[Fic] "Finding Home"

[lux_tuli]

Title: "Finding Home"

Fandom: Supernatural

Rating: Teen

Pairing(s): Michael x Lucifer

Characters: Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Chuck Shurley, Castiel, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester

Word Count: 15,013

Summary: [Post S11 AU] Before Chuck goes off with Amara, he reunites the archangels - bringing Michael out of the Cage and resurrecting Raphael and Gabriel. The group is left to deal with all their unresolved issues with each other, for better or worse.

Written for: Angelcest Big Bang

Originally posted: December 28, 2016
Artwork by: omaano

Lucifer was greatly weakened when Amara expelled him from Castiel’s vessel. She had pushed him quite a distance away from the others and it took most of his grace to teleport himself back to see what became of them. He would need to recuperate in order to regain his strength, which would be more easily accomplished if he was contained inside a vessel.

 

He could only look on with fear as he watched his Father grow weaker and weaker, damning his helplessness. Lucifer knew better than to ask Sam for consent so that he could assist, and Castiel probably would not grant him permission a second time.

 

So, Lucifer did what he could and started searching for a new vessel, though it would not be easy. Archangels had a much slimmer pool to pick from than their siblings. It all came down to bloodlines, and for Lucifer it was Abel’s. The main line had run through the Campbells, going through Mary Winchester then  Sam. However, Sam did not have any close living relatives on his mother’s side of the family, which meant that his chances of finding a decent vessel were low.

 

Finding Nick had been sheer luck when he had first been unleashed from the Cage. While he had not been his true vessel, he had held up decently well all things considered, which was probably due to the fact that he had come from the Campbell line, despite not being of close relation to Sam.

 

His search took him to a funeral, drawn to a young woman with curly brown hair who mourned for the loss of her father. Her thick framed glasses were covered in tears, hiding her green eyes. It was faint, but Lucifer could feel the pulse from her soul, a low sounding resonance that indicated that she was a descendant of Abel, his first true vessel.

 

Perhaps it would not be too difficult to gain her consent. Humans were much easier to manipulate when under extreme emotional distress. It only taken a few flashes of Sarah to get Nick onboard. He started perusing through her memories to get an idea of how best to approach her.

 

Alexandra, Alex for short. A paralegal in her mid20s. Recreational swimming for leisure. Only child. Rocky relationship with her mother but absolutely adored her father. An agnostic, who despite having a belief in a higher being was rather skeptical of most religious tales. Which meant telling her right off the bat that he was an angel would probably cause her to laugh and not take him seriously.

 

Lucifer followed when she finally departed from the funeral home and returned to her apartment to rest. He scrunched his face when, after  toeing off her shoes, she stripped the rest of her clothes down to her undergarments and stayed like that. Alex curled up on the couch, burying her head into the cushion.

 

“Alex…” Lucifer  called out softly, donning the image of her father before appearing to her. She raised her head, noticed him, and lurched backwards in shock. Her mind was shouting that she had to be hallucinating. Renewed tears cascaded down her cheeks.

 

She closed her eyes, refusing to look at him.

 

---

 

Alex was silent as Lucifer assumed full control over her body, giving her the choice of whether she wanted to be conscious or not. She seemed curious about what he intended to do, so she kept herself aware. He stretched out his wings and flew to the warehouse where they had ambushed Amara. It was little surprise when he found nobody there, since quite a bit of time passed since he had been tossed out of his younger brother’s vessel.

 

But then he felt a warm hand on his shoulder as his name was called. Turning around, he saw the face of the form that his Father assumed, the writer Chuck Shurley. He flinched when he found Amara standing calmly behind him, the memory of her torturing him still fresh in his mind. He prided himself on the fact that it had not broken him, much like he had not broken under the pressure of the Cage, somehow maintaining a semblance of sanity.

 

“I don’t understand,” Lucifer said in confusion.

 

“Amara and I have made peace with each other. I’ve been looking for you.”

 

“I had to find a new vessel. It wasn’t exactly easy.” Lucifer wondered how long she would hold before he would have to start consuming demon blood like he had needed to do for Nick. He hardly thought it was fair that he had to go to such lengths to maintain a vessel that wasn’t his true one when Michael had held up just fine inside the bastard son, Adam. Though it was probably his punishment for rebelling against God.

 

“Before I went off with my sister, I wanted to restore the archangels, which includes bringing back Gabriel and Raphael as well as letting Michael out of the Cage.”

 

“I told you that Michael has lost his marbles. Is it really wise to let him out?” Lucifer had not been exaggerating when he said that Michael had been singing showtunes and touching himself, but that had only been the tip of the iceberg. He had kept silent about how his older brother would pin him against the wall of the Cage and touch his wings in a manner that was much more intimate than a simple grooming, something that had not been shared between them since before he had been cast out.

 

They had been closer than mere brothers back when he was still among the Host as the brilliant Morningstar. When their siblings’ backs had been turned, Michael would lavish him with secretive kisses and loving words.

 

Despite how half-hearted it was coming from Michael inside the Cage, the madness enticing him to act like that, disregarding completely the hurt and angry feelings that still lingered between them, Lucifer quietly accepted it because it was much preferable than being at each other’s throats.

 

“I know it’s complicated, but I will do what I can to give him the help he needs. Though I think I will start off with Gabriel and Raphael,” said Chuck.

 

They were probably the easiest of the two to deal with. Lucifer felt his heart sink with guilt at how he had been the one to kill Gabriel. After Michael, the one that Lucifer had been closest to of all their angelic siblings was Gabriel. He had raised him since he was a fledgling, just as Michael had done with him.

 

Chuck snapped his fingers, and two toddlers appeared before them. The action was draining enough on his Father that he stumbled backwards and was caught by Amara, who offered him support.

 

“I know this isn’t ideal, but it’s the best that I can offer,” Chuck said.

 

Raphael was stubborn even as an infant. She had her arms crossed out in front of her as she sat on the floor while Gabriel had taken to tugging on Lucifer’s pant leg.

 

“How long will it take for them to reach maturity?” Lucifer hoped that they would not age as slowly as humans did. Fledglings at least matured much quicker.

 

“I don’t know. Just be patient with them.” Chuck leaned down and picked up Raphael into his arms.

 

“And where exactly am I supposed to raise them?” And when exactly had he volunteered to be responsible for them? Granted, Lucifer would oblige anyways because they were his siblings.

 

“I still have my old house.” Chuck snapped his fingers and there they were.

 

“What about their memories?” Gabriel kept nudging at his leg until Lucifer relented and picked him up, which was surprising considering the terms they were on when they last saw each other. He had a hunch that his younger brother did not remember his death.

 

“For the moment I have them sealed, but when they are ready, it will come back to them.”

 

“Alright, I’m going to head down and collect Michael.” Depositing Raphael into Amara’s arms, his Father popped away, leaving him with his siblings and aunt.

 

“I’m hungry. I want chocolate chip banana pancakes,” Gabriel begged him. Apparently, despite their size, the toddlers were still capable of speech.

 

“Can you wait until Father comes back? I doubt the kitchen has any food in it.” The dust over the furniture told Lucifer that the house had not been occupied in quite some time. No doubt any food left inside the shelves was expired.

 

“So, umm, no hard feelings, right?” Lucifer licked his lips as he regarded his aunt. At one time, she had trusted him and favored him over his siblings, before realizing that it had all been an act and he had only gotten close as part of his plan with Chuck to seal her away. Though his betrayal was nothing in comparison to the hurt she felt from the betrayal of his Father, her brother.

 

She was silent as she gazed at him, expression indifferent. She had always been a difficult one to read, unlike his siblings.

 

“I suppose not, although I realize that you probably do not regret your actions.”

 

Indeed, Lucifer felt no remorse for deceiving her. She had been a threat to their Father’s creation, just like all the other monsters that the archangels had locked up on God’s command. He knew that light could not exist without darkness, but there had to be a balance, a perfect harmony.

 

---

 

When Chuck returned, Michael was riding around in the flesh of Adam Milligan, the Winchesters’ half-brother that he had been possessing when he fell into the Cage. The baby face really did not suit his older brother at all. Lucifer could feel Michael’s gaze as he looked over his new vessel.

 

“Ah, and one other thing.” Their Father paused for a moment and handed a credit card over to Lucifer. The name on it read “Lucy Shurley”.

 

“It has unlimited funds.”

 

“I know that Gabriel has a habit of shortening my name, but ‘Lucy’…?” Lucifer scrunched his face, perplexed. Not that he had minded the nickname it was normally used in an endearing way but to go officially by it was strange.

 

“Well, I think it would turn a lot of human heads if I put down your full name. I didn’t think ‘Samael’ would cut it either since you have shown no desire to reclaim that name.”

 

Lucifer bit down on his lower lip as he heard his true name, which he had long discarded since he had taken the title of Lightbringer as his own.

 

“True.” He nodded hesitantly.

 

It had been no mere coincidence that his true vessel had been named “Samuel”, just a vowel difference from his true name. Lucifer had sometimes wondered if it had been his Father’s poor attempt at irony.

