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The radio demons found himself baking on this late evening in the royal palace. He had not seen Lucifer for a few hours while he was out visiting Rosie and there was a melancholy feeling in the air. It felt like cellos playing a sad tune.
Alastor had never experienced pregnancy in life and this was no ordinary situation. The king of hell had been carrying his child for the last 7 months and the experience had been interesting to say the least. Instead of a growing stomach the radio demon had picked up on a frequency while around the king. At first it was small hiccups that made his static flare. Over months it had turned into almost melody’s and the demon had realized it was the child reacting to stimuli. The king had been delighted to hear this and Alastor had made sure his child heard only the best music. Lucifer otherwise looked the same in appearance, perhaps a new heavenly glow around his presence.
The biggest change was the fallen angels constant mood swings. The other man was exuberant regularly, his manic episodes shifting quickly as his creative mind buzzed. But as the growth of their child continued so did erratic behaviors. One day the king would be joyous and flitting about his workshop as energy drove him to create. Sometimes nesting would cause Lucifer to rearrange the entire palace, the demon found it quite amusing one time when the king had become particularly choosy over which rubber ducks could be in their bedroom. His majesty had also became quite protective, the radio demon had witnessed a demon torn apart by its atoms for making a snide remark at the radio demon. Then there were moods of depression that crippled Lucifer, these were the most concerning.
Everyone who knew of the closely guarded secret, a choice few, tried to offer Alastor all kinds of advise. The demon was sure this was normal for poor women everywhere and not entirely wanted. But the man knew he was not good at affection or feelings in general so he took some under consideration. Today Rosie’s counsel had only been to remain close, his presence seemed to reassure Lucifer.
From the tone of the cello like melody the king was in a more negative mood. So apple pie was being pulled from the oven. The demon had found Lucifer had quite a sweet tooth and he had always enjoyed cooking in life and the afterlife so he had taken to fixing their meals. The radio demon had yet to convince his king to try his more.. rare.. dishes to introduce to the baby. The palace had no need of guards or really any other staff. Lucifer just used his powers or inventions to fill many upkeep chores. No one dared to even think of harming the king of hell so protection was not necessary. Alastor would love to have staff to control and abuse but Lucifer’s anxiety would not allow others near the future prince.
Hopeful for a quick switch in mood, the radio demon heaped a helping of freshly mixed whipped cream on the pie and drizzled some honey on it. He headed for Lucifer’s lab, knowing the room was his place of comfort to sequester when low.
Alastor knocked on the work shop door, “Darling? I’ve brought you a snack.”
The fallen angel was in his arm chair by the window, staring out into the night scape. Definitely a depressed mood, he had already left melancholy behind. The demon walked softly so as to not spook Lucifer from his trance, he had done that before and almost lost an antler for it.
“Lucifer how long have you been here?” The radio demon tried again.
Alastor turned on the radio on the kings desk while setting the slice of pie down. They had taken to reclining together some evenings while Lucifer tinkered and Alastor would listen to tunes. The demon was thinking of moving his piano up here by the fabled golden fiddle. He set the music to a soft jazz, hoping to entice his lover to a calmer mood.
The radio demon sighed when the fallen angel still didn’t respond. He knelt down on his knees by the arm of the chair to try and catch the kings eye safely. If anyone else saw him like this, on his knees, he would have killed them on the spot.
What he sees staring into the evening sky is terrifying.
Lucifer’s eyes stare at nothing, they are not their normal yellow or red, but an unearthly black. The longer the demon stares into them the more he sees. It’s like the whole universe sits deeply within the angel, thousands of stars blink back at him.
“It was so dark once.” The king of hell finally speaks, his voice devoid of any of the sunshine resembling the man normally, “We worked together to make the stars first, that’s what brought the light. We didn’t even really plan it, just happened in a bang.”
Lucifer finally turns his face towards the radio demon, the void of his eyes freezing him in place. It’s so immense; the deep, aching, feeling coming from the angel. The radio demon feels like the void is judging him and it finds him unfit. The king had once joked with Alastor about how humans were so clever to put a name to what he felt for so long; depression.
