Los Angeles, Sunday Night

[my_own_advocate]

Chloe	"Is there anything I need to know about how to fight a demon?" Chloe asked, as they walked along the street towards the loud, bright facade of the Mayan.
Lucifer	"Not really," Lucifer said, "Just that they're super strong, scary and mean, like Maze." He sighed. "Except these ones don't feel pain, because they're only renting their bodies." As they found themselves at the entrance, he turned around. "Good news is, they're killable, it just requires a little extra oomph," he said. He looked at her. "But you don't have to worry about that, because you're not going inside."
Chloe	"Oh, yes I am," Chloe said flatly. "Demons or no demons, there's no way I'm not helping."
Lucifer	"Need I remind you, Detective," Lucifer said flatly, "It is actually less helpful when you're there. You make me vulnerable, remember?"
Octavia	"He's right," Octavia cut in, as she glanced up at the building, then back at Chloe. "You can't bring down our strongest asset. That endangers everyone."
Duke	"Are the rest of us going in?" Duke asked. "Because I just got a really bad idea." How could an otherwise ordinary guy help fight super strong, pain-resistant demons? By utilizing the trouble that made him super strong and perfectly happy to kill things. It had to be good for something, right?
Seivarden	"Does anyone have a gun?" Seivarden asked. "Because it sounds like I'd need one." At least she could be useful by the sound of it.
Octavia	Octavia barely heard Seivarden - just as well, really, because she didn't have a gun - because her eyes were nailed to Duke. "How bad?"
Duke	Duke was already wincing in anticipation of her response as he took a deep breath and said "Potentially catastrophic?"
Chloe	"I'd give you mine, but I might need it in case you guys run into extra trouble out here," Chloe said, warily looking from Octavia to Duke and back. "What are we talking about?"
Lucifer	"Do you ever have anything other than catastrophic ideas in these situations?" Lucifer wondered. "Well, out with it."
Duke	Duke closed his eyes for a moment, then pulled out a knife. "We don't know if their blood would set me off," he said, looking pretty much anywhere but at Octavia. "But, uh. We do know someone's will. If I can control it, direct it at the demons and not -- you know, you guys, I might just be a match for a demon."
Octavia	Not looking at Octavia would not keep him from hearing her gasp. "Absolutely not." She didn't sound like she was willing to even entertain this idea. Funny, that.
Duke	"I can control it," Duke said, finally looking at her. "If it's just a little bit, you've seen that. And then I can help. And --" He dropped his voice, speaking just to her. "If I lose it, I know you can take me down." Part of him knew this was a terrible argument. But he was frustrated and scared and he really wanted to feel like he could actually do something, even with something that felt like a curse. If he could control his trouble against a bunch of demons, maybe he had a chance at controlling it in Haven, too.
Lucifer	"Do we really want to unleash another self-hating pile of superpowers on LA this shortly after, well, me?" Lucifer asked, eyeing Duke warily.
Seivarden	"Excuse me," Seivarden said dryly, "but do we have a plan apart from going in there? Am I right in that we have no weapons or armour against demons with superhuman strength, which means you," she looked at Lucifer, "is the only one who is of much use, as long as you," here she looked at Chloe, "stays away." She was going to ignore the part about Duke and blood, because Octavia seemed intent on it not happening. "I have seen better plans turn out to be disasters."
Maze	"He's a dumbass, but he's not that much of a dumbass," came a dry voice from... above? Hi, folks. Had you ever seen an angel with his wings out before? Because you would now, as Amenadiel's grey warrior's wings brought him and Maze gently down to the curb. "You called."
Octavia	You know, Octavia really wished she could have been overwhelmed by the sight of angel wings. But all she managed was a brief upward glance before her eyes returned to Duke. Distraught. "No," she said. "Pl--" No. She wouldn't go there. "We have enough power now."
Duke	Yeah. Duke had sabotaged his own potential awe here, too. He watched Amenadiel and Maze land, then closed his eyes and swallowed. And slowly nodded. She was right. They were all right, of course. And he didn't know for sure that the part of him that was disappointed wasn't the same part that craved the way his trouble made him feel. He was going to end up a junkie just like his mother, wasn't he. Strung out on blood instead of dope. "I'm just gonna. . . ." He gestured vaguely with his thumb. "I'll . . . guard the exits." Like a good little sad, pathetic human.
