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“I thought you didn’t have a favorite animal?”
Adam turned with a grin. “I don’t,” he said, looking down. “It’s weird seeing you from this angle.”
Samael crossed his arms, glaring up at the First Man. “Why are you in a tree?”
Adam shrugged, twisting in the tree and scuttling down quickly before landing on the ground next to the angel. “Hi,” he said, face tilted up to look at Samael. “I was listening to the birds singing. Forgot you were coming by today.”
“I guessed,” Samael said with a soft laugh, picking a leaf out of Adam’s hair. “Did you find something interesting up there?”
“There was a nest!” Adam said, heading off to the river. The pair had said they were going to go swimming today, and Samael had been surprised to find their usual meeting spot empty when he'd managed to reach Eden. “Looks like there's going to be more birds around soon.” He grew pensive as they reached the swimming hole at the bend of the river. “Sami?” he asked, looking over at the angel. “Don't…” The First Man hesitated, “I was wondering, and don't think it means you're not still my best friend in all of Creation, but I was wondering…why am I the only human?”
Samael was quiet for a long moment, which Adam must have taken for hurt, because he quickly began to ramble.
“It's just…you're not here all the time, not even most of the time, and all of the animals are in pairs, at least, and most of them have already started having babies and…” Adam wound down, looking up at Samael, and it tore at the angel’s heart to see the First Man’s eyes, normally bright and shining with happiness, shining now with tears.
“Is that something you would want, Adam?” Samael asked, taking his hands and calming his rambling.
“I don't like being alone,” Adam whispered, looking down at their joined hands. “Every time you leave, I just...I count the seconds until you come back. None of the other angels visit me, and none of the animals talk to me, so…it's just you, Sami.”
“Okay,” Samael said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Adam’s forehead. “I'll talk to Father about it. You are His favorite creation, and I know He wants you to be happy.”
Adam beamed, and it was brighter than even the face of G-d. Samael wondered briefly if that thought was sacrilegious, but very quickly decided he didn't care, as the First Man dove into the water with a splash. Samael couldn't help but laugh as he followed him into the cool, clear water.
“That's not a happy expression.”
Adam looked up with a smile. It was sad around the edges in a way that Samael didn't understand, but that broke his heart nonetheless. “Hi, Sami.”
Samael sat on the ground next to the First Man and let the human rest his head on his shoulder. “Wanna talk about it?” he asked quietly.
“It…” Adam hesitated, looking off towards the horizon, almost like he couldn't bear to look at the angel he was leaning against. “It's nothing, Sami.”
“I doubt that,” Samael said gently. “I haven't heard you sing in a while.” Not since Father had introduced Lilith to the Garden, in fact.
Adam was quiet for several long minutes. “Lilith doesn’t like my singing,” he finally said, his voice so soft that Samael barely heard him speak. “She doesn’t like the birds either. She says it’s unnecessary and annoying noise.” He turned to face Samael properly, and suddenly Samael could see, clear as day, a hand-shaped bruise on Adam’s cheek. “She was very firm about it.”
Samael saw red. He could feel himself starting to glow with holy light, and had to force himself to control it, to keep from harming Adam with it. “May I?” he asked quietly, reaching out a hand, not quite touching the First Man.
Adam leaned into the touch, resting his wounded cheek in the angel’s hand with a slight wince. It was quickly replaced with a look of relief as Samael used the Grace that bubbled so close to the surface to heal the First Man, rather than search out and destroy the First Woman like he so desperately wanted to.
“Better?” Samael asked when the glow of his healing Grace subsided.
“Better,” Adam agreed. “Thanks, Sami.”
“For you,” Samael murmured, leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to the First Man’s forehead. “Anything.”
Lilith’s voice grated. Lucifer wasn’t sure why; he loved his wife, so why did the sound of her voice make him want to peel his skin off most days?
“Lucifer, darling,” Lilith called from the door of his office. “Are you coming to my concert tonight?”
“Of course, my queen,” Lucifer said, quickly finishing the last sentence of the letter he was writing to Leviathan. He could already feel the headache coming on from having to listen to her singing for what would be at least three hours. But it would be far worse for him later if he tried to skip out. He wondered, as he followed his wife out of the palace, if he still had any of that Sins strength pain medicine he'd gotten from Belphegor. He should write her again and see about getting more. It had been a while since he'd gone to visit Sloth anyway; Lilith did so hate to be left alone.
“Lucifer?” Lilith’s nails were sharp where they pricked through the fabric of his jacket as she clung to his arm. “You seem a million miles away, darling?”
“I'm fine, my love,” Lucifer was quick to assure her. If she didn't let go of his arm soon, there would be pinpricks of golden blood on his jacket, and that would just upset his beloved wife. “Just thinking about the best seat from which to hear your beautiful voice during your concert.”
Lilith smiled, and Lucifer knew that most people would see the smile as sharp and vindictive, but it was really just how she showed her fondness for him. “Wonderful, darling,” she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and leaving behind a tacky red mark. “Absolutely wonderful.”
Lucifer paused just outside the door to the en suite of his room at the hotel. Very faintly, over the sound of the water running in the tub, he could almost hear…
“Were you singing, just now?” he asked when he finally entered the room to find his husband in the large tub that took up nearly a quarter of the room.
Adam looked over and smiled tiredly. “Your son wouldn't calm down,” he said, running gentle hands over the pronounced bump that was the only part of Adam, aside from his head, that stuck out of the water.
“Ah,” Lucifer said, crossing the room to sit at the edge of the tub and running a gentle hand over the exposed bump. “Is he asleep?”
Adam nodded and leaned back against the rolled towel acting as his pillow. “Finally,” he sighed. “He's running out of room. I'm sure he'll make his appearance any day now.” Adam looked at Lucifer through half-lidded eyes. “I’d say I can't wait, but I'm sure I won't get any more sleep when he's outside than I do with him inside.”
“Well, at least when he's out here, I can help with some things,” Lucifer said, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Adam’s lips. “Are you going to take a nap?”
Adam hummed, his eyes already closed. “You gonna be my lifeguard?” he murmured, the words nearly slurred, Adam was so exhausted.
“I'll be here,” Lucifer agreed. “Sleep, love. I'll keep you safe.”
Adam was already asleep, trusting in his husband to keep him and their unborn son both safe.
Lucifer leaned forward once more to press a gentle kiss to the bump of their son, feeling the baby shift gently beneath his lips before Lucifer sat back and began to sing, soft enough not to wake Adam, but just enough to soothe them both into a deep and dreamless sleep.