Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Lucifer woke with the lazy ease of someone who’d slept too well. The light filtering through the curtains was soft, light red, almost showing off, really. He stretched, a pleased hum slipping past his lips as his joints cracked faintly.

For long minutes, he simply remained in the same position, staring at the ceiling of his room. He needed to get up. But the bed begged him to stay, but he was no longer in the palace. He needed to be there for Charlie.

With a sigh, he forced himself to get up and sit on the edge of the bed. He just needed to... Get up. Get up. Get up. Get up. Get up.

For once, the morning felt calm. Only the faint conversation coming from the lobby, no chaos, no interruptions. Just quiet.

He rubbed the back of his neck, then idly ran a hand down his arm, yawning, and froze.

The texture wasn’t right. Smooth skin gave way to something soft, velvety — and shimmering faintly under the light. He frowned, glancing down at his arm.

Blond fur. Thin, fine, glinting like sunlight in dust.

Lucifer blinked once, twice. Oh for fuck's sake.

Being the king of hell logically had its own advantages, especially being an angelic being. However, with great power came great responsibility. Of course, when necessary, he would use his powers appropriately; logically, he knew how to control them, thanks to billions of years of training. But at bedtime, that was when things got a little complicated. Could he control his powers while sleeping? Yes. Could he remain in control at any time? Obviously. Technically, angels don't need to sleep, but he lives in hell, so who's going to complain? He can certainly control his powers while sleeping. But... that's a lot of effort, isn't it? So who's to blame if he lost control of his powers for a little while while sleeping? It's not like it would harm other people.

It's not the first time he's accidentally shapeshifted while sleeping. It usually happens every few years unintentionally; Usually, with just a snap of his fingers, he reverts to his original state.

With a sigh, he pushed himself out of bed and stalked to the mirror. At first glance, he still looked like himself, the same sharp teeth, same unbothered hair. But now, a pair of delicate, deer-like ears peeked from beneath his blond curls, twitching at every sound. His eyes, too, gleamed faintly, warmer, brighter, carrying a subtle glimmer that wasn’t there before.

A small, fluffly, blond-tipped tail flicked behind him, cute, but entirely uninvited.

He stared for a long, silent moment. Then sighed.

“Cute,” he muttered dryly. “Very cute.”

Snapping his fingers, he waited for the usual red shimmer, the effortless return to his normal form. Nothing. He tried again. A spark of red light flared and died in the air.

Lucifer frowned.

Once more.

Nothing.

"Don’t you dare start misbehaving now," he hissed, snapping again, harder this time. The air rippled weakly, then fell still.

The corners of his mouth twitched. "No. Absolutely not."

Another snap.

Nothing.

His jaw clenched, the calm cracking apart. 

Snap.

Still nothing.

A frustrated growl slipped out of him, more animal than royal. He stared at his reflection, at the blond fur on his arms, the faint twitch of those ears, the ridiculous tail, and for a heartbeat, he felt real panic.

"Shit…"

The room seemed to tilt around him. He snapped again, desperate now, over and over, until the sound became erratic, almost frantic.

Suddenly, with a thought, he freezes. 

If that form was supposed to be a deer, where the fuck were his antlers?

You see, he doesn't even have a problem with having intimate female parts! but considering that he was currently unable to shapeshift back to his normal form... Well, That was a problem.

He took a deep breath, his voice trembling, and slowly reached for the waistband of his duck briefs, carefully pulling them forward.

He lowered his head and looked down at his lower regions.

A horrible realization hit him hard.

"what the FUCK?!" 

His scream was sharp enough to rattle the mirrors of his own room, loud enough to shake the entire hotel.

-

"-FUCK?!"

The scream rolled through the hotel like thunder.

The lobby fell silent. Charlie froze mid-sentence, Vaggie’s eyes went wide, and even Angel lowered his phone without a word. For a few seconds, no one moved. The echo still clung to the air, trembling faintly in the chandeliers.

