Chapter Text
Lucifer hated the Celestial Realm.
..well, kinda.
It was gorgeous, don't get him wrong. Not to mention how pretty the snow was. It didn't snow very often, and they'd even go years without. Of course, come February, when you'd be hoping to see the snow coming to an end, they got hit with a blizzard. The angels weren't having a good time.
And, of course, it was Michael's fault.
It wasn't, but what did the angels know? Michael was in charge of monitoring the weather. He was in charge of ensuring the angels entrusted to handle it, well, handled it. It's where the "weather boy" insult came from. Weather boys were useless.
The Morningstar used to be one. He was the one. The Lightbringer. His job was literally to bring the sun, which, in turn, brought heat, which melted snow, which kept the Celestials warm. Angels didn't like the cold. That was a fact.
But, nevermind that. Lucifer wasn't here to think intensely about the weather. He bought flowers (which were from the Devildom. The Celestials were still dealing with a blizzard, after all.), chocolates (Michael's favorites), and even a hair accessory.
Michael had long, blond hair, after all. He didn't do much aside from pull it into a ponytail, but.. even a little more "pizazz" (Lucifer had been around Mammon a little too much recently) would make him look so much prettier, wouldn't it?
..don't take that the wrong way, though. Lucifer wasn't trying to make Michael more beautiful. He couldn't have cared less.
He didn't care that Michael was obviously getting older, his hair steadily getting closer to a platinum color. He didn't care that Michael was losing sleep because of the amount of strain the Celestials were putting on him. And he most certainly didn't care that Michael had come down with a horrendous cold, and only recently got better.
..yeah. He didn't care about any of it. Didn't impact the way he slept at all.
It was why he was now standing outside Michael's front door, flowers and chocolates in tow, catching himself praying that Michael would answer so there wouldn't be an awkward interaction between him and Jackie.
Of course, that would've been too easy. Jackie, because why wouldn't they be, was the one who answered the door.
They started to say a proper "good morning," before seeing the flowers behind his back and getting an "oh no" facial expression.
"Don't take this the wrong way," he swiftly said, Jackie nervously meeting his gaze with a small smile. Was that smile supposed to reassure him? "These aren't for you."
"I would hope not."
"Um.. is Michael available?"
Jackie stared at him for a moment, almost like they were contemplating their options. They could make this really awkward and say they'd make sure they got to him. They'd have to try and explain why Lucifer brought flowers, though.
"He's in the shower right now," they replied, before doing the angelic thing, "It's cold, would you like to come in?"
Lucifer sat like a little kid who was waiting to be yelled at on the Angelos' couch. Jackie made him a coffee, but didn't do much else to entertain him. They weren't usually alone together in a situation like this. It was weird.
Jackie was making breakfast, which wasn't something he'd expected. Not that Jackie was a bad cook, they weren't by any means, but he'd expected that from Michael. He was more like a wife than Jackie seemed to be.
Lucifer grumbled. Michael wasn't wife material, he wanted nothing to do with him. Jackie, unfortunately, heard the grumble.
"Is the coffee okay?"
"Yes, of course." Jackie always made excellent coffee.
"Did you need anything else?"
"Not right now, thank you." They always took care of the people around them.
"If you change your mind, let me know."
"Will do." And they were attentive to everyone's needs.
..wife material.
"Gah!!" He shouted, Jackie jumping at the sudden noise. They look at the fallen angel from across the island, before deciding he was fine, or would be too hard to comfort. Lucifer didn't want to tell Jackie, his ex, that he just had a romantic thought about them.
"Well, good morning to you, too." Damn it.
"Good morning, Michael," Jackie promptly greeted, the two sharing a quick kiss. They had a coffee ready for Michael, and he lifted it to his lips. "Lucifer's here for you."
"Ah, I was almost wondering if he'd come back to steal you from me, because Yvette was too much for him," Michael mused, Lucifer seeing the Archangel finding himself in his chair. He almost said something, before spotting the flowers and chocolates. "Ahh..?"
