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Silence was all there was as she sprawled out stomach first on her perch. He'd installed it on his office wall specifically for moments like these when she needed some place to go. When she needed a place to stim, and he needed silence. Just them, quiet and happy.
The outside world got too loud, but here? It was white noise.
Just them.
“Say, Lute?” She didn't reply, it was one of those times. He didn't need her to though, he knew she was listening. “You ever heard of a blobfish?” He'd asked, scrolling onto a picture on his phone. “They're these little funny looking creatures.” He showed her.
Lute had spared the screen a glance, before her attention focused back on a bead on the handle of her fuzzy perch. She pushed it side to side and twiddled it between her fingers. The feel of it calmed her sometimes. It kept her hands busy when she didn't know what else to do with them.
“Yeah, ugly little things aren't they?” Adam was unbothered by her silence. This happened often after a long day of training or stress. The whole "never having bad days" in Heaven was a myth, but he'd never admit that out loud. For days like these, he was glad to just have her in his office. Silent, present, comfortable. “They look like Vaggie.”
He didn't have to look at her to see her smile, he could feel it. Soft, barely noticeable, but there. The little laugh she let escape didn't go unnoticed either, and oh how he would slaughter every sinner in that shit hotel and go toe to toe with Lucifer himself if it meant he'd get to hear that beautiful sound more often. But still, he kept his eyes glued to his phone. Sometimes, she didn't need his sappy lovey dovey bullshit. She just needed him to be there.
He heard her when she flipped herself upside down to hang off of the bar attached to her perch. The creak of the metal that was nearly rusted over was loud as she swung back and forth, slowly and happily. She didn't care that the rust dug into her currently exposed leg, she was just happy to be there. Thankful it existed.
Still, he made a mental note to fix that after tomorrow's extermination, where they would put hell in its place for good. Only the best for his girl, she deserved a place where she could stim comfortably, without the loud noise of metal creaking and the pain of rust peeling off and stabbing into her leg.
“You know, if you fall, I won't catch you.” Adam teased, however they both knew it wasn't true. He'd be there to catch her no matter what. He knew she didn't need it, but that wouldn't stop him.
The way she rolled her eyes didn't go unnoticed by the first man, but despite the fact that he'd usually call her out on that, he knew today wasn't the day for it. So he let it slide.
“Love you, Lutey cutie.” He said just loud enough for her to hear.
Lute didn't respond. She never did. She had trouble expressing her love. She always had, and she probably always would. She was a murder machine, she shouldn't be capable of such emotions like want or love.
Yet she was. And they both knew it.
So her response was unnecessary. He already knew.
Her wing twitched in acknowledgement, and that was all he needed.
“Tomorrow, we're gonna kick ass and send them scrambling.” He said, although he was talking to himself more than her. But that didn't stop her from reacting anyway, with a soft flutter of her wing. She didn't talk much when she got this way.
She had so much to say, but didn't know how to say it. So she let her body language speak for her and just went quiet. He knew how this show went. He was more than happy to accept it.
This time, he addressed her. “That's right, Dangertits. You and I are gonna kick ass and shut this kindergarten bullshit down for good.” He stroked her wing that she had extended for him. Sometimes she didn't wanna be touched, and he respected that, but when she allowed it? He'd take the opportunity everytime.
“You know, maybe if you bring me Vaggie's head tomorrow I'll give you a million heaven bucks.” Adam teased, moving to pick up his guitar.
Lute just stared at him.
Are you serious?
He chuckled, yeah, he should've expected that. “I know, you don't need to be offered money to smite her ass, do you? You're going to do it anyway.”
She seemed satisfied with that response, flipping herself back up to sprawl out on her stomach. Her arm dangled off the side. Her eyes began to droop, but she tried to fight it off.
Adam hummed, strumming a few soft chords on his guitar. “Oh no,” he knew what time it was, “You're not fighting this one, Lutey. I need you in top shape tomorrow.”
He paid no mind to the way she huffed. He didn't care if she was annoyed by that, she needed her sleep. He knew that better than anyone.
“I'm right and you know it. Suck it.”
A record that she had snatched off his wall came barreling right at his head. Adam yelped, ducking in his chair just in time. He shot her a look, but it softened when he saw her sleepy yet triumphant smirk.
He scoffed, settling back down into his office chair. “Yeah, yeah. You win this time bitch. But only this time.” He paused, then pointed up at his angel, “Don't get used to it.”
Lute curled back up with a shrug, fully ready to accept sleep now. To help her out a bit, he played his guitar. It wasn't loud and obnoxious, it was soft and comforting, just what he knew she needed.
Right before she dozed off completely, he spoke once more.
“Love you, you crazy bitch.”
And although she didn't reply, she didn't need to. He already knew.
Maybe, just maybe, she thought to herself, I'll tell him tomorrow.
Lute slammed his office door open, growling. They were stupid. Every last one of them. How dare they let a sinner enter Heaven under the guise of being "redeemed"? How dare they mock EVERYTHING her and Adam had stood for? What HEAVEN stood for?
And why did nobody else care about his absence?
She trudged into his office, slamming the door closed behind her. She clutched at her golden arm, his halo attached to it. Her eyes landed on her perch, thats what she needed now. That perch with the rusty pole attached to it.
Flapping her wings, she shot up to it and collapsed onto it, her shoulders shaking with barely supressed anger and sadness.
“We-helll, that was a shit show.”
Her eyes moved to look over at him.
“He's weak. He's nothing like you.” She growled, curling in on herself tighter. Abel didn't deserve his position. Not with how much of a spineless coward he was...
Not with how much he was...
A spineless coward. Exactly what Lute had been.
Maybe if she had been faster, more endurant, he would still be here.
“Yeah, that fucking sucks, doesn't it?”
Lute squeezed her eyes shut before sprawling onto her stomach, fiddling with one of the strings to his guitar that hung open-cased on the wall. Or more like broken-cased. She had shattered it earlier. She opened her eyes. “I never even got to tell you that...”
“Pft, you think I didn't already know?” He floated up in front of her, enough for them to make eye contact.
Lute's eyes filled with hope. “Did you?” She reached out to touch him. She wanted to feel him. She wanted to finally give him the love he deserved.
But it was far too late for that, wasn't it?
Her hand fazed right through him.
I'll tell him tomorrow. But now tomorrow would never come.
“No fucking idea. If you don't know, I don't know babe.”
Lute dropped her hand, disappointment filtering through her, and she could feel herself shutting down again.
It was just in her head. She had never said it out loud. Maybe Adam had died not really knowing how she felt.
All because she was too scared to say it.
Well look where being scared had gotten her?
Pitiful.
“So...what're you gonna do about it?”
She met his eye.
And this time? She would speak. She would use her voice.
“I'm going to burn every last one of them.”
She sat up, jumping down from that perch that she loved oh so dearly. It was hard to tear herself away from the very thing that brought her comfort, the very last thing that he had made for her.
But she knew one thing for sure.
This wallowing in self pity? It had to go.
She turned her back toward him, walking towards the door.
Right now?
She still had a job to do.
Her mission was incomplete.
And she'd be damned if she didn't do something to finish it.
The flood was coming, and just like they had brought tragedy to her?
She would bring it to them.
And they could bet on that.