Reignite
Page 25
"To drink," she said hesitantly. "And, I don't know, I thought maybe we could hang out and… talk, I guess."
Coffee. To drink. To hang out. To talk.
With her.
Lucifer stared at her for a moment. Logic told him to turn her away, but that goddamned greed manifested, begging him to take every second of her short life she would offer him. She was only given so many, after all. If he said no to these, she may not offer him any more.
"It doesn't have to be coffee," she said tentatively. "I don't even like coffee. We can get some breakfast at the diner down the street. I mean, everybody has to eat, right?"
"Right," he said, drawing out the word. Except he wasn't an 'everybody'… he was a nobody, or a somebody, depending on how you looked at it. A nobody who didn't exist, not really, not here, but saying yes meant he had to be a somebody. He'd have to break his rule, the one rule he set for himself long, long ago, the one rule that he swore he'd never break. The one he never wanted to break. Not until this moment, anyway.
He'd have to show himself to the humans.
She could see him, but he was still out of sight to the others, and he couldn't have her looking certifiably insane, seen in public hanging out and talking to someone who wasn't there.
As if she could read his mind, she chimed back in, her voice a pleading whisper. "Please? I'm not crazy… I'm not."
"I know you're not," he said. "And yes… we can get breakfast."
Her shoulders seemed to sag with relief, a small smile playing on her lips at his response. "Great, uh… well, come on."
She motioned with her head in the direction of the diner before turning away from him. The moment her back was to him, he gave a quick glance around the parking lot, making sure not another living soul was around, before he dropped his guard completely. The air around him sparked, as if consumed by static, his body tingling with a soft glow as he let himself be visible.
Serah glanced back at him, to make sure he was coming, her footsteps wavering, a look of surprise coming over her face as he strode forward.
"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in question as he stared at her, falling into step right beside her.
"Oh, uh, nothing," she said, a soft blush warming her cheeks. "It's just… I don't know. Strange."
"What's strange?"
"You kind of looked like you were glowing a second ago," she said, the blush deepening. "Must've been the light or something."
"Must have," he replied, surprised she saw that, although he shouldn't have been. She'd been seeing and sensing things she shouldn't have all along.
They walked quietly to the diner, the sun rising, the orange glow expanding and covering everything in a soft light. They stood so close their arms nearly brushed against one another, but Luce made sure not to touch her. When she moved, he moved, shifting a fraction of an inch away, like they were magnets facing the wrong way. He could feel it, though—the pull toward her, the tingle along his skin that reminded him of being bathed in her Grace.
Fuck, he did her wrong.
Over and over.
Don't let me do it again.
The diner was brightly lit, but only a few people sat inside at this hour. Serah paused when she reached the door, scowling at a small sign in the window.
No shirt
No shoes
No service
She turned to look at him, and Lucifer knew what she was going to say before she even said anything. He had a shirt, yes, but his feet were bare.
Her eyes shifted to the sidewalk as she took stock of his feet. "Are you homeless?"
Silence surrounded them for a moment. Luce could tell she was anxious to ask that, could sense her apprehension, but her words came off humorous to him. He laughed, unable to contain himself.
Because yes, he was homeless, relatively speaking. He sure as fuck had nowhere to call home.
"Go on inside and sit down," he said, reaching past her to grab the door, opening it. "I'll be back in just a minute."
She hesitated again, as if she thought he might be bailing on her, but chose to believe him after a moment. Offering a smile, she stepped inside the diner, as Luce let go of the door.
The second he was certain nobody was looking, he zapped away, out of sight, apparating just around the block. In a jiffy, a pair of black boots materialized on his feet. He zapped right back, appearing once more in the same spot as before. He opened the door, stepping inside the diner, just as Serah was sliding into a booth. She glanced up at him, wide-eyed, when he slipped into the booth across from her. "You're back?"
"Yes," he said. "I said it would only take a minute. I didn't take longer than that, did I?"
"Uh, no," she said, gaping at him. "I mean, I don't even think that was a minute. You were just standing out there, and I just sat down, and…" She bent over, looking under the table, before meeting his eyes again. "You have shoes on!"
"Yes," he said again.
"How did you do that? That's impossible! I can't even put on flip-flops that fast when they're right in front of me!"
He shrugged a shoulder, making a mental note to slow down if ever this happened again. Humans, for being so obsessed with time, certainly did everything leisurely.
She was still gaping at him when the waitress appeared, sliding two menus on the table in front of them. Lucifer picked one up, having absolutely no interest in food. He'd never tried to eat it, never cared to try it. He was certain he could, though. After all, it was all their Father's creation. His body would merely absorb it, converting it to energy.
