Chapter Text
It was the way he laughed, his smile so charming and sweet at the same time, how he could care about everyone all at once, his eyes that were full of life, the fact he loved so unconditionally. Falling in love with him was easier the second time and far more frightening, but that’s what made it so exhilarating. That’s how they knew it was time to give themselves a chance.
-Michael Demiurgos-
He first noticed the scattered bottles – booze and pills alike – which obscured much of the penthouse floors. The unkempt look confused him slightly, knowing how important cleanliness was to his twin, but then he heard it – a breathy moan coming from his left, where the Devil’s bedroom happened to be located.
Michael hadn’t meant to turn his head towards them, didn’t plan to watch his brother having sex with a stranger, but once his eye caught sight of the two it was like he couldn’t look away.
His dick pressed painfully against the inside of his jeans, hardening further as his eyes trailed along Lucifer’s lean but muscular body.
Reaching down, he barely even touched the tent in his pants before unwittingly letting out a pleased gasp. Despite clasping a hand over his mouth halfway through, though, both Lucifer and his bed partner turned their heads towards him – his eyes locking with his twin’s. There was an undeniable heat rising up his chest towards his cheeks.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a twin?” The woman asked the Devil, seeming oddly happy with the momentary distraction.
“He doesn’t live around here,” Lucifer didn’t seem particularly perturbed by the interruption either, much to Michael’s surprise.
Hopping off his twin’s lap, the stranger walked right up to the archangel with a sweet smile plastered on her lips. “Care to join us, uhm…”
“Michael,” his own voice sounded miles away.
“I’m not sure he’s really into that sort of thing, darling,” Lucifer seemed to be trying to save him from having to answer, but his still-erect dick kept him from immediately denying the proposal.
“Who would be in the middle?” Michael found himself asking against his better judgement.
“Oh, any of us can be!” The woman happily answered, trailing a hand along Lucifer’s beautiful chest, “I don’t have any preferences.”
The Angel of Fear immediately locked eyes with his twin.
Lucifer blinked in silent confusion, “You want me to be in the middle?”
“Oh, that would be so hot!” His guest was quick to agree, already trying to push the two angels towards the bed.
“Are you sure? Once we start, I may not be able to stop,” the Devil’s easy agreement definitely flew Michael for a loop, but his eyes were too busy staring at the other’s erection.
He nodded eagerly, a heat spreading over him like wildfire. “I’m not actually sure what–“ Michael began to admit a second later, but was interrupted by his twin.
“Let us show you,” Lucifer whispered sultrily in his ear, reaching up to remove the tweed jacket he’d been wearing.
The archangel nearly considered backing out, he didn’t exactly have the best self-esteem after all, despite putting on a show of it, but his twin’s lips tasted sinfully like bottled heaven and all of his inhibitions fell away.
Dragging wandering hands over Lucifer’s chest, Michael’s body shook with poorly hidden anticipation. Their bodies fit perfectly together, even as he ground his newly released erection against the other’s in uncertain movements.
He wasn’t totally sure how they got to this point, it was all a pleasurable blur really, but one thing was for sure – Michael was having the time of his life. Each thrust upwards pulled a husky moan from his lips which he otherwise used to leave kisses along Lucifer’s back.
It was like a wet dream come true. The Devil’s moans as he spilled over the edge into his strange bed partner caused Michael to orgasm for the fourth or fifth time – he wasn’t quite sure anymore.
“ Lucifer ,” he groaned out his twin’s name, surprisingly unabashedly considering how unsure he was of joining in to begin with.
“ Michael ,” the Devil moaned in tandem, easily matching the other’s pure desire.
“Oh fuck yes,” Chastity – yes the name was quite odd to Michael too – breathed out as she came again on Lucifer’s dick. Her hips immediately slowed, signalling that she was close to or about to tap out.
The archangel selfishly hoped that his twin would still willingly continue with him even if Chastity was done for the night.
Luckily, his wishes were answered as Lucifer turned to face him once his lap was free. Eagerly, they kissed each other, tongues dancing together in a heated embrace.
Michael’s hands found their way deep in the Devil’s hair – gripping it like a lifeline. He knew his movements were probably awkwardly clumsy compared to what the other was used to, but he decided not to think too hard about that fact.
Lucifer pressed their bodies as close as they could possibly go, grinding his freed dick against the archangel’s stomach.
Having his twin twist his nipple as he thrusted inside of him sent Michael crashing into an orgasm that had his mind going completely blank. He nearly didn’t register Lucifer cumming on his chest nor did he realise that they had fallen asleep soon afterwards.
The sunlight wafted over his eye lids, awaking the archangel from his light slumber. Though, it could have also been partially due to the voices in the living room.
Rubbing the sleep away, Michael turned his head to see Lucifer in nothing more than a pair of boxers as he said goodbye to his guest.
“As for that favour, Mr Morningstar–“ Chastity began to mention while she hovered near the elevator.
“I’ve already put in some enquiries with a few directors who owe me one, my dear. Don’t worry, I’ll be in touch soon.”
She smiled gratefully at him, “Thank you for this, again. I know you don’t have to help me–“
“Nonsense, darling. If I don’t help, who will?”