Seivarden	Seivarden looked at Maze and Amenadiel. "No spare guns?"
Maze	"I have knives, why would I need a gun?" Maze retorted dryly, dusting herself off.
Lucifer	"Would you actually mind lending one of your demonic knives to the depressed Mainer over here?" Lucifer said, waving at Duke. "He's doing a puppy thing. Might help if he has something that hurts demons more effectively."
Maze	Maze rolled her eyes, but pulled a curved, inscribed blade from her boot and held it out to Duke. "Don't cut anybody you don't want dead."
Duke	Duke gave her and the knife a quick, uncertain look. Then accepted it with a nod. "Thanks." It was designed like a feather. Angels and demons really just had no sense of chill, did they. He looked over the assembled group again, then pulled his pistol from the back of his waistband and offered it to Seivarden. "Since we're sharing weapons and all. I'd like that back when you're done, please."
Seivarden	Seivarden accepted it with a nod. "Of course."
Octavia	"That's everyone armed, then," Octavia noted, shoving aside her lingering thoughts about Duke's little plan. Didn't matter now. There was a knife in each of her hands, and she nodded towards Seivarden. "She asked what our plan was. Anyone have any magnificent ideas beyond storming the place, killing the demons and grabbing the baby?"
Lucifer	Lucifer shrugged. "Storm the place, kill the demons, let Duke grab the baby while everyone else is distracted?" he said. A pause. "And Dromos is mine."

---

Lucifer	Two celestials, a demon, a Radchaai, and an angry deposed warrior queen walk into a club, and... well, they didn't look too happy, truth be told. Lagging behind but not far was Duke, on backup duty. They found Dromos and his demons squatting in the center of the stage, little baby Charlie wriggling on top of a large stone pedestal. Dromos was holding a baby bottle, of all things. "Dromos," Lucifer intoned. "Surely you've heard breast is best?" Dromos chuckled, leaning back a bit. "Now you see, thing is, I don't take orders from you anymore," he said. "Not since the whole... abdication thing. So... long live King Charlie! He's going to be a hell of a ruler! Pun intended." He leaned his hands on the pedestal and smirked. "Because I am going to mold him into exactly what I want," he said. "Now, you have to admit you've been a bit of a selfish king, keeping the whole... multiversal Earth thing to yourself."
Octavia	Octavia had her knives, and was taking note of who was where. Letting Dromos' words wash over her, refusing to think too hard on them because they didn't matter. They were going to come out of this victorious, not the demons. Something in her itched for battle. She was ignoring that, too, for now.
Seivarden	Seivarden was beginning to think that Maze was an exception when it came to demons. Even if the situation been different, if Dromos had been human, if she had had Radchaai weapons and armour, the situation would still have been difficult. As it was, she waited, still not quite happy with the lack of a decent plan, but at least with Lucifer, Amenadiel and Maze the odds weren't too bad, she supposed. As long as Duke could get the baby.
Amenadiel	"Give me my son!" Amenadiel roared. "Over my dead body!" Dromos threw back. "Except it's already dead, so you'll have to get more creative." He grinned.
Maze	Maze yanked the hood from her head and drew her knives. She dropped onto the stage floor the second Amenadiel did, her knives flicking in anticipation. More demons came out from behind the stage to face her. Good. She needed to vent. It was Squee who came at her; she could spot him from a mile away, human body or no. He'd always swung too wide, and his punches flew over her head, his blade couldn't get at her belly. She blocked his blow on the next wide swing and cut wildly into his body with her knives, then shattered his knee with a single punch.
Seivarden	The demons didn't seem to be armed with guns, but Seivarden sought some protection behind one of the columns anyway before firing a bullet into the chest of one of the demons. She wasn't sure how hard to kill they were, but hopefully that should slow her down at least.