Coffee. To drink. To hang out. To talk.
With her.
Lucifer stared at her for a moment. Logic told him to turn her away, but that goddamned greed manifested, begging him to take every second of her short life she would offer him. She was only given so many, after all. If he said no to these, she may not offer him any more.
"It doesn't have to be coffee," she said tentatively. "I don't even like coffee. We can get some breakfast at the diner down the street. I mean, everybody has to eat, right?"
"Right," he said, drawing out the word. Except he wasn't an 'everybody'… he was a nobody, or a somebody, depending on how you looked at it. A nobody who didn't exist, not really, not here, but saying yes meant he had to be a somebody. He'd have to break his rule, the one rule he set for himself long, long ago, the one rule that he swore he'd never break. The one he never wanted to break. Not until this moment, anyway.
He'd have to show himself to the humans.
She could see him, but he was still out of sight to the others, and he couldn't have her looking certifiably insane, seen in public hanging out and talking to someone who wasn't there.
As if she could read his mind, she chimed back in, her voice a pleading whisper. "Please? I'm not crazy… I'm not."
"I know you're not," he said. "And yes… we can get breakfast."
Her shoulders seemed to sag with relief, a small smile playing on her lips at his response. "Great, uh… well, come on."
She motioned with her head in the direction of the diner before turning away from him. The moment her back was to him, he gave a quick glance around the parking lot, making sure not another living soul was around, before he dropped his guard completely. The air around him sparked, as if consumed by static, his body tingling with a soft glow as he let himself be visible.
Serah glanced back at him, to make sure he was coming, her footsteps wavering, a look of surprise coming over her face as he strode forward.
"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in question as he stared at her, falling into step right beside her.
"Oh, uh, nothing," she said, a soft blush warming her cheeks. "It's just… I don't know. Strange."
"What's strange?"
"You kind of looked like you were glowing a second ago," she said, the blush deepening. "Must've been the light or something."
"Must have," he replied, surprised she saw that, although he shouldn't have been. She'd been seeing and sensing things she shouldn't have all along.
They walked quietly to the diner, the sun rising, the orange glow expanding and covering everything in a soft light. They stood so close their arms nearly brushed against one another, but Luce made sure not to touch her. When she moved, he moved, shifting a fraction of an inch away, like they were magnets facing the wrong way. He could feel it, though—the pull toward her, the tingle along his skin that reminded him of being bathed in her Grace.
Fuck, he did her wrong.
Over and over.
Don't let me do it again.
The diner was brightly lit, but only a few people sat inside at this hour. Serah paused when she reached the door, scowling at a small sign in the window.
No shirt
No shoes
No service
She turned to look at him, and Lucifer knew what she was going to say before she even said anything. He had a shirt, yes, but his feet were bare.
Her eyes shifted to the sidewalk as she took stock of his feet. "Are you homeless?"
Silence surrounded them for a moment. Luce could tell she was anxious to ask that, could sense her apprehension, but her words came off humorous to him. He laughed, unable to contain himself.
Because yes, he was homeless, relatively speaking. He sure as fuck had nowhere to call home.
"Go on inside and sit down," he said, reaching past her to grab the door, opening it. "I'll be back in just a minute."
She hesitated again, as if she thought he might be bailing on her, but chose to believe him after a moment. Offering a smile, she stepped inside the diner, as Luce let go of the door.
The second he was certain nobody was looking, he zapped away, out of sight, apparating just around the block. In a jiffy, a pair of black boots materialized on his feet. He zapped right back, appearing once more in the same spot as before. He opened the door, stepping inside the diner, just as Serah was sliding into a booth. She glanced up at him, wide-eyed, when he slipped into the booth across from her. "You're back?"
"Yes," he said. "I said it would only take a minute. I didn't take longer than that, did I?"
"Uh, no," she said, gaping at him. "I mean, I don't even think that was a minute. You were just standing out there, and I just sat down, and…" She bent over, looking under the table, before meeting his eyes again. "You have shoes on!"
"Yes," he said again.
"How did you do that? That's impossible! I can't even put on flip-flops that fast when they're right in front of me!"
He shrugged a shoulder, making a mental note to slow down if ever this happened again. Humans, for being so obsessed with time, certainly did everything leisurely.
She was still gaping at him when the waitress appeared, sliding two menus on the table in front of them. Lucifer picked one up, having absolutely no interest in food. He'd never tried to eat it, never cared to try it. He was certain he could, though. After all, it was all their Father's creation. His body would merely absorb it, converting it to energy.
