Luke's, Thursday

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was a little distracted today, keeping a close eye on his phone while getting his kitchen set up with the day's catch. Octavia's first therapy session was happening today. And while his own had gone well, he couldn't help but be a bit worried about how hers was going.

The kitchen staff, having spent the morning reminiscing about diner runners of old, were taking advantage of his distraction to tuck order tickets, toothpicks, and shrimp tails into his ponytail, to see if he noticed them before they fell out again.

He hadn't, yet.

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Shrimp-stuffed avocado
Mango curry shrimp

Luke's was open and OCD free.

Comments

[betterthanaplan]

Duke let her, careful not to shift in any way that would look like a rejection.

"I babble when things get weird," he said. "You clam up. I talked her ear off, you shut down. It's just . . . how we work. We'll both get better at it."

[okteiviakom]

Right now, Octavia didn't really feel like she agreed. But she didn't say so.

Not outright, anyway.

"Lis yu don chich em op," she murmured on a little sigh.

[betterthanaplan]

"Uh huh. 'Cause when ai chich em op that totally never gets me in trouble."

[okteiviakom]

"To her," Octavia replied. Therapy was about talking, right? He'd cleared the bare minimum requirement.

She let her forehead fall against the top of his chest.

[betterthanaplan]

If she said that out loud, Duke would tell her the bare minimum requirement was to show up.

He kissed the top of her head. "I think you're okay," he said. "We'll check in with Claire this weekend, so you can feel more comfortable with her."

[okteiviakom]

"If that helps," Octavia muttered.

Shh, just let her be defeatist for a second.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "If not, we'll think of something else. And maybe kidnap Nathan so you can beat on him with impunity."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's scowl went unseen. "I don't even want to see him."

She knew better than to think she'd get what she wanted, there. It was Haven.

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm pretty sure he'll find a way to be waiting for us by the docks," Duke said. "So . . . that might not be doable."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia's sigh was heavy. And almost annoyed, too. But she also seemed to melt against him, finally sliding her arms around him so that she could lean against his chest with more than just her head.

"I don't get how you used to be together."

That wasn't entirely true. Some days it felt like stranger things were happening now, with him choosing to stick with her.

[betterthanaplan]

"He was nicer. Before I pissed him off." Duke put his arms around her in return, resting his head against hers with his eyes closed. "I tend to . . . break things. People." A sigh. "Relationships."

[okteiviakom]

At least this still dependably worked. Other things could be awkward, feel difficult, but at least their bodies still fit together.

He still felt just right.

But Octavia's voice was mild. "I don't think this one's for you to break."

[betterthanaplan]

"True," Duke murmured. "You're pretty much stuck with me at this point. Though I'd appreciate it if you didn't break it either."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia both wanted and didn't want to note how she'd probably - hopefully - already done the most she would do on purpose to break them up.

What she ended up saying was, "I want you to be stuck with me, too."

[betterthanaplan]

"Well then. We're agreed. You and me, stuck together."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia swallowed down some other unhelpful words.

Instead, she pulled back just enough so that she could then reach up for a little kiss. Further reassurance.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke kissed back. Reassurance for them both.

"You should eat," he said afterwards. "Fries are getting cold."

[okteiviakom]

"Sure," Octavia replied, on a sigh, but it sounded a little different than it had out in the restaurant proper.

A little less 'I don't care', a little more 'you're right', maybe.

She pulled back, and finally reached for her food.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke slid the plate closer to her, snagging a fry of his own. "And then . . . I'm thinking we should get out of here. I think I get to play a little hooky, today."

[okteiviakom]

"Don't you get to do that whenever?"

Rhetorical question. Octavia picked up the milkshake.

"What do you want to do?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Dunno. Head out on the water, maybe? You can show me how your new boat handles."

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe," Octavia replied mildly. Going back to where she'd started belting down over her own shortcomings didn't hold much appeal, but maybe she would change her mind later, because she would have to go back eventually.

Hence 'maybe'.

Then her expression softened, and she nodded at the food.

"But first... Will you share this with me?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I would love to," Duke said, snagging another french fry. "And . . . maybe we'll come up with something else to do instead."

Since he could tell she wasn't super into his first idea.

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe," Octavia said again, then nodded. "Mochof."

She was slowly coming to accept that there were things she actually missed from the past seven years. Sharing her food and treating it with the respect it deserved was perhaps the biggest one.

(Or the biggest she could actually admit to herself, anyway.)