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Whatever Charlie was expecting whenever she and Vaggie walked back into the hotel after their date, it definitely wasn't this. Her girlfriend's wide-eyed expression showed that she hadn't been prepared for it either.
Lucifer had insisted that the couple should go out on the date they'd been planning, and Alastor - for once - was quick to agree. Of course, that was mostly to annoy her father considering that he immediately volunteered to be in charge while the other two managers were out, even though Angel, Husk, and Nifty were all out with Cherri Bomb for the evening.
Despite her usual optimism, Charlie had been preparing herself to find the hotel burnt to cinders in the aftermath of another destructive argument between her father and her hotelier. However, when she and Vaggie stepped out of the taxi, they were both pleasantly surprised to find the hotel standing and miraculously unscorched. Almost as if in response to their relief, an echoing screech of radio feedback had made them both dart inside, ready to stop yet another argument before it gained enough traction to start a damage list.
But instead of hearing raised voices and startlingly creative insults, the two women opened the door to hear…giggling?
"Dad? Al?" Charlie called, confused. Lucifer's head popped up over the back of the couch, and he grinned sunnily at his daughter.
"Oh, hey Charlie! Maggie, how was your date?" he asked casually. The muffled giggles didn't stop though, and a familiar red and black heeled boot flailed into view for a brief moment before disappearing back behind the cushion. Vaggie stammered slightly on her response, stunned beyond words.
"It's Vaggie sir. But, um, it was good," she managed, meeting Charlie's disbelieving gaze. One of Lucifer's hands appeared as he made an apologetic gesture, and the tittering seemed to slow a little bit.
"Right, sorry Vaggie, I'll get it right eventually," he winced, not even acknowledging the couch letting out muffled squeals.
"It's alright," Vaggie murmured, enraptured as that familiar boot made an appearance once more for a brief moment before vanishing again. There was absolutely no way that what she thought was happening was actually happening. Charlie was clearly thinking the same thing as they both slowly started to walk around to get a better look at what the hell was going on.
"Dad, is that-?"
"Oh, the bellhop? Yeah, it's him alright." Finally rounding the couch, the couple was baffled to see that it was indeed Alastor, his hands gripping Lucifer's wrist as he lay on his back, pinned in place as the king straddled him. "Did you know that he's ticklish?" Lucifer asked, grinning impishly.
Charlie slowly shook her head, her confusion melting into a delighted smile. Vaggie's reaction was more subdued as she hid a small smile behind her fingers. Lucifer certainly wasn't lying: though the deer was doing his best to hide it in the cushions, what they could see of Alastor's face was red as he giggled wildly despite the fact that Lucifer was only scribbling at his belly with one hand. He was busy using the other to gesticulate. As Lucifer was distracted, Alastor attempted to buck his hips and throw the king off, but the monarch remained stuck in place like he was glued there.
"Alright, now you're in trouble," Lucifer growled, though there was a noticeably playful edge to the words. Immediately, his free hand shot down to spider over Alastor's belly as well, and Alastor's giggles jumped into full-blown laughter. The deer's legs started kicking frantically, which explained why Charlie and Vaggie had been seeing them above the cushion.
"You bahahahastard!" Alastor squealed, finally removing his face from its hiding place and curling up as much as he was able while Lucifer sat on him. The sound utterly delighted his audience, who had never heard such genuine mirth from him before. Lucifer gasped dramatically and paused long enough to press a hand to his chest in mock-offence.
"Oh, so we're calling each other names now, huh? Huh?" He quickly started squeezing up and down Alastor's sides, his fingers uninhibited by the red coat and vest Alastor always wore since he'd apparently managed to unbutton them before Charlie and Vaggie had walked in. "How about I call you Giggles then, huh? Seems fitting to me."
Alastor's ears pinned back in embarrassment as he laughed, hands gripping Lucifer's wrists like a lifeline. He shook his head in a giddy denial, and Lucifer raised a brow.
"No? You don't like Giggles? How about Snickers? Or Tickle Bug? Ooh, or how about Brat? Yeah, I think that one is really fitting for you," Lucifer chuckled as Alastor arched with a screech as the king's fingers vibrated into his ribs. "Oh, I'm glad to see you agree!" Lucifer added cheekily, purposefully misinterpreting Alastor's more frantic laughter as an assent.
