Work Text:
Lucifer was tired. Undeniably, and without any doubt, he was exhausted to the bone.
All he wanted to do was take off his stiff clothes, replace them with cool, silky-smooth pajamas and collapse straight into his welcoming sheets. To his tired mind, this sounded nice, perhaps ideal even. A small piece of paradise in the midst of stress.
He was currently on his way home from RAD. Although admittedly, he hadn’t left out of his own free will.
It was the middle of the night and upon discovering Lucifer in his office there, glasses sitting low on his nose, bent over a stack of papers taller than Luke, Barbatos had escorted him out with a nice smile and slightly threatening words.
And ever so begrudgingly, Lucifer had agreed to let things rest for the night. He was aware of the fact that he needed to tone things down a bit this week. The more he worked overtime, the higher was the probability of Diavolo catching wind of his constant overworking and once again trying to give him an overtime bonus that Lucifer refused to accept.
The fact that Lucifer had more or less been kicked out of his own office didn’t mean that he needed to stop working though. After all, there was a reason he had his very own study at the House of Lamentation, and Lucifer had made it a habit to always keep a copy of his work laid out on his desk over there as well.
Not that he had much else planned for the night anyway. Realistically, he would arrive at home, get into an argument with at least one of his brothers, then brew himself two cups of coffee to take to his study. One for himself, the other one for… himself as well if he was being perfectly honest. Perhaps he should simply invest in larger mugs.
There was always so much work and so little time. And for Lucifer, sleep wasn’t that important anyway, not when he had a good reputation and work morale to uphold. From time to time he didn’t mind a little self-sacrifice if it was for the Devildom’s greater good.
He let out a deep sigh as he opened the heavy front door, already expecting to walk in on another overtly chaotic scene caused by one of his brothers. He threw the door open quickly, just like one would pull off a band-aid to keep the pain at a minimum. However, he found himself pleasantly surprised when he entered his home and for once, was greeted with nothing but the muffled noises of a home that housed eight remotely noisy people.
For once, Lucifer felt like he could let himself relax a little. He took off his heavy coat, pulled his shoulders back a bit until he could hear them pop and let out a small sigh. Expensive dress shoes were changed out for more comfortable slippers before he began heading towards the kitchen.
The hallway was dark, but admittedly, Lucifer had never minded the darkness, not even back in the Celestial Realm. Its silence was comforting, calming even.
Once Lucifer reached the kitchen, for once deserted and with no Beelzebub in sight, he grabbed an apple, more out of habit than actual hunger, then slowly walked over to the coffee machine, allowing his exhaustion to become visible in the wearied slope of his neck. His hands felt cold and stiff as he started preparing the coffee, and before Lucifer had even realized it, he had already finished the task mindlessly. It was times like these with no one around when he could allow himself to slip the slightest bit.
After placing his two cups of coffee and the apple on a tablet, he finally made his way up towards his study.
Once there, first things first, he placed the tablet on the table, cast a quick spell to prevent the coffee from going cold and then quietly sat down in front of his paperwork.
He took a sip of coffee and allowed himself to get lost in-between forms, applications and formal requests. Indeed, Lucifer was so focused on his work he almost missed the low buzzing of his DDD.
Quickly, he pulled out his phone and opened the messenger app only for his phone to almost crash due to the influx of messages. One particular message stood out to him. It was from Barbatos. Lucifer readjusted his glasses.
“ Perhaps I forgot to mention so earlier, but the young master is spending the night at the House of Lamentation tonight. As far as I’ve understood, your brothers invited him to a movie night, yes? Take care :) ”
Just as Lucifer finished reading Barbatos’ message, knowing fully well there was no way the demon had simply forgotten to tell Lucifer such a crucial detail and this was most likely another one of his thinly veiled ploys, he heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway. They were getting closer and closer and as Lucifer looked up from his DDD, there was a knock and the door was thrown open not even seconds later.
Asmodeus and Mammon’s head peered through the open doorway for the slightest of moments.
“What is it now? Can’t you see I’m working?” Lucifer forced out, bringing his hands up to his temples. He could already feel the dull pounding of his headache evolving into a full-blown migraine. Blame it on an overdose of caffeine, being overworked to the point of complete exhaustion or perhaps simply the presence of his unpredictable brothers.
Asmo and Mammon’s heads disappeared again and Lucifer could hear them conspiring from behind the door.
Then, another voice joined them.
“Are you now, Lucifer? I do remember having received word from Barbatos that he sent you home to relax and recover your spirits. Was that not the truth?”
Diavolo entered Lucifer’s study. And there he was, the future Demon King himself, standing in the middle of the room, donning sweatpants and a loose tank top that left little for the imagination. Lucifer was quite certain they must’ve been taken from Beelzebub’s wardrobe, since he was the only one out of his brothers whose stature came even close to resembling Diavolo’s.
