"Fuck!" Dan shouts himself awake and bolts upright in his bed. He scrubs a hand over his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes while his chest heaves to catch his breath.
"If you really want to," comes a woman's voice from the bedside. "It would have to be a quickie, though. We don't have much time."
The detective snaps his head to the right and blinks rapidly, "Maze! What the Hell are you doing in my room? In my apartment?"
The demon shrugs as a smirk slides across her face, "Watching you sleep, duh. Not as interesting as watching Chloe, but I was about to wake you up anyway. We need to go."
Dan's eyebrows come down as he pulls the sheet tighter around his waist, "Go? Where? It's the middle of the night." Worry hits him like a cold bucket of water, "Is Chloe okay? Trixie?"
She waves him off and stands up to look out the window, "They're fine. Amenadiel is guarding the apartment. You and I need to go after Lucifer."
He scowls, "Why? He made his choice to leave weeks ago. To abandon Chloe when she needed him. Why the Hell should I care?"
Maze whirls and lands on the bed in front of him, leaning into his space with a menacing glare, "He fucking DIED for her when she needed him. Without a moment's hesitation, I'll add. So you are going to get your sorry human ass up out of that bed and help me find him."
Dan shakes his head, "No way. I don't believe that whole 'Devil' and 'he actually died' crap. It's all a bunch of metaphors with you people. That guy needs a better therapist because the one he's got isn't doing a damned bit of good."
A dark, razor-sharp chuckle issues from the woman on her bed as she leans back, "You really believe that." It's not a question.
He shrugs, "It's the only thing that makes sense. I've seen too much evil in my line of work to believe God is real. Which means The Devil isn't real either." He gestures, "And you're a whole lot of crazy, but you're NOT a demon." He pauses and looks away, "Except maybe in bed and I do NOT want to find that out first hand."
She laughs again, shark's teeth gleaming, "What's the matter, Dan? Scared of little old me?"
The detective shrugs again, "You kicked Kang's ass without breaking a sweat, so, yeah. I can admit that."
Maze's predatory grin grows as she leans forward again, "Good," she purrs as she drops the glamour on her face.
Dan jumps out of bed, "HOLY SHIT!" he screams as he grabs his gun off the night-table, then falls against the far wall of his bedroom. His knees shake as he struggles to stay upright and take aim.
She laughs and exits to the other side of the bed, allowing the piece of furniture to act as a barrier between them. Let the human feel as safe as possible, this will be hard. A rare feeling of mercy washes over her, so she sits down in the chair by the window and puts her feet up, visibly relaxing her posture but not replacing the glamour. "Dan..." she begins.
He gestures wildly, shaking hands interfering with his ability to properly aim, "You're really...oh my God...get out! And...and...leave my family alone...!" He slides along the wall until he reaches the door to his closet, where he falls on the floor then promptly scrambles to his feet and re-trains the handgun.
Maze examines her nails, a bored expression on her ripped face, "If you're going to shoot me, Dan, just do it. Then we can get going and find Lucifer." She gives him a pointed look, "We're wasting time."
Dan shakes his head violently, "No! I'm not going anywhere with you. What the fuck!?"
She sighs heavily, "Look, I need your help, okay? Your badge may help open some doors I'd rather not kick in. You want to help Chloe and Trixie, right?"
He frowns and swallows heavily, "Of course, but, what do you mean?"
Maze reaches into her pocket for her phone and waves it at him, "I have a GPS tracker on the 'vette, so I know where his car is, but that's only the beginning of finding him. His mother fucked him up, Dan. This is all that bitch's fault and she's going to pay, but first, I have to find Lucifer before he does something...stupid."
Dan snorts in spite of himself, "He's the king of doing something stupid."
She shrugs, "Not going to argue about that." She raises her eyebrows, "The dumbest thing he's done lately is to fall in love with Chloe. Idiot didn't even see it coming." The demon issues a loud sigh then looks up at the ceiling, completely ignoring the gun still pointed at her.
He stands up straighter and wipes a sweaty hand on the boxer-briefs he wore to bed, "What the Hell do you mean by 'fall in love with...' Oh shit. He's actually...and Chloe..." he trails off and looks down at the floor, "Oh God."
Maze huffs a frustrated breath, "YES, Lucifer is actually The Devil. You got that now? Good to go?" She lazily waves her hand in Dan's direction, "Put some clothes on. I mean, I don't mind the view, but other humans may not take you seriously."
