Dr. Linda Martin's House, Thursday Morning

[my_own_advocate]

Was Dr. Linda's floor really where Lucifer wanted to wake up this morning? Absolutely not.

But Duke had been in no state to go to the penthouse last night, and Octavia had been in some kind of shock, and it had just seemed easier to stay here. Linda only had one couch, and that seemed better-suited for the drunk, so Lucifer had found himself on a mattress on the floor for the first time in... quite some time.

It was not ideal.

Which was likely why he woke up as early as he did, the floor poking against his shoulder as the air mattress had apparently sprung a leak during the night.

"Ugggh."

[[ for octavia and duke ]]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

"I don't know."

Helpful, Octavia.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let out a soft sigh. That was a frustrating answer, probably for both of them. He reached one hand up to card through her hair.

"It hit you even harder than it hit me, huh."

[okteiviakom]

"No," Octavia muttered.

She'd heard him, earlier. Aa if through a haze, but she'd heard him.

He'd been upset.

[betterthanaplan]

He still was. But he tended to wear his upset outwards, whether in visible anger or in hard-edged snark. Hers, along with all her other emotions, tended to turn in and reinforce her walls.

"As hard, then," he said, not having the ability to express that out loud. "You've had a lot of nasty experience with guns."

[okteiviakom]

"It's not that."

That was the walls talking. Quiet, mild.

(She thought about gun shots, and felt sick again.)

[betterthanaplan]

"You sure?" Duke asked. "Because if it's not, I have no idea what's going on with you."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia fell silent again.

But also maybe pressed back against him a little more.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke decided to take that as a confirmation of his theory. He closed his eyes again and kept slowly stroking her hair.

[okteiviakom]

"I'm not sure he's gonna get why you're upset," Octavia muttered after a moment.

She was still staring at the yard. But she'd stopped seeing it a while ago, her gaze turned inward.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke made a small, rough noise in the back of his throat. "Trouble with loving an angel."

Or anyone else, he thought, but didn't say.

[okteiviakom]

"I guess," Octavia said. She wasn't that sure it was very angel-specific, either. "All of this is... different for him."

Duh.

"He thinks that nothing happened to him means that nothing happened at all."

[betterthanaplan]

Another little grunt. "Worked that out, yeah."

What with the repeated insistence that Lucifer was "fine" and all.

Then: "He's not vulnerable around Chloe anymore."

That felt like a really big thing.

[okteiviakom]

"Noticed."

And it made no sense with -- other parts of the evening at the house. But Octavia didn't really know how to say that.

[betterthanaplan]

"That's, uh. That's big, right?"

[okteiviakom]

There was a hesitation to Octavia's voice.

"It's... new."

[betterthanaplan]

"Do you think . . . could we still. . . ?"

[okteiviakom]

"I'm not going to try," Octavia said. It was firmer, if not by a lot.

Funny how it also kind of sounded like she didn't want to know.

[betterthanaplan]

"Right, no, me neither," Duke said quickly.

But angels self-actualized, and Duke's already muzzy head was spinning.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's arms had been hanging limply at her sides until now.

And now, finally, one of her hands came up to curl around one of the arms he had around her shoulders. It was a light touch, but... Still.

[my_own_advocate]

"Does anyone want any wine?" Lucifer called, from well inside the house. "I finished this bottle but I'm fairly sure Linda still has a few!"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke squeezed his eyes shut and jerked his head a little in an incredulous shake. He dropped the hand in her hair to her shoulder and pulled her into a quick, firm hug.

"I should, uh, get back in there before he drinks Linda out of house and home. Even if I do kind of think she deserves it. . . ." He pulled back a little but didn't entirely let go. "You want to come in, too, or stay out here a bit longer?"

[okteiviakom]

"I'll stay out," Octavia muttered, already pulling away.

Even if she was slow about it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let one hand linger on her shoulder until the last minute, then ducked back into the house.

"Right. How much of Linda's stash have you blown through?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Just the one bottle," Lucifer said, scandalized.

Like this wasn't an absurdly short window to drink one full bottle of wine in.

[betterthanaplan]

Even for a confused angel?

"Well, good. Not sure what I think of her technique of getting me drunk to grill me last night, but she should still get to drink most of her own wine."