Chapter Text
Chloe looked at herself in the mirror for what felt like the thousandth time that day, her eyes tracing over every inch of her body, while dread churned inside her gut. It was Halloween, and although she'd had this planned for a while, now that it was actually time, her faith in her chosen costume for the evening had fallen through the floor.
It wasn't that she didn't look good, oh no, it definitely wasn't that. The outfit she wore clung to every single curve of her body, which wasn't really that surprising, considering much of it was quite literally painted on. Once upon a time, the thought of dressing up like this would have been out of the question. As far as she was concerned, the world had seen quite enough of her body, thank you very much. Never mind the fact that twenty years and one baby later hadn't exactly left her brimming with confidence. She could certainly put on a show when she needed to, but most of the time she felt happiest in her own skin when... well, when she wasn't showing quite so much skin.
But all that began to change when she met Lucifer. Right from the start, he wasn't shy about his attraction to her, even if he did make the mistake of choosing to express it in completely the wrong way. Some women might have appreciated having a man like him ogle their naked body and compliment them on having, "Kept things up", but not her. She'd had more years than she could count of being leered at, and she had no desire to invite more of it into her life.
The way that Lucifer looked at her now though, it was completely different. Oh, he still desired her, there was no hiding that, but back when they first met that desire was nothing more than a passing interest, a challenge he had yet to complete. She was interesting, and he was interested; it was as simple as that. But over the years of getting to know one another, that interest had changed. She had no doubt that if sex had been on the table—and it had quite literally been on the table since, many, many times—he would have taken her up on it, but his comments about wanting to sleep with her eventually became habit more than anything else. It was obvious that he valued their partnership as much as she did, and there was definitely a time when neither of them wanted to jeopardize it.
They were long since past that though. It was of no consequence to him what she looked like or what she was wearing... he still wanted her. He wanted her the second she woke up; morning breath and bed head not even on his radar. He wanted her while she cleaned, dressed in the rattiest clothes she owned and wailing along to the radio. He wanted her dressed up, dressed down, in high heels or sensible brown shoes. Happy, sad, sick or well, there was always a part of him that desired her.
And that... that made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
All she wanted now was to make him feel the same way.
Not that she could tell him that, of course. For one thing, he would probably find it hilarious. Lucifer was more than aware of how good he looked without even trying, but that simple fact did nothing to stop him still putting the effort in, which meant that most of the time he looked nothing short of devastatingly handsome. If you asked him, he would tell you he already felt like the most attractive man on the planet, because he quite literally was, and he had the GQ polls to prove it.
But appearances can be deceiving.
It hadn't escaped her attention how desperately he still tried to hide the other side of himself from her. Guilt clung to him like a shadow for hours if he happened to lose control with a suspect and reveal his other face in her presence. If they happened to get into an argument that enraged him enough as his eyes flashed with hellfire… well, that would immediately be the end of it, because he would spend the rest of whatever hours remained in the day apologising and trying to make it up to her.
She hated it. No matter how many times she told him she was okay with that side of him, he never truly believed her. She couldn't really blame him for that though, not when there wasn't a single person in his life who had seen the monster underneath and fully accepted him before, at least not straight away. And while he forgave them all, she knew he didn't forget. The fear, the betrayals, the rejection… they all weighed on him. And the worst thing was, he blamed himself for it. Even after all this time, he still thought their reactions were what he deserved.
He was wrong. The fact that he was the Devil didn't change who he was underneath it all. Something which had taken her longer to realise than she would have liked. But all that was in the past, and she knew she couldn't change it, despite how much she wanted to. All she could control now was where they went from here. She didn't fear him anymore, and she knew he believed her when it came to that. In fact, if she were honest, the sight of his burning eyes actually inspired a different reaction within her entirely these days, not that she'd ever been brave enough to tell him that.
But she didn't want him to have to lock parts of himself away around her. She accepted him, all of him, and tonight felt like the ideal way to prove that.
