The OceaNyx, Approaching Fandom, Sunday Afternoon

[my_own_advocate]

Wasn't it always best to be eager to leave and equally eager to come home? No? Admittedly, both the desire to leave and the desire to return had been cloaked in some, ahem, unexpected emotional drama, but after reconciling several days ago, the mood had settled on the OceaNyx.

And thus, their route home had been rather less rushed than Octavia and Lucifer had originally intended for it to be. The extra time had been useful, if only to figure out how to work Duke's current troubling predicament into their daily routine without losing sight of each other again.

But now they were pulling back into the bay, and Lucifer was in what went for a galley on this small boat. Working on his 'we're back home, hurrah' lunch spread.

It wasn't with quite as much cheerful energy as on the way out, but it was certainly better than where he had been just a week ago, so. Small favors.

[[ for them who are on the boat. ]]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia remained pretty eager to get home, ready to try and work out some remaining restlessness with long trips to the preserve. But she had also settled down a lot since they'd managed to clear the air a little. And that was in no small part due to getting Duke to understand that instead of avoiding touching entirely they should do it on purpose, just safely.

She'd already made reverent little rituals of adoration out of it. Making the most of what little she could get, mapping out the familiar shapes of him through whatever fabric that happened to be in between.

It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

But yes, getting back to Fandom seemed like something that would also do her good. As she waited to get there, she was just... wandering around. "A feast?" she guessed, entering the galley area.

[my_own_advocate]

"A 'welcome back to Fandom, us' lunch," Lucifer said, looking up. "It felt appropriate."

[okteiviakom]

"It's food," Octavia replied, with a hint of something wry. (Something her.) "I'll take it."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer chuckled. "There will be eggs," he said, "I've already made the fruit salad. And some smoothies. You can grab a bottle from the fridge if you'd like?"

[okteiviakom]

"In a minute," Octavia said.

Because she had to take this one for getting in his personal space, specifically stepping behind him and sliding her arms around his waist.

No reason, every reason, whatever. She wasn't stopping him from doing his thing (much), that felt important.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a soft huff, pleased, and leaned a little into her embrace.

Whatever else happened, he felt-- realigned with her. And it was... stabilizing.

[okteiviakom]

In response, Octavia tightened her hold a little, and pressed the side of her face against his back. Feeling spine and muscle.

Her newfound appreciation of the details didn't stop at Duke.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's mouth curved further.

"Love you too, niron," he murmured.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia said nothing back, but he was right: she was already saying it.

With her faint nuzzle and the way she pressed her body to his.

[my_own_advocate]

He did speak her language, to some extent.

Lucifer nudged the eggs around in the pan with one hand. He moved the other one to find one of hers.

[okteiviakom]

He was welcome to it.

Octavia closed her eyes.

[my_own_advocate]

At least the eggs had only gone in a minute ago, or Lucifer would've had to jostle her already.

Instead he lingered as long as he could.

"Mind getting me a plate, darling?" he said, after a few minutes had passed.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a tiny sigh, but since she had a whole thing about not getting in his way right this moment, yes, she pulled away so that she could get him a plate.

And hold it out for him.

[betterthanaplan]

They were close enough to town now that Duke felt more comfortable staying close to the wheel, but he called down a cheerful “land ho!” as Fandom came into sight. He poked his head through the hatch. “Almost home, babes.”

He was still wearing a bit more than he usually did, including gloves. But it was less of an armor than it had been.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer chuckled, walking out onto the deck as the bread cooled below. "Going full 21st century pirate today, are we?"

[okteiviakom]

"Is that what the 'babes' was for?" Octavia quipped, following Lucifer out. "Modern piratery?"

You could tell how she'd relaxed in the back half of the week by those two statements alone.

[betterthanaplan]

“Should I have gone with ‘loves’? I was just going for a plural.”

Duke reached for Octavia’s hand. (He’d made a point of doing that a lot lately.)

“I’m not violent enough for full pirate-ness.”

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, I find 'babes' very entertaining," Lucifer promised him, his own hand sliding onto Duke's waist. "No need to retract anything."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took Duke's hand exactly as gladly as she had all of the other times.

"I'm okay with 'babes' too," she promised. "I just don't think I've heard it like this before, that's all."

[betterthanaplan]

“Well, I like to try something new on occasion.” Duke gave her hand a squeeze, as he did every time. “What have you two been cooking?”

[my_own_advocate]

"A big lunch for when we pull into port," Lucifer said, grinning. "Orange juice, fruit salad, boiled eggs - actually, I think I'll devil them in a moment - and fresh bread, for a start."

[okteiviakom]

"And I didn't even help."

She'd been a distraction, if anything.

[betterthanaplan]

“Aw, you were in the way and I missed it,” Duke said. A larger than normal swell swept under the boat, setting it rocking, and he pulled his hand away to adjust for it.

He wasn’t careful enough, and his bare wrist brushed hers.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia felt it. She flinched backwards, eyes wide, bracing for what she knew was coming. Except she shouldn't even have been able to flinch back: the pain should've been instant. And it wasn't.

Nothing happened.

She gasped, unsure if she could trust it.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer blinked, startled. "Octavia?"