Wyr's head felt foggy when she woke. It wasn't an all-out hangover, nothing like a whiskey hangover…But her mind felt sluggish and like a wet cotton ball. Why was she awake? When had she fallen asleep?
The bodily sensations came slow and steady, creeping out to her fingers and hooves. Breathing in, she smelled caramel and smoke, a warmth in her lungs as she began to feel the silken touch of sheets. Awareness came to her so slowly, that it was hard to recognise the warm touch of a hand against the skin of her back. She swallowed the taste of ash back, wrinkling her nose in confusion as the pillow she'd been using moved up and down in steady repetition.
Bone-deep anxiety sent her mind kicking into gear like a startled horse, while her body reacted like those fainting goats. Wyr froze, the languid relaxation she'd felt upon waking up disappearing as her muscles tensed at the steady pulse she felt against her nose.

What happened?

She cast her mind back, and it felt like wading through a muddy path, uphill, and wearing a woollen dress with the hem caked in mud. Wyr tried to breathe as calmly as she could; as with striking clarity, she realised just who lay beneath her.

They'd finished dinner and the bottle of wine between them. When their plates had been cleaned away, Wyr was already feeling a little too happy, a little too relaxed. She'd asked about something…What had she asked about? He'd admitted he was asking for help…With the photos!
Lucifer shifted underneath her and Wyr willed herself to relax as his slow breathing hitched, stopped, and then carried on. She didn't move, even as her nose pressed more firmly into the soft skin of his jugular. The claws of his hand gently scraped against the skin of her back, and Wyr had to bite her cheek to keep from shuddering at the touch. Heat pooled in her stomach as even with her eyes closed, Wyr was very, very, aware of just how closely she was pressed against the devil.

What happened after dinner?

Wyr had stood, to find a bathroom, and Lucifer had walked her to one and gestured to a door further down the hall. When she'd finished…Wyr remembered gently washing her face with cold water, the rush making her somewhat smeared memories sharpen. She focused on that moment, willing herself to focus on what happened after.


It felt strange not to knock before she entered the room, but she'd drunk a smidge too much wine. The world was both stretching thin at the edges and feeling close, pressed up against her skin. Lucifer had told her to come in after she'd finished up in the bathroom, so it was fine right?
The door swung open and Wyr stumbled to a stop. From behind a neat row of filing cabinets taking up one wall, blocking another wall of books, Lucifer stood back from the doorway, hands flinging into the air as if he were at a surprise party.
"Surprise!"
She looked around, taking in the office space. A large table took up one side, filled with chairs, and the other held a set of burgundy couches and a low-lying coffee table. At the end of the room in front of a wall of windows was a large desk with a large, imposing leather chair. Piling high on the desk and conference table were stacks and stacks of papers. She looked at Lucifer with a confused grin.
"Surprise?" Lucifer laughed.
"You don't know what all these are?"
She walked to the table and picked up one of the papers, glancing over it, not sure it would mean anything when a very familiar script jumped out at her. She picked up the sheet underneath, eyes searching the bottom of the page. She set them both down and grabbed a handful of the papers. Every single one was the same type of document, and every single one was signed at the bottom with a swirl of calligraphy in black ink. Her heart leapt into her throat as she turned, finding Lucifer standing just beside her. He smiled knowingly and Wyr couldn't find words to express herself.
"It's not all of them. I'm not even sure if I've managed a quarter…But I thought I should work on my end of the deal." She nodded, stunned, and feeling more overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness than she could imagine. When had he gone back to the office and taken the files? How long had it taken him to move them? How long had he been writing his signature?

Wyr wanted to kiss him.

She wanted to grab the fallen angel and kiss him senseless. It wasn't fair. The way he'd gone above and beyond…Yes, it was part of their deal that he took care of these papers…But she hadn't honestly believed he'd put this much effort in. Judging by the papers on the table, it must have taken him days to get this far. It had totally slipped her mind, that he'd agreed to take this on. She'd been so focused on him learning from her…That she hadn't realised he would hold up his own end without her prompting.

