Iris

14. I Will Always Protect You

Amenadiel landed on the balcony of the penthouse.

"Luci!" He called into the dark room as he tucked his wings away. No answer.

"Lucifer!" He yelled louder, briskly walking inside while his eyes darted back and forth. When he gave up the search in the penthouse, he decided to take the elevator down to the club-level; maybe Lucifer was entertaining people down there.

Amenadiel's heart pounded the entire ride down. Blasting electronic music reached his ears before the elevator landed.

When the doors opened, Amenadiel was greeted by the bright multi-colored lights, shimmering sequences on the dancers outfits - if you could call them that -, and a rave of drunk humans.

As soon as Amenadiel stepped out, he scanned the crowd for the tall form of his younger brother. Here, he hid in plain sight. The humans tended to move around him, pushing and pulling toward him like the ocean's tide on a beach.

Before Amenadiel could scout the entire club, the dance music stopped and the lights dimmed to a midnight blue. One bright white spot light illuminated the baby grand piano. There, sitting at the sleek black bench, was Lucifer. Something about the melancholy expression on his face and the stress trying so hard and failing not to be seen hunching his shoulders told Amenadiel that something bad had already happened.

Lucifer placed graceful, slender fingers over the gleaming white keys and began to play. The tempo was slow yet upbeat, each key playing a note that was hurt and angry; Amenadiel realized that the melody of this song was much like Lucifer, holding so much back for so long only to show the world their alluring shields, but there was something much darker deep down. His stomach churned to think that his brother had gone through internal and external torment for millennia while Amenadiel himself assumed his place was higher than his misguided brother's. It made him sick.

But he couldn't think about that right now. His niece was in danger and her father needed to know about it. Amenadiel moved to descend the stairs when Lucifer's deep and aching voice chilled the air, silencing the mingling from the drunk humans.

"Each step I left behind, Each road you know is mine. Walk on the line ten stories high say you'll still be by my side... If I could take your hand, oh, if you could understand. That I can barely breath, the air is so thin. I fear the fall and where we'll land."

He took a deep breath and then continued with a fiery passion, pouring his soul and emotions into the song in an attempt to numb his pain.

"But, we fight every night for something. When the sun sets we're both the same. Half in the shadows, half burned in flames. We can't look back for nothing. Take what you need, say your goodbyes, I gave you everything. And it's a beautiful crime."

Lucifer held the word beautiful for a very long time, so long that he nearly run out of air had to whisper the word crime. Amenadiel noticed him staring off into space, like he was watching some horrible scene play out in front of him that the rest of the club could not see. He stopped playing and went to close the lid over the keys. As if on cue, the dance music started up again, the humans resumed dancing, and Amenadiel pushed his way through the crowd.

He tried to call his brother's name, but the noise drowned him out. He watched Lucifer slowly rise from his piano, turning his back on the crowd and heading toward the bar.

Amenadiel shoved a little harder than he should have through the crowd, and he jogged up to his brother.

"Luci!" He yelled tiredly, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Lucifer turned around, his eyebrows knit in confusion. "Brother, what are you doing here? And why are you out of breath?"

Lucifer looked distastefully at Amenadiel's exhausted appearance. Amenadiel groaned and rolled his eyes. He came all this way to warn Lucifer and he was hung up on the fact that he was a little sweaty!