Samifer Week #1: Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Karaoke Kings

Pairing: Samifer (SamLucifer)

Rating: PG-13 for swearing

Word Count: 6853

Summary: Sam Winchester will go to every Karaoke Kings concert between now and graduation, if he could just see the Lucifer Milton again.

Idea Based On This Video From VANCON 2012: watch?v=sH026hjRPVA

The first time Sam heard the Karaoke Kings, he'd just gotten done with a brutal Criminal Law 1 midterm his freshman year at Stanford. Sam had planned on crashing in the dorm and ordering pizza with Brady and Jess, but his roommate had other ideas.

Brady was leaning back against the wall on his bed, smashing buttons on his xbox, barely sparing Sam a glance. When he flopped down on the bed on the other side of the room and turned to watch his roommate obliterate zombies, Brady gave him a once over and declared, "Dude, you need to get drunk."

Sam sighed, rolled over to face the wall, and promptly fell asleep.

When he woke up, Jess was there with Brady, and the two of them had gotten out their entire hidden stash. They lined Sam's dresser like a poor man's bar, and Jess acted like Vanna White and gestured at the options. Sam sat up, a headache still pounding at his temple, but couldn't really deny his friends. He ended up taking some ibuprofen with a shot of vodka.

It was 11:30 when the trio was plastered enough to make their way to the bars. They were just three among the mass exodus downtown – Friday night at the end of midterms meant the crowd was even worse than normal – and without any real aim in mind, (Jess wanted to dance, but Brady said he'd rather hang himself and Sam was barely functioning as an upright human being,) they followed a crowd into a loud bar.

Just after Sam pulled Jess in and the three of them found a table at the back, a bouncer went outside to start proofing everyone who came in. They just missed being kicked out. The bar was dark despite the lamps that hung from the ceiling that were like bursts of sunshine to Sam's drunken eyes. People were chatting quietly, but most of the sound came from the three girls on stage, all wearing shirts with the same two Greek letters on them, singing karaoke.

They weren't bad, but Stanford had a decent theatre department. Sam enjoyed going to student shows. Well, when he had time and spare change.

A couple more performers graced the stage, but there was a buzz in the air about something else. Whispers of something greater reached Sam's ears, and the commotion seemed to be coming from a table across the bar which sat three boys and a girl. Sam recognized one of them as Gabriel Milton – a boy in his Introduction to Law class – who was undoubtedly too young to be taking that shot of Jäger. His hair was slicked back as it usually was, and he was wearing a blue t-shirt with KARAOKE KINGS print screened to the front of it. The man next to him was taller, had shorter, darker hair, but he was taking a shot too. He was older than Gabriel by a few years; he certainly looked old enough to be able to drink. His t-shirt said the same thing, but it was red.

The third man seemed between the two in age. He was nursing a bottle of something that Sam couldn't see the label of. He was blond, wearing a black shirt, and looking uncomfortable with his other two companions. Or at least, with the attention they were getting. The woman at the table had long, blonde hair. It was curly, but not in ringlets, and she looked like a bored child waiting in a dentist's office.

Somehow, Brady kept scoring shots and setting them in front of the trio. By the time the two Karaoke Kings took the stage, Sam could barely hold his head up.

"Hello, California!" Gabriel yelled in sing-song to the bar patrons. Nobody left their seat to go run to the stage, but compared to the previous singers, the bar let loose a loud roar. The fans were almost all women, but the red king was handsome in a very traditional way and for some reason, girls flocked to Gabriel in class. "As I'm sure you all know, I'm Gabriel Milton, this is my brother Michael, and we are the Karaoke Kings!"

The girls let another round of screams escape their lips. Even Jess twisting in her chair to see them, let forth a whistle. Brady rolled his eyes at her and took a sip of his beer.

"And, joining us for the first time is our middle brother, Lucifer. It only took months of begging, but his majesty decided to take a break from rehearsal to perform with us tonight!"

The girls went nuts. The blond brother – Lucifer – was standing in front of the stage with the blonde girl. There was an open area there, and Lucifer gave a sheepish little wave. Sam turned to Jess, but her eyes were wide and her hands were over her mouth. When she looked at Sam, she beat him to the question.

