The Fin & Tonic, Sunday Night

[my_own_advocate]

Out here, the days were spent in the sun, enjoying the beach, drinks, a good swim or five; and then there were the evening hours, after they'd had dinner at the diner on the porch, where Lucifer searched valiantly for other ways to relax.

No, not just that. Perverts.

Tonight, he'd found himself on the Fin & Tonic's quite luxurious sofa, with a large bucket of popcorn. He paged through Netflix, searching for just. The right. Terrible action movie. Having found it, he leaned forward to grab a refill from his massive pitcher of margarita.

Should he call over Octavia or Duke? Ah, they'd find him if they wanted to join him, surely.

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Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged with the shoulder that wasn't leaning against him. "I just can't always tell," she said, "how much of what I do you two think is intentional."

[my_own_advocate]

"Hm," Lucifer said. "No, you have some terrible reflexes. Not as many as you used to, but..."

[okteiviakom]

"But you thought I was getting hung up on the words, for... what?"

That had kind of stuck with her, yes. (The feeling of being singled out.)

[my_own_advocate]

"I didn't think you consciously decided in the moment to do it," Lucifer sighed. "But you still did it."

[okteiviakom]

"Because words have meanings, and the meanings are important to me," Octavia replied, measured and quiet, "and I didn't think that was going to come as such a surprise to everyone."

[my_own_advocate]

"It's not the surprise that was the problem," Lucifer said.

[okteiviakom]

"No, but it did get me singled out as doing a bad thing."

[my_own_advocate]

"You weren't singled out," Lucifer said, shifting a bit. "I called Duke out on his failure to apologize, as well."

[okteiviakom]

"It felt like I was," Octavia muttered. "I also wasn't asking for an apology."

Which, yes, might have colored how she'd responded to it, too.

[my_own_advocate]

"Or an acknowledgement, at least," Lucifer said. "Some response to the hurt you clearly felt."

[okteiviakom]

"Words matter," Octavia replied, mildly. "If you ask for an apology, you get an apology. The feeling's there, the right sentiment, but actual understanding? That's anyone's guess."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer paused. Thought about his next words.

Then.

"It's not going to be any less anyone's guess if you properly train Duke to use the right words."

[okteiviakom]

The pause and the thinking still didn't save him from this:

"What?" Octavia asked.

Though not in a 'how dare you say that?' kind of way, but rather an 'I don't understand what you're saying' one.

[my_own_advocate]

"Whether Duke says 'feel your feelings' or 'express your feelings' doesn't actually change what he's saying, Octavia," Lucifer said. "Whether I say 'apology' or 'acknowledgement' doesn't change that what I'm asking for is something that recognizes specific things that you just said. You've known us for years. You either know what we mean, or you don't."

[okteiviakom]

Suppose it was Octavia's turn to feel like maybe she was crazy for seeing things differently.

She finally straightened up from her until now persistent lean against his shoulder. "Then I guess I don't," she said, looking... weirded out, for lack of a better term.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed, fairly certain he had once again not managed to find the correct words to support his point about... incorrect words.

But that left him with very little to say.

[okteiviakom]

"You seriously can't tell the difference between an 'I'm sorry' and an 'I heard what you said and I understand what you meant'?" Octavia asked. "Because I can."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer rubbed his forehead. "Of course I know the difference," he said, a little bit of irritation sneaking into his voice. "The point is that in context, both of you understood what I meant."

[okteiviakom]

"Clearly not, because I remember saying 'acknowledgment' after you said 'apology."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer-- reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Why is it sometimes so hard for you," he said, "to take things in the spirit they were intended and not the letter? I love you. I do. I have learned to roll with it. But right now, considering what Duke is going through, you could at least try to err on the side of grace."

[okteiviakom]

"We're not talking about Duke right now," Octavia replied, "we're talking about you."

Well, Octavia was, anyway. Whether that would come as a surprise to him was a separate matter.

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, we're talking about my grave error of asking Duke to acknowledge what you'd just said about how he hurt your feelings and made you feel terrible by using the word 'sorry', which implies him also perhaps having to add a minute drop of taking responsibility to the mix, rather than 'acknowledge', which you would have preferred," Lucifer replied. "Thank you. I see the error of my ways. Next time I'll just leave you to fend for yourself, shall I?"

[okteiviakom]

"You already did."

... Oh, hey. Maybe that was the actual issue that was making itself known here.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, did I?" Lucifer asked flatly. "Pray tell, how did I do that?"

[okteiviakom]

"Holding him like I was something he needed to be protected from and berating me was not a winning combination, Lucifer," Octavia told him, just as flat.