The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, very VERY early Thursday morning

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was having a very rough night, his second in a row. Nightmares weren't unusual for him, but having them every time he closed his eyes was new. He kept having dreams about his childhood, of freezing in an unheated house in the Maine winter, his stomach cramping so hard from hunger the thought of actually eating just made him feel worse. He tried to distract himself with the good memories instead: the nights the McShaws invited him for dinner. Curling up with Octavia under warm covers on a cold night. Sharing a bed with Nathan, the night after their high school graduation.

But Geoff McShaw was dead. And Nathan hated him. And even his love for Octavia could get complicated.

So when his mind finally managed something resembling a good dream -- him and Nathan and Octavia, all together in an enormous bed -- it very quickly turned bad again.

Duke laughed as Nathan rolled him over, tossing him down on his back and straddling his hips. "You want it on top today, huh?"

Nathan wasn't laughing back, though. His face was flushed, his eyes red, like they'd been when that trouble had made him crazy. And his hands were sliding up Duke's chest, fastening around his throat.

Behind him, Octavia's eyes were wide and wet and wild as blood began to drip down over her chin. . . .

[for the one in the bed with him. Mmmm, BDE CONTENT WARNING: violence and gore]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

He absolutely would. It was what they did.

“Think I really will go for that swim,” he mused. “It’s a good way to clear my head.”

[okteiviakom]

"Sure," Octavia replied quietly, mildly. "Whatever you think will help."

[betterthanaplan]

“You got something you can do to clear yours?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked up, and shook her head. "Don't worry about me," she said, with a little twitch of the corners of her mouth that may have been an attempt at a reassuring smile that didn't get even halfway there. Not even by her particular standards. "Go do your thing."

[betterthanaplan]

“I’m always going to worry about you,” Duke said. He took a long drink of his water then set it aside. “See you at the diner later?”

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe."

She really didn't know.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll bring you something home if I don’t.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded back. "Chof."

Right now, she was just struck by a near-overwhelming need for him to not be in this room with her.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke leaned in to give her another kiss to her temple, then levered himself to his feet, grabbing a pair of board shorts on his way out the door. He paused in the doorway and looked back at her over his shoulder.

“Ai hod you in.”

Some days you just didn’t leave your partner without a final “I love you”.

[okteiviakom]

Goddammit, Duke.

Octavia looked up, meeting his eyes. "Ai hod yu in, seintaim."

That sounded only faintly shaky, okay? Nothing to worry about.

[betterthanaplan]

He was definitely worried he was also still dealing with the fall out of his nightmare, and not sure if he was imagining her seeming a little off.

So he flicked her a final smile, tugged on his shorts, and went to go let the ocean wash his mind clean.

(It wouldn’t work. But it was worth a try.)

[okteiviakom]

And practically the second he was out the door, and Octavia could hear his footsteps moving further away, she pulled up her knees and hugged them to her chest. Exhaled a breath that was more shudder than anything else. Squeezed her eyes shut.

Felt them burn.

Whatever the island was up to, this time... She really wasn't sure she could do this.