Day Seven. Last Day.

Michael slept through most of the day. He'd slept through the entire day before, as well.

When he woke up, he was glad to find that he felt much less… hot, than he had the day before. He didn't quite feel cold, either. Somewhere in between. Somewhat normal. The former archangel blinked his eyes open and looked ahead for a moment, then started to roll over onto his back. Only to notice, pausing instantly, that someone else was in the bed beside him. And his heart skipped a beat when he turned his head and saw Ella lying there, arms under her head and her eyes shut peacefully, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.

He relaxed slowly, shifting over completely onto his back to watch her. Her nostrils flared as she breathed, her lips parting slightly with a low sigh as she twisted slightly with Michael's movements, but she remained steady in her peaceful slumber. Michael blinked, unable to take his gaze off of her for the longest time.

She was so sweet, so innocent. So loving, so forgiving. Everything Michael wasn't, she was… perfect. And his heart ached with the thoughts that crossed his mind at that moment. He didn't deserve her - he didn't deserve that sweetness, that innocence, that love and forgiveness.

That perfection.

He bit down on his lower lip and turned his head to gaze at the ceiling, clasping his hands together over his stomach and staring upwards. His amber eyes searched the ceiling, roaming aimlessly as if looking for something, but his gaze never latched onto anything. Just stared up at the pure white as he pressed his lips together and narrowed his eyes and thought. He let each of the thoughts in, allowing them to spin and spiral around his head until it made him dizzy. Maybe that was the difference between him and Lucifer. His brother tried to forget. Michael didn't want to.

He didn't want to forget how much pain he'd caused, how much guilt he deserved to feel. Pushing it down would only make it worse. He needed to feel it, to experience every painful emotion - his own painful emotions, rather than just feeding off of everyone else's. This is the kind of pain he had caused most of his siblings, Lucifer especially. What goes around comes around, and Michael was sure he was experiencing everything he deserved to be.

Breathing out a low sigh, he turned once more to look at Ella. Ella, who saw past the monster Michael believed himself to be. Ella, who was willing to overlook all of his faults. And for what? What had he done for her? He had simply been there - she had been the one to approach, the one to stop him in his tracks. The one who made him think.

Maybe it was a good thing. If she hadn't, Michael might not have ever been able to face that what he was doing was wrong.

His thoughts trailed off, mildly startled as Ella began to stir, a low groan breaking from the human's lips as she twisted on the bed and blinked her eyes open, squinting against the light. Michael paused, just for a second, and pushed himself slightly to sit up. A wave of nausea hit him in the process, and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from grunting as he balanced himself back against the wall, watching carefully as Ella pushed herself up as well.

"Good morning," he spoke quietly, as Ella reached out to feel his forehead.

"Hi," she finally replied, offering him a tired little smile as she brushed his hair from his face. He leaned into the touch slightly, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Your fever broke. How're you feeling?"

"Better." Michael peered at her, still silently wondering at her compassion. How could she be so kind to someone like him? Someone who couldn't possibly deserve it?

Why did he care?

What even was he feeling right then? Why was she so important to him? Why did she make him question these things? Thoughts of her spun through his head, thoughts that hurt and ached at his chest in the most torturous way. And yet, it was pleasurable at the same time. It hurt, but he loved it (and for a second it made him wonder if maybe he was a masochist in that case). He loved the way she made him feel, but it scared the crap out of him. He grimaced slightly, and Ella gave him a worried stare before narrowing her eyes and pushing herself forward a little, her hand settling against the side of his face.

"What's on your mind, angel boy?" She asked him softly, and Michael glanced away for a second, toward the window. Ella furrowed her eyebrows, her thumb tracing over his cheek as she waited.

Finally, Michael raised a hand and gently clasped it over Ella's hand as he spoke, his voice soft. "I don't know how to feel about you."

Ella raised her eyebrows, seeming more confused than anything. She gently turned her hand over so that she could twine her fingers with his, bringing their hands closer together as she clasped them together and lightly placed her other hand over the back of Michael's, both of her hands holding one of his now as she shifted slightly to sit cross-legged in front of him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you…" Michael trailed off and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out in a soft huff. "You make me feel things I've never felt before, El. It's like joy and sadness and anger and fear and… it's the most painful combination of emotions I've ever felt before. And it's all my own."