Octavia	Octavia did not exercise caution like that, trusting her instincts to see her through rushing the nearest demon. They couldn't feel pain, but that just meant she'd focus on trying to cause the kind of damage that'd slow them down reagrdless. A sliced tendon was still a sliced tendon whether you felt the pain of it or not.
Duke	Duke kept back, slipping around the edges of the room, his hand clenched tight on Maze's dagger, even as he avoided drawing any of the demons' attention. His kept one eye on the fight, the other on baby Charlie being held by one of the men on the stage. As soon as he got the chance, he'd scoop the kid up and run.
Lucifer	Hopefully, he'd get his chance sooner rather than later, because Lucifer ignored the chaos in the rest of the room to stalk towards Dromos. He didn't look like he was keeping an eye on Duke, but he most certainly was. "Ah, ah, I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," Dromos warned, clutching the baby close to him. Two of his demons demonstratively kicked out at Lucifer, but it was so telegraphed he dodged them handily. "You're going to pay, Dromos," he said. "Really? My money's on me, pal." Dromos's friends rained down more kicks, and Lucifer blocked them with the side of his arms, one, two, three, four-- and the fifth sent him staggering back. "You've gotten soft," Dromos said, smirking. "Getting all mushy with the humans. It's disgusting."
Amenadiel	Another demon hurled herself at Amenadiel. He grabbed her, twisting her around and slamming her down at the ground. She crawled back and nearly hit Octavia on her way. The demon facing Seivarden took that bullet. Oh, sure, it sent him staggering back a few steps, but the chest wasn't exactly an area one needed for walking around, was it?
Seivarden	So, a bullet to the head and one to one of the demon's legs. Maybe that would do it? Adding these creatures to the miserable dream images of Hell she had picked up, Seivarden really understand why Lucifer had needed to leave.
Octavia	Octavia was keeping Duke in her peripheral vision at all times, too, even if it didn't look like it. Even if it seemed like she was intent on being as much of a human hurricane as she could. She hadn't gotten injured yet, and at least one demon was limping a little because of her, and another was about to lose the use of one of her hands riiiigh... now, so she was counting those towards a win.
Duke	The moment Duke spotted and opening, he lunged, dagger first, aimed for Dromos's neck. He was a good fighter. Entirely self-taught. His skills were all pretty exclusively aimed at self-preservation, though. At forcing people back and gaining the space he needed to escape with his life. Which was all to say that, without the advantage of a troubled-blood-boost, Dromos caught his wrist easily, and squeezed until the dagger fell from nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor. The demon let him go and started to turn away, back towards Lucifer and the others, figuring that that was Duke out for the count. Duke kneed him hard in the balls. Forcing Dromos back and buying himself the space he needed to grab Charlie and escape with both their lives.
Lucifer	And Lucifer took handy advantage of the situation, slamming Dromos' two bodyguards into the ground so hard their spines broke. He looked up and caught Duke's eyes. "Run! Run!" He figured Duke didn't need the encouragement, but still. He punched Dromos in the face hard just to buy Duke even more time-- it earned him a backhand in return, but whatever. Charlie was safe.
Maze	Maze slashed up and through Squee's ribcage, then slammed his body into the floor. She looked up, caught Duke running, and reached for a knife in her other boot. It went soaring through the air and struck a demon in the forehead, bare feet away from the guy.
Amenadiel	Amenadiel slammed his target repeatedly into the floor. He looked up after that, trying to get a view of the battlefield-- well. Octavia seemed to be handling herself well. And even Seivarden-- a few shots to the head, and the Radchaai's assailant was down. They were winning.
Seivarden	Seivarden walked backwards from the crowd, still firing, not sure how many bullets she had left. Not enough, she guessed, which was why she was trying to think of another strategy.
Octavia	Octavia showed no signs of stopping. If anything, Duke's success meant she had all the more reason to keep several demons' attention on her because it meant it was off him. Besides, she could read a battlefield. And she agreed with Amenadiel.
Duke	Duke made it through backstage and out the door into the alley unscathed, only to have another door swing open and a blonde demon — with no apparent balls to kick — lunge for the baby in his arms.
