alastor prepared to attack. What happened next lasted only a millisecond. Without knowing where it was coming from, the Overlord received some liquid on his face. It was sticky. He quickly wiped it off and looked at his hand. It was golden blood. When he looked up, Lucifer was standing there with his back to the man, his face contracted in pain. His pupils were filled with panic as he looked everywhere at Alastor, but especially at the places he couldn't protect with his body. He looked relieved when he finally noticed that the demon was all right. He closed his eyes, took a few breaths and, wiping the blood from his mouth with his finger, turned his head towards the man in the center of the room. The latter clearly had a look of disapproval on his face.
"You've fallen far, Luci." he said, disappointment in his voice. "But still, your daughter doesn't seem to be here. As a result, I'm going to leave."
He sighed before continuing:
"However, let's be clear. This may be your kingdom, but it's my world. I go and do as I please."
"That you say, Omnes." whispered Lucifer defiantly, in a voice so weak that only Alastor perceived it. "We both know it's not that simple."
The designated Omnes looked at him, his face closed and his golden eyes burning with a glow that not even hatred could describe. It seemed he had heard too. Alastor watched, still in shock, as the being began to glow.
"Close your eyes!" shouted Lucifer, turning quickly to the radio demon and covering his pupils with his hands.
An immense noise rang out and, even with the protection afforded by the King of the Underworld, Alastor's vision filled with white. It was brief, but he felt as if his retina had burned away and his color vision had disappeared, leaving only this pearly hue. It took a moment for his eyes to come to their senses and remember that black existed. At last, he heard other sounds, groans and grunts from the other occupants of the room. Finally, slowly, the colors returned as Lucifer removed his hands from over his pupils. The King was still watching him intently, looking for signs of injury. He finished his diagnosis with a positive nod before turning to the other people in the room.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked.
"What the hell happened?!" growled Adam "Who the fuck was that?!"
"We're fine," said Husk, who let go of Niffty. Niffty dashed across the stain of flames and destroyed ground to start tidying up. Her movements were erratic, as usual, but her expression more stressed and terrified.
Lucifer sighed with relief.
"Well, great." he let go "On the other hand, no one's talking to anyone about what's just happened. Is that clear? Especially not Charlie."
"Lucifer, seriously, man." said Adam, his gaze landing on the angel "What the fuck just happened?"
"You've just seen an angel," replied the King of the Underworld.
"Bullshit !" exclaimed the First Man "I've crossed thousands of angels and they don't look like that!"
"He wasn't just anyone," Lucifer continued. "He's one of the high rulers. So high he doesn't even reside in heaven. Sera herself has never seen his face."
Adam seemed even more terrified than before. He couldn't get a coherent sentence out. He placed his hands on his head and leaned forward in deep despair. Husk approached the angel.
"So we don't tell anyone," he said, still trembling. Lucifer's hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"It'll be our little secret!" exclaimed the latter, in a jovial tone.
"Your wound is going to be hard to hide, though," declared the cat demon.
Alastor had not taken his eyes off the enormous golden mark on Lucifer's back. It ran right through him, deep, oozing blood that dripped onto his white suit. The King's expression froze into a stupid grin as, already, Niffty came to wash the ground beneath his feet. He started to sweat when he saw Husk's concerned look, and even Adam's.
"It's nothing!" he cried as he took a few confident steps forward. "I'm an angel, too! I heal fast! She'll be gone by the time Charlie gets back!"
Then he planted himself, pulling on his jacket, his smile confident.
"Still, with that out of the way, I'll retire to my quarters! See you all later!"
Without Husk being able to protest, he teleported away and disappeared from the hall. The cat demon sighed and rubbed his face with his hand. He needed a drink.
"Hey, Alastor," he asked, turning to his master, "what do you think of all ..."
He didn't finish his sentence. The radio demon was gone, too.
Lucifer groaned once more in his bathroom. He cursed himself for not interfering head-on. It would have been easier to stitch himself up. He was naked in front of his mirror as he desperately tried to use an angelic iron needle to stitch himself up. If the situation were normal, he could have summoned little ones to do the delicate work. But there was nothing ordinary about what had happened.
