The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Tuesday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's class this morning had gone well. His appointment yesterday had gone well. His dreams had been reasonably kind lately, and Octavia seemed to be slowly but surely starting to adjust to being back in Fandom.

Life was generally good for Duke just now. It wasn't destined to last, but hey, that just meant he had to enjoy it while he had it, right?

So he was chilling on his deck, cold beer at hand courtesy of a cooler under his feet, his ukulele in his lap, idly strumming and singing.

Surfing was good for the soul, okay?

[open!]

Comments

[hatesparadise]

You know, the last time Danny had swung by the docks, it had been to try arresting a fox. So the ukulele thing wasn't nearly as annoying as it could have been for him.

It had nothing to do with the surfing.

"Really?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke paused mid-strum. "What?"

DIDN'T YOU APPRECIATE THE REMINDER OF HAWAII, DANNY?

[hatesparadise]

HE DID NOT.

"Nothing," Danny said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Because it was ridiculous. "Don't worry about it."

[betterthanaplan]

"I won't," Duke said cheerfully, starting up another basic strumming rhythm. "You want a beer?"

[hatesparadise]

Danny glanced around before deciding to go along with it. "You're in a good mood," he said, carefully coming aboard.

Weird how he'd never actually been there before now.

"You haven't been drugged, right?"

[betterthanaplan]

It was a little. Duke was maybe trying to remember if he had the weapons hidden on the deck registered or not. (He did. He had cops and Coast Guard trying to bust in on him too often to leave illegal weapons lying around in the more public areas of his boat.)

He paused strumming again. ". . . Nope." Yes, he'd just done a mental inventory to check. "Just in a good mood for once."

[hatesparadise]

The amount of yelling that would occur if he did see a weapon, Duke. The sheer amount of yelling.

"Wow, look at that," Danny said with a little huff of laughter.

[betterthanaplan]

"And why does that make you look so smug?" Duke asked. He slid the cooler towards Danny with his foot, an invitation for him to help himself to a beer.

[hatesparadise]

"I'm not smug," he said, snagging a beer.

He was totally smug.

[betterthanaplan]

"Uh huh. And because I am in such a good mood, I'm even going to let you get away with that." He strummed a few more chords. "How's it going with your boy in town?"

[hatesparadise]

It possibly said something about how often people called Steve his boy that Danny didn't even blink at that. "Wants me to tell you to learn how to make malasadas. A message I am passing along because I wouldn't be upset to find them on this rock."

[betterthanaplan]

"Malasadas." Duke nodded slowly. "Those are those Portuguese donut things, right?"

[hatesparadise]

"Like donuts but better, yeah," Danny replied, lifting a hand high to show the measurement. "Those and coco puffs are right up here with my nonna's lasagna for a last meal."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had sent a few pictures. A pair of teal deer in the distance. Some kind of pale flower.

Water.

The last one had been a while ago, and now she was coming back, coming home, and she could hear the music down the dock. It almost made her stop, and stay where she was to just listen, unseen.

But she kept going, and came aboard. Dropped her bag by one of the crates and sat down on it, hoping her arrival wouldn't mean he would stop playing.

[betterthanaplan]

Nah. It just meant he was going to twist to face her, singing directly to her instead of to the water.

"I want to love you, and treat you right
I want to love you, every day and every night."

[okteiviakom]

He was such a doof.

Octavia managed to keep looking at him for a moment, then looked down - much like she might have when she'd been younger, and for a similar reason.

Something was tugging at the corners of her lips, trying to make them curve up.

[betterthanaplan]

"We'll be together, with a roof right over our heads
We'll share the shelter, of my single bed
We'll share the same room"

Duke ducked his head a little, trying to get a look at that curve on her lips.

"Is this love, is this love, is this love
Is this love that I'm feelin'?"

[okteiviakom]

It was there. Small, lopsided. Secret.

But there.

And Octavia wasn't looking up, because of it. So it had to count for a smile.

[betterthanaplan]

Oh yeah. Duke was totally taking that as a victory.

He finished off the song in the same silly way, bopping his head a little as he sang to her.

"So . . . any requests?"

[okteiviakom]

The smile was no longer there when Octavia looked up - with her eyes, not with her head - but a distinct kind of softness remained.

"Just keep going?"

She didn't remember most of her old favorites by name, anymore. And anyway, listening to him mattered more than the song.

[betterthanaplan]

"I can absolutely do that," Duke said, starting in on another song, but not singing yet. "How was the preserve?"

[okteiviakom]

"It was good," Octavia replied as she straightened up a little, her hands against the edge of the crate. "Quiet."

She appreciated that a little bit extra, now that they were free of last week's background music.

[betterthanaplan]

"Quiet is good," Duke agreed. "You know, that's where I went for my appointment yesterday. Maybe it'll be a good place for you, too."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shook her head. "That's not what the preserve is for," she said. "Not for me."

She didn't want to take this -- thing out there with her.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "Fair enough. You know where you want to do it? Maybe you could take your boat out."