“Diavolo? What are you doing-” Lucifer started, stunned as his gaze fell back to his DDD. Right. Barbatos’ belated message. This truly couldn’t be a coincidence. This was a conspiracy.
Diavolo walked over to Lucifer with quick steps and crossed arms. “I should be asking you the exact same thing! When your brothers told me I’d find you in here instead of with them, I really didn’t want to believe it. Seems like they were being truthful after all. Working this much just can’t be good for your health, Lucifer,” he said sternly, placing one hand on the table and leaning into Lucifer’s bubble.
Lucifer lifted his eyes and for a short moment, he glanced down towards Diavolo’s chest, to that tank top that did an absolutely lackluster job at hiding anything. He had a free view of Diavolo’s buff torso, which should theoretically, by law of habit, have no effect on him anymore since he’d seen it time and time again. Quickly, he averted his gaze and looked up at Diavolo instead.
“I’m perfectly fine,” he assured as he rearranged the assortment of ink pens on his desk. “This is my job, after all.”
“You are exhausted.”
Lucifer raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. “I’m a little tired at most,” he argued back.
Diavolo looked at the two mugs of coffee on Lucifer’s table and let out a laugh. “Really, now?” For a moment, he seemed to think about what to do next. “Then let us come to an agreement. A bet, if you will,” he eventually said.
Lucifer blinked at him owlishly. “A bet? Diavolo, has my foolish con man of a brother gotten to you yet again?”
Diavolo leaned in closer and swiped the pad of his thumb across the deep shadows under Lucifer’s eye. “If you manage to sit through one movie with us without falling asleep I will believe your word and shall allow you to return to your work. How does that sound?”
Lucifer grabbed Diavolo by the wrist, a bit embarrassed but refusing to show it, and furrowed his brows. “You expect me to fall asleep right away, don’t you? Don’t underestimate me so easily, Diavolo.”
Diavolo smiled brightly. “I would never. Now come on, the others are waiting already.”
With a small sigh Lucifer let go of Diavolo’s hand, smoothed down his vest and stood up. Diavolo was looking at him with an almost disappointed expression, so Lucifer took the bait and turned around to him. “Is there an issue?”
“You hardly look comfortable. Don’t you have anything more comfortable to wear? We’re having a movie night after all and I want you to be able to relax. We hardly get the chance to skip out on our formal attire to begin with.”
And because it was Diavolo who was asking, Lucifer obliged. “In my room. I’ll get changed, but only this once.”
Lucifer ended up in a crimson turtleneck and comfortable pants he had found in the most hidden corner of his closet and was now sitting on the couch, sandwiched between Diavolo and Solomon of all people.
Although originally, to Lucifer’s chagrin, Diavolo had come over for an anime marathon with Leviathan, somehow the whole thing had turned into a movie night with the whole family. And the brothers being the way they were, there had been certain issues trying to agree on a movie everyone wanted to watch.
So instead of fighting about it like a horde of unsupervised toddlers, for once they had unanimously made MC decide on what movie to watch.
Unsurprisingly, they had chosen a human horror movie. Something about a young woman trying to survive the night getting chased by her new husband’s family that was trying to sacrifice her to an unspecified demonic entity, or so Lucifer had gathered. Definitely a choice.
Mammon pressed the play button, threw himself back on the couch right next to MC and Levi and crossed his arms in an obvious attempt at hiding his impending fear. “Ya can cling onto me when it gets too scary, human. Don’t even think about actin’ all shy with me. The Great Mammon will protect ya,” he bragged, but there was a distinct quiver to his voice that betrayed his little act of bravery.
MC huffed once and chuckled slightly. “We’ll see about that,” they mumbled under their breath, but apparently decided to humor Mammon for now.
“We will indeed,” Lucifer added, the corners of his lips raised in amusement as he tried to settle in. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and squinted at the TV.
Then Diavolo smiled at him, the expression so soft and warm on his face, Lucifer wouldn’t dare to keep looking at it. His tired brain felt like it was going to melt.
The demon prince bumped shoulders with him. “Your glasses,” he said and held out his hand, holding Lucifer’s glasses. “I assumed you might need them. You forgot to put them back on after you changed.”
And Lucifer took them, gratefully. “Of course, thank you,” he mumbled. “I shouldn’t have forgotten them in the first place.” The tips of his fingers brushed against the soft skin of Diavolo’s palm and for a short moment, all Lucifer wanted to do was keep his hand there just to let sluggish fingers explore familiar skin, run along strong hands and slip in-between the free space of his fingers. He caught himself before his tired mind could come up with even more preposterous ideas. To be quite honest, for a while now, Diavolo and his relationship had been, well, different. More dangerous. Less suffocating. Certainly, he had never anticipated it to develop into this new and daunting little thing, but somewhere along the way, it had just happened and they had changed.
