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One week.
You take one week off to visit some old friends, and you somehow miss a couple of botched interviews, Alastor becoming the Vees’ captive, Lucifer being hot antagonizing Vox and then getting kicked out by Charlie, and a potential war with Heaven.
So much for your treaty.
And the only reason you knew any of that was because of social media and a frantic call from the princess asking if you knew where her dad was.
Which had set you straight into panic-mode, and had you rushing back with Ember so you could look for Lucifer.
But when you snuck into Vox’s big event, along with the rest of the residents of the hotel, you couldn’t find your king anywhere.
If that stupid TV demon had hurt him…well, you weren’t sure you’d be able to be held accountable for your actions.
You were starting to get a little desperate, especially when you had to put your search on pause once Vox began shooting the “Might of Lilith” at Alastor and the others.
Then, there was a whole ‘kumbaya’ moment where the power of song (and friendship?) saved the day…only to reveal a blood-covered Lucifer, who you realized must have been the power source of Vox’s weapon.
“Do NOT go down there! It is a world of pain.”
“Shit, I forgot he was in there,” Vaggie murmured. For the first time since arriving at the hotel, you felt real rage towards the fallen angel even as you rushed to Lucifer’s side.
“How could you forget?!” You shouted as you knelt down beside Lucifer, who had crumpled on the ground. You cradled his head in your lap, tears welling in your eyes as he smiled up at you weakly.
“Oh, hey, hon,” Lucifer coughed, and you winced at the blood running from his mouth. “Didn’t think you’d be back till tomorrow.”
“I came to find you. You had me worried sick,” you sighed, pressing your forehead against his before pulling away to look at Charlie. She looked hesitant, like she wasn’t sure if her presence would be welcome. “And so was your daughter.”
Lucifer perked up at that, glancing up as Charlie walked towards the two of you with a teary smile.
“Dad!” Charlie leant down to hug him, you leaning back to give them some space. “I’m so sorry I yelled at you. It wasn’t your fault, I was just frustrated but I should’ve communicated that better and-”
“It’s okay, Char-Char,” Lucifer cut her off, raising a shaky hand to squeeze her hand. “I’m just glad you’re not mad at me anymore.”
“Of course not,” Charlie whispered. Shouting grabbed your attention, and Vaggie beckoned for Charlie to come over to the crowd. The blonde looked back at you and you sighed.
As annoyed as you were with her, especially after she explained what had happened between her and Lucifer, you knew a lot was going on. And if Hell wanted to avoid a war with Heaven, she needed to get control of everything.
“I’ve got him,” you said reassuringly. “Ember can take us back to the hotel.”
Charlie looked at you gratefully, quietly whispering a soft “I love you” to her dad before taking off. Lucifer shuddered once she was gone, and you were quick to pick him up.
He winced as you shifted, holding him bridal-style as best you could (you were endlessly thankful for your fun-sized boyfriend), whistling for Ember to come out from where she’d been hiding during the whole “destroying Vox’s weapon” thing.
“Aren’t I supposed to be the one carrying you?” Lucifer slurred, and you laughed weakly.
“Not when you’re the one who’s injured,” you said, voice soft as Ember grew in size. You settled in, holding Lucifer close to your chest as she flew off. If you weren’t so worried about hurting him, you’d cling as tightly as you could.
He groaned in pain, and you felt guilt wash over you.
In that moment, you wished you had never left. Maybe you could have stopped Lucifer from confronting Vox, or helped diffuse the argument between Lucifer and Charlie.
Or at the very least, been by his side so he wouldn’t get used by Vox.
“I’m sorry, love,” you whispered as Lucifer’s eyes shut close, him leaning against your chest.
“For what?” Lucifer asked quietly.
“For not being here,” You replied as Ember flew to one of the balconies on the same floor as your room, slipping off Ember’s back while supporting Lucifer’s weight. In a flash, she was snake-sized again, slithering behind you as you grabbed Lucifer’s arm, wrapping it around you so you could help him walk.
“You’re here now,” Lucifer smiled even though he was clearly in pain. “Besides, you didn’t miss a lot.”
“Uh-huh,” you rolled your eyes with a watery laugh, wondering how he could still joke, even in the awful state he was in.
Finally, you made it to Lucifer’s room, where you were able to gently deposit the fallen angel into his bed and grab the first aid kit you’d insisted he start keeping after the axe-throwing duck incident.
He’d remodeled his room a bit in recent months, had a circus theme with a lot more rubber ducks. And the bed was…interesting, but it made him happy and that was all that mattered.
You helped him out of his jacket, vest, and shirt (damn, why did he have to wear so many layers?), biting your lip at the sight of electrical burns that were scattered across his chest and arms, and golden blood stained his skin.
While you weren’t a doctor by any means, you had some first aid knowledge after living at the hotel for so long, and you tended to his wounds as best you could, bandaging Lucifer up in silence.
“Angelheart?”
You hummed in response, eyes furrowed in concentration as you carefully wrapped a bandage around his torso.
“My Muse. Look at me, please.”
His voice sounded desperate, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. Not when you were barely keeping it together as it was.
You didn’t think he could get this hurt.
And seeing him like this broke you. But it wasn’t about you right now. It was about Lucifer. So long as you didn’t look at him, you figured you’d be able to keep it together.
Lucifer wasn’t making it easy though.
“Sweetheart…”
“I’m almost done, hon. Just gotta tie it,” you murmured as you tied the bandage off, pulling back to see if there was anything you’d missed.
“Hey!” Lucifer exclaimed, clasping his hands around your face to get you to stop moving. You blinked back tears at the soft, adoring smile he gave you. “There’s my pretty girl. Listen, I’m gonna be fine. Angelic healing, remember?”
“Yeah…” you felt tears start to run down your face and his eyes go wide before he tugged you onto the bed and into his arms. You immediately tried to pull away, thinking of how sore he must be, but he refused to let go. “No, no, no, you’ll hurt yourself. Starlight, you need to rest.”
“Right now, I need you,” Lucifer whispered, nuzzling into your hair with a sigh. “And I have a sneaking feeling you need this as much as I do.”
You let out a sob, burrowing your face into the crook of his neck as your body trembled. He held you close, until your sobs died off and you leaned back to see his face.
His smile was strained, and there were bags under his eyes that made you wonder if he’d gotten any good sleep while you were away.
“You should get some sleep,” you said quietly. He nodded, plopping down onto his pillow, you still held tightly against him.The stubborn king clearly had no intention of letting you go, so you maneuvered around a little until you were both comfortable and pulled the covers over the two of you.
“I’ve missed you,” Lucifer whispered after a few minutes of silence. You scooched up so you could kiss him softly.
“I missed you too. Next time, you’re coming with me,” you stated firmly, earning a weak laugh from Lucifer as he snuggled into you.
“Deal,” Lucifer yawned, and while you were certain things were going to get very hectic very soon, you were content to enjoy this small moment of peace and appreciate the fact that Lucifer was still here, still alive.
Something you would never take for granted again.
“I love you,” you said, even as your eyes began to flutter shut. “And none of this was your fault. Remember that.”
“I’ll try,” Lucifer didn’t sound too convinced, but you’d spend tomorrow making assurances until he believed your words. “And love you too, Songbird.”
As you drifted off to sleep, you vowed to have a long conversation with the others tomorrow, maybe call in some favors.
This would not happen again.