Chuckling lightly, she admitted, “You’re right. Aspiring actors are a dime-a-dozen in LA.”
“I’m sure you’ll find ways to stand out amongst the rest, you just need to get your foot in the door.”
Michael smiled to himself at Lucifer’s words – his twin always had a way of making others feel important, special. Even those who would otherwise be described as ‘dull’ or ‘plain’ or ‘average.’ He missed that about his brother.
“You’re sweet for thinking so, Mr Morningstar.” Chastity leaned in to plant a kiss on the Devil’s cheek before turning to take her leave. “I’ll be waiting for that elusive call,” she lightly warned.
“I’m sure you will,” Michael didn’t need to see the other’s face to know that Lucifer gave her a wink.
Turning his head, the archangel stared up at the ceiling as the pain in his shoulder flared up suddenly. Truthfully, though, after the, ahem , activity from the night before, he expected the ache to be worse than it was.
“I know you’re awake, Michael,” Lucifer’s voice was playful as he walked over to stand at the side of the bed.
As he closed his eyes once more, the Angel of Fear mumbled, “Too bad. I’m not ready to get up yet.”
The Devil’s laugh filled the apartment in response, carefree and sultry at the same time. It was exactly as his twin had remembered it.
“Really now?” Lucifer asked, teasingly. “I never thought I’d see the day when Heaven’s commander would choose to sleep in.”
Opening his eyes, Michael stared into a mirrored face, “There’s not many chances to even just relax in the Silver City.”
The former King of Hell hummed to himself before climbing back into bed, wrapping his arms around his twin. “I suppose this is as good a day as any to laze around.”
Scoffing, the archangel asked, “What? You don’t have to be at your human job today?”
Lucifer’s body stiffened against him, “Seeing as the Detective has run off with the Urchin recently and Daniel is angry at me, no not really.” His words came at a surprise to Michael as he wondered, the miracle had run off… why and to where . “I could still visit the precinct in order to see Ms Lopez, but you’re not going out in those sorry excuses for clothes that you were wearing yesterday.”
The Angel of Fear huffed indignantly, “What’s wrong with my clothes? They’re comfortable!”
“You look like someone’s old timey grandfather who made a single attempt at looking ‘young and hip’ by putting on a pair of jeans,” the Devil replied, monotonously, as if it was obvious.
“Well, if you think even for a second that I’m going to walk around in a three-piece suit, you’re crazy!”
He scoffed humorously, “Please, Michael, I know my powers of persuasion aren’t that good. The only time I’d only suggest that you dress like me is if we were trying to trick someone into mixing us up.”
Laughing, the archangel reminisced, “Like we used to do with our siblings.”
“Exactly!”
The two celestials then laid in silence for a long time, just basking in each other’s warmth and company, before Lucifer broke it once more.
“Why’d you come here, Michael? As fun as it was, I know it wasn’t with the intent to join in on a threesome or to lose your V-card.”
A light blush creeped up Michael’s face at the reminder of the night before. “I came to keep you out of trouble, considering how much you’ve been able to get into during the short while that Amenadiel has been back in Heaven.”
“I don’t go looking for trouble,” the Devil defended himself, “at least, not usually . Typically it finds me!”
“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that,” Michael rolled his eyes, unconvinced of the other’s words. “So, got anywhere for me to stay?”
Lucifer shrugged against his twin’s body, “I don’t have a guest room and Maze’s old apartment was recently turned into a place to host orgies, but I can offer you one of my other properties if you wish. Or…”
“Or?”
“We can share my room,” he lifted his head to stare into the archangel’s eyes, “Maybe we could even have some more repeats of last night, if you’re interested.”
A blazing heat spread across Michael’s body upon hearing the other’s words and seeing the wink he gave. “Preferably with a man next time,” his words flowed out before he could think better of them, “I’m not really all that attracted to women.”
“Sure,” the Devil easily agreed. Leaning down to whisper heatedly into his twin’s ear, he added, “Though, I was thinking more just the two of us.”
“ Yes ,” Michael breathed out more than said, his heart beating in excitement at the prospect. It took him a moment, but when he found his voice again, he jokingly asked, “Isn’t that a bit self-absorbed, though?”
“Only if we were exactly the same,” Lucifer answered as if it was obvious, “and I would know – I once had a threesome with these identical twin sisters, who were way more into each other than me and those girls were alike in nearly every way. It was definitely up there as some of the best sex I’ve had, though. They did this thing with their tongues where–“ he was cut off by his phone ringing on the bedside table, much to Michael’s relief. That was not something he wanted to hear about at barely nine in the morning.