 

---

 

Once Chuck and Amara had departed, the archangels decided to explore the house to see how many bedrooms it had, not that Michael or Lucifer needed to rest, but in their current state it was possible that Gabriel and Raphael would. Afterwards, Lucifer planned on going to the grocery store so that Gabriel would stop complaining about being hungry.

 

There were only three bedrooms. Gabriel was eager to claim a room as his own, and it was only fair to give Raphael one as well, leaving the master bedroom for the eldest two to share. It was fine as neither one of them foresaw actually using it.

 

Raphael preferred to be held by Michael so there was no competition stopping Gabriel from taking the seat in the shopping cart, bouncing in it eagerly. Lucifer took charge of the shopping as Michael followed behind him, which felt so weird since it was normally the opposite - Lucifer taking orders from Michael.

 

However, Michael was completely oblivious to acting like a human. For as much as Lucifer despised the mud monkeys, he had at least taken advantage of perusing through Nick’s memories as well as Alex’s. Plus, she was still conscious in order to give him advice, though she had told him that she had none to give on raising children.

 

“You have kept your vessel awake,” Michael commented, sounding very sane. It was a surprise that he had not come back singing showtunes as he had inside the Cage. Apparently their Father had done something to relieve some of the craziness. Though Lucifer could still see a spark of madness lurking past the eyes of his vessel.

 

“It was her decision. If she grows tired of it then I will send her soul onwards. I see that you are alone in inhabiting that body. I suppose Adam has been restored back to his proper place in Heaven?” That poor boy. In a way, Lucifer had felt sympathy at how he had been dicked around by his siblings.

 

Lucifer quickly turned to see Gabriel’s tiny hands reaching for bags of candy on the shelves. Immediately, he moved the cart out of reach from the candy and Gabriel had the audacity to pout at him. Damn that sweet tooth he had acquired from masquerading as a pagan trickster.

 

Michael had chuckled at him. “You used to spoil Gabriel when he was just a fledgling. It’s a surprise to see you deny him now.”

 

Lucifer paused in his step as he recalled back to those days.

 

---

 

Michael had a lot more personality before he became the viceroy of Heaven, before he had all that weight of responsibility on his shoulders, though Lucifer was the only one to ever know that side of him. Back when he was a mere fledgling, at a time when he was the only other angel Michael had to worry about, his older brother took him down to the Earth frequently to introduce him to all of their Father’s creation.

 

The flowers had been his personal favorite with all the variations in color and design along with their pleasant smell. Normally their visits were while the sun was out, marking the daytime, but once Michael took him long after the sun had set.

 

Lucifer had clung onto Michael, scared of the darkness. He would not relish in the irony until much later. He had buried his head into the feathers of his brother’s wings.

 

“Nothing will harm you while I’m by your side,” Michael promised, but he did not make Lucifer release him, patient. His head peeked out between the feathers, staring up at him in awe. Oh, how he used to be so captivated by his older brother, idolizing him for his braveness and vast knowledge.

 

“You wouldn’t tell me why you brought me here at this time of day. Tell me?”

 

“Look up,” Michael told him simply and Lucifer complied, letting out a loud gasp as he saw all the bright lights in the sky.

 

“Wow, what are those?”

 

“They’re called stars, though each one has its own name,” Michael explained before delving into a long ramble, naming every single one off to him.

 

“What’s that one?” Lucifer pointed at the brightest star in the sky.

 

“That’s Venus, the Morningstar. No other star shines as bright as it does.”

 

---

 

Once Lucifer had reached maturity and didn’t need much guidance from Michael, he was led under the cover of darkness to the spot where they used to watch the stars—where Michael professed his love and kissed him under the moonlight, calling Lucifer his Morningstar. The nickname stuck.

 

It was not too long after that Raphael and Gabriel were created. The time that they used to spend together had lessened as they became pre-occupied with raising their younger siblings. Even when Chuck had been present in their lives, he was still a hands-off kind of father.

 

Raphael had instantly taken to Michael, following him around like a shadow and trying to imitate him in every way, and Lucifer found himself taking charge of Gabriel. He took him down to the Earth, introducing him to all the plants and animals.

 

Gabriel was most taken by the platypus and despite Lucifer’s warning, dove into the water of a stream and swam after them. Lucifer had to swim after him and scoop him out before he found himself in trouble, since in his naivety he could have provoked them into attacking.

 

Lucifer slowly started to notice that he did not get to spend as much time with Michael as he used to. His older brother had become obsessed with filling the void left by their Father and instituting himself as leader of the Host. It led to arguments between the eldest two archangels and long before the Mark had taken its hold, the divide began.

 

It was Gabriel who comforted him after he stormed out of Michael’s office, the emotions rolling off him in waves. Hugging him tight and telling him that everything would be alright.

 

And Lucifer thought so too when Michael pulled him aside, dragging him to the Earth and kissing him out of sight of their siblings. The only witnesses were the animals inhabiting the tree branches above them.

 

---

 

“Don’t encourage him. He doesn’t need a 5lb bag of Swedish fish. That’s hardly healthy,” Lucifer finally responds as he steps back into the present, shoving the memories back into the recess of his mind.

 

“Are you really worried about that? Human health concerns don’t apply to us.”

 

“All the same, I don’t want to reinforce bad habits.”

 

As if it had not been uncomfortable enough going shopping with his siblings, two of which were kid-sized and deprived of their memories, older women were coming up to him and Michael cooing over how cute their children were. There were comments in particular about how much Gabriel resembled him; Alex had hair that was a light shade of brown, which was darker than Nick’s dirty blond hair.

 

Of course, Gabriel was eating up all the attention from the women. Even dared to call Lucifer “mommy.” Memory-deprived or not, he should be aware that they were only siblings. At least Raphael was well-behaved, having gotten her stern discipline from favoring Michael. Lucifer was tempted to coldly brush them off but Michael was polite, thanking them for the compliments and moving them along in the store. His brother seemed amused by the whole situation, while Lucifer  was thoroughly annoyed.

 

Unfortunately for Lucifer, the excitement did not stop there. When he was checking out their items at the cash register and handed his God-approved credit card to the clerk, he heard a loud squeal.

 

“Oh my God! Are you by chance related to Chuck Shurley? The writer of the Supernatural book series? I’m a huge fan.”

 

Lucifer squinted his eyes at the woman, wondering if Michael’s madness was contagious and had rubbed off on her.

 

“The Winchester gospels,” Michael supplied, only clearing up a bit of his confusion.

 

“Oh. You could say that,” Lucifer said nonchalantly, which turned out to be the wrong response as the clerk squealed even more, then asked him to pass on a ton of messages to Chuck.

 

---

 

“What exactly is in the Winchester gospels?” Lucifer asked Michael as soon as they stepped out of the grocery store, holding Gabriel on his hip. Raphael was seated on Michael’s shoulders as Lucifer handed him most of the bags to carry back to the house. He knew that it obviously was about Sam and Dean, but beyond that he was clueless.

 

“According to Castiel’s report from when he met Father as Chuck, it covers their entire lives in detail. Apparently, the book series has a cult following.” Lucifer was already privy to the details of the Winchesters’ lives from the brief time he inhabited Sam’s body and was able to freely stroll through his memories, but perhaps he should pick up the books sometime just to see what they were like...and what his Father had said about him.

 

“Cult?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow, only able to think of the pagans as comparison.

 

“Not what you are thinking of. Castiel remarked that the fans like to get creative and make works of their own inspired by what they learn from the books. Supposedly, slash fiction is very popular, whatever that means.”

 

Michael had shook his head. Lucifer had no idea either, but he felt Alex’s cheeks blushing in embarrassment and read her mind for the explanation. He could feel his lips part in amusement, letting out a low chuckle.

 

“Your vessel seems rather...flushed. Is there a problem?” Michael’s blond eyebrows furrowed in genuine concern.

 

“Oh, she just informed me  what this ‘slash fiction’ is. It refers to fiction focused on the sexual relationship between two men. Apparently, it is not widely accepted by humans since they misguidedly believe that our Father condemns homosexuality.” He snorted, just another thing that the humans got wrong.

 

“Luci, hurry up, I’m hungry,” Gabriel interrupted, tugging insistently on his shirt. Lucifer pulled on his hand to make him let go.

 

---

 

Angels didn’t require sleep, but apparently Gabriel and Raphael did, both passing out after eating the pancakes that Lucifer  made. Lucifer wondered if the hunger had to do with their present condition and how long would it take for them to go back to normal. In any case, it left him alone with Michael, which was a first since they were trapped inside the Cage together.

 

He was not sure how to handle Michael. Lucifer had been able to get an apology from their Father and had mostly patched things over between them during their sit-down, which had been orchestrated by the Winchester brothers, but things were still unresolved between the eldest archangels. It took Chuck a while to finally relent, and Michael was just as stubborn.

 

Speaking of the Winchesters, Lucifer wondered what would happen if they stumbled upon them. Would they shout and scream until their voices turned hoarse? Would they try to kick them back into the Cage? Surely, their pet angel, Castiel, would feel their grace present on the Earth and would have notified them by now. Alas, they would cross that bridge whenever they got there.

