They've been talking for almost an hour when the thing that's been keeping Britta interested finally hits her, and she wants to smack her head on the bar. He reminds her of Jeff.
It's not a tangible or a physical thing. They have completely different builds and coloration, and Duke's scruffy look is the kind that takes five minutes in the morning instead of the kind that takes an hour to make it look like it took five minutes. She can't imagine Duke wearing a suit or giving a speech. But he has a version of Jeff's self-assurance and his quiet-but-obvious desire to be liked, and that thing where he might as well have 'LIAR' tattooed across his hands but Britta sort of wants to trust him anyway. He's exactly what she's been trying to avoid thinking about, which means that continuing to flirt with him -- and it's definitely flirting at this point -- is probably a really bad idea. She tries to make herself back away.
Duke watches her face fall and his brow furrows. "Something wrong?"
Of course there's something wrong, but Britta shakes her head. "Just...deja vu, or something. You remind me of someone, is all." He gives her a questioning look that she's starting to like, one that says he's not going to ask but he'll listen if she wants to talk. It's probably the first thing they teach you when you become a bartender. "A guy," she continues. "Not really an ex, but..."
"Someone you don't want to be reminded of," Duke finishes for her. Now he's the one backing off, not like he's freaked out but like he's trying to give her space. It's not something she can picture Jeff doing, at least not after such a vague comment.
He reminds her of Jeff, but just enough to remind her that there's a reason she liked Jeff. The rest of him is something new, and it's something she wants to see more of. Britta leans over the bar and touches Duke's hand. "You don't remind me of him that much."
When they're still talking at closing time Duke invites her back to his boat, which is a first -- she's been invited back to plenty of houses and apartments and backseats, but never a boat. Saying yes is a no-brainer, not that she would have said no to a house or apartment or backseat.
(Sure, he's a responsible adult and a legitimate businessman, sort of, but Duke still has a soft spot for young rebels, especially the ones who are old enough to know better but young enough not to care. Britta, with her mad, fervent passions and her denim armor, is someone he might have stumbled across in the life he used to live. In this life, she's still someone who's worth a second look, even if it means bribing one of the waitresses to stay late and close up for him.)
Britta doesn't know what she's expecting, but Duke's boat is nothing she's prepared for. It's elegant in a way she never would have imagined from him, appointed in the kind of material luxury she's supposed to disdain. It makes her feel out of place, which makes her feel defensive until Duke puts a casual hand on her back and guides her in like she has every right to be there. Once the shock of the place wears off, whatever he had planned gets put on hold because she wants to look at everything.
(He never gets tired of that first look, when people who think they have him figured out see where he really lives. Britta is even better than most; her eyes go wide and some of the cynicism melts away as she takes it all in. She demands a tour and he obliges, more fascinated by her reactions than she is by his collections.
She's interesting, and he likes her. It's nice to find something that uncomplicated for once.)
Britta wakes up curled against Duke's side, because it turns out he's not the type of guy who kicks you out afterwards. He's the type of guy who offers coffee and bagels in the morning and then kicks her out, with an apology, because she's on vacation but he's not, and there's somewhere he has to be this morning. Before she leaves, though, he asks her two important questions: How long is she staying in town, and can he see her again? The answer to the first question is "a couple days, probably." The answer to the second is "yes, definitely."
(Duke ends up getting dragged into a police investigation that takes most of the morning, but he's in a good enough mood that he doesn't mind. He's in a good enough mood, in fact, that Nathan notices, and knows him well enough to recognize its source and make his distaste known. All this does is put Duke in a better mood.)
Everything Britta read about the local eco-friendly scene in Haven is true. The farmers' market is amazing, and full of people who're happy to go on at length about the benefits of organic and sustainable practices. The bakery has a huge selection of vegan pastries, all clearly and proudly labeled. She spends hours -- and most of her budget -- going through the racks at the town's secondhand store. She passes the next couple days in socially-conscious vacation bliss, and the next couple nights in Duke's bar and then his bed. It's not something either of them expects to last, and it's definitely not love, but it's something real, in its own way.