Dan looks down at his half-naked self. Clothes, for any reason, seem like a really good idea. He grabs a pair of jeans off the floor of his closet and shrugs into a t-shirt, all without letting go of his gun. He frowns at the demon and takes a step closer, "You could have killed me in my sleep. You're not here to hurt me?"
She snorts and starts laughing, "Why would I do that?" Her gaze travels over him and he shivers as if were an actual touch, "I mean, I could have sooooo much fun with you," she purrs, "but no. I like your daughter, so you're safe. For now." She stands up and Dan takes a step back.
"Hang on a minute," he begins. "I have some questions."
Maze shrugs, "Okay, shoot." She chuckles and gestures at the gun still tightly gripped in his hand, "Get it?"
The detective shakes his head and looks down for a second, "So...you're from, you know..."
"Hell?" she supplies helpfully. "Yeah. It really is hot. Next?"
"Why are you here?" he asks.
She shrugs again, "Lucifer wanted out. He said it was...doing...things to him." She glares angrily, "He's not what you stupid humans think."
Dan cocks his head, "What do you mean?"
Maze throws her arms up and begins to pace, "He's not evil. He doesn't make humans do all that shit he's accused of. His Father..."
"God..." Dan interrupts with an awestruck-shocked-frightened expression on his face.
She gives a sharp nod, "Yeah. That asshole. Anyway, long story short, Samael The Archangel wanted free will, like his Father gave you humans." She glares again, "God's nasty little pets," she spits. "So God rebranded him and cast him into Hell to punish you idiots for abusing your right of choice." The fury on her face might be construed as righteous if not for the fact that she was everything but. "God's a cruel bastard," she snarls.
Dan frowns and gestures toward the phone still in the demon's hand, "So, if you could track his car, why'd you wait so long? You could have had him back weeks ago."
Maze begins to pace, looking out the window as she does, "He's disappeared before but never for this long. None of us have heard from him."
The detective's eyebrows go up, "Who do you mean by 'none of us'?"
She shrugs, "Me, his brother, that bitch he calls a mother. He hasn't called anyone."
"His...he has a...mother?" he asks stupidly.
Maze snorts and gives him an elevator look, "Yeah, he does. And you fucked her, Danny Boy."
Dan's legs give way and he sits hard on the floor, "I...what?"
She laughs and nods, "His mom is in Charlotte Richards' body."
His face goes pale and he gapes, "Uuuhhh...I...uuuuhhh..." He pauses and stares at the floor for a long minute. Finally, he looks up, "You're a demon. Lucifer is...um...The Devil. His mother is..."
"The Goddess of All Creation," she supplies helpfully. "Mother Nature!" Her laughter has a harsh edge.
"And his brother is...?" he asks, trying not to be sick.
"An angel. Angelic asshole," she clarifies.
Dan nods silently as he resumes staring at the floor, "Right. So...his father..."
"God, you mean," she finishes for him. "Also an asshole."
The detective flicks a nervous glance at the window, expecting a flash of lightning.
Maze follows the look then smirks, "Don't worry. He's an absentee parent." She cocks her head, "Like you were to Trixie for a while. Looks like you've got something in common."
Dan scowls darkly and pushes himself to his feet, "That's no fair and you know it, Maze."
She shrugs, "Don't shoot the messenger when they bring you the truth." She kicks his sneakers toward him, "Come on. Get your shoes on. We need to get moving."
He crosses his arms and stands with his feet apart, "Lucifer getting out of our lives is sounding better and better. Why should I help you drag him back if he doesn't want to be here?"
Maze steps around the bed to encroach into his personal space, "Because he left for the wrong reason and it's killing Chloe. She cries herself to sleep, Dan. Every. Night. Those idiots deserve each other but Lucifer doesn't think it's real."
"Why would he think that? Why wouldn't it be?" he asks.
"Because his Father sent Amenadiel down to bless Penelope's lady parts to have a baby," she explains. "Chloe wasn't even supposed to be here."
"Why?" Dan asks, still confused.
Maze frowns, "Lucifer thinks Chloe was put here in his path by his Father. That's what his mother told him, anyway."
Dan gives Maze a hard look, "You don't believe that, do you?"
She shrugs, "Does it matter what I believe? She's my friend. He's never..." she stops before saying more than she thinks she should. "It doesn't matter. Let's go."