But this was not the time to unpack all of that. Especially not with the entire gaggle of his brethren with them in the same room.
He took the glasses, put them on and crossed his arms as he leant back into the couch. Next to him, Diavolo readjusted his position with starry eyes glued to the screen. “Lucifer, there is no shame in being tired, you do know that, right?” he whispered without turning his head. “You don’t have to constantly work yourself to the bone for my sake.”
“As I already mentioned, I am not tired,” Lucifer whispered back as he tried to focus on the movie. He had never been one to refuse a challenge, and if it kept him from the inescapable sleep paralysis in his lonesome big bed,kept him from hours spent staring at the skeleton in the back of his room while his thoughts kept returning to the dastardly feelings he felt for Diavolo and allowed him to get distracted by the familiar mechanics of his work, even better. There was no way he would lose, even though admittedly, sitting right next to Diavolo’s welcoming frame on a comfortable couch did in fact make him feel more at ease.
Lucifer blinked slowly, trying to force his eyes to stay fresh and awake as he listened to Leviathan and Mammon already critiquing the movie although it couldn’t have been playing for more than fifteen minutes at this point.
Currently, the woman on the screen was getting acquainted with her husband’s family, still innocent and unknowing of the horrors that were certainly awaiting her.
Lucifer desperately tried to suppress a yawn. After all, he was feeling exhausted, perhaps even tired, but there was no way in hell he would admit to that openly, especially not in front of his brothers.
However the longer the movie played, the more sleepy he could feel himself getting. No matter how much he tried to fight it, he could feel his head getting heavier and heavier.
He watched the girl in the movie rip apart her wedding dress so she could move with less hindrance, now armed and afraid.
Lucifer suppressed a yawn threatening to escape his lips, crossed his arms tighter against his chest in hopes of it grounding him enough to remain awake. But alas, it did not help. So Lucifer blinked rapidly in succession, trying to force the blurry tired out of his eyes.
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned towards it. “What are you doing?” he whispered to Diavolo, who put one knee on the couch, placed one hand on the seating near the empty space between Lucifer's opened legs, and leant forward, his warm shoulder brushing against Lucifer’s own for a quick moment, pinning him against the cushions as he reached across the couch, straining a little, body still partially pressed against Lucifer’s until he managed to reach a few pillows Satan had propped up between himself, Solomon and Asmo as more of a joke than out of a genuine need for privacy from the couple. He kicked the pillows a bit closer towards Diavolo, which earned him a dirty look from Lucifer.
“You’ve got a problem?” he asked innocently.
“Thank you, Satan,” Diavolo said, his voice rumbling with a badly hidden chuckle as he pulled back and caught a glimpse of Lucifer’s disapproving face. He turned towards him and let out a sigh.
“Lean forward for me, please?”
“Excuse me? For what, exactly?”
Diavolo pursed his lips and raised his brows. “Come on, Lucifer. Don’t be like that.” Expectantly, he looked at him and shook one of the pillows he was holding. Lucifer uncrossed his arms, relaxed his shoulders a little and brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face. “Alright. Just this once.”
He leant forward, and as soon as there was enough space between his back and the backrest, Diavolo squeezed two pillows behind his back. “There you go. You looked fairly uncomfortable.”
Lucifer leaned back, felt Diavolo’s hand ghost over his shoulder blade for a second, and this simple act of kindness, right in front of his brothers’ prying eyes, made his ears hot and cheeks inappropriately heated.
This almost felt as if Diavolo was taking care of him. It felt soft and tender. Perhaps it was the general exhaustion and sleep deprivation speaking, but Lucifer found himself thinking that maybe, being taken care of like this didn’t always have to be something bad.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you then, I suppose. Not that it was necessary, but I appreciate the effort nonetheless.”
Finally, one of the brothers broke. “Are you finally done with your flirting? Although it is absolutely adorable to watch, can we press play again? It was just getting interesting!”
Lucifer felt like he was about to have an aneurism. “Asmodeus! We are certainly not flirting.”
Diavolo chuckled, but remained silent in favor of watching Lucifer squabble with his brothers instead.
Mammon, who was leaning back on the couch, now tremendously more relaxed since the movie was safely paused, joined in. “Just admit ya’re sleepy and get it over with, big bro. Ya gotta sleep one way or another. And ya’ve been awake for days now. ‘S gettin’ hard to watch.”
Lucifer massaged his right temple with one hand. “Press play before I start coming up with punishments the two of you wouldn't even dare dream of.”
