Chapter Text
Lily shivers and hunches further into her coat as she sits under the bus shelter. While it’s cold, it is debatable what chills her more, the weather or her emotional turmoil. She’s staring at her D.D.D. wondering which of her brothers she should call, but maybe it isn’t even a good idea to call any of them? She’s not in the mood for drama but she feels adrift, she needs to hear the voice of someone she trusts. And maybe, just maybe, she needs someone to validate her feelings. Before she realizes what she’s done she can hear Lucifer’s voice on the other end.
“Lily? Is everything alright? This isn’t our scheduled time to call.” Even though his tone doesn’t convey much expression, Lily is soothed by his familiar voice nonetheless. “Lily? Are you there?”
“Y-Yeah. I just…I just wanted to hear a familiar voice.” She says softly, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice as she’s struck with a deep sense of being homesick. Not for her little cabin but for her brothers.
“Where are you right now?” Lucifer demands, he can hear traffic in the background and the sound of rain.
“I’m just waiting for the bus.” Lily tells him. She’s still not sure if she actually wants to tell him what happened or not, she just wants to keep hearing his voice.
“Oh? Are you heading home from work?” He asks, his tone suggesting that he already suspects something else.
“I….” Lily pauses to swallow the lump in her throat. She’s trying so hard not to start sobbing.
“Lily. Take a breath and tell me what’s wrong.” Lucifer orders, trying his best to be patient.
“I think…I think I broke up with Solomon.” She finally admits with a wobbly voice.
There’s a long pause and for a moment Lily wonders if she lost her connection. “Tell me what happened.” Lucifer says as he braces himself for the worst. His fist is clenched at his side, depending on what Lily says, it might be very hard to hold back from going up to the Human World and ending the Sorcerer right then and there.
Lily shakes her head even though Lucifer can’t see her. She really doesn’t want to talk about it. “I just…I don’t know. Maybe you were right, I didn’t know what I was getting into.” She admits with more choked tears.
Lucifer lets out a long sigh. He can’t deny that he’s happy to hear this development, not that he’ll convey this to her. Instead he tells her. “If only you had listened to me when I warned you, Lily, you could have avoided this heartache.”
“Y-yeah…” Lily begins crying in earnest now. It’s not what she wants to hear right now, but she did call Lucifer out of all her brothers. She couldn’t expect him to sugarcoat it or give her platitudes. At least he's not shouting as she's sure some of the others would.
Lucifer feels a twinge of guilt when he hears her helpless sobs. He does wish he could bring her home to comfort her. But with Diavolo’s strange attitude lately, he doubts it would be allowed. “Lily. You’re doing the right thing. Now, what are your plans? I can make a few calls and have a room ready for you in a hotel.”
“Thanks but I’m going to stay at my boss’ place for the week. I already bought my ticket home.” She explains shakily as she tries to get ahold of herself and focus on explaining her plans to Lucifer.
“Very good. I’m changing our call schedule, I want you to check in with me regularly until you're settled.” She never told her brother's about the break in at her cabin so he has nothing to worry over.
“Okay…um, Lucifer?”
“Yes, Lily?”
“I miss you…”
Lucifer's heart squeezes painfully at her admission. Damn these rules and damn Lily’s intolerance to the Devildom. She should be at home with them where she belongs, with her family. Not in some shabby little cabin all alone... She should be where he can properly look after her. He needs to find a way for that to happen… “I miss you too.” He tells her somewhat stiffly after a pause. “Now don’t forget to send me a text when you’re settled in at Susans.”
A Week Later…
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay?” Susan asks Lily one last time. “I hate to think of you being run out of the country on the account of some bloke who doesn’t appreciate you.”
“I really appreciate all you’ve done for me Susan, and I am sorry to leave you with such short notice.” Lily doesn’t try to convince Susan anymore that Solomon certainly isn’t ‘running her out of the country’. Her dear boss has already made up her mind about the man. She’s very grateful to her boss who not only put her up for a week but was also willing to make sure Lily’s last paycheck made it into Solomon’s hands. Lily had to use their joint credit card to purchase her airfare and she was definitely paying him back every penny. She had already cut up the card.