A pause followed his words, staring down at their hands as he lightly rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "And it hurts," he continued after a moment, "but I don't want it to stop, at the same time. And I don't understand it, Ella, how it's so much pain and yet it… It feels like I need it." He exhaled slowly and looked up hesitantly to meet Ella's gaze, but she now had a soft, knowing smile on her face, shaking her head at the former angel.

"Oh, Mikey," she sighed, lifting one of her hands to touch his cheek again. "I get it. You've been feeling everyone else's emotions for so long that you don't know how to deal with your own. And it's scary, and it hurts. It's going to hurt, Mike. There's nothing you can do about that."

"I know," he mumbled, and she suddenly grinned and leaned forward, pushing herself up onto her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck. He leaned back a bit, surprised, but he brought his hands up to her shoulders to hold her steady.

"But you'll always have someone there who's willing to help you understand," Ella breathed, and his eyebrows scrunched together softly as she continued, "you'll always have me."

His amber eyes held hers, sparkling with the pain and fear and joy he was feeling at the moment. The ice cold rush, the feeling of falling. The terror, but the satisfaction, the security. He was fine, he was safe. He was just… falling. In the weirdest way, at least to him. His breathing hitched for a moment, silent and thinking, before he tilted his head back and pressed his lips to Ella's in a soft kiss.

The painful feeling increased tenfold the second their lips connected, exploding in his chest. A jolt to his brain, freezing cold, a surreal feeling surrounding him completely. It was enough to make him pull back instantly, eyes widening in both horror and confusion as he realized what he'd done. Ella gazed back at him, just as wide-eyed, just as confused, but for a different reason.

"I-" Michael sucked in a sharp gasp and held his breath, shaking his head slightly. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I- Why I did that- Why did I do that?" He gasped, lifting a hand from Ella's shoulder to cover his mouth. He stopped, however, feeling her fingers wrap around his wrist before he could do so, and looked up.

"I know why," she told him gently, and, leaning forward, she pressed another kiss to his lips. There was another jolt, but this time it was accompanied by a warmth in his chest, in his stomach. He visibly shook at the feeling, at least for a second, before his hands came up instinctively to cup her face as he leaned up to return the kiss.

They pulled back, somewhat reluctantly, when breathing became an issue for them both. But Ella was grinning from ear to ear, and Michael, after a moment of hesitation, allowed his own smile to appear on his face as he let out a low, breathless chuckle. "I… Wow."

"Yeah, you said it," Ella giggled, her arms wrapping around him as she leaned forward. His heart fluttered a little as she nuzzled her head under his chin, a soft sigh breaking through her lips as her eyes slid shut. Michael hesitated slightly, then simply wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers, breathing out softly as he closed his eyes. "Hey, Mike?"

"Mm?"

"I do think you should go to therapy," Ella murmured, and Michael blinked his eyes open to glance down at her. "At least for a little while. At the very least, maybe it'll help you understand your own emotions."

Michael blinked and looked down at her, staying silent for a moment. There was a strange jolt in his chest as he started to speak, making him pause for a second, and his eyebrows knitted together. And then, as if something had clicked, it all came rushing back. The emotions, the good and the bad. Like a tidal wave breaking out over him, threatening to wash him away right then and there. And it was so painful that he almost let himself go.

But then Ella gave him a soft squeeze, arms wrapped around him, fingers curled gently into the fabric of his shirt, and he stopped. The wave of emotions calmed, more of a rushing river than crashing waves coming at him from all sides. The pain still ached at his chest, at least for a moment, until she tilted her head back to gaze at him. He met her stare evenly.

The pain faded, every other emotion dulling, receding to the back of his mind for the time being. Until all he could feel was his own, once more - the soft aching in his chest, the terror and the happiness combined. His own emotions, no longer drowned out by the pain of the others. Even though he could feel it there, now, flickering faintly in the back of his mind. But as long as he held her gaze, they wouldn't get to him again.

