Lucky

by Luci Goose

The feeling of the wind in his wings like this was so unfamiliar - he hadn't used them to fly like this since Heaven. But the knots in his stomach had loosened, leaving a familiar sense of excitement. He'd always loved flying, ever since he was just a fledgling, and the Fall hadn't changed that by any means.

"Dear Dad, it has been- far too long-"

Lucifer grinned a little to himself, despite himself, as he glanced beside him to where his brothers stood. Michael was stretching high, arms above his head, golden wings spread out as far as they could go. Amenadiel was rolling his shoulders back, flicking his own wings back and forth and twisting them every now and again, as if making sure they still moved as easily as they used to. Lucifer's own wings were out, but for the moment they simply drooped low, brushing against the platform beneath them, useless for the time being as he simply studied his brothers. Amenadiel twisted his wings again, letting out a satisfied grunt as a series of cracks sounded, and the youngest of the three stared in amusement as the muscles in his wings rippled faintly.

"Best be careful, Amenadiel," he warned, brown eyes glittering faintly. His oldest brother threw him a curious look, while Michael turned his attention back to them, wings dropping slightly. "You don't want to go and break them now. That'll make flying a hell of a lot harder, believe me." He made a face despite himself, remembering the feeling of broken wings, crooked feathers, singed and burned beyond recognition. He'd been able to fly for the most part - well, not fly fly. But they had functioned enough to get him to Earth, and a little while after that, before he had…

"Yeah, seriously. No point in racing then, Dad knows I'm gonna beat Samael within seconds." Beside him, Michael laughed and stretched his wings upwards again, a shark-like smile on his face that would have had Lucifer backing down from the challenge almost immediately. Instead, finally lifting his own wings, the youngest spared his older brother a mocking smile in response, and even offered a roll of his eyes as he finally stretched his wings upwards, toward the sky.

"Oh, we'll see about that. I'm sure you're rusty, brother," the angel retorted, smirking. Truth be told, he was sure they both were. He could remember racing Michael back in the Silver City - the only thing that hadn't resulted in his brother torturing him - and pretty much the only thing they could do together that didn't end in a horrific fight. Mostly because by the time it was over, Michael had one, so his older brother was satisfied. He could remember training to fly, too, with both of his older brothers; Amenadiel and Michael would instruct the younger angels - him, Gabriel and Azrael - and Uriel, sometimes, when he would join in every now and again - on how to adjust their positions and wings to gain speed. Hell, Michael would teach them little tricks sometimes too, looping through the air and spiraling; it was the only time he'd felt like a brother. He smiled slightly despite himself. So he did have some good memories with him, at least.

Michael's smirk was nothing short of cocky, if not arrogant, and it just made Lucifer want to leave him in the dust that much more. "So are you, little Lightbringer." He finally stopped stretching, now, keeping his wings spread and poised, but relaxing his tense shoulders as he turned to face both of his brothers with a cheeky little smile on his face. Lucifer spared a glance toward Amenadiel, who was just smiling at the younger angels' bickering, seeming amused. "Can we go?" Michael glanced up at the sky, impatient. "Oh, this is gonna be great."

Lucifer stuck his tongue out and grinned. "Not for you, Mikey."

"Alright, alright," Amenadiel laughed, cutting Michael's good-natured retort short before the archangel could even open his mouth. The younger angels exchanged playful but challenging glances, both of them grinning ear to ear, as the oldest stopped cracking his wings and headed back over to them, stretching the wings above his head for good measure. "Remember, no flying too low," he warned them both, "we don't want to risk being seen. And no knocking each other out of the sky." He looked at Lucifer, in particular, and rather pointedly at that.

"That was one time," the angel protested crossly, flapping his wings a little and offering a huff, "and that was Castiel, anyway… I wouldn't knock Michael out of the sky…"

"Hey- hey, if I knocked Sammy out of the sky, would he be considered a shooting star?" Michael asked suddenly, and far too seriously, as if it was actually a genuine question. Lucifer did a double take toward him, and blinked a few times, and odd look crossing his face as he considered that. He wasn't- actually- a star- but then again… he stared at his older brother for a moment, while Michael just blinked a few times, curious amber eyes meeting his before darting quickly back to Amenadiel when the oldest angel spoke up again, seeming equal measures amused and bewildered - to be honest, so was Lucifer, but he was actually considering that… and he was also considering knocking Michael out of the sky now, to be completely honest.

