Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Three days. Three days since Lucifer had shown up at the docks with a flaming sword in hand, more terrified than she had ever seen him. Three days since he’d left that message, promising to come clean. Three days since she’d lost her partner.

Chloe knew she ought to be upset. Every time she and Lucifer got close, he retreated. She should have thought that this was another Vegas, another Candy Morningstar. But there had been something in his voice that night - he’d sounded almost hopeful. It had been nothing at all like his fury when he’d run off to Vegas. This was different. It had to be.

“Maze?” she called.

Her roommate poked her head out the living room. “Yeah, Decker?”

“Can you watch Trixie tonight? I just-” Chloe closed her eyes, not knowing what to say.

“Need a distraction?” Maze smiled lazily, catlike. “I have some friends who-”

She blushed. “That’s not what I had in mind.” Maze opened her mouth, but she silenced her. “I just need some air, okay? I’ll be back soon. Let me know if you hear anything.” She met the demon’s eyes.

The smile disappeared and Maze was, for once, serious. She nodded.

Trixie ran towards her, wrapping her arms around her mother. “Come back, okay, mommy?”

Chloe hugged her back. “I will, monkey. Don’t worry.” She shot a look at Maze. “No, ahem, swings.”

Maze shrugged.

“Or knives,” Chloe added.

Maze looked at Trixie, who seemed disappointed. “Fine.”

Chloe closed the door and let the cool night air wash over her. There was something comforting in the chill, her goosebumps reminders that she here, now. At home, at the station, she had to be perfectly composed. She wasn’t just a cop, but the infamous cop from the Palmetto incident, and she had everything to prove. But here, outside, she could break down the her walls and allow herself to feel. She didn’t have to be in control.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, waiting for her thoughts to quiet.

When she’d first heard the message, she’d been scared, terrified even. What could make Lucifer decide to tell her now? What could make him hide it from her for so long? What could make him think that being the literal devil was better than being himself?

She sighed. She couldn’t pretend to understand him, but she wanted to, badly.

When she looked up again, Lux’s bright lights shone in front of her. She didn’t remember walking there.

Chloe pushed the doors open -- Lucifer never bothered locking them -- and entered the nightclub. She threw on all the lights, but after a moment’s consideration, flicked a couple back off, sending the club’s corners back into comfortable darkness.

The piano -- what remained of it, anyway -- lay in a heap on the floor, two polished legs still trying to support it. There were two gaping holes in the back like something had been thrown at it with force.

The piano wasn’t a surprise. After Lucifer had gone missing, Lux had been the first place she’d checked, first by herself then with a small army of police in tow. They had dismissed it, saying that it was likely a product of one of Lucifer’s rages. But she knew he would never do this. It seemed sometimes the only time he was truly happy was when he was playing. He would never destroy it. And when Ella found footage of Lucifer’s abduction, everyone had been forced to agree.

The detective ran her fingers over the top of the ruined piano, smooth as polished metal, humming to herself the only song she knew how to play: “Chopsticks”. Remembering the night he’d let her play with him, she wondered if they would ever get another chance.

Her fingers struck the piano’s rough frame and the last strains of “Chopsticks” faded into oblivion. It seemed right. There shouldn’t be music in Lux without Lucifer , she thought.

Lucifer’s penthouse was untouched. Two glasses on the bar, waiting to be filled. Curtains thrown wide to the L.A. skyline. Polished stone. Priceless artifacts throw casually on the wall. There were no drop sheets. There hadn’t even been time for the dust to take over. But the place howled silently. Lucifer’s absence dug deep into the silence until it became something alive. That everything was so normal seemed a betrayal in and of itself.

It would have been easier if Lucifer’s apartment was trashed.

She allowed herself a rare moment of emotion and poured whiskey into one of the empty glasses. Lucifer wouldn’t mind.

A crash downstairs roused her from her thoughts.

