“Fuck.” Luce slammed his glass down and it shattered into crystalline fragments. “Fuck!”
Sachi sighed, snapping his fingers to vanish the spilled liquor and repair the glass. “And I’m not just talking about the weather.”
“What else?” Luce pointedly avoided looking at the other man, because he knew—especially in this state—that it was a different blond’s face he would see.
“Youknowwhat else,” Sachi countered. “You can’t impose your will on your friends, Luce. It’s always been kind of your core belief.”
“You don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Sachiel.”
“Wow. You always turn into an ass when you’re stressed out, but drunk Luce is even less sorry about it. Great.”
“You’re right, I’m not apologetic at all.” Luce stood abruptly, leaning over his desk to get in Sachi’s face. “I don’t need to be.”
“Yeah? You’re in here drinking your feelings, man. Shouldn’t you be working on the next piece of the Armor?”
Luce scoffed. “It’s not thateasy,Sachiel. It takes a great deal out of me each time, especially with my powers depleted by?—”
Sachi’s eyes narrowed. It gave the typically relaxed man a dangerous look as he motioned for Luce to continue. “Finish that sentence, Lucifer.”
“There’s no need.”
“Sure there is. You were about to blame us for your lack of power, right?”
Luce risked a glance at his Bearer of Sloth to find a pale blue gleam creeping into Sachi’s eyes. Trails of azure spilled from his eyes like tears and down his throat to wrap around his biceps, exposed by the casual tank top he wore.
“First Remiel, and now you?” Luce hissed, clenching his fist around the freshly repaired glass. “I gave you these powers to fightforme, notwithme.”
Sachiel rose, slowly but purposefully, and his eyes were bright with rarely displayed anger. “Then stop giving us reasons to stand against you... my King.”
Luce bristled at the way the title was tossed out like an insult. “Stand down, Sachiel.”
“No!” Sachiel slammed his palms flat on the desk, sending a rippling shockwave of gleaming blue outwards from the point of impact. “You used yourmagic so you couldforceMags to stay in her room.You can’t just do whatever you want to us, like we’re your toys, Luce.”
“That was to protect her, Sachiel. She wants to run off to her death!”
“You don’t know that,” Sachi protested.
“I know my brother. He doesn’t tend to beforgiving,” Luce sneered.
“It’s not your choice to make.”
“Wouldn’t you do the same?” Luce demanded. “If Camiel was at risk, you would let her run headlong into danger?”
“Yes,” Sachi said immediately, “because she’s apersonwith opinions and feelings of her own, and she can make her own decisions.”
“My brother cast me out, Michael discarded me, my wife is dead, and my son despises me.” Luce ranted, his voice lifting in volume with each point he ticked off, eyes blazing. “Mags isall I have!I will not lose her!”
“Youwilllose her! You will push her away with this controlling bullshit, because you’re going to strip away the trust and make her resent you.” His anger spent, the glow of borrowed power leeched out of Sachi’s eyes and he sank into his chair with a sigh.
“Fuck you,” Luce hissed, whirling around and stalking toward the window. Sure enough, harsh winds whipped across the fields, uprooting crops and rustling trees and sending debris flying. He willed himself to calm, to stop the storm.
Lucifer felt suddenly wearier than he had been in a long time.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole, Luce,” Sachi's voice interrupted his concentration, and Luce tensed. “I just don’t want to see you tearing yourself and everyone else apart.”
“Yes, well,” Luce bit out, “you sure are helping make things worse.”
“Don’t be a dick,” Sachi grumbled.
