Archive of Our Own ^beta

Alastor came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the hallway. His shoulders bunched and his ears perked as he detected the distinct sound of Adam grunting and huffing for breath coming from inside his room. 

Vox paused a couple of steps in front of Alastor, only noticing that Alastor had stopped a moment after the fact. “You hear something?” Vox asked. 

“Adam seems to be preoccupied. Whether with himself or Lucifer is difficult to say.” Alastor didn’t hear Lucifer, although the fallen angel’s mouth could also be busy at the moment. However, Alastor expected more colorful commentary from Adam if Lucifer was sucking his dick. Adam was quite vocal when enjoying himself. Even more so when Lucifer egged him on, which Lucifer was prone to do. 

A knowing blue-toothed grin stretched to the edge’s of Vox’s screen. “They banging without us?” 

Alastor opened his mouth to answer when a voice from Adam’s bedroom cut him off. 

“Oh yeah, baby, you’re so close. Just a little more!” Angel cheered. 

Adam groaned. “I can’t keep going.”

“Oh yes, you can, baby. Come on, you want your reward, don’t ya?”

Confusion, disbelief, denial, and intrigue wrestled inside Alastor for control as Alastor mentally replayed the words in his head to ensure that he had not misunderstood their implication. 

Adam and Angel had developed a close friendship over the years since Adam had moved in at the hotel. They shared a similar sense of humor and loved to recklessly throw themselves into danger. 

Angel, however, was intimate with Husk, and Adam had never given any indication that he wanted to couple with Angel. Alastor couldn’t fathom a world in which Adam would have intercourse with someone outside of his romantic partners without discussing it first. For all of Adam’s faults, Adam was extremely loyal and sensitive to any suggestion of infidelity. 

“Has Adam mentioned any sexual interest in Angel to you?” Alastor asked Vox. 

The question caught Vox off guard. “Besides calling him hot? No.” 

Interesting. Angel and Adam complimented each other’s appearances all the time, usually to encourage one another, so that was nothing new. 

Vox stiffened. “Wait a second. Do you hear Angel in there?” Vox pointed at Adam’s bedroom. 

“Indeed,” Alastor answered. 

“Shit, and they’re…?” Vox trailed off. He touched his screen where his cheek would be. His mouth formed a wobbly line as concern and fear spread across his screen, his eyes consuming more of his face than his mouth as he fretted. Vox stiffened as his face vanished from his screen to be replaced by an error code. 

Oh dear. It occurred to Alastor that Vox might be reliving some trauma. Angel had been Val’s favorite weapon of choice against Vox—Val had enjoyed seeking out Angel whenever the two of them were fighting. Infidelity would be difficult for Vox to withstand in general, but an affair with Angel would break his programming. 

Alastor would not allow that to happen. 

Vox’s face replaced the error code. “I’m texting Lucifer. Maybe he knows something.” 

Alastor would be quite cross if Lucifer knew anything. Vox and him should have been informed of any decisions about other partners. He’d reprimand Lucifer thoroughly. Perhaps he would destroy a few of Lucifer’s precious rubber ducks in front of him to make a point.

“Ugh,” Adam groaned. 

“Don’t give up on me now, big boy. We both know you have more stamina than this.” 

A portal appeared next to Alastor. Lucifer stepped out from it, holding his cell phone. Vox’s hands were empty, so he must have used his own internal system to contact Lucifer. 

Lucifer’s head swiveled from his phone, to Adam’s door, to Vox and Alastor. “He hasn’t said a word to me.” 

“Then it seems we’ll have to get answers from our dear Adam.” Alastor marched toward Adam’s door with a determined stride. He contemplated what he would do should he find Adam cheating. His first action would be to get rid of Angel. Perhaps via defenestration? 

Alastor seized the doorknob and flung the door open. 

Adam squeaked. His head and back hit the floor as his arms spread-eagled at his sides. His legs were bent with his knees up. Angel sat on the floor fully clothed and with his back to the door. He held Adam’s feet down. Sweat glistened down Adam’s naked chest, and his face was flushed a deep red hue. Sweatpants clung to his hips. 

Angel looked over his shoulder at Alastor and grinned. “Oh, hey, Smiles.” Angel turned his head back toward Adam. He slapped Adam’s calf. “I told ya one of them would find out.” 

Lucifer and Vox sidled up behind Alastor, peering around him to get a look at the room. 

Angel snickered. “Holy shit. You got all three of them. Your luck is fucking crap, man.” 

Adam groaned. He covered his forehead with the back of his wrist. “This is so embarrassing.” 

“Have we caught you in the middle of a tumultuous affair, dear?” Alastor injected his voice with gentle teasing, hiding his hunger for answers behind humor. 

Adam’s head shot up. “What? Ew. Hell no! What kind of asshole do you think I am, babe? Don’t even joke about that shit with me.” 

