Chapter Text
Chapter 7: A Quick Guide to Marriage
Lucifer gaped down at his hand, staring straight at the masterfully crafted ring that somehow found its way onto his finger.
A woven golden band without much drama. It was loud in its color and details, yet muted in the general assembly. Elegant, wonderfully crafted, and absolutely resembling Cale in its magnificence. Aside from the woven part, small white diamonds ran along the lines in the form of white feathers.
He turned his hand, watching as the light caught onto the band from multiple angles. Transfixed, Lucifer couldn’t take his attention away. His heart was doing cartwheels inside his chest cavity. He wasn’t quite sure if it was excitement or dread.
Cale welcomed the surprise addition with a raised brow. His face was hard to read as he gazed at the equally mesmerizing band on his finger. It resembled the one on Lucifer’s hand, only holding slight differences such as some small rubies shaped into apples running along the woven band.
Michael chose that moment to awkwardly repeat his question.
“So, are you married or not?”
It would have been nice if they weren’t, because then he could dream about being a guest at their wedding. Seeing the deadpan look Cale gave him, Michael knew something was wrong, or at least very odd. Lucifer was at a loss for words, helplessly staring straight at Cale in the hope of seeing no anger or disgust.
They had just started dating. What if Cale decided the whole married part was too much and just left? Fortunately, for his fragile heart, Cale didn’t look too bothered.
Instead of throwing a tantrum, Cale just turned to Lucifer and asked almost casually, “Can you check if we are actually married? Is it legitimate?”
His searching eyes looked over the assembled group. Cale couldn’t spot any guilt, nor did he see any self-satisfied humor. Alastor looked absolutely amused, but more about the situation and less about his involvement.
Charlie looked like her brain had stopped working. Her eyes darted between their hands. Left and right, and back again to left, only to stare at right again. Her eyebrows wiggled up and down as she couldn’t decide on an expression and just went through all of them in a span of a few seconds.
Ultimately, since Lucifer couldn’t directly verify the status of their possible marriage, and with Michael, a visitor from Heaven, still in attendance, they decided to postpone one crisis for another. Even though Alastor had been raging in the general area of the hotel during the battle, the building itself survived the day without a single scratch.
Seeing the hopeful look on Michael’s face, which only got interrupted after he caught sight of the bar in the middle of the room. His face paled, and a hint of green flickered across his expression before he settled it on a polite smile.
Alastor chuckled somewhere in the background.
“Do you want a cup of tea? Or something stronger?” Cale asked Michael after they had just decided that the meeting room was too stuffy and that the lounge with the comfortable couches was more up to their standards. Cale had taken one look at the sad state of the meeting room and decided to help redecorate later.
“Tea, please.”
He couldn’t stomach anything harder than boiled water at the moment. His nerves were on fire, and seeing Lucifer’s face just a few feet away, without either of them holding a weapon, ignited a fire Michael didn’t know how to deal with.
Angel Dust and Husk had grabbed Niffy and made quick work of getting away as far as possible in the shortest amount of time required. They had no place in this type of conversation. This left only the Morningstars, Cale included since possible marriage and all, Alastor, Vaggie, and Michael.
An odd combination, but honestly, at this point, everyone was so past the point of caring.
Cale nodded at the request and grabbed Charlie on his way to the kitchen.
“I forgot where the kitchen is. Can you please guide me?” He pleaded gently, offering Charlie a shy smile with just enough sheepishness that it looked genuine. Charlie looked uncomfortable, wanting to stay with her father, yet she followed him anyway.
It took her a few steps outside the room to notice that Cale was walking a direct path to the kitchen, not looking lost or hesitant.
“Why did you ask me to come along?” She caught up to him, and they walked side by side.
Cale hummed.
“For one, too many drinks to carry alone. I need a helping hand either way. And two, you looked ready to lead the meeting.”
She blinked confusedly at him. Why did the second point sound like a complaint?
“Shouldn’t I? Dad told me that I am in charge of the communication between Heaven and Hell.” Charlie’s face contorted into a frown as she had a small crisis at the whole implication that Heaven and Hell would finally be communicating. So much to do. She didn’t know where to start!
“Of course, it is your job, and so far, you are doing a wonderful job,” Cale said, praising her genuinely with a small smile softening his face even more. Charlie looked away with flaming cheeks. “Yet the current meeting isn’t about Heaven or Hell.”
They arrived in the kitchen, and Cale made quick work of getting the kettle started. He turned around to face Charlie, who had stopped in the doorway.
“Get some tea bags, please. I prefer fruity aromas, and I know your father adores the apple cinnamon blend I made. It’s in the red jar with a crown sticker.”
Charlie went to the cupboard and grabbed the jar Cale mentioned. She took a sniff and breathed in the hearty aroma of cinnamon and apples. It smelled incredible.
“Is it about Dad and Uncle Michael?” She asked hesitantly, delivering the requested goods with a shy offer. Cale took the jar with care, giving her an acknowledging nod in return.
“Yes, I think so.”
Alastor kept an eye on Vaggie, although the grumpy fallen wasn’t known for interrupting important conversations. Better safe than sorry.
“Then, should I leave?”
Cale turned around to face Charlie. Her pretty face looked woeful and sad, with her normally expressive eyes muting to a common, if not slightly depressed, color. She gazed at Cale, expecting one answer, yet her eyes were asking for the other.
“Why should you leave? You are family, aren’t you? Your father is probably a ball of nerves and anxiety at the moment, with your uncle not being much better. They need you to break the ice. I just took you along because I need an extra pair of hands and because you looked worried.”
The kettle whistled, breaking the emotional silence around them. After Cale poured hot water into the prepared tea cups, placing the kettle back where it belonged, Charlie wrapped her arms around him. She made sure to be careful of his wings, yet she grabbed him with a surprisingly strong grip. Her face vanished in the soft layers of his shirt and jacket, while her shaking arms drew tightly around his back.
Cale took a deep breath. He couldn’t recall being hugged like this in a very long time. His arms went around her back, and he returned the hug, albeit more gently. In a way, they were strangers. A few meetings here and there, some tasty meals alongside basic conversations, and maybe a short moment of being alone with each other when Lucifer was off to grab something in a hurry.
However, Cale had become someone Charlie saw as a pillar.
Strong, tall, and confident in what he was doing. He was unlike her dad, who was powerful but scared, or even unlike her mother, who avoided conflict because of the chance that she could lose. Cale was like a deeply rooted tree. He stood where he wanted and raised a brow when someone wanted him to share his space. He wasn’t unwelcoming at all, allowing strangers and friends to find him.
Cale was odd, yet Charlie couldn’t help but enjoy the time she spent with him. He and her father fit together like two puzzle pieces that were always meant to be together.
“Can you remain as well?” She asked. Her face was still pressed tightly against his chest, smushing the words into barely audible quality.
“If you want me, of course.”
Cale had planned on staying anyway. Lucifer had the unfortunate ability to fall into deep holes when there weren’t any, and Cale would be double-damned if he allowed his partner to miss this precious opportunity of reconciling with his family.
They arrived back in the lounge with two trays of steaming tea. Alastor was bullying Vaggie into silence with threatening glares that he hid behind a smiling façade. Vaggie, on her part, just looked highly uncomfortable.
Her awkward state was nothing in the face of the absolute silence that surrounded Lucifer and Michael. The two couldn’t even look at each other, and instead were staring at various furniture options and the damned wallpaper of all things.
Right, Cale wanted to sigh. He didn’t. With a smile, he placed the various cups in front of the thirsty participants.
“It’s an apple and cinnamon blend,” he informed Michael, who gave him a stiff nod. Lucifer stared at Cale with pleading eyes, sighing audibly when Cale sat down directly next to him once everyone had their drinks.
“Okay, let’s do business,” Lucifer said, making jazz hands and chuckling very awkwardly. Alastor made a face, regretting every life choice that led him to this very moment.
Charlie cleared her throat, gaining the attention of everyone involved.
“How about we push that to tomorrow? It’s quite late. Why don’t we relax and enjoy the evening together?”
It was almost funny how similar Lucifer and Michael looked. Both had the same expression of horrified panic that morphed into pure, unfiltered fear at the prospect of having to talk.
“Are you sure? I mean, Michael must be busy all year round. He probably has tons of things to do.” Lucifer started rambling off possible duties Michael was pushing aside. He was nervous enough that the threatening Sovereign of Hell was nowhere to be seen.
