The Cape Rouge, Sunday Morning

[my_own_advocate]

Right, so Lucifer was getting up bright and early so he could prepare himself for the trip to Baltimore - possibly with Duke - to escape this caffeine-free, zero-alcohol hell-hole. Bright and early enough that both of his partners were still asleep.

Or Octavia was faking it. Or just not bothering to get up. Who even knew?

"Oh my me," he whispered to himself in the kitchen. The bourbon looked... normal? He took a swig. It was normal.

He swept away immediately to get the coffee going, and twenty minutes later--

"Who wants an Irish coffee?!"

--burst back into the bedroom.

[[ for duke, and for octavia if she wants to jump in too ]]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

"Mm," Lucifer said, took a sip, and said, "I still think we should get an inflatable hot tub."

[betterthanaplan]

“That . . . would also be easy to store in the hold.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Exactly what I was thinking," Lucifer said. He smirked. "And then you won't have to turn your precious boat into a cruise ship."

[betterthanaplan]

“The world’s ugliest cruise ship?” Duke asked with a grin.

What? He knew what the Rouge looked like.

[my_own_advocate]

"Not if you finally gave it that bloody lick of paint she needs."

[betterthanaplan]

“Excuse you, that rust happens to be very effective camouflage.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Far be it from me to repeat our past conversations," Lucifer said, as he was about to repeat just that, "But your ship hasn't needed camouflage in... how many years?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke pressed his hand to his chest. "You wound me."

Look, sometimes he needed to pretend he was still a scoundrel and a rogue, okay?

[my_own_advocate]

"By the time you ever have to use this vessel for camouflage again, it would probably have rusted over all over again," Lucifer pointed out.

[betterthanaplan]

"Really. That's just cruel."

[my_own_advocate]

"Is it?" Lucifer asked, snorting. "Are you eager to go back to your life from three years ago?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Not exactly the same life," Duke said. "But, you know. It's nice having the option. . . ."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer huffed softly. "Keeping an off-ramp, are we?"

[betterthanaplan]

"You are making this sound way worse than it is," Duke said.

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm not saying it's bad," Lucifer said, idly pouring another shot of Bailey's into his mug. "But you are doing it."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed and flopped down onto one of the benches.

"I like having an exit strategy," he said, shrugging. Trying not to think too hard about Linda telling him that was his immaturity showing. "In my experience, things tend to go tits-up pretty fast if you don't."

[my_own_advocate]

"I can't say I don't understand," Lucifer said. He considered the situation for a moment, then... followed Duke's example. "But it has been over a year. More, if we count back to the start of you and Octavia."

[betterthanaplan]

"And she and I have both gone missing at least once and how many times has the island tried to kill us?" Duke pointed out. "Shit -- ends."

He'd spent his whole life reminding himself of that. Bracing for it. Telling himself it was better that way, to make it hurt less. Three years wasn't a lot compared to more than 30.

[my_own_advocate]

"Some shit does," Lucifer said, wrapping his hands around his mug. "Some shit doesn't."

[betterthanaplan]

"You don't," Duke agreed softly. He was in no mood to send Lucifer into another spiral of existential dread -- or himself, for that matter. He leaned his head on Lucifer's shoulder instead. "Still getting used to that."

[my_own_advocate]

“And I mean it when I say I understand,” Lucifer said, smiling faintly at Duke’s weight on him. “I long believed my eternal life would be misery, interspersed with fleeting pleasurable interludes.”

[betterthanaplan]

"That's. . . ." Duke sighed. "Almost what I mean. But -- you get the important part. I'm not trying to run away from you."

[my_own_advocate]

"No, you're just afraid you'll have to," Lucifer said quietly. "And I'm trying to tell you you don't have to be."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head slightly. "You can't actually promise that."

Duke had been married. He'd tried the whole 'promising forever' thing. He was pretty sure not even Lucifer could say it with absolute certainty.

[my_own_advocate]

"I can promise you I'll always be there for you when you need me," Lucifer said, voice still quiet.