Chapter Text
Due to his very abrupt parenthood, Lucifer is quickly reminded just how much of a job being a parent was.
It’d been approximately a few weeks since the whole debacle and needless to say, it was a lot less time than Lucifer initially thought for him and Alastor to settle into a routine. They allegated times to watch over Rosalee, assigning meal times and various other tasks they had to do.
And along the way, Lucifer is once again reminded just what he was robbed of with Charlie.
Rosalee, for the most part, was an absolute angel. She rarely cried and was often found smiling and giggling a lot of the time. Initially, it was adorable to a majority of the crew in the hotel, but they were then quickly a bit off-put with just how much Rosalee seemed to smile.
“Just like her father!” Alastor had smiled proudly when Angel Dust made a remark about it, petting Rosalee gently on the head. As if to prove the Overlord’s point, Rosalee simply smiled wider - sharp teeth on display for everyone to see. Safe to say, Rosalee had already conquered their hearts and their fears singlehandedly in the span of a couple hours.
As Lucifer was saying, Rosalee was an angel and she didn’t give him much trouble. Most of the time.
As a baby, she still did the occasional baby stuff Lucifer knew and had experienced with Charlie.
Sometimes she fussed, wouldn’t eat what they were giving her and sometimes flatout just bit them if she ever got too irritated with her own parents (Lucifer has made it a point to simply either put Rosalee down or just hand her to Alastor when she was about to strike). But for the most of it, Rosalee was an awfully mannered baby.
And a very fast growing one at that.
Lucifer isn’t quite sure how he didn’t pick it up before, but Rosalee had been growing very quickly. For someone who had literally just been born, she was already beginning to toddle and walk until she could do it on her own. It’d certainly been a shock to Lucifer when Rosalee stood on her own two legs and toddled towards him, giggling excitedly when he had exclaimed.
( “You can walk!” He gasps in excitement, watching in astonishment as Rosalee slowly walks towards him with shaky steps. “Oh my Father, you can walk!!”
Lucifer, in all of his excitement, stands up from his chair, running on the spot as he looks left and right before eventually shouting, “ALASTOR! SHE CAN WALK!!”
He doesn’t expect the demon to appear so quickly, almost knocking the fallen angel off his feet. Alastor stood, smiling wide as he looked around rather frantically before settling in on the walking child.
“My, my, what a surprise! You’re quite a fast learner,” he croons, picking up Rosalee as she squeals and giggles in delight.
“Heck yeah she is! Good job, Rosalee,” Lucifer is quick to jump in, praising his baby girl.
From just outside the room, Charlie can’t help but squeal and smile in delight. She takes a picture of the sweet moment from the crack of the door before leaving, humming as she skipped.
Later that evening, Lucifer found the photo from Charlie on his desk. )
But Lucifer didn’t exactly find Rosalee’s quick growth to be a nuisance. If anything, he was slightly relieved that the process of taking care of a baby was quickly passing by, meaning that he didn’t have to deal with any more incidents. He’s sure Alastor would share the same sentiments. Or, at least he thinks he would.
Lucifer is sitting idly in his room, one day, fiddling with what was yet another project in his hands. Charlie had asked him a few days ago if he could help her design a therapy room for the hotel and being the helpful and enthusiastic father he is, he agreed. Lucifer thought the project would be easy enough.
That is, until he realizes he doesn't quite know what a therapy room was supposed to be like.
So he sat at his desk, sketching out various layouts of this so-called therapy room. Each failed design ends up being crumpled and tossed over his shoulder, inciting a delighted giggle from Rosalee who was busy playing with the growing duck and trash buildup. She picks up the thrown designs and uses it to build something of her own before promptly using the ducks to destroy her creations. A very engaging way of playing for the young girl.
Lucifer’s been going at it for a good few hours at this point, his designs ending up in the growing piles rather than in the small stack of ‘approved’ designs next to him.
