Chapter Text
Lucifer Morningstar was so excited he could hardly think straight.
Tonight was his date with Chloe! He couldn’t believe that he was finally going to have dinner with her. He had cancelled a week ago, thanks to Amenadiel and his bloody stupid comments, but nothing was going to stop him tonight. He hoped that he would be able to please her -- her opinion meant everything to him. She meant everything to him.
He checked his reflection in the mirror. Best black vested bespoke suit? Check. Favorite burgundy silk shirt? Check. Clean underwear? Of course, check! One never knew where the evening might lead... Not that he minded going commando -- or completely naked, for that matter -- but he figured the detective might appreciate clothes for their first date. Who knows, perhaps he could model his silk boxers for her...? He grinned as he continued his inspection. Hair neatly styled and in place? Check! Tie...? No. No tie. Running his hands down the front of his vest, he took a deep breath. He was as ready as he would ever be.
Striding to the bar, he snatched up the huge bouquet of red roses he had purchased earlier for her. He called to double-check the dinner reservation at Angelini Osteria, then nodded to himself. He was ready.... Wasn’t he? He dashed to the mirror one last time to check his reflection. He looked good -- nay, he looked great! Now all he had to do was keep his composure and not make goo-goo eyes at her. After all, he was the Devil! The Devil made goo-goo eyes at no one! No one!
________________________________________
“Are you making goo-goo eyes at me?” Chloe asked from across the table at the Italian restaurant.
“What?” Lucifer suddenly straightened his tilted head and blinked at the beautiful woman in the sexy red dress before him. Was he? Horror filled his entire being. Had he tipped his hand? Did she realize how much she meant to him? “Er... you’re not eating. Do you not find the food to your liking?”
“Are you avoiding the question?” Her eyes danced with amusement.
He motioned at her plate. “Your Dover sole Romagnola looks delicious.”
She chuckled at his obvious attempt to change the subject. “Well, it is quite tasty,” she said as she took a bite. Lucifer watched her beautiful lips part as she slid the morsel inside her mouth, and suddenly wished he was that piece of Dover sole. “Mm, oh, that is good!”
He shifted suddenly in his chair as arousal ignited within him, setting him aflame. Her exclamations of delight sounded so... passionate. Was that how she would sound when they had sex? He watched her take another bite, and squirmed as all sorts of X-rated images flashed through his mind. Oh, the things they could do with food....
“Oh, oh, oh,” Chloe moaned, her eyes sparkling mischievously as they grabbed his gaze and wouldn’t let go. “Oh, yes, sooooo good....”
The minx -- she was teasing him! Him -- the Devil! No one ever dared to tease him -- they were always too... afraid. Warmth that had nothing to do with arousal filled his chest, softening the hard planes of his face and gentling his eyes.
She chuckled. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
She slanted him a coy glance. “Making goo-goo eyes.”
He jumped. Bloody hell, was he? Clearing his throat, he started fiddling with his utensils as he broke eye contact with her. A quick glance showed her looking at him with a cocked head and a somewhat sad smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, I’m just teasing you -- I’ll stop,” she said gently.
“Please don’t,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. Appalled at his wayward tongue, he stuttered, “I-I mean... I... it’s just that....”
Reaching across the table, her face grew serious as she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry, Lucifer. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that you’re usually so... you, you know? This is the first time I’ve seen you a little off-balance, and I got carried away. I won’t do it anymore.”
Wait... did she think he didn’t want her to tease him? Oh no, that wasn’t what he meant at all! He opened his mouth to tell her that he never wanted her to stop teasing him, but at that moment she withdrew her hand, leaving him bereft of her touch. The affectionate warmth in the atmosphere suddenly dissipated as Chloe focused on the fish before her.
How to fix this? Lucifer panicked a bit. He didn’t want to hurt Chloe’s feelings -- that was the last thing he wanted! But... he had no experience in dating. Usually when he went out with a human, they just cut to the chase and wound up in bed -- but Chloe was different. He didn’t want to diminish the experience. He wanted it to be... beautiful.
