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"Ms. Lopez I am not a church goer, why does there seem to be more people at this crime scene?"
"Oh, it was a bigger service since Easter is coming up next week."
"Bollocks."
Chloe noticed her partner glancing up at the stained glass windows. He looked at the nativity scene with a mix of longing and guilt on his face. She was worried about bringing him onto this case in the first place
"I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." She heard him mutter.
Chloe looked at her partner and did a double take. Was he crying?
"Lucifer, you okay?" She asked.
"I just-- I need a smoke break detective," He said, walking out of the church with a magnetic pull.
***
About 2,000 years ago
The first time he met his step-brother he was small. It was… unnerving to say the least. Lucifer was familiar with infants at least in concept. But how was this tiny, fleshy, human born in the middle of a barn his father's newest favorite, much less humanity's savior?
He watched others come in. They came bearing gifts for the new family; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The last one made him pause. It was oil used in anointing and… embalming corpses. The significance hit him like a ton of bricks. Curse his Father and His bloody foreshadowing. He was so small and yet already marked for death.
He'd been staring for a moment too long. Joseph had taken notice and let him inside. There the King of Hell held the child. An ever familiar rush of protectiveness washed over him. Bloody flock instincts. This kid was his brother. His family. They were in the same boat, in a way; predestined to lose. Lucifer looked around. Maybe it wasn't all hopeless. But Yeshua was also human, meaning he had Free Well. And like hell Lucifer swore he was going to make sure he learned how to use it.
***
Lucifer was wandering around an Egyptian marketplace when a small boy ran up to him and eagerly hugged his legs.
"Brother!" He exclaimed excitedly in Aramaic. "You came back!"
Lucifer sputtered, racking his brain for a reaction that wouldn't stir up attention. "Pipe down child, where are your parents?"
Yeshua rambled on about anything and everything as he guided his older brother back to his parents.
'Was I ever this small?' Lucifer thought to himself. It was a silly question but it brought up memories of lighter times, playing tag with his siblings and such.
"Tell me about how you hung the stars again!"
"If you insist little one,"
Things continued this way for a while. Lucifer would sneak topside to babysit the young king. He taught him how to be clever, to bend the rules as far as they will go and to question what was unjust. Lucifer even managed to make a deal with Amenadiel not to fight until after Yeshua was out of earshot.
Lucifer made one crucial mistake—he cared. And his Father wouldn't let that happen without consequence.
Present Day
Hey Lucifer, if this case is too personal it's okay if you take the week off.
Chloe reread the text for the fifth time, mentally kicking herself. She knew her partner dealt with rejection horribly and she realized it sounded like she was trying to push him away. Now it was 10:00 and he still wasn't at the precinct.
She glanced up at the elevator again, hoping it would be her partner. Speak of the devil, Lucifer Morningstar walked in with his usual pizzazz.
"Morning Detective," he said, setting down her coffee order on her desk. Perfect, like most of the outer things about him.
"I got you're text message and I assure you, I will keep my personal issues out of this case."
Chloe highly doubted that but appreciated the effort nonetheless.
"Thanks Lucifer." She noticed a gift bag he was holding behind his back. And there goes the moment.
"Consider it an olive branch for turning up late," he handed her a small gift bag.
Knowing Lucifer she mentally prepared herself for some gag gift. Making an effort to touch the tissue paper as little as possible while still trying to look supportive, she unearthed the gift inside. It looked like a head band that would go with... a playboy bunny suit.
Before she could say anything Lucifer cut in. "In honor of your rabbit holiday, I am giving you the gift of me." Chloe noticed the button by the top of his collar was undone revealing tight mesh fabric.
"Are you seriously wearing a playboy bunny costume under your suit right now?"
"I could take it off it you'd like," Lucifer purred.
"Yeah, not what I mean." She put the gift bag back on the desk. "Well, we got a suspect to interview," she said, handing him the case file.
The suspect lived all the way in Irvine meaning coupled with traffic they had a solid hour-long car ride.
"You know, there's an Easter egg hunt I was planning on taking Trixie to." Chloe said as the 605 freeway stalled, traffic practically bumper to bumper.
