A/N: Oh, dear reader! I apologize for my absence! I've had a lot going on over here and have had NO time to work on this. Sad, yes. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. It's dialogue heave, just a warning, but was such fun to write their banter! I do hope you enjoy! Have fun!
Wednesday night, technically early Thursday morning: his third night of attempting to obliterate his emotions through booze, drugs, and sex. The night of his string-free tryst with the woman in red had shown him why he chose to live this way. She didn't ask questions, she didn't even as for his name. They fucked just to feel the physical actions of taking what they wanted from someone else. He had left her room immediately after with nothing more than a sly smile between them and red stains on his skin. By night three, he was less particular, less on the hunt and more just waiting to be found.
Lucifer couldn't remember the name of where he was, and he certainly had no idea of how much he had drank or what pills he had forced down. All he knew is that he felt nothing; he was completely numb to anything other than the external forces around him. It felt great to be completely emotionless inside, almost robotic, but not quite.
By this time in his bender, he was experiencing bouts of blankness, chunks of time he could not account for. He had woken up that afternoon in his apartment, he remembered that much. He sort of remembered the bracing shower he took and the pills he swallowed down with alcohol, but after that, a blur. He couldn't remember how he got to the club he was at, or what he had been drinking once he got there. He wasn't even sure of how he met the girl that he had pinned against the wall of the bathroom stall. He felt hands on him, pulling at his clothes. He could feel his own hands tangling in her hair and wrapping around her small waist. Those feelings were all that mattered in that moment, not how they got there.
He pulled his face away from her neck and he swore she looks somewhat familiar, but he was quickly pulled from his thoughts when she grabbed his hard cock through his pants. He always appreciated the needy ways drunk girls made a point about getting what they wanted. She looked up at him through thick lashes, her pupils blown, eyelids heavy, and her cheeks flushed. He spun her around, pressing her front against the stall and pulled her dress up her thighs. He let her wiggle and pull her underwear down as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He pulled a condom from his back pocket and slipped it on. He spit onto his fingers and drug them through her wet folds, circling her entrance with his middle finger. She gasped and ground back against his hand, practically begging for more. He slapped her ass before aligning himself to her hole, pushing in and reveling in the feel of her walls dragging around him.
Without having to see her face, he could imagine her to be anyone, and he did. She had sandy blonde hair, almost the same color as the woman he was thinking about. Of course, the girl looked nothing like her. She was in a dress way too short, incredibly high heels (which helped him out with the sex part, to be honest), tons of make-up, and her hair was crunchy with product. There was nothing wrong with this, but it just wasn't anything like the person he wanted it to be. Closing his eyes, however, helped. He could picture her honey-colored skin, her light blue eyes, and her full lips. He could feel the girl's hands grabbing at his thighs as he pounded into her, the thumping of bodies hitting the stall wall was barely audible in his mind.
He pressed himself against the girl, one hand fisting into her hair, the other reaching above them and holding on to the top of the stall. He could hear the girl crying out as he fucked her hard through her orgasm, the force shaking the flimsy walls of the stall. The hand in her hair slid down her weakening body as he held on to her hip, holding her steady as he pumped his release into her. Once complete, he pulled out of her, leaning on the opposite wall and tugging the condom off and tossing it into the small trash bin. He looked up and found that the girl had turned around and was eyeing him, completely spent, as she adjusted her clothing back to normal.
Lucifer pushed himself off of the wall, reaching out and cupping the girl's face in one hand and bending down to place a quick kiss to her lips. "Thank you, darling," he panted, reaching for the lock on the door. He walked out of the stall, winking at the shocked woman standing by the sink as he zipped and buttoned his pants. He could hear the stumbling clicks of high-heels as the girl he was with managed to get herself to a sink. Without looking back he pushed open the Women's restroom door and vanished back into the crowd. Lucifer decided that he was getting too sloppy to continue, besides, he had somewhere he needed to be in six hours' time.
He made his way outside, still oblivious to where he was, and nearly ran into the cab that was conveniently parked right outside the club. He patted the hood of the yellow car, raising his hand in apology to the annoyed driver. He hopped into the back, gave him his address and let himself relax into the cracked pleather seats. He was startled awake by the cab coming to an abrupt stop, the lights of his apartment building shining brightly through the window. Squinting, he threw the driver a few bills and got out, almost stumbling as he go into the elevator. He fell into his bed as soon as he reached it, letting himself fall into a deep, disoriented sleep.