Ten thousand years of no contact and only the distant memory of smiles and love. Of course, Lucifer would flounder under the pressure of not fucking it up again.
“I have time,” Michael said, interrupting Lucifer's growing laundry list. “Let’s just catch up. At least, a bit?”
And catch up, they did.
Alastor dematerialized at some points, and Vaggie dragged a half-asleep Charlie to their room, leaving only Michael, Lucifer, and Cale behind. While Michael shared mundane information from above, Cale and Lucifer listened.
As the time passed, Lucifer’s rigid body eased into a more comfortable position. Cale absentmindedly massaged his shoulders, getting a warm smile in return.
“A whole new religion whilst in Heaven, can you believe that?” Michael asked them, utterly flabbergasted. He massaged his brow, taking a moment to sip his nth cup of tea. They all decided alcohol wasn’t the right choice, as getting wasted was not in any of their books this night. Cale supplied them with tea and snacks, which were strategically devoured as the night went on.
“You don’t say,” Lucifer said, leaving forward. “Quite audacious and honestly also mightily impressive.”
Michael nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes! Even more so since it involves your husband.”
Yeah, Cale wasn’t sure what to think about that. He almost choked on his tea when Michael first revealed the whole Caleism debate upstairs. Sure, knowing that all those people he assumed had been eaten by his garden were in fact well and happily upstairs was great, but also, why was he at fault? He had been minding his own business, so how the heck did those Sinners-turned-Winners get redeemed?!
Lucifer preened at the husband part, missing the whole point in Cale’s humble opinion.
“I didn’t do anything,” Cale said pettily. He was this close to crossing his arms and pouting furiously. Naturally, he didn’t. Instead, he settled for sighing exhaustedly with the energy of a worked-up grandpa, and just indulging a still preening Lucifer.
“You didn’t do anything?” Michael parroted. He gazed at his brother with a ‘can you believe that guy?’ type of expression. “Without you, I wouldn’t have the needed proof to end the yearly Exterminations. I grabbed the new Winners and had them practically storm the higher-ups' building, shoving the proof into their faces. One Winner would be an accident, two suspicious, and three maybe a pattern, but since you delivered over fifty in under a year to us, there was no doubt.”
Lucifer had literal sparkles in his eyes as he stared at Cale.
To Cale, it may seem mundane. A slight inconvenience, at best. However, to Lucifer and Michael, beings who lived longer than the world existed, it signaled change. Since humanity came into creation, they had been in a stagnant system. The system, as faulty as it was, had been placed and hadn’t moved an inch since its creation.
Yet Cale arrived and shattered the very foundation of their system in such a short time that it felt barely like a blink. Worst of all, he did it by accident. That would have been hilarious if they weren’t the ones who now had to deal with the aftermath.
To see change happening so fast before their eyes, the angels in heaven were left floundering like fish out of water.
“A miracle,” Lucifer praised wholeheartedly.
Cale looked away, not wanting to see the unfiltered adoration directed at him. The space between them was nonexistent. Lucifer’s strong thighs touched Cale’s with a warmth that traveled up all the way through his body, setting fire to his heart without Cale being able to do anything.
A hand touched his knee, drawing soothing circles across it. Once again, Cale was suddenly hyperaware of the golden band on Lucifer’s hand. He could feel the metal through his trousers. It wasn’t as cold as he expected it to be, nor was it uncomfortable.
As Kim Rok Soo, he had never worn any jewelry. For one, he didn’t have the money to buy some, and two, once the apocalypse hit, any idea of materialistic goods was thrown out the window. Who cared about a shiny ring when they had to worry about putting food on the table?
He found that he didn’t dislike the feeling of the smooth metal on his hand. It had a soothing weight, grounding him and making the events more believable. His mind didn’t try to put traitorous thoughts into his head anymore about Lucifer not being real or serious in his devotion. Whenever he felt like doubting himself, he could touch the ring and have the physical proof that what they had was real.
It was nice.
Cale placed his own hand on top of Lucifer’s, halting the gentle ministrations in favor of interwinding their fingers.
“A miracle indeed,” Michael repeated. He looked at the time and winced when he realized that soon the new day would start. “How about we postpone the official talk to two days from now? This way, you can rebuild a bit and soothe the anxious Sinners, while I can clear house above. Adam’s remaining executioners need to know that they are out of a job.”
