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Tweak says, "You're lucky to have me. "

Clio | Κλειω (ephemerist) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2021-02-20 14:33:00

Entry tags:

clio, lucifer, michael, saint patrick, will stutely

WHO: Clio, Will Stutely, Lucifer
WHEN: Saturday Evening
WHERE: A restaurant
WHAT: Just some fun Lucifer times
WARNINGS: Lucifer - Sexual assault, rape threats, allusions to torture, violence, threats in general, everything is awful

It wasn't often Clio and Will went out these days, and Clio had spontaneously suggested they go on a date because they were Ellaless. They had headed out with the idea of dinner and a movie, though they had barely had a chance to look at their menus before their date was ruined entirely.

Clio felt him before she saw him. She had gone from perusing her menu to staring at Will in shock. "Will-" she hissed under her breath, her face white as a sheet, "we have to go, he's-"

Even as she was halfway out of her chair, she felt his fingers wrap all the way around her arm, and she froze-

"Professor Femouz, it is you! It's so wonderful to see you," Lucifer said, grinning widely at her. He sat her back down, his hand still on her arm as he sat beside her in a vacant chair. "I thought I saw you come in here and I wanted to come catch up! So who's this?" he said, turning to look at Will.

Clio, still frozen, tried to tell Will to run, but the words stuck in her throat. She knew Lucifer didn't need a weapon to kill every single person in this restaurant, and he just might if she tried anything. So she stared at him, fear etched into her features, her heart pounding so fast she felt like she might faint.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 03:41 am UTC (link)

Will had never seen such naked terror grip Clio's features. Not even when the Sheriff had held her at gunpoint. Not even when Apollo's monstrous curse had her contemplating trading her own body for Marcie's life.

She didn't even get to the end of her sentence, didn't get to say who he was that they needed to run from. She didn't need to. There was only one thing he knew of that could strike such a fear into Clio, and he could feel its presence creeping, looming over him, filling the entire room like a thick, choking smoke.

Lucifer, the Prince of Hell, the Devil himself, casually pulled up a chair and sat at their table.

Every muscle in Will's body tensed, screaming at him to move – to throw himself between them, to flip the table, to snatch Clio in his arms and run, to take a swing at the beast that had carved torment into his love's skin, he didn't know – but Lucifer's hand was still on Clio's arm, and though he didn't grip it with any force, Will knew he didn't need to. The Devil was powerful enough to kill them both with the merest twitch of a pinky finger.

And so he didn't move from his seat, frozen in his own way, cold dread trickling down his spine. Keep him talking. Just talking. Say enough, and no more. Don't give him any reason to take more of an interest.

"Name's Will," he said. His throat felt tight, but he kept the words flat and even, without expression. "You must be Lucifer."

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 03:49 am UTC (link)

Clio couldn't help it; she let out the tiniest whimper as Will gave up his name. What if Lucifer killed him?! Would Will come back?

Lucifer tsked. "You didn't even let me get to the 'please allow me to introduce myself' joke," he said, actually looking sullen. "What a shame. So you left the saint then?" he asked Clio. Then he said, "I'm going to let go of you, but you run out of here, and I burn every last one of these people to a crisp, do you understand?"

Clio nodded quickly, and Lucifer dropped his hold. "Patrick- We broke up."

"What did he do? Knowing that idiot, he probably drunkenly cheated on you. Or beat you up. Do I need to punish him, pagan?"

"No!" Clio said, a little too loudly. A little too firmly, because the minute she protested, Lucifer looked interested. "I mean, if you feel like it," she said, changing tack, but it was clearly too late.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 04:21 am UTC (link)

The way Lucifer's eyes sharpened in interest at Clio's protest sent another cold jolt through Will. This was what he was looking for. For the fear, for a reaction, for buttons he could push. Will'd had jailers like that before, though comparing the Sheriff and his men to the Devil seemed pitifully naive, like comparing a house fire to the surface of the Sun. He could take one lesson from those jailers, though: Be boring. Don't give him anything to latch onto, and for god's sake, don't lose your head.

"There's no story," he said, carefully bland, the expressionlessness of his voice belied by the tightness in his features and the tension in the set of his shoulders. "They drifted apart. Amicable split an' all."

