Nearly ten feet tall, but still perfectly calm and stoic, the King of Hell stood up straight, towering over Adam with his three sets of wings tripled in size and spread out, adding to the magnitude of his presence. Lucifer had shape-shifted to double in size, changing into a more demon-like creature that physically resembled something straight out of a human child's nightmares. Large, black shadowed tentacle-like arms spread out from his own shadow on the ground, rapidly closing in on their disobedient, disrespectful target. The fire between his horns grew brighter and his tail flicked around intentionally while he crossed his arms, sizing Adam up. Emitting a low, haunting growl that sounded like it was coming from a different dimension, Lucifer continued to glare at Adam with hollow eyes, but he didn't take a step closer. The demon taking a menacing form was his way of making it unmistakably clear that he wasn't fucking around, and that he wasn't above using scare tactics or force to get his way.
Looking up at Lucifer for the first time in his life while standing, Adam took everything in, eyes widening with a gulp. Mixed emotions wrestled within him, a blend of fear, surprise, and excitement taking over as adrenaline flooded his bloodstream. It was impossible to tell if the demon was bluffing, since just days before Lucifer had violently struck him down and landed a few good punches. More recently though, he was held so close and touched so delicately with the same hands that busted up his pretty face. The first man huffed, rolled his eyes, pushed his guitar behind him to lay at his back, clearly standing down. If he wanted to fight, he would have wielded his weapon with intent to use it, not put it behind him. Adam crossed his arms right back with a scowl, mocking Lucifer's stance. Just because Lucifer was the King of Hell didn't mean that he could boss him around, and Adam decided to remind him of that by taking him down a few notches.
"Alright, big strong tough guy. Very cool. Very scary," he started, leaning against the door frame casually. "Listen, I don't know what your plan is with that giant freaky shadow monster form of yours, but let me make myself clear. I'm leaving, with my soul, rather you fuckin like it or not," he took a few steps towards Lucifer, smirking. His abrasive personality was already making quite the comeback. Even in the face of the most powerful being in all of Hell, he'd say whatever came to mind. He was Adam, he was the fucking man. "You look good like this Luce, I'm not gonna lie," he taunted, dry humping the air and grabbing his crotch in a crass manner. "You're sorta turning me on, I think I might-"
Enough. I accept your decision to leave, but you need to shake my hand, Adam. If something bad were to happen to you, he would not forgive himself. Shuddering uncomfortably, Adam felt the shadows closing in and crawling up his body, starting at his ankles but quickly wrapping around his legs, left arm, horns, and the base of his wings, restraining him. They pulled his guitar weapon off his body forcefully, breaking the strap, and dropped it to the floor. Adam wanted to struggle, fight, kick and scream, but he knew there was more dignity in appearing indifferent. Without flinching, he grimaced as he allowed the shadowed arms to lift him inches off the ground, surrounding him. Lucifer made a single gesture towards himself with a flick of the wrist, and the shadows pulled Adam directly in front of him. He offered his right clawed hand a very short distance from his inferior, and one of the shadows pushed Adam's right arm forward at the elbow, forcing him to extend his arm. Shake my hand. Your soul for my protection.
"Go fuck yourself," Adam glared up at the beast, keeping his right fist closed tightly. Moving in closer, Lucifer stuck his face right in front of Adam's, giving him one final chance to change his mind. Face turning bright red as a rush of attraction flooded his body, Adam turned his head to look away from the dull red glow of Lucifer's eyes, and clenched his jaw tightly. Knowing Lucifer was still reading all his thoughts, he smirked when a shadow wrapped around his neck, gripping his jaw and horns, yanking his head straight again so he was forced to look at him. Shake. My. Hand.
A quiet moan escaped Adam as Lucifer's grip tightened around him, making it hard for him to take proper breaths. He loathed that this was such a turn on, when he was trying so hard to stand up for himself and be defiant. Something about Lucifer made him so… yielding, and horny. As seconds ticked by, Lucifer's shadowy death grip gradually squeezed Adam tighter and tighter as the demon took his frustration out on the source of it. Or, you could stay with me… A tentacle gripped Adam's upper thigh tightly, concealed by his robes and ran between his legs at the base of his body, massaging his hardening dick and wiggling between his butt cheeks, toying with him. Adam jerked a bit, his ass hole still tender from yesterday.