Lucifer huffs, irritated as he scribbles out yet another design.
“This is stupid,” he grumbles, crumpling the paper before tossing it over his shoulder. He vaguely hears Rosalee squeal as she tries to catch the flying ball before it lands onto one of the piles.
The king of Hell slumps in his chair, glaring uselessly at the paper and his pencil.
The task shouldn’t be hard, all things considered. It’s just a simple sketch, one that he would later take to Charlie to see if she’d like it. It’s just a sketch of a room and yet Lucifer barely has anything to show for his work.
Then again, he has been on some sort of weird block the past few centuries so…
Lucifer sighs as he stood up from his desk.
He’ll think about this later. It was clear to him that the task was giving him more of a headache than a brainstorm if anything. Maybe he’ll go get something to eat, it has been a while since Lucifer had gone to grab a bite.
He turns, ready to head out with Rosalee - when he comes in straight contact with a broad chest and broader shoulders.
Lucifer yelps, falling back as he braces himself against his desk. Bewildered, he looks up to the thing that had blocked his path and is quick to glare when he just realizes that it’s Alastor.
The bastard stands there with his signature wide grin, though it thins lightly upon seeing the state Lucifer’s room is in.
“I take it that you were busy?” He hums, tilting his head at Lucifer. The fallen angel rolls his eyes.
“Uh, yeah? Haven’t you heard of knocking, dickhead?” He grumbles, brushing himself off.
You would think that being forced to co-parent with Alastor would mean that Lucifer would’ve gotten used to the Overlord’s presence. He hasn’t, really. Alastor was just being his generally creepy usual self and it doesn’t help that he uses his teleportation skills to sneak up on Lucifer when he doesn’t have his guard up.
If it weren’t for the constant reminders that there was a begrudging truce between them and that there was Rosalee’s future to think about, Lucifer is fairly certain Alastor wouldn’t be standing where he is right now.
“What the hell do you want? It’s not your turn yet to take care of Rosalee,” Lucifer decides to ask, glancing over at the clock adjacent to him on the wall. Alastor wasn’t supposed to come get their daughter until a few hours later since it was Lucifer’s turn today.
Alastor merely chuckles, shoulders shaking. “I was coming to inform you that Charlie has gotten yet another gift for her dear little sister.”
Lucifer softens a bit at the mention of his older daughter.
It was no secret that Charlie was ecstatic to have a baby sibling. Lucifer and Alastor had made time slots to let the two girls bond with each other and it was clear that Charlie was becoming quickly attached to Rosalee.
As such, it was a normal occurrence for Charlie to gift Rosalee with something - whether it be toys, clothes or even just normal necessities.
“What did she get this time?” Lucifer inquires.
“A little souvenir from the shops,” Alastor responds, snapping his fingers. Out of thin air, a toy manifests itself in the form of a stuffed chimera - Charlie’s favourite creature.
“Charlie’s favourite,” the king of Hell voices as much, taking the toy from suspension as he looks it over.
It’s a fairly simple toy and high quality too. Lucifer makes a mental note that it’s from the same shop Charlie’s been buying from to get her gifts for Rosalee for the past few days.
“This is the fourth toy this week,” Lucifer huffs in amusement. Not that he’s complaining or anything of the sort, he loves to see Charlie so happy and so excited for something.
“Yes, I suppose we will have to make room for the next one tomorrow,” Alastor drily responds and Lucifer is once again reminded that despite being a serial killer, the Overlord did have some sense of humor.
He opts to ignore the dry comment from Alastor, shifting his attention to their young daughter who’s busy playing with trash. “Rosalee, Charlie got you another toy.”
Rosalee perks up, her ears twitching as she looks up at Lucifer. She smiles and scrambles to her feet, toddling over as she reaches up for the toy. The fallen angel smiles in return and kneels down slightly to give her the stuffed animal.
Rosalee coos, entranced with it like the young child she is.
