Duke let out a soft hum, not an argument or an agreement.

He was bracketed by people who loved him. Who'd say it out loud, even when things were fine, even when there was nothing in particular they wanted from him. People who worried about him and made him take care of himself, and listened to him even when what he had to say wasn't something they wanted to or even could properly hear, just then.

He let a couple of tears fall, still burrowed into Lucifer's hair, and let himself relax as much as he could while still making sure not to shift his injured arm too much.

"You're here," he said. "That's all I really need."