betterthanaplan | Aboard the Fin & Tonic, Bahamas, Thursday

Duke had spent most of the last few days in the water. Not being able to decompress from the events in LA with a good swim had not done wonders for his headspace, and being here, sans cast, meant he felt more like himself than he had in ages. He'd even managed some light yoga this morning, being gentle with his wrist as he rebuilt the muscle tone, which had also done wonders for his sense of peace and calm.

And, yeah, okay, doing a bit of rescheduled therapy with Linda over the phone, to make up for the appointment he'd missed by being an entirely different version of himself over the weekend, had helped, too.

Now, he was just sitting at the boat's stern, feet dangling in the water as he soaked in the tropical sun, his head blessedly empty as he watched the light sparkle against the water.

[nfb due to distance. Expecting one, but open to both those here with him, and any phone calls or texts!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

betterthanaplan

"Disha sleng bilaik sleng kom yu tombom," Duke said, carefully echoing her earlier statement. "Ai gaf sen em in otaim, sha."

Edited Date: 2021-10-08 09:30 pm (UTC)

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia's fingers pushed further into his hair, on one side. She nuzzled at the other side. "Mochof, flapkrasha," she murmured. "Yu nou get in ha meija daun's gon ai."

This was a part of her that sang with him.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke turned his head just a little, trying to look at her face. he frowned.

"Where's this coming from?" he asked softly. "Did I make you think I didn't like it?"

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia was very quick to shake her head. Even if the movement itself was slight, so as not to jostle him.

"No."

Not him.

From:

betterthanaplan

That didn't leave many people whose opinion she found worthwhile.

"Luce?" he guessed.

From:

okteiviakom

Guess it got pretty obvious when you thought about like that.

Octavia dropped her gaze towards the floor. "Yeah."

From:

betterthanaplan

“What’d he say?”

From:

okteiviakom

"More like what he didn't," Octavia muttered. "He doesn't speak Trig back to me. Says he wants you and me to have our own things." Which made sense from one angle, yet kind of hurt from another. "But he also doesn't seem to like that he calls you his boyfriend and I call you my snogon, so..."

Tavi, honey, that 'so' wasn't likely to be obvious to anyone but you.

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke could guess where that “so” went, but guessing had not historically gone well for him, here.

“So?”

From:

okteiviakom

"It feels like he just doesn't want it."

That came out smaller than she'd wanted.

"So I've... stopped."

Everything. Even calling Lucifer skaifaya.

From:

betterthanaplan

That sounded like a big miscommunication to Duke. But he wasn’t her therapist, and he couldn’t fix everything, so he stuck with “I’m sorry.”

From:

okteiviakom

Probably, but Octavia hadn't made it past the hurt enough yet to wonder about that.

She shrugged faintly.

"Can't have everything, right?"

From:

betterthanaplan

"No," Duke agreed. "But . . . this is kind of a big deal for you. It had to hurt."

From:

okteiviakom

"Sha," Octavia muttered.

But a thought was finally occurring to her. While she was gently twisting some of his hair gently around her fingers.

"En ai nou don tel em op, seintaim."

From:

betterthanaplan

Duke nodded. "None of us are great at talking, are we."

From:

okteiviakom

"No," Octavia agreed. "Especially when it hurts."

From:

betterthanaplan

"Especially then," Duke agreed. "We get all defensive and stop listening. Stop seeing things from the other person's point of view."

From:

okteiviakom

"Someone's been listening to Linda."

It was a weak joke.

From:

betterthanaplan

"Finally," Duke agreed. "Took me long enough."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia pressed a kiss against his cheek. Almost like a prize, or something.

Also an excuse to drop her voice quieter. "What do you think his point of view is?"

From:

betterthanaplan

"I think. . . ." Duke paused, giving it a good long think so she knew he wasn't jumping to any conclusions. "I think exactly what he said. It feels like a you-and-me thing, and he doesn't want to take away from that." He shifted a little, so he could rest his temple on her knee. "And the boyfriend or snogon thing. . . . I can see where that trips you up. But I don't think he means it that way."

From:

okteiviakom

Octavia's fingertips trailed over his other temple, before sliding into his hair again.

"What, then?" she murmured. "How?"

He wouldn't be able to tell her, and she knew that. This was just... an attempt to start working through it. Just here in the safety of the two of them, first.

From:

betterthanaplan

"Well. . . . He kind of gave me something when he agreed to be boyfriends. Like I gave you by being snogons. And you two . . . I don't know if you've really done that."

From:

okteiviakom

"I don't know," Octavia muttered, watching her fingers move through his hair. When they slid out, she just started again at his temple. "Sounded more like it was about not getting to call you our boyfriend."