3A/N: Well, well, well! Look who's back and posting!
Hiya guys!
It's been pretty touch-and-go for a while, I'm gonna admit. I've been working on Soulmates, but, in the meantime, I've been itching to post some new content - and I've been thinking a lot, too, about this universe. And I decided to play with the idea that Lucifer might have assisted in creating the souls when Chuck made humans. It's just a fun little thing and - to be honest, I like the idea of him having a kind of unspoken connection with human souls too. It's a sweet little idea, so I thought I'd put it into the Soulmates verse. Also kinda makes sense when it comes to Lucifer being the Lightbringer, and souls being pure light.
Anywho, I hope you enjoy the story! I've honestly got several separate ideas I wanna touch on regarding Lucifer (and some regarding Hallucifer, even), so you can expect me to be posting a few little drabbles now and again while I'm working on Soulmates, too. I think you're gonna like the next chapter, by the way, for those who have been following along. Not gonna say much, but, let's just say it's gonna be another bridge mended, one we've been waiting on for a long time now.
Love you guys! ^^
"A whole new world…"
Adam breathed out through his teeth, his singing stuttering to a stop for a moment. Thunder crackled, shaking and rattling the Cage, but the young man merely blinked as he turned his head to look. He had long gotten used to the sound of the thunder, the sight of the lightning striking the Cage. It had been undeniable Hell - heh - at first, but he had steadily grown used to it, no longer flinching or recoiling from the sights and the sounds. Michael, on the other hand, steadily began to cower at the sounds, retreating into the farthest corners of their mind while the Cage shook. He hardly came out anymore, to be honest. It had been… well, Adam wasn't sure of exactly how long it had been. Ten years? Twenty? It didn't make a difference anymore. Every day was the same as the last - hell, days were hardly a concept anymore anyways.
Regardless, the archangel was breaking, and Adam figured he wasn't too far behind.
"Hey, hot shot," Lucifer whistled, bringing the young man from his thoughts rather abruptly. Adam blinked a few times before turning his gaze back to the Devil, struggling to keep his attention on Lucifer as another crackle of thunder roared overhead, and another bolt of lightning struck the Cage, sending them rocking. Lucifer simply crossed his arms over his chest, while Adam sank his weight back against the bars of the Cage, about ready to just sit down and let the fire consume him when it came. He was tired, anyway. "Keep singin'."
"I'm fuckin' tired, Luce," Adam ground out through his teeth, closing his eyes for a moment. His fear of the Devil had rapidly deteriorated in the time they'd been there. Sure, his face still haunted Adam's nightmares on occasion, and it was still the face of his torturer whenever the fire managed to catch up to him. But for the most part, the Cage stuck to burning him alive, peeling the skin off of his bones and making him bleed. He breathed in through his nose, nostrils flaring slightly as his eyes squeezed shut a little tighter. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he'd just pass right out and not have to deal with any of the nightmares, or the torture.
"No sleeping, Adam," Lucifer reminded him coldly, "or it'll get you again."
Adam didn't reply for a moment, tired enough to just say 'let it' and fall asleep right then and there. But he blinked his eyes open again when Lucifer suddenly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward a little, staring in mild surprise as he came face to face with the Devil. "Come on. You'll thank me later," he informed the human letting go of his shirt only to wind back, curl his fingers into a fist, and slam his hand forward. Adam managed to get a brief moment of clarity in his exhausted daze, enough to be able to stagger back and veer sharply to the side, dodging the punch with a shaky gasp. It wasn't the first time Lucifer had resorted to violence to keep Adam's attention on him, but the human was genuinely close to passing out, and he wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with the Devil's shit at that particular moment.
"What the hell?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at Lucifer. "Fuckin' suck a dick, asshat. I'm not playin' Cage Wrestling with you, I'm-" He cut off, another punch sending him reeling.
Michael stirred slightly in the back of their shared mind, surprise flickering through the archangel's chest. Adam simply grabbed onto the bars, slipping his fingers through the cracks as much as possible and bringing a hand up to wipe the blood off of his nose as it steadily began to form. Lucifer smirked, satisfied, and leaned back on his feet as the young man flicked his gaze back up to him, fury etched into every feature as Adam's cold gaze met his. "Cut the shit already, Luce, I swear to- …" He trailed off, scowling slightly. Normally, he wouldn't hesitate around the name, but Michael had been particularly sensitive when it came to the G-word lately. Adam didn't want to make that worse than it already was- so he brushed it off, and exhaled.
