Good Tidings (SLW Day 6 - Mistletoe)
“There you are! What… what are you doing?” Sam approached the archangel with an amused and curious look on his face, unaccustomed to seeing him doing something so terribly human. He had been searching for Lucifer for at least half an hour, and had almost given up, ready to assume that his other half had gone off on one of his spontaneous and mysterious day trips - something he did when he had become a little too worn down by humanity.
But now, it seemed, that was not the case. Lucifer was in the library, sitting cross-legged atop the table (what good are chairs, anyway?), staring down at a book sprawled out in his lap. There were a handful of other old books strewn about the sturdy tabletop, most lying open as though forgotten mid-read.
“Are we fighting?” Lucifer’s voice was slow and quiet, but there was the faintest trace of worry behind his tone, and his sapphire eyes looked up to the hunter, brows furrowed in question.
“What?” The small smile faded from Sam’s face, and he shook his head in confusion. “No… at least, I didn’t think so… Why would you ask that?” He was already crossing the room, his focus turning to the books upon the table as he attempted to puzzle out Lucifer’s latest train of thought.
“Modern Botany, Norse Culture, A History of Babylon… Lucifer, what is all of this?” He looked up from the book he was flipping through, meeting the archangel’s concerned gaze bemusedly.
“That… plant. The one that’s hanging at the top of the entrance to your bedroom… I asked Castiel about it, and he said he recalled seeing it utilized by the Vikings.”
“The mistletoe?” Sam tilted his head, a small smile pulling at his lips.
“Yes - the mistletoe.” Lucifer nodded, gesturing toward the books upon the table. “The Norse used it to call for peace between enemies.” He leaned forward, the book sliding down his lap as he practically crawled across the table, reaching toward a different, older book.
“And in Babylon, women stood beneath these plants while looking for a mate.” He glanced back up to Sam, a trace of worry in his striking blue eyes. “And since that it clearly not what’s happening here, I thought…” Lucifer trailed off, realizing as he spoke, that his assumptions were a little bit nonsensical and paranoid.
With a heavy sigh, the archangel sat back on his heels, the ridiculous image of a full-grown man kneeling upon a table filled with books bringing a small smile back to Sam’s face.
“No, Luce - I’m not mad at you.”
“Then what is it? Because there is all of this history, and none of it seems to fit.”
“Well, first of all, I don’t understand why you were asking Cas. You’ve already picked up more in a few months than he’s managed to grasp in years. Besides…” He moved around the table so that he was nearer to where Lucifer was perched, reaching out to remove the book that was still halfway draped across the archangel’s lap.
“…I’ve told you: you can ask me anything.” Lucifer stared down at the book quietly, his gaze a little too focused on Sam’s tan fingers, his expression just a touch too indifferent. He had a poker face that couldn’t be beat, but Sam had the advantage of knowing Lucifer inside and out, and he knew his tells better than he knew his own.
“Lucifer… hey -” He reached out, his fingers just barely ghosting across the curve of Lucifer’s pale cheek, when the archangel pulled his head gently to the side, glancing away and removing himself from the touch. It was entirely unexpected, and Sam had to admit: it hurt a little. He curled his fingers into a loose fist, pulling his hand back and dropping it to his side, his eyes never leaving the archangel’s face.
“I already ask you so much. There are times when I feel…” Lucifer shook his head, his quiet voice fading into silence again.
“You feel.. what?” Sam’s voice was soft, but filled with understanding as he looked to Lucifer expectantly.
“Helpless!” Lucifer bit down on his tongue, the word having come out much harsher than he’d intended. His eyes flitted across Sam’s face for a moment, before he looked down again, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, before continuing in a much cooler tone.
“I’m sorry, Sam - it isn’t your fault - you are always so patient with me. Sometimes, I simply wish you didn’t need to be.” A soft smile lifted the corners of Sam’s lips, his eyes sympathetic, but filled with affection.
“Luce, please look at me.” His request lingered between them for a beat, before the archangel blinked tiredly up at his other half, apology written across his somber features.
“You know things about Heaven - about God and Earth and space and time and, hell, about everything - that I could never even begin to fathom. Compared to you, I have the intelligence of a gnat.” He reached up to place his hand over Lucifer’s parted lips, silencing the words of protest he had balancing on his tongue.
“But you’ve been locked away - for ages. You not understanding our trivial human customs is nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re learning, and quickly, too, I might add.” He lowered his hand from the archangel’s mouth, giving him a lopsided smile.
“And you know what? I’m glad you don’t understand this tradition.” He gestured vaguely toward the books, Lucifer’s eyes following the movement, his brows pinching together as he looked back up to Sam, an almost devastated expression on his face.
“Then you won’t explain it to me?” The confusion and disbelief in his voice made Sam feel guilty for a split second, but he continued to smile, giving a small shake of his head.
“No… because I’d rather show you.” He reached out, gathering Lucifer in his arms and hauling him off of the table, the archangel tensing slightly from surprise, but returning the hold and allowing himself to be hoisted down onto his feet.
Once he was upright, Sam gripped his hand and pulled him from the library, winding through the corridor until they reached his bedroom. He paused to push open the door, looking up and positioning himself just beneath the hanging twig, before pulling Lucifer closer.
Those brilliant sapphire eyes were fixed upward, staring at the mistletoe as though he had just come face to face with an arch nemesis. Sam breathed a short laugh, reaching a hand up to take careful hold of Lucifer’s chin, tilting his head down a bit so that their eyes could meet.
With one last, reassuring smile, he leaned forward to press their lips together, a tiny, muffled grunt of surprise rising up in the angel’s throat. Not a second later, Lucifer’s eyes fell closed, and he reached out to clench his fingers into the fabric of Sam’s shirt, moving his own lips tentatively against those of the hunter.
The slow, careful kiss left them both a little breathless, and Sam inhaled deeply, another short laugh tumbling off of his tongue as he pulled back enough to gaze into Lucifer’s curious (and markedly brighter) eyes.
“That’s what it’s all about, Luce.” He shook his head gently, running the backs of his fingers gently down the side of the archangel’s face. “I’m sure there are plenty of histories and legends and facts and theories… but sometimes, as humans, we find things to be more fulfilling, the simpler they are.”
“So… kissing?” Lucifer continued to hold onto Sam’s shirt, keeping him close, watching him with the hungry eyes of a child on Christmas morning. “This is about kissing?”
“Yes.” Sam nodded, his laughter a little stronger and livelier this time, his nose wrinkling up as he looked back at his other half with endless adoration. “Yes, it’s about kissing. It’s a holiday tradition - if you end up underneath the mistletoe with someone, you are suppose to kiss them. It’s silly, but -”
He was cut off by cool lips pressing against his own again, his head jolting back slightly, his recovery being equally quick. Sam wrapped his arms around Lucifer’s neck, pulling him close and allowing the archangel to lead him in a soft kiss, filled with curiosity and love.
“But it’s beautiful.” Lucifer finished Sam’s thought in a hushed tone, keeping their bodies close as he smiled back up at the man. After a moment, his smile faded slowly from his lips, a look of realization widening his eyes.
“Excuse me, Sam.” He released his hold, removing himself from the man’s grip and turning on his heels to move back down the corridor. The hunter furrowed his brows in utter confusion, chuckling incredulously.
“Lucifer! Where are you going?”
“I may have given Castiel some… misguided advice. I won’t be long… and I’ll bring more mistletoe!”