Taking one last solid breath, he spat right in Lucifer's face and raised his middle finger from his fist in a bold act of defiance. "Fuck. You." The statement squeaked out from his lips as Lucifer finally showed his anger with a frown and growl, tightening the grip to crush the disrespectful fallen angel, Adam was no longer able to expand his lungs to inhale, and so he began to choke. Enjoying what in his mind was the upper hand, Adam leaned his head back without a sound and closed his eyes, vision starting to go dark quickly, arm dropping to his side. He was grinning like a psychopath though as his consciousness faded, immensely satisfied knowing that his disobedience pissed Lucifer off so much that he would rather kill him for a third time than give in and let him have his way. Deep down, he knew the demon wouldn't go through with it.
Finally accepting that he wouldn't be able to win this fight by the spiteful smile on Adam's face, Lucifer snapped the fingers on his right hand still stuck out for Adam to make the deal, and all of the shadows disappeared. Adam hit the floor hard, landing on his knees but falling limply to lay flat on the floor with a grunt and sharp gasp for air. Lucifer wiped the spit off his face with his sleeve with a scowl, then resumed his day to day form. Once able, Adam lifted his head, and he could've sworn he saw a subtle bump of arousal at Lucifer's crotch, but his vision was still very spotty, so he also could've been seeing things.
Turning to walk away from the man on the floor before him and retreat to the mansion, the King of Hell had decided that it was no longer worth wasting his own time playing games. He made a portal to his office, realizing that he'd have to leave Adam to his own devices and hope for the best. He had to prepare for his meeting with Heaven anyway, and the spiteful shithead was just getting in the way of that. Accepting his win without grace but still on the floor practically bowing to his King, the first man pushed himself up to kneel with a weak yet highly obnoxious laugh, rubbing it in.
"You couldn't- you couldn't even finish me off…" panting, he fixed his hair into place and sat his butt to the floor, shaking as he recovered. "Huh, Luci? Couldn't do it, one way or the other? Fuckin tease," he sighed with a smirk, getting a kick out of the double meaning in his sentence. Lucifer didn't pause or look back, ignoring him as to not give him the satisfaction. Infuriated by the lack of response, Adam reached for his guitar and held it like a weapon, rising to his feet. "Whatever, I'll be fine without you. I'll be- I'll be better. I'll be happier. Good fuckin riddance!" He screamed, turning sharply to walk out the other end of the greenhouse.
Instead of simply walking out the door, he made a grand exit by using his guitar's light blast to blow up a large hole where the door was. Unable to fly just yet, he stepped through the damaged wall and over the rubble, taking off on foot with hot tears burning in his eyes. Lucifer's anger and sadness were emotions he expected to face, but indifference was not, and the pain that came with being left to go off on his own without so much as a word or a second glance- that cut deep. After walking a good half mile or so away, Adam turned back to the mansion one last time, tears running down his cheeks while he screamed "FUCK YOU, LUCIFER!" at the top of his lungs. How dare Lucifer bring him in and take care of him, touch him just right and hold him so close, make him feel like things might finally have a chance at being okay between them, but then just… let him go, without fighting for him. Again. Lucifer stood facing away with his arms crossed, standing in place until Adam screamed his last words like nails in the coffin of their chances together. Huffing, he stepped into the portal on the floor beneath him and fell through, landing on the desk chair of his office.
Only a short hour and a few miles away from Lucifer's mansion, Adam's stomach growled uncontrollably every two minutes or so, relentlessly reminding him exactly why his decision to leave was one of the stupidest he'd ever made. Adding to the gruesome scenery and the unsettling situation, it had finally dawned on him that he had no money, no food, no resources, no connections, and nowhere to go. Adam didn't know anyone else in Hell aside from Charlie and Vaggie, but he couldn't go back to the stupid hotel because they'd call Lucifer the moment they saw him. Plus, he wanted to avoid the creepy red sadistic smiley guy and the little buggy bitch who stabbed him. Broken and alone, Adam stopped walking and stared down at a puddle on the ground. He'd won the argument and gotten his way, but at what cost?
Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, he couldn't seem to stop the tears from flowing. Sure, he wanted freedom and to feel in control of himself again, and he got it. He refused to be Lucifer's pathetic rebound, keeping his bed warm while he waited for Lilith to come back. Being together brought out the worst in both of them- the mess that they made festered and grew over thousands of years, compounding on itself. It was far too big to clean up. The worst part of it though was that while he walked, he kept looking over his shoulder, willing the real Lucifer to appear behind him, to make an effort to try and stop him. To tell him he was right, that he was sorry for abandoning him in Eden, that nothing in the universe would make him happier than if he'd come back. To admit that he loved him, and only him. To say that he wanted things to go back to how they were before everything fell apart, that he'd stick around for good, and mean every word. Even though he thought he was doing the right thing by ending it and walking away, he somehow felt even more miserable without Lucifer than he did with him.
Snapping out of his non-helpful, spiraling delusions, he noticed his reflection in the shallow puddle of greenish gray colored water, ranking the few available options he had in his mind. The water rippled with the wind, looking similar to a halo near his head. That was when it hit him. In order to get out of the mess without Lucifer's help, he needed to find a way to sneak into Heaven's Embassy building in the center of Pentagram City- the same place he met Charlie for the first time- and make contact with Heaven before Lucifer's meeting with them that afternoon. Even though he didn't really want to go back to Heaven, it felt like a less terrible option than fending for himself, alone in an unfamiliar Hellscape. If he was going to be hated by the majority of souls in both Heaven and Hell, he'd rather be hated in Heaven where he had a home, food, and safety. And at the very least, he had Lute in Heaven. A soft smile spread across his face as he thought about her reaction to seeing him alive, and the huge hug he'd receive. He'd never be able to love her, but at least she treated him right.
Spreading his wings, Adam jumped off the ground and took to the sky, flying up above the hazy cloud cover where he wouldn't be spotted from the ground. Gliding through the air for an hour, he made his way over to Pentagram City, and found the building with ease. It had a large antena-like spike on the roof that allowed for connection between Heaven and Hell. Lucifer was unable to go to Heaven in the same way Charlie could, as he was completely banned for all eternity, thus what the Embassy was created for. Finding it was the easy part, but getting in unnoticed would be extremely difficult. Though it was empty inside, it was in a high traffic area, and tons of hellborns and sinners would be passing through. Waiting until dark would have been the best idea, but Adam didn't have the luxury of a choice. If he waited until after Lucifer's meeting, they could make decisions about him without his knowledge, and that would go against everything he was trying to change for himself.
Shielding himself with his wings, Adam took a nosedive from the sky, speeding up his descent to be as fast as possible. His main goal was to shorten the time he'd be visible between the cloud cover and the roof. In an attempt to duck and roll, he ended up spreading his wings too late and crash landed awkwardly into the flat top of the roof with a loud grunt. A pained groan escaped him as he slowly pushed himself up, realizing that he fucked up. His left wing was searing in pain at the base of his shoulder, where it attached to his body, hanging limply at his side. Tears flowing again as he turned to try to look at it, he sucked in his breath through gritted teeth. "Oh FUCK," he winced, unable to even extend it. Left flightless without a plan B or a way to escape, he needed to find a way in and make contact with Heaven, fast.
Back in the mansion, the demon side of Lucifer worked diligently. He had no trouble leaving Adam behind without a second thought, as it was Adam himself who wanted to leave so badly. A last-minute tantrum wouldn't be enough to make him feel bad. The saying always went, 'If you love something, set it free.' He had far more important things to worry about than a meaningless lover's quarrel. The true Lucifer within would find his way back out once the dispute between Heaven and Hell was taken care of, and he would find a way to get Adam back. More pressing though, Hell's King needed to get his affairs in line ahead of his meeting with Heaven. The head Seraphim would be ruthless with her questioning, enraged by their uprising that threatened Heaven's safety, and he needed to have answers and solutions ready to go.