“Lucifer Morningstar,” his twin answered the call upon grabbing his mobile device. “Oh! Hello, Doctor! Yes, I’m well aware I cancelled my most recent appointment.” Michael was doing his best not to pry into too much of the conversation. “No, I promise I’m fine.” The Devil’s tone portrayed exactly that he meant he was ‘fine’ physically but was completely ignoring his mental health. “Well, it’s just that there isn’t much to talk about, what with the Detective running off to only dad knows where.” Lucifer winced slightly at his friend’s yelling, disappointed tone. “Right, I didn’t mention that part the last time we talked. Look, Linda, I–“ He stopped short, listening to what the woman on the other line had to say. “Okay, okay, I’ll find time to pop by the office at some point, but my brother and I have a long day planned so I’m not sure–” The archangel couldn’t help but groan at the prospect of hours worth of shopping ahead. “No, not Amenadiel, he’s still in the Silver City and no, I don’t know when or if he’ll be back. I’m talking about a different brother, Michael.” He could practically feel Lucifer’s urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, he was the one who originally sent me to Hell and no, we aren’t mortal enemies. First of all, we aren’t mortal – vulnerabilities around the Detective notwithstanding – and second of all, it was Amenadiel who was always sending me back, so if anyone was my enemy it would be him not Michael.” Said archangel had to cover his mouth in order to stop his snickers from being overheard on the other line. “I’ll be happy to introduce you two when I come by. Yes, yes, I promise, Doctor. I’ll see you later.” At that, the Devil finally hung up the phone.
“What if I just wear the turtleneck and jeans?” Michael suggested, hopefully, to which Lucifer looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“Not going to happen, Michael.”
Groaning, the Angel of Fear’s head flopped back onto the comfortable pillows under him.
Michael did his best to look straight on while he stood in the middle of his twin’s living room. His hands unsuccessfully tried to cover himself further, given he was only in a pair of Lucifer’s boxers, as a professional tailor circled him with a tape measure.
“I’m sure we could have just picked up a few pre-made garments from a store–“ he tried to bargain for probably the fifteenth time.
“Absolutely not,” the Devil argued, “Amenadiel already brings down the Morningstar name with his abysmal fashion sense. I will not allow my twin to do the same.”
“But, we aren’t even Morningstars – that’s a title solely attributed to you , you know, as the lightbringer .”
“Yeah, but humans don’t see it that way. They’ll presume we all are due to it being my legal last name.” Lucifer stood in front of Michael as his tailor seemed to be done taking measurements, but unfortunately he had another request for his twin. “Okay, now relax your shoulders.” The archangel raised a slightly confused eyebrow, which the former King of Hell was not having. “Don’t give me that look, I know that they don’t look like this naturally. You’re going to want some outfits that take that into account so that it’s more comfortable for you. Even if you spend most of your time here on Earth forcing them to lay straight.”
With a small sigh of defeat, Michael acquiesced; mostly in the hopes that this would all be done faster if he wasn’t arguing. “Can I at least pick out the styles I want to wear?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take your preferences into account,” Lucifer waved him off, only earning an eye roll in reply.
By the time the two of them were able to leave the penthouse – Michael being stuffed into some of Lucifer’s clothes that were a bit too tight on his more muscular frame, as they waited for his own wardrobe to be done – the sun had already begun to set.
“Pull on that t-shirt any harder and you’ll rip it,” the Devil complained, almost amusedly, from the driver’s seat of his corvette.
“It’s not my fault that all of your clothes are form-fitting, making them even smaller on me.”
“Well, don’t get your knickers in a twist, Michael, we won’t be out for long and then you can strip as much as you’d like,” he turned his head briefly to give the other a flirtatious wink.
Clearing his throat in slight embarrassment as a blush spread across his cheeks, Michael opted to look out towards the rapidly passing Los Angeles view.
The trip to Beverly Hills was quick, unsurprisingly given how criminally fast the Devil had been driving. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting when it came to Doctor Linda Martin, but the short blonde woman didn’t quite meet them. At least, not in the way she looked.
“So, wait, you and Michael are twins ?” She asked with a tinge of intellectual excitement while she sat across from them in her office.
“Yes,” Lucifer easily answered, “Is that so surprising, Doctor?”
“Well, given the fact that I didn’t even know that Angels could be twins, I’d say it is.”
“Well, actually Michael and I are the only twins in the whole Heavenly Host.”
“Oh, so what makes the two of you different from other Angels?”
Smirking, the Devil joked, “We’re more handsome?”
“We share the powers of the Demiurge,” was Michael’s more serious answer.
“And what’s ‘the Demiurge’?” Linda turned her attention towards the archangel then.
“Well,” he began, unsure how to really explain it to a human, “for simplicity’s sake, it grants us the powers over Will and Creation – which allowed us to create the universe.”
“ Woah ,” she replied, awed, “So that was you two? Not God?”
“Just like how dear old dad didn’t actually create the sun,” Lucifer added, clearly annoyed that their Father was always receiving credit for the things he did.
“He didn’t ?”
“No, that was Lucifer,” Michael answered before his twin had a chance to, “It’s why he’s the lightbringer. Our Father said ‘Let there be light’ and Lucifer created it.”
“ Wow , I’m sitting across the literal creators of the universe and neither of them are God,” Linda muttered to herself, though the two celestials still heard her slight existential crisis.
“Dad was always more of a delegator,” his twin happily pointed out.
“Though he did make humans by himself, along with the Human Heavens and Hell,” Michael pointed out.
“Only two-thirds of which ended up being good things,” Lucifer lightly argued.
