Along Apocalypse Ave, Monday Afternoon

[my_own_advocate]

Well, if anything could draw Lucifer back out of his brief, Constantine-inspired trip into the land of not-quite-stable, it was snow. And cold. And snow. Had he mentioned yet he loathed the climate this far from LA?

At least this year, he'd come armed with... well, a number of coats, but this grey cashmere overcoat was a particular favorite. Combined well with his slightly darker grey suit. Didn't stop him from stomping through the snow on his way back home from Cafe Fina.

So stomp he did.

Until something hooked around his ankle, and pulled.

It didn't actually pull him over. He was far too much of a celestial for that. But it did get his attention.

He glanced down.

Another candy cane hooked around his other ankle.

A third one hooked around his foot. A fourth leaped up and tried to grab his knee.

"Are you joking?" he said, scandalized. "Are you trying to trip me up and ruin a perfectly nice coat?"

You know what, after the week he'd had, yanking all four out of the snow at once and flinging them several hundred feet into the ocean? So cathartic.

[[ open! ]]

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[betterthanaplan]

That was a truly excellent coat. Not that Duke was in the mood to properly appreciate it right now, as he fought his way back out of the snowdrift the damned candy canes had dragged him into.

Fortunately, his sheepskin coat was doing its job of keeping his torso warm, even thoroughly coated with snow.

"Swear to god," he grumbled. "Next year I'm spending December in Cancun."

[my_own_advocate]

"You have a boat," Lucifer said, half-turning to look at him. (Ugh, was he smiling? He was bringing that down to a more traditional grin.) "You don't need to be here."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm waiting on a shipment," Duke said. "For the damn sauna you talked me into putting on said boat."

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, I see you're clearly forced to stay in this snow-ridden wasteland," Lucifer said, idly reaching out to knock some snow off of Duke's shoulder as soon as he was close enough.

[betterthanaplan]

"Clearly," Duke agreed, smiling a bit at the casual touching. "See you haven't run off to sunnier pastures, either."

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, I'm tempted," Lucifer told him. "It's far too bloody cold for a Devil with standards."

[betterthanaplan]

"And yet here you are," Duke said. He glared over Lucifer's shoulder at an incoming candy cane, reaching out to grab Lucifer's lapel and tug him away from the thing. "In the frozen land of festive attack candy."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer glanced over his shoulder - and over Duke's hand, in the process - sighed, and rolled his eyes. "They are irritating," he said, "But fundamentally harmless. And fun to pitch across the water."

He looked back up - okay, Duke had been close enough to grab his coat, that made entire sense, he wasn't sure why he was thrown about it. "Well, for me, anyway. You look like you've had a run-in or two."

[betterthanaplan]

He'd been close enough to get snow brushed off him, too, oddly enough.

"Yeah. Let's just say I prefer not to end up in any more snow drifts today."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer made an amused noise. "Do you need someone to walk you home?" he teased.

... and brushed some more snow off of Duke's jacket, even if it was hideous enough that the snow was almost an improvement.

[betterthanaplan]

It was warm. And rugged. And warm, even with the snow starting to melt against it. Sheep knew what they were doing, evolving cozy waterproof coats.

"I am actually a big boy," Duke scoffed. "But . . . you know, if you wanna come over, that's fine."

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, clearly, you're some kind of snow-proof macho type," Lucifer teased. "I'm sure you threw yourself in that just for fun."

[betterthanaplan]

"I know their tricks now," Duke said. "I'm on to the crafty bastards."

Which would be when one he hadn't spotted hooked around his ankle and yanked.

[my_own_advocate]

"Tempting fate, yadda yadda," Lucifer sighed, his hand shooting out to grab Duke before he could actually get tugged all the way backwards. "Don't you humans ever read your classics?"

He peered past Duke. "Oi! You're outmatched!"

[betterthanaplan]

Between hopping on his unhooked leg and clinging hanging onto Lucifer, Duke managed to get his other ankle free.

"Point me to the classic about stealth candy canes and I will read it."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer rolled his eyes, and let go of Duke just enough so he could give that candy cane a good punting halfway across the street.

It was nice to have celestial strength, sometimes.

"Come on, let's get you to your boat," he said, "I imagine it's a bit less full of stealth bombers."

[betterthanaplan]

"A bit more full of roosting porgs," Duke said, but started back in the direction of the port anyway. "Soooo, uh. How've you been?"

It'd been a hot minute since they'd last hung out.

[my_own_advocate]

More than a week, something that might have upset Lucifer if he hadn't accidentally taken a left turn into obsessing about Constantine.

(... Or maybe it was why he'd taken a left turn into obsessing about Constantine. It was Lucifer, who even knew?)

"Well, an irritating human magician who likes to make my life miserable decided to wander onto the island to vex me," he said, "But not to worry, I have plans."

[betterthanaplan]

“What, seriously?” Duke looked around like said human wizard might come leaping out of a snow bank. “Has he come after you?”

[my_own_advocate]

"No, he just showed up to the club in a flurry of sarcasm and bad dick jokes," Lucifer muttered. "Sleep with a magician once and they'll never let you forget it, I swear."

[betterthanaplan]

"Been there," Duke said. "Though Brad preferred to be called an 'illusionist'."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer pulled a face as they rounded the corner towards the docks. "Those are the worst," he said. "Failed magicians with daddy issues and nothing decent to compensate for them."

[betterthanaplan]

"So tell me about your magician. So I know who to avoid."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer pulled another face. "Not one of mine," he said. "Even Hell doesn't want that one."

He shook his head as they plodded through the snow. "John Constantine. Claims he's the librarian now. Proof of poor judgment on the school's end, by far. Has a poor habit of getting people killed and then showing up demanding favors."

[betterthanaplan]

“I mean. The school’s lack of judgment in its staff choices are pretty well established,” Duke said. “I taught making hats for birds last spring.”