fandomtownies | The Devil's Nest, Wednesday Evening

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The Devil's Nest, Wednesday Evening

There was no DJ tonight. But the playlist wasn't the usual Lucifer-approved piano bar-y one, either. Octavia had gone prodding at the sound system a couple of times already, but it kept reverting to the same thing.

So, guess you were listening to Violent Femmes tonight, club goers. Octavia wasn't sure how she felt about it.

(She would be even less sure once the playlist would actually hit Add It Up. But it wasn't there yet.)

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Octavia made a noise that was a little too helpless to really qualify as a snort. "We haven't really been hanging out at all."

Were you maybe answering your own question there, Tavi?

Little bit.

“That’s part of why I’m making the sauna,” Duke admitted. “So there’s another reason for you to come over.”

"Oh," Octavia said. It was a small, surprised sound.

She hazarded a look up at his face.

"I miss you, Tavi," Duke said, giving her a small, sad smile. "I've missed you for ages."

Since shortly after he'd kicked her out at the Gull, in fact.

Octavia's expression crumbled a little. It was relief, mostly - but sometimes relief meant you stopped forcing yourself to hold up something heavy.

Her voice sounded equally strained. "I miss you too."

Duke squeezed her hand again. "Then we should do something about that," he said, his smile growing, though it was a bit wobbly. "I suppose step one would be for me to ask you on a date."

"Yeah?" Octavia breathed. She was holding his hand pretty tightly, now. Clinging, like a lifeline. She swallowed, and said, "Not sure you've ever done that before."

If only because she'd been so resistant to using the word 'date'.

"I guess I haven't," Duke agreed. "Well." He turned slightly in his seat, taking her hand in both his, giving the whole thing an air of exaggerated formality. "Octavia. Would you like to go to dinner with me Friday night?"

What Octavia wanted to say was a simple 'yes'.

But what she actually said was:

"... Please don't say you mean to a restaurant."

"Not if you don't want to go to a restaurant," Duke said. "The location is entirely negotiable."

"I don't want to go to a restaurant," Octavia murmured. She finally put the bottle onto the table, so she could put that hand over his, too. "Lucifer and I tried that last week, and... It's not for me. Not right now."

"No restaurant," Duke said. "But . . . maybe not the Rouge? We're trying to establish new habits." Like not spending all their time on the boat they were no longer living on together. "I could close down Luke's, maybe. Or . . . cold air picnic?"

Octavia preferred to think of it as not currently living on the boat together. But the point still stood.

"I like Luke's."

“Luke’s it is. Closed for a private event.”

Octavia exhaled like she'd been holding her breath.

Then, with some hesitation, she tried bringing his hands up to where she could press a barely-there kiss against his knuckles.

Duke let her. He closed his eyes just a moment while she pressed her lips to him.

"Next time it'll be your turn. To ask me out."

"You think I know how?"

It was supposed to be a joke, but it was a weak one. Also, she hadn't let his hands drop just yet, and so, half the words had her lips brush against his skin.

"Do you think that there's some specific formula you have to use or I'll say no?"

"Don't know." She looked up at him through her lashes. "Is there?"

"Oh totally," Duke said, grinning. "You have to use exactly the right passphrase or we're totally over."

Sorry if Octavia's gaze seemed a little distracted, flitting around his face. She just hadn't seen him grin in a little while (in too long) and was now trying to commit it to memory.

She didn't grin back.

"Then you better tell me what it is right now," she murmured. "Because I don't want us to be over."

"Do you have a pen?" Duke asked. "You might need to write this down."

"Tel ai op."

She looked far too serious, but when didn't she?

She really did.

Duke leaned in, shooting furtive glances around the bar. "Okay. The secret passphrase is: 'bears wear hats'."

She really should have expected that. And maybe she had, just -- not that level of ridiculous.

Octavia's chin dipped down along with her gaze as she huffed out a startled, amused little noise. Shook her head, just barely, something still tugging at the corners of her lips.

She was also very aware that he was closer to her, now.

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