AN: Slightly shorter than usual. Next one will be bigger.
--
[10 minutes later]
The soft mechanical hum of the elevator echoed through the penthouse before the doors slid open.
Maze stepped out wearing her usual black leather outfit that looked sharp enough to start fights purely on principle. Her dark eyes immediately swept across the room with the alertness of a predator checking territory before settling on Lucifer standing near the balcony.
“I saw the girls leave,” she said while walking toward the bar area. “You didn’t fuck them? Or are you finally losing your edge?”
Lucifer let out a short laugh and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the shelf behind him. “Haha, very funny, Maze. Yes, we didn’t have sex. And no, I haven’t lost my edge.”
Maze narrowed her eyes slightly while watching him pour himself a glass.
Something felt different.
She could not immediately explain what exactly had changed, which annoyed her because Maze noticed everything about Lucifer. His posture looked the same. His voice sounded the same. The smug confidence still sat naturally in every movement he made. Yet something beneath the surface felt... calmer somehow.
Like a storm pretending to be relaxed.
Lucifer noticed her staring almost immediately and smirked faintly before taking a sip from the glass.
“Ah,” he said casually. “I see you’ve noticed the difference.”
Maze folded her arms across her chest while leaning lightly against the piano nearby. “Something happened?”
Lucifer glanced toward the skyline outside the balcony for a brief second before looking back at her again.
“Why, yes,” he replied smoothly. “Dad and I had a little conversation. Not exactly a talk-talk situation, mind you, but he gave enough signs.” A small grin tugged at his mouth afterward. “And rather surprisingly, he doesn’t seem interested in sending me back to Hell anytime soon.”
Maze’s expression changed instantly.
“What?”
The disappointment in her voice came fast and sharp enough that Lucifer almost laughed again. Of course, that would be the part she cared about most. She wants to go back to hell as fast as possible and continue having her usual fun of torturing souls and having sex.
He gave her an apologetic little nod while swirling the whiskey lazily around inside the glass.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Maze.”
Maze pushed herself away from the piano with visible irritation. “You’re joking.”
“You know, I don't lie,” Lucifer replied before taking a sip.
Maze continued staring at him suspiciously while slowly walking closer. “What signs?”
Lucifer’s smile thinned slightly.
That question carried more weight than she realized.
Because technically, he was not even lying. God had absolutely thrown him into this situation with all the subtlety of a cosmic accident.
Lucifer walked toward Maze. He stopped before her and looked into her eyes. "You'll know soon enough." Then he leaned closer toward her neck. She smelled great, and her natural aura was intoxicating. He kissed just below her left ear before whispering, "By the way, keep your schedule free tonight."
He pulled back and walked toward the balcony again.
Maze stayed completely still for half a second after Lucifer walked past her.
That tiny kiss beneath her ear lingered like heat against her skin, and the quiet whisper in her ear hit harder than she wanted to admit. Her pulse kicked up immediately while old memories stirred inside her chest with dangerous speed.
Years.
It had been years since Lucifer looked at her like that.
Usually, he flirted because flirting was practically his default breathing pattern. He teased waitresses, actresses, bartenders, lawyers, random strangers, and people who came for favors. Maze never took most of it seriously anymore because Lucifer treated seduction like a hobby mixed with competitive sport.
But that right there?
That felt personal.
And Maze knew the difference better than anyone.
Her eyes followed him carefully while he walked back toward the balcony with his whiskey glass, looking perfectly relaxed. The robe hung loosely around his body while damp strands of dark hair rested naturally against his forehead, and for one deeply annoying moment, Maze found herself remembering exactly why humans invented terrible poetry.
Well, there went her evening plans.
She had already arranged a threesome tonight with two singers from Lux after their performance set ended. One blonde and the other redhead. Both are gorgeous, and they are into some hardcore shits.
Sadly for them, Lucifer had just accidentally hijacked her entire schedule with a single sentence and one stupidly effective kiss.
Maze narrowed her eyes slightly.
Lucifer lifted the whiskey toward his lips again while pretending not to notice her staring, though the smug little curve threatening the corner of his mouth gave him away immediately. He knew exactly what he had done.
That arrogant bastard.
Maze shook her head once before turning toward the elevator without saying another word. There was no point continuing this conversation because if she stayed another minute, she might actually pin him against the balcony railing and fuck him, but that'd ruin the night fun and the new attention thing. So, she decided to leave.
