Young blood - Radioapple

Chapter 09

Lucifer stumbled to his feet, his head throbbing and blood trickling down his face. The men were still in his apartment, but he knew they wouldn't stay long. With what little strength he had left, he staggered to the door and slipped out, ignoring the pain searing through his skull. He had to run. 

He sprinted down the alleyways, his breath coming in sharp gasps. His vision blurred, and his legs felt like they would give out at any moment, but he kept going, knowing the loan sharks were hot on his trail. There was only one place he could go: the arena. He had to find Alastor. He was the only one who could help him.

Reaching the fight club, he burst through the back entrance, barely able to keep his balance. The crowd was roaring, the noise almost deafening, but Lucifer pushed his way through, blood smeared across his face, desperate. When he finally reached the infirmary, Alastor was there, calmly preparing medical supplies.

"Alastor!" Lucifer gasped, clutching the doorway to stay upright. "They... they're after me. They're going to kill me."

Alastor turned to face him, his eyes narrowing as he took in Lucifer's battered appearance. But instead of the concern Lucifer expected, Alastor's expression hardened.

"Why did you come here?" Alastor snapped, his voice cold. "You led them straight to me."

"I didn't mean to!" Lucifer pleaded, his legs shaking as he stepped forward. "I—I had nowhere else to go."

Alastor didn't move, his gaze icy and unyielding. "Crap! You've put us both in danger," he said, his voice low. "You should've stayed away. I told you before, Lucifer, I can't be responsible for you. You've made this mess, and now they're coming for me too."

Lucifer's heart sank, his desperation turning to panic. "I'm sorry," he whispered, tears welling in his eyes. "Please, Alastor, I didn't know what else to do. I thought—" His voice broke, and before he could finish, the tears spilled over, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. "I thought you cared..."

Alastor's expression softened just for a moment, but then he shook his head. "You need to leave. I can't help you anymore."

Lucifer collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed with grief and fear. "Please, don't push me away."

Before Alastor could respond, the door burst open behind them, and the loan sharks flooded in, weapons drawn. They were ready to finish what they had started. Lucifer tensed, his breath catching in his throat, but before anyone could make a move, a familiar figure stepped between them.

It was Valentino.

"Get out of here, Lucifer," Valentino growled, glaring at the loan sharks. "Now."

"What?" Lucifer stammered, not understanding. "Valentino, you—"

"Go!" Valentino barked, his eyes flashing with fury. "I'll handle them."

Lucifer hesitated, his heart pounding, but when Valentino shot him one last look—full of something deeper than anger, something almost like regret—he knew he had to leave. He turned and bolted out of the arena, tears streaming down his face as he heard the sounds of violence erupt behind him.

As he ran, the reality of the situation hit him. Valentino was sacrificing himself... for him. He had always been rough, always stern, but this? This was something Lucifer never expected. And in that moment, he realized the truth: Valentino had cared for him, maybe more than he ever let on.

The sounds of fighting faded behind him as he reached the end of the street. He wiped his tears, his heart heavy with guilt and confusion. He hadn't expected things to spiral like this.

But one thought echoed in his mind: He had to find Alastor. He had to make things right.

Alastor had searched the city for what felt like an eternity, his heart pounding with dread at every turn. The rain poured down in heavy sheets, drenching his clothes, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was finding Lucifer. He had to be alive. He had to.

But when he rounded the corner of a grimy alley, his heart sank into an abyss of despair.

There, slumped next to a garbage container, was Lucifer's motionless body.

"No..." Alastor whispered, his breath catching in his throat. His legs felt weak as he rushed over, collapsing beside the lifeless figure. "Lucifer... please, no."

His hands trembled as he reached out, gently cradling Lucifer's head in his arms. Blood matted Lucifer's hair, his skin deathly pale, and his body was limp. Alastor shook him, hoping, praying for any sign of life, but there was nothing. No breath. No pulse. Just the cold, unforgiving silence of death.

"Wake up," Alastor whispered, his voice breaking. "Please, Lucifer. Just open your eyes."

He shook him again, more desperately this time. His usually calm and collected demeanor shattered as the reality of what he was seeing set in. The rain mixed with his tears as they streamed down his face, his body trembling with a pain so deep it felt like it would tear him apart.

"Come on... you can't leave me," Alastor begged, his voice rising in panic. "You can't be gone. Not like this."

But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted Lucifer to wake up, he knew deep down that it was too late. Lucifer was dead. The boy he had watched over for so long, the one who had become so important to him, was gone forever.

Alastor's shoulders shook as he sobbed, clutching Lucifer's lifeless body to his chest. He hadn't realized how much he had cared for Lucifer, how deep his feelings had grown. And now, it was too late to tell him. Too late to take back the cold words he had spoken. Too late to save him.

"I'm sorry..." Alastor choked out, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to push you away."

He stroked Lucifer's cold cheek, tears blurring his vision as he pressed his forehead against the boy's. "I was scared... scared of what you made me feel. But I... I love you, Lucifer. I always have."

The words hung in the air, fragile and broken, as Alastor held onto the body of the one person who had mattered more to him than anything. And now that person was gone, leaving behind only an unbearable void in his heart.

"I love you..." Alastor whispered again, his voice cracking as he wept into the cold, still night, alone with the weight of his confession and the unbearable grief of losing Lucifer forever.