The Cape Rouge, Tuesday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was having one of those days. The ones where he was still in bed well after his partners had gotten up to start their days. The ones where he would quite possibly still be there when they came back to bed in the evening.

Some days he'd push himself, even when he was in this mood, and manage to crawl out of bed at least long enough to rub his brush over his teeth in the bathroom and shove a spoonful of peanut butter into him, without either Lucifer or Octavia having to push him through it.

He wasn't sure yet if this would be that sort of this sort of day, yet.

The singing, though. That part was new.

"What's the blues, when you've got the greys?
I think I've given up, my body's given in,
In a building, i lie still, and then i turn back over again
In a building that has heating
And sweat sweat sweat sweat dried-on stains."

He managed to sit up, though his body felt like it weighed approximately three tons. (Like it might capsize his boat if he moved around too much. And wouldn't that maybe be nice?)

"I'm sick of feeling sick and not throwing up
And you sit in my stomach and you seem to be stuck
And it won't work its way through my guts and just go away
I woke up this afternoon thought maybe today
That the world might be a more colorful place
But there's no luck, it's still just grey."

He slumped at the end of the bed, staring at the door to the rest of the boat.

"Come back here."

[for anyone with a reason to show up, sure!]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

"He could just be trying to lull us into a false sense of security."

Luce.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke closed his eyes with a huff.

"Or -- sometimes -- things aren't all about you."

[my_own_advocate]

"Sometimes, yes, but if it walks like a Godly duck and it talks like a--"

At least he noticed, mid-rant, the whole eye-closing thing.

"..." He sighed. "What were you singing about?"

[betterthanaplan]

This time when the music started, Duke turned his head to glare at the ceiling and then gave in.

"A cripple walks amongst you
All these tired human beings
He's got all the things a cripple has not
Two working arms and legs
And vital parts fall from his system
And dissolve in Fandom rain
Vitally he doesn't miss them
He's too fucked up to care."

Well. That was one way to answer Lucifer's question.

[my_own_advocate]

... Did it? Did it answer anything?

Lucifer eyed him, trying to decipher that. (Yes, he was trying to take it personally. Or rather, trying not to try taking it personally. It was not a comfortable position for his mind.)

[betterthanaplan]

The chorus . . . would not help.

"Is that you in front of me?
Coming back for even more of exactly the same?
You must be a masochist
To love a modern leper on his last leg
On his last leg."

[my_own_advocate]

"Right," Lucifer said, and reached out to push some of Duke's hair back to cup his cheek. Intervention was clearly required. "Darling, you are depressed, not a leper, and no, I am not a masochist."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm depressed," Duke agreed. "Which is, like, 90% of what I've been singing about."

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, that's depressing."

Badum-tish.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Yeah. Thanks, babe."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "Would you like a cheerier earworm?" he said. "Because one came to me earlier."

[betterthanaplan]

“I always like hearing you sing,” Duke said.

He nibbled a bit on his remaining sandwich.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on Duke's leg.

"Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow..."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke couldn't help the faintly helpless giggle that came from his mouth when Lucifer started. But he swallowed it down after a moment and, well. Leaned into him.

He could explain why "Lean On Me" was hilarious in a minute. When Lucifer was done singing. Because Duke had zero doubts that it was entirely heartfelt right now.

[my_own_advocate]

Heartfelt, and deliberately chosen, to boot. Though whatever it was that Duke found so funny about it was lost on Lucifer, who made his way through the song with a smooth sort of earnestness.

At least it was a solid four minutes Duke wouldn't be singing in?

But those four minutes did, eventually, end.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke buried a smile in Lucifer's shoulder.

"I love you," he said. "So much. That song was such a cliche when I was a kid."

[my_own_advocate]

"Only because it's very good," Lucifer informed him primly.

[betterthanaplan]

"Little hard to get past the plinky piano version I heard every time a ten year old was anywhere near a piano through my entire life."

[my_own_advocate]

"That just means I'm going to have to play it for you correctly next time you make it to the club," Lucifer sighed, reaching up to card his hand through Duke's hair.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well. No argument here," Duke said. He kissed Lucifer's shoulder. "I like hearing you play. And sing."

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, you are welcome any time," Lucifer murmured. "Whenever your brain chemistry allows."

[betterthanaplan]

"That damned brain chemistry," Duke said. "Giving me 'the greys'."

Duke, Luce wasn't here for that song. Don't encourage the island to force a reprise.

[my_own_advocate]

"On that note, let me know if you need me to sing more heartwarming, earnest songs from either the Great or the New American Songbook," Lucifer said. "I'm not sure I can fill an entire day, but I can certainly make an effort..."

[betterthanaplan]

"If you hear a music cue, feel free to drown it out," Duke said. "All I sing about is depressing shit. Tavi and I even managed to have a moment of a nice duet and then I hit a verse about burning the world down. . . ."

[my_own_advocate]

"Perhaps you should spend less time worrying about doing that again, and it'll happen less?" Lucifer offered.