Chapter Text
Chloe sat at her desk, pretending to do paperwork.
Really, she was more preoccupied with staring at her partner. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that his hair was disheveled, his eyes were downcast, framed by heavy bags. He stared at his hands, especially at his right one, looking at them as if they were the most fascinating and simultaneously the most horrifying things he'd ever seen.
Chloe was pretty sure he was on acid or something, why else would he be acting so weird?
He glanced over at her and she busily scribbled down some words on the sheet waiting blank below her pen.
He winced as his eyes drifted down to her gun, and then returned to examining his hands.
She returned to watching him and her eyes narrowed as she noticed him starting to clench and unclench his hands, staring at them in methodical disinterest.
He crossed his arms and suddenly darted to his feet, making his way to Ella's lab. Which was odd since Ella was out.
Chloe was going to follow him when Dan stopped by her desk and proceeded to pester her about how her partner was doing jack shit for the case.
By the time she'd managed to get him to cool down, Lucifer had re-emerged, looking a little fresher but much more tired, his eyes sunken and his lips drawn into a tight-lipped smirk.
His arms were crossed, but she didn't notice how he winced slightly every time the fabric of his sleeves shifted.
Before long, they were called out to the scene of another homicide, a supposed series of forced suicides.
The scene was gruesome, police and forensics milling around the area.
Four bodies lay half-covered by sheets next to an old oak tree.
Ella was crouched next to the furthest one.
Chloe lead the way, her unease growing as Lucifer followed sedately.
Ella lept up as they approached.
"Hey, so what happened here?" Chloe asked, giving her a smile as an apology for Lucifer's unusual coldness.
Ella considered the quiet club owner for another moment before turning back to the corpse.
"We found all four hanging from this tree," She crouched again, motioning vaguely to the bodies and then pointing at the defined blue and black marks encircling the neck of the nearest victim. "It would be pretty cut and dry if it weren't for the fact that we found a scene exactly like this one half a mile further in. Everything from the people's appearances to the rope, and even to the length of the nooses is exactly the same."
Lucifer stared silently at the marks, his eyes a whirlpool of something akin to longing.
"So it's a serial killer?" He finally asked, and Chloe's motherly side swelled at the slight creakiness of his voice.
Ella, wisely ignoring his appearance and tone, nodded.
"It's always the same kind of tree too." She stood up, taking a few steps closer to the tree's trunk and motioning for them to follow, "We haven't found anything from the killer other than this glove, and we aren't even sure it was his -or her's."
Chloe nodded, waiting for Lucifer to add something.
He never did, instead pointedly avoiding her eyes and glaring instead at the nooses.
Chloe sighed and turned back to Ella.
The forensic's scientist frowned and proceeded to drag the detective away, telling Lucifer to stay for good measure. He made no sign of having heard them, eyes fixed on his hands again.
Ella stopped a bit away, making sure they were out of everyone's earshot.
"Hey, what's wrong with Lucifer?"
Chloe winced.
"I honestly have no idea. He showed up like this. Do you think he's still not over the car accident? He really freaked out when that guy came in with a gun, something about it being more dangerous than usual. I guess that was only yesterday but nothing happened, I don't get why he's so out of it."
Ella glared at the ground pensively.
"I mean, that doesn't explain how he looks like he's been dead for three days. Not really, of course. If he had been dead for three days then bloating would have set in and his eyes would have started to go white."
As the scientist continued on her rant, Chloe turned back to Lucifer.
She glanced around, he wasn't where they'd left him.
Once she'd finally been able to peel herself away from Ella, Lucifer came back to the crime scene from the woods, tucking something in his pocket after wiping it down.
She walked up to him and placed a gentle hand on his forearm.
He flinched slightly, tensing and pulling away from her.
She must have surprised him.
"Detective, I didn't see you there. How's the case going?" He said, though her eyebrows furrowed at how hollow his usually jovial tone sounded.
She reached to grab his arm as he went to walk away, but he turned to avoid her hand.
She frowned again.
"Lucifer, wait. Are you okay to be working this case? You don't look too good."
The club owner scoffed, very carefully forcing his features back into the gleeful and mischievous expression she was used to.
It looked off, his face just a bit too pale, his eyes just a bit too dark, his eye-bags just a bit too violet.
"Lucifer, I'm serious. If you need to take a day off, just ask. You look like you haven't slept in days."
His face remained coldly unreadable, his eyes seeming just a bit darker.
"I assure you Detective, I'm not ill. I don't need any sleep."
Chloe relaxed. He never lied, he must just have had a bad trip or a bad hangover.
She placed a gentle hand on his arm, missing the way his eye twitched as he kept from pulling away.
“Alright, if you’re sure you’re okay then I’ll trust you. You can talk to me, you know?”
He smiled a bit, but it looked wrong, just a little too sharp, just a little too self-loathing.
“Of course, Detective.”
She pointedly ignored his odd expression and turned back to where Ella had returned to her business.
Ella looked up and when Lucifer shot her a small smile, she grinned back tenfold.
Looking back down, however, her face fell again.
Ella turned back to her work and Lucifer dug his nails into his sleeves.
Dad, it hurt.