"Okay- just- no knocking anyone out of the sky," Amenadiel sighed, rolling his eyes at them. Michael let out a low mutter of "damn", while Lucifer squinted slightly, wondering what, exactly, Amenadiel could do to him if he broke those rules anyway. Now he was even more tempted. But, Michael nodded his agreement begrudgingly, and Lucifer eventually followed suit, sighing. He'd be merciful… this time…

"Great." Amenadiel cracked a grin, pacing toward the edge of the building they were standing on. Michael followed quickly, excited once again, and Lucifer stretched his arms and wings upwards for a moment before following, glancing down over the edge. He frowned a little bit, just for a second, but he brushed it aside quickly. He had come out here, to be honest, to get over his fear of heights and falling. Well - not quite a fear, more like a strong dislike, honestly. But, regardless, that's what he'd come out here to remedy. He wasn't going to back down now. Especially not with how excited both of his brothers were - and, honestly, he was excited, too.

Michael glanced over at him, and Lucifer ripped his gaze away from the streets below to meet his gaze. His older brother offered a small smile, reassuring despite everything, and Lucifer's lips twitched upwards faintly in response as he nodded to his brother. He would be alright - he appreciated the archangel's attempts to assure him, to be completely honest, but he wasn't going to be able to get those knots out of his stomach until he started flying again.

Abruptly, Amenadiel fell forward; Lucifer jumped a little in surprise, but stood still for the most part as the oldest angel dove off of the building, wings spread out, gliding toward the ground - before abruptly pushing himself upwards with a beat of his wings, graceful as he'd always been.

"Cheater!" Michael shrieked, "you didn't say go!" The archangel spread his wings out and launched himself after Amenadiel, spiraling through the air and flapping his wings furiously as he flew after the oldest. Lucifer watched for a moment, lips tugging into a grin despite himself as he watched Michael struggle to keep up with Amenadiel, hearing their laughter echoing as the oldest of the three dove down again, keeping his wings still for a few seconds in between flaps. And he laughed a little, himself, when Michael growled and dove down after him, then seemed to decide it wasn't worth it and simply soared upwards once more, doing a small loop in the air. Lucifer shifted slightly where he stood and looked down again, stretching his wings out slightly.

But, finally, he took a few steps forward. A few flaps of his wings lifted him into the air, and he kept himself up with surprising steadiness, only tilting a little bit before managing to right himself. After that, it was more or less muscle memory; he breathed in, let it out slowly, and sent himself diving downwards toward the ground. His mouth went dry as he watched it coming closer, but he only froze up for a second before forcing himself to swallow and flapping his wings again, tilting his head up and shooting upwards into the sky after both of his brothers. Amenadiel was already far ahead, with Michael struggling to keep up, spiraling and twisting in the air gracefully after the oldest. Lucifer caught up to him with ease, breathing in sharply and managing a grin.

"You okay?" Michael stopped spinning to look over at him, keeping pace with the youngest of the three easily. Lucifer paused and looked ahead for a moment, then glanced back at Michael. "You don't have to do this, you know," the archangel added. "I wouldn't blame you."

Lucifer managed a small smirk and a roll of his eyes, finally relaxing as he flew beside his brother. "What, are you scared I'll actually beat you?" He teased, watching a spark of amusement light Michael's concerned gaze. "I'm fine, Mikey," the angel chuckled, rolling his shoulders back and looking ahead again. Amenadiel had disappeared from sight; Lucifer blinked, and narrowed his eyes a little. "Ooh, he's such a showoff, I swear to Dad…"

"Oh, yeah," Michael huffed in agreement, then nudged his shoulder against Lucifer's. The action barely moved the youngest, who snickered a little and returned the bump with a hum. "Come on - let's show that old man what for." With that, he flicked his wings up and lashed them back, sending himself spiraling forward. Lucifer watched as he spun again, gaining a little more speed, and, after a moment, he leaned forward and took off after him, raising up a little to do a few loop-the-loops himself before bringing himself up to soar beside him. The feeling of the wind in his wings like this was so unfamiliar - he hadn't used them to fly like this since Heaven. But the knots in his stomach had loosened, leaving a familiar sense of excitement. He'd always loved flying, ever since he was just a fledgling, and the Fall hadn't changed that by any means.