"I can explain."
"I certainly hope so."
Lucifer couldn't explain. What was he supposed to say, "you know how we accidentally got married a really long time ago, and how your bitch-ass apparently didn't annul the marriage, and now everyone's telling me to acknowledge you as my husband, and so I'm here to do that.. I think?"
"..well?" Michael prompted.
"Yvette told me to bring me you flowers." It wasn't exactly the truth, but it was something.
"I don't believe that Yvette would say something like that."
Well, she hadn't. She laughed and joked about it. Lucifer was somewhat embarrassed, but he'd be lying if he said he never had feelings for Michael. A long time ago, snuggling in bed with him was a delight. Breathing in the smell of the angel, listening to his sleepy mumbles, playing with his hair.. the things Jackie did now.
Lucifer wasn't jealous.
"Your face is red," Michael purred, Lucifer's face getting hotter. "Haha! What's the matter? There's no reason to be embarrassed. If you missed me, you can say so."
"Go to Hell."
"You'd want to see me everyday?"
"Wh- no! You knew what I meant!"
Jackie waited for Michael to stop laughing before speaking. "Breakfast is ready."
"Wonderful, caro mio. Lucifer?" Lucifer looked at the angel. "Would you like to join us?"
Lucifer tried to gauge Jackie's opinion, but they didn't say anything, nor even looked at him.
"..sure."
Now he was sitting at the Angelos' dining table, eating breakfast with the married couple. Despite Jackie being a morning person, they were exceedingly quiet. So was Michael. Lucifer was just hesitant, which meant he was also quiet.
Breakfast was amazing, as always. It made Lucifer miss when Jackie was at the House of Lamentation.
..he perished the thought that was stirring after that one. More importantly, he noticed that the three of them hadn't uttered a word.
"Thank you for breakfast, Jackie." He managed, Jackie humming a reply. Michael looked at Lucifer, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sure Jackie will find a use for the flowers. Do me a favor, Lucifer?"
"That depends on the favor."
"Hm. Don't bring my partner flowers or chocolates."
Lucifer froze. "What?"
"You heard. Jackie is my love. Don't go bringing them such romantic presents."
"No, Michael," he corrected, frustrated that Michael would assume that. There were better things he could give Jackie. "Those are for you."
"I'm having a hard time believing that, which you must find to be understandable."
Lucifer did understand, but he wouldn't buy Jackie fruity chocolate. They liked sea salt caramels and white chocolate. Not that Michael didn't, but he prefer fruity jellies inside his chocolate.
"They're not for Jackie. Eat one of the chocolates. You'll realize they're not for them."
"I've just had breakfast."
"That's never stopped you before." He didn't utter a word, but his eyes gestured to Jackie. Lucifer understood. "Well, this has been delightful, but I know when I'm not welcomed."
"You're more than welcomed." Lucifer mimicked Michael's eye gesture. "Ah, well.."
"Not really subtle, gentlemen."
"Neither is your ceaseless silence. Again, thank you for breakfast. Let's keep this a secret, otherwise my brothers will throw a cow."
"I'll see you out," Michael saw him to the door, but actually followed Lucifer to his car. "You didn't tell me why you brought the flowers, or the chocolates."
"They're for you."
"Yes, but why?"
"Considering that for some reason we're still married, everyone said I should get you something for Valentine's Day."
"Well, I would love to annul the marriage, but I am not in possession of the documents."
"What?" Then who the hell was?!
"Jackie's frustrated with you. They're not saying anything, because they don't want to make this an ordeal. Let's not make this a habit, either."
"Of course. I'm sorry for disrupting your morning. I hope Jackie will forgive me." Lucifer replied, genuinely feeling bad that Jackie got caught in this nonsense. What changed, really? They always got thrown in the middle of a bunch of unnecessary chaos and drama. Lucifer had tried to not add to that, but alas.
"Take care, Lucifer," said Michael, who seemed like he was about to hug him, before just giving a small wave. "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
To make things interesting, Michael asked to see Lucifer in the Human Realm. Lucifer, purely out of curiosity, went.
