The Perk, Monday morning

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's boat was . . . uncomfortable right now. Lucifer had been avoiding it, clearly (Duke was pretty sure it was because he hadn't wanted to open up about everything on queue, which he got, but also resented), and he and Octavia were in kind of a quiet detente after the whole Ilian thing (which Duke knew was totally his own fault, and was determined to work out in his own head rather than spill onto Octavia, who didn't deserve it). And there was only so much fishing even Duke could do.

And sometimes, in his experience, the best way to spend time alone was to do so around people. So he was in town. At the coffee shop, which had a tendency to get a bit crowded on occasion. Just hanging out, drinking an un-Irish coffee, watching the baristas go about their barista-y business.

Missing Audrey, who at least was always happy to daydrink with him, even when they probably shouldn't.

[moody boy is moody, but ACTUALLY IN PUBLIC! *gasp* Open!]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer had not expected Duke to leave the boat. He had felt this was an extremely logical assumption: locking himself up, fixing things and daydrinking was rather Duke's MO when something bad happened.

And so here he was, wandering into the Perk to purchase himself an Extreme Shake as to help smother the raging fires of insecurity within himself, and... well.

Shit, as the humans said.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke wasn’t sure what to do. On the one hand, he missed Lucifer. On the other, he didn’t really want to get into another argument with him, especially in public.

So he just kind of. Ended up staring. Sorry, Luce.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer cleared his throat for reasons he didn't understand, and--

"Ahem," said the barista. "Your order?"

"Right."

He put in the order for the bloody shake.

[betterthanaplan]

That was a very large shake. Duke was pretty sure that that meant Lucifer was having a very large number of feelings.

Because of Duke.

Duke bit back a sigh and sank a little lower in his seat.

[my_own_advocate]

When wasn't Lucifer having a very large number of feelings, honestly?

He waited patiently by the counter for the shake to be completed. No rush, after all.

[betterthanaplan]

Yeah, but he was having those feelings because of Duke. Which made them extra noteworthy right now.

"That, uh. Sounds good."

Small talk, Duke? Really?

[my_own_advocate]

... Small talk, Duke?

That thought was very clearly written on Lucifer's face as he looked at him. "The doughnuts really give it that finishing touch."

[betterthanaplan]

Would he prefer an inane joke? At least they were talking.

Ish.

"You know, I always forget to add those when I make shakes at the diner. I should probably work on that."

[my_own_advocate]

"I think they're a touch less on trend than they were," Lucifer said, and took the shake offered to him. "But they're extremely creative. And decadent. You could go to town on them, really."

Should he go to Duke?

Well, it would be rather a Thing if he didn't.

So he turned, and walked towards Duke's seat.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke pushed the spare chair out from the table for him with his foot.

"Right up your alley, then," he said. "Nice."

[my_own_advocate]

"I remain a dutiful fan," Lucifer agreed.

He plucked the doughnut off the top of the shake as he sat down, and took a bite of it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke watched him for a long moment, his foot seeking out Lucifer's beneath the table. Marveled over having managed to somehow win this ridiculous guy over.

Wondered how the hell he was going to finish bridging the gap between them when he still didn't want to talk about what had happened back in Haven.

"You haven't been around in a bit. Been having fun?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer... had not anticipated the foot. It melted just a touch of his reserve, and he found himself leaning his own foot into it.

"Spent some time on the mainland, helping people and bringing the party vibe with me wherever I went," he said. "Of course Octavia insisted I was 'running random mortals ragged', so I reluctantly slowed my roll."

[hasaknightjob]

On the one hand the weather was obnoxious. On the other hand so was Marc's entire life so same shit, different yadda yadda. No reason not to grab a hot coffee. Wasn't the coffee's fault the weather sucked.

He spotted Duke when he came in and gave him a nod. "Hey."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded back. "Marc-with-a-C. How's it going?"

[hasaknightjob]

Would the barista now write Cark on his cup? Only time would tell.

"Okay," Marc said. He gave Duke a once over, "You? Look better than last time I saw you."

[betterthanaplan]

"Not a high bar, but I'll take it," Duke noted. "I'm . . . dealing."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc wasn't gonna say it wasn't a high bar. He'd been thinking it but he wasn't going to say it.

"Take the days we don't look like shit as a rare bonus?" he offered instead.

[betterthanaplan]

"Sure. That sounds like a plan." Duke shook his head a little, ruefully.

[hasaknightjob]

"I'd ask how things have been with your whole - " Marc made a vague gesture to indicate Duke's life in general " - but you told me I tapped out on questions last time. So I guess I'm stuck with saying your hair looks great."

[betterthanaplan]

Everyone had very formalized ideas about what they could and couldn't talk to Duke about, lately. (Probably because he had a hair-trigger of prickliness about some of the major recent events in his life.)

"I appreciate that. I do try to keep my hair nice."

[hasaknightjob]

"I've heard conditioner helps," Marc said.

Marc, of course, gave every impression of being the kind of guy who gave a shit about conditioner.

[betterthanaplan]

"It does. I take it you're more the 3-in-1, same soap for everything type?"

He was living with that type. He had no idea how Octavia's hair stayed as nice as it did.

[hasaknightjob]

"It goes as high as three?" Marc quirked his eyebrows up as though this was news to him. "Clearly I need to shop where you do."

[betterthanaplan]

"You do not," Duke said. "Please at the very least keep your hair and body products separate."