"Who would you rather deal with?" Lucifer questioned, spreading his hands out briefly before curling them into fists again, cocking his head at Adam. "Me, or the flames? 'Cause, lemme tell you, bunk-buddy, I'm a whole lot easier to satisfy. Your soul's already on the brink of-"
"I know," Adam interrupted sharply, wrinkling his nose. He'd heard it a million times, Lucifer's little 'demon' spiel. The Devil insisted on keeping him awake, and focused on anything except the torture the Cage put him through. And, most of the time, he and Michael were able to lead his thoughts away from it. But sometimes, Adam gave in, and let it consume him. More recently, Lucifer had become much more insistent, even seeming slightly upset as he tried to get Adam to focus more on him each day. He kept saying Adam was on the brink of Transforming, which was apparently something human souls went through in Hell. They became so twisted, all the light being sucked and drained and burned out of them, and replaced with pure darkness. Lucifer hated it, he insisted, because it wasn't natural.
"Don't see why I can't just let it," Adam grumbled, "rather be stuck in here as an unfeeling, heartless demon than an exhausted as fuck human, so would you let me sleep?"
"D'you know what happens when a soul gets twisted, Adam? Because I do. I twisted the first one, actually," Lucifer said suddenly, cracking his knuckles. Adam glanced up at him, arching an eyebrow. "But I also helped create the first one. Lilith." At this, the young man paused, and just barely dodged another swing from the Devil, staggering back and heaving himself away from the bars of the Cage with a low, defeated growl. Fine, Lucifer wanted a Cage Wrestling match? If he was that desperate to distract him, then consider Adam distracted. "As you know, I'm the Lightbringer. I created the stars, the sun… I brought light itself into existence. And each soul… each human soul burns. Even brighter than the stars. So God called upon me to help create them, and I did my task like a good little angel. And I made the brightest soul to ever exist."
Adam narrowed his eyes slightly, eyebrows furrowing.
"And when I was rebelled," Lucifer continued calmly, as if it were a normal, everyday conversation, "Lilith followed me. She refused her own role, just the same as I did. So we worked to make her powerful, to rise up together and rebel against Heaven. I didn't know what twisting her soul would do. I didn't know it would suck all the light out of it. But it did."
Lucifer moved forward, but he didn't throw a punch this time; Adam tensed, curling his hands into fists, as the Devil approached him, but Lucifer simply let his arms drop to his sides, a scowl written across his face now, as if the memories had put him in even more of a bad mood than he had already been in to begin with. "And, you know what? At first, I was horrified. Couldn't believe what I'd just done - what I'd just created. Nothing in existence had ever been like that. Her soul wasn't just damaged, it was dark. Without a shred of light. It was nothing like it had been when I'd first created it…" He twisted his mouth slightly, breathing out sharply. Adam's defensive stance faltered for a moment, his expression shifting. "I might hate humanity with a passion, but I hate demons so much more… and I'd never wish that fate on anybody."
Adam fell silent for a moment. It wasn't rare for Lucifer to start talking about Heaven; Michael even had a few things to throw in every now and again, and the archangels would settle down with their stories and trade memories while Adam listened, half-intrigued and half-confused. But Lucifer never really talked about the Fall, or being cast down into the Cage, or the Rebellion. And he'd certainly never mentioned the part he'd played in the creation of humanity - but then, for someone who had claimed to hate them for so long, Adam could understand why. And it made a lot more sense, now, why Lucifer was so adamant about not letting him Transform - and why he had fought so hard to protect Sam's soul, when it had been trapped along with them.
He hissed out a sigh through his teeth, looking at Lucifer tiredly for a moment. Devil or not, even he couldn't deny that the effort was… more than Adam should expect. Hell, considering he was Satan, it could be a lot worse. Lucifer was trying to protect him, in his own way.
"Can you see mine?" Adam asked suddenly, not really sure where the question had come from, but at the same time, needing to know, as well. Lucifer offered a confused look, then blinked.
"... ah." The Devil stared at him for a long time before glancing away. "Well, duh. I can see anyone's, Adam. Anyone with a soul," Lucifer mused with a roll of his eyes. "Light or dark… doesn't make a difference. Still something I helped create, something I'm connected to whether I wanna be or not." He rolled his shoulders back and crossed his arms. "It's still bright. Not as bright as it should be, but that's why I'm trying here. So are you gonna stop being a pussy and fight me, or wh-?"
Yeah, that was it. Adam threw a punch right then and there, and Lucifer staggered back with a startled gasp, stumbling until his back hit the bars of the Cage on the other side. Adam quirked an eyebrow slightly in surprise, but he couldn't help an amused smirk as he watched the Devil compose himself. Michael, meanwhile, began to retreat again, sensing the fight brewing and wanting absolutely nothing to do with it. He didn't usually partake in their little wrestling matches if he could help it, not since he had stopped fighting with Lucifer a long time ago anyways.
"Atta boy," Lucifer praised, grinning as he pushed himself forward. "Again."
Rolling his eyes, Adam lunged.