Chloe reached for her gun, and cursed when her fingers found empty air. She’d left it at home along with her badge. She sighed. Of course. Even unarmed, her instincts kicked in and she carefully crept down the stairs.

A form was bent over the piano, shaking. They didn’t seem to be much of a threat, but they were still trespassing.

“LAPD. Hands up,” she called from the landing, hoping he wouldn’t ask for a badge.

The man’s shaking stopped, but he made no move to comply.

Her resolve abandoned her when she saw his back. The man’s skin hung from his back in ragged strips, angry flesh poking through. She had seen prettier burn victims in the ICU.

“Dear God, what- what happened to you?”

A little laugh. “He would know.”

“Lucifer,” she whispered.

With that, he turned to her. His face was covered in the same wounds as his back, tattered skin and burnt features. There were new lines carved into his face. It were those that worried her the most.

“W-we need to get you to a hospital now .”

He looked down at mangled flesh as if just remembering it was there. “I can assure you that I’m fine, Chloe.”

“Lucifer, this is serious.”

Another laugh. “This is nothing. Just a little reminder from dear old Dad of where I could be right now.” He levered himself to his feet. “Excuse me, detective, while I change into more appropriate attire.”

His shirt was gone and his black dress pants were torn and matted with dust. He started towards the stairs, his movements heavy but not pained.

“You can’t just leave and then act like nothing has happened. We thought you’d been kidnapped or killed! You left me! Again. And now you won’t even accept help. Should I be expecting another Candy Morningstar?” She was surprised at the venom in her own words. “I thought we were done hurting each other.”

“I never meant to hurt you.” His face softened and she could see pain, real pain in his eyes. “I promise you, Chloe, I will tell you everything. I just-” His voice broke. “I’m covered in dust and my own blood. A-and I was changed - without my permission. I need everything to be normal right now. So please, give me five minutes.”

This time, she didn’t object when he disappeared up the stairs.

***

Chloe sipped at the whiskey she’d poured earlier while she waited. She had a feeling she didn’t want to sober for whatever Lucifer was going to tell her.

Lucifer returned a few minutes later dressed in a midnight suit that covered most of his burns. The steam from the room behind him shrouded him in mist.

He filled the other glass and sat down beside her.

“Who did this to you?”

He gave her a knowing smile. “You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.”

“I have,” he said plainly, “I have never lied to you - about anything.” He took a deep breath. “That in mind, what I am about to tell you is true. There are no metaphors,” he fairly spat the word. “Please promise me you won’t fear me for this. Hate, I can handle, but fear?” He trailed off.

She knit her eyebrows, but said, “Of course.”

“Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? A proper story.” He took a swig. “I am the real Devil, the real Lucifer Morningstar, Beelzebub and whatever else you mortals like to call me. There are angels and demons and a God and Goddess in this strange world of ours.”

“Lucifer, we’ve been through this before.” She’d really thought this time would be different.

“I’ve been shot in the heart in front of your eyes, killed and brought back to life in our fight with Malcolm. I’ve disappeared, wielded the fucking Flaming Sword, Azrael's blade. What more do you have to see to believe?”

She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry, but you were right. I don’t believe you.”

Lucifer stood abruptly. “I didn’t want to have to do this. The last person I showed I almost lost. She almost cut me out of her life. I don’t want that to happen with us. I’m sorry, Chloe.”

Between one heartbeat and the next, Lucifer… changed. His face was bright red, hairless, wet and shiny as exposed flesh. It was not the face of any human. His eyes burned with what she, a lifelong atheist, could only describe as hellfire, something angry and incendiary. She’d seen flashes of those eyes in mirrors and memories she’d done her best to forget.

She reached out and put her hand on his cheek. It was soft and feverish against her cold fingers. He flinched at her touch.

It was real. Everything.

Chloe bit back a sob her hands flying to her mouth. “I’m so, so sorry. I-” Tears streamed down her face. “I should’ve believed you.”