Jason sips his iced tea as he tries not to stare at the man sitting across the table. Dark eyes framed by obscene lashes smile, "I appreciate the lift, my dear. A hundred-mile walk wasn't what I had in mind for 'getting away for a bit'." A bright grin splits a perfect mouth, "You must allow me to repay your generosity."
Jason looks down at his hands, rich, umber skin a sharp contrast to the melamine white of the diner's table. He smiles back, "Happy to do it. If we can't help our fellow man, why are we here?" He hopes his skin is dark enough to hide the blush he knows is warming his cheeks.
His passenger pops a french fry in his mouth and chews happily, "At least allow me to cover the meal and gas along the way? I'm not without means, you know." He reaches into the breast pocket of his obviously-expensive suit and withdraws a folded stack of bills.
Jason cocks his head and gives the man a very close look, noticing the ring on the man's right hand. His nostrils flare and his eyes widen as he huffs out a sharp breath. He sits up straight and stares, "You're here to tempt me," he accuses in a hoarse whisper.
Dark eyebrows raise and his guest looks only-slightly surprised, "What are you on about?" He waves the bills, "Just offering to pay for dinner, darling." He smirks, "You trying to say that fries and a fish sandwich do it for you?" A twinkle appears in the man's gaze, "You have...something else in mind?"
"What's your name?" Jason asks with a shaky voice.
Almost-black eyes glitter as his guest sits back. He peels a hundred-dollar bill off and lays it on the table before tucking the rest away. "You've clearly figured that out already. But there's nothing untoward going on here, I assure you. I'm simply a chap who needed a lift because technology failed." He huffs a breath and looks distracted, "I'll have to send someone for the bloody car."
The human continues to stare, "Satan!" he hisses.
His guest chuckles softly, shoulders shaking inside the lightly rumpled silk, "I prefer Lucifer, if you don't mind, darling." He looks around as other diners are beginning to notice them, "What say we take this conversation somewhere else, yeah?"
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Jason growls quietly.
Lucifer pinches the bridge of his nose, Bloody Hell. As if I don't have enough to deal with. "Very well. I'm leaving. Thank you for the ride thus far. Best of luck to you on the rest of your journey." He gracefully unfolds himself to his full height and strolls casually out the door.
Jason sits staring at the empty place at the table, mouth half-open as he considers what just happened. The Devil was in my car. That's what I get for picking up hitchhikers.
Except he wasn't hitching. Just looked like a guy walking along, lost in thought. He seemed genuinely grateful for a lift.
But he's The Father of Lies. The Deceiver. That's what his preacher always said, at least. Preacher said a lot of things, though. Jason looks at his hands again and considers the things he found were never true. "Matter of interpretation," came the answer when he questioned.
He sighs. Being a healthy, educated man in his mid-twenties brought numerous pressures. First and foremost, the whispers that followed him over the absence of a wife.
He stares at the table in front of him as the waitress comes by. She eyes the the Benjamin hungrily before glancing at him. Her question is clear and he smiles graciously, "Please keep the change." She blushes prettily before scurrying away with the dirty plates, leaving the Jason to his thoughts.
Is this a test? He scowls as he recalls a passage that has haunted him since before he attended seminary. His collegiate literature class read Mark Twain's autobiography and he was struck by one passage in particular:
But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most, our one fellow and brother who most needed a friend yet had not a single one, the one sinner among us all who had the highest and clearest right to every Christian's daily and nightly prayers, for the plain and unassailable reason that his was the first and greatest need, he being among sinners the supremest?Who, indeed?
A shiver crawls down Jason's spine as he sips his tea. After receiving his Theology degree, he worked in construction until he decided on his next move. One of his professors reached out to report he was moving to a seminary near Santa Cruz and asked if Jason would like to join him. Jason jumped at the chance. The change of scene was appealing of course, but there were other reasons that he felt the location may prove beneficial.
He bites his lip as he thinks about his passenger. The way he looked. How he moved. The way he spoke.
Jason looks up at the ceiling and quietly sends up a prayer, What do I do? The people I call my friends would set fire to my house if they knew I...never had feelings for women. Lord, guide me. Please send the right woman to me. He closes his eyes for a long moment then his attention is drawn the door of the diner as it opens and disturbs the bell on top to announce the arrival of a new pair of patrons.
