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The day started off with Chloe running around the house looking for her keys. High and low, she turned the house upside down trying to find the damn things. By the time she discovered their whereabouts, her son was already sitting on the couch in his makeshift bed watching television. Oddly enough, she hadn’t even heard him wake up from his nap. As she took in his surroundings, she smiled and walked over the graveyard of toys and stuffed animals.
“What are you doing out here?” she cooed at him. The boy graced her with a huge smile and his arms out wide. Chloe leaned down and scooped him up in a hug. A fit of giggles escaped out of the child’s mouth as she attacked him with kisses.
“Mama!” he called out.
“Who put you out here? Daddy or Trixie?” she asked. The little monkey clung to her side and pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
“Tree!” he exclaimed, pointing over into the next room. Chloe turned towards the direction of the kitchen and saw her daughter making herself a bowl of cereal.
“Did she now? And she left you all alone?” Chloe said out loud for her daughter to hear.
Trixie walked out into the living room with her bowl and smiled at her baby brother.
“I made him a makeshift fort Mom, there was no way he was going to fall. I was watching him the whole time” Trixie explained. She walked up to her Mom and brother and pinched her brother’s chubby cheeks. “You’re a terrible look out, you know that?” The poor boy squirmed as his sister moved his left cheek from side to side.
“Be nice to your brother” Chloe said as Trixie moved past them and sat on the couch beside the small bed of blankets and pillows.
“I always am” she defended herself and opened her arms for her to accept the toddler. Chloe lowered him into her hands and watched the two share a cereal bowl. Chloe smiled and lost herself in the moment. “Where are you going?” Trixie asked.
“I have to go down to the store and grab some things for dinner. Lucifer was supposed to be accompanying me, but” she looked down at her clock on her phone and over to the bedroom. “I’m going to have to leave him. I swear, I’ve told him time after time, he doesn’t have to dress up just to go down to the grocery store.”
“It wouldn’t be Lucifer if he wasn’t in his suit, Mom. Go ahead, I’ll watch this little Devil until I have to head out.” She ruffled her brother’s curly hair and smiled up at her Mom.
“Head out? I wasn’t aware you were leaving.”
“I mentioned it the other night. Dad was supposed to bring it up again, when you guys were at work yesterday. I have a study session with a group of friends. I mean it’s not a big deal, I can be late. I can hang back for a while until you get home.” Chloe shook her head and looked down at her phone.
“No no, I don’t want to take up time when you could be studying. I’ll have Lucifer stay behind, this way you can get ready. You don’t have to babysit your brother.”
“Are you sure? I can stay back…” Chloe cut her off and leaned over to kiss Trixie on the head.
“That’s okay, Monkey, thank you. Your brother will just have to put up with his Father’s over dressed attire for morning cartoons.” Chloe leaned further down and kissed her son’s head. “I have to go but I’ll be back, okay?” Her son wasn’t listening, he was too focused on his cartoons. “Don’t let him watch too much, okay?”
Trixie saluted her Mother and watched her head out the front door. As soon as the door closed, she changed the channel on the T.V. Her brother wasn’t happy. He slapped her hand until she looked down at him.
“Hey I have fifteen minutes until I have to head out, let me watch my reality T.V.” The boy pouted with his arms crossed over his chest. “Fine but we’re watching Avatar, not Paw Patrol.”
“Okay!” he exclaimed. “Can I go back?” he asked, pointing to his little fort.
“Sure, do you need help?” her brother shook his head and slid down her legs.
“I big boy, I got it.” Trixie closely watched as he lifted his tiny body back onto the couch and over into his fort.
“What episode were we on?” she asked. It was rhetorical, but she laughed as her brother tried to recall the events of the last episode he remembered. For being two, he sure did have a memory on him. “Alright alright, I think I got it.”
Trixie pressed play and listened as her brother read out loud the opening credits of Avatar: The Last Airbender. With every element that was being read off, he made sure to reenact every movement as best as he could. She couldn’t help but giggle at her brother’s attempt, he was too cute. As the chapter title popped up on the screen, Trixie squealed.
“No! This is my favorite episode” she paused the show and looked over to her brother. “Secret tunnel!” she sang out.
“Stop! I wanna watch” he whined.
