Deal

"By undoing everyone you know…"

To this declaration Lucifer struggled to hold back a laugh. Raphael didn't respond to Lucifer's snickering and continued to sip his glass. Lucifer's restrained laughter came to an end as he added in an amused tone, "and how in dad's name are you going to do that, from what mum said you're a softy with the power to heal who did bad things eons ago, doesn't really paint a threatening picture". Raphael at the mention of their mother turned his head and with a raised brow asked "how would she know who I am? We haven't really seen each other in a long, long time, many things have changed. And clearly mother is clearly afraid if she told you I can only heal". To this lucifer looked Raphael in the eyes deeply clenching his fist as he asked "what exactly do you mean by that?"

To Lucifer's attempt to be threatening Raphael laughed loudly with an unsettling feeling around him as he did. He responded to Lucifer's question ominously, "I'll make it so that the people who you care about slowly forget you, one by one. Oh boy, who should I start with, that detective seemed to care about you-" suddenly Lucifer struck Raphael to the floor with a bottle that easily shattered. Raphael was on the floor groaning as blood trickled down from a cut on his forehead. Lucifer got up from his seat with an absolutely livid expression, clutching the neck of the broken bottle in his hand as he stepped closer to Raphael's body.

A voice called out from behind Lucifer as the clink of a glass could be heard, "seems I struck a nerve". Lucifer's head turned in shock. At the bar sat Raphael as he continued drinking completely unharmed. Lucifer's head turned back to where Raphael should have been on the floor. There was no evidence of him striking Raphael, even the bottle in his hand was unbroken. Lucifer's face paled as he continued to look to the empty space and the full, unbroken bottle in his hand.

Raphael placed his glass down and stood up. He stepped over to Lucifer and rested his arm on his shoulder, holding him in a half hug. "So, will you bring her or do you know where she is now?" Raphael said in a sinister tone with a smirk as he looked at Lucifer's face.

"How?" Lucifer muttered. Raphael leaned in a little and spoke in a mocking tone with a smirk still on his face, "how what?" Lucifer looked him in the eyes with an angry expression as he raised the bottle "you know what I mean, how the hell did you do that just now?"

Raphael separated from lucifer as he nonchalantly took a few steps while gently humming in acknowledgment. He got to a table and placed his hand on it, "I like calling it an 'aspect of God'. Our eldest brother Ammenadiel, despite his short fuse is 'patience', he has all the time in the world to do whatever, don't be as naive as to think I haven't noticed him. You are 'desire', the raw attraction that mortals have to whatever brings them pleasure. For me, I can't quite narrow it down, but I personally believe it's in regards to 'regret', so I'm able to undo the past. I find these aspects very poetic, we are how dad made us, in his 'image', yet we are each individuals" Raphael began to chuckle as Lucifer turned to him in terror.

The table on which Raphael place his hand had turned to a pile of grainy powder and a puddle of viscous dark liquid. Lucifer stepped back as Raphael turned his head. "Ah, right…" Raphael said as he waved his hand, the table instantly went back to normal with no stages in between. "So do you now understand the situation, little, brother?…" Lucifer looked down to the ground, that hand holding the bottle going limp to his side. "Yes, I understand" Lucifer said quietly with a heavy heart that could only imagine what Raphael was truly capable of.

Raphael held out his hand to Lucifer with a sickeningly sweet smile one would expect from children getting a new toy. "So we have a deal? I hear you like making those. Mother will be under my custody, and I don't harm any of your loved ones, besides mother of course." Raphael stifled a laugh and his shoulders shook a little. Lucifer raised his hand to shake Raphael's, Lucifer spoke in a serious tone "you swear not to harm any of them?" To this Raphael nodded with a smile. "Even me?" To this Raphael nodded once again and said "so long as you keep you end of the deal I don't see why I shouldn't keep mine". The room fell in to a silence that had the quiet muffles of the cars outside. Lucifer grabbed his hand and shook on their new deal.

As Raphael was about to let go Lucifer's grip tightened and his nails dug in drawing blood. Raphael winced in pain. Lucifer let go and looked at the blood on his hand. "I was wondering how you started bleeding from the bottle if you're an angel, turns out, you're as fragile as a human, what happened to you?" Raphael's hand showed no signs of the previous damage but Lucifer was sure it was real as the blood was still on his hand. Raphael sighed at Lucifer's attention to detail.

Raphael began to speak in a solemn tone "you know how I said my power was based on regret, due to my personal regret over the sins I committed against humanity I made my self more like them. I'm an immortal with mortal flesh, I age, I suffer, and I regret. I see it as penance. Don't be mistaken, while I am like them I am still a celestial, I'm just the closest celestial to humanity…"

Lucifer's eyes went to Raphael's, "what is it you want?" Raphael answered even though he knew he didn't need to "for our mother to repent for her wrong doings". Lucifer sighed and instead clarified his question, "I mean 'what do you want afterwards?' What are your long term goals? What happens after mother pays her dues?"

Raphael was silent, he drew a blank as he never really put any thought into his long term goals. "I-I don't know" Raphael said embarrassed. To this response Lucifer regained some of his usual bravado and laughed. Raphael cut of his laughing by saying in an irritated tone, "just bring her here tomorrow night at eight or there will be hell to pay". It was now Raphael's turn to laugh as he left the club, his laughs echoing in the large room as Lucifer stood silent, bewildered and annoyed at Raphael's dumb pun.

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It was the next evening in Lux. The time was '07:56 pm'. Lux was as lively as it normally would be. Music played, lights flared, and the sweaty bodies of LA residents and club goers rubbing and bouncing in a tight, close mess where it is hard to tell where someone begins and another ends. The perfect sandbox for someone who gives into every desire like Lucifer. In a booth quietly sitting were the devil himself Lucifer and the goddess of all creation who was currently in the body of Charlotte Richards.

Charlotte held a glass in one hand as the other was by her mouth allowing for her to nervously chew her nails. Her cheeks were trembling as her eyes were darting around Lux in fear. Lucifer sat next to her in an anxious way, far less appealing than his usual suave demeanour. If someone looked in, it would almost seem like human trafficking, and though that is close, it's more accurate to call it celestial trafficking.

Lucifer looked to his limited edition watch and saw it almost being the designated time. He adjusted his cuffs as he fidgeted out of nervousness. 'What if Raphael doesn't keep his end of the deal? What will he do to mother? What happens after this?' These are examples of questions that ran rampant across his mind.

Lucifer visibly settled but was still nervous on the inside. He could finally see Raphael. Raphael walking in the crowd as a few women tried gaining his attention and rubbing his body. He was politely declining their advances with a gentle and charming smile that took fool advantage of his god given looks. He weaved through the crowd slowly as his eyes locked on Lucifer and Charlotte. By this time Charlotte saw him. Her hearing dulled only being able to hear her breath, the voices and stomps of the club's patrons and the thumping of the music. Her breathing was fast and heavy till it slowed to a crawl.

Raphael finally reached the table and from where he stood he looked down on Charlotte with a smug smile. He wore a white button-up long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he had black formal trousers that was matched with his polished black leather shoes. He stood with a poise that would take an eternity to replicate. He spoke, though this time, surprising himself and the other two at the table, he cried.

"H-hello mother, it's been a while…"

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Author

Raphael is an irrational person, what is more human than being irrational and emotional.

Makes you truly think, does God have feelings or is he an unstoppable force with an emotionless set of rules?

See you all next chapter

Bye