WRATH: A Hannigram Fanfiction

25- L'amour

     Will, the ever-ravenous wolf, had finally captured his prey.
     Hobbs lay dead on the forest floor. His body was completely desecrated, stab wounds covering nearly every part of his body. Lucifer could see now that Will had left the face intact, dead eyes staring up at the living sky, but otherwise it was nearly unrecognizable as a human. It was a stain of red, exposed bone, reduced into something so little that it may soon dissolve into the dirt and feed the plants. Nature was merciless.
     "Will," he repeated. The rain was loud, but his voice carried over everything.
     Will stood. He was tattered and weak. His eyes were so clouded that Lucifer couldn't read the emotion in them— he was just numb. He absently raised his hand, curling his fingers to grab onto something that was just out of reach. His cheeks were wet with tears.
     "You're going to be alright. I swear to you, you are going to be safe and warm very soon. Okay?"
     Will stayed silent. He was mesmerized, awed into silence. He was seeing something that Lucifer couldn't.
     "I'm going to give you one final choice. You only have one more choice to make, Will, and then all of this will end. And I want you to consider it thoroughly." This was the final test. He wanted Will to choose to be with him. It wouldn't be right to force it, as then he would constantly question if Will really loved him. Will had to embrace it.
     "You can turn around now and go home," he said. "This will all go away. You will wake up in your bed on the morning that we met, but I will not be there. It will be as if I never existed. You won't remember me. You won't have to see me again. You can live how you wish— none of these terrible things will have ever happened to you."
     Will visibly shrank into himself at the thought.
     "I will let you keep your peaceful sleep, as a gift. You will have a normal life once more. Or," Lucifer held out his hand, "you may come to me. I trust you know what happens if you do?"
     Will blinked. "It would be...just us," he choked out, his voice hoarse. "And I'll never go to Heaven."
     Lucifer nodded. "Correct. Now, time is frozen. You have hours to consider this. Years, decades, if you need it. But I need you to really think about it, for there will be no going back either way."
     He slowly lowered himself to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed on the grass. Icy water stung his perfect skin.
     He closed his eyes. "I will be right here. Consider your choice wisely."
     The night was silent. He sat in the dark, only aware of the sound of Will's breathing, which was becoming shorter and more ragged. He was silently weeping. Lucifer wanted so badly to reach for him, but this was Will's choice to make. He couldn't sway him either way.
     In under a minute, he registered the presence of someone near him. He opened his eyes to watch Will fall to his knees right in front of him, leaning in to rest his forehead on his shoulder. His voice travelled right into Lucifer's ear.
     "I don't have to."
     To his rapture, Will leaned in to embrace him.
     "You've chosen me," Lucifer muttered, halfway to himself. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't bring himself to believe it. If he did, then there was the chance that hope would be stolen from him once more.
     "I need you, Hannibal. Lucifer, Hannibal, Lucifer..." Will murmured his name over and over again, nuzzling his head into the crook of his neck.
     Lucifer felt his Soul erupt with light as he returned the hug with all of his strength. Will wanted him. Chose him. "You're okay. It's going to be okay." His poor body was so cold. Lucifer wrapped his wings around him. "You've done it, Will."
     All he'd wanted was for Will to embrace his true desires. To finally see the world as it was: their Kingdom. It was only natural for Angels to crave power; having it all ripped away from him meant that he was constantly suffering from an inescapable want. He could have his power back now. He could show the world that he was so much more than what they thought of him. That, that power, was Tranquility.
     "I see. I see everything." He quivered in Lucifer's arms, holding on tightly to him. He didn't have to explain what he saw; they both understood. It was the true vision of the world, no longer clouded by earthly setbacks and fears. Everything was brighter, more colorful, more beautiful. Will was finally free, and that meant he could see the world with different eyes.
     "This is all I ever wanted for you, Will." He couldn't bring himself to look Will in the face as he continued. "For both of us." There he was, vulnerably admitting his devotion to someone other than himself. He felt small.
     He yearned for Will to enjoy it. He needed it more than anything.
     "It's beautiful. It's so, so, beautiful..."
     The hand of God caressed Hannibal's fragile Soul. He felt warmth inside of him, blooming like a rose. His blood turned into gold, the water pooling underneath them turned to wine. Those words. Oh, those words.
     He had been so ignorant. He'd always thought of himself as the Universe, an all-powerful being; how, how, how could he have thought such a thing when those words existed?
     Will leaned further into the embrace, and Hannibal flinched as he realized just how freezing cold Will's skin was. His teeth were audibly chattering, and his limbs were turning a purplish blue. Concern flooded through him.
     "Hey, Will." He spoke with a level voice to keep Will calm. "We need to go inside. I need to warm you up."
     "Wait." Will allowed Lucifer to lower him to the ground, where he sat weakly. He was going to lose his strength soon. 
     "It's okay." Lucifer huddled over him. "It's okay. I think I'm going to have to bring you inside, dear. Into the cabin."
     "Wait, I don't want to," Will moaned. "I don't feel right."
    It was time. There was something thrumming in his veins; Lucifer could feel it. Already, it was time. Everything he'd ever wanted was here.
     "I don't feel good at all," Will said again, his body tensing. His pupils expanded.
     "I know. I know."
     "What's happening?"
     "Something remarkable. Are you ready for this, Will?"
