a/n: To the wonderful ElenaCee as part of the "Let's Wing It!" Fic Exchange. Prompted by the beautiful song "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. Thank you for taking a peek!
I Want You to Stay
"Okay," Linda said, talking loudly over the ridiculously loud music floating through Lux. "My turn." She looked to her left at Maze, then across the high table at Ella, then to her right at Chloe. "Best line," she started slowly, "used to…get laid."
"Wanna have sex?" Maze offered quickly with a confident slap of her hand on the table.
"Good one!" Ella laughed.
"Come on," Chloe complained. "I thought girl's night wasn't supposed to be about sex."
"Chicken, Decker?" Maze challenged.
"I'm not chicken," she defended. "I just don't…I don't…have any lines. That's not…my…my thing."
"Prude," Maze said with a roll of her eyes.
"Ooh! We should find someone to judge," Ella suggested. "See whose line works the best on a real person."
"Agreed." Linda steadied her feet on the bottom bar of her stool and her hands on the edge of the table and stood up. "Lucifer!" she yelled. Lifting a hand above her head, she waved the club's owner to their table.
"Ladies!" he greeted with a wide smile. "What may the devil do for you tonight?"
"We're having a contest," Linda explained as he sipped his whiskey.
"When did this turn into a contest?" Chloe questioned.
"Oh, that's right," Linda nodded. "Okay. Officially a contest. We're having a contest," she repeated to Lucifer. "We need a judge."
"Wonderful," he said with a smile. "What kind of contest? Shots? Power hour? Oh! Wet t-shirts?"
"Best lines," Ella stated. Lucifer scrunched his face.
"Best…lines? Of coke?"
"No, Lucifer," Linda laughed. "Best lines, words said, to achieve a goal."
"You get to decide whose line is the best," Ella added.
"Well," he started with a quirk of his eyebrow. "I'm much less interested now, but fire away."
"Best line," Linda started again, "used to get laid."
"And just like that you have my attention again."
"Maze, you go first," Linda said.
"Wanna have sex?" Lucifer nodded immediately.
"I find that line to be extremely and thoroughly effective."
"Ella Lopez," Linda said. "You're up."
"That one works as well, Doctor," Lucifer said, nudging her elbow with his. She slapped his arm and motioned with her hand for Ella to speak.
"Okay. Why don't you come back to my place and I'll…uh…huh." She sighed and lifted her eyes upwards as she tried to remember what she was going to say. "What was it again?"
"Good thing you're cute, Miss Lopez," he said with a soft smile. "Doctor, your turn."
"Do Professor Feel-Good!" Ella said excitedly.
"One eight hundred Professor Feel-Good," she said in a sultry voice.
"Never gets old," Maze said with a fond smile.
"Kudos, Doctor," Lucifer said, nodding his approval. "I'm not sure that counts as a line, but that voice would definitely pique my curiosity."
"Chloe?" Linda started. Chloe shook her head.
"This is a ridiculous contest," she said.
"Do it, Decker."
"Yeah, c'mon, Chloe." Ella tapped her finger on Chloe's arm. "You must have a secret weapon up your sleeve."
"Yes, Detective," Lucifer drawled. "Show us your guns." Chloe pursed her lips tightly and stared at Lucifer. As she studied him, her expression turned thoughtful.
"Fine." She nodded slowly. "Lucifer, promise me you won't tell anyone what I whisper to you."
"I promise."
"Lucifer," the women collectively groaned.
"Now we'll never know what she says," Ella whined. Chloe offered a small, smug smile and crooked her finger at Lucifer. With a smile, he answered her beckoning and moved to her side. She gently tugged on the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to her level. Cupping a hand along the side of her mouth, she leaned in and whispered in his ear. Lucifer's expression slowly morphed from surprise to genuine appreciation.
"And Detective Decker for the win." Chloe pulled back slightly, her eyes dark and mischievous as she met his gaze. He released a quiet hum and tilted his head to the side, seemingly ready to lean in and kiss her. "My, my, Detective," he breathed, offering no intent of moving away.
"Whatever," Maze grumbled with a roll of her eyes. She shifted on her stool and looked over Ella's shoulder, sizing up the blonde man walking towards them. As he passed the table, she reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards her. "Wanna have sex?" she asked. The man smiled and nodded emphatically.
"Um, yeah," he answered. Maze hopped off the stool and looked at her tribe.
