Chapter Text
The car engine went off again outside. Lucifer rolled over in his bed, taking his plush yellow duck pillow with him as he held it against his chest. The last few nights, he had woken up to the sound of a car outside one of his bedroom windows. The first night, he’d gotten out of bed and shivered his way over to the window to get a glimpse of the car. It took him a few seconds, but he recognized the green SUV as his neighbor’s vehicle from a few houses down.
Charlie used to be in the same class as one of their sons, Abel, so Lucifer had gotten to know Eve and Adam during that time. They were an interesting duo. They were lovers of rock music and had the big personalities to go with it. While Adam was boisterous, Eve had a way of luring you in. It was easy to think of her as the demur one in hers and Adam’s relationship until you realized that you’d just spent an hour talking to her and it only felt like five minutes. She was passionate, and if you allowed her to, she would sweep you up in her passions.
Lilith had always seemed partial to Eve. The two women would often get together for meals, movies, and whatever else they were interested in. It was to the point that Lucifer had actually felt a little jealous of Eve.
He shouldn’t have been.
The cracks in his relationship with Lilith had started long before Eve had arrived.
Lucifer’s heart ached at the memory of the day he’d come home to a note from Lilith and a copy of the divorce forms Lilith had filled out while he had been at work that day.
Lucifer lay in his bed with the painful memory as he soaked in the warmth from his heater blanket. Outside, the snow sprinkled onto the ground and lowered the temperature to where if he slid out from under the covers, his nipples would immediately harden and shivers would wrack his body.
So why the hell was Eve or Adam outside his house at two ‘o’clock in the morning, and in this kind of weather to boot?
It was none of his business, but as Lucifer listened to the engine rumble outside, worry gnawed at him. Whoever was in that SUV had spent the last few nights out there. It couldn’t be good for their health, especially not tonight. Lucifer pictured Eve, a petite thing—much like himself—cold and shivering in the car. He may have been jealous of her at one point, but she didn’t deserve to freeze.
Annoyed by his own sense of compassion, Lucifer rolled out of bed. Cold blasted his body. He hurriedly threw on three sweaters, an extra pair of sweatpants, and a pair of socks to prevent himself from shivering his brains out. He threw on a duck-themed hat with ear protectors shaped like wings and a matching yellow scarf. Lucifer shoved his feet into his boots and made his way downstairs, albeit slowly, so as not to wake Charlie.
Lucifer slipped outside. The snow crunched under his boots as he trudged over to the side of his house where Eve had parked.
Except it wasn’t Eve.
Adam had turned on the light in the car, making him easy to spot through the window. A thick blanket swaddled the big guy as he fiddled with the knobs on the SUV’s dash. The backseat had been transformed into a bed with pillows and a blanket strewn across it. He kept rubbing at his nose as he concentrated on the knobs.
Lucifer hesitated. He liked Adam. He really liked Adam. Like, found the giant man unbelievably attractive but Lucifer was still married at the time and loyal to his wife type of like.
Yeah, that jealousy he had toward Eve? It might have been some self-projection on his part, but he’d been a little too lost in the weeds to recognize it then.
Because of his attraction, though, he had limited his time with Adam, and he maybe once or twice had fumbled a few sentences around the guy that had made things awkward.
Oh god. He’d told Adam that his overalls made his ass look great when Adam had dressed as a scarecrow for Abel and Charlie’s Halloween party at school. Lucifer had only said it because Adam had expressed some insecurity about how he looked in the overalls. It was meant to be innocent!
The wide-eyed look Adam had given him made it clear that his comment had not come off as innocent at all.
Phooey.
Lucifer trudged over to the car and tapped on the passenger window.
Adam slammed his head against the SUV’s ceiling. “FUCK!” Adam had hit head so hard; Lucifer had heard the impact through the glass.
Lucifer winced. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from shouting, “Language!” on instinct.
Adam rubbed the back of his head. He grimaced as he faced Lucifer.
Lucifer waved.
Adam’s mouth moved as he grumbled something. He twisted in his seat. He must have pressed a button, because the passenger window rolled down. “What’s up?”