A genuine smile spread across Alastor’s face. Adam’s response was so delightful, and so very much like the man that Alastor had grown attached to. 

“Ha ha,” Vox chuckled, the sound brittle with anxiety. Vox was an abject failure at concealing his insecurity. “Yeah. Who would even think that? That’s so stupid. It’s downright hilarious. YOU having an affair?” Vox clutched his belly and laughed.

“What? You don’t think I could do it?” And just like how Vox was terrible with subverting his emotions, Adam always rose for the bait, even when there was none. “I’m plenty attractive.”

“You are very attractive.” Lucifer dipped around Alastor to enter the room. He strode past Angel and kneeled down, tucking his hands under Adam’s head, then settling Adam’s head in his lap. Lucifer brushed a curl off Adam’s forehead. “You’re also very loyal.” 

Adam crossed his arms over his chest and pouted like a child. He refused to look at Lucifer. “Yeah, so?”

Lucifer smiled innocently. 

Except it wasn’t innocent at all. 

His hands cupped Adam’s head. His thumbs pressed into the corners of Adam’s mouth. He pinched and stretched Adam’s lips until Adam was forcibly grinning wider than Alastor. “So you would talk to us before having sex with anyone else, right, honey bear?” Lucifer’s pitch dropped low as several voices layered over his, making him sound demonic.  

Adam tried to scowl, but Lucifer’s thumbs kept him from doing so. Adam swatted at Lucifer’s hand. “Fuck! You bitch. Of course!” 

“Good.” Lucifer chortled softly then released Adam. 

Adam rubbed his cheeks. “Jerk.” 

“Love you,” Lucifer responded in kind. 

“Well, it sounds like you four have got some stuff to work out.” Angel pushed himself onto his feet. He stretched his arms, making his joints pop. He sighed then relaxed. “Enjoy your make up orgy.” 

Angel headed for the door, right where Alastor was standing and where Alastor had no intention of moving. For now. 

When Angel realized Alastor wasn’t going to budge, he scowled. “I’m not having sex with your boyfriend, Smiles. Besides, even if I was interested, he’s got too much bottom energy for me.”

Adam squawked. He pushed himself up into a seated position. “The fuck? I’m the first man! I’m one-hundred percent top energy!” 

Alastor would have to remember that the next time he had Adam tied and begging for him. 

Angel scoffed. “Sure thing, brat.” Angel pointed at Alastor. “And he doesn’t spend half his time power bottoming or being a pillow princess.” 

Alastor kept his smile in place as he contemplated whether he should cut out Angel’s tongue. A few hours without his voice would be wonderful and the tongue would eventually grow back. 

Vox snorted in amusement. 

“I wouldn’t laugh, switch,” Angel snapped his attention to Vox. “Unless you're hoping for someone to punish you later.” Angel cocked his head toward Alastor and smirked. “Like I said, ‘half the time.’” 

“Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!” Lucifer raised his hands and bounced on his knees. “Do me next!” 

Angel smiled and winked at Lucifer. “Oh, we all know who the daddy is here, and he can treat you real nice and give you some of that sweet, sweet service that breaks ya with its tenderness or he can make you feel real naughty and filthy, and keep ya coming back for more.” 

Lucifer chuckled. A confident, sharp-toothed grin spread across his face. “It’s so nice to be perceived.” 

“Enough,” Alastor snapped. 

Angel shrugged. “Let me go and I won’t describe in detail what your favorite sex positions are.”

“Fuck! Just let him go,” Adam pleaded. 

Angel snapped his fingers and pointed at Adam. “Bottom.” 

“Screw you!” Adam shouted. 

“Your boyfriends wouldn’t like that.” 

Much as Alastor loathed to do so, he sidestepped out of the doorframe to let Angel through. Best to let the nuisance leave so that Alastor could focus his attention where it mattered. 

“Thank you, oh sweet, kind, and generous Mr. Radio Demon. I’ll always remember this.” With his head high and his chest out, Angel sashayed out of the room. 

“Stupid, Angel,” Adam grumbled. “I’ve topped. I’ve topped lots of people.” 

Lucifer shoved himself into Adam’s space, leaving only an inch between their faces. He beamed at Adam. “You mind telling me who?” 

“You don’t need to know.” Adam looked away from Lucifer again, the epitome of bashfulness. 

Lucifer smirked. 

“‘Sides, not like I haven’t topped you guys a few times. Not like I always bottom,” Adam added petulantly. 

“And you do such a good job when you do,” Lucifer said overly sweetly. 

Adam growled. “Are you being sarcastic?”

Alastor clapped his hands to get Adam and Lucifer’s attention.“Much as I am enjoying Lucifer taunting you, we still do not have an explanation as to what you and Angel were doing.” Alastor strode to Adam’s side and stood there. Vox followed him. 