“Looks like she likes it,” Lucifer hums, picking up Rosalee as she fiddles with the chimera.
“Like the other 23 toys she’s gotten,” Alastor responds simply, cocking an eyebrow. Lucifer doesn’t give the Overlord the satisfaction of a proper laugh (even if it did sound a little funny) and instead settles on an exasperated huff.
“Yeah, yeah, this is going in your room too,” the king of Hell rolls his eyes and smiles to himself at the way Alastor’s expression subtly sours. Lately, the Overlord’s room has been slowly overridden by Rosalee’s toys, though for good reason.
Alastor regains his composure and rakes his gaze over the expanse of Lucifer’s bedroom. “Mmh, I suppose. Wouldn’t want our dear Rosalee to lose her toy in all of this trash, now would we?”
Lucifer’s smile drops. “I told you I was busy, didn’t I?”
Alastor just continues to smile. Weirdo.
“If you have nothing else to say, the door’s that way,” he huffs when he doesn’t get a response, moving past Alastor head to his closet. It’s not that late in the night (really, it was only 3 PM), so hopefully there was somewhere nearby that was open.
Alastor - much to Lucifer’s annoyance - doesn’t leave and instead hums. He snaps his fingers and in an instant, all of the crumpled pieces of paper are gone and the piles of ducks have been moved to the side.
“If this is the constant state your room is in, then I worry for the health of our daughter,” he comments, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeve. It’s a jab at Lucifer’s own health and his bad habits, which he doesn’t appreciate in the slightest.
“Says the one who eats raw deer on a table,” Lucifer just scoffs, busying himself by finding matching outfits for him and Rosalee. He settles for an outfit with a red and white colour scheme, a classic.
“At least I am mindful of what I eat around Rosalee,” Alastor shot back. Seems like he was in a mood to be engaged in an argument with Lucifer, huh?
“How about you start being mindful of what you say around me?” Lucifer grits out, refraining himself from saying the wrong words. He doesn’t need to be a bad example for Rosalee. (Not yet. He can’t fail her yet.)
“Just, shut up and hold her for a second,” he grumbles, turning around swiftly to push Rosalee into Alastor’s arms. A faint spike in static that fades into its usual buzz.
Alastor doesn’t like it particularly when Lucifer gives him Rosalee unprompted.
Does Lucifer care? Not in the slightest, it’s his daughter too.
Lucifer busies himself with rummaging through his (frankly limited) wardrobe as Alastor holds Rosalee, who seems to show off the toy to him. Alastor pretends to be intrigued for the sake of the child’s entertainment.
“Going somewhere, sire?” He decides to say after a few moments of silence. From the closet, Lucifer just huffs.
“Just out,” the king of Hell vaguely responds. He tosses a shirt that probably hasn’t seen the inside of a washing machine over his shoulder. Alastor dodges the flying article of clothing.
Alastor hums, no genuine means of interest or intrigue. His attention is promptly snatched by Rosalee who decides that her toy was no longer interesting. Instead, she reaches over and makes a grab for Alastor’s staff - which has been a regular occurence.
“Now, now, darling, this isn’t a toy,” Alastor coos, pulling the staff just a bit farther from Rosalee’s reach. Rosalee - ever the sweet child she was - just huffs (much like her father) and makes a noise of complaint.
“Just give her a grab, Al,” Lucifer calls over his shoulder, digging deeper into his closet. How hard was it to find a simple going-out outfit for him and Rosalee, seriously? Then again, half of the clothes in there either didn’t fit him or haven’t been washed in centuries.
Alastor glares at the back of Lucifer’s head, rising static feedback making itself known. Unfortunately, it would seem that it doesn’t phase Lucifer in the slightest nor does it deter Rosalee from whining and reaching for his staff.
Damn it, and he just got it fixed too.
“Careful hands, Rosalee,” Alastor caves, static feedback retreating as he reluctantly gives the staff to his daughter.
