Luke's, Thursday

[betterthanaplan]

"Right!" Duke announced, striding into the diner like he owned the place.

Because, I mean. He did.

"It's June, suckers. And I've got pride." He set a box of brightly colored streamers and flags on the lunch counter. "Let's get some color in here!"

Today's specials
Revenge on the kraken!
And don't forget your Rainbow smoothies!

Luke's was mirroring his other partner's coping mechanisms for once open!

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia showed up sometime after the general lunch time had passed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd dropped by, and felt a little awkward about this time (what didn't she feel awkward about, lately?), but...

Apparently all the streamers and things made for a good distraction from that, because she was immediately looking around with her eyebrows faintly raised.

[ooc: SP due to impending bedtime, but deal with meee.]

[betterthanaplan]

Would Duke smiling at her help, too? Because that's what he did when he saw her come in, a bright smile that came as much from genuine pleasure to see her visiting him at his diner like she used to as it did from how hard he'd been pushing down his anxieties lately.

"Hayun, gona."

[okteiviakom]

"Ha yun, jaka," Octavia replied, not quite looking at his smile just yet. (She could hear it, though, in his voice.) "Hakom sou bitam kola?"

[betterthanaplan]

It took Duke a moment, but he eventually decided she was asking about the decorations. "It's Pride," he said. "The month to celebrate all of us who aren't into the whole 'one man, one woman' equation of relationships. And or those who don't stick with whatever the doctor declared they were when they were born."

[okteiviakom]

"Oh, right."

Octavia... sort of remembered that? She definitely remembered one thing, anyway: "I think there's posters around town for that, too," she said, as she finally looked up at him.

[betterthanaplan]

"Yep, Fandom has its own parade. It's pretty sweet."

[okteiviakom]

"Is it?"

Spoken like someone who still had trouble grasping this entire concept.

[betterthanaplan]

“Well yeah.” Duke came over to drape his arm over her shoulders. “That kind of thing is the least of the shit I got growing up, but it was still shit I got. I’m in love with a man and a woman and I get to shout it from the rooftops if I want. What’s not sweet about that?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia leaned into it a little, still sort of frowning into the distance.

"Yeah, but... A parade?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke leaned back, rocking faintly. "Well . . . what would you suggest?"

[okteiviakom]

Octavia thought about it, then made a face.

"Fast-forwarding a hundred years to where none of this is a big deal."

It was like the one thing where her time was actually better!

[betterthanaplan]

Duke snorted and gave her a sideways hug. "Yes, well. Someday that will happen. In the meantime . . . we party. Out loud or quietly, either way."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia shook her head, and slid her own arm around his waist.

"I think I'm choosing 'quietly'."

[betterthanaplan]

“I am not surprised.” Duke shrugged. “And I choose spending it with you and Luce. And with lots of colors in my diner.”

[okteiviakom]

"And not on the boat?"

[betterthanaplan]

“. . . It’s our boat,” Duke said after a moment. “I’m not going to put stuff up without checking with you guys.”

[okteiviakom]

"It's your boat," Octavia replied, with a faint trace of something wry. "But it's nice that you would ask."

[betterthanaplan]

"Our boat," Duke said firmly, and kissed her hair. "It's your home. Just because it was mine first doesn't mean it can't be yours now, too."

[okteiviakom]

"You're getting sappy," Octavia murmured. Like a gentle tease.

Maybe still just glad she could say the thing she wanted to say to him.

[betterthanaplan]

"In my old age?" Duke asked, rubbing his free thumb against the silver at his temples. (It was slowly becoming more obvious, and he was slowly learning to embrace it.) "If I am, it's because you've given me things to be sappy about."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia looked up at him with a snort.

"Oh, don't you blame this on me."

[betterthanaplan]

"Excuse me," Duke said, shaking her gently by the shoulder. "Who taught me I was capable of being loved?"

[okteiviakom]

Was turning and wrapping her other arm around him too an effective countermeasure for the shaking? Because that was what Octavia was going with.

"Learning was still on you."

[betterthanaplan]

"Fine," Duke said with a grin. "We're both at fault."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave another soft huff, but nodded up at him.

"Maybe I can accept that."