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“Are you kidding me?” Chloe yelled, watching her car take off down the road. It was utterly unbelievable.
For someone who was in a relationship on Valentine’s Day, this was the worst yet.
And Chloe didn’t even care about the significance of it. It was pure irony that the day had gotten progressively worse.
--
5 hours earlier
“Good morning, Detective.” Lucifer greets Chloe as she comes down the stairs, breakfast laid out over the benchtop.
“Lucifer, you have got to stop breaking into my house.”
It’s bad enough that she had another sex-dream about him last night, his hands warm as they roamed over her body, her breath on his neck as she moaned.
“I didn’t, Maze let me in.” he smiles smugly, and Chloe rolls her eyes, hoping he’ll attest the flush in her cheeks to the shower that she just took.
“Of course she did.” She sits down on one of the stools next to the bench, taking the plate that Lucifer offers her and picking some food.
“It looks like Trixie’s already eaten. I find it worrying that sometimes you feed my kid better than I do in the mornings.” Chloe frowned at Lucifer.
“Mommy! I’m off to school now, and Maze is walking me!” Trixie bursts out of her room, running over to hug Chloe.
“Speak of the spawn. Good morning, Beatrice.” Lucifer smiles and pats her head, and Trixie giggles.
“Again?”
“It’s the best.” Trixie replies solemnly as Maze emerges from her room, pausing in the door to finish zipping one of her boots.
“Okay. Have a good day at school, monkey. I’ll see you later.” Chloe kisses the top of Trixie’s head and watches Maze hold her hand out for the girl before they walk out the door.
“Bye Mom! Bye Lucifer!” Trixie calls as Lucifer waves.
“Now that the spawn is gone, shall we take advantage of our free time prior to work?” Lucifer asks, looking at her with ‘follow me to bed’ eyes that she’s seen him use on her before. It was so difficult to resist them now, she has no idea how she’d managed earlier.
“No.” Chloe laughs, shoving some eggs into her mouth to stop herself from saying ‘yes’.
She can still remember the damn dream with the ‘Love Handles’, and she figures there’s a high chance of Maze appearing with popcorn next to her bed if she and Lucifer take advantage of the empty house. That is not a risk she was willing to take.
“Shame.” He sighs, and Chloe shoves him with her shoulder lightly.
“Maybe later, if you’re good.” She winked.
“But I’m terrible at being good, Detective! It’s like you’ve set me up to fail! You’re dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, but the carrot is in a different country. Not fair at all.”
--
It hits Chloe what day it is when she walks into the coffee shop to find paper hearts stuck everywhere.
“Oh God.” She mutters, running straight back out before Lucifer can follow her in (he’s currently lounging against her car, but she knows if she takes a minute longer he’ll wander in to annoy her).
The last thing she wants is Lucifer trying to make a fuss over her on Valentine’s Day. She doesn’t even know if he does Valentine’s Day, it’s been all of a month and a half, and they’re still a little shaky because Lucifer keeps on asking her if it’s real. Besides, she doesn’t really want anyone in the precinct to know that they’re a thing, because Ella surely won’t stop gushing about it and she doesn’t care to be on the receiving end of judgey looks from Dan. At least she didn’t sleep with Charlotte Richards!
On her haste to leave the coffee shop, someone smashes into her and she feels their iced beverage spill all down her shirt.
“Watch out!” Chloe snaps at the business man who sneers at her.
“I should say the same to you.”
It’s a shame that you can’t arrest someone for being a jerk, honestly. But if that were the case, she would have arrested Lucifer ages ago.
Grabbing the napkins one of the baristas hands her with a ‘thanks’, she dabs at her shirt as she heads outside.
Lucifer’s eyebrows rise when he spots her hauling ass back to the car, and he grins.
“Did you intend to make your shirt see-through, for me? “ He asks, and she waves a hand.
“Shut up.”
“It’s such a turn on when you’re bossy.” He smirks.
Her cheeks flush. Damn it. It’s a turn on when he admits he finds her sexually attractive.
“Get in the car.” She snaps in response, and he lifts his eyebrows again but says nothing, climbing in.
She grabs the spare shirt out of the back seat, and stops at a bathroom on the way to work to change.
“I could help you, if you desire.” Lucifer’s gaze rolls over her skin, and she groans in frustration. He stops smirking, and folds his hands over his lap.
“Stay in the car.” She stalks off, trying to get the images of him peeling her stained and still damp shirt off, how close they would feel in the confined space of the bathroom.
--
Everything is smooth when they get to work – the precinct doesn’t do decorations, or make a fuss of Valentine’s. They’re assigned a case tracking down a witness who’s scattered after being caught in the middle of a drug deal. Lucifer rubs his hands together gleefully about ‘free drugs’.
“Lucifer, you will not compromise this assignment by trying to procure drugs.”
“Not even a smidgeon?” he asks, and she frowns.
“Lucifer, need I lecture you on the importance of professionalism?” she presses.
