The Samsara, Port of Fandom, Wednesday Afternoon

[my_own_advocate]

Right, so he'd clearly failed some kind of understanding test on Octavia's mystifying thing about tiny Duke. Lucifer had spent some time last night attempting to wrap his mind around it and failing.

But, well. Octavia stalking out of the Nest in a disappointed huff was not exactly how he wanted to go into this Duke-and-Octavia-free long weekend. And clearly he'd made a mistake. So.

There he was, standing on the boardwalk just outside of Samsara, holding a fruit basket. (It had lychees in it, besides the usual suspects. And dragonfruit. An apology basket had to be properly extravagant, right? It had worked for Miss Smith, at any rate.)

"Octavia?" he called.

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[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer raised his eyebrows, still grinning.

And poked her back with his own foot.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia acted like she didn't even see the raised eyebrows. Just went about getting the very last of the black-and-white flesh out of the dragon fruit.

While sort of just... casually keeping up contact with one foot.

Sometimes she knew only odd ways of getting what she wanted.

[my_own_advocate]

The eyebrows slid back down after a moment, anyway.

Even if a trace of the sentiment remained.

He tilted his foot slightly, oh-so-coincidentally giving her a bit more surface to work with.

[okteiviakom]

It wasn't much. Just a point of contact, and not even much of one, at that, with shoes involved.

But sometimes the smallest things settled her.

She finished her dragonfruit.

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, I believe that one was a rousing success," Lucifer said.

A bit quiet for his standards, but not in a bad way.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded. A tiny movement. "I accept your apology." With no comment as to whether one was even necessary in the first place. "And your fruit."

[my_own_advocate]

"Thank you," Lucifer said again.

Both for the acceptance and for not making him explain what any of it had been for.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had zero interest in getting into it. He was in the clear.

She nodded again. And kind of wished she'd chosen her seat a little differently.

[my_own_advocate]

For what it was worth, Lucifer was reaching out across the table for her hand.

[okteiviakom]

It was a good start. Octavia took it, pushing her fingers between his.

His hand always seemed to make hers look paler than it was.

[my_own_advocate]

You could take the angel out of Los Angeles, but you couldn't take Los Angeles out of the angel. Not even after months in Maryland, apparently.

"I really should come over here more often," Lucifer said.

[okteiviakom]

"Mmhmm," Octavia hummed, still watching their joined hands. "You'd be welcome to."

[my_own_advocate]

"I know. And I keep promising to," Lucifer said. "One would think I'd follow up on it, since last time was rather fun."

[okteiviakom]

Another snort.

And another lopsided quirk of her lips. "And you weren't even allowed to push further into the fun yet."

What a way to word it, Tavi.

[my_own_advocate]

"Mm, I've done plenty of pushing since," Lucifer said, never one to let a good innuendo slide by.

[okteiviakom]

"Mmhmm." Her little hum sounded thoroughly amused. "Been pretty good, too."

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, just pretty good?" Lucifer said.

He wasn't actually affronted, but he mostly played it well, if you ignored the grin.

[okteiviakom]

To be fair, the grin was pretty distracting.

"Always room for improvement," Octavia replied lightly. "Have to have something to strive for."

[my_own_advocate]

"Hm-hm," Lucifer hummed. "And what are you striving for, then?"

[okteiviakom]

"Better things."

It was a quippy non-answer about the dirty things.

(It was also a sincere answer about everything else.)

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed.

He got up, tugging on her hand as he went.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia followed suit, getting to her feet, though only after giving his hand a little tug of her own.

Sometimes, she was a brat.

[my_own_advocate]

"Brat," Lucifer said softly, agreeing with the narrative.

Kissing her probably wasn't going to get her to change her ways, but... well.

[okteiviakom]

No, it got his lip bit on - lightly - before Octavia actually kissed him back.

Had to get that in there for the entirely justified insult.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer managed a soft, quasi-long suffering sigh against her mouth, and slid his arm around her waist.

"I will miss you."

That just slipped out.