The Cape Rouge, off the coast of Fandom, Friday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

Duke took them around to the preserve side of the island before heading out to sea a ways, dropping anchor when there was nothing around but sea, sky, and the shape of trees and rocky coast in the distance. He'd managed to save some of the pillows and the string lights from their blanket fort last month, and cleared space on the deck for them to lounge and watch the clouds, with beverages and snacks in easy reach. With Larceny all set up with cupcakes back on Fandom and the porgs distracted by a few snacks of their own, there was nothing left to do but put on some music and chill.

[for the snogon! Content note: recreational drug use]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"Hmm, I don't know, I think I need to deduct points for that. I'd like to see more showing off next time."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia scoffed. "What do I need your points for? I have cake."

Of which she shoved a considerable forkful into her mouth, just then - and let out a tiny, involuntary noise of pleasure almost immediately after as all the chocolatey goodness hit her tastebuds.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was all set to point out she could have cake and points, but that noise was too adorable and distracting. So all he ended up doing was watching her with a little open-mouthed smile.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was too engrossed in devouring cake for a long moment to even realize he was watching her. Which meant he was treated to a few more similar noises, here and there, but in particular when she discovered the ganache filling.

"This is the best cake I have ever had," she said, slightly muffled by, you know. Cake.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's expression just got more and more delighted with each noise. "Oh yeah? Now I feel a little bad for stealing it." He popped a forkful into his own mouth. And made his own delighted noise.

"Okay. That's good cake."

[okteiviakom]

"It's such good cake," Octavia hummed happily, and licked ganache off her lip.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well-selected, ai gona, Master of Cakes." Duke licked his fork clean and performed a little modified knighting ceremony at her as he spoke her new title. "And I told you: nothing better when you're stoned than chocolate cake."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia laughed again, easy and light, as she let him knight her.

"So I was right to trust you."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm a very trustworthy fellow," Duke said. "You know, for a jaka."

[okteiviakom]

"Kos yu laik briyon jaka," Octavia replied with a very serious nod. "You know when it makes no sense to lie."

[betterthanaplan]

"Why lie when the truth can get you even further?" Duke asked. "Any jaka worth his salt knows that the truth is way more useful than lies in the end."

[okteiviakom]

"Right," Octavia said, with another nod. Deeper, this time. And then shrugged. "'Sides, I've trusted you for a while now. And not just about cake."

[betterthanaplan]

"Which I still consider a minor miracle," Duke said. "But one I'm happy to believe in."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia smiled at him.

Then she dropped her gaze back on the cake on her lap, and asked, damn near brightly, "You know what I like best, Duke?"

[betterthanaplan]

"The icing?" Duke guessed.

He didn't think it was the icing.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted.

"If I was talking about the cake, then yes." Because it was amazing. "But I'm not."

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, I'm not going to guess what your favorite part about me is. I'm not that much of a narcissist."

[okteiviakom]

"You wouldn't guess it, anyway." Wow, harsh, Tavi. She got another forkful of cake. "And I don't know if I'd say it's my favorite part about you, or even us, just... My favorite thing."

Look, it was a thing she really liked. If she tried to clarify its accurate classification any more than that, she was going to get sidetracked even worse, and she knew it.

"Anyway. What I like best is waking up next to you."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah?" Duke looked at her sideways with a smile. "Why's that?"

[okteiviakom]

"When I sleep, I'm not always... here." And while she wasn't just talking about nightmares, he'd held her through enough of those to already know this. "So I have this thing where, sometimes, I wake up and for a moment, I'm completely lost. Like I've just -- forgotten Fandom."

Her brain did so like flinging her back to various points of the first nineteen years of her life, far across time and space.

"But when I wake up and you're the first thing I see, I remember where I am. And if you're still asleep, I know that once you wake up, you're going to give me one of those really cute sleepy smiles, and pull me in and wrap me up in your arms and tell me good morning."

Octavia sighed, smiling softly.

"It just makes me feel so... safe." She generally hated admitting that was a feeling she needed. But right now, it didn't feel so bad to say. "Like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke reached over to tug her in, mindful of the cake. There wasn't much he could say to all that, other than "good". So he held onto her and kissed her hair instead.

[okteiviakom]

"You're keeping me from my cake," Octavia mumbled. It was absolutely not a complaint to be taken seriously.

She also made no move to pull away.

[betterthanaplan]

"The cake will keep," Duke said. "Do you want to know what my favorite thing is?"

[okteiviakom]

There couldn't have been a quicker way to get Octavia tilting her head to look up at him.

"Yeah."

[betterthanaplan]

He could have said waking up next to her, too, and it wouldn't have been a lie. But she might have seen it as a cop out. So he gave her a little squeeze and said "This. Any time I can get your guard down, get you to be just a little bit silly. I don't think you've gotten enough silly in your life."