"What on earth is that monstrosity?"
Chloe raised a brow and followed his line of sight, rolling her eyes and glaring at him when she saw what he was looking at. "The Christmas tree? I think it looks nice."
It was Christmas Eve, Trixie getting ready for bed and Maze out doing- well- whatever it was she did on Christmas Eve. Lucifer had stopped by a little over an hour ago and Chloe had stupidly invited him in, or more accurately moved out of his way before he barged in like he owned the place.
"What's on it? And why is it drenched in this shiny foil like substance?" he asked curiously, moving closer and shoving his hands in his pockets, bending at the hip to further inspect it.
"Tinsel Lucifer, it's called tinsel and it's a decoration. It makes it pretty."
He scoffed, "Pretty? Is that really the word you're going with here?"
Months ago she probably would have kicked him out right about now but she was so used to his warped views and need to express his opinion she merely nodded and went about tidying up and moving to her daughter's room.
"You ready for bed Monkey? Have to get to sleep so Santa can come," she whispered excitedly, clicking off her lamp and sitting down on the edge of her comforter.
Trixie nodded excitedly but sobered a bit. "Santa's not real though, is he?"
Chloe had wondered when this day would come. Trixie was smart and paid close attention to things and she carefully worded her reply, unwilling to let her daughter lose the magic of the holiday. "I think things are as real as we make them. Who's to say Santa's just a jolly man in a red hat? What if he's more than that, like a warm feeling inside or something magical that brings people together?"
"I like that," she giggled, pleased with the response. "Is that why Lucifer is here?"
Her light eyes darted away and she rolled around a few ideas. "Maybe so, maybe he's here so we can teach him the magic of Christmas." Leaning over she placed a kiss to her daughter's forehead and ran her knuckles over her soft cheek. "Now go to bed!"
Pulling her door closed she found Lucifer staring in morbid fascination at the note next to a glass of milk and plate of cookies that read: For Santa. "What now?"
He sat down on a barstool at the counter and shook his head, "Feeding cookies drenched in sugar to a man that obviously has no self control and diabetes seems very unbecoming and before you tell me he's not real I'm very aware of that but the point still stands."
"He's Santa, he doesn't get diabetes."
He mulled this over, eyes narrowing. "Yes I suppose you're right. He's obviously some sort of immortal, or so everyone thinks, so he would be immune to diseases and such."
"Do you celebrate Christmas?" she asked, pouring herself a glass of eggnog and a glass of scotch for him. The bastard has actually bought it and brought it over specifically for himself with a strict warning to Maze not to touch it.
He took a sip and shook his head, "Do I celebrate my father's human son's birthday? No I do not. It's utterly ridiculous. Not only is he not the only son of God but he's supposedly so special the entire world celebrates his birth every single year? Hard pass."
Right, he's the Devil. She almost forgot for a second that he was insane. "So no presents or decorations or anything?"
Lucifer shook his head. "No I do not place gaudy things about the penthouse just to tacky it up."
His words were blunt and sarcastic but there was something else, an almost longing tone that was barely heard. No wonder he was here, he had nowhere else to go. Lucifer didn't get along with his family, Maze had moved out, and as far as she could tell he didn't have any friends. The devil was a Christmas orphan.
"Come on, come sit on the couch with me next to my chintzy tree," she grinned, flicking off the lights and grabbing a cookie. He followed obediently and dropped down a safe distance away, his eyes trained on the tree as if it's tackiness would somehow rub off on him. The man was nothing if not entertaining. "Would you relax? It's not going to attack you."
He pursed his lips and rolled his shoulders, sinking down a bit further and looking much more comfortable than a moment ago. "So how does this work? The child goes to sleep and wakes up to see if a morbidly obese man has broken into her home while she was sleeping and left some sort of item after foraging for food he doesn't need?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Humans," he grumbled and watched curiously as she leaned forward and grabbed something from under the tree.
"Here."
He took the box that was thrust into his hands and eyed it suspiciously. It was wrapped in bright red paper with snowflakes on it and had a large silver bow on the top. Unsure what exactly it was he met her eyes. "What is it?"
Chloe laughed, "A gift Lucifer, for you. Merry Christmas."
His eyes widened and his lips parted, excitement beginning to shine in the black depths. He still looked unsure, like he wasn't schooled on proper etiquette or technique and nervously looked at her.
Her heart broke a little. What sort of childhood had he had when he didn't even know what to do with a Christmas present? "Open it," she encouraged.
His hands trembled as his thumb slid between the folds on the side and separated the tape. The paper parted slowly, revealing a plain white box and he hesitated before lifting off the lid. Inside was a picture frame, sleek and black with a photo of he and Chloe.
Chloe watched emotions fly past his face and waited for some sort of response but it wasn't coming. She began to doubt herself, wondering if it wasn't a good gift, if it was stupid. "You don't have any pictures at your place and I figured- well- I mean I thought that maybe you might- want one. Of us. You know- working together." Smooth.
"I-" he began but didn't continue. The tips of his fingers ghosted over the pair of them, remembering the case and how pleased they had both been when they caught their suspect. "Thank you."
Had he ever said thank you before? It seemed to be one of the unicorn words for him like please, the elusive pleasantries only showing up on rare occasions. "You're welcome," she blushed.
Twisting a little he reached inside his breast pocket and pulled out a small box, fiddling with it and not meeting her eyes. "I have one for you as well."
"I thought you didn't do pesents."
"I don't," he agreed. "But I knew that you do so I procured something."
She gently took the box from his outstretched hand and wondered what he could have possibly gotten her. This box could be filled with anything from a ten carat diamond to a French fry, Lucifer was far from predictable. Forcing herself to remain calm she undid the black bow and ribbon from around the silver box and slid off the lid, her heart pounding in anticipation. It was a necklace, and a surprisingly subtle one from the man who did everything over the top.
"You mentioned that the one you had broke so-" he tried to explain.
Hers had broken, during lunch one day, the gold chain almost sliding to the floor but catching on her shirt. It had been months ago and she had never gotten around to trying to fix it or finding a new one. She didn't think anyone had ever done something so thoughtful for her, after all she had only mentioned it and he had remembered.
"Lucifer," she whispered in awe.
"Do you not like it?" he asked, wondering if he had mucked this up.
"I love it," she smiled. "Thank you, thank you so much."
He looked so proud of himself, his perfect teeth visible as he grinned. It was pure reaction for him to spread his arms when Chloe scooted closer and pulled him into a tight hug. Uncomfortable was the first thought in his mind but it was quickly replaced with a pleasant warmth that filled him. His arms wrapped around her and he relaxed in her embrace, his eyes closing as her soft perfume tickled his nose. This was a gift.
Chloe pulled back a hair and without over thinking it she pressed her lips to his and pulled back, leaving him blinking owlishly. It was quick and chaste and she was just about to apologize when he kissed her back, lingering a tiny bit longer.
She smiled shyly, her cheeks tinted pink. "Merry Christmas Lucifer."
"Merry Christmas Chloe."