Nobody felt inclined to talk about the late Adam and his whereabouts. Hell was suspiciously silent, but it could also just be having a hard time digesting.
Michael got up and reached the door with a few well-placed strides. He turned around, and a warm smile graced his lips at the adorable picture ahead. Even when Lucifer had been with Lilith in Eden, he never had smiled like that.
Lilith was living in Heaven. She was content and fine with not having to deal with her shortcomings and failures. Michael had known she was there the second her feet had hit the ground above. He talked with her, and she explained a bit about what went on below.
A part of him had wanted to rage. To smite her on the spot for taking Samael away from him and then daring to separate. Samael was gone, and Lucifer was jaded and now alone.
How fortunate that Cale came along. Cale did not just replace Lilith. He made a hole for himself and slid into place right next to Lucifer. They matched each other easily. Michael was able to spot that in a few minutes, which was only affirmed the longer he chatted with them.
“See you soon,” he said, and took flight.
Cale and Lucifer didn’t have the time to stand up, much less properly see him off before he went flying into the horizon. The day was barely around the corner, Lucifer realized as he gazed at the slow but steady hellish sun rising in the distance.
He stretched languidly before switching his attention back to the beauty next to him. Cale’s warm gaze was shrouded by sleepiness, yet his eyes were as alert as ever. They just stared at each other, lost in each other's worlds.
“Shall we go to sleep?” Cale asked, pointing upwards.
Lucifer waved his hand and a golden portal opened next to them. With a playful bow, he said, “For you, my darling husband.”
Cale took his hand with a roll of his eyes, and they both stepped through the shimmering portal, arriving in Lucifer’s room where his large bed practically screamed their names. With a snap of his fingers, Lucifer clothed them both in suitable wear. No other words were exchanged as they fell into each other's arms and welcomed their well-deserved sleep.
And if Lucifer grabbed Cale a bit more tightly than normally, Cale didn’t say anything. Lucifer also didn’t mention the obvious fascination Cale had with their matching rings. He welcomed Cale’s searching hand, locking their fingers together without any complaint.
***
They were woken up by an excited Niffy arriving at their door and knocking as politely as she could. This naturally meant that she grabbed her broom and was bashing it onto the sturdy wooden door. The broom lost the battle after only three hits and splintered in every possible direction.
Her job was done, as both Cale and Lucifer woke up from the loud noise.
Lucifer was more awake than Cale, who was well on his way to falling asleep again. Lucifer’s lips twitched indulgently. He was serving as Cale’s pillow at the moment. Crimson hair fell all over Lucifer’s chest as Cale’s head was pillowed on his upper body. Some of the hairs tickled Lucifer’s nose.
He enjoyed the moment just a little bit longer. As his fingers drew lines across Cale’s neck and down his back, Lucifer still wasn’t fully believing his luck. He lifted his arms and watched the light reflect off the ring.
There was a small, barely visible aura around the ring.
He noticed it yesterday when he was made aware of the rings, but disbelief, missed sleep, and a chaotic mind made him believe he was tripping. However, now, with enough sleep, a rested mind, and Cale in his arms, he couldn’t push the truth further away.
The aura around their matching rings was a pale white. Not just washed-down colors with hints of something else, but pure, brilliant white. It was so bright that if the aura was any bigger, Lucifer would be regularly blinded by it.
Only one entity had the power to create those rings, and for the life of himself, Lucifer had no idea why he would choose to do it. Father was mostly gone, so why spawn now just to marry him and Cale?
Not even a hello, just a ‘you are married, lol.’
Lucifer wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream into the void or be angry. Did that mean Father approved? He never approved of Lilith, which was how he ended up below in the first place. Father took one look at his creation and didn’t see her as fitting for Lucifer.
It hurt that he had been right, in the end. Lucifer and Lilith had split because they were too different. Had Father seen it all along and tried to prevent heartbreak? But if so, why didn’t he say anything? Lucifer couldn’t make heads or tails.
Frustrated, he let the hand drop onto the soft covers of the bed. Cale was still lazily keeping his eyes closed. His breathing was quicker, signaling his awake state. But both were comfortable, sow hy move?