"Egg hunt?" Lucifer echoed. "What would that entail?" It sounded like a genuine question. Sometimes it shocked her how her partner could be so well versed in so many topics and yet be so clueless about completely mundane things. Most of the time she chalked it up to an isolated, maybe even cult induced childhood.
"Well, it's where adults hide candy in plastic eggs for kids to find." She tried keeping her tone casual.
"Hm. I'll see if I can fit it into my schedule." It was a non answer but at least it wasn't a definitive no.
Chloe really wanted her olive branch to work. She could tell something was upsetting him. It wasn't a far jump to guess that it had something to do with the upcoming holiday. She just wanted him to feel supported.
*** Lucifer woke up on the wrong side of bed. Quite literally. More specifically he woke up on the floor, wings fully extended. Bloody wonderful. Now his back was going to be sore. He groaned in annoyance when furling them. Stupid divine manipulation.
Everything felt too much on his senses. The lights walking into the precinct hurt like he had a bad hangover (which honest to Father he probably did). Despite all his best efforts, neither his body nor his mind could forget the day that was coming up. What's worse, it was one of those once in a blue moon years where Easter landed on the day that it actually happened.
Lucifer went straight to Ella's lab, placing down a drink with enough sugar to kill a man.
"Awww thanks Lucifer." Today, his eyes lingered on her signature cross necklace.
"Ms. Lopez, why do you wear that necklace?"
"Well... I wear it as a reminder of God's sacrifice. He loves us so much that he was willing to have his own son bare the weight of our sins," She explained.
But that wasn't what happened, he wanted to scream. God wasn't loving, He was a manipulative asshole. And yet Yeshua had fallen into the same trap he fell into all those years ago; chasing the attention of someone with impossible expectations. So of course he'd chosen to go through with The Plan despite Lucifer's pleas. He suffered hell for, what? The only people who had their slates wiped clean were the people who believed they had their slates wiped clean.
And all Lucifer was left with was a near constant reminder of another brother he couldn't save.
Distantly, he heard Ella call his name. The world feels muted and in focus all at once. He blinks hard, trying to come back to himself. His thoughts felt deafening. He needed to scream but his voice felt frozen.
So he did what he felt familiar; he ran.
He left Ella's lab heading straight for the elevator. Only it opened revealing Trixie and Chole Decker.
"Lucifer!" the Urchin attached herself to his legs. He fought back a sob.
Yeshua was like this a millennia ago.
Different child, but it hurt all the same.
"Detective help," He couldn't do this right now.
"Trixie, let go," her mother said. As soon as she did he sidestepped around her and into the elevator before he could meet Chloe's concerned eyes. He let out a breath. Back to Lux it was to wait out the worst of these feelings.
***
Two days. It had been two days. Chloe checked her phone for the umpteenth time. She was starting to worry. She heard from Ella what happened before he stormed out and worried it was the start of another mental spiral.
Fidgeting, she rode the elevator at Lux all the way to the top.
The penthouse generally resembled her partners disheveled form. Empty glasses were strewn around the top of the piano. Lucifer himself looked like he hadn't slept well, hair slightly curled from lack of styling.
"Lucifer, we need to talk about this. Is everything okay?"
A noise halfway between a sob and a gasp escaped his throat.
"No it's not that Detective I swear. I—" he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. "My step-brother died around this time of year."
"He was my youngest sibling. My father was never one for child rearing so I er— helped out. He was so small and in the end… I still couldn't save him from my father's wrath."
Chloe's froze in shock. Fuck how was everything she learned about his past somehow worse than the last thing. She couldn't imagine the pressure he must have been under, raising his siblings while still being ostracized and antagonized by his own parents.
Her brain started to process the last part. If it was really as bad a Lucifer said, there had to be something the law could do, even given stature of limitation and—
Chloe stopped herself. Lucifer needed a friend right now, not a cop. She only now noticed the hot tears slipping down her face.
"Please don't cry," Lucifer's voice cracked, breaking the silence settled heavily around them.
"Why not? That was horrible what happened and you didn't deserve that." Chloe said breathlessly.
Her partner looked stunned.
"I didn't—?" he parroted.
"No, not at all." She went in to hug her partner. "Lucifer you are a good person."
They were both crying now. Protected in each other's embrace Lucifer felt better. The grief was still there but he wasn't alone in it anymore. And that made all the difference.