Or at least it had, until now.
Nervously, she examined her reflection once more, her heart hammering in her chest. Truth be told, she barely even recognised the person standing there in the mirror, with the sole exception of the blue eyes staring back at her. As hard as she'd tried, she just couldn't stand wearing the contact lenses that had arrived for her in the mail that week for any length of time, despite the fact they would have been the last step in her transformation.
Hiding all of this from Lucifer had been a nightmare. She kept telling herself it was because she wanted to keep it a surprise, but in reality she knew she was just worried he'd react badly. Still, from the moment she saw a post-it note on Dan's desk telling whoever read it to "Take risks", she realised it would be worth it to try. But doing this involved a lot of preparation, and considering Lucifer seemed to be at her apartment more often than not these days, trying to keep him out of the packages arriving at her door was like attempting to stop Trixie opening presents early at Christmas.
Luckily, she had Ella on her side, and a couple of the larger items she needed she'd managed to have shipped to the lab instead. All of which were accepted without question, thanks to the forensic scientist's beaming smile and babbled explanations about the latest innovations in some sort of science gak. Really, her friend was a lifesaver. Or in this case, a costume saver.
At least there was one part of this outfit she had no doubts over. She hummed happily as she smoothed her hands over the red silk of her dress, the rich material softly caressing the few areas of her skin not covered in paint. It wasn't often she spent this much money on herself, but as soon as she saw it, she knew she had to buy it. It was perfect.
The crossed neck of the halter around her neck sat exactly where she needed it to be, while the length was just enough as it didn't reveal her legs, but allowed her to wear her flats without the skirt dragging on the ground. Unlike Lucifer, she was more than used to the amount of walking trick-or-treating involved, and she had no intention of wearing high heels to do so. No, those were for the party at LUX afterwards, and they were already safely secured in the car for later on.
Granted, her Devil would have probably preferred she wore something that showed a bit more skin for the club; he loved nothing more than to tease her as they danced, running his palm just that little bit too high along her thigh, slipping his fingers under her top to caress the underside of her breast. Always toeing the line of impropriety, a promise of what was to come later once they found themselves alone upstairs. Or in the elevator, as was often the case.
Tonight though, only her arms and shoulders were exposed, along with her shoulder blades at the back. It gave exactly the impression she wanted it to, that her body paint only extended as far as the skin on show. Plus, the amount of coverage the dress provided meant that when she added the final piece of her ensemble later, it would hide the parts she didn't want people to see. It was as close as she could get to making the costume as realistic as possible.
Her breath caught in her throat as she heard the front door opening downstairs. Lucifer, as always, didn't bother to knock, something as simple as a door no barrier to whatever he desired. Which, for the past few weeks, was to be here with her, as often as possible. Not that him waltzing in whenever he felt like it was a problem for her, not like it used to be. For one thing, he had a key—not that he ever bothered to use it—and for another, he was always welcome, even on the days where his antics drove her completely mad and she claimed not to want him there.
"Honey, I'm home!" she heard him call out, and her lips curled unbidden into a smile. She knew full well he thought he was joking when he said that, but the amount of times he called her honey only increased the longer they were together. And she liked it. Maybe not so much as when he called her love—she would never get tired of that one—but honey implied a level of domesticity she could never have imagined from him when they first met.
After one last look at herself, she took a long, shaky breath, then slowly exhaled. It was now or never. "I'll be down in a minute," she shouted, not wanting him to bound up the stairs as he usually did and catch her before she was completely ready. As she turned to slip on her flats, the long silken ties of her halter neck swished behind her, brushing against the back of her arms. It was an odd sensation; logically, she knew they were there, but she couldn't really feel them through the layers of paint upon her skin.
As she began to make her way down the stairs, she could hear Lucifer singing along to the radio, and her heart skipped a beat at just how happy he sounded. It did nothing to calm her nerves though; in fact, it just made them worse. She started to wonder if she'd been right before, and all of this was just a big mistake. The temptation to turn around and retreat to the bedroom again before he saw her was overwhelming. She could take all of this off before he saw her, and he would never know about any of it.
