XI
The next few days went on without much fanfare.
Charlie had thanked Lucky for letting him stay in his penthouse after his odd fainting episode, but kindly asked to go home by the end of day four.
Lucky hadn’t liked it, but he didn’t want to come on too strong.
Or too clingy. Or too anything that might let the human know he was developing a weird attachment.
It wasn’t anything beyond that, absolutely not.
It couldn’t be anything beyond that, so he let Charlie and the hellhound go with the extra food he’d bought and the new wardrobe.
Charlie hadn’t quite gotten used to the casualty of the garments, but the prince thought he looked darling.
The more colorful shirts brought out a liveliness to the mortal.
They’d fallen into an easy routine of Lucky going out to handle his contracts in the morning to keep up his immaculate Soul Score before going to pick up Charlie.
He’d leave his car at the high-rise and they’d walk to the office.
They had made a decent dent, but Lucky was able to reap a good fifteen souls minimum an hour on his worst days so long as they were somewhat close, so the files would start piling up again if he wasn’t careful.
He didn’t want to make things worse with his old man by not working, nor did he want his reputation to take a hit, so having to come up with a plan of action and schedule to balance two jobs was a headache-inducing task, but things seemed to have worked out for the time being.
He’d finally broken down and gotten Charlie a temporary work badge so it wouldn’t cause issues if he was seen in the office.
It felt wrong to register him as a thrall but it felt better than calling him a pet like most demons would when it came to their favorite humans.
The badge made Charlie happier than the prince had realized it would, he heard him mumble something along the lines of ‘I feel so official’ after he’d received it.
He was happy that Charlie was enjoying himself, at least.
The priest was more interested in the files than Lucky would have guessed.
He spent a lot of time looking at the details of interesting historical figures, and he’d often get lost in his musings.
Lucky had learned that Charlie was a history buff—specifically medieval history—and loved folklore and mythology despite his dedication to God and the church.
The priest had an impressive knowledge about a surprising number of weird facts.
Lucky was almost tempted to take him to trivia night and clean house.
After they’d finish up for the day, they’d pick up dinner on the way back to The Radiant Reaper.
The time that Lucky would leave for the night kept growing later and later.
He found the small space with Charlie, his human-sized furniture and nonsensical conversations, more comfortable than his own home.
Even if it was royally screwing with his beauty sleep.
Before he knew it, nearly two weeks had gone by. His office was full of boxes and his afterlife felt… different.
As he sat in his leather office chair, watching Charlie walk around in the new jeans he’d bought for him, he swiveled slightly to keep the human in his line of sight.
A pile of files rested delicately in Charlie’s hands.
The need to make new boxes was dwindling, and sorting was growing easier, but Lucky was bored.
It still felt as if they had an eternity to go.
Charlie set the stack of papers down with a huff. “Being dead is bizarre, I feel like I shouldn’t be winded, or hungry, or tired. Is this part of the eternal torture thing?”
“Sort of? What fun would it be to torture someone who couldn’t feel it?
” Lucky replied with a shrug. “Not all that different from Heaven, right? You’re promised homes and comforts in abundance or whatever it says in your rulebook.
Haven’t read it in a while but that’s the gist if I remember correctly.
It would be pointless to render humans unable to experience those things, both in Heaven or Hell.
They’re simply nicer than we are. They have fancy coffee places up there just like we do, a lot of fancy chocolate shops, designer clothing boutiques. ”
“They do?” Charlie questioned.
“You think we’re modern down here? Wait ’til you see those pompous fools. They live in luxury. They’re really into pickleball right now, if that’s your thing.”
“Do you think I will? Get into Heaven, I mean.”
Lucky nodded. “Gabe and I are working on it. For now we just have to wait. I fucked—sorry, language. I messed up, and it’s a weird scenario that rarely happens, especially with someone as powerful and careful as I am, so we’re trying to figure out how to undo it without making things worse.”
Charlie looked at him for a second. Lucky cocked a thick eyebrow and waited.
Being trapped in this office with Charlie for so long had given him the opportunity to pick up on the human’s tells.