Furthermore, if he followed his previous thought process, did that mean Father not just approved of Cale but welcomed him even? Was this a not-so-subtle ‘this time, it will work out ’?
Lucifer dared to hope.
“Awake yet?” He asked, leaning forward with difficulty to kiss Cale’s forehead. Beautiful wine-colored eyes opened just a bit to look up at him. They were still hazy with sleep. So cute, Lucifer couldn’t help himself and stole another kiss.
“No,” Cale replied.
Lucifer chuckled.
“I would love to cuddle some more, but Niffy almost broke the door down a while ago, and since she failed, she will be back with vengeance. I may have strengthened the door, but I am certain she will find a way to get past angelic wards just to chide us.”
Cale’s eyes opened further. He frowned at the ceiling, pushing his face further into Lucifer’s chest. They both drew in each other’s warmth before regretfully separating. A shower and shuffle for clothes later, Cale casually mentioned, “I want to add some of my clothes to your wardrobe. It’s a hassle to conjure them up or go back to my garden to grab them.”
Lucifer would happily create a few dozen wardrobes in under a second to keep Cale by his side. He naturally agreed with a smile so brilliant, it lit up the whole room. Cale looked at the still-closed curtains on the window and accepted his fate.
They were the last to arrive downstairs, which wasn’t surprising.
“Good morning,” Charlie greeted them excitedly.
Alastor’s response was accompanied by his usual static filter. “You mean, good late day, my dear. Those two slept till the day is almost over. Busy night, I assume.”
He laughed away the glowing look Lucifer gave him and amusedly made himself scarce since he had said what he intended to point out. Just to be a menace, Alastor passed Lucifer and grinned even more excessively before vanishing into the floor in a black puddle.
“Why?” Lucifer asked no one in particular, complaining just for the sake of it.
As he got himself a cup of divine liquid and Cale a simple morning tea, everyone still there had relocated to the kitchen. Angel Dust asked the question everyone had been curious about.
“So, are you married or not? It’s important cause I gotta know if I have to throw a bachelor party or if we go straight to honeymoon excess, you know?”
Everyone’s eyes went to Lucifer. Cale sipped his tea, equally curious. He idly traced the ring as he waited for Lucifer’s verdict.
“We are,” the ruler of Hell confirmed.
“How?” Husk asked, blinking furiously in a mixture of deadpan acceptance and utter confusion.
Lucifer laughed painfully.
“Ah, you know, just married.”
“Does it even count? Doesn’t a marriage, especially a religious one, which you obviously have to follow, have the approval of God or one of his priests? It’s not official, right?” Vaggie crossed arms thoughtfully. She wasn’t sure how a pair of rings spawned, but before Charlie got any ideas that end in tears, the ex-executioner wanted to close the topic peacefully.
“About that,” Lucifer was still laughing. It was as awkward as it could get. “It’s official, I am afraid. Stamped and approved by the highest authority.”
“What?”
“What do you mean?”
It was Cale who caught on first.
“You mean God married us?”
Lucifer nodded. “Yeah, he did. He was also the one who create the rings and gave them to us.”
Charlie leaned over the table. Her eyes were two sparkling supernovas.
“How do you know?”
Lucifer placed his hand with the ring on the table. Charlie took a closer look. She squinted at the beautiful band, spotting nothing odd or telling. Just when she was going to ask further, she noticed the slight white aura.
“That light,” she said, pointing at the glow only those two could see. Vaggie may be an angel, or a fallen angel now, but her place on the food chain was so far below that she couldn’t spot anything amiss.
“Yeah, that’s Father,” Lucifer confirmed with a shrug. “He married us, which basically makes it the most official it can ever be. Separating is also, eh, impossible, I think. I have no idea how I could even attempt to undo it, not that I particularly want to.”
He gazed shyly at Cale with half-lidded eyes.
“How did you separate from Mom then?” Charlie inquired softly.
Lucifer took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully.
“We were never married in the eyes of Father. When we fell, marriage wasn’t an option or even an idea. It came centuries later, with the customs of rings even further in the future. Lilith liked the idea, so I made a pair, which we wore together. They held no ceremony or further meaning aside from the implied but not confirmed marriage.”
With the marriage talk out of the way, Lucifer and Cale explained that Michael would be back in two days, or one, as it was already the next day.
