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]

Duke had had to come in early to get all his preparations done, and that meant Octavia had made her way over from the port by herself.

And somehow that meant she also found herself a little nervous as she knocked on the diner door now.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke made a quick final survey of the set up, then bustled over to let her in.

“Good evening,” he said, in a silly British accent. “Table for two?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia couldn't help the snort any more than she could help the little twitch of her lips. He was being ridiculous - and she had always loved that.

"Yes, please."

[betterthanaplan]

“But of course.” Duke bowed and waved her in, closing the door behind her. “So how was your day?”

[okteiviakom]

"Uneventful," Octavia said, beginning to unzip her leather jacket. "I think I was mostly just... waiting."

[betterthanaplan]

“Nervous?” Duke asked. “I, uh, kinda was too.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's hands stilled. She hadn't meant them to.

"Really?"

Somehow that made even less sense than her being nervous.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded to the candles everywhere. “Hence . . . all this.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's glance around the diner was quick. And then her eyes were on him again.

A little soft.

"You went all out because you were nervous?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Well yeah,” Duke said. “This is basically our first date.”

[okteiviakom]

"Oh."

Well. He wasn't wrong.

Octavia finally remembered what she'd been doing. She unzipped the jacket the rest of the way, and shrugged it off her shoulders. Underneath she was wearing a sweater - the sweater, in fact, the one that was probably haunting Lucifer's dreams right about now. It was black and thin, with a deep V neckline.

It was not very Octavia at all, but judging by how it clung to her curves, the sweater didn't know that.

She tilted her head at him and tried for a light tone. "Worried it won't go well?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was going to need a moment to just look at that sweater. And how it hugged all her curves.

“No. I mean—yes, but. No.”

Yeah, that was what the inside of his brain had been doing all day.

[okteiviakom]

Hers, too.

So maybe they needed to focus more on the present. Octavia noted his look at the sweater. Glanced down, herself. "This was Lucifer's pick."

[betterthanaplan]

“Ah.” Duke smiled and shook his head fondly. “The man knows his clothes. And if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny it.”

[okteiviakom]

"I wanted to get sensible sweaters," Octavia said, wryly, though not without a sliver of fondness of her own.

It was clear Lucifer had opted for another s word instead.

[betterthanaplan]

“That sweater isn’t sensible?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted.

"Not the way I like them."

[betterthanaplan]

“Well, it’s a very good date sweater,” Duke said. “So. Food! Grab a seat and I’ll bring it out.”

[okteiviakom]

"Mochof."

Octavia put her jacket aside before she went to take a seat, finally looking around the diner properly.

He'd really gone all out, hadn't he?

[betterthanaplan]

“De nada.” Duke leaned in to kiss her cheek, then headed to the kitchen.

He really had.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia could tell, looking at all the candles, and the way the space really felt like something different from Luke's on an ordinary day.

Like their space.

She leaned back in her seat with an almost perplexed little sigh, not that he was there to hear it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was back quickly with two plates of food. He set them down with a flourish. “Salmon kabobs with confetti rice. And champagne cocktails.”

[okteiviakom]

"This looks amazing, jaka," Octavia said sincerely, leaning over her plate, before looking up. "Thank you."

She'd already said that before, but that didn't matter.

[betterthanaplan]

“You are extremely welcome.” Duke sat down across from her and just watched her, lit by candlelight. “So. What do you think of dating so far?”

[okteiviakom]

It was the most naturall thing for Octavia to be lit by.

(And she was finding it suited him, too.)

"So far?" she said with a soft snort. "It looks a lot like dinner."