I meant to put this up after I finished Game Face, but forgot. Ooops! This is another side fic that goes directly after that fic, in a sudden session. Because he just got fed up with being treated like a child. This is my reasoning for that behaviour and I am sticking to it. He is not a child, he doesn't have the mentality of a child. What he does have is the emotional control of a child.
Human Nature
Lucifer's feathers were puffed up in that way that generally signified he was irritated over something. At least he had finally began to physically control them so they didn't get sharp and wreck yet another couch as he sat across from her.
His wings, as was the deal they had made shortly after they were fully feathered, were out and on display, draped over the couch. They were, as usual, immaculately groomed. The only odd thing was that he had come in here irritated, instead of worked his way up to that state in session. Sometimes she honestly wondered if she was helping him in any way whatsoever.
He shifted, the feathers flaring slightly with his mood, before he finally began talking.
"Is it a human thing, or do I really act so much like a child?"
She blinked at that and frowned. "What? Where did this come from?"
"The Detective and the Douche. They always bring up my behaviour and saying that I am being a child. Or that I remind them of Beatrice. Or that I should stop chucking temper tantrums."
Linda blinked a few times in confusion. As far as she was aware, Chloe had been telling things like that to him since they first met. If anything, shouldn't Lucifer be used to it and learnt to put up with it? Yet again, Lucifer was a contradiction in quite a few things.
Then she thought of it for a few seconds and a very important detail jumped out in front of her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "How long have you been on Earth again? Six years now?"
He grinned at her, his feathers beginning to right themselves back in their resting position on his wings at not being called a child.
"Yes, six years now."
Linda nodded and leaned forwards slightly, playing with a corner of his file, opened on her lap. She quickly went over her early notes, before looking up at him. "Wow, it's been a year. It feels much longer than that. Anyway, from what I have written down in your file and from what I have learnt from you and what you say...I think in a way they may be right. Not in age, or even in mentality. You had no idea of anything to do with emotions, or at least, not much, when you started therapy."
He jumped up from his seat, his wings sharp and ready to enter a battle that had nothing to do with actual fighting. As usual, he had heard some of what she had said and ignored or didn't understand the rest. She raised a hand. "No, Lucifer. You asked, and I am trying to explain. I don't think of you as a child, okay? But there are reasons they may think so. Let me explain."
Sighing loudly, Lucifer stopped his angry walk towards the door, and instead turned towards the window. "Fine. Explain."
Taking a deep breath, Linda closed her eyes and collected her thoughts. With this one, she had to use precise wording, or he'd take anything she said out of context. Or take away the wrong information.
"Humans are, for the most part, a herd animal. I'm sure you've learnt this at least. We live and thrive with the company of others. It's normal for us to be social and we don't do well for the most part on our own."
Lucifer was listening, if the way his wings relaxed against his back as she was explaining thins to him in a way no one else possibly ever had. Why hadn't she given this talk to him earlier? Would he have had a reason to listen then?
"Yes, I get that. It's fun! Everything is better with the company of others. I understand that."
She smiled at him. "Yes. Most things are definitely better with company. Point is, we don't do too well with people who don't act like they should. Introverts who can't handle much company for long periods are seen as strange. Physical disabilities are seen as wrong. Mental illnesses or neurological conditions are seen as bad. Anything different is wrong and should be changed to the norm, which is good."
Lucifer sat back down and blinked at her. "So, the word flock is true for humans too then?"
Linda frowned and tilted her head to one side, thinking on that one. "I wouldn't put it quite like that. We generally prefer the term group. I'll get to the point now."
"Yes, please do!"
She grinned slightly at his impatience. "You didn't have to live with the emotions you are getting used to now, correct?"
He nodded. "Yes, so long I had no idea of any of this feelings business."
She nodded back at him. "Right. When you started feeling, you started to learn the same way a human would. Our emotions seem to be pretty much exactly the same, you're just way behind for someone who looks like your physical age. You have the mentality of someone who is so old you just don't see age the same way. The problem is you are still learning what humans learn in their childhood when it comes to emotions."
"So I am acting like a child?"
Linda took a deep breath. "Emotionally, you've only had six years of experience outside of what you were used to. Mentally, you don't see age as much of anything. People just...are. Physically, you've got the body and memories of an adult male. The only thing that is childlike is your emotional responses, and that can't be helped. You're not a child, but you haven't yet learnt full control of your emotional responses. We can't control how we feel, but we can control how we act on how we feel."
That perked him up a bit. "So all I have to do is learn this control then. How hard could that be?"
Linda shook her head and closed her eyes. "Lucifer...we don't fully get how to control this until we are in our late teens or early adulthood. Some never learn it. Some don't want to."
His face fell at that. His wings drooped down slightly. "So I just have to go slow then? But...what if I don't want to be thought of as a child by my flock any longer? It's embarrassing. It's humiliating. It's...it makes me feel stupid."
"Have you tried telling them this?"
"I tried! I don't think they took it seriously."
Nodding, Linda reached across the coffee table and squeezed one of his knees. "Maybe you could tell them when I am there and I can tell them my thoughts on it as well. Maybe then they would take you seriously in this."
He frowned and brushed her hand off. "Will I ever be able to do this on my own without you having to be in the middle explaining things?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, after you learn to control your responses more, you'll get better at it. You've already learnt a lot. Give yourself time, Lucifer. Don't rush yourself. You'll do more harm than good."
He nodded, making his way to the door again. This time she didn't stop him.
Today was one of those days where she realised in him that, yes, she was helping. He took away the right message and felt better. It was a good session.