“We have to announce the end of the Exterminations and the whole redemption thing,” Lucifer said. “The thing is, I have no clue how we can go ahead with the redemption talk as it is more an accidental thing than a purposeful one.”
Cale was also against the idea of being named. He hated too much traffic, and if people started swarming his garden, he would allow Hell to happily eat them just to get rid of the noise. As if sensing his thoughts, the ground rumbled in agreement.
Furthermore, just announcing it without any proof would gain them rolled eyes and curses, not hopeful believers.
“Let’s talk with Heaven and see if we can create a system that both realms could support.” Cale’s suggestion was met with approval, and they switched to talking about the easier topic, announcing the end of the yearly Exterminations.
Charlie clapped her hands together.
“How about we just announce it on the radio and TV?” As if summoned by the keywords, Alastor popped up from the shadowy mess on the floor.
“We need proof, my dear. Even if I, with my charming and persuasive nature, get them to listen, we need some kind of definitive proof.”
Lucifer made a face. Back to the topic of proof. This time, it was Angel Dust who had the needed idea.
“Well, knowing the TV head, he should have recorded the whole incident and kept it on a few dozen hard drives. Just get him to share it on TV and bam, there is the proof you need.”
Right, one problem solved then.
Charlie and Vaggie left to talk to Vox. Lucifer made them promise to call him and Cale should Vox or his fellow Vees misbehaved. With a wave of her hands and a shouted, “I love you, Dad!” they were off, leaving Cale and Lucifer behind.
“Join me on my way back to my garden,” Cale said. It was a soft command Lucifer adored listening to. They even decided to take the scenic route.
Lucifer unfolded his crimson wings. They gleamed under the red sky of Hell, highlighted by the remaining white feathers scattered throughout his plumage. Cale's wings were pure white and smaller in volume. They barely managed to lift him, although that could also just be because he used them rarely.
Enjoying the wind in their wings, they flew free from any shackle or expectation. Just the two of them and the seemingly vast sky of Hell.
Cale’s garden welcomed them with fresh fruits, delicious-looking vegetables, and the soft grass growing even softer underneath their feet. Or hooves, in Lucifer’s case.
Amid the mundane job of collecting fruits and vegetables to make dinner, Cale asked Lucifer, “Why don’t you move in permanently with me?”
Cale had no problem staying over in the hotel, but once it grew busier, he didn’t feel like living with too many people. He had gotten used to the tranquility of his garden and wasn’t ready to give it up. The hotel wasn’t far away, and with Lucifer’s portal ability, visiting wasn’t a problem at all.
Lucifer’s castle was practically abandoned, and Cale wouldn’t allow him to live there anyway. That place was currently a breeding ground for depression, and he would be damned if he allowed his husband to go back there alone.
Lucifer looked around the garden. It was warm and impossibly beautiful. He once had compared it to Eden, but truth to be told, Eden could never compare to what Cale had created here.
“I would love to,” he said instead of breaking out in tears.
Just a few months back, he had eyed the guest room Cale had given him with a deep sense of longing, and now, he would finally close that chapter by moving in fully. Of course, Lucifer would keep his room in the hotel, but traveling wasn’t the problem in the first place.
He twirled around on his hooves, enjoying the wind that ruffled his hair. The fresh scent of apples and lemons pleasantly assaulted his nose, and even the grass below his hooves shimmered in such a beautiful green; Lucifer thought nothing could ruin this day and feeling.
Naturally, Hell chose that moment to trip him.
He went sprawling onto the floor, eating the very grass he had been admiring from above. Before he could splutter or even curse, a hand appeared in front of his face, offering their help without him having to ask.
Lucifer took Cale’s hand, and they ended up hugging. One pair of eyes, the color of freshly spilled blood, and the other pair with deep, wine-colored traces, gazed at each other. They were face to face and eye to eye.
Partners, and now husbands. And what did partners do? They kiss, right? Lucifer drew Cale into his arms and greedily enjoyed his husband’s presence, while throwing the ground a subtle middle finger. Hell wouldn’t dare trip him while Cale could end up as collateral, so he felt safe and slightly vindicated.
They had all of eternity in front of them, but why gaze into the future when the present was just as beautiful?
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”