[Lux] [Night]
Lux pulsed with music, colored lights, and the familiar energy of people determined to forget their responsibilities before morning arrived. Lucifer moved through the crowd with a glass in one hand, greeting regular guests, accepting compliments, and occasionally stopping whenever someone interesting caught his attention.
Across the nightclub, Chloe sat alone at a small table near the edge of the dance floor, doing her best to disappear among the other guests.
Her blue dress was elegant without drawing too much attention, though it looked considerably different from anything she normally wore while working a homicide case. She also had a loose jacket on. She had left her hair loose around her shoulders, hoping it would hide the fresh bandage on her neck, but the white edge remained visible whenever she turned her head.
A small camera rested in her hand beneath the table.
Whenever Lucifer looked elsewhere, Chloe raised it and took another photograph. She captured him speaking with a group near the bar, shaking hands with an older businessman, and leaning close while a young actress whispered something into his ear.
Lucifer behaved exactly as she expected. He flirted with everyone, moved around Lux like he owned every person inside it, and somehow made arrogance look perfectly natural.
Nothing about him explained how he had survived six bullets.
Chloe lowered the camera when someone approached her table.
Maze placed a glass in front of her before Chloe could hide the camera properly. She wore a fitted black party dress that showed enough skin to make nearly every man nearby forget whatever conversation he had been having.
"Oh, I didn't order a drink," Chloe said, glancing between the glass and the woman standing beside her.
"Courtesy of the owner," Maze replied as she rested one hand against the edge of the table.
Chloe looked across the nightclub and spotted Lucifer speaking with two women near the stairs. He wasn't facing her, though something about the faint smile on his lips suggested he knew exactly where she was sitting.
"This is from Lucifer?" Chloe asked, touching the glass without lifting it.
"He asked me to make you something you'd like," Maze said while studying her reaction. "Did I get it wrong?"
Chloe took a cautious sip and found that the drink was surprisingly good. She set it back down while Maze continued watching her with the calm attention of someone deciding whether another person might become a problem.
"No, you got it right," Chloe admitted. "You and Lucifer seem really close."
Maze's expression shifted into a small smile that carried more history than Chloe could understand.
"I followed him through the gates of Hell," Maze replied with a proud expression.
Chloe stared at her for a moment, waiting for some indication that she was joking. Maze offered nothing beyond the same steady look, which somehow made the statement even stranger.
"I'll take that as a yes," Chloe said with a quiet laugh.
Maze pushed away from the table and walked back toward the bar. Chloe watched her leave, adding another question to the growing list surrounding Lucifer Morningstar.
Either everyone around him shared the same elaborate delusion, or Lucifer had recruited the most dedicated group of performers in Los Angeles.
A gentle piano melody rose above the music several minutes later.
Chloe turned and saw Lucifer sitting at the grand piano near the center of the club. His fingers moved effortlessly across the keys, drawing a slow and strangely intimate melody from the instrument. The conversations closest to him softened as people paused to listen.
For once, Lucifer wasn't speaking, flirting, or deliberately provoking anyone.
He looked almost peaceful.
Chloe lifted her camera and took another picture. Then she stood from the table, walked across the nightclub, and stopped beside the piano.
Lucifer continued playing for several seconds before...
"Hello, Detective," he said without looking away from the keys. "How has your undercover surveillance of my activities gone so far?"
Chloe slowly lowered the camera.
Of course, he had noticed her.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then I assume you've developed a sudden passion for nightclub photography," he said while continuing the melody. "You should consider turning off the flash during covert operations."
"I've looked into you," Chloe said as she sat beside him. Her eyes were on his face. "Your name really is Lucifer Morningstar, and as far as I can tell, you didn't exist five years ago."
"On the earthly plane, no," Lucifer replied as his fingers moved through another series of notes.
"People don't appear out of thin air," Chloe said. "Who were you before those five years, and how did you survive getting shot six times by Jimmy Barnes?"
Lucifer stopped playing.
The final note faded through the nightclub while he turned toward her with his signature smile.
"Is that your usual reaction whenever someone saves your life?" he asked. "Do you investigate every helpful stranger afterward?"