Adam sighed, annoyance infiltrating the sound. “I asked him to help me with sit ups, okay?” 

That would explain the position Alastor had found the two in. 

“Why?” Vox asked. 

“Why do you think?” Adam smacked his round belly. “I’m tired of the love handles.” Adam’s head whirled toward Lucifer. “Don’t you dare make a patronizing comment about how you love them.” 

Surprise contorted Lucifer’s expression before shifting into remorse. Much as Lucifer loved to tease Adam, he never intended actual hurt. “But I do love them. They’re a part of you.” 

Adam hugged himself, effectively covering his love handles. “Yeah, well, I don’t.” 

“If that is how you feel about the matter, then I suppose that is that.” Alastor held up his hands to give an exaggerated shrug. 

“Alastor,” Lucifer chastised, clearly hoping for a different reaction from Alastor. 

“What? Would you like me to tell Adam that I am a personal fan of his body? That I find him shapely in a way that makes me want to touch him? To feel his soft flesh? To hold him and bite him as I see fit?” Alastor grinned wickedly. “Because I do. However, this is not about me and my preferences, nor is it about yours or Vox’s.” 

“Well, if you two get to say something, I want to too, even if my feelings don’t fucking matter.” Vox crouched down in front of Adam. He seized Adam’s hands and held them to his chest. “You have the best fucking thighs from here to Heaven and you give the best damn hugs, but if you want a six pack, I will be your partner. After all, why choose someone else when you can have me?” Vox puffed out his chest with pride. “I can play all of your favorite movies on my screen as you workout. So you should totally dump Angel and spend time with me.” 

“Pretty sure after today he’s not gonna help.” Adam carded a hand through his hair while keeping one hand in Vox’s. “Listen, not that I don’t appreciate the compliments, but I just hate my body, okay?”

“Any particular reason?” Alastor asked.  

Adam shrugged. “I just like how it was in Eden more. It was better.” 

“How so?” Alastor prodded in hopes of discovering what had set Adam down this path of hating his body. The first man was usually so proud. 

He wasn’t proud now. He kept avoiding eye-contact with his boyfriends, and his gaze lingered more on the ground than anywhere that was at eye-level. “I was fitter. Plus, I looked more like you guys.” 

Alastor raised an eyebrow. Ah. That was it. Adam wasn’t comparing himself to his past self, but to his partners. 

“You realize one of us has a TV for a head?” Lucifer deadpanned. 

“Hey!” Vox snapped. 

“And you look fantastic,” Lucifer tacked on. “Also, another one of us looks like a deer and turns into a giant tentacle monster when angry.” 

“And another of us is so small, he’s not allowed to ride half of the rides at his own amusement park,” Alastor quipped. 

“And I have hooves.” Lucifer extended his leg in front of Adam and snapped his finger. His boots vanished, revealing his cloven feet. 

Adam wrinkled his nose. “You’re a shapeshifter. That doesn’t count.”

“So maybe I’m not the best example.” Lucifer’s boots reappeared on his feet and he lowered his leg. “But you don’t love us any less just because we’re built differently, right?” 

Adam might as well have been sucking on a lemon at the question. “Yeah, but you’re still hot.” 

“And you don’t think you are?” Alastor leaned down, shoving his face into Adam’s space. Alastor clicked his tongue disapprovingly against the roof of his mouth. “Adam, you have successfully seduced two powerful Overlords and the King of Hell himself. How do you explain that?”

“I have a winning personality?” Adam suggested. 

“And a juicy ass,” Lucifer muttered under his breath.  

Adam’s head slumped forward. He let out a long and loud exhale. “Ugh. Fine. Okay, I’m hot, or at least fucking fantastic at sex.” 

“You know you can be both, right?” Vox deadpanned. 

Adam groaned. “Fine. I’m hot and good at sex. Actually, I’m great at sex. Who am I kidding? The way I make you three come, I should get an award.” 

“There’s that familiar ego!” Lucifer cheered. 

Adam huffed, the sound just shy of being a chuckle. He looked down at his stomach. A tender, sad expression came over his face. “I just don’t always feel great, okay?”

“That is perfectly acceptable,” Alastor stated. “You’re not the first person to critique their body and you will not be the last. However, if you feel you must change your body in order to be attractive, then that is another matter. You are attractive. There is no argument to be had. You need not change yourself. If you ever need reminding of that, then come to one of us three and we will be delighted to show you just how attractive you are.” 

“Oh yeah, I can definitely do that.” Vox shifted his weight onto his knees and crawled into Adam’s space. Adam instinctively fell onto his back as Vox covered his body with his own. “What do you say? Want me to show you how attractive you are?” 

Adam’s already flushed cheeks took on a deeper hue. His tongue peeked out of his mouth as he subconsciously wet his lips. “Fuck yeah.”