Yawning, Lucifer opened the door to the fridge, sleep sticking to his eyes as he fumbled around inside it, until he found the orange juice.

Unscrewing the cap, he took a long swig out of it, letting out a quiet groan as the taste of the juice hit his tongue. In a moment he would have a quick dig-around at the top of the hallway closet so he could get the Christmas presents, then he’d be dropping back into bed and sleep like the dead for another few hours.

 

“I thought you said no drinking from the bottle.”

 

Lucifer choked down a shocked yelp, fumbling the bottle. He caught it at the last second, only some of its contents spilling on the floor.

“Jesus fu-uuuuuh hey Char-Char, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Now startled wide awake, he turned around, eyes meeting Charlie’s. He knew they had tucked her in hours ago, why was she still up? Was she waiting for Santa?

Charlie fiddled with her fingers, fidgeting where she stood. “I wanted to make sure Santa’s milk was cold so I got up again. I’m gonna give him a new glass when he gets here.”

Lucifer knelt down in front of her, her eyes lit up by the light from the open fridge. He pushed her dishevelled hair out of her face with gentle hands. “Honey, I’m sure Santa doesn’t mind if it’s not cold.”

“No way, milk should be super cold or hot!”

“Don’t you drink room-temperature chocolate milk all the time?”

At that, Charlie pouted.

“That’s different, it’s got chocolate in it.” Then, her eyes grew wide as she gasped, eyes sparkling as she started to grin ear to ear. “Daddy, daddy, get the choccy powder, we’re giving Santa choco milk!”

“Now? It’s two in the morning.”

“Yes, now! Hurry, before he gets here!”

“Okay, okay.” Standing up, he reached for the milk, closing the fridge and getting the chocolate powder from the pantry. “And after that you’ll go back to bed?”

“...Do I have to? I wanna say hi to Santa.”

Lucifer felt a smile tug at his lips. “Aren’t you worried Santa won’t come, if you’re up?”

Charlie was silent for a long moment, eyes moving back and forth between Lucifer and the lit Christmas tree that was waiting for presents to be placed underneath it.

“Even if I’ve been really really good?”

As he pulled a glass from its shelf, Lucifer laughed. “Even then.”

He watched Charlie pull her stool to the counter right next to him, holding her hand as she climbed up to the upper step.

Charlie started to fill the glass with milk, doing a great job of not spilling (only spilling a little). He couldn’t say the same for the chocolate powder, watching it form a fine cloud as she dumped it into the glass, landing all around it. As she stirred the mix with a spoon, Lucifer’s eyes wandered in the direction of the hallway, where he knew the presents were waiting.

“How about this,” he started, catching Charlie’s attention. “I’ll wait with you, but if he doesn’t come in the next fifteen minutes, you’ll go back to bed. How does that sound?”

“Can we wait an hour?”

“Twenty?

“Three, um…quarters?”

Lucifer smiled as he watched her take her time remembering the word. She’d been working hard on her homework. “Half an hour.”

“Deal.”

She stuck out her pinky finger, a serious look on her face. In her other hand, she held the spoon, dripping onto the floor.

He held out his finger, locking it with hers, mirroring her expression. Then, her face split into a brand new grin as she hopped down from her stool, asking him to give her the glass so she could carry it to the side table standing near the tree.

As she carried it over, he could see all of her concentration aimed at the glass, trying not to spill it on the floor. He sat down on the couch, waiting for her to join him. She cuddled up in his lap, eyes turned toward the fireplace. They didn’t use it much, but still, Charlie had helped him clean it earlier in the week in anticipation of Santa’s arrival.

Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin on the crown of her head, humming a christmas carol he remembered from when he too was a child, one that didn’t get played that much on the radio anymore, aside from on an independent radio station he’d stumbled upon a while back.

Within minutes, he could feel Charlie start to list to the side, straightening up time after time in an attempt to stay awake. She wasn’t used to staying up nearly this late, and once she fell asleep, he knew she would sleep like a rock.

His humming growing more quiet, he peeked down at her, now fully leaning against his arm, well and truly asleep. Quieting, he took her into his arms so he could stand up, slowly so as not to wake her. He paused as she nuzzled her face into his pyjama shirt, the action bringing a soft smile to his lips.

 

Carrying her to her room, he carefully tucked her into bed. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, he knelt down beside her on the floor. She slept peacefully, her breaths deep and steady. As he watched her sleep, he felt warmth spread in his chest. He hadn’t thought he’d ever get to love someone as deeply as he did Charlie, the most precious thing in the world to him.

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before standing up. Stopping in the doorway, he looked back at her. He knew she would be a whirlwind once she woke up, excited about Santa eating the cookies Lucifer, Lilith and her had all made together, about Santa drinking the chocolate milk she had snuck out of bed to prepare, about opening her presents.

With the door quietly shut behind him, he snuck one of the cookies before heading for the hallway closet with a widening smile.

He couldn’t wait til morning.

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