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 04:33 am UTC (link)

Lucifer glanced over at Will, looking him over. He was taller than the saint. He looked stronger. Definitely more gruff. Still ginger though.

"So you latched on to the next ginger you could find?" Lucifer asked Clio. "And you went for this meathead? Really?"

Clio glanced at Will quickly, and then she looked away. "Mm," she said, which was entirely non-committal and not at all what Lucifer was looking for.

"You know," Lucifer leaned forward, his chin resting on his hands, "I always did regret not having a taste of you myself. If I was going to debase myself with pagan pussy, it would be hard to do any better."

Clio felt like her soul was leaving her body. Was that supposed to be a compliment?!

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 04:50 am UTC (link)

Beneath the table, Will's hands balled into tight fists.

All Lucifer had taken from her, all the shitty men of her shitty pantheon had taken from her, and here he was threatening to take more. It seemed mad, cowardly, disloyal to sit by and let him do it. The feeling of sick complicity twisted his gut.

In his mind, he roared, Get away from her, you fucking snake!

In his mind, he begged, Take me, do anything you want, just leave her the fuck alone!

In his mind, he eschewed words entirely and lunged across the table to throttle the Devil where he sat.

He couldn't trust himself to open his mouth, lest he give voice to those thoughts and damn her for truth, so he said nothing at all, and hated himself for it.

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mourningstar_
2021-02-20 05:06 am UTC (link)

Lucifer raised his eyebrows at Will, who was glowering at him. "He has a face like a slapped ass," he informed Clio, as if he was telling her some dark, special secret.

Clio felt like she was betraying Will by not refuting that, but if she did Lucifer was just as likely to burn Will's face off. So she sat still until the waitress came to take their orders. Clio's mouth opened to say something, but she felt Lucifer's hand on her arm again- clearly a warning.

"No no, Professor Femouz, allow me. All of us will both have the lobster and steak dinner. And your most expensive bottle of wine, please, we're celebrating!" As the waitress walked away, Lucifer did not remove his arm. "I'm sure you can cover that, right? How much does being a slut for the saints pay?"

"Please-" Clio said, her eyes falling closed. Her voice was shaking, barely above a whisper. "Please."

Lucifer frowned and turned away from her. "Women are so dramatic," he said to Will. "Gotta get your dick wet somehow though," Lucifer reached out to pat Will's shoulder. "What about it, Warren? Tell me. How's that pagan pussy?"

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 05:33 am UTC (link)

Will could barely suppress a flinch as Lucifer's hand clapped his shoulder. The Devil's touch should have scalded him. It should have made his skin erupt in boils. That all he felt through the fabric of his shirt was a deceptively human warmth was somehow infinitely worse.

Across from him, Clio's face was white with terror. The same hand that had ripped her back open with inhuman violence had now closed again around her arm, a warning and a threat. It would be nothing, probably, for the Devil to curl that hand into a fist, crumpling her arm as easy as a used receipt. Will tried to focus on that thought as he opened his suddenly dry mouth and made himself utter the traitor reply, "S'okay,"

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 05:45 am UTC (link)

Clio wished she could give Will a grateful look. She wished she could offer him comfort. She wished she could give him anything, but she didn't dare. She didn't even risk reaching her foot out under the table to find his. One false move and Lucifer could take Will away from her.

"What a heartfelt review," Lucifer grumbled. "And this for the muse who used to make people famous. Didn't you have a daughter a few years ago? Maybe she's better-"

Clio's eyes flashed then, because fear for herself and Will and everyone else in this restaurant could freeze her in place, but fear for Ella was all action. She reached out and slapped Lucifer across the face, before freezing again, unable to believe she'd done it.

Lucifer chuckled. "Nothing to see here, folks!" he said, to the few people who had even noticed, and turned to look. Then he scooted his chair very closely to Clio, and he laid his hand on her leg. "You stay right over there, meathead," he said to Will. "Now. Clio. Lift up your dress. Come on. Under the table cloth."

"Please-" Clio whispered again, and Lucifer still thought she was talking to him.

"You hit me in the face, Clio. There are consequences." He lifted the tablecloth so it sort of draped in Clio's lap, obscuring her bottom half. "Lift up. Your fucking. Dress."

