Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chloe’s eyes opened slowly, the dimly lit space coming into focus around her. 

She noticed leather restraints when she tried to flex her wrists, letting out a huff when they didn’t budge. A bead of sweat dripped down the column of her spine, her skin flushed and balmy against the cool metal of the chair she was strapped to.

In addition to the cuffs around her hands and feet, there was a heart rate monitor on her index finger and a band of some sort strapped around her chest. With a foggy mind, she tried to piece together the events that had led to this. Her mind strained to grasp at fragments of facts that seemed to be relevant. 

A string of couples dumped in alleyways and empty lots across the city, all with clear signs of torture. 

An elusive killer, always a few steps ahead of the police.

Week after week of frustrating dead ends. 

A promising lead and an abandoned warehouse just outside of town. 

Looking around, it was clear it had been more than promising.

Orange and pink hues were leaking in through the few windows high along the ceiling, a telltale sign of dusk. It gave her an inkling of hope—they had left the precinct around lunchtime, so she knew it wouldn’t be long until someone noticed they were missing.

Lucifer was sitting across from her, strapped into a chair of his own, slowly regaining the consciousness he seemed to have lost. 

“Lucifer,” she whispered, her eyes jumping around the room in search of whoever might be responsible. 

“What—” He met her eyes, clear confusion on his face.

Chloe shook her head, having no answer for his question. She glanced up and down his body, looking for any obvious sign of injury. She found none, but took note of the same monitors strapped to him as well—the trail of cords leading to a rickety table with two screens sitting on top, both showing what looked to be heart rates. 

The one connected to Lucifer was letting out slow and steady beeps, indicative of his groggy state. Next to it, a slightly faster line was rising and falling as it made its way across the screen. Taking a few deep breaths she willed herself to calm down, thankful when the rhythmic beeping slowed. 

“Are you okay?” The question felt pointless as it left her mouth. Lucifer raised his eyebrows comically in response. It earned him an eyeroll, but the unspoken banter left Chloe feeling inexplicably calmer than she had been a few seconds prior. 

“Not my ideal fantasy when it comes to restraints,” his usual bravado was dripping from his voice, “but I can make do.” 

She gave him a pointed look, pleading with him to be serious. 

“These aren’t even real leather,” he explained as he gave a tug, breaking one of his arms free with ease. Chloe sagged against her own chair in relief. When Lucifer moved to do the same with his other hand, a sharp metallic noise rattled through the room.  

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A muffled voice echoed around them, an average sized man in dark clothes walking into view. His gaze was on Lucifer and the hand that he had already freed, a look of challenge in his eye. 

Lucifer smirked. “Or what?” The sound of metal buckles ripping from leather accompanied his taunt, followed immediately by a ragged scream. 

Chloe felt a shockwave of electricity run through her body, blazing painfully across her skin for a moment before it subsided. Her body tensed against its restraints, her back arching in a desperate attempt to move away from the metal of the chair. When she regained control of her breathing, her body slumped back down.

Lucifer froze, his body aching to help while his brain kept him rooted in place. 

A sinister laugh fell from the man walking towards them, stopping when he reached the table. He dropped a remote of some kind onto the metal before pulling out a chair and taking a seat. 

“What do you want from us?” Chloe found her voice after a moment, hoping that the fear she was feeling wasn’t evident as she spoke. 

Lucifer was still looking at her, his mind running through possible scenarios. He knew he could overpower the man easily, knew that if he could only reach him they would be able to escape. But the remote that sat just a few inches from the man’s hand gave him pause, unwilling to risk Chloe’s safety just yet. 

The man ignored her question, fiddling with the controls on the bottom of one of the monitors. 

“I’m not sure how you found me,” he started, clear annoyance in his words. “I’ve really enjoyed watching you guys fail for weeks.” 

Chloe felt anger rising in her body, frustration joining the wave of emotion when she noticed her heart rate speed up. 

“Feisty.” He raised his eyebrows at her,  pushing back and letting his metal chair scrape against the concrete floor until he had enough room to swing his legs up onto the table. “Should make this fun.”

Chloe looked towards Lucifer, shocked that he was silent. His expression was hard to read, his eyes locked firmly on her. 

He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but the question died on his lips before he could push it out. She wasn’t okay—was tied to a chair and had just been shocked because of his actions. His own anger was threatening to overflow, every nerve in his body on fire as he tried to control the urge to charge the man grinning at them. 

He couldn’t—not if it meant another pained noise falling from Chloe’s mouth.

