Chapter Text
It was a lucky day indeed. Alastor felt a grin press against his cheeks as he witnessed the scene in front of him.
"You did what?!" Charlies voice was shrill, frazlled, "You-you" she pointed an accusing finger at her father, "You walked...towards a big x on the ground...because you thought," Charlie shook her head again, "I was playing a PRANK on you?! Dad. Dad! How-" she started pacing. The mighty lord of hell winced. He was already shriveled up in a corner. Golden blood still on his clothes.
"I...I..." Lucifer managed.
"You - it almost killed EVERYONE dad?! How could you - how are you - THIS INCOMPETENT!" Lucifers face dropped. Something hushed over his eyes.
"...I'm...sorry..." He mumbled. Vaggie tried - without much success - to get through to Charlie "He didn't...he thought it was you Charlie. He just wanted to help you?"
"Help?!" Charlie screeched, then ran fingers through her hair, "Haha. Help. You," Charlie again pointed at her father, "Directly attacked HEAVEN. You. You- how do you?! How am I supposed to explain to them?!! A giant x on the ground??!" Charlie continued pacing. Lucifer, holding hands over his ears, vanished.
---
Alastor hummed. Too easy. When you initially learn of the devil himself this isn't what you expect to see - obviously. But the truth of it all was too good - he was a sad sap of a man who couldn't hurt a sinner if he wanted. Alastor snickered a little - angling his ears to pick up on the sniffles. There are many ways to make that stunning power his own. How would he approach this? The possibilities!
Slowly he slid the door open, then approached the huddle in the corner.
"My oh my what has become of our oh so mighty king?" Alastor got nothing in response. Hm. Maybe right after the fight wasn't the best time to start his game.
He was thinking of either adding fuel to the fire by reiterating just how much of a failure he was or - just leaving for now. It did leave a bad taste in his mouth to kick a dog when he's down. Even if they're loathsome beasts.
No he'll twist it into a deal somehow later. But before the radio demon - scolding himself for rushing things - could leave the pile of feathers rustled and turned.
"....," glazed eyes stared back at Alastor and then the tiniest voice hushed across the room, "please...don't...hurt me."
Alastor felt his ears push down to his skull - a gnarly prickle of static made the room quiver - as the voice of a child overlapped with the voice of Lucifer. Her tear filled eyes shaking, her body covered in bruises - NO - her nails misshapen - NO NOT NOW - her gorgeous hair clumped and dusty - FUCK - 'Don't...please...don't hurt me...' Alastor steeled his eyes to the ground.
"I'm sorry...," Lucifers body shook, "Brother...please...I'm sorry..."
This is Lucifer. A fallen angel. A being of immense strength. A pathetic husband, a pathetic father. He is not a child. He is not like that child. HE IS NOT.
"I won't do it again...I'll - I'll do anything..." Lucifer whimpered, his claws digging into his legs, "It....it...hurts..."
'I...I won't do it again...I promise...I promise'
Alastor felt his mind crumble. The image of her - coming back and back and back and BACK AND BACK. Over and over and over. He twisted his claws around his cane - this is not her. NOT. HER.
"...I'll be good...I'll...obey..." Lucifers feathers hung - as if gravity was pushing them down relentlessly, "It...hurts..."
Before he could even think further Alastor found himself on the floor.
"...Do you-" Alastor tugged at his sleeves - the memory of him saying the same thing ages ago flowing over his mind - only his voice was much more youthful than it is now, "Know how radios work? It is...fascinating really. On one end you have the information - the message. The audio. It needs to be transported to - well around the area. To do that the message actually needs to be 'carried' by a carrier signal. The process of doing that is called modulation," Alastor stared at the angel who was still sobbing intermittently, "Well. The carrier is an electromagnetic wave you see. And it's at a certain frequency - that's how you get different channels. Now in my day and age we use amplitude modulation - or AM -"
Lucifer felt a tug and pull. In between the bouts of pain and screaming - dots clouded his vision - orange and yellow spread around the edges, then seeped into the centre. In the distance he heard laughing. A memory? That can't be he shut them away. He went to great lengths to bury them - make them inaccessible. Must be a very happy memory - if it still manages to flicker before him. The laughing echoed - his view shook. He couldn't see - his brain kept him from seeing. Sounds were distorted and distant.
"Luc-ere- o-" he could still make out the general feel of the voice. Soothing. Healing. Loving. A memory of his brother, probably.
Raphael. And as he said the name his vision suddenly focused - the spots dimmed and the colour's sloshed together forming grassy greens - a sky so blue. Just as it was back then. No. This. Isn't possible. He killed the memories. He remembers putting them away.
"- which means the amplitude of the electromagnetic wave varies with the message - the audio," he couldnt see Raphaels face - he wasn't even sure he was hearing his voice.
"This... isn't a memory," he said. Did Raphael ever talk about - what even were they talking about? Is this a dream? The criptic figure in front of him - his long black hair a blurr - the only reminder of Raph that he can't erase.
"Of course this isn't a memory. I'm talking to you," the ghost chimed.
"But..." Lucifer squinted his eyes, "Raph you...you can't be here..."