Thirty minutes before the start of class and Chloe was deciding whether or not to include a pop quiz today. She hated the idea, but she wasn't sure if the students were paying attention or not. Maybe it would get them to pull their heads out of their asses and focus, or maybe they would try even harder to ignore her. Granted, not every student saw her class as a complete waste of time, but most of them appeared to simply be there so they wouldn't waste tuition money. She decided against it, instead she figured she would talk to the chairman of the department and request a projector. Perhaps gruesome crime scene photos would capture their attention.
Standing at the podium, everyone in attendance that meant to be there, it seemed, she noticed there were quite a few absences. One absence, in particular, set her off. Granted, their last encounter had not been left on a high note, but she had grown to enjoy seeing him in the mass of blank stares. She wondered where he was, she had heard him say he would see her on Thursday, but again, the day was not over. She thought he would be the type of person to show up at any given point on the day they say they would.
Pulling herself together, she started her lecture. Chain of custody in evidence was essential in criminal justice, and it was held to high standards in every department and agency within the system. It was vital, and she hoped that she could get that across to them. A single mistake, simply forgetting to sign your name, could deem a piece of critical evidence invalid in the court of law, letting a potential murderer free with a miss trial.
No more than fifteen minutes in the door burst open, a very out-of-breath and disheveled Lucifer hanging on to the frame as if his life depended on it. "My apologies, Professor," he panted, swallowing thickly, his head falling back as his breathing started to even out. "If it's any consolation, I nearly killed myself getting here." He finally made his way through the door, taking a final deep breath, puffing the air into his cheeks and exhaling loudly.
Chloe stood there, her mouth hanging open in surprise. His white button-up shirt was half-way tucked out of his pants, and his pants were a rumpled mess, a few stains she didn't want to think too hard about were visible around his thighs. His shirt was only buttoned half-way up, exposing most of his chest whenever he moved his arms. His hair that was always perfect was in complete disarray, dark curls falling onto his forehead. She could see the red circles around his eyes, could see that they were bloodshot from the front of the room. He looked totally wrecked, entirely strung-out from God-knows-what. At this rate, the class was just lucky he appeared to have slept in clothes and had not burst through the doors naked. Taking in his appearance, she was surprised he even decided to show up; it would have been much easier for him to just stay in bed.
"Mr. Morningstar, I guess we're lucky you decided to grace us with your presence this morning," she stated sarcastically, noting a few giggles from the class. If he had heard her, he ignored it as he looked for the nearest empty seat he could find. He found one relatively close to the door, next to a girl that was staring at him with her mouth open. He gave her a large smile as he unceremoniously plopped down in the seat, making it creak a little under his weight.
Chloe watched as the girl next to him turned three different shades of pink before going completely red, turning her face away from him. His smile quickly turned into a confused frown as he eyed her up and down, then, like a switch, his expression changed to amusement. "Ah, margarita girl!" he burst out, clapping his hands together before resting an arm across the back of her chair. "Took me a second, but I recognize you now."
The girl continued to redden, her expression showing pure terror at his claims. Chloe watched as he continued to stare at the poor girl. His eyes didn't seem to have the same light in them that she was used to seeing, now they were just dark and blown out. It was as if he wasn't as good at hiding his pain behind charm. She could see right through the superficial carelessness and right into his aching soul. That was probably the look he said he saw in her eyes, a daunting recognition haunted her at that realization.
Lucifer smiled a little, ducking his head to try and get her attention. "How is it that you look so much more put-together than I do after only six hours since our little bathroom meeting, hm?" he asked, his voice loud enough for the entire class to hear.
"Mr. Morningstar, this is not the time for dealing with personal matters," Chloe said, her tone authoritative, and that grabbed his attention. Without turning his face, his eyes moved to make contact with hers. He held her stare and she could see a swarm of emotions going on in his dark eyes. She would have sworn that he looked dangerous, but she could tell he was just trying to hide something.
