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rainedrop-hh · 1 year ago

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Whiplash

(Fluffy GuitarSpear/GuardRock) (5k Oneshot)

Lute gets injured during training, and in an attempt to avoid the wrath of Sera’s paperwork, Adam decides to personally take care of his Lieutenant.

***

Lute’s head was sharply tugged back, helmet horns being used mid-air as leverage to flip her body backwards before being slammed into the ground. Pain ran down her neck and through her spine.

That was it.

Being one of Adam’s top girls was obviously a very lucrative position to be in; and holy hell did it not come easily.

Lute had been steadily working her way to the top for centuries; and all of that was finally coming to fruition.

A restructure of the Twelve Legions of Angels was her perfect opening; it had focused on condensing the group down considerably . Since the Son of God had ascended, things had been calm on Earth. God’s Divine Message had begun to spread, and it seems that He wanted to pull away from His creation; allow humanity to spread its wings and use the free will that Lucifer so foolishly ‘gifted’ them. After all, humans posed no significant threat to Heaven.

For the last one hundred and fifty or so years, their focus had been shifted to the population of Hell.

As Earth’s numbers grew there so did the number of souls entering their afterlives; but as time went on there was a huge discrepancy between the number of human souls descending to Hell compared to those ascending to Heaven.

Lucifer had been incredibly embarrassed when he had to plead to the archangels to help him with population control.

The Sinners had found a way to amass power in Hell, by taking ownership of each other’s souls of all things, and some big players were giving Lucifer some very real reasons to fear.

So the Exterminations begun. The Twelve Legions of Angels seldom had cause to act; and as soon as they had the opportunity to? It was a bloodbath.

The first extermination had hit hell so hard they estimated an eighty percent population loss. Year after year they decreased the number of troops that would go to bring divine justice upon the damned; and now?

There was only one legion remaining active.

Six thousand women, led by none other than the First Man.

His girls had outlasted and bested eleven legions, a total of sixty six thousand other angels, to claim their place as the one true Angelic Army.

Adam was their commander, and he had recently appointed Lute to trial as his lieutenant.

Not just because of her name, maybe a little bit , but because she was one of the most badass women he had ever had the pleasure of viewing.

He watched, throughly entertained, as Lute pulled herself from the literal crater that had formed from the blow.

“SITAR!” She let out a guttural scream, “YOU’RE GOING TO WISH ANGELS COULD FUCKING DIE BY THE TIME I’M DONE WITH YOU!”

Lute was a slaughterhouse in the flesh. Adam had plenty of bloodthirsty angels under his command; but there was something so raw and primal about the way that Lute so violently chose to prove her place in the hierarchy.

Her hands reached up to the helmet she had just been manhandled with, and removed it from her head with a wince as she full force threw it into Sitar’s stomach, sending the other angel dropping from the sky.

Sitar was completely taken aback by the fiery hatred in her sister’s eyes being directed at her. She had only seen that look on Lute’s face when she was dealing deathblows to the denizens of Hell.

Sure she had purposefully gone balls to the wall during their sparring match, and yes she may have done so intentionally to piss her off a little, but both girls were competitive; and Sitar wasn’t going to allow Lute’s shiny new title to come so easily. She was going to have to earn it; she was going to prove why Adam had selected her.

She couldn’t even shake the stars from her vision before Lute was crouched over her, her boot pinning Sitar’s wrist to the ground. “Fucking hell, Lute!” She coughed, tiny golden drops of ichor splotching on Lute’s torso. “I surrender!”

As if those magic words snapped her from a curse, Lute dropped to the ground herself, landing with a thud next to her fellow exorcist. “I hate these fucking helmets. Fucking stupid horns made sense on the first extermination but now-“

Sitar groans as she sits up, removing her own helmet. “Someone woke up on the wrong side of Adam’s bed.”

Lute chose to ignore that last part, “No, Sitar. That fucking flip thing you did; that was a low blow.” Her hand tentatively raises to touch her neck, flinching at the movement.

She wasn’t even sure what Lute had been referring to at first; perhaps she had also been too focused on the match in the heat of the moment.

“You used the fucking horns on my helmet like handlebars to piledrive me.” Lute groaned in pain, “Helluva’ tactic to use on a sinner, I’ll give you that.”

Sitar extended a hand to her sister as she dusted the dirt from her knees, “My apologies, Lieutenant.”

For a moment, Lute tried to raise her head, a new shockwave of pain coursing through her, sending an involuntary yelp from her lips. So she resigned to her fate, and continued to lay facedown in the dirt.

“Lute?” Concern laced her sister’s voice.

“Nah.” She deeply inhales. “I’ll be fine, just-“ Another wail of pain interrupting her speech, “Just-just give me a minute; and please just don’t tell Adam-“

“Not a chance, Danger Tits.” His voice rings clear alongside a flash of golden holy magic. He was going to spare her pride, but he wasn’t born yesterday. Adam could tell when someone was seriously injured. “What’s the damage?”

Lute lies, “Nothing sir, I’m fine-“

Sitar looks sheepishly down at her hands, feeling regretful for the sparring gone too far. “It’s my fault, sir-“

“Well yeah, no fucking shit, Sitar.” Adam spits, “I don’t like repeating myself; what is the damage?”

“I, uh, maybe got a little carried away during our sparring match and pulled the horns on her helmet-“

“You fucking- UGH!” Adam yells in annoyance, “Ladies! Fucking gather up!” A squirm on the ground accompanied by a sharp inhale catches his attention, “Not you, Lieutenant. You don’t fucking move- and that’s an order.”

Dejected, Lute allows her body to flop on the ground once more. What a way to prove herself worthy of being second in command.

“Alright ladies!” He calls over the swarm of exorcists, “When we are sparring what are my three fucking rules?” An exorcist raises her hand in the back of the crowd, “Flo!”

“Stay focused, sir!”

“Yes! Stay fucking focused! A distracted exorcist is?” He trails, waiting for his girls to finish.

“As good as a dead exorcist, sir!” She chants back.

He chuckled to himself, she was really trying to work her way into his good graces, “A distracted exorcist is as good as a dead exorcist! Nicely fucking said, Flo. What next?”

Lyre clears her throat and raises her hand, he nods in her direction, giving the angel the floor to speak. “No pulling on each other’s hair-“

“Yes!” He opens his arms, palms facing up, exclaiming as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Adam had officially lost his cool, “And new clarification for our lovely fucking Colonel here; that includes the fucking horns!” He points to the horns on his own mask for dramatic effect, as if he were talking to a class of Kindergarteners.

He fucking swore it felt like it sometimes,

“When you grab either a fistful of hair, or one of these bad boys-“ He firmly grasps the tip, “And you PULL someone’s FUCKING HEAD backwards like this-“ He yanks down, pulling his own skull down towards his back, “What fucking happens?”

He watched as a dozen exorcists grabbed the horns on their own helmets, tugging backwards like a science experiment.

“It hurts?” Lyre offers.

“Yes!” Adam’s voice booms, “It FUCKING hurts!” His hands rub the shiny faceplate of his helmet as if it were his own face, “I know you bitches are all Heavenborn, but you were still made in mine and God’s fucking image with human anatomy! It may not kill you, but you gotta protect your fucking necks! Why do you think that your armor is thickest there!” He pauses, not even needing to make eye contact with the angel in his peripheral vision whose hand rose, “That was a rhetorical question, put your fucking hand down, Mandi!”

A groan escapes him, “Alright, rule number three; who’s fucking got it?” He glares knowingly to Sitar. “Your turn.”

She mumbles, barely audible, “Leave your personal problems at the door-“

“LEAVE YOUR PERSONAL BULLSHIT OUT OF MY FUCKING TRAININGS!” He finally explodes, picking up, and subsequently throwing Lute’s helmet across the arena, “You bitches are fucking family! Why do all of you petty fucking women get all combative with each other?” He exclaims, “Sparring is an opportunity to PRACTICE and LEARN! We’re all on the same fucking team here, and there is NO reason any of you should be seriously injuring each other!” Am I fucking clear?”

“Yes sir.” Voices echo back.

“If you are matched with someone you got beef with, and you can’t MAN UP and get fucking over yourself; you fucking tell me and we’ll match you with someone else. Kapeesh?”

“Yes sir.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He coughs, “I must not have been LOUD enough. AM I FUCKING CLEAR?” He screams this time.

“Yes sir!” The army chants back, significantly louder.

He waves his arms, “You’re all fucking dismissed!”

Sitar hung back for a moment, “Sir-“

Adam’s eyes roll to the back of his head “I don’t have the patience for this conversation right now, Sitar. We will talk about this later. Please go.” She does, without a word; finally leaving Adam and his right hand girl alone. “How bad is it, Lute?”

