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with a snarl that was made from fury, horror, or anguish — maybe a mix of all three, lucifer wasn’t sure — the fallen angel wept.
his clawed hands ripped through the remains of his fallen wings, an agonized frown curled onto his lips. inky, obsidian feathers laid in grotesque piles, strewn carelessly amongst the grass in which he’d landed in. his stomach pooled thinking of what had happened to his previously beautiful plumage.
as his fingers grazed something solid, lucifer froze. and his heart beat quickened in his chest.
his fingers gained a tremble he didn’t usually possess and he gingerly lifted the edge of one of his former feathers.
revealed to him, was a lick of wispy blonde hair.
lucifer froze. his heart stopped as time seemed to slow. what.. the hell was this?
then he scrambled to dig away his bloodied plumage with newfound motivation. as his movements hastened, more was revealed of what laid amongst the lush grass.
what he unearthed.. was a baby.
a living, breathing, infant.
with a head of silky golden hair reminiscent of a crown, pale skin and chubby cheeks the color of a peach, the baby was alive before him.
his heart stuttered in his chest, and when he felt a wetness on his palm, he tipped his head before bringing a finger to his cheek. there, he found tears dewing his cheeks. when did he begin to cry?
lucifer screwed his nose up and wiped his palm across his eyes then blinked away the stinging. he extended his arms out and took the little boy in a gentle hold, bringing him close to his chest.
the baby didn’t seem to make any noise, but his chest rose and fell lightly, assuring lucifer he was breathing on his own.
the man ran the pad of his thumb along the baby’s cheek, his heart panging as he swiped away flaky drops of crimson that he’d noticed staining his face.
lucifer worried the inside of his cheek, his vision spotted with unshed tears. ‘what… are you?’ he thought to himself, forcing himself to stand on two feet.
the dull pain where he’d severed his third pair of white wings from his back was nothing compared to the overwhelming surge of protection that flowed through him when he cradled the blonde baby against his chest. lucifer watched in stillness as a tear escaped from his wet lashes and landed on the infant’s cheek.
he made a mild disgruntled noise and for the first time, blinked open his eyes. lucifer gasped softly, his heart instantly melting. the baby regarded him with sea green eyes that were so innocent, lucifer couldn’t help but choke on a sob.
“i swear to the gods,” lucifer hissed under his breath. he turned his eyes away and sniffled, sharply inhaling. “i swear to the gods, just like my brothers, i’ll bring you up with anything you want. just,” he found himself resting his forehead against the baby’s, “just please don’t go. i don’t want to lose another sibling.”
how he found himself begging to this infant he’d found amongst his bloodied and broken, discarded wings, he wasn’t sure. but he had a sixth brother. a brother who wouldn’t know the celestial war.
‘or lilith.’ the back of his mind provided him with the gritty truth. he didn’t care.
to him, this baby was what he had to protect now. at any cost.