They don't exchange phone numbers when she leaves town; it's not even serious enough for that. But he tells her to look him up if she's even in Maine again, and she tells him to do the same if he finds himself in Colorado, and she's pretty sure they both mean it.
(He does find himself in Colorado just a few months later, although he's on a mission at the time and by then other things have gotten...complicated. But he still finds himself looking at a map, just to see how close they're going to be to Greendale.)
I can definitely see Haven being eco-friendly and following sustainability practices. No, I'm serious. It's a small little town. I believe it can happen. Britta must be in Haven heaven there!
"It's not something either of them expects to last, and it's definitely not love, but it's something real, in its own way." - SO SAD, YET SO PERFECT! It sounds like how their relationship would go.
OH, AND I LOVED THIS: (Duke ends up getting dragged into a police investigation that takes most of the morning, but he's in a good enough mood that he doesn't mind. He's in a good enough mood, in fact, that Nathan notices, and knows him well enough to recognize its source and make his distaste known. All this does is put Duke in a better mood.) - Because I can SEE the disapproval on Nathan's face and Duke's amusement.
I don't think they would exchange phone numbers either, but considering Duke and Audrey did end up in Colorado, I do think Duke would look at that map and consider it.
Your fic very nearly had me in tears because I thought this was too obscure a ship to be written. I thought I'd be the only one writing it. I have yet to write Duke/Britta fic, but this has definitely inspired me. I have written Tru Calling/Community fic where Britta "dates" Jason Priestley's character Jack, but I wasn't sure about Duke/Britta, even though I've had this idea for the pairing in my head since before Season 3.
Thank you for writing me this wonderful story! I don't have enough words to say how much I LOVED IT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! So awesome to meet a Community fan who also loves Haven. YAY! :)
I am so happy that you liked this! And I'm glad you prompted it, too! It's one of those ideas that never would have occurred to me on my own, but once I saw the prompt I was consumed with "Dammit, this needs to exist."
As a Jeff/Britta shipper, I LOVE and can really appreciate the ways in which Britta compares Duke to Jeff. This is how I would approach it to if I were to write a piece like this (and who knows? I just might.) But I really like the detail you put into the comparisons, yet at the end of the day, Britta DOES acknowledge the differences between Duke and Jeff and accepts them as such.
"Duke's scruffy look is the kind that takes five minutes in the morning instead of the kind that takes an hour to make it look like it took five minutes." This is the perfect juxtaposition between the 2 men. I LOVE this bit. Jeff would take an hour, lol!
I love how you demonstrated Britta's conflict. How Duke reminds her of Jeff, but then she denies it by saying "but not that much"
I can see Britta's surprise and intrigue about being invited onto a boat, especially when it's Duke's boat! And the fact that Duke sees a kind of "young rebel" side to Britta is one of the main reasons I think these two would be an interesting match (temporarily). I like that Britta's cynicism "melts away" as you've so eloquently described and I can see Britta letting her guard down in this way. It's something that is hard for both of these characters in their own way and that is why I can see them together, even if it is screwed up.
She's interesting, and he likes her. It's nice to find something that uncomplicated for once. - AGREED! YAY! They sleep together! (Wow, that makes me sound shallow. Sorry!)
They've been talking for almost an hour when the thing that's been keeping Britta interested finally hits her, and she wants to smack her head on the bar. He reminds her of Jeff.
It's not a tangible or a physical thing. They have completely different builds and coloration, and Duke's scruffy look is the kind that takes five minutes in the morning instead of the kind that takes an hour to make it look like it took five minutes. She can't imagine Duke wearing a suit or giving a speech. But he has a version of Jeff's self-assurance and his quiet-but-obvious desire to be liked, and that thing where he might as well have 'LIAR' tattooed across his hands but Britta sort of wants to trust him anyway. He's exactly what she's been trying to avoid thinking about, which means that continuing to flirt with him -- and it's definitely flirting at this point -- is probably a really bad idea. She tries to make herself back away.
Duke watches her face fall and his brow furrows. "Something wrong?"
Of course there's something wrong, but Britta shakes her head. "Just...deja vu, or something. You remind me of someone, is all." He gives her a questioning look that she's starting to like, one that says he's not going to ask but he'll listen if she wants to talk. It's probably the first thing they teach you when you become a bartender. "A guy," she continues. "Not really an ex, but..."