     "Ready for what?!" His body hummed.
     "I'll be right here, okay? Stay calm."
     Then, finally, Lucifer placed his hand securely on Will's chest. He reached in with invisible fingers, wrapping them around Will's Soul. With a deep breath, Lucifer let the stars in, and they settled in Will's chest and began to work their magic. There was no turning back now— he could only let the Universe do its job.
     "Something's wrong." Will retched, turning away and coughing up bile onto the grass. "I'm sick."
     Lucifer straightened up and rubbed his neck. "No, Will." He carefully pulled Will back upright. "This is normal. It's okay." A rush of excitement ran through him. It was working.
     "What's...what's happening?" He swayed back and forth, face grey with nausea. Lucifer held him steady.
    "A beautiful thing." Such a sudden, debilitating sickness couldn't be explained any other way. His body had no idea what was going on, and it was fighting against the power that festered inside of him. But it was all in vain; his Soul would always win.
     "Just let this happen." Will's skin was so cold. When he looked into those beautiful eyes, he could see the power surging inside of them. "Oh, my goodness, it's really you."
     "What's happening to me?!" Will cried.
     "Something marvelous. The most wonderful thing in the world." He couldn't help but smile.
     "I don't understand. I don't understand. I don't—" He devolved into whimpers.
     "Shh, shh. I know. But you will. And that's the last time you'll ever have to hear me say that."
     Will began to shake feverishly, twitching as a sheen of light spread across his skin. Shedding his skin was not an easy task— it was bound to itch, and it would itch horribly. His hands shot up as he began to claw at himself, leaving red scratches up and down his body. Lucifer grabbed Will's wrists and pinned them down, to which Will cried out in frustration.
     "Tell me what's wrong! Please!"
     "Let it happen." Lucifer let go and reached for Will's shirt, pulling it off of him before grabbing his wrists again.
     "Make it stop." Will's bare chest was pink and hot to the touch. His Soul was searing him from the inside out. He was sweating and shivering at the same time. His hair, heavy and wet from the sleet, was drooping into his eyes.
     "Let it happen, Will. It's going to be okay.  Let it happen. We're almost done."
     "I'm sorry!" He cried out suddenly in anguish. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me." He leaned against Lucifer, squeezing his eyes shut and breathing like his lungs were going to collapse.
     Lucifer nearly let go of him, he was so shocked. "Oh, God. No, no, no, Will. I would never hurt you. Never." He needed Will to see that. He needed Will to trust him.
"Then what is this supposed to be? I'm dying!"
"No. No." Lucifer kissed his head. "You are not dying. Quite the opposite, actually." Will's chest was so hot from the flame inside of him that Lucifer knew it would be any second now. The Universe spoke through him, making his voice even more ethereal than it was before.
     "You're being brought to life."
     In a sudden burst of light, Will's chest and shoulder blades split open and began to glow. Blood poured from the open wound on his back, and from the wreckage sprouted large gray wings. Will let out a loud cry as though he were being strangled, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lost consciousness.
     "Yes. Yes!"
     Another part of Will's body ignited— a patch of his arm this time. White rays of light broke through his skin and took over everything he had ever been. It was pure and bright and powerful. It shone on Lucifer's skin and gave him a small taste of Heaven, something he hadn't had in millions of years.
     Lucifer had never understood the appeal of miracles. Humans claimed to witness them all the time, which simply wasn't true; God hadn't blessed the Earth in millions of years, and Lucifer certainly wasn't the type to deliver miracles. But this...oh, this. This couldn't be explained as anything but a flawless miracle.
     Lucifer moved to touch him, causing more of Will's skin to crack open like glass under a flame. More of the light was released to the world, and nature itself blossomed under its presence. The grass, browned and dry from the winter weather, turned a deep emerald green. The bare trees sprouted leaves, then pink flowers. The moon, full and luscious, revealed itself from behind the thick clouds. Lucifer watched it all with awe.
     The light then overwhelmed his vision, bathing the entire forest in it. Lucifer was alone. All he saw was white.
     He heard the ringing of windchimes, growing louder and louder until Will's gasp for air absorbed everything. The blinding light, the gentle sound, everything was sucked into him like a vacuum. Just a dim, quiet forest left behind.
     The heavy sleet that had assaulted them had now turned into soft snow, drifting silently onto the revitalized grass.
     And there he was.
    He was how Lucifer had left him, sprawled on the ground with his legs curled up. His head was tilted downward, lips parted slightly, eyes closed. His dark hair fell against his pale forehead. His skin was naked and white, chest and pelvis bare, a face brightened with eternal youth. His wings were spread— those wings that Lucifer knew so well. Light, smoky grey, a small dent in the top of the left wing from when Angel Chaos had hurt him. Flawless. Breathtaking.
     "Oh, Will...look at you. My Soul. You're perfect." The rush of love he felt at that moment was physical, sending him sprawling onto his side. He took the Angel in his arms. They lay curled up in the grass together.
     Will silently shifted, weakly fluttering his newly recovered wings. His eyes opened, shockingly blue, and he stared down at his own hands with a fearful, curious gaze. He let out a weak cry, burying his face in Lucifer's chest.
     "My Angel. My dear, sweet Angel." Lucifer kissed the top of his head. "You're even more beautiful than I thought you'd be."