Have I Lost You?

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"I think we're better off as professional partners," Chloe blurts out after solving their recent case. They're in the precinct then, with her filling out the paperwork while he watches and merrily distracts her from completing the task.

"I concur," Lucifer chimes in almost mechanically without any hesitation, opposed to what she's expecting.

"So, you're okay with that?"

"Isn't that what we have been doing all this time, Detective?"

"Right, right."

"Ok, great. I believe you're better equipped with doing the boring admin stuff so, I'll see you tomorrow, then? "

"Y-yes, of course." Chloe clears her throat as she watches her partner go.

Ella's eyes turned into slits at the exchange, and wanted to strangle both for their outright denial despite the glaring evidence of their attraction to one another. It's so painful to watch she wants to pull her own hair out and maybe have her older brothers kidnap these two idiots and lock 'em up somewhere until they sort out their feelings. If only it wouldn't raise any alarms...

But alas, Lucifer and Chloe are too popular in the precinct; everyone will notice. The forensic analyst lets the idea go and decides to see how it'll turn out.

xxxx

The next day, Chloe catches a glimpse of Lucifer and Ella laughing at something and is Ella blushing? She goes over to the lab to take a closer look, rather, try to eavesdrop.

"Well, she's actually a very dear friend, and I've wanted to invite her out, but she always, always brush me off,"

Chloe's ears perk up, and she becomes very interested in this particular conversation.

"Well, I guess it's good she finally agreed to go out on a date with you?"

"Ehh, technically, she hasn't."

"Oh! A surprise date, then!"

"More or less. She does hate surprises, though."

"Well, I think it will be great. So, where are you planning to take her?"

"I've set up a chopper to fly us to San Francisco to see La Traviata tonight. If I were to choose, I'd love to take her to Paris, but I know she wouldn't like that, seeing as she's too much of a workaholic."

Chloe frowns at this but smiles at his thoughtfulness. So apparently, he's just bluffing yesterday and has something planned all along.

Well.

The Detective knocks, and the two straightens up almost immediately,

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. Uh, Ella, I need that result for today's case? Do you have it?"

"Ah, yes. Hold on," Ella rummages through her stack of files and hands over the document to Chloe. "Here ya go, Chlo."

"Thanks."

Now, more than ever, she's determined to finish all the paperwork before Lucifer invites her out. So she arranges everything — swaps Dan's weekends with Trixie, moves her other pending paperwork for next week, and buys a dress online that she'll pick up later — but the evening comes and goes without much of a text or a phone call from her consultant.

She wonders if something went wrong and is about to send him a text but relents. Lucifer would explain in the morning, and they can reschedule or something. Yeah, that's probably what's going to happen.

xxxx

The club owner strolls in the precinct, smiling from ear to ear. Chloe spots him immediately, but instead of making his way over to her desk, he takes a detour to Ella's lab.

Curious, Chloe gets up and goes over to the laboratory to see what has her consultant over the moon.

"So, was she surprised?"

"She was. One of my best nights to date, Miss Lopez."

"Nice! Glad to see you're out and about. You were so mopey the past weeks it's just sad. I mean, this thing with you and Chloe is just — "

Lucifer interrupts and says, "Well, the Detective made it clear she only wants us to be professional partners, so I won't deny her that."

"Whatever makes you guys happy. But remember, I will always be the captain of the Deckerstar ship."

"Unfortunately, that ship has sailed."

Ella raises a skeptical brow at that. Clearly, there's something more.

"If you say so. I hope I get to meet this, Miranda."

"Maybe."

The Detective goes back to her seat, dejected. Jealous, even, but it was her idea anyway. All she could do now is be happy for him.

xxxx

Last night at dinner after La Traviata,

"It's wonderful, Lucifer."

"Glad you enjoyed it."

The consultant fiddles with his fork as if his mind is elsewhere.

"Come on, spill. What is it that you really want to talk about? Hmm? Is it about that Detective you keep on gushing about?"

Lucifer only sighs.

"Ahh. So, what happened? Why am I here instead of her?"

"She wanted us to be professional partners."

"And you believed her?"

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

"Don't ask me; I wouldn't know. Listen, Lucifer. Just tell her the truth."

"She knows the truth."

"Oh? Make sure she knows this is just a friendly meet-up. That you've been pestering me for quite some time so that I could meet her, and when you finally roped me in, she's not even here. Because you're both idiots."

"Be that as it may, I'm still glad you made it."

"Huh? It's not like I had a choice. I just thought, 'ooh, he must really be desperate,' so I went. "

The Devil rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"Shall we call it a night then? I have tons of stuff to do. No rest for the wicked as they say,"

This time, Lucifer chuckles and tells her, "Still, you have my gratitude."

"Let's talk again once you're both done dancing around each other, okay?"

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"You'll never know." Miranda shrugs then stand up to leave the restaurant. Still, he's ecstatic that even though he sort of cornered her into agreeing to this not-date, she didn't ignore him this time as she's done for what seems like decades.

xxxx

The consultant goes out of the laboratory after his mandatory status report to Miss Lopez — honestly, he doesn't know why he even has to — and makes his way to Chloe's desk but doesn't find her there. Turns out that when she saw him come out of the lab, she makes a break for it at one of the interrogation rooms to hide.

Lucifer, on the other hand, shrugs and exits the precinct thinking the Detective may already be at a crime scene.

Chloe couldn't face him today because she might do something stupid, like tell him she sees him more than just a friend. Not when he's already happy.