He tilted slightly to the side, veering away from Michael, and allowed his wings to lay flat for a few seconds as he dove downwards again, gliding slightly and just letting the wind move him. But he brought himself up again after a moment, flapping his wings and soaring back up to his older brother, looping around him a few times before simply flying past him, after Amenadiel.

Catching up to his oldest brother was no easy task; Lucifer almost gave up a few times, falling behind again to wait for Michael. But his other older brother didn't catch up to him for a while, either. Glancing back, he realized why - Michael had seemed to give up on trying to catch either of them, racing forgotten as he soared through the air, across the starry sky, spiraling and spinning and doing frontflips and backflips with the giddiest expression on his face that Lucifer had ever seen on him before - at least, while he was away from Ella. It made him smile, despite himself, and he decided to leave his older brother to it as he sped ahead once more, flying upwards just in case Amenadiel had decided to break past the clouds. He grinned a little as he soared through one in particular, breaking it apart with his wings and leaving a small trail behind him as he continued to go up, and then abruptly stopped to fly forward again, peering ahead.

And, finally, he saw him; Amenadiel was flat on his back, letting his wings glide him through the air like someone doing a backstroke in water. Lucifer chuckled a little and pushed himself forward to his brother, who flashed him a grin and righted himself as the younger angel reached him, an amused expression on his face - if not somewhat impatient. "I thought we were racing," his oldest brother mused, "where's Michael?"

"As did I, Amenadiel, as did I." Lucifer rolled his shoulders back and let his wings fall still for a second, tilting himself sideways in the air and coming up beside his brother. "He's just playing around. He's such a child sometimes, I forget he's the almighty Michael, Warrior of Heaven, Leader and Commander of the armies…" He snorted out a laugh despite himself, shaking his head. It happened rather often now - whether it be about snow, or Michael's childish love of sweets, or his oblivion when it came to Earth and humans in general… well, every so often, he just seemed so uncharacteristically innocent, that Lucifer had to remind himself who he was.

"You can be rather childish yourself every so often, Luci," Amenadiel chuckled, twisting around to fly naturally once again. "And… well, neither of you really had the chance to be childish. Especially Michael," the oldest noted, looking down for a moment, before fixing his gaze ahead once more as they flew along side by side - for the first time in far too long. "I think it's nice. He's experiencing things in a whole new way now, living for himself instead of just for Father."

"I detect a hint of pride."

"I'm proud of both of you," Amenadiel replied without missing a beat. Lucifer paused for a second, flicking his gaze over to his brother. He'd be lying - which he didn't - if he said that the words didn't warm him to every part of his being, every vein and bone in his body. Amenadiel was his oldest brother, and, regardless of whether he admitted it or not, he had seeked out his approval quite a bit back in Heaven. Every now and again, he somewhat reverted to that, to the little angel who had trailed after his brother, happy and dutiful, willing to do anything to please him. Even more so than their Father, if Lucifer was being honest.

Amenadiel had always been his favorite - again, whether he admitted it or not.

"Well, what about you?" The angel finally asked after a moment, spiraling slightly through the air. He flew upwards a little bit, looping himself through a cloud and grinning slightly in satisfaction when it broke apart, his wings leaving trails behind him as he swooped back down to fly beside Amenadiel. His oldest brother offered him an intrigued look, prompting Lucifer to continue with a chuckle, "Michael's not the only one living for himself now instead of dear old Dad. You've been in the game longer, and it seems like you're finally learning how to play." Amenadiel laughed slightly at this, and Lucifer cracked a grin as he looked ahead again. "Simply saying, brother, you're not the only one that's proud," he added simply after a moment.

Amenadiel was silent, but there was a smile on his face as he thought those words over. Lucifer brought himself up again, doing another loop-the-loop just for the hell of it. The earlier discomfort had disappeared as he steadily got used to flying again - I mean, shit, he was even starting to enjoy it. It was fun. He felt… completely weightless, up here with nothing but his wings to carry him, nothing to worry about except the sky ahead. He smiled slightly despite himself, and rolled over so that he could fly backwards, his back facing the ground below as he tilted his head back to look up at the stars. He let his wings fall still for a second, just gliding.

