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“Stand back detective, I am about to blow this game clean out of the water.” Lucifer rolled up his sleeves as he paid the worker.
They were on a date at the LA end of summer carnival, and Lucifer was insisting on playing the hammer game to win her an oversized stuffed animal, although she was sure he was just doing this to show off.
“Lucifer, I told you I don’t need a stuffed animal.” She insisted, worried he’d break the thing with his celestial strength.
He looked over at her, “Then give it to the child, but I want to impress you and prove to everybody that I have the mightiest swing in Los Angeles.” He smiled all cute and she couldn’t even pretend to be mad at him.
So she sighed and stood back as he seized the hammer in his hands, a smile on his face as he stared up at his opposition, the stupid bell.
“You’re going to need a new one when I’m done with it.” He told the worker, adjusting his stance and grip on the hammer, pausing to make sure Chloe was watching before lifting it over his head and swinging it down hard on the pressure plate.
Chloe took a step back, expecting him to knock the bell clean off, but to the surprise of her and Lucifer, the meter only went up halfway, not even touching the bell.
The worker laughed at Lucifer, “Better luck next time big guy.” And took the hammer from him.
Lucifer just stared in shock, “I-I don’t understand.”
Chloe saw the look on his face and walked over to him, gently taking his arm, “It’s okay Lucifer it’s just a silly game.” She insisted, “I didn’t want a stuffed animal anyway.”
But it wasn’t about that, Lucifer’s pride was hurt and that was something he cared about a lot.
He ignored her and tapped the worker on the shoulder, handing him another bill, “Again.” He insisted, eyes determined.
Chloe sighed, knowing it would be even worse if he failed twice, but the worker was happy to take his money.
“Sure.” He handed the hammer back to Lucifer who narrowed his eyes, turned back to the bell, adjusted his grip again, stretched then brought the hammer up, and slammed it back down on the plate again.
But this time it didn’t even reach the mid-point.
“Better luck next time.” The worker replied snarkily, taking the hammer, “Now step aside, someone else wants a turn.”
Lucifer stepped aside silently, eyes downcast, shoulders sunken.
Chloe put an arm around him, “Lucifer these things are rigged, don’t take it personally.” She tried to reassure him.
But as she said that she heard a ding, and looked up to see the next player, a kid who couldn’t have been more than 12, cheering and holding the hammer above his head.
“We have a winner!”
Lucifer narrowed his eyes, “Unbelievable.” And he suddenly marched off.
“Lucifer!” Chloe watched him go and headed after him but first while the worker was grabbing the prize for the boy, she took a peak behind the podium the worker had been stood at, and her eyes widened as she saw a control panel that seemed to determine how sensitive the pressure plate was.
That explained how somebody with celestial strength could somehow lose if the sensitivity was turned very low or even off; the guy had clearly not liked Lucifer the minute he’d approached the game, so he’d tried to show him up.
With this new knowledge in mind, she hurried after Lucifer, “Lucifer wait!”
She caught up to him as he’d stopped by some of the food stands after hearing her call to him, but he was clearly still pouting.
“Lucifer-“she panted, stopping beside him and catching her breath, “Listen, I know you’re upset but-“
“I’m not upset, detective, I’m humiliated.” He muttered, staring down and kicking at a loose rock, “I wanted to show off to you, to be like a normal boyfriend give you a stupid bear but I can’t even do that.”
It seemed this was definitely a self confidence thing.
Lucifer was doing much better in the self love department, but sometimes he still got down about himself, and it seemed this had triggered that self hatred that sadly still resided inside him.
Chloe put a hand on his arm, rubbing softly, “Baby, listen to me. You don’t need to get me a stupid bear to prove that you’re worthy of me, or that you’re strong or anything like that. I love you for you, okay? And that thing was rigged anyway, if it wasn’t you’d have split it clean in half I’m certain.”
He sighed and finally looked at her, still seeming uncertain, “You’re just assuming it’s rigged. That urchin seemed to do just fine.”
“I’m not assuming, I know. I saw the control panel behind the podium the worker was at. He adjusts the sensitivity of the panel you hit, so I bet he turned it all the way down or even off for you. So no matter your strength or skill, it wouldn’t work.”
She saw a lightbulb go on in the back of his mind, and his expression relaxed, “I see…bloody con artists.”
Chloe smiled, relieved he’d turned the blame from himself to the actual responsible party, “Exactly. Now how about a snack to cheer you up hm?” she tapped his stomach with a smirk as it grumbled, “I think a certain devil is hungry.”
Finally she got him smiling again and he nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “The smells they’re making me ravenous.” He chuckled, “I never thought I’d be so attracted to greasy, fried carnival food but it smells bloody delicious.”
That made Chloe chuckle too, gladly putting an arm back around him too, although she couldn’t reach all the way around him since he was so big, “It’s addicting you’ve got that right.”
They took a little break and ate some horrendously greasy food, and by the end Lucifer was back to his happy, goofy self, making melted cheese hang out of his mouth like an idiot to make her laugh.
Afterwards, she spotted a game that caught her eye, “I want a try at the games.” She said, tugging him over to the shooting range occupied mostly by burly men who eyed her curiously.
She handed over the $5, “One please.”
The worker looked to Lucifer and went to hand the gun to him.
“Oh no, I want a turn.” Chloe insisted with a fake smile, trying to hide the annoyance she felt at the mild misogyny from the worker, but she was about to prove to all these idiots that she was just as good as them.
“This one is hard sweetheart, don’t be discouraged if you don’t win.” One of the spectators commented.
Chloe saw Lucifer frown and open his mouth to defend her but she shook her head with an ‘I’ve got this’ look, “Oh thanks for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind.” She replied sarcastically to the guy, but he didn’t seem to realize she was being sarcastic.
She looked the rifle over, and got it comfortable in her hands, eyeing the cans lined up to be shot, half of which were on a moving platform.
But that was no match for Chloe’s keen eye. She shot every single can clean off the platforms, leaving a stunned silence that made her grin, “Yeah you’re right that was hard.” She commented to the guy who had talked down to her earlier who now just frowned and walked away.
Lucifer however was pleased as ever for his girlfriend to show up all those idiots, “Well done detective! I knew you’d get them all.” He praised her, kissing her cheek.
Chloe’s smile changed as she looked at Lucifer, becoming softer, more loving, “Thanks. It felt good to show up those jerks.”
“I bet.”
The worker cleared his throat and Chloe realized she hadn’t handed the gun back yet, “Um choose your prize Ma’am. Anything you like.”
She handed the gun back and eyed the prizes hung up, “Hmm-“she glanced at Lucifer briefly, “That one.” She pointed to the big stuffed shark.
He got it down for her, and when she was handed it, she handed it right on to Lucifer with a smile, “Here babe.”
Lucifer looked surprised as he was handed the thing, “For me?”
She nodded, still smiling, “My boyfriend does love sharks.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek as they walked away.
He still seemed surprised but a smile formed over his face as he settled the toy under one arm and put the other around Chloe, “Well, thank you. I thought I’d be the one winning you prizes but I should have remembered that my girl is much more talented than me.”
“You know it.”
They had a great rest of their day, and Lucifer insisted on taking his new shark, named ‘Bruce’ everywhere even on the rides.
And when they got home it took pride of place beside his bed, only after trying to put it on the bed and Chloe insisting there wasn’t enough room for two humans and a shark.
It had been a perfect day that neither of them were soon to forget.