betterthanaplan | The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Sunday evening

Duke wasn't usually one to put much stock into holidays like Valentine's Day. Last year's had very nearly been a disaster, for instance. But Octavia was clearly feeling a little extra in-the-dumps right now, and Lucifer had sent him an enormous, gorgeous, queer bouquet, and Duke felt inspired.

He spent the day setting it up. Went through his hold and pulled out all the plushest, richest fabrics he could find. Fuzzy blankets and brocade curtains and lots of soft Persian rugs. He draped his galley, transforming the usually cool, open space full of hard surfaces into something warm and exotic, like the interior of a Mongolian yurt. He lit the space with candles and oil lamps and paper lanterns, and set Lucifer's bouquet prominently on the coffee table. To eat, he had berries and chocolate and oysters rockefeller, with wine and absinthe and some other items to help them all relax and feel good. There were soft cushions everywhere (including the stuffed shark and sun and moon pillows from last year's pillow forts, with the inclusion of a little velvet star-shaped cushion he'd picked up on a whim), and even a few vintage furs.

It was, he felt, about as cozy and warm and romantic (and hopefully not too fish scented) as his boat was going to get. Now all he needed were his partners.

He sent Lucifer a text (come over, bring octavia), figuring Octavia wouldn't rouse easily on her own, then settled in to wait, and second guess every single choice he'd made in decorating, worrying it would come across as too much.

He distracted himself with his guitar to keep from trying to tear it all down again, and waited.

[for the guests!]

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From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer almost took three, but then realized he'd probably want to - sigh - be closer to the terrible side of sober, just in case. So he tossed back two, and looked to Octavia.

"We could just sit and eat for a bit."

He questioned the use of asking her open-ended questions, at the moment.

From:

okteiviakom

Yeah, Octavia wasn't saying much of anything to either of those things right now.

Just pulled her hand back out on the side that Duke was touching, so she could try catching his hand in hers.

From:

betterthanaplan

Oh hey. A little bit of progress. Duke gave her hand a little squeeze, then just held it while he looked at Lucifer.

“Thanks for the flowers, by the way. Where’d you find the rainbow ones?”

From:

my_own_advocate

"There are a few places that sell them now," Lucifer said lightly, tucking the bag into his pocket.

Perhaps reaching for Octavia's free hand. "Thought you might enjoy them."

Totally didn't have an insecurity freakout about it.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia took note of where he put the bag, but it was idle. And maybe she was just watching the movement.

She let him take her hand. Laced her fingers with his the same way she did with Duke.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke tugged on her hand, moving towards the bench. “Definitely. I don’t think anyone’s sent me flowers like that before. I finally get the appeal.”

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer caught her looking, and said, "You can still have one if you'd like," as he followed after Duke. "Not a fan of flowers, generally, are you?"

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia moved with them. Ignored that first comment completely.

(He should've left the bag on the table, maybe. Somewhere not on him, where she wouldn't have had to ask for it if she ended up wanting one.)

"Not really."

The flowers Duke had brought her from the preserve had been fine (eventually), but there was still a lot there that she was... Kind of refusing to process, really.

(When she saw flowers, she saw flames.)

From:

betterthanaplan

“Tavi has flower shop trauma.” Duke didn’t think that as what it really was, but whatever it was probably wasn’t happy or romantic, so. “I just never thought about it much. Like, I knew really femme girls liked to get them, but that’s about it.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Well, I'm rather glad I went with the strawberries now," Lucifer said, casting Octavia a fond look.

He gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'm more of a houseplants man," he said, looking back up at Duke, "But I felt you should get flowers at least once." His mouth quirked. "And thank you for your gift."

From:

okteiviakom

It was not flower shop trauma, no.

Octavia stayed quiet, and gave both their hands a light squeeze. Thoughtb about how they'd probably have to let go to sit down.

That shouldn't have been as uncomfortable a thought as it was.

From:

betterthanaplan

They could let go, sit, then hold on again?

Duke gave her a little sidelong look, then did just that, letting go only long enough to switch hands holding hers, so he didn’t tie them into knots while he sat.

“Never really did houseplants either,” he admitted. “Not sure I’d be any good at them.”

From:

my_own_advocate

Well, Duke switching hands like that meant Lucifer didn't have to let go of Octavia's as he sat down, so there was that.

"You do have to water them once a week," he agreed.

From:

okteiviakom

In retrospect, Octavia could have used at least one of those hands for sitting down with any sort of grace, instead of just plonking her ass onto the bench like she did, but whatever.

She had enough trouble caring about much more important things, it was fine.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke didn’t expect grace from her. Or speech or even much interaction tonight. It was enough, for now, that she was here. That she was letting him hold her hand. He took it in both of his now, gently massaging her palm, wondering at the texture of her skin.

(The molly as maybe starting to kick in, yes.)

“Some of ‘em are once a week,” he said distractedly. “Some are less. Or more. And they need, like, this kind of soul or that much sunlight, and I have enough trouble just keeping the porgs alive. And they do most of the work themselves.”

From:

my_own_advocate

"Yes, thank you for letting me know how to take care of the many plants I have in my home," Lucifer said, audibly amused.

He'd be right there with Duke if he'd taken the second one, but alas, for him, it would take a while longer.

From:

okteiviakom

And there was more than one texture to Octavia's palm, at that. You didn't spend years wielding a sword and not end up with calloused skin.

She leaned back, quietly watching Duke work at her hand.

Quietly listening.

From:

betterthanaplan

There was! And Duke loved the calluses as much as the rest of her hand. They were rough but somehow also soft, and he suddenly had the urge to press his lips to them.

So he did.

From:

my_own_advocate

~~if he'd taken the THIRD one, not the second, wtf self~~

"I think the drugs hit someone," Lucifer mused, and shifted. Something kept digging into his-- Oh, right. He pulled the bag out of his back pocket. "Before these get smushed," he said, tossing it onto the table.

Maybe he should just grab that third one after all.

From:

okteiviakom

No one had asked him not to. So there was that.

Octavia glanced towards the bag - following movement, again - but looked back to Duke. Curled her fingers a little, to brush against his jaw.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke shut his eyes and hummed, turning his head just slightly back and forth. Feeling the way that brush tickled his beard.

"Your hands are so soft."

Yeah, the drugs had absolutely kicked in.

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer snorted. "Fine, you've convinced me," he said to no one in particular, and reached to snag a third one out of the bag.

It was no fun being sober when someone else was tripping.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia was still watching Duke. Thinking about how it should've felt more like something, that she should've been snorting and calling him her tripi hef again, that she was here with her two favorite people in this space that Duke had put together for the three of them, and it should've felt more like something.

She felt more than she would have earlier this week, to be sure. But...

Still.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke looked up at her through his lashes, his hands and face still pressed to her hand.

She looked . . . lost. He wished more than anything that he could wipe that look off her face, but knew he couldn't. He'd officially pulled out all the stops here, after all, and she still looked wrecked.

If only he hadn't freaked out about that key thing. She'd been okay before that.

Fortunately, the molly had him distracted again before he could spiral fully into a one man blame fest. He kissed her palm again, then turned to Lucifer, still hanging onto her with one hand as he reached for Lucifer's sleeve.

"Lemme see if that shirt's as soft as it looks, too."