The Cape Rouge, very early Wednesday morning

[betterthanaplan]

Duke Crocker lay on the bed of the Cape Rouge, bandaged and bruised. He had just returned from a trip to Haven, where he had gone to help Audrey and Nathan with a new trouble. He had been attacked by a man who could control electricity, and had barely escaped with his life.

He felt a hand on his forehead and opened his eyes. He saw Octavia Blake sitting next to him, looking worried.

“Hey,” he said weakly. “How long have I been out?”

Octavia smiled and stroked his hair. “Not too long. Just a few hours. How do you feel?”

Duke groaned and tried to sit up. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and winced.

“Like I’ve been electrocuted,” he said.

Octavia gently pushed him back down. “Don’t move. You need to rest. You lost a lot of blood.”

Duke sighed and closed his eyes. He felt guilty and ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I put you through this. I’m sorry I went to Haven without telling you.”

Octavia shook her head and kissed his cheek. “Don’t be sorry. I understand why you did it. You wanted to help your friends. You wanted to do the right thing.”

She paused and looked at him seriously.

“But you have to understand something too, Duke. You’re not alone anymore. You have us. Me and Lucifer. We’re your family now. And we care about you more than anything.”

She took his hand and squeezed it.

“We don’t want to lose you, Duke. We don’t want you to risk your life for troubles that are not yours to deal with.”

She leaned down and whispered in his ear.

“We love you, Duke. And we need you.”

Duke felt tears in his eyes and hugged her tightly.

“I love you too, Octavia,” he said softly. “I love you too.”

They heard the door open and looked up to see Lucifer standing there. He was holding a tray with soup and bread.

“Hello, my darlings,” he said cheerfully. “I brought you some food. How are we feeling?”

He walked over to the bed and set the tray on the nightstand. He looked at Duke with concern and compassion.

“You look terrible, Duke,” he said bluntly. “But I’m glad you’re alive.”

He kissed Duke on the forehead, then Octavia on the lips.

He sat on the other side of the bed and took Duke’s other hand.

“I agree with everything Octavia said,” he said earnestly. “You’re very brave and noble, Duke, but also very foolish and reckless.”

He smiled slightly and added.

“And that’s part of why we love you.”

He looked at Duke sincerely and said.

“But you have to promise us something, Duke. Promise us that you won’t go back to Haven without us. Promise us that you won’t put yourself in danger without our consent.”

He paused and said softly.

“Promise us that you’ll stay with us.”

Duke looked at Lucifer and Octavia, who were both staring at him with love and hope in their eyes.

He felt a surge of emotion in his heart and nodded.

“I promise,” he said hoarsely.

He pulled them both closer to him and kissed them one by one.

“I promise,” he repeated.

They hugged him back and cuddled with him on the bed.

They felt relieved and happy, knowing that they had each other’s support and trust. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.

Something . . . juddered. Shifted. Duke blinked.

"Why aren't you mad?" he asked.

Lucifer and Octavia looked at him. "We love you," they said simultaneously.

Duke shook his head and tried to push himself upright. Lucifer held him down idly with one hand. "No. No, this isn't -- who are you?"

Octavia tilted her head curiously. "It's me, Duke," she said. "Octavia Blake." She smiled. "Your girlfriend."

Duke jerked awake with a choked gasp, fighting to sit up against the weight of his partners' entangled limbs, dream-Octavia's words still echoing in his ears.

Who knew the word 'girlfriend' could be so terrifying?

[Len asked an AI to write a h/c fic of our OT3 and naturally I needed to turn the result into a nightmare for my boy. Thanks Bing! For the partners please, :D]

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

"Mrghblrrh?" Lucifer mumbled, squinting, as something suddenly moved and jarred him out of a delightfully naked dream.

[okteiviakom]

"Duke?"

Of course Octavia was awake in an instant after getting jostled like that. Blame -- well, most things in her past, really. She drew her arm away when it seemed like maybe that was not good right now. "What is it?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke made it upright and shoved himself against the headboard. Forced himself not to flinch.

"I, uh." He swallowed thickly. "Nightmare. Just -- just a nightmare."

If he kept telling himself that he might even believe it.

[my_own_advocate]

"Bad one, clearly," Lucifer mumbled, spitting out a chunk of blanket that had wound up in his mouth mid-mumble.

[okteiviakom]

"Yeah," Octavia agreed, eyeing Duke in a bleary but concerned fashion as she sat up a little bit, herself.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was just relieved they weren't fawning over him and saying all their feelings out loud and in eerie unison.

"Yeah. It was, uh." Another swallow. "It was bad."

He could already feel the sense of it settling around him, digging in to linger for the rest of the day.

[my_own_advocate]

"Right," Lucifer said, and squinted. "...Bourbon?"

Honey.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shot Lucifer a helpless look for the suggestion.

She didn't have an immediately better one, though. "Or anything else you need."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shuddered faintly.

"Don't. If you're too nice I might. I don't know, throw up or something."

[my_own_advocate]

"I could throw the bourbon at you," Lucifer offered, sitting up.

[okteiviakom]

Don't, that's too nice wrenched its way out from somewhere deep in Octavia's memory. It sparked a worry that was going in a wrong direction, but how was she to know?

She found herself at a loss for what to say, unwilling to push at any boundary that might make Duke sick.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let out a helpless bark of laughter. "I guess that's not something a pod-Lucifer would say?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Pod-Lucifer?" Lucifer squinted at him. "Have you been watching too many horror movies again? Do I have to lock the TV to the Hallmark channel?"

[okteiviakom]

More than a little bit of confusion was seeping into Octavia's expression, to go with all the concern.

"... What?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Animal Planet," Duke grumbled. "I like Animal Planet."

He fisted both hands in his hair, pulling just hard enough to try and ground himself in the sensation.

"In the dream. You guys were being. Weird. Nice. But not -- you-nice. Freaked me out."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer pulled a face. "Nice," he said. "That's borderline offensive."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's hand twitched up a little, with the intention to stop Duke pulling on his hair, but then... hesitated.

"Sorry."

She wasn't sure where that came from.

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah, well. Just -- don't call yourself my girlfriend and we'll call it even."

He shivered just remembering. That was when he'd known for sure it wasn't her.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh, if she ever calls herself anyone's girlfriend, I'll gladly take whatever creature has taken her place and throw it into the ocean," Lucifer said, patting Duke's knee.

[okteiviakom]

"It's more of a... emergency-only kind of word," Octavia murmured, frowning faintly. (More of that concern.) "And never to you, snogon."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah." Duke swallowed down the lump that refused to leave his throat no matter how many times he told himself that it was a dream and he was awake now, dammit. "Yeah, I know. That's what made it so freaky."

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer sighed. He said nothing else, but reached for the nightstand, rummaging around until he found a bottle of red wine.

He took the cork out.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's hand finally gave up its hesitant hover to settle on Duke's arm. If a little carefully.

"You're here now," she murmured.

[betterthanaplan]

She'd feel Duke shivering faintly.

"Just to, uh. Check. If I ran off to Haven alone on purpose, you two would absolutely yell at me. Like at minimum. Right? Even if I came home all injured?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Very loudly," Lucifer agreed. "I'd sincerely consider locking you in the pillow room, actually."

He held the bottle out for Duke.