#there is too much atheism and religious trauma in me to want to put respect on the lord's name

[quietwingsinthesky]

🔫 what’s ur oldest WIP

This was actually more difficult to find than you’d think. My WIPs are spread all over the goddamn place, but I think it’s this one I found in my notes app. The premise was a pre-Lucifer’s Fall fic about the archangels wherein Lucifer thinks it will be very funny if he pushes Michael into a black hole. (Gabriel is running interference on Raphael so that they can’t prevent Michael from being an idiot and falling for this really obvious trap.) and he’s right! It is funny!

For about 10 seconds before the remaining three of them realize that Michael can’t get himself free and start panicking. Eventually, they have to get their dad’s help to pull Michael out.

You know what? Might as well post the snippet I had written, just in case I never finish it. Taking place immediately after Michael is retrieved from the black hole he was shoved into:

Michael looks terrible. His wings, held tightly against his back, are a mess, feathers bent and disorderly, more than a few missing completely. He holds himself stiffly under their father’s gaze as he inspects Michael for any serious injury. After a moment, their father steps back to look at all four of them. Gabriel’s wings tremble, and Lucifer extends his own to cover them without dropping his father’s gaze.

“Whose fault is this?” he asks. Raphael looks at Michael, but he doesn’t look back, keeping his eyes on their father. He waits, and the four of them say nothing. “I asked you a question.” Gabriel shrinks further back under Lucifer’s wing. Raphael kind of looks like they want to do the same, but they’re too far away.

It was Gabriel’s plan. Strictly speaking, he should be the one their father disciplines.

But he’s already paid the price for it in Lucifer’s eyes. He was terrified they’d actually gotten Michael hurt. He’d nearly gotten sucked in himself trying to get Michael out. His wings are still trembling slightly, upsetting the feathers on the underside of Lucifer’s wing, but Lucifer doesn’t move. He’s older, he’s God’s favorite, and he’s gotten in trouble far more times than Gabriel ever has. He can weather any punishment better than his little brother.

“I wa-“ Lucifer starts.

“Lucifer warned me not to get too close.” Michael interrupts. He meets Lucifer’s eyes. Lucifer shuts up.

“Did he?” Their father presses. “Michael, if something happened…”

“I made a mistake.” Michael stands his ground. “My siblings tried to help me.”

“Gabriel and Lucifer did try to pull him out,” Raphael says to bolster Michael’s lie. Lucifer can’t help feeling proud of them. “I told them it was a bad idea, but they tried anyway.”

“You’re lucky neither of you got trapped as well,” their father says, “and that if you did, Raphael had the sense to stay behind.” Raphael smiles a little. Their father sighs and manages to give the impression of rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration without actually doing it. “And you’re sure that’s all that happened, Michael?”

“Yes, Father.” Michael nods.

Their father looks over them all, one by one. Lucifer still refuses to look down. Raphael does. Gabriel hasn’t met his eyes the entire time. Michael does look away, briefly, but he looks back, standing up straighter. There is no doubt in Lucifer’s mind that their father doesn’t believe a word they’ve said.

“Alright,” he says. “Don’t play near the black holes again, children.” There’s a chorus of Yes, Father’s from all four of them. He glances over them again, sighs louder this time, in a way that Lucifer thinks might be purposefully dramatic, and leaves. Gabriel finally peeks out, nudging Lucifer’s wing up.

“Are we not in trouble?” He asks. Lucifer tilts his head at Michael in question.

“You lied to Father’s face.” He feels the need to state, in case Michael doesn’t realize what he just did. Michael’s wings flap once, and he grimaces, like the movement hurts with his feathers so crooked.

“I did not.” He argues. “I said I made a mistake, and I did. I believed for a minute that you think about anything other than mischief.” His voice is light, not reprimanding. Raphael snorts, and Lucifer understands Michael’s game. Lucifer scowls at him. Michael rolls his eyes.

“Well, I suddenly can’t remember how to groom your wings,” he retorts. “After all, if all my knowledge is solely devoted to mischief-“

“I imagine it takes up a lot of space, Lu,” Michael says with joking condescension, “and with a mind as small as yours…” He’s cut off by Gabriel starting to giggle. Raphael joins in a few seconds later. It feels more like a release of tension than anything. Lucifer huffs, feathers puffing up with faux annoyance, and Michael smiles softly.

#internal debate about capitalizing the h for god in the narration continues. difficult. never-ending. #there is too much atheism and religious trauma in me to want to put respect on the lord's name #(yet somehow simultaneously i was raised too christian to be comfortable just calling him god in the text very often) #i can write archangels banging without batting an eye and somehow. this is my challenge. #anyway #hope you enjoyed that #ty for asking #with luck i will finish this up someday and post it #the fic is supposed to end with luci cornering michael to fix his wings up #with michael protesting that he's Fine! he can do it himself! #and lucifer ignoring him #followed by gabriel and raphael tumbling into their nest a little later and initiating an archangel puppy pile #v soft. v fluff. #ask