Chapter Text
Footsteps echoing through a long hall. The soft click of heeled boots on marble that bounced against walls that once reflected the soft giggles of a little blonde Princess, and the hearty laugh of the King who chased after her. Oh, the things these halls had seen, the conversations the walls had overheard. There had been a time once when he loved this place—a time when it had been a cozy and comfortable home, despite its vastness. He'd built it himself, placed every brick with care and sealed every gap with hopes and dreams. Built for a family; their family. The main residence of the Morningstars. Its sprawling corridors and multitude of rooms all built with purpose, meant to be a place where they could grow and watch their children grow around them. Now it was an empty shell, its dreams smashed upon the tile, broken like the little angel it held prisoner. It wasn't a prison, not really—he could leave whenever he wanted, and he did, on occasion—however, it felt like one. It felt like a cage that held him, trapping him inside while someone looked in, wondering why the little golden bird wouldn't sing. Its gilded halls and opulence felt like they were closing in on him, and the eyes of portraits followed him, their disappointment burning holes into his hunched back.
Her disappointment.
Lucifer let out a sigh, waving a hand and flinching slightly as a wave of Grace escaped him, closing off the heavy velvet drapings around every portrait that lined the long hall he was walking down. He didn't need to see her disappointment, not right now. He already felt it, drilling into the back of his head as old words repeatedly played—her voice his jailer, keeping him locked away and never letting him forget his crimes. A fitting punishment, considering he'd ruined everything—was still ruining everything. Even simple things were ruined by his presence—or in this case, by lack thereof.
A trial; basic business that was carried out all the time in Hell. Not usually something anyone worried about in the Pride Ring—sinners did what they pleased, and lawlessness was almost its signature. Sinners may be able to do whatever they want, but Hellborn could not boast the same privilege. Usually, these kinds of things didn't really need his attention. There was a whole system in place that made him nothing more than a glittering distraction. Truthfully, most things involving Hell's justice system didn't need any of the Sins involved. This had been different.
Rare were the circumstances in which all seven of the Deadly Sins were called into attendance, but when an imp was caught stealing a grimoire from a Goetic Prince? Yeah, that required more regal attention. The summons should have clued him in. He should have known this trial was important, and not just something he could skip over like he had the million other summons before. They were always so petty, the ruling class of Hell. The Goetia were insufferable elites, born from years and years of fallen angels giving in to lust and multiplying. Over the years, their number had grown, and so too had their power. They were constantly bickering, constantly scheming, and truly every single “trial” he'd ever been summoned to had been a snooze fest. How was he supposed to know this one would be different? How was he supposed to know that by skipping this one, he'd be opening up a can of worms that threatened to crack the very foundation of his precariously built palace of cards?
How was he supposed to know that one little imp might threaten peace between rings?
It wasn't just one little imp, though. It was several little imps, a hellhound, a Goetic Prince, and multiple personal connections to the Sins that now had half of Hell in an uproar and the other six Sins at each other's throats. One trial bled into several weeks of Sins meetings, and it left Lucifer feeling drained and exhausted. The bickering and infighting always left him exhausted. How those six beings could come from his own actions and still manage to clash this much, he would never understand; but they did, and now he was left in charge of brokering peace between two of the more hot-headed among them, and one who was usually quiet but had suddenly decided to find his voice.
Fuck, he wished Lilith were here.
That spiked through his chest painfully, and he flinched away from even the briefest thought of her name. She was so much better at this than him. She was regal and commanding. Her presence was often enough to end petty squabbles before they even began. She may not have been one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but she held more authority over them than any other being in existence, including the little golden King meant to rule them. If she had been there, none of this would have happened. She would have kept Satan in check. She would have been fair in her ruling, and she would have found a far more diplomatic solution to the grimoire problem than any of the rest of them had. Even with Lucifer’s absence, things would have ended better if she'd been there.
He sighed again, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and looking down at it as he walked. Still nothing. No calls. No text messages. She hadn't even had the courtesy to leave him on read so he at least had confirmation of life. Nothing. Just a few notifications from the other Sins, a handful of texts from Charlie, and silence from her. Seven miserable years of silence. Almost on muscle memory at this point, Lucifer’s fingers tapped away at the screen until his phone started to call her. He held it up to his ear as he stepped into the large, mostly dark kitchen. A wave of his hand turned the lights on, and he reached for a wine glass. He placed it on the counter as his tail wrapped itself around the neck of the already open bottle of wine he'd left out that morning. The prehensile little appendage tipped the bottle over the glass, and plum-colored liquid poured from it as he propped an elbow on the counter and leaned his head against his hand.
