Chapter Text
Lucifer knew it was gonna be difficult. Sure, he knew the risks involved with such a plan. Deliver the Fruit of Knowledge to Eve. He thought harshly, almost growling under his breath as he pulled forwards some specks of dust along the table in front of him.
It’ll be easy. He thought once again, pulling forth an image from somewhere deep in his mind. A small egg appeared and soon the dust began forming the image, surrounded by multiple others. Each one represents aspects of his past in such a way he had to look away.
He couldn’t dwell on that now. Not when there were so many unanswered questions. If he weren’t trapped in this stupid room… His nails dug into the wood of the desk as he dragged his fingers downwards. The image abruptly changed, the sand blowing like it was swiped off and sent shimmering to the floor.
Lucifer cursed under his breath and ultimately slammed his head against the table. He cursed heaven’s name deep in his heart, hoping they could hear his hatred towards them in his ever present hellfire. However, his words were never truly enough. Always seeming to fail him more than once.
He wrapped his arms around himself, craving the comforting touch of his love once more. The feeling of warmth as she surrounded him and the sharp aroma of flowers in the air. But he was only met with the cold reality of being alone in a huge room.
Tears pricked at the edges of his vision. He was alone. No one wanted him around, not even his own family. Her stares crowded the room, digging into his skin like nails and leaving him with a burning sensation along his back. He was so close to letting lose, to let all the sounds he kept hidden out. But he stopped when the room grew lighter as the door opened wider. He could vaguely make out the slightest of shuffling of feet along the carpeted floor before he whipped around with a hand over his mouth.
He couldn’t let anyone see how far gone he truly is, no matter who it was that dared to disturb him. The moment he saw those huge red eyes staring up at so innocently hardened his horror at being caught so vulnerably by his own daughter. But that was pushed to the back of his mind just as quickly as he wiped at his tears and pushed away from his desk.
He hadn’t spoken in weeks and he hoped it didn’t show, even though it probably did with the way he had to clear his throat before speaking. “Charlie, w-what’re you doing here?”
He watched as her eyes lowered to the ground as she took a couple more paces inside of the room. “Mom’s busy. Can I stay here with you?” She asked meekly, causing Lucifer’s chest to tighten. Why? He wasn’t sure.
Nonetheless, he’d be damned if he refused to spend whatever time he could with his precious daughter. He smiled warmly down at her and got to his feet, quickly scooping her off the ground before checking the hallway quickly and leaving the door slightly ajar. He didn’t have the heart to trap her in here with him and knowing her, it wouldn’t take long before Charlie’s disappearance was noticed.
“Of course, my love.” He cooed down at her, gently tickling her belly and getting a rather loud giggle out of her. And his heart swelled in pride knowing that his pride and joy was safe in his arms now. “Do you wanna hear a story?” He asked, unable to hide his excitement.
“Yes! Story time!” Charlie squealed, pointing towards his desk where his dust sat now in a pile, the shapes from before long since disappearing. As well as the claw marks, much to Lucifer’s relief.
Her chanting continued even as he moved to sit back down, placing her on his lap and summoning the dust forwards with the single flick of his wrist.
“Your stories are the best!” She squealed happily, tapping her fragile fingers against the hard wood of the desk. “Story time! Story time!” She giggled as she bounced in his arms.
Lucifer chuckled wholeheartedly as he began bouncing her in time with her excited flapping, reminding him of a little duckling. “Okay, okay.” He laughed deeply, wrapping her close to his chest. “It’s time for calm now, my little duckling.”
“Duckling?” Charlie asked softly, her voice lowering considerably to try to match his. “What’s that?”
“What’s a duckling?” Lucifer echoed, humming thoughtfully. “Why, a duckling is a cute little fluff ball that goes around causing mayhem.” He cooed, tickling her sides along with her words. Relishing in the echo of her bubbly laughter filling his room once more. He wished he could hear it everyday.
