Lucifer's Mansion, Wednesday Evening

[my_own_advocate]

Octavia was back at work. Just like that. Like this was a normal week, and they'd had a normal time, and he entire world hadn't suddenly gone upside down.

Lucifer was having a harder time of it. Perhaps, though, she was right, and what he needed was some... semblance of a routine again.

So on a whim, he'd texted Duke about date night. Then he'd run off to the store to pick up supplies, and... now he was here. In the kitchen. Readying his lasagna for the oven while he waited for Duke to arrive, a bottle of wine sitting on the table.

Everything. Was fine.

[[ for him ]]

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[betterthanaplan]

“I think . . . I was stiffed so full of troubles that I sort of saw them from the inside. Saw how they really worked.” Duke shook his head, trying to piece together how to explain something that had seemed utterly obvious at the time but now felt patently absurd. “Mara, she kind of put a leash on a fucking demon. So I . . . let the demon go.”

[my_own_advocate]

"... Right," Lucifer said. He tilted his head. "Well, that's spectacularly unhelpful, love."

[betterthanaplan]

“Says the guy who says he ‘told my body to remember to function,’” Duke teased. “None of it makes sense. But . . . I’m here. Without a trouble. So I’m not complaining.”

[my_own_advocate]

"And hopefully so is Octavia," Lucifer said. He pulled a face. "We should've blown up the place just to be sure."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke huffed. "Still have friends there," he said. "I should call Gloria. I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "More wine?" he said. "For tempting fate."

[betterthanaplan]

"More wine," Duke agreed. "And let's dig into that lasagna!"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer poured him a new glass. "Sit down, then," he said. "And I'll come bring you your food."

[betterthanaplan]

"You spoil me," Duke teased, and sat.

[my_own_advocate]

"Someone has to," Lucifer said, slipping back into the kitchen to free the lasagna from the oven.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let out a soft laugh, leaning back in his chair and sipping his wine as he watched Lucifer move.

He was gorgeous. Everything about him. Sure, there was the whole celestiality to him, but Duke was sure even if he weren't literally an angel, Lucifer would be phenomenally beautiful.

[my_own_advocate]

Even wearing oven mitts? Because those were quite sizable black-and-red oven mitts Lucifer returned with, holding on to the large casserole dish. Above said casserole, though, he was grinning.

It was good to get to look at Duke and not worry about him falling apart in some way or another.

"Here we are," he said, setting the hot dish down in front of him. "Made the passata myself some days ago."

[betterthanaplan]

Especially in oven mitts. Something about the domesticity just added to the whole aura.

"Of course you did,' he said. "It smells amazing."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer took off the mitts and set them aside, sitting down himself. He leaned over to start cutting squares. "I hope you'll enjoy it," he said. "I also have tiramisu sitting in the fridge."

Was someone planning to deal with his feelings by pampering Duke again? Absolutely.

[betterthanaplan]

"I love it when you go domestic," Duke mused, still watching Lucifer over the lip of his wine glass. "It looks good on you."

[my_own_advocate]

"Thank you."

Lucifer scooped some lasagna onto Duke's plate.

"Alive and untroubled looks excellent on you."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah?" Duke shook his head with a wry laugh. "It feels fucking weird. But good, yeah. Like . . . after I exploded only more. I feel . . . light."

[my_own_advocate]

"I suppose that makes sense," Lucifer said. "You had a lot of troubles swimming around in you for all that time without any of us realizing it."

[betterthanaplan]

“I did. Even before any of them were active, I think maybe they’ve always been affecting me. Like . . . that was the real Crocker curse. The weight of all that goop, hiding in our blood.”

[my_own_advocate]

"It was... a bit disturbing," Lucifer said slowly, "Realizing that they were actually physically in there."

[betterthanaplan]

“No shit, right?”
Duke asked. “Like, how was that not showing up on people’s bloodwork?”

[my_own_advocate]

"Modern medicine hasn't caught up?" Lucifer suggested, putting some lasagna on his own plate.

[betterthanaplan]

"Clearly not," Duke agreed, picking up his fork, ready to start eating once Lucifer was. "But since the goop was apparently, like, entropy made manifest, I suppose I can't really be that surprised."

[my_own_advocate]

"Absolute bloody madness," Lucifer said, settling down to cut into his lasagna. "Who even let that into the universe?"

[betterthanaplan]

"You met him," Duke pointed out. "I killed him."