Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Samael smiles brightly as he brings another creature for Mother to bring to life, his excitement clear for anyone to see with the speed with which he flies.

"You truly are my light bringer." The voice was filled with a fond laughter that made Samael smile all the brighter, then he remembers why he was so excited in the first place.

"I have another creature, to help you once Earth has been created." Samael tries not to ramble, he always has a tendency to ramble about his project which his brothers didn't appreciate.

"Well, does this creature have a name?" This gives Samael a moment of pause, he hasn't thought of that, with him and his brothers Father had created and named them, he thinks for another moment.

"Seraphim." Samael answers and with that a breeze passes, taking the cloud and yet leaving the creature and his smile returns as he speaks again his voice filled with excitement "Hello! Welcome to Heaven! I'm so happy that you're here now, you're going to love it here too!"

"You're scaring them, slow down a little" The Creators voice stayed gentle yet now held something faintly warning and that's when he notices how the Seraphim stared at him eyes wide and Samael plants his feet back to the ground then takes a few steps back.

"Oh, right. Welcome to Heaven" Samael spreads his arms and wings out wide to show off the area they're in, the seraphim looks around for a few moment before looking back at him which is when he continues. "I'm Samael-"

Then he realizes he's moving too fast, while she is a Seraphim she has no name, just a title, calling her Seraphim would be like only calling him the Angel of creation. "You need a name"

"A name? It isn't Seraphim?" She asks and Samael shakes his head trying to think of how to explain a name, trying to remember how it was explained to him.

"Seraphim is more of, what you are, a name is how others address you, get your attention." Samael explains, and the seraphim before him seems to think on it for a moment.

"Could my name be Sera?"

"Yes, I believe it fits you infact. Now Sera, would you like to see more of Heaven?" He asks with a smile that grows when Sera agrees, they do just that and he introduces her to the others along the way.

———

Once the planet is created, Samael doesn't waste a second thinking of all the creatures that could roam such a large space, a giant smile plastered on his face each time Mother breathes life into I've of his creations and sends it down, to be completely honest he could watch the creatures roam for millennium.

However, one day, he notices an area that seems it of place, up on a mountain and yet there where creatures living there, he didn't recognize them though, his curiosity peaked he flies to Mother. "Those creatures on one of the mountains, what are they?"

"They're my final creation, Adam and Lilith, they're humans and immortal like us." The creators voice was filled with a warm fondness, Samael faintly wonders if his voice carried the same notes when talking about his creations.

Samael takes all this in, thinking for a few moments before one thought escapes him before he could catch it. "Can I meet them?"

"You can visit, only as one of your creatures, I don't want them to fear us, do you understand Samael." The creators voice was stern and it gave him a moment of pause but his curiosity quickly won out transforming to a bird once down to earth, he perches nearby, watching them from afar.

This is how Samael spent a lot of time, doing so he learned a lot about the two creatures, they where a lot more intricate than any of his creations, they talked and created small things, mixed things from around the garden Mother had made from them, however they never took from the one apple tree in the middle of the garden which had started to peak his curiosity, and better yet, the one named Lilith, she created songs that the birds would sing along with.

Adam and Lilith where talking again, Samael perched too far to truly make out the words, he's about to move closer when his attention is pulled away from the humans and back to Heaven, he was being called by one of his siblings, he returns gladly just to be greeted by Michael who's voice carried a clear irritation "Where you watching the creatures again? You're getting too close."

"They're not going to notice me, I'm being careful." Samael defends, once again.

"You'll get excited and ruin it. You're getting too close." Michael repeats it as if it's obvious and there's a twinge of something in Samaels chest, something he didn't have a name for but it wasn't like how he felt when he created something and Mother liked it, this was unpleasant.

"I'm being careful Michael. I'm just watching them, I remember what Mother told me." Samael felt the feeling lessen with the remark and the frustrated look that crossed his brother's face, with that Samael flies past him and to Sera curious what she's been up to.

———

Samael went down to earth again, his chest felt heavy and his stomach all twisted, he got in another argument with Michael, this time he takes form as a snake and curls up under some bushes watching Adam and Lilith again.

Lilith was singing as a few birds nearby chirped along, she holds out a hand to one of the birds and after a moment, to Samaels surprise, the bird hops onto her hand, he had created the creature to very skittish and yet it stayed to listen to her music, even in at a glance Adam seemed clearly annoyed by the singing.

They started arguing and it sounded extremely similar to the same argument Samael kept having with Michael, the angel moves ever so slightly closer making sure to stay hidden but even still the birds sense a snake nearby and take flight, Lilith looks around which seemed to bother Adam more as he said something about her not listening, Lilith repeats word for word the last thing Adam said which just upsets him more but at a loss for words storms off to another part of the garden.

With Lilith seemingly distracted, Samael moves closer but she sees him and he freezes when she speaks to him. "so you're the reason my friends took flight."

The Angel isn't sure what to do, if Michael find out he wouldn't hear the end of it and even worse, if Father find out, he wouldn't be allowed down anymore, so in a moment if panic he pretends to be a true snake, collecting his long body in almost a ball staring at her as she looks him over.

"You're beautiful." That surprises Samael, even so his chest fills with that successful warm feeling, the other angels had been confused why he would want to create something dangers, and then Michael who said they made him uneasy, yet here Lilith was saying that the same creature he took form of was beautiful. "I don't believe I've seen you before, are you a gift from above?"

Samael was intrigued now, but it was short lived as he heard Mother summoning him, so he returns to under the bushes where out of sight he returns to Heaven. "Yes?"

"I have noticed only birds visit the garden, do you know the reason?" The Creator asks and the angel thinks for a moment, the garden is hard to reach for any of his current creatures.

"I believe it's too difficult for them to reach. I could create some more, if you'd like" Samael offers and when The Creator gives him the go ahead he smiles brightly setting to work right away, taking breaks to return to the garden, Lilith continues to talk to him when he visits, Adam does to a few times but he is a lot less loving of this form.

———

One day, Samael lays in the tree at the center of the garden, coiled about the branches carefully as not to fall, Lilith and Adam had just gotten into another argument and he stormed off, now that it was just them, the words fall from her. "Are you trapped here too?"

He's caught off guard, not enough for his form to slip thankfully, yet this confuses him, Lilith wants to leave paradise on earth? She feels trapped here, is that what that feeling in his chest when he's up in heaven? "You want to leave paradise?"

Lilith startles and stares at the snake in front her, looking over the white scales with an almost golden underbelly and lovely blue eyes that match how beautiful the sky is at day break "You can talk, how, how come none of the others can?"

Samael debates giving an answer or slithering away, what would he even say? He's already broken so many rules but maybe Mother would understand his curiosity, understand a mistake but Michael would never let him live it down, would it be worth it to talk with them? To talk with Lilith? So he says the first reason that sounds like it would be easy for the creature before him to understand. "You talk to me so often, it would be rude not to."

Lilith circles the tree looking at him as she speaks "wouldn't you want to leave? See where the birds take off to when you scare them away, see where you go after hiding under the bushes from me."

"You could leave, can't you?" Samael wasn't told what they had been told past Mother saying they couldn't take from the tree he currently rested in.

"If I leave, I can't return and Adam would never go with me, I'd be alone." Lilith responds fast enough for him to realize she's thought of it before, maybe even talked with Adam when he stayed too far to hear their conversation clearly. "Who would actually leave paradise anyways?"

Isn't that what the angel does though? He leaves Heaven to visit Lilith then returns, it confuses him more, why would he be allowed to return to his paradise when he leaves yet she isn't allowed to do the same. Maybe Father was correct about him not interacting with them because now everything was confusing, carefully he slithers down the tree making his way to the bushes, he needs to think away from here, Lilith speaks and her voice is almost a little upset "You'll come back, right?"

"I will" Samael answers before curling up under the bush, waiting for Lilith to turn her attention to something else before returning to Heaven, maybe he could ask Mother? Say he overheard Lilith talking with Adam. Slamming face first into Michael snaps Samael out of his thoughts. "Apologies Michael, I was thinking."

"Is that so, Samael. Do tell, what had your attention do strongly that you walked directly into me?" Michael spoke with a similar tone Adam used when talking with Lilith, which when he did it seemed to upset her, should he be upset now? Why did things keep becoming more confusing? Perhaps, Michael would have some answers, maybe his brother would be able to ease the confusion consuming him.

"I overhead Lilith and Adam talking, I'd like to discuss it with you, if I'm not interrupting anything." Samael asks and Michael smiles at him so Samael asks "Lilith was curious of where the birds went, yet Adam said they where told to stay in the garden, he says it was the word of Mother, I'm curious if that is true, curious as to why Mother let's me leave then return yet they are not. Why create such a vast planet yet not let your creation-"

"Samael! You will cease following this topic. You are not to question our Creator." Michael spreads his wings as he speaks looking down on the shorter Angel, strong closer as his voice fills with that same tone it always gained when Samael messed up in the Archangels eyes. "You are to no longer visit them. They fill your head with nonsense. It just confuses your already troubled mind."

"Michael-"

"Do not push me on this Samael." With that Michael flies away, leaving Samael all the more confused. What did he mean already troubled? What nonsense? What Lilith asked made sense, there was an entire planet for them to explore, creatures made for them, why shouldn't she want to see it?

Confused and a little, what was the word Lilith had used before? Frustrated. Samael was also a little glad to have names for those feelings that kept coming up. The angel flies to where he'd usually create, the others usually left him alone here so he could finally think.

More and More questions seemed to pull at him as he pulls at his feathers. What did Michael mean by him being troubled? Did everyone believe that? Did he have to listen? Their Creator was the one that said he could go, was Michael allowed to take that away? Could he ask Mother without getting in trouble like he did with Michael?

"My light bringer, what troubles you?" Even with their voice being calm as always, Samael still startles almost ripping a handful of feathers out, instead only pulling a few.

"Michael says I am to no longer visit Adam and Lilith." The angel admits, not looking in the direction he could sense his creator, maybe he should visit anymore if this was how it was going to go.

"And his reason for this?" Samael fidgets with the feathers he pulled out, he knew this would come and yet when their Creator asked, he felt like a small bug before Her and not an angel, not one of Her beloved creations.

"Michael says, they are confusing me, that I'm already troubled enough." Samael feels something drip from his eyes, he'd seen it happen to Lilith but none of the other angels, maybe he is troubled.

"Samael, you are my light bringer, you are meant to ask questions it's why you are so wonderful at creating." With this Samael felt an almost comforting feeling at his back yet it doesn't help.

"Why put your creations where they can't enjoy the rest of your creations?" The angel asks trying to ignore the big question that kept coming to his head, why put the fruit of knowledge in the garden then tell Adam and Lilith not to take from it?

"I wish to protect them, the same as why I keep you and your brothers up here with me." The feeling at his back dispersed after that. If that was true and down on the planet was dangerous, why was he allowed to go down there? What about it was dangerous? Was he still allowed to go or not?

Samael sighs and decides the first chance he got, he'd go back down there at very least to tell Lilith he cannot come back again after that, he's ripped from his thoughts.

"Samael!" Mother was upset with him, and in an instant he was in front of her, he stares at his feet, pulling at his feathers behind his back. "Lilith has asked questions of me, of my supposed gift, a white snake."

"I-"

"Silence Samael." Her voice was harsh and it made Samael want to turn into a bug that could hide between clouds forever. "My one rule, for you to visit."