"Lucifer Milton was just cast as the Duke in the school's production of Moulin Rouge. He was so good at auditions – the whole department went down to watch – but they gave Christian's part to a senior. They say that they're going to let him pick the musical he wants to do next year because he was so good and he got ripped off. He's going to let us freshman make his wardrobe. Double major in theatre and vocal performance with a minor in dance," The girl actually squealed. "Lilith's been his dance partner for years. She's playing Satine."

"Wow, Sammy," Brady chimed in. "It seems like you have some stiff competition."

Jess hit him, but her face turned beat red. "Stop it. Like Lucifer would ever notice me. Uh… I mean… that's not what I meant, Sam."

Sam just shrugged. He couldn't blame his not-yet-girlfriend. The man's shirt was too tight and his pants were even tighter. And now, thinking back on it, he couldn't even remember what song Gabriel and Michael sang. He couldn't remember the dance that Lucifer and Lilith did, but it must have been stronger than the liquor, because when he woke up the next morning with his head screaming and there was an empty bucket at his bedside – just in case – all he could think about was Lucifer Milton and when the Karaoke Kings would perform again.

Sam assumed his fixation on Lucifer Milton was akin to the way people were toward local celebrities or how most of the kids feel in high school in the presence of the most popular kid in school. It was platonic, fame driven, something that – if asked – Sam could say, "Yes, I was there the night Lucifer danced with his brothers and yes it was amazing."

Because that was all he remembered about that night. That it was amazing.

And Sam would admit later that he wasn't exactly proud of his actions in the weeks after he first saw the Karaoke Kings, but Gabriel turned out to be one of his best friends, so he wasn't too worried about it. Long story short, when they needed to partner up in Intro to Law, Sam nearly had to fight his way through a crowd of girls to get to Gabriel. Luckily, the youngest Milton didn't notice – and since Sam had the highest grades in the class – he quickly accepted him as his partner.

And through Gabriel, Sam learned a lot about the Miltons.

Their dad was absent a lot – military man always doing tours in the Middle East – their mother was devout. Gabriel was majoring in Music Business with a concentration in law, Michael was a first year graduate student with a major in Composition, and Jess had been right about Lucifer. Gabriel beamed about his brothers. He had this big idea that one day, Michael would write something good enough to be on Broadway, Lucifer would star in it, and Gabriel would somehow work behind the scenes. (He really liked to fancy himself as an agent, but Sam just thought he liked how Agent Gabriel Milton sounded). The boy was a slacker, but funny and nice, and they became quick friends.

The Karaoke Kings met at a different bar once a month, and the rest of Sam's freshman year of college, he never missed a show. The beginning of February, when the Kings had their first show of the spring semester, Gabriel introduced Sam to Michael, but Lucifer hadn't been around at every show. Moulin Rouge was set to open in April, and even though Lucifer was just the Duke, play practice and his three concentrations ate at all of his time.

Jess never really seemed to question the friendship between Sam and Gabriel. She often sat with them at lunch when they were getting out of Business Law and she was getting a half-an-hour break from her 6-hour theatre production class. She would bitch about sets and costumes, but would go on and on to Gabriel about how Lucifer was the prince of the family.

"I mean, I accidently made his coat too big. And he's playing the Duke so he has to look good. And he just stood there, completely still as I made the adjustments around his torso. He even talked to me a little bit. He asked me how I liked Stanford and if I had a boyfriend," she giggled, and Gabriel rolled his eyes at her.

"What did you say?" Sam asked.

She shot him a look, one he had seen over and over from both her and Brady, and hissed, "I told him the truth and said no. So you better ask me quick, Sam Winchester. I'm not just sitting around waiting on you forever."

Gabriel laughed, "You don't mean my brother, do you? Oh, honey. He's a theatre major with a minor in dance. Let me tell you, you're not his type."

Sam didn't exactly get what the two had in common until Jess huffed up and turned red, "That seems like a stereotype. Not all theatre majors or guys with minors in dance are gay."