“Two lovers forbidden from one another. A war divides their people… Secret Tunnel! Wait there was something between that… what was it?” she asked herself. Trixie was oblivious to her brother’s whines when Lucifer walked out of the bedroom.
“What’s going on out here?” he called out.
Trixie was focused on her phone trying to look up the song, her brother was clicking every button on the remote trying to get the episode to play. Lucifer walked over into the livingroom and over to his son.
“Mor’in Papa” his son called out. Trixie started playing the song so her brother could hear.
“This song, listen.” The song played out and Trixie sang along. Lucifer sat down besides his son and watched Trixie sing a horrible off key tone of the song.
“I think your brother wants to watch the show more than listening to the song, Beatrice.” Lucifer pulled the remote out of the child’s tiny hands and fixed the boxes he’d created on the screen.
“That’s fine, I know he’ll be singing this song by lunchtime.” She stood up from the couch and grabbed her bowl of cereal. “I told Mom that I have a study thing today, I’m about to head out. You think you can handle him by yourself?” The mention of being by himself pulled his attention away from the remote and over to Trixie who was already in the kitchen washing her used bowl.
“Uh, what?” Lucifer called out. He played the episode all over again and let his son enjoy his favorite show.
“Your Mother left me?”
“You were taking too long, of course she left. Which worked out, because I have a study session at the library.”
“She didn’t even say goodbye.” Lucifer frowned and looked over to his son. His hand reached out and combed his son’s hair back.
“Wouldn’t take it personally, you took one for the team.”
Lucifer hummed and let it be. He did take too long to get dressed. Slowly, Lucifer shed his jacket and folded it inside out, laying it on the coffee table. He then proceeded to roll up his sleeves and take his shoes off. He was already dressed, there was no reason to waste a perfectly good outfit. As he got comfortable, his son’s eyes were glued to the television.
“Mind if I watch this with you?” Lucifer asked his son. His tiny head turned towards his Father and nodded his head. “Why thank you.”
“Hey I’m heading out, Lucifer” Trixie called out.
“Already? Alright, be safe! Message your Mother when you get to the library.”
“I will” Trixie grabbed her house keys from the rack and placed her backpack over her shoulder. “Bye Stinker-butt!” she called out to her brother.
“Bye bye Butt-head!” he retaliated back. Trixie closed the door behind her laughing.
“So it’s just me and you bud, what are we watching?” Lucifer asked. He was soon silenced with a shush.
“Watchin’, shush.” Lucifer concealed a laugh and used the arrow keys to highlight the show that was playing.
Lucifer could see he wasn’t going to get much out of his son, so he sat back and laid his arms over the back of the couch. He was more interested in his son than the show. He enjoyed hearing the laughter and giggles come from his son. Interested to see what his son was laughing at, Lucifer turned his head to the screen and smiled at a cartoon surrounded by water pretending to be an octopus. The two of them soon discovered the song Trixie played for them earlier.
“See-quet tunnel” the boy called out. He mummed at the words and finished with the band of singers. “Play again pweeze, Papa.” Lucifer couldn’t deny his son so he did as he was told. He smiled and listened to his son sing the short lived song. He had to admit, the song was catchy.
As the episode continued to play out, Lucifer spent the whole episode pausing the show and asking questions. His son was annoyed, but soon figured out that he would have a new buddy to watch the show with. The boy took his time answering his Father’s questions as best as he could. By the end of the episode, Lucifer was hooked. He played the next episode and relaxed into his son’s lap. He half expected the lad to move him, but instead he smiled and welcomed his Father’s close proximity.
“Oh I’m so tired. Mind if I become the baby?” Lucifer says snuggling up to his son. His head taking up both his son’s leg and his stomach.
“Okay, go to sleep Papa, go to sleep” he said. Lucifer chuckled at his son’s words.
“But I don’t want to sleep.”
“Go to sleep” his son repeated brushing his Father’s hair back.
“Oh, okay” Lucifer played along, closing his eyes with a smile on his face. As Lucifer’s eyes closed, his son reached out his hand and started rubbing Lucifer’s chest. The boy must have seen it done multiple times from Chloe, because it was the one thing she did for Lucifer. Lucifer couldn’t seem to keep a straight face and his eyes closed.