And, along with the emotions came a rush of strength. A strength he hadn't known he'd really had before. He took a moment to consider it, his amber eyes flaring up slightly with a certain fire, and Ella took in a deep breath as she watched.

Her hands lifted, grabbing his face gently. "Are they back? Your powers?"

Michael blinked down at her and nodded a little, genuinely stunned. She looked both pleased and worried, gazing at him as if waiting for something, and Michael paused. Of course he could feel the weight of the other emotions, could feel the negativity flickering just at the back of his mind. And for the first time, he pushed past that. Pushed the negativity down and tried to focus on the emotions that didn't hurt. The love, the joy, the excitement, the awe. He let it replace the anger and pain that were practically begging to take him over again.

He wrapped his arms around Ella and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes with a sigh. "It's okay," he murmured, feeling her relax immediately, snuggling back into his arms with a soft, content sigh. "… Everything's okay."

"I'm glad you came in today."

"Yes, well." Lucifer flashed Linda a rather tight smile as he paced back and forth, one hand adjusting his tie and the other smoothing his hair back. He paused for a second, near the window, and turned his head to stare out. "I'm feeling much better today." He narrowed his eyes, tugging on his suit a bit and smoothing out some of the wrinkles. But he continued to pass his hand along the fabric again and again, even when there were no more wrinkles to spread out, and Linda's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she took in his restless behavior.

She opened her mouth, maybe to ask him if he wanted to sit down, maybe ask him outright about his behavior. Whatever she was going to say, Lucifer beat her to the punch rather desperately, quickly. "I've been thinking-" He stopped, his steps faltering, and abruptly turned around to pace back toward the couch. "I've been thinking about some… unpleasant things, recently. Things regarding my past. Things I… perhaps didn't want to face." He stopped, sucking in a deep breath and holding it for a moment. "Perhaps I'm not ready to face them. But I want to."

That was what he wanted. He wanted to stop lying to himself. He wanted to stop covering up the bits of his past he'd forced himself to forget. He wanted to stop giving in to the stories he heard about himself. He wanted to come clean about what had happened that day. What he'd done. What he could have done, if he hadn't…

The palms of his hands began aching, abruptly forcing him to stretch his fingers out. He stared down at the indents his fingernails had left in his skin, taking a deep breath and turning back to Linda. "The Fall. It's about the Fall."

He watched as his therapist - his friend's eyes widened at the words, looking visibly shaken by that. Of course, why wouldn't she be? Lucifer rarely spoke about the Fall, at least in detail. About him being cast out of Heaven, forced out, as if that were all to it. No, there was more, buried deep down, underneath the lies that humanity and his siblings and himself had spun in a desperate attempt to forget the truth, forget the terror and pain and the choices he had made that day.

"Okay." Linda spoke carefully, as if anything could set the former Devil off at that moment. Granted, he did seem a little frantic right then, a little on edge. He shifted his feet back a little before suddenly jerking back and forcing himself to sit, his hands settling against his knees as he dug his fingers into the fabric of his pants and took a deep breath.

"It's all a lie," he started, taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment. "Most of it, at least. It's all been twisted, by humans, my siblings… none of you really know the truth." He stopped, sucking in a deep breath and holding it for a moment. "And I've been going along with it all this time because even I couldn't face it, what I'd done, the… the decision I'd made."

"The Rebellion?" Linda narrowed her eyes slightly and clasped her hands together, leaning forward a little bit. Lucifer actually scoffed a little bit, raising a hand to run his fingers sharply through his hair as he shook his head.

"No, Doctor, I…" At this, the former Devil visibly hesitated, staying tense as he dropped his gaze and stared down at his hands. He flexed his fingers a little bit, grinding his teeth together slowly and narrowing his eyes. It shouldn't be this hard to think about, to face. To unravel the denial he'd been in for so long, the lies he'd allowed himself to get wrapped up and stuck in. But he didn't want that anymore. He didn't want to live in the tangled web that he'd spun around himself. Forget humanity, forget his siblings…

"It's my fault. All of it, it's my own bloody fault," he hissed, though his voice lacked venom, more so defeated than anything. "For so long, I've been blaming my Father. My siblings. Mum. Humanity." He stopped, blinking, and pinched his eyebrows together. "But I can't, not anymore. It's all a lie."

