The Cape Rouge, Later Friday Afternoon

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had urged Lucifer to fly Duke back to the boat. Something about safety, and security, and a defendable spot that was closed off and sort of separate from the rest of the island --

So in one word: control. Which Octavia was grasping for, had been grasping for from just about the second she'd laid eyes on Mara at Selkie Peak. Something she'd thought she'd had, with the portal idea, only to immediately find out how wrong she'd been.

Making Lucifer get Duke home as soon as possible had been another flaily attempt at it.

Of course, as Octavia had come to realize very soon after, it meant she'd had to let both of them out of her sight. She didn't know if Duke had come to yet. Didn't know anything, except that this was the fastest she'd ever crossed the island, trying to race an angel back to port.

Her heart was thumping like thunder in her ears and her lungs ached when she burst onto, then into the Cape Rouge.

And yet: "Lucifer! Is he still out?"

[ooc: For the two modded with permission! Follows this. Note to squirrels: That Octavia and Lucifer got Duke back to the boat is fine for broadcast, everything else NFB pls and thank you!]

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[okteiviakom]

Octavia had heard the yelling. Not all the words, more just the noise, but enough to get the gist of it. As if she wouldn't have been able to guess.

It had kept her from coming back in.

Instead, she'd stood near the entrance, looking back towards her little on-deck garden set-up. Most of it was still fine: that she'd used a lot of separate pots and containers had turned out to be a blessing. Kept it contained, what had happened when she'd knelt down to prune one of the plants.

(Because she hadn't known what else to do. Because the little garden had done so much to center her, these past several months. Everything else had been hard, and complicated, but there'd been life there. Simple.)

As soon as she'd touched one of the leaves, the entire plant had dried up, from its tallest part all the way down to its root, and even the soil around it. Like she'd sucked all the life right out of it with just her fingertips. It was just a dried, dead thing now.

Octavia felt almost nothing.

But she only came back inside now that the yelling had stopped.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke looked up when he heard her coming, dropping his hand from his hair (taking more than a few strands with it) and sitting back on his heels as he tried instinctively to force himself back together.

Messy emotions led to messy troubles getting out, and Octavia wasn’t as . . . durable there as Lucifer.

“He went to the bedroom,” he rasped. Staring at the porthole on the opposite wall.

If he looked at her right now, he’d lose his grip on everything all over again.

[okteiviakom]

That might've hurt, would probably have hurt, if anything had felt like much of anything right now. Now it just saved Octavia the effort of a nod of acknowledgement, since he wasn't looking at her to see it anyway.

She didn't head for the bedroom yet, although she was going to, very soon. Right now, she came over to Duke, quietly, and knelt down next to him.

Coming at him from the side, with how she tried to slide her arms around him.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke didn’t try to stop her, just shuddered in place trying to hold himself still.

Lucifer hadn’t meant it that way, but the way he’d listed off what he’d done to care for Duke had hit something sharp, hard, and old in him. Something that whispered that he couldn’t — wasn’t allowed to — lean on anyone else.

“I think he needs you.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia said nothing.

She settled her arms more firmly around him, and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, facing away.

Everyone needed her. There was no other role left for her to play.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shuddered again, trying to suppress a sob.

Wondering if she resented it too. Having to care for him.

[okteiviakom]

If only he'd been able to actually listen to them.

Octavia simply held him. He may have been shuddery, but she was solid.

Breathing.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke closed his eyes. Matched her breath.

“I’m sorry you got troubled.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave a vague hum. It was about all she could muster, aside from all that steady breathing.

On that topic, or much of anything else.

She didn't even think about the dead plants outside.

[betterthanaplan]

They could deal with that later too.

Duke breathed for another few moments, then dragged in another ling, shuddering (wet) breath.

“I, uh. I really think Luce needs you.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia exhaled one last long breath.

Then she gave him one last squeeze, before slowly easing her arms back from around him.

[betterthanaplan]

That hurt. But so did everything else.

“I won’t go anywhere.”

[okteiviakom]

And for that, Octavia gave his shoulder a little squeeze as she got up. Her fingers trailed just barely through and over his hair before she pulled fully away.

And then she went to the bedroom door, and knocked on it.

More as an advance warning than anything else.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer's head tipped back against the nightstand and his eyes tracked down to the door. That would be Octavia, he guessed. He'd already given up on the idea of Duke bothering to come after him.

He cleared his throat.

That "Come in," was a touch unsteady, but it was there, at least.

[okteiviakom]

The door opened practically as he was saying it, because Octavia hadn't really bothered to wait. She slipped in and closed the door behind herself.

Took in how Lucifer looked, crossed the room, and sat down beside him.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer immediately reached for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her in.

"Are you all right?" he asked, voice rough.

[okteiviakom]

Well, this was already going the wrong way 'round.

"Fine," Octavia said, tonelessly, sliding her hand onto his leg, for want of a better gesture of comfort he hadn't already beat her to.

[my_own_advocate]

He was upset at Duke. He was worried about her. "You don't sound fine," Lucifer said.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had no retort for that. He was probably right, anyway.

So she said nothing.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer kissed her temple. Half-turned, and then pulled her into a full-on hug.

[okteiviakom]

At least that was a little more reciprocal. Octavia could work with that, sliding her own arms around him.

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm sorry you keep winding up with our messes, darling," Lucifer whispered in her ear.

[okteiviakom]

It felt too close for what Octavia was able to stand right now, but she took it anyway. Didn't flinch, didn't move.

Well, no. She held him a little tighter, instead.

[my_own_advocate]

She didn't want to talk. That much was obvious. So Lucifer fell silent, lingering in the hug.

There was still a distance, with her like this. But it felt much smaller than that between Duke and himself, and so he soaked it up.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had nothing to say. Or had plenty to say but no urge to say it, all detached from everything she could have been feeling. A kind of survival mode, a conservation of energy. Giving something to them and spending nothing on anything else.

Of course, if she'd felt a little more present in herself, she'd have probably been able to figure out more of what Lucifer needed from her. But this was what they had.

Clinging in silence.

Breathing.