HEARTS OF DIVINE RUIN (The MoonGoddess and The AlphaKing)

The atmosphere in the garden shifted the moment Luna and Lucifer joined Alex and Davina. The once serene and peaceful setting seemed tainted by an aura of sadness and a heavy silence that clung to Luna and Lucifer like a shroud. 

Alex straightened up, his senses immediately picking up on the tension between the two. His sharp gaze didn't miss the way Lucifer's eyes kept darting to Luna, filled with worry and something dangerously close to anger. 

Luna, however, wore her usual mask of indifference, her lips curved into a faint, almost mocking smile as if she hadn't a care in the world.

Davina frowned, sensing the change as well. She took a step closer to her husband, her hand brushing against his arm softly. "Is everything alright?" she asked gently, her voice pitched low, as if she feared the wrong question might shatter whatever fragile peace lingered.

Lucifer forced a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yes,my love," he murmured, his tone almost too casual. "Everything's fine."

Luna's eyes flicked to the two of them, then back to Alex. "Oh, yes," she said, suddenly breaking the silence. "Everything's just perfect." She paused dramatically, her smile widening as a mischievous light entered her gaze. "I was just telling dear Lucifer that I brought him a lovely gift—a garlic pastry."

Davina and Lucifer both stared at her, expressions torn between confusion and disgust. Luna sauntered over to Alex, her hand diving into his coat pocket. Alex blinked, startled as she pulled out a small, crumpled pastry wrapped in paper. He hadn't even realized it was in there.

"How...?" Alex started, bewildered.

Luna grinned, holding it up for everyone to see. "I must've slipped it in there when you weren't looking," she teased, giving him a playful wink.

Lucifer took a cautious step back, his eyes narrowing at the offending pastry. "A garlic... pastry?" he repeated slowly, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Yes," Luna chirped, far too cheerfully. "I brought it for your wedding, but it seems you're not a fan of my culinary skills." She pouted dramatically. "A little rude, don't you think?"

Lucifer's expression shifted into one of genuine disgust, and he took another step back, eyeing the pastry as if it might bite him. "Luna..." he warned.

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, her voice taking on a mockingly sweet tone. "Don't tell me the mighty Hell Lord is afraid of a little garlic?"

"I'm not afraid," Lucifer retorted, stiffening slightly. "I just... don't want to be anywhere near that disgusting smelly thing." His gaze darted to Davina. "Back me up here, darling."

Davina wrinkled her nose, stepping a few paces away. "Luna, I love you, but I'm not touching that. Even i don't like its smell."

Luna's grin widened. "Oh, really?" She waved the pastry playfully in their direction, making them both step back even further. "I thought it was just a myth that demons hate garlic. Are you telling me I accidentally bought the perfect deterrent?"

"It's not funny, Its smell more disgusting that now i am a Demon" Davina muttered, though a reluctant smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him sarcastically. "Lucifer, don't you dare say no to her gift."

"Yes, Lucifer," Luna mocked, her voice dripping with faux sweetness. "Don't be rude. You know it's bad luck to refuse a wedding gift."

Lucifer groaned, shooting a helpless look at Davina. "She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?"

"Of course she is," Davina replied, barely suppressing her laughter. "But you have to accept it anyway."

Luna looked between them and sighed dramatically. "Fine. Be ungrateful." She turned on her heel and shoved the pastry back into Alex's pocket. "Here, AlphaKing. You keep it. After all, you're practically family now."

Alex was still staring at her, utterly lost. "What ? I don't even... When did you...?" He trailed off, shaking his head in bewilderment as Lucifer and Davina finally relaxed. Their expressions softened, but Alex noticed they were both still keeping a wary distance from his pocket.

Luna's gaze softened slightly as she looked up at him, amusement lingering in her eyes. "You really are too easy to mess with, you know that?"

Before he could respond, Davina and Lucifer exchanged a look and quietly excused themselves to fetch some tea and snacks, leaving Alex and Luna alone under the shade of the palace gardens.

Once they were out of earshot, Alex turned to Luna, his expression serious. "Luna," he murmured softly, leaning closer. "Is everything really okay?"

She hesitated, the playful smile slipping from her face for just a second before she masked it again. "It's fine, Alex," she said quietly. "I've remembered everything.It was nothing huge. Maybe... maybe I can continue living as a human while I figure out how to get back to being myself again."

