Grooming Lucifer

Dan was hand deep in feathers when he decided it was a good time to bring up the meeting the flock had the day before. He looked over to Ella, who seemed to understand, smiled at him and nodded slightly.

Dan cleared his throat and smoothed out a feather that was out of place. Lucifer had gone flying earlier in the day. He could always tell by the way it musses up his wings.

"Uh, Lucifer?"

"Hmm?" Lucifer answered, his voice in the state of complete calm that it always had when he was being groomed.

"Uh, we, um...we kind of held a meeting last night. About ways to keep you warm. We wanted to see if we could find a way to give you a surprise, but...honestly, it just doesn't really work. We came up with a few ideas though."

"Yeah, we got a few, dude. Wanna hear them?"

Ella's enthusiasm seemed to fall on deaf ears. Dan had felt the tensing of muscle under his arms, before the wings were jerked out of his and Ella's grasp.

"You had a meeting to talk about me?!"

Dan sighed. "Well, I started it because I thought of something and thought it would be good for Christmas, and you don't tell someone what you're getting them for Christmas. But, like I said, it didn't work out. None of us exactly are swimming in money, besides you. And no, we aren't going to borrow or accept money from you to get you something. That defeats the purpose. The point is, we aren't going to do anything you don't want to. We just ended up coming up with ideas for trying to keep you warmer."

Lucifer seemed to calm down a bit. Enough to let them back at his wings at least, but it was the first time Lucifer had been tense and alert while being groomed. "Do you do this often? Talk as a flock without me?"

Dan shook his head. "No, man. This was the first time we've ever done it. Unless we had you knowing about it beforehand, like when Chloe joined and the girls got together to gossip about learning who you were."

Ella laughed at that. "Yeah, that was fun."

"So, you don't gossip about me during your tribe meetings?"

Ella smacked Lucifer on a shoulder. "No! Linda won't allow it. I think she feels it's awkward to gossip about you when you see her professionally."

And it was only then that he felt Lucifer relax under his fingers. "Yeah, man, it's not like this is a habit for us or anything. We just wanted to surprise you. But you're out of luck for Christmas. Shit, that reminds me. I am going to my parents for Christmas Day so I won't be here."

"Yeah, I won't be either. Going to spend the day with my brother."

Dan looked at her and grinned. "Your family as religious as mine? Or less?"

"Don't know your family, but mine are super religious. I mean, I am here feeling up the Devil. My gran would be so upset. But, she died years ago. And my bro who is down here in L.A wouldn't really care. Oh, he might want an invite to Lux."

"Hmm, I'll think about it. Is Chloe going to spend the day with her mother wherever she is?"

Dan shook his head even though he knew Lucifer couldn't see. "Nah, think Penelope is coming down here. Unless she has something else on and can't make it. It's known to happen, but she does try to make Christmases to be with family."

He heard Lucifer chuckle. "Yeah. So what is Dusty going to be doing? You can't leave him locked up all day."

Dan stilled. "My parents want to see him. They don't believe I have a bird. They're going to be in for a shock. I'm still trying to figure out how to get his cage there..."

And then Lucifer perked up. "I could take the cage. I won't stay. I just...well, I don't think it would be fair to keep him locked in the tiny little carrier cage. He needs to move, to spread his wings. I'll probably end up having dinner with Chloe and Beatrice. But it wouldn't feel right not seeing Dusty too, you know?"

Ella laughed. "You want to celebrate Christmas?"

Lucifer twisted his head to glare at her, moving the wing out of his hands again. "No! I celebrate presents though. And with you and Dan going out for the day, I won't have anyone to groom me. And I was thinking, since you humans celebrate the day as a holiday, that maybe I would let Chloe groom me for the day. You know, if the two of you don't mind..."

Dan laughed and grabbed the wing that was moving slightly in front of him so he could finish what he had started. "I don't mind. I think it would be a great Christmas present for Chloe. Just watch for Trixie, she will want to join in."

Lucifer turned his head to look at him. "Just as long as she knows not to pull feathers out, I supposed I can put up with it. If she washes her hands first. Ugh, children are so...sticky."

Ella snorted at that. "Dude, I don't mind either. At least you won't get all shitty because no one will be there for you."

Dan grinned at that. "You do get shitty if you don't get groomed."

"Oh, shut up. I get itchy if I don't..."

The rest of the grooming session went by in the normal comfortable silence it usually did. This time though, Lucifer didn't fall asleep during it. Probably because he and Ella wound him up a bit there with the whole meeting thing.

"Want to know the ideas we had?" he asked.

Lucifer folded his wings up behind his back and Dan watched as they disappeared from view. It was weird how much that action seemed to be so normal to him now. Lucifer turned to him and grinned. "How about we wait until after Christmas? It isn't too bad right now. It's usually around January that it begins to become a problem."

Both he and Ella nod. "Okay. If that's what you want."

Lucifer nodded. "It's what I want."

Dan decided to tell him when he came to recollect the cage for the way back home, since it would then be after Christmas. But he'd have to ask the others if that was okay first. He might have to wait.

He was beginning to worry about how little Lucifer seemed to care about being in pain.