The nurse's room was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos of the gym. The walls were a dull beige, and the faint scent of antiseptic hung in the air. Eliza pushed the door open, guiding Lucifer inside with a hand pressed gently against his back. He limped a bit but tried to play it off, eyes darting around like he'd bolt at the first chance.
"Sit," Eliza ordered, pointing to the examination bed. Her voice was firm but soft, a mix of concern and annoyance she couldn't quite hide.
Lucifer huffed, rolling his eyes but obeyed, flopping down dramatically with a groan that was way too loud. "Geez, bossy much?"
"Oh, shut up," Eliza muttered, but there was no heat in her voice. She pulled the first aid kit from the shelf, rummaging through it with practiced ease. Her fingers moved quickly, grabbing antiseptic wipes and bandages—anything to focus on other than how stupidly good he looked even with scuffed knees and messy hair.
Lucifer watched her with a lopsided grin, one eyebrow raised. "You know, I don't think I'm dying, Drama Queen."
"Could've fooled me," she shot back, uncapping the antiseptic with a click. "Stop whining and hold still."
He snorted but didn't argue, though he did wince when she dabbed at the scrape on his knee, hands gripping the edge of the bed and jaw clenching.
"Oh my God," Eliza groaned, exasperated. "Don't be such a baby. It's just a scratch."
"Says the girl who nearly fainted when she got a papercut last week," Lucifer grumbled, smirking through the pain.
Eliza's face flared red. "That was different! It was deep!"
"Uh-huh," he smirked. "Totally life-threatening."
She glared but bit her lip to fight back a smile, fingers working quickly to smooth a bandage over the scrape. The tension in her chest eased slightly now that she knew he was mostly fine—just a bit bruised and annoyingly smug.
"There," she said, stepping back and crossing her arms. "All patched up, you big baby."
Lucifer glanced down at the haphazard bandage, lips twitching. "Aww, did you put a princess sticker on it too?"
"Keep talking and I will," she deadpanned, making him chuckle.
He leaned back on his palms, eyes flicking over her face—softer somehow, the usual playfulness dimmed by something warmer.
"Thanks," he said, quieter this time, and the sincerity in his tone caught her off guard.
Eliza's cheeks warmed, and she quickly looked away, scuffing her shoe against the tile. "Yeah, well… stop getting hurt, and I won't have to play nurse."
"No promises," he grinned, eyes glinting with mischief.
But then his gaze softened, lingering on her face like he was seeing something new. The way her eyes narrowed when she was annoyed, the way her cheeks flushed even when she tried to act tough—Lucifer's smirk faltered for just a second, something unspoken flickering in his eyes.
Eliza shifted under his stare, clearing her throat loudly. "Stop looking at me like that," she mumbled, flustered.
"Like what?" he asked, smirk creeping back.
"Like you're trying to melt my brain with your eyes," she grumbled, trying to ignore the heat creeping up her neck.
Lucifer chuckled, shoulders shaking. "I dunno, Drama Queen, you look pretty cute when you're flustered."
Eliza sputtered, face flaming. "Wh—shut up!"
The door creaked open then, and the nurse walked in, eyebrows raised at the sight of Lucifer sitting half-bandaged on the exam table and Eliza hovering nearby with an ice pack. Eliza cleared her throat quickly, stepping back like she'd been caught committing a crime.
The nurse sighed but approached anyway, giving Lucifer a once-over with a tired sort of familiarity—like she'd patched him up a million times before. "What did you do this time, Mr. Hotshot?" she deadpanned.
Lucifer flashed a grin, unfazed. "Took a dramatic fall for the fans. Y'know, the usual."
The nurse rolled her eyes but smirked a little, grabbing a fresh ice pack from the freezer. Eliza bit back a snort, crossing her arms with an unimpressed huff.
"You're lucky you have people to babysit you," the nurse muttered. "Or you'd probably be in a full-body cast by now."
Lucifer just laughed, eyes glancing sideways at Eliza with that stupidly warm expression that made her heart flutter despite herself. Eliza scoffed, cheeks pink, and turned away quickly—barely resisting the urge to throw the ice pack at his head.
She hovered awkwardly by the door, biting her lip and fiddling with her sleeves as the nurse prodded Lucifer's knee with a frown. Her eyes flickered back to him every few seconds, like she needed to reassure herself he was really okay.
Lucifer noticed, of course—because of course he did.
"You gonna keep staring, Drama Queen?" he smirked, winking. "Or you wanna hold my hand too?"
Eliza scowled, face burning. "I hope you sprain your other knee," she snapped, tossing the ice pack at his chest. He caught it easily, grin widening.
"Aw, don't be mean. I'm injured," he said, pouting dramatically.
"Cry about it," Eliza muttered, crossing her arms tighter.
The nurse shot them a flat look, lips twitching. "If you two are done flirting, I need to wrap this knee."
Eliza choked, face going nuclear. "We're not—I—what—no!" she sputtered, voice a pitch too high.
Lucifer's grin stretched impossibly wider, eyes glinting. "See? Even the nurse ships us," he teased.
"I will leave you to die," Eliza threatened weakly, burying her face in her hands.
"You won't," Lucifer chuckled. "You love me too much."
She made a strangled sound, cheeks flaming, and Lucifer's laugh echoed warm and bright through the tiny room.
But she stayed right there, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, refusing to leave until she was absolutely sure he was fine. And even when the nurse declared him mostly unscathed, Eliza insisted on walking him home—because someone had to make sure he didn't trip over his own feet and crack his skull open.
Lucifer teased her the entire way, of course, draping an arm over her shoulders with that easy familiarity that made her heart stutter traitorously.
And Eliza huffed and rolled her eyes and pretended her cheeks weren't burning the whole time.
But she didn't shrug him off.
She never did.
To be continued....