Haven end run preplay part one! PARENTS WEEKEND

[seaoftroubles]

Ugh, when is PW this year, anyway? Any hope we actually manage this by then?

THE PLAN:

• Mara poses as Audrey for PW. Finds Duke at the welcome picnic? Immediately flirts/constantly touches him (secretly filling him with aether)
• Duke warns Lucifer and Octavia via text. They all meet together (at the boat? in the park?) to tell her to fuck off
• Audrey breaks through Mara's hold for a hot minute. Duke re-manifests Jordan's trouble out of defensiveness and they learn that his troubles can affect her
• Mara gives up the pretense and admits she's primed Duke to explode if Octavia doesn't open a portal to her home world right the fuck now. Lucifer(?) sets up a Portalocity portal to trick her into instead.
• Mara goes through the portal into whatever random not-her-home-world-or-Haven dimension it opened to. Portal shuts. OT3 has a quiet moment of "fuck yeah, that's over" (with Duke trying not to ruin it with his "okay, but also Audrey" angst)
• Duke FUCKING EXPLODES. Lucifer flings himself (and his beautiful wings) on him like he's a grenade and absorbs most of the troubles. One or two maybe escape and Octavia pounces on them, troubling herself(?).
• Duke passes out, they take him home, we have some angsty h/c times before moving on to PART TWO -- later, when we get this sucker going pretty well first

With OCD incoming!

Comments

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

"I'm not. . . ." Mara trailed off, looking away. Like she couldn't quite keep eye contact while she spoke. She scrubbed her hands together, adding another ball to the aether covering both her palms. "I don't mean that you gave up. You did what you had to do, I know that. I'm so glad you and the others got out."

That was almost true, at least. She was glad Octavia had shown off her little portal trick.

"I, uh." She squinted her eyes, like she was trying not to tear up. "Can I . . . dammit, Duke."

She pulled him into a tight hug. One palm firm against the back of his neck as she pressed the aether in.

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

Duke stiffened instinctively -- but he always did when people hugged him. People who weren't Octavia or Lucifer, anyway. And still the two of them sometimes, even now.

"Audrey," he said softly, lifting his arms to hug her back.

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

Mara let out a half-laugh, half-sob. (She'd been practicing that her whole drive down from Maine.) "Yeah," she said. She held on harder, willing more of the aether from the palm on his neck into his system. He was a little depleted; he must have been slowly letting out troubles since she'd seen him last.

That wouldn't do at all.

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

Duke hung on harder, closing his eyes.

"Audrey," he said again. "I -- I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

Ugh. That tone of voice made the fucking husk inside Mara sit up and start yelling. She forced her back down and pulled back a bit, cupping his jaw now with both hands.

Willing more and more aether into him.

"Duke," she breathed in return. That wasn't hard; Duke was far more her type than Nathan ever was. It was too bad he had to die. "I've been so worried. You were so sick before you left."

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah, well." Duke couldn't help but smile at her. "It's that good, clean Mid-Atlantic air, you know?"

He pressed his forehead to hers.

"I'm okay," he added softly. "Luce and Tavi have been taking good care of me."

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

Ugh. Right. Lucifer.

He might be a problem.

"I'm so glad," she said, maybe a moment later than she should have. She let him go, palming another ball and then patting him on the chest. Thankfully, he had that same 'show off the tits' fashion sense he'd always had, baring plenty of skin. "Though I wouldn't call this 'good'. Is it always this humid?"

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

. . . She was being very touchy with him. Duke brushed his own fingers over her hand before pulling further back. He didn't remember her being quite this physical before.

"Yes," he said, nodding firmly. "Every single day."

He looked over her head towards the picnic again, then started easing them both in the direction of the port. Even when everything was 'okay' in Haven, having someone from there visit here meant trouble. And last he'd seen, nothing had been 'okay' in Haven.

"Forgive me for repeating myself, but -- why are you here?"

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

"I wanted to check on you," Mara said, softening her eyes again. She had one more ball on her -- he was so close to ready now. "And -- and see you." She looked up at him through her lashes and took his hand. "You know I never forgot about Colorado."

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

Yep, this was officially weird. Duke let her hang onto his hand for a moment, not wanting to tip her off too soon that he could tell something was off.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Neither did I." He pulled out his phone and waved it at her. "Let me just, uh. Let Tavi and Luce I'll be out for a bit. And we can find somewhere to talk?"

Re: Welcome picnic

[seaoftroubles]

Damn. She might have laid that on a little too thick. She bit her lip and nodded. "That'd be great." She gave another little rueful laugh. "I've just -- I've been so worried. I'm so glad you're okay."

And she was! She couldn't use him against Octavia if he was already dead, after all.

"It's just nice to see you again."

Buzzing full to bursting again with lovely, active aether.

Re: Welcome picnic

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah," he said, turning slightly, that half-smile still in place.

She was so close to right. Maybe he was seeing things? It'd been ages. . . .

But things from Haven never went his way. No reason to think they might start doing so now.