Lucifer's Penthouse, Thursday

[my_own_advocate]

It had been days since Dad had announced His retirement and left. Lucifer supposed he should feel relieved by now, or elated. Dad was... vacating their lives for good. And there was no doubt who His successor would be: Amenadiel, who had trained for this for his entire long celestial life.

He could admit in the privacy of his own head that Amenadiel would make a far better God than their Father had ever been.

Not for the first time in the past... month? Had it been a month? Lucifer thought about how they should be headed home. To the Rouge, and its nostalgic sailor aesthetic that, again in the privacy of his own thoughts, Lucifer could admit he sort of missed.

Perhaps it was the matter of Daniel and his well-deserved revenge that kept his thoughts so messy and his feet firmly placed within the boundaries of Los Angeles county. That had to be it. No?

Lucifer poured himself another glass of scotch and leaned against the bar, contemplating the bottles. He did still like this apartment, he mused, so there was that.

[[ expecting one, but open for phone calls ]]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer snorted. "He said enough."

[betterthanaplan]

“Mmm. Or . . . maybe he’s as shitty at communicating as the rest of us.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Didn't you humans invent Occam's Razor for these types of situations?" Lucifer said. "What seems more likely, that Dad is a-- shitty communicator, or that he threw me into Hell, and let at least one of my siblings die, because he can't be arsed to care?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke picked his head up to look Lucifer in the eye.

“That he’s a shitty communicator.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer eyed him back. "Don't be naive."

He thought about Uriel's blood on his suit. "It's been this way all our lives. If He'd cared... Well, we wouldn't have this discussion now, would we?"

[betterthanaplan]

“How many people do you know who have totally blown up their lives because they couldn’t say what they mean?”

[my_own_advocate]

"None who just stood by while one of their children murdered another one of their siblings when they were perfectly bloody capable of interfering," Lucifer snapped, faster than he'd anticipated.

[betterthanaplan]

"Woah, hey, I'm not saying you have to forgive the jackass or anything. Just -- what if this wasn't the first time he lost control of his powers? Maybe he's never been as almighty as he liked to pretend."

[my_own_advocate]

"Duke," Lucifer said, reaching up to press his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "Stop."

It was that or getting up to stalk around to have a drink, and tempting as that was, he was also afraid to break this moment of relative peace entirely.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke did, with a small, frustrated noise. He shifted onto his back again, his head on the pillow this time, though his side was still pressed against Lucifer.

Was it easier for Lucifer, somehow? Thinking he couldn’t love anyone?

[my_own_advocate]

"You're not listening to me," Lucifer said quietly.

Just bulldozing on ahead.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked at him, silently waiting.

[my_own_advocate]

"My brother Uriel came to Earth a number of years ago, when Mum was around," Lucifer said, staring up at the ceiling. "He thought he was supposed to-- deal with her. So he brought the only weapon that can kill a celestial, he found me, threatened to kill the Detective if I didn't hand over mum..."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke frowned. He suspected he had an idea where this was going and sincerely hoped he was wrong.

[my_own_advocate]

"My brother, he had the power to predict what eventual outcome would result from a single action," Lucifer said. "I tried to fight him, but he'd already forseen everything, until..."

He swallowed. "Until in the heat of our battle I stabbed him with the blade." He shut his eyes. "My little brother."

[betterthanaplan]

Fuck.

Duke rolled over again, this time reaching out to tug Lucifer against him. Let himself be Lucifer’s pillow, instead of the other way around.

“I’m sorry.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let him, though he didn't move much. Just let himself lay there, head on Duke's shoulder.

"When Dad came back, it was to break up a tussle between Amenadiel and I and Michael. Said He 'didn't want His children to fight'. Wanted us to hug it out with Michael," he said. "And failing Uriel is supposed to be 'miscommunication'?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke stayed silent again for a long time, his fingers gently stroking Lucifer’s hair.

(Octavia did this too, sometimes, let him hold her but without really giving in. Duke was used to working around it.)

“You said Uriel thought he knew God’s plan.”

So . . . yes. That could be a miscommunication. One God was now trying to avoid repeating by getting personally involved.

[my_own_advocate]

"He wanted to protect Dad from Mum," Lucifer said quietly.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded and stroked Lucifer’s hair.

“And you had to protect her. And Chloe.”

And God had been too busy, what, fucking around to deal with any of it.

[my_own_advocate]

"I'd never killed anyone before."

He didn't deserve Duke's fingers in his hair. He melted into it anyway.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke knew that feeling. He was pretty sure saying so wouldn’t help.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

[my_own_advocate]

"It's my Hell loop," Lucifer said, staring up at the ceiling. "Stabbing Uriel over and over again."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke did his best to wrap himself fully around Lucifer like a blanket.

“And you blame your dad.”

[my_own_advocate]

"It wouldn't be my Hell loop if I didn't blame myself," Lucifer said, leaning into him. He didn't have the strength not to. "But I do blame Dad for caring so little for Uri. For either of us, really. My brother didn't need to be dead."