The next morning - December 26th
7:00 AM
Cain's eyes opened slowly, the world a blur of pale ceiling and morning light. He rolled over with a groan, his arm flopping out to grope for his phone on the nightstand. He found it, brought it close to his face, and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand until his vision cleared.
The screen showed three missed calls from "Dad." And below them, the notification for a single voicemail.
A smile touched his lips, fragile but real. He sat up, propping the pillows behind him, and took a deep, steadying breath before he tapped the voicemail icon and raised the phone to his ear.
"Hey, son." His father's voice was there, scratchy with distance and age, but warm. "Sorry for missing your call. I was feeding the cats. Don't you worry about me. I'm taking care of myself just fine. You need to be thinking about yourself first, you hear me?"
Cain's smile widened. He felt a familiar, vulnerable ache in his chest, the good kind, the kind that came from being loved.
"You really found someone who reminds you of Amelia?" the recording continued. "You keep her close, then. What's her name? I'd love to meet her sooner or later, son. I love you too. I'm… I'm real proud of you."
The message ended. Cain let out a long, slow sigh, wiping at the corner of his eye with his thumb. He sat for another minute, just listening to the silence, before swinging his legs out of bed. He stretched, his joints popping, and let out a groaning yawn.
"This is going to be a long day," he muttered to the empty room.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he pulled on a pair of dark jeans, a conscious step up from yesterday's lounging clothes. He headed downstairs. As he'd half-expected, the living room was still lit by the glow of the television. Lucifer sat exactly where he'd left her, curled slightly on the couch, her golden eyes fixed on the screen. The credits for one movie were rolling, and the opening scene of another was just beginning. Her expression was one of rapt, childlike absorption. She was clearly enthralled.
Seeing her so engrossed, Cain decided to be stealthy. He moved with exaggerated care, tiptoeing across the living room rug towards the kitchen, aiming to grab a mug for coffee without disturbing her cinematic immersion.
It was a futile effort. Lucifer's senses tracked his every movement: the faint creak of the floorboard, the soft rustle of his clothes, the nearly silent pad of his feet on the kitchen tiles. A small, amused smirk played on her lips as she kept her eyes on the screen, listening to his clumsy attempt at stealth.
Just as Cain's fingers closed around the handle of a ceramic mug, a voice spoke directly behind him.
"Good morning, Cain. How was your sleep?"
He jolted violently. A short, sharp scream escaped him, and the mug flew from his hand, spinning into the air. He whirled around, his heart hammering.
"What the hell?! I told you not to do that!" he shouted, his voice tinged with both fear and irritation.
Lucifer was standing there, holding the mug she had casually caught mid-air. She tilted her head, a look of sincere apology on her face. "I am sorry. I was merely experiencing excitement at your awakening. I also found your attempt at covert movement… interesting."
He stared at her for a second, then let out a defeated breath. He slowly took the mug from her outstretched hand. "I just didn't want to interrupt your movie," he mumbled, turning back to the counter to fill the kettle.
God, he thought, cringing inwardly. Why am I so awkward first thing in the morning?
Lucifer watched his back. "You will never be an interruption, Cain." Her voice was soft but firm. "You must cease sabotaging your connections simply because you lost one. If you persist in this behavior, you will inevitably lose more people. You will culminate in a state of profound loneliness."
She paused, then added, with a certainty that brooked no argument, "Be not afraid. You will not lose me."
Cain paused, the kettle in his hand. He smirked, a real one this time, and glanced over his shoulder at her. "I'll try to sabotage myself less," he conceded. He finished filling the kettle, set it on the stove, and turned to face her. He reached out and gave her shoulder a brief, friendly tap. "Thank you." He meant it.
He turned back to prepare his coffee. Lucifer stood still for a moment in the middle of the kitchen. Her hand slowly rose to her shoulder, her fingers gently touching the spot where he had tapped her. A brilliant, unguarded smile spread across her face, her eyes shining. In the next instant, she was simply sitting at the kitchen table, facing him as he brought over his steaming mug.
"I derived significant enjoyment from the moving images," she announced happily.
"Yeah?" Cain said, pulling out the chair opposite her and taking a careful sip of his coffee. "That's great. What did you like about them?"
Lucifer's eyes lit up. She launched into an enthusiastic, if somewhat stilted, summary. She spoke of the vast, silent beauty of the black hole in Interstellar, the terrifying, sobering power depicted in Oppenheimer, the vibrant colors and societal examinations in Barbie, and the sheer, monstrous spectacle of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Cain listened, nodding, adding a comment here and there ("Yeah, the music in that scene was amazing," or "I cried at that part too, don't tell anyone"). He mostly just watched her face, animated and bright with the joy of discovery. It was a good look on her.
They talked until the peaceful morning was pierced by the sudden, shrill beeping of Cain's phone alarm at 7:45. Lucifer's head snapped towards the sound.
"Who is attempting communication now?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "Your device is producing a distress signal."
Cain chuckled, silencing the alarm. "It's not a call. It's just an alarm. Humans use them as… auditory reminders. So we don't forget important things."
"Ah," Lucifer said, nodding. But her expression seemed off, a little strained. She was looking at him, but her gaze felt distant for a second.
Cain noticed but dismissed it as post-movie marathon weirdness. He gave her an awkward smile. "Anyway, I need to start getting ready. I have to head out soon. You can stay here, keep watching if you want. I'll be back after my meeting."
Lucifer blinked, then nodded. "I understand." And then she was gone from the chair. Not with a pop or a flash, but so swiftly it was like she had never been there. She reappeared instantly on the couch, settling back into her spot.
Cain shook his head, still not quite used to the casual display of impossible. He shrugged, picked up his coffee mug, and gave her a little wave from the kitchen doorway. Lucifer waved back, a small, quick motion. He turned and headed back upstairs.
In his room, he went to his wardrobe, the one reserved for things he almost never wore anymore. He pushed aside the hangers until he found it: a dark blue suit, still in its dry-cleaning bag. He pulled it out and laid it carefully across his bed, the fabric a deep, serious blue. He looked at it for a long moment, a faint smile on his face, before turning to head into the bathroom for a shower.