"I win," she stated. Wrapping her fingers around the man's wrist, she tugged him along as she walked away from the table. Lucifer laughed lowly as he lifted his tumbler to his mouth and took a small drink.
"That's my little sex thug," he said proudly.
"That is so bogus!" Ella sighed. "Mad dedication to winning the game though." She closed her lips over her straw and sucked down the last of her piña colada. "Come on, Professor Feel-Good," she started as she slid off her stool. "I want to dance."
"Good idea. Chloe?" she offered.
"No, thanks. I'll sit this one out."
"Suit yourself." Linda accepted the hand Ella offered and allowed the younger woman to pull her from her barstool. Lucifer moved behind Chloe and sat in Ella's vacant seat. He nursed his drink, intently observing Chloe as she watched Linda and Ella mingle on the dance floor.
"I can feel you staring," she said as she looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just…you surprise me, Detective."
"Yeah, well, the things I do to get out of a silly game."
"And the people you involve. I cannot believe you tricked me into being a part of your little scheme."
"I didn't trick you into anything. I simply asked you—"
"Made me promise."
"—not to—"
"Tattle on you."
"—repeat what I said."
"Which had nothing to do with the game. Not one dirty word said, not one naughty proposal suggested," he mumbled. "Disappointing, really."
"Hey, I promised you a nice bottle of whiskey to play along and keep your mouth shut. What more do you want?"
"Hmm," he hummed around a mouthful of liquid. "I'm glad you asked. I want you to have a drink of said whiskey with me."
"That's it?" Lucifer leaned an elbow on the table as he squared his body with Chloe. His eyes drifted to her mouth, his eyebrow raised and he offered a noncommittal shrug. Chloe propped her elbow on the table and rested her temple on a fist. As his gaze returned to her eyes, she narrowed them and hummed thoughtfully. "Okay." A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Deal. Friday night?"
"I will clear my schedule," he said with a smile.
"Good." Lucifer would never be certain of how long he and the detective stayed in that moment, sharing a heated stare that seemed gentle and intense all the same. He would only remember the sharpness of her blue eyes under the dim lights of the club, the rosiness of her otherwise pale cheeks. And the agonizing pain that would rip through him as she left the club at closing time, as he tried and failed to say the words that had been resting heavily on the tip of his tongue throughout the evening.
I want you to stay.
Lucifer
"Lucifer!" Chloe called as passed between the opening doors of the elevator. "I'm here!"
"I'll be right there, love!" he called from a distance. She hummed lightly as she settled the bottle on the bar and selected two round-bottom glass tumblers. "Well, hello, Detective," he drawled as he appeared from the balcony. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"
"Shut up," she said around a small laugh. "Whiskey. As promised." He moved to her side and picked up the bottle, scrutinizing its label.
"Ooh. Lovely choice. Thank you."
"Thank you for helping me out with that mess the other night." He motioned for her to take a seat on the barstool behind her and then worked on opening the bottle. "Don't get me wrong, I love our tribe outings, and the whole best line thing was no big deal. But when those ladies, well, when Maze and Ella start drinking, things are shared that I really do not need to know." Lucifer chuckled as he filled the tumblers.
"I would bet Maze does most of the sharing."
"Yeah. Ella's more the instigator. She likes to wind everyone up and then let them spin away."
"Yes," he said with a smile. "That sounds about right." He handed her a glass and then sat on the stool next to her. "To knowing only what is necessary," he toasted, his glass hovering in the air between them.
"Damn right," she nodded, clinking the mouth of her glass against his. He watched her carefully as they sipped the whiskey to complete their toast.
"So," he started gently, "what line would you use?"
"Funny," she replied. "I don't use lines."
"Oh, a going in straightaway for the kill kind of girl, are you?"
"No," she laughed. "I don't do that, either."
"Maybe you don't need to try," he mused aloud. "Have a line of suitors at your beck and call?"
"Uh, yeah, no."
"Well, I don't see why not," he said. "You had me hooked mere words into our first conversation."
"While I was questioning you about a murder?" He nodded.
"Would have done anything for you by that point," he said with a teasing smile. "Of course, you did compliment my balls, so you had that going for you." Chloe almost choked on her drink.
"Lucifer," she scolded as she wiped a bit of dribbled whiskey from the front of her shirt.
"What?" he asked innocently. She laughed and shook her head. "I say it like it is, Detective; think you'd know better by now," he said as he lifted his glass to take a drink.