"...Why ever not?" The voice sounded uncertain, but the more it talked the more it clung to the parts Lucifer couldn't delete - it sounded more and more like his brother.
"...Because you...you...abandoned me" Lucifer stuttered. He couldn't read his brother's expression.
The figure stared back at him silently. Almost - with a sad sway.
"You did!" Lucifer screamed, "You...left me...to die...to...Michael he..." He felt his vision clouding again.
"...Lucifer. Don't you want to know how radios work?" The voice cut through the darkness encroaching him.
"...I...radios?" He asked meekly.
The person approached - face still indistinguishable.
"Yes. Radios. Lovely aren't they? They use some pretty neat tricks to transmit information - so that we may enjoy it." He sat down next to Lucifer, "Should I explain it again?"
"...Yes..." Lucifer sniffled, then turned to his brother, "...how...how do they work?"
---
Alastor felt his mouth go numb from all the talking. There's only so much he can say before he starts deriving Fourier transforms - which would be ten steps too far into the topic. Thankfully the sobbing of the angel slowed - and now he seems to have calmed completely.
Alastor groaned and stretched, feeling some of his bones Crack. He had been on the floor for far too long. He took his cane back into his hands and made a motion to stand up - only to be grabbed back down by a small hand.
"Oof-" Alastor huffed, "What the-" he looked down to find Grey claws dug into his coat. Fantastic.
He flinched when he noticed red eyes staring back at him. Oh.
"...Is Charlie still mad?" His voice sounded feeble - quiet.
"She just needs some time to calm down," Alastor answered despite something in him desperately trying to yank him back into the shadows, "Then she will apologize I'm sure."
"Apologize," Lucifer scoffed, "Shouldn't you know by now, brother, how much of a dissapointment I am. Really - you were made too sweet for your own good. No - I...I need to apologize."
Alastor has been called Raph or brother this entire time so it didn't much surprise him - but he did expect the fallen angel to snap out of it at some point.
Alastor grunted, his voice coming out strained, "Why should you apologize for trying your best? Did it fail spactacularl- I mean. Yes it didn't end well. But you didn't have malicious intent."
"...You keep saying that," Lucifer responded meekly, "What does intent matter when everything I touch...everything..." He tucked his head back in between his legs.
"Oh really? Is Charlie a mistake then?"
"Wh- no...no..."
"What about all the rooms you added to the hotel? What about - the lovely garden at the back?"
Lucifer chuckled weakly, "You still love flowers...You'd think...someone would change after all these years..."
"...I think intent matters greatly," Alastor interjected.
"Raph - I love your kindness - but - but I - I doomed humanity. And now...I almost killed my own daughter. And shot at heaven," a sad laugh erupted from Lucifers chest, "I am - well intentioned or not -....destruction itself."
"Mmm I don't know if I'd say you doomed humanity first of all. And secondly," Alastor was shaking his head still not sure why he's answering, "It was vox who shot at heaven and almost killed everyone, not you. I think you should -" Alastor felt his ears go down just a tad whilst his tummy grumbled in discontent, "Rather worry about...your own injuries." The fuck is he saying. Stupid stupid stupid.
"...bad...tickles," Lucifer shuddered as he said it, "Really...bad...tickles..." His fist clenched more around Alastors coat, tearing into the fabric. Oh geez.
For a moment both are silent.
"...you really think...I didn't doom humanity?" Lucifer finally asked with another sniffle.
"Hmm nope. As much as humans destroy they also create. I'm sure life would be a lot more boring without music or theatre. I'm not sure we could freely express ourself like that if it weren't for you."
"We? You're an angel Raph. Tsk. Don't tell me you're wandering down on earth again...you know you're not supposed to..."
Hm. Raphael was seemingly full of personality too.
"...If I...did things differently...charlie could be up in heaven."
"If, if, if," Alastor groaned, "Unless you can rewind time I suggest you seize thinking about what could've been."
"...Sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I can't help it.."
Alastor sighed. Another moment of silence passed.
"Raph. Do you...hate me?"
Alastor gritted his teeth, his head spun battling itself.
"...no..." The answer so quiet Lucifer almost didn't hear it.
But he did.
And for the first time in millenia his heart felt a little less burdened.
---
Lucifer slowly felt his body return to reality - his head thumped loudly and his wings twisted as he finally willed his tired eyes open.
Ah. The laundry room.
He turned his head slowly to the side.
"...Raph?" But Noone responded. Was it...a dream? Was he hallucinating? Lucifer lifted his arm to inspect the space next to him - only to see a piece of red coat in between his fingers.
"This..." Lucifer murmured, "This is...Bellhop?" He let the fabric go - horrified, "No...wait...what?" His voice was raspy. What the fuck happened? Was - he talking to Alastor this entire time? What the fuck?
---
This is a one time thing. A one time thing. He just happened to look like her - and that's why I had to act. Just in this one instance. Just a little. He looked like her. And that's fine. It can happen. What's important is that it doesn't again. And that that darned memory stays buried as it is supposed to.
Alastor huffed, throwing his coat on his bed with vigor. Forget. Move on. Get stronger.