seaoftroubles | Haven end run preplay part 2: the bloodening

seaoftroubles

Duke gets his trouble triggered by Octavia in a kitchen accident and our crew discover that post-trouble bomb, it is EVEN MORE DIRE as he goes black-eyed and can't stop himself from trying to stalk whoever set him off
Lucifer and Octavia stop Duke from doing anything bad (has Octavia make him bleed maybe so he can use his massive power supply to knock Duke tf out?). Duke recovers and says "fuck this, we need to end it" and suggests they go back to Haven one final time to figure out how to end the troubles forever.
They arrive in Haven and Duke IMMEDIATELY goes into convulsions and vanishes in a burst of green smoke. OOPS.
Lucifer and Octavia find Gloria (and Dwight maybe? And/or Nathan?), find out about the "no marks killer" who has been going around killing troubled folks -- and all the troubles that are going off like crazy without Audrey around to talk them down. I imagine there's some "okay, that sucks but WHERE THE FUCK IS OUR BOYFRIEND????"
Duke is spotted around town murking folks, but they can't quite catch him
I may or may not write a scene of Duke and Croatoan while Duke is under his control
Trap set for Duke? Not at the police station. Gloria's house or the hospital/morgue, maybe, since she's coronering. Duke takes the bait, Lucifer pounces again to keep him from, getting away. After a false start or two during which Croat!Duke is DEEPLY UPSETTINGLY CREEPY AT THEM, Lucifer and Octavia manage to talk him around. (Possibly using Duke's new joy at being the subbiest sub who ever subbed!)
Duke starts leaking troubles when Croatoan realizes he's broken his hold. He panics, and Octavia or Lucifer cover his eyes to keep the troubles in. Gloria goes "I'll get some drugs!" and scoots to find something to drug Duke with if need be (and gets out of harms way ;D). Duke takes over the eye-covering -- and goes into muscle contractions as Croat tries pull aether out by another route. This doesn't last long before Croatoan APPEARS DRAMATICALLY IN THE DOOR looking like a gremlin cosplaying as a noir detective. Duke can't even see him -- he's covering his eyes -- but goes "FUCK THIS SHIT" and starts launching the troubles he still has control over at the guy. I really like the idea that at least one of them is radioactive. Maybe Croat!Duke killed the lady from the nonsense trouble episode and got her "shooting microwaves" power. Lucifer and Octavia also fight. Eventually Croat EXPLODES (or . . . dissolves . . . or otherwise dies grotesquely) and our three spend a moment just panting for breath and looking at each other, all "omg, is that it? did we win?"
Duke collapses dead. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Lucifer gods the fuck out, wiping out the troubles in a giant aether-nado, and resurrects Duke, who's spent maybe 30 seconds dead -- but that's [mumble mumble] amount of time in Hell so he's still a littttttle bit fucked.
They go home and have more angsty h/c times yay!
(Also probably Octavia checks on Gloria first and maybe convinces her to retire to Baltimore XP)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer felt--

He felt every atom under his fingers. Not all at once; they crept into view like water finding a new way to flow downhill. He saw skin, and then fat, muscle, veins and-- the heart, empty and dead, its last precious cargo slipping into the far edges of Duke's body.

He willed its blackened, dying tissue to melt away, to be replaced with new atoms, cells, feeling it spread and pinken and then...

Beat.

"Duke, come on!"

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke spasmed. Inhaled.

Then launched himself upward, an unconscious jerk as adrenaline flooded his system. His last memory was of arguing with Dan about the role of police in modern life and now he was —

A half-scream, perceptual whiplash, overwhelmed his newly restored respiratory system and he started to cough.

He had no idea what was going on.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia made a startled noise, but beyond that, she could only stare.

Uncomprehending.

From:

my_own_advocate

Something glowed behind Lucifer's eyes, something golden threatening to push through, to leak out. He was barely aware of it, yanking his hands back as the atoms danced in the back of his consciousness.

"Duke," he breathed, sitting back.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke could only stare up at him, eyes wide, almost uncomprehending. His chest heaving as the coughs slowed and his body started to adjust to being alive again.

He was alive again.

Would anyone judge if he just kind of burst into tears?