"Not to be seen" Samael spoke softly voice wavering, what was this feeling that clawed at him it felt like the ground beneath his feet would disappear and part of him wanted it to if it meant escaping this moment.

"You spoke with Lilith. Now, she wishes to leave the garden, she questions me. Was this your doing?" For some reason that stung almost physically, more of that liquid fell from his eyes.

"No, Creator, I didn't mean-"

"Samael. You are to tell her, she can leave. You will go with her. I will call for you when you can return." Samael goes to look at his Creator but he's alone, his hands are shaking and it's hard to fly as he goes back down to earth, he almost forgets to turn into a snake.

"My friend, you've returned sooner then I expected." Lilith smiles at him, he coils into a ball, his head barely poking out only so he can speak.

"Our Creator, says we are to leave the garden." Samael watches her face and oddly she smiles.

"You're coming with me?" Lilith stands from under the tree oddly with a smile, how could she be happy to leave paradise? He nods his response and carefully she picks him up, but he stays curled up around himself. "You still haven't told me your name, do you have one?"

As Lilith collects her few things she created here, Samael thinks, should be tell her his name? What would a human do with the name of an angel? Would she know he's an angel by his name? What would she do if he told her now that he's an angel? Was he even still angel?

"How about Lucifer? It means morning star." Lilith had taken his silence as a no to her question and Samael was okay with that, to her, he'd be Lucifer, the morning star, it's close to his true name anyways.

"Why the morning star?" He asks, curiosity pulling him from his mind, he uncoils just a little mostly to get a better look around as they started to leave the garden.

"Because, your eyes are like an early morning sky and your underbelly is like the morning star behind the clouds." Lilith explains as they go, eventually Lucifer uncoils completely and instead wraps up her arm and lays across her shoulders keeping an eye out for danger. "You can't return either can you?"

"No, I can't." Lucifer answers, glancing at the sky, where he knew heaven to be and yet he couldn't see it.

Chapter Text

In the time that passes, Lilith creates a home and Lucifer protects her from any danger, listens when she needs and talks every once in awhile, staying as a snake the entire time and this hollow feeling that formed when he couldn't see Heaven anymore had lessened but never gone as he waits to hear his Creators call again.

It's dark out and Lilith is asleep when Samael is called to return, yet oddly he almost ignores it, not wanting to leave Lilith unprotected, but he makes a promise to return to her as he goes to Heaven.

"Samael, how is Lilith fairing?" Michael asks when he arrives, Samael almost forgot that was his true name from being called Lucifer so often for so long.

"She is well, how is Adam?" Samael asks his curiosity returning to him.

"Our Creator gave him a new companion, formed from one of his ribs, her name is Eve." Michael answers before looking his brother over "Mother awaits your presence."

Samael nods and flies past his brother, oh how he had missed flying, still he lands before speaking to his Creator, then pauses and he kneels staring at the ground, thinking for a moment before speaking "I understand why you sent me to protect her"

"That's good. How is Lilith?"

"She is well, I've protected her from harm. I heard from Michael, you created another, this one named Eve, could I see her?" Samael still loves seeing new creatures, loves his brothers, they still love him right? Michael's coldness was just Michael, right?

"You are to stay here." Confusion must've shown on his face when he looks at his Creator because She adds "You will stay. Help Michael with his project, then you can return to Lilith until I call for you again."

Before he can say anything, his Creator is gone and he's beside Michael again, who without even a glance at Samael speaks. "teach me to create."

Wasn't that his duty? Wasn't that the purpose of being the light bringer? Why did Michael want to create things? He's the archangel of war, then a thought crosses his mind and fear runs through him, what is Adam wishes to harm Lilith for leaving? Would everyone just allow it? "Why? Just tell me what to make-"

Michael interrupts with a sigh, looking at the angel in a way he couldn't quite figure out. "I guess Mother was wrong about some time away fixing your troubles."

But didn't she say it was okay for him to ask questions? Her words repeat in his skull 'I wish to protect them, the same as why I keep you and your brothers up here with me.' yet She had sent him down there, sent him away, did she no longer want to protect him or Lilith? "I'm not troubled. Why didn't you just ask Sera, she knows how to create things."

"Watch yourself, I am an archangel, I am your leader, you will fall in line." Michael's coldness was burned away with irritation and frustration both directed at his brother, looking in his eyes Samael could see the same thing he saw in Lilith's eyes when she spoke of Adam, disgust. "You will, for once, listen. Do as your told and nothing more, am I clear Samael?"

"Yes, Michael." Samael pushed down all the feelings trying to pour from him, with that he begins teaching Michael but when the archangel can't do it with ease like Samael can, it causes insults disguised to be directed at the item, but they both knew they where directed at the angel.

Eventually Michael creates something, a weapon befitting The Archangel Of War and the question slips from him before Samael can stop it. "Why make this?"

The answer he's given was that painful look, Michael's voice carried the same disdain when he speaks "You're dismissed Samael."

Samael flies away, back to Lilith, his mind badgers him the entire time. Reminding him of all the times he's upset Michael, and how Angels weren't supposed to make mistakes, how his Creator didn't call him Light Bringer, had he been stripped of that title? Was he unworthy now?

Samael doesn't go back inside the house Lilith had made, even as it starts to pour, instead he sits under a tree, pulling out feathers as he tried to make sense of things. What was Michael's plan? He wouldn't put it past the archangel or Adam to attack Lilith, would he be enough to protect her? Would he just mess this up as well?

"Lucifer?" Lilith called from inside the house, looking inside for him as it started raining harder, should he tell her? Tell her he's an angel, like the ones that forbid her return to Eden? Tell her Michael is creating weapons for something? Tears pour from him now, as all the emotions he pushed down earlier flood him, how pathetic of an angel right? Angels weren't supposed to make mistakes, to question their Creator, to want to leave paradise, so what was wrong with him? "Who are you?"

Samael startles, Lilith was standing before him now, saw him for the disaster he truly was, hands pulling feathers from his wings, he stares hard at the ground, maybe it's he didn't respond, she would stop caring, like the other angels did.

"Are you okay?" Lilith kneels beside him and that's when she notices his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes she'd seen so many times. "Lucifer?"

Samael glances at her, ready for the following argument, ready for her to look at him the same way Michael does, instead she just looks him over once more before simply holding out her hand to him, a little confused he looks at her.

"you're soaked, come inside" Lilith's eyes held something but not the disdain Michael's carried, so he lets go of the feathers he had ripped out and lifts his hand only to freeze to see the gold on his hand, now concern filled Lilith's eyes. "You're hurt.."

Lucifer had only been hurt one other time and if he had been a regular snake it would've been a killing blow from one of his creatures, even his creations hate him. Lilith takes his hand and pulls him to his feet and out of his head, they go inside where Lilith cleans up the feathers stuck in the golden blood on his hands then carefully cleans his injured wings, it was the lowest ones on either side. "Please talk to me Lucifer."

"I'm unsure of what to say" Samael admits as he pulls his legs to his chest and stares at a random spot on the wall. Lilith sits next to him as she thinks, trying to piece things together.

"Have you always been..?" Her voice trails off unsure of what to call Samael, he has to resist the urge to start picking at his wings again instead he uses them to shield himself from view when he answers.

"An angel.. Yes." Samael pauses to steady his voice even as tears fell in anticipation to Lilith being upset. "That's why I want supposed to be seen. Our Creator believed it would scare you if you saw me this way.. does it?"

Lilith gets caught off guard by how meek her friend suddenly was, Lucifer by no means was assertive before but now he acted like is she looked at him wrong he'd fall apart so she picks her words carefully. "I'm not scared of you, I'm scared because you're hurt. Please, tell me what happened while you where gone"

Samael looks at her, unsure of how much to tell her, where would he even start? Would she look at him the same after all of this? What if he tells her something and she hates him? Blames him for being stuck in Eden for so long? For being stuck with Adam for so long? When he finds words his voice is still uneasy as he risks a glance at her. "I don't know where to start.."

"What's your name?" Lilith picks an easier question to answer then waits for her friend to answer. Samael debates telling her, the power their names have over them, the ability to summon him, he looks at her again, he trusts her with it more than he trusted Michael with anything like this.

"You must know, this is more than just my name, when you call for me using it, no matter how far I am, I'll hear you. When you say it, I'll feel the intent, I'll feel how you do when you say it." Samael faces her, making sure to be clear how careful she needs to be with it, for this is the same reason their Creator has no true name. "My name is Samael"

"Would you like me to call you that from now on?"Lilith asks and Samael thinks about this for a long moment and Lilith let's him waiting for the answer whatever it might be.

"No, I want you to think of me as your friend still. Not just an angel" Lucifer answers, Lilith smiles at him and he returns the smile in kind.

"I remember you saying, you weren't meant to be seen, is that why you where a snake?" Lilith asks and Lucifer nods as he starts picking at his wings again, if she asks about Heaven he'll tell her, but what is he's not supposed to? He wishes he could ask their Creator, ask what he's meant to do, how he's supposed to feel, was he doing the right thing telling her? Lying was wrong after all right? Everything was so confusing, how was he meant to know what not to do without being able to ask?

"Thank you for telling me Lucifer" Lilith rests hands on his and he stops pulling at his feathers, she looks at him wanting to ask more questions but he looks completely worn out. "I'll save the other questions for tomorrow, now it's time to rest"

Although Lucifer didn't need sleep he felt exhausted, he watches Lilith climb back into the bed, he transforms back into a snake and coils around the seat, Lilith watches him move until she dozes off and eventually he falls asleep.

Lucifer wakes with the sun and transforming back to his angelic form he sits outside watching some ducks on the water. It was one of his favorite creations, partially because his Creator loves them so much as well.

The sun is high in the sky by the time Lilith takes a spot next to Lucifer, as she stretches, he looks at her, she didn't seem upset with him, or to feel any differently about him in general. "Good morning, any plans for today?"

"Watching the ducks and answering your questions." Lucifer answers, the ducks in question where currently diving for food which seemed to always make him smile, Lilith looks at the ducks and smiles.

"Are they upset? The Lord and the other angels." Lilith asks and Lucifer has to think, Michael seemed upset with him, did his Creator? She hadn't called him Light Bringer like She usually did nor did She have the patience to listen to him.

"Yes, though not with you." Lucifer picks at the grass instead of his wings knowing Lilith would stop him.

"How's Adam doing by himself?"

"Oh, he has a new companion now, her name is Eve." Lucifer answers, a little curious on how the other would react, because so far Lilith doesn't ever react the way he thinks she will. Instead of saying anything, Lilith doesn't say anything, some time passes before she asks another question.

"Lucifer, are you able to turn into anything? Are you able to do anything else?" Lilith takes in how the sun reflects off the water and shines against him, how his beautiful blue eyes watched the ducks with a relaxed smile on his face, this was her paradise not that garden and that realization sinks in as he turns to face her his smile growing.

"Yes, I can turn into anything. I also helped our Creator with filling this planet with all it's wonderful creatures!" Lucifer was practically beaming, that warm feeling has returned in his chest. "Lilith, everytime I think of my creations, or see you admire them, I get this feeling in my chest, I'm not sure what it is, it's like excitement almost."

Lilith thinks for a moment and remembers having a similar feeling when she would sing and the birds nearby would go quiet to listen to her song. "Pride, you're feeling pride in your creations."