Chloe	There was a gunshot. She stopped. Puzzled, more than anything. And looked over her shoulder, to find Chloe Decker standing there, gun in hand. Gunshot. Gunshot. Gunshot. The demon's body jerked, but didn't go down. She grinned; it was an ugly thing. Chloe ignored it, tossed her gun aside, and grabbed a pole off of the ground. It was heavy as hell, but she barely noticed, bringing it down on the demon's skull. Hard. That definitely worked.
Duke	Duke let out a little relieved laugh. "Never thought I'd be happy to see a cop with a gun." He shifted Charlie in his arms, making sure the kid wasn't looking too worse for wear. "Now, where's this kid's mother? I don't do babysitting."

---

Chloe	Chloe let the door drop shut behind her. Everything had sounded... under control, so she was-- "Look who's here!" Dromos roared gleefully. --turning up now. She... she just really needed to talk to Lucifer. "It sounded like everything's okay," she said quickly, "I'm just making sure you're alright. Are you all right?"
Lucifer	Lucifer stepped back, leaving Amenadiel's and Maze's the only knives at Dromos's throat. "You need to leave, Detective." This wasn't over until Dromos was gone.
Chloe	"I know," Chloe started, "I make you vulnerable--"
Lucifer	"No, that's not it," Lucifer snapped. His voice was still infernally low, stuck in the registers of his royal self. "I don't want you to see me like this. I know it scares you."
Chloe	"No, that's what I was coming here to tell you," Chloe said quickly. "I'm not... I'm not afraid of you anymore--" "See, this is what I'm talking about," Dromos sighed, shooting Maze a look over the blade she was pointing at his throat. "It's so sweet, I'm going to puke."
Lucifer	"Then why have you been so worried?" Lucifer demanded, his voice cracking back into its former self. "Worried about my face, worried about all of it coming back?"
Chloe	"I wasn't afraid of you," Chloe said, looking him dead in the eye. "I was afraid of losing you. That... that all this will take over, and, you'll forget about this place, and... and that you'd forget about me..." The moment felt heady, and important, and... And she could hear footsteps. She could hear more demons, filling the room.
Duke	Duke had seen her go in, but hadn't been fast enough to try to stop her. Which meant he was just in front of that demon horde, as they poured into the room.
Seivarden	"Aatr's tits, what is she doing here," Seivarden muttered. She was about to point out that maybe they should have that conversation later, when she saw the demons. "Oh, fuck." She began to fire, knowing very well they were too many.
Octavia	Octavia knew it too, which meant she made it her priority to try and put herself between Duke and at least some of the horde. (Yes, yes, very predictable of her.)
Lucifer	"It's amazing," Dromos bellowed, the knives still at his throat, "How many demon souls you can source from just a little church confession!" Lucifer lashed out, punching one demon in the face. But it didn't really matter. There were a lot of them now, and he looked up and saw them crash over Octavia, and then Duke, and then Seivarden, until their fingers were clutching at Chloe and yanking her back and suddenly everyone important-- He reached inside himself. Found all of those terrible, controlling, ugly urges and yanked them to the surface, turning his skin red, calling up those ugly, batlike wings. He felt his shirt tear. Didn't matter. "Enough!" he roared, and suddenly they all just... stopped. He ripped the remains of his shirt of his body. "You'll bow down to your king!" He didn't even need to finish the sentence. One moment, the room had been full of aggressive, groping demons. The next, they all sank to their knees in unison - Dromos included. "You do not belong here! Go home!" And an instant after that, their bodies hit the floor, as if they had never been animated at all.
Duke	Duke had been pretty sure they were screwed the moment the demons swamped Octavia. He fought back as best he could when they reached him, but they were immediately overwhelming, tearing at his shirt, his hair -- And then they weren't. He panted for breath, looking around at all the bowing demons, then up at Lucifer. His eyes were nearly as wide as his relieved grin. "Hail to the king."
