From Lucifer's Penthouse to Los Angeles, Monday Evening

[my_own_advocate]

Right. Lucifer considered himself again in the walk-in mirror. Was his bow-tie properly tied? The rest of the white tux was immaculate, but the tie...

Look, he'd managed to finally come out of hiding on the Rouge a few days ago. He'd spoken to miss Lopez, and discovered almost no time had passed. Which had come in handy for when Linda had come over to yell at him about how hard it was to find an elementary school for a child that was only a year old on paper. And then... time had gone on.

Amenadiel had yelled at him again, but he'd ignored that.

No, if they were going to be in Los Angeles, he was... going to try and take his mind off of the whole God mess. No one needed him self-actualizing anything else in a panic, right? So he'd arranged something special for tonight. A visit to the only magician's club in all the world...

"Now if only I could get this bloody bowtie right," he muttered, as he gave up, and finally stepped out of the walk-in, back into the apartment.

[[ for them, and based on Lucifer season 6 episode 1, 'Nothing Ever Changes Around Here'. ]]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"They usually are," Octavia muttered.

Not at all biased, of course.

[my_own_advocate]

"No, it's..." Lucifer sighed. Honestly, this was more about having Duke close - and comforting - than any genuine fear for his bowtie. "He thanked me," he said. "Apparently he lost almost everything blowing my bribe on drugs, but he insisted he was happy about it. And then asked me for more money."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke hissed through his teeth sympathetically. “Ouch. What did you say to him?”

[my_own_advocate]

"I... didn't know what to say," Lucifer admitted. "I just gave him the cash he asked for."

[betterthanaplan]

So he could buy more drugs and keep being a terrible cop, Duke guessed. He let out another soft hiss, tugging and fussing at the now-tied bow tie.

It looked like it had before he retied it. Only somewhat more rumpled.

"Yeah, I can see where that might throw you off."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia saw zero difference in how the bow tie looked now, but that was to be expected. More of her attention was on trying to read the face above it, anyway.

"He's making his own choices," she said. "That's not on you."

[my_own_advocate]

"Of course," Lucifer said automatically, his eyes darting briefly to her. Then to Duke.

He reached up to touch Duke's fumbling fingers.

[betterthanaplan]

"I might have made it worse," Duke admitted, frowning at the tie. "I don't think I made it better."

[okteiviakom]

"I think it's fine, jaka," Octavia said, mildly. For what it was worth. (She was watching their hands, anyway.) "I think it was fine to begin with."

[my_own_advocate]

"It's fine," Lucifer agreed. He was gripping Duke's fingers in earnest now, moving his hand around until it was - more or less - a hand-holding. "I... well, I should compose myself. I am taking you to one of the best places in Los Angeles tonight, and we should enjoy it. Especially with both of you looking so handsome."

[betterthanaplan]

"We will enjoy it," Duke said firmly, squeezing his hand and then leaning in for a quick kiss. "I'm excited! I don't know anything about magic."

Well. Not more than your average "grew up in the 80s" kid did. He'd watched a David Copperfield special or two. But that was it.

[okteiviakom]

"And I know even less," Octavia added, finally stepping a little closer to them. "Probably."

She didn't even know who David Copperfield was.

[my_own_advocate]

"Then you are both in for a treat," Lucifer said, and managed a real smile.

He let go of Duke's hand, and gestured towards the elevator. "Please, after you."

The valet should be pulling in with his car any moment now, outside.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke might hunt down one of the old specials for her later. It probably wouldn't hold a candle to whatever Lucifer was into, though.

"Let's go impress the people with our pretty," he agreed, and moved to loop his arm through Lucifer's. He gave Octavia a nod, trying to tell her to do the same.

This was Lucifer's event. He got the middle tonight.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took the hint, and linked her own arm with Lucifer's, too.

She made no witty comment to go with it.

[my_own_advocate]

They went downstairs where, indeed, Lucifer's car was waiting. He slid into the driver's seat. "Don't fight about who gets shotgun," he teased.

He didn't think they would. But sometimes it helped to make jokes, just to regulate yourself.

[betterthanaplan]

The narrative said that like that wasn't one of Duke's habit, too.

"I'll leave the shotgun seat to the lady," he said, moving to hold the door for Octavia. (He could climb over the side to get into the back, no problem.)

Hopefully adding a couple other words to the term would help Octavia with context, should she be unfamiliar.

[okteiviakom]

It was vaguely familiar, but the added context was appreciated all the same.

Although: "You'll be waiting a while for a lady," Octavia rasped, as she took her offered seat in front.

[my_own_advocate]

"Now, now," Lucifer said, looking up. "I do think your suit is very ladylike."

[betterthanaplan]

"But we can all you 'one of the boys' if you'd prefer," Duke said easily, hoping into the back.

[okteiviakom]

"Not much of a boy, either."

Hey, they had their jokes, and Octavia had... this. Raspy thing.

[my_own_advocate]

"We'll just call you Octavia, then?" Lucifer offered, as he pulled onto the road.

[betterthanaplan]

"Or gona," Duke agreed. "Or anything else you request."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded towards Lucifer, right before craning her neck to look back at Duke. "I think he had the right idea."

[my_own_advocate]

"When don't I?" Lucifer asked.

There was something soothing, still, about this. Driving through Los Angeles at night.