"Good morning," Michael called, seeming rejuvenated. Right, when Lucifer had seen him last, he was recovering from that cold. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, what's the occasion?" He didn't really care how Michael was doing, and this wasn't something Lucifer expected.
"I wanted to ask you something. Anyway, shall we speak over coffee?"
"Your treat?"
"I suppose."
Lucifer had many perplexing encounters recently. He usually went out of his way to avoid Michael, but.. after interacting with him again, he realized he might've enjoyed his company.
Michael was dramatic, but he was oddly soft spoken. Of course, he was beautiful, t'was an angel thing, and he was..
Ugh. He was Lucifer's husband (technically).
"About what happened recently.. I've done a little digging."
"In regards to what?" Lucifer asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Forgive my haste, in regards to the marriage documents."
Oh. Michael's feelings were different than Lucifer remembered. Don't get him wrong, he didn't care.
"Carry on."
"My working theory is that you have them."
Lucifer paused, trying to think of where he'd have them. "..I don't believe so."
"Do you remember when you and your brothers fell?"
"Less vividly now."
"That makes one of us." Oh. "You all left behind hope chests. Upon their discovery, you remember how we contacted Lord Diavolo, then sent the chests to your family?"
"Yes. My brothers were delighted to receive some of their belongings."
"One of those chests were different than the others, no?"
Lucifer tried to recall. Five thousand years wasn't a short amount of time. That was most of Semyaza's lifespan.
"I don't recall."
"It was a pastel blue, with white trim, adorn with crudely painted stars."
"That was yours." Lucifer's words apparently rocked Michael. "I do have it, though."
"That wasn't mine. It was alongside the chests with your belongings."
"Sorry, I forget how dense you are. That chest contained things I had stolen from you. I was returning them."
"..how'd that work out for you?"
"You're the one who didn't check the chest before sending it."
"And you're the one who didn't separate it from the others."
"I'm guilty of that, yes. But did you not check any of the chests?"
"No. We found nine chests, and we sent them down."
Right, because Lucifer had packed an additional one, just in case. The ninth chest was Michael's belongings. Idiot.
"Yvette and I plan to do some cleaning in the next few days. If I stumble on the chest, I'll be sure to return it."
"If you find the marriage documents, don't shy from telling me I'm right."
Lucifer just couldn't think of a reason why he'd have them.
After hours of cleaning, Yvette made a discovery.
"Hey, babe? What's this box? It doesn't look like the others.."
Lucifer whipped his head around, seeing her lift the chest from the closet. Pastel blue, white trim, with painted stars. The paint had chipped, and it looked like the wood was partially rotted. Lucifer had involuntarily found himself beside her, and found himself nervously opening it.
The first smell that hit him was the smell of time. Old papers, woods, and fabrics.
"..what is this stuff?" Yvette queried, crouching beside him. "It obviously ain't junk."
"It's Michael's." With that, he explained how he would've ended up with a decently sized chest of Michael's belongings. He explained the preparations he and his family made before the fall. The only one who hadn't had a chest was Semyaza (also Satan, but his case was different), and the only one who never opened their's was Lilith.
"Are you gonna give it back to him?" She pressed, looking a little smug.
"While I'm sure you'd delight in me saying no, I will be returning it."
"But not without rummaging through it, I see."
Lucifer was curious. He recognized most of what was in there.
A little wooden carving that Solomon had given Michael. Michael hated it, but was livid when it disappeared.
A blanket that Michael had bought. Lucifer had taken it, because it was made by his favorite seamstress, and Michael had done something to wrong him.
The original doll of Michael. Lucifer didn't understand why this had ended up in his possession. Knowing Selaphiel had since perished, and the doll belonged to him.. yeah, no, Lucifer couldn't think of a single reason he would steal from Selaphiel. He was grateful Uriel had gotten Selaphiel a new one afterwards. Had Lucifer remembered when it happened?
