The Marina, Cat Island, Tuesday Night

[my_own_advocate]

They had traditions out here on Cat Island - or, well, ways to entertain the tourists that came through here week after week. Spirits had flowed freely well into the evening, and dances and costumes and all sorts of razzle dazzle had come through the diner and engulfed the docks in light.

But somewhere near the end of the evening, close to the big finale, three people wandered further and further away onto the beach. Lucifer, of course, was carrying a cooler in one hand, and his long, thin teal shirt hung loose and open around his body.

He was smiling a bit.

"I think we're almost far enough away," he said.

[[ for them ]]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

And here Duke had just wanted to protest that he thought he had been listening. He'd offered her boundaries when she'd asked. And when she didn't like them, he'd rephrased them. Then apologized when they said he needed to do that.

Now he flicked his eyes between the two of them, wondering how Lucifer would handle this part of the 'nitpicking words' argument.

(He felt frozen in place now, muscles tense in what had started as a relaxed sprawl on the sand.)

[my_own_advocate]

"It's not pedantic to want to know you were understood, darling, it's pedantic to sharply correct him on his specific word choice when you know he's not as precise as you are and then, rather than let him answer, immediately follow it up with an accusation," Lucifer said flatly.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's jaw tightened a little further.

Although what she said was, "Well, you're gonna think whatever you want to think, so I'm not going to bother."

[betterthanaplan]

"Okay, come on," Duke said. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head again. "Octavia. This is why it feels unsafe sometimes when you express your feelings. Because if we disagree with you at all, you snap or clam up or pick at our words until you're the victim."

. . . Fuck, that was not going to help anything at all.

"Ask us for what you want. Luce and I are very accommodating. But we're not perfect beings, for fuck sake. And that needs to be okay."

[my_own_advocate]

"You could just say, 'Duke, I need to know if you understood what I meant, because for me, expressing feelings and feeling things are two different things'," Lucifer said. "And then we would, in fact, bloody well listen and stop thinking whatever we were thinking."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia got up so abruptly and with such little grace that it sent sand flying. Sorry about your abandoned foot, Duke. Except maybe not really, after that victim thing.

(Far less offensive than probably several of her choices in this conversation, but, well, something had snapped there.)

She suddenly couldn't see very well through the blur in her eyes, so she addressed... their general direction. "Well, you can think in peace, now." And she grabbed her shoes and turned to stomp off further down the beach.

(Something that didn't feel safe right now was letting them see her crying.)

[betterthanaplan]

Duke curled in on himself, foot and all.

"Are we supposed to chase after her now?" he asked. Lucifer, nominally, but also the universe at large.

So much for their track record of people not leaving.

[my_own_advocate]

"Not you," Lucifer murmured. "Though darling? May I suggest taking a moment to reflect on the word 'victim' here?"

He kissed the top of Duke's head. "I'll talk to her," he said. "I'll leave you the wine."

And he gingerly attempted to disentangle himself.

[betterthanaplan]

“I know,” Duke said. (He also didn’t entirely think he was wrong. Just that he shouldn’t have said it out loud.)

He tipped his head in the direction she’d stormed off, without actually looking.

“Go.”

He’d be here. With the wine. Which he might or might not drink.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer straightened himself.

He let his hand fall to Duke's shoulder. "I love you," he said, softer. "I know you're trying your best."

Only then did he step away. Let his hand fall, and his eyes settle on Octavia's retreating back.

Then his feet followed.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia hadn't made it very far, stumbling like she was. First because of trying to get her shoes on, then because of simply trying to keep moving on uneven, sandy terrain, in the dark, while tears clouded her vision and rolled down her cheeks.

This was what she got for trying to go into a big conversation half-cocked. As if she didn't know how these things went, as if she didn't know what she was like. Wasn't she proving at least some of their points by storming off?

But she'd been trying to hold something in and hold something together for most of the time they'd been on this island.

And whatever she'd been holding that together with had just given out.

... Much like one of her legs seemed to, right then, as her foot caught on something, and sent her toppling onto her knees in the sand.

[my_own_advocate]

And here Lucifer had just been gearing himself up to have-- a fight? Something like that? With her?

Then she went down.

"Octavia!" he yelled, taking off into a run.

He didn't stop until he got to her.

[okteiviakom]

He found her still on her knees, slumped over and sobbing in a manner bordering on hysterical. Because all of this hadn't been embarrassing enough, so far.

(You know, for the Octavia later who would have to look back on her own actions.)

[my_own_advocate]

"Octavia," Lucifer said, dropping to his knees in the sand beside her.

He gathered her into his arms without even thinking.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's little flail when he touched her was reflexive, more than anything.

Same as the noise like a wounded animal that she made.

[my_own_advocate]

"Octavia, Octavia, darling, it's me," Lucifer babbled.

He didn't let go.

[okteiviakom]

After another, even weaker flail, Octavia slumped more against him. Almost like she had no choice.

Still crying, sobbing in a way that seemed to only barely give her a chance to get a breath.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke wasn't watching. (Fairly pointedly, trying to give Octavia the space she seemed to need.) But he couldn't help but hear.

The shout. The hurt noise. The sobbing.

(He'd done that to her. Again.)

He shoved that thought away.

(It must be nice to feel things out loud like that. Things that weren't anger.)

That one wasn't much better.

He started drinking the wine in long, deep swigs.

[my_own_advocate]

Duke really needed to work on his resentment towards Octavia.

"There, love, please, it'll be all right," Lucifer babbled, holding on.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia made another pained noise.

It sounded like 'no'.

(When was this ever supposed to be all right if they - she - couldn't even talk?)

[my_own_advocate]

"We just have to pick ourselves up and try again," Lucifer whispered.

[okteiviakom]

"How many times?"

It was louder than a whisper, but thanks to Octavia's currently limited lung capacity, not a full wail, either.

[my_own_advocate]

"As many times as it takes," Lucifer said quietly. "But you may have to learn a few new things in the process."

[okteiviakom]

And now Octavia's voice went small and broken.

"What if I can't?"

Useless question. She knew the outcome. It was a not-insignificant part of the reason for her current hysterics.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, niron," Lucifer said, his voice going softer. "You are capable of so much more than you allow yourself to believe - and you are so much more loved."

He leaned in to brush a kiss against her cheek.

"You won't be alone in this. I won't let you."