Asmodeus complained in a slightly exaggerated manner, throwing his arms around Solomon’s neck, pulling closer and nuzzling his nose into Solomon’s neck. “Do you see how terribly I’m treated here, Solomon?” he moaned.
Solomon wrapped one arm around Asmo’s waist and threw Lucifer a good, long look. “Well, you can’t poke the bear and expect to get off scot-free, Asmo. This one’s on you.”
Lucifer shot Solomon a long, proper glare. Now that the sorcerer and Asmodeus had made it official that they were in an exclusive relationship, Lucifer felt like he was even less of a fan of him than he'd been before.
“And who, may I ask, is supposed to be the bear in this scenario?”
“You, of course,” Solomon answered with little hesitation, a slight grin on his face. Lucifer could feel the violent streak he usually hid so well flare up. Oh what he’d do to strangle the sorcerer - just a little.
Not that it would kill or harm him either way. The man was like a cockroach on an ego trip.
Diavolo leaned in. “Bears are good animals, great animals even! Don’t see everything so grim Lucifer, take it as a compliment. It’s a compliment to your strength and endurance.”
“It honestly wasn’t-” Solomon started, but before he could keep pushing his luck he was interrupted by Asmo’s sharp elbow digging into his ribs. “Hey!”
Before anyone could say much more, Asmo had unceremoniously taken possession of the remote and pressed play. Mammon jumped ever so slightly, grabbing onto the human’s arm for safety.
Lucifer watched them out of the corner of his eye, saw how Mammon grabbed onto MC just for them to get startled by Mammon suddenly clinging onto them without any warning and let out an amused huff of air before turning his tired eyes back to the screen.
The little break, no matter how bothersome it had been, had actually helped him feel a bit less exhausted.
He would be able to pull this off, no doubt. This was child's play.
Diavolo was watching the movie with much excitement. Still, no matter how captivating the plot was, his eyes couldn't help but wander to the man sitting by his side. Lucifer, stoic and hard headed as usual, was leaning against the pillows Diavolo had provided, looking marginally more relaxed than Diavolo had seen him look in a long time. Although for Lucifer, that didn’t mean all that much. There was still that stubborn determination in his eyes even when from moment to moment, his head drooped to the side a little and he had to straighten it with an annoyed huff of air and pulled-together brows.
Their eyes met.
“What?” Diavolo mouthed with a slight smile on his lips. Lucifer simply shook his head and quickly ran his hand across his face before he attempted to focus on the movie again. Diavolo moved a bit closer, bumping his shoulder against Lucifer’s.
“What now?” Lucifer mouthed back and Diavolo let out a slight chuckle. He winked at Lucifer, whose brows only seemed to furrow even further. “Don't be a menace,” he finally whispered only to get shushed by Satan.
Lucifer’s nostrils flared, but he refrained from reprimanding his brother. Instead, he put his focus back on the TV. The woman on the screen let out a blood-curdling scream that made him nod in approval.
He threw Diavolo one last side-glance, taking in the way Diavolo’s eyes practically sparkled with glee as the glorious bloodbath in the movie went on. Mammon let out a high-pitched shriek, hid his head and twisted his fists into the human’s shirt. Satan snickered as he watched Belphie aim and shoot a piece of popcorn at Mammon’s head.
Right. There was no way he would step out of that ridiculous bet of theirs now. He would prevail.
Diavolo was so enraptured by the movie that at first, he didn’t fully realize what was happening when -ever so gently and softly- something seemed to brush against his shoulder. At first, he dismissed it for a rush of air or perhaps a pillow that had shifted ever so slightly and was now leaning against his shoulder. When the pressure gradually increased however, he took his eyes off the screen and turned them to his side instead.
And there he was.
Lucifer. Fast asleep. His cheek looked slightly squished where it was pushed against Diavolo’s shoulder and even in his slumber, there seemed to be a slight crease to his brows. Diavolo wanted to reach out and straighten it with his thumb.
However, Lucifer’s chest rose and sank with a certain sort of ease and tranquility that was reserved for that heavy sort of sleep one only fell into after a bout of severe sleep deprivation.
A few strands of his hair were in disarray, disturbed by the day’s trials and tribulations, and were now falling into his eyes softly.
Diavolo felt mesmerized by the sight. And if his heart trembled a little at the sight of his thick-headed right hand man finally at peace, then there was nothing to do about that, was there now. For a few seconds he simply watched, the movie playing in the background long-forgotten already. Before he could so much as think about what he was doing, Diavolo had already brushed the strands of hair out of Lucifer’s face with as much care as possible.
He was only made aware of the fact that they were, in fact, not alone, when he lifted his eyes and was met with the movie’s end credits and Belphegor blinking at him owlishly from his seat. Then, Belphegor’s eyes flitted over to his twin brother, who seemed to understand him without any words and simply nodded.
