Dust and Ducks

3

Hours turned into days, days to weeks.

Every single day, Y/N waited at the tree they had been at when they and Lucifer had first met. It was strange, being able to have talked to an angel. He had seemed so... nice. Though that shouldn't be too shocking.

They would wait as long as they could, but when the sun would start to set, Y/N would have to head back. And every time this happened, the sinking feeling in their gut turned more and more into an emptiness that nobody else could fill.

It was after the first month that the light returned in the same spot as the first time, the warmth that was familiar despite having only been experienced one time. Y/N perked up, trying to see through the light to see Lucifer, but he was only visible once it dimmed.

Y/N's smile spread from ear to ear, and if physically possible it would have been a bigger smile. Lucifer chuckled at this.

"Sorry I didn't show up sooner-" He was cut off by a surprise hug from Y/N, and for a moment didn't know what to do with himself.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come back." Y/N admitted, not quite ready to let go yet. The angel sighed, hesitating but soon hugging back. He had a soft, apologetic smile on his face.

"I know, I'm sorry. Stuff up there started getting... well, let's just say it was a very tight schedule... but I'm here now."

The hug was nice, warm, comforting. Though Lucifer seemed a bit... off. Had something happened while he was away? Y/N reluctantly broke the hug, looking Lucifer in the eyes in hopes of being able to discover his true feelings. Eyes were the window to the soul, weren't they?

"You okay, Lucifer?" Y/N asked with a concerned expression. The angel hesitated, but after a moment he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He thought for a second before smiling. "Close your eyes and open your hands."

Y/N knew he was trying to change the topic, but felt it was better to not push it. Instead, they just chuckled and did as told.

"Make sure you're not peeking, okay?" Lucifer had a playful tone, almost childlike in energy. It was contagious. Y/N grinned.

"I'm not, I'm not. Don't worry." After a moment that they assumed was Lucifer making sure they were, in fact, not peeking, Y/N felt something small placed in their hands.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now!"

When Y/N opened their eyes, they saw that Lucifer had a big smile on his face. He nodded to their hands, as if telling them to look, so they did.

In their hands was a small, crystal duck necklace. The light reflected off of its crystalline structure, giving it a glowing effect. The tiny, silver chains that made up the rest of the necklace looked thin and fragile yet were tough and the bonds seemed to be almost unbreakable.

"Do you like it?" Lucifer's energetic voice broke through the silence, he sounded hopeful. Y/N seemed to answer his question silently with their appreciative expression because the angel almost audibly sighed in relief.

Y/N smiled, reaching around to the back of their neck to put the necklace on as they spoke. "Thank you! It's beautiful." Soon, they remembered the gift they prepared for Lucifer, grinning and rushing back to the tree, recovering the flower crowns that they had hidden in a bush and, after making sure they were still in pristine condition (they had made new ones since a month ago, seeing as the flowers had wilted and faded relatively quickly), walked back over to the angel.

"I made something for you, too!" With a proud grin, Y/N placed one of the flower crowns on Lucifer's head- after taking his hat off, of course- stepping back to admire it.

Lucifer, shocked at first since he hadn't quite expected a gift in return, soon smiled back, and didn't need to speak to express his gratitude. However, he did, just to be safe.

"Ah, thank you!" He took off the flower crown for a moment to admire the flora, then put it back on. "It's gorgeous."

Word count: 739 words