The stars glittered brightly, and Lucifer cracked a grin despite himself. No matter what he might have despised during the rebellion, stars had never been on that list. They may be a reminder of what he once was - the Lightbringer, the Morning Star - but they were… a part of him. His creations, his children. His 'humans', in a sense, and Lucifer felt for them… well, as much as he imagined God felt for humans. Maybe even angels. The angel closed his eyes for a moment.

"I think we lost Michael," Amenadiel mused after a moment of silence, and Lucifer chuckled a little despite himself. Oh, no, Michael was out there, he knew that. Doing little tricks and having the time of his life just flying around freely for the first time in what was probably ages. Hell, as much as Michael enjoyed flying, Lucifer didn't ever think he'd been as carefree as he would have liked. A lot of new realizations had flooded in recently, the strongest one being exactly how horrible it must have been for his older brother, feeling all of the negativity from their siblings every single day. Lucifer knew he'd go mad from it all - and he couldn't even imagine what it was like for Michael during the war. All of that anger, that hatred, and it wasn't even his own.

Now, though, he was free. Learning how to feel his own emotions, and not others. And for that, well, Lucifer would admit it to anybody - he was proud of Michael, as well.

"I have to tell you something," Amenadiel said suddenly, snapping Lucifer from his thoughts again. The angel looked up and glanced over at once, eyebrows raising slightly at his oldest brother as Amenadiel went on, "well, you and Michael. It's important." He flicked his gaze over to Lucifer, looking completely, one-hundred percent dead serious - but then again, he usually always did. Still, it was such a sudden switch from the smile that had been there before, that Lucifer nodded immediately, mildly curious by whatever the hell Amenadiel had to tell them. But, of course, this meant they would have to find Michael - Lucifer chuckled, and sighed.

"Very well, then, let's find the little runaway. Sure he's still somewhere in Los Angeles," Lucifer almost laughed a little bit at the idea of Michael actually flying beyond LA, getting lost somewhere on Earth. Hell, had he even been beyond Los Angeles? Lucifer didn't think so, but then, he didn't know if Michael had ever visited Earth before in the first place. The angel rolled his shoulders back, flashed a grin at Amenadiel, and simply dove downwards to loop back to where he'd seen Michael last. His oldest brother followed quickly, the two of them breaking through another cloud as they flew back down, the buildings and lights of the city coming back into view easily. Lucifer swept his gaze around silently, letting out a low hum. No Michael.

"Uh oh." Lucifer clicked his tongue. "Should have known this would happen - so easy to get separated in the sky. So much for racing, as well," he snickered a little, though he wasn't really upset about that, if he was being honest. This was much more fun than a competition - and it would be even better, if Michael hadn't gone and gotten himself lost. Honestly, if Lucifer would have expected anyone to get lost in the sky, it would have been him, because he hadn't flown in so long - much less flown around Los Angeles, for Dad's sake. But, nope, here they were. And wherever Michael was, he probably hadn't noticed a damn thing, too busy having fun.

But, that wasn't so bad.

"Should we split up?" Amenadiel asked, flying beside him once more, and Lucifer had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing at his oldest brother.

"Split up? Sure, 'Menny, let's risk getting lost even further."

Silence followed, though Lucifer didn't think anything of it until he had turned to say something to Amenadiel, only to realize the oldest had stopped flying beside him completely. The angel blinked and turned further, seeing that Amenadiel had paused quite a distance away and was simply hovering in the air, wings flapping to keep him up, and was staring at Lucifer with a very, very odd expression on his face; the angel blinked, turning completely to fly back to where his brother had stopped, not knowing whether to be concerned or irritated. "Amenadiel? What?" He demanded, flying around his brother a few times before pausing beside him again. "What is it?"

Amenadiel stared at him, almost incredulously, for a good minute or so - and Lucifer was about ready to personally assign himself as Amenadiel's therapist because at that moment in time, it looked like he needed one more than ever - before his brother finally managed to speak, sounding as if he was having more trouble forming the words than he was being able to come up with any. "You…" He blinked a few times, a quizzical expression crossing his face, while Lucifer managed to mumble out a bewildered - "what, me?" - while the oldest breathed in, and then out again, before speaking up once more with a cautious, "you haven't called me that in…"

Now it was Lucifer's turn to stare, completely perplexed now, before the realization came crashing down on him along with his earlier words - sure, 'Menny.