"Maybe not, but my brother is. Samsquatch here is more his type," Gabriel raised his eyebrows at Sam, and the taller man promptly choked on his chicken fingers. It took some water and Jess hitting his back to recover, and then he was staring at Gabriel like he had three heads.

"I'm his type?"

"Sure," Gabriel grinned, letting his eyes fall over Sam's body with no shame. They were good friends, but it still made Sam uncomfortable. And the look of complete seriousness on Gabriel's face was uncommon. He was so serious, in fact, that Sam was sure this was just a cruel joke. "He wants someone who could dance the male part with him, so he likes his men taller. And he's, like, six foot something, so it's a constant struggle for him. I remember Michael actually hitting him his first year here when he complained that he was the tallest guy in the program. Not in like a gay-bashing way, but in the same way Luci hits Michael whenever he complains about his girlfriend. They're close."

It felt like it was a thousand degrees in the dining hall, but Sam tried to go back to eating. He offered, "huh," which he hoped made him seem uninterested or cool, but Gabriel smirked. He knew that he'd been found out.

"Maybe there's a reason why Sammy here hasn't asked you out, Jessie. Maybe you're not his type, either. But rest assured, you are my type, and I'd be honored if you'd accompany me to the ice cream bar."

Jess giggled – actually giggled – and walked arm and arm with the youngest Milton to get a sundae. Sam sat at the table, thinking about the middle Milton. He might not have even noticed the ice cream Gabriel slid across the table to him when he returned, but luckily, his friend kicked him in the shin to get him back to the here and now.

But mostly so Sam would pay attention while he flirted with Jess.

Sam hadn't left Kansas on good terms with his father, so he decided to take summer classes and stay in the dorms. He and Dean were talking again – well, texting mostly, because his brother took Sam's leaving as personal abandonment even though Sam never meant to hurt Dean, and his older brother hated phone calls – and that was how he met Lucifer Milton.

Sam was texting his brother about something stupid on his way through Starbucks. It was undeniably less busy in the summer when 98% of the student body was elsewhere, but Sam managed to run into somebody who was walking backwards and not paying attention to where he was walking either.

When he looked up and his eyes met the familiar pale blue and blond hair, Sam flushed so bad he could feel it on his chest. Lucifer licked at his hand, where the drink had spilled on him, and offered a sheepish, "Sorry," and walking to the side. Sam tried to apologize, but his words caught in his throat in a way that was incredibly uncool, but he was saved when he heard a familiar voice shout out to him.

"Hi-ya, Sammy!" Gabriel was suddenly standing beside his brother, grinning up at him like a cat who ate the canary. Like this was somehow part of his grand plan and he had orchestrated this meeting. "Oh, how rude of me. Sam, this is my brother Lucifer. Luci, Sam Winchester."

Lucifer's face lit up in some sort of recognition, and he relaxed. When he shook Sam's hand, it was sticky from where the drink spilled, (and his saliva; oh God, Sam was such a fourteen-year-old girl), and Lucifer said, "Nice to meet you, Sam. Gabe tells me that he wouldn't have survived his law classes without you. So thank you for helping him cheat."

"I didn't cheat, Luci," Gabriel whined. "Tell him I didn't cheat, Sam."

"Your brother is actually sort of smart," Sam admitted, grinning at Gabriel. "Sort of."

Lucifer laughed but Gabriel pouted. It should seem completely ridiculous on a man who was old enough to join the army and die for his country, but it wasn't. It was so completely Gabriel that it would have been more bizarre if he hadn't done it.

"Yes, well," Gabriel started. "We are going to the amphitheatre to enjoy some time without Michael. He is at home writing his masterpiece for his thesis next semester, and Lucifer doesn't want to sing for him anymore because he's a bitch."

"I'm not a bitch," Lucifer frowned, shooting a quick glance at Sam before glaring daggers at his brother. "I sing all school year long. I have other interests that I like to spend my summer vacation doing."

Gabriel grinned at Sam, "Oh, yes. My bitch brother has a wide array of interests. He enjoys gardening, reading by the bay window at night, and cooking. Like I said, my brother is a bitch."