"Do you feel pride, when you're singing?" Lucifer looks back at the ducks, thinking about how she always seemed the happiest in Eden when she was singing, yet she hasn't sung once since leaving, an uneasy feeling replaces his pride and he pulls his legs to his chest. "Why haven't you been singing?"

"Yes, I feel pride in it. I'm not sure why I haven't, would you like me to?" Lilith offers noticing his shift in mood, Lucifer nods not trusting his voice to come out steady, would he ever be allowed to create again?

Lucifer watches her sing, notices all the songbirds falling quiet to listen, how the sun highlights her smile as she sings, this brings another new feeling to him, this one made his heart and face warm, it made him want to stay here, in this moment, with her forever, it made his mind quiet down for once.

The realization that he feels at peace, breaks said peace, shouldn't he feel like this in paradise not here? There must truly be something wrong with him then. Lilith, finishes her song but Lucifer barely registers that as he's staring at the sky, heaven is hidden from his eyes once again, now that he's longer needed, Lilith notices how somber he is and rests a hand on his shoulder. "Lucifer?"

Lucifer looks at her, he was torn, part of him couldn't wait to return to paradise, to his brothers, to his Creator and yet part of him didn't want to leave her, leave his creations, or her creations. "My apologies, I was thinking."

"What about?" Lilith looks at him, trying to read his expression.

"Heaven, My brothers, our Creator, my creations, this place, and you." Lucifer answers, pausing for a moment looking back to where he was pretty sure heaven was before looking at the ducks drifting on the water and finally looking back at Lilith. "I was summoned, the other night. I was tasked in teaching Michael how to create things, I tried asking questions and he got upset with me-"

"Did he hurt you, Lucifer?"

"What?! No! Michael would never hurt me, he's just confusing, he's the Archangel of War, why would he need to know how to create things? I thought our Creator was done with creation and yet She made Eve. I tried to ask but got no answers. I don't understand Lilith, there's this feeling that won't go away, it makes my heart race except for when I'm with you." The words pour from him, a confession he hadn't even known he needed to make as he looks back to where heaven should be. "If anything happens to you, it's my fault, I should've kept my distance. Followed orders, should've been more like Michael. I took paradise from you, I ask too many questions, I have feelings angels aren't supposed to have."

Lilith carefully wipes tears from his face, Lucifer hadn't even realized he started crying, then takes hold of his hands now that he was looking at her again. "You didn't take anything from me, I wanted out of the garden. I'm happier here, with you, than I was there with Adam. Whatever separates you from the other angels, I'm glad for it because it's what lead you here, with me."

Lilith pulls him into a hug, Lucifer hesitates before returning it, his wings wrapping around them. "What are we to do now?"

"Well, isn't the tree in Eden, the tree of wisdom?" Lucifer pulls back from the hug, quickly standing as his wings spread out, that horrible heart racing feeling floods him, it feels like he can't breathe anymore, he looks around as if anyone was listening.

"Lilith your can't say such things! Do you know what will happen if they hear you?" Lucifer felt like he had been spun around as his heart pounds, question flood his head, what would happen to her? Would she be hurt? Did they hear? What would happen if they did? Would he be able to protect her? What's going on with him?

"It's just us out here Lucifer" Lilith looks at her friend in this state, how bad could the punishment be if this was his reaction? How could she help? She can see him getting more worked up as he stares at the sky, she closes the distance between them and makes him look at her. "If they had heard, Someone would either already be here or have summoned you, Lucifer."

Lucifer is trembling as his eyes flicker between Lilith and the sky, she was right, they hadn't heard, slowly he relaxes and that horrible feeling settles but doesn't go fully away. "What would happen, if they heard me?"

Lucifer steps out of her touch, what would happen? He'd only been warned not to say things like that, to question their Creator, that the humans weren't supposed to mess with the tree and that there'd be a punishment if they did. That feeling starts to bubble up again, maybe they're just waiting? Waiting for Lucifer to leave Lilith alone? Waiting for him to return to Heaven again then they'd be punished? "I don't know exactly. Just that there is a punishment."

"Worse than being banished from paradise though?" Lilith asks and Lucifer has to think about it, he hasn't been truly banished, yet at least, right? If he did get banished, would it be so horrible? To spend eternity on this planet, with Lilith. That didn't sound bad to him, what else could be the punishment?

"I'm not sure, most likely yes, yet I don't know what that would be, or even if there is something worse." Lucifer looks at the sky again, then where he guessed Eden was, the tree of wisdom. He'd definitely be banished if he took from it, would that be so bad? He'd understand all these feelings, have less questions right? What about Lilith, what would happen to her? Doesn't she deserve the wisdom as well? Don't Adam and Eve? Why would their Creator, make something able to give them this knowledge then keep it just out of reach? Why wouldn't someone share knowledge in the first place?

"Would you ever risk it?" Lilith asks, he looks at her and can easily picture spending eternity here with her by his side.

"If you're with me, Yes." Lucifer answers, in the slowly fading sunlight his blue eyes almost looked to glow, his seemingly ever present smile mirrored hers. Lilith takes hold of his hands, for someone who has created so many things his hands where soft just like his touch. "Lilith?"

"Yes, Lucifer?" Lilith looks back to his face, and notices the gold tint to his cheeks.

"Was I rambling without realizing or something?" Lucifer can't help but notice how this close how the light highlights her features, how her hands have this gentle yet strong feeling to them reminding him that she won't slip away, how he wants to stay in this moment forever.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Well, my face is hot and my mouth is dry, like I've been talking a lot." For some reason, his face seems to grow hotter as he admits this and Lilith sees the golden tint spread further.

"What else are you feeling? What are you thinking about?" Lilith faintly wonders, could he want to spend eternity with her, as she does with him?

"Just that, you look wonderful right now, that I don't want this moment to be over" he answers looking back down at their hands and adds "that I don't want to let go of you."

"I'm not sure what that is, but I know I feel the same way." To this, Lucifer looks back up at Lilith, a smile spreads across her face and he smiles back.

"Do you really want to take from the tree?" Asking aloud made that horrible feeling return but Lucifer tries to push it down and has little success.

"Not without a plan." Lilith's answer calms the feeling, in the low lighting, he can see now that his halo gives off some light and with the holy glow lighting up her face, Lilith looks somehow even more wonderful.

"I could see if Adam or Eve know anything" Lucifer offers, Lilith thinks about this for a few moments, would either of them know anything? Before Lilith left, they hadn't been told really anything past not taking from that tree and not to leave the garden.

"Would they have been told anything more after I left?"

"No, I don't think they would've." Lucifer sighs a little frustrated, normally he'd just ask their Creator, but now even the idea makes it feel like his heart is racing, he runs a hand through his hair, tangling his fingers within as he tries to think of what to do. Looking at Lilith again, what's the worst that could happen? If they know she's part of it she'd be punished too, but what does that even mean anymore? Lilith has been truly banished and he's getting there each time he messes up, none of the angels, his brothers would never hurt him but would they hurt her? "I could always transform and stay hidden from the angels while I'm in Eden, then maybe bring the fruit back to you?"

"What if they catch you? Lucifer I couldn't bear it if my ideas got you hurt." Lilith admits tears fall at the thought of him being hurt, Lucifer wipes away her tears.

"They won't hurt me. If you start to worry, you can always call me to your side." Lucifer debates if this is a good idea, his heart is pounding and parts of him say it's not, that he shouldn't do this, yet when he looks at Lilith those part quiet and he feels as though he could do anything. "I just don't want you near there, I don't know what they would do to you."

"I'm not worth the trouble with them-"

"Yes you are. To me you are, you're like the wind beneath my wings," Lucifer pauses, trying to find the right words and when he looks at her again the pour from him. "When I look at you, I get this wonderful feeling that I never want to lose, you're voice may make the birds fall quiet, but it make me want to soar, I can't help but smile when I'm with you. Lilith, to me, you are worth anything they could do."

A soft silence falls between the two as they look into each other's eyes, in this moment, Lucifer knows for a fact, as long as he has Lilith he'll be okay. As for Lilith, she looks into those wonderful blue eyes, and could feel something stir in her chest, a wonderful feeling she never had around Adam, the freedom with Lucifer is her paradise not Eden, so, softly, she agrees with the plan, but doesn't let go of the hand she's still holding, instead she pulls him closer, Lucifer watches her curious about what was going to happen, following her bodies lead and what feels right in this moment, Lilith kisses him, it's soft and unsure even so Lucifer returns the action in kind as his face heats up again.

The kiss doesn't last long before they pull apart, Lucifer can't help but smile at her even though his face feels hot, even though excitement surges through him the same way pride for his creations do. Lilith returns the smile, taking in how his face was tinted gold, how with only his halo to give them light he somehow looks even more angelic, how his wonderfully blue eyes almost looked to glow.

Chapter Text

Lucifer coiled under one of the bushes of Eden, listening to Adam and Eve, it's mostly Adam ordering her around. How could this possibly be paradise for her? Is this what Adams paradise looks like?

Carefully, he makes his way to the tree, coiling himself carefully within the branches, he glances to where he knows Heaven is then to where his paradise now is. Is it far enough? Will they think Lilith had some hand in this? If they catch him, what would he even say?

"So you've returned?" Lucifer freezes, his heart pounds as Adam stares at him, did he know who he is? How would he get out of this? He couldn't, wouldn't fail. "Lilith isn't here dumb snake."

Without thinking Lucifer hisses, he sometimes hates how much the animal instincts affects him, however, Adam seems to think it was at her name, not the insult or the tone.

"Maybe you aren't too bad, snake. Why'd you come back here?" Lucifer doesn't answer which seems to bother Adam as he sighs frustrated. "I heard you talking to her."

His mind races for something to say, seeing Adam getting more and more irritated the longer he's silent, he worries Adam might ask for their Creator or Michael, so he spits out the first thing that comes to mind. "Where has she gone?"

"Like I know, or care." Adam looks at the snake for a moment, he's about to say something else when Eve walks over, looking between the first man and the snake in the tree staring at each other.

"Adam, what's going on?" Eve asks taking one of his hands and intertwining their fingers, Lucifer looks at the human, she looked nothing like Lilith, instead of blonde hair long enough to reach the ground, she had mid length dark hair, her features where softer than Lilith's as well, she also acts completely differently towards Adam. Is it because she was created from on of his ribs? Or was she made to act this way? Would Adam have asked for her to be completely different than Lilith?

"I'm telling this snake Lilith isn't here anymore, thought they where friends but it doesn't seem to like her either." Adam explains and Lucifer has to resist the urge to bite him with the way he says her name, like she was nothing but an old plaything to him, the same way Michael talked about things that bored him. Filled with that curiosity that all new beings seem to have, Eve reaches for him and Lucifer moves out of reach which seems to upset both of them. "Get down here, I know you let Bitch even hold you."

If snakes could glare, Lucifer would be, he was glad he moved further away, otherwise Adam would've been within striking distance and he would've bit him. Begrudgingly, not wanting Adam to draw Heavens attention, or for Adam to hurl more insults at Lilith. Lucifer moves back with the tree slowly, this makes Adam laugh in victory as Eve reaches for him again, he has to fight the instinct to his, recoil and bite all at the same time reminding himself that he couldn't fail, couldn't mess this up.

"Why do you like this tree so much?" Eve asks and Lucifer looks at her, how should he answer that? Does she know it's the tree of wisdom? Had Adam not told her? He glances at Adam who seems bored with the two of them.

