Chapter Text
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Lucifer could have dealt with a lot of other beings, but Adam… he’s less than tolerable. The laughter is making his eye twitch. His fist clenched at his sides.
Lucifer stood to the side of Lilith. Her hair brushes against his arms as she holds onto him. Her velvety soft eyes are narrowed and worried. She’s almost hiding behind him as Adam moves through the trees. The man's taller than Lucifer, with well-defined muscles from walking and climbing the many trees of Eden. He takes one look at Lilith and Lucifer, and he complains that Lilith isn’t doing enough to help him. As if she hadn’t completed all that was asked of her, as if she never deserved a moment of rest.
They had met many times after that. But each one didn’t endear him any further. If anything, it had given Lucifer reasoning to craft his apple.
Adam’s hands leave small ringed bands on Lilith's wrist. She looks at him and tries to hide the flesh from him. It’s like she is embarrassed by it. Yet, Lucifer knows that she also wants him to see it, to understand what she is going through. He knows it hurts. He can see the way that she winces and rubs at it. He can heal it, he turns it over in his hand, and he tries to put light on it, his magic, and it fades, but there’s still a faint outline there.
“He didn’t mean it.” She claims Adam doesn’t understand that he had hurt her. And maybe that is partially true. The other isn’t particularly bright; he wants Lilith to listen, he doesn’t seem to understand his strength.
And Lucifer tells her. “I’ll do the same to Adam and see how he feels.”
Lilith’s shining smile and laugh make his heart sing.
Adam just has to ruin it by intruding on them and questioning Lilith for laughing as if it is a great sin that they are sitting there and laughing. As if it's horrible that Lucifer tells her things to make her feel better. Embarrassing things that make light of something unacceptable, which makes him feel weird to think about. Lilith, though, makes everything easier and strangely beautiful.
“She's my mate.” He told Lucifer.
“And you don't own her.” Lucifer had responded. “Remember that you are equals.”
And Adam had run to his older sisters and brothers. He told the other angels that Lilith was not doing her duty; he insulates that Lilith is unworthy of the title of equal.
The man-child dares to continue to laugh. Laugh as he did when he crushed Lilith’s idea of coexisting, of sparing the hell born residents. He’s vile and thousands of years haven't changed him. It only seemed to make it worse. He’s become more resentful of women, his deep insecurity leading to whatever this was… perhaps vengeance against Lilith by taking what mattered to her. Maybe it was to spite Lucifer. He doesn’t know. He supposes that he doesn’t care. He got himself an army of women that he got to name and train. It must have been insufferable for them. He looks at the figures around him and can tell that they are all too gangly. Some are holding their spears incorrectly. They are the ‘ideal’ womanly figure of curves and thinness. All things that Adam had forced Lilith to see flaws in herself for not fitting in any longer. How he had been so blind not to see her as the most beautiful thing in creation… Lucifer would never know. He had treated Eve similarly, taking flaws she saw in him personally and leading to insults that eventually made her Envyus.
Eve was the human who bit the apple, but Adam had pushed her to eat from the tree of knowledge. She had only wanted to be his equal.
“You can’t make demands.” The first man starts, but Lucifer silences him by tapping his foot and the ground rumbles, bends under his boots, sending a few of his ‘well’ trained soldiers to the ground. These Exterminators are weak, scrambling to try and stay on their feet when faced with something that can actually fight back.
His stupid laughter cuts short. “What the…”
“You’re in my house.” He smiled wider, his tail flicking the other in the side and Adam almost fell on his sorry ass. It’s so laughable, he can’t help but snort. “Now be a good pet project and take me to see my older sister.”
Adam, rubbed at his side. “Listen here, you mother fucker…”
“Oh, I see that time did not dull your exemplary language skills.” Lucifer hums. “And I don’t think I fucked anyone’s mother.”
“I’ll show you exem-plary language skills.” Lucifer raised a golden brow. “You know what I was saying you, fucker!”
The King sighed. “I suppose that is what caused the initial rift between us wasn’t it?”