“ So ,” Linda suddenly came out of her stupor, “what exactly has been going on recently? I mean, Chloe leaving and then your twin, who’s the archangel freakin’ Michael, turning up are some major events. Do I have to worry about being fried alive again?”
“ Being fried alive ?” Michael immediately asked, concerned and confused.
“Mum got a bit trigger happy, so to speak, before she left,” Lucifer vaguely explained, not assuaging his twin’s worries all that much. Turning back to the doctor, he assured her, “Don’t worry, Linda. It’s nothing like that – the Detective just happened to glance at my Devil face after I killed Cain and Michael is actually here to keep me out of trouble, so he says.”
“That is why I came down to Earth,” the archangel enunciated, trying to get the truth of his statement across.
“That may have been why you came down originally, but it’s not the only reason why you’ll be staying .” Lucifer practically purred suggestively at Michael.
“Wait, hold on,” Linda interrupted their back and forth, “Chloe saw your Devil face? And you didn’t think to tell me; the only person who knows what she’s going through and could help?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure if sending you after the Detective could possibly make things worse, especially after she ran away with her spawn. Even Daniel’s only been receiving vague updates about where they are, usually after they’ve already set off for a different country.”
“Lucifer,” she replied, clearly a bit frustrated but keeping it in check, “that’s when people need support the most. Chloe has no idea how to handle all of this and letting her run away from the problem isn’t going to help. I mean, look at me! I’m a therapist, but trying to hide from you and Maze didn’t do me any good; and it will be even worse for someone who’s even less prepared to deal with the emotional turmoil of it all.”
“You’re probably right, Doctor,” the Devil sighed deeply.
“I usually am,” she quipped back, light heartedly, earning a soft laugh from the former King of Hell.
“I’ll let you handle the Detective then?”
“That’s probably best for now, but don’t give her too much space, Lucifer. She’s going to have to face all of this eventually, no matter how much she doesn’t want to.” At the Devil’s nod, she turned to address Michael suddenly, “I apologise, Michael. We probably should have waited for a formal appointment before discussing all of that.”
“It’s okay,” he waved off her concerns, “I’m really just here because you asked Lucifer to introduce us.”
“Right,” she chuckled nervously, a bit embarrassed. “Was there anything you wanted to discuss with your twin, while we’re all already here?”
“Like what?” His eyebrow raised in confusion.
“Oh, I don’t know. Anything, really. Are there any grievances you need to air out or concerns you want to bring to his attention?”
“I’m not–“ he paused in thought for a moment before turning his body slightly towards the Devil, “You know what, actually I do – what’s the full story behind Linda being ‘nearly burned alive’?”
“Oh, well, you know, I don’t think we have to rehash all of that , especially not with the poor Doctor here too.” Seeing the determined look that Michael was giving him, Lucifer sighed, “Alright, fine . You see–“
The archangel massaged his temples, trying to keep back the rising migraine, “How could you not have noticed that our mother’s powers had been returning to her?”
“You know mum, she’s crafty and good at keeping secrets when it suits her.”
“But, surely , you knew that they would return eventually. She’s the Goddess of All Creation!” Lucifer’s sheepish expression was all Michael needed to give him his answer. “You seriously didn’t know or put the pieces together? Nothing ?”
“If anyone should have been able to figure it out, it’s Amenadiel! He’s the studious one!”
“Yeah, maybe between the two of you,” the Angel of Fear mumbled under his breath, knowing full well that the Firstborn was typically more of a meathead than a bookworm.
“Okay,” Linda began as she interrupted them, “Michael, I don’t think berating your brother is all that productive and Lucifer, you can’t just pin the blame all on Amenadiel just because he too didn’t realise what was going on.”
“Why not? I get blamed for everything else that goes wrong in the universe, someone ought to share some of that blame.”
Linda sighed, internally preparing herself for a long night.
Upon walking back into the penthouse, Michael received a pleasant surprise in being pinned against the nearest wall. Lucifer’s lips intertwined themselves with his own, tasting just as heavenly as the previous night.
A heat quickly pooled in the archangel’s stomach in response to their clothed dicks being pressed harshly together. Whimpering lightly, Michael started tugging at his pant line.
Lucifer’s tongue dragged across his bottom lip before his twin pulled away. “You have no idea how sexy you are, Mi,” the Devil’s old nickname for him had his heart catching in his throat.
They pulled their clothes off in a haste, both impatient to have the other in bed for a second time. Michael’s erection pulsed painfully at seeing Lucifer lay down, legs spread in invitation. “I’ve never wanted anyone to fuck me this badly before,” the Devil’s whispered words flowed with a heat matching his desire filled eyes.
Following his twin into bed, Michael clumsily pressed a bruising kiss to the other’s mouth. “Language,” he teased a second later, parroting what the former King of Hell always said to him.
“I’m waiting ,” Lucifer purred, ignoring the other’s teasing, his enticing tongue successfully tempting the archangel.
He expected the dull ache in his shoulder to surge as the Devil’s legs leaned against them for easier access, but was pleasantly surprised when the anticipation of sex with his twin quickly made him forget all about it.
