An Echo of Life

Word Count: 3363

Pairings: Lucifer Morningstar x Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, sad fluff

A/N: Request from , and woah this is a long one lol I got very very carried away

Summary: It'd been a simple trip to the hospital, one he hadn't even wanted to go on. But Chloe had asked, and Dan couldn't drive himself with a healing broken leg. Meeting you made his visit much more bearable though, but the lingering feeling that something wasn't right sat in the back of his mind each time he talked to you.......................................................................

He'd wandered off almost as soon as Dan had been checked in. Just the thought of sitting in that waiting room was enough to consider Hell a better alternative. So, being the ever restless devil he was, Lucifer had found himself standing in front of the vending machines, staring at the bag of cheese puffs that had gotten stuck. He huffed a little, continuing to stare at the offending food as if that would make it un-lodge itself from itself stuck position.

"You've got to shake the machine a little, things are always getting stuck in this one." A voice beside him suddenly spoke.

He jumped a little, turning to stare at the person beside him. He hadn't even heard you approach, very light on your feet, it seemed.

"Tangled with this a few times, have you, my dear?" He raised an eyebrow, studying you, and noted you seemed almost surprised that he talked to you at all.

You wore a simple pair of pajamas, and a robe, settled on your wrist a hospital band. Implying that not only were you a patient, but you'd been here long enough to do away with the hospital gowns and begin to wear your own clothing.

"I used to, but shaking that thing isn't easy to do anymore." You shrugged.

Lucifer smiled a bit, and turned his attention back to the machine. You tilted your head as he lightly hit the side of the machine, it rocked dangerously to one side before falling back into place, and all the contents fell to the bottom. Lucifer chuckled sheepishly when you slowly turned your head to look at him, raising your eyebrows.

"Ah, perhaps I used a bit too much force..."

He found your laughter soothing as he kneeled down to gather his ill gotten treasure, offering you a bag as he stood. Although you smiled gratefully, you shook your head.

"I can't eat that stuff anymore." You informed him with a seemingly indifferent shrug.

"My apologies, I suppose they have you on a very strict diet here."

Something unreadable flashed across your eyes, and your smile fell a little.

"Yeah, something like that."

Lucifer frowned, realizing he'd touched upon a sore subject, and decided to change topics.

"Well, I don't suppose you know where to get a decent cup of coffee here?"

"Waiting room for radiology on the fourth floor, only place that doesn't taste like mud and water."

Lucifer smiled, motioning for you to lead the way, and you laughed a bit walking in front of him as you navigated the winding halls of this large building.

"You certainly know your way around here, don't you, darling? Have you been here long?"

With your back to him, he didn't notice the way the light left your eyes, or the downcast expression you now wore.

"Not too long, but I don't think I'll be leaving anytime soon..."

Realizing he had once again upset you, he cleared his throat, cursing himself for putting his foot in his mouth once more.

"Where are my manners, I haven't even introduced myself, Lucifer Morningstar at your service, and might I ask what your name is?"

You told him your name, pressing the button on the elevator as you stepped back to stand beside him.

"Lovely name, darling, so what other secrets can you tell me about this place?"

The two of you spent the next few hours talking and exploring all your favorite places in the hospital. You discovered he was quite chatty, never a dull uncomfortable silence between the two of you. Lucifer was very good at keeping the conversations rolling, distracting you from the repetitive and mundane existence of living in the hospital. In fact, you could have spent all day talking to him, but his phone chimed, and he frowned when he read the message.

"It would appear Daniel is done with his physical therapy now, I apologize my dear, I'm afraid I have to go."

You deflated just a little, bur tried not to show it as you gave him a small smile.

"That's okay, it'd be rude to keep your friend waiting, it was nice meeting you, Lucifer."

He returned your smile, bidding you goodbye as he turned to walk away, but he paused for a moment.

"You know, Daniel does need to come once a week, and it will be quite a while before he can drive himself, perhaps we could continue our conversation next week?" He offered.

The joy that shined in your eyes made him happy to see, the eager way you nodded at the thought of having something to look forward to.

"That would be great."

"Excellent, then I'll meet you by the selfish vending machines again? Same time next week, yes?"

"Okay." You couldn't stop yourself from smiling, and you waved goodbye to him as he walked away.

Finally, something you could wait for, someone to talk to, someone to distract you from the truth of your existence. The type of interaction you'd begun to miss, and feared you might not have again. You couldn't stop smiling like a fool as you made your way back to your room. Not even walking back into your room to be met with the steady beeping of various machines could dampen your mood.

~

True to his word, he waited for you by the vending machines once more. The same day as last week, the same time, and you caught yourself almost running to meet him. He seemed a bit worried when he saw your rushed pace, and grabbed your shoulders to steady you when you stumbled a bit.

"You're freezing, darling, don't you have a robe or something?"

You stared at his hands on your shoulders for a moment, looking a little surprised he'd caught you. You blinked a little before looking back at him with a bright smile.

"I forgot it, I was just excited to come see you." You played with a loose string on your shirt.

Lucifer smiled, dropping his hands to his sides.

"That's quite alright my dear, I just wouldn't want to be the reason your condition worsened is all. Now, I believe you were going to show me your favorite spot last time, before we were so rudely interrupted."

You motioned for him to follow you as you slipped into a door marked with a sign that read . He raised an eyebrow but followed you nonetheless. He was surprised by the number of stairs you were willing to climb as he followed after you. When the two of you finally reached the top, he was a bit winded, but you seemed perfectly fine, eagerly pushing open the only door at the top.