"I like the fruit this tree bares." Lucifer answers, while not completely true, he could smell the fruit and while it looked like regular apples the smell was even sweeter, more like the fruit their Creator gave him upon his creation.

Eve reaches for one of the fruit, Adam is reaching for her wrist to stop her but he doesn't move fast, Lucifer speaks with a hiss "Don't!"

Once Eve steps back, Lucifer turns his attention to Adam, he hadn't told her, warned her, if Lucifer hadn't been her, she would've been unknowingly breaking their Creators main rule, how could he even let that be a possibility? Why wouldn't Adam simply share his knowledge with her? "You didn't tell her did you?!"

"I told her not to take from it!" Adam snaps back, Lucifer really wants to bite him, instead he hisses again louder.

"Did you tell her why?!" Lucifer turns back to Eve who was watching him eyes wide, he's scaring her that feeling that reminds him of all his mistakes returns, he forces his voice to lose the hissing, forces his emotions down, why wouldn't Adam just tell her? "If you take from this tree, you'll have to leave Eden, never return. You'd be banished from paradise."

"Just for taking fruit from a tree?" Eve's voice wavered as she spoke, how badly has he scared her? Why had he said he liked it? Why not anything else? Why did he keep making mistakes?

"From the tree of wisdom" Adam corrects, Lucifer makes his way down the tree, the commotion is sure to draw Heavens attention, and by the time he's coiled under a bush he's proven right.

"What's going on?" Their Creators voice, Lucifer realizes he messed up too badly, Adam is surely to tell Her about the talking snake, She's going to know, he's going to be punished. What will happen to Lilith? Lucifer watches his heart racing.

"Sorry my Lord, I didn't make it clear to Eve to not take from the tree." Adam answers as Eve stares at the ground, Lucifer looks at the tree, was it really the tree of wisdom or something else? It didn't make sense for their Creator to put it here, humans already seem very knowledgeable, more than him at least and he's at least had something similar.

"Be more careful, both of you" Then the feeling of their Creators gaze fades and Lucifer makes his way back to Lilith letting his mind wander for some reason he kept thinking about how their Creator said he was special, how it's why he's so good at creating and how Michael just wanted him to fall in line, to follow orders like he did.

Lilith is sitting before the pond, watching the ducks but she on her feet and running to him the moment she notices him, she pulls him into a hug. Lost in thought, he didn't return it, she steps back worried, she looks him over but there doesn't seem to be physical harm "Lucifer? What happened? Are you okay?"

"What? My apologies, I was lost in thought. I'm okay, I promise Lilith." Lucifer reassures her and the worry settles but doesn't leave her, especially when he tells her what happened.

"That's not your fault, Lucifer." Lilith makes him look in her eyes, those blue eyes almost seemed darker with all his thoughts, Lucifer tries to pin down his thoughts so he could tell her what he's thinking, but his head just keeps racing, comparing how he acts to Michael, guessing at what Michael meant by troubled, until it hits him.

"That's not the tree of Wisdom." Lucifer says softly, he doesn't completely believe his words.

"What do you mean?" Lilith looks at him confused, that's what they had been told, both Lucifer and her.

"When I was first created, our Creator gave me this fruit, said it would help me create, it smells the same as those in the tree. I just thought it was knowledge so I would have an easier time making new things, yet you have never taken from tree. Even so you know more than I do. Michael has always said I'm troubled, that I need to just follow orders and stop with all the questions. It's not the tree of knowledge, it's free will. That's why I ask questions, why I can create so easily without being told what to make." Lucifer explains all in one breath, Lilith looks at him trying to take in so the information.

"Then why do I ask questions? Why am I able to decide things?" Lilith asks the confusion clear in her voice, he thinks about this, why could she decide to leave Eden? Why can she ask questions? He checks his memory, has Michael ever asked questions? A few times but only after Lucifer had been bugging him for awhile.

"Maybe being around someone with free will helped set yours free?" It was all he could come up with that made sense, him asking so many questions must've lead her to ask questions as well, it really is his fault she can't go back to paradise, he reminds himself that Lilith says her paradise is here with him and shoves that feeling down.

"Don't all creatures deserve free will?" Lilith looks at him as she speaks but then turns her attention to the direction of Eden. "Don't they deserve the choice of what to do?"

"They do. However, I have no clue how to give it to them. I think I'd bite Adam before he could get an idea." Lucifer remarks, remembering how Adam spoke about Lilith, then he thinks about he scared Eve and adds "I also scared Eve pretty bad, I don't think she'd trust me."

Lilith tries to think of a plan, but comes to with nothing in the moment, Lucifer sighs and sits by the pond even though the ducks had flown to somewhere else, Lilith joins him and they stay there, trying to think of a new plan.

The sun is beginning to sink, when Lilith speaks again. "You could just listen for awhile, I know I needed that so maybe Eve does too, then when she trusts you convince her to eat the fruit."

Lucifer picks at the grass, he didn't love the idea, to trick Eve out of paradise in Eden, he looks at Lilith, she enjoyed it here more than she enjoyed Eden, would Eve feel the same? Would Adam? "Maybe, however, I want to tell them it's not the tree of wisdom, I don't want them to believe one thing and the other to be true."

That's just what he did, Lucifer would visit Eden, listen to Eve and tolerate Adam, when they both send to trust him enough to believe him, he reveals it's not the tree of wisdom but free will and explains what free will is, he returns to Lilith.

"I told them about the tree." Lucifer blurts out upon seeing her by the pond, she smiles at him as he sits next to her.

"That's amazing, Lucifer" Lilith says something, he doesn't hear what as his attention is pulled to the sky.

"Samael!" Their Creator called, Mother was upset enough that the feeling threatened to drown him, especially when that horrible heart racing feeling floods his system, Lilith notices him staring at the sky and trembling again.

"Lucifer? Are they summoning you?" Lucifer could only nod in response, it felt like his words where a physical things stuck in his throat forbidding him from getting air, Lilith tries to comfort him. "It's okay, I'll be right here for when you return, I promise."

Lucifer nods again, trembling a little less now as he heads to Heaven, it was still hard to breathe but even that eased as he repeats Lilith's promise to himself.

"For your pride, believing to know better, you are no longer allowed in Heaven." Their Creator spoke calmly even so the anger was clear, Lucifer couldn't stop trembling, he couldn't move, he wasn't allowed to see Lilith?

"My Creator, what do you wish we do with Lilith? I'm sure she had a hand in this" Michael asks as he kneels and bows his head before their Creator.

"No. Lilith had nothing to do with this! I was the snake, I'm the one that brought her from Eden, I'm the one that tricked Adam and Eve, Don't touch her." Lucifer doesn't even realize he's yelling as he flies to be face to face with their Creator.

"Silence. You will stay in Sheol from here on. Do as you wish with Lilith Michael ." Their Creator states, with the permission given, Michael takes off, weapon in hand the one Lucifer helped create, without a second thought Lucifer flies after him.

"Samael!" Another wave of that terribly stomach twisting, heart racing feeling floods him as Lucifer hears Lilith scream for him and Michael saying something

Lucifer is landing before he can think get planted between them, wings spread out in an attempt to shield Lilith his back to Michael, she's trembling her eyes wide and locked on Michael behind him, he glares over his shoulder at Michael. "Leave Michael! She had no part in any of this!"

"Enough of the lies! I know the truth, Lucifer." Hearing that name from Michael made everything feel far away, he had been watching? How long had he been watching? Had he just been waiting? What has he done?

Michael kicks Lucifer hard enough to launch him into a tree, knocking the wind from his lungs, even as his head swims Lucifer scrambles to his hands and knees, only to see Michael drive the blade into Lilith's side, tears pour from him as he yells something he isn't sure what but it pulls Michael's attention back to Lucifer.

"You're as pathetic as always." Michael snarls grabbing Lucifers Halo, pulling him to his feet by it, Lucifer kicks at Michael getting a few solid hits just for Michael to place his other hand firmly on Lucifers head and a moment too late, he realizes what's going to happen.

Michael starts ripping the halo from him, a burning pain flood Lucifers system, his screams are gutteral and tear up his throat, he claws at Michael's wrist until he's released, he crashes to the ground, his halo lands on the floor in front him and past that, even further out of his reach, Lilith held her side trying to stop the blood that spills between her fingers.

Lucifer pulls himself to his feet, even as everything spins and his legs try to give out again he forces his body past the pain and takes a step towards Lilith only to be stopped once again by Michael grabbing him, Lucifer punches him square in the jaw hard enough to make the Archangel stumble and release him, once at Lilith's side he tries to help stem the bleeding, Lilith looks at him with half lidded eyes, her free hand resting on his cheek.

"Please, don't leave me, I can't lose you.." Lucifer feels more tears fall as his voice breaks, Lilith is about to say something but Michael grabs Lucifer by one of his wings and throws him into the house, something cracks upon impact, his head swims and his vision threatens to go dark, then he sees Michael preparing to deliver the killing blow and he launches himself at Micheal, slamming his shoulder directly into the archangels chest and knocking him down, he spits fire and speaks with a hiss as he punches Michael repeatedly "DON'T YOU DARE!"

Michael punches Lucifer hard in the same side he had kicked earlier before yanking Lucifer off by the wings, Lucifer tries to stand again but Michael presses a knee to his back keeping him pinned as he grabs his sword, holding Lucifers head in place so he has to watch what he's about to do "You are banished from Heaven, and from earth, you are to stay in Sheol."

With that, Michael plunges the blade into Lucifer at the base of his wings, Lucifer coughs up golden blood as his vision starts to fade again, faintly he's aware of Michael grabbing his wings and breaking them, the pain tears a scream from him, more blood falls from his mouth.

Michael takes to the air, holding Lucifer by his broken wings, flying above Heaven to find it before throwing Lucifer into Sheol, plummeting he can feel a burning in his hands, feet and wings as he gains speed the burning and the pain worsens eventually pulling Lucifer painfully back to his body just to crash into the ground of Sheol, he lays there golden blood spilling from his injuries. Would Lilith survive? Would she hate him for failing? Would Michael go back to finish the job?

Lucifers vision goes dark again and he's plunged deeper into his thoughts. Was this what it feels like to die? Is this how Lilith felt? Was it worse for her? If she dies where would she end up? In Sheol with him? Would she hate it here in this pit? Then even his thoughts fade.

When he returns to his body, Lucifer takes a few shallow breaths, they burn his throat and threaten a coughing fit, every movement sends waves of pain through him, slowly he opens his eyes which was a mistake as it sends a crushing pain to his head and he squeezes his eyes shut again as his head swims "Lucifer?"

That voice, Lucifer sits up looking around, the movements too much his head swims and he starts coughing, more gold spills down his lips, his body shakes and he ignores it. Lucifer heard Lilith, she's down here somewhere and he needs to find her.

Forcing himself to his feet takes several tries, his legs keep giving up and sending him crashing back to the ground which the force knocks the air out him and causes him to cough more, he lays on the ground, trying to catch his breath again. "Lucifer where are you?"

Lucifer moves a little slower this time but stands now, she's looking for him too, he has to find her, he will find her. Carefully, he takes a step, his body flares to life with pain, the burning sensation of his plummet returns anew, he digs his nails into himself, he won't pass out again, his voice is hoarse from all the coughing as me makes a quiet promise. "I will find you Lilith."