But then she remembered their conversation from earlier that week, the one they had after he caught her stressing over the phone to Ella about tonight. Thankfully, he hadn't heard enough to figure it out, but it was obvious even to him that she was worried enough to be considering changing her mind over her planned outfit.
"Darling, whatever you wear, you'll still look gorgeous, no costume in the world could change that," he told her as soon she ended the call, before kissing the living daylights out of her.
Just thinking of those few words made her still. No, she had to go through with this. She had to prove to him, once and for all, that she loved all of him, no matter who he was or what he looked like. They had come too far for her to leave any doubt in his mind about that.
She drew in a deep breath as she rounded the corner. Lucifer was in the kitchen, his back to her as he cleaned away the mess left over from last night's pumpkin carving. The fact that he hadn't even been there didn't matter; she'd quickly learned that if she didn't want her boyfriend to tidy up after her at every given opportunity, she needed to do it in advance of his arrival. But there simply hadn't been time, not today, not with work and Trixie and the million other things she had to do, never mind the hours spent with Ella getting ready for this moment.
Hesitantly, she coughed, just loud enough as he could hear her over the song he was crooning alone to. He spun on his heel towards her immediately, a wide grin on his face, the task he'd been in the middle of completely forgotten.
And then he froze.
The colour drained from his skin, and his smile faded so quickly it was as though it had never been there at all. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out other than a small choked off sound. His gaze roamed over her wildly, and when he finally met her eyes, she could see nothing but panic and confusion there.
"Chl—Detective... what…" He shook his head as he staggered back against the kitchen counter, his hands gripping it tightly.
"Why? Why have you done this to yourself?"
The bottom fell out of her world. Suddenly, everything she had prepared in her head, all those grand speeches about how looks didn't matter and how she could still see the real him underneath… they all vanished into thin air, leaving her floundering for something to say.
Lucifer stood silently as he waited, a slight but persistent tremor running through his body, his eyes now fixed on a point just over her shoulder. When she realised that he couldn't even stand to look at her, she cursed herself for ever thinking this was a good idea. She should have known, should have guessed that it would be too much. Should have spoken to Linda, should have spoken to him.
Should have, should have, should have.
But she hadn't.
"Well?" he said after a moment, and she didn't miss the way his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
It was no wonder he was so shocked, not really. It must have been like looking in a mirror for him. The scars she wore marred every part of her skin still on show, even down to the entirety of her head, her hair hidden by the skin cap underneath. Varying shades of red covered every surface, emphasising the irregularities and pockmarks dotted all over her body. Yet despite all that, she knew it still wasn't a picture perfect representation. But it was enough.
Enough for her to know this was a massive error in judgment.
Her brain still reeling, she latched on to the first thing she could think of, the event that started this whole mess in the first place. "I overheard your deal with Trixie," she offered weakly, hoping that was enough of an explanation until she could get her act together.
"Ah," he said with a nod, his eyes flickering to hers briefly. "And this is so you can serve in my stead, I suppose?"
"No!" The exclamation slipped past her lips before she could think about it, and her heart sank to the floor as he flinched. "I just didn't want you to be alone. I… I wanted to support you."
From the look on his face, she really couldn't tell if he believed her.
...
It all started a month ago. She didn't know the whole story, but from what she'd managed to piece together, Maze managed to let it slip to Trixie that Lucifer had another face just like she did. An entire body, in fact. Chloe wasn't exactly sure when her daughter had found out that Maze had another face, but apparently her monkey was enthralled by the idea. So much so, that the last time Lucifer asked to make a deal—a frequent occurrence it seemed, unbeknownst to her—she somehow managed to get him to agree to a blank cheque.
