InsaneJournal

Oddly enough, considering the amount of drinking he did, Tony was actually a morning kind of guy. Usually that had to do with the fact that his brain never really shut off and sleep was kind of elusive, but hey. Who was keeping track? The important thing was that around 0830 he found himself in the mess hall, picking up two of the biggest mugs of coffee he could find.

He needed to check in on his buddy Lucifer, who had taken over management of the Lounge. There was stuff to talk about, like the impending doom of Darth Vader running around the ship, or the fact that a bona-fide preacher had taken up residence there. And maybe, he was thinking, he’d warn the guy that a crazy wacko psychic was aboard.

The Lounge was usually closed at this hour, but it opened for him when he approached it, and he waved at Lucifer with his cup of coffee. “Avon calling! Only not, because it’s coffee, not makeup. Do you think I could rock some eyeliner though? Don’t hold back, tell me the truth.”

“No. Don’t even think about it,” Lucifer replied. “Also, you brought coffee to the lounge?” he asked, gesturing toward the espresso bar. Even so, he took a mug from Tony and took a sip. “This is swill. Absolute rubbish.”

That didn’t keep him from drinking it, apparently. He thought it might be rude not to. And then he grinned at Tony. “I have news,” he mentioned. “I convinced them to let me open the lounge at five every night, rather than seven. I’m going to start tomorrow, announce it in the morning.”

"I didn't think it was up and running at this hour or I'd have just come down with an empty cup." But it absolutely was swill. Tony made a face at it as he continued to drink it, then started making his way over to the espresso machine. He could pretend to Barista, after all, and it kind of felt like he owed Lucifer a 'make up coffee' now. Peace Offering Espresso.

"But that is the very best of the bestest news. How did you manage that? I thought for sure we were never getting the hours changed after that time we threatened to go blow the gym up." He said, while flipping the machine on. "You ever wonder why it is we've got talking computers and warp drives but espresso machines in the future still run the same way?"

Tony thought that was awfully convenient, anyway.

“Yes, but they deliver more perfect shots of espresso so that seems fine with me,” Lucifer mentioned. “And I don’t know, really. I mean, we threatened to destroy the gym, I actually destroyed a punching bag, then I ripped a table from the floor and threw it across the lounge, and now I’m in charge.”

He smirked. “I must have done something right. Or rather, they’re counting on me to care enough about this place to not let anyone else destroy it or ruin it for anyone.”

He shrugged, and then looked over the lounge. It was clear that he did care about it, and he was actually really proud of the fact that it had been entrusted to him.

And there was a piano.

There was a piano that was... lurching. It was lurching. The entire bar was lurching, in fact. Tony's eyes went wide as the entire Enterprise decided to fall sideways.

The deck plates quivered, bulkheads started to creak. The entire back bar resounded with a cacophony of clinks as the various glass bottles crashed into each other. One of his instincts was to reach up and save some of the alcohol, but he was frozen in place, clinging to the espresso machine for dear life. Whatever was going on outside there, in the vacuum of space, The Enterprise had just run straight into it, and everything aboard had felt the impact.

All of the lights in the Lounge flickered and then dimmed out completely, and for a second all Tony could hear or see was a rushing in his ears and his life flash before his eyes. Again. And it still didn't look like much of anything worthwhile.

As emergency power was restored, the lights came up again, and Tony wheezed, "What the actual FUCK WAS THAT!?"

That… was unusual. Over two months in space and this was the first time anything like that had happened.

“Seems like we ran into one of your space whales,” Lucifer said, taking stock of the bar. Surprisingly, there was only minimal damage, though most bottles were held in place, he supposed. A few loose ones had collided with each other and broke.

“It seems most of the booze has survived so it couldn’t be that serious, though I did spill coffee all over my shirt.” That was unfortunate. “Good thing all the tables are bolted down,” Lucifer mentioned, though the chairs had slid around. “Interesting. I wonder what actually happened if it wasn’t a space whale.”