She had missed this feeling.

When she'd been alive, and he'd spent time teaching her how to harness the excess of magic their bargain had given her, they had worked together like this. They had been some of her favourite times. Hunched over a grimoire, leaning over her cauldron on a cold night... The witching hour dances.

Wyr turned away from Lucifer, feeling the sting in her eyes. Absolutely not. She wasn't a crier, and she certainly wasn't shedding tears in front of their cause. She cleared her throat and turned back to Lucifer, who was looking at her with a sly grin.
"Did I do good?" Wyr laughed wetly and nodded.
"Yes…Yes you did good. I'm so impressed." Lucifer snorted at her tone and waved her towards the couches.
"Alright, alright. No fishing for compliments, I get it." Wyr laughed again and sat on the couch, tucking her hooves up to the side, getting comfortable. The brief reprieve of his beautiful smile was welcomed, giving her enough time to pull herself back together.

Lucifer stayed standing and with a bravado-filled snap of his fingers, two bowls appeared on the coffee table with steaming cups of hot tea and a pile of photo albums. Wyr leaned over to look in the bowl in front of her and turned her gaze to Lucifer who sat opposite and picked up his bowl.
"Dessert?" He grinned at her, sharp teeth glinting as he picked up his spoon.
"Do you recognise it?" Wyr furrowed her brow and picked up her bowl, taking a bite of the custard, cake and fruit. When the taste hit her tongue, soaked in booze, she groaned loudly. Swallowing she looked at Lucifer astonished.
"How on earth did you come across this?" Lucifer was pink in the cheeks.
"It was a lucky guess?"
"A lucky guess that a tipsy laird is one of my favourite desserts?"

Lucifer's laugh sent a thrill through her.

"I wouldn't have guessed your favourite…But I had a feeling you'd know of it." Her cheeks felt hot, and she couldn't attribute that to the heavy-handed soaking of the cake in alcohol. She bit into a strawberry and held a hand to her cheek, eyes closing at the sweet juice of the berry running over her tongue. Strawberries were rare down here. There were a lot of things she missed from Earth that were considered rare to find here. You needed specific connections…Which she had, but even then... They were rare.
Wyr shook her head when she finished her bowl.
"You're really good at this hosting thing. I don't think I've been wined and dined this good ever."

The devil looked as flushed as she felt when he set his bowl down and looked at her. He shrugged, leaning back into the couch.
"It's been a long time since I've had anyone I wanted to impress."
The giggle surprised her more than him and she slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the shy giggle that kept bubbling up. He wanted to impress her. Lucifer grinned at her across the table while Wyr focused on trying to calm herself down. Just how much sherry had he poured into the tipsy laird?


Wyr could feel a shaft of warm light moving over her position. She wasn't exactly naked, and wasn't sure how to feel about that, because whilst she wasn't wearing her dress, she was wearing a shirt. But it wasn't hers. So had he seen it? Had he seen her? Had she stripped in front of him? She'd risked opening her eyes, to confirm exactly who she was coiled on top of, but she'd seen the white skin, and the stray curl of blond, and shut her eyes again. Would she be this embarrassed if she'd been with a stranger? Probably not. But this was Lucifer, and he was supposed to be off-limits.

There were no sore muscles, and her underwear was still there, which probably meant no sex. Small mercies. But how had they gone from looking at photos to curled together? Wyr shifted slowly, stretching her legs out from the tangle of Lucifer's. They were in a bed because the sheets over them weren't just a throw blanket, and if it had been the couches in his office, one of them would have fallen off.

As she shifted, the hand at her back pressed more urgently against her, shifting to grip her hips and hold her tightly against him. Lucifer's breathing stuttered and sped up and a groan vibrated against Wyr's nose. Claws pricked into the flesh of her hip and she was keenly aware of just how wrapped around him she was. Her thigh rested over his hips, pressed against a hard length.