Charlie finally exhaled. "...I-I should probably go check on dad."

Vaggie placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile. "I’ll come with you."

Angel shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "Jeez, looks like short king is in trouble there."

They moved toward the stairs, hesitant but determined. The air in the hotel had changed, thicker somehow, buzzing faintly with leftover energy.

At the edge of the room, The radio demon stood perfectly still. He hadn’t spoken since the scream. His grin remained fixed, as always, but his eyes were locked on the hallway that led upstairs.

There was something strange about that sound. Beneath the power and fury of it, he’d heard… something else. Something that stirred a feeling he couldn’t quite name.

He didn’t understand it, only that, for reasons beyond logic, he couldn’t stay where he was.

Without a word, he followed the others.

His steps were slow, deliberate. He didn’t bother to announce himself or offer help. Something deep inside, old, instinctive, and long forgotten, pulled him forward, guiding him toward the source of that scream.

-

The door creaked open to a scene no one expected.

Lucifer stood in the middle of the room wearing his favorite duck-patterned pajamas, the bright yellow kind with little cartoon faces all over them. His expression pure indignation.

A short, blond-tipped tail flicked behind him, betraying his annoyance.

Charlie froze in the doorway, blinking once. "…Dad?"

Lucifer ears perked up at the sound of her voice, he turned to look at her, ready to ask for help, but when he saw the way she was looking at him, his ears flattened against his skull in pure indignation. "Charlie, no."

"N-No, what, dad??" she asked, her lips twitching, fighting off a grin. It was impossible to take her das seriously with those cute ears in his head.

“That tone,” he said flatly, crossing his arms. “I know that tone, sweetie. You’re about to laugh.”

“I’m not!” she lied, pressing a hand to her mouth. Her shoulders trembled.

Behind her, Angel Dust poked his head on the door and let out a short gasp. “Oh my gosh- He is a deer!”

"I'm not a deer!" Lucifer snapped, voice pitching higher than he meant. The new ears pressing forcefully against his skull. He was NOT, a deer, thank you very much! "This is a temporary… inconvenience!"

Charlie tried to compose herself, stepping into the room. "Dad, it’s- okay, it’s a little funny, but—"

"A little– Charlie! A little funny?!" he repeated, scandalized.

Angel started laughing outright, doubled over against the wall. Even Vaggie bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Lucifer crossed his arms and huffed under his breath. "You’re all enjoying this far too much."

Amid the laughter, one figure stayed silent.

Alastor stood near the doorway, that constant grin fixed in place, but there was something different about him now. His eyes had gone distant, the usual static of his aura gone quiet. He watched Lucifer wordlessly, expression unreadable.

Charlie was still trying to apologize between giggles, and Lucifer was dramatically complaining about 'a complete lack of royal respect.'

But Alastor remained still, as if something inside him had gone very, very still too.

-

Charlie was the last to sit, still red from trying not to laugh. "Okay," she began, clapping her hands together, "we need to figure out what happened to dad!" She said cheerfully, but determined.

“Well, Charlie,” Lucifer began, tone deliberately light, “this isn’t exactly terrible." He straightened his cuffs with theatrical calm. “I might even get used to it! In time, I’ll figure out how to return to normal. It’s not as though it’s going to bother me that much.” He flicked an ear to prove his point.

For a moment, the group actually seemed convinced, Charlie smiled, Vaggie nodded, Husk muttered something about how they were all in 'deep shit' but no one noticed.

Then Angel squinted at him.

“…Wait,” he said slowly. “Hold up a sec.”

Lucifer blinked. “What now?”

Angel leaned forward, staring harder. His grin started creeping in. “You don’t have antlers like Smiles over there." he pointed towards Alastor, that was looking at nothing with a strange look on his face.

Lucifer frowned. “Excuse me?”

Angel’s was humming in thought, when his voice went up an octave, eyes widening as the realization hit.

“Oh my fucking Satan...”

