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"So have you seen already?" one of the Exorcists asked while the whole group was sitting in a bar with their Lieutenant, however, now it was just Lute. They managed to still keep things professional between all of them but they also developed some sort of friendship during their free time.
"Seen what?" Lute asked, taking a sip of her drink.
"Adam's face!" a few angels said at the same time and made Lute jump a little. Of course, they were asking about it. Sometimes she regretted ever telling them about hanging out with Adam off duties because since that time they'd been constantly asking about how their situationship was developing. Situationship. Lute hated that word but it described what was between the two of them the best. In was undeniable that the duo liked each other more than more but would never admit it publicly.
Lute groaned and put her forehead against the table before looking back up. "No, I haven't." It was, in fact, true. Maybe Adam was really comfortable and relaxed around her but not enough to show her his face. He was really careful with it — hiding his face meant that he was more mysterious to his enemies, scarier and more unpredictable. Nobody knew what to expect. Nobody could actually see him and what was hiding behind the mask. Of course, Lute was dying of curiosity but she always respected his choice even though after some time of spending with him she was a bit sad and worried that maybe he didn't trust her after all.
Lute's answer was met with a doze of surprise coming from the rest of the angels.
"I bet his so hot!"
"But what if he's ugly and that's why he's hiding?"
"Yeah! Lute! Would you still date him if he was ugly?" one angel and once more all eyes were on her.
"First of all, we're not dating—"
"Fine, fine, then would you still want to date him if he was ugly?" Lute groaned again. 'Yes'. She wanted to say but she knew that after saying it she would never escape constant questions. Was it that obvious that she had feelings for Adam?
"Who said I want to date him? He's a... friend." The whole group starts laughing. They know he's not just a friend or at least not to Lute.
For the rest of their meeting the Exorcists were coming back to the Adam topic from time to time and each time Lute tried to brush it off, especially, that right after seeing them she was supposed to go and hang out with Adam. Naturally, she didn't tell her friends because that would just bring more chaos to the whole conversation.
Eventually, she had to excuse them when the meeting started to outline. The angels were told that Lute had to do some more paperwork for Sera so that they wouldn't get suspicious. Still, some of them grinned as she was leaving the bar. It was obvious that they knew.
An odd thing about their whole meeting was that Adam asked Lute to meet him in his room. They usually met somewhere in the centre of Heaven and then go either drinking or partying. Very rarely they would just sit somewhere more privately and talk — these were the best days for Lute. She really enjoyed listening to Adam speaking and telling her all about the Garden, how it was being a human. It all fascinated Lute and she was really grateful that the man was able to open up in front of her that much, knowing that the memories from before him being an angel were extremely painful.
As she reached his room and was about to knock a wave of anxiety hit her. Why though? It wasn't the first time she'd been in Adam's room. Usually though only because he needed to grab something while they were hanging out. She's never really got to see it fully but the one thing she noticed was that it was really cosy — like a small cabin in the middle of the woods. So the thought of spending more time inside shouldn't have made her feel nervous. These were probably the aftermaths of her conversation with the other angels. They really made her think about her and Adam's relationship. She really wanted to take a step forward but still wasn't sure if Adam wanted the same... With this thought she knocked on the door and patiently waited for the man to open it.
"Danger Tits! I thought you'd never come!" Adam exclaimed as he opened the door, immediately pulling her inside. Lute quickly had a look at a clock and realized that she came even before their settled time. Did he really want her to come that much? At that thought Lute felt her cheeks turning red a bit so she quickly looked down so that Adam wouldn't see anything.
"So... why are we meeting in your room today? Is everything okay?" she asked, thinking that maybe Adam didn't well enough to walk around Heaven.
The man stopped and looked at her. She couldn't see his face but could feel that there was something in his mind that he struggled to let out.
"Yeah..." Adam let out a small nervous chuckle. "We've done pretty much everything together already, right? We've got wasted, got high, hooked up and... ugh," he groans, now pacing around the room. Lute blushed at the mention of all the things they'd done together. "I guess it must be quite weird to see my mask when I fuck you," he said and Lute almost choked on her saliva. Was he really about to show her... his face?
"Adam, what do you—"
"I thought I could show you my face, Tits." Lute stared at him for a second before letting out a deep breath. It was really about to happen. The angels won't believe her.
Eventually, she agreed to the idea and was asked by Adam to sit on his bed and make herself comfortable. That was the difficult part. For some reason, seeing on the mask Lute could let herself dream and imagine what Adam really looked like. What if she doesn't like it?