"I would think so, too," she said. "But apparently that's not the case." The soft laughter died quietly and they sat in peace, enjoying their drinks, taking each other in. He recognized the crispness in her eyes, the desire skirting along the edge. Something else lingered in her gaze, though. He couldn't put a name to it; no one word seemed apropos. Yet barely beneath the surface, this something else hid. Something seemingly…sad. "Guess I have a lot more to learn about you." He tore himself from his reverie at her words. If only she knew how much lay in wait of discovery.
"Guess so." He offered his best smile but it came through small and disingenuous. That something else he saw in her eyes was the same something else he had witnessed in her as she left Lux after ladies' night; the same something else that had surprised him as her expectant expression fell in barely disguised hurt. The same something else that scared him now as he noticed how much closer to him she had moved during their short conversation. The same something else he would no doubt see when she would take her leave later in the evening and he would once again be unable to say the words.
I want you to stay.
Lucifer
"Oh." Chloe placed a hand over her mouth as she yawned. "Sorry," she said with a small shrug. "Long day."
"Yes," Lucifer agreed. "But a successful one at that." She hummed her agreement.
"I should get going," she said with a soft smile.
"But you've only had one drink," he protested. He stood and followed her to the bar where she gently placed her glass.
"That's what this was supposed to be," she started, waving a hand between them. "One drink. To celebrate solving the case."
"Well, we did such an exceptional job," he explained. "I think we should allow ourselves more of a celebration."
"Maybe next time," she said with a gentle laugh. "I've learned that a good night's sleep is the most important thing when facing a day of nothing but paperwork. Unless…" She shrugged purposely as she moved towards him. "Unless you wanna help me." Her fingers ran hallway down the line of buttons on the front of his purple dress shirt. "I will stay for another drink," she started, her eyes hinting at her craving, "if you stop by the station tomorrow and help me write up the reports." Lucifer kept his eyes on her as he lifted his glass to his mouth and downed the last swallow of alcohol.
"You play dirty, Detective." He lifted a finger from the tumbler and pointed at her. "And not in the fun way."
"Someday, Lucifer, you will find yourself behind your very own mountain of reports," she said as she gently leaned into him. He lifted an eyebrow as his eyes dropped to her mouth.
"Is that so?"
"Very so." She's so close, he thought. So close. Chloe lingered just a moment longer against Lucifer before she stepped back and turned towards the elevator.
"Detective?" he called. She turned towards him, eyebrows raised hopefully.
"Yeah?" Five words, that's all he needed to say. Five words.
"I, uh…" His breath caught in his throat and the words he wished to say refused to come. Instead, he sighed gently and offered a small, forced smile. "Drive safely." The mirth in Chloe's eyes faded as she shifted her gaze to the floor as she nodded.
"I will. Good night, Lucifer." Why did this continue to happen? Why couldn't he just say it? Why could he tell her what he wanted?
I want you to stay.
Lucifer
The small, soft touches had lasted for three days, had been absent for four before Lucifer could no longer take the pain of disregarding them, of thinking about them as something other than what he desperately wanted them to be. Delicate fingers on his arm, a tap on the shoulder, a gentle brush of a hand across his back. All under the guise of getting his attention during the investigation; all nothing more than an excuse to have the physical contact with him.
Chloe Decker was flirting with the devil.
Not as she had after they had shared a kiss on the beach, however. Not slapping his rear or making blatant and awkward sex jokes. No. It was more…subtle, more true to herself. It was genuine, heart-felt.
Meaningful.
Which is why he had ignored that part of their interaction. Regardless of how honest her actions had appeared, he knew they were nothing more than designed connections formulated by his father.
Thinking about the situation brought Lucifer to an understanding of his own actions. He liked to flirt; he fully admitted that. And flirting with the detective was a high unlike any other.
He had to stop.
He had to stop giving her reason to think he was returning any affection beyond their friendship.
But he had craved her touch in its absence. Found himself looking for it, expecting it.
She was Pavlov, he the dog.
One more moment, he thought. One more moment to commit to memory, one more moment of sweet torture, one more moment of an image to savor until Time had nothing more of herself to give.
One more.
"Detective," Lucifer started gently as he entered the interrogation room. "What happened to your ponytail?" He sat in the chair beside and hooked his finger around the front of the veil of hair hiding her face. As he shifted her hair over her shoulder, his fingers softly brushed the skin along her neck.