"N-nohohoho! Nahahat thehehere!" Alastor crowed, clamping his arms down ineffectively on Lucifer's hands. Charlie couldn't help but coo at the display, her normally composed hotelier squealing like a child.
"How long have you had him like that?" Vaggie asked with a small laugh - Alastor's mirth was surprisingly contagious.
"Hmm," Lucifer hummed thoughtfully as he pinched Alastor's lowest ribs, making the overlord cackle shrilly. "Probably a good while by now. He was being a huge brat after all," Lucifer answered, which definitely explained why Alastor's face was so red.
"Well, don't hurt him," Charlie cautioned, and Lucifer nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I've been stopping every couple minutes to see if he'll apologize - this is entirely his doing. Speaking of-" Lucifer stopped tickling, merely resting his hands on Alastor's sides as the deer gasped in a few giggly breaths.
"Ready to apologize yet, Alison?" Lucifer asked smugly, and Alastor leveled a glare at the king.
"F-for what? Being right? I - heh - I think not!" Alastor hissed, defiant to the end. However, Vaggie noticed that there was a gleam of delight in his eyes that belied his antagonistic response, and the former exorcist was rather surprised to realize that Alastor was having fun. The red had faded from his face except for the pink in his cheeks that warmed whenever he glanced over at her and Charlie - the overlord was clearly embarrassed to be seen so vulnerable, but he didn't seem particularly aggressive. Just flustered from what Vaggie could tell.
"Oh that's it! You're so gonna regret that, I promise you that, brat!" Lucifer growled theatrically, immediately moving to squeeze Alastor's hips, making the deer thrash and explode into bright laughter.
"Pfft- nohohOHO! L-Luhuhucifer! Gyahahahaha! I-I - nahahahaha!" Alastor babbled, tossing his head back and forth as he bucked weakly.
"Aww, I think you found a good spot!" Charlie cooed, and Alastor turned a bright cherry-red at her words.
"Shuhuhut uhuhuhup!" Alastor squealed, managing to worm his hands under Lucifer's to cover his hips. Lucifer immediately vibrated his fingers into Alastor's tummy again, making the deer curl inwards with a burst of wild laughter.
"Don't tell my daughter to shut up, brat!" Lucifer scolded, pinching and scribbling at Alastor's stomach mercilessly as the overlord's eyes screwed shut with mirth. That was good, because Lucifer didn't want him to see the delighted grin on the monarch's own face when he was trying to be mean.
"It honestly looks like every spot is a good spot," Vaggie noted dryly, but there was obvious amusement and much less obvious fondness in her gaze. Lucifer and Charlie had to agree, and Alastor of course never would.
"Slahahander! I-I'm suing you fohohor slahander!" Alastor threatened through hysterics as Lucifer scribbled under his arms, causing those frantic little kicks to start up again. Vaggie couldn't help but snort at that.
"We're in Hell, dumbass - you'd be lucky to sue me for hitting you with a car. Slander is practically a second language here, but I spoke nothing but the truth." Charlie smiled fondly at her girlfriend's sass, and the fondness that was hidden away in that snarky tone.
Before Alastor could form a response, Lucifer leaned forward and blew a huge raspberry at the crook of the deer's neck, making Alastor shriek and dissolve into more helpless babbling.
"NOHOHOHO! Pffahahahaha! D-dohon't do thahahahat!" Alastor cackled, trying to scrunch up his shoulder protectively. He shrieked again and flailed beneath Lucifer's weight as the king blew another raspberry on his neck. "EHEHEHE - Chaharlie hehehehelp!" Alastor tried to sway her with a wide-eyed look - surprisingly effective puppy eyes that Charlie immediately took note of with a wide smile.
"You don't need my help, Al! It sounds like you can end this any time you want - who am I to end your game early?" She hummed, her simple observation making Alastor flush crimson down past his collar as his laughter became more frantic with embarrassment at being caught.
"Ihihit's not a gahame! Thihis is tohohorture!" Alastor squealed, his legs kicking wildly as Lucifer unleashed another raspberry on his neck. "Stahahahaha-! Stahahap thahat! Luhuhucifer! Snrk-!" The king positively beamed as Alastor let out an undignified snort as deft fingers started pinching the tender flesh just under his ribs.
"Did you just snort?! That's pure gold - do it again!" This was followed with more gentle little pinches to that unbearably soft spot, and despite his best efforts, Alastor couldn't help it as more helpless snorts slipped out between squeaky cackles. His back arched as his arms wrapped around himself in a feeble attempt at self defense, and Alastor's legs were well and truly flailing as Lucifer gently squeezed that unbearable little spot.