He frowned, his eyes searching hers. "That's not the whole truth, is it?"

Her gaze flickered, but she forced a smile. "Alex, it's nothing you need to worry about. Besides..." She looked away, her expression turning distant. "I'm not even sure I want to go back right now. Being human... it's not so bad."

"Then let me join you," he said suddenly, his voice low and earnest. "For as long as you want, let me... be part of your human adventure."

Luna blinked, taken aback. She hadn't expected that—especially not after last night's argument and confrontation. But as the words sank in, a warm smile spread across her lips. "You'd really want to spend your time with a crazy ex-goddess?" she teased lightly pushing him away .

"Yes," he said softly. "If you'll have me."

For a moment, she just stared at him, then nodded, almost shyly. "Okay."

He blinked. "Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that," she said, laughing softly. "Why, were you expecting a grand declaration of love?"

"No," he muttered, looking away, his ears tinged red. "But after everything, I thought you are angry and not wanting to see me - ..."

"Shhh," she whispered, leaning closer. "You talk too much, Alpha. And besides, you'll ruin my fun."

His gaze softened, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he found himself smiling back at her.

Before either of them could say more, Davina and Lucifer returned, balancing trays laden with tea, cakes, and fruit. Luna's eyes widened as she saw the food, a look of pure delight spreading across her face.

"Food!" she exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat. Alex chuckled, his eyes lighting up as he watched her.

Davina smiled knowingly. "You're really easy to please, aren't you?"

"Only when it comes to sweets," Luna admitted, eyeing the spread hungrily. "Did you make these yourself?"

Lucifer smirked. "Davina did. I just... supervised."

"Yeah, right," Davina teased, rolling her eyes. "You kept stealing the chocolate."

Luna laughed, the sound bright and genuine. "Well, I think they look amazing."

They all settled under the shade of the palace gardens, the sunlight filtering through the trees in dappled patterns around them. Alex relaxed beside her, the tension easing from his shoulders as they fell into a lighthearted conversation but Lucifer could see the fake facade she was trying to put on like its another day without any worries and no blood thirsting demon have been escaped from hell. Yet he chose to play along for now. 

At some point, the teasing shifted towards Alex and Luna, with Lucifer raising an eyebrow. "So, Luna, Alex... anything new going on between you two?"

Alex tensed, but Luna just grinned. "Oh, nothing at all. Just... you know, saving the world, one day at a time."

"Right," Davina snorted. "Because that's normal."

Alex shot Luna a look, but she only laughed, the sound infectious. As the conversation flowed and laughter filled the air, Alex found himself forgetting, just for a moment, about everything that lay ahead.

Just for now, they could be normal or pretend to be normal. 

Just for now... they could be happy.

Even if it was only for a little while longer.

The atmosphere lightened gradually as they settled around the garden, the tension between them momentarily dissipating. Alex found himself caught off guard by the casualness of it all—the easy smiles, the teasing remarks. 

It almost felt... normal yet foriegn. But, of course, it couldn't last.

Luna leaned casually against him, her shoulder brushing his as she picked up a delicate pastry from the platter Davina had set down. She took a slow bite, eyes closing in exaggerated bliss. "Mmm," she murmured, licking a crumb off her lip with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she leaned closer to Alex. "Want a taste?"

Alex's brows furrowed slightly, unsure whether to take her words seriously. "Are you actually offering me the pastry or...?" He trailed off, his gaze dropping to her lips for just a fraction of a second before jerking back to her eyes.

Luna tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Why, Alex, I thought you liked sweet things?" she purred, holding up the half-eaten pastry. "Or... is it just me that you like?"

Alex blinked, his face heating up as he noticed Davina's amused smile and Lucifer's eyebrow quirking up in interest. "Luna," he muttered warningly, shifting slightly as if to put some space between them.

But Davina leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Are you two... close?" she asked, her voice laced with mischief. "Like... that close?"

Alex stiffened visibly, every muscle in his body tensing as if he'd been caught doing something wrong. His hand, which had been resting comfortably on Luna's shoulder, slipped away as he straightened. "No," he said quickly, almost too quickly. "We're not— I mean, we're—"

"Oh, don't be so defensive, Alex," Luna interrupted with a playful pout, even as a flicker of hurt passed through her eyes when his warmth left her shoulder. But she hid it behind a bright smile, flipping her hair nonchalantly. "How can we be close?" She waved a hand dismissively. "He's too boring for that."