A cheque which Trixie then cashed in, in return for not only his participation in their yearly trick-or-treat run, but that he would wear his other face to do it. It was this conversation Chloe had stumbled upon on her way out of the shower, just shy of being in time to do anything about it before Lucifer gave his word.
She was fairly certain that Trixie had no real idea what she was asking him to do. His attempts to reason with her afterwards fell on deaf ears; chocolate cake, tickets to Disneyland… even cash didn't do the trick. After a while, it became clear he had little other option. The look on his face after Trixie ran back to her room though… it was a look she'd seen before, and it was nothing short of utter despair. She knew what he was thinking. This was Lucifer, after all, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was already convinced he was about to lose her daughter, just like he lost everyone else, as temporary as that may be.
It didn't make a difference to him that Trixie already knew, nor that she had already seen Maze's face. As far as he was concerned, his own was far more terrifying, a punishment for those who truly deserved it, not for an eleven year old child whose curiosity had gotten the better of her. He couldn't see that Trixie's love for him would far outshine any fear she might have as a result of seeing his darker side. It always had, right from the beginning. Even without that though, she suspected her daughter still wouldn't be scared in the slightest.
That's what came of having a demon for a best friend.
She couldn't get Lucifer's reaction out of her head though, and so on tribe night that weekend, it inevitably came up the second Ella went to the bar to get drinks. Maze, of course, suggested she "bone him beforehand" while he wore his Devil face, certain as always that sex was the solution to any problem. Linda wasn't exactly helpful either, although Chloe understood why. Since she started dating Lucifer—before then even—her friendship with Linda had left the therapist stuck between a rock and a hard place, forever in a position where she could no doubt help Chloe with his issues, but unable to do so without also breaking his trust.
And trust wasn't something the Devil gave lightly.
In the end, it was actually Ella who came up with the answer. She rejoined the party at the tail end of the conversation, and heard just enough to get the jist of what they were talking about without connecting the dots to the celestial nature of it all. "Urgh, men," she said, stumbling a little as she almost dropped the tray full of shots down on the table. "They never listen, amirite? Sometimes you practically have to slam it in their faces for them to understand. Show, not tell, y'know?"
Show, not tell. Her words bounced around in Chloe's ever growing intoxicated brain as she swirled her straw around in her empty glass, letting the conversation around her fade into the background. How could she show Lucifer that she understood, and that the people who loved him didn't see him any differently simply because he looked different sometimes.
It wasn't until Ella noticed her silence that it finally dawned on her. "You okay, chica?" Ella asked, sliding across the booth until she was close enough as she could throw an arm around her shoulder and pull Chloe in for a hug.
She looked at her friend gratefully, leaning into her embrace for a moment before drawing away again. And then she asked the question that would kick start her entire plan. "Ella… how much exactly do you know about cosplay?"
Ella's face immediately lit up like a Christmas tree, and Chloe settled herself in for a conversation that would last until LUX shut its doors.
...
As it turned out, when it came to the biggest part of the plan, she had very little to do at all. Her job had mostly involved sourcing the parts of the costume Ella couldn't supply, and the materials she would need on the day itself. Ella, of course, had offered to use what she already had, but as far as Chloe was concerned she was already doing her a big enough favour by giving up her day off to help her out. It was a good job she herself had booked the holiday off months ago, both in preparation of both Halloween activities and having to deal with whatever costume Trixie had decided upon that year.
Unfortunately for her—although perhaps fortunately now, considering the circumstances—Dan ended up having to deal with a bunch of urgent paperwork that night, meaning he couldn't join them for trick-or-treating as planned. To make up for it, he covered this year's activity, managing to squeeze in enough time to take Trixie and her friends to the corn maze on Burbank Boulevard after school. What with that and the fact Maze had taken over and was now in charge of Trixie's costume, it left her with the afternoon free until Dan dropped her off.