“I see your manners have escaped you along with your fashion sense,” Lucifer spat out, looking back towards the man holding them captive with disdain for his cotton tracksuit. “You never answered the lady’s question. What do you want with us?”

“I’ve been watching you two.” His eyes flicked between them. “I can’t quite figure you out.”

Chloe and Lucifer met eyes for a moment, brows furrowed at each other with mild curiosity. 

“I thought you were a couple at first, the attraction is so obvious.” Lucifer stiffened at his words while Chloe looked towards the ground. “But then I saw you,” he pointed a dirty finger in Chloe’s direction, “with some other man. Handsome guy, big arms, charming smile. Saw him leaving your house late one night, and now I see that on your finger.”

Her lips pressed together at the mention of Marcus, not daring to meet either set of eyes she knew were on her. The weight of the ring on her finger felt like an intrusion, like it didn’t belong, and her fingers fidgeted around it. 

“I have to say, you all have kept me very entertained. I was honestly excited to see you guys pull up earlier. To finally get some answers to my questions.” The mood in the room shifted into something less playful, more sinister. “But to answer yours, what I want from you is simple really—the truth.”

“The truth about what?” Chloe tried her best to keep her voice neutral.

“Everything,” he answered simply. “I think you’ll come to learn that I’m just here to help.” His tone told them that he really believed that. “The truth is a powerful thing.” 

“It is,” Lucifer hummed his agreement. “Should be easy enough. I’m not one to lie, point of pride, really.” He glanced towards Chloe, his words echoing the same sentiment he’d shared with her a year prior. Her small smile told him she remembered. 

Grabbing for the remote in front of him, the man moved to rest against the front of the table with his arms crossed. There was the familiar form of a gun tucked into the waistband of his pants, both of his captives taking note of the threat quickly. 

“Then this should be simple. We’ll start small,” he offered, “let you get used to the way things work around here.” 

Chloe fidgeted in her seat, pain still lingering in her limbs. She was fairly certain she understood how ‘things’ worked and wasn't eager for a repeat performance. 

“Starting with you,” the man said, looking at her. “Is your name Chloe Decker?”

She nodded. The imbalance of information made her tense, the fact that this man had been following them for weeks settling uncomfortably in her mind. 

“Verbal answer, please.” 

“Yes.” 

He turned to Lucifer. “Is your name Lucifer Morningstar?”

Lucifer’s dark eyes narrowed at the man. “Yes.” 

“Quick learners, you two.” He clapped his hands slowly. “How long have you been working together?” He asked, eyes on Chloe.

“A little over two years,” she replied easily, mind floating to the night she had questioned him at his piano. 

“So you’ve been stringing him along for years? ” 

Chloe’s mouth fell open, sputtering a little at his accusation. When no words followed, the man shook his head. He raised the remote, letting them both watch as he pressed the single button. 

Lucifer’s body contorted, a strangled grunt leaving his body as he twisted in his chair. It was over before Chloe could protest, her breath coming out ragged as she watched Lucifer straighten back up in his seat. 

The man gave them no chance for reprieve, casting his eyes on Lucifer before asking a question. “You can’t tell me you didn’t want to get with that,” he gestured back towards Chloe, “the moment you met.” 

A silent moment passed, the space filling with tension. “I did.” 

His answer wasn’t a surprise. The lust he had for Chloe Decker had never been secret, but he still felt violated as he spoke, for himself and for her. 

“Can’t blame you.” The man took his spot back against the table, redirecting his attention back to Chloe. “You had to feel the same. I mean, look at him.” 

Lucifer smirked out of habit at the man’s words. 

“No, I found him annoying and irresponsible,” Chloe responded dryly, almost on instinct. Something beeped on the monitor, followed by manic laughter filling the space. 

“Our first lie.” 

Chloe’s eyes shot to the machine, having seen enough polygraphs in her life to recognize the discrepancy on her monitor. 

Lucifer groaned again as electricity shot through his body, wishing desperately that his vulnerability would self-actualize itself out of the equation. 

“Stop!” Chloe pulled at her restraints. “Yes, I found him attractive.” Her voice was desperate, hoping her words were enough to get the man to stop. 

As quickly as the shock had begun, it ended, leaving Lucifer breathing heavily as the pain dulled. 

The fact that he hadn’t made a comment about her admission told Chloe that he must really be in pain, confirming her suspicion that his voltage was set much higher than hers had been. 

