To the Cape Rouge, Sunday

[okteiviakom]

Jennifer had taken off for Baltimore. If anyone had asked Octavia about the why and how, maybe even the when of it, she wouldn't have been able to say. Something in her had shut down at the sight of the island, the knowledge that they were no longer in Haven, and she only had one single shred of focus left, and one single goal to go with it:

Just herding Duke across the island, to the port, to the Rouge, to deliver him to Lucifer.

She hadn't said a word the entire way over.

But when they finally stepped onto the dock, with the ship just up ahead, she was almost running.

[ooc: For the two! Follows this.]

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[my_own_advocate]

They had been missing for two days. Lucifer had almost worn out his phone calling them-- then he'd gone to the Portalocity office and demanded to speak to the manager.

And now it was Sunday, and they still weren't here, and he was - perhaps - starting to panic.

He was standing on deck with his phone in one hand and the other buried firmly in his hair, his back to them. "What do you mean, I'm calling the wrong office--"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke had let himself be herded. It wasn't as though he was going to try to go anywhere other than the boat, after all. But it did mean he didn't have to think too much about where they were going, which was good because he was fully thinking too much about -- everything else.

About Jennifer settling in okay in Baltimore. (About her looking dead on the beach.) About Nathan and Audrey. (About Mara and if Audrey was really just gone.)

About what William had said. About feeling like his insides were doing their best to become his outsides. About how he might have fully sucked the life out of several fish and patch of grass and given it to Jennifer. . . .

He wasn't saying anything either. He was just making a beeline for Lucifer, fully intending to just -- wrap himself around him and ask him to help shut his brain off for awhile.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia could help with that. They were almost to the gangplank. She saw him.

"Lucifer!"

It sounded hoarse. And like -- a demand, somehow, more steel than it should have been.

(She felt a dread.)

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's response was immediate. He spun around, disconnecting the call in one go, and-- "Octavia! Duke!"

They were alive.

They were alive.

[betterthanaplan]

They were -- or at least Duke was -- headed right for Lucifer. Duke felt like his chest might explode if he didn't get his arms around the man as quickly as possible.

He bypassed the gangplank entirely, choosing instead to vault over the gunwale to get to him that much faster.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia wasn't vaulting over anything. In fact, Octavia had slowed down: the closer Duke got to Lucifer, the closer to complete her little mission was.

Which meant there was a roiling in the pit of her stomach that was getting worse.

And her chest was beginning to feel like it might implode if she got too close to anyone.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer barely managed to remember to shove his phone into his pocket before he was moving to meet Duke. Arms outstretched, reaching for him.

He'd been terrified. He needed them close.

[betterthanaplan]

He'd get at least one of them.

Duke wasn't ordinarily the sort to initiate a hug. And receiving them from others usually took him by surprise.

He'd never be able to fully express how grateful he was that he'd found two people who made him feel like he could do this. Fling himself into someone's arms like this when his lungs felt like they'd never work properly again.

He wrapped himself around Lucifer, buried his face in the other man's neck, and tried to remember how to breath.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia came to a stop a few feet away. At least she'd managed this much. He was home, in Lucifer's arms.

Her ears were ringing.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer hugged him tight, hand cradling the back of Duke's head. Arm sneaking around his waist. "You're home," he managed. "You're home."

[betterthanaplan]

They were home.

Duke's chest shuddered, and he clung. He couldn't quite let go yet, couldn't let the sob that pressed against his throat. Not yet.

He reached back a hand for Octavia.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia missed it entirely, thanks to a sudden and pressing need to sit down. She half-staggered to the nearest bench and sank down.

(When had she last sat down before this?

When had she last eaten?)

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer looked past him, just in time to catch her-- sitting. "Octavia?" he called.

But he didn't let go. Certainly not with Duke like this.

He just-- tightened his grip.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's arm flailed a second, searching, before he finally managed to lift his head and look.

"Tavi," he said, voice soft and spare.

If she wasn't okay -- physically unharmed at least -- he wasn't sure what he'd do.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't really hear either of them. It felt like what had begun as a ringing had just turned into white noise in her ears.

She stared ahead, at nothing. Empty.

[my_own_advocate]

"Did something happen to her?" Lucifer asked quietly.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head, not a 'no', an 'I don't know.' He peeled himself reluctantly away from Lucifer and dropped into a crouch in front of Octavia.

"Tavi."

Still soft. Thin and dry as paper.

[okteiviakom]

It wasn't a big shift in her expression, but Octavia looked faintly surprised when he showed up within her field of vision.

He was supposed to be in Lucifer's arms, where he was safe.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer himself wasn't far behind, his hand landing on Duke's shoulder - still desperate for contact - as he squatted down, as well.

"Darling?" he said. "Are you all right?"

[okteiviakom]

As Octavia's eyes slowly focused on Lucifer (not his eyes, she couldn't look him in the eyes, but his face, somewhere around his chin), her frown grew more pronounced. Less surprised, more determined, even as everything else about her just seemed ragged and worn down to the bone.

"You need to take care of him."

That was the only thing that mattered.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head again, swallowing thickly.

"We need to take care of you, too."

[my_own_advocate]

What on Earth had happened this weekend?

"I have space for both of you," Lucifer said, searching her face. "Octavia, please. What's going on?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia stared at --

Yeah, still his chin. His lips.

"Didn't you hear me?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said, settling back on his heels. He ran his hand over his face, suddenly exhausted. His voice actually got more hoarse. "We heard you. I'm not going to be okay if you're not. So. . . ."

[my_own_advocate]

"Let's just all get inside," Lucifer attempted. "We'll lock the hatch behind us. Everyone will be safe."