Octavia	Octavia had been pretty sure they were screwed, not that she'd given in for even a second, intent on a warrior's death even as she felt a hand at her throat, beginning to squeeze -- And then the hold had suddenly loosened, and she'd been somewhere she'd been before: in a room full of kneeling figures. Only she'd never managed it quite like this. Not even taking into account the part where they all just crumpled to the floor. (Although, that visual, bodies strewn everywhere? It was familiar, too.) "Gon haihefa," she muttered to herself, still a little breathless from trying to push the demons off herself. Adrenaline still coursing through her veins as she looked up towards Lucifer.
Seivarden	Seivarden watched the demons kneel and slowly turned around. Confused, she frowned, and a few thoughts went through her head. She hadn't imagined the wins like that. What about sudden third degree burns? Then she reminded herself that nothing of this was going to make sense anyway.
Lucifer	As the demons went, so did the red mottled skin of Lucifer's chest, folding inwards until nothing but pale, warm human skin remained. His eyes burned back down to brown, his black hair reappeared across his scalp where it belonged. And those big, leathery wings were feathered again. They shone white with the hint of a light of their own, arching up, then back down, curving towards Lucifer's back until they tapered off into long, delicate feathers that brushed down to his knees - an artifact of the archangel he had once been. Chloe was staring at him. She was smiling. She didn't know what this meant yet.
Seivarden	Seivarden blinked, watching the transformation. White feathers, that was more what she had pictured the wings to be like. "And you decide now is a good time?" she mumbled. Because it was hard not to admit that Lucifer, shirtless, with those wings, was incredibly hot.
Duke	So very hot. Duke could only let out a little "Oh" as he took the wings in. They were as beautiful as the other form was repellent. His hand came up almost of its own accord, reaching forward though he was some distance away. He sent it back, instead, reaching for Octavia.
Octavia	So Octavia was the only one standing here looking at Lucifer's feathery wings and feeling neither awe nor lust, but rather an odd pang of envy? Good to know. She glanced down at Duke's hand, and let her own hand curve around it.
Chloe	Chloe's face wasn't filled with awe or lust, either. Just-- pride, and love, and the realization that red or white, that was her Lucifer. The smile on her face grew another size.
Lucifer	And here Lucifer didn't even realize they were still unfurled until he noticed everyone staring at him. He pulled them back into himself quickly, and hopped down from the stage. There was no quip from him about it. He was still thinking about moments ago, the sight of so many people he cared about swallowed up in a demonic horde, because... Because he'd been selfish. Because he'd wanted to stay. "I'm going to find a shirt," he muttered, trying not to let his racing thoughts show on his face this time.

---

Lucifer	As everyone else pulled away and headed home - or in Chloe's case, had gone to pick up some of her things from her car - Lucifer was left with his three friends. He cast Seivarden a wry little grin, then locked his eyes on Octavia and Duke. "Mind heading on to Lux? You know the way," he said, to Seivarden. "I believe I owe two people an apology."
Duke	Duke, bless his heart, actually glanced over his shoulder to see if there were two other people Lucifer could be talking about. It wasn't that he necessarily thought there was, mind you. It was just a . . . momentary uncertainty.
Octavia	Which did not escape Octavia's notice, no. Almost despite herself, she gave his hand a little nudge with her own and said, quiet and soft, "Bilaik yumi, jaka."
Lucifer	"Yes, please don't make this harder on me than it already is by getting all weird about it," Lucifer sighed. "Look. I made a mistake in coming here. Especially as rashly as I did. And beyond... the general catastrophe of the moment, I was unfair to the two of you." Lifting himself up and over his instinctive denials wasn't easy, but he wasn't going to get a chance to do this again. He knew that.
Duke	This was a big thing for Lucifer, and Duke knew it. Which wasn't helping that 'is this really actually happening?' sense at all, no. "It's. . . ." he started, then shook his head. "I mean, I can't say 'it's okay', man. It sucked, especially for Tavi. But . . . I get it."
Octavia	"It was bullshit," Octavia said bluntly, but her eyes were searching Lucifer's face for something. Something about this didn't feel right.
Lucifer	"She's right. It was bullshit," Lucifer agreed, his voice going a bit soft. "I... the two of you gave me something I needed when I was at my lowest. I shouldn't have pushed you aside the moment everything seemed to improve."