“So you’ve never slept together?” He was laughing again, though there was no real humor in the sound. 

“No, we haven’t,” Chloe answered for both of them, eyes locked on her partner as he regained his composure. 

“You still want to though, right?” His attention was back on Lucifer. 

He was silent for a moment, only spurred into answering when the remote was lifted again. “Yes.” His voice was quieter than it had been earlier, a hint of shame flickering in his eye. 

A pleased hum left the man, like he had finally gotten an answer that satisfied him. 

Chloe kept her eyes on Lucifer, pleading with him to meet her gaze. She wanted to let him know it was okay, that they were doing what they needed to do to keep themselves alive long enough for someone to find them. 

He didn’t, eyes firmly on the ground. 

“Tell me you’ve at least kissed her.” 

Lucifer nodded, remembering too late that nonverbal answers weren’t acceptable. 

Chloe let out a strained noise, trying her best not to give their captor the satisfaction of a scream. It only lasted a few seconds, just long enough to cause damage without rendering her unconscious. 

“Back to you.” Chloe felt the man’s attention on her as she settled. “What’s your favorite thing about him?” She looked at him with a confused expression, not sure how what he was asking was relevant to anything. At her look, he spoke again. “Indulge me.” 

“He makes me laugh,” she started, panicking slightly when she noticed the monitor start to move. He did make her laugh, but that wasn’t her favorite thing about him. “He makes me feel safe,” she added quickly, knowing it was the truth. 

He made her feel safe in almost every sense of the word. Safe enough to be herself, safe enough to navigate her way through a dangerous job with him at her side. 

Just not safe enough to give him her heart and trust him not to break it again. 

Lucifer finally pulled his eyes from the ground, looking directly at her as she finished speaking. 

“Your turn, same question.”

Lucifer thought for a moment, not sure how to adequately sort through everything he liked about the woman in front of him. 

“She is selfless,” his eyes didn’t leave hers, “and she makes me a better man.” 

Even given their unfortunate circumstances, Chloe let his words soothe her. She had told him a year ago that he made her a better detective, something that hadn’t changed, but he made her a better woman, too. 

She hoped he knew that. 

They hadn’t been the best of partners as of late, never able to stay on the same page long enough to have a real conversation. She thought they might have been close to something when she’d walked out of the elevator into what she was sure was a date. 

Then he’d spent the night boasting about how he was better than Marcus, refusing to tell her how he actually felt. For someone who claimed to never lie, he sure as hell spent a lot of time avoiding the truth. 

“He talks about you like that and you never wanted to give him a chance?” She was pulled from her thoughts at the question. 

“I did give him a chance.” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice. 

“I sense a ‘but' coming.” 

Chloe sighed, resigned to the fact that they were completely at this stranger’s mercy—the truth their only bargaining chip. “He didn’t want it. He left and got married to someone else.” 

Lucifer’s chest felt tight as he listened, her words biting and sharp. 

“Is that the truth?” Two sets of eyes fell to Lucifer. 

“It’s quite a bit more complicated than—” 

Displeased tuts cut him off, followed quickly by pained breaths from Chloe as she writhed against her restraints.

“Yes!” Lucifer pushed out. “I went to Las Vegas and married someone else.” 

It was complicated, but the truth was that to Chloe it wasn’t—the realization settled painfully in his chest. 

“Quite the dramatic story you two have.” He was amused, clearly enjoying the pain he was causing. “Still doesn’t add up to me. I’ve seen the way you look at her, anyone with eyes can tell you’ve got it bad.” 

Chloe studied Lucifer as the man spoke, noting the way his hands tensed in an effort to control his reaction. Was he angry? Embarrassed or ashamed? She couldn’t read the emotion on his face, not like she used to be able to, the recent distance between them becoming all the more apparent. 

“We can come back to that. Right now I’d like to talk about that ring on your finger.” 

Chloe squirmed under the scrutiny. 

“When did you get engaged?” 

She was thankful for an easy question, anything to drag out the time between forced admissions and jolts of pain. “Four days ago.”

“Ah, still new.” He looked back towards Lucifer. “Means you still have time.” 

Chloe narrowed her eyes, her brows knitted together as she tried to make sense of his words. 

“What’s his name?” 

Another easy question. “Marcus.” 

“Marcus,” the man drawled, his lip curling in distaste. “Do you like the guy?” he asked, the question aimed at Lucifer. 

“No.” 

Chloe wasn’t surprised by the quick response, but she couldn’t help the wave of unease that flooded through her. Fragility of their partnership aside, she still valued his opinion. 

