Luke's, Friday after hours

[betterthanaplan]

In an attempt to feel less like their new "space" arrangement was actually a break-up in disguise, Duke and Octavia were having a date tonight.

At Duke's closed down diner. Look, restaurants that were open to the public were not for everyone, okay?

He'd busted his ass to make the place look a little less diner-y and a little more romantic. Most of the tables had been cleared aside and the whole place was lit by candle light, scattered across every surface. He'd made a meal heavy on the fruit, with salmon and pineapple kabobs and Caribbean confetti rice and pan-fried banana for dessert. The champagne cocktails were maybe a bit overboard for a "first date", but Duke didn't care.

Look, he only gave his romantic side free reign on rare occasions. When it happened, he went all out, okay?

[for the one!]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

It did.

But:

"You think he wants that?"

[betterthanaplan]

Well. He had until she asked like that.

"Do you think it'll hurt to ask him?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's head tilted by a fraction. "You know he doesn't hit on me, right?" she said. "And he was kind of weird when we were buying clothes."

And then there was Chloe.

"I don't know what he wants."

[betterthanaplan]

"I know he loves you," Duke said. ". . . Define 'weird'."

[okteiviakom]

"Probably, but he's never said so," Octavia muttered, though she didn't sound like she minded it. As Duke well knew, she said it herself when she felt it, not with an expectation of reciprocated words.

Actions mattered more, anyway.

She shook her head a little. "I don't know, he was just... rushing, a lot."

[betterthanaplan]

"Huh." Duke tilted his head. "Maybe he had some kind of . . . appointment?"

[okteiviakom]

"Not rushing like that," Octavia said, but found it hard to explain the difference. And just wound up shaking her head.

"I don't -- it's pointless to talk about this if we don't know what he thinks."

[betterthanaplan]

“No it’s not,” Duke said. “I want to know what you think. If you’re into the idea, then we’ll ask him. If you’re not, then . . . we won’t.”

[okteiviakom]

"I don't know what I think."

This wasn't exactly something she'd given conscious thought to before.

(At least if you didn't count stray thoughts from almost a decade ago.)

[betterthanaplan]

“Then take your time,” Duke said, tugging her back toward the food. “Whatever you decide, you’ll still have me. Okay?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia let him tug her, but she really didn't feel like eating right now.

"Okay," she said, but she sounded vague and distracted.

[betterthanaplan]

“Hey,” Duke said, and this time moved to turn her to face him, drawing her between his legs. “I am not rejecting you. No matter what you or Lucifer decide, I am still in this.”

[okteiviakom]

Oh, that was a good move. Octavia was slow to turn, but turn she did.

Something hesitant about her face as she looked down at him.

"Swega klin."

[betterthanaplan]

"Swega klin," Duke confirmed. "Otaim."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded slowly. And then just watched him for a moment, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.

"Do you know," she asked, her voice quiet, and softer than before, "that Lucifer speaks Trig, too?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I did not," Duke said. "Did you teach him the same way you've taught me?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's head shake was as slow as her nod from a moment ago.

"No." She skipped saying she would have told him a lot sooner if she'd done that. "He can just... speak every human language."

Tiny shrug. "Used to feel like cheating."

[betterthanaplan]

"Used to?"

It kinda still sounded like cheating to Duke.

[okteiviakom]

"Now he just sounds like family."

It didn't mean the feeling of cheating was entirely gone, but...

"Anyway. He doesn't speak it to me often. Think I said something once when I was drunk that made him think I don't like it when he does. And I haven't corrected him."

[betterthanaplan]

"Why not?" Duke asked. "He is family, isn't he? Or am I getting the 'Children of Aurora' thing wrong again?"

[okteiviakom]

Another head shake.

"I don't know why."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged back. "Well. Something else to think about." He smiled at her. "Now. Think we can try having dinner, again?"

[okteiviakom]

He made it really easy, sometimes, to slip away from difficult conversations.

But Octavia wasn't taking the out. "No," she said softly.

[betterthanaplan]

Avoidance was one of Duke's favorite coping mechanisms, this was true.

". . . Okay," he said, smile dropping away. "Then, uh. What are we going to do instead?"

[okteiviakom]

They were going to find out whether his seat was sturdy enough to hold two. Because Octavia was shifting to climb onto his lap.

At least she'd finally figured out she needed more contact.