betterthanaplan | Lucifer's mansion, Wednesday evening

It was Wednesday, and Duke had spent the day primarily at the mansion, talking to an architect and an engineer about were and how to get an indoor pool with plenty of natural light into the building's basement.

Now he was in the kitchen, cooking up a nice, simple shrimp scampi, dressed up with the inclusion of fresh pasta. It was one of his first forays into making his own pasta, and while the noodles were definitely a bit on the uneven side, he was pleased with the results.

Now all he needed was his boyfriend, and Date Night could get properly underway!

[for him as is mentioned]

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From:

betterthanaplan

Duke squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh god. Yeah, I screwed or up. I’m aware.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"I'm not bringing it up to yell at you, darling," Lucifer said gently. "Merely trying to see if I can help."

He scooped up a bite of food. "How do you feel about it?"

From:

betterthanaplan

“About just. Trying to rush her into a kink she’s not comfortable with with me? Oh, just awesome.”

Duke let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair.

“And then of course I got all defensive and just made it worse.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"You do have a tendency to do that," Lucifer allowed, sipping his wine. "I get the impression that perhaps you were excited about discovering something in yourself and wanted to include her?"

From:

betterthanaplan

“Without really giving her time to tell me she’s not into it,” Duke agreed. “If it helps, I talked to a therapist about this.”

A new one he was breaking in. Wheeeeeeeee.

From:

my_own_advocate

"And how did that go?"

Lucifer took another bite.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke shrugged. “Fine. Therapist had some suggestions about what kind of conversations Tavi and I could have.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Well, if it helps," Lucifer said, studying his face, "I think 'not into it' may be a simplification that you jumped to."

From:

betterthanaplan

“I’m not — that was a paraphrase.” Duke tilted his head back, looking at the ceiling. “I complicated the situation ages ago. And . . . never got around to cleaning up that mess.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"It's therapeutic for her, too," Lucifer said. He picked up his glass of wine and gestured vaguely towards the stairs. "The kinky sex, I mean. It helps her open up and explore feelings she fears judgment about. And, well..."

He didn't really need to finish that thought, did he?

From:

betterthanaplan

“And I haven’t exactly been the least judgmental,” Duke said. “Yeah.”

He picked his head up. “Hey, I’m not — like, I don’t think I asked. You’re good with what you and I are doing, right? I’m not using you?”

Octavia saying that he had Lucifer who would do anything. . . . Duke’s intrusive thoughts had a hay day with that.

From:

my_own_advocate

... Well, that was a way to knock him off his stride. Lucifer blinked. "How on earth would you be using me?" he said.

From:

betterthanaplan

“I don’t know!” Duke said. “But I didn’t realize I was cutting what Octavia wanted out of the conversation either.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"There is a very large difference between a single conversation in which you got a touch too enthusiastic and Octavia told you to stop," Lucifer said, bringing his wine glass back to his mouth, "And my extremely enthusiastic consent over several date nights including suggestions and diagrams, love."

He took a sip.

"My therapeutic needs are all outside of the bedroom," he said. "Inside, I am very happy to be indulging your every desire."

Beat.

"As evidenced by all the erections."

What? It was a necessary addendum!

From:

betterthanaplan

“Okay.” Duke nodded firmly. “Okay! Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

He let out a somewhat shaky laugh.

“My brain is being dumb. Still. So . . . sometimes I gotta check.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Checking is good," Lucifer said. "As is asking Octavia what she'd like to do, because I do think she wants to fix this, so we can be one big happy kinky family."

He drained the last of the wine from his glass and reached for the bottle.

"As for us, I am just very happy to be able to help you explore something that seems to leave you happy and unburdened. While naked."

From:

betterthanaplan

“I think — did she —“ Duke shook his head, pausing to try to get his words right. “Um. We kind of touched on some other stuff. About, um. Feeling safe. Did she talk about that at all?”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Not... specifically," Lucifer said, tilting his head.

From:

betterthanaplan

“I, uh. Don’t. Most of the time,” Duke said, not looking at Lucifer but into a middle distance. “I never really noticed before, because like. That was just how life was. But when we. When you have me tied up. I do. Feel safe I mean. In a way I haven’t felt before. I tried to explain that to her, the feeling safe thing. And she thought I was saying that she didn’t feel safe just being with me, which wasn’t what I meant. . . .”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Sounds like your average patented Cape Rouge crew conversational confusion," Lucifer said (not in small part because he just liked alliterating), but then he reached across the table, putting his hand down palm side up.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke took it and gave it a squeeze.

“We are very good at talking around each other. Or . . . I am, anyway. You two seem to communicate fine.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Well, Octavia and I are no longer being traumatized by our own lives twice a year," Lucifer said. "So we've had enough time to be properly therapized and processed."

He gave Duke's hand a squeeze.

"But you're making steps," he said. "And I am-- very-- glad I can make you feel safe."

From:

betterthanaplan

“I’m definitely trying,” Duke said. “I wanted to know what made her feel like that. I’m pretty sure I don’t, anymore. If I ever did.”

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer took a bite of food and swallowed, pondering how much he could say. How much he should say.

"When I am with her on our date nights, it usually comes down to power," he said finally. "Who has it. And who comes to heel."

He picked up his glass of wine. "That involves some feelings of safety for her, I think. Very different ones, depending on the dynamic. Much like there are certain forms of safety she feels around you. Because, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but it isn't always about sex and how you have sex with her."