Clio locked eyes with Will, her hands balled into fists on the table, one very, very close to her knife. Lucifer was looking at her legs, so she glanced at the knife and back at Will. Asking permission. Making sure he was okay with the consequences if she took that knife and jammed it into Lucifer's hand. They could be killed, or both of them arrested- Or they could hurt Lucifer and hope he was too annoyed to take it out on them, and try to explain the situation (leaving out the immortal bits) to the establishment afterwards.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 06:34 am UTC (link)

Will caught Clio's look, and with it he felt a sharp swell of love and fear for her, painful in its intensity. The courage of this woman. He'd seen her, beaten and bound, charge at the armed man who'd kidnapped her, no thought of her own safety, only an unbreakable determination to protect somebody she loved, and he thought he'd seen the immense depth of her bravery. It didn't even come close.

He didn't want her to do it. It might make Lucifer angry, or worse, it might make him interested. (He might already be those things.) It might get her hurt, or killed. (The Devil was already threatening to rape her in the middle of a restaurant.)

He wanted to do it himself. She shouldn't have to take the punishment for this. (It might fall on her anyway, if the Devil saw how quick Will was to fight for her.) She shouldn't have to fight off a violent advance on her own, not again. (Any move he made could make it worse for her.) If he couldn't defend the woman he loved, what good was he?

There was no way in hell he could say no to her. Not here, not now.

Will held Clio's gaze solidly and, with Lucifer's attention turned from him, he gave her the barest nod. I trust you, love, he tried to tell her with his eyes. I'm with you. No matter what.

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 06:48 am UTC (link)

Clio held Will's gaze and when he nodded, almost imperceptibly, she wanted to kiss him. Her hand moved slowly, Clio well practiced at careful movements over two thousand years. Until her hand was touching the knife.

Lucifer laid his hand on Clio's bare thigh, his palm heating up slowly. "Don't cry out," Lucifer warned her. "Don't make a sound, do you hear me?" His palm grew hotter and hotter, as he slid his hand ever so slowly up her thigh. Clio's gaze stayed locked on Will, even as her eyes started watering with the pain. Her jaw clenched. Her breathing shallowed. Oh god it hurt. She could feel her skin burning as his hand moved closer and closer-

Oh gods, oh gods, she was going to scream. It was too much. She was going to scream-

Lucifer leaned on the table, his free hand outstretched. Clio grabbed the knife and planned to bury it in his hand, but Lucifer rose in shock his grip leaving her thigh. "Son of a-" Lucifer hissed.

Michael loped in, a dopey grin on his face. "So sorry I'm late, guys! Hey, Lucy!" Michael moved towards Lucifer, clearly intent on hugging him, and Lucifer stepped sideways to avoid him.

"Fuck you," he grunted, and then he turned on his heel to leave.

Clio felt her head spin, pain and fear warring together, and she fainted. Luckily Michael was there to catch her. "Ah, I got you," he whispered to an unconscious, Clio. "Hello, Will Stutely," he nodded at the other man.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 08:07 am UTC (link)

Will couldn't see what Lucifer was doing underneath the table. All he could see were the taut lines of pain etched across her face, the tears that welled in her eyes, her sharp intakes of breath.

Oh, god. Oh, god, he'd been wrong, he couldn't watch this. He had to move. Devil could choke on a bagel, a knife in the jugular would have to at least give him a moment's pause.

It was a terrible idea. Suicidal was the least of it; Lucifer could kill everyone in this restaurant if they gave him half an excuse. Nine months, it had been, the last time death had taken Clio. All that history ripped from her. One move on his part, it could be ripped from her again.

But Lucifer's back was turned. Clio's fingers were nudging her knife, but he had a knife, too. He could—

Clio moved, but so did Lucifer, rising swiftly with a sudden look of irritation. Will tensed in that instant, half-rising from his chair as well, but then he felt the presence, too, a searing ray of light that cut through the suffocating smoke of Lucifer's.

And there was Michael the Archangel, cheerfully facing down the Devil. The confrontation didn't even last ten seconds. Lucifer left them in a huff, leaving Michael to catch Clio as she fainted.