“Shut up!” Adam swung that thick battle Ax at him with all the skill that Charlie had when trying to fight imaginary Sinners. Adam whipped it to the side. Lucifer dodged it, and then the next one.
“I’m sorry, was that supposed to land?” He chuckled as several swipes were made.
“Stay still!”
Oh he was going to try and fly at him was he? How laughable. He wasn’t made with wings, his skill at that was just as bad as that with his Ax. A fledgling that had barely learned how to use his wings to his advantage.
“Very slow.” He clicked his tongue loudly. “Do they not force you to exercise more than once a year when you come down here?”
The first man gave a frustrated cry but the next attack was blocked by heavenly interference.
“There’s no need to bully him, Lucifer.” Sera graces him with her presence. “I felt your entrance.”
“Sera. I wish that I could say it’s good to see you, but the last time that we saw each other you were helping a spear through my chest and banishing my wife and I to the void.”
Lucifer leans hard on his cane and a weapon of his own making. His wings unfurling to match hers. His red eyes, and feathers stained by sinful magic, clashed against the pretty white ones that don’t show the ocean of blood that she has helped to make. Not for the first time he’s struck by just how much they both have contributed to the horror on earth. Lucifer gave choice to them and he forever will have that on his hands, but Sera and her like were the ones that had such high, impossible standards, for those that they considered Winners. So now they were here at odds with one another. Yet again mirroring different virtues.
“I was bound by…”
“Yes, yes, our dear father knows all, made all the little rules to bind us to him.”
He pretends that it doesn’t bother him. Because that ultimately was who got the last say in their divine judgement. He had looked to them for help and they had pushed him, continuing on unchanging, and ridged in their narrow view of how things should be. He’s still bitter that none could see things the way he did. He was different and his father made him that sort of outcast, purposely. If there’s a flaw it sits on both Lucifer for being helplessly himself and for being built flawed to start with. Their father made everyone with a plan in mind. Lucifer was bound to fail. He was made to. His sisters and brothers that still reside on high, they seem to think that they are above it all. Somehow their decisions aren’t flawed? Even if it causes more deaths, second deaths, they will continue as they always have.
“Which you and your never meant to be wife broke.” Sera sighed. “But that is why we're talking again today, your wife…”
“Ex-Wife.” Lucifer corrected. “We had a disagreement over our daughter. Which I am sure that Father has told you all about.”
Sera blinked. Her face contorted into confusion.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you.” Lucifer felt that burning feeling in his chest again. Their father knew all, and yet held that information from them. Never explaining his grand plan to anyone and somehow expecting them all to be able to stumble on after him. And punish them if they didn’t fit quite into it. Or maybe that was his jaded view of it? He wasn’t sure anymore. It’s not like his father ever wrote back to him about his requests, his rage, or his pleas over long dead innocent children. Children that never got to have their first breath.
“I did not think that it was possible.” Sera cleared her throat. “Lilith’s curse was absolute.”
“Oh it was.” Lucifer felt the angry growl come from deep in his chest. “The curse I mean.”
“You mean you actually had a thousand stillborns. Ho! Ho! That's…. Man that’s fucked.” Adam cut in. “You and she fucked that...”
Lucifer’s arm shot out and he grabbed at that fat throat. He chokes him, cutting the words out before anything else vile can come from his mouth. His red eyes burning, with horns that sprout from his head. The air charges with his magic, and the ground shakes again.
“Shut up won’t you? No one wants opinions of swine that couldn’t be loyal to either of their wives.”
The man squirms, he likes the way that he does. Maybe that makes him twisted, but really. This was the best that man had to offer?
This was what his father deemed the perfect man?
No… if he’s thinking about a man, his Alastor has far better qualities. Hard to think that he’s so distantly connected to this… The thought makes his noise wrinkle. He pities humanity for that.
“Lucifer put him down.” Sera demands. And Lucifer looks at the way his claws are digging into his thick neck and he drops him. Not because Sera asked him, but because Adam wasn’t worth having the relations fall through so early on.