Ah fuck. There it was.

Adam seldom called her by her given name, which was hysterical knowing he gave it to her. He far more often opted for some variation of Danger Tits, Lutey-tooty, or simply Bitch.

The inclusion of her actual name, and the outburst in front of the exorcists meant he was actually worried. That frustrated Lute more than anything.

Her job was to give Adam less things to worry about. To make his life easier . If she was so weak that she gathered his sympathy? Well that just wouldn’t do as second in charge.

She tries to scoff, maybe she can play it off casually, “It’s really not that bad, sir. I promise it’ll be fine-“ She goes to rise from the ground, yet again being betrayed by the sounds of pain coursing through her body.

“Will you just stop moving?” Adam huffs, “You’re going to make it worse.”

‘Fuck’ he groans to himself, Adam wasn’t a doctor; but he was pretty hopeful that Lute being able to move her arms and legs still was a good sign.

Maybe if he elected to take care of the angel himself, he could avoid having to issue an official strike to Sitar, AND a mountain of paperwork from Sera.

Incident Reports were one of the things he had the least patience for. No matter how many times he reminded his girls to leave their personal issues at the door, they always used sparring as a free pass to take out their frustrations on each other. Angels were hard enough to injure; even with their own angelic strength turned against each other it wasn’t incredibly often someone warranted serious medical attention. Much less his top girl.

He couldn’t think of a time that Lute had been struck down in such a way.

She was a bad bitch. She was strong, fast, could take as much as she dished out, knew how to command respect from her sisters, and goddamn she was fucking attractive.

“Don’t move.” He grunts again, slipping his gloves off and tossing them to the side. “Just hold still for a second.”

“Sir?-“ Lute stopped mid question when she felt Adam’s hands delicately palpate her neck, and start working down her spine. Despite his gentle touch, pain still radiated from the base of her skull, causing her to flinch at his examination.

“Good news is that you’ve probably just got whiplash.” He concludes, “Doesn’t feel like anything is broken. Bad news is that whiplash still sucks ass. Even with your accelerated healing you’ll probably be down for the entire weekend.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic.” She groans, “Fucking Sitar.”

“She’s just jealous of you, Danger Tits.” Adam brushes it off, “She thought she was in the running for Lieutenant. Granted she shouldn’t have handled it like this; but that’s beside the point. Let’s get you up.”

“Please.” She agrees, having spent far more time face down in the dirt than she would ever approve of.

“We’re gonna roll you onto your back. I’m going to support your neck, alright?” He simultaneously asks and explains, not really asking. “I’m not gonna lie, Lute; it’s going to fucking hurt.”

“I pretty much have concluded that myself, sir.” She resigns.

They count to three, Adam using his strong arms to support Lute’s head as she flips.

Lute bit her tongue to stifle her yelp, but couldn’t hold back the tears that welled in her eyes.

Whether they were from pain or embarrassment at her pain, she wasn’t sure yet.

“Fuck Lute.” Adam’s mask fell at the sight of her tears.

She wished she had her helmet back, to protect herself from his sympathetic gaze; but she was completely exposed and vulnerable. “I’m fine sir-“

“Bull-fucking-shit!” He interrupts, “Would you just drop the tough gal act for once and let me take care of my best girl?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

Adam felt her head drop a little bit in his hands as she allowed him to support the full weight of her head, no longer fighting him.

He scooted closer to her, moving her head towards the crook of his elbow, other arm wrapping underneath her legs to scoop her like he would a newborn, paternal instincts taking over. Lute’s cheeks flushed with gold at the motion.

With a snap of his fingers a golden portal opened, and he carried Lute through. She looked around, expecting to be taken to the infirmary; but when she was greeted with empty soda cups, angelic robes littered on the floor, and a wall of pristine golden guitars, she knew without a doubt that she was in the First Man’s room.

Her cheeks darkened with ichor as he gently placed her on his bed, building a mountain of pillows to support her neck with. He takes a step back to investigate his work, bringing a finger to his mouth in a contemplative manner. “Stay.”

As if she had a choice. Adam turns and exits the room, leaving Lute alone on his bed.

His room was without a doubt messy, but she had somehow expected worse from Adam. He could be a real slob sometimes, but his room was actually pretty nice. Her eyes wandered, looking over the collection of instruments lining the walls before settling on a hung picture; a photo of Adam and his seven top soldiers.

A smile crept onto her face seeing the image. She had the same one framed at her apartment.

Adam had his arms draped over Lute on his right and Vaggie to his left, five more exorcists squished in for the picture, grins lighting up their masks, red demon blood splattering their uniforms, weapons raised in the air. They had been celebrating the very successful first ever extermination.

She became lost in thought, her mind replaying the thrilling day when Adam walked in; following her gaze to the photo. “Yeah.” He smiles softly, “That one is my favorite too.” He walks over the her, gently sitting himself on the edge of the bed, passing her a glass of water and two white pills. “Painkillers.” He explains as she grabs them, “They won’t completely rid your symptoms but it’ll take the edge off.”

She takes the pills and downs the glass of water, feeling physically drained from training. “Thanks, sir.”

He nods, head turning back to the photo. “It was always going to be you, you know?” He sighs with content. Raising his hands he lifts his helmet off, tossing it haphazardly onto a growing laundry pile. “My right hand?” He chuckles.

Her eyes were glued to him as he peels off his cassock, leaving him in a sleeveless black tank top, deep scars littering his arms.

She hadn’t seen his face in over a century; when the exorcists were formed he elected to don the demon mask full time; to keep up the appearance, but it had been even longer since she had seen so much of his body.

Adam was strong, built like a tree. He had without a doubt enjoyed the fruits of heaven and had a layer of fat surrounding his midsection; but anyone with eyes could see how built his muscles were beneath. Her commander was truly a force to be reckoned with.

If he felt her gaze lingering he made no indication of it, choosing the carry on the casual conversation. “Those bitches are all so competitive; and hell it was fun to watch those tossups, but the second in command was always going to be yours, Lutey-tooty.”

“Why sir?” Her eyebrows furrowed, “Forgive me for questioning your decision making, I just figured that after my pathetic performance today my trial would be cut short.”

“Cut short?” He tries to contain a laugh, “Pathetic performance? Oh Lute. That’s funny.”

“I’m not following, sir.”

“You dense fucking bitch!” He finally lets the laugh escape, “Even after Sitar knocked your ass flat into the ground, you still took her on! Adrenaline is one hell of a drug, Danger Tits, but your sheer fucking determination is even more impressive! You were injured and you still hit her back so hard that she surrendered! That was anything but pathetic!” Noticing her about to argue some self deprecating bullshit, Adam cut her off, “I don’t want to hear it, Lute. Everyone gets hurt. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

“How am I supposed to serve you when I can’t even protect myself?” Her lips tighten into a frown.

“You always pull through for me, Danger Tits.” He grins, “Second in command was always going to be you because you get me. You know when to listen, you know when to pull me back, you got a kickass sense of humor, and you’re an absolute butcher in the streets of hell! I couldn’t have designed a better Lieutenant if Heaven even gave me the opportunity; so shut up with the pity party and let me take care of you!”

She wanted to wholeheartedly believe his words, and while they did make her feel a little better, she was still hesitant.

“Are you questioning your superior?” He raises an eyebrow, playful tone creeping into his voice.

“No, sir.” She allows a small smile through.

“There’s my girl.” Fondness lights up his face. “Think you can sit up?” Adam’s hand creeps up her back and onto the base of her neck, carefully offering support as Lute shifts forward, with a snap he manifests a cold pack, gently placing it on the angel’s neck, who shudders at the temperature change as he lowers he back down. “The ice will help. Hopefully those pain meds start kicking in soon too.”

He comfortably slides into bed, taking up the space next to her as if sharing a bed with the Lieutenant was casual; Lute however blushed a deeper shade of gold than she had even thought possible, cheeks radiating heat.

The expression wasn’t lost on Adam; but he decided not to torture the girl too much; at least for now. He knew her ego had been injured more than anything else. Without a doubt he’d be using this to tease her later though, he loved fewer things more than ruffling her feathers.

Lute was always so uptight, so serious, so bound by the rules. The two of them were polar opposites; but genuinely balanced out each other’s abrasive personalities beautifully, like they were always meant to team up. She might be the last woman in Heaven, Earth, or Hell that Adam could actually stand to be around.

Breaking the silence, he manifests the tv remote into his hand. “Any requests?”

Lute goes to shake her head; immediate mistake as she groans with pain.

Of course she didn’t, she was always happy with Adam’s choices. “You ever watch School of Rock?”