 

Lucifer thumbed idly at the metal charm of a feather, talk about irony, on Alex’s necklace as he took in the scenery of the bedroom that he now shared with Michael. The sheets on top of the mattress laid undisturbed. As he had respected Nick and kept on his wedding ring, Lucifer continued to wear his current vessel’s jewelry, which wasn’t much. Just a bracelet on her left arm and the necklace, both of sentimental value to her, presents from her father.

 

“How is your vessel holding up?”

 

Lucifer felt a warm brush of grace against his cheek as Michael touched him. He closed his eyes at the sensation, which was gentle, bare of all the wrath he had demonstrated years ago when they had been trapped together inside the Cage. Back before the madness had set in, Michael would toss him against the walls and beat the crap out of him. In terms of raw power, Michael had always been the stronger one. Lucifer only had the advantage when it came down to wit and craftiness.

 

“Surprisingly well, considering,” he mused. It had been only a short while since Lucifer had possessed her, but she had yet to show any signs of deteriorating.

 

Michael’s madness materialized later when Lucifer caught him standing inside a closet staring at the wall, a soft Enochian melody slipping out of his mouth, his voice low enough to not disturb Raphael or Gabriel. The cramped space probably reminded him of the Cage. Lucifer never thought that he would be the sane one of the bunch, and he had been inside that prison for much longer.

 

“Come on, Michael.” Lucifer tugged on his arm, trying to get him out of the space. He could see gold specks dancing behind the blue eyes of his vessel.

 

“Do you hate me, brother?”

 

The sudden question caused Lucifer to relinquish Michael’s arm, and he stared with an open mouth. There was no single word to describe his relationship with his older brother accurately. It was complicated.

 

He loved Michael more than anything, perhaps even more than their Father, and it was hard to forgive the hurt he had felt when Michael had rejected him then cast him into Hell. And how he had rejected him again when he had pleaded with him in Stull Cemetery for both of them to just stand down, to refuse to go along with their Father’s plans.

 

“Loving you hurts. I wish I could find the will to hate you,” Lucifer answers honestly.

 

---

 

“You’re doing well.”

 

His Father surprised him with a visit one morning, though Amara was noticeably absent. Lucifer was making scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. Michael was in the living room keeping Raphael and Gabriel entertained with the television.

 

Raphael was well-behaved, but if Gabriel was not distracted, he would cause utter havoc, as Lucifer had learned first-hand one evening when Gabriel had dug through the pantry and ripped open a bag of sugar. The white powder had gotten all over the kitchen floor and it had been a pain to clean up. Gabriel had simply giggled when Lucifer scolded him, though he took it more seriously when Michael joined in.

 

“Is there something you want?” Lucifer gets right to the point. He may have patched things over with his Father, but that it did not mean  he suddenly enjoyed being in His presence.

 

“I know that you had a preference for Nick’s body, so I took the liberty of reconstructing him so that he can permanently house you.”

 

Chuck snapped his fingers and Nick’s body materialized in front of him, just a mere empty shell waiting to be filled. Alex wasn’t bad, but Lucifer knew that her vessel would only house him temporarily, so without wasting any more time he relinquished Alex’s body and entered Nick. Without a soul present, there was no need for consent ,and Chuck had remade him specifically for Lucifer so there should not be any issues with taking immediate possession.

 

Alex looked down at her own body, flexing her fingers in disbelief that she was back in control of herself and free of any blemishes on her skin.

 

“I don’t understand. Lucifer mentioned that my body would start to decay since I’m not his true vessel and his grace would burn through me.” She looked up at Chuck in disbelief, having resigned herself to a fate of slowly being burned away by Lucifer’s grace.

 

“True. The decay would have started in a few months, but your body is more resilient than most,” Chuck answered cryptically.

 

“What do you mean?” Alex pressed for more detail and Lucifer was curious as well.

 

“One of your ancestors was an angel.”

 

Alex, who was still tending to the food that Lucifer had been making, dropped the spatula she was holding into the frying pan.

 

“What!?” Alex exclaimed in shock. It was news to Lucifer as well. When Lucifer had taken possession of her body, she did not feel like a nephilim, but considering how far back this angel was in her family tree could be, the powers could be watered down.

 

“Who?” Lucifer asked, wondering which of his siblings had broken the taboo of sexual relations with humans. Most of the nephilim had been wiped out a long time ago because they were condemned as abominations.

 

“Balthazar, I believe. Though I find his countless affairs with human women less concerning than the weapons he stole from Heaven.”

 

“What?” Lucifer said incredulously. When he had rebelled, he had made off with what weapons he could and hid them inside his crypts. The armory was highly protected with guards always present, but at the time it was easy for Lucifer since he was an archangel and outranked everybody else. Only authorized angels were allowed entry, and for a seraph to break in and make off with some of the weapons was an impressive feat in and of itself.

 

“Can I meet him?” Alex inquired, her voice sounding hopeful for contact with her ancestor. Lucifer knew that she did not have much family left and the few that remained probably believed her to be dead since Lucifer took possession of her body and vanished.

 

“Well, um, Castiel stabbed him. I could bring him back, but I’m a little tired after spending the time to reconstruct Nick for Lucifer. Archangels are complex, to say the least.” Chuck scratched awkwardly at his beard.

 

Lucifer let out a sigh as he recalled the memories he had dug up from sharing a vessel with his younger brother, which was something he would not care to do ever again. He still could not understand why his headspace was the Winchesters’ kitchen, of all places.

 

“Oh.” She looked down in disappointment and distracted herself by trying to fish the spatula back out with her fingers. Blindly grabbing at it with her bare hand, she quickly withdrew as soon as she made contact, letting out a cry of pain.She had forgotten that she was no longer possessed and her body could now feel. Alex popped her fingers into her mouth, sucking on them.

 

“Here,” Lucifer beckoned her, gently grabbing hold of her wrist. As she relaxed her hand in his grip, he let his grace wash over her, healing the burn.

 

“And why don’t you let me finish off the eggs?” Lucifer suggested, retrieving the spatula with ease.

 

“Thanks.” She nodded, stepping away from the stove to lean against the counter.

 

Lucifer watched out of the corner of his eye as Chuck asked Alex for her wallet. The credit card was changed into her own name as a sort of thank you for housing Lucifer, and Chuck provided him with a new one, under the name of “Nick Shurley”.

 

With everything in proper order for the moment, Chuck left. Alex did not make any immediate movements toward the exit, looking at Lucifer intensely.

 

“I just wanted to say thank you. You are not quite what I had expected when you told me who you are.”

 

“You are one strange human.” Lucifer shook his head, letting out a snort.

 

“You may not like humans, but you treated me with respect, even though it was your right to do whatever you wanted with my body. I saw glimpses inside your mind...how the other vessels like me are not so fortunate.” The only downside of keeping her conscious was that she was able to see into his own mind in return, just as Lucifer had been able to freely look through hers, and while Lucifer was able to guard certain parts, he could not guarantee that others would be completely shielded from her.

 

“Indeed, possession is not a pleasant experience for the vessel. You should consider yourself lucky, as an archangel is especially taxing on the human body.” Lucifer brushed it off.

 

When Alex finally took her leave, Michael entered the kitchen alone, leaving Gabriel and Raphael on their own, just as the eggs were finished. He had probably witnessed the human walking away, so he showed no surprise to see Lucifer inside his old vessel.

 

“You’ve gone soft. You were more polite to that human than I thought you would be,” Michael observed.

 

Just because Lucifer was nice to one human did not mean that he had changed his mind about the whole of humanity. They were still flawed abortions that were unworthy of being on this planet but perhaps some of them were not so bad, as Gabriel told him.

 

Though he would never dare to admit that to Michael.

 

---

 

They had taken their siblings to an amusement park, as Lucifer knew that was the kind of thing  families did. He supposed  even a broken non-human family like his should give it a try. Raphael was indifferent to the whole idea, but Gabriel seemed as enthusiastic as a human child would. Lucifer had hung back while Michael took them on an indoor roller coaster ride. It was too dark and gloomy for his taste, reminding him of the Cage.

 

A bit ironic, wasn’t it, that the bringer of light would be frightened of the darkness.

 

He was standing by the ride’s exit when he sensed angelic grace that certainly did not belong to his older brother. Michael’s grace had a commanding presence and radiated unparalleled warmth, but this grace was feeble by comparison. A silver blade was bared and it was certainly not lost on Lucifer that he was still reviled by the entire Host, despite his help against Amara and the fact that his last visit had been at their Father’s request.

 

He might have smoothed things over with Chuck, and Michael may hate him a little less than before, but it certainly did not change anything when it came to the seraphs. All they had been taught since they were fledglings were the stories labeling him as “the Devil” and “the Serpent”. They had never known the angel he was before the Mark had taken its hold and he had fallen.

 

Lucifer raised his hands defensively. “I mean you no harm. How did you find me?”

 

He had taken careful precautions with his vessels, warding himself so that others could not track him down easily. The twisted smile on the seraphs’ face was unpleasant.

 

“It was easy enough locating that woman you were wearing before. Unfortunately for her, she did not survive the grace extraction process,” the seraph said, though the sadistic glee on his face conveyed how insincere his words truly were.

