"Let me see if I understand this. Chloe gets shot in the back, you get angry, you massacre a now-defunct Yakuza group, and then you come to see your girlfriend after going on a killing spree. Am I right, Lucifer?"
"Yes. I know it sounds bad, and in many ways..." He looked at his brother's face, which practically screamed, Oh really? I did not realize.
"I just felt fury, anger, and pure rage. Something I had not felt in a long time, Amenadiel," he said, never taking his eyes off the woman lying on the stretcher.
"You know what? I cannot lecture you because I almost did the exact same thing. But I am still annoyed that you did not look for Chloe first. The Yakuza were not going anywhere, and in any case, you could have found each of them in no time."
Lucifer nodded in agreement.
"You know, when I saw Chloe in this state, I felt so scared. Scared of losing her. Scared of losing everything. If I had lost her..."
He paused.
"I would be capable of starting another holy war just to have her back in my arms."
Amenadiel looked at him in astonishment.
He could hardly believe this was his brother, the one who had once cared for no one but himself, speaking this way about a human.
Deep down, he felt proud.
He was also immensely grateful to Chloe for the change she had brought about in Lucifer.
"She makes me feel like I did when I was..."
"He?"
"She makes me feel like I did when I was Samael[1]."
Amenadiel stared at him with undisguised surprise.
"I love her, brother. I love her with everything I have. I would give up everything just to be with that woman."
A genuine smile appeared on Lucifer's face.
One filled with love.
Determination.
Admiration.
But above all...
Peace.
"Lucifer!"
Both Lucifer and Amenadiel turned toward the voice and saw a little girl running toward them.
Lucifer's eyes widened in surprise.
Without warning, she threw her arms around him.
Looking down at Trixie's face, still stained with dried tears, Lucifer felt a lump form in his throat.
He simply picked her up and looked into her eyes.
"Do you want to come in, Trixie?"
"Yes."
"Well, say goodbye to Amenadiel."
"Goodbye."
"See you later, Trixie," Amenadiel replied.
Lucifer glanced toward the two women standing in the distance and simply nodded before heading inside.
Just as he was about to enter the room, both he and Amenadiel suddenly turned their heads.
Lucifer looked alarmed.
Amenadiel looked astonished.
For the briefest instant, both of them had sensed an essence they would recognize anywhere.
Impossible, they both thought at the same time.
----------
Tap.
Tap.
"Let me get this straight. You wanted to deal with some bad people, but you are the one who ended up in trouble because you were irresponsible and careless. Am I right?"
He stopped tapping his fingers against the table and looked at Matt and Karen.
"Yes," Karen admitted before handing him the suit for inspection.
"You messed up the super suit!"
He held it up in the air, allowing Matt to judge its condition through sound alone.
Matt grimaced.
"Sigh."
Jason examined it more carefully.
"Can you fix it?"
Peter raised an eyebrow.
So did Matt.
Realizing what she had just asked, Karen knew it had been a foolish question.
"This is a bum suit, baby. Do not let him wear it again."
He gave the ruined costume one last look before setting it aside.
The moment it touched the table...
...it crumbled into dust.
"Nooo! My suit!"
"Karen! My suit!"
Matt hurried toward the pile of powder, scooped some into his hands, and mournfully showed it to his girlfriend.
Ignoring Matt's theatrics, Jason grabbed a nearby notebook and pencil.
"He will be fearless, dramatic, and righteous," he muttered while sketching.
"Yes! And... and... and it can have a cap—"
She never finished.
A paper ball bounced off her forehead.
"No capes! It is disrespectful to Daredevils. Do not be disrespectful. Daredevil does not wear a cape."
"Per—"
"I said no capes."
"That is settled."
--------
In a high school classroom, a young woman sat wearing pajamas consisting of a black T-shirt with Spider-Man's logo and red pajama pants with the word Spider-Man printed down the leg.
A few days earlier, she had impulsively bought them.
Ever since then, she had worn them almost constantly, alternating them with several other Spider-Man-themed sets she had purchased.
She was not the only one.
Rogue and Kitty had also bought similar pajamas.
Rogue mostly wore black ones featuring Spider-Man's mask or dark blue ones with the same design.
Kitty preferred a light gray set with Spider-Noir written across the front, accompanied by his fedora as the logo.
The young woman stopped writing on the blackboard and slowly turned her head from side to side.
"I sense a disturbance in the Force," Jean said.
At that exact moment, the Star Wars poster hanging on the wall seemed to ripple.
------------
"Okay. No capes," Karen agreed.
"Okay. Your suit will be ready by tomorrow."
"Wow. What great service."
"Well, without further ado, I will be on my way."
"Oh, before I forget..."
He handed Karen a card.
"Take this."
"It will help you."
"You cannot always depend on Matt."
Karen looked down at the card.
------------------
Chikara Dojo.
When she looked back up, Jason was already gone.
She glanced over at Matt, who would probably have looked just as surprised...
...if he had not still been mourning the complete destruction of his suit.
"But what the hell?"
[1] [Comic Reference: Samael is Lucifer Morningstar's original angelic name before his fall.]