Miscellaneous legal documents (oops) that served no purpose now. Lucifer decided he should still return them.
A picture from Gabriel's first wedding. The one Lucifer and Michael accidentally got married at. They all looked so young then..
A very aged bottle of Demons. Lucifer thought about keeping it, but Yvette tapped the chest. Damn. She was an angel, and Michael was her boss.
A little handwritten recipe booklet. Mainly pastries. A lot of the ink faded with age. Maybe Michael could still make sense of it?
Numerous other things (some with deeper histories with others) were tucked in the chest. Until..
"Why the sudden ask if you could come by?" Michael asked, Lucifer setting the chest on the floor. "Oh?"
"Some goodies. If it's too heavy for your delicate body, I can- oh." Michael made it look like it weighed nothing. Sometimes, Lucifer forgot that the smallest Archangel was a force to be reckoned with.
"Delicate? You sound like Gabriel." His voice wasn't even strained. Even Lucifer had some difficulty. Yvette didn't even lug it around so easily. "Let's head to the attic. It's where I put the old stuff, anyway."
"Can you.. get it up the stairs?"
"The attic is accessed by a collapsible ladder."
"..can you get it up there??"
"It's not heavy, Lucifer."
Well, Lucifer felt emasculated.
With zero effort, Michael got it to the attic. Lucifer followed him up, seeing random.. children's drawings? No, singular child. In a weird way, it looked familiar..
"Do.. do you and Jackie spend time up here?"
"No. Jackie's never been up here."
"Based on the sound of your voice, you don't really come up here." Lucifer spotted Michael's old violin. Customized beautifully with wooden flowers and a formally stunning paint job. Lucifer was about to die.
"I try not to. Ah, you casted a charm."
"I had to leave it out of my room. My brothers were curious. I'm sure you can see their handprints against the charm."
"I can. Wouldn't Satan be able to lift it, though? It's quite a weak one.."
"Alright, asshole, do you want your stuff back or not?"
"Someone's a little sensitive today.." Michael smirked at Lucifer, before lifting the charm, then opening the chest. "You've been in here recently."
"I was curious." Lucifer found himself beside Michael, the two sitting at a closer proximity than they had in a long time. Michael's hand shot forward, but hesitated. "Oh.. um.."
Michael lifted the doll of himself out, a melancholic look in his eyes. He handled it with great care, before finally speaking.
"Why..?"
"I couldn't tell you. I can't think of a single time I was upset with Selaphiel."
Michael stood up, before gently placing it on a nearby desk. There it sat, blankly look at the duo in the undisturbed memory land.
Lucifer hadn't really noticed before, but the attic was heavy. It hurt. There was so much despair in here. Even Lucifer was uncomfortable.
"I can't believe you would return this.." Michael chuckled, pulling out the bottle of Demonus. "I'm not personally a fan, myself. If you'd like it, it's yours."
Lucifer accepted, now praying Michael wouldn't change his mind.
He was pleasantly surprised by the pastry booklet, gave Lucifer a nasty side eye when he saw the useless legal documents, became noticably angry at the sighting of his custom bow (that went with his violin, which he had stowed away after his bow went missing, whoops!), and was no longer interested in some of the other things in there.
Finally, Michael stumbled upon the thing Lucifer dreaded. He took a folder from the chest, before curiously opening it.
"Well.." he whispered, sounding smug.
"Yes, yes, you were right."
"It seems you had the power all along to annul our marriage," he closed the folder with the marriage documents inside. "I'm assuming you brought what you needed to annul?"
Michael knew him too well.
"Let me call and see if there's an opening."
Finally, luck played in Lucifer's favor. He would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling the stares of angels as he and Michael entered the courthouse.
With the marriage annulled, Michael and Lucifer went their separate ways. For some reason, Lucifer felt totally relieved, of Michael, of the responsibility, and of any future issues regarding that nonsense.
To his surprise, Lucifer got an unexpected text from Jackie. He opened it, only to see that it said "thank you."