Lucifer's Penthouse, Thursday

[my_own_advocate]

It had been days since Dad had announced His retirement and left. Lucifer supposed he should feel relieved by now, or elated. Dad was... vacating their lives for good. And there was no doubt who His successor would be: Amenadiel, who had trained for this for his entire long celestial life.

He could admit in the privacy of his own head that Amenadiel would make a far better God than their Father had ever been.

Not for the first time in the past... month? Had it been a month? Lucifer thought about how they should be headed home. To the Rouge, and its nostalgic sailor aesthetic that, again in the privacy of his own thoughts, Lucifer could admit he sort of missed.

Perhaps it was the matter of Daniel and his well-deserved revenge that kept his thoughts so messy and his feet firmly placed within the boundaries of Los Angeles county. That had to be it. No?

Lucifer poured himself another glass of scotch and leaned against the bar, contemplating the bottles. He did still like this apartment, he mused, so there was that.

[[ expecting one, but open for phone calls ]]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Another snort.

"If it was that easy, we wouldn't be here, would we?"

[betterthanaplan]

“When did I say it would be easy?” Duke asked. “And when did you start backing down from a challenge?”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. He closed his eyes. Was silent for a while.

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Yeah.” Duke flicked him a smile. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's free hand slid up to settle against Duke's neck. He pressed a kiss to the top of Duke's head. "I don't actually want to lose you," he said quietly.

[betterthanaplan]

“Then don’t,” Duke said again. “Hasn’t ‘fuck you I do what I want’ always been your approach to your father?”

[my_own_advocate]

"It's not about that, and you know that," Lucifer said.

[betterthanaplan]

“Yeah.” Duke was quiet for a long moment. Then said: “He never said he didn’t love you.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer snorted. "He said enough."

[betterthanaplan]

“Mmm. Or . . . maybe he’s as shitty at communicating as the rest of us.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Didn't you humans invent Occam's Razor for these types of situations?" Lucifer said. "What seems more likely, that Dad is a-- shitty communicator, or that he threw me into Hell, and let at least one of my siblings die, because he can't be arsed to care?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke picked his head up to look Lucifer in the eye.

“That he’s a shitty communicator.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer eyed him back. "Don't be naive."

He thought about Uriel's blood on his suit. "It's been this way all our lives. If He'd cared... Well, we wouldn't have this discussion now, would we?"

[betterthanaplan]

“How many people do you know who have totally blown up their lives because they couldn’t say what they mean?”

[my_own_advocate]

"None who just stood by while one of their children murdered another one of their siblings when they were perfectly bloody capable of interfering," Lucifer snapped, faster than he'd anticipated.

[betterthanaplan]

"Woah, hey, I'm not saying you have to forgive the jackass or anything. Just -- what if this wasn't the first time he lost control of his powers? Maybe he's never been as almighty as he liked to pretend."

[my_own_advocate]

"Duke," Lucifer said, reaching up to press his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "Stop."

It was that or getting up to stalk around to have a drink, and tempting as that was, he was also afraid to break this moment of relative peace entirely.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke did, with a small, frustrated noise. He shifted onto his back again, his head on the pillow this time, though his side was still pressed against Lucifer.

Was it easier for Lucifer, somehow? Thinking he couldn’t love anyone?

[my_own_advocate]

"You're not listening to me," Lucifer said quietly.

Just bulldozing on ahead.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked at him, silently waiting.

[my_own_advocate]

"My brother Uriel came to Earth a number of years ago, when Mum was around," Lucifer said, staring up at the ceiling. "He thought he was supposed to-- deal with her. So he brought the only weapon that can kill a celestial, he found me, threatened to kill the Detective if I didn't hand over mum..."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke frowned. He suspected he had an idea where this was going and sincerely hoped he was wrong.

[my_own_advocate]

"My brother, he had the power to predict what eventual outcome would result from a single action," Lucifer said. "I tried to fight him, but he'd already forseen everything, until..."

He swallowed. "Until in the heat of our battle I stabbed him with the blade." He shut his eyes. "My little brother."

[betterthanaplan]

Fuck.

Duke rolled over again, this time reaching out to tug Lucifer against him. Let himself be Lucifer’s pillow, instead of the other way around.

“I’m sorry.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let him, though he didn't move much. Just let himself lay there, head on Duke's shoulder.

"When Dad came back, it was to break up a tussle between Amenadiel and I and Michael. Said He 'didn't want His children to fight'. Wanted us to hug it out with Michael," he said. "And failing Uriel is supposed to be 'miscommunication'?"