“Joking, Detective!” he lets his hand settle on her lower back as she draws a deep breath in.
“You are so frustrating.” She smiles, turning her face to look at him.
He glances around and reaches up; letting his thumb come up to stroke her cheek.
“You are so stubborn.”
His hand settles on her back as they walk to the car, and Chloe smiles. Everything between her and Lucifer has been too shaky of late, it’s like he’s been double guessing every touch and action. But that felt right.
Maybe it will be a good day after all.
--
All of Chloe’s hopes for a good day dissipate when, on the way to the witness’ house they pick up lunch. It’s not at that moment that she knows she’s not going to have a good day, because the take-away box stuffed with Tacos in her hands is a very, very good aspect.
Their witness lives three doors down from the Taco truck parked on the corner, and they get nowhere knocking on his door, so they break for lunch. Lucifer is excited, his eyes light up when they land on the truck and she figures she’ll ask him about it over lunch as they line up with the crowd to order.
It’s unfortunate that, as they’re walking away with their food they spot their witness in the middle of dealing drugs to someone.
“LAPD!” Chloe shouts, her spare hand fumbling for her gun. Lucifer is about to lift the taco to his mouth and hasn’t reacted yet, except to chortle at what he thought was the two guys making out.
Thankfully his dirty and inquisitive mind brought her attention to the fact that their witness-turned-dealer, who Chloe suspects ratted out the others to capitalise on the now open market, is currently engaged in illegal activities.
What idiot deals so close to their apartment, she wonders, before he turns towards her and runs.
Granted, she’s partially blocking the alleyway exit, but she doesn’t expect him to run at her, knocking her food out of her hand and launching towards the street. Gun not fully positioned yet, she flies back into Lucifer, his food flying up into the air and out of his hands. Her gun follows the trajectory, and she hears it clatter to the pavement. Fuck.
He stops her from falling, his arms dragging her back as the food falls around them like rain.
“I have been waiting weeks to try those bloody tacos!” Lucifer bellows, his hands reaching into her pocket as he steadies her. She lurches forward to grab her gun, other hand reaching for her keys as she watches the dealer hop into a car and take off down the street. It’s then that she notices Lucifer has her keys, and is jumping into her car. He tears off down the street after their target, the tyres squealing on the road as both cars disappear.
“Are you kidding me?” She yells, searching her pockets. It’s then she realises that, stupidly, she’s left her phone and her wallet in the glovebox.
She blames Lucifer for offering to shout lunch, which she now also doesn’t have because it’s lying in pieces on the pavement. She hauls the second guy out of the alley where he’s huddled, cuffing him and muttering under her breath as she stalks back towards the taco truck.
“Can I burrow your phone?” she asks the server, and they nod and quickly pass over theirs. She dials the precinct, a squad car arriving shortly after and she puts her witness, hopefully not turned drug-dealer into the backseat and hops into the passenger seat, Dan waiting in the driver’s seat.
“Rough arrest, huh? Where’s Lucifer?”
“In my car.”
“Where’s your car?” he asks.
“I don’t know yet.” Chloe glares and Dan starts to laugh but stops the second he sees her face.
“Right. Back to the station.” He puts the car into gear and drives, oddly quiet the entire drive back, apart from him volunteering to drive Trixie to and from the school dance, and have her stay at his that night.
--
She processes her latest arrest, pressing him for details and a statement. He caves easy, the only thing that seems to have gone right the entire day.
When she finishes, Lucifer is nowhere to be found but her car keys are sitting on her desk and Daniel is shoving the witness-turned-drug-dealer into a holding cell. Finishing up her paperwork takes no time at all, and she’s sitting at her desk thinking about how hungry she is when her Lieutenant approaches her desk and tells her to take the rest of the day.
Grateful, she grabs her keys and heads to her car.
She’s sure it’s supposed to improve her mood, but the rose sitting in the glovebox with her phone and her wallet just piss her off more, and she’s fuming by the time she pulls into her driveway.
All of today presses down on her shoulders as she climbs out of the car, thinking of the spilled coffee and stained shirt, the ruined lunch, and watching Lucifer ‘Fast and Furious’ away from her after a perp. Granted, he seemed to have got the guy but she didn’t even get an apology apart from a stupid rose tucked into her glovebox and she’s not in the mood to deal with any of Lucifer’s protests right now.
She almost slams the door open with how pissed she is, and Maze actually jumps from where she’s sitting on the couch.
“What on earth happened to you?”
“Everything.”
“Do you want to burn some stuff?” Maze grins, her eyes glinting.
“Maze, isn’t there someone else you can bother tonight?” Chloe stares at the other woman, and Maze holds her hands up.
“Can we solve it with drink?”
“I want to be alone.” Chloe throws her keys onto the hallway table, and Maze raises her eyebrows.