Thrusting into Lucifer felt even more pleasurable in that position than the one from the night previous.
“ Fuck ,” Michael moaned out without even thinking.
“ Language ,” the Devil teased back, despite the heated gaze in his eyes, receiving a rougher thrust in response.
Staring into identical brown eyes, the archangel’s heart beated in rhythm with his hips; he wanted no one else from that very second on. Lucifer suddenly pulled his head down, their lips embracing the other’s in an exchange of emotions – declaring more than either realised.
His twin had always made Michael feel whole, it had once been them against the world, they shared a heart and soul.
As their orgasms spilled over at the same time, the Angel of Fear knew that he was finally where he belonged and it caused him to wonder why they had never done this before.
“ Lucifer , Lucifer ,” he moaned out like a mantra while unknowingly offering the other his heart. “ Oh , Fuck .”
“ Michael ,” the Devil’s voice matched Michael’s urgency, his sincerity. “I could do this everyday,” he confessed in between kissing every inch of the archangel’s body that he could reach.
Michael’s body shook, wracked with sensual warmth; his twin’s lips making his heart soar. Tipping his head back, he felt himself being sent over the edge once more, his sensitivity ramping up passed anything he’d ever felt before.
It was a week later when they left the penthouse again; and, no, it totally wasn’t because Michael couldn’t keep his hands off of Lucifer, it was definitely because his twin refused to let him wear anything of his own before his new wardrobe came in. Yeah, that’s it. Anyways–
The archangel inspected his newly acquired clothes with scrutiny, “Half of these wouldn’t even fully cover my body.”
“Why would you ever want to rid the world of those delicious muscles?” Lucifer replied, flirtatiously.
“ Lucifer ,” Michael began, slightly exasperated, “I’m not dating the world–“ his mouth clamped shut at his words, hoping that the other wouldn’t pick up on it. They hadn’t exactly declared that they were dating in any sense of the word – how would that even work; they were twins, was it possible for them to date , he wondered to himself.
“Obviously not, trust me I’ve tried. Not as easy as you might think,” Lucifer joked back, calming the archangel’s nerves. “However,” he leaned down, giving Michael a delightful peck on the lips, “I think you’d look quite ravishing in those outfits.”
“If you say so,” the Angel of Fear could feel his resolve slip just slightly.
Another lovely kiss later and Lucifer was playfully smacking his twin’s ass. “Now get ready so we can finally take a break from this penthouse and see the outside world.”
“ Fine ,” the archangel huffed as he thumbed through his clothes once more.
Eventually, he ended up going a little outside of his comfort zone, settling on a pair of short jean shorts and a white t-shirt. He may have been hoping that it would entice the Devil into returning back to the penthouse quickly, instead of dilly-dallying on their outing, but who’s to really say if that was the case.
Walking into the precinct, Lucifer was quickly greeted by nearly everyone who they passed by. Lots of explanations of them being twins later and they reached Ella’s lab at last.
The woman was a short, dark haired latina who seemed engrossed with her work until she turned her head and spotted them walking in. “Lucifer!” To Michael’s slight shock, she guessed the right twin – quickly earning the archangel’s respect as he watched her slim arms wrap tightly around the former King of Hell.
“Good afternoon, Ms Lopez,” he greeted casually despite how awkwardly stiff his body was at her gesture.
“I missed you so much, dude! You had me worried that you’d never consult with us again!” She rambled on, seemingly oblivious of the other celestial, “I mean, I know that I can just go see you at Lux or ask you to hang out over the phone, but it’s not the same!”
“Well, I’m not sure that it’s totally up to me whether I continue to consult for the LAPD, Ms Lopez,” he informed her, “I can’t force the Detective to keep me as a partner when she comes back, and we both know that Detective Douche would never wish to work with me full time, or at all really, considering recent events.”
Her face fell for a split second before she got an idea, “You can work with me! It might not be as exciting as chasing down suspects or following leads, but it’s not boring work, I promise!”
“I don’t know…”
“Oh, please ?” She begged, her pout-filled eyes reminding Michael of their sister, Azrael.
Sighing, Lucifer further proved the archangel’s comparison by just as easily giving in as he always would for his Rae-Rae, “Alright, you’ve convinced me. But , only if the Detective no longer wants to work with me.”
“Yes!” Ella flung her arms around the Devil once more, pressing her face into his torso in excitement. “But,” she continued when she pulled away, “I don’t see why Chloe wouldn’t want to continue working with you. Yeah, you two were arguing a bit when she was dating Pierce but then you two totally made up when it was clear how dangerous he was. I mean, you protected her from that psycho! Surely that means something , regardless of what you two fought about.”
“Uh, it’s complicated, Ms Lopez. Trust me,” he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, so he moved the conversation along. “This is my twin brother, Michael, by the way. I brought him along to–“ he cut his own words off as he saw Ella going for the archangel.
Michael stared at Lucifer helplessly as he was hugged, just as unsure what to do with himself as his twin – not that he didn’t know how to hug someone back, he was just worried about using too much strength when doing so.
“It’s so good to meet you!” Ella shouted excitedly as she continued her assault, “Any bro of Lucifer’s is a brother of mine!”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms Lopez,” was all the Angel of Fear could think of to reply to her.