"Oooh," Lucifer half-sang, grabbing his brother by the bicep. "You are going to get it. I'm also in fencing club and ground fighting club. And you're not too old for me to beat your ass." Lucifer started dragging his younger brother out of the café. He offered an apologetic smile and a wave, but Gabriel kept on yelling.

"I thought you just got into ground fighting so you could meet hot guys who would roll around with you on the ground! Ow! Lucifer, stop it or I'm going to tell Michael. I'll call him right now and tell him you want to spend all night singing his aria. Ooooouch!" and right before they opened the door, Gabriel winked and yelled, "Bye Sam!"

Sam turned to start walking toward the line, but he could have sworn he heard Lucifer hiss at his younger brother, "Your friend is tall," and Sam was barely able to stammer through his order after that.

He hung out with Gabriel about once a week that summer. Sometimes they would crash in Sam's dorm – he didn't have a roommate during the summer – and Gabriel liked to play at being away from home. The Miltons lived in a giant brick building down the street from campus, and they were legacies; Mrs. Milton studied music here before her three sons followed in her footsteps.

A few times, Sam went to Gabriel's house to play at being with a family. Mr. Milton was never home, and Mrs. Milton was distant, but Michael and Lucifer were more than friendly. Lucifer wouldn't sing Michael's music, but he got great joy out of looking over his book from the bay window as Michael played the piano and Sam butchered whatever Michael wanted him to sing. Michael was a completely decent singer – nothing spectacular like Lucifer – and he made Sam his pet project. It made the younger Miltons laugh, and Sam thought Michael looked just enough like Dean for him to enjoy the brotherly attention.

In which, he didn't so much look like Dean, but he reminded him of home anyway.

Sometimes when Gabriel got bored, he would put on music over the stereo system to drown Michael's piano and Sam's singing out. The music would just start, but by the time Michael shot his brothers a look and Sam glanced to the other side of the living room, Gabriel and Lucifer would be dancing semi-ridiculously as if they had been at it for hours. Michael would get annoyed, storm up to his room, but come back down in half an hour to join in the fun.

He had learned over the summer that Michael had been dating his girlfriend Anna since high school. Gabriel hadn't dated anyone all summer, but he'd been texting Jess like it was his job, and Lucifer had a horrible track record since he was a teenager. He had had several relationships – none lasting longer than a month – and all of them had been rushed. Sex on the first date – sex before the first date – and he admitted it only to Sam, and only when he had been plastered.

It actually had been heart breaking. Lucifer dreamed of the same things Sam dreamed of – getting married, buying a house, having kids, moving past Broadway to be a film or TV actor (okay, Sam replaced that with being a successful lawyer with his own firm, but you get the idea) – but he didn't have a clue how to get it. He was family orientated, and all of the men he met weren't interested in anything serious.

Sam was pretty drunk then too. He let his hand fall over Lucifer's arm, his heart breaking at the look in the man's eyes when he whispered, "Plus, it's not easy being named for the devil. They assume that I just want fornication and decadence, but… I didn't name myself."

"You weren't named for the devil; you were named for an angel. The first lawyer in Biblical history in fact, so I take that remark personally," Sam slurred and Lucifer smiled, but Gabriel came bouncing in with another round of beers and Sam removed his hand and accepted the bottle.

It was a night late in August – move in day, when Brady and Jess were carrying their junk into the dorms to start sophomore year – that Sam was celebrating the end of the summer with the Miltons. It was that night that Sam officially crossed over secret-pining for Lucifer Milton to actively trying to figure out how he was going to obtain him. Mr. Milton was in Iran, Mrs. Milton had left to go to a mission's trip in Africa, and Gabriel decided they needed more alcohol. Lucifer had turned twenty-one over the summer, but it was Michael who went to the liquor store.

Shots and beers were had – Michael had already gotten pissed and gone to his room and came back down – and Gabriel was trying to out dance a guy who had been dancing tap, jazz, and hip hop since he was six. Sam's sides hurt from laughing so much, listening to Gabriel rap in Korean with sunglasses on, and Lucifer do a damn good job at popping his hip like the girls did in the Gangnam Style video.

