Sleep Deprived Devil

Part One

Lucifer slammed his hands down on her desk. "I can't sleep!" She winced at the loudness of his voice and so did just about everyone else at the precinct. An expression of guilt briefly flashed on his face, then defeat. He repeated, quieter this time, "I can't sleep, detective." Chloe sighed, then stood, grabbing Lucifer's arm and pulling him to the interrogation room. When she opened the door, he obeyed her silent orders to step inside.

"What is wrong with you? Why can't you sleep?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down, but failing miserably. She was frustrated with him, but was trying her best to hide at least some of her frustration because she knew he was struggling with something, and she wanted to know what. "And enough with the metaphors, Lucifer," she added.

"I always tell you the truth, detective. This isn't a metaphor. My wings—" Chloe held her hand up, interrupting him. She shook her head sternly and he ran a shaky hand through his hair, looking away from her and starting to pace. Chloe's eyes looked over what was usually a neat and clean appearance to find misaligned buttons, faint mystery stains, and disheveled hair. She cleared her throat, grabbing his attention again.

"Care to try again?" she pressed. He huffed, slumping down into one of the interrogation chairs. She joined him. This was starting to look a lot like an interrogation to the both of them. He thought for a moment, looking for a way to explain his situation without mentioning what the detective so often and annoyingly mistook for metaphors. He took in a deep breath.

"I'm having nightmares," he admitted.

She blinked. "That's it?" He shook his head, frustrated at how trivial she made his situation seem. This was a mistake. He abruptly stood, making Chloe jump a little, then headed for the door. She stood and grabbed his arm before he could quite make it to the knob. "Lucifer, wait," she said, much quieter than how this conversation had started. He looked back at her, noticing the pity on her face. He grimaced; he did not want her pity. Chloe ignored the face he was making and continued, "Are they really that bad?"

Lucifer yanked his arm out of her grip and grabbed the door. "Yes, detective, they're that bad." Suddenly, his head was spinning. His vision blurred, his knees buckled, and he was unable to keep his eyes from fluttering shut. The detective quickly grabbed for his head as soon as she realized what was happening, making sure to shield it as he fell.

Next thing he knew he was on the floor with both Chloe and Detective Douche hovering over him, Douche with a phone to his ear. His head was still spinning, and his ears were ringing. The detective, the one he actually liked, looked very worried, while Douche looked mildly amused by the whole situation.

"—just fell. He's very sleep deprived and irritable," Douche paused, his eyes meeting Lucifer's still unfocused gaze. "He's awake now. He says he's been having nightmares about wings... or something like that." Anger boiled in his chest and he sat up, his gaze finally focusing.

"Lucifer, lay back—" He shot her a glare, and if looks could kill, her heart would have stopped right then.

"You told him," he growled. Dan put a hand on Lucifer's chest, instantly jumping at Chloe's defense.

"Of course she did, man, she was worried about you. What did you expect? Calm down," he said, returning his attention to the phone call. Lucifer started to stand up, Chloe trying to keep him down. "An ambulance will be here soon," Douche added. Lucifer laughed, shaking his head.

"No," he said, the lingering smile on his face becoming more unsettling by the second. He looked on the verge of a mental break. "I'm not going to the hospital. If you don't want me working on this case, fine, but if anything, I'm going back to Lux," he finished. "Now call off the ambulance, detective, because I will put up one hell of a fight if one shows up. Pun intended." Chloe shot Dan a look that told him he should probably listen to what Lucifer had said, and Dan left the room with his phone still to his ear. Lucifer was finally standing now, feeling a little more refreshed than before he had fainted. He dusted off the front of his suit then headed once more for the door. Chloe grabbed his arm again, for the third time that day. "You're getting a little handsy, detective. Is there something you want to tell me?" She rolled her eyes.