And if he was being quite honest, Diavolo was for once at a loss for words. After all, it was quite impossible to put his and Lucifer’s relationship into words at the moment, at least for him.
So there was no explanation he could possibly offer the brothers for what they had just witnessed. So he looked up and hoped for the best. He raised his pointer to his lips in a shushing motion.
Everyone looked at least remotely shellshocked until Solomon leaned forward, trying to get a better look at Lucifer’s sleeping face. Asmodeus, still glued to his boyfriend’s side, seemed to be no help whatsoever as he opened his mouth in a silent squeal and did the exact same thing.
Slowly, the room started to unfreeze. And although they were being chaotic and messy as usual, the brothers seemed uncharacteristically careful not to make too much noise.
Before Diavolo could interfere, Belphie kicked against the sole of Lucifer’s foot, frowned when there was no reaction and then turned around to leave the room.
“We’re done here,” he announced. Beelzebub followed in his tracks, but not before wishing them all a good night. And for once, none of it woke Lucifer from his slumber.
“Think it’s time for me to hit the hay as well. Ya coming with me, MC?”
“The newest Ruri-chan lore will air in twenty minutes, you can’t miss out on this!”
“Nah, I think I’ll stay back and clean up a little. Anyone with me?”
Satan raised his hand and slowly rose from his seat. “Count me in.” He threw one cryptic look at Lucifer’s slack body. “I’m not that tired yet.”
And Diavolo watched them all trickle out of the room until only MC and Satan remained. He appropriately waved each and every one of them goodbye, but kept unusually quiet for he didn’t dare wake Lucifer.
He didn’t move an inch. Perhaps, he played with the thought of sliding his arm up to Lucifer’s shoulder to pull him even closer, to give him much more comfort and support so he wouldn’t end up with a cramped neck in the morning. Diavolo looked down at the top of Lucifer’s head, overcome with the frivolous need to press a kiss to the spot that connected his forehead to his hairline.
When Diavolo raised his head for a moment, he locked eyes with Satan, who had apparently been standing in front of him, dust pan in one hand, for a while now. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could even start, Diavolo interrupted him in a low tone. “Let him rest, please.”
Satan ogled him for a second before turning away. “I would, but what business does he have sleeping right out in the open like that. If he wants to sleep he should go to his own damn room.”
“Hey Satan, come and help me with the trash bags real quick. They’re too heavy for me.” Satan looked at Diavolo for another moment and sighed.
“I swear, my arms are about to fall off! Please?”
And just like that, Satan’s attention was back on the human.
After they were finished cleaning up, Satan and MC removed themselves from the scene almost immediately, leaving only Diavolo and Lucifer behind.
Now alone, far away from everyone’s well-meaning, but prying eyes, Diavolo allowed himself to really study Lucifer’s sleeping form in peace. A soft smile grazed his lips as he ever so carefully slid one arm around Lucifer’s waist, pulled him closer and Lucifer let out a subdued groan.
He must be dreaming, Diavolo thought to himself as he slowly pulled back his arm. Would he dare dream of me? he wondered. Suddenly, Lucifer stirred in his sleep. For a moment, he turned his head into the crook of Diavolo’s neck, mumbling incoherent words. His eyelashes tickled against Diavolo’s skin.
Diavolo raised one hand, but stopped it mid-air again, unsure of what to do. In the end, it didn’t matter, he concluded. No matter what, Lucifer would be mad at him once he woke up. One way or the other he would simply have to bite that bullet.
Quietly, he reached around Lucifer, putting one arm to his left shoulder and after a moment of struggling, somehow he managed to wrestle Lucifer into a more comfortable position so he was now laying with his head in Diavolo’s lap, his head turned to his stomach, snoring lightly.
And Diavolo looked down at him, one hand hovering undecidedly, before he laid it down next to Lucifer’s head. Careful not to disturb, he brushed a few strands of hair out of Lucifer’s face again and watched him sleep some more, for once at peace, watched the way his lips opened and closed with every calm breath.
He placed one knuckle against Lucifer’s cheek, rubbed his thumb across warm skin and, then, without any warning, was met with crimson eyes slowly fluttering open.
Suddenly, Lucifer grabbed onto Diavolo’s hand and his eyes shot open. It hurt a little, but Diavolo truly didn’t mind.
“Calm yourself. It’s only me.”
It took him a moment to come to terms with the situation, but with a sigh, Lucifer then loosened his grip on Diavolo’s hand, but didn’t let go just yet. For a moment, he closed his eyes again.
“And what, pray tell, am I doing in your lap?” he asked, eyes still closed, one hand reaching up to rub across his forehead.
