Something wrong
Hazbin Hotel | 1.2k words
Warnings: Mental health issues, canon violence.
Authors' notes: Sooo... I wanted to write something for this fandom for a long time and finally got the time/motivation/ideas to write this down! I plan on doing a part two, if anyone here is interested. Also- Please do not hesitate to tell me if something seems wrong (especially surrounding Lucifer's mental health) or too OOC. That being said- Enjoy your reading!
There was something wrong with Lucifer. Alastor narrowed his eyes in thought, staring at the fallen angel. Well, it wasn’t something to worry about, per say, but there was definitely something… Odd, something that wasn’t there before the last extermination. It was this look he sometimes had in his eyes while looking at the sky… Most of the times, he would immediately come back to Hell when someone approached him, but there were also times where Lucifer’s mind seemed to take a few more seconds to realize where he was, and this look would fall on the person intruding. The first time that Alastor was behind that look, he couldn’t help but freeze in his step for a second before continuing as if nothing happened. In his state, he doubted the King would have noticed, anyway. However, each time this faraway and angry look crossed his own, the Radio demon would feel uneasy, on edge. Seeing the light coming back to his eyes each time was a relief for his nerves, even if he would never admit it to anyone. This time should have been the same.
Alastor was entering the freshly created balcony when he saw Lucifer seated against the wall, looking forward. He sensed instantly that something was off with the king, as he didn’t react at all at his presence. The demon cleared his throat before walking in front of him. “What a pitiful sight, your highness! Do you not have anything better to accomplish today?” Lucifer continued to stare unseeingly, which made Alastor’s eye twitch in displeasure. He forced his smile to grow bigger, tilting his head in a menacing manner. “Deciding to ignore me, I see! How mature of you, your majesty, but it does fit well with your height!” He waited a beat, but only silence answered his provocations. Alastor swallowed down the uneasiness, masking it as annoyance. He will get a reaction out of the king, one way or another. He let his body elongate and twists. His antlers grew as the radio static becoming heavy in the air. “I strongly suggest that you stop this charade, Lucifer. Otherwise, I might just be convinced to do something… Regrettable.” One clawed hand approached the fallen angel’s throat, nearly touching it. “Surely you would not want that to happen, your majesty. What would poor Charlie do, losing her other parent…” The demon’s claws encircled the pale throat in threat. However, there was still no visible reaction from Lucifer. Alastor inhaled sharply, his uneasiness transforming in some kind of panic that he didn’t recognize. “You are asking for it, now, are you not? Well, it would be rude of me to refuse this!” With a vicious snarl, he closed his hand, his claws breaking the tender skin and drawing golden blood out. He squeezed more and more into the moveless body. If the king wanted to act dead to the world, he might as well be, for all the Radio demon cared! Until, finally, a gasp shook his victim, eyes growing wide and meeting Alastor’s gaze. A shaking hand came to rest on the sinner arm that was chocking him. Watching the life come back to Lucifer’s face caused a wave of relief in the demon, but it was quickly override with pure rage. Acting on instinct, he threw the king on the other side of the balcony, pursuing him instantly. “HoW dArE yOu?!” He didn’t even truly know himself what he was accusing Lucifer of, but the anger inside of him was uncontrollable. “SoMeOnE aS mEdIoCrE aS yOu ShOuLd PeR-” He stopped himself in shock, staring at the shaking mass at his feet that started crying silently. A small chuckle escaped the king’s mouth. “Thank you,” he said, looking straight at Alastor. Regaining his normal form, the demon looked back, eyebrows raised. “That is certainly an unexpected reaction, your highness. Do you truly wish to die?” For reasons unknown to him, Lucifer simply broke into laughter. Loud, miserable, laughter. The sinner’s ears winced at the sudden sound, his constant smile straining. After a while, the king sighed, looking at the sky, before answering the earlier question. “You have no idea.”
Alastor narrowed his eyes. “Why, if I may ask?” He couldn’t guess what the king reasoning was, and it annoyed him. Yellow eyes met his own again, a tired smile on his face. “Sometimes, Al, you’re just broken beyond repairs. No matter how much you try to glue all your parts together…” He sighed, closing his eyes. “It doesn’t matter what you try to do it with, really, if the base is constantly crumbling under its own weight.” Opening them once more, Lucifer looked at the stars. “You can only add layers upon layers to not show the void you became.” Alastor frowned as his smile struggled to find a way to express what he was feeling. For once, the sinner didn’t know what to say. After a second of silence, however, the angel continued. “But the layers crack. They always do. And you’re stuck in the void. That’s why I thanked you.” He smiled weakly at the demon, moving his eyes on him. “For getting me out of my own head.” The Radio demon tilted slightly his head while one of his closed a bit in confusion. “You do not seem too worried about the situation.” The king hummed.
“Well, it’s started to happen a long time ago… Gotten quite used to it, by now.” He shrugged, not knowing what to add and well aware that the sinner wouldn’t understand his view. To his defence, Alastor seemed genuinely astonished. “And you did not find anything more efficient than… Riding it out, waiting for someone else to take advantage of the situation?” Lucifer shifted, uncomfortable, and looked away. “Eh… Looks like it, doesn’t it? But, eh, hum… It wasn’t always so bad, you know, most of the times it’s pretty easy to get out of! When Lilith was here, it was definitely easier, but… I can’t ask any of you to replace her, so, yeah, sometimes I get stuck, but it’s okay! Really!” He didn’t even realize that he started rambling until the demon cleared his throat, causing him to freeze in embarrassment. “What did Lilith do that helped? Charlie would be happy to keep you grounded when needed, I am sure.” The angel deflated. “Yeah, but… She has already so much on her plate. I can’t just come back and be another burden! Asking her to touch me all the time, it won’t do-” As he kept muttering, Alastor thoughts about what he said. Touch helped, then. If he didn’t want to involve his daughter, then he will have to keep the king’s mind in the present. As much as he despised touch from others, that wasn’t what the king implied. Nodding his head once in determination, the Radio demon took Lucifer’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “Alright, your highness. However, if you truly want to keep your situation a secret from dear Charlie, you probably should rest in order to be in top shape tomorrow!” His smile had since regained his natural confidence.
The fallen angel blinked at him a few times. “Yeah… That’s probably better…” As he took a step in the direction of the door, he stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. However, before entering the building, he stopped to look back at Alastor, thoughtful. Lucifer opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it as he closed it and stepped through the door, leaving the Radio demon alone on the balcony.