“Aye, and right during Valentines too.” Susan guilt trips her a little more. “Ya sure you can’t stay another week? I’m sure that the fella that comes around on Friday’s will be heartbroken.”
“I can’t.” Lily shakes her head with a wry grin. She’s sure the man will survive, either way he won’t be the only one with a broken heart on Valentines. Though there’s little comfort in that. “Or else you’ll convince me to stay for the next busy period and the one after that.”
“Can’t begrudge an old woman for trying.” Susan laughs. “You best take good care of yourself and make sure to check in from time to time.”
“I will. Thank you again.” Lily gives her now ex-boss a big hug before getting in the taxi that will take her to the airport. Her heart races and tears threaten to spill over again like they’ve done so easily the past week.
She’d left Solomon’s apartment in the wintry deluge a week ago now. She had sat at the bus stop thinking that any minute Solomon was going to appear, running through the rain, begging her to stay with grand declarations of love. But he didn’t chase after her that night nor any night after. Would it have made a difference if he had? She loved him and she missed him, but perhaps they both knew it wasn’t enough… Her life may be full of demons, magicians and crazy cultists but it certainly wasn’t turning out to be a romance novel.
Now sitting in the taxi, her hand practically shakes as she holds her phone and opens the tracking app. She’d been checking it almost every day since she left to see if Solomon had uninstalled it, but he hadn’t. A last fleeting fantasy, she imagines that the little red dot indicating his whereabouts will appear over the airport. That’s he’ll be there waiting for her, to convince her to come back. The red dot blinks over a little island in the bermuda triangle instead and her fantasy abandons her. A fantasy is all it was anyway, she’s determined to get on this plane and return to her normal life.
Shoving her phone in her pocket she wipes away her silent tears and mentally reprimands herself. She chose to leave him and obviously she didn’t mean enough to him to really try to convince her to stay. It only proved to herself that she’d made the right choice. She’s going home, she is going to clean up the cabin and look into going to college. She’s going to rejoin the masses that know nothing about angels, demons and sorcerers. Her mother wanted her to have a normal life and that’s what she’s going to have from now on. Well, apart from regularly calling with her demonic brothers that is…
3 weeks later…
Lily hadn’t known how she was going to get into college. Diavolo had said her life would be waiting for her when she returned from the exchange program. That was before she decided to move in with Solomon, though. Not only that, but she’d decided she wanted to go to a different college altogether and pursue a degree in Botany. As much as she told herself that she wanted to wipe her hands of magic, she was grateful for whatever magic had made it so the University of Massachusetts not only accepted her late application but also said she had a sizable grant waiting for her.
Old Jim had been helping her get around because nobody could tell what happened to her old little car after over a year. The little mazda she’d left abandoned on the side of the road was never recovered and wasn’t in impound either. She figured it was stolen and she could hardly blame anyone for it after all this time. He drove her to the next town over where she could take the greyhound the rest of the way to Amherst, MA and a city bus to the college.
Thanks to Susan’s glowing recommendations, even from overseas, Lily had already managed to find work too. It wasn't as nice as Susan’s Florals but she had enough experience helping out at Hell’s kitchen from time to time that she didn’t worry too much about working at the little diner a few blocks from campus. For having absolutely no idea what she was going to do when she left, everything had been sliding into place as if it was meant to be. She tried to see it as a sign that she was on the right path.
Walking towards the looming campus she can’t help feeling apprehensive. It feels like forever since she’s lived a mundane life around normal humans. She’s already steeling herself for the usual school experience of being an outcast when her D.D.D. buzzes.
> Asmodeus:
It’s your first day right?! I hope you’re wearing the outfit I picked out for you! No one will be able to resist you
💋
> Lucifer:
Don’t forget. You’re still representing the family. Hold your head high.
> Mammon:
Knock ‘em dead Lil'!
> Beel:
We’re all rooting for you.
> Satan:
I’m only a phone call away if you need help studying.
> Levi:
Don’t forget you’re still supposed to login to Mononoke Land tonight!
> Belphie:
Don’t forget to rest.