“Go to sleep” his son called out sweetly.
“You want me to go to sleep?”
“Yeah.” Lucifer chuckled but his son was having none of it. “Go to sleep, go to sleep” he repeated. Lucifer continued to laugh. “Not funny, go to sleep.”
Lucifer couldn’t believe this child, as his son continued to repeat the words he couldn’t seem to do as he was told. It seemed the boy was getting annoyed, his favorite show was being interrupted. He kept looking between the television and his Father waiting for him to settle down.
“Go to sleep. Go to sleep!” he called out tapping his tiny palm across his Father’s chest. The slaps were nothing but a feather’s touch to Lucifer. Laughter came out of Lucifer’s chest, but soon died down as he realized his son meant business.
“Alight, alright. Kiss?” Lucifer asked. His son pulled his eyes from the screen and bent over to place a kiss on his Father’s lips.
“Thank you.”
“Now, go to sleep” his son pressed. Lucifer bit down a smile and closed his eyes. His son continued to rub at his chest on and off throughout the episode. He was quite surprised, really. As the fourth episode began, Chloe walked into the house with a bag full of groceries.
“I’m home!” she called out. She was shushed by her son as she entered the living room.
“Shhh! Papa sleep’in.”
“I’m really not, but he insists I at least try,” Lucifer commented back.
“Nooo! You sleep.”
“Darling please” Lucifer pleaded. Chloe shook her head and headed back into the kitchen to put the groceries away. There was no way she was going to let Lucifer off, their son was caring for him. It wasn’t her fault, it was more on the edge of torture than affection.
“Sleep. I sing for you Papa” with a loud deep breath, his son blared out at the top of his lungs his new favorite song. “See-quet tunnel! See-quet tunnel.” Lucifer was having none of that, so he steadied his son's hand to stop him.
“Mommy has cookies, I can sneak you one if you let me go.” The boy weighed his Father’s words before answering. “Two cookies then.”
“Deal!” he said. Lucifer sat back up and paused the show. Free from his Father’s weight, the boy jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen.
Lucifer followed close behind and kissed Chloe on the cheek. He helped her place some of the groceries away into the cupboards. A Devil of his word, Lucifer snuck some cookies out of the cookie jar and passed the chocolate chip cookies over to his son. Like a happy little boy, he took off with them close to his chest. It was his and his Father’s little secret. Lucifer kept a close eye as the boy climbed back onto the couch and into his fort.
“Don’t think I didn’t see you give him cookies before lunch” Chloe said scolding Lucifer.
“It was only two cookies, the tiny ones. You know the mini ones that come in the bottle. I’m not even sure he’s seen a regular sized cookie. I dread the day he does.” Lucifer snuck around Chloe and hugged her from behind. “You left without me” he said whispering into her neck, leaving kisses behind.
“You took too long.”
“No one in the history of my life as ever said that to me.” Chloe let out a chuckle at his double meaning. “I’ll have you know, I picked your favorite suit. Shame you didn’t get to see it in its full glory.” Lucifer released Chloe from his hold. She turned around and looked him up and down.
“I actually like this look more,” she unbuttoned one more button to get a better look of his chest.
“Do you?” Lucifer said, raising his eyebrow. “Maybe when he falls asleep you can show me just how much you enjoy this new look.” Chloe nodded her head and stood on her tippy toes to kiss Lucifer.
Just as their lips touched, their son’s voice bounced off the walls. They pulled apart fast and looked into the living room. The muffled voice of “secret tunnel” was all they could hear clearly out of their son’s vocabulary. Lucifer chuckled and pulled Chloe out of the kitchen.
“I blame the urchin, she showed him this show. He has this song stuck in his head. She did warned me he’d get attached.”
“Mama, come come. Sing with me.” Chloe sat besides her son and smiled as he tried to sing the song.
“What are we singing?” she asked.
Lucifer smiled as the two rehearsed their song. Never in his long life, had he thought he’d end up here. He was grateful. He was happy.
Two lovers, forbidden from one another
A war divides their people
And a mountain divides them apart
Built a path to be together
...Yeah, and I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes...
Secret tunnel!
Secret tunnel!
Through the mountain!
Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!"