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the inhuman face was replaced with Lucifer’s usual one. He stared at her, motionless, as if afraid the smallest movement might startle her away.

But Chloe didn’t leave.

She downed the last of her whiskey. “I’m going to need a lot more of this,” she said weakly.

“Happy to oblige, detective.” He returned moments later with the bottle in hand. He seemed surprised to find her still there. “You didn’t leave.”

“You’re my partner.” Chloe closed her shaking hands around Lucifer’s. “I’m… I’m angry at myself for not believing you. How did I never notice?”

“I’ve wondered that myself, detective.”

The pieces began to click together in her head. “Does that mean Amenadiel’s an angel? What about Maze?” She scrunched her brows. “She can’t be an angel.”

He laughed. “Correct on all fronts. My brother is quite angelic, isn’t he? Can’t say I know where he got it from, certainly wasn’t dear old mum. And Maze, an angel? She’s a demon.”

“I live with a demon. I left my daughter alone with a demon. I kissed a demon.” She took another drink. “And when you say demon…”

“Forged in the fires of Hell, yes.” He frowned at her. “What was that last one?”

She poured the rest of the bottle into her glass. “Tell me what happened to you.”

“Very well, detective.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know exactly, but it was a message from dear old dad. I made a deal with him: in exchange for my, ah, services, he would save you.”

“What?”

“Malcolm killed me, the bloody bastard. Dad brought me back.”

Her breath hitched. “You did that for me?”

“I couldn’t let you die.” Lucifer smiled, confused.

“What did you do for him?”

“I was supposed to return mum to hell.” He licked his lips. “That didn’t exactly work out.” She frowned, but he continued. “Anyway, mum changed my mind. I decided staying on Earth was punishment enough for her. Dad disagreed. Violently.” His voice broke. “He sent Uriel after me -- and you -- and I had to make a choice: you and mum, or my brother. I killed him, Chloe. I killed my own brother.”

He couldn’t look at her.

“I’m so sorry, Lucifer.”

He pulled his hand out from between hers. “Mum wanted to go back to Heaven. She was... leaking through her flesh suit. Me and Amenadiel went along with it at first, but I never had any intention of doing anything more than kicking her through the gates and returning to Earth.” He closed his eyes. “She almost killed Dr. Linda to find out what my plan was. She killed Chet. She was ready to kills dozens more. She held you hostage.”

“I was the one with the gun.”

He snorted. “She’s the goddess of creation.”

“Point taken.”

“I couldn’t let her hurt anyone else, so I gave her a fresh start. She’s building her own universe now. Dad must’ve liked what I did because he gave me a present,” he spat the word.

She looked at the red blotches on his hands. “God did this to you?”

He followed her eyes. “That? Just a side effect, I’m afraid. He took most of my grace and I don’t have enough left for a proper glamour. The burns are the real me bleeding through.”

“Does it hurt?” she asked softly.

Lucifer shrugged. “I was kidnapped and dropped in the middle of the desert with these- these things on my back, my glamour fading. I’m assuming dad was responsible, the control freak. It’s not really his style though.”

“What ‘things’?”

In answer, feathers filled the air. Two wings sprouted from her partner’s back, each two metres across and covered in pure white feathers that shone with a faint, irresistible light. The wings Lucifer had lost, she thought suddenly, the ones he’d been so desperate to find.

“Wings.” He curled his lips in contempt. “Clearly cutting off the first pair wasn’t hint enough.”

Chloe was staring, her mouth open.

“What the hell , Lucifer,” came a voice from behind them.

Chapter Text

The sun had scoured the land, bleaching and drying until nothing remained of the original but a desiccated husk. Far in the distance, dark mountains stuck up from the landscape like a mouthful of broken teeth. The wind did nothing for the heat, but whipped the sand into tiny projectiles.