 

Lucifer balled his hands into fists, feeling as though he had let Alex down by leaving her unprotected, but truly he had no idea that anyone would pursue her, much less as a means to get back at him. He might not harbor any love for humans, not even for Alex, but he always felt a sense of responsibility towards his vessels.

 

Hopefully, Alex would at least be at peace with her father in Heaven. Lucifer had read her thoughts and saw that she was concerned she would be damned to Hell for consenting to be his vessel; the realization of angels and the like being real had swayed her away from her agnostic beliefs. However, one did not damn oneself simply by being the Devil’s vessel.

 

“What? Don’t tell me that you actually feel sorry for the mudmonkey? Isn’t this just precious!” The seraph laughed hysterically, as if Lucifer had told a funny joke. Lucifer saw no humor in the situation.

 

“Lucifer?” He heard Michael call his name softly, both of his hands occupied with holding onto their siblings, apparently finished with the ride. Looking between the seraph and Lucifer, he walked over and placed himself in front of Lucifer, shielding him as he stared down the intrusive angel.

 

The excitement that had been on Gabriel’s face from experiencing the ride tapered until it was replaced by a serious look as he stared at the seraph. Gabriel and Raphael, who wore the same neutral expression as always, immediately went over to flank Michael, though their short statures were hardly imposing to the seraph. However, the seraph was so focused on Michael that it did not matter.

 

“Lor...Lord Mi-Michael! I had no idea that you were out of the Cage!” The seraph stumbled, all laughter gone from his face as shock set in on his features. Trust their Father to go on vacation and leave everybody else clueless as to the current situation. The angel didn’t seem to recognize Gabriel and Raphael, which was probably due to their diminished forms.

 

“Was there something that you wanted?” Michael entered full-on viceroy of Heaven mode as he demanded an answer from the seraph, deflecting any inquiry into his presence on Earth.

 

“The Adversary...surely you should strike him down and send him back to Hell where he belongs?” The angel lowered his blade—after all it would not be wise for him to have it pointed at his commander—as his eyes darted between Michael and Lucifer.

 

“There is no need. Father has pardoned Lucifer and he is welcome to walk the Earth as he pleases.”

 

Lucifer would have argued that Chuck had not totally forgiven him but just trusted him not to cause any more chaos, but admitting such would not have helped his cause.

 

“Is that a joke?” The seraph spoke in disbelief. Needless to say, Michael had never been the sort to crack jokes, almost always carrying a serious demeanor befitting his status.

 

“Let me be very clear then. If you so as much lay a finger on Lucifer, I will retaliate,” Michael threatened with a low growl. Gabriel looks up at him with wide eyes, terrified, though Raphael remained indifferent. Hardly anything seemed to bother Raphael to the point of eliciting an emotional response.

 

“B-but….” The seraph attempts to protest but is promptly cut off.

 

“There are no exceptions.”

 

The seraph directed a harsh glare at Lucifer as his plans are thwarted and he flies away. With the threat gone, Michael focused his attention on Lucifer while Gabriel comforted him by hugging his leg since he was too small to reach his shoulders.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Physically, Lucifer was fine. But emotionally? Not so much. Most of his family still wanted him dead, even after he had aided their Father with Amara. Even after he fell, Lucifer never once stopped caring about all his siblings, many of whom he had had a hand in raising, as Michael was often too busy with his duties to spend much time overseeing the fledglings.

 

“I’m fine.” Lucifer detested lying, but he let the words slide out of his mouth anyway. Michael gave him a suspicious look, apparently not convinced, but he did not press him any further.

 

Gabriel served as a welcome distraction when he scurried off towards one of the food stands and demanded a bag of cotton candy. Lucifer thought it unlikely that his brother’s sweet tooth would ever disappear.

 

---

 

That night after the younger archangels had collapsed in their rooms from exhaustion, Lucifer laid himself on top of the bed, looking up at the ceiling, reminded of the days when he used to recline on the Earth and watch the stars back when he still had a place in the Host. He had been granted the title of “Morningstar” after the brightest star in the sky because he had been considered the most beautiful of the angels.

 

Personally, he had always disagreed. It was Michael he had always looked up to in awe.

 

He felt a weight shift on the bed and saw that Michael had curled up beside him.

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Michael asked as he leaned his head against his shoulder, his hand resting on top of his chest. The action was intimate, but it was nothing new between them.

 

“I will have you know that I am not so cheap,” Lucifer teased, wondering when  his older brother had picked up on that particular human expression. Had he been doing research?

 

“My apologies,” Michael said playfully.

 

Lucifer tilted his head the opposite direction when he started to feel warm lips pressing kisses against his neck. After briefly closing his eyes to savor the sensation, he turned on his side and pushed at his shoulders, prompting Michael to stop.

 

“Don’t treat me like a lover unless you mean it. You need to stop flip-flopping between hating me and showering me with love.” Lucifer dug his fingers into his shoulders forcibly, which would have been painful if Michael were anything but an angel.

 

“I never hated you.”

 

Lucifer sat up, staring down at his brother fiercely.

 

“Bullshit. You refused to stand down with me when I asked you to. I never wanted anything to do with Father’s plans, yet you were content to kill me,” he hisses. Lucifer remembered it like it was just the other day. He had been practically in tears, begging— something he hardly ever did — for Michael to walk off the chessboard with him. The Apocalypse never had to happen. It had been his Father’s will, not his own.

 

“Lucifer…”

 

“Don’t you dare feed me excuses about being the good son, just following orders.”

 

As Lucifer tried to exit the bed, Michael pulled him back until he was pressed against his chest.

 

“I’m not. I realize that I hurt you and I deeply regret it.”

 

“Do you really think that I would be swayed by words alone?”

 

“Then please allow me to prove my sincerity to you.” Michael cupped his hands around Lucifer’s right hand and brought it towards his lips, placing a chaste kiss over his knuckles.

 

---

 

When Lucifer went to drag Gabriel out of bed, leaving Raphael as Michael’s responsibility, he found a teenager instead of a toddler. He was pretty certain that humans didn’t grow that quickly but it wasn’t like Chuck had given him a manual for what to expect in regards to resurrected archangels.

 

“Gabe,” Lucifer called softly, leaning over the bed where  Gabriel was sprawled out on his back. Honey eyes opened and blinked until they narrowed in realization—and recognition. Instinctively, Lucifer backed away, unsure of how Gabriel would react to his presence now that he had apparently regained his memories.

 

“Don’t you dare try to run away from me, you coward.” Gabriel sat straight up and leveled him with a harsh glare before Lucifer could dart out of the bedroom. This wasn’t a conversation he was ready to have yet, but it seemed there was no avoiding it anymore.

 

What could he possibly say? There was no apology that spoke enough volumes to convey the hurt and remorse he had felt at stabbing one of his own kin. Lucifer had justified it to himself as self-defense since Gabriel was the one who had brandished his angel blade, but deep down he knew the truth, that his death was completely unnecessary. He had every right to feel betrayed.

 

He refused to look his younger brother in the eye as he slid down onto the bed to take a seat and heaved out a deep breath.

 

“You know, I vouched for you even when the Mark started to take its hold on you and no one else wanted to fight for you. When all they saw was a monster, I saw my beloved older brother being consumed by a darkness that wasn’t him. I, not Michael or anybody else, was the only one that believed in you,” Gabriel ground out, restrained fury dancing behind his eyes. “I can forgive and let go of many things but there is no way that I can easily look past the fact that you stabbed me. With my own blade.”

 

Lucifer clung to silence, letting Gabriel unload his words without interruption. There was nothing good he could say to appease him.

 

“Now, get out of my sight,” Gabriel commanded and Lucifer complied without hesitation.

 

He hid himself inside the closet that he had previously pulled Michael out of, not wanting to face anyone else at the moment, and let the tears stream down his face.

 

Hours later, Lucifer was momentarily blinded by light entering the closet as Michael opened the door and found him seated on the floor. There was no judgment or condescension on his face as he scooped Lucifer up into arms bridal style. It probably looked silly since Nick’s body was larger than Michael’s current vessel, but the size difference meant little thanks to archangel strength, and Michael carried him easily into their shared bedroom.

 

“You haven’t carried me like this since I was a fledgling,” Lucifer commented, giving his brother a small smile.

 

“That’s not true. There was that time where you were injured and surrounded by Leviathans.”

 

Not all of their Father’s creations had turned out well. Shortly after they were created, Chuck had realized how wrong he had gone with the Leviathans and had the archangels assist in locking them up inside Purgatory, which was not an easy task, though it had gone more smoothly than dealing with Amara the first time. Lucifer had taken the lead of the operation and ended up ambushed by the gooey creatures while his brothers were hanging back, awaiting his signal to move forward. One had sunk its teeth into his wings, which had left him briefly unable to fly, and he was helpless until Michael had taken the initiative to catch up to his location.

 

“You disobeyed me. I hadn’t given the order for you to move. Our plan could have crumbled because you decided to play hero,” Lucifer said. Michael might have been the strongest angel of the entire Host but it was Lucifer who was the tactician.

