Chapter Text
“Lucifer, pay attention please”
He could honestly say he was trying to, given the conversation topic. I mean, they were talking about his creation; albeit with more scepticism and critiquing than he’d hoped but it was a start at least.
“Yes- uh hello! yeah I’m here- uh present “
Somehow seeming more stressed than usual, Sera’s sigh and subsequent eye roll were enough to elicit a wince and poorly timed chuckle out of the smaller angel. She seemed to be having an internal battle with the urge to scream into her hands and the lack of energy to do so. Instead of the former, deciding to continue with the lecturing.
“As I was saying. Interfering with the garden at this stage when you know how tremulous it all is, Luci. It’s all so precarious with the two of them; we can’t risk setting off a chain of events that disrupts them. You don’t seem to grasp the severity of your.. your-”
“Platypus” Lucifer fills in.
“Yes.. that. It wasn’t approved in the slightest! Heavens, no one even knew it was there until I found it!”
“Come on, Sera, I meant no harm. And besides, it didn’t cause any disruption did it? Were the humans dissatisfied?”
“This is exactly it, Lucifer! You don’t even know who all of this is for, do you? Those humans are very important to him and you choose time and time again to ignore that fact!”
Lucifer could feel himself melting slightly under the weight of her tired gaze, fingers toying with the cuffs of his sleeve. The mention of him sent a pulse of guilt down his spine; he felt very small in moments like these. Well, smaller. Despite this, a surge of irritation washed over him and compelled his voice to be still.
“Sera, please, if you would just look at it! I took the body from the seals, made it waterproof, and the feet I-”
“Enough, Lucifer!”
He couldn’t be sure, his eyes glued to the looming seraphim, but he was almost certain he was sinking into the floor beneath him. The irritation wasn’t gone, although shame crept in as a companion. Manually shifting his squinting eyes forward, he muttered apologies so quietly he wasn’t sure Sera could even hear him. He felt like a child. Small.
Sera seemed to notice this change in demeanor and sighed once more, floating down from her podium, eyes desperate to meet his glaring.
“I’m sorry, Luci. It’s- .. You seem to treat this like some sort of game- I just wish-”
She stopped for a moment, blinking in thought. The pause was long enough for Lucifer's curiosity to overpower his annoyance, glancing up at the other angel.
“Yes, that's it”
Ugh, the humans.
Of course that would be her grand scheme, the entire universe seemed to revolve around those annoying creatures.
Having been instructed to do so by Sera, Lucifer trenched his way through Eden in search of one of the troublemakers. He didn’t understand the particular reason for this; He’d always shown a distaste towards the concept ever since his first conversation with Adam. Despite only having existed for mere moments, the human's arrogance after his title had been revealed to him proved very telling of where his priorities lay. Lucifer can’t say he wasn’t initially intrigued when told about the humans, seeing it as an opportunity for thrilling conversation and idea exchange. After all, the animals he created never seemed to grasp his rambling at them, let alone give feedback or a response in any meaningful way.
However, this spark of hope was quickly extinguished when Adam’s only conversation topics seemed to circle around himself. Dreadfully boring.
Lilith was the second created and Lucifer had to admit he was a little transfixed by her when she was created, with long blond hair seeming to stretch on for miles around her. However, given his encounter with Adam, Lucifer hardly deemed an introduction necessary.
And yet, here he was, trudging through Eden in an attempt to find them. It would be worth it though, in exchange for a week of contact with them, Lucifer would be allowed back into his workshop. And, even better, Sera had mentioned the possibility of a council meeting given he could come up with a suitable addition to the garden. These chances came few and far between and it would be foolish for him not to accept these simple conditions. Oh, how he longed for his workshop now; his mind wondering to his most recent creation. He wondered if they had taken his platypus out of the garden yet or if they still needed to be collected.
A little detour couldn’t hurt, right?
A lake became visible and Lucifer made a B-line, curious to see how his little creatures were adapting. Approaching the lake edge he didn’t have to wait long before a curious head poked above the water. The angel immediately recognized the little creature, kneeling down to get a better view.
“Ah! Hiya, bud!”
A flash of recollection seemed to wash over the little platypus, as it began splashing excitedly, swimming in circles. Lucifer grinned, finding it increasingly difficult not to fall into a pit of giggles at the sight. There he is! isn’t he fantastical?
The seraphim shifted his hand towards the water slowly and beckoned the little being closer. Swimming quickly across, the little platypus shifted into Lucifer's hand before rolling around excitedly. Chuckling to himself, the angel attempted to pet the creature; finding it difficult given the little one's enthusiastic movements. Why couldn’t Sera see the beauty in creatures like these? Did everything always have to be in service for the humans?