The fallen angel takes a few more tentative steps towards the edge of the crater his body created, looking up makes his thrust ache more, this was going to hurt, but it doesn't matter, Lilith is down here somewhere and he will find her, he attempts to spread his wings but the pain almost sends him back to the ground. Carefully, Lucifer starts climbing even as the skin in his hands tear and leaving golden fingerprints.

Once out of the crater he falls flat to the ground, his head swims and he vomits all the blood he'd been swallowing, his body begs for rest and he debates staying down for a little longer until, this time a little close he hears her again. "I need you Lucifer.."

Tears fall from his eyes and mix with all the gold on his face, he moves to his hands and knees and waits for everything to stop spinning and when it does he works on standing, looking around to see if he could see her, but he couldn't, slowly he takes a deep breath ignoring how his thrust burns and yells "Lilith, I'm right here, I promise I'll find you"

Lucifer starts coughing up more blood only made worse by his frantic attempts to get air into his lungs causing him to inhale and choke on his blood, his vision began to get fuzzy again, no he couldn't pass out again, he couldn't miss this chance to find her, she's so close he can't fail again.

Still catching his breath, he starts walking again when in his fuzzy vision, he can make out someone in the distance, relief wraps around him and ignoring his bodies protest he yells again "Lilith! Over here"

The fallen angel starts coughing again, his eyes water as he tries to pull air into his lungs but only gets blood, as his vision starts to give and his mind swims, he sees the figure running towards him, he crashes to the ground before he can make out any real details, he wasn't coughing anymore each wheeze for air made his throat burn and made his back hurt more.

Lilith kneels beside him, looking over him seeing the gaping wound in his back, bones protruding twice on each of his upper wings, although by the way the other four rested they where broken as well, the feathers burnt and even missing at some spots, his feet and hands where burnt as well, the tender skin was torn from being pressed against such rough terrain, the wheeze that sounded from each ragged inhale, then he notices his eyes are still just barely open. "Please, stay with me, Lucifer. You promised."

Lucifer fights it for as long as he can, yet he passes out again, returning to the darkness past his thoughts, he's not sure how long he drifts there but eventually he hears Lilith singing at follows it trying to figure out the words, slowly he opens his eyes and looks at Lilith, who has her face buried in his shoulder, his voice is barely audible now from how torn his throat is. "What're you singing?

The first woman, startles and looks at him eyes wide yet there's a smile on her face, even though tears start to fall. "I was singing about you, about my paradise."

The fallen angel manges a smile but it fades as he remembers she was hurt to, he tries to sit up but Lilith has to help, he looks at her side but it looks fine, the confusion must be visible on his face because without asking Lilith explains. "Don't panic, I'm okay now"

Lucifer finally is able to really take her now that his vision isn't as fuzzy, her skin was lighter like his was before he started spending time on earth, her nails where sharper and more like claws, her eyes where a deep lilac, and finally his eyes land on large red ram like horns, he tries to say something but starts coughing again.

Once his breathing is under control again, he looks over his body the best he can, looking first at his hands, turning them over, something inside of him aches, would he be able to create anything again? Carefully, he looks at his wings and the glimpse he manages makes that ache harsher, the shoes where no feathers rested anymore where burnt, the feathers still clinging to the where signed and covered in a mixture of his blood and ash, he attempts to move them and the pain that crashes into them makes him cry out, would he ever fly again?

"Lucifer..?" Lilith's voice was quiet, like she was talking to a bird and trying not to scare it away, slowly he looks at her and that's when she notices, his wonderful blue eyes where gone, in their place where these yellow scleras and red irises that looked like pools of her own blood, she has to keep herself from moving away, to put distance between herself and that reminder still a gasp escapes her. "You're eyes... They're red.."

Lucifer looks at his hands again, if he has no halo, no resemblance to the angel he was, what is he? A mistake, a screw up, a failure and nothing more.

Lilith eventually coaxes him to attempt to create something small, something to help him heal but his hands burn too much when the energy focuses there causing him to wince, she carefully cradles his hands and tries to think of how to help as she feels him silently crying into her, softly she starts singing again, slowly his tears stop.

Chapter Text

Lucifers hands and feet are the first to heal, although from time to time they still burn like he's falling all over, all the time though it hurts to use his hands for him to create things, he ignores it and creates them a place to call home. The wound on his back takes longer to heal, when it does there's a gnarly scar left behind.

Finally, his wings. Lilith had to force the bones back into his wings and as the bones healed all his damaged feathers fell out. The feathers that grew back red, he tries to fly once but the pain makes him sob and almost fall. When Lilith sees the red feathers the first time she's bright back to that night and starts sobbing, Lucifer holds her and does his best to reassure her. The next day, Lilith finds Lucifer trying to rip the red feathers out on all his wings, tears are streaming down his face as his quiet voice breaks between sobs "I'm no more than a reminder.. I took everything from you.."

Lilith holds his hands tight to keep him from ripping out anymore more feathers, she speaks softly. "You are so much more than that Lucifer, you where my first friend and now you are my everything."

When Lucifer starts sobbing harder, she pulls him into a hug and he holds onto her like she was going to disappear if he let go for even a second, they stay like that for awhile.

As time passes, life comes to Sheol, creatures of the darkness, the little creatures aren't any of his yet they start calling him their King and calling Lilith their queen.

One day, one of the creatures bring a letter to them, asking for Lucifer to attend a meeting for him to meet everyone yet didn't specify who everyone is. "Should I go? What if it's a trap? Why don't they want you to be there?"

"Breathe, Lucifer. I believe you should go, it may have something to do with the little critters that have being showing, while you're there you can ask them why I'm not there if you'd like, I don't believe it's a trap, why would Heaven do anything after all this time?" Lucifer tries to think of a reason they would and comes up with nothing, he looks at Lilith she seemed confident in this, so he goes to the meeting.

Lucifer is the first to arrive as he waits he does his best to stretch and message his wings, the next to arrive is a large creature with a mane made of blue fire, two feather like antenna rested just out of reach of the fire, a deep ocean blue today between them, small creature heads also made of flame above either shoulder, wearing a deep ocean blue vest with fine white detailing that seemed to glow blue against the dark color when the light given off by the creatures fire mane catches it just right, a dark burgundy undershirt with white heart cufflinks, a black belt with a dark burgundy heart buckle, deep ocean blue trousers that almost seamless blended with the dark midnight blue digitigrade boots, Lucifer catches a glimpse of what looks like three feather like tails similar to the antenna, he feels a flicker of his old curiosity as he speaks "Hello, I'm Lucifer, what's your name?"

"Asmodeus, nice to meet you, Lucifer" the being smiles back and so do the skulls, a small part of Lucifer wants to ask about them but then Michael's disdain of all his questions cause to stay quiet. Asmodeus looks the fallen angel, he was wearing black boots and gloves, a white suit with gold detailing and a top hat with a golden snake encircling it"Nice suit."

"Thank you, I like yours as well, and the skulls are very interesting." Lucifer returns the compliment with a smile, maybe being stuck in the Sheol wouldn't be all that bad. The next to arrive was an almost human creature, wearing a black and arsenic green patch work motley with radioactive green stitch work and evergreen ruffles that have a fine line of the arsenic green neat the edges at the wrists and ankles, black poulaines with a similar fine line of the arsenic green, on the creatures lower right hand and upper left where arsenic green gloves with black detailing while on the other two hands where black gloves with arsenic green detailing, a black and arsenic green patchwork jester hood framing a smile filled with glowing green teeth, the creatures eyes looked like pools of radioactive green. "I'm Lucifer, what's-"

"Mammon." He looks over Lucifer and Asmodeus and decided this isn't worth his time turning around and leaving almost running into the creature behind him, a mostly red winged reptilian creature, this creatures hands where a dark mahogany red and ended in claws, some scales had a sunlight orange outline making a lightning pattern up the creatures arms, four glowing yellow eyes, two sets of horns, the outer set where dark mahogany red and looked almost deer like, the inner set where stripped black and white and shaped more like a goats, they wore a dark grey shirt with a black boulder canvas jacket with oxblood red detailing, black jeans with a dark oxblood casual belt, the metal for the buckle looks nearly black but upon a closer looks may be red and black combat boots the metal detailing the same color as the belt buckle.

"Watch it." The creature snaps at Mammon and moves past him entering the room and looking over Asmodeus and Lucifer and taking a place in away from both of them, he notices Lucifers attempts not to stare. "You're staring."

"My apologies. You're scales just have such a fascinating design." Lucifer admits a little sheepishly, he really wishes Lilith was here with him, maybe then his heart wouldn't be racing like this, maybe then his throat wouldn't burn from speaking so much for the first time since his fall, Lucifer stares at the ground, why did he come here? He's going to mess something up, he always does, then they're going to hate him just like his Creator, his brothers, his creations, and hate him the way he fears Lilith does in the moments he's alone, more creatures show up and more talking happens but Lucifer doesn't really pay attention until he realizes Asmodeus is trying to get his attention. "What was that?"

"I asked why you're down here, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Lucifer thinks for a moment, how does he answer that without sounding pathetic? Without rambling and boring them all? Does he mention Lilith and that she's here with him?

"Just one?" Lucifer responds wryly, what was it their Creator said? Something about his pride? Or that he thought he knew better? Is that what happened? The thoughts where fuzzy and made his head hurt to think about, he realizes he still hasn't actually answered although the others gave slight laughs at his remark. "My pride, why do you ask?"

"You weren't listening where you?" The creature that looks like a mix between a fox and a bee sighs, Lucifer feels this weight on him, if Lilith was here she wouldn't have stopped listening or been able to tell him later, or he could just listen for once, a few of them look annoyed with him and suddenly it feels like Michael is staring at him again and his heart starts to race.

"I'll tell you later, don't worry." Asmodeus reassures him and it helps a little as he tried to get his heart to calm down and listen, he attempts to get his heart to calm down without taking deep breaths as his throat burns.

Lucifer doesn't retain any of the information he's given at the actual meeting, even when Asmodeus repeats it thankfully he asks Asmodeus for a physical picture of each and why they're down here to show Lilith.

Lucifer meets with the other sins a few more days, until a human falls into the Shoel, Lucifer goes to see who it is, he had learned a few things from the others about what was going on with the humans even so seeing this being gave him pause, before him wasn't a human nor hellborn instead the being looked skeletal, hands stained red. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

Humans fall to Sheol and when Lucifer goes to them he's greeted with insults and blame, he feels something break more with each insult, they hate him after all. Lilith finds him under all their blankets curled up as a snake after a day where a human had said something he wouldn't share with her, she reaches out to the other sins for ideas to cheer him up.

Lilith and Lucifer get married with all the other sins present and for the first time in awhile, Lucifer doesn't feel like he's drowning in his own thoughts and for the first time he truly soars again, a giant smile on his face when he scoops up Lilith and flies around all the others. "I will gladly follow you anywhere, fall all over again if it means I can see you smile."

"I promise not to leave your side, anywhere with you is my paradise." Lilith rests a hand on his cheek which he leans into her touch, when he lands and sets her down she doesn't move away, instead Lilith kisses him one hand still on his cheek the other on his shoulder, his hands find their way to her waist pulling her closer as he kisses back, an almost touchable heat rises within them the longer the kiss lasts, her hand drifts slowly from his cheek to his hair.