Delighted, Rosalee coos, a sort of bleating sound escaping her as she grips the staff. Alastor still has a hold on it, of course - after all, Rosalee was still a child and contrary to belief, his staff had some weight to it.
He lets Rosalee hold onto the staff for a bit, curious like the child she was and she hasn’t exactly tried to gnaw on it like she had with her other toys. Alastor decides to let her hold on for a bit longer when Lucifer speaks up.
“What’s that noise?” The fallen seraphim says, frowning as he pulls away from the closet. A pile of clothes had formed around his feet on the ground.
Alastor glances at Lucifer and raises an eyebrow. “Noise?”
“That buzzing sound,” Lucifer responds. “You don’t hear it?”
The Overlord pauses to strain his ears. Actually, he does hear it now.
“How odd,” Alastor comments.
“You’re telling me. That’s not you?” Lucifer questions. Alastor shakes his head. He knows when it’s his static feedback, however this faint buzzing noise wasn’t anything near it.
Rosalee - Alastor had completely forgotten that he was holding her - suddenly yanks the staff from her father’s grip.
He startles, his static feedback spiking at the same time the buzzing becomes louder and it takes him a split second to realize where the noise was coming from before-
“Da-da!”
The static feedback disappears and both Lucifer and Alastor just stand there. They stare at Rosalee who giggles, gleefully playing with the staff now that she fully had it in her hands.
“Did she just-?” Lucifer starts, comprehending the fact that he had just heard Rosalee speak for the first time.
Granted, she’s made some noises - cooing, giggling, whining. But that was a full on word and neither of them have heard Rosalee speak just yet. And now she has.
“Da-da!” The sound comes back again and this time, it directs Lucifer and Alastor’s attention to the Overlord’s staff.
It buzzes, vibrating as Rosalee clings on with childish glee. The buzzing is still there, they realize, and the source of it was quite literally coming from the staff itself.
“She’s talking,” Lucifer says aloud, putting together the pieces.
“From the staff,” Alastor finishes the thought, now just realizing too. A glint in his eyes and a wandering thought of just what kind of child Rosalee truly was.
Lucifer steps forward, taking Rosalee out of Alastor’s arms (if the Overlord glared at him, then the king didn’t notice) and holds her up as she holds onto the staff. “Rosalee, sweetie, can you repeat that again?”
A toothy grin, tiny pale hands clutching onto the staff and a repeat of the word, “Da-da!”
Lucifer could barely contain the excited little stomps of his feet.
“Your first word! You said your first word!!” He’s quick to celebrate on the spot, twirling as Rosalee giggles in glee with Lucifer.
Lucifer turns quickly on the spot, back to Alastor with a bright smile and shining eyes. “Al, she said her first word!”
“Indeed she did,” was Alastor’s response, his smile a tad bit fonder than usual. Of course, Lucifer doesn’t note this small change, instead opting to twirl once more on the spot.
“Oh, this is a perfect occasion to celebrate!” The immortal man says with a gasp.
Lucifer snaps his fingers, immediately dressing him and Rosalee in their go-to outfits. He’ll take the time to one day get them changed without using magic, but right now, he’s too excited.
“You’re coming with,” the king then declares, jabbing a finger directly at Alastor’s chest.
The smile is quick to turn annoyed as Alastor looks pointedly at Lucifer. However, any protest is quickly shut down before it even comes out as the fallen seraphim summons his wings and begins to drag the Overlord out of his room.
“No buts! We’re celebrating Rosalee’s first words with Charlie and you are coming with!” Lucifer adds on. Alastor’s ears pin back.
“Oh, joy,” he grits out between sharp teeth. Rosalee giggles in delight at this.
A few weeks was a lot less time than Lucifer thought for him and Alastor to get used to having Rosalee. But if a few weeks was all they needed, then he has a feeling that this was going to be smooth sailing.