The elevator doors slid open.
She stepped inside, though her mind was significantly less calm than her expression suggested.
“Tonight,” she muttered quietly to herself while pressing the button.
The doors closed.
A few seconds later, silence settled across the penthouse again, except for distant city noise drifting through the open balcony doors.
Lucifer waited until the elevator fully disappeared before finally exhaling hard enough to empty his lungs.
“Fuck,” he muttered while rubbing both hands across his face. “That was close.”
Because that had almost gone catastrophically wrong.
...
After breakfast, Lucifer decided to test his powers. Even though he knew all about his powers, he still wanted to make sure that everything was working fine. He walked toward the bar and opened one of the drawers beneath the counter. Several expensive knives rested neatly inside beside bar tools and polished silver accessories that looked far too fancy for stabbing things.
He grabbed one casually and turned it once in his hand.
“Well,” he muttered, “suppose there’s only one way to test invulnerability.”
Lucifer pressed the blade against his palm and dragged it downward.
Nothing happened.
The knife scraped harmlessly across his skin without leaving even the faintest mark behind. Lucifer blinked once before looking down at his hand again.
“Huh.”
He tried harder.
Still nothing.
The blade bent slightly instead.
Lucifer stared at the warped knife for several long seconds before laughing under his breath.
“Okay, I'm invincible.”
His brain still expected pain. Twenty-seven years of being painfully human did not disappear overnight. Karl had spent most of his old life getting injured by stupid things. Burn your hand on cheap fryer oil. Pull a muscle carrying heavy boxes. Get blisters from walking too much because the bus fare suddenly became financial warfare.
Meanwhile, Lucifer Morningstar apparently treated knives like decorative suggestions.
Lucifer tossed the bent blade back onto the counter before turning toward the fireplace nearby. A thick iron fire poker rested beside it.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Oh, now we’re talking.”
He walked over and grabbed the iron rod with one hand. The metal felt heavy for about half a second before his body adjusted automatically.
Lucifer tightened his grip.
The iron bent instantly.
His eyebrows shot upward while the metal groaned loudly between his fingers. He applied more pressure instinctively and watched the fire poker slowly fold inward like soft clay until it compressed into a rough ball of twisted iron.
Lucifer stared at it.
Then he burst out laughing.
“HAHAHA! Bloody hell!”
He tossed the crushed metal upward once before catching it easily.
“This is amazing.”
The excitement bubbling through him felt dangerously genuine now. Years of exhaustion and weak human limitations had wired Karl into expecting effort behind everything physical. Heavy objects stayed heavy. Stairs became enemies after long shifts. Carrying groceries too far could somehow evolve into a full-body crisis.
Now he has turned an iron bar into a stress ball.
Lucifer rolled the twisted metal between his fingers thoughtfully before another idea surfaced inside his head.
'Speed.'
The moment the thought appeared, something inside him responded naturally. It did not feel like learning. It felt more like remembering how to use a limb that had fallen asleep.
Lucifer looked toward the piano across the penthouse and focused.
The world blurred instantly.
For the briefest moment, everything stretched strangely around him before snapping back into focus.
Lucifer almost tripped when he noticed he was no longer next to the fireplace. Now, he stood by the piano. His eyes widened. “What the hell?!” He turned quickly to look at the fireplace across the room.
Adrenaline slammed into his chest hard enough to make him grin like a lunatic.
“Oh, this is dope.”
He focused again.
Another blur swallowed the room.
This time, he appeared beside the balcony. Then, near the kitchen counter. Finally, he appeared directly beside the bed.
Each movement happened instantly with barely any effort involved. His body reacted faster than thought itself while space folded around him smoothly enough to make reality feel optional.
Lucifer stopped near the center of the penthouse while breathing slightly harder now.
“Okay,” he said while pointing at absolutely nobody. “This officially changes everything.”
Because surviving problems became significantly easier when you could apparently blink around like an overpowered supernatural crackhead with daddy issues.
Lucifer looked at his hands as excitement built in his chest. The powers were real. This might have been the coolest thing Karl Jenson had ever experienced in both of his lives.
'Alright, time to go out for a drive and look around the city like a rich man. Then at night save Delilah, meet Chloe, have sex with Maze, then the next day help Chloe uncover the truth, meet Linda, and then at the end of the day fuck up Jimmy Barnes. Oh, I almost forgot that brother of mine is gonna pay a visit tonight. Oh, well, whatever.'