“The account holder on this line is unavailable, or they're avoiding you. Leave a message!” the cheerful little voice on the other end of the phone chirped, as Lucifer's face twisted and he mouthed the words with a childish sort of mocking. Yeah, he'd expected as much. The harsh beep signaled the start of the recording and he sighed again, picking up the wine glass and taking a long drink of it before speaking.
“Heeeey, Apple Pie, it's me again. Lu, Lucifer, your um… your—”
He flinched as the word husband almost left his mouth. No, not that. He wasn't that anymore.
“—friend. I—um, well I was just calling to check on you… again. It's been a while, and you know I just hadn't heard from you so—We just, uh, well, Charlie and I—”
He paused, words caught in his throat and the hint of tears burning at the corners of his eyes. He let out a long sigh and tried to steady himself, his tone shifting from false cheer into something that sounded ancient and tired.
“Look, Lili; I know we don't get along anymore. I know I fucked up, but Charlie—she doesn't deserve this silence, Lili. She's starting this hotel thing for sinners and she's really excited about it, but I'm worried. Things aren't great in Hell right now. I don't know if you've been keeping up with the news or not, but—look, Lilith. I can handle Hell. I can manage the political bullshit. I get wanting to take a break from all that, but—”
He placed the wine glass down and let himself flop over the countertop, his forehead coming to rest on the cool granite.
“Charlie needs you. You're so much better with sinners than I am, and I—she could really use your advice. Maybe you could give her a call? Or shoot her a text message. I don't know, something. We both just—she really misses you, and we—she needs her mom right now.”
*****
Sunlight filtered through the high canopy of leaves overhead as a little angel zoomed eagerly ahead of his two brothers. He was zipping around like the small birds Gabriel had created that drank nectar from flowers, his wings carrying him in any direction they chose as he chattered away excitedly. He was attempting to keep himself from getting too far ahead of them. His brothers followed at a more reasonable pace. Michael, stoic and dignified in the way he moved, Gabriel far more relaxed, but still moving with the regal air of one who was of the higher orders of angels.
The three angels shared much in the way of appearance. All were pale as snow with rosy circles on their cheeks, and bright, piercing blue eyes. A golden glow surrounded all of them, and halos of light shone bright, reflecting off golden hair. Some similarities were shared only between two of the brothers. Michael and Lucifer—the smallest of the angels—were twins, though they differed greatly in height. They were two souls who had been born into creation together as a single being, and later split into two. They shared a face—round and soft, with flat noses. They kept their hair in similar fashions, something that greatly resembled a cockatiel if you asked Michael, though Lucifer argued it was more like a duck's tail. They were perhaps both a little biased, considering they each were designing one of the two birds for the Garden.
Gabriel, their younger brother, was similar in face, though he was more avian in appearance. Thinner cheeks, higher cheekbones—more angular with a slightly pointed nose that reminded Lucifer of a beak. Gabriel let his hair grow long, and it fell around his shoulders down to his mid back in soft curls. Each of the brothers had six magnificent wings that sat on his back. Michael's wings were large, white and gold things, intimidating and proud even as he flew. Gabriel's were an iridescent white and little beams of light sparkled off them, covering the thick foliage in scattered rainbows. Beautiful, both of his brothers. The most beautiful beings that Lucifer had ever seen, and he felt he might be quite an expert considering he'd seen every being ever made.
He could, however, admit in the quiet of his heart that as beautiful as his brothers were, their wings did not hold a candle to his own.
Lucifer was not a very big angel—in fact, he was the smallest angel in Heaven. Forms were fluid and he could look however he wanted, but this form—the one he preferred—was the very first his Father had ever given him. It was small and cute. The other angels seemed to be put at ease by its presence and, truly, Lucifer enjoyed being small. His favorite thing about this form wasn't its size or how cute it was. No, his favorite thing about it was his wings. Lucifer was known as the Star of the Morning. His tears created the first light in the universe, and every star that followed after that first was born from his tears and his love. It seemed only fitting that when their Father gave them wings, his would be made of starlight.
Not just starlight; a whole galaxy. A galaxy that spread wide behind his back. They were massive, far bigger than one would think for such a small body. Novas of light, constellations, swirls of bright-colored stardust, and all manner of other beautiful things that stars had to offer moved across his feathers in a magnificent display. He loved everything about them, and the vanity it brought him was often something he struggled with. It frequently dipped a little too close to pride, which the Divine Plan told them was a sin to be avoided. He was trying to behave, of course—he would hate to disappoint his Father. He was one of the three archangels, and as Michael was constantly reminding him, he needed to set an example for the other angels—and not just the other angels now.