The only tasks Ella had left her with were to shave as much body hair off as possible the previous day, and to cover her eyebrows in Vaseline, of all things. Both of which she remembered to do, although she barely had time to finish off the latter thanks to the amount of traffic she had to battle in order to get home from the precinct in time for Ella's arrival. She'd only just about managed to finish wrestling her hair into her skin cap when Ella texted to say she'd arrived, and after that it was a rush to tidy up just a few last things before she opened the door.
After Ella checked with her yet again that she hadn't suffered any reaction from the patch test she insisted Chloe do a few days before, they made the decision that the bathroom was probably the best place to get started. The counter was soon covered in supplies; everything from the liquid latex itself, to an airbrush, paints, and tissues, along with a ton of what looked like disposable brushes, sponges, and q-tips.
"Latex is a bitch to get out of brushes," Ella explained with a shrug. "Same with hair. I tell ya, if you want the best wax job in the world with the maximum amount of pain, latex is the way to go."
To her surprise, Chloe actually found the application process quite relaxing; she basically just had to hold still while Ella worked, turning this way and that to allow her friend access to whichever area she needed to deal with next. The repetitive process was almost soothing; first Ella would apply the latex, then form the scars and pits in her 'skin' with tissue, followed by more layers of latex and tissue when needed. The worst part was how the mixture tightened as it dried, but it was a sensation she soon grew used to. Unlike the smell, which wasn't exactly great either.
Still, it wasn't often she got to sit and do nothing, and so she treasured being able to do exactly that for a few hours, even if perching on the edge of the bathtub got a bit uncomfortable at times. She and Ella swapped positions between there and the toilet seat quite regularly, occasionally using the drying time between the layers of latex to stretch their legs around the apartment. Eventually, Ella had a texture she was happy with, and then it was on to the painting.
Naturally, Chloe hadn't exactly been able to take a photo of Lucifer in his Devil form, so she'd had to rely on pictures sourced from various horror movies and VFX artists. It made her feel guilty in a way, having to search for monsters in order to point Ella in the right direction, but it was clear from her first attempt that a simple description wasn't going to cut it. Strangely enough, Ella didn't actually comment on her choice of costume all that much, other than to commend Chloe on her bravery for choosing to go with some, "Freaky ass shit."
Apparently, she didn't know she had it in her.
Surprisingly, Ella was actually keeping tight-lipped about her costume until the party at LUX tonight, which meant she almost certainly wasn't going to be wearing the, "Worst Halloween Costume Ever" t-shirt she'd arrived in. Chloe had taken a few guesses, but her knowledge of the kind of geeky options her friend might go for was limited, and it didn't take long before she gave up.
By the time they were done, there were only a couple of hours left before Trixie would be due home. Ella spent the last of their time together working on finishing touches. The latex around her upper chest gradually gave way to a sole layer of body paint, which Ella then left with her after Chloe mentioned wanting to add some finishing touches of her own. Given that only her breasts and lower body were left unexposed at that point, she got a proper eyebrow waggle in return for that one. Truth be told, Chloe wasn't entirely sure she'd even get to show off her handiwork, but she wanted to be prepared regardless.
She had very little idea how the night was going to go, that was for sure.
...
But now she knows.
Less than two hours later and here she was, faced with having quite clearly upset her boyfriend, and with very little idea what to do about it. He still looked stunned, but whether that was solely down to her costume, or the fact she'd gone to such lengths to support him, she had no idea. Either way, she'd just about decided to call Ella back to help her take all of this off when Lucifer finally spoke again.
"Thank you, Detective," he said, far too stiffly for her liking. His eyes glanced over her form once more. "But there was really no need. I have the situation handled."
"You do?" she asked as she took a single step forward. To her dismay, he slid a little further down the counter away from her in response.
He swallowed heavily. "Indeed. I have a chocolate cake in the car unlike any the urchin has ever seen."
She sighed before giving him a sympathetic smile. "You know that's not going to work, right? Dan tried it the other day with her absolute favorite. Even cash isn't doing the trick these days. She's nearly a teenager; she can be pretty stubborn when she needs to be."
