Lucifer's Mansion, Saturday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

It was, Duke insisted, his turn to go out and get groceries. Whether this insistence was also a bit about getting out of Lucifer's hair for a hot minute or getting a moment of space to himself, despite generally feeling like clinging to the man like a limpet, Duke wasn't going to say.

But it was probably a fair amount of both.

He took the long way back from the store, pausing along the beach to watch the water before finally heading inland to the mansion, where he let himself in the front door without ceremony, going right to the kitchen to unload his purchases.

It was a nice day out. Maybe he'd try out Lucifer's balcony as a yoga spot. He could use some stretching out. . . .

[for him whose house it is]

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[my_own_advocate]

What time Lucifer had gotten to himself with the piano had largely been time spent at the bar. He missed it, not that he'd have said so near Duke, who could spin a guilt trip out of anything; but if there was anyone bar Linda with whom he was willing to have a heart to heart, it was the ivories.

(And no one needed to sit in on him playing depressing tunes up in his bedroom.)

He'd sat down behind it as soon as he'd heard the door close behind Duke. There had been some Mozart, some Metallica, some-- other things.

It was all an inevitable path back to the one song it always did. The further he sank into a groove. The more he let playing be about whatever the ground under his feet, the rest of his body, told him it had to be.

He wasn't there yet, but he was spinning closer. Thinking about the last few weeks. What he hadn't let himself think about.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke tilted his head to listen to the sounds of piano coming from upstairs as he put the food away (fresh cold cuts and cheeses from a deli in Baltimore, he was thinking maybe paninis, Lucifer was bound to have a press around here somewhere, right?). He tried to place the song, but couldn't quite. Whatever it was, it was moody. And gorgeous.

He drifted up the stairs once the food was unpacked, almost without even thinking about it. He grabbed a couple of bottles of the local beer he'd picked up on the way, and once he got to the door, just leaned against the jam to watch and listen for a long moment without speaking.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer was buried too deeply in the flow of the music to notice him. He was bent over the piano, blue shirt and black waistcoat letting him blend a bit into his surroundings.

He was murmuring along to the music, too soft to be heard downstairs.

"...To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are..."

[betterthanaplan]

Absolutely gorgeous.

Duke was in no rush to interrupt, though he felt a little like a voyeur. He popped the cap off one of the beer bottles, clearing his throat softly before taking a sip. Trying to let Lucifer know he was there, without breaking the flow of the song.

[my_own_advocate]

"On and on the rain will fall; like tears from a star like tears from a star. On and on the rain will say, how fragile we are how fragile we are..."

He didn't pick up on the noise until it had already come and gone.

But he did, a delayed reaction, and Lucifer's eyes darted up to Duke, somewhere on the verge of lost, mostly just confused.

His fingers stumbled for a moment, but they were intent to finish the song on autopilot.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke met his eyes with a tiny smile, but stayed where he was, waiting for the song to end.

"Absolutely gorgeous," he said when it did. "I can go away again if you want to keep going?"

[my_own_advocate]

"No, it's... fine," Lucifer said, his fingers settling flat against the keys.

He was out of his groove, now.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "What'd you bring?"

[betterthanaplan]

Lucifer didn't tend to let Duke get away with that word, but Duke let it slide. He held up the unopened beer. "Local brew," he said. "Pirate themed, even. And I got some stuff for paninis downstairs."

[my_own_advocate]

"Did you, ah. Find my press?"

Lucifer reached for the beer. Regrouping and seeming less subdued didn't seem to be working right now.

[betterthanaplan]

"Not yet. Figured you'd have one, though." Duke sat down on the edge of the bench, giving Lucifer plenty of room while sticking close by, in case Lucifer wanted to close the distance. "What song was that? I didn't recognize it."

[my_own_advocate]

"Sting's 'Fragile'," Lucifer said, and almost added, I don't know why it jumped to mind, except even he wasn't so in denial that that would be anything but a bald-faced lie. "Bit of a cooldown from the Metallica."

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah, let me guess. . . . 'Enter Sandman'?"

He did not at all think that was the Metallica song Lucifer would lean towards. But he was trying not to listen to the little voice that said 'Fragile' was a reference to his own current state of being, so he was finding refuge in a joke, as usual.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer snorted softly. "Hardly piano-appropriate," he said.

He realized he was still holding the can of beer, and... opened it.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hey, if anyone could play it. . . ." Duke spread his fingers over several keys on his end of the piano, but didn't press down. "You know, I've always liked the piano. Versatile, deceptively simple. I should look into finding one that'd fit on the Rouge."

[my_own_advocate]

"Just can't help improving on her endlessly, can you?" Lucifer asked.

The snark masked the fact he was shifting down the bench to close that gap, finally.

[betterthanaplan]

"Of course not," Duke said easily. "She's my favorite project."

[my_own_advocate]

"I noticed."

It was half the reason he'd put in so much effort to bring her back to Fandom to begin with.

"You'd probably still have to make some space."

[betterthanaplan]

"Even for a small one," Duke agreed. "That's part of why I don't have one already. Guitars are, uh. More portable."

[my_own_advocate]

"Guitars are fine," Lucifer said, "If you don't have a piano handy."

When had his arm wrapped around Duke's waist? Somewhere in the middle there.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke chuckled, shifting just a little to press closer to Lucifer. He brought up his other hand to the keys, marking out a couple simple chords, still without actually playing.

"What is it about the piano for you?" he asked. "Were you big into harpsichords once upon a time, too?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer made a soft noise. You could pretend it was amused if you squinted. "I was," he said. "There's just something clean about it, I suppose. Simple, as you said."

He looked down at the keys.

"It can be very precise if you want it to be," he said, "And it's just easy to-- well."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took his hands off the keys, dropping them into his lap and looking at Lucifer.

"Easy to. . . ?" he prompted.

[my_own_advocate]

"Follow a train of thought while you're playing, I suppose," Lucifer said.

Or find some way to externalize your feelings when you were deeply incapable of doing so otherwise.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. “It’s . . . meditative for you,” he mused. “Helps clear the cobwebs. Like yoga for me.” His fingers twitched in his lap, and he put them on the keys again. “I definitely don’t have your skill, but, uh. May I?”

[my_own_advocate]

“Of course,” Lucifer said, softer than he’d meant to.