The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Monday

[betterthanaplan]

Right. So. This morning was a thing that had happened. On the one hand, Octavia seemed ready to talk, finally. On the other, it felt like Duke had just played "swap the important person in your life who's pissed at you".

"I'll make some coffee," Duke said, leading Octavia into the galley. "And . . . breakfast? Maybe?"

[for the girl]

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[betterthanaplan]

Duke sighed, wincing a little when soap dripped into his eye.

"I know. I just -- he'll come back, right?"

[okteiviakom]

"He'll come back," Octavia promised, quiet but somehow a little more steady. At least, while she said that. "Might pretend nothing happened when he does. But he'll come back."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said with a soft laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like Luce."

They'd have to talk more later about Lucifer and how he might or might not fit into . . . wherever the two of them ended up in their own relationship. But right now. . . .

"Don't suppose I could ask you to return the hair favor?"

He at the very least needed to load up on conditioner here, after getting the 3-in-1 in his hair.

[okteiviakom]

They'd have to wait and see what kind of Lucifer they were getting back in the first place, anyway.

"Sure," Octavia said, soft and quiet again.

But if he wanted conditioner, he was going to have to ask for it, because one of the three was conditioner, come on now.

[betterthanaplan]

That was a lie made up by the soap company.

Duke reached for the conditioner bottle and held it out to her. "Do you think we'll be okay?"

[okteiviakom]

"I think," Octavia said, as she took the bottle, and her fingers bumped against his, "it's going to take time."

Because they were a trainwreck, right now. In so many ways.

"But I do." She had to believe it, because otherwise she wasn't sure what she'd do. She bit on her lip for a second, studying the bottle but not really seeing it. Then she looked up again. "Do you?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I want to," Duke said. "I really do. But yeah. We definitely need time."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked down at her hands. Squeezing conditioner out of the bottle made for a convenient excuse.

Her voice was softer once more, when she spoke again. She was hesitant to say this, worried about how he'd take it. "I think I'm gonna stay on my own boat for a while."

As an actual choice, this time, instead of the direct result of another fight.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke sucked a small breath in through his teeth and nodded. "I understand."

[okteiviakom]

"Do you?" Octavia asked softly, as she looked up. "I'm not leaving."

It felt like something that should be said out loud.

[betterthanaplan]

"It's fine," Duke said quickly, not really grasping what she just said. "I'm fine, you just do what you gotta do."

He was pretty mortified by how he'd reacted this morning, and doing his best to cover for it now.

[okteiviakom]

"Hey," Octavia said, as she finally reached up for his hair. "Jaka. I'll just be on the next boat over."

She wasn't buying his 'fine'. She never did.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke leaned into her touch. "I know."

On a boat that could just float away any time she wanted it to.

[okteiviakom]

"Do you?" Octavia asked again, quieter this time. Her hands stilled in his hair, just letting him feel them for a moment. "I'm just... trying to get us a little space to breathe."

Because if she was honest, the quiet days in Baltimore had probably been good for her.

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said. "You need -- a break."

You know, like people said when they wanted to break up but didn't want to say 'break up'.

[okteiviakom]

"That's not what I said."

Not that she could really blame him for hearing it that way.

[betterthanaplan]

"It's fine," Duke insisted. "I get it. I fucked up. I wouldn't want to stay here if I were you either."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's hands fell from his hair - only to land on his shoulders.

"I want to stay," she said firmly, shaking her head a little. "I just don't know if it's the best thing for us right now."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke finally made eye contact again. "I'm being an idiot again, aren't I."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia tried for a ghost of a smile. It was lopsided and a little wobbly.

"Maybe a little."

[betterthanaplan]

"I don't know why I do that."

It was painfully obvious to a lot of people why he did that.

"You're really not leaving?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave up on her efforts to get back to working on his hair, and slid her arms around him so she could press closer to him, instead.

"I'm really not leaving," she promised, her face tilted up towards him. "You can find me whenever you want. Ai swega klin, jaka.."

[betterthanaplan]

They'd get back to his hair in a minute. Right now, he was just going to kind of bury himself against her.

"I don't want to make you stay," he said, voice tight. "But I don't know what I'd do if you did leave."

[okteiviakom]

"Then don't make me," Octavia told him. Like she was actually asking him to. "Because last time... It was hard enough."

[betterthanaplan]

"Last time. . . ." Duke let out a soft, faintly bitter laugh. "Last time I should have done what you're doing. Made sure you knew I just needed a minute. Not forever."