Only then did it occur to him that Tony may have been injured in the process. Glancing at him, Lucifer asked, “Alright, mate?”

"Oh yeah I'm fine. Super fine. A-okay here. Situation normal." Tony fired off, still clinging to the espresso machine. That machine was his new best buddy now. They'd been through a thing together and come out the other side. He was gonna carve his initials into it later. While Lucifer wasn't looking.

And after the walls were done constricting around him. Shit. No, this wasn't good. "Look, there's barely any damage. No damage, right? So we're fine, yeah. Yup... here we go."

Was he sweating? Was it suddenly hot in there? Was hot good? Hot was probably good, it meant life support was still working.

One of his hands fumbled on the espresso machine dials, and he tried to busy his mind with that. Because his paper bag was in his quarters, and the space xanax was in the med bay. Neither of which was close by. "Let’s get some fresh coffee, and not think about Space Whales. The stuff on your shirt can't be saved. Nope, no saving that. Or the shirt. Probably mine's spilled somewhere too."

“Deep breaths, mate,” Lucifer said calmly, keeping his eyes on Tony. He wasn’t sure what was going through the other man’s mind, but he was talking quickly, even for his normal quick-witted self. “That espresso machine isn’t going anywhere. We’re through the worst of it.”

Taking a seat on the opposite side of the bar, he asked, “You want to come sit down for a moment?” Suddenly, he realized, he knew very little about Tony’s life before he ended up here in space, besides being some sort of genius. He did, however, recognize panic instantly. He’d seen plenty of that in hell. “Maybe I could make the coffee instead?”

"No. No can do. I owe you peace offering espresso." Tony replied, while trying to focus on getting the buttons in the right order. There was probably a reason why Pepper made his espresso for him most days. Not that he didn't know how to make his own, but his mind rarely slowed down long enough to walk through all the processes.

Like beans. Some beans were probably supposed to go in there. "Shit. Did this - I just brewed us water. Go me, really. I'm just awesome."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, which were shaking. He really, really hated when this stuff happened in front of people. Even though Lucifer seemed to be taking it pretty well. "Yeah. Maybe it's your turn. I'm just gonna take a minute." He said, as he came around to the front of the bar and took a seat next to Lucifer. "Sorry."

“Deep breaths,” Lucifer repeated. “I was the Lord of Hell, remember. I’ve seen this before.” Nevermind that he usually didn’t do anything to intervene. “Just look at me, mate. And don’t forget to breathe.”

He waited a moment before adding. “You want a water? Coffee? Probably going to skip the rest of the bar for now, you understand right? It’ll still be waiting for us later.”

"Deep breaths," Tony repeated, nodding his head. This was working out a lot better than the last two times it had happened. He didn't really want to look at Lucifer just then, but the guy's face did serve as a fixed point, something to focus on. And it wasn't like Lucifer wasn't easy on the eyes, either. He nodded again, and tried to breathe.

This was good. "You're taking this... really well actually I'm pretty grateful," He added, when his breathing slowed to a point where he could actually talk like a normal person. "Okay. Okay. Coffee is good? Definitely better than the hot water I just brewed."

He just nodded at that last part. Alcohol probably wasn't the best thing to go tossing down his gullet right now, even if it would make him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Lucifer nodded, standing up slowly. “Maze would be jealous. She barely got me to pour a drink for her and here I am, about to make you the latte of your life,” Lucifer replied with a slight smile. “And it’s no big deal, mate. We’re friends,” he pointed out as he reached the espresso machine. “That is what friends do, right? Have each others backs?”

He set about making two lattes, making sure to keep an eye on Tony every so often. Then, the hot drink perfected, he walked over and slid it across the bar, before retrieving his own. “Just don’t tell me now that you’re lactose intolerant or something.”

Tony rested his head on the bar for a few seconds while Lucifer made the Lattes, giving his friend a gigantic thumbs up. "Friends have each other's backs. Super true. And we are definitely friends. Awesome friends who make lattes for each other. I was gonna make you a latte. I owe you one."

