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It really broke the angel's heart that they were going to kill her.
Twirling and shifting her red and blue hues, the nebula was extending through half the sky above him. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and he was the one who had made her. Kokabiel knew angels weren't supposed to feel pride, and yet... Why anyone would want to destroy something so incredible was beyond him.
"Hello, Starmaker."
The voice was low and soft but it startled him all the same. Everybody was so busy launching the 'Earth project' that Kokabiel hadn't been expecting anyone to find him so far away from it. Of course, Lucifer knew him better than that.
The redhead tried to affect nonchalance as the Prince of Heaven sat beside him. They both looked quietly at the eerily silent cloud of stars, their essences resting on nothing and their wings almost brushing. As a rule, angels never touched. Why would they? But Lucifer always seemed to end up in Kokabiel’s personal space, which made him feel things he didn't have the words for. All he knew was that his whole being seemed drawn to him, like the Prince was some kind of black hole, irresistible and fascinating.
They'd been working together since the very beginning and Kokabiel had been awestruck for just as long. Lucifer was a visionary: he had the sharpest mind the archangel had ever seen and a creativity that rivaled God's herself. Kokabiel shook his head to chase the blasphemous thought away. And he asked questions! So many of them! When other angels seemed to cower at the first sign of critical thinking, the Prince embraced it, looked for it, which made him not only clever but also incredibly brave.
"I thought you were done working on this one?" Lucifer asked softly.
The redhead shrugged. "I don't know why I bothered making it at all," he huffed. "Did you know they were planning to tear it down before it could even start working properly?"
He had sounded slightly more accusatory than he intended.
Lucifer sighed. "I heard, but it was nothing official. I hoped there was some kind of mistake. I'm sorry you couldn't convince them..."
Kokabiel huffed. “How could I? They certainly didn't ask for my input!"
The Prince raised an eyebrow. "I'm puzzled that you didn't offer it anyway. Were their explanations so convincing?"
"There was no explanation! Nothing."
Lucifer paused. "I'm confused. They told you they were shutting your project down and you didn't ask for an explanation, nor did you argue your case?"
The redhead tried to not let himself get too riled up. Of course, he wasn’t doing it on purpose, but the Prince had managed to hit each of his sore points with his questioning.
"No one told me anything! It took some principality passing by for me to hear about it!"
Lucifer frowned. "A principality worked on development? Which one?"
This time Kokabiel couldn't stop himself from yelling. "No! No! You don't understand! He wasn’t working with us! He had nothing to do with the project and yet, he knew! Can you believe they made this carelessly public but they didn't even bother to announce it properly to us? The ones actually working on it? Do you realise how humiliating this is?"
Lucifer tilted his head. "Not that much, apparently," he said in a soft voice, "if it's me you're yelling at, instead of them."
The redhead stared at him like he had been slapped.
"What are you talking about?" he whispered.
The Prince shrugged. "I'm just saying, if you came here to scream at the void, it's because you've already given up on fighting for your project. I didn't take you for a coward but... well, you're so clever, I guess you can't have everything."
Kokabiel felt his feathers rustle.
"I'm not—!" He stopped in astonishment when the Prince seized his hand and held onto it.
"It's alright." Lucifer was standing far too close to him and it made his mind buzz. "We did a lot of wonderful things together. I'm glad we had this opportunity. So what if we did all of this for nothing? At least I met you."
It was not the first time Lucifer said something like that, and Kokabiel never knew what to make of it. It had been a joy to meet him, they had become so close… Sometimes, it felt like the Prince was the only one who actually understood him. But they weren’t supposed to feel this, let alone say it out loud. There was no other love than the love of God.
"Wha— what about you? Don't you want to fight for our project?" the archangel stuttered, pivoting awkwardly.
"I would love to, but I was only leading the theoretical team. You're the one who actually started the universe. Why would they listen to me when you have already given up?"
"I haven't..." he heard himself murmur.
The truth was that he had. But Lucifer's innocent questions had woken something up inside him. It was his work. It was his responsibility to protect it. And if God was too foolish to understand the marvel of her own creation, then they would have to show her! Kokabiel felt a thrill at the dangerous thought, but angels were not supposed to feel anger either and he was almost dizzy with all these contradictory feelings.
The Prince was still holding his hand. "Do you want us to do something about it?" he asked softly. "Together?"
The starmaker nodded. "Together."