“You,” Lucifer answered. He thought it was a funny response, but Adam didn’t react. “At 2am.” Still no reaction. “Next to my house…” Lucifer trailed off as anxiety twisted in his gut. Suddenly, his joke didn’t feel so funny anymore.
“You got a problem with it?” Adam asked, his tone defensive but not angry. It was difficult to see through the blanket around him, but Adam’s posture was tense and his fingers tapped on the bottom of his steering wheel.
Lucifer glanced at the bedding in Adam’s backseat, then glanced back at Adam. “You wanna sleep in my house?”
“Why would I-” Adam cut himself off. He’d looked pretty pissed at the suggestion at first, those big, thick eyebrows of his drawing together in the center of his brow to make a hairy caterpillar, but as he took a deep breath and let himself relax, Adam looked more frustrated and defeated than anything. He stared out his windshield as if silently asking the universe a question.
Lucifer braced his arms across the bottom of the passenger window. He leaned his chin on his arms. “You know, it’s only gonna get colder in your car the longer you wait, and I have a guest room that comes with a shower. I even have some hot cocoa for you if you’re interested.”
“Fine, but it better be some damn good hot chocolate.”
“I promise.” Lucifer extended his pinkie toward Adam.
Adam stared at the pinkie, then shook his head. He hooked his pinkie around Lucifer’s, and they shook on the promise. “Now get off the window so I can roll it up.”
“Aye, aye, captain!” Lucifer took a step back and saluted Adam.
Saluted him.
Lucifer wanted to drop to his knees, cover his face, and groan.
Honestly, it was a miracle that he’d ever been able to marry and have a kid.
Adam rolled up the window, turned off the car light, then killed the engine. As he popped open the driver's door, he cursed under his breath. He quickly slammed it shut, then hurried over to the trunk of the SUV with his keys. After a moment of fumbling, he popped the trunk and hauled a duffle bag out.
His teeth were chattering so loud, Lucifer could hear it from where he stood.
Adam shut the trunk and scurried over to Lucifer. “Hurry, my fucking tits and dick are gonna fall off if I’m out here any longer.”
“Not your dick!” Lucifer mock exclaimed, once again going for a joke, only to regret it a moment later when his brain caught up to his mouth.
Adam grunted. “I know. Fucking travesty for the world if it’s lost. Come on.” Adam grabbed Lucifer’s wrist, tugging Lucifer to the door of his home.
Gratitude swelled inside Lucifer; he hadn’t offended Adam. Now, he just had to keep it that way for the rest of the night. They reached the door, and Lucifer opened it. Adam rushed inside. He let go of Lucifer’s wrist, dropped his duffle on the floor, and wrapped his arms around himself to warm up.
Lucifer shut the door and locked it.
Adam’s teeth continued to chatter. He made “brring” noises as he shook snowflakes off him.
“Do you know where the guest room is?” Lucifer asked. While Adam and Eve had never used the guest room, they had visited enough to use the guest bathroom.
“Yeah, yeah.” Adam hooked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the narrow and short hallway that curved around into the guest room. It was right next to the laundry room. “Over there, right?”
Lucifer nodded. “How about you warm up with a shower and I get that hot cocoa started?”
“Sounds friggin’ great!” Adam picked up his duffle bag. He pivoted and walked a few steps before pausing. “Thanks, by the way.”
“Don’t mention it. Also, keep it down.” Lucifer pressed a finger to his lips as he lowered his voice. “Charlie’s sleeping.”
Adam winced. “Right. Sorry,” he whispered. He took off down the hall, the blanket around his shoulders flapping like a cape behind him.
Lucifer took a deep breath and exhaled. He really hoped he wasn’t in over his head with this.
Lucifer frowned at the thought. He shook his head to clear it of his negativity. No, he wasn’t in over his head, and even if he was, helping Adam was the right thing to do.
He was curious why Adam had been sleeping in his SUV. The fact alone suggested that there was trouble in paradise brewing, but Lucifer knew better than to ask.
As promised, Lucifer went to the kitchen and prepared Adam an amazing batch of hot cocoa with real milk and chocolate, not one of those instant packets that one bought at the grocery store. He poured the hot beverage into two mugs—his duck mug and a matching bear one that Charlie had insisted he get so the duck mug would have a friend.