“Angel, please don’t-" Charlie started. She knew what was coming.

But it was too late.

“No fucking way,” Angel gasped between laughs. "He’s not a deer- he’s a doe!"

The room went dead silent for half a second.

Then Angel lost it. Full laughter, doubled over, hands on his knees. "Short king is a fucking doe! Oh, that's fuckin' rich!"

Charlie covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. “Angel– stop–”

“I can’t!” Angel wheezed.

Lucifer closed his eyes, exhaled slowly through his nose, and opened his mouth to speak “Angle Bust…” he began, voice low and deliberate, “I am choosing not to turn you into a-” He was speaking, only for a fucking angry bleat. escape his throat.

The sound burst out of him before he could stop it.

Everyone froze.

Angel blinked once, and then snorted. "Well shit, short king, that's certainly-

From across the room, another bleat answered it.

Lucifer’s ears twitched, instinctively moving to the sound, he cleared his throat awkwardly and straightened it back up.

All eyes turned toward the source.

Alastor was in the armchair, one leg on top of the other, the perfect image of composure. except for the faintest hint of red creeping up the edge of his face.

Angel Dust only blinked, “Well, you have a brother now Smiles!” he chuckled.

“…Ah,” he said lightly, voice steady but with more static than usual. “My apologies. Must’ve been… interference.”

"Um... Right." Lucifer said carefully with a narrow of his eyes. It was clear that something was bothering the demon. But the more he suffered, the more it served to entertain Lucifer. Why should he care about that stupid redhead anyway? He was lucky to be alive, because if it weren't for Charlie, he would have been incinerated in a snap of his fingers.

Ignoring what had just happened, Lucifer rose to his feet, brushing invisible dust from his suit like nothing unusual had happened.

“Well!” he said, straightening his posture with mock confidence. “If I’m going to be trapped like this, I might as well embrace the charm!”

Charlie giggled despite herself. “You’re handling this surprisingly well, Dad.”

Lucifer twirled slightly, his movements exaggerated, and the motion made his tail flick once, sharp and playful, almost like punctuation to his words.

Angel Dust leaned against the counter, smirking. “Oooh, I think short king is very happy with his new form." he said in a seductive tone.

That got a round of laughter. Even Niffty was giggling somewhere behind the couch.

But before anyone could add another quip, a faint, low sound cut through the room, An elk bugle sound, short and startled.

Everyone froze again, for a split second.

"Uhh... ya good there Smiles?" Alastor gripped the arms of the chair with his claws, trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly. Angel looked at the others and noticed that no one had noticed. Something was bothering him; he was trembling as if he were... holding back.

Alastor with a stiff posture, his ever-present smile still fixed but strained at the edges. He gave a strained chuckle “Ah- pardon me,” he said, voice tight with politeness. “It seems I may not be feeling quite myself this morning.”

Charlie frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay, Al?” She said concerned.

“Perfectly fine, my dear!” He gave a poor attempt at a chuckle. Already with shadows at his shoes, looking ready to flee. “Merely a small feedback issue. Nothing to worry about.” he waved a hand, as if brushing the question.

Alastor hummed for some seconds, then looked at his sleeve, as if he had a clock, and cleared his throat. "My, my! looks like something needs my attention quickly, what a shame." He said with fake sadness. "I must be off now. Ta-Ta for now chums!" And quickly excused himself, as he dissolved in the shadows.

Lucifer watched him go, the stupid guy was incredibly suspicious, probably went to eat some sinner in the street or did some other idiotic overlord stuff. one brow raised, he opened his mouth to speak. “Well, at least one good thing about this morning."

Angel shrugged. “Pssh, nah, I feel that this whole day is going to be incredible, baby.”

Lucifer sighed and turned to walk to the kitchen. "Well, I'm gonna make some pancakes, i'm starving." Even though the morning had been interesting, he needed his coffee if he was going to have to put up with that creepy smile all day.