Now, he needed to set a good example for the humans.
For the past fourteen days, their Father had been hard at work creating them. They were meant to be the creatures that would inhabit the Earth once it was deemed complete. For now, they resided in the Garden of Eden. Lucifer and his two brothers had been watching their Father's progress closely, all three of them heavily invested in the two beings who each took seven days to create and would be making the Garden their home. They had been in charge of creating it. They filled it with all manner of plants, animals, and insects. They controlled its climate and made sure it was safe for new life. Lucifer had even gotten to name it, calling it Eden after the little snake he'd created for it; the first intelligent being created by someone other than their Father—another thing he struggled not to feel pride over. A sense of excitement was flowing between them as they made their way towards the large wisteria they'd been told they could find the two humans near. Finally, all their hard work was being put to use, and personally, Lucifer could not wait to meet them.
Adam and Lilith: the first man and the first woman.
They had been watching the process, but none of them had seen the final product yet. As their Father completed each of them, he'd removed them from the angels’ sight. A surprise, he'd told them. They would be so much more magnificent if seen in the Garden for the first time.
“What do you think they look like?” Lucifer mused for probably the ten millionth time that morning.
“We think they will be tall,” Gabriel teased, both of the souls inhabiting his body letting their amusement flow through their grace. “We think they will be far taller than you, little star.”
“Haha,” Lucifer said, sticking his tongue out playfully at his little brother as he flew backwards. “Everyone is taller than me. Besides, that's not what they will look like.”
“Don't encourage him, Gabriel,” Michael said with a long-suffering sigh. “I am tired of repeating the same conversation. We have been over this. They will look how they look. It matters not, as long as they follow The Plan.”
“I think they will be beautiful,” Lucifer said, rolling his eyes and ignoring Michael's words. “I think they will be perfect. The two most perfect beings in existence.”
“‘Perfect’ does not describe how they will look any better than ‘tall,’” Gabriel chuckled, and Lucifer grinned widely at him.
Michael may be his twin and the one who knew his soul best, but Gabriel was secretly his favorite. His personality and humor were far closer to Lucifer's than Michael's serious nature. Gabriel was always more likely to indulge Lucifer and go along with his fun. Not that Michael wasn't fun in his own ways—he just preferred different kinds of fun. He enjoyed things like controlling the weather or working on creating things for the Garden instead of jokes or playfulness. Well, and music, but they all liked music.
“Do you think they will enjoy music, Gabriel?” he asked, slowing enough to almost keep pace, though he continued to fly backwards ahead of them.
“We don't see why they wouldn't,” Gabriel replied with a shrug. “Father likes music, and created all of us to enjoy it. We see no reason it would be different for humans.”
Lucifer opened his mouth to comment further, but stopped as his ears started to pick up what was possibly the most enchanting sound he'd ever heard. Singing, the most beautiful, melodic singing to ever grace his ears. The voice was high and bell-like. It hit his soul and completely knocked his breath from him. He spun around, searching for the source of the singing. He darted forward, flitting past trees and dipping around bushes until the owner of the voice came into his sight. She was tall, as Gabriel predicted—much taller than Lucifer. Her skin was the color of fresh cream and long hair flowed down her back, stopping at her ankles. It was golden, like theirs, though it was slightly muted without the glow of Grace or a halo. As he spotted her, Lucifer landed softly, his feet touching the ground with a barely audible crunch of twigs. Her singing continued and she looked up curiously, her head turning towards the noise. Lavender eyes locked with his, and a soft smile spread across her face.
Lilith, the first woman and single most beautiful thing the little angel had ever laid eyes on.
The sight of her brought tears to his eyes, and as a stray one rolled down his cheek, he could feel the pull of his Grace as the first of many stars created in her name came into existence.
*****
Lucifer let the phone fall away from his ear, the glowing screen facing up in his palm as the back of his hand hit the counter. He let out a long sigh and turned his head to look over at it. He hadn't hung up yet. He almost never did, these days. It wasn't like she was going to listen to it anyway, so what did he care if he left her ten minutes of silence after his message until her inbox finally decided to hang up on him? At least, he didn't think she was listening to them. He supposed she might be. Seven years and not once had he reached a “this inbox is full” message. She was deleting them, at least, but in no way did that mean she was listening to them. He hoped she was. He hoped she wasn't just hearing his voice and immediately deleting them. Even if she wasn't listening to his, he hoped she listened to Charlie's.
