The Girl In The Handcuffs

A Closer Look

Lucifer peered up at the tall building you were leading him to the back of. It was close to Lux, in fact he walked past it quite frequently most days. A nice but affordable apartment building, rent kept low by that one random occupant who occasionally fired off a gun on the roof into the sky every few months or so. There were also a few low level criminals inhabiting the nice brick building.

An oddly fitting home for you to have. Really, he shouldn't have been surprised you lived there. Yet he was, simply for the fact he didn't assume you had another place, or rather that your other home wasn't even your actual home to begin with.

"This is where you actually live, then?"

You hummed a small conformation, slipping around to the back door of the building. An out-of-the-way alley with a single broken camera up near the corner of the door.

"Then why are we not going through the front door?" Lucifer questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Because this building has one working camera, which is why I picked it, and it's at the front door, so I go in through the back."

You ran your hands over the bricks by the door, pushing occasionally as you frowned. No matter how many times you used this, you never remember the right brick to grab. There was a small beat of silence before he spoke again.

"Are we checking the structural exterior of the wall, darling?"

You gave a small roll of your eyes, but otherwise didn't respond. It took only a few more seconds of running your hands over the rough textured wall, before a brick shifted, the only one not secure in the wall. You smiled triumphantly as you pulled it out and turned it over. Lucifer raised an eyebrow after seeing it was hollowed out, a key fell out into your open and waiting palm.

"I keep meaning to mark it with a sharpie or something, but I never get around to it." You shrugged.

"Why wouldn't you keep the key with you?"

It was a responsible question, and a valid one. In fact, Lucifer almost laughed after seeing the expression on your face.

"Did you perhaps... not think to add it to your keychain, my love?"

You unlocked the door with a huff, putting the key and brick back where you'd gotten them.

"Well, I'm not supposed to have a key to this door, so no it didn't. Besides, this way I can deny having a key to it!"

"But you do technically have a key." He pointed out.

"If you want to get technical, the wall has it. I just borrow it, c'mon." You mumbled, walking inside at a brisk pace.

He hurried after you, the metal door clicking shut behind the both of you. You lead him through the back, dimly lit, hallway before arriving at another door. Although this one didn't seem to require a key, and you pushed it open, elevator doors standing across from it.

"I live in one of the lofts up top, got a hell of a deal on it."

The elevator groaned a little as it's dented doors opened, and he was hesitant to follow you inside for a moment. Ultimately you ended up grabbing his shirt and pulling him into the, most likely not up to code, heap of metal, just as the doors began to close.

"Is horribly rusted thing even safe?"

"Probably, there's a certificate hanging there."

Lucifer leaned over to glanced over the aged yellow safety certification. He stared at it, before he slowly turned his head to look at you. His expression was unamused.

"This is from 2001."

"Oh... but I mean the alternate is like ten flight of stairs... so..."

Your answer and overall lack of regard for your potential well-being, did nothing to put his concerns to rest, and he wisely decided to change the subject. Although the creaking of the death trap rising had him shuffling closer to you, just in case.