"Of course, Professor," he admitted, pulling his arm off of the girl's chair, switching his arms so that he was directly facing the front. "To be honest, I'm not sure why she's acting so shy. She definitely wasn't while I had her against the bathroom stall."
Both the girl and Chloe looked stunned. Lucifer, on the other hand, looked completely unaffected, as if he had just told everyone what the weather would be like for the day. "That's enough," Chloe warned, looking right at him. Lucifer's gaze moved towards her for a second, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Leave the girl alone, and pull yourself together. You look ridiculous."
Lucifer cocked his head to the side, his smirk growing on his features. "Oh, thank you, Darling," he said with a lilt in his voice. After a second, his expression fell to confusion as he turned to the girl next to him. "Wait, did she say ravishing or ridiculous?" His question got a giggle out of the girl, who was no longer as embarrassed as she had been. Chloe rolled her eyes, completely incensed by the man and his never-ending wit.
"Hey, man, she said leave her alone!" a voice from a few rows up yelled. Chloe looked out to see a younger guy eyeing Lucifer and the girl angrily. The two in question both turned around to see who spoke.
Lucifer looked at the girl who looked a little annoyed by the guy's intrusion into the matter. "Do you know him?" he asked, just loud enough for others to hear.
"Yeah, we've been talking," she replied, keeping her eyes on the other guy. "Matt, stay out of it, okay? I'm fine."
Chloe watched as the girl turned back around, Lucifer following her movements a second later. She could see the guy, Matt, continue to grow angrier, clearly mad at whatever had gone one between Lucifer and the girl. Almost as if to egg him on, Lucifer slowly put his arm along the back of her chair again, slightly leaning in her direction. The taunt worked and Matt abruptly stood and started moving towards them.
Chloe was losing control of her class, everyone deadly focused on the show that was bound to play before them as Matt stopped at the aisle right next to Lucifer. He glared at the man, his hands forming into shaky fists at his sides. She wasn't sure what was about to happen, but she knew it wasn't good. Having spent years watching situations like this unfold, she knew she had to try to intervene. "Matt, go sit back down," she said, her voice soft but firm.
"I'd listen to the Professor, Matthew," Lucifer jeered, turning his gaze towards the kid next to him. "Go sit down." Matt didn't listen, instead his stepped even closer to Lucifer.
"Matt, please, we'll talk after class, okay?" the girl said in a soft tone. She was trying her best to smile at the guy, trying to diffuse the situation. She was leaning forward to look at him past Lucifer, her expression caring but distant. It was clear that she was not very close with Matt.
"No, Emma," Matt said through gritted teeth, his eyes shooting daggers at Lucifer. "He's being an asshole." He was pointing at Lucifer now, but all the taller man could do was smirk up at him.
"Look, I understand you're a little put off about this, I get it, she's a 10, but she's not yours, she can do whatever she wants," he said, eyeing the guy carefully. He was giving him a chance to back off, to escape. "Including me," he said, adding just a touch of cannon fodder to the kid's jealousy. Turns out, he was baiting him, as well.
With that final addition, Matt lost his control and began to lift his fist to swing at Lucifer. Lucifer caught him by the wrist and stood up, towering over the poor guy, his other hand forming a fist by his side. Lucifer's expression changed from amused to irate in an instant. Chloe could see the anger swelling in him, and she knew that she had to stop this before someone got hurt.
"Lucifer!" she yelled, the entire class turning their attention back to the front, including the man she yelled at. He glared at her, the same dangerous look she had seen the night she was attacked in the alley. After a moment, Lucifer let Matt go, shoving him towards the direction of his seat. Chloe took a deep breath and pointed towards the door. "You need to leave," she ordered, walking towards the door to hold it open.
Lucifer scoffed and nodded, walking the short distance to the door. "Putting me on the naughty step, are we?" he asked, frustration dripping off his tongue like venom as he spoke. Without looking at her, he started walking through the doorway but Chloe lightly grabbed his arm, out of site from the rest of the class. "Go wait in my office," she whispered before turning around and closing the door behind him.