"You know, you can literally end this at any time just by apologizing," Vaggie laughed softly, an amused smirk on her face as she placed a hand on her hip. Charlie was much less composed - there were practically stars in her eyes as she listened to Alastor's bubbly, frantic laughter.
"Aww, you sound like Fat Nuggets!" Charlie cooed, which seemed to be the last straw for Alastor's endurance.
"OKAHAHAY! L- snrk! LUHUCIFER! I-I - nahahahAHAhaha! I give, I gihihive! MEHEHEHEHE- snrk! MEHERCY!" Alastor's face was scarlet, and there were tears of mirth in his eyes as he weakly grabbed at Lucifer's wrists. After a couple extra squeezes, Lucifer stopped his attack, but pointedly rested his hands on Alastor's sides as he looked expectantly at the overlord.
"So? what do you have to say for yourself, Bambi?" the king goaded smugly, and Alastor was sorely tempted to say something snarky. However, it must have shown on his face because Lucifer's brows furrowed slightly before his fingers immediately started pinching Alastor's sides again, making the deer jolt with a loud startled cackle.
"HahAHA-! N-no! Okay okay okahay! I'm sorry!" Alastor immediately crumbled under the resumed attack, curling up helplessly as he weakly pulled on Lucifer's wrists. The seraph smirked and stopped once more, practically beaming down at the giggly sinner.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lucifer crowed smugly, getting in one last poke at Alastor's ribs just to make him squeak. He patted the overlord's chest as he got to his feet, leaving Alastor to pant and titter breathlessly on the couch as the king turned to the two women.
"So! How was your date - did you have fun? What'd you guys do?" Lucifer asked eagerly, and Vaggie was suddenly very aware of where Charlie had gotten her excitable nature from. As Charlie ranted excitedly about the restaurant they'd gone to, Vaggie watched from her peripheral vision as Alastor quietly stood from the couch, a wide and ominously mischievous grin on his face.
He slowly pulled one of the back cushions off the couch, and Vaggie suddenly had violent flashbacks to her childhood - specifically when she and her siblings would beat each other with anything that wouldn't get them in trouble for leaving bruises. She knew exactly what Alastor was going to do seconds before he did it, but the former exorcist still winced as the heavy cushion slammed into Lucifer's upper body and sent him flying good few feet. He squawked loudly in shock as he crashed to the floor, then yelped as Alastor followed up by beating him while he was down.
Charlie and Vaggie looked at each other in shock before bursting into laughter as they watched Alastor beat the king of Hell with a pillow while the seraph curled up and squawked out petty threats beneath the bombardment.
"Alastor you- ack! You little shit! Ah - watch the head! Alastor, I'm gonna tickle you to death! I'll kill you for this! I'm your - ack-! I'm your king!" Alastor laughed a little breathlessly, but still as smug as ever.
"Good thing I'm an American, you royal bastard! This is karma!" Alastor grunted as he gave the heavy cushion a final swing before he tossed it back on the couch. He turned to the laughing couple and gave a cheeky salute before dissolving into his shadow to make his escape just as Lucifer lunged for him. Echoing, staticky laughter filled the lobby as Alastor's shadow smirked triumphantly before darting up the stairs.
"Alastor!" Lucifer shouted in the general direction of the top floor, before he turned back to Charlie and Vaggie with a smile. "Honey, be sure to tell me more about your date later, for now I have some business to attend to," he said way too casually as he patted Charlie's cheek affectionately. He even spared a friendly shoulder squeeze for Vaggie before conjuring a portal and stepping through it with little fanfare. A few moments later, the radio on the table squealed with feedback before it abruptly cut off once more. Vaggie and Charlie giggled once more partially out of shock, and mostly out of fondness.
"Well, at least they're getting along?" Charlie joked, and Vaggie barked out a laugh as she intertwined her fingers with the princess' longer ones.
"We'll make sure they haven't destroyed anything tomorrow. For now, I can think of a few fun things we can do while we don't have to worry about the others," Vaggie raised a brow suggestively as her cheeks warmed to a lovely gold. Charlie immediately got the message and drew her angel in for a slow, sweet kiss before pulling away and beginning to lead the way up the stairs.
"I like the sound of that very much."