AN: Title from Have I Told You Lately by Rod Stewart (but I listened to JM De Guzman's cover on Youtube for the fic).
This one is for everyone reading this right now. To all my readers—new and old, who stuck by me, through the ups and downs, the weirds and wonderfuls. Ya'll filled my heart with gladness and it was an absolute honor writing for you. This is the most I've ever committed to a project and I can say with absolute confidence that a huge chunk of my motivation came from every review, favorite and follow you gave me.
Consider this my love letter to you.
"You're staring."
"Am not," he huffs. But the Devil is not as skilled at subterfuge as he likes to believe, raising his book to conceal his face just as their eyes meet.
Case-in-point.
"Right," she drawls, amused.
She lets him have it for now.
They're at work when it happens again.
She doesn't need to look to confirm that his dark gaze is intent on her face. She blushes even as she asks, with admirable nonchalance, "Something on my face?"
This time, when she does risk a glance, it's his cheeks that are red.
"I've no idea what you're talking about."
She smirks.
"Uh huh."
To conceal his embarrassment, he testily retorts, "Actually, now that you've mentioned it, you do have something on your teeth—" he lifts a pinkie to point at his own pearly whites to indicate the approximate location of her presumed gunk, "garishly brown, and utterly unattractive for a woman of your caliber. You better lay off those quesadillas, detective—"
"Asshole," she grunts, assailing him with a handful of his cool ranch puffs—hypocrite.
She covertly consults her compact, anyway.
Just in case.
"Lucifer's staring at us," Ella comments.
"Correction," Dan flits in, passing her a case file. "He's staring at Chloe. Been doing it all week, actually."
The women throw him a startled glance.
"What?" he squawks, affronted. "I pay attention!"
"Something you're not telling us, Dan?" Chloe ribs.
"Oh, you're not getting out of this by turning it on me. Besides, he—" he lifts a subtle but pointed thumb in Lucifer's direction, "—is too far gone for you to pay anyone else any attention."
"Yeah, Decker. What gives?" Ella hugs her. "You guys okay?"
Chloe pats reassuringly at her back.
"We're good. Better than, even. We're great."
And they really are—so much that there are days when even she can't believe their luck.
"Then… why does he keep looking at you like he's both a kicked puppy and a wolf out for revenge?" Dan places his hands on his hips, head tilted in genuine perplexity. Ella withdraws her embrace, only to perfectly mirror his stance so she's confronted by two bloodhounds ever relentless in their quest for the truth, or rather—all the sordid details of her, admittedly exciting, love life.
"I imagine he's just psyching himself up."
"For what?"
They practically salivate.
(Honestly, they're worse than a couple of suburban soccer moms)
But Chloe just smiles.
In the end, it happens quite by accident.
It's a school night, and at this point it isn't uncommon for Lucifer to follow her to her apartment an hour or so after they part ways at the precinct—lugging a bag of groceries to her kitchen, his jacket and waistcoat abandoned, but neatly hung, in her coat closet.
At Trixie's request, they are making pizza from scratch when an argument evolves on the merits of pineapple on a pizza, in which Lucifer is for it and the Deckers, neutral—until they see how much it riles him up. The better part of the waiting is spent loudly arguing (Lucifer), dissolving into giggles (Trixie) and playing Devil's advocate (Chloe).
Suffice to say, dinner is burnt.
"Pineapple—not a veritable topping?" he scoffs. "You're lucky I love you both."
It's a quiet mutter. Innocuous and without thought—as if it is simply truth.
His truth.
Trixie's eyes widen. "Did you just—?"
"Order enough pineapple-topped pizzas to feed an army?"
Lucifer fiddles with his phone, no doubt cashing in a favor as Trixie stares up at him with stunned—albeit amused—awe, and unparalleled affection.
Chloe winks at her while Lucifer protests their conspiring chortles for reasons they refuse to divulge.
It's when he falls asleep before her, a kiss to his forehead, that she whispers to him.
"I love you, too."
She's never needed Lucifer to say it aloud, yet he seems hinged on its importance. But, until he's ready, his presence is enough. After all—
She all ready knows.
AN: One more fic—and day—to go...
To Devil'sMiracle17 on your salt and pepper review: ahahaha oh my days! Ok like, I've never heard your voice before but like, I could feel your enthusiasm it was practically a tangible presence in front of me. I' and utterly delighted at your reaction! Just... I'm blown away. I had hoped you would enjoy it, I never anticipated such praise and I'm blushing and laughing and crying like mad! I guess that makes two messes of us hahaha. I'm glad to have broken your prompt-filled-fic-dedication cherry cause I'm pretty certain you popped my Douchifer cherry—it's what inspired me to add Dan to this piece too, he was such a seamless addition and I guess it came from practicing his voice in salt and pepper and now it's as if a dam has broken. That being said, I hope he was in character here too? I'm always hit or miss, I feel. But YOU ARE RIGHT—that Douchifer scene was purely for you and don't let nobody tell you otherwise hahaha. I'm over the moon you adore it and the story in general! (Also, ngl, that salt and pepper kitchen use line is hands down one of my most favorite things to write ever haha) Honestly, idk what to say that I haven't already said. I'm so so so overwhelmed by the positivity and outpouring of love from your response. It's more than I could have ever expected. Just, please never forget that you are a legitimate ray of sunshine in my life. I'm gonna miss these long-winded conversations with you once the series is done. I feel like we're in the Renaissance era and you're my pen pal and these are my handwritten letters to you lmao. You heap praise upon praise on my characterization, to the point you think I deserve a trophy but truthfully? Your reviews are prize enough and your opinion is invaluable to me, short as a time we've gotten to know each other. Idk what I'm gonna do without this routine in my life, oh my goodness. (Probably cry about Lucifer lmao) But, if I thought I wanted to hang your come over now review on my wall... I need to have your salt and pepper review framed on my wall then embossed on my grave! Know that every word in salt and pepper was written with you in mind. All for you, for reals. You're an absolute star and I really will miss this! See you in the next one dear. What a ride and a joy it's been!