"Lucifer," Linda said softly, and Lucifer glanced up. She looked excited, despite it all - but he could see the worry flickering through her eyes, as well. "This is progress, genuine progress."

Lucifer paused, at least for a second, and took in a breath as he nodded. Yes, it was progress. That's why he needed to do this, to tell the truth. To break away from the denial, the lies, the pain and the hurt and the anger. He didn't want to feel like this anymore.

"I let it happen," he spoke suddenly, each word feeling like knives in his throat. Linda blinked, looking briefly confused, and Lucifer visibly shuddered before forcing himself to clarify, "I let myself fall."

Gabriel was the first to go, followed closely by Azrael. Lucifer followed not too long after. For a second, the awful feeling took his breath away, a sense of pain and terror surrounding him as his heart and stomach lurched, feeling absolutely sick. Gabriel was screaming, Azrael clinging to him practically for dear life and Lucifer merely held onto himself, gasping for air and staring down with tears prickling in his eyes.

One by one, more joined them. Demons, Lucifer knew, the demons who had fought with him during the war. Briefly, he caught Lilith's gaze, and then Mazikeen's. He'd met her early on during the rebellion, Lilith's daughter. Her cold eyes met his with no hesitation, no terror. Just a knowing look. She had expected this.

Lucifer then looked up, at his siblings. Both of them were… petrified. Gabriel had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes now, holding onto Azrael for all he was worth, and his sister was holding him right back. Struggling for a moment between his own selfish desires and what he knew was right, he came to a decision and took in a breath. Unfurling one wing, and then the next, he lashed them downwards and pulled himself to a halt, catching both of his siblings by the arm as they started to fall past him.

"Lucifer!" Gabriel gasped, holding on tighter than ever. Lucifer actually felt his arm go numb from the pressure, but he didn't say a word. Just clenched his teeth and pushed himself upwards, past the falling demons, past the blur of blue and red, and he didn't stop until he literally, physically couldn't go any higher. It was like a barrier now, forbidding him to get even somewhat close to Heaven. He couldn't go an inch further.

"Shit!" Lucifer yelled, lowering himself down a little and fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill. Gabriel clung to him silently, wide-eyed, but it was Azrael who spoke.

"Lu, we can't-"

"Stop." Lucifer looked up for a second, then clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the both of them. He lifted Azrael up a little, just seeing if he could maybe get her through whatever invisible barrier his Father had set up, but he couldn't. And each moment he stayed in the air, the more his wings grew tired, weak. And when the feathers began to fall, he knew, instinctively, it was his Father's doing. He wanted him to fall, duh, he wasn't just going to let him stay there for the rest of eternity.

But Lucifer couldn't let his siblings be punished for what he'd dragged them into, they didn't do anything. This was Lucifer's fault, Lucifer's fault for creating the stupid rebellion and letting it turn into a war, letting his family destroy itself.

Even further.

Amenadiel…

He paused for a second, breath catching in his throat, and continued. Amenadiel. I need your help.

Silence. Nothing happened. Lucifer was slipping, his wings growing heavier. He watched another feather fall, slowly trickling downwards, spiraling into the nothingness. He swallowed and tightened his grip, ignoring the screaming from his siblings as they tried to pull away, begging him to stop, that they were going with him, they had to go with him. He tugged them upwards and wrapped his arms around them both, squeezing his eyes shut against the tears and trying not to break down into sobs right then and there. What had he gotten them into? Why had he dragged them into this mess? Why was he like this?

… Amenadiel, please, he begged silently, biting his tongue. Please, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

The feathers stopped falling. Lucifer didn't notice.

He swallowed and looked up when he heard a rush of air, practically falling back down in relief when he saw Amenadiel there. His brother's eyes were wide, staring down at him, silent and tense. Lucifer wasted no time in lifting Gabriel up, and Amenadiel reached past the barrier to grab his wrist and tug him upwards, ignoring the younger angel's startled screech of surprise as Amenadiel yanked him up into his arms, wrapping one arm around him and reaching his hand down for Azrael.