She glanced up at him, her eyes friendly, but nothing more than that. Cutting off a portion of her fish, she placed it on his plate. “Here, it’s really good. You should try it.”
Lucifer glanced at the fish then back up at her. He’d never had a human share food with him. It was... odd, and strangely heartwarming. Was she trying to make amends? Well, he wasn’t about to reject her! Slicing off a piece of his veal chop Milanese, he placed it on her plate with a soft smile. “Very well, Detective. But then you must try some of the veal.”
Chloe smiled back, filling Lucifer with happiness. How could such a simple exchange of food fill him with so much joy? It was incomprehensible. He had never felt such wonderful feelings with anyone else -- ever. How he wanted this dinner to last forever!
“So are you writing anything new, Lightbringer1?” she asked him over dessert.
“Ah... well... no,” he said shyly as he poked his affogato al caffe. He wasn’t used to discussing his romantic tales with many people, and had never thought Chloe would really take an interest. “I... I haven’t thought of anything new to write just yet.”
Chloe’s eyes twinkled like stars as she pushed aside her panna cotta and leaned forward on the table. “Can I make a request?”
Lucifer came to attention. “Please do, Detective.”
“Well, a lot of your stories are quite serious,” she said. “I was wondering if you could write something a little lighter, maybe? For me?”
Excitement flooded through him, pouring through every inch of his body and lighting up his insides like a Christmas tree. “I would be honored to write something for you. What would you like?”
“Hmmm.” She tapped her index finger to her chin as she looked up at the ceiling; Lucifer found the action charming. “How about... your Lucifer winds up in the hospital somehow --”
“Bloody hell, that’s something lighter?” he exclaimed. “I never took you to be a sadist, my dear.”
“Hold on, just hear me out,” she said, holding up her hand in a “wait a moment” gesture. “So Lucifer ends up in the hospital, and his detective brings her daughter to see him, since he’s important to both of them, and her daughter adores him.”
Heat quickly climbed up Lucifer’s neck and burned his cheeks at her statement. He was important to her, and her little spawn? Pleasure filled him, making his chest puff out. Of course, he didn’t like little humans, but the thought that her little spawn adored him did funny things to his insides.
“Oh, and be sure to somehow work in that the daughter insists they bring Lucifer a man-sized teddy bear.”
His mouth dropped open. “Surely you jest.”
Chloe grinned. “Nope! I want a story I can read to Trixie. Can you do it? Can you write something warm and fluffy?”
“But -- I -- you can’t possibly --” he sputtered.
“Please?”
Bloody hell, he couldn’t resist her! Why couldn’t he resist her? After all, he was the Devil -- the Devil did not write fluffy stories!
At his silence, she bit her lower lip. “Is it too much to ask? That’s okay, then,” she said, but he heard the disappointment in her tone. He scrambled to dispel it.
“No, my dear -- not at all.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“You don’t have to --”
“I want to,” he said, surprising himself. He found that he did want to. He would do anything to make her smile. Pushing his dessert toward her, he asked, “Would you like a bite of the affogato? Vanilla gelato drowned in espresso is quite delicious.”
“Thank you, I’ll try it,” she said eagerly. Picking up her spoon, she took a chunk of the gelato and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes rolled skyward as she said, “Mm. Divine.”
Lucifer flushed. She had taken a bit that he had eaten off of. Wasn’t that the equivalent of a kiss? Butterflies suddenly took flight in his stomach, causing all sorts of sensations within him.
“Here,” she said, pushing the panna cotta toward him. “Try this. It’s wonderful.”
His hand shaking with anticipation, he scooped a spoonful from the portion she had eaten from, and placed it in his mouth. The creamy texture combined with the flavorful burst of vanilla on his tongue had him grinning like a fool. Why did everything taste so good when he was with the detective? He wondered if she’d taste like vanilla, if he kissed her right now, or espresso...?