“Sleeping, I believe. Did you rest well?”
Exhaling audibly, Lucifer opened his eyes again and looked up at Diavolo. “That’s neither here nor there. How did I end up in your lap? Weren’t we just watching a movie with my brothers? I surely do not remember choosing to-”
“Fall asleep? Yes, you have been very vocal about your aversion to that idea.”
Lucifer’s brows furrowed and his nose crinkled the tiniest bit. Diavolo couldn’t help but find it endearing. After all, it was rare even for him to see Lucifer in such a private state.
“Still,” he continued, “did you not sleep well? Your brothers were causing quite the ruckus again, yet you never awoke during any of it.”
Diavolo let one thumb run across the back of Lucifer’s hand, letting it ghost over scarred knuckles and graceful fingers, wishing that perhaps, it could help coax an upfront answer out of his otherwise repressed friend for once.
For a moment, Lucifer remained silent and looked to the side. “Maybe so,” he finally grumbled.
And that was more than enough honesty for Diavolo. A smile crept up on his face. “What was that you just said? I’m sorry, I think I might have misheard. Care to repeat yourself? I certainly must be dreaming! ”
“Go ahead, laugh it up Diavolo. If I weren’t still drunk with sleep I’d have the common sense to feel absolutely mortified. To fall asleep like that…”
Lucifer let go of Diavolo’s hand and sat up. He yawned, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
“But you looked so adorable…”
Lucifer stopped in his tracks and turned back around to Diavolo. “ Adorable? Is that supposed to be a compliment?” And he searched Diavolo’s face for an answer, apparently found what he’d been looking for and quickly raised one finger. “Wait. Do not answer that, Diavolo, I implore you . Do not .”
The demon prince pursed his lips and tried his best not to appear bruised. Apparently, Lucifer noticed his change in behavior, exhaled, seemed to ponder over something for a split second, then exhaled a second time, this time more loudly.
“Alright then,” he breathed out. “Diavolo, I allow you one favor to ask of me. Anything.”
Diavolo looked at him in confusion. “A favor?” he repeated.
“Within reason, of course. I did lose our bet after all, didn’t I? If nothing, I at least am a man of my own word.”
Diavolo’s expression brightened considerably. “Awe, Lucifer! That’s-” He cleared his throat. “Quite agreeable, yes.” And for once, he kept quiet about the fact that he didn’t really care about their bet all that much. After all, it hadn’t been much more than a ploy to get Lucifer away from his desk. And it had worked like a charm now, hadn’t it?
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to call in that favor right away.”
“Immediately? That certainly was quick.”
Diavolo stood up from the couch, turned around, raised his eyebrows expectantly and opened his arms in a silent invitation.
Still sitting on the couch, Lucifer froze. “Really? Out of all things, this is what you want to waste your favor on?”
“No less than twenty seconds and you have to hug back. Come on, Lucifer. You are my best friend and we rarely hug. This will be good for us!” he argued and impatiently waved Lucifer closer with his hands.
Finally, Lucifer gave in, got up and walked over to Diavolo’s open arms. He stopped right in front of him, his own arms crossed.
And in that moment, he knew there was truth to what Diavolo had just said. They rarely ever hugged. Aside from the occasional quick side-hug, they refrained from doing this. Which, perhaps, was the reason as to why he absolutely did not know how to start this.
“Well, go on,” he eventually said, handing the burden of the first step right over to Diavolo.
The man in question laughed and shook his head. “You are incorrigible Lucifer, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Yes, multiple times if I’m being honest.”
The short answer had Diavolo laughing. “Alright, then.” And with that, he took one step towards Lucifer and pulled him into a big hug, one arm snaking around his waist while the other slid up to rest in-between his shoulder blades. For a split-second, Lucifer seemed too startled to reciprocate, but after a short adjustment period, he slowly slid his arms around Diavolo’s shoulders and let them rest on his upper back.
Satisfied, Diavolo let out a content sigh. “This isn’t all that bad, now is it?” he murmured.
And although Lucifer was enjoying the hug, the physical contact that he admittedly hadn’t had in a very long time, the feeling of holding someone close and being held even closer in return, he knew admitting it out loud would kill him.
Things between them had been… difficult lately. Perhaps not necessarily difficult , but just different. After years of dancing around each other, careful to keep up appearances and boundaries, maybe they had simply grown tired of it all. And Lucifer noticed the difference. Noted how he stopped turning his head away from what was becoming more and more obvious, noted how Diavolo seemed less agitated and more relaxed the more Lucifer allowed his walls to come down.
“What are you thinking about?” Diavolo suddenly whispered as he put his head down on Lucifer’s shoulder. His warm breath tingled against Lucifer’s skin.