“What don’t you like about him?” 

“In the spirit of truth, I am not sure I could name a single thing I like about the man.” Lucifer looked towards Chloe, trying his best to keep harsh judgement out of his tone. “She deserves someone better.”

Chloe almost rolled her eyes, the memory of him saying the same thing only a few nights prior still jagged in her mind. She remembered the way she’d practically pleaded with him in his penthouse, desperate for him to give her a reason to choose him. 

She would have if he’d asked her to. 

“Someone like you?” The man asked, clearly enjoying where this was headed. 

“No.” Lucifer waited for Chloe to look at him, but her eyes were firmly set on the damp concrete between them. “She deserves someone better than me as well.” 

Chloe’s heart clenched at the fact that he really believed that to be true, the steady rhythm of his monitor remaining unchanged beside them. 

“Lucifer—” she started, quickly closing her mouth when the man shushed her from his spot against the table. Her body was starting to ache, faltering as she tried to lean forward and get her partner’s attention. Sweat was beading on her forehead, her fingers desperate to reach up and wipe at her brow. She still had some fight left in her, but she knew she wouldn’t last long. 

“You obviously think Marcus is good enough. You said yes to his proposal afterall.” Chloe gave a noncommittal hum, not sure if his phrase had been a question. He pushed off the table, pacing in the small space between their chairs, contemplating his next question. “Do you love him?” 

The atmosphere of the room shifted, the air becoming thicker and more constricting. Lucifer felt dread threaten to suffocate him. She had almost admitted it when they’d argued in the interrogation room, and even then her words had sliced through him. 

He needed to hear it, needed to know she loved Pierce so he could maybe, maybe, start to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart and move on.

“Yes,” Chloe answered smoothly, not missing the way Lucifer’s face crumbled. She held her breath as the monitor betrayed her words, the shrill noise picking up speed. 

“Interesting.” His voice was amused. “Another lie.”

Lucifer let out a noise that could only be classified as a sob, his fingers leaving idents where he grasped at the arms of his chair. 

“I could,” she whispered around a cry of her own, desperate for the pain she was causing to stop. “I could love him,” she said again, more firm this time. 

The buzz of electricity stopped, Lucifer silent across from her. 

“So you’re stringing both of them along.” He moved to stand in front of Chloe, blocking her view of her partner. His tone changed, the playful narcissism replaced with something more sadistic. 

“Screw you,” she spat, unable to stop herself. 

His hand made contact with her cheek before she could blink, leaving behind a hot sting. Lucifer scrambled behind them in an effort to get up, but in his weakened and vulnerable state he struggled against his own restraints. 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you, not if you care about her.” Forgetting Chloe for the moment, he spun around to face Lucifer, holding up the remote as a reminder, his other hand still wrapped around the gun. “You do care about her don’t you?”

His mind was jumbled, and it took him a moment to answer. Apparently, it was a moment too long. 

“Yes!” He yelled in hopes of stopping the source of Chloe’s muffled screams, her mouth buried against her shoulder. “Of course I do!”

Her head fell to the side as the shock subsided, the sound of quick and ragged breaths filling the room. A tear fell down her cheek, and Lucifer felt a vice close around his chest as he watched her struggle. 

“You should really be thanking me.” Lucifer felt his eyes flash at the man’s words, the sounds of Chloe struggling pounding in his ears. “I’m just here to help. People like her walk around causing unnecessary pain just because they can’t make up their minds.” His voice was dripping with malice as he circled her chair.

Chloe felt a calloused finger run along her jaw, her body shivering at the unwanted touch. Mustering up what little strength she had left, she opened her eyes. 

“Let’s get to the good stuff. Same question as before.” He sneered down at her, his thumb and index finger still holding her face. “This time about him,” he nodded back towards Lucifer. “Do you love him? ”

Chloe’s jaw tensed, her mind trying to find a loophole that would save her from the truth. “Of course I love him,” her voice was strained, hoarse from shouting. “He’s my partner and my best friend.” 

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” A muscle under his eye twitched, Lucifer paying the price for her attempt at eluding the question. “Are you in love with him?” 

She was silent, her face still held firmly in the man’s rough grip. Her teeth clenched, her entire body tense as reality sunk in. 

She had thought of hundreds of ways those words might fall out of her mouth for the first time—had hoped they would be in a peaceful moment where she’d hear them freely spoken in return. 