The man made a few circles in front of her before standing right in front of her and taking a few deep breaths. It was difficult for Lute but even more for Adam who was not questioning his decision. What if she doesn't like him? After all, he always kept the mask on because he was so disgusted with himself — never able to look at himself in the mirror. He'd already been left twice... he really didn't want it to happen for the third time.
He put his hands on both sides of the mask. "Don't you dare laugh, got it?"
"I haven't said anything!"
"Just— Just don't laugh, Lute..." he said, worry and stress growing inside of him.
He took another deep breath and slowly took off his mask and put it next to him on a chest of drawers. For a second he kept his eyes closed to eventually open them and look at Lute with his golden eyes. They were still filled with worry and suspense.
"Come on, Danger Tits! Say something!" he exclaimed frustrated with the silence.
Lute's gaze softened even more as she heard his voice without the mask. For the first time in her life she felt like she was talking to the real Adam. She now knew that he was, in fact, real.
"Wow..." she almost whispered, studying his face. It was rather round with his hair sticking every direction probably from constant putting on and taking off the mask. Nonetheless, it looked very fluffy and Lute had to fight the urge to ruffle it. Adam had also a little stubble that some might have said was a sign of not taking proper care of oneself but Lute thought it made him look rather adorable.
"The fuck you mean 'wow'!" Adam got frustrated. "I knew not to do it! I fucking knew!" he began grumbling and reached for his mask to put it on again and tell Lute to forget about it all. He didn't manage to do it because a soft hand held his bigger one.
"Don't... please. I haven't got to see it for long enough," Lute spoke softly and smiled at the man, hoping that it would calm him down a bit. Adam, fortunately, dropped his hand but was still rather anxious. "I'm sorry my reaction wasn't obvious but... I think you look much better without your mask on, Adam." The man smiled involuntarily. "I think you look very handsome, actually. And the messy hair with the facial hair?" She very lightly brushed his cheek. "Make you look adorable."
"I don't look fucking adorable..." he grumbled in response but Lute still saw the light blush on his cheeks. In fact, inside, Adam was jumping from happiness. After centuries of being called ugly, disgusting and gross by the angels who had a chance to see his face, demons, Lilith... Eve... Lucifer—
"Adam? Are you crying?" Lute asked worried that she'd said something wrong.
The man quickly shook his head and tried to hide his face. That was so embarrassing. It was the first Lute had seen his face and he had to fucking cry!
Not being able to reach for his mask, he hid his face in his hands. Soon enough, the same soft hands grabbed his and pulled them slowly away. He let her.
"Adam... It's okay, I promise, it's safe. It's safe to cry." Her voice was so gently as if she was talking to a child which, of course, made Adam's pride hurt but ultimately he was really grateful for her kindness.
"It's not some sick prank, is it? Y-You really mean it? That I'm... adorable?" he asked, sniffling. Lute nodded softly and smiled.
"It's not a joke, Adam. I would never lie to you about it."
After a short while the man started calming down. He was now realizing that he'd made the right decision to show his face to Lute. It was beginning to get annoying, being covered all the time. Because of it, Adam felt like there was some barrier, void, between the two of them. He didn't want any of it, not with Lute. Not with the person that gave him so much comfort and happiness.
Eventually, Lute offered Adam to take a sit next to her on the bed so he could relax a bit more. They sat like that for a longer while just holding each other's hands and looking at each other's faces. Of course, Adam had already seen Lute's face many times but each time he was looking at it he was finding out more beautiful things about it. For example, that she had a little scar under her lower lip after she tripped during a workout or that one of her brow was slightly higher than the other.
"Thank you for trusting me that much, Adam. I really appreciate it."
"I couldn't choose a better person to do it with," he replied, squeezing her hands lightly. For the first time in centuries he felt good about himself. He felt loved.
***
"So tell us!"
The Exorcists were once more sitting at the same bar, again asking Lute about her last meeting with Adam.
"Did he show you?"
Lute smirked. She know could mess with them so easily.
"Oh, you know, he may have shown me something," she chuckled, taking a sip of her drink while listening to all the gasps coming from the other angels who then kept bombarding her with questions. "It's an exclusive piece of information, guys. I can't just tell you!"
The angels groaned with frustration. "You're an ass sometimes, Lute! At least tell us if he's handsome?"
She grinned. "The most handsome man I have ever seen."