He knew this would be a dangerous thing to admit to, one way or the other. You , he thought as he let one hand wander up to cradle Diavolo’s nape. Us.
Instead, he cleared his throat. “I believe this was far longer than only twenty seconds,” he stated, not necessarily wanting to let go, but painfully aware of the fact that if he didn’t, he would undoubtedly be tempted to do something far more scandalous than just hug.
So he pulled back carefully, allowing Diavolo enough time to do the same. He however kept his hands on Lucifer’s waist for a moment more and opened his mouth to say something, quickly closed it again as soon as he saw the particular expression on Lucifer’s turned away face.
“Lucifer, by any chance. Are you embarrassed? ”
Truth be told, Lucifer had starved himself off of physical affection for so long he had forgotten how mortifying of an ideal the whole thing was for him once it was over. He kept his reddened cheeks turned towards the door, away from Diavolo.
“You most certainly must be mistaken,” he stated plainly.
“Your ears are red. And so is your face, I think. There’s no need to feel embarrassed, my dear friend.” Diavolo strained his neck to get a better look at Lucifer’s face, but Lucifer remained stubborn and refused to let him see.
Then, Diavolo suddenly pulled Lucifer closer by the waist. Startled, Lucifer stumbled a bit forward, but managed to grab onto Diavolo’s shoulders for support. And like that, against his wishes, he found himself face to face with Diavolo.
“I refuse to believe you just did that, Diavolo. What are you, a child?”
“If this is what it takes to make you look at me, then yes, I suppose so.” He realized a little too late how transparent the words he’d just said really were. But he had never been one to lie, so he refused to take them back now that he’d already put them out into the world.
He let go of Lucifer’s waist and raised one hand to cradle his cheek instead. It felt warm against the palm of his hand.
And finally, Lucifer looked at him, that same searching expression on his face he’d already sported before. He took one hand off Diavolo’s shoulder and put it on top of Diavolo’s hand that was resting on his cheek instead.
Slowly, he raised his eyes to meet Diavolo’s. He considered him and eventually came to the conclusion that their situation was mortifying as it was. His gaze slid from fierce golden eyes down to Diavolo’s lips. So there really wasn’t much harm in taking it even further, was there now?
A scowl appeared on Lucifer’s face as he pondered. He’d always been much too self-aware. So he decided to throw all caution to the wind and just give in.
“Lucifer? Are you alright?”
Lucifer placed one hand on the nape of Diavolo’s neck, kept it there and took in the sight of Diavolo’s eyes widening.
“Hm,” he murmured, still lost in thought. Diavolo’s grip on his waist tightened. They were close enough for Lucifer to feel the heat of Diavolo’s skin that felt so familiar yet still so strange to him. And Diavolo had become uncharacteristically quiet. He ran his thumb over Lucifer’s cheek without saying any words.
After one last deep breath, Lucifer nodded. “Very well, then,” he said quietly and pulled Diavolo even closer. “May I…?” he asked reluctantly. Diavolo swallowed once, then nodded his head.
And he kissed him. Lucifer pressed his lips against Diavolo’s carefully. For a moment, Diavolo seemed almost frozen in shock and Lucifer pulled away again. Had he perhaps misinterpreted their entire situation? His heart jumped in his chest. He should've never even thought of making any of this their reality.
“I apologize, I don’t know what came-” he started to backtrack as he backed off, hands raised, before Diavolo pulled him right back in again and pressed his nose against Lucifer’s cheek for the shortest of moments.
“You just surprised me, that is all,” he breathed out, bubbly laughter escaping his lips. “You truly are something else, Lucifer.”
Their eyes met again and Lucifer had to smile a little. “I suppose I am,” he admitted.
This time Diavolo pulled Lucifer close, one hand stroking his cheek reassuringly, as he kissed Lucifer, passionately and properly. And Lucifer kissed him right back, open-mouthed and without any regrets. He buried one hand in Diavolo’s hair, angled his face to grant better access and found pleasure in the way Diavolo tasted against his lips until all of a sudden, they tumbled backwards to where luckily, the couch was standing.
Diavolo had fallen to his back and Lucifer ended up halfway over his lap, straddling him due to the fact that Diavolo was still holding onto his waist for dear life.
“Are you alright, what happened?” Lucifer asked as Diavolo threw his head back and took in a deep breath.
“Everything’s alright, I just-” he ran one hand across his face and closed his eyes. “I just needed a minute.”
“You just needed a minute? Would you prefer to be alone, then? Should I leave?”
Diavolo let his hand fall back down to Lucifer’s thigh, drew a little pattern with his finger there and looked back up at him from under his lashes. “Do not fret. Actually, you made me go weak in the knees,” he finally admitted.
