❝WE STAND AND WE WON'T FALL.❞
In which Kai Nolan, a human disaster in the form of a clever detective, gets transferred to the LAPD, making things difficult not only for him, but everyone around him.
[LUCIFER SEASON 3]
BOOK THREE IN THE ❝ CHILDREN OF...
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MORE THAN EVER, Kai needed Mariah. He was unable to sleep, leaving him simply tossing back and forth with his eyes wide open and his mind restless and refusing to settle down — understandable, considering he had lived 34 years in the belief he was into strictly women, yet Izzy's housewarming party had ended with what he had named a reverse Katy Perry. He had kissed a man and liked it.
Maybe, just maybe, the whole thing would have been easier to move past if it had been someone random. But Mateo Ruiz, his roommate and Mariah's cousin, was the very opposite of random. Their exit from the party and the car ride back hadn't been unbearably awkward, but there was no denying the change in the air between them. They still needed to see each other, and they most definitely could not pretend like nothing had happened.
Kai wasn't even sure if he wanted that. He hadn't planned for any of this, and he suspected a proper relationship wasn't in the cards for them, but he had still leaned into the kiss, let Mateo pull him closer. It had been exciting and comforting and warm and soft and impossible to stop thinking about.
With all those difficult thoughts haunting him, it was no surprise that the sun was peeking through the curtains before he caught even an ounce of sleep. His alarm followed right behind and he didn't even bother groaning while forcing his way up from the bed, his mind too occupied with hoping for Mateo to still be sleeping. Thinking back to the earlier mornings confirmed how much he relied on the man, though, his crutches making it difficult for him to even dress up, walk out of the bedroom and over to the kitchen where, against his previous hopes, Mateo stood with the radio on and breakfast already in the works.
"May I interest you in an omelet?" the man questioned with a charming grin, every move and expression only reminding Kai of the brief moment his mouth had been on his.
Gulping, the Nolan seated himself by the kitchen counter, silently cursing his leg for being unable to keep him upright. "Sure", he cleared his throat, "I have to leave for work soon, though. I'm late way too often." It wasn't a lie, exactly, but he didn't hide the excuse in his tone very well — and Mateo saw through him all too well.
For a moment, he remained silent, but by the time he was pushing the eggs over to Kai, he slipped out a subdued sigh. "Listen, I can tell last night is bothering you. Don't think too much of it, yeah? I'm not like... drawing hearts with both our names on it or anything. It was a harmless kiss and that can be all there is to it", Mateo reassured with a soft smile, but even if Kai dug into the breakfast, he wasn't any more comforted by the attempt to make him feel better.
"Is it, really? I mean— yeah, maybe from the perspective of our friendship, it's okay. But I have never...", Kai breathed out, the words getting cut off before he could speak the truth that had been swirling in his mind all night long. He had never been kissed by a guy before, much less pictured it happening again. He had been so comfortable in being straight, but now, the feelings that Mateo had managed to coax out of him were causing him doubt and uncertainty.