Duke	Duke gave him a little smile, instinctively wanting to defuse the situation with a bit of humor. "Man, you're talking to the deposed king of running away when things get rough." He dropped his head and shook it. "She hurt you. In ways you didn't know you could be hurt. But that doesn't mean you don't still want something with her. I get it." Another little smile, this one rueful. "She's your Nathan." . . . Yeah, saying that was probably going to come back to bite him later.
Octavia	Later? Octavia's jaw tensed, and her expression lost some of its earlier inquisitive softness. She was still trying to figure out what had brought this on in Lucifer, but she was -- A little thrown off, all of a sudden. Sure, let's go with that.
Lucifer	Lucifer frowned at him. "I would hope not," he said, "I mean, beyond the fact the Detective and I are not getting together--" Albeit for different reasons than the one he'd been saying it for until-- well, the last hour. "--if you do try to get back with him while you're dating the most spectacular woman you will ever be involved with, I am going to repeatedly smack you until you recover your senses."
Duke	"I'm not actually going to get back together with Nathan," Duke protested, looking from Lucifer to Octavia. "I'm not. I just -- he was my first love, okay? It's a whole . . . thing."
Octavia	Octavia wasn't looking back at him. It made sense to just keep staring at Lucifer instead, right? "Why now, Lucifer?" That came out sounding a little tense, too. Look, she was uncomfortable, and trying not to make it too obvious (ha), and just kind of wanted to get out of this situation, now.
Lucifer	"There's no crisis to react to, I'm not having an utter meltdown, and you're here," Lucifer said. All of which were reasons for him to do this right now, obviously, even if they weren't the main one. He let out a quiet sigh. "Duke, you're an idiot, you're entirely too fixated on boats, and you say things you shouldn't all the bloody time," he said, raising his eyebrows. "But you have always made me feel welcome. And no, for once, that isn't a dirty joke about your arse. I hope you realize, and I am only telling you this once, that I appreciate you. And your-- waffles." Shut up. It had become a whole thing for him, the bloody waffles. "And now I want to give the both of you a hug, which will be unbearably awkward, and then I'd like to speak to Octavia alone, if you're all right with that."
Duke	The warm feeling Duke got at hearing he was appreciated was immediately drowned out by the realization of what Lucifer was actually doing. He opened his mouth to say as much -- but Lucifer'd just said he said things he shouldn't. So he snapped it shut again and just swallowed. "Yeah," he said. Very quietly. He glanced over at Octavia again then stepped forward, arms held awkwardly at his sides despite, you know, theoretically going in for a hug. "Yeah, that's -- we can do that." Dammit, Lucifer.
Octavia	Octavia was not much less awkward about it, although at least she actually, fully went for the hug, her arms reaching to wind themselves around Lucifer. But there was another heavy weight forming inside her chest. Like something sinking.
Lucifer	Lucifer's method to hugs was generally awkward to the extreme. This time, though, he let himself step into it, hugging them both close to him, one arm around each. "I do care for you two misadventurous miscreants," he murmured. "Don't let there be any bloody doubt about that, okay? No matter what antics I decide to deploy."
Duke	Duke hung on in return, rather more firmly than he did just about anyone else who wasn't Octavia. "Same to you, asshole," he muttered into Lucifer's shoulder. He pulled back and gave him a thoroughly searching look, trying to figure out what Lucifer was about to do that made him feel the need to say goodbye. And let him know without words that Duke knew that that was what this was. "Waffles are available," he said finally. "Any time." And stepped away to give Lucifer and Octavia their time alone.
Octavia	Octavia had her own suspicions. She just didn't want to actually acknowledge them. Not yet. After Duke had stepped back, she clung to Lucifer a little tighter, her face buried against the front of his shoulder. Then, after a moment, she pulled back enough to look up at him. Some of the earlier harshness had bled out from her expression again, but maybe the way she looked almost a little lost wasn't any better.
Lucifer	Lucifer reached out and cupped her cheek, brushing some of her hair aside as he did. "You are the best thing on that insane island," he informed her. "If I behave otherwise, please just blame it on my momentary lapse of judgment."
