Work Text:
The scornful flames of hell were burning endlessly all around, and Lucifer was stuck finishing paperwork. At her grand executive desk, reports from all sectors of hell were in need of signatures and final review. Lost souls were continually pouring in, infrastructure needed repair, and some strange rumors of a man trying to break into hell. The life of the CEO of Hell was continually busy.
Her secretary, Pandemonica, had left for the day, so she was alone in her office. Of course there were guards who eternally kept the front door secure, but her office was her domain within the domain of hell. A place were she could here the delightful screams from Judgement's Sin Machine and watch the smoldering chaos of the underworld in peace. Naturally, she could have commanded someone to perform this busy work for her, but Lucifer had always had a hardworking mind, which was part of the reason she remained CEO after these long millennia. Lucifer sighed, making steady progress on her work and brushed a strand of white hair away from her face.
Nearly finished with her final stack of papers, Lucifer suddenly heard a knock on the door. "Hey Lucy!" a voice called out from the other side.
The CEO of Hell sighed again. There were few people brave enough to call her by that nickname, and even fewer who had earned the right to do it. Without waiting a reply, the heavy doors to her office swung open. With bombastic swagger, Justice came into the office, adorned by her dark sunglasses and fingerless gloves. As usual, her suit jacket rested on her shoulders, flowing behind her like a cape. Such appearance had given her the moniker, the "Awesome Demon."
But Lucifer had to admit that she wasn't undeserving of the title. It wasn't too long ago that she was the High Prosecutor of Hell and served a good run, eventually defeating the demon trying to usurp Lucifer, the now-exiled Beelzebub. Despite quelling the rebelling and returning Hell to its usual chaos, the battle had cost Justice her eyes. The awesome demon then resigned from her position has High Prosecutor, and was free to roam Hell, causing whatever chaos she so desired. Mainly that meant coming by and teasing Lucifer.
"Good evening, Justice," Lucifer said in a level voice, glancing up at her paperwork only briefly to see Justice with her confident smile. "What brings you to my office at this hour?" Lucifer stopped herself before she saw the rest of her face.
Justice stropped up to the desk, avoiding the chairs in the way as if she'd done it a million times, because of course she has by now. "Thought you might still be working," Justice mentioned. "Figured you wouldn't stop until you got it all done."
"Yes, well there are very important matters to attend to as CEO," Lucifer replied, eyes glued to her work still. "Someone has to get all of this done."
"I'm sure hell won't freeze over if you let it go another day," Justice chuckled. "But hey, I'm not here to stop you." And she gracefully jumped onto the black leather chairs before Lucifer's desk. She sat sideways, and placed her feet on the edge of Lucifer's desk as a footrest. "I'm just here to chill out until you're ready to go home."
"Will you please not put your feet on my desk?"
"Oh my bad. I couldn't see where I put them!" And Justice chuckled at her own joke. Lucifer flinched, unbeknownst to her, knowing fully well the lack of usable eyes behind those sunglasses, and knowing exactly how they got that way.
"Yes, yes," Lucifer said, annoyed. "Just take them off already."
Justice did as she was asked, but followed up with "Geez, hard day at work? You're not usually this cranky." Then she got up from the chair and stood at the edge of the desk, leaning forwards. "Come on, unload on good ol' Justice."
"Justice, I'm just-"
Before she could finish, Justice cut her off by saying, "Come on, how long have we known each other now? Pretty please?" She punctuated her last words by taking off her glasses and revealing her full face to Lucifer. The CEO couldn't help but look and see the paleness where there was once color.
"Justice, I-" And she broke off again. Justice still smiled at her. It was warm and calm and confident.
Lucifer couldn't help herself. She couldn't keep it in anymore. After spending a second looking into her friend and protector's eyes, tears began to fall from the CEO of Hell's face. It took a second for Justice to realize something was wrong. Lucifer didn't reply immediately, and then she heard her sniffle and the familiar whimper of someone whose crying.
"Hey Lucy," Justice spoke, her smile dropping for the first time into a concerned frown, "What's wrong?"
Lucifer backed into her chair and turned around. Justice heard the sound and moved around the table to where her friend had tried to hide. "Talk to me, Lucy," she insisted.
Lucifer took a second to look again into her friend's eyes. She still had her sunglasses resting on top of her head, and Lucifer could see so much expression in her eyes. It only made her bawl harder.
"Um, okay," Justice muttered, "I know we've talked about this, but here..." And Justice leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Lucifer. "I'm here," she said gently.
Lucifer immediately returned the hug and gripped Justice tightly. And together they stayed for a moment. Lucifer let all her feelings out, and Justice patiently accepted them.
Finally, Lucifer broke apart the hug and Justice retreated as well. The CEO cleared her throat, while Justice leaned against the desk, waiting for Lucifer to speak.
"How are you so okay with this?" Lucifer finally asked.
"Hmm?"
"With having lost your eyes for my sake. Even though Beelzebub was after me, you stood in her way. You went so far as losing your eyes just for me." She stared into Justice's eyes, even though the latter couldn't read her expression. "If I were you, I'd despise me. I'd realize that threw away my eyes for nothing!"
Justice stayed uncharacteristically quiet before taking a deep breath. She finally, she smiled again. It was a soft smile, without the usual energy but maintaining the warmth. "Do you remember the day I lost my eyes?" Of course Lucifer did, but she stayed quiet. Justice continued, "Well I remember being rushed to the Demonic Hospital, and you and Pandemonica were watching over me and shouting orders to all the doctors around. I could feel my vision fading. Beelzebub's attack had really done a number, huh?" She chuckled.
"Anyway, I could feel it fading, right? So I turned to where you were and I got a really good look at you." Then Justice moved from the desk to where Lucifer was sitting. She lifted both her hands palms up in front of her. Lucifer took the offering and Justice helped bring her to her feet. Justice, being several inches taller, looked down at the girl she protected.
Justice continued, "I made sure I remembered every detail." She lifted up her right hand. "Such as the Hell insignia on your jacket, reminding me of the home I was fighting for." And she touched the insignia Lucifer still wore.
"And also your spiked crown, reminding me of the fearless leader I was sworn to protect." And touched the crown on Lucifer's head.
"And most vividly of all, I remember the small mark just below your left eye. A mark that makes you distinct among the entirety of Hell."
Lucifer regained her voice, enough to ask, "What did that remind you of?"
Justice smirked and gently touched Lucifer's beauty mark. And then she laid the rest of her palm on Lucifer's cheek. "It reminds me of the beautiful demon I always loved."
And she leaned forward and kissed her. The CEO's eyes widened in surprise, but then she closed them in pure bliss. She wrapped her arms around her protector's waist and pulled her tightly in. After a few moments, they broke apart. Justice's bombastic smiled returned. "And that's what makes all of this okay. That's the vision I'll always remember. The sight I'll never lose."
Now Justice blushed and turned away. "I always meant to tell you, but you were always so busy and I could just never find a good moment you know? So I just kept going because I was liking how we were-"
Now it was time for Lucifer to cut her off. She stopped her ramble of words with a kiss of her own. Eventually, Lucifer pulled them both into the chair, and together they stayed in that chair. Embracing. Holding. Loving. Meanwhile, down below in the common streets of Hell, the fires continued to burn, like they have for millions of years. They burned with will and hope and passion and love. And still they continue to burn, as they would for forever.