His ruby gaze glimmered with pride as he walked through the crowd, scanning the faces for the one who called him here. The festival that Lord Diavolo had wanted to throw for the summer was running smoothly. But that wasn’t why Avatar of Pride decided to visit.
Earlier that day, he found a note written in familiar handwriting on his desk, with no name or sender. Regardless, he knew who it was from immediately. With an amused smile he had gotten ready, exchanging his usual outfit for his blue and red yukata. On his way to the festival he had made the decision to act surprised when he saw you.
There was just one flaw in his plan.
You’re nowhere to be found.
Just when Lucifer was about to call you, an older man walks up to him with a kind smile. No words were spoken as a white and red fox mask was pressed into the first-born’s hand. Before Lucifer could question the gift, the man was walking away, quickly getting lost in the crowd. His ruby gaze glimmered with curiosity as he inspected the fox mask, wondering why it was handed to him.
A random mask? It doesn’t look like they’re giving it to everyone. Could this be another one of Satan and Belphie’s tricks? If they cursed it, I can’t leave it laying around. Should I burn-
“Hm?”
His thoughts were interrupted when his fingers brushed over a piece of paper taped to the inside of the mask. The confusion on his expression quickly morphed into amusement when he saw that there was a new note, written in familiar handwriting once more. This time, it had a little riddle written on it. A small smile graced his lips, your plan becoming clear to him as read over the words. A scavenger hunt that would lead him to you. After a moment of consideration, he nodded decisively, placing the mask on his face before making his way through the crowd with ease.
“Hello, sir! Looking for anything in particular?”
The Avatar of Pride glanced around the candied apple stall, pushing the fox mask to the side to reveal his face. Recognition flickered in the gaze of the employee who had called out to him and they held up a finger before quickly darting away.
Ah, it seems I’m in the right place.
“Here you go, sir!”
“Thank you.”
Lucifer accepted the candied apple with a doubtful look, giving a smile of thanks to the employee as he walked away. It looked ordinary, just like any other candied apple at the stand. As he pushed his way through the crowd, he bit down experimentally, wondering if the note was hidden within. Nothing. Was the apple itself the riddle?
“Hello sir! As the 666th person to walk by today, you get a free goldfish!”
“That’s alright, thank y-”
“We insist!”
Lucifer blinked as the bag with the shimmering fish was shoved into his hands. With a sigh, he decided to avoid making a scene, intent on finding you as soon as possible as he secured the bag to his yukata. As he straightened up, giving a polite smile to the one who gave him the ‘prize’, he noticed a slight inconsistency on the stick that held the candied apple.
He was on the right track.
The second riddle wasn’t any harder for him to figure out, his steps confidently taking him towards the game stands. Darts. The employee recognized him immediately this time, the fox mask still pushed to the side so that his face was visible. Lucifer’s eyes glinted at the knowing smile on the employee’s expression, wordlessly accepting the darts that were brought out.
Whoosh!
One by one, the darts flew through the air, each one finding its mark with ease. Before he knew it, a crowd had gathered to watch, each pop of a balloon followed by cheers and applause. As the last balloon popped, the employee held out a large Devilcat plushie with a smug smile that matched his own. The blue blow shone under the lights of the festival, revealing yet another hidden note.
This one hinted that he had almost reached the end, but before he could walk away, the crowd was pushing him towards another game stall. Despite his protests, a paper fishing rod was thrust into his hands, and he was firmly set in front of a mini pool filled with colorfully decorated water balloons. The Avatar of Pride glanced around, debating if he should fly his way out when he noticed the excited gazes of the crowd.
Playing the game would be the quickest and easiest way out. The crowd watched with bated breath as he took another bite of the apple, tilting his head to choose his target. Then there was another whoosh, and a blur, and before people knew it he was holding a blue water balloon decorated with stripes and dots. It was over. As the crowd applauded, he quickly pushed his way through, determined to reach his next destination.
There was only one person he wanted to show off to, one person that truly mattered. You.
Little did he know that you had been following him the whole time. You wanted to make sure nothing went wrong, wearing a colorful yukata and a black fox mask that hid your face. The opposite of his. You wanted to match with him if you could. You had watched with amusement as he bit into the apple, turning away to laugh at how he accepted the goldfish. You watched with amazement as he beat the darts game, and watched with pride as he ‘fished’ a balloon. You wished you could be by his side right at that moment, but you knew it would be better to wait.
There was only a little bit left.
The last stand was towards the edge of the festival stands. A wide field was filled with people who had plans to watch the fireworks show. You watched from behind an unsuspecting couple as Lucifer approached the food cart, accepting the chocolate and sprinkles covered banana with a polite smile. This time, he checked the stick thoroughly, but when nothing turned up, he arched an eyebrow. You hid a giggle as he bties into the banana carefully, pleased to see him find the last laminated note that was within the chocolate covered fruit.
It was time for you to get into place.
With one last glance at the Avatar of Pride, you hurried away, slipping through the crowd until you reached a quieter part of the field beside the lake. You waited a little nervously, hands clasped in front of you as you looked back towards the crowd, watching for his arrival.
Lucifer himself was walking briskly, his snacks forgotten as he searched for your familiar figure. He would finally be beside you. Just a little bit more. As he neared the shore of the lake, his ruby gaze softened with happiness. There you were, yukata fluttering slightly in the summer breeze as you pulled off your fox mask, giving him a warm smile. As you walk towards him, you lift both hands, revealing the sparkles you had prepared for the finale. His gaze glints with satisfaction as he meets you halfway, and your eyes flutter shut as he leans down to place a gentle kiss on your forehead.
“Did you enjoy your surprise?”
He chuckles lightly, his lips brushing against your check before motioning to you to sit down. As you settle into the grass together, he offers the banana to you, and you take a bite with a hum of happiness.
“Of course I did. Thank you, my dear.”
“I’m glad you liked it! Was it fu-”
Before you can finish your question, you hear a whistling sound and then the night sky is filled with a myriad of bright colors. The sparkling fireworks catch your attention, and you let out a cheer of excitement as you light up one of the sparklers. The Avatar of Pride smiles fondly at you, his gaze soft as you hold out a sparkler towards him with a bright smile.
“Happy Birthday, Lucifer!”
He accepts the sparkler, pulling you closer to him with his free arm, kissing the top of your head as you let out a giggle. He had lived through many birthdays before, and he was sure he would live through many more. But none of them could compare to the ones that he lived through by your side. You were his sparkler in the night, the one that brought a light to his life.
For that, he would always love you.
And always hold you close.
Just the way you wanted him to.
Art by: @Maon_Obeyme
Art and fic part of the @luciferbirthday Twitter Collab!
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