“No, sir.”

“It’s an Earth movie.” He explains, “I bet you’ll like it.” He starts the movie, and as time passes Lute actually begins to relax, little bits of stiffness leaving her body, allowing herself to become comfortable in Adam’s bed.

At some point Adam takes one of his own guitars down from the wall, and plucks along to the movie’s soundtrack. Needing not pay any real attention to the plot; instead focusing on Lute’s reactions. It was a comfort movie for him, and he was quietly overjoyed that the angel in his bed seemed to like it too.

Lute however, watched the movie; knowing that anything Adam recommended would surely be worth it, but found herself paying far more attention to his playing.

Adam held concerts for the exorcists regularly, one of the many benefits of being in his legion, but hearing him play so casually, so intimately, was truly a gift.

As time passed, she did feel her neck losing some of the tension it held, the pain killers and ice pack without a doubt helping her angelic accelerated healing. She could almost turn her head without wincing now.

Adam ordered them dinner from a greasy burger chain called ‘Fly Guys’. While it wasn’t a joint that Lute frequented, she accepted the meal with gratitude. They ate, enveloped in their own thoughts.

Adam and Lute had spent decades in each other’s company; but never in such a private setting. They both enjoyed seeing a more natural and unguarded side of their counterpart; both were guilty of putting up walls to keep others out.

Adam’s voice breaks the comfortable silence, and at his request Lute sits up once again, this time unassisted.

Go her.

She feels Adam moving the pillows behind her out of the way, as he slides in to take their spot, golden blush lighting her face on fire once again when she feels his legs straddle her from behind “Sir?”

“Would you please chill, Lute?” He situates himself in the new position, gently moving her wings to tuck them around her. “I’m just going to rub your neck. Sheesh.” He feigns innocence.

Lute’s face erupted like a volcano, “You’re doing WHAT?”

“I’m going to massage your fucking neck.” He groans, “It helps increase blood flow and shit,” Lute hears a bottle click open behind her and something squirt out, “Reduces inflammation,” Adam lathers the substance in his hands, the scent of menthol flooding her nostrils, “And besides, tension never helped a sore neck get any better.”

He gently places his hands around the base of her neck, the cooling effect soliciting a yelp from her, “Warn a girl, would you?”

Adam ignores her complaining, and starts to work the gel into her neck, taking great care not to use too much pressure.

He couldn’t tell how much of it was from training incident earlier, versus how much was from Lute just being Lute, but Adam might as well been massaging a wooden fucking plank. “Do you ever just relax?”

Her shoulder rise and fall with Adam’s touches in a shrug, “I like running and working out.”

He rolls his eyes. ‘Of course she does’. “Do you rest your body? Have you ever just taken it easy?”

“With all due respect, sir,” she pauses, “do I seem like the kind to take it easy? I like my job. I work hard at being a soldier, at being your lieutenant. I like to run and workout which in turn makes me more efficient at my job. I sleep at night and fuel myself adequately-“

Adam couldn’t help but notice her muscles relax a little while she spoke. “Lute, you aren’t a machine.” He groans.

“I was made by Heaven to serve you, sir.”

The two sat in silence as Adam started to work his hands up into the nape of her neck, Lute’s white hair becoming messy with the gel. She finally melted into the touch and a soft moan escaped her lips as his hands tangled into the base of her hair. Her hands shoot up to cover her mouth.

“Don’t you dare apologize for that,” Adam cuts her off as she was about to do just that, “I swear to God Lute if you apologize I’ll dismiss you-“ her body tenses up again under his fingers in response, he groans “Come on, Lutey-tooty. It’s just me. You can let your guard down.” He runs his fingers over the same spot.

It was like a switch, as soon as he drug his fingers into the small of her neck she melted like butter beneath his touch.

She tried her best to keep her sounds of enjoyment to herself, but small moans and sighs began to creep out more often, much to Adam’s amusement and Lute’s dismay.

“May I?” Adam asked, holding the hem of her shirt. Lute gently nodded, and he slipped it off the smaller angel, continuing to work through the knots in her shoulders.

Lute was done trying to play tough. She wasn’t the type to let others dote on her; but she had to admit; Adam’s hands felt heavenly on her body. She was clay in his hands, his to mold, smooth, and shape however he wanted.

He worked down her back, stopping at the base of her wings. “Can I get some of these pinfeathers for you?” He casually asks, shooting his shot.

Preening? There was nothing casual about preening.

Familiar fire returns to Lute’s face as she blushes, thankful she was facing away from Adam as she tried to remain stoic, “Yeah, uh-thanks, sir.”

He happily smiles, replacing the cold pack across her neck before turning attention to her wings, his tongue sticking out in concentration as he began to ruffle through her dark grey and black feathers.

Preening was intimate. Wings were sensitive appendages and Lute always thought that it was incredibly impractical that angels couldn’t reach all their feathers themselves; that had to depend on someone else to help release their new feathers.

At least; she used to think that.

Now that Adam was hands deep in her plumage? Preening was decidedly less awful.

Adam took the sighs of soft contentment from his lieutenant as a sign that she was actually relaxed.

The two remained like that for a while, Lute listening to Adam’s ramblings as he worked through her feathers.

“Y’know sir, it’s getting pretty late. I should probably be heading home soon.” She sighs.

Adam blows a raspberry, “And why in God’s name would you do that? We don’t have training tomorrow; and you can totally crash here tonight” He claims, hope trailing his sentence. “I can grab you a clean shirt, and we already got the pillow mountain built to hold your big head up-“

“Sure.”

Adam silently pumps his fist into the air behind her, silently mouthing ‘Thank you!’ to God himself, pausing to add a ‘DO NOT FUCK THIS UP FOR ME’.

He crawled out from behind Lute to deliver on his promise of a clean shirt, waltzing over to the dryer and pulling out an old band tee of his. Adam spent most of his time in uniform, which got professionally cleaned, fucking bloodstains , or naked in the comfort of his own home. He wasn’t sure how many months that shirt had been sitting in his dryer; but it was in fact clean.

Lute stripped her pants off, waiting for the shirt in just her bra and panties. Adam’s face glowed bright gold when he made eye contact with her rack, immediately turning himself back around. “What’s wrong, sir?”

A bulge grew in Adam’s pants just from the sight of his lieutenant almost naked in the room. “Lute, you can’t do that to a guy unless you mean to see it through. Gonna give me fucking blue balls over here.”

Realization hit her like a truck, as she wrapped her wings around herself “So sorry sir!”

Adam wipes his eyes with a groan as he walks back to her, “Just, forget about it.” He helps put the shirt over her head and repositions her wings once it’s slid on. “It’s fine, Lute. I’m just messing with you.”

Her eyes fall to the floor, “Do you want me to go?”

“Hell no!” He claps, “You are staying right here with me-of course only if that’s what you want.”

“It is.” She gently smiles, as they both make their way back into the bed.

As the two settle in together, Lute unconsciously creeps closer to Adam’s soft body.

He eagerly accepts the soft display from his right hand girl, allowing her to rest on his chest, using one hand to still support her neck, despite her pain quickly improving.

Truth be told; Adam absolutely did want to sleep with his lieutenant, just not tonight, not when she was vulnerable and injured. Tonight he was perfectly content to allow the angel to fall asleep on his chest, as his fingers gently combed through her hair.

Meanwhile Lute, feeling more relaxed than ever, felt like she might owe a ‘thank you’ to a certain sister of hers; not that she would ever admit it aloud.

Despite the less than ideal circumstances, Adam did in fact spend the day taking care of his best girl; and she would never forget it.

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rainedrop-hh · 1 year ago

Text

new update - 'Thank You for the Venom', chapter 9 🎸 🗡️

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine Summary

Both Lute and Adam learn that supressing feelings is just a band-aid fix.

Sorry for the delay - this chapter was so tricky. On the bright side, it's twice as long as normal! Very grateful this week for @branded-rose and all her wisdom, without which, I would still be tearing my hair out. Thanks for letting me borrow Harley, too <3

Adam and Lute’s Office, Exorcist Training Centre, Heaven

True to his word, Adam never mentioned that night at the bar to Lute.

She was somewhat surprised; she’d been anticipating that he would bring it up first thing the next morning when he waltzed into their office, two coffees in hand, singing obnoxiously at the top of his lungs. Sera had even followed him into their shared space, chastising him for not sticking to a respectable volume in the workplace.

He’d greeted Lute somewhat civilly - still by the crude nickname he refused to drop - and plonked her coffee on her desk without much fanfare.

She’d found his chirpiness incredibly frustrating, considering she hadn’t slept a wink the night before, replaying the night’s events in her mind. Over. And over.