"Ah, I see," Lucifer finally spoke again, somewhat nervous despite himself. He hadn't called Amenadiel by his nickname in years - millennia - eons… it was just another unspoken change, another thing his Rebellion had twisted and diminished just like so many others. Lucifer had thought nothing of it now, though truthfully he wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was because they had reconciled - and, hell, not just that, but Lucifer and God had reconciled as well. There wasn't any more rivalry, any more residual anger or anything of the sort. He had almost begun feeling like a… well, like an angel again, as odd as it was. He was beginning to feel like their brother again, like Amenadiel's brother again. And so the nickname had slipped past his defenses before he could even think about it - and he hadn't even noticed it, but…

Well, Amenadiel had. And if he didn't want Lucifer to call him that, well, Lucifer could surely understand; I mean, hell, it felt childish and silly to Lucifer's own ears now, and the thought grated at his nerves as he flicked his gaze away from his brother. "Well! My mistake, brother. Don't quite know what came over me- it's quite childish, really, isn't it?" He managed to huff out a laugh, soaring backwards and away from his oldest brother as he fought to put some distance between them, while Amenadiel merely continued to stare. "Won't happen again; Devil's honor. Now, then, shouldn't we be going? Before Michael somehow gets even more lost than he alre-"

"Luci-"

"-ady is, Dad knows that would be a disaster." Lucifer breathed in through his teeth and started to turn away, simply wanting to bring the entire conversation to an end now. "So come on-"

"Lucifer," Amenadiel insisted, and Lucifer bit his tongue to keep back a hiss, closing his eyes for a moment before begrudgingly turning his head to look at Amenadiel over his shoulder. "I don't mind," his oldest brother told him, crossing his arms over his chest with a frown. "It's just been a long time since I've heard that from you, Luci. From anyone, really. But no, I don't mind it at all. Honestly…" The oldest let his breath out in a huff, and Lucifer's eyebrows rose slightly, intrigued and a little bewildered at the same time. "I missed it. You were the only one who ever called me that without- well, without getting on my nerves, at least," the angel mused, eyes narrowing.

"Oh." Lucifer paused for a moment, not quite knowing what else to say. "Oh." For a moment, he simply stared back at his brother, before managing to crack a grin and a, "is that a challenge?"

"Don't make it one," Amenadiel told him, arching an eyebrow, though a playful little smile was tugging at his lips now. Lucifer let out a laugh, mostly just to release some of the pent-up tension as some of the stiffness in his muscles began to relax, the cold anxiety fizzling out to something slightly warmer, if not somewhat embarrassed. "Just saying. If you want to call me that, you know, it wouldn't be such a bad thing." His brother finally continued forward again, and Lucifer fell silent for a few seconds as he stared after him, then finally followed after him with a hum.

"Well, I suppose that's good to know."

Amenadiel cracked a smile, and Lucifer fell silent for a while after that, simply content to fly along quietly, lost in his own thoughts for the time being. He turned his focus, instead, to tracking down Michael - which wasn't hard to do at all once he finally sensed his brother. So, he headed off in that direction, and Amenadiel flew after him as they soared over the city. Lucifer, for one, was genuinely taken aback by how beautiful Los Angeles was - but the best thing, he had to admit, was the Hollywood sign. He made a mental note to take both of his brothers over to it tonight, after Amenadiel had told them his news, at least. He wanted to see it up close and personal - not that he hadn't already, because of course he had, but he'd never actually flown to it before. And - gosh, just imagine it… the angel chuckled just from thinking about it.

They found Michael near the ocean. The archangel had dipped dangerously low to the water, but he was simply smiling as he ran his fingers through it as he flew along silently, seemingly just enjoying the pure serenity of the moment. He didn't seem to notice Lucifer and Amenadiel approaching, his gaze fixed completely on the water, his mind seeming to be elsewhere for the time being; Lucifer watched for only a moment with a smile of his own before it abruptly turned mischievous, and Amenadiel was hardly able to spit out the younger angel's name before he shot forward from his oldest brother's side, spiraling toward Michael and diving down toward the water. Michael looked up almost immediately - but he didn't have any time to react, much less to avoid what was about to happen. Lucifer stretched both hands down and looked up at his older brother with a huge, beaming grin on his face - just as his hands connected with the water, sending up a giant splash that came down hard over both himself and Michael. "SAMMY!"