He hadn't lied. He would heal. However, it would take much longer than he wanted. Omnes' blow would have been fatal for any sinner, Overlord or not. It would have mortally wounded one of the other six deadly sins. But for him, the lesion was like a deep wound: harmless, but he need to be taken care of.
He had taken a good shower to cleanse the blood. It had finally run its course, leaving Lucifer to expel the angelic magic from the lesion. This had exhausted him, so much so that he didn't feel like using any more energy. He did, however, have to stitch up the wound. If he didn't, it would heal into a huge gash on his pearly skin. He didn't want that. The bastard had already hurt him enough.
He took a breath and looked at his face in the mirror. He looked terrible. Fatigue was evident in every feature and his eyes were swollen with sleep. The dark circles under his eyelids were dark. But he had no choice. He had to summon a mini-him to do the job. He was about to start closing his eyes to concentrate when he saw movement in the mirror. He turned and gasped when he saw Alastor in front of him. The radio demon's eyes were dark and his smile, always present, was less marked than usual. He wasn't even showing his teeth.
"Oh fuck, shit!" exclaimed Lucifer, putting a towel over his privates. "What the hell are you doing here?"
His only response was silence. Alastor reached for his shoulder and turned him violently so that his back was to him. The King of the Underworld was so exhausted and surprised that he didn't protest immediately. He was about to start yelling at him when he felt fingers brush his hand. He stopped and looked to his right. The demon was gently trying to take the needle from him. Lucifer didn't struggle and let the Overlord retrieve the object. With a sure hand, the demon sat Lucifer down on a stool he had just conjured up. Without waiting for authorization, he began work, starting at the top of his right shoulder and suturing the scar.
The angel wondered how Alastor had learned these techniques and remembered that he was a cannibalistic serial killer. He must have learned on the job. A silence fell between them as Lucifer let the demon stitch his back. The King of the Underworld found himself nodding. Tiredness was gaining ground and this moment of peace was relaxing. From time to time, he felt Alastor tapping his head to wake him up. He groaned each time, but tried to stay awake. He couldn't believe that his enemy was reminding him not to let his guard down.
"I didn't feel it coming," the demon's radio voice finally said.
Lucifer didn't reply, his eyes lost in nothingness.
"When he wanted to attack Adam," continued the Overlord, "he began to concentrate his energy. I felt it."
"Adam's not just any guy," said the angel, "that old fart thought it took a lot of energy to kill him."
"That's not the case," says Alastor calmly.
"Nope!" sneered Lucifer "But despite what he thinks, he's not omniscient!"
"He didn't even have to charge his energy for me." The King of the Underworld felt the demon's fingers tighten on his skin.
The angel reflected. He knew Alastor's ego. They'd been rubbing shoulders, or rather hating each other, for some time now, and Lucifer had begun to understand his character. He could have made fun of him, got him out of his depth. That would have been fun. But still, the demon was helping him. This was no time to humiliate him.
"That's not just any guy." he repeated, now to point to another person. "Frankly, if he'd wanted to kill us, we'd all be dead."
"Even you?" asked Alastor as he tackled the last stitch.
"Specifically me." he replied.
New silence. Once the job was done, the demon wiped the angel's back with a towel.
"What's his name again?" he began "Om-"
He didn't have time to finish before Lucifer placed a hand over his mouth, panic evident on his face.
"Don't say his name in my presence," the angel warned him. "You can say it in any room of this hotel or Hell, but above all, don't let me be there. As a precaution, don't say it in Adam's presence either."
Alastor took Lucifer's hand away from his mouth, his smile confused and his gaze puzzled.
"Why? Will it invoke him?" he said with a small drop of mockery. The King of the Underworld's eyes showed him that this was no joke.
"Using his real name with him creations makes a connection with him. If you want to die, don't hesitate."
The demon frowned.
"Him creations?" he whispered, confused. Then suddenly he realized. The shock made his eyes widen and the needle fall from his hands.
He created man in his own image.
"Well?" asked Lucifer, an uncertain smile on his lips and a scared look in his eyes "Your first impression of God?"
