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]

Duke had expected that "speaking of" to go into something about Hell, not something about wine. He had no idea what he was feeling about the fact that it didn't.

"Wine sounds good," he said. Would his tolerances still be the same? He had no idea. He supposed he was going to find out. "And do we have any rolls or something?"

Sure, lasagna had plenty of carbohydrates on its own. But bread was traditional with Italian food, right?

[my_own_advocate]

"Ah! Yes."

Lucifer unwound his arm from Duke to open the bread drawer, and presented him with a bag. "Not fresh, but it'll do in a pinch."

[betterthanaplan]

"I live on a boat, babe," Duke teased. "'Fresh' is relative."

He took the bag and went to go set the contents out neatly on the table.

"What else do we need?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Butter," Lucifer said immediately, and went for the fridge. "Pour us some wine, will you?"

[betterthanaplan]

"On it," Duke agreed, getting the bottle to do just that. "Man, that lasagna smells good. Do you think you fixed my nose when you brought me back?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Was your nose broken?" Lucifer asked, as he walked to the table with the butter.

[betterthanaplan]

“My sense of smell’s sucked for years.” He tapped the side of his nose as he poured. “Put, uh, too much of the wrong kind of stuff up it as a kid.”

Well into his twenties, too.

[my_own_advocate]

"Ah," Lucifer said. He let out a breath, and then... reached for a glass of wine. "I was panicking a tad, to be entirely honest," he said. "I may or may not have just fixed... everything?"

Well, at least Duke could get out of having any endoscopies for the forseeable future.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hey. It means I didn't have to wake up with a sore chest from the CPR," Duke said. Joked. (It was not a good joke.) "I definitely don't mind that."

[my_own_advocate]

"Octavia..."

Had been rather rough about that, he didn't say.

Lucifer sighed. He sipped his drink.

[betterthanaplan]

"Kept my body going until you brought me back." Duke gave him a small smile. "It was a group effort, I know."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed.

"I'm just glad it's over," he said.

The Haven part, at least. Truthfully, he was counting the minutes until Amenadiel showed up to yell.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . It is, right?" Duke asked. "I remember being so sure that I solved it. That the troubles were gone. But -- I mean, I was dying. What if . . . I made that up?"

He could contact Gloria, maybe -- should contact her regardless, let her know that they were all alive (probably). But he was a little terrified that Haven would still be swamped, so he hadn't yet.

[my_own_advocate]

"You can cut me and I'll bleed on you if you'd like," Lucifer offered.

Except, could he? What with the whole God thing?

[betterthanaplan]

"That's." Duke had no idea how he felt about that. Part of him wanted to grab a knife instantly, but what if. . . . He let out a low chuckle and ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck. Okay. So it turns out the answer to 'how am I' is 'terrified'."

If he didn't know, then he didn't have to know. But which was worse, never knowing? Or finding out he'd been wrong, and he still had that -- horror -- lurking inside him?

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a low sigh. "Drink more wine, then," he said, not unkindly, and looked at Duke. "But it sounds like you'll have to try eventually, darling."

[betterthanaplan]

"What would we do if I'm wrong?" Duke asked, picking up his wine glass and take a large sip. "If it turns out I'm --" (a monster) "-- still troubled? What could we possibly do?"

He really needed to get this over with. But his heart rate kicked up so hard at the thought that it hurt.

[my_own_advocate]

"The same thing we always do, I suppose," Lucifer said, reaching for the bottle. "Brace ourselves and figure ou the next thing."

[betterthanaplan]

"Okay." Duke nodded. "Okay."

A beat. Another large sip of wine.

"I'm getting a knife."

[my_own_advocate]

"You know where they are," Lucifer said.

Refilling his own glass.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded, setting his glass down. Shaking out his hands as he went to get a small paring knife.

"Prick of the finger should do it," he said. "Never needed more than a drop."

And hey. Maybe less blood would have him unconscious for a shorter amount of time this time?

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "Whatever makes you feel better, love," he said, and stretched out an arm towards him, hand held palm up.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was shaking as he cupped Lucifer’s hand with his free one.

Yeah. ‘Terrified’ was a good word for it.

“Okay,” he said again, resting the knife against Lucifer’s fingertip without pressing down. “Okay. You . . . might need to tell me to actually do it. If that’s okay.”

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer tilted his head.

He exhaled.

"Duke," he said. "Just stab me already, I beg you."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke barked out another laugh. "Fair."

And pricked Lucifer's finger.