In the end, the votes were split because Michael thought it was impressive that Gabriel could rap in another language, but Sam insisted it was a dance competition and Lucifer had to win. Gabriel pretended to get upset, just so he could shout, "You always side with your boyfriend! You don't love me anymore, Sam," and stormed out. Michael shot Sam a look that Dean would have given him in the current situation, and chased after his youngest brother. Lucifer's cheeks were slightly flushed – but Sam was sure it was from the dancing not the comment – and he tossed his head behind him, looking for his brothers.

When they didn't reemerge after fifteen seconds, Sam assumed Gabriel was in full youngest-child mode (meaning, throwing a completely unwarranted and unauthentic temper-tantrum for attention). Sam smiled up at Lucifer, and the second their eyes made contact, the older boy held his hand down to Sam. He took it without question and let the man pull him to his feet.

"Let me teach you how to dance," Lucifer breathed, and Sam couldn't say no.

Lucifer put on a song that Sam recognized instantly. He had seen Lucifer in Moulin Rouge and he couldn't believe that he was going to attempt to teach him the tango. Sam had heard it was the hardest of the dances. But suddenly, Lucifer was back in front of Sam, helping him position his hands. When Lucifer placed his arm over Sam's, touching his shoulder and casting himself in the female's role, Sam tried really hard to control his breathing. Gabriel's words from earlier in the year echoing in his ear: He wants someone who could dance the male part with him, so he likes his men taller.

The first few moves were simple enough, but they were so incredibly close. Their foreheads almost touched, Sam could taste the alcohol on Lucifer's breath, and their chests were pressed against one another. When Lucifer leaned and wrapped his leg around Sam's, the younger boy shook him off and tried to gain some space between them. Lucifer was a professional – he could tango with anyone and not feel anything – but Sam's heart was hammering in his chest. He was going to pass out or throw up, and his fingers threaded through his hair to steady himself.

"You – uh – you didn't tango in that song. You were trying to rape Lilith," Sam looked up, surprised to see Lucifer smirking.

"We had to sit through the rehearsals every day. We could do that entire dance in our sleep. But, just… one more? I just want to see something. Then we don't have to do it anymore," Lucifer held his hand out to Sam one more time, palm up. "Please."

It was a bad idea. A very very bad idea, but Sam couldn't deny him. He was biting his bottom lip, standing sideways, coaxing Sam like a siren, and Sam couldn't say no. He took his hand, and this time Lucifer placed them on his waist. Both of his hands were placed with purpose on Sam's shoulders and he flexed his fingers like he was trying to get a good grip. He let out a breath and looked up at Sam and asked, "Can you lift me?"

"Lift you?"

"Yes," Lucifer licked his lips. "I can lift myself. I'll push down on your shoulders, but I want to see if you can steady me. How much of my weight you can take. I'll even jump to get you started; I'll count down from three."

But Sam didn't wait. He tugged a little bit, which didn't result in anything but getting Lucifer's shirt to bunch up and reveal a layer of skin at his hips. Without thinking – that sounded like a challenge, like Lucifer didn't think Sam could lift him – the man tugged the blond's shirt up, gripping his bare skin at his hips. Lucifer's eyes were wide with surprise, but Sam took a step back, rocked forward and lifted. He was lighter than Dean, despite their similar height and Lucifer's muscle, not that Sam had ever lifted his brother like this. Lucifer pushed down on Sam's shoulders enough to take the strain off, but Sam just smirked up him, enjoying the look on Lucifer's face.

"Didn't think I could do it, huh?"

"Lower me," Lucifer whispered. "Slowly."

Sam went as slow as he could, and Lucifer latched on to him on the way down. His hands were replaced with his forearms, his fingers threading through Sam's hair, their foreheads touching. Lucifer touched the ground on his tip-toes, leaning his chest against Sam's as he lowered himself the other inch or two. He didn't back way. Instead, his hand started rubbing the back of Sam's neck like it had a mind of its own.

"You have huge potential," Lucifer admitted. "I could work with you."

