betterthanaplan | Haven, Maine, over the weekend

The last time Octavia had been to Haven, she'd gotten arrested and Gloria had had to go yell at the Chief of police.

The last time Duke had been to Haven, he'd gotten arrested and Gloria had had to go yell at the Chief of police.

They could both be forgiven for being a little nervous pulling into the harbor now, even without the "let's go meet our mutual therapist in person" part of the deal.

[for one! NFB due to distance]

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From:

seaoftroubles

Nathan didn't stir until Duke was just finishing chaining him to one of the posts on the dock. He immediately flung himself into jerking against the chains, vocally straining all the while.

"This is bizarre," Duke said. "He's going to hurt himself."

"Will not," Nathan muttered. "Can't feel it."

"Well aren't you just special, Nate."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia had backed off, gone to sit on one of the crates. She didn't feel like being very involved, but that didn't mean she wouldn't keep watch.

In case anything happened.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke, on the other hand, couldn't keep his eyes off Nathan. It was surreal, seeing the man chained down and completely out of his mind like that. Even knowing how terrible the troubles could be, his vague memories and minor run-ins so far couldn't prepare him for -- this. This drooling, groaning, flushed and sweaty mess. This total breakdown in everything that made Nathan human.

"Nothing hurts you, does it, Nathan. Even when you try."

"At least I'm not a parasite," Nathan shot back, wild grin on his face. "Like you." He started laughing, loud and full-throated, like he couldn't stop.

Duke laughed along, humoring him. "That's a good one."

Nathan flung himself against the chains again, panting. "Just using people. . . ." He laughed, bouncing in place. "Like you always do. Plan on using Audrey, too?"

Duke took a deep breath through his nose, reminding himself not to rise to Nathan's level.

Nathan kept laughing. "Of course you are. Of course you are, that's what you do! You and your little whore --"

He cut off when Duke's fist collided with his face.

From:

okteiviakom

Over her years in the bunker, Octavia had learned to pack away her feelings when she needed to. It had allowed her to stay impassive when she'd watched her people slaughter each other down in the fighting pits, and it allowed her to stay that way now as she watched Nathan struggle in his chains. She focused on observing, waiting to see whether she'd need to do anything.

Otherwise, her heart would have been aching for Duke.

Nathan's little jab at her, however, would probably not have gotten to her even if she hadn't been keeping a tight rein on her emotions. She'd been called much worse, by people who mattered much more.

But that didn't mean seeing the punch happen wasn't satisfying.

From:

betterthanaplan

Nathan was just so punchable!

The trouble being, Nathan didn't even feel it. That and that punching a guy in the face was a great way to get their blood on you.

Nathan spit and laughed. "Can't hurt me, remember?"

Duke lurched to his feet, eyes glued to his hand and the specks of blood absorbing into his skin. He spun, not wanting Nathan to see. Not wanting to see Nathan, tied down and helpless and so goddamn infuriating, just asking to be ended.

Nathan didn't have any family. Other than the Chief, who'd never shown any signs of his trouble. Killing him wouldn't do anything but put blood on Duke's hands, metaphorically and literally. Duke grit his teeth and wrapped his arms around himself as he staggered down the dock.

Maybe throwing himself into the water would help keep this damn trouble under control.

From:

okteiviakom

The thing about the trick of Octavia boxing up her feelings and pushing them aside was that it only worked until something came along that was too strong and busted right on through anyway.

And seeing Duke react like that, well, it was something she recognized.

She was on her feet instantly, but didn't move. Just -- watched, but now with a heavy weight inside her, a squirming thing of worry.

From:

betterthanaplan

"Gonna cry?!" Nathan shouted after him. "'Run home and cry, baby!' Do you remember that?" He flung himself against the chains, moaning again. "Do you remember telling me that, Duke?!"

Duke ignored him. He made it to the end of the docks and sat abruptly, feet dangling over the edge as he curled in on himself and tried to breathe through the rush. The boards of the dock cracked under his fingers. If he had to get up right now, he'd take chunks of them with him.

Slowly, the rush subsided. And Duke was left with just his bruised throat and aching head, and Nathan screaming and taunting him from the other end of the dock.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia crossed over onto the dock as Duke moved away, watching him but keeping Nathan in her peripheral vision. Had to watch them, both but for different reasons.

More or less, anyway.

"Shut up," she told Nathan, cold and assertive - and one hundred percent sure it wouldn't do anything.

