Lucifer's Mansion, very early Sunday morning

[betterthanaplan]

None of Duke's dreams had been exactly kind lately, but they'd at least mostly stuck to a general anxiety-dream structure. Wandering the stark white hallways of the barn, shouting for Audrey, unable to escape the looming spectre of a trouble, which in dream logic seemed to mostly take the form of a generic "boogey man" figure. The sort of thing that left him discombobulated and out of sorts throughout the morning, but not the sort that would wake him abruptly in a way anyone else might notice.

His was really only a matter of time before his luck there ran out.

The white floors bucked beneath him as he walked, swaying and dipping like a ship tossed in a storm. The world through the identical windows was black and roiling, filled with debris and unidentifiable bodies.

"Audrey!" Duke shouted. "Audrey, we're going down! We have to abandon ship!"

A flash of blonde, darting through a doorway. Duke dashed after her, but every time he turned a corner she was just up ahead, vanishing around another one.

"Audrey! Audrey!!"

He couldn't catch up. He couldn't get his legs to work properly. The floor pitched up violently then dropped, and Duke fell --

He surfaced by a rocky beach, and fought his way to land, sprawling out to catch his breath. His limbs still weren't working properly, and there was noise all around, explosions and screams clogging the air like dust. He choked on it, drowning, until a hand appeared in front of his face. Duke took it and let it help him stand, only noticing once he found his feet that it was coated in blood.

Nathan smiled, his teeth red. His face was red, his jacket soaked through. His eyes were cloudy and dead.

"Did you really think you could leave it behind?" he asked.

Duke snatched his hand away, panting, and watched as the blood vanished into him. As Nathan vanished into him. "No." He choked on the word. "No --"

"It's how it always had to be," a voice said, coming from everywhere. Duke spun. It was Vince, it was Lucifer. It was Dwight and Gloria and Claire and Danny and Rey. They stood all around him, bloody and scorched and dead, and Audrey, they were all variations on the theme of Audrey, like Lucy and Sarah and dozens of others, stretching back into eternity.

"Did you really think it wouldn't follow you?" they asked.

A scream across the sky, and Duke looked up. The meteor storm. It was crashing all around, smashing through the school, through the Gull, through the Devil's Nest and Luke's and every place he'd ever felt he belonged. And one came hurtling down at the beach, straight for the sand, straight for Duke, he could feel the heat as it burned through the atmosphere, could feel his clothing burning away --

He woke with an abbreviated cry, an explosion rattling the inside of his head. He lay where he was for a moment, panting and choking on his too-rapid breaths, staring at the slice of sky visible from his spot in Lucifer's bed.

It was glowing red with the sunrise, and for a long moment, still stuck in the dream, Duke was convinced it was fire. That the meteors had come to Fandom, and everything was burning. . . .

[for those in the bed -- or the house -- with him!]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

The price Lucifer paid for sleeping with boat people was sometimes barely getting to sleep at all, apparently.

Something in him jolted awake.

The rest of him... didn't.

Which resulted in a muttered, "It's too early," as every other part of him attempted to boot themselves back online.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke choked on his breath, distantly noticing the lack of smoke or sirens or screams, or anything that might indicate an actual emergency in the town at large. The sky was just -- red. As happened occasionally.

Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.

The next sound he made was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, as he scrambled for the edge of the bed only to collapse to his knees next to it.

He couldn't catch his breath.

[my_own_advocate]

Enough brain cells were operational that Lucifer could at least sit up, even if he was fuzzy and vaguely squinty as he muttered, "Duke?", shifting towards the edge of the bed with much more grace.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke curled up on the floor, his head pressed to his knees. He was fine. Everything was okay. He just needed to breathe. . . .

[my_own_advocate]

"Duke," Lucifer repeated, and reached out carefully to touch his back.

... and then slid off the bed to sit down next to him, because it felt awkward otherwise.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sucked in a shaking breath. "Luce." He wanted to say more, to assure him it was just a dream, but he couldn't get anything else out.

[my_own_advocate]

The 'are you all right' very nearly left his mouth, but, well.

The answer was clear.

Lucifer's arm slid over his back. "What happened?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head. “Dream,” he managed. The buzz of adrenaline was starting to drain away, leaving him shaking. He glanced back towards the door. “Tavi?”

He needed to see both his people right now. Make sure they were intact, and not turning into Audrey clones.

[my_own_advocate]

"Still in the guest room," Lucifer said. "Come on."

He tried to coax Duke to his feet.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let him. The guest room, he hoped, would also have a bit less glaring red sky to remind him of the nightmare.

[my_own_advocate]

Well, it faced the north, not the east like Lucifer's bedroom.

Lucifer held onto him as they went down the stairs to the first floor, and then nudged him gently towards the guest room.

He'd closed the door on Octavia last night, wanting to give her some privacy. Now he was the first one to open it again.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was still there. Still curled up and tucked in, and out of it.

The curtains were drawn. No sky here.

[betterthanaplan]

"Tavi," Duke said again. He rubbed his hand down his face.

Now that he was more awake again -- and assured of her continued presence -- he felt more than a little ridiculous. Like a kid going to find his parents after a bad dream.

He went over to sit on the very edge of the bed, careful not to touch her. If anything would make her wake up swinging, it'd be an unexpected touch.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a soft sigh.

He lingered in the doorway for a moment or two.

Then chose to sit down at the foot of yjr bed.

[okteiviakom]

The first dip of the mattress was only enough to make Octavia stir a little.

The second, though, that drew her right out of her sleep. Her eyes blinked open, then just blinked a couple of times as they adjusted to what little light came in from the hallway. Flicked from Duke to Lucifer and then back to Duke again, accounting for both of those little movements that had woken her up.

"What's going on?" she asked, voice quiet and hoarse. Concerned.

[betterthanaplan]

"Sorry," Duke said. He wiggled his fingers. "I, uh. Bad dream."

[my_own_advocate]

"He needed to see you," Lucifer said, matter-of-fact. "Something about a nightmare, yes."

[okteiviakom]

Well. That didn't erase the concern, but it did make it softer.

"Duke," Octavia murmured, reaching for his hand.

[betterthanaplan]

"Hey." Duke took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know you wanted to be alone. I just -- yeah."

[my_own_advocate]

"He needed to cling to you like a security blanket," Lucifer helpfully filled in.

[okteiviakom]

The rest must have done something, because right now Octavia couldn't remember how little she'd had left to give when she'd come here last night.

All she could feel was the need to be what Duke needed.

She gave his hand a squeeze back, then propped herself up on her other elbow. And tried to tug him in. "Come here, jaka." Glanced down the bed at Lucifer. "You too."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let her pull him in, even as he still felt like a little kid.

"Mochof," he muttered. He didn't even bother giving Lucifer an eyeroll for the 'security blanket' comment. That was exactly what he was doing after all, wasn't it?

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer slid further up the bed obligingly, arms closing around Duke and Octavia both as soon as he came near.

"I'll get us all breakfast later."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia let go of Duke's hand to wrap her arms around him, instead. In fact, it was the hand that had held his that now gently, slowly brushed up and down over his hair.

Her tiny hum was either meant to soothe, or to acknowledge what Lucifer had said. Or it was a reaction to the small bit of comfort she derived from his embrace.

Probably all three, actually.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke curled into both of them, finally daring to let his eyes close.

Though not for long. The image of the meteor hurtling at his head was hard to shake.

"Feel like I'm like five."