“I’ll see you later.” She disappears out the door, and Chloe sighs as she enjoys the silence in the apartment. She trudges upstairs, dropping her clothes and all but diving into the bath the minute it fills. It smells like roses, and she lets her neck loll against the edge of the tub as she sinks down into the bubbly water, her limbs relaxing.
Usually she would shower, but today called for a bubble bath, and she only wishes she’d poured herself a glass of wine before she came up. Her stomach rumbles a little, but she’s hit the crest of hungry and is now in not-hungry territory. Still, she thinks about what she might order for dinner when she bothers getting out of the tub.
The sound of footsteps brings that to a screeching halt as she scrambles for her gun, grateful that it’s sitting on the seat next to the bath. The door swings open and she aims, ready to shoot only to find Lucifer standing there.
“Well, I have to say this is infinitely better than the sight that I imagined when I figured you were in the bathroom.” His eyes gleam.
“Lucifer!” Chloe yells, dropping her gun and bringing her hands up to her chest.
“I’ve seen it all before, Detective. No need.” He smiles, and she feels a blush creep down her body.
“Do you mind explaining what the hell you’re doing here?”
“Well, I-“
“And why the hell did you take my car? Why did you never come back? What has been with you these past few days?” Chloe demands, and Lucifer looks at her a little weary.
“Perhaps I should allow you to get dressed.”
“Maybe.” Chloe snaps and Lucifer shuts the bathroom door with a nod. She hears his footsteps retreating, and rises out of the tub with a sigh.
She dresses slowly, and descends the stairs to a totally different kitchen.
Lucifer stands at the counter, spooning sizzling vegetables and meat into a bowl. She can smell the spices, and her stomach rumbles. There are candles dotted around the place, and a bottle of wine is sitting on the dining table between two table-settings. She can see a big bunch of sunflowers sitting on a vase on the table as well, and when Lucifer looks up he smiles.
“I know it’s not much, and if it’s terrible I’ll leave you be and take the flowers.”
“No. Stay.” Chloe feels her eyes welling up a little as she descends the rest of the stairs to stand near Lucifer as he puts the frypan back on her stove and moves towards her tentatively.
“I wanted to apologise for my actions earlier. It wasn’t my intention to leave you stranded, had I known that your phone was in the car I would have waited. In my moment of food-rage, it appears that I abandoned you.”
“Because of tacos.” Chloe deadpans and Lucifer purses his lips.
“Because I wanted to pursue a criminal. Whom, may I add, I did stop.”
“I saw.”
“I did come back for you, but you were gone.”
“I was.”
“And Detective Douche informed me, when I returned to the station with your car keys and the guy, that I was likely to be shot by you should I subject myself to your mood.”
“I see.”
“So I went shopping instead, and I broke into your house to prepare you dinner.”
“You did.” Chloe nodded, looking around again. Everything looked beautiful, and it made her breath catch a little. Lucifer had done this all for her.
“I did it to say sorry and also because it’s Valentine’s Day. I don’t really celebrate it, because I hate the little creatures that whiz around heaven, they won’t shut up about lov—.” Lucifer starts, but Chloe closes the distance between them and presses her lips to his, and she’d be damned if it didn’t feel like the best thing that has happened all day.
“Detective.” He sounds surprised when they pull apart slightly for air, and she leans into him as his arms circle around her.
“Lucifer, you are a giant pain sometimes, but I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you.” She smiles.
“I disagree; you would still be the same beautiful, smart, stubborn, most hard-working and honest Detective in the entire city.”
She laughs, tears springing to her eyes as he frowns.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No. I’m happy.” She kisses him again, and he smiles.
“So, I take it the dinner is alright?”
“Well, I haven’t tasted it yet, have I?” she teases, easing out of his arms and reaching for the plate of tortillas to carry over to the table.
He follows, pouring her a glass of wine as she sits down.
“I’m sorry I’m such an ass.”
“You have a great ass, but you’re not one. Not all the time, anyway.” Chloe winks as Lucifer bursts into surprised laughter.
“Why Detective, I happen to think the same of your ass.”
Chloe flushes pink, feeling his hand find hers under the table.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Lucifer. I have to admit, I thought it would be far too early for us to celebrate.”
“It’s never too early to celebrate anything, my dear.” Lucifer smirks, and Chloe giggles as she lets go of his hand and starts assembling herself a taco. The minute she bites into it she groans, and Lucifer’s eyes darken a little.
“Damn it Lucifer, this is amazing.”
“The carrot has entered the vicinity.” He comments, and Chloe can’t help it – she bursts into laughter as Lucifer watches her, amused.
“Still a maybe.” She takes a drink of wine.
“What if I told you I made dessert?” he asks, his eyes hot on hers.
“That may change things.” She raises her eyebrows, a smile quirking at her lips as he looks at her from under his lashes.
“Why, Detective.”
The words send a heat trickling down her spine, and she focusses on eating the rest of her dinner as Lucifer lets their knees touch under the table.
Maybe tonight it won’t be a sex dream. Maybe this time, it will be different.