Lucifer pulled her up, and Amenadiel grabbed her arm and pulled her through the barrier. The… former angel raised a hand, placing it right against the invisible wall and swallowing as he looked up. And then, abruptly, the barrier vanished. His hand went right through. His eyes widened as he lifted his hand up a bit more, pushing himself a little higher. Confusion and curiosity flickered through his eyes, as well as understanding.

God was willing to give him another chance. He was willing to let him back in. Lucifer felt sick. After everything he had done…

He stayed still, at least until Amenadiel reached down to grab his hand as well. Lucifer jerked back, sending himself spiraling downwards before he abruptly managed to catch himself.

Amenadiel's eyes widened, confusion and shock flickering through his gaze. "Lucifer, come on!" He exclaimed, and Gabriel immediately began struggling in Amenadiel's arms, reaching out for his older brother with wide eyes.

"Luce!"

"Lu!" Azrael warned, and Lucifer's wide eyes darted in her direction, tears flooding his gaze. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare let yourself fall! You can't do this! Not without us! You don't deserve this!" She leaned forward and reached a hand out, but Lucifer leaned back. All he had to do was fly up. The barrier was gone. He could go home. All he had to do was…

Apologize to God.

Lucifer wasn't sure he could do that. His stupid, selfish pride stood in the way. He wanted to, but at the same time he couldn't. He couldn't apologize for doing what he still believed was right. Maybe he shouldn't have brought his siblings into it, maybe he shouldn't have even rebelled - but he wasn't going to go back up there and become Samael again, and become an angel, and just live like everything was fine and normal. No, he couldn't do that again. It was selfish, but he couldn't do that again. He wouldn't do that again.

He pulled back further, blinking his tears back. "Take care of them, Amenadiel."

"Luci-" Amenadiel reached down further, his eyes pleading. "Don't do this."

"Oh, no-" Gabriel had tears in his eyes now, and it was so different from his usual bright smile that Lucifer flinched back on instinct, another beat of his wings sending him flying backwards. "Luce, please, please!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lucifer gasped, shaking his head violently and trying to fight back the tears, to no avail. "I can't go back, I can't- I can't live like this anymore!"

Amenadiel jerked his hand back, hurt flashing through his eyes. Azrael's head jerked back at the same time, eyes widening and pupils shrinking, but Gabriel only held Lucifer's gaze with a mixture of pain and understanding, and fear. And worry. Lucifer held that gaze for a few moments before he pushed himself back a bit more and took a deep breath.

"... then leave," Amenadiel whispered, and Lucifer ignored the outraged scream from Azrael as he turned his gaze to his older brother. Those warm eyes he remembered were now cold and distant, and he had to avert his gaze within just a few seconds, staring down.

Then, taking a breath, he folded his wings away again.

"LU!"

"LUCE!"

He looked up just in time to see Amenadiel push himself upwards, spiraling through the air with both of his younger siblings clutched to his sides, both of them staring down with wide, terrified eyes after their brother. Lucifer blinked, the tears escaping as he covered his mouth with one hand and squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could.

… He was falling.

Willingly.

"I had a chance to return to the Silver City. Father was willing to give me another chance. Amenadiel was right there." Lucifer ran his fingers through his hair, gripping tightly now as he shook his head back and forth. His stomach twisted, chest aching with the feeling, the jolt, the memory of falling. The fear. "But I didn't, I couldn't. I couldn't do it. I wanted to, I really, really wanted to, but I couldn't do it."

"Lucifer…" Linda's voice came out in a breathless whisper, looking stunned by the story. Lucifer just shook his head, dragging a hand down his face.

"I could have… I should have gone…" Lucifer blinked, anger and pain flickering through his eyes as he shook his head. "I hurt everyone, I hurt them all so much - I could have done better, I could have made it better. It was so selfish, I was…" His voice shook, violently, cracking on the last few words. And he forced himself to stop, sucking in a deep breath and forcing the tears back.