“Mayhem?” Charlie echoed softly. Lucifer had to hold in his tears as he sat back and pulled the dust towards them.
“Trouble.” He reiterated softly, his smile fading ever so softly. “But not all of them mean to cause trouble. Did you know that?” He asked, catching her gaze. His hand had cupped her cheek gently when he noticed she wasn’t looking at him and it seemed to take her eyes off of the dust. “Not all ducklings are troublemakers, remember that Charlie.”
She nodded seriously and puffed out her cheeks as she saluted him. “Yes, sir.” She tried to sound serious but ended up devolving into a fit of laughter. Lucifer could only smile softly down at her before beginning to speak once more.
“Now, this story is about a duckling.”
“Is he evil?” Charlie’s small voice piqued his attention, stopping him in his tracks.
“No, not in this story.” Lucifer confirmed, allowing the dust to finally take shape. “In this story, he’s an ordinary duckling just like the others.” The dust formed into small little ducklings that roamed around the desk, imitating a quacking motion as they chirped. “Mama duck looked at each of them and said, ‘Look at you’” He used his imitation skills to mimic a new voice, making Charlie laugh.
“‘All these lonely months have paid off, for my baby’s are finally here.” Lucifer mimicked the voice again, the dust acting out his words. “‘Let’s line up and go for your first swim’,”
“She begins to count them.” Lucifer pauses for a moment and looks down at Charlie. “Can you count how many there are?” He asked her.
His daughter, ever so calmly as possible, quickly turned to the desk and began counting out loud. Her little face scrunched up in concentration. “One, two, three,” She began.
Lucifer waited patiently as he allowed her a moment to struggle, waiting for her to acknowledge that she needed help rather than help her immediately. “Dad.” She whined softly.
Lucifer merely chuckled and sat up, holding her closer to the desk. “Come on, I’ll help you.”
Charlie pouted up at him but resumed her counting with his urging, pointing towards one little duckling. “One,” they said in unison, with Charlie looking up at Lucifer for confirmation. She smiled widely once he nodded with such warmth in his gaze and took her small wrist in his hands, moving to a different one: “Two,” They continued until there were no more ducks to count. “Three, four, five.”
“There’s five ducklings, Daddy!” Charlie squealed in delight, staring up at him with literal stars in her eyes.
Lucifer could feel tears beginning to prick at the corners of his eyes but he blinked them away for her sake, instead opting to keep that spark ignited as much as possible. “Yes, there are! Good job, my love.”
She beamed up at him before turning back to the display expectantly. “But what’s this? One of my eggs haven’t hatched.” Lucifer took on the same voice as before, adding a hint of sadness to it this time.
He could only watch with a shattered heart as her smile faded sharply and she let out a whispered; “ No,”
“‘Maybe one more day and he will be ready.’ Said the Mama Duck, gathering up her little ducklings for a good nights sleep.” Lucifer continued.
“Will he wake up?” Charlie asked, her eyes fixated on the small egg scattered around the small ducklings.
Lucifer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and nodded solomnly. “Of course, my love. For after a good night’s sleep, the Mama Duck awoke to find that her final egg had hatched.”
“But this duckling wasn’t the same. There was something strange about him.” Lucifer emphasizes his words with the dust, forming a completely different colored duckling from the others. “The other little ducklings didn’t like that he was different.”
He mimicked new voices for the ducklings, much to Charlie’s entertainment. “Ew, he’s ugly.’ ‘I’ve never seen such an ugly duckling.’ They spat towards him. The ugly duckling wanted to cry but Mama Duck shushed them. ‘Quiet, my children. Your brother hatched from the same nest so he is ours.’”
“‘Now, line up my little ducklings. It’s time for your first swim.’ The Mama duck said, leading her ducklings to the water.” Lucifer continued, glancing down to find Charlie staring at the small creatures created from the dust. He watched as her eyes landed on the different coloured duckling, her fragile features breaking into one of heartache.