Charlie didn't call her nearly as often as he did. They had talked about it a bit. She wanted to give her mom space. Time to heal. Time to be away and take a break. She worked hard for ten thousand years. Surely she deserved that, right, Dad? On some level, he agreed with her. Lilith had been the backbone of the royal family for years. She was the public face of the Morningstars. The Queen of Hell—loved and cherished by all the denizens of Hell, but especially popular amongst the sinners. She'd raised Charlie mostly on her own for the better part of one hundred and fifty years, taken on all public-facing events, went to more Sins meetings than the Sin of Pride had, and was the only one of them any good at negotiating with Heaven. Lilith absolutely did deserve a break—he would never argue that. What he would argue against, though, was the way she had decided to take her break.
A note—simple and vague—left for Charlie to find in the kitchen of her little apartment in Sloth. She'd told her she loved her, told her she would be taking a long-needed vacation, and that she wasn't sure when she'd be back. It was filled with assurances and praise. Told her how proud she was and how she just knew Charlie would be able to handle things while she was away. It piled all kinds of responsibility on the shoulders of their yet-untested Princess, and explained nothing—absolutely nothing. It didn't tell them where she was. It didn't tell them she was safe. All it did was fill Charlie's head full of cheap flattery and tell her not to trust her father for anything.
It didn't say that—not outright. It was polite enough. The things she said were mundane, but Lucifer knew better. He knew her words well enough by now. He knew how she spoke of him when she thought he couldn't hear—he knew how she spoke of him when he could hear. Her opinions of him were low. That hadn't always been the case, but when you fell in love with an all-powerful archangel, you kind of expected him to stay that way.
*****
There was nothing more rewarding than creating new life. As one of the three archangels, Lucifer had been doing it since the start of creation. At first, it had been only small things—microscopic beings that lacked intelligence, but were the necessary building blocks of life. From there he’d moved on to bigger things like plants and bugs. Eventually, he'd created animals—intelligent little beings that filled the Garden and really gave it personality and a sense of life. One of the first he'd created had been snakes. They were skinny, worm-like things that wiggled and slithered across the ground. They were simple creatures, but he was rather fond of them. His first attempt hadn't gone well and was largely considered a failure by most of the other angels, but Lucifer would never say that to her. She was special, and even if she wasn't fit for the Garden, he still loved her dearly. He named her Eden. She was a little white thing with glittering scales and beautiful red eyes. She very frequently could be found on his person, usually wrapped around his arm or draped across his shoulders. That's where she was now, her bright eyes sparkling as she watched him work curiously.
She was not the only one watching him.
Technically, he wasn't supposed to use this much Grace in front of the humans; they were meant to do their creating in Heaven, where they could get approval on designs before they went into the Garden. The thing was, though, Lucifer already had approval on this one. He'd made several of them, and loved each and every one. He was only bending the rules a tiny bit by allowing Lilith to watch him work. Her lavender eyes were wide with wonder as she watched him hold the little glowing ball of Grace in his hands. She always looked at him like this when he let her watch, and he could admit this was far from the first time. He enjoyed her attention. He liked the way she asked questions and the sweet sound of her laugh when he stuck out his tongue in concentration. He loved the way she cooed over whatever he created, and how gentle with them she always was. Truthfully, he really just enjoyed her presence. Lilith was beautiful and soft. She was kind and more intelligent than any of them had ever expected her to be. She was constantly full of surprises, and he loved everything about her.
Michael warned him he might love her too much. He cautioned Lucifer against growing so attached to her. She was meant to belong with Adam, and if she was always spending her time with him, how was she meant to learn to get along with her mate? While Lucifer could see Michael's logic behind it, he struggled to take his advice. He was the Virtue of Love, after all, and his Divine Duty was to love all of Creation; this included the first humans. He didn't personally believe it was possible to love something too much. There were so many different forms love could take, and the more love shown to a being, the more likely it was to thrive. That had always been the case, and he'd proven it time and again. Still, Michael was the older brother, and he was the keeper of their Father's Plan, so Lucifer did try to listen. Unfortunately, he'd never been very good at avoiding temptation, and Lilith was a temptation. It did not help that he knew she was lonely.