Lucifer stood in the middle -- the exact middle -- of the ring of mountains. The dry heat stung his lungs and skin, and the world seemed to sway from side to side. He leaned down to steady himself, but froze.

The skin on his arms was mottled with bright red blisters, and ragged pieces were pulled back to reveal the flesh beneath. He glared at the offending skin, willing it to heal. The worst of the blisters faded to a less angry red, but his skin refused to heal further.

“What?” he muttered to himself.

He tried again with no more luck.

After a moment, he tried, “Detective?”

No answer.

Somehow his relationship with immortality only seemed to get more complicated as time wore on.

“Thanks, dad, you bloody bastard,” he screamed at the sky. “I was this close -- this close -- to telling Chloe-” He broke off suddenly. There was something on his back, he was sure of it. “No…” He stretched long unused muscles on his back and, sure enough, something -- no, two somethings -- rustled.

Of course.

Why else would he be back here?

Why else would he be returned to where he had Fallen?

The wings, long restrained, unfurled to their full length and cast a shadow over him. He screamed wordlessly, an animal sound of pure anguish, until his voice failed him.

“What have you done to me?” he whispered hoarsely.

***

Maze’s daggers hung loosely, forgotten, from her fingers as she gaped at the wings protruding from her friend’s back. They were equal parts beauty and strength, brilliant feathers hiding supple muscle beneath. The feathers shone with a faint otherworldly light. They looked exactly as they had the day she’d cut them off. “What the hell ,” she repeated.

“Heaven, actually,” Lucifer quipped with false ease, wearing his smile like a mask. “Maze-”

“What happened?” she asked, her voice flat and hard.

Lucifer’s smile flickered out like a dying candle. “Dear old dad gave me one of his little gifts . You’d think he’d know me better than this after so many years.”

“I never thought I would see them again… What does this mean?”

She moved closer and Lucifer instinctively stepped back.

Maze stopped suddenly. “No…”

Chloe, who had been hidden behind the wings, was now visible. Her eyes were locked on Lucifer’s back, and she didn’t make any indication that she’d noticed Maze. Maze had seen that empty stare too many times.

“You broke her? You broke another one of my friends.” The daggers slid back into her palms as she advanced on Lucifer, the cold metal reassuring against her suddenly too-warm skin.

Lucifer held up his hands and he forced a little laugh. “Now, Maze, is this really necessary?”

She didn’t slow down. “Linda thought I was a monster. My friend thought I was a monster . It took days to get her to speak with me.” She closed the space between them and had a dagger at Lucifer’s throat before he could react. “Stop fucking with my life.”

“I had to tell her,” he hissed. “I’ve kept it from her long enough.”

She pushed the blade deeper into his skin. “You should have told me what you were going to do.”

“You do have to admit she’s taking it quite well.” He frowned and, without moving his neck, stared at the detective. “Very well.”

“This is ‘well’ to you?”

“Well, she hasn’t run screaming yet, has she?”

Maze dropped the blade from Lucifer’s throat.

“Thank you-”

She punched him in the gut -- hard -- and Lucifer collapsed with a wheeze, curling in on himself. She was alarmed to see that his wings had instinctively folded around him. They really were back. They really were a part of him again.

He groaned in answer. “Bloody hell. Have you always hit so hard?”

Maze turned to the detective, and called, “Chloe?”

Her head jerked at her name, but her eyes stayed glued to Lucifer’s wings.

Maze waved at him. “Put those away.”

He levered himself to his feet, grunting. The wings winked out of existence, but returned after only a moment. “I can’t.”

She frowned at him.

“Dad… borrowed my Grace to bring my wings back. I barely have enough for this bloody shabby glamour.”

Maze noticed the patches of shiny red flesh on his skin for the first time and winced despite herself. Hell had left its mark on him. “Fine.”

“Maze?” came a quiet voice.

“Decker.” Maze rushed to her side.