“... Fuck…” Adam moans like Lucifer actually hurt him.
His dark eyes drifted to him. “I’ll be more civil if you send him far from my presence.”
“Like she would…”
“He can wait for us at the clocktower.” Sera agrees easily.
“What you really are going to listen to this demon scum.”
“That demon scum is the king of all of hell.” She snapped at him. “And you have done enough to embarrass your title as Lead Exorcist. Adam.” She says lighter as if scolding her own offspring. “Please leave before there’s another interdimensional incident.”
“Yeah.. Fine.. what-fucking-ever.” The man sulks back towards his group. “Come on Ladies, let's give the others back up at the tower.”
Sera’s pose is strength and her smiles fixed, but there is a waryness there. “I didn’t know that you had a daughter, to be born in this place…”
“She was never judged, she never fell, yet she still burns with hellfire.” His many eyes in his wings blink back at the many of her pure white ones. She’s still on guard as she should be. He can see in the distance Micheal waiting should it turn bloody. Just like Satan waits from his entry way to wrath.
Justice to match against wrath. They both chose their best escorts and both knew how ugly this could turn.
“I am sorry for that at the very least. It is no fault of hers.” Sera folds her hands in front of her, to comfort herself, or to pray he can’t tell.
“No.” He tilted his head. “I don’t think that you are. She would be a threat to your people’s ideals. It means that Sinners and Fallen can make offspring. It proves very much your fear about us outnumbering you. Charlie is as immortal as yourself and I. She can have many children should she desire it one day. Lilith and myself could as well.”
Sera doesn’t do more than shift her gaze and he can see that uncomfortableness build.
“But yet we have one daughter.” He cuts deeper. “And I would trade a great deal to keep her far from you and your ilk.”
“It saddens me that you no longer think us kin.” Sera doesn’t deny his accusation.
“We are now severed in belief, so no I don’t think we are related in that standing any longer.” He lied. “Angels aren’t supposed to feel remorse.” Lucifer smiles wider. “Dear old dad made us that way. I don’t think that you really know what that means.”
“Of course I can feel sadness.” Her eyes start to blaze.
“No, what you feel is uncomfortable.” Lucifer leans more on his cane. “If it truly saddened you, then the horrors you bring here every year would not continue. We were not made to feel rage, or lust either, just to follow orders, but Humans… they did change things didn’t they? We started to pick up things from them, the only difference is it is okay for them to express it, not us.”
“We are not here to talk about what caused your fall.”
“Even now I can tell that you're worried that I am right.” Lucifer stretched his wings. “But you are right, that's an old, thousands of years old conflict. And we are here because I divorced Lilith and severed most of her connections with hell. We’re here because she felt desperate enough to try suicide by rebellion. I kept my daughter and my other fallen siblings from it. I closed all of the borders to ensure it.”
“And ensured that we would end the rebellion and your civil war for you.” Sera scowled. “It’s just like you to push responsibility onto others.”
That stung but he didn’t let it show. He had been stabbing at her weaknesses too.
“Ah well, you do have more responsibility. You made it your business not mine when you called the first of the exterminations. You vowed to stop any rebel rousing. I promised not to involve myself in them.”
“She waited for an extermination.”
“She knew you’d try to honor the treaty. She’s smart enough to know that she did have my protection until she struck the first of you down.”
“She had weapons.”
Oh, she was digging to try and blame him for that? Huh? Laughable.
Lucifer shrugged. “With all the weapons that you have carelessly left here, it was only a matter of time until someone picked one up and killed an angel. My ex-wife seems to at least be smart enough to hoard them.”
“You are saying that you didn’t arm them.”
“Oh, dear Sera. You armed them by leaving so many sinners’ rotting corpses full of holy metal.” Lucifer twirled his cane, “You're still leaving it all around.” He purposely kicked a broken spear tip. “If you don’t want another uprising, word to the wise…”
His eyes burned. “Clean up your damn messes.”
She swallowed as the weapon skittered off towards the bodies that were still there, bleeding. The cat demons vacant eyes, white and looking at her. This was what she had helped to make, though; she had the decency to at least look at it now. Not hidden up in her golden tower, projecting an image to him.
