Work Text:
“Beers on the roof.”
It’s such a simple phrase, inlaid with so much meaning.
Do you want to get beers on the roof later?
It was a question that on the surface just seemed like a friend asking another friend to hang out, much like one would ask another to get drinks after work, or that random 3 AM Taco Bell run because there’s nothing better to do.
But it had many different meanings.
Sure, it could mean, I feel like hanging out with you and only you later, let’s do something we both enjoy. And it did mean that quite frequently.
But it also could mean a lot of other phrases.
You’re moping and I want to cheer you up.
I’m here if you need to talk but don’t want to feel confrontational about whatever you’re going through.
You mean a lot to me and I want to show you that dammit.
I feel left out of your life and want to reconnect.
I love and miss you.
And sometimes, those meanings would intermingle to create a longer, more intricate meaning.
And perhaps that’s why Dean and Lucifer use it so much. Beers on the roof was their thing that they did together, besides going out for races in their respective classic cars and cuddling. They can do that with other members of the family.
But beers on the roof were special. Rarely was someone else invited, and they usually didn’t stay long.
They’d bring up a cooler full of their favorite beers, or a new craft beer that they were both interested in trying, or both. They’d sit on the deck chairs, crack one open, toast, and drink.
They’d stay up on the roof all night, talking and watching the stars move throughout the sky as the Earth slowly turned. Grievances were aired, tears were shed, hugs were exchanged, and generally both Lucifer and Dean would feel healed from doing this. Sometimes, if the mood was right, they’d curl up on one deck chair together and cuddle while they drank, laughing and kissing and enjoying each other’s company. Others, when the nights were more somber as one or the other would go through a hard time, they’d simply hold hands.
It was their most intimate time together, something that transcended sexual exploits. This was their way of making love without having to remove clothes and join together carnally.
And the family knew, if Dean or Lucifer asked the other for beers on the roof, to leave them alone, understanding that they needed bonding time together without interference from someone else.
Sometimes, they would find them sleeping outside, Lucifer using his wings to shield them from the elements as they slept curled up with each other on the cool roof, just being there for each other even as they slept.
Because one doesn’t need sex to make love to someone. Sex is a way of making love to someone.
But the best way to make love to someone is by doing an activity that the both of you enjoy and are willing to do time and time again, separate but together, and enjoying each other’s company.