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late at night, a lone figure lays hunched over a desk. his wings obscure most of him, aching in pain, but he puts his head in his hands to avoid looking at them. what were once pure white are nothing but burnt remnants of his old prestige. how pathetic of lucifer to be reduced to such a sight.
his brothers need him, he knows this, yet right now he just can't find the will to do anything. he failed, didn't he? he failed all of them. he led them here, and now he's trapped under the rule of the demon prince - something they can never know, lest they just be put through more pain. lucifer doesn't even know if the prince kept his end of the deal. in hindsight, it was foolish - with no way of knowing for sure, he just feels used. he doesn’t miss the way the prince's smile never reaches his eyes, always cold and calculating. lucifer is used to dealing with smooth-talking manipulators.
something is wrong, and lucifer knows it.
however, right now, everything tangles together into one ball of problems and his head hurts too much for him to concentrate on just one thing. he needs to get up; it's already been a week. he needs to pull himself together. he needs to be there for his brothers. yet he can't.
failure. failure. fail-
his d.d.d. vibrates. lucifer raises his head; barbatos’ name flashes on his screen, and his face twists in distaste. lucifer isn’t sure what to think of the butler, but its silence and stoic expression is off-putting. nonetheless, lucifer opens the text.
Barbatos: I’m afraid there’s something we must talk about.
Barbatos: It’s of most importance that we hurry. May I come over?
lucifer furrows his brow in confusion. is this a set up? even if it is, he doesn’t think there’s anything he can do to stop it, however.
Lucifer: Very well.
Lucifer: I'll be waiting by the front gates.
he ignores the following response and rises to his feet, stretching out his limbs and willing away his wings. he relishes in the weight off his back, then checks the time: three am. lucifer would question why barbatos is even awake at this time, but it would be hypocritical - he just pockets his d.d.d. and makes his way outside. everybody else in the house is asleep, so he has no problems slipping through the front door. everything is much warmer down here; lucifer is half-tempted to shed his coat, but, despite the bags under his eyes, he’d rather look somewhat presentable.
it only takes a minute for barbatos to come into view, not quite running, but still noticeably hurried. he slows to a stop in front of lucifer, empty smile still plastered on his face. “hello, lucifer,” it says as if it hadn’t planned this. “may i come in?”
“what’s this about?” lucifer asks in lieu of a reply, eyes narrowing. the other man holds eye contact, dull green never faltering despite the intimidating glare.
“there is something that i believe needs to be cleared up,” barbatos answers before glancing over his shoulder for just a moment. “it may help you understand… what all you should expect here.”
lucifer shifts himself in front of the gate as if shielding it. barbatos continues, ”i understand that you do not want me to. however, it’s beneficial that we do. i promise to not harm you or your family; quite the opposite, actually.”
lucifer almost scoffs; how can he trust anybody here? nonetheless, he begrudgingly moves out of the way, watching the butler closely as it thanks him and walks inside. he follows suit, never taking his eyes off the demon as it leads him to the kitchen and sits casually at the table. he gives him a suspicious look, but it just stares back at him with its same blank smile, and lucifer silently sits across from him.
“now then…” barbatos starts, “i apologize for bothering you at this time, but i’m afraid it’s the only chance we have.”
“just get to the point,” lucifer growls, not bothering to hide his agitation.
“very well.” barbatos folds his hands together, gaze unwavering as lucifer scrutinizes him. “surely you have already started to notice what’s happening with the prince? i’m not surprised he went as low as to hold your situation over your head like he did.”
lucifer sighs, “can you stop dancing around the topic?”
barbatos grins, unfazed. “i have been working under diavolo for centuries now, and i fear that he may use your arrival to his advantage. he’s been planning on something since he started reigning over the devildom, but he hides it under the facade of being a kind and gracious leader.”
“planning what, exactly?”
“he wants to take control over all three realms,” barbatos replies, then looks down at its hands. for the first time, his eyes seem to muddle with regret. “he… manipulated me, too. i’m stronger than him, but i was foolish, and for it he’s taken away my freedom. the public believes him to be a good person, and i'm not allowed to act out on anything.”
lucifer stays silent for a moment, taking this in. "and why should i believe you?" he retaliates. "for all i know, you could just be tricking me."
"you don't have to believe me," barbatos reassures, "you will see what i mean with time. he'll start using you as he does with me - he's taken so much away from me that i feel as though i'm wasting away." he then raises a hand across the table. "this is a proposition; you may think about it, of course, nor do i ask you to trust me. i simply believe that we can be allies."
lucifer stares at its hand, then back at its face. its expression hasn't changed, but something in its eyes are almost pleading with him. if what he's saying is true, then he's been under the control of the prince for hell knows how long, and lucifer is nearly inclined to believe it.
yet another part of him is yelling that he's being lied to, that barbatos can't be trusted. it is the prince's butler, after all, and lucifer wouldn't put it past a demon to lie.
it's something that was beaten into him in the celestial realm - demons go against everything he is, and so none of them are trustworthy. but the celestial realm isn't lucifer's home anymore, and he can already feel his angelic qualities slipping away. soon he'll be no different than the very thing he was made to hate. he doesn't know what to believe. his thoughts are torn between his old life and his new one, and for the first time, lucifer is at a loss.
…but he knows there's one thing he needs to do. he needs to protect his remaining siblings if even at the cost of his life, because he led them here. he doesn't know enough about the prince to determine whether or not his own butler is being genuine, so for the moment, lucifer needs to focus on what he caused.
he doesn't return barbatos' gesture, instead looking it in the eyes and saying, "i'll need to think about it."
the other man lowers its arm, but its smile doesn't fade. "i understand. thank you for hearing me out." he stands abruptly, "then i must take my leave. it's around time where diavolo starts with his demands, and he cannot know i left."
lucifer follows behind him as he calmly makes his way out of the house of lamentation. before he leaves the gates, though, barbatos looks over his shoulder. “oh, and lucifer? i wish you good luck.”
lucifer stands there in silence for a moment, but barbatos is gone before he can even begin to ask what it means. he stares at the spot it was just at before checking the time on his d.d.d.: barely ten minutes have passed. he sighs. if he’s being honest with himself, he’s unsure of what to think. hopefully he’ll be able to make a clear-headed decision in the morning; he didn’t notice, but now that he’s alone, he feels exhausted.
so he decides to check on all of his brothers in the empty house that doesn’t feel like theirs before stubbornly throwing himself down on a bed that isn’t his, in a room that isn’t his. he spends most of the night awake with his thoughts.