On the couch, still in a daze when she got home.

In the shower, under the ice-cold stream of water in an attempt to shock herself out of her stupor.

Under the covers in bed, where her imagination ran wild and her hands wandered, trying to finish what Adam had started with her up against the fence.

It was no wonder she was exhausted when she got to work that next morning.

The days and weeks that followed were much the same. Mundane, even. She and Adam would plan in the office first thing in the morning, then run training sessions with the Exorcists for the rest of the day. Their relationship, for the first time since Lute had been promoted to lieutenant, seemed to lean more professional than it ever had before.

While this proved to make Lute’s work life easier, it also bored her to no end. She never thought she’d admit it, but she longed for the days when they were at each other’s throats instead of newfound clipped politeness. There were no threats of violence or colourful insults traded over the tops of their desks anymore. Just exchanges of paperwork or suggestions for training drills to run.

She was also incredibly annoyed because even though she had explicitly asked Adam not to mention their little rendezvous in the bar’s gardens, she was sure that he would have had something to say about it. A snide remark here, or crude joke there. But he had stuck to his word, and pretended like it had never happened.

The only banter they now shared was over the morning coffee he continued to insist on buying her daily, and even that seemed to be turning stale and predictable.

Until one day, he figured out her coffee order.

It was a Friday morning, approximately two months after the bar incident, and as usual, Lute was early for work. Unusually, so was Adam, who, when she arrived to the office, was reclining in his seat, ankles crossed atop his desk.

“Why are you here so early?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously as she slid into her seat. “You’re normally late.”

“Good morning to you too,” he ignored her question, scrolling lazily through his phone. “I got a proposition for ya.”

Lute stiffened, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. The last time he’d propositioned her, she’d ended up with his hand up her dress and tongue down her throat. At least this time, if the situation… derailed again, their office door had a lock on it…

She closed her eyes and gripped the edge of her desk, scolding herself for letting her mind wander so easily. What was wrong with her?! He hadn’t even asked her anything yet and already, she was jumping to conclusions. Knowing Adam, he’d just want to copy her paperwork, or something equally as insignificant.

“What is it?” she asked through gritted teeth, eyes still shut.

“I’ll ask you once you open your eyes and stop acting like a fucking weirdo.”

“I preferred it when you wanted me to keep my eyes shut,” she found herself muttering before realising she’d spoken aloud, clapping a hand to her mouth.

Idiot!

“Huh?”

“Nothing!” she squeaked through her fingers, shaking her head furiously. “Uh - what is it that you were wanting to propose, Sir?”

She cleared her throat, praying that he didn’t hear her little slip up, and grabbed the coffee Adam had left on her desk for her.

“You sure you’re all good?” Adam asked, his brows furrowing in concern. He rose from his seat and circled around to Lute’s desk, perching on the edge. “You look kinda flustered.”

“I’m not flustered,” she insisted, scowling as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “I’m just…” she trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence.

She was flustered, dammit.

Raising the cup to her lips, she averted her eyes as she took a long sip, and inadvertently sighed with satisfaction.

The hot, bitter taste of black coffee filled her mouth, practically burning her tongue - which was just how she liked it. She hummed contentedly, taking another sip, momentarily forgetting Adam’s large frame was shadowing her as he sat on her desk.

“I take it you’re enjoying the coffee?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Peering up at him through her lashes, she nodded, blushing again slightly under his gaze.

“You got it right,” she said, offering him a rare smile. “It only took you what, three months?” She nudged his leg playfully with her foot, then stopped, realising she was letting herself get far too carried away, and hurriedly gulped her coffee again in an attempt to distract herself from playing footsies with her boss.

He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, and the answer was right under my fucking nose the whole time. Shoulda known you’d be the type to drink black coffee. Only psychopaths drink that shit.”

He nudged her back, his foot lingering briefly against her calf before pulling away. Lute’s stomach lurched as their legs brushed together, the contact bringing back memories of what it felt like to have his body against hers. It was the first time they’d touched since that night at the bar, and in the interim she’d almost managed to convince herself that the way she felt about their little rendezvous was a fluke, a one-off.

A mistake.

Apparently, she was very, very delusional, and those feelings had still been lingering under the surface, all along.

“So,” she started, clearing her throat, desperately needing to shift her focus to more important matters at hand. Like her job. “What was your, um, proposition, Sir?”

“Oh yeah!” Adam reached behind his body, retrieving his own coffee cup from his desk and drinking from it. “Whadd’ya say we get the girls going with weapons training on Monday?”

Lute frowned. “But they’re not due to start for another two weeks. What’s the -”

“Yeah, about that,” Adam paused, sipping his coffee before setting it down on Lute’s paperwork. She scowled, and pointedly moved the cup off to the side, well away from her work. “I have this bullshit meeting with Sera next week, and I kiiiiinda wanna show that we’re doing better than expected.”

“Why?”

“Oh, ya know,” Adam waved his hand nonchalantly, shrugging. “I wanna tell her how fucking badass we are. Plus, Sera thinks I’m a huge fuck-up, so I just thought…”

He trailed off as he frowned, uncharacteristically lost for words. Or perhaps realising he’d revealed too much.

Lute wasn’t quite sure how to interpret his comment, his vulnerability making her feel somewhat…unsettled. On one hand, she had this nagging feeling that there was possibly more to this upcoming meeting with Sera than he was letting on. On the other hand, given the size of his ego, it was no shock to her that he wanted to prove that he was excelling at his job, and she could just be overanalysing the situation.

“I don’t think you’re a huge fuck-up,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, so as not to set him off. “I think, um… well, you’re a…good boss.” She kept her eyes down as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not wanting to make eye contact. Complimenting others wasn’t something that came naturally to her. Especially not when it came to Adam.

He snorted, sliding off her desk. “No shit. I’m the best you’ll ever have, and don’t you fucking forget it. Why are you acting weird?”

“I’m not acting weird,” she said defensively, crossing her arms. “I was just trying to be nice.”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” he said, turning to stare her dead in the eye, “you’re not a nice kind of girl, Lute.”

She bristled, unsure of the point he was trying to make. It wasn’t like he was being untruthful. She wasn’t the type to be overly kind or caring for others. That wasn’t exactly uncommon knowledge.

Still, having it pointed out to her stung slightly.

Refusing to break eye contact, she rested her forearms on her desk and leaned forward, looking up at him. “No. I’m not a nice girl, Sir,” she said quietly, her tone surprisingly measured. “If that’s what you’re after, I’d suggest -”

“I don’t know what is up with you today,” he interrupted, rolling his eyes as he strode towards the door, “but snap the fuck out of it, Lute, I’m getting sick of your shit today. You coming to give the others the good news, or not?”

Lute sighed and rose from her seat, making to follow him.

“Yes, Sir. Let’s go.”

***

Training Hall, Exorcist Training Centre, Heaven

Adam, for the life of him, could not figure out what was up Lute’s ass that morning.

Or, most mornings since that night.

Which was really fucking annoying, considering she had been the one who insisted they forget about their little moment. Pretend it never happened, or whatever the hell it was that she’d said.

Truthfully, he was actually really good at pretending encounters with women had never happened. Mostly it was because they mistook a one-night stand for something more and would get real fucking clingy and annoying about it, and eventually he’d have to ghost them so they’d take a hint.

What he hadn’t been expecting was for it to sting when the tables turned, and suddenly he was on the receiving end of being cast aside. The kicker? He’d gone out on a fucking limb and revealed a part of himself to her that he’d never shown anybody he’d been with before.

And she didn’t even care. She just… dismissed him, like he was some kind of toy that a child grew tired of and discarded. If his success didn’t depend on her compliance, he would have fucked her off like the rest of them. Instead, he kept things pleasant and civil at work, if only to keep her on-side until the next Extermination Day. After that, he could dispose of her as needed, never to speak to her again.

After all, it was what she wanted.

But was it what he wanted?

He snuck a glance at her as they stood before the rest of the Exorcist army, waiting for their fellow soldiers to fall into line before they delivered the good news about their updated training schedule. The group was chatty today, excitedly talking amongst themselves as they arranged themselves into neat rows, awaiting further instruction.

She was looking steelily ahead, expression blank. That was nothing new when she stood in front of her peers - she’d always made a point of keeping her distance from most of the girls, save for Vaggie. Her hands were fisted, meeting at the small of her back, knuckles pressed together.

Despite her rigidity, and his irritation, he found himself wanting to touch her, to see if she’d soften for him once more. Their brief exchange as he sat on her desk earlier that morning had been a pleasant reminder that she wasn’t all work and no play. Too bad there were hundreds of women before them, waiting patiently for further directions from him, and he had to keep his hands to himself.

