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.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer put the eggs on it. "Bread's ready as well," he said, downright apologetic. "But we can sit on the couch together and have some of it."

[okteiviakom]

"Shouldn't we wait until we're actually home?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Suppose we could," Lucifer allowed. "Just... restless about warm eggs, I suppose."

At least they were boiled, and not fried.

[okteiviakom]

"Restless about warm eggs," Octavia echoed, some shade of wry making its way back into her tone. "If it'll make you feel better, we can eat some."

[my_own_advocate]

"No," Lucifer said, setting the plate aside. "I... no. Let's sit together. I can finish this when we've landed."

[okteiviakom]

"Okay," Octavia said, softer.

Already reaching for his hand.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer took hers in turn.

And immediately pulled her two steps down onto the sofa.

[okteiviakom]

Stealing her move, rude.

Which clearly explained the complete lack of hesitation in following, and the immediate curling up against him.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer smiled and wrapped an arm around her. "Needed some togetherness?" he murmured.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia wasn't going to dignify that question with an answer.

... Mostly because she had important nuzzling of his shoulder to do.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer chuckled. "All right," he said, hugging her a bit closer.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia slid her own arm around him, around the front, like completing a circle.

"I guess," she murmured, finally.

[my_own_advocate]

"Mmm, well, I'm happy to provide," Lucifer said softly. He kissed her hair. "I'm glad you're feeling a touch better, love."

[okteiviakom]

"Weird what a difference it makes when no one's isolated or isolating."

She didn't find it even a little bit weird.

[my_own_advocate]

"On a very small boat," Lucifer added.

[okteiviakom]

"On a very small boat," Octavia agreed. "Which was supposed to be our time off from Fandom. Together."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. "And we did get our time off from Fandom," he said. "It's just apparently hard to get our time off from Haven."

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah."

The word was a sigh, too.

"Should've known."

[my_own_advocate]

"Bloody Maine," Lucifer muttered.

It felt a little easier with her this close, though.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was only barely keeping herself from just sprawling over his lap, so... Good.

She gave a soft hum, then quieted down with her thoughts for a second.

Then asked, "How do you think getting home is going to go?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, it's the start of the term, so I suspect all the energy will be going into breaking in the new people, and we'll have a quiet time of it," Lucifer said, though he wasn't actually sure what she was asking about.

[okteiviakom]

"Didn't mean the island," Octavia murmured. "I meant him."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer blew out a breath.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't even know how this bleeding troubles thing is supposed to work. If we find a trigger, does he just stop having the problem for good? Or does it start stacking?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia swallowed.

"And here I was just thinking about how much of a hermit this will make him again," she admitted, quietly.

[my_own_advocate]

"Ah," Lucifer said, after a pause. "Yes. I suppose it's not going to do great things for his depression, either. I do hope we get this touching thing fully sorted."

[okteiviakom]

"I'd like that, too." Understatement of the week. "None of the trouble's are fair, but this one..."

Seemed kind of targeted.

[my_own_advocate]

"Is cruel and rude to all of us," Lucifer said.

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah," Octavia said again. And went to try and bury her face in the crook his neck. Skin to skin, and no accident. "It really is."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer ran his hand up her back, cupping the back of her neck once she reached it.

Skin to skin, also.

"I wish we could all just curl up into a ball on the floor, honestly," he murmured.

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia sighed. "Just crawl into a nest."

[my_own_advocate]

"Some blankets, some pillows, and each other with as few clothes in the way as possible," Lucifer said. "And I don't even mean this in a sexy way."

Funny what over a week of Duke covered in clothing could do to a man.

[okteiviakom]

"Some of it should be in a sexy way."

Yes, Octavia had settled in enough that she could at least think that. It hadn't really been on her mind much since Haven.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer laughed quietly. "Fair point," he said softly.

He drew a pattern on her skin. "At least we'll have Date Night back home again."

[okteiviakom]

"At least there's that," Octavia murmured in agreement. "Though who knows what that will look like after... everything."

[my_own_advocate]

"How do you mean?" Lucifer asked.

[okteiviakom]

"I had an okay handle on ny moods, before," Octavia said, quietly, sounding like she was still figuring it out as she spoke. "Now I don't have a guess what they'll be like."

Small sigh.

"And I don't mean that it's a big deal. Just... thinking out loud."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer nodded slowly. "Well," he said, "I think we've started to learn how to roll with changing moods, haven't we?"

[okteiviakom]

"True," Octavia hummed. "And like I said... It's not a big deal."

Probably wouldn't be, anyway.

[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?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sucks air in through his teeth, staring wide-eyed at her.

“It —“ he started. “Did that —“

He was afraid to believe it.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia knew there was only one way to make sure. Without letting herself or anyone else think about it too long, she grabbed Duke's wrist.

And nothing happened.

Now, her eyes were really wide, and she exhaled a breath like she couldn't believe it. "It's... It's gone."

[my_own_advocate]

That weird squeaky noise?

That was Lucifer's surprised laugh. "It is?" he said. "It is!"

[betterthanaplan]

It went well with the aborted squawk that Duke let out.

He stared at her hand on his wrist, then up at her.

“It’s gone?”

He yanked the glove off his free hand with his teeth and reached up to rub his thumb over her cheek.

“It’s really, really gone?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia leaned right up into the touch. Half needy, half desperate to prove it.

"I just feel you."

[my_own_advocate]

Shut up. Lucifer wasn't crying.

"So we worked it out," he said. Not crying.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke would wonder about that in a minute, the where and the what of it, but for right now, he was diving into Octavia’s space, both hands moving to cup her neck as his lips met hers.

[okteiviakom]

Oh.

Now why was this the part that made Octavia tear up? Even as she surged up to meet him, to kiss him like her life depended on it.

[my_own_advocate]

They were beautiful. Oh, they were always gorgeous, but now, especially, Lucifer couldn't take his eyes off of them.

[betterthanaplan]

It made up for the hard stuff, at least a little. This feeling bubbling in Duke’s chest as he pressed himself to her, still so much covered in cloth but touching as much as possible.

Moment alike this made him believer they might really make it. The Ground and Heaven and Hell and Haven be damned.

[okteiviakom]

One of Octavia's hands found the back of his neck, the other tried to slide under the hem of his shirt, just to find whatever slivers of skin she could. Touching, feverishly.

The laugh that bubbled up against Duke's lips sounded a little strangled.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer had let them have that moment. Was still, technically, letting them have it.

But he gave in to temptation himself, and slid his arms around them both. Wanting to keep them there like that.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke came on for air with a laugh of his own and pressed a kiss to whatever bit of Lucifer he could reach.

“Oh my god, it’s gone. I love you both so much.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia pressed a stray kiss against the underside of Duke's jaw, and nuzzled at whatever part of his neck she could. Just stealing little touches while letting Lucifer crowd them as much as he wanted to.

It felt right.

[my_own_advocate]

"I love you too, darling," Lucifer laughed, and kissed Duke's cheek on the other side.

Helping her blanket him in affection.