He blinked rapidly to clear the tears as Linda suddenly stood, grabbing the box of tissues on the table in front of her and walking around to sit on the couch beside Lucifer. The former Devil sighed a little, but he did accept one of the tissues to rub the tears from his eyes. "It's good that you're facing this, Lucifer," his friend spoke gently, "realizing and admitting that you've been in denial, and accepting what really happened that day, is a good step toward helping yourself feel better about it. But don't push yourself so hard. Unraveling these truths slowly will be much easier for you."

Lucifer went silent for a moment, considering that, then nodded slowly and took a deep breath. "Right… Yes." He cleared his throat, looking away, out the window. "Well… I've been thinking about the Detective, as well…" He trailed off, a little hesitant, but a little more open to admitting this than he seemed to be about the Fall. "I've been considering pursuing a… deeper relationship with her, but…"

Linda tilted her head, furrowing her eyebrows. "But?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Perhaps it's too soon," Lucifer continued, frowning, "she did have genuine feelings for Pierce despite him being an all-around bag of dicks. Not to mention, she watched my brother kill him in the same day she found out that I truly am the Devil. And I'm worried… I'm worried I might scare her?"

Linda nodded slightly as he spoke, leaning back a little and narrowing her eyes slightly in consideration. "Has she expressed any hesitance or fear in your interactions so far?"

"Well, no," Lucifer admitted, biting his lip slightly as he leaned back and looked toward the window, watching a bird hop around in the grass outside. "She's actually been rather understanding about it all, honestly. But that's also somewhat concerning. I'm afraid maybe she hasn't had enough time to process." He was, genuinely, worried for the Detective. He didn't want to push her or make her uncomfortable, but he did want to know her thoughts on… everything.

"If you feel that it's too soon to pursue a relationship, perhaps you should hold off on that for a bit, then," Linda suggested. "But if you think there's something she needs to talk about regarding the things she's seen, then maybe you should talk to her about it. She may have questions, and may need help processing what she's learned."

Lucifer blinked and fell silent, considering that for a moment. Then his eyes widened, a light of understanding sparkling through his eyes. "Ah, of course! I need to become her therapist. I'm sure she has many questions and feelings and thoughts on the matter, and who better to assist her than me?"

Linda seemed to already have a protest ready, as if she was expecting him to twist her words around in some huge, dramatic way as he usually did. She seemed rather surprised that he actually grasped what she was trying to say this time. "Yes, something like that."

"Of course. You're a genius, Doctor." Lucifer stood and dusted himself off. "Session over, I must go speak to the Detective!"

"We've still got fifteen minutes left, Lucifer."

"Oh." Lucifer squinted at the clock, standing still for a moment before pursing his lips together thoughtfully. Then he simply shrugged and headed for the door, throwing it open. "Oh, well. Suppose your lunch break comes early today." He flashed her a smile and stepped out. "Thanks for the help, Doctor!"

Linda sighed, a knowing smile appearing on her face. "You're welcome, Lucifer."

"Detective! Detective!"

Chloe jumped, tearing her gaze away from the TV and looking toward the door. Lucifer? What was Lucifer doing there? According to Maze, the former Devil had been feeling quite a bit better, enough to go to a therapy appointment as Amenadiel had told her. He sounded frantic and desperate, which was enough to get her adrenaline pumping, her mind already jumping to scrambled assumptions. Someone was hurt. Mazikeen had taken Trixie to the park - she'd been kidnapped, or hurt. Pushing herself up, she strode toward the door and practically threw it open, and Lucifer breezed past her in an instant - almost knocking her off of her feet in the process.

"What's going on?" She demanded as she turned, leaving the door open. But Lucifer began talking before she could finish her sentence, drowning her words out as he spoke with that same frantic tone, and Chloe practically hung onto every word, blue eyes wide and alarmed as the former Devil paced back and forth and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Listen, Detective, I've been doing very much thinking and after a very eye-opening conversation with Doctor Linda, who suggested I should confront you about facing everything you've learned regarding divinity, I thought it best to come see you right away!" He spun to face her, clasping his hands together and meeting her wide-eyed stare. "I don't wish to make you uncomfortable of fearful of me, but I believe this conversation is long overdue. And so I am willing to answer any questions you may have."