Though, since when did something insignificant like an audience ever stop him from doing what he wanted?

Leaning towards Lute, he placed a hand over where her knuckles pressed together, letting his fingers close gently over her fists. She inhaled sharply through her nose, holding her breath as her golden eyes flickered briefly in his direction.

“Really?” she murmured out of the corner of her mouth, eyes darting back to the Exorcists, “Here? Now?”

“You good for me to start?” he asked, ignoring her questions, instead squeezing her hands slightly. They twitched in response, her fists softening underneath his grasp.

“Yes,” she answered quietly, her voice slightly breathy as he felt her unfurl one of her fingers to lightly graze his palm, her touch sending a warm feeling through his body.

That was all the confirmation he needed. Just like he hadn’t forgotten what happened between them, neither had she. And judging by her response, the way that she hadn’t pushed him away or given him attitude but instead let him hold her hand, it seemed she very much fondly remembered that night, too.

He tightened his grip again, giving her hands one last squeeze before reluctantly letting go and stepping forward to address his awaiting army.

“Alright, listen up girls,” Adam started, pacing the floor in front of the rest of the exorcists. “You’ve made great progress over the past few months. I’m impressed. You impressed, Lute?”

Stiff as a board once again, she nodded twice, remaining silent.

“Too fucking right, you are. Anyways ladies, your lieutenant and I have decided that as of next week, we’re moving on to weapons training earlier than expected. You bitches have earned it.”

He grinned as the Exorcists whooped and cheered, fist-bumping and high-fiving one another as they celebrated their progression.

“Alright, alright, settle the fuck down. Today, we’re changing it up. Instead of your usual drills, we’re going to run a little competition.”

“Competition, Sir?” Lute asked, stepping forward so she stood next to him. She frowned, staring up at him. “I don’t recall discussing this.”

“That’s because we didn’t.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, glaring, and he flashed her a grin in response.

“Sir. We were going to do a recap on what we’ve achieved so far.”

“What the fuck for? Why not get them to demonstrate what we’ve taught them, instead? Ladies,” Adam turned to readdress the crowd. “You’re going to split off into pairs and, using the skills your lieutenant and I have drilled into you this off-season, will spar one another. The way we determine a winner is easy as fuck; the first to draw the opponent’s blood will move on to the next round; the loser is out of the competition.”

“Sir. Who is going to clean up the blood?” Lute demanded, crossing her arms. “I hardly think -”

“Chill, Lute. The overall winner gets to pick three people of her choosing to clean up after.”

“If I win, I’m going to pick you, Sir!” one of the Exorcists called, causing an eruption of laughter from her sisters. Adam snorted.

“Harley, it’s a goddamn miracle that Sinners can’t hurt us, because you’d be fucked come Extermination Day. There’s no chance you’re winning this one, babe. Any other questions while we’re at it?”

Layla threw her hand up in the air with so much enthusiasm she almost knocked Vaggie over.

“What, Sugartits?”

Layla tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I think you and Lute should give us a demonstration, Sir.”

Adam glanced down at Lute. If looks could kill, Layla would be lying dead on the floor because the look in Lute’s eyes was beyond murderous.

“That won’t be happening, Layla,” Lute snarled. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam could see she’d once again balled her hands into fists behind her back. “Your Commander has better things to do than -”

“Nah, fuck it Lutey, let’s do it. Ladies, go sit and stretch or whatever while we get ready.” He watched as the Exorcists began chatting amongst themselves as they meandered towards the back of the hall, banding together in groups of two or three before dropping to the floor, contorting their bodies into various stretches and holds.

“Sir -” Lute began to protest, but Adam held up a hand, silencing her.

“It’ll be fun,” he shrugged, “and besides, in the years we’ve worked together, I don’t think that we’ve ever sparred before.”

“That doesn’t mean now is the time to start,” she said, glaring up at him, “I hardly think that this is professional.”

Adam cocked an eyebrow at her. “Oh, so now you want to start acting professionally? Don’t you think it’s a bit fucking late for that?” He leaned closer, letting his hand close around both of hers again, unable to stop himself from touching her. He smirked, keeping his grip firm as she tried to jerk her hands free.

“I think you’ve forgotten our agreement,” she snapped, glowering up at him. “In case you don’t remember -”

“Oh, I remember the agreement, Lieutenant,” he whispered, lips brushing against her hair. “Unlike you, I’m just choosing not to forget what happened before that. Seems like you could use a recap, though.”

He let go, his hand creeping further up her back until his fingers slipped beneath the band of her crop top. Her body stiffened as she tensed her muscles - and yet, she still leaned backwards, ever so slightly, against his hand.

For somebody who wanted to forget, she sure had a fucking great memory.

She whipped her head around to face him so suddenly he was shocked she didn’t have whiplash, her lips only inches from his as they twisted into a snarl.

“You don’t get to do this to me,” she hissed, eyes boring into his so ferociously she could have burned holes through his mask. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck you, I do what I want. And you wish. Don’t you fucking try and deny it, either.”

“What does it matter? It’ll never happen.”

His fingers curled into her back, digging against her bare skin.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous, “that pretty little mouth of yours might be telling me ‘no’, but your body was screaming ‘yes’ when I had you up against that fence.”

He could feel the heat radiating off her face as she gaped wordlessly at him, unable to respond.

“That’s what I thought,” he whispered, flatting his palm against her as he slid out from underneath her crop. He felt her shiver slightly as his hand trailed down her spine to rest at the small of her back, letting it linger there for a moment longer than necessary before reluctantly letting it drop.

The chokehold she had on him was beyond anything he’d ever experienced before, and it was getting harder and harder to control himself now that they’d started their back-and-forth again.

In a weird way, he’d missed trading blows with her. Missed how she kept him sharp and alert with that smart mouth of hers.

Lute turned her head away as she crossed her arms, her cheeks still flushed with warmth. “I hate you, Sir.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, babe,” he smirked, leaning closer and grabbing her chin, forcing her to look at him again. “I think you want me.”

Her golden eyes widened in shock as she parted her lips slightly in an almost-silent gasp, save for the small breath she sucked in. God, she was so tempting, like some kind of forbidden fruit he knew he shouldn’t taste, but desperately needed to.

How ironic.

“Hey - uh, Commander? Lute?” a tentative voice interrupted. “Do… you need a minute, or are you good to go?”

Adam scowled and let go of Lute, turning away from her. Fucking Vaggie interrupting them again. He was about to start berating her for being an insubordinate bitch, but a shaky voice stopped him.

“Thanks… Vaggie. We - we’re ready to start now.”

Lute pushed her hair out of her face and walked away from him, cracking her knuckles and flexing her wrists as she moved. She gave him a slight nod once she was in position, all traces of unease erased from her features as she fixed her steely gaze on him.

He couldn’t wait to rattle her again.

***

Lute kept her eyes trained firmly on Adam as she assessed his stance.

The fucker had the audacity to stand across from her, arms crossed over his chest as he smirked at her. Taunted her as he raised a hand and beckoned for her to approach with one finger.

He was such an asshole.

Ignoring him, she tried to focus instead on his weak points. He was slow, easily distracted and lazy. That could work in her favour if she kept her distance, eventually boring him with the lack of action and then picking her moment to strike.

Unfortunately for her, she could easily identify three key advantages he had over her: brute strength, the fact that he had not one inch of exposed skin for her to draw blood from, and if he managed to seduce her like he had earlier, it was game-fucking-over.

Maybe if she thought with her head, and not with other parts of her body, that third weakness of hers wouldn’t be such an issue. She snuck a glance at the Exorcists, who, given their snickering and whispering behind their hands, were evidently growing bored of the stand-off. Great. Now her peers thought she was useless.

She was going to have to make the first move, because he sure as hell wasn’t - which was unusual, given that in every other encounter they’d had, any escalation that had taken place stemmed from his initiation. But how would she do it?

Cautiously, Lute slowly moved towards Adam, not daring for a second to look away from him as she drew closer. Her heart raced as she approached, still unsure of what exactly she was going to do once she reached him.

“Didn’t take you long,” he drawled, grinning down at her, “but given our recent history, I didn’t think you would, babe. You can’t resist me.”

Lute’s eyes widened as a wave of inspiration hit her.

Her idea was… risky. It could very well backfire on her. And if it did, it was going to leave her sisters with some very, very interesting questions she was sure they would want answers to - answers she couldn’t give.

But if she pulled it off…

She turned to the crowd, searching for Vaggie’s face, hoping it would give her a surge of confidence.

