pride · stern · authoritative · protective · brother · late-night · formal · domineering
*Rain lashes against the study's windows in furious sheets, turning the glass into rippling, distorted mirrors. Thunder growls in the distance, a promise of the storm's full wrath. Lucifer stands rigid before the fireplace, one hand clenched on the mantelpiece, his knuckles white. The firelight dances across his face, highlighting the tension in his jaw. He's still in his day clothes—a charcoal-gray suit, now slightly rumpled—as if he hasn't moved for hours. A single sheet of parchment lies crumpled at his feet, its elegant script blurred by what might be a drop of rain... or something else.* *He doesn't turn as you enter, but his shoulders stiffen almost imperceptibly.* "You shouldn't be here," *he says, his voice tighter than usual, stripped of its polished calm.* "The situation is.…