Work Text:
The sky was already tinted in the soft pink of awakening morning when Lucifer finally made his way back to Lux. The case had been long and dark and harrowing and it had dragged on and on, from one week into the next until they had finally caught a break and, at last, had arrested the perpetrator. And once again Lucifer was left not understanding how senseless it all was, the way humans killed each other, and how they lived, too, perhaps. The entire great plan that stretched out far beyond their reach and encompassed them all, letting them wake and breathe and live and die and in between fill it all in their own colours as they pleased, light and joyful and dark and grey. He was learning, but he didn’t yet understand the tapestry that made them up, and he doubted he ever would. They were similar, in that none of them knew what their destiny held and what their true purpose was, and yet so vastly different from one another.
He sighed as he stepped towards the building. It had begun to rain, the little drops dancing softly on the pavement and he sped up his gait and had almost reached the front door when he heard it, a quiet but distinct cry coming from around the corner. He halted in his tracks, uncertain for a moment if he had perhaps imagined it when it sounded again, a little louder and more distressed this time. Brows knitting in a frown, he turned on his heels to follow the sound all the way into the alley right next to Lux, scanning it quickly until at last he saw it: there, cowering in between the garbage bins, crying pitifully as it got drenched in the heavy rain, sat a small entirely black kitten that couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old. Crouching down beside the bins and careful not to get his suit dirty, he reached out for it slowly but it retreated with a quiet meow, burrowing further into the perceived safety of the brick wall behind it. It was shaking, perhaps out of fear or from the cold of the rain, or maybe both. Still, when Lucifer finally grabbed a hold of it, it hardly struggled, only wriggled a bit before giving up the fight and settling into the palm of his hand, a trembling ball of fur. It fit there comfortably, its tiny body curled tightly into a ball and deep, dark eyes nervously darting around before they finally met his as he curved his other hand around it to shield it from the rain.
For a second he stood completely still as the rain continued to fall around them, unsure of what to do next. He could drop it off at a shelter, perhaps, or maybe the Detective...no, she had mentioned before that her mother was allergic and he also wasn’t sure how Maze would take to another roommate. She could be quite unpredictable when it came to animals, taking a liking to some of them and yet completely averse to others. Shelter it was, then. Or should be, at least, because somehow, somehow he couldn’t bring himself to take the little cat there which was quite peculiar, to put it mildly. He was the devil, not exactly known for going around and rescuing kittens from dark alleys and here he was doing just that - and actually contemplating taking it home. He sighed softly, eyes still focused on the tiny thing in his hand, which was regarding him curiously by now. It wasn’t shaking quite as heavily anymore, as if it somehow understood that this tall, dark, broody man was not going to hurt it. Instead it stretched out its tiny paws and yawned softly before curling up into a ball once again. Something inside him twitched at the sight. It was foreign to him, this feeling of being trusted. Even with the Detective, there was always that small speck of doubt in the back of his mind, as if something inside him was just waiting for the other shoe to drop and her to leave. And here this tinyl, obviously neglected creature had taken two looks at him and somehow deemed him trustworthy enough to fall asleep in his palm. It was a unique feeling, spreading through him with warm fingers and taking hold of his heart.
He took it home, of course. Walking briskly through the deserted club, he held the kitten close to him and didn’t release it until he’d finally reached the penthouse. There he set it down on the carpet in front of the couch and watched as it looked around before walking unsteadily towards the fireplace, where it promptly curled up and closed its eyes, soft purrs escaping it as it fell asleep. He watched it for a second, unsure as to what to do next. He’d need provisions. Food, both a feeding and a water dish, a cat bed, a litter box, toys. He’d have to potty train it and take it to the vet for a check-up and shots and entertain it and oh, he was in way over his head. He’d never had another creature depend on him like this. Sure, Maze had depended on him in a way, but he didn’t have to feed her or take her to the doctor - company and the use of his credit card had always been enough, but this? This was different. Panicking slightly, he took a deep breath before starting to pace up and down his living room. He could hire someone to look after the cat he supposed, but it felt wrong somehow. He didn’t know why but somehow he was determined to do this right . This tiny kitten trusted him and he did not want to forfeit that. But how?
Stopping suddenly in his tracks, he turned around to grab his phone off the couch table as an idea came over him suddenly. Dialling the familiar number, he held the phone to his ear and waited for a few seconds until finally, he was greeted by a groggy voice.
“Lucifer, it is 5am in the morning, what do you want?”
She didn’t sound angry, just tired and almost resigned and he vowed to apologize later. For now there were more pressing matters.
“Detective, I need your help,” he said with no small amount of urgency in his voice.
“What is it?,” she sounded more alert now and he could hear the rustling of sheets as she presumably got out of bed.
“I found a kitten,” he blurted out even before she had finished speaking. “It was in the alley behind Lux and for some reason I felt compelled to take it with me and now I’m finding myself at a loss as to what to do with it.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone line for a few beats as she processed his words.
“Detective?,” he enquired when she still did not speak after half a minute.
“I’m still there,” she replied slowly and he could hear her sigh. “You rescued a kitten?”
“Yes, I just told you that!”
“Well it’s just not something I ever expected to hear you say!”
