Standing Together

Chapter 145

"I hate to admit it," Dean says, wiping the frosting from his mouth, "but for all the trouble this cake gave you, it's actually really good."

"Thanks," Claire says with a grin.

"I know, right?" Lucifer says at the same time. "We should make a business. 'Baking cakes, frosting too soon; the family business.'"

"It's not that good," Dean says.

Lucifer scoffs. "Wow, thanks, Dean. Really glad you're being the most supportive friend a guy could ask for."

"Always," Dean says with a grin.

"Wow, maybe I shouldn't make you a birthday Instagram post," Lucifer says, pouting.

"I thought you already did," Dean says, confused. "I already got a notification that you posted something, and you already took a picture of the cake, so..."

"Oh, no, I posted the cake," Lucifer says. "And now I gotta wait a couple hours before I can post about your birthday so I can have a picture from today, and I can't post that now or people will realize I didn't have the cake done before you showed up."

"That's such a weird thing to be worried about," Dean says, amused.

"Are you kidding?" Lucifer scoffs. "I have been cancelled 17 times already. I refuse to let anyone cancel me over my inability to be prepared, too."

"You've been cancelled 17 times?" Castiel repeats. Is Lucifer just being weird, or is he actually being deemed problematic now? It was bound to happen eventually, but...

"Well, no, not literally," Lucifer says, "but people don't really like me anymore." He chuckles. "I totally forgot you have no social media presence anymore. You really had no idea, did you?"

"What happened?" Castiel asks.

"I don't really know," Lucifer admits. "People stopped finding me funny and they felt the need to justify not liking me, I guess. And, you know, the whole 'I pretended you killed yourself when your social media accounts were deleted' thing from a few years ago keeps getting brought up, which is honestly a pretty valid reason to cancel someone, but I wasn't cancelled at the time so I think that's just their justification for not liking me."

"Well, that sucks," Castiel says.

"Eh." Lucifer shrugs. "At this point, I'm pretty used to seeing people spend hours of their lives talking about how much they hate me. I may be the 'problematic' one, but at least I have a life." He pauses, eyeing the mess of an eight-layer rainbow cake he helped make. "I mean, it's a weird life, but, you know, it's a life."

"Ay, problematic bros." Dean high fives him across the table.

"What are you problematic for?" Castiel asks his fiancè.

"Oh, I've always been problematic," Dean says.

"No, people have always hated you," Castiel corrects him. "But you've never been problematic."

"Touchè," Dean agrees.

"How you two manage to bond over the world hating you is beyond me," Claire remarks.

"Well, the world hates us, so who else are we supposed to bond with?" Dean asks.

"God, I am so glad I'm not online anymore," Castiel mutters. He could deal with people not liking him — not that he dealt with it well in any sense of the word, but that's not important — but he's not sure he could handle people talking shit about the people he loves.

"I hear you," Claire agrees.

"Dada?" Alex looks up from her high chair expectantly.

"What's up, kiddo?" Lucifer asks.