First and foremost, he needed to protect his people and Charlie by ensuring that Heaven would not retaliate. He knew it would be unlikely that they would, considering how Hell had just achieved a huge victory with only a few misfit characters, the citizens of Cannibal Town, and himself. Successfully eliminating a good chunk of the Exorcist Army, and more or less killing and later capturing their leader, was not easy to dismiss. If all of Hell were to be properly prepared, and most overlords agreed to work together as a whole, Heaven wouldn't stand a chance. Evil on earth was gradually outweighing the good, not only making their numbers larger than Heaven's, but also giving him, their royal leader, incredible power. Plus, nearly everyone in Hell- sinners and Hellborn alike- knew how to put up a good fight. It was a basic survival requirement.
In the event that Heaven decided to fight back again, and they went to war, he was well aware the big G would get involved, which would likely cause severe consequences for all. Drafting a new agreement would be both Heaven and Hell's best option, as to avoid pulling God into the feud. Thinking of what that agreement should entail was the hard part. Taking a deep breath, Lucifer picked up his phone and dialed the number one contact in his favorites. If he wanted to do this the right way, he'd need a trusted consultant.
"Hey Dad," Charlie answered her phone halfway through the first ring, stopping in her tracks. She'd been waiting for a call from him for a couple days. "How's everything going? How is… uh…" she looked around cautiously, "Um, you know."
"Hey Charlie. It's alright. He actually just left, but that doesn't matter right now. I have more important things to discuss."
"Uh… What?! What happened? Are you okay? You sound… you don't sound like yourself," she sat down at a stool of her brand new hotel's bar, stressing out even more so than before she picked up his call. Husk was casually pouring a freshly shaken passion fruit vodka martini into a coup glass for practice, working to sharpen his bartending skills in preparation of the hotel's grand reopening. It was only one short week away. He popped a new bottle of champagne, listening in on Charlie's conversation with an ear perked towards her.
"We just got into a disagreement, but you know… you met him, he likes to cause problems. It'll be okay. Don't worry about that right now, I'll make sure it's handled. I have something very important to ask you." Lucifer sighed heavily and made a few notes in a small leather bound journal, eyes still empty and glowing red. Husk looked over at her with a long eyebrow raised, easily able to tell that she was talking to her father by the worried look on her face. He poured a shot of the bubbly into a freshly shined tasting glass, proud of his work, excited to serve this one up.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Charlie reached out her arm and grabbed the drink in front of her, taking a sip mindlessly.
"Erm, hello? Miss Hell Princess Hotel Manager…?" Angel Dust huffed from across the bar, annoyed that Charlie flat out stole his drink. Husk had specifically told him that he was inspired by the adult-film star himself to test this one out. "That's not-" The winged cat bartender cut his statement short with a chuckle and waved him off with a look. "-yours. Ugh."
"Cut her a break, she needs it more than you do. I'll make you another one, Angel," he purred as he reached up to grab a new coup glass from above him. He winked at Angel, happy to make a new drink for his favorite hotel resident. Angel snorted and rolled his eyes, then leaned his head into his hands, elbows propped on the counter, admiring Husk with an adoring smile. He was just a little on edge in light of the recent events, and all the new changes- they all were. Charlie paused and took another drink, eyes lighting up.
"Wow, Husk. I really like this one. What is this? Add it to the menu!" Her heart swelled; the previous couple days had been very hard on her, but she knew her friends were working hard to support her dreams. Even an idea as simple as a signature cocktail list for her hotel's bar made her indescribably happy. Husk and Angel spearheaded the project, with the head bartender making the drinks, and the hotel's first-ever guest happily tasting each and every one of them.
"You got it, Princess. Seems like a very fitting addition for the cocktail list, because this one is the Pornstar Martini," Husk looked over at Angel with a smile as Charlie laughed, finding the humor in it. There was still a lot to do to get the place in tip top shape for sinner rejuvenation, rehabilitation and redemption, but they found time to squeeze in some fun.
"S-sorry dad," she giggled, switching the phone to her other ear, "I know it might not sound like it, but I do have a lot on my plate before our grand reopening. It's crazy, Channel 666 even agreed to televise the ribbon cutting ceremony… Shit- is someone working on finding a giant ribbon?! Damn it- anyways, what's up?"