Not when she and Lucifer seemed to be further apart than ever. Not when he was doing his best to avoid any real emotional vulnerability and she had the ring of another man on her finger. 

Definitely not while being held captive by a psychopath with a polygraph machine. 

Still the words felt like they were clawing their way out of her chest, desperate to be freed from the confines of her heart. 

“Yes,” she sobbed, willing the tears in her eyes not to fall. She couldn’t see Lucifer, and the silence from his chair was deafening. 

The grin that was aimed at her made her stomach turn. “Say it. I want to hear you say it.”

“I love him.” Her words earned her a pointed and disapproving look. “I am in love with him,” she said through gritted teeth. 

With that, he let her go, seemingly pleased with her response. 

He stepped away, granting Chloe a view of Lucifer. He blinked slowly, like each movement was a struggle. His broad shoulders were hunched and his body looked entirely too small to belong to the man she knew. 

The man she loved , her mind offered.

His soft eyes were on her, wet and wide and shining in the fading light of the warehouse. The dirty hands that had just been on her face now ran along his, patting his cheek lightly in an attempt to draw his attention.

“Fair is fair,” the man started, a snarl sneaking onto his face. “Are you in love with her? ” He seemed angry on Lucifer’s behalf, a small hint of pity in the question. 

Lucifer looked at Chloe. A bruise was already blooming across her cheek from where she was struck, her eyes bright thanks to unshed tears that lingered. Her body was slumped against hard metal, a sheen layer of sweat covering every inch of skin he could see. 

She was still beautiful. His strong and resilient Detective. 

That loved him. 

Was in love with him. 

It was painfully obvious, the feelings he had for her. They had been desperate for a name since Linda had confronted him at the penthouse. 

“I want her to choose me,” he’d said, and it had been the most honest truth he’d known at the time. He’d longed for her love, and now he realized she’d been offering it all along. 

His wandering mind stopped him from answering fast enough, and he was ripped back to reality by Chloe’s cries. Her body was writhing against the chair in a desperate attempt to escape the pain, though her watery eyes were still locked on Lucifer. 

With the most simple and powerful truth he had to offer, Lucifer answered. “Yes.” 

Just like before, the answer wasn’t enough to satisfy the man. He rolled his eyes, cocking the gun in his hand and pointing it towards Chloe. “Say it.” His voice was practically a growl.

“I am in love with her,” Lucifer finally said around a sob, eyes locked with Chloe’s. 

It was chaos after that, a loud noise echoing through the warehouse as a tactical team stormed in. Both the remote and gun clattered to the floor, and the moment Lucifer watched an officer he vaguely recognized neutralize their tormentor, he ripped himself from the chair in an effort to get to Chloe. A chorus of apologies was already falling from his lips by the time he reached her, his hands making quick work of the cuffs at her hands and feet. 

He was vaguely aware of Pierce standing next to them, the look of disdain on the man’s face making it clear that he had heard at least some of what had transpired. It was irrelevant to him, his only focus getting Chloe out of there as quickly as possible. 

Lucifer pulled her out of the chair, his arms snaking around her when her knees buckled underneath her own weight. Sobs wracked her body, her chest and shoulders heaving in an attempt to breathe. It was a testament to her own state that she didn’t protest when he picked her up and carried her out of the building. 

A team of medics were waiting, quickly ushering them towards an open ambulance. Lucifer was gentle as she placed Chloe’s shaking body on a gurney. He moved to step away, to give the team space to check her out, but was stopped by her hand around his wrist. 

“Stay,” her voice barely above a whisper, “please. 

He nodded, not sure he’d ever be able to say no to her again. 

She held tight to his hand as the team performed their exam, insisting that they check on her partner before they left. With a thick blanket wrapped around her, she sipped from the straw that stuck out of the bright blue sports drink they had instructed her to drink slowly.

Pierce appeared then, glancing down to where Chloe still held tight to Lucifer, her ring in the middle of their tangled fingers. 

“I’ll give you some privacy,” Lucifer stood up even as Chloe opened her mouth to protest, ducking as he exited the ambulance. He was quickly assaulted by an overly excited forensic scientist, startled when she wrapped her body around his. 

“We were so worried about you two when you didn’t come back,” she mumbled into his chest. “Thankfully Chloe’s phone was still on so we were able to track you here pretty easily once we knew you were missing.” She pulled away, but kept her hands on Lucifer’s arms. 

He smiled down at her, grateful to have people in his life that cared about him. His eyes were trained on the back of the open ambulance, and Ella followed his gaze. 