“Why is he walking funny?” She asked so softly, almost as if she were ashamed for asking. Lucifer closed his eyes for a moment, a soft smile spreading across his face before he answered;
“He may be a little strange. But there’s nothing wrong with that, don’t you think?”
Charlie seemed to take a moment to mull over his words before finally nodding in agreement. “Everyone is different and that’s good.” She declared in her mightiest voice she could muster.
Lucifer smiled widely and pulled her in for an embrace, relishing in the way she willingly trusted him not to drop her. She was quick to wrap her small arms around his shoulders as much as she was able to. He cradled her as close as possible to his chest before he continued. “That’s right, my little duckling.” He poked her on the nose gently, prompting an adorable giggle to escape her. One that had suckered its way into Lucifer’s heart and solidified his resolve all the more.
Everything he’s ever done could never amount to the precious little being in his arms. He’d be damned a million times over if it meant he could protect his little girl.
He could see Adam’s smug smirk like a shadow looming over him. He knew it’s what that prick wants, it’s never been so obvious. But he couldn’t see why Lilith would entangle herself with the sinner’s from Earth, feed them her lies in order to empower them. Only to abandon them when she deems them unfit for her ideals. They were made in her image, Lucifer could attest to this considering he let her reign supreme over the Pride Ring, much to her disdain.
But now that there are repercussions, she’s suddenly not interested in the wellbeing of the people she created. And now that responsibility lands on his shoulders. Which means he has to keep the ones he loves safe from the bloodshed and warfare that transpired past these walls. But by doing so, he’s forced to make the greatest sacrifice of his life.
“You see,” He started, unsure of what he was going to say but he needed to tell his story. No matter what, his truth had to be told. “This little duckling here,” He gestured to the one he made different from the others, drawing Charlie’s attention to it. “He can’t help but be different from his brothers. No matter what he did, they would always have something awful to say.”
“But why?” Charlie’s small voice quivered slightly as she held his hand close to her chest. Lucifer looked into her eyes and sighed softly.
“They don’t understand him. They don’t accept the fact that he’s not the same as them.”
“But that’s mean.” She stated plainly.
“That’s right. It is.” Lucifer agreed solemnly. “But to be different means to be hated. Because, my love, other people can see how truly beautiful someone is,” He waved his hand in the air, the small duckling wafting and mixing with more piles of sand as small specks of gold danced in the air.
A large swan appeared in front of them, its wings spread wide with a dazzling array of stars behind it. The moon shone brightly behind it as it flew around them, eliciting a gasp from Charlie as he gazed up at it in awe. “They want to extinguish that light before it has time to shine.” Lucifer finished quietly as the image flew back to the desk, descending back into piles of sand along his desk.
“Can you do me a favor?” Lucifer’s throat threatened to close around the words he so desperately wanted to get out as those hands wrapped around his shoulders so tenderly. But there was a moment of hostility as her arms pulled against his throat. He caught the cough that threatened to shake his body, masking it with a chuckle as he pulled her arm away from him.
Except he wasn’t about to let her get away with his daughter without a word. He hoped more than anything that she’d remember this one day in the future and come back, seeking answers that only he could give. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something you put your mind to, you got that, my little duckling?”
Charlie looked up at him with such melancholy eyes as she’s lifted out his arms so easily, he had to resist the urge to pull her closer to his chest and shield his daughter from that… that monster. But he remained in place, trying and failing to keep a smile on his face until he unconsciously reached out for her hand. He missed her receding hand by mere inches but his action clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed by Charlie.
She stared down at him even as she neared the door, her little hand outstretched as if to say ‘Don’t leave’. But Lucifer had no choice in the matter as his smile faltered for the final time as the door slid shut and she disappeared from his gaze.
And for what could only be the first of many, Lucifer turned back to his desk where the sand sat. An image appeared in his mind and the dust took its form, solidifying until it sat on his desk. Smiling up at him with the same cute smile of his daughter.
And he cried as silently as possible as he held it close to his chest.