One of the sins clears their throat, Lucifer startles he has completely forgotten anyone else existed, Lilith chuckles seeing his face tint golden, he tries to get words out but he's just a stuttering mess, with a fond smile Lilith rests a a hand on his shoulder effectively calming his slight panic, she turns to the other sins. "We appreciate you all coming, I would like some time with my husband"

As the sins leave, Asmodeus gives Lucifer a knowing and almost smug look that makes the fallen angels face some how more golden and earning laughter from Lilith, safe to say the sin was right about the activity that follows.

As time goes on, a city begins to form in the pride ring, Lucifer stops interacting with the sinners instead Lilith does and they seem to love her and even calm the fighting when she sings, even so, Lucifer worries everytime she performs for them. What if something goes wrong? Would the sinners hurt her? Would he be able to protect her this time? Or just fail again and again? Lilith returning from a performance pulls him from his thoughts. "How'd it go?"

"It went well, Luci" Lilith places a soft peck on the cheek, sitting next to him as she takes one of his gloved hands her smile fades little as she remembers how his marred hands are under them, how he hides them even from himself. "You should come to my next performance."

Question spark to life in his head, what if they see him? What if he messes something up? What if the sinners hurt her because of him? He wouldn't put it past them, at every meeting with the other sins he hears all the things they do to each other. What if he doesn't go and something happens? Would he even be able to protect her? He couldn't protect her from Michael. Suddenly he feels her hand on his face, he startles a little, pulled from his thoughts Lucifer looks at her. "You don't have to be on stage or anything, I'd just like you there"

"Okay, I'll go" Lucifer still wasn't completely sure about this, so many things could go wrong but looking into her eyes, he felt almost like he could do anything, at very least anything for her.

At her next performance, he sits out of site of the crowd but where he could see the stage, he's watching some of the imps Satan had suggested hiring when he caught wind of some of the sinners killing each other to get closer to Lilith, right now a incubus was doing Lilith's makeup, he remembers fondly how excited Asmodeus had been when Lilith had asked if she could just talk to some of the succubi about their makeup, he's pulled from his thoughts seeing how wonderful she looks standing on that stage.

As Lilith sings, she tells her story, starting with her creation in Eden, then her banishment from said garden, Lucifer can't help but smile, a faint sense of pride in his chest as she describes finding her paradise outside the garden but it's short lived, the moment she brings up Michael, it's like he's back in the sky, hearing her scream for him, it gets hard to breathe when she goes on to sing about the fall, he's trembling and looks at his hands but instead of seeing her gloves he can still see the singed and torn flesh dripping gold, he doesn't even notice that the crowd is getting rowdy and violent when a sinner is launched into a wall next to him, his mind replays the sound of the bones in his wings cracking from Michael throwing him.

A sound cracks through the air and pulls his abs everyone else's attention, a sinner falls from the stage an imp had shot the sinner Lucifer is by her side in an instant when he sees the fear in her eyes, he looks get over checking for any injuries, he sees blood on her and his heart races, was it her blood? "Are you okay?"

"I'd like to go home, Lucifer" she spoke softly, but even then he hears it through the insults bring hurled at him, golden flames wrap around the duo and they're back to the palace, back in their room in an instant.

"You're safe now." Lucifer reassures her and leads her to sit on the bed, he cleans the blood off her, relief washes over him when he finds no wounds on her, ignoring the tricks his eyes keep playing on him, ignoring how in passing glances at the area he could swear he side is bleeding but then he blinks or looks again and I'm the injury is healed as it has been. "Does that always happen?"

"No, it's also the first time I've tried to share our story." Lilith gestures for him to sit next to her and he does holding one of her hands in both of his, her free hand plays with his hair, he tries to think of what to say next but his mind keeps returning to that scene, to the feeling of her blood on his hands. "Why do you keep your gloves on?"

Lucifer looks at his hands, originally he started wearing them to help keep the healing flesh from hurting as much, he can't get the words out they just catch in his throat and threaten to choke him, so carefully he pulls his ring and gloves off, showing Lilith his scarred hands that where stained blood red.

The fallen angel stares at his hands, the ones that make continuous mistakes, faintly he's aware of Lilith shifting her hand moving from his hair to hold both of his hands, then carefully she presses a kiss on on the main burn scars on both of them then a kiss on his fingers and finally a kiss on his cheek, she speaks softly "You did all you could, Lucifer. It's okay, I'm okay."

"Even still, I failed you.." Lucifer answers as he pulls his hands from hers, not looking her in eye as a hand hovers over her side where a twisted scar stayed. "I wasn't enough.."

Lilith rests a hand on his cheek and attempts to get him to meet her eyes but his are locked on her side, her hand drifts from his face down his arm and presses his hand to her side, through the dress he can feel the scar, now he meets her eyes fear filled his yet hers stayed calm as she keeps his hand on the scar, her free hand on his chest feeling his heart beat as she admits "I thought he killed you."

"The way you screamed when he.." Lilith's voice trails off as the tears start, Lucifer sees her eyes flicker to where his halo used to be, he moves his free hand to the one that rests on his chest, a few tears fall as her voice wavers and threatened to break "I can still hear your screams..."

Lucifer doesn't know how to respond or how to comfort her, he gives her hand a gentle squeeze, lacing his fingers with hers, his chest feels heavy as his own tears start to fall and he pulls Lilith to him, her head comes to rests on his chest, wrapping one arm around her and entangling his fingers with hers hands resting over her scar, his wings wrap around her, with his free hand, Lucifer brushes the hair out of her face, and ever so softly "I'm okay, as long as I have you."

Lilith holds onto him, pressing her face into his chest even as he tears soak his chest, seeing her like this, in his arms makes his chest ache, makes part of him want to cry with her, promise not to go anywhere, to stay and protect her like he should've the first time.

Instead of that burning feeling consuming him, or the way the burning anger tore into him when he saw Michael attack Lilith. This feeling is cold and pools in all the darker part of him, a silent promise, to Lilith, that anyone that harms her will be torn apart, slowly, that their screams will be torn from them until their throats bleed, that they too will feel her pain by his hand. "Do you blame me?"

The fallen angel runs a hand through her hair made it seem like an ordinary question, but the worry mixed with the self loathing making a horrid venom that dripped from his words, Lilith shifts in his arms to look at him, tears from streams down his face, his eyes locked on something only he could see. "No. I don't blame you for anything that happened Lucifer."

Lilith reaches for his face to wipe away his tears, Lucifer looks at her and he looks exhausted, a poor imitation of the angel she once knew, his voice has less of the venom as before but it's carefully laced with it. "I do."

"I blame myself for not being careful, for infecting you with whatever's wrong with me, for you getting hurt, for all the humans down here. I was never an angel just some rotten creature-"

"Lucifer. Stop it!" Lilith makes him look her in the eye as she continues "You're not to blame! You didn't put that tree in the garden. You didn't plunge that blade into me. You are not driving the humans to sin. You aren't a rotten creature, even fallen, you're my angel, my paradise."

Lucifer tries to keep himself at least somewhat together but that resolve quickly disappears when Lilith pulls him into a hug, he sobs into her and at some point they lay down, Lucifer still in her arms as she plays with his hair as he listens to her heart beat.

Slowly, things get better, Lilith continues to perform to a continuously growing crowd, Lucifer watches a few performances but soon all the sinners become overwhelming and Lucifer stops leaving the palace other than visiting the other sins.

One day, Mammon brings up the idea of Sinsmas and every year following Lucifer makes gifts for each sin and Lilith, it helps keep him busy and out of his head.

Chapter Text

Lucifer smiles as his daughter laughs at the sky faces he made, she claps and reaches for him, when he leans closer, she presses small hands against his face and babbles, he listens as if he could understand, had she seen Lucifer and Lilith do this? "Is that so my duckling?"

Charlie babbles more, with a flourish he scoops her up earning screaming laughter, she holds onto him tightly as he spins around, Lilith returns from her performance, Lucifer gladly greets her, Charlie reaches for Lilith and she gladly takes her. "How where you two today?"

Lilith asks as Charlie plays with her hair, a fond smile plays on Lucifers face as he looks at the two, his heart feels almost like it would burst from the love he feels for two in front of him. "I got a very stern talking to."

"Oh you did?" Lilith smiles turning her attention to her daughter, Lucifer couldn't stop smiling seeing how happy they both look, he presses a kiss on both their cheeks, earning a kiss back from Lilith and some giggles from Charlie, she holds onto his gloved hands.

Later, when Charlie is fast asleep, Lilith finds him checking on her again, standing in the door she watches him carefully press a kiss to her forehead and say something quietly as not to wake Charlie, the fallen angel startles when he turns around to see Lilith watching him, he crosses the room with a smile, when he's close enough she quietly asks "what did you say?"

"That, I'll protect her, that I'll protect both of you" Lucifer answers, holding her hands. Lilith smiles at him, he seems a little more like an angel she used to know, but those red eyes where a reminder that he wasn't, he pretends not to notice and ignores the ache in his chest, maybe one day he'd be enough like how he used to be that she wouldn't look at him that way anymore.

Laying in bed, Lucifer stares at the ceiling wide awake, his mind playing how Lilith used to look at him, how she used to look into his eyes and smile, the questions start to feel like physical weight. Did she miss his blue eyes? Hate his red ones? What of Charlie's?

Lucifer wakes with a start when Charlie starts crying, his heart races when had he fallen asleep? Was she okay? He picks her up checking for any sign of harm. “It's okay, I'm here”

Lilith is a flurry of emotion when she enters the room, panic clear on her face even in the dark, looking both of them over, seeing that they're both okay.

“You scared me Lucifer! I woke up and you were gone!” Lilith's voice wavers as she continues “I thought you-..”

“I'm sorry, I had come to check on her” Lucifer tries to reassure her, Charlie holds onto him tightly, hiccuping from crying so hard. What had she thought he did? Left them?

The tension that had been unknowingly growing for who knows how long snaps, looking at Lucifer, Lilith didn't see any trace of her angel anymore. “Give me My daughter.”

With that Lilith takes Charlie from him then leaves him in the dark. It feels like her words sink hooks into his being and start to rip him apart, her daughter? What had he done wrong? Why had she looked at him like that? Why can't he do anything right?

Lucifer sinks to the floor, curling up within his wings, why couldn't he do anything right? Would Charlie look at him like that too someday? Why didn't Michael just kill him? Was this his punishment to always lose what he cares about?

Absently, Lucifer walks to his workshop, looking at all the projects he had made for Charlie and Lilith for Sinsmas, it made his heart ache and he falls apart sobbing and holding himself. What pathetic excuse for a dad was he? What pathetic excuse was he for a husband?

Things continue to get worse, to the point that when Lilith is performing Lucifer gets to spend time with Charlie but the moment the performance is over Lilith takes her back, he has to see Charlie's first steps from afar and misses her first word.

Late one night, as he's in his little office he started sleeping in, the door opens letting light pour in, Lucifer turns to see Charlie, tears running down her face, dragging a blanket behind her, his heart aches as he scoops her up “what happened, starlight?”

“Bad dream..” Charlie speaks between hiccups and sniffles, Lucifer wipes her tears away before hugging her.

“It's okay, I'm here” Lucifer walks back to Charlie's room, rubbing her back as Charlie buries her face into him. “What was the dream about?”

“I couldn't find you.. and when I woke up, everything was so dark and scary..” Charlie answers as Lucifer sets her back on the bed and tucking her in.

“I'm not going anywhere” Lucifer reassures her before pressing a kiss to her forehead and sitting on the floor.