 

“Well, I’m the oldest. You should have been taking orders from me,” Michael said lightly with a playful grin, a rare moment of humor from his older brother.

 

“Mmhm, we both know that wouldn’t have worked out considering what a rebel I am,” Lucifer joked as his brother laid him down on the bed.

 

“I gather that Gabriel has also recovered his memories?” Michael inquired, growing serious once more and taking a seat beside him, fingers intertwining with his own.

 

“Have you seen him?” Lucifer wondered if Michael had an interaction of his own with Gabriel. Perhaps Gabriel would not hate Michael as much since he was not the one that killed him.

 

“No, he stormed out just after I finished conversing with Raphael. She is longing to return home, but I have told her to wait for the moment.”

 

“Why? Don’t you want to return with her?” Lucifer asked. It was unsurprising that Raphael wanted to leave; she had never held much interest in the affairs of Earth, unlike Gabriel, who had grown to adore humanity during his time hiding amongst them. But it was surprising that Michael was not letting her leave, and was choosing to stay himself, especially when he could so easily return to his post. He had not committed the transgressions Lucifer had.

 

“I want to stay by your side and not let you down as I did before. And I can tell that you have no desire to ever return home.”

 

“It’s not my home, not anymore. Last time I went up there, the seraphs flocked around me with their blades out. I would sooner call the Cage my home.” Though that itself was a lie. Lucifer loathed the Cage, all the years spent alone in confinement and deprived of the only love he had ever known, festering anger and bitterness.

 

The simple fact was that Lucifer did not have a place to call home anymore. He had been ejected from the one place that he ever truly thought of as his home, and while Hell had been considered  his domain, he harbored no attachment towards it. Hell was punishment.

 

“And so you intend on continuing to play at being human?” Michael’s tone was skeptical, doubtful that he could live peacefully among them.

 

“It’s not ideal, and I would rather eradicate all the humans from the Earth than subject myself to them, but if it’s the price of me staying out of the Cage then so be it.” Lucifer bared his teeth. He had no doubt that if he stirred up trouble again that his Father would not hesitate to punish him.

 

“Lucifer…”

 

“What? Are you going to say that it’s okay for me to waltz back into Heaven and it won’t be a problem? Don’t bother lying to me,” he scoffed, interjecting before Michael could try to give him any assurance that it would be alright.

 

---

 

Lucifer was inspecting the food that remained inside the kitchen. Now that their younger siblings had recovered their memories, he assumed that they no longer required sustenance, rendering the food they had stocked inside the shelves and refrigerator useless. Things had grown tense between him and Michael since their conversation, but at least his older brother was not intentionally avoiding him like Gabriel, who still had yet to return to the house. Though Lucifer was not too concerned about him since he knew the Earth much better than all the rest of them combined.

 

He knew that something was up when Raphael strolled in with Michael coming up behind her. She never interacted with him unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a shame that Lucifer had never cultivated a relationship with her. Lucifer looked up from the leftovers of the cake he had made for Gabriel to regard them. Both of their expressions equally stony, as if they were mirror images of each other.

 

“We’re returning,” Raphael proclaimed in a clipped tone.

 

Lucifer looked away from his sister to focus on Michael, scrutinizing him.

 

“Is this what you want?” Lucifer bit out, his grip tightening around the edge of the cake container. They were going to leave him here alone. Walk away and not look back as they abandoned him.

 

“I would like for you to be my side as my mate. You are welcome to do so if you change your mind.”

 

Raphael turned to Michael, eyes wide in shock at the use of the word “mate”. It was never a term to be used lightly. They were mates once, but Michael had renounced their ties once Lucifer rebelled.

 

“You know I can’t do that.” Lucifer shook his head, staring down into the cake to avoid seeing Michael’s reaction. “What about Gabriel?”

 

“Gabriel left of his own volition. If he had any care to return, he would have done so by now.”

 

This time, it was Raphael that responded to him. Lucifer can tell that she is growing impatient.

 

“Why don’t you go on ahead?” Michael said, his tone making it an order and not a question. It was clear that he wanted to speak privately with Lucifer.

 

“Look, I’m just doing what Father would want me to,” Michael said once Raphael had left. “The seraphs have been left without proper leadership for too long.”

 

Lucifer let out a hollow laugh. “Are you serious? Have you learned nothing? We’re not mindless drones. Father gave us free will, so use it! Do you really want to go back up there trying to fill in the huge shoes that He left behind?” He grabs Michael by the shoulders of his vessel and shakes him, anger bubbling.

 

Lucifer had heard Chuck say it himself, that he had invented free will. It was natural to then assume that he had intended for the angels to take advantage of it, instead of always blindly following His commands. But in any case, their Father was not giving commands anymore. He had not even ordered Lucifer to help with the other archangels, but Lucifer had gone along with it because they were his family. If he had chosen to go on his own then Chuck would have probably let him be.

 

“It’s all I have ever known.” It was the first bit of honesty to come out of Michael.

 

“So? It doesn’t mean that you should let it define who you are!” Lucifer pleaded in the hope that even if Michael remained intent on going back to Heaven that he would at least make his own decisions rather than deciding based on what he thought their Father would want.

 

“I can’t,” comes the weak response and Lucifer was struggling to hold it together. He missed the moments when Gabriel and Raphael were but toddlers, providing their broken family with a semblance of unity. But now that brief respite was crumbling in front of him and he was unable to do anything to change it.

 

It was the ultimate feeling of helplessness, which for a mighty archangel felt crippling. He let out a loud cry when Michael departed until his vessel’s throat turned hoarse.

 

---

 

Lucifer left the house behind, unwilling to remain there alone after the departure of his siblings. The credit card that Chuck had left him had no limit so he was free to go wherever he liked, but he frequently found himself in the parks. He found nature to be calming and the odd animal that would come up to him provided some brief company.

 

A few times Lucifer healed the injuries of the animals that approached him. Apparently he had been observed doing so, because one day a young male teenager approached him, cradling a robin in his hands, and asked if he could do anything for the bird.

 

“I found him along the side of the road.”

 

“She. The males tend to have darker heads and are larger,” Lucifer corrected the boy as he accepted the robin. He cupped it in his left hand and ran his fingers over the body lightly, making sure not to press too hard before channeling his grace towards the bird.

 

The robin flapped its wing tentatively and let out a chirp of thanks before flying off.

 

“Wow! Are you some kind of wizard?” The boy let out a gasp in awe at the bird’s seemingly miraculous recovery.

 

“Not quite.” Natural born witches, like Rowena, were rare; more often a human had to sell their soul to a demon for power. And generally, they used their newly acquired magic for selfish gain rather than to help others.

 

Apparently the boy spread word of his gifts, because  Lucifer found more humans seeking him out at the park, bringing him sick pets and other injured animals. He only complied because it was for the animal’s sake and not the human’s.

 

Some of the comments from the stunned humans praising his efforts were painfully ironic.

 

“You’re doing the Lord’s work.” Not quite so much anymore now that he was a fallen angel.

 

“Are you Jesus?” Lucifer was once a favored son, but not that one.

 

He laughed them all off, not giving any explanation for his ability to heal others. Lucifer was content lying low and not informing them that he was an archangel.

 

“I heard about a spirit healer working miracles and figured it was you.”

 

Lucifer looked up from the rabbit that he was petting on a bench to see Gabriel, a red lollipop in his mouth. His brother’s features were soft, not carrying the anger from before, which he hoped was a good sign. After all, Gabriel had sought him out, not the other way around.

 

“I saw that the house was empty. I guess that Mikey and Rafey returned to the Host?” Gabriel plopped down next to him on the bench and leaned back against it.

 

“They did.” Lucifer nodded in confirmation.

 

“Wow. Some things never change, huh?” Gabriel let out a snort, but Lucifer could sense the sad undertones lying beneath his statement.

 

“I had hoped that Michael would just let go...be his own angel rather than clinging onto Dad’s coat tails.” Lucifer looked straight forward rather than meeting Gabriel’s gaze. He had thought this opportunity that their Father had provided them with would have allowed them to go back to the way things used to be, even if it were not quite the same, back to when they were brothers, before they had been torn apart.

 

“Sorry.” Gabriel offered his sympathy. “But what are you going to do with yourself? Continue to play at being a faith healer?”

 

“I didn’t plan for this. It just started with a kid and before I knew it every Dick and Jane was coming to see me.” Lucifer shrugged, not sure of an answer. He did not know what to do with himself anymore. Angels simply followed the orders that were handed to them, but Lucifer had embraced free will when he had rebelled against God, so what was there for Lucifer?

 

The Apocalypse, his plans to wipe out all the humans, was off the table and Lucifer had no place in the Host.

 

“Come be a trickster with me.”

 

“You know how I despise the pagans. Filthy sellouts.” Lucifer stared at his brother in disbelief, memories washing him over him of that moment when he had stormed into the hotel on Mercury’s invitation to go to the aid of Sam, his true vessel, who they had planned on using as a hostage against him. The Greco-Roman god had sold out his own brethren without hesitation, which Lucifer abhorred.

 

Loathed as he was by the Host, he would never do that to his own siblings. He had even tried to avoid slaying any of them, but his hands were tied when they took the initiative and his self-preservation instincts had taken over.