Oh this was bad.

Good…But really bad. Heat suffused her entire body and it was a wonder she didn't catch fire as she tried not to focus on how her body reacted, finally noticing how his body was tucked into hers.
Was she really that clingy of a sleeper?


Wyr had started to squint as she held up photo after photo to her face. In the hour they'd been sitting together pouring over Lucifer's history, Wyr had shifted couches to sit next to Lucifer as she made their choices. It was hard, taking in every captured moment, all picture-perfect, telling the story of a man who loved his family most of all. The amount of photos she looked at of smiling faces, made Wyr wonder if she was supposed to be here now, stepping into a family matter. What if Lilith came back? Wyr would be relegated back to someone who worked under the King and Queen. Lilith had been strict at maintaining boundaries. Wyr had appreciated it, even if it had chafed, but if she had to go back to not knowing Lucifer at all? She wasn't sure she could do that.

"What about this one?"

Lucifer set the album he'd been holding down and held out a photo to Wyr. She leaned into him, taking the photo delicately held between his claws. His cheeks were rosy and lush, his smile sleepy as he leaned back against the couch, his arm shifting out from under her. Gravity pulled her down until her shoulder was nestled under his arm, that now sat along the back of the couch. She should have sat up, pushed herself upright and apologised for obviously making him uncomfortable…But the sherry and the wine had done their job, and Lucifer was warm and comfortable. So she didn't move, instead, she tilted her head until it rested against his collarbone. It was distracting, having his head so close to hers. She'd gotten used to being taller than him but his cheek was gently pressing against the top of her head and she was kind of liking it.

Wyr squinted at the photo and smiled. It was one of the seemingly rare photos of Lucifer with his daughter, no Lilith in sight. Charlie was just a kid, and she was sitting at a table covered in cake. She was covered in icing, with a huge grin and next to her was Lucifer, holding out a napkin to smear some icing from her face. Wyr looked closer at the photo, making out Lucifer's messy curls, the cake stains on his shirt, and the loving smile.
"When was this?"
Lucifer shifted and his arm behind her drifted to her shoulder, claws sliding over her skin deliciously.
"It was her ninth birthday. Beelzebub took this one."
"Beelzebub? Why's that? Where was Lilith?" Wyr twisted a little to watch Lucifer's face as he recounted the story.
"Well, Lilith had bought Charlie a dress for her birthday, and my little Apple Slice was supposed to wear it for her party. She really didn't want to, so she threw a tantrum." Wyr gasped and chuckled.
"No way! Charlie can throw tantrums?" Lucifer nodded emphatically.
"Hell yeah, she can." Wyr shook her head, shoulders shaking from holding back laughter.
"She went to her room and I thought I'd give her some time to calm down and then go smooth things over. When I knocked there wasn't an answer, so I went in and her room was empty."
How must he have felt finding his daughter missing? Wyr couldn't fathom the idea of it, and was for a moment, intensely happy she'd never decided to have children.
"The window was open and she'd done that thing, where they tie all their bedsheets together and climb down. Lil' laughed it off, and said she'd come back eventually…But I went out to find her." His hand clutched at her shoulder briefly, like he was remembering the fear and anxiety of that day all over again. Wyr gently let her hand rest on his leg. He smiled at her warmly and continued.
"Anyway…Bee called not long after I'd left the house and Char' was with her. When I got down there she was surrounded by cake, bawling her eyes out." Lucifer's smile crinkled the edges of his eyes. "She'd gotten cake on the dress with Bee, and was crying her eyes out. You know kids, they don't know how to handle feeling guilty. So I told her that if she was going to get cake on the dress, she might as well enjoy it."
Wyr laughed, unable to help herself. Lucifer's go-big-or-go-home attitude to his daughter's guilt was cute. She wanted to ask how Lilith had taken it when they got home, but his wistful smile, as he looked at the photo, told her not to ruin the moment. She grabbed his phone from the table and snapped a photo of the image before sending it, like they had with about twenty others, straight to Michael's phone.