Worth it, especially, when Michael let out the girliest scream Lucifer had ever heard and reeled back, flipping backwards through the air and flapping his wings frantically to get some distance between himself and the water. Lucifer blinked up at him, but he only managed to hold his laughter in for a good few seconds before he was doubled over in the air, only inches above the water and gripping his stomach as he fought for breath through his laughter. "Oh my dad-"

"You-" Michael sounded furious. A while ago, the tone would have chilled Lucifer to his core. But, while he couldn't deny the faint twisting in his gut at his brother's tone, the grin didn't fade as he spared another smirk in Michael's direction. He wasn't scared of him - not as much as he had used to be, at least, and he would take whatever chance he got to tease him now. Michael, to his credit, could only remain angry for so long; whether it was Lucifer's emotions rubbing off on him or what, the archangel steadily began to dissolve into snickers of his own, especially when Amenadiel's own, rumbling laughter joined the three; however, the youngest of the three quickly cut his laughter short when Michael suddenly dove down and grabbed him by the shoulders, promptly shoving him back into the water. "Two can play that game, then!"

"Michael!" Lucifer squealed - squealed - as he grabbed onto his brother's arms. Michael's eyes widened slightly, starting to pull back at once, but it was too late for both of them. Lucifer crashed back into the water with another loud, large splash, and Michael was unfortunate enough to follow not too long after, thanks to the vice-like grip Lucifer had on his arms.

They popped back up, thanks to Amenadiel, a few seconds later. Michael was cackling, spitting out water and shaking his hair free of it, while Lucifer let go of Michael in favor of grabbing onto Amenadiel instead, practically wrapping his arms around his oldest brother. Amenadiel sighed, but obliged in pulling him out of the water rather begrudgingly, giving the angel the chance to flick his wings free of the water until Amenadiel simply dumped him - rather unceremoniously - on the shore. Lucifer let out a small "oof", but his attention was more or less focused on getting the water out of his drenched feathers - at least until Michael was deposited beside him in the same rough manner, prompting the angel to burst into laughter once again when his older brother ended up with a mouthful of sand and a rather cross expression on his face.

Michael took a halfhearted swing at him and Lucifer scooted away with a grin, sticking his tongue out. To his amusement, Michael copied the gesture somewhat mockingly, along with a middle finger that simply ended up doubling the angel's laughter tenfold.

"Children, I swear," Amenadiel sighed, but he was still chuckling a little as he let himself land in front of them, folding his wings back gracefully. Michael gave him a half-indignant look and pointed at Lucifer with a disbelieving expression, and Lucifer had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep back another rush of laughter at the look on his older brother's face. "Alright, enough. I've got something to tell you two, and it's serious," Amenadiel interrupted their silent banter, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting slightly on his feet as he stared at them.

"Oh, that's his serious stance," Lucifer said knowingly, while Michael blinked a few times, his smile vanishing in an instant as he tilted his head back to look up at Amenadiel.

"Yep."

Amenadiel simply quirked an eyebrow, staying silent until the two angels had gotten settled. Lucifer eventually ended up giving up on his wings, simply folding them back once again with a grin and letting them disappear to wherever the hell they went when they weren't out and visible. Michael followed suit with his own, stretching his arms over his head briefly before simply picking himself up off of the ground, and turning to help Lucifer do the same; the angel accepted his hand with a smile, letting his older brother pull him to his feet, and even accepted a brief pat on the head and an affectionate ruffling of his hair before he pushed Michael away with a grin and turned his attention back to the oldest, who was simply watching them fondly.

"Alright, alright, don't leave us hanging, now," Lucifer insisted, crossing his own arms over his chest to somewhat mimic his brother's serious posture, and Michael followed suit almost immediately, even putting on a stern look as he looked up at Amenadiel. "What is it, then?"

"Yeah," Michael agreed, nodding all the while, "tell us what's up, we can take it."

Amenadiel gave them an amused, level stare, and finally spoke. "Linda's pregnant."

It took both angels a long time to react, really. Lucifer simply continued blinking at Amenadiel as if he hadn't heard a word he'd said, while Michael stayed absolutely still for a good two minutes or so before his entire body suddenly went rigid, and a soft gasp broke through the archangel's lips, a sharp inhale that didn't come out for quite some time as he stared at Amenadiel in shock. The oldest simply stood there in silence, lips twitching as he glanced back and forth between both of his younger brothers, quite obviously waiting for the shock to fade as the news really began to settle in. It didn't take as long for Michael as it did for Lucifer; when it did, the archangel practically screamed out again, clasping both hands over his mouth in shock.