 

“Oh yes, like I forgot how you turned a good chunk of them into finger paint. I never cared for Baldr that much, but even he didn’t deserve that.” Gabriel huffed and rolled his eyes.

 

“Who?” Lucifer asked in confusion. Like he knew all their names, pathetic ants that they were.

 

“The guy that you fisted through the chest right in front of the Winchesters? He was my brother too. In fact, he reminded me a bit of you with his arrogance,” Gabriel snorted out and Lucifer bared his teeth at the comparison. He was nothing like them.

 

“They were never your real family. We are,” Lucifer said, his eyes narrowed into slits.

 

“Oh, we are not getting into this again! You have no right to lecture me on family! I got sick of you and Michael being at each other’s throats! I didn’t want to see either one of you dead! And yes, I ran away and went into my own little witness protection, but it was better than standing by and watching you two obliterate each other! The Norse welcomed me with open arms and I  finally felt like I was a part of a happy family for once.” Gabriel spun around on the bench and poked Lucifer in the chest.

 

“We were a happy family too, at one time,” Lucifer insisted. It had not all been bad, there had been good moments for them as well.

 

“Yeah, until Dad gave you the Mark and everything changed. You became tainted by it and I lost the brother that I looked up and adored.”

 

That he could not deny. It had irrevocably changed him. He had been the brightest and most beloved, perhaps that is what had made his fall from grace even harder.

 

“I know.” Lucifer balled his hands into his jeans. It was a constant struggle, being pulled towards the call of Darkness that still lingered inside his grace and maintaining his sanity. Gabriel’s face softened, and he let out a deep sigh.

 

“I get that it hasn’t been easy for you. When I left the house, Dad found me and talked to me about what transpired with Amara after she got out.”

 

Lucifer picked up his head and looked at him with wide eyes. It was to be expected that Gabriel would have not known about that since he was still deceased at the same time. Had Chuck advocated for him?

 

“What did He say?” he asked nervously, licking his lips.

 

Sure, he had ended up helping Dad out but not everything he did after getting out of the Cage reflected well on him. He had manipulated Sam by sending him visions in attempt to possess his true vessel again, although his promise of helping with the Darkness had been sincere no matter what Sam had believed, and when that had failed, Lucifer had preyed on his emotionally compromised younger brother, Castiel. Then he had tried to kill the Winchesters a few times, even if he had been interrupted every time.

 

“That you’re trying,” Gabriel summarized simply, not divulging much detail on what was actually said. How unfitting for God’s messenger to be so tight lipped about His word.

 

“Is that why you’re not seething right now and not trying to beat the shit out of me for what I did to you?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow. Honestly, he was surprised how calm and collected Gabriel had been since he approached him in the park considering how he had previously left so angry.

 

“I still don’t forgive you, but you are my brother, I still love you, though you make it difficult at times,” Gabriel sighed, frowning. “My offer still stands. You don’t have to like the pagans but you could have some acceptable fun at humans’ expense by being a trickster. I dish out just desserts to those that deserve it.”

 

“You find this entertaining?”

 

“I can get very creative. I made one guy slow dance with an alien.” Gabriel let out a snort at the memory.

 

“You mean those little green dudes with huge black eyes?” Nick had watched his fair share of alien movies and that was the stereotypical appearance for them in media. Personally, Lucifer did not find this portrayal very terrifying and thought the creatures out of the Alien movie franchise were better for striking fear into humans.

 

“What happened to your huge hate boner for humans? How in Dad’s name do you know about their popular culture?” Gabriel gave him an incredulous look for understanding his references.

 

“Know thy enemy.” Lucifer shrugged as if it was not a big deal.

 

“Bro, that’s a quote from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. A human wrote that. A brilliant one but still human, nevertheless.” Gabriel shook, laughing in disbelief.

 

“Perhaps humans had their moments, but that doesn’t change anything.” That was the closest thing to a compliment that Gabriel would ever get out of him about humans.

 

“You know more about humans than most angels do. I bet you that Michael wouldn’t be able to quote me Sun Tzu. Don’t you see how ironic this is?”

 

Lucifer titled his head at him, not quite seeing the irony as Gabriel did.

 

“I took the liberty of perusing Nick’s memories thoroughly merely to grant me any advantage that I could grasp onto so that I would have the upper hand over Michael. I would be remiss to not to fully understand my vessel before taking him,” he explained smoothly. It had made sense to him to learn all that he could, even if most of the material tended to be worthless.

 

Gabriel started howling, tears leaking out of eyes, as if he had told a joke.

 

---

 

Lucifer was skeptical of Gabriel’s plan to convert him into a pagan trickster but he went along with his scheme because it allowed him to be close to his brother and right now, he would do anything to stay that way rather than wallowing in loneliness. Gabriel had become Loki by absorbing the dying pagan into his grace, which is how he had been able to assume his identity without issue. However, his brother was not going to let him kill another pagan to take their place so they went about establishing Lucifer in a different manner.

 

Japanese mythology was rich with pagan lore, or so Gabriel had explained. One type of trickster they had was a kitsune, a type of fox spirit that are believed to serve Inari, the Shinto deity of rice.

 

Lucifer had no interest in bowing before some pagan, but Gabriel assured him that it would not be necessary to interact with Inari. So long as he was correct, Lucifer did not have any complaint.

 

In order to assume the identity of a kitsune, Lucifer had to do a lot of research. He had found it common that when the fox spirit took human form, it would be in the form of a woman.

 

“Are you trying to imply something by intentionally selecting a creature for me that has feminine inclinations?”

 

Even when Gabriel had been without his memories, he had been eager to tease Lucifer about possessing a woman. Angels were essentially genderless, but Gabriel seemed to be trying to make some sort of point, even though Lucifer had possessed more men than women.

 

“Maybe because you were the closest thing that I had to a mother without actually birthing me,” Gabriel said lightly.

 

“What?” said Lucifer, scrunching his face. He was puzzled that Gabriel would label him as a mother figure. The angels only had God as their parent since He was their sole creator.

 

“You were always more nurturing than Michael. He was more of the fatherly type anyways, but that’s beside the point. You used to hold me up against your bosom when I was tiny and healed my wounds whenever I got injured.”

 

Gabriel had been a rather curious fledgling and easily found himself getting into trouble, always clamoring over to Lucifer for help. There were times Lucifer had been tempted to tether him to a leash to prevent any more such incidents.

 

Once upon a time, Michael had been that way. Lucifer had picked up his nurturing ways from his older brother from the time when he was a fledgling. He left the words unspoken on his tongue, not wanting to dwell on how Michael had left him. Michael had chosen Heaven over him yet again.

 

Love hurts, and Lucifer wished there was truth to the widespread rumor amongst humans that angels were emotionless warriors of God. The reality was so much more difficult to acknowledge—that they were not immune at all. They felt so deeply, down to the core of their grace.

 

“Luci.”

 

Lucifer felt Gabriel’s hand on his shoulder, shaking him out of his trance. He had not even noticed that he had been focusing on his thoughts so strongly that he had zoned out everything around him, it was so unlike him.

 

“I’m fine. I just got lost in thought,” Lucifer lied to dispel the worry on his brother’s face. Gabriel did not seem convinced by his words, but he did not press the issue.

 

“If you are ready, we can start you on your new career as a trickster.” Gabriel’s hand squeezed him gently before releasing.

 

Lucifer’s first act as trickster was not against a human, but against his own kin—to be precise, the seraph responsible for Alex’s death. Gabriel was surprised by his choice, but Lucifer felt that Michael had let him off too lightly.  The seraph continued to laugh at his pity for his former human vessel even as Lucifer obliterated him into ash and scattered his pieces across the universe.

 

His vessel’s flesh was wrapped in a traditional kimono and red lines of make-up were painted on his face as he started dishing out just deserts to humans. He used his illusion magic to give himself a fake set of fox ears and a tail to really bring out the kitsune persona. Gabriel let Lucifer take charge, merely watching from the sidelines as he channeled his rage productively.

 

A mother that drowned her own infant was then killed by a giant-sized baby in her home. Her husband, who was the only witness, initially labeled it a rogue zashiki-warashi until other strange deaths started popping up in the small countryside town, which were attributed to divine punishment when the victims’ crimes were exposed. All dealt by the hand of Lucifer.

 

“They call you ikari no kitsune ,” Gabriel informs him as he watches over the local cherry blossom festival, remaining invisible as he stands amongst the crowd of people. He had to admit that the pink blossoms were indeed pretty.

 

“What is that?” Lucifer had never taken the time to learn all the human languages like his younger brother had.

 

“The kitsune of wrath and fury,” Gabriel translated. “Looks like your reputation is growing, which will cause your pagan powers to grow.”

 

Lucifer was still an almighty archangel despite no longer being able to call the Host his home. He could not care less about the pagan powers, but making humans pay for their sins provided him with immense satisfaction.

 

---

 

The archangels attended another festival, on the grounds of a Buddhist temple, intending just to enjoy themselves, rather than finding their next target. Gabriel, who had donned a tengu mask over his face, was drawn to all the stands offering junk food.