Wyr smiled at the photos they'd sent.
"You are a wonderful father." Lucifer stiffened beneath her as she leaned back against him. He'd paused in flipping through another album as she nestled in against him.
"Wha-You-I-Uh…" He laughed nervously "I don't know about that."
Wyr shook her head, peering at the photos in his lap.
"You were there for her when she needed you most. I would bet anything on Charlie knowing that too." She felt Lucifer's chest rise as he took a deep breath and let it go slowly, rattling out of him as he battled with something she would probably never understand.
"Lilith was always the better parent. She was much more reliable." Wyr craned her neck to look up at the devil. His eyes were downcast, no longer looking at the photos, but the hand clenched in his lap.
"I don't know about Lilith, but you shouldn't discredit yourself like that. I was always taught that parenting is the hardest job anyone takes on, so, of course, you'll second guess everything" She tapped at the photos, Lucifer's softly smiling face in an image as he held baby Charlie next to a music box. "But Charlie is good. She has a beautiful dream…And that didn't come from Lilith."
Wyr reached for his clenched hand and wrapped hers in it. The strength of his grip was tight at first, but it gentled as she settled back against him and yawned widely. She needed to get home. It was late, and O'Malley would no doubt be intruding on her space bright and early again, and she had charms to make.

But Lucifer was warm and his body relaxed around hers as they looked over these old photos. Wyr hadn't felt this sort of easy closeness with anyone for a few hundred years. Not even her past relationships had given her this feeling of calm acceptance. Being able to relax together with another Sinner rarely happened when you were both waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was why Wyr had sought out the hellborn demons. They at least, could fathom somewhat healthy relationships.
Wyr yawned again, snuggling deeper into the Devil's warmth. It reminded her of the mornings she'd wake and he'd be sitting on her stovetop.
She'd only meant to close her eyes for a moment, but as soon as her eyes closed, the soft brush of Lucifer's claws against her shoulder sent her head leaning more heavily back and sleep stole away the rest of her thoughts.


Wyr's breath was soft and slow as she nestled into his body. Her herbal scent seemed to caress his skin and unravel the tension he'd felt in his shoulder since she'd leaned into him. The sherry and wine had done wonders in forcing him to relax. The alcohol forced his system to slow down and not care about the propriety of friends sitting as close as this. Was this the most intimacy he'd experienced since Lilith had disappeared? It felt like it. This was more than a hug, something he'd only newly gotten tonight. He cast his sluggish mind back. She'd hugged him only hours ago.

The thought didn't stop him from brushing his claws against the soft, bare skin of her shoulder though. He looked to the album sitting in his lap, and the photos of Charlie held inside. He was glad he'd asked Wyr to join him. The walk down memory lane felt more safe with her by his side. He felt like he could do more with her around. Why did a Sinner's presence fill him with courage like this? He wanted to be apprehensive about the whole thing. It wasn't as though Lucifer was quick to gain new friends, it was a struggle for him to make friends at all. To suddenly develop something this powerful, with such strong emotion…He wondered if it was because Wyr was different, special in some way he didn't understand yet.
He yawned, closing his eyes and letting his head rest against the back of the couch. Looks like the tipsy buzz he'd had had worn away to quiet introspection. Not something he wanted when a beautiful woman was slowly snuggling further and further into his lap. Wyr was slowly nuzzling her way across his body, hands slowly reaching up, one wrapping around his shoulder, the other clinging to his shirt.
Her breath was soft and warm against his neck and he couldn't deny the way his body grew hotter, stirring his gut and making his blood pulse against his skin. They couldn't stay like this, but he couldn't bring himself to wake her.
He could fly her home, but he didn't have a key to her apartment, and she'd probably wake up in the sky. The thought made him chuckle quietly, sending Wyr further into his arms as she curled tighter around him. Her legs moved, squeezing closer, skirt riding up as she shuffled into his lap.

