❝LITTLE SYMPATHY FOR LITTLE OLD ME, EH?❞
In which Annika Hayden is the innocent little angel, who makes the Devil himself come undone.
[LUCIFER SEASON ONE]
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"I'M SORRY, ANNIKA."
With her tears dried on her cheeks, Annika lifted her gaze from her trembling hands to meet Chloe with a combination of disbelief and confusion mixed with usually warm brown of her eyes in a stare. "Which part? Threatening to shoot Lucifer or blaming him for a homicide in the first place?" The accusing tone escaped Annika's tone before she could stop herself, but as soon as the bitter words hung in the tense air between them, she was shaking her head in an apology. "I'm sorry, I—I understand that you had to do your job, and—and—", she began rambling with her face colliding against her sweaty palms in disappointment for being so rude to her friend.
Fortunately, Chloe was understanding, especially after holding the heartbroken Hayden when they had both thought Lucifer to be dead. Now, he was just missing, instead. "I get that it's hard for you. It's hard for me too. Don't worry", she reassured with a smile and a hand on Annika's shoulder, giving her the warmth and comfort she desperately yearned for. She was glad to be Chloe's friend, and she was even more glad that she was Lucifer's friend too — any other cop would have certainly sought to lock the man up without a second chance.
"He didn't do this, Chloe. I was with him the whole time", Annika whispered without doubt, and with a defeated sigh, the Decker took a seat beside her. She hadn't had it in her to leave Lux quite yet, and Chloe had stayed behind with her whereas every other officer had dispersed to search the area for Lucifer. No one quite understood how he had escaped direct fire, but after everything she had seen, Annika was choosing to be grateful rather than puzzled.
"I think he was framed", Chloe agreed, "I'll get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, you stay safe, okay?" Her tone was stern but affectionate, and accordingly, Annika gave her a soft smile before wrapping an arm around the detective and squeezing her in an appreciative hug. They sat like that for a while, still and quiet, but before the atmosphere grew weird, the two let go of each other and Annika nodded once more as a promise to stay safe.
With that, the brunette was left alone and given the time to think about her feelings for Lucifer. She cared about him too much to even consider losing him, but she had to admit that him almost getting shot — on purpose — didn't much convince her. Once the entire disaster would be done and dealt with, she would certainly have to sit down with him and be real for a moment.
Before she could get sucked into the darkest nooks of her mind, a familiar voice was interrupting and a sense of relief washed over, even if it wasn't Lucifer. But, the next best thing. "Honey, you look like a mess", Mazikeen chuckled as she approached the Hayden, making a grand return after stopping Lucifer and Amenadiel's fight. Startled out of her thoughts, Annika turned to find the demon frowning at her disheveled appearance, and at the sight, the teacher eased a little and flashed a weak smile. Until then, she hadn't realized how rigid she had been, but at last, her shoulders relaxed and air continued to flow through her without difficulty.