Octavia	Octavia's little head shake turned into leaning into the touch. "Or you could just not be an ass," she tried, weaker than she would have liked.
Lucifer	Lucifer chuckled softly. "'Fraid that moment appears to have come and gone," he said.
Octavia	Octavia's soft snort sounded a little forced. "What is this, Lucifer?"
Lucifer	"An apology," he said. For what had happened, and for what he was about to do. He leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead.
Octavia	Octavia wanted to ask what for, but found she didn't actually want to hear the answer. So instead, she sighed quietly as she closed her eyes and accepted the kiss. "Still an ass," she muttered. It was supposed to sound more like a quip than it ended up sounding.
Lucifer	Well, it got a laugh, so it counted. "But a fabulous one," he said. He cleared his throat, leaning back. "Right. We should head over to Lux, make sure Seivarden hasn't somehow gotten distracted by someone's wrists or something and wound up lost."
Octavia	"Right." Octavia was slow to let go of him, but she did. Still watching his face, though, her eyes still searching.
Lucifer	"We should probably also pick up your lost sailor over there," Lucifer added, and brushed past her. Best not to linger too much. It'd only hurt more.
Octavia	At his words, Octavia looked towards where Duke was - looking at him for the first time since he'd last put his foot in his mouth - and beckoned him back to them. Then she followed Lucifer.

---

Lucifer	The entire way home, Lucifer's mind had been elsewhere. He'd barely even spoken a few words even to Chloe when she rejoined the group in front of Lux. He settled behind the piano in the empty club as soon as they came in. It seemed rather less obvious than simply staring into space. He shouldn't be stalling about this. He really wanted to. But he shouldn't. He looked up at Chloe, and felt a twinge of pain at the sight of her reassuring smile. His fingers slid over the keys. This one was just for her.
Chloe	Chloe watched him play with a wariness in her eyes. It was never a good sign when Lucifer lapsed from talking into music, and-- And she knew this one. (She remembered sitting in her bedroom, crying, after dad died, the angry screaming on the stereo drowning out her tears. She remembered 2017, sitting in a car with Lucifer when she heard the news about that singer, and telling him about it. She remembered hearing this exact song on the radio. He'd made fun of her, a little. But he'd remembered.) She paled, concern taking hold of her.
Lucifer	Lucifer played the song until he hit the last, wistful notes. He looked at his hands for a moment, then closed the piano guard over the keys. He stood up and cast Chloe a look. He didn't look at the rest of them. "I'm going to catch a breath," he said. She followed him into the elevator. It closed behind them.
Chloe	Lucifer walked to the balcony as soon as they arrived upstairs. Chloe fell behind, watching him. Something wasn't right. The song, his behavior... "Charlie's back with Linda and Amenadiel, at home," she said. "It's over, Lucifer." But he didn't say anything. The dread sunk deeper into her stomach. "Isn't it? Is it over?"
Lucifer	"I'd say yes, Detective, but I'd be lying," Lucifer said. He stared out over the city, remembering how he'd arrived her all those years ago, how this view had felt like freedom. Now it felt like he was looking at the last drink of that water he would have in a very long time. "And... we both know I don't do that." He turned around, and looked at her. "Tonight we won, but we just plugged one hole in a very flimsy boat. Now the demons know I've no intention of returning, they'll continue to defy me." His voice stuttered once. He tried to wrench it back in line. "It's only a matter of time before they come back to Earth-- this Earth, Fandom's Earth, maybe Duke's or Octavia's if they're feeling particularly vengeful, I've no idea. Or maybe they'll just come back for Charlie, or... or you, or..."
Chloe	"So... what are you saying?" Chloe said slowly. She knew what he was saying. She just... didn't want to believe it until he said it. She shook her head, huffed out a breath. Please don't say it.
Lucifer	He said it. "I have to go back."
Chloe	"So for how long?" Chloe asked, hating herself for it. "A couple of weeks, or, a month, or..." She watched his face, the minute little ways it trembled with the strain of keeping everything contained beyond that wall of his. No. Nonono.
