Work Text:
You swore you had not been gone long. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes. And yet upon returning to Lucifers study you find him sitting at his desk, face flat against the desktop and pen in hand dripping ink onto its wooden surface. He is dead asleep. You glance at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room. It is too far for you to read accurately but it looks to be almost one in the morning. You sigh with relief. Finally, it is about time the poor man got some rest. As quietly as you can you make your way to the small coffee table at the center of the room and set down the tray of food you had prepared. Lucifer had skipped dinner in order to finish some paperwork for Diavolo. You thought it would be nice for him to take a break and share a snack with you, but it appears that all those late nights have finally caught up to him.
You gather the throw blanket from the back of the loveseat and approach Lucifer cautiously, weary that any sudden noise or movement will wake him. He does not react. The poor man must be incredibly tired. You gently pluck the pen from his hand and set it into its stand. You hesitate when you go to cover Lucifer with the blanket, fearful that it would be enough to disturb his much needed sleep, but your fear that he would get sick from the chill was even greater. He barely reacts as you wrap the blanket around him, sighing and mumbling something incomprehensible as he settles into a more comfortable position. Having successfully completed your task you pause to admire him. It is rare to see Lucifer with such a calm look on his face. He looks so much younger when he is not scowling or scolding his brothers. You have to work hard to resist the urge to stroke his hair, instead busying yourself by tidying the papers on his desk. Sorting through them an idea strikes. You glance at the clock, than at Lucifers sleeping face, then back at the papers. You smile. Quickly gathering as many documents as you can carry you whisk them away to the coffee table. You plop down onto the floor and settle into your makeshift work area.
Nearly an hour later you hear Lucifer stir. You watch as he sits up in his chair with a groan. As he does the blanket falls from his shoulders and pools in the chair behind him. He sits in complete stillness for a while, his mind still hazy with sleep. Slowly he seems to come back to life, looking first at the half written report sitting on his desk, then suddenly noticing the blanket crumpled up behind him. He picks it up and examines it. Recognizing where it is from he looks to the couch and catches sight of you sitting on the floor with a pile of papers before yo. He blinks. You take the opportunity to speak up.
"Good morning" You watch him narrow his eyes at you and glance at the clock. Noting the time he lets out another groan.
"Good morning. How long was I asleep?"
"Not long. Maybe an hour. I didn't wanna disturb you but now that you're awake," you stand up and stretch, "you should really get to bed. We both should actually, I have classes tomorrow." You watch as he shakes his head slowly.
"You should go to sleep. I have to finish these reports. I need to get them to Lord Diavolo by tomorrow afternoon." He picks up his pen, noting how it had mysteriously been placed back in its stand, and gets back to work. "Thank you. For the blanket and for keeping me company."
"I did a lot more than that." You pick up the stack of papers from the coffee table and trot over to his desk. You place them in front of Lucifer with a satisfying thunk. He eyes the papers, then you. "I didn't have time to get to everything but there are only a few more documents for you to go over." It takes his sleep addled brain a moment to process what you said but the moment he understands his eyes go wide. He picks up a couple of pages and starts skimming through them.
"You... You went through all of these reports?" He glances at you. You nod. He sets the papers back down, a soft smile teasing the corner of his lips. "Thank you. Now I can finish these quickly and get them to Lord Diavolo on time." You pout, disappointed in his reaction.
"You can finish them tomorrow. Right now you need to sleep." You touch his cheek, gently urging him to face you. He looks into your eyes. He looks so tired. You stroke your thumb across his cheekbone. "Those bags under your eyes are darker than mine, very unbecoming of Diavolos right hand man." A direct shot at his pride. Lucifer is not pleased. For a moment it looks like he will reply, but he simply sighs and turn away. Your heart drops. The thought that Lucifer will spend yet another late night without rest pains you. To your surprise he simply replaces the pen into its stand.
"Alright. You win." He moves to stand up and you take a few steps back to give him room. You cannot stop smiling as you watch him collect his coat and drape it over his shoulders. He contemplates the blanket bundled in his chair but decides to leave it where it is for now. As he walks past you he grabs your arm and pulls you along. "Come along. It's time we get you to bed." An odd thing for him to say but you brush it aside, still thrilled at having won such a victory against his workaholic tendencies.
The two of you walk arm in arm out of the office. He leads the way up the stairs and through the halls towards the sleeping quarters. You arrive at your bedroom first. You let go of Lucifers arm and take a step towards your door, only to be pulled back to his side. He does not let go.
"Um... Goodnight?" You look up at him confused. He mirrors your puzzled expression.
"Where do you think you are going?" He tightened his grip on your arm a little.
"Uh, to sleep?"
"Is that so? You think you can just insert yourself into my business and then leave? No. If you so desperately want to be sure I sleep then you will spend the night with me, is that understood." It was not a question. You cannot help but chuckle. Of course, how silly of you to think you would be off the hook so easily. You lean into him and hold his arm tighter.
"Yes, Sir." Hearing this his cheeks blossom with a pink tint. He smirks and starts once again leading you down the hall towards his room.
"Careful, darling. It is unwise to tease a demon."
"Really? Well, what are you going to do about it." Your tone was playful but Lucifer was never one to back down from a challenge no matter how small. He swiftly turned and swept you off your feet. You yelped at the sudden change and instinctively clung to his shirt. Embarrassment colored your cheeks at the indignant noise you just made. Lucifer chuckles and you can feel the sound rumble in his chest. He leans down and whispers in your ear.
"I suppose I will just have to teach you a lesson then, won't I?" He carries you bridal style the rest of the way to his room and you realize, with a devilish delight, that neither of you are going to get much rest that night.