"Just like her mother," she heard him grumble, but this time, for once, she decided to let him get away with it. After all, she was the one in the wrong here.
There was a pause, and then… "I can't do it, Chloe," he said out of nowhere, the words leaving his mouth so quickly that it was as though he had to force himself to say it before he lost his nerve. "She'll be afraid of me. They all will. They're children."
She moved forward again, and this time, he let her. When she took his hands in hers, she felt him shudder slightly at the feel of it as he instinctively ran his thumbs over her new 'skin'. "No, she won't, Lucifer," she reassured as she looked up into his panicked eyes. "They won't. It's Halloween; you won't be the biggest or the baddest out there by far."
A genuine flicker of annoyance flashed across his face at her remark, and it took everything she had to stop herself from laughing. Trust her boyfriend to be simultaneously worried about terrifying people, whilst also bemoaning the fact that he might not be the most terrifying thing the population of LA's suburbs would see that evening.
A thought occurred to her then, and she immediately decided to take a chance on it. "Of course, I totally understand if you're also worried that my costume might be scarier."
He bristled, and she had to hide a smile. Nobody could ever say she didn't know her partner well. Several conflicting emotions crossed his face, until he finally settled on one in particular.
Pride.
"I think you'll find, Detective"—he let go of her hands, his own rising to undo the first button under his open collar—" that there is nobody scarier than the Devil. Especially a five foot six inch tall human wearing a dress." Yet again, his eyes swept over her, lingering on the way the silk hugged her breasts. "As stunning as that dress may be," he said with a smirk.
He sidled out from his position against the counter, continuing to work on his buttons as he went. Once he was standing in front of the stairs, he threw his shirt onto the sofa, his former aversion completely forgotten in the wake of her challenge. "Do you really think you're more terrifying than this?"
And then he changed.
She wasn't sure she would ever truly get used to it. A sight like this just wasn't meant for human eyes, in the same way the feathered wings just weren't supposed to unfold on someone's back as though out of thin air. Except, of course, there were no feathers here to be found. Lucifer's bat-like leathered wing had exploded out of his back the second he allowed his more monstrous side to come forth, filling the space between the sofa and her kitchen island in an instant. He even threw in a roar for effect that she would no doubt have to explain to her very concerned neighbours late on.
Humanity might accuse the Devil of many things, but not being a drama queen would certainly never be one of them.
She didn't know exactly what he expected her reaction to be, but she was pretty damn he wasn't expecting her to just shrug. "You haven't seen me after Trixie ate the last of the ice cream."
Once upon a time, if someone had told her she would one day deal a crushing blow to the ego of the Devil himself, she wouldn't have believed them. And yet here she was, watching Lucifer deflate before her eyes. Unfortunately though, before she even got the chance to tease him about it, there was a knock at the door.
"It's open!" she called out without really thinking, as she rounded the counter and walked into the kitchen for some much needed coffee before the evening's activities began. Coffee which would have perhaps been better consumed beforehand, given that it didn't even cross her mind that it could indeed be a neighbour investigating the noise, and that Lucifer had yet to turn back into his human form.
Something that apparently hadn't occurred to Lucifer either. Luckily for them both though, it wasn't a neighbour at all.
"Daniel! Good of you to join us," she heard Lucifer exclaim as she busied herself at the coffee machine. She turned to see Dan standing in the doorway, his jaw practically on the floor as he stared at the Devil in her apartment. It was only then that she remembered her ex had only ever seen Lucifer's face before, not the full beast of revelation that stood before him. The sight, as she well knew, was something that could reach a previously unknown, even primal level of fear inside someone, and she found herself desperately trying to think of a way to snap Dan out of it.
But she needn't have bothered. After just a few seconds, Dan's mouth snapped shut, and then he was marching into the room, his finger pointed at Lucifer. "Dude. No. You are not wearing that around my daughter."