“It was wonderful when we began working on the humans. They weren’t eternal like us, they could grow into anything.” Lucifer smiled sadly, “They were so young, had so much potential… I just wanted them to have the free will to experience it. It would have been like keeping pets otherwise.”
The fallen angel had been cursed to love too much. He suffered for his love of life and creation. He was punished for wanting to share that love. Too loud, too excited, too much.
The being that stared at Alastor now was ancient. He had seen creation unfold and watched it grow. Far from the happy ball of manic energy the radio demon was use to. Hardly recognizable. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting here gazing at the dark hole that was his angel.
“What makes you sad Alastor?” Lucifer whispered and reached his fingers to brush the other man’s cheek.
The radio demon blinked and he was in a dark place. Alastor looked around but saw nothing, only black void.
Knock knock knock
“Hello? This is your Mother.”
The radio demons long dead heart dropped from his chest. He had not heard this voice for so, so long.
“Are you there? Are you coming home?”
Alastor tried to find the source of the voice, but it was ringing all around him.
“Hello? Is anybody home?”
How long had she looked? How long had she wondered what had happened to her son?
Did she know what he had done?
Alastor scrambled away from the fallen angel like he had been burned. Heart pounding he touched his cheek but found it undamaged. The radio demon did not know if he had seen a hallucination or an actual event that happened after his unexpected death. Lucifer reached his hand out, like he was beckoning the demon back.
“Oh what a beautiful soul.” The king smiled, the demons skin crawled “Don’t worry my Dear, she is in heaven and loves you still.”
Alastor watched as Lucifer’s smile crumbled, his bottom lip wobbling.
“Do you think she would be happy for our child?” A soft melancholy frequency buzzed in the air, their child.
The radio demon dug his claws in his own cheek, trying to ground his panic with pain. Was the vision kin to what Lucifer was feeling? That same depth of sadness Alastor had locked away many years ago, too afraid to think of what had happened after his untimely death. Was it the pregnancy causing the depression or was this how Lucifer felt at times? While every fiber in his demon body told him to flee, not to approach a dying star or else he would be pulled in, he could not leave the fallen angel in that place.
Alastor forced himself back to his kings side, grabbing the hand offered to him, “Yes.. she would.”
A single tear rolled down Lucifer’s cheek, “What if it’s like me?”
The radio demons fangs showed sharply as he smiled and clenched the kings hand tighter, “By all that’s unholy I hope so.”
This seemed to snap the king out of it as his eyes turned back to yellow, “What?”
Alastor pulled Lucifer up from the chair and swung him around in a twirl under his arm. The radio station flipped to a more upbeat song and he pulled the other man back to put them chest to back to rock them back and forth.
“I am going to raise the next prince of Hell.” Alastor growled, “He needs to have the ferocity you displayed when fighting Adam, the power of the first arc angel, and the blood thrist of myself!”
The fallen angel finally laughed as he was spun again and pranced around the room similar to a swing dance. The demon was a fine dancer when he gifted his partner a chance at a dance so the king happily gripped the others hands tightly and followed along. Alastor sensed a giddy frequency emitting around them, their child happy with the change.
“Charlie is wonderful Dear, but I expect any child of mine to be a ruthless sovereign that demons quake in fear at the mere thought of his name.” The radio demon tsked.
“Oh which reminds me, we had better start discussing names before ducky gets here.” Lucifer laughed as Alastor’s lip curled at the hated nickname the king took to calling the babe.
“As long as it’s not Sir Ducksworth or anything else ridiculous I will leave that up to you your majesty.”
“Oh Alastor, the power that you give me.” The fallen angel snickered evilly, making them demon mildly reconsider.
But Lucifer enjoyed any activity that involved parenting so he trusted the man to give a satisfactory name Alastor would approve of. Soon they would unveil to Hell their new prince and all would know that the radio demon had a new station in the afterlife. He could not wait to see the look on Vox’s flat screen face.
The song changed and the fallen angel began to sing along to Love that Boy by Dinah Shore. Lucifer had a lovely voice and for a sentimental moment Alastor couldn’t help but hope their son would inherit the same.