Chloe walked back to the podium, her boots making a loud sound in the all-too-quiet atrium of the classroom. The entire class started whispering to themselves, all discussing the scene that played out like a live reality-TV performed right in front of them. She took a deep breath, clearing her throat loudly to hopefully regain the attention of the rest of the students. She looked up to see Matt back in his seat, still looking angry, but slightly afraid, too. The girl, Emma, apparently, sat still and quiet, her eyes wide. She hadn't done anything wrong, but Chloe recognized that look of guilt on her features. Women were always made to feel guilty for acting the way any man was allowed to act. It wasn't fair for her to be fought over like that; she wasn't a prized cattle.
Chloe continued with her lecture, slowly calming the students down; if they were listening, she couldn't tell. She was just glad that nothing else dramatic happened the rest of the time. As she spoke, she thought about Lucifer, what she had seen, and what could possibly have driven him to act out the way he did. This was not the same put-together, coiffed, and charming Lucifer she was used to seeing. He seemed to be a different person entirely, almost, anyways. She thought about what she was going to say to him, why she asked him to wait in her office. She shouldn't care as much as she was, and that rocked her. She thought back to when he wanted to talk to her earlier that week. She wondered if this is how he felt, unsure of why he cared, just knowing that he did.
She ended class a few minutes early, there was no point in even continuing after the almost-fiasco, but she didn't want to just let everyone leave right after. She dismissed them, urging them all to read the syllabus and look at due dates and the timeline, but she was sure her advice fell on deaf ears. Once every student had vacated, she quickly gathered her things and walked next door to her office, where, she hoped, Lucifer would be waiting. She had a few words for him.
Chloe opened the office door to find Lucifer sitting in her chair, slumped over on her desk. She slammed the office door, causing him to startle and lift his head up, groaning when he saw her standing in front of him. Chloe sighed, walking around her desk and started pushing on her chair trying to force him out of it. "Get up," she ordered, finally succeeding in tilting him out of the chair. He grumbled loudly, stumbling over to the small chair in front of her desk. He plopped down, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his temples.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Chloe asked, her voice hard and irritated. She could feel the warmth his body left behind on the chair, she could also smell the pure alcohol oozing out of every pore.
Lucifer laughed then grimaced at the action, sitting up and bracing his hands on the edge of her desk. "A lot," he replied, his eyes closed as he sighed deeply.
Chloe didn't want to hear that bullshit. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, eyeing the disheveled man in front of her. "No, seriously, what was that in there? First you come in looking like that," she says, motioning towards him, her hand moving up and down. She watched him roll his eyes before looking down at himself and trying to fix his crumpled shirt. "Then you go off about sleeping with her in the middle of class. That's highly inappropriate, but you know that, don't you?" she continued, refolding her arms. She felt both like a teacher and a detective, scolding a student like she would a suspect.
"I made it to class, didn't I?" he asked pointedly, moving his tongue around in his too-dry mouth. The hangover was starting to hit him hard with the lack of substances in his system. He always hated this part of coming back down. The part where his body felt just as bad as his mind.
"Sure, but then you made a completely ass of yourself. I mean, you're a grown ass man, what are you doing messing with those kids?"
"I can tell you right now, she's no child," he said matter-of-factly, holding up his finger at her. She rolled her eyes at him, but he clearly wasn't finished. "And Matthew is definitely old enough to get his ass kicked, Professor," he said, ending his sentence with her title deliberately. He stared at her, watching as she took in what he was saying. "However, I understand what you mean."
Chloe raised an eyebrow at him. She hadn't figured he could be insightful in his current state, but it still didn't make up for his behavior. She took the time to think about what she was going to say next. She was going to ask about the anger, and she knew the conversation would take a nosedive from civil. "What would you have done if I hadn't have stopped you? Would you have hit him?"
Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her question. He wasn't expecting she wouldn't bring it up, but he didn't think she would ask that. He had hoped she would have berated him for grabbing the kid, but nothing more. "If he had swung at me again, then yes," he replied truthfully. He had no reason to lie to anyone, ever.
Chloe appreciated his honesty, most people would have given her the answer they thought she wanted to hear. He, at least, gave the answer she knew to be true. "Okay," she said, leaving it at that. She took another moment to gauge his demeanor, noting the way he kept his eyes half-closed, how he swallowed thickly. She could tell he was pushing towards completely sober, but wasn't quite there. "I recognized a look in there," she said, looking at him as he sat with his eyes closed. He didn't move, but his eyes opened to hold her gaze intensely.