Breaking his train of thought, the excitable critter seemed to slow as he became interested in something to the left. Slowly, he began to swim in the direction of the sudden interest.
“Hey, where are you going?”
Lucifer followed the creature, walking along the bank in hopes of finding out what had intrigued the little one so suddenly. Blond hair came into view as he rounded a corner and Lucifer panicked, hiding behind a nearby bush.
Why was he hiding?
Peeking out from the side of the bush so as not to be seen, Lucifer concluded that, yes, it was indeed Lilith’s blond hair he had spotted. From this distance, it was hard to make out the specifics, but it appeared as though she hadn’t changed much from the last time he’d seen her. Cautiously the brave little platypus came into view, attempting to get a better look at the woman. Lilith startled suddenly, in turn jolting her feet through the water they had been in enough to create a small splash, startling the little critter who ducked his head under the water in fear. After assessing the situation, Lilith relaxed and tilted her head slightly as she squinted at the little thing. Seemingly concluding he wasn’t a threat, she carefully beckoned him to come closer, attempting to soothe the little creature with words Lucifer couldn’t quite make out.
The angel strained to see and hear the interaction, wishing to be closer. He supposed he always had a vague curiosity about how the humans would react to his creations, but always assumed they would have a similar reaction to heaven. Although it seemed she was quite fascinated by the little one, the notion alone sparked a small sense of pride in the angel. He strained his ears once again to hear what she was saying before realising-
Oh... right.. I can shapeshift
Resisting the urge to facepalm, Lucifer instead shifted into a snake and began making his way towards the two.
“Well, aren’t you a funny little thing? I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
As Lilith's words came more into focus, It shocked the angel just how soothing her voice was; settling in a spot a few yards away, it struck Lucifer how relaxed the tone of her voice made him. On closer inspection, It also appeared that her face had in fact changed slightly. Her smile, although genuine, looked tired and there was a tinge of sadness in her eyes. He would feel a little ashamed at his creepy staring if he wasn't so fascinated by the woman.
Unbeknownst to Lucifer’s entranced gaze, the woman continued on, voicing soft words of encouragement to the startled little critter. Eventually, the cautious platypus made its way towards Lilith’s outstretched hands. Slowly, but surely, gaining more confidence, the brave little mammal moved around the hand, curious. Pretty soon the two seemed to become well acquainted, the little platypus showing a similar level of enthusiasm to that of what he had shown Lucifer.
“Aha! That tickles, little one!”
She was laughing now, almost hysterically, as the platypus weaved through her fingers excitedly. What a wonderful laugh it was, too, but more than that Lucifer was utterly bewildered at the cause of said fit of giggles.
She likes him
She really, really likes him!
The sight alone caused Lucifer's heart to soar through his chest. He wasn’t entirely aware of how desperate he was for a positive reaction to his work until it was playing out right in front of him. Heaven had always brushed off his work or begrudgingly agreed to add it to the garden, never truly acknowledging it. Almost unable to contain himself with excitement, all that Lucifer could do was stare intently from the grass below.
“Okay! Okay!- hehe- okay what about a song? Would that calm you down?”
Chuckling at the inquisitive look coming from the smaller mammal, Lilith briefly closed her eyes before starting to hum. The hums slowly morphed into lyrics, eyes opening once more to peer at her small companion.
Oh
If Lucifer wasn’t focused before, he most certainly was now. As the melody fell from Lilith’s lips, Lucifer could swear everything he’d ever experienced up until this point had been utterly insignificant. A flurry of indistinguishable emotions flooded Lucifer’s psyche as he listened intently. Oh, what magnificent vocals this woman could wield; the angel is sure he would be content to lie here for the rest of his days. Each syllable evokes a new and stronger emotion in the angel.
A branch snaps suddenly from beneath the snake, shattering the moment and eliciting a sharp gasp from the woman. Lucifer curses himself for the interruption; completely unaware he had even been moving at all. Lilith’s eyes snap to the cause of the sound, landing squarely on the angelic snake, causing a quick intake of breath in the woman.
Moments pass like this, eyes locked in fierce contact. Snapping out of the trance, Lucifer slithers away quickly into the recess of the forest. After a good distance had been established between the two, Lucifer turned, making sure he hadn't been followed before shifting back to his normal form. He took a moment to collect himself; the whole ordeal being rather shocking to the angel.
Was this what the humans were like?
He wondered off in thought, brainstorming ways of introducing himself. He must meet this woman.