"Michael." Will sucked in a shaky breath. He felt like a prisoner released from his shackles, pins and needles exploding through the once-bound limbs, making him stagger. "Sh-she— he hurt her. Can— she needs help, can you help?"

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who_is_like_god
2021-02-20 08:16 am UTC (link)

"I can," Michael nodded, bending down with her still in his arms. The server came over to the table holding their bottle of wine and he sort of paused, looking worried. "It's alright," Michael assured the man. "Unfortunately we're going to have to go, make sure she's okay. Can you box up their orders and whichever staff member needs them the most can take them home? Here," Michael reached into his wallet and pulled out his credit card. "Charge that. You can leave the bottle."

Clio stirred in Michael's arms and she let out a soft whimper. "It's alright, Clio. It's Michael and I've got you." To Will, he said, "I can help, but not here. I need to see what he did, and I don't think- Her place is closest. Can you drive, or shall I?" Once he had his credit card back, one of them had to carry her to the car and sit with her while the other drove.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 08:37 am UTC (link)

Will gave Michael a look of gratitude as the angel immediately took command of the situation, smoothing over the server's confusion and paying for Lucifer's exorbitant order as though it were a trivial thing.

"You drive," he said quickly. He didn't trust himself behind the wheel of a car right now, not with his heart hammering at a thousand miles per hour. And more importantly— "I'll, I wanna stay with her."

He rounded the table to stand at Michael's side and reached out a careful hand to smooth the hair from Clio's brow. "I'm here, sweeting," he said softly. "You're safe, it's safe now. We're gonna look after you."

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who_is_like_god
2021-02-20 08:42 am UTC (link)

"Of course," Michael nodded. When the server returned, Michael sort of 'handed off' Clio so he could sign the receipt, complete with an incredibly generous tip for their troubles.

Clio was still mostly unconscious, though stirring more and more. "I suggest you carry her," Michael said, rising from the table. "Lead the way to your car." He walked first out of the restaurant though, holding the door open for Stutely.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 09:06 am UTC (link)

Before the Sheriff and the dungeon, Will could have carried Clio without much of a thought. But starvation and torture had depleted his muscle mass, and though he'd been working on bulking up again, it was a long road. So it was with considerably more effort now, and an audible grunt, that he lifted Clio into a bridal carry.

He continued to murmur quiet reassurances to her as he carried her through the door and led Michael along the street to her car. It didn't take long for the strain to assert itself, an ache stretching through his depleted arms and recently-healed back. It wasn't important. He had her, and he'd be damned if he let her go right now. Even if the Devil himself were to come marching back down the street, he'd not let her fall.

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 09:26 am UTC (link)

Michael dug through Clio's purse and found her keys, clicking open the door and then pulling it wide. He ran around to the other side and leaned through the back seat to sort of help shift her through. Once Clio was settled, he climbed into the driver's seat. "Curse my long limbs," he hissed, adjusting the seat and mirrors.

Clio shuddered, and woke slowly as the car started, and it was a good thing those reassurances from Will had filtered through, so she didn't wake up flailing. Instead she winced and let out a soft cry. "Gods, it hurts," he whispered. "Who's- Who's driving?"

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 09:38 am UTC (link)

That little cry stung his ears, a plaintive reminder of the pain he'd failed to protect her from. As she stirred, Will shifted beside her, trying to make her a little more comfortable. "Michael," he said. He reached one hand to cup her face, stroking her cheek softly with his thumb. "He's taking us home. He's gonna help. Nothin' else is gonna touch you, love. Where's it hurt?"

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	ephemerist 2021-02-20 09:42 am UTC (link)
	Clio squeezed her eyes shut, tears escaping them anyway. She shook her head quickly, "he burned me. I just wanted to have fun," she reached out to cling to Will, "I wanted to feel normal-" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sly_stutely
2021-02-20 10:05 am UTC (link)

Despair prickled hot in his throat. He knew how deep a trauma she'd suffered at Lucifer hand. The scars were the very least of it. He knew the fear still gripped her sometimes: What if Lucifer decided he wasn't done?

She'd striven so hard to heal herself, to reclaim herself from the men who'd tried to subsume her, and now— Well, tonight had been a coincidence, pure evil luck. But what if Lucifer did decide he wasn't done?