"What look?" he asked without any interest in his words. He continued to stare at her and he could see the thoughts that were running through her head. She was choosing her words wisely, he respected that.
"The same look I saw in the alley, when you were looking at that guy," she started, observing him for any reaction. "A dangerous, enraged sort of look. I've seen it before, in my line of work," she said, watching his face go from indifferent to nervous. "You know, maybe the look you say you saw in me, the look you said you see in the mirror," she finished, leaving the sentence running for him to inject at any time. She watched his jaw tense as his head tilted to the side slightly. She could tell he was trying to keep himself collected, to not let himself get mad.
"Well, turnabout's fair play, I suppose" he said, rubbing his temples as he adjusted himself in the seat. "So, what about 'the look'?"
"Everyone I've ever interviewed or interrogated had a reason for looking that way," she said softly, watching as he continued to fidget in the seat, clearly uncomfortable. "What's yours?"
"You're quite direct, aren't you?" he stated more than asked, his brow furrowing as he went into thought. He sat still for a moment, considering his options. There was no way he was going to cut himself open to her, not after how she shut down last time they talked. He wasn't going to feel like that again. Besides, how would she ever look at him again? He wasn't ready to give that up. "It doesn't matter."
"Sure it does," she said, her voice raising. "You were so adamant about me answering your damn question, so why don't you answer mine?" She was beginning to feel a pressure in her chest. She felt like she might be overstepping, but she wanted to know. What could make someone who, by all accounts, made life exactly how they wanted into the person she saw today?
"You didn't really give me an answer, now, did you?" he replied, his own voice started to sound angry. She was beginning to push him, much like he did to her earlier in the week. A pang of regret washed over him quickly, realizing that he had probably made her feel like this when they last talked.
Chloe sat, motionless and speechless. She looked into Lucifer's dark, red-rimmed eyes and found an emptiness that she was not expecting. He almost looked like a completely different person. His eyes had no spark in them, his features were hardened and tired, and he had a permanent scowl on his lips replacing the smirk that was usually found there.
"No, I guess I didn't" she replied softly, her eyes falling towards her lap. Defeat. She was accepting defeat. It was well earned. He did have a point; she hadn't opened up to him, so why should she expect him to do the same?
"Exactly, so I'm not about to cut my heart out and lay it on the table," he sneered, his words coming out low and slower than usual. "I firmly believe in quid pro quo, Professor." He was holding his ground with that. There was no way he was going to allow himself to become that vulnerable with someone that refused to be vulnerable, as well. He couldn't afford more abandonment and rejection in this lifetime.
They sat in silence, more comfortable and less awkward than any long silence should be. Each trying to mend the wounds of lashing out without getting anywhere. After what seemed like an eternity, Chloe looked back up in his direction. Lucifer was leaned back in the chair, as far as he could be, one arm stretched forward for him to tap his fingertips against the wood of her desk. She admired the long lines of his frame for a minute, noticing the thickness of his wrists leading to large hands, exposed by the way his sleeves were shoved, more than rolled, up. She forced herself to look up when she felt his eyes on her.
"How did you get here this morning?" she asked in a normal tone, as if completely ignoring the heavy conversation held prior. She could see his expression fall, as if he was expecting her to say something with more depth.
"I drove," he answered, leaning forward to help push himself out of the chair. He was taking her question as his cue to leave her presence, as most people expected when he was no longer of need to them.
Chloe sighed loudly, reaching towards the ground for her bag before standing and walking over towards him. She stood in front of him, looking down at his confused expression as he as poised to get up. "Okay, come on, let's go," she said, signaling him towards the door. She stepped back to allow him room to stand up without being pressed up against him.
He stood, an even more confused expression on his face as he remained planted in front of the chair. He continued to stare at her as if she were speaking another language. Chloe waited for him to move, even a little, but she huffed when she realized he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"I used to be a cop, I'm not letting you drive like this," she said, gesturing towards his strung-out appearance. She watched as he looked down at himself again with a smirk, the regular Lucifer beginning to break through the shell of the man next to her.