Slowly, everyone returned to their previous conversations, casually commenting on the earlier events. Charlie talking with vaggie about some redemption projects, Niffty chasing bugs, and Husk simply drinking a cheap booze.

However, Angel Dust was staring with narrowed eyes, with a thoughtful expression on his face at the space where Lucifer had been sitting moments before, then his gaze shifted towards the armchair where Alastor was sitting. He remembered the way Alastor was gripping the arms of the armchair tightly, leaving claw marks. He was trembling. It didn't take long for the spider to put the pieces together in his head. A doe, and a deer.

A doe.

And a deer.

Maybe he was just overthinking, but being a pornstar had its own advantages; he knew well the look of someone desperately devouring a person with their eyes. And oh boy, Alastor definitely had that look.

No fucking way...

His eyes widened briefly in realization. A devilish smile spread across his lips. Then, he cleared his throat, and the lobby's attention turned to him. Oh this was going to be so fun.

"Guys, was it just me or did ya also notice that Smiles was acting kind of... weird?"

Husk noticed Angel's look and being himself, it didn't take him long to put the pieces together and understand the message the spider was trying to pass. "Don't even start with this bullshit." The bartender grumbled.

Angel whimpered dramatically. "Oh, C'mon Whiskers! Didn't you see the way Freaky Face was frozen staring at Short King? The bleat?! The shitty excuse 'I'm not feeling very well,' the way he practically ran out of the fucking lobby?!" Angel laughed loudly. "Oh shit, the fucking bleat! That was hilarious!"

Husk only grunted in response "Kid, I'm warning ya. Don't mess with boss, unless you want your head on a fucking silver platter." He said in a warning tone.

Charlie interrupted slightly, "Um... guys? What are you talking about?" She seemed genuinely confused.

Vaggie put a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "Nothing that you should care, babe. It's just nonsense, don't pay them any mind." She turned and gave the two of them a sharp look, which they only grumbled in response.

-

Alastor sat on the edge of his bed, clutching his pants above his knees. He was completely lost, his eyes unfocused, half-open, his breath ragged. His face a deep red shade. He was nearly losing control. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to restrain himself until it bled. But he wouldn't give up. Of all the damned animals in the pentagram, Lucifer decided to trap himself in the form of a doe. a fucking doe.

He took a deep breath. His rut ​​would be coming in a few weeks. An estimated time of four weeks. He could control himself. Even though it was close, he wasn't yet in pre-rut, so he had time to think of a solution. First of all—

damn it. Lucifer looked amazing in that form. He could simply press him against a tree in his bayou, rip of his shirt and then caress that soft-looking fur. He would press his mouth to the spine of his neck and—

No. What the fuck was he thinking? That man was pathetic. A poor excuse as a king, and a poor excuse as a father. He couldn't spend a minute in a room with that damned man. And now, at this very moment, when his rut is practically screaming at him, he decides to mess with his instincts?! That scream... something was calling him to the place where the scream came from. He needed to help. He desperately needed to help and calm his potential mate. He was a good mat—

Fuck! No. there was no mate. he didn't need a mate. He survived his ruts alone since arriving in hell. He had never felt interested in such frivolous things as carnal pleasure. He hated it. Just as he hates those damned instincts screaming at him to protect the king and keep him safe in his bayou. So he would rub his scent all over the doe and mark it so that no other deer could have access to his little mat—

He sighed deeply and, with a snap of his fingers, went about his daily activities, even though a voice in his head was trying to lead him to commit his primal instincts; he wouldn't give in so easily. So he pushed the thought aside.

He gracefully rose from the edge of his bed and went towards his mirror, he adjusted his bow tie, straightened his hair and dissolved into the shadows to begin the day. He wasn't an animal. He wouldn't succumb to basic instincts. He was the radio demon. The most feared overlord. It wasn't some pathetic king with fluffy ears and a very pretty tail that was going to ruin his day.

What could possibly go wrong? He was in control after all.

-