"Okay, wow, have to say I didn't expect to return to that, but many thanks for the image, guys," Gabriel smirked from the doorway. Lucifer jumped back like a surprised cat, fixing the hem of his shirt so it was lower than his belt. Michael walked in a second later, frowning because he missed something, but he just plopped down on the arm chair with a bowl of popcorn. Gabriel had one too, and he shoved it into Sam's arms.

"He didn't think I could lift him," Sam tried to explain. Lucifer shot him a dirty look before grabbing a notebook, sitting down at the end of the couch with his knees up and the notebook sprawled across his legs. Gabriel pushed Sam, and he took the seat near Lucifer's feet; Gabriel sat on the other side of Sam.

"That's what he says to all the dumb, tall boys," Gabriel grabbed a fist full of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth. Around the mouthful, he added, "Now he's going to plan some impossible dance that will kill you to dance at your wedding. If, of course, California gets its head out of its ass and lets gays marry again. But then again, you do want to live in New York, right Luci?"

"Gabriel," Lucifer warned. Sam noticed he was shaking, likely in fury.

Gabriel whispered, "Gay marriage is legal there." As if Sam didn't know what he was talking about. He was pre-law, for God's sakes. And not as straight as he thought he was a year ago. He'd already looked into it.

The fall semester of Sam's sophomore year hit hard and fast. Criminal Law 2 was insane, and even Gabriel was overly stressed and working to the bone in their Copyright and Statistical Analysis class. In early September, Jess informed Sam that the big theatre production was going to be The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which Sam had never seen and Jess promptly sat him down to watch. Brady hated it. Sam couldn't help picturing Lucifer as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and he had no idea why that was so hot because Sam wouldn't have placed Tim Curry in drag up there with his biggest turn ons.

But Lucifer in drag?

Why did the thought of that turn Sam on so much?

Michael was beyond swamped – he needed to complete his final composition and put an orchestra together to perform it before the board – and he was a ball of nerves. Lucifer was just as bad. He would stop to say hi if he saw Sam on campus, but more often than not, he was on his way from voice lessons to theatre practice to dance, and he was exhausted by the end of the day.

He didn't show up to the first Karaoke Kings concert, dubbed, "A Night Of Debauchery and Fun." And Sam was sure he would show just to take the edge off. Gabriel told them that Lucifer was trying out tomorrow morning, and even though he was a shoe-in for the lead, he had psyched himself out and was spending the night with his lucky traditions.

Sam was about to ask what his traditions were, but Michael dragged his brother away to the stage.

Two weeks later, Jess burst into Sam's room in tears. For a second, Sam thought he was going to have to beat Gabriel senseless, but then Sam noticed she was crying the same way she cried when there was talk about Sherlock's new season – well, before she came down from her high and realized that it was still going to be thirty years until it came out – and Jess was fucking happy.

"He did it, Sam! They posted it this afternoon! Luce is going to be Frank and guess what… he asked me to do his costumes. Sam, he asked me! I don't have seniority or the talent that some of the other theatre production does, but he said he knew I liked costume better than set design and he was happy with what I made last year, and oh, Sam, I could die!"

By this point, Jess had Sam around the neck and was practically sitting in his lap. It wasn't a come on – her and Gabriel were official, and Gabriel had a huge mouth so she knew everything that happened over the summer between Sam and Lucifer – but Sam patted her back anyway.

He thought of Jess making Lucifer's garter belt and corset and thought that he was going to die, too.

The next weekend, Sam, Jess, and Brady were drunk and walking to the Karaoke Kings concert. They held it a week early for some reason, but the bar was the same one that the trio saw them at the first time a year ago. Upon entering, the three were greeted like royalty from the Kings table, this time donning just the three Miltons. Jess kissed Gabriel (wearing a ridiculous, blue sequined vest – Michael was wearing the same thing in red) and sat down next to him. Brady sat next to her, leaving the only seat left at the circular table next to Lucifer.

As if Sam was going to sit anywhere else.

Lucifer looked… conflicted. On one hand, he had on a black shirt that was pretty tight. It made the muscles in his arms stand out in a way that looked more like a fighter than a dancer. He was taking a shot when Sam showed up. He gave the boy a look and groaned, walking to the bar to get another.