Lucifer	"You were right," Lucifer said. "About the prophecy. We did get it wrong." She was shaking her head again, and he wished he could say anything to stop it. Was glad, selfishly, that he'd opted to do this aloud with just one of them. Even if it was the one that hurt the most. "It is about Hell coming to Earth, and we may have stopped it now, but for how long?" he said. "I need to keep them contained. They must have a king."
Chloe	"No," she said. "No, no--" She laughed, and she didn't know why, or why she was tripping over her words now. "No, see, this is. This is what I meant, when I said-- you can't leave me again--" It was her fault. If she hadn't reacted as she had, if Lucifer hadn't run away, if he hadn't felt like he needed to turn to Eve, then none of this would have-- "I'm so sorry about the way I acted when I first saw your face," Chloe said, and she hated how her voice broke. "It was stupid, and, and I--" And her face was wet. "Please," she breathed. "Please don't go, I-- I love you." All the little tension marks in Lucifer's face, the bricks of his wall, seemed to tremble at once but he didn't say anything why wasn't he saying-- "Please, please don't leave--"
Lucifer	He wanted to stay. He wanted to run away. He wanted to take her into his arms. He wanted to make her want to leave. But every one of those impulses was pointless. Lucifer had fought to have choices for so long, and no he had none. He let out a wet gasp as his body betrayed him. He tried to smile, but he only got halfway, like the muscles in his face wouldn't obey him. "See, we were wrong about something else in the prophecy," he said quietly. "My first love was never Eve." He touched her face. One last time. "It was you, Chloe. It always has been." He kissed her. It was the first time he'd ever kissed her. It didn't last long enough. And when it was over, he unfurled his wings again, big and wide across the length of his balcony. Then he was gone.

Chloe	It took-- a while, before that elevator came back down again. Two had gone in. Now, one stepped out, shaky, her face pale and streaked with tears. She stared vacantly into this room full of people she didn't know. "He's gone," she said. Nodding. Trying to keep her voice steady.
Duke	Duke wished he was surprised. He wished not being surprised would make it hurt less. "Gone where?" he asked. Even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer. (Knowing wasn't going to make that hurt less, either.)
Octavia	Octavia knew shying away from it wouldn't do a goddamned thing to the sudden empty space inside her chest. "Hell," she said, so Chloe wouldn't have to. There had been a strain in the other woman's voice; there was barely any emotion at all in hers. "He's gone back to rule over Hell."
Seivarden	Seivarden didn't say anything. She sipped on the drink she had poured herself earlier, then put the glass down on the bar. She had expected she would be the one to leave for good, or if not for good, at least for the foreseeable future, judging by the look on Chloe's face. It would have been nice to say goodbye, but there were probably others who needed that more than her.
Chloe	Chloe cleared her throat, wiping quickly at her eyes, like maybe that way they wouldn't have noticed. "He was... worried they might come back," she said. "For, uh. Charlie. Or for me. Or for you. So he..." She trailed off. "I, I need to get back to Trixie," she said.
Duke	Duke nodded. "It's probably the right decision." No matter how much it sucked. "Go. We'll . . . close things up here, I guess. Then head back to Maryland."
Octavia	Octavia stared past Chloe at the elevator, and said nothing. Because there was nothing more to say. (The rage would come later.)
Seivarden	Seivarden reached for her glass again, downed the drink, then said: "I suppose I should be going."
Chloe	Chloe didn't look at any of them as she hurried to the door. Some distant thought said she should probably check in on them, first, that Lucifer would have wanted that, but her whole head was a blur and her heart was hurting and she could feel her lips-- "Sorry," she said on the way out, before disappearing onto the street.

Down, far down, in some other place, a sole Celestial settled on a throne miles above the screams of his charges. He crossed his legs, and stared into the distance, and felt truly, utterly alone.



[[ 1 2 3 of 3. based on Lucifer episode 4x10, 'Who's Da New King Of Hell?', and preplayed with the wonderful betterthanaplan, okteiviakom and 1000yearstoolate. i'm now going to go curl up into a ball for a month. some violence under the cut. ]]