Supernatural House Arrest (Supernatural Fanfic)

Chapter 131

A/N that awkward moment when you know how the fic's gonna end but you don't know how to get there... anyways, go listen to this new, more lowkey version of willow

Lucifer knows where he can find Gabriel. He's been in the garage every day for weeks, and he's sure tonight is no different. He could easily pop in on his brother if he wanted. The question is, does he want to?

Okay, no, that's not the question. He doesn't want to. No one needs to tell him that; he knows it damn well. The real question is more like should he? Part of him feels like he should -- that Gabriel deserves to know what Chuck said. The other part of him feels like it would just make everything worse.

It was easy with Jo and Michael. Chuck wanted to end their relationship. Jo deserved to know that. Hell, if he's being impartial -- which he knows he's not, despite his best attempts -- Michael deserved to know that, too. He knew he had to tell them, and he did.

It's not quite as easy with Gabriel.

He spends the night thinking about it, trying to come to a definitive decision. This has to be the worst part of being Chuck's... what is he? "Favorite" doesn't cut it, obviously. It's the worst part of being the one Chuck decided to take a special interest in, the one he decided to confide in. Now he's stuck in the dangerous position of deciding what people need to know, what people should know, and what people will get to know.

He assumes he has all the time in the world to come to a decision. His plans change when Gabriel pops into the dungeon. He disappears almost immediately, then reappears like he's just processed that Lucifer's there.

Gabriel crosses his arms, a small smirk on his face. "Who threw you in jail? I gotta go thank them."

"Hardy har har," Lucifer deadpans. "What are you doing down here? Don't you have a kid to train?"

"Don't you?" Gabriel counters.

Lucifer rolls his eyes. "I think we can both agree it'll go far more smoothly if I make myself scarce."

"Well, you weren't wrong about that," Gabriel says.

"Seriously, though, what are you doing down here?" Lucifer asks. "It's getting really hard to find new hiding spots."

"Ah, so you are hiding," Gabriel repeats.

Lucifer scoffs. "What, you thought I was hanging out all alone in the dungeon because I wanted to throw a party?"

"I don't know," Gabriel says, "it looks like you've got all your friends with you."

"Very funny," Lucifer says sarcastically. "Now, I'm going to ask you one more time what you're doing here, and if you don't give me an actual answer, I'm just going to leave. Sound like a plan?"

"Oh, no, this is exactly what I'm doing here," Gabriel says. "I came here to make fun of you."

Lucifer eyes him skeptically. "You searched the entire bunker for me just to make fun of me."

"Yep."

He rolls his eyes. "Bullshit. What are you actually doing here?"

Gabriel frowns. "I don't know," he admits. "I saw you pop into the war room for a minute today. Jack said you were looking for Jo but that you wouldn't tell him or Michael anything. I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong."

Lucifer cocks an eyebrow. "You wanted to make sure nothing was wrong?" There's no way Gabriel is actually just checking up on him. That's such bullshit.

"You were looking for Jo," Gabriel repeats, like that clears anything up. "To say that sounded suspicious would be an understatement."

"Yeah, well, I already took care of what I needed her for," Lucifer says, his tone a little more guarded than it had been. "It didn't concern you, so I left you out of it. Is that a problem?"

"I mean, no, but come on," Gabriel says. "That was weird. That was very weird. I just wanted to make sure everything's okay."

"Well, everything's fine," Lucifer says.

"And I want to ask if Chuck had something to do with it."

Lucifer hesitates. And there it is. This would be the perfect opportunity to tell him what Chuck said, at least about him. He's really the only one Lucifer has a message to deliver to; he just doesn't know if he should, and the question has been bothering him for hours.

But instead, Lucifer just says, "No, he didn't."

"That was a long pause for a 'no,'" Gabriel remarks, and it's kind of annoying to remember that Jo said basically the exact same thing. That's what he gets for thinking his decisions through before he makes them, apparently.

Lucifer scowls. "Okay, yes, Chuck paid me a visit, but it had nothing to do with you." And the decision has been made.

That piques Gabriel's interest. "What did he say?"

"Nothing that has to do with you," Lucifer repeats. "It doesn't matter."

"I don't care whether it had to do with me," Gabriel says. "Nothing's happened here in weeks. I need gossip."

"That's not true," Lucifer says, and he's grateful to find a chance to change the subject. He just hopes it sticks. "It looks like a lot has changed -- for example, your relationship with Sam."

Gabriel's face falls, and he almost looks sad at that, which Lucifer didn't see coming. "Luce..."

It doesn't take a genius to figure out where Gabriel thinks Lucifer's going with this. Sam and Lucifer had a thing, too, and if Lucifer had his way, they probably still would. But Sam obviously wants nothing to do with him, and he's already accepted that this bridge has been burned.

Actually, that could go a good segway into something that he really doesn't want to do but he probably should anyway.

"I'm not jealous," Lucifer tells him. "I'm actually glad you guys are getting along again."

Gabriel eyes him warily. "Thank you?"

"And, for what it's worth," Lucifer says, though he's sure it's not worth much, "I think you guys should get back together. I think it'd be good for both of you."

Gabriel scoffs. "Seriously, what did Chuck do to you?"

"Nothing!" Lucifer says defensively, as if Chuck hadn't literally said one of his conditions for letting them out was that Sam and Gabriel need to get back together. "I'm just saying, between me and Chuck, a lot of shit's gotten messed up. Your relationship shouldn't be one of the casualties."

Gabriel just looks at him for a few moments, and Lucifer braces himself for whatever Gabriel's going to say to that. They are not on good terms at all; he's not sure whether to expert his brother to think of this exchange as Lucifer being selfless and vulnerable or for him to assume that he's plotting something. The latter probably sounds more like him, but that's really not the case.

But it looks like Lucifer was thinking of the wrong type of action, because Gabriel doesn't respond with words. Instead, he responds by disappearing.

Lucifer just sighs. He supposes it's better than getting yelled at, but he really wasn't trying to cause problems. He wasn't even doing it because Chuck told him to -- he knows he's not going to follow Chuck's plan, so it sure as hell doesn't matter if Sam and Gabriel do. He just can't forget how happy they looked together -- how happy Sam looked. He just... he wants Sam to be happy, and he doesn't care if it hurts to see it.