The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Wednesday morning

[betterthanaplan]

There were bags all over the Rouge. Duke was doing his best to ignore them. He had a standing appointment with Octavia for breakfast, so he was just going to focus on getting ready for that, and not the very large suitcase with a particular tattoo embroidered onto the front of it. Or any of the myriad other bags and crates and trunks and cases taking up most of the counter and floor space of his galley.

Really. He had an entire hold for these sorts of things. The island dumping them in his living space was just rude.

[for one!]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"You okay?" Duke asked. He'd asked her some version of that every morning this week, and wasn't really expecting much of an answer, no. But he'd more than earned that only value in service to others steamer trunk in the corner.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took a sip before looking up at him again. Her lips twisted faintly into something that was supposed to look reassuring.

"Just tired."

It was very similar to what he'd gotten the other times he'd asked, yes.

[betterthanaplan]

"C'mere," Duke said, holding out his hand for her. They sometimes did better at these sorts of conversations when they were holding each other.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took his hand. Let him draw her closer.

Starved for intimacy, read an overnight bag on the floor a little to the left of her.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke settled his arms around her waist. Then noticed another intimacy related bag on the other side of the room. He looked at the one by her feet again, then at her.

". . . I think some of these might be yours."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia pressed her face against his chest.

"Oh."

She didn't sound surprised. She didn't sound particularly anything.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke stroked her hair and tried not to look at all the bags around them both. Tried not to guess which ones belonged to whom.

They were pretty fucked up, weren't they.

[okteiviakom]

All of Octavia's were red. Some lighter, some darker, some leaning a little more towards brown, like dried blood. But all of them red.

And the big trunks hadn't even shown up yet. The permanently broken clutch was downright elegant compared to what could still be in store.

Octavia sighed against his chest.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Wanna just go back to bed for awhile?" Duke suggested.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's nod didn't require her to look up either. "Sure."

Because surely no baggage could lurk there.

[betterthanaplan]

Of course not!

Duke tugged her in that direction, moving slowly so she didn't have to pull away if she didn't want to. And to make sure neither of them got tripped up by more bags.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia did actually look where she was going, after about the first half a step or so, not wanting to have to rely entirely on him.

A bag declaring refuses to ask for help nearly got underfoot almost immediately.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke spotted it. And with a rueful snort, he shifted his grip on her so he could scoop her up into the air.

She didn't have to ask for help if he just gave it to her, right?

[okteiviakom]

It probably didn't work like that.

But Octavia allowed herself to be picked up. What would have been the point in fighting it?

[betterthanaplan]

Duke could navigate a bit faster now, and made it to the bedroom without incident.

And hissed out a soft curse at the getting used for sex bag sitting smack in the middle of the bed.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia took one look at it and just sighed.

And then moved to try and get him to set her down.

[betterthanaplan]

He did. And rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll just . . . set that aside."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's mild tone was a little lower and raspier again, as she looked down towards the floor, half expecting to find more bags.

Half surprised when she didn't.

(As much as she felt anything at all.)

"You know I wasn't trying to do that, right?"

[betterthanaplan]

"What?" Duke glanced up at her as he dragged the bag off the bed. "Yeah, no, of course."

Well. He knew she hadn't been trying to do it on purpose, anyway.

[okteiviakom]

Octavia lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug for reasons that weren't very clear even for her.

"Just checking."

[betterthanaplan]

"Anyway. That's why I checked in," Duke said. "To make sure we both knew what you really needed right then."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia nodded faintly. Like an 'I got that'.

There was another bag on the bed. Red.

Said everything you touch turns to ash.

[betterthanaplan]

. . . Yeah, that definitely wasn't one of his.

Duke cleared it off without comment, and then climbed in, as though putting himself there would keep any other bags from appearing. "C'mon, gona. Let's lie down."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia didn't think this was going to help any.

But she climbed in to stretch out beside him anyway.

[betterthanaplan]

Yes, well. If she couldn't suggest anything, then he was going to just keep trying whatever he thought of. Which at the moment was lying in bed and gently stroking his hand down her side.