Dust and Ducks

16

Y/N sat anxiously in the clearing, watching the occasional ripple spread across the pool of water as droplets fell upon it. Their mind was running a mile a minute; possibilities, scenarios, questions, everything all at once. It was overwhelming. And of course, there were the "what ifs."

What if he doesn't want to talk? What if he lashes out? What if he breaks down again? What if...

Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling nearby, and Y/N's attention snapped in the direction of the noises. It could either be an animal or Lucifer and Adam... or just Lucifer? The rustling grew louder, as though whatever... WHOEVER was approaching were getting closer, the bushes finally parting to reveal...

Just a fox. It trotted across the clearing and curled up next to Y/N, a fuzzy orange ball beside them. The pang of disappointment was soon replaced with awe as they pet the fox, the fur soft like a blanket. It did help calm their nerves a bit.

Y/N hadn't even noticed that Lucifer had stepped out into the clearing until the sound of him clearing his throat announced his presence. Y/N's attention shifted to Lucifer, their gaze meeting his. When they didn't see Adam next to him, they sighed.

"No joy, huh...?" Lucifer chuckled quietly, then shook his head.

"Not exactly joy, but, uh..." He stepped aside, revealing Adam, who had been clutching his own arm almost shamefully and looking down. A small smile spread across Y/N's face until they noticed the red on his knuckles.

"I'll... um... I'll leave you two to it." Lucifer said after a moment of awkward silence. He offered an encouraging smile to Y/N before disappearing in a swirl of mist.

Another moment of silence had passed before Adam decided to speak up.

"So... you wanted to talk...?" His voice was low, but not in any way, shape, or form threatening. Almost like he had given up. His gaze moved from the ground to Y/N, the sorrow evident in his eyes, but he didn't seem like he was going to argue.

Y/N nodded, still petting the fox without exactly realizing it, then nodded to the area next to them, a gesture for Adam to sit next to them. He did so quietly.

"Uh... First off, I wanted to apologize," Y/N started. They hesitated, trying to find the words they were looking for before continuing. "I imagine you must be hurt... what I did was wrong, and... I should have told you sooner." Adam didn't make an effort to respond, instead just sitting in silence and listening. Strange, but then again, they had never seen him exactly... emotional like this. Y/N took his silence as a sign to continue.

"I didn't mean to hurt you in any way, please understand that..." Words were failing to find Y/N, and they soon fell silent, looking down regretfully. Adam still remained silent, and that silence only made it worse, like their 'sins' were crawling on their back, taunting them. They shook their head slightly, an attempt to clear their mind, before turning their attention back to Adam.

"But I didn't want to just apologize. I wanted to give you a chance to ask any questions you have, which I can only imagine you do." Silence was their only answer. What was he thinking about? They just wish they knew.

The only things that broke the silence were the sounds of water dripping into the pool of water nearby, the soft snoring of the fox, and the breeze rustling the leaves. When a response from Adam was still absent, Y/N looked down again. This wasn't exactly what they had anticipated, and it was honestly stressful. They didn't know what to say or do now.

But finally, Adam spoke up, looking at the ground rather than making eye contact, his voice almost a murmur when he talked.

"When did you stop loving me?"

Word count: 687 words