Two young men walk in, holding hands, each wearing the brightest, most happy grins their faces could possibly bear. One happy fellow wears a black tuxedo while the other wears a white one. Gleaming rings grace each of their left ring fingers.
A waitress runs up to the happy couple, embraces them both then sits them at a booth. Jason hadn't noticed until now that the table had been roped off and decorated. He shakes his head and looks down at his hands again, chuckling quietly to himself. "I...guess I can at least give your son a ride the rest of the way."
Jason grabs his keys and gets in his car, steering it north. He turns his high-beams on to make it easier to see Lucifer walking down the dark road and, after about fifteen minutes, he is successful.
Pulling his car onto the shoulder he stops and exits the vehicle. "I was...um...a little hasty. I'm sorry," he offers.
For his part, Lucifer shrugs and tosses his cigarette on the ground before grinding it into the dirt, "No need to apologize, my dear. Especially not to me," he finishes. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
"Let me drive you," Jason blurts out. "Please."
Lucifer slides his hands into his pocket while he gives the young, black man an elevator look, "Not concerned I'll tempt you with another fish sandwich?" He smirks, "Maybe I'll be more wicked next time and add some tartar sauce."
The young man can't help the chuckle as he looks down at his feet, "I shouldn't have blamed you for the struggles of my heart...Lucifer."
Satan cocks his head with a sad smile, "You're right. You shouldn't have," he agrees. "But I appreciate your honesty and that you're man enough to own it." He gives Jason a close look, "So, what's bothering you so much that you were rude to a stranger?"
Jason looks up sharply, heartbeat racing, "I...can't..." he stops and looks at his feet again.
Lucifer huffs, "Oh come on. Unless you've been intentionally cruel or dishonest, you've nothing to fear from me. Harmless, really," he continues. "Come on. Out with it."
He's right, Jason thinks to himself. I've just never...said it. He feels himself break out in a sweat as he takes a deep breath. "I'm...I think...I'm gay," he finally blurts out.
Lucifer chuckles, "Is that it? You're flagellating yourself over that?" He shakes his head as he reaches to light another cigarette. "You humans..."
"But..." Jason protests, "It's a sin. I'm going to Hell to burn..." he stops as Lucifer starts laughing.
"No, no, no. Don't be ridiculous," he waves off the man's protests then gestures at the sky. "Dad doesn't care a whit about how you humans consort with each other as long as it's consenting. Affection and love aren't wrong, Jason," he clarifies.
The human frowns in confusion, "You're not making that up to lure me into sin are you?"
Lucifer laughs again, "Would I tell you if I were?" He shakes his head, "But, no. I don't lie. Ever."
"But..." Jason starts to protest again, "what about...?"
Satan takes a drag off his cigarette and looks irritated, "Bad press, darling. Well-orchestrated smear campaign." He takes a casual step forward as he looks down into the man's handsome face.
Jason feels the air around him grow charged as goosebumps rise on his skin. Afraid Lucifer will notice his increased heartbeat, Jason swallows heavily but doesn't step back.
"What do you desire, Jason?" comes the simple question. Lucifer lightly strokes Jason's upper arm and looks into his eyes. He licks his lips as he leans forward to purr, "What do you yearn for in that aching heart of yours?" Soft, warm breath ghosts over his ear.
Without a word, Jason's hand buries itself in the curls on the back of Lucifer's head. The human turns his head and presses his lips to Lucifer's, a sighing growl rising from his chest. His other arm wraps around Lucifer's waist to rest on the small of his back.
The Devil's arms wrap around him, drawing him closer as he opens his mouth to accept Jason's tongue. While not passive, Lucifer returns the kiss with care. He allows the human to lead and idly strokes the man's back while he conducts a thorough exploration of Lucifer's mouth.
After several minutes, they draw back. Lucifer strokes Jason's cheek with his thumb and smiles affectionately, "See? No lightning bolts." He feels the man quivering against him, "You alright?"
Jason looks down and takes a shaky step back, "I…yeah," he responds quickly. "I've just, um, never…done that before."
Lucifer's eyebrows go up, "Done what? Snogged another male?" He grins, "It was quite lovely. You want to have another go?"
Jason blushes and smiles, "No, I think…I'm okay." His smile grows larger, "Thank you, Lucifer."
Satan smiles and claps a hand on the human's shoulder, "Don't mention it, love. What say we get on the road, then, yeah?"
Jason nods and continues to grin happily, "Yeah."