“I’m sorry, Maze, I couldn’t think. Everything was happening too fast and his wings…” She rubbed her forehead and blinked. Her eyes were clear when she turned back to Maze. “You’re a demon.”

Maze shrugged. “And you’re a human.”

“Mostly,” Lucifer chimed in.

“What?”

“Very helpful,” Maze drawled, and one of her daggers embedded itself in the wall inches from Lucifer’s head.

“Let’s leave that for another time then, shall we?”

“What do you mean “mostly”?” Her eyes darted between them.

“Detective- Chloe, I’m sure you already have enough to process.”

“Lucifer, you’ve told me all of these crazy things that no one in their right mind should believe, but for some reason, I do. And I’m fine to fill in the gaps of your story with time, but you can’t just say that I’m not human and leave it there.”

He and Maze traded looks.

“It’s complicated,” he settled for eventually. “Amenadiel blessed your mother and father so that they could have a child -- you.”

“What does that make me?”

Lucifer furrowed his brow. “Part-human, part-” His voice cut out suddenly, all expression vanishing from his face. He strode towards her and put a hand on her shoulder, not in comfort but to hold her there. His voice was flat empty when he next spoke. “This may hurt.” And his other hand sank into her skull.

The little blood that had remained in Chloe’s face up to this point drained away and her body went rigid, her only movement the tremor in her fingers.

Lucifer stepped back a moment later, holding his hands as far from his body as he could. The skin, moments ago patched with red from his true form, was now smooth and pale.

Chloe lurched forwards. He reached out to steady her, but she recoiled at the touch.

“What the hell was that?” Maze asked, taking a spot at Chloe’s side.

“Something new.” He frowned and turned to Chloe. “Apologies, Chloe, I believe I’ve stolen a bit of your Grace.”

“M-my what?”

“Her what ?”

“You seem to be -- there’s no good way to say it, is there? You seem to be at least partly an angel.”

“But I-I don’t have wings, and I have a kid -- a human kid. God, what does this mean for Trixie?” And she started laughing, a wild inhuman sound.

“Great. Now you’ve really broken her,” Maze said to Lucifer.

“Give her a moment, Maze.”

She moved closer to him and whispered, “Since when have you been able to see another angel’s Grace?”

He stared straight ahead, eyes unfocused, and Maze worried he hadn’t heard her. “Not since I became Lucifer.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“That I need to have a long chat with dad.”

Chloe’s laughter stopped abruptly. “Why do I believe you?” Chloe asked, her voice very small.

“Because you know I would never lie to you, Chloe.” He sat down on the couch, taking care to fold his wings against his back where they wouldn’t catch on anything. He’d long been tempted to cut the damn things off, not only for their attachment to his father but also for their impracticality. The cleaning alone... “I don’t know what’s happening to you or me or what any of this means.”

She joined him on the couch and took one of his hands in hers. “We’re going to figure it out.”

“I should have told you all of this sooner, but I was scared of what you might think. What if you didn’t believe me? What if you did ?”

“It’s not like you tried to hide it, Lucifer Morningstar .” Chloe gave him a half-smile.

“I could have tried harder.”

“You mean showing me your true face?”

He nodded uneasily.

“Lucifer, you said the last person you showed almost cut you out of their life. I can’t imagine how much that must hurt.” Her smile disappeared. “I know I promised you that I wouldn’t be afraid of you, but I am. I can’t help it. Devil, angel, that I think I can handle. But something in the desert changed you.”

He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“You’re not telling me everything.” Before he could protest, she continued, “And that’s okay. I get it. But when you’re ready, I’m here. And if you don’t, I’m a cop, I’ll figure it out one way or another.” She grinned.

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” He smiled back.

“Listen, Lucifer, drop the, er, glamour when it’s just us, okay?”

“This face isn’t pretty enough for you? This from the person who married Detective Douche?”

“Oh, shut up,” She swatted him. “I want to see the real you.”