Fuck. Fuck, it wasn't fair, she deserved to be happy.

"I know, love. I know." He leaned closer to touch his forehead to hers, capturing her tears with his thumb. "You were so brave. You were so brave, I'm—" He swallowed the rest of the sentence, and the apology that fought to get out. I'm sorry I failed. I let him hurt you. I didn't lift a finger. I didn't fight for you. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. "I love you," he whispered instead. "So much, Clio."

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	ephemerist 2021-02-20 10:10 am UTC (link)
	"I love you," she whispered through her tears. Her entire body was shuddering with pain, and Michael was driving, white-knuckled, jaw clenched, trying to get to her house as quickly as possible so he could heal her as much as he could. "Will," Clio breathed, "you have to warn Patrick. Please. Can you text him? I don't- I can't- Patrick can't get hurt-" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sly_stutely
2021-02-20 10:32 am UTC (link)

Shit, Patrick. She was right; Lucifer had threatened him as well. Will nodded swiftly. "I will. I'll do it now." He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he drew back, dropping his hand from her cheek to reach for his phone, though his other arm remained protectively around her shoulders. She was shaking like a leaf, and that as much as anything else scared him.

Will was a lousy typist, and he was even worse at texting; the tiny keyboard was too small for his fingers and he could never remember where the letters sat. This message, though, he dashed off in record time, with a speed fuelled by urgency.

ran into lucifer he hurt clio and threatened you watch your back

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 10:37 am UTC (link)

Michael finally pulled up outside Clio's house, and he turned the car off. "Can you walk, Clio?" he asked, and, shaking, she shook her head. She didn't want to even try. He was too afraid her other leg would rub against her burns.

"I'll go unlock the door if you can carry her in," Michael said to Will. "Put her on the sofa. Clio, I have to see-"

"I know," she interrupted him. "I know you do."

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 10:55 am UTC (link)

This time, Will's back protested rather painfully when he lifted her. Fuck it. He'd pay the price tomorrow, it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Clio safe inside, getting her healed.

Michael had the door open by the time Will reached the top of the stoop, and he took her straight through to the living room, setting her down carefully as he could on the sofa. When he was done, he sat behind her, so she could her rest her weight against him. He smoothed her hair back from her face, his touch gentle. "Get you anything, love? Or would you rather I just sit?"

(Just sit, the words echoed back from the dark pit of his guilt. Just sit, like you did when the Devil manhandled her and you didn't lift a finger to stop him.)

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ephemerist
2021-02-20 11:03 am UTC (link)

"Don't go!" she said quickly, panicky, fearful. "Stay!"

Michael headed to Clio's bathroom where she had a first aid kit. He knew he wasn't going to be able to heal her entirely - he never could. And he was likely going to have to dress a wound for her. He knew exactly where her first aid kit was as well, which spoke to how often he had done this in this house.

Michael emerged, and he went to kneel in front of the sofa. "In your own time," Michael said, his voice soothing.

Clio nodded, and she leaned back a little so she stretch her legs out, dropping the left one to the ground so her right thigh could be seen. Then she pulled up her dress, revealing the horrific burn mark making it's way from her mid thigh all the way up to where her leg met her hip. It was hand-shaped in some places, the flesh burned black in others.

"Oh, Clio-" Michael hissed, an uncharacteristic show of emotion for the angel. Michael loved very few people as much as he loved Clio. Gently, he rested his hand on her knee, and he bowed his head. As he did so, great white wings unfurled from his back, the sofa protected from the outside world, bathed in healing light.

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sly_stutely
2021-02-20 11:34 am UTC (link)

Bile burned in Will's throat as the burns were revealed, the Devil's hand seared black into her flesh, like a brand.

"N-no," the word escaped his lips, the quaver in his voice impossible to hide. "Clio, I—"

Lucifer had done it again. Left his mark on Clio, carved it deep enough to scar, so she could never, never forget the pain he'd brought her, or how easily he could bring it again.

And Will had watched. Useless. Cowardly. Pathetic. He'd let it happen to her.

Michael spread his wings – great feathered things, of a white so stark and pure it seemed unreal – and their angelic light shone cool and soothing over them both, but all Will could see were those burns, and the hurt he'd failed to prevent.

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