"Wearing—" Lucifer said incredulously. "Daniel, I'm not wearing anything. This isn't a costume." He shook his head, and then to her horror, nodded at her instead. "That's a costume."
"Chloe…" Dan started, but when he looked in her direction, he quite literally stumbled backwards away from them both. "Jesus, Chlo', what the hell?"
"Bit of an oxymoron," she heard Lucifer mutter, before she shot him a look that had him falling silent immediately.
"Dan, it's not Lucifer's fault," she said, abandoning her coffee and coming to stand beside her partner. "Trixie, she..."
Whatever she was about to say died in her throat as her daughter ran into the apartment right on cue, pushing her way past her father with ease before skidding to a halt right in front of Chloe. "Mom, you look awesome," she said with delight, a bright wide smile upon her face. "And—" She turned to Lucifer, and froze.
Devil face or not, she didn't think she'd ever seen Lucifer look so afraid. He backed away from Trixie until his legs collided with the foot of the stairs, his wings retracting as he went. "Spawn," he croaked out, his hand coming up the wall as though he needed to steady himself. "I…"
Trixie suddenly sighed, before looking at Lucifer the same way she did at Chloe whenever she tried to sneak something healthy into her lunchbox. "Maze's face is cooler," she announced, before casually strolling into the kitchen to grab a bat-shaped cookie from the counter, and retreating into her bedroom.
If the face of the Devil could blue-screen, then that's exactly what happened to Lucifer in that moment. Even Dan looked shocked, and for a good minute or so, the three of them stood there in silence. Eventually, Dan frowned, and shook his head before finally breaking the silence. "I better," he said, gesturing towards the door. "Yeah. I'll—"
"We'll drop Trixie off when we're done," she replied distractedly, unable to take her eyes off Lucifer, who had now collapsed and was sitting on the stairs.
"Good. That's good." A few seconds later, she heard the door click as Dan closed it behind him.
"Hey, are you okay?" she said, lowering herself to her knees in front of Lucifer, despite the latex pulling at her skin as she did so. "Trixie, she…"
"I can't believe it," Lucifer said, lowering his head and running his ruined hands over the top of his scalp.
She put a hand on his knee. "I know, it's a lot to take in. But like I told you—"
"I can't believe she thinks Maze's face is better than mine?!"
He stood abruptly, his wings spreading out behind him again as he started to pace back and forth between where she was crouched and the front door. She winced at the sound of a plate crashing to the floor as he caught the cupboards over the breakfast bar with his wings.
"She doesn't even have a full face!" he continued, so caught up in his rant that he didn't even notice her settling into his former place on the stairs. It was obvious they might be here for quite a while. "And what about the wings? Demons don't have wings. They don't even have—"
"Egos the size of the sun?"
A voice they both knew all too well came from behind him, and Lucifer whirled around to face it, nearly taking out another batch of glasses in the process. She made a mental note for a new house rule; no wings indoors. She'd add it next to the list on the fridge as soon has she had the chance, right next to knives, sex swings, and pot brownies. That last one being directed at both the demon and Devil in front of her.
Maze marched past Lucifer, two bin bags clutched in her hands, which she unceremoniously dumped outside of Trixie's room. Ignoring Lucifer's outrage entirely, she nodded at Chloe, before raising her eyes in the direction of upstairs. "Ready to get the rest of this show on the road?" she asked, her hand on her hip as she waited impatiently.
"Sure," Chloe said with a smile, grateful for the assistance, as reluctantly given as it may be. Lucifer looked at her curiously from behind Maze, his ire temporarily forgotten in the wake of this new revelation.
"There's more?" he said, both trepidation and curiosity shining in those fiery eyes of his. The latter gave her hope; his reaction to her costume thankfully no longer seemed to be complete aversion, which made her think that maybe, just maybe, some of what she had planned for the evening might just work out after all.
"Perhaps," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips. "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"