He ran a hand through his hair as he picked his head up off the bar, and then took the latte in his hand. It was nice and warm and looked delicious, and he deeply appreciated the fact that it existed. "You just - Okay, nope, let's talk about something. Anything else. Like the piano. You play, right?"

Lucifer nodded. “I do. Anything you want to hear?” he asked. “I’m a fan of songs sung ironically by the devil, but I’ll play most anything that doesn’t directly involve my father. Except Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. I learned to appreciate that song.”

He wasn’t sure that Tony wanted him to actually play though, so he remained where he was, and sipped at his latte. As it turned out, he wasn’t bad at the entire barista thing. “I actually got this job because Kate knew I wanted to play,” he mentioned. “And it’s less weird to be the guy playing the piano randomly while I’m the manager. And this place reminds me of Lux,” he admitted. “As close as we’re going to find on this ship at least.”

Beckett may have also been the reason Lucifer hadn’t panicked when Tony did. But he wasn’t about to admit that.

"You got any jazz in your repertoire?" Because Tony could appreciate some jazz, and his other favorite tended to be heavy metal. That just sounded strange on a piano, he was definitely not going to request any AC/DC. He sipped at his latte and then made an approving face at Lucifer, adding, "Hey, if this doesn't work out you've got a promising career at a Starbucks somewhere. Not that I can mentally picture - okay nope, I am, and it's hysterical but you'd hate it."

This was good, he was definitely feeling better now. Mostly. Then there was the subject of Lux, which was something Lucifer'd only barely touched on the last time they'd had a chance to talk. "Is Lux some kind of bar you own? Picture that, the Devil owning a piano bar where he plays ironic songs."

“I do,” Lucifer said, before sipping at his latte again, eyeing the piano. He’d make his way there in a moment. “And no, I don’t want to picture myself working at Starbucks. You’re right about that.” There was nothing corporate about him, for one, and there wasn’t any way he could do the same thing day in and day out. Again. He supposed he’d done that in hell, after all.

“Lux was my nightclub,” Lucifer said. “It was also my home, quite literally, as I had the penthouse in the building with my own private bar and piano up there. But it was a welcome respite, when I moved to Los Angeles.”

"Of course you run a nightclub," Tony replied, looking suddenly amused. He had no idea why it was so funny, just that it was. And of course he'd have a penthouse with luxurious digs and a piano. "I think you'd have liked my old place. It wasn't a nightclub, but sometimes people partied in it like it was? I had a piano, too. I don't play it anymore, I used to."

He was so out of practice it was ridiculous, really. "Playing the piano was a thing they forced on me to keep me busy when I got bored building engines and stuff. Dad just wanted me out of his hair, I think Mom was hoping I'd get into music. She was big on culture."

Tony didn't talk about his parents much, not like that. His lips thinned a bit, and he switched the subject back to Lux, "So was it one of those super VIP only kind of deals? Crystal by the bottle and three bouncers to make sure nothing gets out of hand? I can't imagine a classy guy like you owning a dive."

Lucifer was the sort who would normally press on personal issues once they were brought up unexpectedly, but Tony got a free pass given the proximity of this conversation to his recent panic attack. He did make a mental note of that information, however.

“Oh, it wasn’t a dive,” Lucifer assured Tony. “I had a reputation to uphold, after all. There was a hot tub on the roof, I’d have private parties in the penthouse with the Brittanys. Or I’d just go up there to play when I didn’t feel like having a crowd around me,” Lucifer said. “I obviously wasn’t ever comfortable in heaven, hell was my punishment. Los Angeles was different. It was the only place I really felt at home.”

Looking over at the piano he asked, “You want to get back in practice?”

"And now you're stuck on the Starship Enterprise. Feeling like home to you, yet? Me, not so much." Tony remarked, while sipping at his latte. His other hand fidgeted with a sudden burst of nervous energy, but he shook his head as he eyed the piano again. "Uh, nah. Probably not. I mean, no one expects that from a guy like me. Wasn't really my idea to learn. You don't need competition for the bench, either."