Lucifer simply blinked again, still registering.

"No way!" Michael exclaimed, a mixture of emotions present in his tone - shock, for one, and disbelief and confusion, but also an incredible, almost disbelieving amount of awe and excitement. "You're kidding, Amenadiel- you're going to be a father?!"

"Yes," Amenadiel replied proudly, seeming to get even taller somehow as he straightened up and finally grinned down at both of the younger angels. "Linda's about a few weeks along now." Lucifer's mouth fell open, wanting to say something, but he still genuinely couldn't respond at the moment. "Almost a month." Michael muffled another scream, still covering his mouth, and Amenadiel offered him an amused look before glancing over at Lucifer, eyebrows raising.

Honestly, the angel didn't even know how to react. He felt… a lot of things at that moment, to be completely honest. For one, he couldn't believe Amenadiel - Amenadiel of all angels was about to become a father, and yet at the same time, it was the most believable thing he'd heard. If he was being completely honest, Amenadiel had been rather close to a father figure back in the Silver City, when God was busy with the humans. He trained the younger angels, hell, he almost raised them himself when their Father had gotten too involved in the Project. Lucifer knew he had the makings of a great father, but he had never considered the idea that he might actually go and have a child. And with Linda… holy shit, that was even better. Vaguely, he couldn't help but wonder what Mazikeen was thinking about all of this; the three of them were happy together, in whatever little polymorous relationship they had going, but it would be interesting to see how she'd react to a baby. Given how good she was with Trixie, though… well, that was just…

And, holy shit, Lucifer was going to be an uncle. Now that was something.

Finally, though, he could pinpoint something he was feeling; a strong amount of pride, directed solely toward his brother. Talk about building a new life just for himself. If there was anything to help Amenadiel finally break free from Heaven and create a new life on Earth, a child was it.

Lucifer's head was reeling, but he finally managed to bring himself out of his thoughts enough to speak, taking a few slightly reeling steps forward to stand beside Michael once again.

"Congratulations, Amenadiel," the angel finally managed to speak, his voice slightly choked with all of the emotions swirling in his chest. Amenadiel's grin softened to a warmer smile as he nodded to his younger brother, and Lucifer could practically see the pride glowing in his eyes.

"Seriously," Michael breathed, pulling his hands away from his mouth with a grin on his face. "Congratulations, man, holy shit. You're gonna be a great dad, I- wow."

If Lucifer thought Amenadiel had been glowing before, it was nothing compared to the way his expression had lit up at that very moment, looking over at Michael. The grin returned, still warm, still excited and affectionate and filled with so much more emotion than Lucifer would have ever thought Amenadiel was even capable of displaying, and to be honest, it almost made him want to pull his brother into a hug. But he stayed still, still somewhat frozen in absolute shock, but a rush of excitement was steadily brewing in his chest. Sure, children were messy and loud and terrible creatures altogether- but he had grown fond of Trixie. And this child was his kin, his own flesh and blood, his brother's child, and Lucifer would be lying if he said he wasn't excited to meet the damned thing already… "You really think so?"

"Of course, Amenadiel!" Lucifer exclaimed before Michael could respond, but the archangel simply nodded along enthusiastically while the angel went on, "you're going to be wonderful. This child's certainly lucky to have you as a father." While Amenadiel's expression lit up even further - Lucifer could swear there were tears brewing in his eyes - Lucifer allowed a grin to split across his face as he clasped his hands together. "And me as an uncle! I'm going to be their favorite, obviously-"

"Oh, yeah," Michael teased, glancing over at him, "we'll see about that."

"I will," Lucifer insisted. "Right, 'Menny?"

"You two can turn anything into a competition, can't you?" Amenadiel laughed a little, and Lucifer couldn't help a few chuckles of his own, while Michael snickered under his breath. "You're both going to be their favorite. They'll have two amazing, loving uncles." He reached out, clasping a hand over both Michael and Lucifer's shoulders, and the younger angels looked up at the oldest at once. Lucifer wore the same, cocky grin, while a softer smile settled across Michael's face. "They'll be very lucky, indeed."

Lucifer huffed out a laugh, but he couldn't say Amenadiel was wrong. Being born into a family like this? Who wouldn't be lucky?