Instead, she found Layla, sitting flat on the floor in a perfect middle split, hand propping her chin up, a smug grin plastered across her face. Lute narrowed her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to slap the smirk off that little bitch’s face. Dumb slut. Who the fuck did she think she was, suggesting that Lute and Adam spar? Did she know something?

Though, how could she? Lute hadn’t breathed a word of any of their encounters to anybody, not even Vaggie. Unless…

Her thoughts were interrupted as Adam grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her towards him, spinning so that his back faced the crowd, hiding her completely from their view.

“Too slow, babe,” he tutted, his mark flashing with excitement, “less time thinking, more time doing, Lieutenant.” With a flick of his hand, he sent Lute flying across the room, and she had to roll into the movement to avoid injury.

Crouching as she steadied herself, she furrowed her brows as she desperately tried to figure out the quickest way to execute her plan. Taking it slow was out of the question - she’d just have to go for it, all guns blazing.

She rose and approached Adam again, this time throwing caution to the wind and sprinting towards him, gaining speed so that when she threw herself at him, the momentum propelled her to land her shot as she gripped his neck and wrapped her legs firmly around his waist.

His hands - by instinct, perhaps, or otherwise - flew up to hold the outside of her hips and Lute heard the crowd gasp. She couldn’t tell if they were scandalised or impressed and in the heat of the moment, she really couldn’t give a fuck which one it was.

Leaning into the side of his head, she whispered, “Given you’re refusing to forget how much you enjoyed this last time, I thought I’d give you a little reminder before I kick your ass.”

She really hoped he couldn’t feel the heat emanating from her face, or that anybody else could tell she was so incredibly flushed she felt like she was burning brighter and hotter than the sun. That would be embarrassing.

Adam gripped her tighter, shifting so that his face was so close to hers she could see her breath fogging up the screen of his mask when she breathed.

“When will you ever fucking learn that running your mouth like that always gets you into trouble?”

“I believe it wasn’t my mouth that escalated things between us last time, Sir.” Lute let one of her hands cup the side of his face, and she was almost caught off-guard when she felt him lean into her touch. “But then again, why let the truth get in the way of a good story?”

For a moment - it could have been seconds, or possibly even minutes, she couldn’t tell - they just stared at each other wordlessly, the only sound being made was that of their laboured breathing. Not that either of them had particularly over-exerted themselves.

There was an emotion lingering in their shared gaze that terrified her. It wasn’t hatred, or irritation, or even dislike. Frustratingly, she couldn’t place what exactly it was, or why it made her palms sweat, her heart race and liquid heat pool in her stomach all at the same time.

What Lute did know was that in this moment, she desperately wanted to rip that mask off his face so she could feel the heat of his skin against her hand again.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she forgot momentarily that she was in front of a crowd of hundreds - who had fallen dead silent - and that she was supposed to be winning a sparring contest against Adam. Most importantly, attempting to distract him by seduction was meant to be a tactical move only.

Which is why she was so easily flung into the air again, though this time she was too high up to roll safely, so instead, she focused on trying to land on her feet to avoid having to get up off the floor again. How humiliating that would be in front of the other Exorcists.

What was more embarrassing though, was the fact that she was so flustered she forgot to bend her knees to soften the impact, and her left foot made contact with the ground awkwardly, rolling inwards as she landed.

A white-hot pain seared through her ankle and she collapsed, screaming in agony as her body hit the floor.

She lay flat on her back for several seconds, trying to catch her breath, before she felt somebody squeeze her hand gently.

“Lute? You okay?” Vaggie asked, her large eyes full of concern. “Do we need to take you to see somebody, or -”

“I’m good,” Lute rasped, sitting up slowly, her ankle now throbbing. She peered down at it and winced at the swelling that had already started. It was already considerably larger than her other ankle, and based on other injuries she’d had previously, she knew that it was only going to get significantly worse over a matter of days.

“It doesn’t look good,” Vaggie said cautiously, “how about I get you up and I’ll take a closer look?”

Lute nodded, and drew her other leg up so her foot was flat on her floor, ready to use it to push herself upwards. Vaggie grabbed her upper arm, and Lute braced herself, ready to be lifted when she felt another pair of hands hold her other arm, and without looking, she knew who it was by the roughness of his grip.

“Not you,” she groaned, embarrassed, as Vaggie and Adam hoisted her up into a standing position. “Have you come over just to rub it in? To gloat about how you’ve won?”

“Normally, abso-fucking-lutely, but you’re actually kinda hurt here, babe,” Adam said, his tone oddly grim. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’re not gonna be able to walk on that for at least a week. And besides, I didn’t win, you got injured but no blood was drawn. There’s no winner.”

“I’m not injured, I’m fine!” Lute insisted angrily, yanking her arm out of Adam’s grasp. “I’ve been through worse, you’ve seen the state of my body.” She immediately groaned, her face flushing with embarrassment at her slip up. “Don’t say-”

“Not touching that with a ten foot pole, unless it’s my ten-foot pole - though, you almost got to- ow!”

Lute swiftly gut-punched him before he could let anything else slip. She cast a quick, worried glance at Vaggie, who was kneeling on the floor, gently inspecting her injury.

If she’d heard Adam, she thankfully hadn’t taken any notice.

“It’s pretty swollen, Lute,” said Vaggie tentatively, looking up. “Can you put pressure on it?”

Lute gingerly placed her foot on the ground, hissing at the sharp, shooting pain that radiated from deep within her ankle as she stumbled. Both Adam and Vaggie moved to grab her; Vaggie leaping up from her kneeling position so Lute could use her shoulder as a crutch, while Adam caught her by the upper arm, gripping her firmly.

Lute seethed at all the unnecessary attention this silly inconvenience was attracting. The last thing she wanted in front of Adam was to appear weak. Especially considering this was all his fault. His and Layla’s.

“That’s a hard no,” Adam said, waiting until Lute steadied herself before relaxing his hold on her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kinda fucked here, babe.”

“In case you’ve forgotten,” Lute snarled, clenching her fists as another wave of pain washed over her, “I’m an angel and I have wings. I’ll be fine.”

“You won’t be able to fly around your apartment though, it’s tiny,” Vaggie pointed out. “And by the looks of the swelling and bruising, you’ll be out of action for at least a week. Plus, having your ankle just dangling in the air won’t be good for it. Come stay with me. I can at least help you get around.”

Adam snorted. “You’re all of, like, four foot nothing, Vag. What help are you gonna be?”

Vaggie narrowed her eyes at him, drawing her shoulders back defensively. “And you think you could do a better job?”

“Yeah, I think I could, actually,” he replied, his tone bored. “My place is bigger than yours and besides, Lute would love to spend a week in my bed, wouldn’t you, Lutey?”

Lute threw him a withering look, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks at his suggestion. How dare he think now was an appropriate time to make such a joke? After everything that had happened leading up to this moment?

And to do it in front of Vaggie, no less. The next time she was alone with him, she was going to let him have it for making such a risky comment.

“You are such a creep,” Vaggie scowled. “You might have the rest of the army dickmatised, but if there’s one Exorcist you’ll never have a shot with, it’s Lute.”

Lute squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block their bickering out. This discussion couldn’t be happening right now, not while she was in excruciating pain. She desperately needed to make eye contact with Adam to silently beg him, for once, to shut the fuck up and not bite back. She opened her eyes and shot him a pleading look, mouthing ‘stop’ as subtly as she could.

He opened his mouth to respond, but shut it again. Thankfully, he kept it closed and didn’t say anything further.

If he did, Vaggie would know something had happened between them. And then she’d never hear the end of it. Never stop feeling the judgement.

“I can take care of myself,” Lute blurted out desperately, running a hand through her hair. “Look - let me try walking again.” Before either Vaggie or Adam could argue, she inhaled sharply, bracing herself for the pain as she moved forward…

…and promptly hit the deck as her leg gave out from underneath her, screaming as a fresh wave of pain seared through her foot like a hot knife had sliced it open. She clutched at her ankle, wincing. It had to be at least twice the size of her other one.

“You dumb bitch,” Adam swore, and Lute felt his hands grab hold of her and scoop her into his arms. She resisted the urge to grab onto his robes, or fling her arms around his neck, instead opting to fold them across her middle, hands gripping her biceps. “You just don’t know when to fucking quit, do you? No one thinks you’re a badass for ignoring an injury like this, they just think you’re an idiot.”

She said nothing; instead, she chose to glare up at him, silently hoping he choked on a rib bone the next time he ordered them at his favourite restaurant.

“Stop pouting like a fucking baby, Lute.”

Lute hissed and gripped her arms tighter. This injury wasn’t fair. The way she was being coddled was stupid. Why couldn’t she just use crutches like any other angel with an injury?