“I'm scared..” Charlie reaches for him and he takes her hand giving it a soft squeeze.

“I have dreams like that too, they are really scary.” Lucifer pauses trying to think of how to comfort her, how to not screw this up too, Charlie needs him. “I'll be right here, all night, so if you have another bad dream just squeeze my hand and I'll scare all the bad dreams away, I promise”

“You're not scary.” Charlie was still fighting not to fall asleep, Lucifer chuckles softly, he really wasn't.

“Mmm, okay I'll just trick them and you know how tricky I can be.” This earns a sleepy smile and Lucifer smiles a little as she falls asleep holding his hand, how Lilith used to.

Lucifer leans against the bed frame, and as promised he stays right there, dozing off a few times just to wake each time Charlie stirs.

In the morning, Charlie wakes him up with a bright smile, which although he's exhausted he returns as he stretches.

“Good morning, starlight!” Lucifer picks her up as he stands, spinning her around and earning a giggle. “How'd you sleep?”

“Good! How'd you sleep?” Charlie starts to squirm and Lucifer sets her down.

“I slept well, it's time to wake up mom. I'll race you there.” Lucifer suggests and Charlie has already taken off laughing, he jogs after her smiling.

Charlie wastes no time climbing into the bed and waking up Lilith, Lucifer stays by the door, they're talking but Lucifer isn't really listening, instead he's trying to think of a way to light up Charlie's room at night that wouldn't keep her from sleeping.

Lilith walks past him, Charlie in her arms waves to him with a smile. Lucifer forces his smile as he waves back, watching them drift further and further out of his reach, he shakes his head trying to rid himself of the thought before going to his office and trying out a few ideas.

Charlie scares the ever living daylights out of him, when she goes into his office and notices Lucifer deep in thought she scares him and she laughs at his reaction.

“Oh you think that's funny, you little punk” Lucifer chuckles as tries to tickle her, to which she screams and throws a pillow that she was supposed to bring back to the living room awhile ago, at him. “Ah, you got me.”

“Charlie, you gotta save me” Lucifer slides to sitting on the floor, holding where he was hit with the pillow.

“Nope.” Charlie crosses her arms, this confuses Lucifer, this wasn't usually how this game went, had he upset her?

“What, why not?” Lucifer asks while still playing the game, Charlie looks at him, arms still crossed, she was pretending right?

“Cause, you didn't say please, I don't wanna how.” Relief washes over him, that he can make up for.

“Please..” he does a few really dramatic coughs which she tries not to laugh at and keep pretending to pout “Charlie, you gotta help, please, or else I can't tell you who stole my treasure”

Charlie gladly helps him by pretending to replace his shoulder that the pillow hit by squishing the same pillow against him before flinging it across the room when she declares “All better!”

Lucifer in one fluid moment picks Charlie up, stands and spins around spreading his wings out, she laughs and holds onto him.

“All better!” Lucifer repeats, smiling wide as she continues to laugh, then she sees something behind him that catches her attention “what?”

“Whoa, what are those?” Charlie squirms and starts to climb over his shoulder, which confuses him more until she grabs one of his wings, was this really the first time she's seen them?

“They're my wings, so I can fly like a bird.” Lucifer explains setting her down then kneeling on the ground with his back to her so she can see them better.

“They're so cool!!” Charlie squeaks looking at each of them, looking over his shoulder at her, he can see a big smile on her face but then she looks confused. “How come you don't always have them?”

How is he supposed to answer that? What even is the answer? He could think of millions of reasons, because he's no longer an angel being one of them but he can't really tell her that. “Well, they show up when I have really big feelings.”

“Wait! YOU CAN FLY??”

“Yep! Would you like to see what it's like?” Lucifer already knew the answer thanks to the giant smile on her face, Charlie nods practically vibrating with excitement.

Lucifer picks her up and walks to the main area of the palace, moving her to his back “okay, hold on really tight”

With that, he flies around the room staying close to the ground so as to not scare her and Charlie laughs the entire time. Lucifer sets her down when he lands.

"That was awesome!!” Charlie's enthusiasm was infectious, Lucifer smiles now, then he remembers the gift he had made earlier.

"I have a gift for you!" Lucifer goes to his office, Charlie waits there and after a second, he returns and gives Charlie a teddy in a duck onesie, this was only part of the gift but the other part was a surprise, Charlie laughs and hugs the plush.

"Thank you!!" Charlie smiles brighter somehow, squeezing the plush, Lilith returns from her performance, Charlie runs over to her once there Lilith scoops her up in a hug, the kid hugs Lilith back then shows the plush "Look!"

Lucifer slips away, stopping by his office before going to Charlie's room, he hums as he paints for awhile, making sure to get every detail right, the mixtures of colors and how they're layered, eventually he lands and looks up at the ceiling.

Within the vast space which was a deep ocean blue, he painted an emission nebula, using red for the dust clouds, using purple for the shadows with gold as the highlights centralizing diagonally across the ceiling giving the visual that the light the nebula throws off is a faint gold and finally the white stars said all throughout it.

In the dark you can see he use bioluminescent paint, giving her room enough light to hopefully not be scary anymore, pride wraps around him as he leaves the room.

Days turn into months and so on, things get worse between him and Lilith, as for with Charlie, things go alright, kind of. Lucifer does what he can with the little time he gets with her but that's usually only when Lilith is performing.

Until one Sinsmas, Charlie insists on helping him with the gifts for the sins, drawing each idea and telling him to make it, at some point she decides they're all getting blankets.

For Asmodeus, a blanket large enough for the sin, one side was a light tea green, the otherside having a powder blue flannel pattern on an evergreen background. Next is Satan, the solid color side is a burgundy red, the otherside being a sunrise giving the city landscape an orange tint. Charlie changes her mind several times when it comes to Leviathan's blanket before settling on evergreen for the solid side then a city at sunset basking the screen in dark purples and blues. Beelzebub's blanket comes together pretty fast, the pattern side is honeycomb while the solid color is a golden dandelion yellow.

Charlie was working the blanket for Belphagor, she had decided on a soft lilac for the solid color but couldn't decide on what to do for the other side, she had run into the same issue with Mammon, she sighs dramatically sitting at her own desk he made in his office for her, Lucifer smiles a little "What's the matter?"

"I'm out of ideas.." Charlie pouts, Lucifer chuckles he was stuck too, he had been trying to figure out what to make Lilith, he already had a few ideas for Charlie.

"Me too. Do you want help?" Lucifer asks kind of wanting a distraction from the looming feeling that he's going to mess up the gift for Lilith and just make things worse.

"Yeah, right now I'm working on Belphagor''s blanket." Charlie runs a hand through her hair, copying how Lucifer did that when he tries to focus, it makes him smile.

"How about Belphagor's is fluffy on one side?" Lucifer offers and Charlie nods, then turns her focus on Mammon's, she had gotten the pattern side for his pretty quickly, it was a circus at dusk, but she couldn't think of a color that went well with that, she shows the drawing to Lucifer.

"Why not black? We haven't done that for any of the others and it fits him." Lucifer says after a bit, Charlie considers this for a long moment.

"Yeah, I like that. That's all of them!" Charlie smiles at him and he smiles back, them Lilith returns and Charlie runs off to greet her. Lucifer takes this time to work on his gift for Charlie, working on the details of Razzle and Dazzle.

When Sinsmas comes, Lucifer had made Lilith a dress that ombres from a form purple at the shoulders to black at the end, with a slit up on leg, as most her dresses had per her request, and golden razor thin detailing that from afar is barely noticeable but up close you can see it's lilies of the valley seemingly growing from the black section of the dress.

The sins had sent gifts for Charlie, mostly being plushies which she didn't mind at all, although Mammon just gives her money, when she sees Razzle and Dazzle her face lights up and his chest fills with pride. "They're Razzle and Dazzle, they'll always be with you."

The days blend further together, as Lilith spends more time away from the palace and Charlie simply grows up and needs him less, Lucifer sits at his desk when he hears a voice in the back of his head.

It catches him a little off guard, no one had tried to summon him in awhile, curiosity gets the better of him and as he closes his eyes it's like he blinks and is suddenly on earth again, Lucifer takes in his surroundings, he's in a cabin, with a giant pentagram painted in blood on the floor and skulls above the fireplace.

The human has dark hair cut short on the sides and back with a plume of curls on top, a smile dances in his lips, wearing a white button up that now has a few splatters of blood on it but the blood wasn't visible on the red vest he was wearing, the shirt was tucked into black slacks, as Lucifer circles the human to look him over, the shadows shift and suddenly the humans smile widens. "Lucifer, I wish to make a deal with you."

"And what is it you want?" Lucifer asks, usually humans ask for him to kill someone, which even if he wanted to, he can't harm them since he's not truly there, honestly he could probably figure out a way to just never really wanted to.

"I know that when I die, I won't gaze pearly gates, I wish to have the power to continue my fun down there, in turn you can have my soul, I'll be yours to command." Alastor smiles even as he talks about selling his soul, which Lucifer isn't sure where the humans got the idea that he wants their souls, even so, curiosity pulls at Lucifer.

Lucifer thinks this over, what would he even do with a human soul? Don't humans prefer to keep their souls and yet this one is so willingly offering it to him, It might be beneficial to have eyes on the sinners and overlords, someone to protect Charlie from any sinners if needed, the human seemed fairly young so it'll be awhile before he's down here though.

"Your soul for power down here." Lucifer repeats a little amused by the human before him, the shadows seem to grow for a moment before a snake made of golden fire forms within the fire place and slithers up the hearth to be eye level with the human. "Your hand."

The human much to Lucifers surprise doesn't hesitate to raise a hand to the snake, his smile barely falters as said snake strikes, sinking fangs into the mans wrist.

After a few moments, the snake returns to the fire although the form was easy to distinguish, especially as the head of the snake raises up to look the man in the eye once more. "That mark will show you the path to me when you arrive."

Suddenly, the snake disperse, the shadows returning to normal. The man looks at where the fangs marks should be, curious as there wasn't any pain even though faintly there was a barely visible snake encircling his wrist, one fang mark was the eye of the snake and the other an apple that the snakes tail coils around, he runs a hand over the pattern as his smile grows.

Chapter Text

Lucifer honestly had no idea what to do with the sinner, but he was curious what a sinner boosted by him could do. All sinners start at different base strength, the strongest of the bunch have taken to calling themselves Overlords. Would this sinner have been an overlord without his power? Just how strong would he be?

Then an idea, he wasn't able to hurt sinners, found that out when one got too up in arms with Lilith and he couldn't do anything about it. But maybe, he could have someone else carry out his work.

After all, the sinner already had to be rather powerful to contact hell let alone him directly. Then boost that power by The Devil would guarantee a spot as an overlord. Then, he'd also be able to keep tabs on the overlords, making sure they aren't planning anything.

His train of thought is interrupted by a piercing headache, he presses a hand to his forehead, it feels like someone split his skull open. The headache fades as quickly as it came, which wasn't too much of a surprise he was prone to headaches and migraines.

Someone knocks on the door, without needing to look he knew it was Charlie. Lilith rarely talked to him and visited his office even less. “Come in”

“I was thinking, we haven't hung out in awhile, do you want to get breakfast with me? I know of this really nice café you'll like.” Charlie looks at him with a nervous smile, Lucifer really didn't like going out in public but she looked so nervous. Did she think he'd say no? Was he that bad of a father? He pushes down the quickly building spiral.

