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'. ]]

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 ]]

While the trio had gone to the Bahamas, the contractors had toiled on and on in Lucifer's home's basement. A portion of the soil at the back had been dug out, windows put in to let in some light without allowing anyone to just peer inside.

Inside, there was the pool. And a sauna. And some showers. All done up in-- well. That would be spoilers.

"Let's see what they've made of it, shall we?" Lucifer asked, as he rummaged around for his keys at the front door.

[[ for them ]]

They had traditions out here on Cat Island - or, well, ways to entertain the tourists that came through here week after week. Spirits had flowed freely well into the evening, and dances and costumes and all sorts of razzle dazzle had come through the diner and engulfed the docks in light.

But somewhere near the end of the evening, close to the big finale, three people wandered further and further away onto the beach. Lucifer, of course, was carrying a cooler in one hand, and his long, thin teal shirt hung loose and open around his body.

He was smiling a bit.

"I think we're almost far enough away," he said.

[[ for them ]]

Well, nothing had gone catastrophically wrong since Duke left yesterday. Octavia and Lucifer had taken their portal, and found themselves standing immediately in the sunshine. Whatever burdens had laid on Lucifer's shoulders, many of them sloughed off at the sight of the sand and the surf.

Sometimes he missed Los Angeles, still. The beach helped. And while the temperatures could have been higher, they were comfortable, much more so than Fandom. So he had stretched, and set up the Fin and Tonic for inhabitation for the next few weeks, and that had been all.

And now he was here. Sitting on the edge of their pier, a pina colada in one hand, wearing a swimsuit that didn't quite aspire to the heights (or lows) of Eric's small speedos, his legs kicking idly over the water. There was a peace here he was desperate to embrace. He could only hope Octavia could find a fraction of it, as well.

(And Duke, out there on his boat, processing his demons.)

[[ open for phone calls and she who is here ]]

Duke and Lucifer had had a lovely dinner, including some extended chattering about the upcoming house renovations (Lucifer had such ideas for the design of the pool). But something like a tired had settled in, or perhaps a desire for closeness - and so rather than retire immediately to the bedroom, they had chosen for some other naked pursuits.

"I do love the view from here," Lucifer said, settling back in the hot tub as he stared out over the landscape of the town. "That side of the island is much quieter. It's downright peaceful."

[[ for him ]]

It certainly had been an auspicious month for the house, hadn't it? Lots of important conversations. Lots of date nights. Lots of very delightful--

Well.

It was Lucifer and Duke's turn again, tonight. And so Lucifer arrived early, with two exorbitantly-priced wagyu steaks and a plethora of fresh vegetables to cook. The bread went in the oven while he worked patiently to make this an excellent meal.

He was humming to himself as he cooked.

[[ for a Duke ]]

Lucifer and Duke had decided that, all things considered, they would likely get better at avoiding massive emotional blowouts if they-- just spent some more time together. Talked. Connected.

You know. Had dates.

And so Lucifer had packed up shortly before Octavia left for the club, bringing with him all the ingredients necessary for an excellent penne arrabbiata with fresh parmesan. He was in the kitchen now, cooking.

Almost done.

Just waiting for Duke.

[[ for that guy ]]

Months ago, Lucifer had found a private island that promised sea otters. This week, Octavia had finally asked him to take her. And so there they were, on a little speedboat out of nearby Skarstad - Lucifer had guessed she wouldn't want the helicopter option.

A little money in the seller's pocket had allowed them to go it alone. Lucifer was appreciative.

For now, though, he leaned forward as they approached the beach. "Look at all those birds!"

Sometimes you just had to do Date Night a completely different way.

[[ for her! ]]

There had been a brief moment at port to restock their increasingly-full pantry, but otherwise, the OceaNyx had been at sea (or at uninhabited bay) for the past few days, allowing its inhabitants to find some kind of peace. It had been helpful, at least for Lucifer, whose strong emotions towards both of his partners - anger, for Duke, worry, for Octavia - had finally settled back down. Allowing him to be in the moment.

Admittedly, 'the moment' involved a lot of cooking in the ship's incredibly tiny kitchen - how he'd managed to wrench that many cookies out of that oven was anyone's guess - but still.

It was a nice day. The climate was certainly growing warmer, as they moved further south. And so Lucifer eventually exited the kitchen to find a spot on some cushions near the back, enjoying the sight of the wind in the ship's sails, the way it bent slightly sideways as it made speed, the sound of the bow cutting through the water.

Why couldn't it be like this all the time?

[[ open ]]