Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás

Author:rafael nicolás [nicolás, rafael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798987043509
Published: 2022-11-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

They danced a while and became looser with all the alcohol, as everyone did. Lucifer stumbled when he went to bow thankfully at anyone who announced their leave, and he offered them party favors, which were taken with gratitude. Simultaneously, they teased him for being such a good host. Lucifer smiled each time until everyone was gone, and the house was empty, and then he collapsed onto the couch beside Michael, again. He flopped his head onto the prince’s shoulder, groaning. Michael matched his groan.

“I didn’t mean for it to go on so long, Michael. Please forgive me.”

“What is there to forgive you for? I had fun.”

Lucifer normally would have joked, but he saw the exhaustion dragging down his dear friend’s face. “You look so tired.” He thought of getting some water, so that their drunkenness could disentangle itself from their muscles within a few hours but decided they should simply try to sleep it off and hope for the best. “Let me help you to bed.”

Michael didn’t protest, though he usually did when Lucifer coddled him a little too much — meaning his fatigue had grown beyond words. Lucifer nearly flinched, berating himself internally as he took Michael by the waist and the arm and pulled him up to his feet. As he walked Michael to the bedroom, he made the plans to return as soon as possible to clean the entire house, no matter how much the other might argue. Setting him down on the edge of the bed, he removed the archangel’s heaviest jewelry and pulled off the vermillion robe, then moved onto his knees to untie Michael’s sandals.

“No,” Michael grunted, “I-I can do that.” He drew his feet up and removed the shoes himself, tugging them off then tossing them away. Seeing a line of frustration between Michael’s eyebrows, a frown fell onto Lucifer’s lips, which were parting to apologize. The archangel spoke again, instead, “Thank you, for all this. I mean it.”

Lucifer stayed where he was and a little, embarrassed laugh escaped. “It wasn’t too much?”

“I like it when you do too much.” Michael rubbed an eye, then chuckled. “Who else would host the largest feast Heaven has ever seen just because I was gone a week? I fear what you’d do if I ever disappear for a month.”

“I also fear what I’d do,” Lucifer replied, quiet, in disbelief of his own ridiculousness. Standing back up — “I suppose I should leave you to sleep.”

Michael hesitated. “No. Stay here a while. I want to talk.”

“We’ve talked all night. You’re tired. We can see each other tomorrow.” Lucifer made his way to the windows, pulling on the drapes so that they came to be embraced by ample darkness. He remembered Earth, he remembered night, he remembered the softness of Michael’s wings cradling him as they awoke to watch the sunrise. “But,” and a swallow, “you sang really well today. Thank you for joining me, and then dancing with me. It’s nice to dance with you.”

“I should be the one thanking you.

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