#lindaze

The Lucifer episode kinda broke me. I started this fic feeling all happy and upbeat after listening to @mazethequeen‘s awesome Lindaze song mix, and now I’m pretty bummed due to deckerstar feels. I was so happy to see Linda and Maze team up in the episode, but whooboy Lucifer leaving at the end. Damn. I’m crushed. So I’m posting a teaser chapter here in order to psych myself up to finish this fic so I can feel better. I think @titconao3 @kd2900 @chloedeckerlapd were interested?

Summary:

Maze, Ella, Linda, and Chloe go out on a girl's night to a carnival on Los Angeles' boardwalk. What could go wrong?

"Live entertainment on a stage shorter than 18 inches. Vandalism and destruction of property. Oohhh. Public nudity." Lucifer read the charges off the rap sheet in front of him, and then gave the bail officer a wicked grin. "Sounds like a wild girls' night out!"

Chapter 1 "Tell me again why we're hanging out in this pleasure hole for small humans instead of getting drunk at a bar?"

Linda gave Maze a look over her glasses. "You said you've never been to a carnival, Maze." Linda watched as a gang of pre-teens with cotton candy ran by. "I can't believe you've been in Los Angeles for five years and you've never been to a boardwalk celebration before."

Ella caught up with the two women. "Come on, Maze, this'll be great! We'll hit some rides, maybe the arcade, and grab some elephant ears at the food court."

Maze looked intrigued. "Animal sacrifice? I'm in."

Chloe laughed as she walked up beside Linda. "No, Maze, elephant ears are big pieces of fried dough. There's no elephants involved."

Maze harrumphed. "Typical humans."

"All right, ladies." Ella put her arms over Maze and Linda's shoulders. Maze gave her a death glare but didn't shrug her arm off. "Rule #1: Rides before food. Who's up for the drop tower?"

"Uhh," Chloe looked up at the tower's colorful lights, outlined against the night sky. "I don't know... Maybe we could do something with... less falling? Like the Gravitron?"

"Chicken," Ella accused. She ran over and grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her towards the line. "Come on, scaredy-cat!"

Linda and Maze joined them next to the ride. Linda bumped her shoulder against Maze's and gave her a little smile. "Are you excited?"

Maze looked from Linda to the mortals settling into the chairs attached to the cage around the tower. "So how does this ride thing work?"

Ella gave Maze an incredulous look. "You've never been to fair before?" Maze shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Well, you buy tickets and trade them in for a ride. Don't worry, I bought a pack of tickets for all of us."

Maze watched as the attendant dropped the safety bars. "And the point of taking a ride is?"

Linda put a hand on Maze's arm, sensing her confusion underneath her blunt questions and trying to lend her support. "That depends on the ride. Some rides are meant to make children laugh, like the Carousel." Linda pointed across the boardwalk to the giant wheel slowly turning. "The Ferris wheel is designed to make people feel like they're on top of the world. Other rides are meant to evoke terror or thrill, like this one."

Maze gave Linda a side-eye, too aware of the soft hand on her bare shoulder. "So what you're telling me is that humans pay money to get locked into a machine that will scare the shit out of them?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so," Linda replied.

Maze grinned as she soaked in the screams of the people plummeting from the top of the ride. "Looks like I have a new career goal."

Chloe looked worried as she watched a young girl who was crying walk off the ride. "Are you sure you really want to--?"

"We just got to the front of the line!" Ella linked her arm through Chloe's and marched her forward to the seats. "There's no turning back now."

Linda clicked her own shoulder bar into place and looked over to Chloe. "Don't worry, Chloe, these rides are designed with safety in mind."

Chloe closed her eyes as the attendant slid the bar down. "You obviously haven't read carnival inspection reports."

"Don't worry!" Ella exclaimed, grabbing Chloe's hand. "We can do this." She raised their entwined fists. "No wussies, only strong pussies!"

Linda chuckled and took Chloe's other hand as the ride started to rise. "Women power!" Maze rolled her eyes, and then startled as she found Linda's fingers sliding through hers. Their eyes met, and Linda's eyes crinkled mischievously. Maze felt a swoop in her stomach and blamed it on the change in height.

The ride clanked to a stop, and paused. The entire Los Angeles beach front stretched out before them, lights wrapped around palm trees and the moon reflecting across the waves. Linda only had a moment to soak in the night before--

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chloe screamed as the ride dropped. Ella and Linda joined in the screaming chorus while Maze cackled, savoring the adrenaline rush as ground came up to meet them. "Yeah!" Maze yelled as the ride jerked just before their feet hit the platform.

"Ow, OW! OW! Let go, Chloe," Ella yelped, prying her hand out of Chloe's grasp.

"So-sorry." Chloe was breathing heavily and looked mortified.

Maze grinned at them. "Let's do it again!"

"Ahh, nooo..." Chloe moaned, making a beeline for the fence as soon as the attendant unlocked her safety bar.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe!" Ella exclaimed. "I didn't know you were scared of heights."

Chloe took a deep breath and unwrapped her hands from the fence. "I'm not, I just... I'm not a big thrill ride person." She gave Ella wobbly smile.

"No worries! Look, since I dragged you on this ride, you can pick the next one, ok?"

Chloe looked around, trying to find the safest ride in the park. "Carousel."

