The neon lights of Paradise City's bustling arcade district painted the night in a rainbow of colors. Lucifer and Ezra walked side by side, their shoulders occasionally brushing in a way that sent little jolts of electricity through Lucifer's system.
They'd spent the afternoon setting up Ezra's new apartment, and now, in a moment of what Lucifer could only describe as temporary insanity, she'd agreed to his suggestion of a "normal teenage outing."
"I still can't believe you've never been to an arcade before," Lucifer said, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "What kind of deprived childhood did the Crimson Oath give you?"
Ezra's expression remained neutral, but Lucifer caught the slight tightening around her eyes. "My training didn't leave much room for... recreational activities."
Lucifer felt a pang of guilt. Sometimes he forgot just how different their backgrounds were. "Well," he said, forcing a cheerful tone, "we're about to rectify that grievous oversight. Prepare yourself for the mind-blowing excitement of flashing lights and mildly addictive gameplay!"
As they entered the nearest arcade, Ezra's eyes widened slightly at the cacophony of sounds and the dizzying array of games. Lucifer couldn't help but grin at her bewildered expression.
"Okay, where to start?" he mused, looking around. His eyes landed on a row of crane games, and his grin widened. "Perfect! Nothing says 'arcade experience' like wasting money on rigged games of chance."
He led Ezra to one of the machines, which was filled with an assortment of colorful plush toys. "The goal," he explained, "is to use this claw to grab one of the prizes and drop it into the chute. It's basically impossible, but that's part of the fun."
Ezra frowned, studying the machine with intense concentration. "The claw's grip strength appears insufficient for the task. And the placement of the prizes suggests deliberate obstruction. This game seems... inefficient."
Lucifer laughed. "That's kind of the point. It's not about efficiency, it's about the thrill of maybe, possibly, against all odds, actually winning something."
He fed some coins into the machine and took control of the joystick. As he maneuvered the claw over a particularly cute cat plushie ("Snickerdoodle," according to its tag), he felt Ezra lean in close, watching his every move with rapt attention.
The claw descended, closed around the cat's head, and... slipped off at the last second.
"See?" Lucifer said, trying not to focus on how close Ezra was standing, her boobs pressed against him and all that. "Perfectly frustrating."
Ezra's eyes narrowed. "Let me try."
For the next twenty minutes, Lucifer watched in amazement as Ezra approached the crane game with the same intensity she brought to demon-slaying. She analyzed angles, calculated trajectories, and muttered what sounded suspiciously like complex physics equations under her breath.
On her seventh attempt, the claw finally closed around the cat plushie and lifted it successfully. Ezra's face lit up with a genuine smile – a rare and beautiful sight that made Lucifer smile back.
As the cat dropped into the prize chute, Ezra turned to Lucifer, her eyes shining with triumph. "I did it!"
"You sure did," Lucifer said, grinning. "I think you might have found your true calling. Forget demon-hunting, you could make a fortune as a professional crane game player."
Ezra rolled her eyes, but her smile didn't fade as she clutched the plushie to her ample chest. For a moment, she looked exactly like what she was supposed to be – a normal teenage girl, enjoying a night out with... a friend? Something more? Lucifer wasn't sure how to define their relationship anymore.
However, their moment of normalcy was shattered by a familiar voice behind them. "Well, well. What do we have here?"
They turned to find Margot Chadwick standing there, her gothic lolita outfit somehow even more elaborate than usual. Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she took in the scene.
"Ms. Chadwick," Ezra said, immediately straightening her posture. "We were just..."
"Engaging in some much-needed stress relief and team bonding?" Margot supplied, her lips curving into a knowing smirk. "How delightfully mundane of you."
Lucifer felt his face heat up. "Is there a law against apocalypse-prevention teams taking a night off?" he asked, aiming for casual and probably landing closer to defensive.
Margot's expression turned serious. "As a matter of fact, there might be. We have a situation developing. I was on my way to find you when I spotted your little arcade adventure."
Before she could elaborate, a series of explosions rocked the building. The lights flickered, and screams erupted from the panicked crowd.
"What the hell?" Lucifer shouted over the noise.
Margot's eyes glowed slightly. "Demonic incursion. A big one. Looks like our friends on the other side got tired of waiting for an invitation."
Ezra was already reaching for her ever-present bladeless hilt, her earlier joy replaced by grim determination. "Where? How many?"
"Multiple points across the city," Margot said, pulling what looked like a high-tech taser from somewhere in the folds of her dress. "This is just the beginning. We need to contain this before it spreads."
Lucifer his felt power, which was stating to strangely take a tinge of blue instead than white, surging through him, his earlier levity burned away by the flames of his true nature. "So much for our night off, huh?" he said to Ezra, managing a wry smile.
She nodded, her face set in determination. But as she turned to follow Margot out of the arcade, Lucifer noticed she was still clutching the cat plushie tightly to her chest.
They burst out onto the street to find chaos. People were running in all directions, screaming about monsters and demons. In the distance, pillars of unnatural fire rose into the night sky.
"Lucifer," Margot barked, "I need you to focus on closing any portals you find. Your power is our best shot at sealing the breaches. Ezra, you're on crowd control and minor demon disposal. I'll coordinate with the City Guard and try to contain the spread. This is big, but nothing we can't handle on our one, so there won't be backup from the Crimson Oath."
As they prepared to split up, Lucifer caught Ezra's eye. For a moment, neither of them spoke. There was so much he wanted to say – be careful, stay safe, I'll find you when this is over. But all that came out was, "Hey, try not to get your new friend dirty, okay?" He nodded at the cat plushie she was still holding.
Ezra's lips twitched in what might have been a smile. "I'll do my best. You... don't do anything stupid, alright?"
"Me? Never," Lucifer grinned. Then, on impulse, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "For luck," he said, before turning and sprinting towards the nearest column of demonic fire.
As he ran, power crackling at his fingertips and the sounds of battle erupting around him, Lucifer couldn't help but laugh. "Haha!! Hahaha!! Hahahaha!!!!"
This was his life now – crane games and catastrophes, plush toys and portals to hell. It was chaos, it was madness, and yet...
He'd never felt more alive.
With a whoop of exhilaration, Lucifer leapt into the fray, his face transforming into a hardened crimson, cheekbones sharpened to cruel points, stretching his face into an devilish mask.
From his forehead, two obsidian horns erupted, curling back over his skull like polished scimitars. His mouth widened, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth that glinted in the fading light.
But it was his eyes that truly captured the essence of terror. They blazed with hell itself, molten gold with vertical pupils that contracted to thin slits.
"You ugly bastards would regret interrupting my dateee!" His voice boomed.
***