"I know you're busy- I don't want to take up too much of your time. But I- I really think I need your help for my meeting with Heaven this afternoon. It's in four hours. I want you to come with me. I've been, uh, pretty preoccupied these past couple days and… and I don't have much of a plan yet. I don't know much about redemption, but I want to include it in our new pact. I want them to take you seriously this time, and with me there, I think they will." Lucifer paused, looking at a family portrait of Lilith, Charlie and himself on the wall. "I also think that you being there will force them to take me more seriously."
"Wait- uh, can you repeat that?" Hesitant, Charlie turned away from the bar, standing with the martini still in her hand. A strange mix of fear and excitement showed in her eyes, and she looked back at Husk and Angel with a huge smile.
"I need your help, Charlie. Can you come here now? I need some help drafting a strategy and agreement terms to bring to the Seraphims and Archangels-"
"YES!" She squealed with glee, leaping at the opportunity to represent Hell with her father. With Lucifer at her side, Heaven wouldn't be able to turn her away, ignore her, or embarrass her. Hearing the unfiltered joy in her response was enough to snap Lucifer out of his rut, and he smiled widely. Though the demon still led Lucifer's every action and thought, effectively keeping the emotional side of him out of the picture, hearing Charlie so happy made his whole being feel revitalized. She was his breath of fresh air, his reason to keep going. In his darkest hours, just the thought of his daughter emitted the brightest light. Despite all of the horrible things he'd done and all of the bad and despair that he brought into the universe, he made Charlie, and she was the one good thing he ever created. She was actively working so hard to reverse the damage he caused. A perfect reminder of his purpose, a reason to keep going, a perfect candidate to rule at his side. Without a doubt, they would change Heaven and Hell forever. It was poetic.
"Oh- well, I'm glad to hear that!" He chuckled, encouraged and relieved by her enthusiasm. "Here, let me just," with another snap, a portal appeared before her. Lucifer waved from the other side, eyes changing back to normal, as not to alarm her. Overjoyed, Charlie bounced up and down, waved back, then moved back to the bar to set her drink down.
"I'll be right there. Alastor?!" She called out, taking a few steps backwards to the portal. Lucifer snarled, irritated to hear that the prick father-figure poser was there, hanging out around his daughter like some kind of creepy loser Appearing out of thin air with the help of his supernatural powers, Alastor stood before her dressed to the nines, outfit complete with his microphone in hand and his unwavering, dashing grin on his face.
"Why hello, Charlie! Whatever can I-" Seeing Lucifer behind the portal, he raised his hand and flipped him off, then continued, "-do for you, my dear?" He bowed before her genuinely, then took a seat at the bar. "Oh, what's this? Looks quite fantastic, Husker," casually, Alastor picked up the drink and took a whiff. "Hm. Smells a bit too fruity for me, but I am sure this will be a crowd pleaser. It's so fantastic to see you growing in your bartender role," he grinned sarcastically, thoroughly enjoying the displeased look on Husk's face. Angel Dust looked at Husk, catching his eyes for a moment as a way to silently support him. He knew well how inferior Alastor could make Husk feel.
"Heyyy Alastor! I'm off to go help my dad with an important meeting with Heaven… uh, can you please keep an eye on everything? I'll be back later tonight. Uh- try to see if you can get a few additional things checked off the list- if you know anyone who can help us out with a big ribbon-"
"Of course, of course! Don't you worry your pretty little head, you know me… You can trust me… I'm the esteemed Facility Manager, remember? I'll take care of it. I can't wait to get this show on the road," leaning back into the bar, he used his shadow powers to pour himself two fingers of rye on the rocks. Husk ignored him completely, finishing and serving his second pornstar martini to Hell's most beloved pornstar himself.
"Thank you, Alastor. Thank you! Oh- and can someone tell Vaggie when she comes back from town that, first of all, I love her so much, but also where I'm going and that I'll see her later tonight?" Waiting patiently, Lucifer glared at Alastor through the portal. As Charlie took a step in, he started to close it, growing sick of looking at his face.
"On it, Charlie! Try and not screw things up with Heaven again- two times was plenty! Oh- mmmm… fuck, Husk, this is bangin! I get why they named it after my profession," Angel chimed in, grinning ear to ear. He chased the martini with a sip of champagne, then waved at Charlie as she entered Lucifer's office, and the portal closed behind her. "Good luck, doll face!"