“Of course, that sounds lovely, duckling.” Lucifer smiles as he watches the nervousness leave, Charlie hugs him, and he hugs her back tightly. Moments like these are like a break in the waves, his head finally above water and he cherished the moments of happiness. “When are we going? Do I need to change?”

Lucifer has to stop himself from asking another question, Are you sure you want me there? Instead he takes a step back to look at her, she was already a little taller than he was and looked a lot like Lilith, it makes his heart ache a little. “Now, if you're not busy and I don't mind what you wear, I just want to spend time with you.”

Charlie attempts to hide the sadness in the last part but Lucifer catches it, guilt coils right around him, he snaps his fingers and with a poof of red smoke he's wearing white trousers and white undershirt but a deep ocean blue vest with faint, fine gold floral detailing, matching the deep ocean blue tie. “I love spending time with you, sweet pea. I'm here for you.”

“Okay, Dad. I like the vest, Ozzie?” Charlie changes the subject, Lucifer nods slightly, was Asmodeus right about him only wearing white and purple?

“Last Sinsmas, he gave me this one and a few others, saying I need more color in my wardrobe.” Lucifer looks at the vest, his heart aches a little, he misses watching the ducks float on the pond with Lilith. He pushes the thought away, and smiles at Charlie. “Where to?”

As they walk, they talk about, mostly it's Charlie talking. Ranging from how Lilith's shows have been going, how she's been doing, how she sees the best in the sinners, how she misses him but that's short-lived. Followed by him, talking about his projects, about how the other sins are doing, about anything other than how he was drowning.

Once at the café, Lucifer smiles, Charlie knows him really well. It's tucked out of the way, nicely decorated in a dark academia style, neutral-dark wood counters with black and gold emperador marble countertops. A hellborn behind the counter gets them with a smile that doesn't quite manage to hide the nervousness in their eyes. “Welcome. You can take a seat and I'll be right over with menus.”

Lucifer has Charlie choose, she chooses the booth tucked into a corner. After they sit down, the hellborn brings them menus before returning to the counter. Lucifer looks at the mochas offered. “Have you been here before?”

“A few times, but usually they're serving breakfast.” Charlie looks over her own menu, the content smile on her face relaxes tension Lucifer hadn't realized he was holding.

“I'm guessing they have good pancakes then.” The fallen angel teases slightly, as a kid Charlie loved pancakes to the point he started making them most days.

“Still haven't found pancakes as good as yours though.” Charlie closes the menu and looks at him as he smiles as pride fills his chest. “This place comes close though”

“I could try teaching you again” Lucifer offers the attempt to spend more time with her, setting down his own menu.

“I'd like that.” Charlie's smile brightens at him, Lucifer smiles back her joy had always been infectious to him.

The hellborn returns to them, takes their order and the menus before walking away but stopping at another table. Sitting there was a rather tall sinner, wearing black trousers, an oxblood red undershirt and a vest only a few shades lighter, next to the sinner nearly folded rested a red suit jacket.

Lucifer and Charlie chatter about random things, usually boring things, like the weather, he mentions how he'll never get used to the screaming rain and she says it still scares her sometimes. But then she asks something he wasn't expecting. “What happened between you and Mom?” Then even quieter she tacks on “is it my fault?”

It feels like someone was trying to crush Lucifer's heart, he reaches across the table and holds her hands, trying to think of words. Honestly? He didn't know himself, but he knew for a fact it wasn't Charlie's fault. Would she believe him? He swallows around the words catching in his throat.

“No. My sweet little duckling, my wonderful girl, it's not your fault at all.” Lucifer takes a moment to hold back the tears collecting in his eyes. He squeezes Charlie's hands when he sees the tears in her eyes too. “Sometimes, people grow apart instead of growing together.”

Carefully, the fallen angel leans forward, brushing a few stands of hair out of her face. A few tears escape Charlie's eyes and he has to fight to hold back his own. She speaks again her voice is still soft but a little more steady. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too Charlie” Lucifer wipes away the few tears clinging to her face. Charlie manages a small smile which he returns in kind as he returns to a more relaxed position.

The hellborn returns with their drinks and pastries. Charlie got an iced red velvet latte and a cheese danish, Lucifer got white chocolate mocha with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, and an almond danish.

Both of them say “Thank you.” when handed their items. The politeness seems to surprise the hellborn in a way that reminds Lucifer of one of the many reasons he despises sinners.

“So does anyone have your eye?” Lucifer asks between sips of his coffee, by the way Charlie freezes he'd guess yes. “Can I meet them?”

“What? No! I mean no there isn't anyone! Not that you can't meet them- well you can't because there isn't anyone” Charlie rambles in an attempt to convince him, which does the exact opposite.

“Of course, I understand.” Lucifer chuckles and takes a bite of his danish, he'd have to figure out how to make these. “I just want to say, if there was, not that there is, that I hope they make you happy.”

“Thanks, Dad” Charlie speaks a little sheepishly, they continue to chatter while they enjoy the time. After a little time, they pay and leave the café, their conversation continuing as they walk. Lucifer tries to ignore the feeling of someone watching him, it always follows him when he's in public after all.

Once back at the palace, the feeling was still pressing into Lucifer, he stayed just outside the palace and watched Charlie go inside, with the excuse that he wanted to enjoy the fresh air.

“I know you're there.” Lucifer fills his voice with false confidence as he turns around. The sinner from the café literally steps out of the shadows, only now the devil notices the sinner has antlers, deer-like ears and a confident smile. “What do you want?”

“Simply to fulfill my deal.” The sinner showed Lucifer his wrist, the snake pattern hasn't faded anymore, instead it looked like a tattoo.

“Did you kill yourself just for power?” Lucifer gave little effort to keep the discomfort from his voice, how could anyone want power that badly? It makes sense why he's down here.

“No. I was mistaken for a deer.” As he speaks the sinner's ears pull back slightly, visibly tense but oddly still smiling.

“I'm being terribly rude, my name is Alastor, a pleasure to meet you, sire.” Alastor bows with a flourish, Lucifer is a little taken aback by how formal he was being. Was it because he owns his soul? Or just because Lucifer was seen as the king of hell? “May we discuss what you wish for me to do?”

“Yeah, let's go inside.” Lucifer poofs them both into his office, Alastor looks around the cozy room. Several paintings mostly of Lilith and Charlie on the walls, neutral-light wood floors with a rug in the middle of the room was a lovely scene of a sunrise, in the middle of the room sat a dark wood desk, on it was several pages, several half made projects ranging from plushies to clothing.

In one corner sat a dark brown armchair, a curved lamp behind it, next to a bookshelf that takes up most of the wall, there's six rubber ducks in the likes of the other sins on one of the shelves.

The opposite was a fireplace, in front of it was a dark wood coffee table and an armchair matching the one in the corner. “Such a lovely office.”

“Thanks, you can sit down if you'd like.” Lucifer gives the sinner a slight smile before summoning two glasses then pausing. “Do you drink?”

“On occasion.” Alastor answers as he takes the seat next to the bookshelf. Lucifer pours them both drinks and sets both the glass on the table before taking his seat and summons a fire in the fireplace. “What are the rules that come with you owning my soul?”

“If I tell you can't kill someone you listen immediately. You will listen when I summon you.” Lucifer pauses, he should've thought more about this. How would he summon the sinner? What if he becomes an issue? “Do as you're told.”

Lucifer looks the sinner in the eye, the gaze that meets him holds something dangerous, precise and watching. Curiosity flickers to life in the devil, had he already planned this far? “And if I don't?”

“Depends on what you're refusing to do. I'm not going to be pissed if you refuse to, I don't know, kick a dog.” Lucifer explains which earns a chuckle from Alastor, his smile seems to be a little more relaxed.

“Very well. How will you summon me?” Alastor asks, his voice was calm, calculated matching his posture. Lucifer thinks for a moment, other than his mark he didn't know how they were connected, but his pride wouldn't let him admit that.

“For now we'll meet once every week, until you've gotten more used to your powers. Have you figured them out, past the merging with shadows?” Lucifer is painfully aware how quiet it is while he's waiting for an answer even if it's barely a few moments.

“No, I found out I could because I didn't wish to be seen.” Alastor admits as Lucifer looks him over but doesn't get any ideas from the deer like features, claws and fangs. His shadow shifts slightly, just enough for Lucifer not to be sure if it was from the firelight or not. Alastor's ears stay still, but the shadows' ears pull back. “You're staring.”

“You're shadows alive.” At the acknowledgement the shadow cracks a smile, Alastor turns his head past the normal stopping point with a crack that makes Lucifer's stomach lurch.

A quieter crack sounds when Alastor returns to looking at Lucifer, who after several nauseated deep breaths composed himself. “I thought you did you were shot, what the fuck was that?”

The sinner thinks for a moment, silence filling the room again, his thoughts start to fill it. Was he thinking things through enough? What if this is just another disaster he causes? What things will the sinner do? Why did he want it to be bad? “I was shot, it just seems the impact broke my neck as well.”

“Did doing that hurt?” Lucifer's concern seems to surprise the sinner but it's barely a flicker behind the well crafted mask.

“No, it didn't.” Alastor answers he looks at the glasses before taking one, but just holds it as he asks. “What did you pour?”

“Whiskey, do you have any other questions?” Lucifer takes his own glass, swirling the alcohol. Alastor pauses a moment with the glass at his lips before taking a sip.

“What's the first task you want me to carry out, your majesty?” Alastor asks and Lucifer pauses and thinks for a moment, he finally had a way to harm sinners. He never went out so other than despising them from afar there wasn't really anything specific he wanted to do, but Charlie and Lilith interact with them.

“There's a pretty powerful sinner I want you to kill. One second.” Lucifer summons a radio and turns it on, how would he know the sinner does it? How would he summon him after that? What if the sinner fails or dies completely? Maybe he should make a weapon. Why was he okay with this? An angel wouldn't be okay with this.

That's because everything angelic about him had been ripped away, carved out and stained with blood. With Lilith's blood, his thoughts aren't allowed to spiral much further as he finds what he was looking for.

It's a rather old picture, the sinner has originally tried to get in close with Lilith but like with any sinner, power went to their head and they wanted more. Would the sinner in front of him be the same? “You can kill them however, do what you want after. Just don't harm hellborns. It's kind of old but looks don't change too much in hell, so probably just a different outfit”

With that Lucifer hands over the photo, he should make a weapon or something to keep the sinner from dying immediately. Alastor takes the photo and looks it over before nodding. The sinner is about to leave when the devil stops him. “Wait. Here, take this. I'll make you something better later.”

Lucifer holds out a dagger, the sheath was black with a razor thin red lining of a snake coiling around it stopping at the hilt. Alastor takes it, pulling the blade free, it was well balanced, the blade itself was silver with black detailing up the blade. “Thank you, your majesty.”

Alastor bows slightly as he tucks the dagger into an inner pocket, Lucifer makes a mental note that the proper weapon he makes for the sinner should be easy to hide. Their eyes meet, the sinner's gaze carries the promise of danger and a show. Before Lucifer can say anything he's gone shifting into the shadows.

Lucifer relaxes and drops back into the armchair, burying his face in his hands. What was he doing? He finally has the power to protect them, to finally do something other than letting the sinners do whatever they felt like. He'd be careful about it, no one that didn't deserve it. Lilith was going to be pissed.