Angel shenanigans

I've just wrote this story for fun, as I'd wanted to write a one-shot for a scene idea I had in mind with my kind of OC's, and thus, there isn't as much explanation as there probably should be. but if you are interested/confused, let me know! I can answer any questions.

Gabriel had volunteered to take Lucifer to an Angel meeting, because he knew he could handle it–could probably handle it better than others!

And he’d known it would be difficult, of course he had! He’d expected that. He’d expected to have to stare at this stranger, with his mind now unfamiliar. But he wasn’t a stranger.

And now the meeting had concluded. It was just the two of them, alone on the earth Lucifer had ruined for a reason only he knew.

“Going home, friend?”

Lucifer smiled in a painfully false way, like his expression was painted on a canvas.

But he still looked the same. His hair was still gold and clean, his clothes were still glowing white with the light he controlled. But his emotions, the thing only Gabriel had the power to see, were so very different then they used to be. He was angry, a dull blade cutting ripples in the air. But even that anger was unrecognizable.

Why? What had made him hurt everyone?

Lucifer’s foot tapped against the grass, impatiently, as Gabriel stared down at him, flying just a few feet above him. Lucifer was stuck on the ground, his wings…cut off. The scream still rang in his head. It had been meaningless and–

Gabriel needed to go home. But then he would be stuck wondering.

Wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering and wondering, like he’d done for thousands of years.

And he was so sick of that.

“Yes, I think you’ve humiliated me enough. You can go home now,” Lucifer said venomously, turning around. Something started boiling in Gabriel, burning through him like white hot fire.

Before he even realized what he was doing, he’d grabbed onto Lucifer’s arm, and turned the other Angel back to face him.

“You cannot leave yet.”

“Why not? Do you control me?” Lucifer spat out, his voice so very aggressive for someone who didn’t have any power, his mind showing waves of red irritation.

Not helpful. He didn’t get to go. Not when he’d done so much wrong.

“I need to know.”

“Know what–?”

“Why did you do it.” The forest sang, beautiful and flawed, and covered in blood. In so much blood. All because of the one standing in front of him.

But Lucifer loved them. Lucifer was his friend. Or he was meant to be.

“I don’t need to answer that,” Lucifer said, shakily, as Gabriel released his arm.

“Yes, you do,” He whispered, and Lucifer took a single step backward, very nearly stumbling.

“I–” Lucifer took in a breath, his feelings swirling in a huge pot of superficial emotions.

”I was trying to help you! I was trying to help everyone–!”

Gabriel cut him off with his own, wild, humorless laughter. He raked his hands through the wings covering his face, his breath hitching.

“So you poisoned a daisy trying to water it? That’s it?”

"Of course you would–!”

It wasn’t true. Pride filled the other Angel, spreading out in darkness. It was just excuses, to still seem right.

“You ruined us, Lucifer. Why?”

“I did what was necessary, and you wouldn’t listen–!”

“Liar!” Gabriel shrieked, his voice echoing through the trees, his hands clutching at his tunic. All he could see, in his mind’s eye, was Michael’s bloodied, battered form. All he could see was the war, the fighting, the screaming, all because of Lucifer.

“You don’t want to tell the truth? Fine! I’ll get it myself!”

Gabriel clawed his way into Lucifer’s mind, digging through his true feelings, tossing the ones that didn’t matter aside like paper.

“Why do you hate humans? Why do you hate them so much you wanted us dead? I–I don’t understand.”

Deeper, deeper Gabriel went into his mind, underneath every single corrupted layer.

“This world, it’s beautiful! They’re beautiful! Don’t you see that?”

There had to be a part of him, if Gabriel just ripped to his core, that still found it beautiful. But all he could feel was hate.

Perhaps Lucifer said something, but it didn’t matter. He was a liar. His mind was all that mattered.

“You were meant to love it. I know you. I know you would have adored them! I know you would have made it golden.”

Gabriel had always been able to recognize all of his friends' different minds.

Lucifer’s had been bubbly, like sweet tea that was just a little too hot. Sure the tea boiled and cooled down and changed flavors, but it was always tea.

Now…it was nothing he recognized.

It was like a stranger held one of his friend’s faces and body, a bird pretending to be a butterfly just because it had wings as well.

“Gabriel–!”

There were so many emotions swirling around Lucifer’s core. All of them were too fresh, spiraling around in their myriad of colors, none of them were at the root of the problem.

Lucifer’s hatred screamed for the humans, roaring like ice cold fire that consumed and consumed and consumed until there was nothing left.

But that couldn’t be the true reason, right?

Lucifer had never been one to hate. He was confident and sweet and kind. He was shining and willing to give everyone else some of his glimmer.

Gabriel just needed to see what had gone wrong in his friend, to make him do what he did.

A threat. There was a threat from Lucifer that Gabriel tuned out, because it didn’t matter. But his mind was giving nothing, either. He could barely stand it. Hadn’t he gone through enough? Hadn’t they all? Didn’t they deserve a reason?

“Just answer!” He screamed louder than he’d ever heard his voice go before, his voice echoing throughout the entirety of the forest, his breath halting. He’d spent so long wondering why Lucifer’d ripped through everything, thrown them away like they were ragdolls. Why he’d changed.

Gabriel was going too far. Deeper into anyone’s mind than he’d ever gone before. But just a little more and he would finally–

“Stop. Please,” Lucifer pleaded, his voice quiet and shaking.

It finally made Gabriel stop for a moment, panting, still trembling with rage. He released his inner-hold on the Angel’s mind, just seeing what was there on the outside.

There was a different emotion, now. Coiling sharp angles that spread throughout the Angel’s entire being.

Fear.

He realized, finally, that he’d backed Lucifer up against the base of a mountain, with nowhere to run or get out. One of Lucifer’s hands had clamped against his temple, his eyes wide and pupils flitting back and forth. He’d never gone that far into someone’s head. What had it done?

Gabriel suddenly felt sick, bile rising in his throat, as he raked a hand through his hair.

Lucifer was cruel, and wrong, and had hurt so many people.

But Gabriel didn’t get any sadistic joy out of seeing him cower.

He must look like a monster.

“Sorry. I’m sorry!” He let his feet almost touch the ground, backing up so Lucifer could get out. The other Angel immediately backed away from him, trembling all over.

“Did I…hurt you?”

He let himself exit Lucifer’s mind completely, but it didn’t take empathetic abilities to see the rage and fear in that marbled face. Lucifer clasped his hands behind his back, his blonde hair completely concealing his eyes.

Gabriel had…gone too far. It was obvious.

There was another, false, dangerous smile from Lucifer. “You could never hurt me, understand? Now go home, Gabriel. I think I’ve had enough of you.”