“If you want us to clean up this mess, then you would approve us to reside here a little longer.”
Lucifer huffed. “No, I don’t want you to stay. I think you overstayed it, honestly. My Lilith could only fight what you sent down. If your people left after their clocked hours, then she wouldn’t have had anything to rage at. Hell can't reach heaven, only you can reach down.”
Sera’s main set of eyes twitched as she was struggling to keep her composure.
“I propose that you give me a list of demands and I will bring them to the sins. Lilith can be held in your custody as a show of faith, and you can send Adam around to collect the weapons that you left out and around with no interference from the hellborn that take interest in collecting the stuff.”
“We did prepare a list of ideal changes…”
“Excellent.” Lucifer cut her off and held out his hand for the scroll.”
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
The words are so bright on the page.
They are enraging.
The nerve of them.
He has every mind to turn back around and slap Sera across her proud face.
This was insulting.
“They gave you a list.” Satan moves as Lucifer ducks under his outstretched arm. The paper is warm under his hands. His mood is shaking hell, but he can’t be bothered to try and contain all of it.
The anger just doesn’t have a place to go. It’s protruding out of his head.
“A joke.” Lucifer crumbles, taking a seat by the fireplace. “But one that we should pretend to entertain.”
“Then the other sins should be called then.” The large dragon’s throat rumbles.
“They probably will not help restrain me from killing Sera or her pet Adam.”
“No, they will probably encourage it.” Satan agrees. “I have a feeling you are deliberately not showing me the parchment because you fear having to contain me without their assistance.”
“I can contain you, my dear friend, but I have no wish to harm you.” Lucifer took a deep breath. “Belphogor is to remain in Sloth. She is protecting those most dear to me.”
“I shall try not to get so upset that only her abilities would calm me.”
Lucifer’s frown is all that he can muster as a response. His magic's boiling over under the surface.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
The hall fills with bickering Sins. The meeting table is long, and there’s hardly a space that doesn’t have someone touching the other. The far back fire burns green, and the faint outline of Belle can be seen as one of her attendants adds logs to it.
The list of demands was as follows.
1) To establish a peaceful ceasefire between Heaven and Hell. Lilith must pay for her crimes, and any of those that she had under her employ or could be counted as accomplices must also suffer the highest of punishments under law. This was to include all her contracted souls, the royals, and anyone else who might have been offering her power.
2) Lucifer was to renounce more ground in Pride to allow for a larger embassy that would allow Angels safe passage to and from Hell for their yearly exterminations. Angels and Heaven would have meetings regularly with Hell in order to rebuild the trust that Lilith had broken and to help further with cooperation. This way, only Sinners would be the ones still targeted by the exterminations. Lucifer was expected to show up for every last one of them and run by with them any issues with the zones and districts.
3) Hell was to pause all sending of Hell’s fallen to earth until further notice. Sanctions for goods from the human world would also be considered.
4) Lucifer was to relinquish any lingering weapons that had been created for the slaughter of Angels. If there were any new developing ones, he would personally destroy them or hand them over before the annual exterminations.
The other demands were not even worth acknowledgment. They ranged from Lucifer giving them more access to the other floors of hell so the angels could meddle more with what the Sins were able to do. Lucifer rubbed at his face because, as it stood, they could not afford not to have any weapons to protect themselves, as it was obvious that Heaven was going to press itself further into Hell's business. Which is why all of them are in an uproar. Mammon, especially because he’s got stocks and other investments at risk.
“We don’t need to worry about their demand for Lililth’s head,” Mammon said. “She’s no longer royalty, and a new queen would be beneficial to building back public opinion, and many would rally under a new, kinder version.”
“You’re just saying that because of marketability.” Ozzie scowled. “You care nothing about the love and Lust that needs to go into these things.”
“It could be good for you to get back into the game.” Bee smiled, trying to make the situation better, elbowing Lucifer lightly in the side. “I know it's been a bit for yah, but you are a fuckin’ catch! After this is all settled, it will be good for yah to let loose a little. You know I got there parties in my ring...”
