A Nice and Secluded Bit of the Preserve, Saturday

[okteiviakom]

The preserve was a fair bit more popular these days than it had been when Octavia had first began roaming around in it years and years ago, but she and Duke had still managed to find a nice spot for their little camping trip that people were unlikely to randomly stumble upon. There was a clearing, along a sort of a little cove.

Between the water and the trees, it was perfect.

Octavia had taken on the task of getting the tent set up, while she'd entrusted the hammock to Duke. (Would they even need both? Remained to be seen, but it was nice to have them.) And right now? She straightened up from hammering the last tent peg into the ground.

"Just needs the twinkly lights, I think."

[ooc: For that guyyy.]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded slowly. "I do. Maybe not -- exactly the way we did it before, but. Power play is fun. It's like it lets me . . . let go, if that makes sense."

He didn't have to second guess himself when he was playing at following orders. And despite how often he had it torn -- usually brutally -- from him, he got a kind of thrill when he could hand control over willingly.

[okteiviakom]

"It does." It really did. Even though they came at submission from two completely different angles -- "I do it enough to know that."

And then she shook her head.

"And it was never gonna be the same it was back then. Not just because..." Because he knew the truth of what she was. "But because -- well, I've had a lot of practice, I guess. And I've done a lot of work." Because what significant aspect of her life didn't come back to therapy? "I have more than one way of being in control, now."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's brows went up. "See, now I really wanna try it," he said, giving her a quick, slightly wicked grin. "Find out what tricks you have up your sleeve." He tilted his head. "And . . . what if we, like . . . played with fighting for it? A little? Like, we both like some biting, I like hair pulling, we could work out, I don't know, something. Like, maybe you could tie me down and I could pretend to fight back some time."

[okteiviakom]

... He was going to make her fall in love with him all over again. Octavia blinked a couple of times. Not in an 'I don't understand what I'm hearing' kind of way, but rather an 'oh God am I about to cry?' kind of way.

"I've... never really been on that side of the fight before," she admitted. (The fun in fighting Lucifer was in knowing she could never win because Lucifer wasn't even human.) "That could be -- that could really be something."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah?" Duke fairly beamed. "We should definitely give it a shot." He flicked her a quick wink. "You know, slowly and all. Very carefully negotiated. With check-ins." He licked his lips. "I'm going to kiss you again now, if that's cool with you."

Since, you know, they were checking in with each other and all.

[okteiviakom]

"Please."

She was practically desperate for it, already leaning up to meet him.

[betterthanaplan]

She wouldn't have to wait. His lips caught hers almost before the word finished clearing her lips.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's fingers at the back of his neck had stilled at some point (likely about when she'd started making big startled eyes at him), but they moved now, to push up into his hair. Like she needed something to hold.

There was a lot of feeling in the kiss.

[betterthanaplan]

And god — Lucifer — help him, that feeling felt so good. Not just in the “my baby loves me” way, but in that deep dark “I have done well and won approval” way that Duke would probably spend the rest of his life unpacking.

He kissed back with equal fervor though. Because he loved her back. So much. And he was so proud of them both, right now.

[okteiviakom]

Well, at least it was a way that Octavia would also have understood. And would gladly play with, eventually, if he let her.

(Lucifer sometimes went a little flushed at even the most idle mention of 'good Devil' for a reason, after all.)

And she was proud of them, too. And just -- grateful, not just because he was willing to give a shot to something she'd thought lost forever, but because of the rest of the conversation even before that point. Sometimes he was really easy to talk to, and she loved being reminded.

So, kissing. And a breathless, "I love you so much, snogon."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said, almost giddily. "The feeling is very, very mutual."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't really know where the laugh bubbled up from, just that she let it happen.

It didn't even sound like anything was funny. More like... relief.

[betterthanaplan]

"You know, I think that hammock could use some breaking in," Duke said, waggling his eyebrows.

[okteiviakom]

There was a tiny chuckle, but the laugh had died down. "Oh, you do?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, we had the serious discussion," Duke pointed out innocently. "Weren't we going to have sex after?"

[okteiviakom]

"I thought that was for the middle of the night," Octavia retorted. While totally stealing a little nipping kiss, so.

Not exactly an objection.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let out a noise that was half-yelp, half-moan and chased that nip with one of his own.

"Well, I don't see why we can't do both. Unless you have other plans for us?"

[okteiviakom]

"I don't," Octavia said readily (after a little gasp, anyway). "No plans at all, actually. Just being here, with you."

And all that entailed.