Then and Now

You'll be okay, old friend

Chuck's eyes softened. "Don't worry son, you'll be okay."

~~~

Lucifer tried to focus on the magazine in his hands, the hard plastic chair causing him to constantly shift in discomfort. Spending the last two hours in it had been absolute hell, but one soon got bored of wandering up and down the busy hospital corridors and he couldn't keep getting coffee just for the sake of having something to do for two reasons; one, he would quite possibly have a heart attack if he even so much as smelt coffee right now given how fast the thing was already going after 3 cups and two, the coffee in this hospital sucked. 

Castiel and Gabriel were both still at home, Chuck had only let Lucifer come and even then it had taken a lot of pleading. Lucifer had never allowed himself to drop to such a low level before, Lucifer never begged for anything, much less plead but... this was Michael they were talking about and if he had a chance to put things right and be there for his old friend, then he would. 

"Lucifer and Chuck?" A doctor calls out. Lucifer throws down the magazine, standing up instantly.

"Is he okay?" Were the first words to escape his mouth in a caffeinated rush. "Can I see him?"

The doctor smile slightly, "your friend has had quite the shock, I'm afraid, although he isn't willing to talk much about anything." The doctor glances down at his clipboard. "We gave him a mild sedative to calm him because he was starting to panic, but other than that he only needed to have a few stitches and some cuts cleaned." 

"So will he be okay?"

"Physically? Yes, as long as his wounds don't become infected," the doctor looked at Lucifer, his expression grave. "As for how he recovers mentally... well I would like to get someone in to talk to him, we need to know what happened before we are able to help him." The doctor starts to lead them down the corridor. "I'd like to reevaluate him once the shock wears off."

Lucifer nods slowly, his mind a mess of emotions and thoughts. Everything that Michael had told him had been crazy, surely his mother wasn't dead... but what if she was? He decided that no matter what happened, he would help Michael through it. 

Michael was considerably cleaner than he had been when Lucifer had last seen him. A clean, white bandage covered his cheek. The dried blood that had been streaked down his cheek and neck had been cleaned up and the room smelled of disinfectant and iodine.

"I'll leave you alone," the doctor turns to leave. "I will come back soon to check up on him."

Lucifer moves to sit in the seat next to Michael, while Chuck stands awkwardly near the door.

"I'll, uh, go." Chuck leaves, and the room is quiet for a moment.

Michael is half asleep, the dark shadows under his eyes more prominent now than ever against his paled skin. He looked peaceful at least, it was a drugged peace, but Lucifer was still happy to see it. There was still a haunted look in his eyes however, a small glint of heaviness behind the mask of drugs. 

"Everything is going to be okay," Lucifer says, keeping his voice gentle and quiet. "It will be okay." He says this, even when deep down he knew that everything might not be okay. They were empty promises meant only to bring some comfort. 

Michael doesn't reply. His eyes drift shut, it seemed that exhaustion was finally winning out. Lucifer reaches out for Michael's hand without thinking, holding Michael's limp, cool hand in his own tightly. 

"I'm so sorry Mikey," Lucifer looks down, "I have never forgiven myself for how things went." It seemed that now he was facing Michael, everything he had been pushing away came rushing to the front of his mind. His guilt most of all. 

"Lucifer?" 

Lucifer's head snaps up (pinging painfully as it did so), his heart jolting as he thinks for a moment that perhaps Michael was still awake. Disappointment destroys his hopes when he realizes that it was only Gabriel. 
"Oh, hey Gabriel."

Gabriel roles his eyes, "no need to sound so excited to see me."

Lucifer looks back at Michael. "Shut up, before I kick you through the door."

"Ah, there's the brother I know and love." Gabriel took a seat in the other chair. "You know you can't spend all night sitting here right?"

"Says who?"

"Luce," his brother's voice was uncharacteristically soft. "You'll have a chance to talk to him later, right now he needs to just rest."

Lucifer wipes away a rouge tear, angry at himself for crying. "Whatever."

"I'm sure, once he's awake, you'll be able to fix things."

"What do you mean?" Lucifer refuses to look at his little brother.

"Please, you were a freaking wreck even before he left, we all knew something had gone down, you were just too angry, we couldn't ask you." Gabriel stands up, "and I'm sure you wouldn't have told us anyway."

Lucifer squeezes Michael's hand once, slowly standing up. "No," he says as another tear threatens to fall. "I don't think I would have."

Gabriel leave the room, Lucifer reluctantly follows behind, emotions running wild in his head as he paused at the doorway. His heart felt as though it had been used as a punching bag. He looks back once to see Michael still sleeping peacefully, then closes the door behind him. 

The house was silent and dark when he got home with Gabriel. He glances at the couch as he walked past the living room, the image of an injured Michael still fresh in his mind as he climbed up the stairs, ping pong balls still scattered down them. Gabriel had gone straight to the kitchen, no doubt in search of ice cream. 

"Is Michael going to be okay?" Castiel's sleepy voice drifts from his room. 

"Yeah, go to sleep Cassie."

Castiel huffs, but doesn't say anything else as Lucifer walked away. Lucifer doesn't even bother to turn the light on in his room, collapsing straight onto his bed with a sigh. 

Despite how exhausted he was, sleep eluded him that night. All he could think about was Michael, what had happened to him? What was going to happen to him if what he said was true? Would he be put into some foster home 100 miles away? Lucifer tosses and turns throughout the night. Guilt and worry gnawing at his heart, until his stomach was in knots. 

By the time his alarm went off for school, Lucifer felt like he had been awake for years. It took more effort than usual to roll out of bed and sleepily stumble downstairs to where the rest of his family were waiting.

"You look like shit." Gabriel comments, sticking half a waffle into his mouth. 

Lucifer narrows his eyes. "Thanks."

"That wasn't very nice, Gabe." Chuck looks up from his newspaper. "I thought I told you to stop eating those, try eating something healthy for once." 

Gabriel slumped back in his seat, glaring at the table.

Castiel was frowning at his phone, which was new, normally he was frowning at a book. Lucifer decides not to say anything, sitting down at his spot without even bothering to get food. 

Chuck was reading the newspaper once more, his face relaxed. It was now or never, Lucifer thought.

"Dad?"

Chuck makes a small noise of acknowledgement. 

"I was wondering if I could take the day off school and-"

"No."

"But-"

"Lucifer," Chuck looked up from his newspaper, his voice firm. "You are not skipping school, you can just visit Michael after school"

"But what if-"

"After school." Chuck puts his newspaper down. "He'll still be there then, but I won't have you missing classes just to sit around in a hospital all day."

Lucifer grits his teeth, crossing his arms as he held back his anger. He wasn't going to spend all day sitting around in stupid classes that he wasn't going to be paying attention to anyway. He needed to talk to Michael once the boy woke up.