Chloe blinked and stared at him in complete silence for a moment, feeling her heart pounding against her chest with enough force to nearly burst from her body. But the racing adrenaline was slowly dissolving, replaced with a mixture of confusion and concern for his somewhat disheveled, desperate appearance. His hair was messy, probably from running his fingers through it so many times, and he didn't seem to bother with the wrinkles on his suit or straighten his tie, which was currently slightly crooked. A grimace settled across her face as he spoke, shaking her head a little bit.

Of course she had questions, millions of questions. And yes, she had put most of them off because Lucifer was sick. But she'd also had a conversation with Mazikeen, who was able to answer some questions as well, regarding Lucifer and even Hell. Her concern and confusion returned as she thought, in particular, of one part of his sentence. 'Fearful of me', as if Lucifer was something to fear…

It clicked, maybe a little too late. Of course he was something to fear, he was literally… Satan himself. But he didn't act like the Devil should. He was nothing like the monster in the stories, the myths. He was gentle, he was kind, he was caring. At least, now. Chloe had no idea what he was like in the past, the things he'd done. And maybe she did want to find out. Maybe she did have questions for him, questions she wanted answered. But for now she was content knowing what she knew, processing the information she already had.

"Lucifer…" She huffed out a sigh and rubbed a hand down her face, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes for a moment before walking forward. He shuffled back a little bit, bringing Chloe to a halt as she considered that reaction, realizing he was keeping his distance… because he thought he might scare her. One corner of her mouth pulled downwards slightly, the other turning up as she narrowed her eyes and continued forward, grabbing his wrist to halt him as he started to step back once more. "Lucifer, I'm not scared of you."

"You're not?" Lucifer blinked, looking confused, but he didn't pull away from her. "You do realize I'm the Devil, correct? The Devil. Lucifer. Satan. Abaddon. Old Scratch. Beelzebub. Dark Lord. Prince of Darkness. Belial. The Fallen One." His tone changed a little on that last part, growing colder, and Chloe's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "The King of Hell, Lord of Evil - is this ringing a bell?"

Chloe shook her head a little bit, and Lucifer opened his mouth as if to further explain. Chloe simply raised a hand, pressing two fingers to his lips and shaking her head again to silence him. "Lucifer, that doesn't matter to me. I don't think of you like that." It was true, she didn't. She wouldn't be able to think of him like that if she tried, truthfully enough, because he didn't act like it. Sure, sometimes he went a little overboard. Some things made sense now. But Chloe had seen both the good and the bad that surrounded him - she'd seen him vulnerable, and afraid. She'd seen how genuinely compassionate he could be.

There was no betrayal, no anger. He'd told her the truth all along. She'd just been too blind to see it, to believe it. But then again there wasn't much of a truth to his words, either; he thought of himself as something evil, something cruel. Monstrous. Clearly he didn't see himself the way he should, the way he truly was. Even now, he seemed confused by her words, as if he couldn't even fathom the idea of her not being scared of him. As if there was a reason she would be. A good reason.

"Oh God," Chloe sighed to herself, eyebrows furrowing, and she watched his eyebrows raise slightly and a hint of mirth flicker to life in those brown eyes.

"Quite the opposite, I assure you," he replied, and Chloe couldn't bite back a chuckle despite herself before she shook her head and forced herself to focus, to return to the task at hand.

"Look… Come here." Chloe pulled her fingers away from his lips and instead led him to the couch, letting go of him to grab the remote and turn the TV off. He took a seat, studying her with a mixture of curiosity and confusion in his gaze, and she settled beside him. "You're the Devil, sure. I know. I've had some time to process that. And yes, I do have questions. But let's get one thing straight - I am not afraid of you. Okay?"

Lucifer looked positively bewildered by this, but also somewhat pleased. "Oh. Well, then… that certainly makes things easier, I suppose…" He paused and looked down, picking at some lint on his pants and finally taking the time to smooth his suit down, and Chloe chuckled a little bit despite herself as she leaned back into the couch to watch him. "But if I did scare you, Detective-"

"You would know, Lucifer." Chloe raised her eyebrows at him, as Lucifer looked up to meet her gaze with a faintly surprised expression on his face. "If I was afraid of you, you would know. But…" She trailed off, wondering how to word what she wanted to say, what she wanted him to understand. "But just because I know what you are now, it doesn't change who you are. Not to me. Maybe you are the Devil, but you'll always be Lucifer Morningstar. My partner. The same guy I've always trusted and always will trust with my life."