Sam would have been offended if Lucifer hadn't brought him back one. They took them quickly, and Lucifer started running his fingers through his blond hair. "What's up?" Sam asked over the Sigma Kappa girls singing Like A Virgin.

Lucifer looked up at him, pale eyes nervous, and he licked his lips but Michael beat him to it. "Luci's going to sing with us tonight!"

"Yeah, hence the whore's clothing," Gabriel added, an arm slung over Jess's shoulders.

Lucifer shot him a look, then turned back to Sam like he wanted some sympathy.

"Don't you sing in front of people all the time? I mean, I saw you last year on stage and there were thousands of people there. There aren't more than a few dozen here," Sam offered, leaning closer to Lucifer so he could hear him. He wasn't sure how much the other man had to drink, but the last time Sam had seen him this drunk, Sam had lifted him in the air. He moved back, afraid what the combination of alcohol, Lucifer's shirt, and the promise of him singing would do to Sam.

"That's after months of rehearsals and with good sound equipment. I don't like singing in public until I've perfected it. Outside of concerts, you haven't heard me sing before. There's a reason for that," Lucifer's hand was still in his hair, hiding half his face, but he was looking at Sam like he was begging him to do something important. And Sam was too drunk to see it.

"Doesn't mean I haven't wanted to," Sam's hand touched Lucifer's thigh under the table. The older man jumped with it, hitting his knee on the table, but kept eye contact. He should probably pull away – Lucifer didn't seem comfortable with it – but between his brain and his hand, Sam's muscles took control and his fingers rubbed a spot higher on the man's thigh. "You'll be great, you know. You're always great. Like when you danced that night with Lilith, or when I spilled coffee on you and you didn't yell at me, or when you tried to teach me to dance even though it's only because I'm taller than you and not because you felt things when you taught me how to tango even though I felt them but you're more professional than that. Hey, actually, how do you do that? When you're dancing that close to people, how do you not get… I mean, it would be awkward for me… The tango seems too intimate to do with someone you aren't intimate with."

Lucifer had been frowning until the final question. Then a small smile played at the corners of his lips, his hand dropped to Sam's. It didn't push it off his thigh; instead, the pad of his thumb rubbed circles against the back of Sam's hand.

"It wasn't just because you were tall that I asked you, Sam," Lucifer started, but Gabriel smacked Lucifer's back before walking on stage with Michael. The blond Milton sighed and started staring a hole into the table.

"Good evening, California! And my, what a sexy crowd we have here tonight," Gabriel started, shooting a wink in their general direction.

Jess cheered.

"We have an extra special treat for you tonight. Before we get started, we would like to ask you to join us in welcoming our middle brother to the stage," Michael gestured to the crowd, which predictably went crazy. With one more look at Sam, Lucifer stood and walked on stage as slowly as he possibly could. Gabriel grabbed him by the arm and tugged him the rest of the way. He abandoned his brother center stage to walk over to the karaoke machine and select a song. "Lucifer recently got the part of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the upcoming production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and we thought it would be nice if all of you could hear him sing before he got into drag."

Lucifer frowned at Michael, but accepted the microphone his brother held out to him. A moment later, Gabriel stepped away from the machine, grinning at his brother. When the beat filled the room, Lucifer shot an almighty look at his brothers, something close to murderous rage, and turned to look at the table he previously sat at. The lights were bright, and he probably couldn't make Sam out, but there seemed to be an apology in his eyes before the words started, and Lucifer turned into the showman Sam had seen at last year's production.

"How'd you do, I see you've met my faithful henchman…"

Sam didn't know the words, but the most of the crowd was singing along with Lucifer. It was almost difficult to hear him over the roar, but it wasn't hard to see him.

"Don't get strung out by the way I look! Don't judge a book by its cover…" Lucifer was comfortable up there, or at least he appeared to be. He shut his eyes and leaned forward, singing along with the music he had known forever.

"I'm not much of a man by the light of day, but by night, I'm one hell of a lover."

