Dust and Ducks

1

After what seemed like a short rest (really it was 5 hours), Y/N's eyes fluttered open, only to be squeezed shut again.

A blinding light was in front of them. Yet the presence seemed... almost comforting? When they opened their eyes again, the light didn't seem nearly as bright, and a figure was visible now.

An angel stood before Y/N, looking upon them with sympathetic, caring eyes. He had almost pastel gold hair (it looked almost like the feathers on a cockatiel's head when they're laid back).

Once he realized Y/N was awake, he gave a nervous smile and quickly backed away. "Oh! Um, sorry." The angel apologized awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Y/N, a mix of shock and awe rushing through them so much that it made them dizzy, evidently seemed confused and a little scared because the angel's anxious smile faltered slightly.

A moment of uncomfortable silence passed, and eventually the angel cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Uh... my name's Lucifer." He shot a friendly smile at Y/N, hoping to relieve the tension that was presumably felt. "What's yours?"

Y/N hesitated. They had never known of anyone other than Adam, but now there was an angel standing in front of them. "...My name is Y/N," they responded finally. Lucifer's eyes widened slightly, as though he hadn't expected a response, and his smile grew.

"'Y/N,' huh?" Lucifer seemed to be thinking over something for a moment, then he spoke up again. "What are you doing over here..? I mean- I thought you and the other one, Adam I think his name was, were sort of... you know..." It seemed his smile faltered a bit.

Y/N's gaze, at the mention of Adam, turned away from the angel, silence looming over them yet again. Though this time a more negative aura could be sensed from them. Lucifer clearly noticed it, his expression slipping into one of concern.

"I... I'm sorry. Guess I should have known better than to ask," he muttered, an anxious chuckle escaping him at the end of the sentence. Y/N sighed, turning to face Lucifer again, a faint smile on their face.

"It's fine... I just... I can't believe that after all this time, all Adam wanted was power. Control..." Lucifer tilted his head at this, eyes widened. It was difficult to tell if the look in his eyes was shock, pity, or amusement. Or perhaps a combination of the three? Either way, he seemed intrigued, which Y/N took as a sign of permission to keep ranting.

"We were supposed to live in harmony together, and with the animals... coexist I believe the word was. Not have one person ruling over all. We had been warned of that before..." And the rant continued, Y/N soon getting lost in it, yet the angel listened intently. He listened like Adam never did anymore.

After a while, Y/N stopped. How long had they been talking? They looked up at the sky, which now had a tangerine-like color to it rather than the yellowish-blue color of the slowly setting sun. They looked to Lucifer again, this time with an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how long I had been talking for." Lucifer just chuckled at the apology, shrugging it off.

"No need to apologize, Y/N," he smiled. His voice was soft yet cheerful. "Besides, it sure seems like this Adam guy is a real piece of work." This earned a chuckle from Y/N and an approving nod, which only made Lucifer's smile grow.

A moment of silence hung over them as they just smiled softly at each other, as if having some strange silent conversation. Y/N just noticed that the way the sun's setting light reflected off of the angel's eyes made them seem like they were glowing.

Lucifer was the one to break the silence. With a nervous chuckle, he shifted slightly.

"Ah, well... I guess I should be leaving..." This broke Y/N out of the near trance they were in, and they nodded. Though for some reason the thought that the angel had to leave gave them a sinking feeling in their gut.

"Oh, alright then..." They paused, a very brief hesitation before asking, "will you be coming back again?"

Lucifer stopped, thinking for a moment before nodding. "I'll try."

Word count: 749 words