He got up from where he'd been sitting and started pacing a bit, trying to work the energy off. "They're probably gonna fix this, right? I mean- It's not a bad place to get stuck, sure. We've got each other. Plus the liquor. Do you have any snacks in here?"

“They’ll fix it,” Lucifer said, sounding rather certain of himself. “And yes, we can still get into the storage room with all the snacks. We won’t starve and there’s alcohol. And a fantastic view,” he mentioned. “If you’re going to get stuck anywhere, a bar with a view isn’t a bad place.”

He got up and gestured Tony to follow him, walking over to the piano. Sitting down on the bench, he played a few random melodies before launching into the song “Sinnerman.” Lucifer was the sort who got lost in the music when he played, and when he finished the song he had to look up and make sure Tony was still alright.

It was a marvel to watch. Tony'd never had friends that were all that musically inclined, if you didn't count drunken singing. He tapped his foot and waved his free hand, while clutching onto his latte with the other. "You should learn to play that preacher man song. Do you know that one? I feel like that would be eight levels of ironic."

He was definitely doing better, as long as he was kept distracted. And didn't think about anything going wrong with the windows that would lead to them shattering open. If that happened he'd seen enough Star Trek to know that force fields would come up. "We're definitely not going to asphyxiate or something. You probably weren't wondering. I spend a lot of time thinking about it, though. Figured I'd say it out loud."

"Oh hey-" That reminded him of something, and he swished his finger around, "That reminds me of an episode of this show called Firefly. Kind of... sci fi meets westerns. The ship breaks down and they lose life support. River - she's kind of not all there mentally because she's a psychic and also because the government experimented on her and made her super crazy - mentions they'd freeze to death first. That's not what happened in the suit. I dealt with the icing problem early on. Anyway, she's here. Probably freaking out right now. I maybe want to think nicer thoughts."

“You definitely want to think nicer thoughts,” Lucifer informed his friend while trying not to think about one day drifting into space, alone, for all eternity in the freezing cold. “So, sit down here and think about those bloody piano lessons you had to take and figure out what you still remember.”

Tony needed an outlet to channel all that nervous energy, and when they managed to get all this sorted and were no longer trapped in one place, Lucifer planned on asking more questions. But for now, he didn’t think his mate could handle actually talking about how he was feeling.

"Does chopsticks count?" Tony asked, jokingly. It really didn't, anyone could play chopsticks, probably. Even people without lessons. But he did try to think nicer thoughts as he headed over to the bench. "Has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you order people around?"

He took another fortifying sip of his latte before taking the bench, and stared down at the keys. Tony could remember the last time he'd ever really messed with a piano, but those weren't nicer thoughts. So instead, he thought about some time before that, and poked the keys. It was a very hesitant version of "Piano Man", minus the singing. He did hum along a bit, though, to try and remember how the song was supposed to go.

Tony had never been good at keeping a measured pace, and his foot tapped against the floor lightly, like a metronome.

At some point, when Lucifer realized Tony wasn’t going to sing, he joined in right where he was in the song. If Tony struggled a bit, he held back and then picked up again once he found his footing. It was brilliant, really, and Lucifer actually enjoyed himself.

When the song came to an end, he nudged his friend and asked, “Now that wasn’t so awful, was it?”

"Your singing or my playing?" Because he thought Lucifer's singing was pretty good, but his playing was probably a mess in comparison. "But no, that was fun. I'm still pretty rusty, but your singing kind of makes up for it. We should be some kind of lounge act, I bet people would love that."

They'd loved karaoke night, so obviously the two of them had been entertaining enough. "I never really did the piano recital thing, though. Not used to playing for an audience, but I bet you could convince me."

“Well, seems we have a bit of time to practice, at least,” Lucifer mentioned. “And you remember more than you let on,” he pointed out. “What next?”

He figured if he could give Tony something to focus on, maybe the Enterprise would be up and running quickly enough that he wouldn’t go into complete panic. He couldn’t imagine that they’d be in this state for too long.