“More and more, I think this is the real me,” he muttered too softly for her to catch. Louder, he said, “Fine.”

“Just don’t let Trixie see- Oh, God.” Chloe leapt to her feet and stormed towards Maze. “You left Trixie alone?”

Maze, who had been leaning against the bar, drink in hand, staring off into the L.A. skyline, turned towards her. “Amenadiel’s with her.”

“Oh.” Her stress drained away in an instant. “I, uh, need to get going.” She took one last look at Lucifer. “Thank you.”

With that, she disappeared into the elevator.

***

Lucifer reclaimed his forgotten whiskey, and collapsed onto one of the stools, a faint smile playing on his lips. He hadn’t lost her. “That went better than I thought it would.”

She topped up her drink and joined him at the bar. “You should have told me what you were going to do.”

“She saw me -- the real me. What was I supposed to do?”

Maze shrugged, the furthest sign of agreement Lucifer could have expected from her. She sighed and leaned back on her stool. “What happened to you, Lucifer?”

“I was kidnapped and dropped in the middle of a desert with dad’s idea of a joke on my back. What else is there to tell?”

“Decker wasn’t wrong. Something changed.” Maze took a long drink. “I can feel when you’re around. That feeling is still the there but it’s different . I wasn’t sure what I was feeling was even you until I saw you.”

“I wondered how you knew I was back.” He sighed. “Any chance it could be the wings?”

She shook her head.

He slammed his glass down on the bar, sending hairline cracks through the glass. “Well, enough of that. Now, if you wouldn’t mind.” He pulled off his shirt and bared his back to her.

“No.”

“Come on, get it over with.”

“No,” she said again, louder this time.

“No?”

“You heard me,” she said. “Amenadiel lost his wings. What would he think if I helped cut yours off -- again?”

Lucifer nodded reluctantly and lowered his shirt back over his wings.

“You’re not going to tell me what happened to you, are you?”

“I’ve already told you everything I know!”

“You do know who kidnapped you though, right?”

“The list of people who can knock me unconscious is rather short. Without Chloe nearby, that is.”

“You think it was angels?” Maze asked.

“Who else could it be?”

Maze stared at him long and hard, but he kept his face carefully neutral.

She eventually gave up and said, “You look like hell, Lucifer. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

As the elevator doors closed, she said, “Linda’s doing a lot better. Just thought you should know.”

***

Chloe woke up in a cold sweat, her sheets lying tangled at her feet. Despite the warm summer air, she shivered, and her heart pounded against her chest like she’d drunk six cups of coffee.

Something was wrong.

She turned on the bedside lamp, trying three times before her shaking fingers caught the knob. The room was empty, but the knowledge did nothing to settle her. The last thing she needed right now was time alone with her thoughts -- not after what she’d learned -- but she couldn’t sleep.

Chloe reached for a book from her nightstand, cutting her index finger on the pages.

As she watched, the skin knit itself back together. In the space of three seconds, there was nothing to show for her cut but a drop of blood.

“What’s happening to me?” she whispered.

***

Lucifer stood in front of his bathroom mirror in nothing but his boxers.

The man in front of him was skinny, almost to the point of gauntness. Had he really only been gone three days? His skin seemed ghostly in the light of L.A.’s nightlife and was completely unmarred. The burns had disappeared. Every single one. Even the patches of red of his true form were gone.

As his heart increased its tempo, he dropped his glamour, shedding it like a second skin. He closed his eyes and gave a little sigh. It was like taking off shoes after a long day.

He opened his eyes and saw the same unmarred skin, but his eyes burned with a fierce light like twin stars, something ancient and powerful and not at all like hellfire.

Samael stared back at him.

His knees buckled and he hit the tiled floor hard. He focused on the pain, the cold touch of marble, the humidity still in the air from his shower hours earlier, the pounding in his veins.

But he could only escape his thoughts for so long.

“I don’t know who I am anymore.”