When you first met Lucifer, he was empty.

Lilith this, Lilith that. The poor man had been consumed with thoughts of what he lost. His dearest wife who had left him - abandoned him and his daughter - and they were both still torn up about it. He'd never removed his wedding ring. He was still married, or at least that was what he'd said at the time. He was still married, and he was still loyal, and there was no point in getting rid of that.

Until he'd grown closer to you - he'd gone on about it all to you. How empty he felt. How it was so difficult on his own. And then he'd started to open up. He'd started to smile more sincerely when he wasn't trying to keep up some kind of image, started to act more in his own interest instead of thinking what would be wanted from a woman who was no longer around, but it had begun to manifest...oddly, as well.

Whenever you left, he'd conveniently know where you went. He'd ask idle questions. Just curious things, and he never went on about it like it was a negative. When you'd plainly asked, he'd pointed out that Hell was his domain. If he didn't know what was going on, that'd be weirder.

He'd started to give the side-eye to people who grew too close to you. You knew he hated sinners, but he usually wasn't this transparent about it or about you being an exception, but he'd carefully maneuver to get you away from others.

He'd stopped wearing his wedding ring. Subtle, but glaring in what it might've meant.

He'd started learning your interests. It was sweet, of course, but when he'd pointed out details you didn't notice in something you really enjoyed, it showed how much he'd been deliberately paying attention. It was a little shocking, to say the least.

And perhaps most glaring of all was how he insisted that whenever he could, he'd be by your side. He'd been a bit of a recluse before, but now? Now he was eager to be by your side every minute. He wasn't bad company, of course, but it was rare that when you showed up to the hotel that he wasn't immediately poofing out of that red cloud of smoke he enjoyed poofing out of to be right at your side.

At some point, you'd gotten a bit frustrated with the endeavor. He just--wouldn't let you be on a bad day, and you'd lashed out a bit, and finally...

"It's not like I wanted you to be unhappy, Lilith, please! "

You froze on the spot, and so did he.

"..." Lucifer flinched. "It's not what you think."