Luke's, Thursday

[betterthanaplan]

"That's right, people! Your intrepid manager returns!" Duke announced as he came into Luke's that morning, fresh and overcompensating from his appointment with an orthopedist that morning to get his arm properly casted. The ugly-ass sling was gone! And his arm hadn't started itching yet!

His staff looked up at him, blinking.

"Wait, you were gone?" Greg asked.

"I forgot he worked here," said Ali.

The waitstaff remained eternally indifferent. Teddy, at least, came over and gave Duke a teary hug.

Well. At least someone had missed him.

Today's special
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Pan-seared black cod with tropical fruit salsa

Luke's was open and OCD free.

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer did not know much about people wearing casts or what was practical or whatever, so when he came into the diner well into the afternoon, the fancy artisinal Italian bitter orange soda he'd brought came in a cup with at least three different types of straws. "Ah, I see you've survived your first shift." Beat. "Well. Almost."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke eyed the straws with amusement. “So far,” he agreed. He he reached out with his casted arm to hook his fingers in Lucifer’s jacket. “Always nicer with the right customers, though.”

[my_own_advocate]

"I haven't bought anything yet, so I'm not strictly speaking a customer," Lucifer said, amused, but he was going to take that touch as encouragement to step into Duke's personal space.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, you'd better get on that," Duke teased. "Or I might have to kick you out for loitering."

[my_own_advocate]

"But I brought you soda," Lucifer countered.

Yes, in his dining establishment. But it was fancy soda. (Someone was still trying to work around the painkillers.)

[betterthanaplan]

"You did?" Duke said, laughing. "Here I thought that was a bouquet of straws." He reached for the soda with his uncasted arm. "Are we sharing?"

[my_own_advocate]

"I didn't know what kind of straw you'd prefer, and it seemed easier, what with the cast and all that," Lucifer said, letting him take that.

And then giving Duke a quick kiss hello, because, well. Because.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was about to point out that one broken wrist didn't actually stop him from drinking a soda without a straw, but the kiss distracted him instead.

Besides, it was sweet!

"You take such good care of me," he said instead, once the kiss broke off.

(Luke's staff probably didn't miss this at all.)

[my_own_advocate]

Look, Lucifer was not an expert in the field of human injuries! Bar his demons causing them, but that wasn't experience that seemed particularly helpful here.

"I try," he said. "No idea what they did to your stock in your absence, after all."

[betterthanaplan]

"True. I haven't even braved looking in the freezer yet. But they do seem to have made sure to keep plenty of fruit and fish around."

No one had shown up to get roped into running the place in Duke's absence, so they'd been pretty sure he'd be back at any time.

[my_own_advocate]

"I think they know you'd murder them if you ran out of fish," Lucifer teased. "Good workday?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Hey now, they'd never be able to prove I did anything if that happened," Duke said cheerfully. "And yeah. It's been alright. Turns out running a diner is like riding a bike."

There was a veritable mountain of paperwork waiting for him in his office. He didn't dare open the door.

[my_own_advocate]

If you ignored the work, was it even really there? Not according to Lucifer.

"Good," he said merrily. "Come, let's have a sit-down, then."

He had barely come here ever before they'd left, and he wasn't likely to be here often in the near future, so... enjoy it while you could, Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

It was not a very Lucifer establishment, was it.

Duke led the way over to the table he usually sat at with Octavia when she visited. One of the waitstaff swooped in with a plate of fries, unprompted. Duke nodded his thanks and picked one out. It was still fresh and glistening from the fryer.

"So how's your day been going?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Quietly," Lucifer said. "I'm still getting used to that again..."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "It's a nice break, right? From all that family drama."

[my_own_advocate]

"Well," Lucifer said slowly, "About that..."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sat up a little straighter, fry forgotten in his hand.

"Well. That's foreboding."

[my_own_advocate]

"I can't reach Los Angeles," Lucifer said slowly, "But Amenadiel, Linda and my nephew appear to be in, well." He coughed. "Baltimore."

Someone had executed a panic move and grabbed for his proverbial teddy bears on the way out.

[betterthanaplan]

Well. That was less dire than Duke had feared.

". . . Huh. That -- I mean. How's Linda taking that?"

She, of that little family, seemed like the one who'd've been most rooted in LA. (Also, he should definitely schedule another appointment with her at some point.

[my_own_advocate]

"She may have spent some time yelling at me over the phone on Tuesday," Lucifer said, paused, and added, "...and Wednesday."

[betterthanaplan]

"Did you apologize?" Duke asked with a small smile. He had a feeling Lucifer had no idea why this might be his fault.

[my_own_advocate]

Yeah, Lucifer squinted at him. "Why would I?" he said. "It's not my fault."

[betterthanaplan]

Yep. That's what Duke thought.

"General expression of empathy?"

[my_own_advocate]

"I gave her money to rent a place for the next while," Lucifer pointed out. "That seemed more useful."