“Oh, please ,” she waved her hand in front of her after stepping away from him, “call me Ella! Do you want to hear about the latest case? The victim was killed with a honey scraper!” A second later, she deflated a little, “Oh, sorry, that was maybe too much excitement. Bad Ella.”
“Not at all,” Michael reassured her, smiling softly, “I’m actually quite intrigued – what else is going on with this case?”
-Lucifer Morningstar-
“You think this was premeditated?” Ella asked Michael from where they had been going over evidence for the most recent case. The Devil listened with half an ear while playing ‘sex words with friends’ on his phone.
“I do,” the Angel of Fear confirmed, “There’s something that just doesn’t add up – I’m fairly certain that those bees had been dead for a while before Mr Golbeck met his end.”
Ella’s next words were interrupted by an annoyed Daniel, “Oh, great! Now there’s two Lucifers!”
“Actually, he’s a Michael,” the Devil flashed Detective Douche a purposely irritating grin, “always has been, always will be. Well,” his eyes shined mischievously, “whenever he’s not impersonating me, then he’s Michael.”
“Yeah, I did that a lot during the Black Plague, in the sixteen-hundreds, in the seventeen-hundreds, and the eighteen-hundreds.”
“Is that why humans think I have black wings?”
Michael hummed noncommittally, “ That was an accident.”
“Why am I not surprised that you’re delusional too?” Daniel asked at the same time that Ella exclaimed, “I didn’t know you were both method actors!”
“We’re not either of those things,” the archangel’s tone made it come across as more of a question than a statement, as he turned to raise a confused eyebrow at Lucifer.
“Neither of them are ‘in the know,’” he explained to his twin just when Chloe walked in.
“Dan, do you know where the file is that was on my…” the detective paused briefly upon seeing the twin celestials, “desk?”
“Sorry, Chlo. I haven’t seen it,” Daniel replied as if nothing was going on.
“Isn’t this great, Chloe!?” Ella pulled their friend closer to the rest of the group, “Lucifer’s back and he brought his twin brother, Michael, along!”
“ You’re Michael?” The detective asked, incredulously, as if she expected his twin to look any different.
The archangel raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, “Of course I’m Michael. Who else would I be?”
“I just always imagined you as a blonde…”
“Wait,” Ella butted in, “You knew Lucifer had a twin!?”
“Well, no, I didn’t know they were twins –“
“Why does everyone think we’re blonde?” Lucifer asked into the ether, annoyed, “Is it Jophiel?” He turned to Michael then, “Is he the one who’s confusing everyone?” The archangel simply shrugged, as unsure himself as to why their depictions by humans were what they were.
“If you’re supposed to be the ‘archangel Michael,’ why do you look like more of a slut than Lucifer?” Daniel’s question caused the entire room to go dead silent.
“Well, I–“ the Angel of Fear’s face lit up as if it were a Christmas tree.
“He doesn’t look like a slut, Daniel,” the Devil jumped at his twin’s defence, “Not that you’d know the difference between ‘looking slutty’ and a poised sort of sexy ensemble.”
“Dude,” Dan exhaled in exasperation, “he’s wearing a t-shirt with short shorts, it’s not exactly vogue is it?”
“I didn't know you were into Vogue, Detective Douche,” Lucifer quipped back, earning himself an angry huff in return. Then, he turned to address his twin again, “Don’t listen to him, Mi, he clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“Awe, that’s a cute nickname!” Ella announced suddenly, talking over everyone else. “Can I call you that too?”
“I’d prefer if only Lucifer uses it,” Michael quietly admitted.
“Awh, okay,” she frowned slightly before perking up again, “How about Mike then?”
“Sure,” the archangel had never really cared too much what others’ called him as long as it wasn’t making fun of him.
“Yes!”
“Ella, do you have anything for us pertaining to the case ?” Daniel got them back on track, clearly not wanting to spend more time with the twins than necessary.
“Oh, yes!” She turned to grab the stack of papers in front of her computer before rotating back towards her friends, “Okay, so, first of all – we know that the honey scraper doesn’t belong to Bob because, wait for it… it has honey on it!”
“Yeah, that’s kind of the point, Ella.”
“No, it has pure honey, but Bob and Lenore specialise in varieties. You know, blueberry honey, cinnamon honey, avocado honey, and so on…”
“So maybe a rival came with his own tool to destroy the hive,” Dan suggested.
“And then used it to kill Bob when he caught him,” the detective spoke up again, adding to the theory.
“Actually, Michael thinks that Bob was killed well after the bees were smashed,” Ella interrupted their thought train.
“Yeah? And what would he know?” Was Daniel’s immediate passive aggressive response.
“The bees were killed a while before Mr Golbeck, for one ,” the archangel replied, annoyed.
“Michael’s actually a genius,” Lucifer butted in, “he wasn’t put in charge of the Heavenly army for nothing . He’s got an eye for this sort of thing.”
“Yeah, well your made up stories don’t prove anything in the real world.”