Maze crossed her arms and gave Linda a look. "Didn't you say that ride was for human spawn?"

"Well, I'm sure--" Linda started.

"Adults can ride too!" Chloe protested. "Besides, this time of night, most of the kids have gone home."

Ella looked down the boardwalk. "Yeah, it looks empty. Let's go."

The bored attendant perked up when Ella held up a folded twenty. "Go have a smoke break, buddy."

"Wait, what was that about?" Chloe asked as they walked around, looking over the horses.

"I used to be a carny at the state fair. I know how boring it can get."

Maze studied the wooden horses, their frenzied manes and fearful nostrils frozen in wild poses. Her eyes followed the golden poles up to the ceiling and she grinned as she fingered the worn leather straps next to the saddles. "I've seen worse sex clubs."

"Pick a horse and climb on, Maze," Linda called, settling onto a white Pegasus.

Maze walked beside Linda's horse and stopped. Wooden ash-colored smoke swirled around the horse in front of her. Its coat was jet black, flanked with heavy silver armor. It reared on its hind legs, ears back, one red eye watching her through its helm. "Mine," Maze said, stroking a hand down the stallion's neck before swinging up to the saddle.

The attendant chuckled from his station. "Best horse on the whole ride, but it doesn't move." He clicked a key and walked away. "Have fun, girls!"

"Move?" Maze wondered, and looked back at Linda. Her horse was bobbling up and down as the ride began to slowly turn. "Huh."

"Woohooo!" Ella called, weaving as she ran backwards through the crowd of horses.

"You're such a dork, Ella," Chloe called from atop her grey unicorn. Ella stuck her tongue out as she ran past, and Chloe rebelliously twisted around in her saddle so that she was facing backwards.

"Why doesn't my horse move?" Maze exclaimed. She slapped the stallion's side. "You're no fun." She unhitched her leather belt and hoisted herself up the pole until she was standing on the saddle, looking back at Linda slowly bobbling up and down.

"Come on, Maze, you can always pick another horse," Linda called.

Maze grinned, wrapping her thighs around the pole. "Nah, this one's fine. It just needs a little more...kick." Maze lifted herself up the pole, beginning to rotate around.

Linda's jaw dropped as Maze spun, arms straight, lifting her leather-covered legs in a vee level with her head. Maze twisted, hooking one knee around the pole above her hand. Her eyes smoldered, ebony hair flowing, as she narrowly missed the ears of Linda's horse. There wasn't much room between the two mounts, and Linda watched in awe as Maze maneuvered to spin higher or lower on the golden pole, the muscles in her shoulders flexing. She sucked in a breath as Maze hooked one elbow high on the pole near the rafters, and spun, her legs arching. Maze winked and blew her a kiss, and Linda blinked, flustered. "Maze, you're going to hurt yourself."

"Holy crap, she's good!" Ella cried as she ran past.

Maze licked her lips as she spun past Linda's face. "Trust me, Linda. I'm good."

"What the hell are you doing?!" An appalled looking woman yelled from behind the fence, covering her daughter's eyes. "I'm getting the manager!"

"Shit," Linda said, and unbuckled her leather belt.

"Time to bail!" Ella said, running up to Chloe and offering her a hand off her horse.

Maze twisted down her pole, and ran off the Carousel, doing a front roll on the grass to drain off her momentum. Ella leapt off, arms pinwheeling wildly, and ended up in a heap in the grass. Chloe followed in a running leap, sprinting a couple steps to the fence. That left Linda, clutching a pole on the side of the platform, looking distraught as the ride rotated.

"Come on, Linda, we gotta go!" Ella yelled, her arm gesturing in a quick loop as she heard shouting in the distance.

"Just take a breath and jump," Chloe said, trying to encourage Linda as she passed. Linda took a breath and quickly shook her head. The shouting was getting closer.

Maze cursed under her breath, sprinted over to a few feet in front of Linda, threw her arms out, and yelled, "I'll catch you! Jump!"

Linda released the pole, swung her arms back, and leapt into Maze's arms. Maze stumbled back under her weight. Realizing she was going to hit the ground, she twisted to protect her small human. The breath exploded out of her lungs as the ground hit her back and Linda slammed into her chest. And then Maze was staring into wide eyes behind black-rimmed glasses. Coral pink lips that were slightly open as Linda caught her breath. Small breasts brushing against hers while bare legs tangled with her own.

"Moony eyes later!" Ella hissed, hauling Linda up. "Here comes the piggy-wigglies."

Maze kicked herself to a stand, ran to the fence, and vaulted over. Chloe swung a leg over and then gave Linda a hand while she negotiated the fence in her skirt. The four women ran a couple rides away, and then slowed down to blend into the crowd. "I think we should hide in the arcade," Linda said nervously, looking over her shoulder.

"Since when do you call cops piggy-wigglies?" Chloe asked Ella, sounding offended.

Ella gave her a look. "I got way worse names for cops. I used to steal cars, remember?"

"Kill the cop talk," Maze hissed. She smiled at the tattooed man in a yellow vest who was standing at the entrance to the arcade. She swung her hips a little more as she noticed him staring at her ass, then she stopped, surveying the scene before her. "What's all this shit?" The room was full of colorful boxes shouting, pinging, dinging, and flashing lights at the humans operating them.