"Oh, so you're going to take me home, then?" he asked teasingly as she rolled her eyes and walked around him, opening the door to her office and walking out. He laughed to himself as he quickly followed, turning the lock on the door before closing it. "Or if you're just trying to get me in the car, I can do a lot in there, too," he continued once he caught back up to her. She noticed his usual swagger was back in his steps, albeit a bit on the sloppy side.
"Yeah, you wish," she scoffed back, keeping her gaze forward. She hated that she found him charming with this attitude. He was ridiculously flirty and she hadn't been around anyone like that before in her life. He seemed so free when he was like this, and she only wished she knew what could deflate him so significantly for him to become that ball of fire she saw earlier. "Just, don't stand so close," she said, holding her hand out in his direction as if to push him away. "You smell like a fucking distillery."
She could see out of the corner of her eye that he had put his hands on his chest, an exaggerated wounded expression on his face before softening into amusement. "I feel like a fucking distillery, at the moment," he agreed with a short laugh. Chloe couldn't help the soft laugh that escaped her chest or the smile that crept on her lips. She could see that he noticed her reaction, and that seemed to please him. She couldn't deny how youthful he appeared when he had his wit and charm on full blast like this, and it was more endearing that she felt comfortable with accepting.
The journey to her car continued in comfortable silence and she laughed out loud as he tried to squeeze his tall frame into the passenger side before positioning the seat all the way back. Once he was finally seated and buckled, slightly out of breath, he noticed the amusement she was trying to hold back.
"Oh, was that funny?" he asked, turning his body in her direction. Chloe huffed out a muffled laugh as she pulled out of the spot and started to drive. "What freakishly tiny creature was up here last?" he asked, trying to adjust the bend in his knees.
"I think Ella, do you remember meeting her?" she asked, thinking about the last couple of days. They had met up recently for lunch, it was probably then. "Yeah, it was either me or Ella."
"Blood hell," he exclaimed under his breath, finally finding a somewhat comfortable spot. She watched as he suddenly began look for something on his person. He was frantically patting along his pants, lifting his hips to examine his back pockets. Chloe noticed the way his haphazardly tucked shirt pressed snuggly against the flat plane of his stomach as his hips lifted off of the seat, the way the material rippled over skin as he (somehow attractively) wiggled around until he found what he was looking for.
With a sigh of relief, he unscrewed the lid to the flask, just barely bringing the container up to his lips before Chloe pulled it out of his hand. With a small amount of reluctance, he let her take it, a few drips of amber liquid clinging to the bottom of his lower lip. "No, nope. Not cool," she stated, briefly looking at him before returning her eyes to the road. She fought the urge to swipe her thumb along his lip to wipe away the drops by holding out her right hand. With an annoyed grunt he placed the cap in her hand, slumping in his seat like a scolded child. "Not to sound like your mother or anything, but I don't think you need any more. Have you had anything solid recently?"
She could see his body instantly tense at her concern, his eyes squinting shut and his jaw clenching as he leaned his head against the window, a sad chuckle rumbling in his chest. "You don't. My mother wouldn't care enough to even notice," he said before realizing his slip. He shut his eyes even tighter, sighing and running a hand down his face. "And, to answer your question, I honestly can't remember."
Chloe looked over at him, trying to keep a sad expression off her face. The maternal side of her felt horrible for him in that moment. If her daughter had ever come home that undone, she would definitely notice, and she would definitely stop her from continuing to destroy herself. She couldn't imagine a mother that could ignore her child in such a bad state. "I didn't mean to-," she started but was interrupted by his hand slightly raising from his leg.
"I know. It's alright," he assured her softly, the slightest bit of a smile on the corner of his lip when he turned enough to look into her eyes. She nervously licked her lips and averted her gaze back to the road, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. When they reached the campus exit, Lucifer gave her his address and she was surprised to know where he lived. She and Dan had lived in that area when they first moved in together less than ten years ago.
"You should eat something," she suggested awkwardly, wanting to change the subject and tone of their conversation. "You know, when you get home."
"You want to come in and make me something?" he asked, his face going straight back to its typical smug, sexy look. He twisted his hips so his body was facing her, one long arm resting along the window of the door, the other rested on top of the seat, his forearm and hand out of her sight.
"You are persistent, I'll give you that," she said, narrowing her eyes and briefly turning her head to glare at him. "No, you're a big boy, you can make yourself something," she said mockingly.