Davina snickered, covering her mouth to hide her grin. "You know what? You might be onto something, Luna. He is a bit of a stiff, isn't he?"

Lucifer chuckled softly, his dark eyes glimmering with amusement. "I always thought the same. But boring can be good for some people."

Alex raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, his lips twitching despite himself. "Really? I'm right here, you know."

"Oh, we know," Luna quipped, smirking as she leaned back, crossing her arms smugly. "But you were never one for fun, were you, AlphaKing?"

"You keep saying that like it's a bad thing," Alex shot back, his tone lighter now, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He glanced at her, trying to gauge her mood, but Luna's expression was unreadable, her smile still firmly in place.

"Hmm, maybe not bad," she allowed, her gaze locking onto his, playful and challenging. "But I need someone who knows how to keep up with me."

"Oh, please," Davina interjected, rolling her eyes. "Like there's anyone who could keep up with you, Luna."

Luna's smile widened, her eyes never leaving Alex's. "Oh, you'd be surprised, Davina," she murmured softly, her tone almost daring. "I think Alex could... if he tried hard enough."

Alex's heart skipped a beat at the intensity of her gaze, and he swallowed, feeling heat creep up his neck. He shifted awkwardly, looking away. "You— You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" she teased, inching just a bit closer. "Maybe I'll have to put you to the test, Alpha."

"Alright, alright," Lucifer cut in, shaking his head with a laugh. "Give the poor man a break, Luna."

Luna blinked, then sighed dramatically, leaning back. "Fine, fine. I'll stop. But only because you asked."

"Uh-huh," Alex mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, still trying to recover from the unexpected verbal sparring.

Davina leaned back, studying them thoughtfully, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You two have a... strange dynamic," she observed. "It's almost like—"

"Like what?" Luna interrupted sweetly, tilting her head with a dangerously bright smile.

Davina hesitated, then shook her head, grinning. "Like a pair of old married folks bickering over breakfast."

Luna's jaw dropped dramatically, her eyes widening in mock horror. "Take that back!" she cried, pointing an accusatory finger at Davina. "I would never marry this—this—"

"Boring Alpha?" Davina supplied helpfully, grinning.

"Yes!" Luna agreed fervently, shooting Alex a quick glance to see his reaction. To her slight disappointment, he just sighed, shaking his head.

"You're all impossible," he muttered, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, betraying his amusement.

"Oh, don't be a grump, Alex," Luna teased, leaning back and poking his side lightly. "You need to loosen up a bit. Who knows—maybe one day you'll even learn how to have fun."

"Maybe one day you'll learn how to stop," he shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Touché," she murmured, smiling genuinely.

They fell into a companionable silence, the playful tension between them easing. Then, just as they seemed to settle into a quiet peace, Davina nudged Lucifer and leaned closer.

"So, what do you think?" she whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Would they make a cute couple?"

Lucifer pretended to consider it, his gaze flicking between Luna and Alex. "Hmm... maybe. If Alex could survive her constant flirting."

"Flirting?" Alex sputtered, glancing sharply at Luna. "Is that what this is?"

"Of course not," Luna said quickly, her tone overly sweet. "I don't flirt with boring people, remember?"

Lucifer smirked. "Guess you must find him interesting, then."

Luna opened her mouth, then closed it, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "You're all horrible," she muttered, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Not as horrible as you," Alex murmured softly, leaning closer to her ear so only she could hear. "But thanks for keeping things... interesting."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she glanced at him, surprised. But before she could respond, Davina clapped her hands together.

"Enough teasing! Let's eat before the food gets cold."

Luna's expression brightened instantly as her attention shifted to the platters. "Finally! I'm starving!"

Alex couldn't help but smile as he watched her dig in, her earlier bravado replaced by an almost childlike excitement. He'd never seen her look so... free.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked softly, leaning in just a little.

Luna looked up, her mouth full of cake, and nodded enthusiastically. "Mm-hmm!" she mumbled, crumbs scattering everywhere.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a mess."

She swallowed and stuck her tongue out at him. "And you're still boring."

"I guess we balance each other out, then," he said quietly.

She paused, staring at him. Then, slowly, a soft smile spread across her lips. "Yeah," she murmured. "Maybe we do."