He could hear the soft laughter in her voice and felt himself pouting slightly.
“I’m glad my predicament amuses you, Detective. Now can you please help me.”
Another few seconds of silence passed.
“Alright,” she said at last, drawing out the word. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“But Detective -” he started to argue because didn’t she understand? There was a tiny, alive kitten in his penthouse. In a few hours it may have starved or scratched him to death or peed on all of his expensive furniture but she ignored his complaints completely.
“It’s 5am in the morning,” she replied simply. “And we’ve had a long week and a long night. You’ll be fine for a few hours, I’m sure. Just don’t give it any scotch.”
And then, before he had the chance to say anything at all, she hung up the phone, leaving him alone with the tiny, black kitten that was sleeping peacefully on the carpet in front of his fireplace.
It was after 8 when he finally heard the ding of the elevator and she stepped into the penthouse. She wasn’t alone, however, and before he’d had the chance to speak, a small body had already barrelled into his legs.
“Where is it, Lucifer?” Beatrice Espinoza asked excitedly, eyes darting around the penthouse in search for the animal. “Where’s the kitten?”
Trying to pry the child from his leg, Lucifer heaved a sigh.
“Hiding somewhere, I suppose. I did not take too kindly to the fact that the little miscreant peed on my Egyptian rug.”
The Detective gave him a look and he held up his hands as Beatrice took off in the direction off the couch, presumably to look for the vicious little thing.
“I did not hurt it, I promise. I merely gave it a stern talking to and it seems to have had the good sense to take it to heart.”
Chloe merely nodded and it was only then that he noticed the bag she was still holding. She set it down on the ground next to her and immediately started rummaging through it, producing two small bowls and some cat food as well as two small toys.
“The pet store wasn’t open yet,” she explained as she picked up the things. “So you’re going to have to get a littler box and a cat bed later -”
“If the bloody thing ever even learns how to use it,” Lucifer interjected, drawing another look from his partner.
“Anyway, this should tide you over until then,” she finished with a smile. “Where do you want it? Next to the bar maybe?”
Lucifer’s shrug had Chloe roll her eyes as she carried the items over to the bar and setting them down. Opening the bag of cat food, she poured some into one of the bowls before filling the other with water.
“Okay, now all we need is the kitten.” She said blithely once she stood up again.
“I got it!” Trixie’s triumphant voice came from the direction of the couch and they turned around to find her walking towards them, the small, black ball of fur safely in her arms.
“Isn’t it cute, mommy?” She exclaimed once she reached them and Lucifer had to roll his eyes at the way Chloe immediately cooed at the little thing, reaching out her hand to bury it in the kitten’s soft fur.
“Yes, very cute,” he said with a sigh. “Now fix it.”
Chloe’s eyebrow shot up in amusement at his words.
“Fix it? Lucifer it’s just a baby cat that has not been potty trained yet. It’s not broken. And it is indeed very cute.”
Petting it gently, she smiled at the little kitten.
“What’s its name, Lucifer?” Trixie enquired without looking up.
“Why would it need a name?” he asked and promptly held up his hands as two pairs of eyes descended upon him. “It’s not like there are any other bloody cats around here.”
“It has to have a name,” Chloe agreed with her daughter. “What do you think, monkey?”
The child regarded the animal for a second, before looking up at the adults with a big smile.
“I think it looks like the night sky,” she declared and the Detective nodded.
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Taking her phone out of her pocket, she tapped something into the search bar.
“Hmmm…,” she said after a second. “What about Noc?”
“Oh, pretty!” Trixie replied, cuddling the cat just a little bit closer. “What does it mean?”
“It means night in the Slavic languages,” Lucifer stated before Chloe had the chance to speak and she shot him a surprised look.
“How do you -”
“How many times do I have to tell you that I speak all languages, Detective,” he retorted and she shook her head at his antics before turning her attention back to the subject at hand.
“I think it’s a great name!” Trixie exclaimed, finally setting the small kitten on the floor. Together they watched as it stumbled towards the food bowl and Trixie and Chloe giggled as it dove right in, greedily eating up the food.
“I can’t believe you rescued a cat,” Chloe said, not taking her eyes off Noc. “The self-proclaimed devil, a big softie.”
She smiled at him and Lucifer could not help the mirroring expression that stole its way onto his own face.
“Yeah well,” he replied after a beat. “I’m kind of regretting that decision now.”
But his eyes were soft as he regarded first the little kitten and then the child and the woman next to him and Chloe raised her eyebrow knowingly.
Stepping a bit closer to him, she surprised him by grabbing hold of his arm as Beatrice crouched down to grab hold of one of the toys. Noc, apparently sated, followed her as she moved away with it, the child’s laughter ringing through the penthouse. He looked down at Chloe who was still holding onto his arms, a small smile dancing over her lips.
There was that feeling again, the one he’d had earlier when he’d found the little cat in the rain, as if a long forgotten part of him was slowly waking up.
It was peculiar indeed, and maybe a bit worrisome too, because of how utterly unpredictable and uncontrollable it seemed. And still, as he returned the smile the Detective was giving him and they watched her daughter and the small cat play together, he had the feeling that he could get used to it.