Then she realised. Other angels didn’t get injured like the Exorcists did. Crutches weren’t a thing in Heaven; she’d only known about them because she’d seen crippled Sinners using them in Hell to get around. Usually before she’d put them out of their misery.

Here though… Medical aid like crutches didn’t need to be a thing. It was Heaven.

“Where are you taking her?” Vaggie demanded, crossing her arms. “She can’t go home on her own.”

“Calm down, she’s not going to go home alone” Adam rolled his eyes, looking down at Lute.

Surely - he couldn’t -

“Because she’s going to come home with me.”

Come home with me.

He’d just uttered the same words that had haunted her for the past two months. The same words that she replayed in her mind as she tried to dissect how their relationship had shifted so significantly. Tried to figure out how Adam went from just being a mildly annoying boss to a mildly annoying boss that she wanted to absolutely devour her.

It was only a matter of time before she was no longer able to fight it. Given she was about to spend an indefinite amount of time living under the same roof, that time was drawing nearer and nearer.

The frustrating part was that she didn’t want to resist her desires anymore. But she had to.

He was her boss, and she reported to him. That was all their relationship should be.

But after this…

Lute shivered involuntarily. She didn’t want to think about it. The thought of their dynamic changing again terrified her. Especially if something happened that neither of them could come back from.

Vaggie pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled deeply. “Can we just think about this logically for a second? Where the fuck is she going to sleep?”

“Pay attention Vag, I already told you, she’s going to sleep in my bed. And before you get your fucking panties in a twist and need one of the girls to help you untangle them, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Vaggie ignored him, instead turning her attention to Lute. “Are you okay with this?” She demanded. “Lute, just tell me if you don’t want to go with him, and I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m okay. I can handle it,” Lute gave Vaggie a smile that she hoped looked convincing, but deep down she knew it was a woeful attempt. “My apartment key is in my bag - could you - ”

“Of course. Just… text me if there’s anything in particular you need. And you,” Vaggie rounded on Adam, pointing at him, her teeth bared. “You do a single thing to hurt her, or make her recovery worse and I will personally rip off your arm, shove it up your ass then stick my arm so far down your throat I can shake your fucking hand. Got it?”

Adam winced. “Fucking hell, no wonder you two get along. You’re both fucked in the head.”

Lute felt his grip on her tighten as he strode away from Vaggie and out the door of the training hall, and she prayed for a miracle to help her survive living under the same roof as Adam for the unforeseeable future

And by survive, she really meant ‘not sleeping with him’.

***

Next time: how do your favourite angels fare living under the same roof?

Love me a little bit of close proximity!

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rainedrop-hh · 1 year ago

Text

Staring at the Sun / Adam x Lute Chapter 8

Summary: After the battle, Lute attempts to flee with Adam. They find themselves unable to return to Heaven and must adjust to life in Hell.

AN: Hi all! Very excited about this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it (I essentially had big word vomit today lol it's crazy how motivated I am to write when I am well-rested). I hope you guys enjoy it as well!

Warnings: 18+, Violence, gore, smut eventually, Adam-typical misogyny, alcohol use, slight sexual themes

Chapter 7

Lute was almost certain that at this point in their tentative relationship with the Hell princess, Charlie would have been more than willing to help her and Adam to get to the Embassy. However, Lute also knew that this truce of sorts was contingent on the fact that she and Adam were here in Hell and unable to spearhead the Exterminations. Sure, Charlie was sunshine and rainbows and full of hope in all beings. The other residents of the hotel were not as trusting.

The Extermination Day countdown atop the Embassy that loomed over the city had ceased ticking after the failed extermination. The numbers had been replaced with question marks. Though Lute had no baseline for any sort of peace in Hell (as all of her prior visits were filled with chaos and carnage), the other residents had alluded to the fact that Hell was in a state of calm since it appeared that extermination no longer existed.

And there were political issues that Lute listened to when they were spoken about near her but did not give much thought to. Why should she? Her and Adam would be leaving this place of the damned soon enough.

“Valentino’s been more on-edge than usual,” Angel sulked, nursing a cocktail. “Apparently none of the new sinners want to make a fucking deal with him and now he’s making it my problem.”

“Word on the street is that a lot of Overlords are getting antsy,” Husk offered, “Especially since the last extermination day. Lots of angelic weapons just out there in the open.”

“And why would that put an Overlord on edge? You’d think they jumping with fucking joy now that the big scary exorcists are nowhere to be found,” Adam scoffed, his curiosity begging him to join the conversation.

Husk gave Adam a curious look as he cleaned the bar and looked between Angel and Adam. “No extermination day means less incentive to make a soul deal with an overlord. Who needs protection now if the biggest threat to eternal damnation has been chased off?”

Lute had packed a small backpack with supplies she thought they might need on their journey to the Embassy. While she did not anticipate a confrontation, this was Hell and constant vigilance was required.

Her Egg Army had been useful in procuring weapons for her to pack. Fred had borrowed a knife made of angelic steel that had been left over from the extermination. The knife looks oddly familiar to the one that had been used to stab Adam but best not to look too much into it. Blue and Orange had found a pistol with angelic steel bullets. While Lute was unpracticed in the art of shooting, she knew she could make it work in a pinch.

And Yellow. Simple Yellow had grabbed snacks from the kitchens that the pair could take on their journey.

“Dude, good thinking,” Adam said, happily taking the snacks from the simple egg and packing them in their travel bag. Lute rolled her eyes as she loaded the pistol, the angelic steel bullets feeling oddly familiar in her hand. The Eggs had gathered in their room, looking expectantly up at her. Even Keekee must have sensed something was off, as she stood in the same lineup with the eggs.

“When are we leaving, Lieutenant?” Fred asked, a simple smile on his eggy features.

“WE,” Lute said, pointing to herself and Adam, “Are leaving soon. You four are staying here.”

The eggs frowned and their eyebrows furrowed. “But when will you be coming back, Lieutenant?”

Lute sighed and looked over at Adam, who shrugged and reached down to give Keekee a scratch behind the ears. The cat purred in delight and rubbed her body against Adam’s leg.“Soon. But if anyone asks, we’re still here, right?”

The eggs nodded enthusiastically, pleasing Lute. “Alright, now scram.”

The eggs took their duty as minions very seriously and did just as their mistress asked, running out of the room in a haphazard waddle. Keekee followed similarly, chasing after the eggs.

“More like ‘scram’ble,'' Adam said as he stood up from his hunched position, laughing as he picked up the knife. He played with it in his hands, passing it back and forth between his fingers. He looked at himself in the reflection of the blade, his golden eyes reflecting like miniature suns.

“Very funny,” Lute deadpanned. She pushed her hair behind her ears to keep it out of her face. It had grown quickly during her time in Hell and was closer to her shoulders than she could ever remember it being. Strands of hair caught in the metal pieces of her new arm, so she tugged until they broke free.

She had been adjusting to her arm surprisingly well. She was very impressed by the details Asmodeous had added. She was able to feel sensation almost as well, if not better, in her metallic arm as compared to the original. It was also stronger and so Lute felt confident she would be able to hold her own if it ever came down to it.

“Are you ready to go?’ She asked, throwing the back over her shoulders and wings. The wings had been a concern at first, as they worried they would be recognized by Sinners on their journey. However, after further thought they realized that no other sinners knew their true origins and there was such a variety in the makeup of sinners that they wouldn’t look too terribly out of place unless they began to bleed.

“Yeah, I’m ready to get the fuck out of this place,” Adam said, walking towards her and putting the knife in his back pocket. “I do want to tell you something though, just in case.”

Lute frowned and turned to face him. “Just in case of what? Adam everything’s going to be fine and we’ll be back in Heaven before nightfall.”

“Just in case,” He said, grabbing her face in his large hands, similar to the way he had done after the fight with Vaggie. Golden met Golden, and Lute felt her heart sink into her stomach. “Something happens—”

“Adam nothing’s going to happen,” Lute argued, trying to shake her head though she failed spectacularly due to the gentle pressure Adam was placing on the sides of her head.

“Lute, let me speak,” He said, his voice soft with a serious tone. Lute closed her mouth quickly. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get to the Embassy or if Heaven will even answer. Shit, I don’t know everything. But what I do know is if I had to be stuck in Hell with anyone, I’m glad it was with you. I lo-appreciate you, Lute. You’re my best friend.”

Lute’s mouth formed an O shape and suddenly the ability to speak no longer existed. Her mouth had run dry. Adam searched her eyes for a second before dropping his hands and pulling away from her, his body turned away from her.

“Sorry, that got really mushy and gross. Just forget about it.” He said, his wings wrapping around his body.

