The Cape Rouge, Friday Morning

[okteiviakom]

Octavia hadn't been sleeping well. Night after night, she kept waking up every hour and a half or so, just to make sure she could still hear two other people breathing in bed with her. If they were quiet, she would hold her own breath until she was sure she could hear them, or she felt them move, or something.

It wasn't making for very restful nights, but she'd survive. She always did.

Granted, on Friday morning, that survival involved giving up on trying to stay asleep, slipping quietly out of bed and making her way into the galley. She got the coffee going, because she might as well. If actual rest wasn't going to give her energy, then maybe caffeine would at least keep her going.

She'd also made sure to leave the bedroom door open more than enough that if anyone else was awake, or woke up, they would either be able to hear her puttering away, or at the very least be able to smell the coffee sooner rather than later.

She hadn't vanished. She wasn't going to let anyone think she had, either.

(It felt like the least she could do.)

[ooc: For the two.]

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[betterthanaplan]

Duke, on the other hand, was sleeping better than he had in years — and having an easier time waking up because of it.

This morning he woke to the smell of coffee. He stretched idly in bed, noted which of his partners wasn’t still there with him, and swallowed a sigh.

He’d noticed she wasn’t sleeping well, and being Duke, blamed himself.

He got up, slipped on one of Lucifer’s robes, and went out to find her and offer her a quiet kiss goodbye morning.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia leaned into him as soon as he was there. Even past the kiss. The coffee was done, anyway, it didn't need her. And the fruit she'd been very carefully chopping up on a board with very limited use of her right hand? Those could wait, too.

"Ha yun," she said, her voice still a little extra raspy from (attempts to) sleep.

[betterthanaplan]

"Ha yun," he said in return, fingers tracing circles on her back. "How's your hand?"

[okteiviakom]

"Still attached to my arm," Octavia replied, managing a tiny wry smile for him. "So could be worse."

[betterthanaplan]

"Could be worse," Duke agreed. "How'd you sleep?"

He knew the answer. But wondered what she'd say.

[okteiviakom]

"Not great," Octavia replied, her good hand rubbing idly at his side. "It's fine, I'll live."

[betterthanaplan]

"You will," Duke agreed. "Not sure it's 'fine', though." He rubbed her back again. "Anything I can do to help?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shrugged one shoulder. "You're here, aren't you?" she replied, a little softer, a little more quiet.

It was enough for her.

[betterthanaplan]

"I am," Duke agreed, bending down to kiss her hair again. "And I'm going to be as long as I can."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia slid her arms around him more, even the one where she was minding her hand. Leaned against his chest.

"That's all I'm asking of you."

Right now.

[betterthanaplan]

"If you think of something else later," Duke said. "If it's something I can give, I'll do it."

[okteiviakom]

"I know," Octavia told him, rubbing his back now a little bit in turn. "I know, jaka. It's... sort of your thing."

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, it definitely was," Duke agreed. "But I'm like . . . fresh new Duke. Duke 2.0. Maybe this time . . . I'll at least be better about asking."

And letting the answer be that, no, there was nothing special he could do to fix things.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer was the last one to wake. By design, though he wouldn't admit it; he'd been burying himself in any activity that didn't require him to think too hard about what was or was not going on with himself at the moment, and sleep was as good of one as any.

But he couldn't stay asleep forever.

"Is that coffee?" he muttered, stumbling out the door in one of his remaining robes, squinting.

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah," Octavia replied, looking over. Maybe she should've grabbed a robe too, but instead she was going against the trend in shorts and an oversized tee. "Fresh pot. Morning."

[my_own_advocate]

"I love you," Lucifer told her, tracking his way into the kitchen. "May I have a cup?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia picked up a clean cup for him, quietly.

Gearing up for a new day was a slow process lately.

[my_own_advocate]

"Thank you," Lucifer said, quietly, and went to go get it.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia handed the cup over, then watched him, picking up one of her pieces off fruit off the cutting board as she did.

"You sleep okay?"

Yeah, yeah, she knew she was the only one actually having trouble with it. Allow her the question anyway.

[my_own_advocate]

"Just fine, thank you," Lucifer said, pouring himself a cup. "You didn't, I suppose."

[okteiviakom]

"No," Octavia agreed, simply.

There was no point in pretending otherwise.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer took a sip of his coffee. "Hopefully with time," he said. "You do need your rest."

[okteiviakom]

"I know."

That she went to pick up her coffee mug again as she said that was a complete coincidence.

"I'll get there. Eventually."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer let out a little breath.

Then: "How's your trouble?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia... paused.

Tilted her head just a fraction.

"I haven't thought about it," she admitted.