“I don’t have time for this,” Lucifer started. “Heaven is at our doorstep.”
“There’s always time to get it on.” Ozzie disagreed. “Especially when we're under pressure like this~”
“Can you be serious?” Satan entered the conversation.
“Oh~ I am. There’s nothing like making decisions after a little post-nut clarity.”
“He has a consort.” Belle’s voice entered from the fireplace. “One that he left here in Sloth and is most upset with him."
“Oooo.” Ozzie put his hands to his face, balancing his large head on his thinner hands. “Trouble in paradise.”
“Belle!” Lucifer snapped, face heating, “You were not to announce that.”
The sheep looked anything but apologetic.
“Awww, when can we meet them?” Bee smiled excitedly, tail wagging.
“A new consort.” Mammon perked up. “Exactly what I was saying earlier…”
“Does this mean we are going to get another heir?” Envy interrupted both heads, looking in opposite directions. One to the fireplace for confirmation, and the other watching Lucifer intrigued.
“His consort is a male,” Belle added unhelpfully. “And he threatened to eat half my staff. He did manage to get one finger off one of them.”
Lucifer winced at that information.
“Not to worry, I am sure that it will be a grand reunion. Apologize and show him something grand!” Ozzie squeezed his shoulder. “Besides, make-up sex is always the best~”
“Still another heir would be a good idea.” Satan gave his feelings regarding it. “A male, perhaps.”
“Sexist much.” Bee snapped her fingers. “I think myself and the others rule just fine.”
“I was thinking more about the war front.” Satan snorts out smoke, not liking the attack on his character. “A child that also isn’t part Sinner would mean they are less vulnerable to heaven’s actual spiritual forces.”
“I’ll have you know we're capable of battling.” Bee slammed her many hands on the desk. “I’ve broken those fiery horns of yours if you recall!”
“It won’t matter if he is male.” Mammon sighed. “No way to conceive. There goes the investment outside of Charlie's princess dresses.”
“A surrogate perhaps.” Envy offers.
And just like that, Greed's writing down ideas.
Satan's glad there was an out because that consumes all of Bee’s attention. “In that case, a threesome could be ideal. I have my partner choose the third, usually, to make them feel included. I love him so much, and he knows it's just as much about him feeling good as it is about me.”
“No.” Lucifer hisses, “Absolutely not.”
“Being monogamous is fine.” Ozzie agreed. “Besides, there are centuries worth of time for them to work it all out and keep it interesting.
“ENOUGH.” Lucifer silences them with a hit on the table. “We have limited time; they already have Lilith and have given us their first list of demands. We have to come up with new counter-terms. I already plan to denounce Lilith’s claim to the throne and to out any traitors that could cause us further issues. We can’t be in a civil war, but we also can’t kill everyone in the ruling class if we are to rebuild accordingly, even if they do have something to do with the rebellion. We need to be selective. I require your input that doesn’t involve my love life.”
He glared at each of them before that topic could come back up again.
“You can meet Alastor…” He threw them a name and a bone.
He watched instantly as Bee’s ears perked, Ozzie’s feathers fluffed, Satan’s many eyes widened, and Envy’s both heads hummed. Mammon squeezed his chubby fingers excitedly over his half-written plans for new investments.
“When we have finished dealing with heaven.” He let out a deep breath. “I plan on hosting a party to get things rolling for rebuilding, and you all will be invited.”
That made the chittering start up again for another hour, then the bickering happened for another 4, and by hour 8, they had helped him to set more fair terms. If only to hear him briefly describe Alastor as a very pretty deer demon.
“I shouldn’t have been surprised it was another Sinner,” Ozzie whispered to Bee when he thought that Lucifer wasn’t listening. “He was in love with the first one, enough to fall. It’s his love for them that prompted him to want to give them a will of their own.”
Bee shushed him. "I don't care as long as he's happy, it's been too long Oz, he stopped going to my parties..."