 

All the humans were tense around them, sensing that they were supernatural beings, and the crowds parted around them as they walked around the premises. It was probably due to Lucifer’s foxlike features; his ears and tail moved naturally, so people believed they were real and not fake.

 

The vendor selling shaved ice insisted on not accepting any money from Gabriel, but Lucifer’s younger brother was not one to take from another without offering something in return, and deposited yen on the table nevertheless.

 

“Your mask looks silly,” Lucifer commented, looking at the large protruding nose as Gabriel lifted it up so he could push the spoon into his mouth.

 

“Hey, that’s the traditional look of the tengu . It’s not my fault that their noses look phallic,” Gabriel snorted out.

 

“Yet you chose that one intentionally. What is with you and phalluses?” Lucifer remembered quite vividly that Gabriel had called him a “great bag of dicks”. He could not understand his fascination with male genitalia.

 

“Your sense of humor is simply not as refined as mine,” Gabriel smirked around his mouthful of shaved ice.

 

“Right,” Lucifer said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

 

---

 

Neither archangel was expecting it when Castiel popped up in front of them, his face full of panic, interrupting Lucifer’s latest judgment of a man who had battered his wife so severely she had to be hospitalized. Lucifer had wanted to draw out the man’s punishment, but the arrival of his younger brother had to be of importance so he settled for crushing the man under a large rock.

 

“Hey, Cassie, how’s it hanging? Still rolling with those Winchester goofballs?” Gabriel grinned at him cheerfully, but Castiel could merely gape as he stared at Lucifer.

 

“He’s probably here for revenge for when I took possession of his vessel.” Lucifer spoke evenly as he stared him down. Though Castiel should know that he was outmatched.

 

“No,” he ground out. Lucifer was glad that he no longer had to present such a face of angelic constipation.

 

“Oh?” Lucifer was intrigued. If Castiel wasn’t here for payback, then perhaps the Winchesters were in danger? But why would he come to them? Surely there were better options.

 

“You are familiar with the Men of Letters?”

 

“Of course. A bunch of nerds that research the supernatural. I’m well aware of the fact that the Winchesters are legacies, which is why they have been inhabiting one of their bunkers. They have quite a library, even if some of the material is outdated and wrong.” Lucifer nodded as he rambled. He would know that even if he had not recently possessed Castiel’s vessel. He would have been remiss if he did not know his true vessel’s lineage thoroughly. He had made the most of his brief time in the Winchesters’ company to read as much as he could, even if it was no comparison to the libraries of Heaven.

 

“Aside from those goofballs, I thought all of the Men of Letters were massacred by Abaddon, so why does this matter?” Gabriel asked, giving a critical look in Lucifer’s direction when he mentioned the knight of hell’s name.

 

Lucifer merely shrugged. He had not given any order to eradicate the Men of Letters, confined inside the Cage as he was; his knight had taken the initiative.

 

“So we believed, but there still exists an active chapter in London,” Castiel reveals.

 

This was surprising news, but Lucifer could not quite understand why it should be so earth shattering.

 

“And? Brother, please don’t bore me with the details and get straight to the point,” Lucifer insisted.

 

“They’re not happy with Sam and Dean, so while Dean and I were preoccupied, they kidnapped Sam.”

 

“Are you seriously asking us to help the Winchesters? Oh, Castiel, you precious little cupcake.” Lucifer let out a howl of laughter, though Gabriel frowned.

 

“Sam is your true vessel,” Castiel reminded him, obviously trying to appeal to his protective side. Perhaps at one time he would have cared, back when he was trying to win him over during the Apocalypse, but he had no need for Sam anymore.

 

“So? He’s the guy that turned me down to prom, twice! And surely you didn’t forget that time you stopped me from killing Sam in the bunker? The saying is ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ not ‘the enemy of my friend is a friend.’” Sam had made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with Lucifer, and Lucifer knew when he was not wanted.

 

“I wouldn’t have come to ask you if I hadn’t already exhausted all my other options,” Castiel ground out, growing frustrated.

 

“What if it had been Alex?” Gabriel spoke up. Lucifer spun around and leveled his younger brother with a glare. He disliked how his pity for his previous vessel was being perceived as holding attachment or care towards her.

 

“Despite your implications, she meant nothing to me. Just flesh to temporarily house me.” Lucifer refused to be swayed into taking action, even by Gabriel’s attempts at goading him. Castiel had a deer-in-headlights look of confusion, while Gabriel was not so convinced by his words.

 

“Fine, be stubborn. I will accompany you, Cassie,” Gabriel offered.

 

By this point, Lucifer was used to his siblings leaving him behind. Michael had left without a second glance, so it was only a matter of time before Gabriel joined him in a similar fashion.

 

---

 

Lucifer found himself having less fun dishing out just deserts in Gabriel’s absence. The thrill was not the same without anyone to share the excitement with. Besides, it was difficult for Lucifer to be alone. Angels were not made to be solitary beings, which is why Lucifer had been made to fit Michael. They thrived being together rather than apart.

 

It was no easy feat to catch Lucifer off guard. He was used to being paranoid from fending off his siblings’ attempts to kill him. However, it was unexpected for a mere human to get the jump on him. Lucifer blamed his current emotional weakness.

 

He was hit with a spell that immobilized him and a sigil was painted on the back of his vessel’s body with human blood, which kept him temporarily powerless. Then he was dragged away, face covered with a blindfold to keep him unaware of where he was being taken. Though, from what Lucifer could tell, he was taken in various different cars and an airplane for a lengthy amount of time.

 

When the blindfold was finally removed from his face, Lucifer was surprised to see a correctly drawn archangel trap below his feet. He wondered how these pesky humans had found the design. The archangels had made sure to not tell anyone how to draw it, least of all the humans.

 

He looked up and around at his surroundings. He was in an abandoned warehouse and across from him in a chair ten feet away sat his true vessel, bound by more restraints than he was, since the archangel sigil would not hold him. Honestly, the chains on Lucifer’s feet and wrists were just pure overkill.

 

“If you are still sitting here, then no wonder dear Castiel was so desperate for help,” Lucifer remarked. He had no exact timeframe for when Sam had been taken, but he could only assume that it had been a while ago judging from Sam’s haggard appearance.

 

From the looks of it, the British Men of Letters had lined the perimeter of the building with anti-angel wards, but that was child’s play for Lucifer. The issue was the trap underneath him; not only did it keep him confined to the space, like a demon trapped inside a devil’s trap, but it also dampened the strength of his magic, which meant smiting was out of the deck.

 

“Shut up, princess, we’re running the show here.” One of the thugs punched him in the gut. The injury was not permanent—his magic was still strong enough to heal the damage instantly—but it still hurt. Though he was not going to provide these pathetic maggots with any satisfaction by admitting that.

 

“Oh, please, that was nothing! I’ve had worse!” Lucifer smirked. It was no false bravado. He had endured two stints confined inside the Cage, clinging onto any remnants of sanity, and endured torture by the hand of his aunt, who unlike most others knew exactly what the limits of an archangel were.

 

The thugs merely grunted before leaving them totally alone. Sam did not look too good, bruises and cuts visible on his face. Lucifer had not been planning to make his true vessel’s kidnapping his business, but here he was, so it forced his hand.

 

“ Michael! ” His gaze turned towards the Heavens as he screamed out his older brother’s name in Enochian using what he could manage of his true voice. As his true vessel, intended to fit his grace, Sam should be able to withstand the sound. If his screams from the Cage  when Amara was released had been noticed by the demons, and Amara’s own cry for her brother had been able to reach and shake the Host, then his call for his brother should be heard as well.

 

Hours passed by. Lucifer’s call remained unanswered. His heart started to sink. Did he mean that little to Michael that he would ignore his plea? What happened to his assurance about proving himself, or were those just fabricated words to temporarily sate him? Ultimately, this occasion was just another one to add of the tally of how many times his older brother had let him down.

 

Lucifer had never thought highly of the Winchesters, finding them occasionally amusing at best. But at least Dean always had his younger brother’s back, despite all the shit they went through together. He hated to admit it, but he wished his brother were more like Dean Winchester. Lucifer had no doubt that Dean was doing whatever within his power to get his brother back.

 

“Say yes, invite me in,” Lucifer said. Sam seemed intent on ignoring him, but this was the only idea that he had to get free. Lucifer was bound by the archangel trap, but he could possibly get around it if he abandoned Nick and took Sam briefly as a vessel, since he did not have such a trap underneath him. With his archangel strength, he could easily break free from the physical restraints and escape. The only downside of his plan that he would have to leave his current vessel behind, the gift from his Father.

 

“Why?” Sam croaks out skeptically.

 

“It’s our only chance for escape. Your brother has been unsuccessful thus far and my own is refusing to respond. Thus, we need to take matters into our own hands.” Even asking Sam to pray to Michael would be a fruitless venture.

 

His true vessel did not respond right away, just staring at him weakly.

 

“And then what? Let you jumpstart the Apocalypse again?” Sam ground out, groaning as he shuffled in his seat. Lucifer was deeply affronted by the comment, coming from his true vessel. Sam was supposed to complement him, but they couldn’t be more dissimilar, their parallels ceasing at the surface.