From:

betterthanaplan

Not a blessed thing. Well, other than making Nathan snarl at her like an animal, anyway.

Duke shivered faintly -- he was still shirtless -- and tilted his head into the sun, his eyes closed. He wondered if he'd ever be able to come back here without running headfirst into his trouble and his and Nathan's past.

He wished he could pretend that meant he wouldn't keep coming back here.

He slowly stood and made his way back over, head still down, hand wrapped around the back of his neck. "So. Naturally, Nathan goes nuts and his first instinct is to come try to kill me."

"'Cause you're a prick," Nathan spat.

"Yes, thank you." Duke waved him off and looked at Octavia. "What do you suppose everyone else in Haven would do if they lost their minds? Maybe we should be on the look out for more attackers."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia wanted to ask if he was okay.

But she knew he wasn't, even without asking. So instead, she cast a glance around. "Maybe," she said. "Though I feel like if we were about to get swarmed, it would've started happening already."

From:

betterthanaplan

"Point," Duke said, ignoring Nathan as he flung himself into his rocking and moaning routine. "And Audrey seemed to think she could get a handle on . . . whoever was running around causing this."

"Audrey likes the strange stuff," Nathan said. "Must be why she seems to like you."

"Jealous, Nathan?" Duke asked.

Nathan hissed wetly through his teeth.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia squeezed her eyes shut for just a second. But very tightly.

"I shouldn't hit him until he shuts up."

Not a question. She was just telling herself that.

From:

betterthanaplan

"It'd be like punching a brick wall," Duke said, holding up his hand. "Trust me."

Nathan stared at her with a strange grin on his face, still rocking against the chains.

"What did he promise you?" he asked. "Did he say he loves you? He doesn't know what that word even means."

"I'm not opposed to gagging him, though."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia glanced down at Nathan. "You're wasting your breath." And then back up at Duke, with a little shrug. "It's worth a shot."

From:

betterthanaplan

"I'll go get a nice, filthy rag," Duke said, giving Nathan another glare before he turned and walked away, his back ramrod straight, his shoulders pulled in tight.

He didn't like leaving Octavia with Nathan alone. But he also needed to be away from Nathan's goading words and -- more importantly -- the blood still slowly dripping down his chin.

Thrown into a wall. Choked. Blood running down a chin. His trouble going off.

This was all just -- a lot to deal with.

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia already knew she was going to be having another round of nightmares, and none of this had even happened to her.

(This time.)

She watched Duke walk away, and then locked everything down again, crossing her arms.

From:

seaoftroubles

"You're just like he is, aren't you," Nathan hissed with a giggle. "You feed on people."

[I'M NOT SORRY]

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia turned to look at him, her gaze ice cold. Her voice was no warmer, and all edge.

"And don't you forget it."

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke came back, carrying a nice, greasy rag from his tool box. He glanced from Octavia to Nathan and back.

"I see you two are bonding." He held the rag out to Octavia. "Do the honors?"

"You're going to eat him alive," Nathan said, panting through his teeth again. "Good."

From:

okteiviakom

Nice going, trouble. Octavia might've been a little nicer without that last comment.

But now she grabbed the rag, and yanked Nathan's head back, and stuffed the rag in his mouth with very little care for anything except shutting him up and not actually suffocating him in the process.

From:

betterthanaplan

Nathan growled at her, then started rocking back and forth against the chains again.

"Audrey owes us so much for this one," said Duke.

From:

okteiviakom

He would not hear any disagreeing from Octavia, no.

"As soon as this is done, can we just... go?"

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke sighed and nodded. "Yes. Absolutely."

He'd be back in a couple weeks for Bill and Geoff's opening, but he wasn't going to drag Octavia along with him if she didn't want to deal with all of this again.

The flush drained out of Nathan's face and he stopped rocking, blinking and shaking his head like a dog shaking off some water. He looked up at Duke, then around, frown deepening with every moment.

"Well. At least that didn't take a whole hour."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia looked down at Nathan.

"Are you back?" she asked. She didn't want the gag to be removed only for him to start spewing more goading.

From:

seaoftroubles

Nathan scowled at her, saying something muffled through the rag. He tugged -- gently this time -- on the chains, the frown growing ever deeper.

"You got hit by a trouble," Duke told him. "We're your babysitters."

Nathan's response to that was still muffled, but pretty easy to translate anyway.

"Yeah. Same to you, buddy."