His expression must have betrayed his thoughts, for her face grew still, and her aqua eyes darkened. Her lips parted, and a charming blush touched her cheeks. She stared at his mouth, then up at his eyes. He was captured by the passion he saw there. If they both leaned forward across the table, their lips could meet.... Almost as if pulled by a magnet, they started leaning toward each other. Lucifer’s breath caught. They were close -- oh, they were so close! He could see her beautiful eyes, so full of desire, as they breathed the same breath --
A loud cell phone ring interrupted them, and they sprang apart as if burned.
As Chloe scrambled to get her phone out of her purse, Lucifer cursed whoever was on the other end. Bloody hell, he had been so close to kissing her! So bloody close...!
“Decker. What? Okay, hold on....” She glanced up at him with an apologetic glance. “Sorry, I have to take this,” she whispered, then rose to her feet and took the call outside. Lucifer leaned back in his chair, frustration in every line of his body. Damn it all!
A few minutes later Chloe returned, an apologetic look on her face. Lucifer knew what that meant -- their dinner was coming to an unexpected end. No romance afterward, no modeling his boxer shorts, no possible horizontal dancing on the sheets.... He sighed.
“That was Trixie’s babysitter, Ashley,” she said. “She said her mom slipped and fell, so she has to go home right away. I’m so sorry, Lucifer, but I have to go --”
“I... I understand. Emergencies happen,” he said, struggling to keep the disappointment out of his voice. “If you would wait just a moment, I will drive you home.”
Summoning the waiter, he quickly threw down a few hundred dollar bills, then rose and helped her put on her wrap. Offering her his arm, he walked her out front, where the valet ran to get the Corvette. As they waited for the car, Lucifer took both of Chloe’s hands in his.
“I... I hope you enjoyed yourself, Detective,” he said softly as he gazed into her eyes. “Thank you for joining me for dinner.”
“I’m sorry I have to cut it short,” she said with a grimace. “I was having a wonderful time....”
“I do hope we can do it again soon...?”
She smiled brilliantly at him. “I do too.”
Happiness grabbed a hold of his heart, making it swell so much that he thought it would burst. He lifted her hands to his lips with the intent of kissing them, but just then the car pulled up. Bloody hell, would he ever get to kiss the detective?! Perhaps this was all dear old Dad’s doing? Fuming inwardly, he gave Chloe his most charming smile as the valet helped her into the car.
________________________________________
After dropping Chloe off at her apartment, Lucifer headed back toward LUX. The night was still young, but he didn’t feel like drinking and dancing. The disappointment of his date night getting cut short was too much -- he just wanted to go home. Actually, he wanted to change, then head to the library to work on the story for Chloe and her daughter. He winced as he thought of the giant man-sized teddy bear he had to write about. Bloody hell, how did he get roped into writing a fluffy story?
Shaking his head at his own folly as he tossed his keys at the valet, he quickly maneuvered his way through the club and headed to the elevator. Once inside, he shucked off his jacket and leaned against the side wall of the car. In mere seconds the doors opened to his penthouse... and standing at the bar was Amenadiel.
Bloody hell, what was that pill doing here again? Was this a replay of a week ago? Draping his jacket over his shoulder, he sauntered into his home and strode up to his brother.
“What are you doing here?” he asked without ceremony as he tossed his jacket onto the bar.
Amenadiel gazed at him, his eyes narrowed, before his fist shot out and punched Lucifer in the jaw. Reeling, the fallen angel struggled to stay on his feet as he turned and glared at his brother.
“What was that for?!”
“You ass!” Amenadiel raged. “You fricking ass! How dare you make me the bad guy of your story!” He jumped his fallen brother and pummeled his face, anger giving him superior strength. Lucifer struggled to block his brother’s blows, and finally kicked him away.
“Bloody hell, Amenadiel, I merely wrote down your words!”
“You ass, you made me look bad! I was trying to help you, and you turned me into a villain!”
“It was a bloody piece of fiction!”
“You made me into a laughing stock in front of the entire world!”
A mocking laugh erupted from Lucifer’s bloodied lips. “Bloody hell, are you that full of yourself? I never mentioned your name -- no one knows who it is! And I only wrote what you said! If anything, I was the one who suffered -- I called off my date with the Detective because of you!”