Lucifer swallowed back the rising bite of lust.
Okay.
He needed to put her to bed. Now.

Lucifer wrapped his arms around the woman, a hand under her knees and one behind her back, and stood. Her weight shifted against him, and she murmured sleepily against his neck as her arms wound tightly around his neck. Her breath ghosted over his skin and a shiver raced down his spine, hitting his gut and stirring nervously there. He had to put space between them. Wyr trusted him as a friend.

Friends weren't supposed to fantasize about kissing each other.

Lucifer left the office, gently moving Wyr around so he could open the door. Out of the warm office, the hallways were chilly, sending Wyr curling further into him. He briskly walked towards the family wing, mind reeling as his blood pounded. She felt so familiar in his arms right now, and it must have been the sherry in his system making his skin sing with every inch of contact between them. He needed them to separate before he was sucked in any further.
At the first guest bedroom, he came to, he opened the door and stepped through, using a spark of angelic magic to light the fireplace as he went to the large bed and tried to set Wyr down on top. She moaned as he tried to pull her hands away from his neck, and his heart pounded, feeling almost too full as she tugged at him sleepily.
"Don't let me go."

Her voice came out the most childish he'd ever heard from her. Needy in a way that set him ablaze. He hadn't been needed like this in so long that he could have forgotten what it was like.
"You need to get into bed."
"I can't sleep in a dress." The words ran together in a mumble he had to bend closer to hear. Her head dropped onto his shoulder, curls flying into his face.
Lucifer tried to pull back, unable to stop his smile as he looked through the curls draped over her drooping face, to her closed eyes and pouted lips.
"I don't have anything for you to change into."
Her bottom lip stuck out further.
"I want a shirt." She was petulant when sleepy and drunk. Maybe if he'd been in his right mind he would have pulled further away, maybe called a servant to help her change and return to his own room…But his stomach was in knots, her hands were wrapped in his shirt and their faces were so close together…That if he parted the curtain of her curls, he might have been able to kiss her right then.

You don't kiss your friends. Creep.

So no, Lucifer's functioning mind did not go and call for a servant. The quicker Wyr was properly asleep and in bed, the faster he could separate himself from all the emotions she was hauling up from him. He couldn't be buzzed and deal with someone as alluring as this witch. He snapped his fingers, and in a shower of gold sparks, Wyr's dress was gone, replaced by one of his shirts. He firmly tugged her hands from his shirt and pulled back the bed sheets, ignoring the creamy flesh of her thighs as he tucked her under the covers.

When he turned to leave, her hand snaked out from under the covers and snagged on the back of his shirt, tugging him to a halt. When he looked back, Wyr's eyes were open, the soft silver looking so alone and lost that it called out to him across the space.
"Please don't leave me again." Lucifer swallowed back the lump in his throat.

If he were a better angel, if he wasn't drunk, if she hadn't looked at him with such an empty gaze. If. If. If. If. Hundreds of reasons why it was a terrible idea. Thousands of excuses would work as to why he couldn't…But not a single one that he could bring himself to say aloud.
Lucifer sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off his boots, unlaced his shirt and with a racing heart, slid under the covers of the bed.


When he woke, it was to the soft warm touch of a woman. A body curled around his, wrapped tight like they were siphoning the heat from his skin. He felt the soft touch of a nose pressed into his neck, the heavy weight across his groin, and tasted the hair currently in his mouth. All he could smell was herbs and beeswax as Wyr shifted on top of him slowly.

Oh, that hadn't been the plan.

Lucifer struggled to stay calm and still, feeling Wyr's chest rising and falling against his. His cheek was pressed into the top of her head, his hand was pressed against her bare back. He could feel the soft flesh of her stomach pressing against his side and it took everything in him not to audibly swallow back and groan as her thigh shifted over his hard cock.
Fuck.
Friends were really not supposed to wake up like this.
If Wyr woke like this how upset would she be? They'd probably blown past at least a few boundaries they should have had up, and Lucifer was struggling to feel bad about it. In fact, whilst he was grateful he could still feel the fabric of her shirt, he couldn't stop the disappointment that it hadn't ridden up just a tiny bit more.