Lucifer's hand went to his hair in a way that was completely different from how he was a moment ago. It wasn't nervous or hiding, he was rubbing his hair forward, making it stick up, almost like he could imagine it being someone else. On top of that, his hips started shifting, rolling forward and back. Once that happened, the crowd lost it. The cheering completely drowned Lucifer's words, until he bent his knees a little bit and rolling his hips faster.

Gabriel acted as Brad, and Lucifer stood with his hand on his hip, his weight shifted so his hip stuck out, looking sort of bored with the whole conversation. When Gabriel's part was over, Lucifer stepped forward, throwing up an arm looking positively like a diva, yelling out, "Well you got caught with a flat wheel, how about that?" His hips started rotating again; he lifted an arm up, "I'll get you a Satanic mechanic!"

His hand was in his hair, looking down toward where a girl had gone to the dance floor with a camera. His hand rubbed back through his hair, sliding and gripping at his neck as his hips swirled, "I'm just a sweet transvestite from transsexual Transylvania."

His hand dropped to his thigh as he bent forward, sliding closer to his knee, his hips still rocking. Sam licked his lips. This whole thing was way too much. It seemed too voyeuristic – so unlike the short time they tangoed in the Milton's living room – but it was so good because of it. It wasn't the alcohol that made his neck flush; it wasn't the alcohol that made the beads of sweat soak into the collar of his cotton shirt. He couldn't believe he could sweat this much watching a human being on stage. For half a second, he wondered if this was the allure of the strip clubs Dean had always wanted to take him to. Then Lucifer was looking toward their table, pounding a fist in the air singing, "Hey, hey, I'm just a sweet transvestite…"

Gabriel and Michael falsetto'd, "Sweet transvestite."

"From transsexual…" At that moment, Sam could see Lucifer slipping out of the performer and back into the man who he had come to know over the summer. It was like he was getting nervous again. He glanced over the crowd, before taking a breath, "Transelvania."

He raised his arm, "So, come up to the lab," he pointed to the crowd, "and see what's on the slab, I see you shiver with anci –" He held out a finger, giving the crowd a look that seemed like a warning, but girls still yelled out the end. Sam held his breath, and it seemed like forever when Lucifer finally said, " – pation."

He belted, "But maybe the rain isn't really to blame," and placed his hand on his stomach, almost as if he were hugging himself. "I'll treat the cause…" he grinned, it breaking through to a small laugh before he finished "… but not the symptom!" Lucifer pointed at the crowd, held it for a second, then bent his elbow like he was mimicking the recoil of a gun.

The song was over and the crowd was on their feet, screaming. Sam expected Lucifer to slink away shyly, but the man raised both his arms in a low-V over his head, grinning something a little more primal than Sam had ever seen on the man. Michael came up and wrapped his arms around him from behind, Gabriel was cheering with the rest of them, clapping and slapping his brother on the back when Michael let go.

The crowd was still cheering when Lucifer hopped off the little stage. Sam wasn't sure when he stood or when he moved to the front, but when Lucifer looked up from the landing, his pale eyes met Sam's hazel ones. There was a heartbeat shared, before one of Sam's hands dug into Lucifer's short hair and pulled him toward him. He felt Lucifer's hands on his chest a second before he felt their lips meet, and Lucifer didn't hold anything back. His arms wrapped over Sam's shoulders, and judging by the different height from a second ago, Lucifer was holding himself up on his tippy-toes.

It was one of Sam's stranger first kisses, like they were trying to consume each other. He wasn't even sure who gave away first, it was suddenly teeth and tongue and no wonder why Lucifer always seemed to rush to sex. He kissed like he sang, like he danced, with complete passion.

Sam had a hard time dragging himself away, but finally he got some space between them. Their eyes met again, and the crowd went insane. Sam's ears were filled with white noise of screams and whoops and wolf whistles, and Lucifer looked over Sam's shoulder at the camera flashes and offered Sam an apologetic look.

The younger boy just shook his head and leaned down, making sure Lucifer heard his request, and asked, "Will you teach me the rest of the tango?"

Sam felt Lucifer's laugh in his chest where they were still pressed together, "Sammy, you have no idea the things I have planned for us."