"When I see something I can't explain, I look for answers," Chloe replied. "That's how being a detective works."
"I've already given you the answer," Lucifer said. "It's hardly my fault that you refuse to accept it."
Chloe folded her arms and waited.
Lucifer studied her for several seconds before his smile returned.
"Do you know what I think?" he asked.
"I stopped trying to guess what happens inside your head," Chloe replied.
"I think you like me," Lucifer said with complete confidence.
Chloe stared at him as if he had just offered the dumbest explanation of the evening. She moved her hand around her face as if she were pointing out the obvious fact. "What part of the look on my face gives you that impression?"
Lucifer shifted closer, studying her eyes rather than her expression.
"No, this isn't about your face," he said softly. "It's about your eyes and everything hiding behind them. I think you see something you truly desire, and you have absolutely no idea what to do with yourself."
"Really? Uh-huh," Chloe gave a quiet laugh and leaned closer. 'Now is my chance.'
Lucifer watched with growing interest as she placed one hand against his chest.
"Hmm~" Her other hand moved slowly along his side, tracing the expensive fabric of his suit while she brought her face close enough for him to feel her breath.
Several people nearby started watching them.
Maze noticed from behind the bar, and her expression immediately lost whatever amusement it had carried before. 'That bitch! Acting so cute... He's mine.'
Chloe smiled while her hands moved around Lucifer's torso, pressing against his ribs, his back, and the inside of his jacket.
Lucifer allowed the search to continue for several seconds before tilting his head.
"Looking for a vest?" he asked.
Chloe's hands stopped against his waist.
"You can go lower if you want," He said.
"There's no bulletproof vest," she said, sitting back slightly.
"You truly need to work on your seduction skills, Detective," Lucifer replied. "Perhaps you should try a sexy red dress next time. Maze could help you with the details, since she's exceptionally talented when it comes to seduction."
Chloe ignored the suggestion and stood up while looking down at him with renewed determination. "I just couldn't imagine how you'd get it under that suit, but I had to check." Then she mumbled, "What is it? What is it? What is it?" while shaking her head, trying to think. But she got nothing at the moment. She looked down at him. "I'm gonna figure out your secret, Lucifer."
"It isn't a secret when I keep telling you the answer," Lucifer replied, rising from the piano bench. He looked into her eyes again. "The greater mystery is why I don't affect you, Detective. What makes you so different?"
Chloe held his gaze, feeling that strange feeling again. His attention normally made people lose their composure, yet she felt nothing beyond irritation and a growing desire to punch him, along with a large amount of gratitude for saving her.
"I guess we both have our mysteries," Chloe replied.
Lucifer's smile returned as he leaned slightly closer.
"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he said.
Before Chloe could answer, her phone began ringing inside her purse.
"Oh, not again," Lucifer said, looking slightly disappointed. 'Darn it! That paparazzi case? Well, I'll know soon enough.'
Chloe pulled out her phone and answered immediately. "Decker speaking."
She listened while the nightclub continued moving around them. Her expression sharpened as the person on the other end explained something, and she quickly reached for a pen.
"Are you sure about that?" Chloe asked. "Yes. Yes, um, please send me the address. I… I owe you one." She cut the call and sighed in relief. "Oh, finally."
Lucifer watched her as she put the phone back in her jacket's pocket. "Leaving so soon, Detective? I assume you've caught the scent of another case, though..." He pointed at her. "Shouldn't you be medically cleared before returning to active duty? It's been barely two weeks since you got shot."
Chloe started walking toward the exit, but she stopped after several steps and looked back at him.
"One way or another, I'm gonna find out everything about you," she said.
Lucifer smiled while watching her walk away.
Lucifer remained beside the piano, still staring toward the entrance long after she had left.
Maze approached him, carrying two glasses of whiskey.
She handed one to Lucifer before settling comfortably onto his lap without caring about the people watching them. One of her arms rested around his shoulders while she followed his gaze toward the closed doors.
"You like her, don't you?" Maze asked.
Lucifer looked toward Maze with a faint smile.
"And you don't like her, do you?" he replied.
Maze held his gaze while the music continued around them, though neither of them offered an answer.
The silence between them said enough.
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