"Ooh, I liked that," he groaned, a huge smile on his lips. "Call me that again, please, Professor," he teased, a small pout forming on his soft lips. Chloe knew he had to see the shiver than ran through her body. She stared at the road, completely embarrassed. If he wanted a reaction from her, he just got one, and she wondered how she would ever be able to look at him again. She was mad at herself for letting the way those words rolled off his accented tongue visibly affect her. She braved a quick glance at his direction and she found that he was smiling, nothing arrogant about it, but a smile as if he was a little pleased with himself. She scolded herself for finding that endearing, as well.
"Gross," she whispered, trying to her best to lighten the overwhelming tension surrounding them. That earned her a small chuckle from him as he leaned back in the seat.
He had been right, they reached his apartment complex in relatively short time for Southern California standards. The remaining minutes of the drive had been in edgy silence, each shifting in their seats occasionally to make some sort of ambient sound. She found a surprisingly empty spot near the entrance and she quickly paralleled into it, years of being a beat cop gave her plenty of experience with parallel parking.
"Now go eat something, and shower, you look like a homeless magician," she told him, pointing a finger at him the way she would when telling Trixie to do something that needed to be done.
"Yes, mother," he jested, reaching for the handle on the door. He stopped almost immediately, shaking his head and inwardly scolded himself. He looked over at Chloe who had an equally disturbed expression on her face. "Yeah, I know, I'm ashamed of myself for that one," he admitted, shaking his head again and chuckling at himself.
"You should be," Chloe said, trying to keep the smile off of her face. It was ridiculous that he could be that charming and likeable, even looking as rough as he did in that moment. He took his hand away from the handle and leaned over the center of the car, closing in on her space until his face was just a few inches away from hers. She inhaled sharply, holding her breath but not moving away from him. She would be remiss to say there wasn't tension. Hell, she would be lying straight through her teeth if she said there wasn't tension. He had to feel it, too, or he wouldn't be this forward. Perhaps he would be, but she could tell by the way he would pause and study her reaction, waiting for the moment she either gave in or pushed him away.
"Thank you, Professor," he whispered, his eyes looking into her, pleading for her to do something, anything.
She could feel his breath against her lips and that forced them to part slightly. She finally exhaled before replying. "You're welcome, Lucifer," she said, her voice just above a whisper. He waited a few more seconds before backing away, reaching for the handle and getting out of her car. Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath as he closed the door and started walking towards the apartment building.
She wanted to stop him, to tell him that he could talk to her, if he ever needed to, but she didn't. A part of her realized that she probably shouldn't allow herself to get too close to him. She had told herself before that he was dangerous in the sense that she could easily give in to the charm and let him seduce her. She was afraid that they might get close, and something else would form between them. It would be wrong. So wrong. The other part of her wanted to comfort him. He was clearly hurting, but she had no idea how to do that without pushing the professional boundaries more than she already had. She took another steadying breath before pulling out of the spot just as he disappeared into the building.
She drove back to campus to return to her office, which still smelled heavily of alcohol and Lucifer, so she left the door open to air it out. It was distracting, not unpleasant. She answered the many emails she had and waited around, going over future lesson plans as well as revising a quiz she had scheduled for the next class. As she expected, no one needed her during office hours, so she packed up and left, locking her door behind her.
As Chloe drove home, she wondered if Lucifer had listened to her and had cleaned himself up, gotten something to eat that wasn't drenched in booze, and slept whatever else was left in his system off. Once home, she waited for Trixie to be dropped off by the bus. She pulled out the half-eaten chocolate cake and held up a fork. Her daughter smiled and started eating. Chloe took a few bites and wondered if Lucifer's mother had ever eaten chocolate cake with him when he was a kid.
A/N: So, I'm sure you noticed that I took the "homeless magician" line from the show. I just had to, I absolutely loved that bit! Anyways, how was the ride? Please, let me know what you think of this so far. I love reading reviews and comments. Suggestions, as well. I know, this is a REALLY slow burn, but I promise it will be worth it. Just trust me a little, okay? ;) Until next time, dark ones...
PS: As always, this is HIGHLY unedited. I do hope it wasn't horrible, but I just cannot, for the life of me, edit myself properly.