 

He knew that he was not going to win Sam over by making promises or trying to prove himself, so he changed his tactics.

 

“Look, tell me which one of us is the bigger evil here. The Devil that you went up against before and defeated, or these Men of Letters that you know nothing about?” Lucifer asked, trying to appeal to Sam’s sense of rationality.

 

Sam let out a sigh, and Lucifer could tell that he did not like either one of his options.

 

“Fine, but if you make one step out of line, I am taking control back and shoving you inside the Cage.” The threat was hollow because he knew that Sam does not have the Horseman rings or any other way to send him back down, but it nevertheless conveyed how serious Sam was about not taking any of his bullshit.

 

“Yes.” Sam finally speaks.

 

Bright light filled the warehouse as Lucifer’s grace departed from Nick to his true vessel. He let Sam remain conscious, his thoughts filtering through his mind as he grasped the reins of his body, which fitted him like a glove. However, he felt no victory in finally being back inside his true vessel.

 

Lucifer wasted no time in pushing his wrists out, and the chains binding him crumbled, leaving him free to stand up from the chair. He glanced over at Nick’s body mournfully.

 

“A pity that I will have to waste his vessel again. Especially after Dad reconstructed him for me.” He took one last look at Nick before shifting his focus over to the walls of the warehouse, tracing over the sigils with his finger.

 

“ Can you break them? ” he heard Sam ask, recognizing the warding.

 

“Of course I can. These were only designed to keep out the common angel.” The Men of Letters had been cautious enough to stick him over an archangel trap, but not to reinforce the walls against him. They had severely underestimated him, not expecting him to find a loophole out of his bindings.

 

He let grace seep out of his fingers, and the markings vanished, leaving him free to fly away from the warehouse. But where to go? Perhaps he should go to the bunker because Dean, Castiel, and Gabriel were bound to be there.

 

“ Gabriel? I thought he was dead . Chuck said so himself. ” Once the Winchesters had smoothed things over between Lucifer and his Father, they had initially hoped for the help of the other archangels to go up against Amara.

 

“A lot has transpired since we were separated. I won’t bore you with the details. Needless to say, Gabriel and Raphael were restored and Michael was released from the Cage.” He purposely avoided going into the other archangel’s current whereabouts, especially when it came down to Michael.

 

Lucifer directed himself to the bunker library, where he had spent the most amount of time inside the whole structure, and pans around the room, looking for the others. He saw only Dean and Gabriel, sprawled out on the lounge chairs.

 

“Sammy! Was Cas finally able to grab you out of there?” Dean darted out of the chair and hugged him tightly, causing Lucifer to smile bitterly. No wonder he was not surprised by his sudden appearance.

 

Gabriel recognized his grace instantly, standing up and looking at him with wide eyes. “Lucifer? I thought you said that you had no interest in helping!”

 

“Lucifer!?” Dean shrieked, letting go and reeling backwards as if he had been burned from touching him.

 

“ Let me talk to Dean, ” Sam demanded and he allowed it. Dad knows that he didn’t want to handle Dean going into a tirade about Lucifer possessing his brother, or the fact that Sam gave consent.

 

“Calm down, Dean! I didn’t have much choice!”

 

“Why was Lucifer there?” Gabriel interjected calmly.

 

“He was captured and brought to where they were keeping me,” Sam explained, to the extent that he could.

 

“Holy shit, they got the jump on Lucifer?” Dean exclaimed, then started laughing. Lucifer growled, but it only came out as a low rumbling in Sam’s throat.

 

“I would appreciate it if you took Dean and retrieved Nick for me.” Lucifer pushed Sam aside, easily able to overcome his control, and commanded Gabriel, blatantly ignoring the eldest Winchester.

 

“Alright, but why bring Dean-o?” Gabriel responded over Dean’s protest.

 

“Because only he can get past the archangel trap.”

 

His younger brother’s face paled when the words sunk in.

 

“Damn, how did they know?”

 

“I would like to know that as well.” Lucifer crossed his arms.

 

“What the fuck?” Dean shouted when Michael flew inside the library, probably confused from seeing Adam’s face. Lucifer scowled as he turned to face his older brother, who had probably followed his grace to locate him. However, it was a little too late.

 

“You called for me?” Michael asked, focusing his gaze on Lucifer, paying little mind to the others in the room.

 

“Fuck you, you ignored me for hours and only just now showed up when it was convenient for you. I needed you earlier and you failed me yet again!” Lucifer was enraged, so furious that if it were possible his cold grace would boil hotly. He slapped Michael across the face, leaving a red swollen mark.

 

“Be reasonable, Lucifer,” Michael chided him lightly.

 

“No, you have worn my patience thin! I loved you, more than I ever loved our Father, and in my time of need, you weren’t there! Yet you expounded nonsense about me being your mate! I think you need to re-check your definitions!” He slammed his fist down onto the nearby table, which trembled under the impact.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gabriel corralling Dean away, leaving them with some privacy. Sam remained oddly quiet, though Lucifer had felt his shock at realizing the true extent of the relationship between the two archangels.

 

“I wish Father had kept you locked up inside the Cage.” Lucifer knew that his words would sting, but remembering the false moments of tenderness brought out from his madness or the kisses exchanged long ago was better than enduring this pain.

 

Michael’s jaw clenched, and Lucifer could tell that his words had hit their mark.

 

“Your tongue is as vicious as ever, I see,” he remarks coldly. Well, boohoo if Michael was hurt, it was nothing in comparison to how Lucifer was feeling.

 

“And you are just as callous,” Lucifer retorted.

 

“You certainly don’t make it easy,” Michael snapped. His arm pressed up against Lucifer’s throat, pushing him back until he was pressed into a bookshelf, feeling the spines and shelves dig into his back.

 

The image of it was an odd juxtaposition, needless to say, with Adam’s modest height and Sam’s gigantic size, but physical size was not nearly as important for angels. Getting physical was nothing unusual between them, it was practically foreplay, although Lucifer could feel Sam trembling in terror at his wrath. Hot burning grace crashed violently against icy cold.

 

“Don’t you dare pin this all on me because you are just as equally to blame!” Lucifer pushed back against his brother and broke free from his hold.

 

“What more could you want from me!? I offered you a place by my side in the Host!” Michael shouted, his face turning red.

 

“You’re delusional! Has the Cage cracked your head? All of our siblings despise me, there is no way they would ever welcome me back, even if you okayed it! Heaven isn’t my home anymore.” Why couldn't his brother understand this? There was no place for him. Lucifer was fallen.

 

“Then where do you call home? Hell?” Michael scoffed.

 

“No.” Truth be told, Lucifer did not know how to answer the question. Though for the time being, he considered Earth to be his home, even if it was still occupied by humans that he had so scorned for being flawed abominations.

 

“So be it. If you loathe me that much, then I will do you a favor and leave you. I will not bother you again,” Michael said with finality, speaking with coldness that felt so foreign to him Lucifer had to muster all his strength not to choke on a cry.

 

A flutter of wings and Lucifer was standing alone, the only solace being Sam’s thoughts streaming through his head.

 

This wasn’t how he wanted things to end for them. However, it seemed their broken family was beyond saving, for better or worse. Lucifer preferred to not remember his brother this way, and instead clung tightly to the more pleasant memories of old, of sweet kisses under the night sky and of perfect harmony.

 

---

 

“Where’s Mikey? Don’t tell me you decorated the walls with his guts.” Gabriel greeted Lucifer with light-hearted teasing when he returned, Nick’s body tossed over his shoulder and Dean following behind him. If Lucifer had put his heart into seriously hurting Michael, he could have easily pummeled him since he had the advantage of being in his true vessel.

 

“He has returned to the Host - indefinitely, I presume.” Lucifer watched as Gabriel deposited Nick into one of the chairs and frowned.

 

“Sorry, bro.” Gabriel offers his condolences, knowing that there had been no other pair of angels that had been closer than them.

 

“I will be fine so long as I have you.” Lucifer brushed his hand against Gabriel’s cheek. He didn’t have a place to call home any more, nor an older brother who cherished him, but at least he still had the love of his younger brother.

 

“ You know, there is a human saying that home is where the heart is. It might be cheesy but there is a ring of truth to it, ” Sam stated softly.

 

“This is touching and all, but can I get my brother back and Satan-free?” Dean interrupted the moment and Lucifer rolled his eyes at the audacity.

 

“You’re lucky that I like you, Dean,” he warned, and Dean scrunched his face at the compliment like he was utterly disgusted. Lucifer closed his eyes and sent his grace back over to Nick. When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in the chair and staring at Sam.

 

“Now what? You want to go back to Japan?” Gabriel turned to him, trying to figure out their game plan now that they were reunited.

 

“Before that, let’s show those Men of Letters that we archangels are not to be trifled with.” Lucifer gave his brother a devilish grin, which Gabriel matched. The Winchester brothers were forgotten as the two archangels flew away. No amount of anti-angel warding would be able to shield the British Men of Letters from their combined smiting.

 

Perhaps Sam was right. He did not need to search for a place to call home—he had already found one with Gabriel.