Lucifer won't allow anyone to ride him. The last five who tried were all gravely injured.
Sam is foolish number six, a rider without a dragon, a failure for a failure, and the last chance either of them have before they are cast down. Dragons are intelligent. Sam can't help but wonder if Lucifer knows that he's destroying himself.
(Just like he will never know if they gave Lucifer to him to tame because of Dean's success with the oldest of his clutch, Michael, or because they would rather Sam die by a dragon than…)
Lucifer is the second largest of his clutch, and his wings eclipse the sun when he raises them at Sam's approach. In the darkness, he's an terrifying wraith of scarred white scales. Every breath he exhales is enough to threaten Sam's balance, and his pale hide does little to hide the fire's heat inside his throat.
If Sam had frozen in fear, he's sure Lucifer would have burnt him up, his own fate be damned.
Sam forsakes caution. He drags his leather glove off his right hand. Lucifer watches him, neck curved towards Sam and head tilted. His tongue flickers out to taste Sam's scent, revealing fangs larger than Sam's arms. Lucifer's massive foreleg extends, crushing the ground beside Sam as his claws flex into the rock below. Sam doesn't stop.
He can almost hear Dean yelling at him to put his glove back on. It's a stupid move, but Sam has a feeling Lucifer will take nothing but a true bond, the old way, to take all of Sam's mind and give all of his own in return.
It's going to hurt.
Lucifer's heartscales are pale pink. This close, Sam can hear his heartbeat. It thumps like the stalking footsteps of a predator, and though each pulse sends tremors course through Sam's body, he doesn't run. He turns his palm over, observes the calluses and the wrinkles of his palm and the long-healed cuts that mar his fingers. He doesn't allow himself to stall another moment, no countdowns in his head or deep breaths. He turns his hand over again and slams his palm into Lucifer's chest.
Sam screams. He won't let go.
Lucifer's mind hits his like a comet, bearing down to see if Sam will break under the weight of him. He is not merciful, but Sam has tried to form bonds with other dragons and never felt anything like him before. For a moment, Sam's body isn't his own. Lucifer is behind his senses, taking them in, even the pain his own scorching hide rips through Sam. Lucifer is the one who presses Sam's hand harder into his heartscales, but Sam- Sam is a towering beast with limbs he's never felt before, with hungry fire burning through his entire being. Sam feels the rough crags of stone beneath Lucifer, the wind brushing over the thin membranes of his wings, even the leftover taste of blood from his last meal. Sam leans forward towards the small human body that is both Lucifer's and his own, as Lucifer curls fingers around the heartscales that are both Sam's and his.
Sam, Lucifer purrs, and the thought isn't only Sam's name, but his entire life, every thought he's ever had, all of his anger and hurt and love laid bare and perused by this creature. Sam, in turn, is given Lucifer's loss, his betrayal, his insurmountable pride.
Winchester, Lucifer continues with amused familiarity a moment later, when their minds have gone from two to one to two again, and Sam is left gasping and clutching his burnt hand. It'll scar.
Lucifer bows to Sam as Sam puts his glove back on. The smooth leather still drags painfully over his injury. He takes a deep breath, grips Lucifer's scales as firmly as he can, and hauls himself into the cradle between Lucifer's spines. It's only right if they're doing this the old way that Sam's first flight with Lucifer should be bareback. He can feel Lucifer's muscles flex beneath his scales, every breath and heartbeat powerful enough to rock Sam on his seat. Lucifer stands tall again, head turned to the sky. He whips his tail with delight, and Sam feels it spread through his own mind, bright and overwhelming. He tempers it with focus, digging his heels into Lucifer's sides, where his shoulders meet his wings. One wrong move and Lucifer could fling him off, but even thinking that leads to a possessive reassurance from his dragon that it won't happen. Sam is Lucifer's now, and Lucifer won't allow anything to take Sam from him.
He spreads his wings. Sam braces for the running start most dragons need to take flight, but Lucifer sweeps them into the air with only a few thunderous flaps. The ground spirals below them dizzyingly as they take to the sky.