He was so fucked.

Lucifer could feel the light coming in from the windows, the warmth making his closed eyelids go golden, red, black, as he breathed, long and slow trying to calm his singing nerves. He needed to calm down. Morning wood or no, Wyr wouldn't be interested in knowing she was an object of lustful thoughts for him. He needed to show her how much he respected her.
He cursed himself for his weakness the night before. If he'd just left her here and gone to his own bed, there would be no problems. She would have just been alone, in a strange place, in a strange bed. Lucifer stiffened for a moment as Wyr shifted against him again. Oh that was an angle. With one leg draped over him, and the other stretched out beside him, Lucifer could feel a warmth pressed against the side of his hip. He didn't need to be wide awake to know what that heat was either. If it was possible, he felt himself get tighter. He pressed his hand into her back, body wound as tightly as it could, and he felt her move again, her breath stuttering and head shifting.

Shit.

He'd woken her up.

He felt her eyelashes against his neck, her lips parting and tongue flicking out to lick them. He knew she didn't mean to, but it flicked against the heated skin of his neck and it was with every ounce of strength he possessed, every oath he'd ever sworn and every promise he'd made himself, he managed not to grab at Wyr and pull her against him.
It was silent for a few moments, and the tension was palpable. He had to say something. Anything. But what did he say to salvage this?

Good morning! I know we can both feel what's going on but I swear it's not you, just one of those bodily functions!

Oh, you're wondering why we're in the same bed? Well! You said not to leave you last night!

Oh you don't remember? I swear I'm not lying!

He pictured himself being set on fire because honestly, that might have been best best-case scenario.
Was there any way to play this off casually?

"Well…It's not how I expected to wake up… But I don't think I can complain."
Her voice was croakier than usual, husky and dry as she spoke quietly into his neck. The witch made no moves to pull away, even as he tensed to move, to let her go as quickly as possible should she desire to flee. But she didn't, instead staying tucked in, and completely still against him. Lucifer swallowed, throat feeling just as dry.
"I can explain everything, I swear."
Her breath huffed, stomach tightening and loosening and he realised she was laughing silently.
"I think I can picture what happened. I got clingy didn't I?"

Slow enough not to startle him, she pulled her face from his neck and he looked up at her, meeting her slow-blinking eyes and sleepy, shy smile. She looked as red in the face as he felt. He smiled back at her.
"Just a little" he admitted.

His cock twitched urgently as she rested her head back down beside him and he flushed as she turned pink. He flicked his gaze up to the ceiling.
"I-uh…I don't-It's been…" What was he supposed to say? Wyr's fingers on his chest rubbed a small circle like she was trying to soothe him.
"It's fine. Bodies do what bodies do, right? I'm going to move my leg, maybe that will help." He wanted to tell her that if she wanted to help she could climb on top and let him feel the warmth between her thighs against his hard length, but Wyr was being more understanding than he had a right to.

Friends. Friends. Friends. We're friends.

Wyr pulled away slowly, and Lucifer was horrified to admit he felt cold when she'd pulled her body from his. His aching, twitching want almost overpowered his resolve to let her go, but she smiled at him from the other side of the bed and it was bright and beautiful and shy.
He knew he was staring, but when the red light of the morning was shifting across her freckled face, and her eyes were blazing brightly, how was he supposed to look away? Her tongue dipped out and licked her lip again as she curled on her side. She stuck her fist under her cheek and he turned to mimic her, hoping a new conversation would help his blood stop pumping directly to his groin.

"Any word from Michael?" Lucifer frowned. He hadn't grabbed his phone when he'd left the office.
"I don't know. I haven't checked since last night." Wyr nodded thoughtfully. Lucifer lay there, contemplating what he would do if it amounted to nothing when Wyr spoke again.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any fresh apples would you?"