From:

okteiviakom

Not a single one. Octavia was looking pretty close to it, too.

"Duke."

Even with all the feeling in it (confusion, longing) it was barely more than a whisper.

From:

my_own_advocate

Oh god.

He was god.

Lucifer's gaze dropped down from Duke to his own hands. Oh no. Oh god.

From:

betterthanaplan

It was just existential crises all around today then, wasn't it.

As Duke started to feel more in control, his breaths became a little more exaggerated. He took deep breaths, then shallow ones. Held it on the inhale for a moment, on the exhale for a moment.

He was breathing. On purpose.

A laugh bubbled up, and he made no effort to hold it back.

"I'm alive. Oh fuck. I'm alive."

From:

okteiviakom

Somehow, that was what broke Octavia out of her frozen state. The expression on her face twisted, and she scrambled forward to grab for Duke. To hold him, maybe, or just to confirm.

He was moving. Breathing. Living.

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer took one large, shuddering breath of his own, and looked back up. Without thinking about it, he shifted out of the way, so Octavia could have some space.

Please excuse him. He was processing too many things at once.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke grabbed onto Octavia in return, still laughing.

He was alive. He was alive. He was never taking that for granted again.

From:

okteiviakom

Lucifer was trying to process too many things. Octavia was managing only just the one, holding on to Duke with all her might and repeating his name in between sobs against his shoulder.

For this exact moment, there was nothing but relief.

From:

my_own_advocate

It was too soon. Too soon. What, should he go up to Heaven now and sit on Dad's throne? His siblings would know. Amenadiel would know. It was a miracle Amenadiel hadn't already--

No.

Stop.

Lucifer willed the command into the universe, his eyes drawn to the ceiling.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke let go of Octavia with one hand (the other clinging even tighter in compensation) and groped for Lucifer.

“Luce,” he said with looking. “Lucifer, you fucking beautiful man, get over here.”

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia kept clinging hard enough for the both of them, really.

In fact, she kind of felt like she might never let go again.

From:

my_own_advocate

The request startled Lucifer out of his thoughts. He looked-- impressively pale. But he moved with it anyway, throwing his arms around Duke.

Right. Duke was alive.

It wasn't all terror.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke would eventually notice Lucifer was struggling. Just not yet.

“Thank you,” he said, hand fisting in the back of Lucifer’s jacket. “Oh my god, baby. Thank you!”

No pun intended.

From:

okteiviakom

It was quite a thing Octavia was doing, trying to keep on holding onto Duke like her life depended on it (maybe it did) while also freeing up a hand to try and grab a hold of Lucifer, too.

There were no words.

From:

my_own_advocate

Lucifer let them grab him. His own eyes ached-- no, they were tearing up. He wasn't sure about which part.

All of the parts?

He turned his head and pressed it firmly into Duke's (alive, alive) free shoulder.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke held onto them both as best he could, little amazed, relieved laughs still bubbling up here and there.

He was happy to stay right here (forever) as long as they’d let him.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia wasn't in a hurry - although in a moment she might be. Once she started coming back to herself, became more aware of their surroundings again.

But for right now? Words were starting to come back. Messy, garbled, full of feeling. "Ai hod yu in, ai hod yo in."

From:

my_own_advocate

It took a moment.

"We love you."

But Lucifer found... some words, at least.

From:

betterthanaplan

The laugh was edging into sobs again. Of relief this time. And anger. But the grief from Hell was gone.

“I love you guys too.” He couldn’t actually cling any tighter, but he tried. “So, so much.”

They’d stuck with him. Even when his trouble went crazy. Even when he didn’t listen to them. Even when he —

He spotted what was left of the gremlin man, a mass of clothes and organic sludge, and felt the anger flare higher.

Even when a creep crawled into his head and made him into his emotionless slave.

“Thank you,” he said again. “Thank you. So, so much.”

Edited Date: 2025-03-15 08:44 pm (UTC)

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia thought that thank you had nothing at all to do with her, which finally drew at least some of her attention away from Duke and over to Lucifer.

She turned her head, to try and see him.

"Lucifer?"

What did you do? was there, if not in so many words.