(Discontinued) His Forbidden Fruit (Radioapple || Hazbin Hotel)

Chapter Twenty

   Lucifer awoke to the sound of birds chirping, yellow sunlight attacking his eyes as he grumbled incoherent words under his breath.

   He sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes as he began to process his memories. His heart skipped a beat at the sudden recollection of last night's events. I hope to my Father above that it wasn't a dream, He silently prayed, then stood up, snapping his fingers, appearing dressed for the day in his usual pink and white pinstripe vest. Lucifer unzipped his tent and walked outside, stretching his wings with another loud yawn and looked around.

   He noticed Husk and Angel chatting amongst themselves, seated on the grass outside of the tent area. He heard shuffling in the forest and turned, seeing Niffty holding a magnifying glass, searching for bugs. The King then noticed Charlie and Vaggie talking with one another— well, mainly Charlie rambling on about ideas she had for the trip— and decided to approach them.

   "Charlie?" Lucifer called, walking up to his daughter. "...Can I have a word?"

   The Princess perked up at the sound of her father's voice, turning to face him. "Hey, Dad! Sure, what's up?" She asked cheerfully, following Lucifer to a secluded area.

   He let out a soft smile, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's... about Alastor..." He started.

   Charlie blinked. "Alastor? Oh... um, sure," she said nervously, anxious about what her father would have to say. She was hoping that he had changed his mind on kicking out the Radio Demon, but she didn't feel confident.

   There was a momentary pause before she continued speaking, fiddling with her thumbs.

   "So, I know you don't really want Alastor around anymore, but I was really hoping–"

   "W-wait. Let me stop you there," Lucifer spoke, holding out his hands. He stood up straight and glanced to the side with a guilty expression. "...I... kinda overstepped my boundaries last night. I wasn't in the right headspace, and was just needing someone to lash out on," he explained slowly. "I... I don't actually have anything against Alastor that would be reason enough to kick him out. I know you care about him, and I don't want to be the reason you feel bad. If he wants to stay in the hotel with us, he can." He finished, then exhaled softly.

   The Princess' jaw fell open. "Dad... you mean it?" She asked quietly, but in a very excited tone, as if she didn't believe what she had heard.

   Her father chuckled in response. "Do I usually go overboard with my apologies?" He paused for a moment, thinking with a concentrated expression, then shook his head. "...Don't answer that. Yes, I mean it."

   Charlie beamed, then jumped up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad! I was worried for a little while," she admitted, clearly relieved. A moment later, she threw herself onto her father, embracing him tightly. "Thanks, Dad. I know you won't regret this."

   Lucifer hugged her back tightly with a large smile. "Yeah..." He said. I don't think I ever will, he thought.

   After a few more seconds passed, Charlie took a step back, her features much more relaxed. "I think we could all use something refreshing to do together. I was thinking about asking everyone if they wanted to do a nature walk," she said, then turned to gesture to a dirt path in the distance. "The camp site has many trails going to a bunch of different places. Maybe some scenery would be nice?" She asked, smiling down at her father.

   "Sounds perfect," Lucifer said with a small smile, beginning to walk back to the camping area with his daughter beside him. They returned, and almost immediately Lucifer noticed Alastor standing at the forest edge, watching Niffty ramble on about the different types of bugs living in the woodland area. The King felt a sudden rush of heat travel to his face, and he quickly turned his head and coughed, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts.