[When Lucifer finds himself in Adstringendum again, it takes him an hour or more to make his way back to the most familiar building he knows. Whatever pain he'd felt before is nothing, not even a spark compared to what it is now. It's nearly impossible to think through it, so he runs on instinct. He can sense the other angels in the city, and so he wards the building against them. Not even Michael will be able to sense him in here.
Then he sits on the floor and breathes and finally wonders if anyone is even home. He needs to be steady if there is.]
[Lucifer stares at him warily, and he gets up but has to lean (discreetly) against the wall while his vision clears.]
Kevin.
[He can feel flames licking at him, he can see it if he doesn't focus hard. But he doesn't dare ask the one question so many of Hell's citizens ask. If this isn't real, he'll wait for it to prove false.]
[Everything. Every detail he's missed, that would be good, but he'll settle for just a reference as to how long he's been gone.
His hand reaches for Break, wavers, and moves awkwardly back to his side. He won't ask, and he won't test; he knows full well those are the two things that make a trick seem real.]
[He looks around them, but his vision is as blurry as Break's probably is.]
How long has it been? I warded- don't remodel anytime soon, the wards are carved- [So that no one can see them, so no shinigami or other angels can decipher or alter them.
[He should nod--he manages that much--and then offer an off the cuff remark, like 'where's the tea'. But his mind hasn't caught up that far yet. It's still somewhere between the Cage where Michael is screaming, and his next step here, whatever that is supposed to be.
He leans his head against the wall and grips Break's shirt between his thumb and forefinger, concentrating on the feel of it. The very real stitching, the softness that comes with aging in a rough environment like this one. It's aging, but it's real.]
[Lucifer lets him go, examines the room. Finds the tea set, and sets it out to test if he can keep Nick's hands steady. He's satisfied that he can do that; having some control grounds him, starts gears turning again.
As he moves past Break to check for cream, he impulsively pulls Break's head back with his hand under his chin, exposing his throat. But all he does is kiss the corner of his mouth and murmur:]
[It's exactly the sort of reaction Lucifer needed. There's a trickling sense of stability which he welcomes, and he sets the cream on the table and then joins Break by the tea pot.]
[There is no exaggeration in what he's saying. Everything is gone for him now, even the last two people who wanted to get him out.]
I asked Michael to stop, and he wouldn't. And then Castiel- he killed Raphael for trying to get us out of the Cage. And now, the only demon who could have freed me again is strung up on the racks.
[He stands, and pads over, picking up his teacup and moving to stand next to Lucifer's chair. With the spare arm, he flings it around Lucifer's neck, pulling his head to rest against Break's stomach, holding him steady like that.]
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timeasmymeasure
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 03:48 am (UTC)Then he sits on the floor and breathes and finally wonders if anyone is even home. He needs to be steady if there is.]
Kevin?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 03:58 am (UTC)Break pokes his head in, frankly not believing his ears.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 04:02 am (UTC)Kevin.
[He can feel flames licking at him, he can see it if he doesn't focus hard. But he doesn't dare ask the one question so many of Hell's citizens ask. If this isn't real, he'll wait for it to prove false.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 04:07 am (UTC)What do you need?
[At his side like a shot.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 04:09 am (UTC)[Everything. Every detail he's missed, that would be good, but he'll settle for just a reference as to how long he's been gone.
His hand reaches for Break, wavers, and moves awkwardly back to his side. He won't ask, and he won't test; he knows full well those are the two things that make a trick seem real.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:31 am (UTC)[Quiet.]
How can you possibly remember?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:38 am (UTC)How long has it been? I warded- don't remodel anytime soon, the wards are carved- [So that no one can see them, so no shinigami or other angels can decipher or alter them.
But he looks at Break again, finally.]
Do I still stay here?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:41 am (UTC)[Yes.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:47 am (UTC)He leans his head against the wall and grips Break's shirt between his thumb and forefinger, concentrating on the feel of it. The very real stitching, the softness that comes with aging in a rough environment like this one. It's aging, but it's real.]
Miss me?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:49 am (UTC)You're- I didn't think you'd ever come home.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:53 am (UTC)[He tries a smile, but Nick's body isn't quite ready for an expression so it doesn't quite make it.]
I always keep my promises, remember?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 05:54 am (UTC)[He decides, moving to the stove. Lucifer looks so ragged.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 06:00 am (UTC)As he moves past Break to check for cream, he impulsively pulls Break's head back with his hand under his chin, exposing his throat. But all he does is kiss the corner of his mouth and murmur:]
I'll always come back.
[And then he lets go, and resumes cream-hunting.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 08:55 pm (UTC)I didn't doubt for a second.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 09:58 pm (UTC)That makes you the most faithful man here.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 10:14 pm (UTC)[Smiling, pouring them both their cups.]
What happened while you were gone?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 10:30 pm (UTC)I lost.
What did I miss here?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:02 pm (UTC)Nothing. Some waiting.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:07 pm (UTC)[He sips the tea, looks at Break's cup as a memory finally settles clearly in his mind]
I was going to find some bees-
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:38 pm (UTC)You- lost? What do you mean? What does that mean?
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:45 pm (UTC)[There is no exaggeration in what he's saying. Everything is gone for him now, even the last two people who wanted to get him out.]
I asked Michael to stop, and he wouldn't. And then Castiel- he killed Raphael for trying to get us out of the Cage. And now, the only demon who could have freed me again is strung up on the racks.
[His voice falls lower, barely audible.]
I am never getting out.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:47 pm (UTC)[Break informs him, quietly.]
I have you. And when I leave here, I will find you.
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:52 pm (UTC)Come here.
[Not that there's much space, it's a small table, but things are...strange to him right now. Disorienting.]
[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:54 pm (UTC)[action]
Date: 2012-05-24 11:58 pm (UTC)[He can manage his usual snarkiness when he has support, when he doesn't feel like he's teetering on an edge.]
As bad as this place is, I'm glad you're still stuck in it.
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