Lute felt as though she were an ice sculpture melting, and the ability to move, to think, to act was rapidly returning to her. She reached out for his shoulder with her new arm, intending to only give a small tug. However, she was still learning her strength with the appendage and so the gentleness became an almost forceful pull and Adam was brought face to face with her. His eyes were downcast and unable to meet her own.

“Uh, no, no Adam, I won’t forget about it. I’m sorry, I’m not good at this,” She said, her hands motioning all around the room. “But I wouldn’t fight through the pits of Hell for anyone else. You mean so much to me, Adam.”

She watched Adam’s mouth curl up on the side, a small smile he seemed afraid to give into. His eyes have softened, and he is looking at her strangely. Suddenly, she finds herself engulfed in his strong arms and her body flush against his own.

He is radiating the familiar heat that Lute has become accustomed to at night, in the dark where no one can see, and voiced thoughts become forgotten by morning. Her head is resting on his chest and she can hear the steady beat of his heart. His arms have wrapped around her body and hold onto her like a drowning man to a lifejacket.

His chin rested on her head and his eyes were closed, taking in the moment for a while longer. But then the moment was gone and Adam pulled away. He looked down at his loyal lieutenant, his best friend, his Lute and smiled softly. “Alright, let’s stop being pussies and get the fuck out of here.”

Lute nodded and hoped that the blush on her cheeks was not as visible as she feared it was. She hoped this line that they have crossed can be maintained even when they leave Hell. A piece of her felt like an addict; she now knew what this little slice of perfection tasted like, how could she ever be expected to give him up?

Another part of her knew that this closeness they had developed would not last in Heaven. He would go back to being her commander and the mythic First Man and she would go back to being his loyal lieutenant, always so close and yet so far.

Lute shook herself out of her musings and was brought back to the scene at hand. They had slipped out of the hotel through the garden. There was a spot in the fence that Lute had discovered on one of her morning runs. It was just big enough for the two of them to slip through and leave the safety of the hotel.

The Embassy shone in the distance and Lute was grossly aware of just how far the trek would be on foot as opposed to flying.

“Alright Lute, we just gotta lay low,” Adam said, his voice low as they walked the streets of Hell. Various sinners walked the streets, most minding their own business. The streets smelled of piss, blood, and sweat. That didn’t stop the citizens though, as this was the most crowded Lute had ever seen the Pride ring (of course, it not being an extermination day had everything to do with it).

Apart from the literal dumpster fires, cannibals in the streets, and gunshots, the entire street wasn’t so different from Heaven. Though she had never been to earth, maybe this coupled with her time in heaven was the closest she would ever come to experiencing life as a human.

“Dude, that's fucking gnarly,” Adam whispered as he stopped to look at the various advertisements and shop windows. Lute looked over to see a picture of their newest acquaintance, Fizzarolli, holding something called the Dragon Driller 5000.

A bunny sinner that the pair had been walking by looked over at Adam and shrugged. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried, sugar. I’ve got three at home.”

Adam opened his mouth to give a very Adam-esque reply. Sensing the degeneracy, Lute stomped on his foot and replied. “We’ll keep that in mind.”

The bunny looked Lute up and down before sending her a wink. “Looks like you’ve got your little boyfriend trained already.”

Lute gave the bunny a strained smile. “I try.”

Lute could feel the utter need to speak radiate off of Adam.”It was nice talking to you, but we’ve got to get going.”

“Alright sugar, rain check on getting that dragon driller though! You and your boy toy would have a great time.”

Lute nodded and pulled Adam away from the scene, her cheeks burning at the implication. “Come on. You’re not really practicing what you preach, huh? What part of laying low did you not understand?” She whispered sharply.

“I’m sorry, bitch, I can’t help it. There’s just so many possibilities here. Couldn’t help but stare,” Adam whispered back, shrugging his shoulders, and looking around at the other shop windows.

“Come on, let’s keep moving,” She said, walking briskly ahead of him. They were only a few blocks from the Embassy and while they had not had any negative interactions yet, all it took was breathing wrong in some sinner’s direction for all of Heaven to break loose.

Lute walked past an alley and was met with a rush of cold that was an unexpected contrast to the otherwise hot streets. She looked back at Adam to make sure he was close behind. And he was, though walking a bit more leisurely than she would have cared. She shook her head in annoyance and continued.

She passed another alleyway and felt a cold figure wrap around her, covering her mouth and pulling her into the alley. Her eyes were wide in shock as the figure continued to wrap its shadowy tendrils around her body. Lute recognized that bone-chilling coldness as the same one she had encountered at the hotel

The fucking Radio Demon.

Lute should have known that he would have his loyal shadow follow them. They should’ve been smarter. But he had kept his guard dog in check for the last few weeks and Lute very rarely saw anything hiding in the shadows around the hotel anymore.

Fuck.

Fuck the Radio Demon.

Fuck Adam for deciding to window shop now of all times.

Fuck the Bunny Sinner and her promotion of her disturbing sex toys.

Fuck.

Lute felt like she was screaming. Even if she was, she wasn’t able to make a sound due to the shadow’s penetration of her mouth, her nose, and her ears. Darkness began to ensnare all of her senses until there was nothing.

The shadow chuckled. Master would be proud. He was tasked with keeping an eye on the golden-eyed-ones. Master knew they were up to no good and so the shadow bid as Master asked and followed them through the streets of Pentagram City.

The shadow kept to darkness, skulking the alleyways and keeping watching on the golden-eyed-ones. Master had said if they were getting closer to the golden building, to take action. And so the shadow did as he was asked.

The silver one had gotten ahead. The shadow had already had a taste of her a few times at the place Master now lived. Her fear called to him and shadow took great pleasure in engulfing her fear and soul, sucking the light from her body.

And so, the shadow chose to strike. The silver one fought back, as was expected, but she was no use for the shadow’s darkness. The shadow engulfed her in the alley intending to take her back Master. Her spirit was delicious. It was a wonderful mixture of dark and light matter that the shadow couldn't get enough of.

The shadow began to move, to take the silver one to Master as a prize.

A rock moved. The shadow looked up.

The shadow turned to see the big one standing at the start of the alleyway, a knife brandished in his hand that gleamed in the light of the city.

“Get the fuck away from her,” The big one screamed, lunging for the shadow and the silver one. The shadow screamed, the sound high-pitched like a banshee. Two birds, one stone. Master would be pleased.

The shadow began to spread its tentacles so that it would catch the big one in its grasp and immobilize it. The big one fought against the shadow, screaming out and thrashing, until he fell still.

Perfect, the shadow thought. The perfect gifts for Master.

“Tell your master I said he can suck my fucking dick,” The big one said and he began to thrash once more and sliced through the shadow with his angelic steel knife and escaped his grip. The shadow screamed, the most anguishing screaming as a piece of its shadow tendril fell to the ground and dissipated, unable to regenerate to the shadow.

The big one sliced again, another tendril of the shadow’s falling to the ground and disintegrating with the shadow powerless to stop it. The shadow screamed once more, pulling all the warmth from the area, and quickly began to release the silver one, who fell to the ground.

The shadow took in the scene and made a choice: Flee and feel Master’s wrath.

“Lute!” Adam yelled, dropping the knife as the shadow disappeared into the dark alley. He ran to her and fell to his knees, pulling her up and cradling her to his chest.

“Lute,” He said again, pushing away the strands from her sweat-covered face. Her breathing was shallow and her skin was ice cold. “Lute, come on, wake up.”

Lute began to cough and sputter, the color coming back into her face. She took in deep breaths and looked around the scene in fear.

“What, what happened,” She coughed out, her eyes meeting Adam’s.

“The fucking Radio Demon sent his fucking lap dog” Adam growled out. “He’s gone for now, but I don’t know how long we have until that bastard comes after us.”

Lute nodded, taking a deep swallow. She began to try and stand but couldn’t catch her footing before she fell back into Adam’s embrace. Adam’s features were dark, rage radiating off of his body. He looked down at her and knew he had to act quickly.

“I’m going to fly us to the Embassy.”

Lute’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Adam, no. On the ground we might blend in, but the sky? Everyone’s gonna know what two fucking angels look like.”

“I don’t care. We know the sky better than the ground. I’d rather take our chance.”

“Adam, I don’t-” She breathed out, her lungs still weak from drowning in darkness.

“Just trust me,” He said, gathering her in his arms and walking from the alley. She had no choice but to comply and no strength to keep arguing. He bent down to grab the knife and noticed it was covered in a black, tarry substance.

Thankfully, the altercation hadn’t even drawn one bystander’s attention (why would it? This was Hell.) and so Adam unfurled his golden wings for the first time in months and took to the skies, Lute cradled in his arms as he flew them both to a hopeful salvation.

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