"The band broke," she explained neither looking at him nor giving any indication that his touch had registered. "I'm almost finished with this," she said. "One more page and then we can get the warrant and…" She turned to him then. "And nail this son a bitch to the wall." He returned her smile, outwardly. Inwardly, he was at a loss. The something else was present in her eyes again, no longer hiding but bobbing on the surface, flaunting glimpses of its form between the crests and the troughs.
Sadness.
Anger.
Defeat.
All for the better, he tried to assure himself. He cared too much for the detective to use her, to take something from her she was not capable of giving freely. Maybe that's why he had so much trouble saying the words.
I want you to stay.
Lucifer
"Lucifer," Ella said as she draped herself over his arm as he escorted the four women through the empty club. "I love that it when we get to have girls' night at Lux." He looked down at the dark-haired woman and smiled as she batted her large, brown eyes at him.
"I'm certainly happy to hear that," he said. "You are welcome any time." Lux had closed around two in the morning and Lucifer had talked to women into staying. His reasoning had been two-fold, first, not wanting to ruin a seemingly successful tribal meeting, second, to have an opportunity to pull the detective aside, to give him a moment alone with her.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" As they reached the exit doors, Ella stepped in front of Lucifer and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
"Oh, uh…you're…welcome." He smiled uncomfortably until she detached herself and left the club. Linda stepped in next, tilting her head to bare her cheek. Lucifer bent forward and placed a soft, parting kiss on her skin. "Good night, Doctor."
"Good night, Lucifer." As Linda left, he turned to look at Maze. The demon stood very still, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her eyes tight and boring through his gaze. Lifting a hand, she raised her middle finger and followed Ella and Linda.
"Right," Lucifer said with a nod. "Never a dull moment with you, Mazikeen!" he called after her. Chloe appeared from behind Lucifer, rounding his form as she moved towards the doorway. She placed her hands on the metal bar and pushed to open the door. She stopped and frowned as she met resistance. Looking down, she noticed Lucifer's fingers wrapped around the bar next to hers. "Detective." His voice was quiet, soft over her shoulder. "Did you not enjoy yourself tonight?" he asked.
"Of course, I did." She dropped her head as she offered a half-assed nod. "Love girls' night."
"Right. I couldn't help but notice you didn't finish your drink. Your first drink." He let go of the bar, placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Not in the mood?"
"No," she answered honestly. "I wasn't."
"Why?"
"I don't know." He studied her for a long moment. He could no longer fight his attraction to the detective, no longer pretend not to notice the way she looked at him. There was only one way to find resolution to the situation. He had to tell her. He had to tell her what she meant to him, who he was. Only then, when she made the decision to stay or go, would he know the choice was hers and hers alone. Only then could he move forward.
"Detective," he started, releasing a slow breath. "I don't…I don't want you to go."
"It's late, Lucifer. Actually, it's really early. I'm sorry, nothing personal but I didn't feel like drinking with the girls; I don't really want to have a drink with you before I go."
"How about a drink with me and then you stay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have a drink with me, and stay," he implored quietly. "I have something I want to show you."
"That sounds like a line," she said as she raised an eyebrow. He huffed a gentle laugh.
"I assure you it's nothing of the sort." An emptiness lay behind her eyes, no more anger or sadness; no more desire. Absolute emptiness. She shook her head.
"I think I should go." Gently, he kept her from completing her turn.
"I think you should stay," he whispered. And there it was. A stirring of sorts; a prickle of light from the emptiness. "Detective," he breathed. Simply a shiver of light but it cried out so loudly to him and he couldn't resist its calling. He needed to draw forth that swirl, needed to remind her of the feelings he knew were hiding somewhere in her depths.
He needed her.
Lucifer's hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers wound in her hair and his lips touched hers. Soft, slow, intense and deep. It was everything floating between them yet it fell so short of what he felt. He would never be able to do justice to that feeling. Chloe drew a shaky breath and wet her lips as he pulled away. She slowly opened her eyes and the fire he saw behind the blue burned him in the most glorious of ways.
"I can't do this anymore, Detective. I can't ignore what's been building. We need to talk. I need you to know, to understand." He took a half step closer, solidifying their eye contact. "I can't do this life…without you." The fear bubbled inside of him as the words crept closer to the front of his mouth. "I want you to stay," he said without hesitation. "Do you want to stay?"
"Yes," she breathed as she nodded softly. "Yes."