Learning Curve

Dan was angry with the way Lucifer had been treating him the past couple of days. He had been thinking that they were at a truce, of developing a slow but steady friendship with each other and then this shit had started.

Telling Chloe about his improv. Mistaking Improv for being a Comedian and not knowing the difference until it was smacking him in the face. The tomatoes. Those were the last straw really. Who brings tomatoes to an event like that in this day and age, just to throw them at bad shows?

He had gone to Lux to yell at Lucifer for a bit, because he figured it would make him feel better, and instead found no sign of the so called Devil, but instead found a familiar but still unknown face.

"Hey. You're that consultant psychiatrist for my division, aren't you? Uh, Doctor Linda Martin? Yeah, you worked a case with Chloe and Lucifer a while back."

Linda looked at him and blinked. "Oh, yes. Hello, Detective Daniel Espinoza. I am indeed."

He shifted on the spot and looked around. She seemed to be drinking alone that night. "That's a bit formal. Call me Dan. Uh, you're also Lucifer's therapist right? Because something isn't right with him lately."

One eyebrow was raised at him at that and he shook his hands in front of his face. "No, no, no, no. I'm not asking for info on him or anything, I get that stuff is private. No, I...I wanted to talk about his behaviour lately."

Linda's mouth went into a stiff, straight line and Dan knew that there was some actual problem going on in Lucifer's life just by that look alone.

"Oh? And how has his behaviour been off lately? And perhaps we should take this conversation somewhere a little more private?"

He blinked at that. He hadn't thought of what it might do to say things like what he wanted to say in a roomful of people who were enjoying the club Lucifer ran. "Yeah, probably a good plan. Any ideas?"

Linda knocked back what was left in her glass, and waved him over to the elevators. "Lucifer's left tonight for parts unknown, so his apartment is vacant. I have the code. Come on."

He shrugged his shoulders because it figures that every person in his life but Dan had the code to get in. He wondered why Lucifer even bothered with a code to begin with, since so many people go through his doors.

He entered the elevator with Linda, and waited for it to hit the penthouse level. The ride up was long ad quiet. The therapist at his side seemed lost in thought. He knew things were off when Linda threw an arm out to stop him wandering further than the piano as they entered the huge, open apartment.

"Wait here for a few minutes please. I need to do a sweep for...well, never mind what for, that's confidential, but Lucifer would not be pleased if you snooped and I already know what I am looking for."

With that said, Linda hurried off to the other rooms of the apartment, leaving him to stand by the piano like an idiot, all by himself. He was about to go off in search of her, because he'd only been up here twice before and neither time had he left the main room he was in now, when she came back with a look of relief on her face.

"Okay, nothing. That's good. So, let's sit shall we? And then talk about Lucifer's off behaviour."

He shouldn't feel as relieved to have someone to talk about this stuff with, but he was definitely sure that's what he was feeling as he sat and waited as she joined him, careful to not bend too much. Oh yes, she had been stabbed recently and was still recovering. He'd forgotten about that. He didn't know her enough to have visited or keep tabs on her.

"You know, I thought we were becoming friends. But his behaviour has done a full 180 on me and I have no idea how to take it. Like he threw tomatoes at me after forcing me to do a stand up comedy routine, because he got comedy muddled up with improv. No matter how many times I said they aren't the same thing, he didn't get it until he saw me make a total ass of myself up on that stage. And he threw tomatoes at me!"

Linda nodded at him. "So, it's him acting more like an ass himself? Hmm, maybe you should speak to Amenadiel. He grew up with Lucifer. As far as I am aware from what I have seen and what Amenadiel has told me...Lucifer is very much unaware he hurts others with his behaviour unless he actually goes out of his way to hurt you. From what it sounds like, he didn't think you would fail as hard as you did at stand up comedy. And it left him floundering a bit. The tomatoes are an old fashioned thing he probably picked up from television or a movie and thought it was true to real life. He does that. He doesn't always have the correct action or word and so falls on pop culture to fill in blanks."

Dan frowned. "So, what, you think he didn't intentionally hurt me? Because that isn't the only time he has done something like this. Well, minus the tomatoes. That one was new and hopefully never happens again...But the point is, it's new. He didn't act that way towards me only a few days ago."

Linda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Oh boy...okay. Are you aware he was kidnapped and missing in the desert for two days?"

Dan nodded. "Yeah. It was some sort of group thing. Someone hires someone to kidnap you, puts you in the desert and comes pick you up at a later date. As a cruel practical joke. He even caught the guy who did it but wasn't happy, putting the killings on some imaginary bogeyman to make himself feel better. It's driving Chloe insane with him going on about it to her. But he isn't doing that with me."

"So, he's leaving you out of that mess then? The only other thing I can think of is that Lucifer is beginning to realise that you are a friend."

Blinking, Dan stared at the psychiatrist in front of him. "Uh, okay. And that would make him do things like this, why?"

Taking a deep breath, wincing and holding her side, Linda shifted in her seat. "Before you, before Chloe even, Lucifer only had one person he put his trust and friendship with, and that was Maze. And even then, she wasn't exactly a friend. More a personal bodyguard and servant."

Dan leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Okay...so, what, he's lonely? I already know the guy hates himself. He's admitted it out loud to me twice."

Linda rubbed the bridge of her nose, before taking off her glasses and rubbing at her eyes as well. "He's never had friends before, Dan. He has no idea how to act, what to do, or even if it is real. He's probably testing boundaries, trying to find the breaking point. With Chloe, she learnt to ignore that quite quickly and he settled down around her. Try following her example. Don't let Lucifer's current behaviour get to you. Unless he does something that actually is bad. Reprimand him all you want for the tomatoes. That was taking things too far."

And thinking of it, he remembered what Lucifer was like when he first began working with Chloe. If you could call it that to begin with. He dogged her steps, constantly talked about having sex with her. He broke into her house while she was in the shower to make her breakfast. All that stoped once they were established as work partners. He started only coming in when called instead of rocking up to dog her steps, though he is expected now at the station every day unless he was busy with other things Lux or sex related. He knocked and waited for invitations to her apartment. He dropped the constant nagging about getting her into his bed.

"Huh. Yeah, I might actually try that. But if it doesn't work, I am so letting him have it. And if he still continues to act like this around me, I'll tell him we are not friends. And yes, that he officially broke it."

Linda winced. "Ouch. He probably wouldn't take that well. He is new to this whole thing. But, it is your decision. And who knows, maybe he'll take it seriously and stop to keep the friendship going."

Nodding, he got up to his feet. "Yeah, and that's his decision. Well, thanks for the advice and I'll try and not let on that you and I talked. I'll see myself out."

Linda looked distracted by something and nodded at him as an answer.

He left her sitting there, holding a hand gently to her side where she was stabbed.

He decided everyone's life right now was a bit of a mess. It wasn't just him. Maybe he really should ignore the lesser bad behaviour and let things take their course. And if they don't settle like they did with Chloe, he'd just have to cut friend ties with him and treat him like any other work colleague.

He didn't expect that thought to hurt.

It did.

He had a lot to think about.