“You really think the bees were dead long before our victim?” The detective asked suddenly, seemingly taking a shot on Michael’s theory; clearly because she knew that he was actually an Angel though not everyone in the room knew the same.
“I know they were,” Michael told them, “however, finding whoever did that to the hive might provide you with other clues to find the real culprit.”
“Alright,” Chloe agreed easily, “Lucifer and I will check out the other stalls and see who might’ve felt threatened by Bob and Lenore’s stand.”
“We will?” The Devil asked, shocked as he didn’t expect her to be that willing to continue partnering with him.
“You’re my partner, aren’t you?”
“Yes, of course,” he replied, still a bit unsure, “So, does that mean we’re okay now?”
“Yeah, sure,” while she didn’t sound totally convincing, Lucifer swiftly chalked it up to them having not seen each other nor talked in a month.
“I’ll see you later, Mi,” he called out to his twin as he went to leave with the detective.
“What am I meant to do in the meantime?” Michael asked in response.
“Keep Ms Lopez company,” the Devil suggested before disappearing from their view entirely.
“So, Michael, huh?” Chloe asked while they drove to the Farmer’s market.
“What about him?”
She shrugged as if trying to be casual, “Just, he’s the archangel, right?”
“ The archangel?” Lucifer couldn’t help but laugh at the phrasing. “Well, he is an archangel, but he’s not the only one. There’s only one Michael in the Heavenly Host, though, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Oh, right, mhmm,” she replied, distracted, “I thought you two were archenemies.”
“Detective,” the Devil practically scolded her, but in an amused sort of way, “we’re family. Sure, I may not always get along with him or my other siblings, but ‘archenemies’ is a bit of a stretch. Trust me, even when Amenadiel was still beating me up in order to toss my handsome self back to Hell, I didn’t consider him an enemy of any sort – he was just my idiot, self-righteous older brother.”
“Wait, but isn’t Michael supposed to be the one to do that, though? I mean, that’s what everyone else says…”
Scoffing, he told her, “Humans don’t seem to even know Amenadiel exists , considering the fact he’s never mentioned anywhere. Although, I will admit that Michael was the one to throw me into Hell originally, he just didn’t take it upon himself to keep me there. Unlike the Firstborn, he’s never believed all the lies about me being ’evil incarnate’, and he would know, of course – since we grew up together.”
“Yeah, but didn’t all Angels grow up together?”
“Well yes, but Michael and I shared a room. Besides, we spent decades apart from everyone else at a time whenever we were out creating things for dear old dad; meaning we spent far more time with each other than anyone else, even our own parents.”
The detective’s expression turned contemplative as she pulled into the farmer’s market parking lot.
-Michael Demiurgos-
“Listen, Detective–” the archangel looked up to see his twin and Father’s miracle coming down the stairs of the precinct; Lucifer’s words stopping in its tracks when his friendly gesture earned a fearful gasp from one Chloe Decker.
“Sorry,” she apologised immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Nothing. Everything’s okay. I just…” Michael could hear her shaky inhale of breath from across the room, “You startled me. Everything’s okay.”
Although his naïve twin seemed to be at least partially fooled, the Angel of Fear wasn’t easily so – especially not when something involved his own dominion.
“You believe Pool Boy, right Detective?” Lucifer asked her once they had walked over to Michael and Ella.
“His story tracks,” Chloe confirmed, “He has an alibi for the time of the murder that completely checks out.”
“Alibis can be bought or threatened,” a man, that the archangel hadn’t met yet, came up behind her, “These guys are mobsters, Detective Decker.”
“And I’m not taking my eye off any of them, but I believe him when he says that he got an anonymous tip, Marshal Reynolds.”
“If the note exists, whoever wrote it wanted Bob dead. That’s who we need to find.”
“Did Lenore know about Bob’s past?”
“I don’t know. I-I never met her. And Bob certainly wasn't supposed to tell her, but then again, he wasn't supposed to attack a honey bee farmer with a bagful of doorknobs either, so…” Reynolds sighed to himself, “Look, we do our best at WITSEC, but these guys, they... they can't help themselves.”
“Yeah–“
Michael spoke up then, interrupting whatever Chloe was about to say, “Was Mr Goldbeck in therapy?”
“What?” The Marshal asked as if that was the dumbest idea ever.
“Did you ever suggest therapy to him?”
“Why would I do that?”
Rolling his eyes, the archangel pointed out, “Well, if the Devil can do it, why not an ex-mobster? I mean, aren’t you humans always saying that bettering yourselves is a challenge? One would think that it would be more doable with the right kind of support.”
“That’s assuming he would have even agreed to–“
“Well, we’ll never know now, since you never even suggested it to him and he’s dead .”
“That would make for a hilarious tv show,” they all looked to Ella as she chuckled freely, “‘The Devil Goes to Therapy.’”
“Trust me, Ms Lopez, I’m already living through it and it’s not as funny as you might think,” Lucifer was quick to point out.
“Mhmm,” she hummed, unconvinced of his words.
“Uh, look –“ the detective tried to speak again.
“Pool Boy did say that Lenore was sweet, meaning he met her, so maybe she did know,” the Devil interrupted her this time, recalling an earlier interview they had that day. “Which means that she might’ve seen the note that he gave to Bob.”