The soft padding of feet alerted Lucifer to Adam’s approach, even though his back was to the bigger man.
“Do you like marshmallows?” Lucifer asked as he finished pouring the last of the hot cocoa into the bear mug.
Adam paused next to the stove. “You know, I can’t remember the last time I had hot cocoa with marshmallows.”
“Really?” Lucifer looked up and his heart jumped at the sight of Adam in not just a hoodie, but a brown bear hoodie with round ears on top of the head. Fuzzy, brown lining peeked out from inside the hood, and Lucifer would bet that the hoodie provided a lot of warmth. Not only that, but Adam wore a pair of blue sweats with bear motifs and fuzzy brown socks.
Adam looked so cute, warm, and cuddle-able. It took all of Lucifer’s willpower not to toss aside the mugs, jump on Adam, and burrow his face into Adam’s chest.
“Yeah, Cain and Abel loved them, so I usually saved what we had for them,” Adam said.
Lucifer blinked. What had they been talking about again? Oh! Right! Marshmallows! “I’ll get them!” Lucifer exclaimed and dashed to the cupboard where he kept the marshmallows.
Adam shushed him. “Charlie is sleeping, you dingus.”
“Right, right,” Lucifer lowered his voice. His heart warmed at Adam’s reprimand, though. Anyone who advocated for Charlie was someone special in his book. Lucifer carried the bag of marshmallows over to the counter and quickly added marshmallows to the hot cocoa. He passed the bear mug to Adam.
Adam cocked his head. He gave a crooked smile as he studied the mug. “Were you peeping in on me when I was getting dressed?”
“What? No! W-why? I would never!”
Adam rolled his eyes. “Chillax, babe. I’m just pulling your dick.”
Oh. God. It was winter, but Lucifer was sweating like it was a heatwave in the middle of July. The first wave of heat had come with Adam calling him “babe” and the second wave rolled in as images of Adam pinning him against a wall and stroking his dick came to mind.
Adam took a sip from his mug. “Shit,” he whispered. He took another sip. “Fuck.” He sighed blissfully. “This is so good. Jesus, did you put crack in this or something?”
“I just made it with love,” Lucifer answered on autopilot, too distracted by visions of Adam pressing his arm into Lucifer’s chest, holding him in place, and Adam’s calloused hands gripping Lucifer’s shaft.
Adam scoffed. “Whatever you say, man.” As if he couldn’t go a moment without drinking Lucifer’s hot cocoa, Adam’s lips were back on his mug once he finished his sentence.
Lucifer took a more leisurely sip of his drink, enjoying the sweet, chocolaty, and milky beverage. The warmth of the beverage slipped down his throat and heated his belly. He enjoyed the heat radiating from the mug and into his fingertips and palm. “You know, we’re expecting snow for the next few nights. It’s going to get pretty cold out there.”
“I know,” Adam nonchalantly stated.
Lucifer frowned. “Are you going to sleep in your car for those nights?”
“Probably.”
Worry and indecision wrestled inside Lucifer. He knew what he wanted to do, but was it the wisest thing to do? If he was living on his own, he’d invite Adam to stay with him, but he had Charlie. He had to consider her comfort and safety, too. “Would you be interested in using the guest room for the next few days? Keep in mind, if it upsets Charlie, then I can’t let you stay.”
Adam shrugged. “I get it. I’d do the same if it were Cain or Abel.”
“So, do you wanna stay?” Lucifer asked, his nerves prickling.
“Honestly, dude, the hot shower and hot cocoa were more than enough to convince me. I just can’t pay you if you’re hoping for compensation or something.”
Lucifer shook his head. He wasn’t worried about payment. He wasn’t a millionaire, but he was well off. If Lilith had wanted to, she could have been a housewife when they were together, but that had never been her desire. “Just clean up after yourself, and we’re golden.”
Adam scoffed. “At least give me some chores or something, so I don’t feel like I owe you.”
Lucifer waved off Adam’s demand. “We can figure out those details when it isn’t going on three in the morning.”
“Deal.” Adam held up his mug like they were about to cheer.
Taking the hint, Lucifer raised his mug and tapped it against Adam’s. “Deal.”
To seal the deal, they tossed their heads back and chugged down what remained of their hot cocoa.