Lucifer's Mansion, Very Late Friday Night

[okteiviakom]

Octavia hadn't said much on the walk over from the club. Hadn't felt like it, for whatever reason. And there was worth to be found in silence on a late-night walk through town, anyway.

But they were here now. Just inside the door, and Octavia sighed and brushed her hair back from her face, and and seemed to try and inhale some sociability into herself.

"Do you have fruit?"

The odds didn't seem great. It wasn't like he was actually here a whole lot, these days.

[ooc: For that guy whose new canon has taken up most of my day.]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

"I think you're hardly the only one who feels that way," Lucifer murmured.

[okteiviakom]

"I didn't think so," Octavia muttered, cracking one eye open for a glance at him. "Up to a point, anyway."

[my_own_advocate]

"Hm?"

Lucifer's fingers had found her hair again, as they always did.

[okteiviakom]

And Octavia gave it a little sigh.

"Everyone's got their own thing." The specifics were different, was what she was saying.

[my_own_advocate]

"I suppose so," Lucifer said. He propped his head up on one hand. "What's yours?"

[okteiviakom]

That was just an invitation for Octavia's fingertips to travel down his temple to his cheek. "That I don't come from somewhere with a lot of birthday gifts," she said, watching her hand move. "Or a lot of... anything."

[my_own_advocate]

"And you want to be better at it?"

[okteiviakom]

This position wasn't very conducive to a shrug, so Octavia's little shoulder shift wasn't much of one.

There was stubble underneath her fingertips, and she was focusing on that.

"Always struggling to belong."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer made a soft, amused noise.

"I brought Duke apology flowers the other day," he said. "You'd have thought I brought him a whole dinosaur by the look on his face."

[okteiviakom]

"Oh," Octavia muttered, "that's what those were."

Of course she'd seen them.

[my_own_advocate]

"It's not actually strange to bring someone flowers when you say sorry," Lucifer said, "But he still acted like that."

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Belonging is relative."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia stroked her fingertips down his jaw, and looked past him at the ceiling. "Belonging is also internal."

[my_own_advocate]

"And you don't feel like you do unless you find Duke a proper birthday present?"

Her fingers were nice.

[okteiviakom]

"It's not that simple," Octavia replied, soft and quiet.

Her fingers brushed back and forth against his chin.

[my_own_advocate]

"Then what is it?"

Lucifer's own fingers slid down her arm.

[okteiviakom]

"I'm just thinking out loud." Finally, her gaze flicked back to his face. "It's been a long day."

[my_own_advocate]

"Mm, all that shopping," Lucifer teased softly. "So terrible."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia rolled her eyes at his teasing.

And flicked her fingers against the tip of his chin.

"Well, I didn't have you for a shield."

[my_own_advocate]

"A pity," Lucifer said, "I rather like being your shopping shield."

Because he got to bring home extras for her.

[okteiviakom]

"Because you like to buy the things I don't."

She was onto you, Luce.

[my_own_advocate]

"It seems to have worked out for us thusfar," Lucifer said, grinning at her.

[okteiviakom]

Something tugged at Octavia's own lips, in response to that grin. Sometimes she couldn't help it.

And was thankful that she couldn't.

"Which did you like better," she rasped, her thumb just barely brushing over one corner of his lips, "the dress or the harness?"

[my_own_advocate]

"That's like asking me to choose between really good scotch and excellent wine," Lucifer said, and brushed some of her hair back behind her ear. "Impossible."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a littke huff. "Even to humor me?"

She was pretty sure it was still impossible, yes.

[my_own_advocate]

"Now that would be lying," Lucifer said, smirking.