The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Monday

[betterthanaplan]

Right. So. This morning was a thing that had happened. On the one hand, Octavia seemed ready to talk, finally. On the other, it felt like Duke had just played "swap the important person in your life who's pissed at you".

"I'll make some coffee," Duke said, leading Octavia into the galley. "And . . . breakfast? Maybe?"

[for the girl]

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[betterthanaplan]

Duke paused, his fingers still in her hair.

"You think you know why he freaked out?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't know. But she had... a feeling. "Michael was trying to get under his skin about having been Samael."

The inside of her bottom lip ended up between her teeth again.

"About being Samael."

[betterthanaplan]

"I liked Samael," Duke said. "Sure, he was kind of snobby, but so is Luce."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's voice went quieter still.

"I liked him too."

[betterthanaplan]

"You know, he was a big help while you were a raccoon, too."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked up at him.

"Lucifer?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "This weekend was not the first time I ended up crashing at his place."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave that a quiet "oh".

She didn't really know what to do with the knowledge. It was... good? Also somehow not all that surprising.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke gave her a small, sheepish smile as he worked the 3-in-1 into the ends of her hair. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were dating. Very chastely.”

[okteiviakom]

Okay, now Octavia's eyebrows went way up. Maybe it was a surprise when he put it like that.

But she seemed baffled, more than anything.

"What?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. “We’re two very flirty people. I’m not saying we were going to do anything. Just — maybe that contributed a little. To this morning.”

Samael had gotten them both free and clear. But when they were all their grownup, present day selves, it all got so much more complicated.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia blinked a couple times.

Then she shook her head. A little. "I... don't think that's it."

[betterthanaplan]

"Really? 'Cause that's kinda . . . all I got."

He was a little worried Lucifer would never come back.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes. As if either of those things could make any of this easier, or less complex.

"Did he tell you I can hurt him?" she asked. "I mean, I can make him bleed. I shouldn't be able to, but I am."

[betterthanaplan]

"What?!"

Wow. That was loud. Also clearly a "no, he didn't tell me that."

"Since when?!"

[okteiviakom]

It was loud enough to startle Octavia, no less. Her eyes were open again.

"Apparently I scratched him when I was a raccoon," she said. "And we -- tested it, with a knife. When I was in Baltimore."

[betterthanaplan]

"That's --" Duke let go of her hair to run both hands through his own. (Guess he was using that 3-in-1 on his own hair today.) "Holy shit. I thought only Chloe could do that."

[okteiviakom]

"And it's not even the same as it is with her," Octavia said with a little shake of her head. "When it's Chloe, anyone can hurt him. When it's me, as far as we can tell..."

Because they'd been so scientific with testing it.

"It's just me."

[betterthanaplan]

“Holy shit,” Duke said again. “That’s — that’s still kinda huge, isn’t it?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's nod was slow.

"Yeah."

It made it very specific to her.

[betterthanaplan]

"And . . . that's why you think he ran?"

[okteiviakom]

"I don't know why he ran," Octavia said, sighing. "I'm just... telling you."

She leaned her shoulder against the wall, and ran her hand down her face in an unconscious imitation of him. "I don't know, Duke."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed, wincing a little when soap dripped into his eye.

"I know. I just -- he'll come back, right?"

[okteiviakom]

"He'll come back," Octavia promised, quiet but somehow a little more steady. At least, while she said that. "Might pretend nothing happened when he does. But he'll come back."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said with a soft laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like Luce."

They'd have to talk more later about Lucifer and how he might or might not fit into . . . wherever the two of them ended up in their own relationship. But right now. . . .

"Don't suppose I could ask you to return the hair favor?"

He at the very least needed to load up on conditioner here, after getting the 3-in-1 in his hair.