Wednesday: Gifts

[sycophantastic.livejournal.com]

Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone, & welcome to day three of my guest-hosting week. I'm very pleased to announce my third theme - Gifts.

You can interpret "gifts" as tangible in some way - a puppy, a space-ship, a trip to Disneyland, firearms, dance lessons, etc - and they can be given for whatever occasion you like (or for no particular occasion at all). You can also interpret it as something intangible yet significant - life, love, freedom, closure, peace of mind, etc. Alternately, feel free to interpret it as the special skills, abilities, endowments, etc. that a character may possess, & prompt accordingly. It's up to you!

Please keep these rules in mind when posting prompts:

• Only three prompts for the same fandom.
• Only five prompts in a row (though if one of your prompts is filled, you can prompt again).
• No spoilers in your prompts for at least a week after the airdate/release.
• Warn for any spoilers for your fic in bold and leave at least three spaces before the text.

Prompt formatting examples (because proper formatting for the code monkeys is good manners):

Supernatural, Sam/Gabriel, "Would it kill you to be just a little bit appreciative?" "Gabriel, why the hell would I 'appreciate' this many blow-up dolls?"
Sherlock (BBC), John/Sherlock, it doesn't matter what John does, how careful he thinks he's been - Sherlock ALWAYS knows what he's bought him for any occasion
Doctor Who/Torchwood, Ten + Rose + Jack + any (or any combination thereof), sometimes the Doctor's uncanny ability to talk himself into or out of any situation is a gift... & sometimes it's just annoying

Nothing grabbing your attention? That's alright, there are plenty of Lonely Prompts out there waiting for love.

And remember - each fill is like a gift to the prompter, so really, you're participating doubly every time you post a comment fic today. Therefore have fun & give as much as you can!

(theme=gifts)

Comments

i've been writing this on and off for three hours, sorry if it's crapola

[tiptoe39.livejournal.com]

The drudgery of it. The waste of time. His Father's punishment may not be just, but it's sure as hell cruel. He imagines that somewhere Michael's laughing at him, just doubling over on his celestial ass and having a riotous good time at his expense. "That Lucifer," he's saying. "Nearly destroyed the world all out of jealousy of humans and look what he's doing, washing dishes at a bar. I'd say 'how the mighty have fallen,' but..."

"He's not worth it," says Jo from across the kitchen. Lucifer looks up. She's got a towel wrapped around her fist and she reaches for one of the gleaming beer mugs that's drying on the counter.

"What?"

"Whoever stole your girlfriend," she says, hopping up onto the counter. "You've got a face that says you're planning to deck him."

He looks at her, petite and long-legged, her hair sprawled out behind her as she ably, efficiently wipes each mug dry and lifts it onto the shelf to her right. "I won't have the opportunity," he says.

"Then he really isn't worth your time." She waves a glittering glass at him, shaking it by the handle. "That's a lot of wasted anger, if you can't do anything about it."

Lucifer stares at her. He doesn't quite get it, what she's saying. Anger is what's kept him going for millennia. It's what gave him the power to create the first demons, to break out of the cage in the first place. It's all he's felt for so long, he doesn't understand what it is to waste it.

Her gaze appraises him. "Lemme guess," she says. "You're the kind of guy who isn't satisfied until he's exhausted himself. You know, sometimes it's OK to give up."

His eyebrows twitch. "Giving up is the definition of not OK."

"According to who?" She grins and shrugs and for a moment he can see the experience that's given her this perspective. "The point of life isn't to win any awards, you know. It's just to live. You gotta decide what's worth fighting for."

"And you would know what's worth fighting for?" He shakes his head, gives a sad smile. "I don't need your lectures. I've been at this a long time."

"And you're here stewing in your own juices washing dishes."

"Shut up!" He slams the sponge down. The counter shakes. Rattled, she jumps down from the counter and looks at him through skittish doe eyes. Chastened despite himself, he mumbles, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're right," she says with a soft smile. "I shouldn't have gotten all superior on you. But can I tell you something?" She tilts her head at him, and he nods. "I had a night once I thought was gonna be my last night on earth." She's moving toward him, her eyes fixed on his face. "And I had a choice. Take what I had always wanted, or live with myself for the few hours I had left?"

She's very close to him now, looking up at him, her face in line with his shoulder. She's taller than he thought at first, which surprises him. He's not used to this limited a perspective. "I have a feeling I know what you chose."

"I was kind of surprised at myself, honestly." she says. "I mean, he was right there and I could have... but for whatever reason, I liked myself so much better after I said no."

"So you win for losing?" He laughs. "I can't imagine."

But he sort of can. For the first time, he's thinking about what it really means to lose. Whether it's really the end of the world.

It isn't, not anymore, is it? And it takes this girl to tell him that. Maybe humans' limitations give them a perspective that could be useful to an immortal angel, who has forever and thus has no need to prioritize. Maybe this punishment is about giving him a taste of that.

And if it's giving him something he can use, maybe it's more of a gift than a punishment.

Maybe. Probably not. But the idea is there, for the first time. And someday, when he knows better, maybe he'll thank her for that.

Re: i've been writing this on and off for three hours, sorry if it's crapola

[mulder200.livejournal.com]

Ah! That's perfect! And I love how Jo gives Lucifer a new perspective on things. Sweet!

Re: i've been writing this on and off for three hours, sorry if it's crapola

[tiptoe39.livejournal.com]

Oh, good, I'm so glad it rang true to you. Thanks a million! <3

Re: i've been writing this on and off for three hours, sorry if it's crapola

[mithrel.livejournal.com]

I almost never read Jo/Lucifer, but I loved this one!

Re: i've been writing this on and off for three hours, sorry if it's crapola

[tiptoe39.livejournal.com]

awesome, i'm so very glad! <3