XXII
The day of rest had been beneficial, and Lucky had grown tired and anxious enough that he turned it into two days and called it an overdue weekend.
The night with the innocently sexy interaction in the bathroom had been spent eating slightly burnt bacon and playing video games on the prince’s oversized television, before sharing a bottle of wine as the storm drowned out the neon and bass-soaked skyline.
The second day, Charlie said he wanted to see some of the sights.
Do something not work related, which seemed unusual with how much of a workaholic the priest was. Lucky wouldn’t argue with him, though.
They went out the following day to a bowling alley that was empty at the unholy hour of ten in the morning, which was beneficial for how many times Lucky lost his cool when Charlie dominated him not once, but twice.
They then walked the shopping district, got coffee, and went to the bookstore since Charlie wanted something to read before bed.
Charlie spent a lot of time in the smut section—which, to be fair, was a large chunk of the available genres—but Lucky opted not to say anything.
He encouraged him to give something a try, that he wouldn’t tell anyone, so the priest left with a queer romance with a sexy shirtless demon and three little peppers on the back cover.
The human also picked up a kitschy coffee mug with a chili pepper handle that was nearly the size of his head and had ‘hot stuff’ in cursive font on its surface.
It had been relaxing and confusing. Lucky still didn’t feel right, but he’d been able to clear his head and spend some time rationalizing his feelings, his future, and the things he needed to do.
Charlie needed to know that he was still alive.
It wasn’t right keeping it from him, but he wanted to wait a short while longer.
It was selfish, but he also knew it was right.
This wasn’t about him, it was about Charlie’s future.
He was greedy, yes, but he wasn’t selfish.
There was a difference (that’s what he told himself, anyway).
When he’d gone to visit Charlie in the hospital last, his body looked healthier.
The bruises were healing, his hair looked golden, his skin was warm.
He was nearing a ‘healthy’ state, but his spine had been broken.
The impact had been brutal, and the last thing Lucky wanted was for Charlie to wake up with excruciating back pain, panicking that he couldn’t move or walk.
His basic research and talks with the doctors during the updates had shown that three months was the average timespan for a decent recovery from a break like that.
He hoped another day or two would allow his poor bones to heal well so when he woke from this nightmare he could sit up and look out of the window, even if the movements were slow.
Start his rehab on a good note. Relieve him of the fear that he wouldn’t be able to walk.
He wanted his little priest happy and healthy, so holding off a few more days would be the last gift he’d give him.
The promise of that healthy, long life, along with the assurance that the files would be finished so the picky priest wouldn’t leave his task unfinished seemed like a good note to part on.
Knowing Charlie, he’d be upset if the paperwork wasn’t complete, and Lucky didn’t want him upset.
Especially when he’d be returning to a broken body in a world that was unkind to him.
Adding unfinished business to his conscience sounded like torture.
One or two more days, then he’d tell him.
The day after their little adventure, Lucky watched Charlie move around the office. The paperwork was dwindling, the floor was clean and easy to maneuver, and Lucky had made a promise to Charlie that he’d never let it get that bad again.
“Mr. Lucky?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah?”
“What exactly is your job?”
Lucky blinked a few times. “I’m a psychopomp.”
“No, I know that, but I heard Salazar mention you were the head psychopomp the other day.” Charlie lifted his fingers to start counting before he continued.
“But you’re also a prince… and the Heir of Greed…
and you’re the owner of The Radiant Reaper.
It seems like quite a lot of hats to wear, especially for royalty. ”
“We are royalty but it’s also a constant battle for our titles and status.
Like I said, there are a lot of heirs and only so many circles to rule.
If we want to keep our jobs, and our heads, we learn to balance the duties.
I am the heir of this circle because I’m the head psychopomp.
I have the most impressive Soul Score in all of Hell, I’m quick and efficient, and I wrote the playbook on modern reaping.
Essentially, any psychopomp with an issue or bad report has to answer to me.
Those who don’t pull their weight don’t last long, so I rarely have to step in nowadays because I managed to fix the issues we were having over the last century.
It’s a well-oiled machine now, but it wasn’t always like that.
New psychopomps are rare, and no one wants to disappoint me because of my status as the heir of the most sought after circle.
“Which means I got bored, so I started dabbling in business ventures and restructuring of the circle itself over the last… oh, century or so? I own most of the highest earning businesses, franchises, and hospitality centers here, and on Lust and Gluttony. It kept me busy. Quite honestly, I prefer doing that sort of thing more than collecting souls. I’d just stick to real estate and architecture ventures if I could, but I don’t get to pick my job duties and I won’t argue with Father.
My happiness is not worth losing my life,” Lucky explained.
“Do you think he’d be that mad if you asked to do something else?”