Lily perks up, her back straightening and her chin held higher with a smile on her face. It makes her happy that her brothers are thinking of her. They’ve all had their own opinions about her breakup with Solomon but kept them mostly to themselves and instead they’ve all tried to support her in their own unique ways.
< Lily: Thanks guys! ❤️
For Asmodeus she takes a quick selfie to prove she is wearing the outfit he suggested when she had video called him about it. While tucking her phone away again, a cute girl, overflowing with energy and dressed in too much pink approaches her with a radiant smile, showing off unnaturally white teeth. Lily can’t help being reminded of Asmo.
Did she see me take that selfie…?
Lily wonders, feeling embarrassed and figures the girl will make fun of her or belittle her now.
“Hello! You must be new! I’ve never seen you before and I definitely would have noticed!” She laughs, gesturing to Lily’s purple hair. Here it comes….
“I just love your hair! I wish I was brave enough, I’ve always wanted to put a streak of pink in mine but I’m just too afraid I can’t pull it off and then you’re stuck with it, right?!” She giggles, but clearly is not mocking Lily, but her own cowardice. “And are those colored contacts? My eyes are blue but like, they could always be brighter, you know?”
Lily blinks at the girl. Not knowing what to think. Is she actually being nice to me? “Um, thanks, no they’re my real eye color.” Lily says with a little smile, after realizing the girl was waiting for an actual answer.
“Shut up! No way! That’s so cool! So show me your schedule and I’ll help you find your classes. This campus can be really confusing until you get used to it! Oh I’m so rude! My name is Amber!” The bubbly girl extends her hand as Lily digs for her schedule.
“Nice to meet you…I’m Lily.”
“Hey Amber, who’s this?” Two guys and another girl join them.
“Guys, this is Lily! She’s new and isn’t she just adorable!” Lily can’t help cracking a bigger smile. Maybe University in the Human World won’t be so bad after all…
10 weeks later…
University did turn out much better than Lily ever imagined it would. She had quickly made friends even though she kept her new friendships at a somewhat superficial level. Not because that’s what she wanted but because who wants to listen about her lonely childhood and she certainly can’t share anything about the past year and a half of her life. As far as her friends know, she had come to school late because she had decided to travel and work abroad first. And that she has seven older brothers who also lived and worked abroad.
Lily never imagined she’d assimilate into University life so easily. She wonders if it’s because her time in the Devildom and with Solomon changed her? Would it have been the same experience if she’d never gone to the Devildom? Maybe all she really needed was to get out of the tiny town full of tiny minds that she grew up in. Whatever it is, she’s been grateful for the normalcy. At least that’s what she tries to convince herself. She’s still searching for that feeling of contentment that's been missing from her life. The sense of belonging somewhere. She thought she had found that in the Devildom with her brothers. But she could never truly belong in that world as it turns out… Some days she wonders if she ever even knew what that really meant. If she would ever belong. Maybe she’s never truly been content but she’d just resigned herself to how things were. She’s just not really sure who she is anymore.
Aside from the once a week reminder that came in the form of one of her brothers calling from the Devildom, she’s tried to put the rest of it behind her. She’s buried herself in her studies and work to forget. She isn’t all work and no play though. Dorm parties with her friends proved just as distracting. Most of the time she could empty her head of the things she didn’t want to think about.
She’s still having headaches. Although they aren’t nearly as bad as they had been when she was in London. She’s been wondering if it was a side effect from the Devildom or magic in general, that would explain why they were worse around Solomon, anyway. Lately she’d also been plagued by disturbing dreams that she could never quite remember once she woke up.
She tries her best not to think of the Sorcerer, not that it was ever easy. Every once in a while she scrolls over to the last screen on her D.D.D. where she stashed the tracking app out of sight and opened it up. Never quite able to bring herself to delete it.
There is comfort and hurt in seeing the little red dot flashing Solomon’s location. He is rarely in the same place twice, and only once had she actually caught him at the apartment. It was just another thing that made her feel justified in leaving, thinking of all the nights she would have spent alone.
Never once thinking that perhaps Solomon stayed away because he didn’t like coming home to an empty apartment. An apartment that now feels haunted with the memory of her, where her scent still lingers in the bedroom and that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to be reminded of his failure to keep the heart he’d won.