“You say something insulting, stupid but kind of funny, and I just shrug it off. It was our shtick. But we are not friends. Not anymore,” Daniel’s angry tone drew Michael towards him where he saw Lucifer standing next to him.
“Why’s that?” His twin may be willing to let others blame him for everything without so much as saying a word in defence of himself, but Michael wasn’t the Devil – no, he could be far worse.
Dan turned around to face him, “Your crazy brother got Charlotte killed, that’s why – not that you probably even know about any of that, what with Lucifer not even telling any of us what was going on.”
The archangel hummed to himself, “Last I checked, your ex-lieutenant was the one to kill Ms Richards, not my brother, and you all have a history of not believing him. The things he says that you perceive as ‘crazy’ aside, none of you bother to even listen to the parts that aren’t all that insane nor have you ever asked, oh I don’t know, Amenadiel to translate for you so you can have someone help you sift through the nonsense. Is it really so unbelievable that he eventually decided to give up trying to tell anyone what was going on and instead try to deal with it himself?”
Clicking his tongue, Daniel irritatedly replied, “Why am I not surprised you’re the same as everyone else and just make up excuses for him?”
Michael scoffed in offence, “Look, is Lucifer totally faultless? Absolutely not, he’s literally a package full of trouble wrapped in an expensive armani suit. However, unlike you, I actually know him, and regardless of the mistakes he made he was trying to do what he thought was right. Besides, my point was that if you never bother to listen to him, you can’t expect him to come to you with a problem.”
“Michael–“ the Devil spoke up then, trying to put a stop to whatever argument had been spurred between Detective Douche and his twin.
“Hey…” Chloe said awkwardly as she came over to them, sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere. “Are you ready for us to interview Lenore, Lucifer?”
“Actually, I think I need to take Michael home, Detective. Apologies for leaving you with Daniel,” he gave said douche a sharp smile before pulling his twin along to the parking garage.
“I’m sorry if I said something that upset you,” the archangel was quick to apologise, solely to his twin, once they were out of earshot from everyone else.
The Devil sighed softly, “No, it’s just that I’d rather you didn’t do that.”
“Well, you’re not going to stand up for yourself,” Michael replied, sounding a little more annoyed than he meant, “because, for some stupid reason, you think you actually deserve to be blamed for everything.”
“Don’t I? You were there when–“
“ No ,” this was one thing he wasn't willing to budge on, “Nothing you can say will convince me that every person in the universe has the right to use and abuse you. That’s not how it works, Luce, and you know it.”
“Well, welcome to your table, party of one,” Lucifer bitterly quipped back.
“I will own that table if I have to,” Michael’s conviction was strong and unmovable, only broken up but a low exhale, “You deserve to be happy too, Luce, and you don’t have to just let people use you as a punching bag because you think it’ll make them hate you a little less – that’s not actually how it works.”
“You mean like how you trying to manipulate dear old dad won’t make him actually appreciate all your hard work?” It was meant as a snarky reply, as the Devil’s defences were pulled closer to him.
However, the Angel of Fear wasn’t going to rise to the bait, “Yeah, actually, exactly like that. I mean, clearly it hasn’t worked since he’s never so much as told me ‘good job, son.’ We both deserve better.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so.”
Lucifer scoffed lightly, “Be careful, don’t let yourself get too cocky now.”
“It’s not cockiness – just the truth.”
The rest of the short drive back to the penthouse was bathed in silence.
“ Fuck !” Michael’s voice quivered as he spilled over the edge, slumping back on to the bed with a thump. Unfortunately, not even a second later did his twin’s phone ring.
“Good morning, Detective!” The archangel could almost gag at the Devil’s sweet tone, though he chose to ignore that small bout of jealousy.
“Look, I wanted to apologise for Dan–“ Michael could hear Chloe’s voice through the receiver.
“No need, Detective. Daniel is, well, Daniel. As douchey as ever, but he did just lose a woman he cared about deeply, so he can get a little more leeway this time.”
“R-right, well does this mean you’ll actually come in today?”
“That depends – do you have a crime for us to investigate?”
“Don’t I always?”
“Of course, Detective. I’ll be right in.” With that, Lucifer hung up the call, then looked down to Michael with a cheeky smile on his lips. “Care to help us out again? I think Ms Lopez has taken quite a shine to you.”
“Clearly because I’m a ‘bad boy,’” the Angel of Fear lightly joked with him.
“Well, evidently, she thinks so – more than myself at any rate, somehow .”
“It’s my need for manipulating others.”
“You get that from mum.”
“Not father?”
The Devil just barely refrained from rolling his eyes, “He doesn’t manipulate people with words like you and mum, He just doesn’t say anything or is cryptic or–“
“Uses His powers to make people do things?” Michael raised a knowing eyebrow.
“Exactly!” Lucifer agreed wholeheartedly, not catching onto the scrutiny coming from his twin.
The archangel had to stop himself mid-chuckle because of how serious the other looked; and how beautiful he was with the sun casting a light over him, making the Devil look like the Angel he secretly had once been underneath.