He’d learned that the young man needed some time to think about what he wanted to say before he opened his mouth.
As if he were worried about misspeaking.
So Lucky grabbed the first few files from the stack while he waited.
“You can talk,” Lucky finally said, hoping it would help him feel more comfortable.
Charlie blinked slowly and grabbed his forearm as he looked down.
Lucky sighed, letting a plume of smoke through his pierced nose as he flipped through the paperwork.
As the prince went to speak the elevator pinged.
Lucky went on the defensive, standing upright to intercept.
Only a select few people had access to his office, which meant trouble would follow if they were to find Charlie with him and all of this sensitive information.
He stood in front of Charlie and pushed him back, wrapping his pointed tail around the priest’s waist to keep him in place.
The golden panels slid open and, to his great surprise, he came face to face with Bub—the high demon lord more commonly known as Beelzebub.
The tall, muscular, long-haired demon with salmon pink skin threw him a ‘rock on’ sign with his fingers.
The black nail polish on his fingers hadn’t had the chance to chip yet so he must have just come from the nail salon.
His six tiny horns poked out between his bleached hair that needed some TLC judging by those roots.
Despite the business attire dress code in Hell HQ, he looked like he’d just stumbled out of a cabana.
Once Bub had become aware of surfer culture decades prior he’d refused to wear anything other than flip flops, tattered chino shorts and button ups with the most hideous prints imaginable.
He was too good at his job and too damn scary for anyone to tell him it wasn’t appropriate, so he got away with it.
“Sup, dude,” Bub said with a nod.
“Bub, what are you doing here?” Lucky asked.
“Wondering where the here you’ve been, man! I haven’t seen you all month! Someone told me you were in your office… doing work. Had to see for myself. It’s weird.” Every vowel was elongated and it felt like it took an eternity for him to speak.
“I’m being audited.”
“Gross, man!”
“Tell me about it.”
Charlie tapped Lucky’s back gently. Lucky looked over his shoulder at the priest and finally let him go. The human poked his head out from behind the prince’s broad back.
“Whoa! Is that the human?” Bub asked as he walked over, the horrid sound of his flip flops slapping against the marble flooring caused a chill to run up Lucky’s spine.
“Uh, Charlie, this is Beelzebub. He’s a coworker,” Lucky said. “Bub, this is Charlie. He’s helping me with the audit but you have to swear you won’t say anything to my old man!”
“Nah, dude, you know I won’t.”
Bub squatted and set his hands on his knees to get to the human’s eye level. He looked at Charlie with a grin, his shark-like rows of serrated teeth stretched wide as his pale pink irises were overwhelmed by the explosion of his pupils dilating with intrigue.
“Sup, little man!” Bub replied as he shot his long, muscular arm out.
“H-hi,” Charlie said quietly. He shook his hand and smiled. “Beelzebub, as in the Lord of the Flies?”
“Don’t let the name fool you, I’m as clean as a morgue,” Bub said, pointing finger-guns at Charlie.
Lucky rolled his eyes.
Bub turned his gaze to Lucky. “You decide to keep him?”
“No, I need help,” Lucky replied, gesturing at the mess. “All of this has to be organized by the end of the month.”
“Fuck man—”
“Language,” Lucky chided, nodding his head to Charlie. “It’s a lot, and between my regular contracts I’m stretched thin. We’re still trying to get him out of Hell but it seemed pointless to keep him locked up when he’s good at this admin stuff.”
Bub lit up. His twin tails started wiggling as he rose from his squatted position. He towered over Lucky by half a foot, and was one of the few people in Hell who made the prince feel small.
“Want me to take some of your gigs?” Bub asked.
Lucky flinched. His tail wrapped defensively around his thigh and, for once, he was speechless.
He looked at the stacks of paperwork and let out a slow, shaky breath.
Bub seemed to notice. The demon lord set his large hands on Lucky’s shoulders and gave him a soft shake.
Lucky didn’t let a lot of people get close, he let few people in, but he and Beelzebub went way back.
The demon lord had taught him the ropes when he’d first become a psychopomp.