“It took them a few minutes to surround the place before they burst in,” she explained softly. “Everyone heard you answer his question.”

Lucifer hummed in acknowledgment, not sure what else to say. Silence spread between them, and after a few moments they watched as Pierce climbed out of the ambulance, sliding something small and suspiciously ring-shaped into his pocket before disappearing towards a cruiser. 

“Go get her.” Ella patted him on the shoulder before walking back towards the crime scene. 

With shaky steps, Lucifer made his way back to Chloe. She was still sipping at her drink when he reached her, a sad smile forming around her straw. 

“Hi.” Her voice was timid but Lucifer took it as an invitation to join her, pulling the heavy door behind him to give them some privacy. 

“I’m sorry,” he told her, eyes falling to the marks on her wrists and her noticeably bare ring finger. 

“It’s not your fault,” she tried to affirm him, her own apology following close behind. “We both got caught in a few lies. I hurt you, too, and I’m sorry.”

It felt like they were talking about more than just the last hour. 

She folded her legs, making room on the stretcher for him to join her. Once he settled, she spoke again. “I convinced myself that the possibility of loving Marcus was enough,” her voice trembled, “but I never loved him.”

Even though he’d heard it just a few minutes prior, the words falling from her mouth unprovoked by a serial killer felt like they held more weight. 

“I’m sorry,” he told her truthfully. Regardless of his feelings towards Pierce, he never wanted to see her hurt.

“I wanted you to give me a reason to choose you,” she admitted, giving him a watery and sad smile. Now that the biggest truth of all was out in the open, everything else seemed easier to share. She wasn’t sure they would be okay, but she wanted him to know how she felt. “That night you asked me to come to the penthouse.” 

He sucked in a ragged breath, regret flaring in his stomach.

“It’s always been you, Lucifer.” Setting down her drink, she moved closer to him, stopping with her folded legs pressed against him. 

“I was afraid.” He was met with a raised eyebrow silently asking him to elaborate. “Afraid that if I asked you to choose you would still choose him.”

Chloe sighed. “Don’t you think I at least deserved to make the choice for myself? You spent more time trying to outdo Marcus than anything else, I didn’t even know there was a choice to be made.” 

He nodded, a solemn look on his face. He knew she was right. 

“Obviously you know how I feel,” her eyes flickered back towards the warehouse, “and I know how you feel, but what does that mean? Is this— us —even something you really want?”

He looked offended by her statement. 

“I’m serious, Lucifer. Sometimes love isn’t enough to make things work.”

He took a deep breath, scratching at the stubble on his cheek and turning his torso to face her completely. “I may be lousy at showing it, but I have never loved anyone or anything the way I love you.” The words felt foreign in his mouth, though not uncomfortable or unwelcomed. 

Her mouth fell open, his words taking her by surprise. She had expected him to close himself off, to run and hide and shut her out like he had in the past. 

He was lousy at showing it lately, but he hadn’t always been. 

He’d saved her life countless times, putting himself in danger to make sure she and her family were safe. Had supported her through her divorce and stood proudly by her side during Palmetto. 

She’d really seen it when he held her in her kitchen after they caught her dad’s killer, and again on the beach before she’d gathered up the courage to kiss him. She saw it every time he noticed his bullet around her neck and it had been excruciatingly obvious when he’d asked her to prom. 

That was the Lucifer she had fallen in love with. 

Her best friend. 

“I don’t want to mess this up.” His voice was small, like he hadn’t meant to say it outloud. 

Chloe leaned forward, raising a hand to his cheek and pulling him down to rest his forehead against hers. “Me either,” she whispered, “but I want to at least say that we tried.” 

He nodded against her, pulling back after a moment. “I’d like to try.” 

Her grin was almost enough to make him forget all the pain of the last hour. 

“Then let’s try.” 

He smiled back, dropping his forehead against hers again. 

“I love you.” Her words were soft, and her lips brushed against his as she spoke. 

He gasped when she pressed her mouth fully against his. It was nothing more than a whisper of a kiss, a promise that they were on the same team, but in that moment Lucifer knew he would spend the rest of his existence proving he was worth it.

He would never be thankful for the events of the night, the sound of Chloe screaming in pain filling him with enough guilt to fuel hundreds of hell loops, but the feel of her lips on his gave him hope that they would be able to come out of it stronger. 

Together. 

Because she was here— alive —and offering him the one thing he truly desired. 

Her love.