“Yes, he would. It would be considered a failure and I’d be replaced easily.
He threatened to replace me if I didn’t get my paperwork handled before the end of the month.
So I not only have to have this finished and get through the audit, but I have to collect rent payments for the old school demons who refuse to do direct deposit and double check the end-of-month reports from all of the psychopomps, on top of my own contracts, in the span of about thirty-six hours come the first of the month. ”
Lucky noticed a sad expression roll over Charlie’s face as the human picked up that ridiculous coffee mug to sip his chai that had taken some time to cool.
“Which is why I’m thankful that you’re helping me out. I’d be screwed without you, Charlie,” Lucky replied.
“That seems like a lot.”
“It is, but it’s my afterlife so I’m used to it. The end-of-month reports are easy, though. They’re automated, and I simply need to make sure none of them get flagged for an issue.”
“So we should probably pull overtime to make sure this all gets done, yes?”
Lucky groaned. “Yeah, you’re right.” He stretched out his long legs under the desk, a grimace rolled over his face as the muscles flexed.
The burn was a tad tender, but the worst part was the wound itched like no tomorrow.
He healed quickly, but that meant a winding ring of scabs now sat under his slacks and it was annoying the daylights out of him.
Charlie had chided him multiple times for scratching it.
“Could we order pizza?” Charlie asked as he popped the lid off of the box he’d been looking for. He slid the stack of files inside.
“You read my mind. I’m up for pulling an all-nighter if you are, I feel antsy after sleeping so much yesterday,” Lucky replied.
“You needed it, though. You’d been up for days. Even with your otherworldly body and healing abilities that can’t be good for you.”
“No, it’s not… Hey, you wanna take a walk with me for a few minutes?”
“A walk?”
“Yeah, while we wait for the pizza.”
“Sure, I could stretch my legs.”
Lucky smiled. He pushed himself back from his desk and nodded his head toward the elevator.
They both walked toward it, while Charlie told Luke and John they’d be right back and to behave.
Lucky promised he’d call the regular hellhound sitter—a nice imp named Nyx who had taken a liking to the pooch—to take it on a walk and get it fed.
As the elevator door opened, a chill ran through Lucky’s body. He grabbed Charlie by the arm and pulled him back, taking several steps away from the golden doors. Heat flooded the front of the office as Satan’s massive frame stepped out.
Charlie gasped upon seeing the flaming body. Lucky slapped his hand over the human’s mouth and took a few more steps back. In the moment, all Lucky could think about was the little triggers and fears, not the bigger picture.
“What is that holy man doing here?” the king growled.
“Staying out of trouble, like you asked, Your Highness,” Lucky replied, voice trembling with fear.
“Did I not tell you to get rid of him?”
“Yes, you did. I’m working on getting him where he belongs. I am, I swear it. Keeping him here with me is part of the plan, he’s keeping a low profile, nothing has gone wrong.”
“Are you going against my orders?”
“N-no, not at all! Look—” Lucky gestured back to his office with a shaking hand— “I’m getting organized. I’m on top of my files. No one except the reception staff knows he’s here. I’m working hard. I have a plan.”
“And?”
“A-and?”
“This plan?”
“It’s going well. Gabriel is assisting me, it’s being kept under wraps. I can assure you God knows nothing, so I’m asking you to trust me.”
Satan’s flames rose higher. Luke and John trembled in fear and Charlie started sniffling in Lucky’s arms. That protective nature came back out and Lucky held him close to his chest.
“Lucius is aware,” Lucky said. “They said they’d keep watch over me. Do you honestly think if anything were wrong they wouldn’t have told you by now? That I’d still have my head?”
The flames seemed to diminish some. “If he’s not out of here by the end of the month I’m sending you both to the Pits, do you understand me? I will not tolerate this insolence much longer.”
“Yes, of course. Apologies. D-did you need something from me?” Lucky stammered, swallowing hard.
“No, I simply heard a rumor that something heinous was happening and thought I’d investigate. I’d hoped it wasn’t true, but it seems I need to begin interviewing for your replacement.”
The king stepped back into the elevator and left. The words rattled Lucky to the very core of his being, and he was scared to put Charlie down. Charlie clung to him tighter, so they simply held each other for a while.
“S-so, that walk?” Lucky asked nervously.
“We should get back to work,” Charlie mumbled in a panic. “You-you need to get back to work.”
“We’re on track—”
“I don’t want you to lose your job.”
“Hey, hey, stay calm.” Lucky nudged Charlie’s head up again with his finger, delicate and sweet. “We’re fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. The paperwork will get done. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m more worried about you. I… I think we should take a walk.”
Charlie looked at him with watery eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I want to take you to my favorite spot in all of Hell, if you’ll let me.”
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be worth it, I promise.”