Lucifer looked speechless, mouth half open but not seeming to be able to form the words. Finally, he just snapped his mouth shut and looked away from her, and Chloe just shook her head and reached forward, her hand lightly settling on the side of his face to turn his head back to look at her. "Why don't you believe me, Lucifer?"

Lucifer blew out a soft sigh, eyebrows pinching together as he stared at her. "There's simply no way…" He started, but then he faltered, grimacing a little. Chloe stared at him for a moment, wondered why trust was such a foreign concept to him.

Why the fact that she could accept him was such a foreign concept to him.

This was the man she trusted, for God's sake, the man she… loved. She loved him, and she would admit that. At least to herself, just for now. But maybe he needed to know it, too. He needed something to help him believe that Chloe meant what she was saying, that she wasn't just telling him all of this to satisfy him, to get off the subject. She just wanted him to believe…

Something clicked, an idea, a thought. Short and simple, but a smile tugged at her lips at the realization, knowing what she needed to do. "If I was afraid of you," she started, and Lucifer looked back down at her as she pushed herself forward slightly, his eyebrows furrowing in faint confusion for a split second before his own realization settled in. "Would I do this?"

With that question hanging in the air, she leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his without a second thought and allowing her eyes to slide shut.

He was confused, startled. She could feel his hesitance as he kissed her back, somewhat dubious in his movements. It almost drew a laugh from her lips, his sudden awkwardness - so not like the Lucifer she knew. But it didn't last very long.

His tune changed in an instant when he realized what was happening. She felt his hands settle against her hips, pulling her closer, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in return. His touch was gentle, but he deepened the kiss. A bit more passionate, a bit more desperate, and she loved every second. She probably should have taken in as much air as she could before she kissed him, though.

But he was gasping when they finally broke apart, chest heaving, breath coming in gasps. Chloe finally blinked her eyes open and looked up to focus on him, mouth opening to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

His eyes were blazing red.

A bright, hellfire red.

At first, yes, it scared her. For a second. Or, maybe startled was the right word. But the reaction only lasted a few seconds. She reached her hands up, ignoring his confused look, and settled her palms against the sides of his face. She ran her thumbs across his cheeks, staring up with wide eyes as the red faded back to its normal brown, and tried to push back the disappointment churning in her chest.

"What is it, Detective?"

Chloe just smiled a little bit, tangling her fingers into his hair. "I think your powers are back," she told him softly, and Lucifer's eyebrows pulled upwards and furrowed together in confusion. The Detective chuckled as she clarified, "your eyes were… red." Her voice dropped to a whisper at the last word, curiosity and amazement lacing her words.

"Oh…" Lucifer grimaced slightly. "My apologies, Detective, that must be quite the turn-off-" He started to pull away, gently grasping at her wrists to pry her hands from his face. Before he could push her away again - literally - she surged upwards to press another kiss to his lips. He let out a soft grunt of surprise, one arm wrapping around her instinctively and the other one going behind him, hand pressing to the couch to keep them both from falling back into the couch as he gasped.

Chloe pulled back, tilting her head up to press another kiss to his nose and watching his face flush a bright red color. "Quite the opposite, I assure you," she replied with a small grin, in a mocking British accent as she pulled away.

Lucifer sat there for a moment, looking… stunned, to say the least. He ran his tongue across his lips a few times, staring up at her through wide eyes, as Chloe settled back into the couch to watch him carefully. He no longer looked uncertain, no longer hesitance, but there was clear confusion in his eyes. Confusion that made her want to wrap her arms around him and kiss him again until it went away.

Finally, though, he spoke. "Well, then, I suppose now is a good time to ask you if you'd like to go out to dinner with me sometime."

Chloe blinked, faintly surprised by that, but it didn't take long for a grin to appear on her face, watching the relief shine in his eyes as she replied without hesitation, "I thought you'd never ask."