Took him under his wing and invested time in him.
He was the only demon on Satan’s council that he trusted, the only one he hung out with, and the only one he’d let touch him like this.
“You can ask for help, Lucifer,” Bub said with a grin that faltered slightly when his thumb made contact with Lucky’s neck.
“You’ve been at it for centuries without a real break.
You feel cold, man. You know your old man is gonna be pissed if you don’t get this done, but he’ll be even more pissed off if your souls aren’t handled so you’re fucked either way unless you pass some of it along.
Give me some of your contracts, I’ll help. ”
“Are you sure?” Lucky asked.
“Of course, man—” he socked Lucky in the shoulder— “I gotchu.”
The prince groaned.
“I just got a new ride and I’m ready to take it out for a spin, and I could use the extra cash so overtime is no big. You already have a human helping with the paperwork, so let me help you out with this. We’ll get it figured out,” Bub replied.
“Thanks, I owe you.”
“If you help me figure out what to get Gabe for their birthday we’ll call it even.”
Lucky cocked an eyebrow in question. “Why?”
“Uh… no reason.” Bub started backing away.
“Bub—”
“Email me your gigs, man!”
“Beelzebub, why are you shopping for my ex?”
“Later! Nice to meet you, little man!”
Lucky huffed out a plume of smoke. It wasn’t worth it, he’d get answers out of Gabe and do so with less headaches.
Bub waved as the elevator doors closed, leaving the prince and the priest standing awkwardly in the office.
Lucky then turned to look at a confused Charlie before he moved over to grab the blazer that he’d draped over his office chair.
“That reminds me,” Lucky mumbled. He reached inside of the blazer pocket and pulled out an envelope. He waved it at Charlie.
“What is this?” Charlie asked as he took it.
“Your paycheck.”
“I’m getting paid?”
“Of course you’re getting paid. You’re not my slave, you’re my employee. Don’t lose that.”
Charlie opened the envelope and gasped. He looked at the wad of bills and counted them a few times.
“Is this right?” Charlie asked.
“Are you questioning my math skills?” Lucky asked.
“No, but it’s… It’s so much.”
Lucky went to argue but he remembered Charlie had taken vows of poverty—among other things—and had probably never held that much money beyond an Easter weekend tithe. It had obviously overwhelmed the humble human.
“Did you take out what I owe for rent?” Charlie asked sweetly.
“N-no,” Lucky replied.
“Oh, then you should—”
“It’s your first paycheck, save it.”
“Should I? It feels wrong. What happens if I’m able to go to Heaven before I can spend it all? I don’t even know what I’d spend it on.”
Lucky didn’t want to think about that. Didn’t want to think about life in Hell without Charlie in it, but that was selfish of him. He sat back down and picked up the stack of files Charlie had brought over to start sorting them by date.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do with your money, Charlie. It’s yours, and it’s universal so it’ll still be good in Heaven. I can open an account for you and have Gabe transfer it when you go,” Lucky said, trying to sound completely unbothered by it.
“Can I buy you dinner? Somewhere nice?”
Lucky’s body flash-heated and he scorched the end of the paper he was holding.
He quickly fanned away the small embers, apologizing to the woman in the photo for accidentally damaging her paperwork under his breath.
He shifted his golden eyes to Charlie and blinked a handful of times.
The expectant expression on the human’s face had his heart tumbling, hitting every rib in the process like a pinball machine.
That signature twinge of worry on Charlie’s face, like he’d done something wrong and feared being yelled at, came back.
Think of something, he’s waiting for you, dumbass! Lucky scolded himself.
“Do you like burgers?” he asked.
Smooth, real smooth.
“Do you… want burgers?” Charlie asked.
“N-no, it was just the first thing that popped into my head. How about Italian?”
“That sounds nice. We could do that after we finish here?”
“Sure, you don’t have to pay, though.”
“I want to.”
“Fine.”
He wouldn’t argue with him, not over this. Not when Charlie desperately wanted it. All Lucky cared about was the fact they would be going out to eat instead of hiding in Charlie’s apartment for once, and it excited him.