Damned If I Do (Lucifer X MC)

Chapter Six - Lucifer's Inquisitions

Lucifer stared at me with his blank expression, purse-lipped and furrowed browed, a look I've become all too familiar with.

"MC... My brothers may have terrible intuition, however I do not. By the look on your face, I can tell something is bothering you." He says, still gazing into my soul incessantly.

"N-Nothing is bothering me, Lucifer." I murmured, holding myself in my arms and biting my lower lip.

Oh come on, MC. What's with the closed body language? He's reading you like a grimoire. At least try and sound convincing.

I straighten out my posture and put my hands behind my back, taking a deep breath and putting the C+ I got in drama class to good use. Yikes, who am I kidding. I look like a kid who's just got a scolding and is trying not to cry.

"Are you certain?" He pushes on, cocking an eyebrow and continuing to study me.

"Yes, Lucifer. I'm fine. So what, are you not happy to see me?" I joked, nudging his arm hoping for the uncomfortable tension in the room to dissipate as soon as possible. It was beginning to become difficult to breathe in here, and I wanted the ground to swallow me up then and there. This whole ordeal is going to be harder than I initially thought if Lucifer is on my case the whole time, being his usual suspicious self.

"Of course I am... thrilled to be welcoming you back to the Devildom." He hesitated, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"Wow. Thanks. We should probably eat now, the food won't stay warm forever." I huffed.

Lucifer and I had always had a strange relationship since I met him just over a year ago. It was different than any of the other bonds I'd formed with the other demons I'd met here in the Devildom. With the others, I could let my guard down. There was never a shortage of fun when I hung out with Mammon, or Levi, or Belphie, and I was guaranteed some laughs if I were to spend some time with Beel or Asmo. I was always promised some intelligent conversation whenever I'd join Satan, or Diavolo and Barbatos for tea. However, Lucifer rarely let me in on his emotions. He was much too prideful (shocker, Avatar of Pride being prideful) to allow a human to know him in any other capacity than what he would allow, and even when he would speak about himself on a personal level, it would be in short bursts. He'd want to know everything about me, we'd walk around the Devildom in the evening and he'd ask specific questions and listen to me talk for hours. It was as if he'd spent the whole day thinking of the perfect questions to ask me, and knew exactly what to say in between. He studied me, but he wouldn't allow me to question him back.

On my last night in the Devildom, months ago now, Lucifer and I had kissed. I'd just made a pact with him, and I saw him let go of his ego for a split second as we shared that moment together. He ignored my calls for a week after I returned to the human world, so I gave up trying. I guess it was just emotions running high. I had convinced myself that he regretted it, and tried to forget about it and move on in my mind.

But even though it felt like where I was with Lucifer was quite a few steps behind where I was with everyone else, I couldn't help the fact that my heart started beating faster when I bumped into him out in the hall, or when my stomach would get tight when he'd look over at me while we were eating breakfast, or even just the way I felt warm when I heard him laugh... I guess it was just a silly schoolgirl crush. We were miles apart from understanding each other, and anyway, as I said, I was over it.

I began to walk away to the dining hall to join the others but a gloved hand gently enveloped my arm and forced me to turn to face him again. I felt my cheeks threaten to flush pink at the contact, but I composed myself quickly and raised an eyebrow.

"MC... Believe me when I say that I am looking forward to spending more time with you." Lucifer announced, his red eyes were glassy as they stared into mine. I couldn't quite pin down what emotion lay beneath them, but before I could stare any longer he released my arm and strode off towards the dining hall, his coat sending a breeze past me that sent a chill up my arms.

"Good job. Go and eat. You wouldn't want them to miss you now, would you?" Z's voice teased through the earpiece. I could almost see the smirk that would be plastered on his face if all I'd seen of him hadn't been a featureless, anonymous figure.

"MC?! HURRY UP! I CAN'T HOLD BEEL OFF FROM DEVOURIN' YOUR PLATE FOR MUCH LONGER!" I heard Mammon yell.

I composed myself, tucking my hair behind my ears and reminding myself to stop chewing on my bottom lip. I did that way too often, as everyone always told me.

I recall a moment during RAD exam season when Lucifer had placed his thumb under my lip and gently eased it out from under my teeth.
"You've made yourself bleed." He frowned. He grabbed the handkerchief that lay in his front pocket and dabbed at my lip, a look of concern washed over his beautiful features, but before long he was shooing me off to class again...

I brushed myself off and flattened my clothing before I waltzed into the dining hall, a meticulous smile spread across on my face, while my heart felt heavy and full of worry for the things to come.