The Cape Rouge, Sunday Afternoon

[my_own_advocate]

He just wanted to be home.

For the second time that day, Lucifer fell. Not far this time, though. Just a few inches, really. His back hit the ground? with more noise than was strictly necessary for the impact that he'd made.

Oh.

Maybe it was the other two bodies making the same impact beside him.

He stared up at the sky, disoriented for many more reasons than just the fall itself. Oh my Me, indeed.

[[ for the two other people who just got teleported across the country out of nowhere. ]]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

And was entirely successful in doing so.

"Hey, careful," Duke said. "That's some limited edition rum there."

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm sure we can pour it back in the bottle," Lucifer said, glancing at Octavia. "While you have a lie down."

He desperately wanted to have that lie down with Duke, actually.

[okteiviakom]

Sorry, did he say something about pouring the rum back in the bottle? Because Octavia seemed to have heard something about downing all of it in one go.

Well, more like half of it.

But still.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke made a little noise of protest, then just sighed.

She wasn't even enjoying it.

"Fine. Lying down. All of us, please. Without the shouting?"

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "I think that doesn't depend on me," he said, doing a thing with his eyebrows at Octavia.

[okteiviakom]

Who responded by looking away.

And then gulping down the other half.

[betterthanaplan]

"Right." Another sigh. "Well, I'm not going anywhere until you two clear this up, then."

He went to cross his arms over his chest automatically, then winced and choked faintly when the movement sent a twinge up the one in the sling.

"Sooner would be nicer than later."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a difficult, messy sigh. "I don't know what you want me to say," he told Octavia.

[okteiviakom]

"Good, because I don't want to hear any more," Octavia replied, setting the empty glass down louder than necessary.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke threw his good arm in the air and shook his head at the ceiling.

"You know what, maybe I will go lie down alone." At this rate, his arm would be healed by the time they stopped trying to stare each other down, wouldn't it.

He wasn't nearly as hurt by Lucifer not letting them in on that part of the plan as Octavia was, though he did see why she was hurt by it.

"When you two get around to remembering that no one's dead who wasn't before we all went into that battle, you get to come join me."

[my_own_advocate]

You had a type, Crocker, and unfortunately, this was the way that type tended to resolve - or fail to resolve - their differences.

Lucifer wished he'd beaten Octavia to the expensive booze. "I'm happy to let things lie," he said.

[okteiviakom]

"Surprise," Octavia drawled. "You go with him, then."

She wasn't just hurt, she was angry still, too.

[betterthanaplan]

"Nope!" Duke said. "No one comes in until you two are actually okay, not just faking it. Enjoy the booze."

With that he headed into the bedroom, shut the door behind him, and face-planted on his bed.

His bed. His wonderful, amazing, comfortable bed with excellent sheets and room for three and . . . fuck, it smelled kinda musty in here.

He let out a long, frustrated groan and tried not to listen to whatever was going to happen in the next room. He was injured, and they were home, so he got to take a time out on trying to manage his two hotheads, dammit.

[my_own_advocate]

"Now look what you did," Lucifer said irritably, glancing at the closed door for a moment before bothering to head towards the liquor cabinet.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave him a wide berth.

"Oh, it's my fault," she rasped. "Sure."

[my_own_advocate]

"You're the one who's being irrational," Lucifer said, opening the doors of the cabinet to collect some of the lesser whiskey.

[okteiviakom]

Well. There was something Octavia was for sure going to be completely rational about!

(Nope.)

"Irrational?" she growled.

[my_own_advocate]

"You heard me," Lucifer said, grabbing a glass as well. "All I've been trying to do this entire time is keep you and Duke from getting hurt."

[okteiviakom]

"And you failed," Octavia snapped. "And he --" She stabbed a finger in the direction of the bedroom. "-- doesn't get the full scope of it because he hasn't been to war before, but I have."

[my_own_advocate]

"And if all three of you had stayed home like I asked you to, none of this would have happened in the first place," Lucifer snapped back. "We can both play this game into perpetuity, trust me."

[okteiviakom]

"It's not a game!"

Sorry about how the yelling only seemed to have gotten worse, Duke.

"I lost you, Lucifer! I lost you!" Oh, there were the angry tears again. "I had to watch you two pull your stupid secret plan, and then I lost you to it going fucking sideways!"

His return didn't erase that hurt for her when the memory wasn't even an hour old yet.

"And then I had to try and stop him from destroying himself the second you were gone!"

[my_own_advocate]

Well.

Lucifer turned around, leaning back against the counter. (The whole morning was still a rush of adrenaline and a thing of impossible hugeness he couldn't process.)

"Ah," he said.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was still glaring daggers at him, her eyes big and wet and furious.

"But go ahead and tell me again how how you didn't want us there, and how that means I don't need to know all the details," she said, pulling back from all the yelling a little, not it kept her from sounding bitter and hurt. "Tell me I should just suck it up and deal, Lucifer."

[my_own_advocate]

"I," Lucifer said, and looked down at his glass. "... I'm sorry."

For hurting her, at least. He wasn't sure what else to say.

[okteiviakom]

At least Octavia stopped yelling at him. Because really, that, that right there was all she'd really wanted him to say much, much earlier in this loud conversation.

Her eyes were welling up worse again, though, as the expression on her face began to slowly crackle from anger to... something else.

Something weaker and smaller.