The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Sunday evening

[betterthanaplan]

There was a blanket fort on the deck of the Rouge. It was a pretty big one, almost a full-size tent, the interior lined with pillows of various sizes and shapes, as well as a few toys. The whole thing was lined in little string lights.

Duke took a photo and texted it to Octavia. think fandom's trying to tell us something

Possibly that he'd managed to miss 'learn about butterflies day', and that he should make up for that as soon as possible. . . .

[for the one mentioned, please!]

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," Duke said, still looking at her and not the tent. "It's pretty amazing."

[okteiviakom]

And he'd actually tried to convince himself he wasn't in love with her.

Octavia ducked into the tent because she'd just spotted the pillow in the shape of a moon and a sun, and she picked it up with a laugh.

[betterthanaplan]

Yeah, well . . . he was emotionally stunted. It wasn't his fault!

"Holy crap," Duke said, letting out a little laugh of his own. "I didn't even see that one."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia held the pillow up with what was surprisingly close to qualifying as a grin. "Why does this look exactly like us when we sleep next to each other?"

She did have kind of a habit of trying to get extra clingy in her sleep, sometimes. Especially lately.

[betterthanaplan]

"Because I'm cuddly like a teddybear?" Duke said, picking up the stuffed shark and giving it a squeeze. "And you cannot resist me."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia was hugging the sun and the moon to her chest without even really realizing she was doing it.

She snorted just barely managing to pry her eyes away from the shark - shark! - to look up at him. "Could be, snogon."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke plopped down onto one of the floor pillows, propping himself up on the shark against the gunwale, and patted his lap. "C'mere, ai gona. I brought snacks."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia really didn't need to be asked twice. She dropped her bag on one of the other pillows and made herself at home on his lap, sitting sideways with one arm slung around his shoulders.

"Drinks too, I have to assume."

Because she knew him.

[betterthanaplan]

"Of course!" Duke tapped the small cooler he'd brought in with him. "Brandy or beer. And water, so we don't have epic hangovers tomorrow."

[okteiviakom]

"Wow, you've really thought of everything," Octavia teased, before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, because it was there and she wanted to. "Of course I'd expect nothing less."

[betterthanaplan]

“Well sure. ‘Be prepared’ is the scout motto. Not that I spent more than ten minutes in the Boy Scouts.” Duke wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned back against the stuffed shark. “Mm, finrona sandwich.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia snorted as she leaned into him.

"Don't sandwiches usually get named based on what's in the middle?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Only if the stuff on the outside isn’t special enough.”

[okteiviakom]

"We're both special enough," Octavia decided. "Dison bilaik finrona en flapkrasha sandwich."

[betterthanaplan]

“Good point.” Duke decided to reward it with a kiss. “You know, there’s a butterfly day sometime around now. I looked it up last fall.”

[okteiviakom]

"A butterfly day," Octavia repeated in a murmur, sounding pleasantly distracted. "Like another holiday?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Yeah,” Duke said. “All about butterflies. Sharks get a whole week.”

[okteiviakom]

"Mm." Octavia pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth, and sighed. "Why's no one ever tried to buy flowers from me for those? I would make a shark out of flowers if someone asked."

[betterthanaplan]

"Because modern Earth has no taste," Duke said. "It's tragic. I would order a shark made of flowers from you in an instant."

[okteiviakom]

"Mmh. Kos yu nou bilaik mous kru."

There was another kiss, this time against his cheek.

[betterthanaplan]

"Yumi nou bilaik em," Duke agreed. "It's why we work so well."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia sighed as she closed her eyes, cuddling up closer - as if that was even possible.

"God, where did you come from?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke laughed softly. "You already saw the answer to that. Or do you mean how'd I manage to turn out so great when my hometown's so dumb?"

[okteiviakom]

"The latter," Octavia clarified, "but also, just, how'd you find me?"

She wasn't really asking, of course. Just taking a moment to be in awe of her own luck.

[betterthanaplan]

"Not sure. I must've gotten something right in a past life, to earn this kind of karma."