Lilith and Adam did not get along well. They had been made to be a pair, but their personalities clashed. Lilith was a soft thing on the outside, but she was strong-willed and independent. She enjoyed learning and was curious about everything around her. She liked to sing and cuddle with animals. She liked to explore the Garden and find all of the new things the angels were constantly adding to it. For the most part, she simply wanted to be left to her own devices unless she asked for company. Adam was not like that. He had a personality that seemed to often clash with hers. He didn't care much for learning or exploring. He showed little interest in the animals around him or the wonders of Creation. He had very little interest in things outside of himself, and Lilith often complained to Lucifer that all he wanted to do was talk about himself or attempt procreation.
He had tried to encourage her to get to know Adam more, and reminded her that procreation was meant to be part of her purpose. All living things needed to procreate for life to continue. The problem was that she didn't find it very pleasant. She didn't give him specifics, but he'd seen the bruises left from their attempts, and he'd held her when she cried about it. He'd brought this to the attention of his siblings and their Father, but none of them seemed to be nearly as concerned by it as he was. All he could do right now was keep her company when she got lonely, and encourage her to keep trying. Perhaps she just needed more time, and she would grow to love Adam. Love wasn't always a thing that came easy for beings still learning how to do it, and it was his job to teach her how, after all.
That was what led him to where he was with her now, sneaking around behind his brother's back to create things for her, as he tried to teach her how to love.
“What will it be, Luci?” she asked him softly, scooting closer to him, her brilliant eyes trained on the glowing ball that was slowly taking shape in his hands.
“It's a surprise, Lili,” he said, flashing her a small smile. “Be patient, I'm almost done.”
“Is it new to the Garden?”
“Sort of,” he nodded, “I only put the first pair in this morning. I think you'll like it, though.”
“I always like what you create,” she said, her tone matter of fact, as though it should be obvious to him.
“I know you do, but this one is special.”
“What makes it special?” she asked, tilting her head curiously as she looked back up at his face.
Lucifer felt his cheeks heat up, and she giggled at him, reaching out to touch his face. They were a brilliant gold where his blood pooled together under them. It was called ‘blushing,’ he'd learned. It wasn't something that had ever happened to him until recently, but when the humans were created, their Father had given them all some new features to help them understand them better. Now he could blush, breathe air, feel hunger, and he had blood pumping through his veins thanks to the new heart beating in his chest. It was taking some getting used to, all these new ways his body could react, but it seemed to amuse Lilith, so he supposed it was worth getting used to, for her.
“Well,” he started shyly, his face heating further still, “I made them for you.”
“For me?” she questioned, her own blush starting to form, a bright rosy red on her cheeks.
“Yes.”
She flashed him a brilliant smile and placed her lips against his cheek. He looked over at her, startled by the action.
“What was that?” he asked, and she giggled at him.
“I'm calling it a ‘kiss,’” she said, crossing her legs and leaning back against her arms.
“Why did you do it?”
“I don't know,” she replied with a shrug. “I felt happy and I just did it. Gabriel said we get to decide what those kinds of things are called when they happen. I like ‘kiss,’ it’s fun to say.”
“I liked it,” he said softly, turning back to his creation as a smile he was unable to control spread across his face. “Will you do it again?”
“I might,” she teased with a little smile of her own, “if I like what you make me. Maybe I'll kiss your mouth, then you can kiss me at the same time.” Her blush deepened, and she looked away from him shyly. “If you want to, of course.”
“I would like that,” Lucifer admitted quietly, grateful the glowing ball of Grace in his hands hid how bright the blush on his cheeks now was.
They sat in silence for a time as he worked, and Lilith moved closer to him again. She snuggled up against his side, resting her head against his shoulder as she watched the little creature form in his hands. When she did, his wings moved to wrap around her on instinct, and one of her hands brushed through his feathers, absently sending little shivers down his spine. It was not long before the little creature was sitting in his hands. It was a small bird meant to be semi-aquatic. It had white feathers and a cute little yellow bill on its face, with bright, intelligent eyes. When he was done, Lilith let out a squeal of delight.
“Oh, Lucifer! It's so precious,” she cooed, reaching out to run her hand across its head. “What is it called?”
“I call it a ‘duck,’” he said proudly, grinning from ear to ear at her enthusiasm. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she replied.
She moved swiftly, leaning over and pressing her lips to his. The “kiss,” as she called it, lasted longer than the one on his cheek had, and he placed the newly created duck down gently so he could pull her into an embrace. His new heart started to beat faster in his chest, and something deep within him began to shift—a new kind of love he was unfamiliar with, sparking into life with an intensity that startled him. In that moment, he realized that Michael might have been right about loving her too much. He should have listened to his brother, but now he found it too late to turn back.
What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into this time?