Lucifer blinked at him incredulously and felt the heat rushing to his cheeks. “Oh,” he said. “Well.”
“Very well, actually.”
Diavolo raised one hand, brushed it against Lucifer’s cheekbone and pulled him back in. Lucifer leaned into the touch, threw one arm around Diavolo’s neck and allowed himself to be led into another kiss. Their noses brushed together lightly.
“What a sight you are to behold,” Diavolo mumbled roughly against his lips. It was as if all of a sudden, a dam had broken and they were desperately trying to make up for the time they had lost, afraid that once the moment was over, they’d have to start all over again. “I have always found you inconceivably endearing, but this…”
WIthout any more words, Lucifer understood what he meant. His head was spinning and he felt remotely light-headed, but still, he felt strangely comfortable like this.
Diavolo let one hand travel up the small of Lucifer’s back and Lucifer couldn’t suppress a shiver. After all, ever since his fall his back had been particularly sensitive. He dropped his head to Diavolo’s shoulder and let out a heavy breath.
“You,” he mumbled and swallowed hard. “There’s no need to-”
Slowly, Diavolo slid his hands under Lucifer’s shirt, slowly enough so Lucifer could still intervene in case this wasn’t to his liking.
“There is every need to,” he murmured back.
Lucifer dropped his head into the crook of Diavolo’s neck and nodded against his skin. Chastely, he pressed a kiss to the soft skin on Diavolo’s neck just as Diavolo allowed curious fingers to roam over his back, tracing old scars and tender muscles.
Then, all of a sudden, they heard sounds coming from the hallway and before they even had the time to untangle themselves, it was already too late.
“Asmodeus forgot his fuzzy socks here and I selflessly offered to get them back for him. You know how he always gets such cold feet. Have you by any chance-” Solomon announced as he walked in, but immediately stopped in the doorway as he caught an eyeful of Lucifer sitting on Diavolo’s lap with Diavolo’s hand still halfway stuck up his shirt. “Now this is awkward. Uhm.”
And Lucifer decided to remain in place, since at this point, skittishly untangling himself from Diavolo like some demure mistress would be much more of a kick to his ego than being caught like this already was.
“Solomon,” Lucifer warned as he raised one finger. “One word. If I hear you lose one word about this, especially to Asmodeus, you are dead. I will make sure to sic Thirteen on you without further notice.”
Solomon crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, apparently immune to the absurdity of the entire situation after the initial shock. “Well, if you somehow manage to tell her what to do, then that sounds like a win in my books.” Solomon searched the room with his eyes and once he saw what he’d been looking for, made a circular motion with his pointer. Asmodeus’s fuzzy socks flew from behind the couch right into Solomon’s hands. “Anyways, I got what I came here for, so.” Solomon waved with the pink, fuzzy socks as he backed out of the room. “Have a blast, you two!”
Lucifer was too stunned to speak.
For a moment, they just looked at each other. Objectively speaking, this was bad, dangerous even.
“Lucifer…” Diavolo started, but then broke out into laughter when he saw the expression on his face. “Lucifer, you look positively livid! Calm yourself, it will be fine. Solomon is a trusted friend after all.”
“I want to strangle him. There’s still enough space on the ceiling for one more person to hang.”
“Now don’t be like that,” Diavolo chuckled as he let his hands glide down to Lucifer’s thighs and let them rest there, rubbing small circles into the pattern of Lucifer’s pants. “You know how Solomon is. He would never do anything that could result in Asmodeus getting hurt in any sort of way.”
Begrudgingly, Lucifer had to agree. “Of course. But he will be abhorrently insufferable about it all. That man has no ounce of shame in his body.”
Experimentally, Lucifer placed his hands right on top of Diavolo’s. “Although arguably, I have none either.” He stared at his hands on top of Diavolos as the reality of what they’d been doing slowly started to set in. “What are we trying to accomplish here, Diavolo?” He finally said with a steady voice. “Is any of this sustainable?”
Diavolo took hold of Lucifer’s hands, raised them up and, looking at Lucifer with the softest expression, pressed kiss after kiss to each knuckle. “It could be.” He ran one thumb over the back of Lucifer’s hand. “Or at least, that is what I wish for.”
For a moment, Lucifer remained silent and Diavolo searched his face for any indicator as to what he was thinking.
Finally, he closed his eyes and breathed out. “Let us give it a try then.” He opened his eyes again and mustered Diavolo, whose expression quickly changed from uncertain to relieved to joyful. He dropped the hands he’d been holding and opted to encase Lucifer in a bone-crushing hug instead, burying his face in the crook of Lucifer’s neck. Lucifer could feel him smile against his skin and allowed a smile to befall his own face as well as he tightened his arms around Diavolo’s shoulders.