Rushing his brother, Lucifer tackled the angel and punched him twice in the face before Amenadiel kicked him into a nearby bookshelf. The Devil groaned as he pulled himself from the wreckage, and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. Glaring at his brother with eyes flickering with yellow and red flame, he pulled himself to his feet.
“I’m glad you called off your stupid date!” Amenadiel yelled.
“Well, luckily the detective gave me a second chance, no thanks to you!” he yelled back.
“What?!”
“That’s right!” Lucifer cried, straightening to his full height and puffing out his chest. “The detective went to dinner with me, and guess what? She bloody well enjoyed herself!”
“You idiot! You absolute idiot! You’re only making things worse for yourself in the long run!”
Lucifer froze in his tracks. “W-what are you talking about?”
“I mean --” Amenadiel broke off, running a hand over his head with jerky movements. “I mean... Why did you have to date Chloe?! Heavenly Father, why couldn’t you just come home with Mom and I?”
“I told you, I’m never going back!”
“And you really think you can stay here?! With Chloe?!” Amenadiel lunged at his fallen brother, grabbing him by the vest and hauling him close. “You’re so selfish, Luci. So selfish and arrogant! The Devil leads a charmed life, is that it? Well, I have news for you -- you don’t!” He slammed his fist into Lucifer’s face, sending him flying into the bedroom.
The fallen angel staggered to his feet, but before he could gather himself, Amenadiel punched him in the gut, then threw him into the bathroom. Grabbing his brother’s head, he slammed it into the mirror. The glass spiderwebbed, reflecting a thousand images of the two brothers fighting. Lucifer elbowed his brother hard then punched him in the jaw, sending him flying backward. Amenadiel scrambled to his feet and tackled his brother into the mirror once again. Shards of glass flew into the air like stardust.
Grabbing the Devil’s hair in his fist, Amenadiel whirled around and thrust his brother’s face into another mirror -- an unbroken one -- forcing him to look at his reflection. Lucifer’s eyes glowed a fiery red as he struggled against the angel, but Amenadiel pinned him tightly to the glass.
“Look at yourself, Luci! Take a good, hard look! Do you think Chloe -- no, anyone -- would be interested in you if they saw your real face? You’re the Devil -- a monster! Are you so selfish that you’d condemn her to a life of being the Devil’s Consort? Why can’t you think about her needs instead of your own for once in your self-centered life?!”
Lucifer caught a glimpse of his eyes, aglow with flame. Inhuman. Monstrous. No, no, no...! Squeezing them shut, he shouted, “I love her!”
“Love?!” Amenadiel spat the word as if it was a curse. “You don’t even know the meaning of the word! You’ve never loved anyone in your entire life! If you truly loved her, you would let her go before you destroyed her!”
The Devil’s shoulders slumped at Amenadiel’s words, and the fire left his eyes. He did love Chloe -- with everything he had. He couldn’t say he understood the feeling at all, but he knew that he didn’t want to hurt her, and certainly didn’t want to destroy her. He just... wanted to be with her, to spend time with her, to... love her. Was that so wrong?
Feeling his brother sag under his grip, Amenadiel’s tone softened. “Let her go, Luci. Come back to Heaven with Mom and I. Please... before you get hurt.”
Dropping Lucifer to the floor, the angel stepped over his prone body. Lucifer lay where he fell, listening to his brother’s footsteps recede. Only when he heard the whine of the elevator taking him away did the Devil pull himself up to a sitting position. He touched the various bruises on his face, before rubbing the ache in his heart. Why couldn’t Amenadiel just leave him alone? Why couldn’t everyone just let him be happy?
“Chloe....” he whispered.
He didn’t want to destroy her... the one good thing that ever touched his life. He pulled himself to his feet then turned to the unshattered mirror. Taking a deep breath, he let his true face emerge. Scarred, bloody, burned... hideous. He turned away in disgust.
No... the detective would never be able to love him. He was a monster.