"Someone you don't want to be reminded of," Duke finishes for her. Now he's the one backing off, not like he's freaked out but like he's trying to give her space. It's not something she can picture Jeff doing, at least not after such a vague comment.
He reminds her of Jeff, but just enough to remind her that there's a reason she liked Jeff. The rest of him is something new, and it's something she wants to see more of. Britta leans over the bar and touches Duke's hand. "You don't remind me of him that much."
When they're still talking at closing time Duke invites her back to his boat, which is a first -- she's been invited back to plenty of houses and apartments and backseats, but never a boat. Saying yes is a no-brainer, not that she would have said no to a house or apartment or backseat.
(Sure, he's a responsible adult and a legitimate businessman, sort of, but Duke still has a soft spot for young rebels, especially the ones who are old enough to know better but young enough not to care. Britta, with her mad, fervent passions and her denim armor, is someone he might have stumbled across in the life he used to live. In this life, she's still someone who's worth a second look, even if it means bribing one of the waitresses to stay late and close up for him.)
Britta doesn't know what she's expecting, but Duke's boat is nothing she's prepared for. It's elegant in a way she never would have imagined from him, appointed in the kind of material luxury she's supposed to disdain. It makes her feel out of place, which makes her feel defensive until Duke puts a casual hand on her back and guides her in like she has every right to be there. Once the shock of the place wears off, whatever he had planned gets put on hold because she wants to look at everything.
(He never gets tired of that first look, when people who think they have him figured out see where he really lives. Britta is even better than most; her eyes go wide and some of the cynicism melts away as she takes it all in. She demands a tour and he obliges, more fascinated by her reactions than she is by his collections.
She's interesting, and he likes her. It's nice to find something that uncomplicated for once.)
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Britta wakes up curled against Duke's side, because it turns out he's not the type of guy who kicks you out afterwards. He's the type of guy who offers coffee and bagels in the morning and then kicks her out, with an apology, because she's on vacation but he's not, and there's somewhere he has to be this morning. Before she leaves, though, he asks her two important questions: How long is she staying in town, and can he see her again? The answer to the first question is "a couple days, probably." The answer to the second is "yes, definitely."
(Duke ends up getting dragged into a police investigation that takes most of the morning, but he's in a good enough mood that he doesn't mind. He's in a good enough mood, in fact, that Nathan notices, and knows him well enough to recognize its source and make his distaste known. All this does is put Duke in a better mood.)
Everything Britta read about the local eco-friendly scene in Haven is true. The farmers' market is amazing, and full of people who're happy to go on at length about the benefits of organic and sustainable practices. The bakery has a huge selection of vegan pastries, all clearly and proudly labeled. She spends hours -- and most of her budget -- going through the racks at the town's secondhand store. She passes the next couple days in socially-conscious vacation bliss, and the next couple nights in Duke's bar and then his bed. It's not something either of them expects to last, and it's definitely not love, but it's something real, in its own way.
They don't exchange phone numbers when she leaves town; it's not even serious enough for that. But he tells her to look him up if she's even in Maine again, and she tells him to do the same if he finds himself in Colorado, and she's pretty sure they both mean it.
(He does find himself in Colorado just a few months later, although he's on a mission at the time and by then other things have gotten...complicated. But he still finds himself looking at a map, just to see how close they're going to be to Greendale.)
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"It's not something either of them expects to last, and it's definitely not love, but it's something real, in its own way." - SO SAD, YET SO PERFECT! It sounds like how their relationship would go.
OH, AND I LOVED THIS: (Duke ends up getting dragged into a police investigation that takes most of the morning, but he's in a good enough mood that he doesn't mind. He's in a good enough mood, in fact, that Nathan notices, and knows him well enough to recognize its source and make his distaste known. All this does is put Duke in a better mood.) - Because I can SEE the disapproval on Nathan's face and Duke's amusement.
I don't think they would exchange phone numbers either, but considering Duke and Audrey did end up in Colorado, I do think Duke would look at that map and consider it.
Your fic very nearly had me in tears because I thought this was too obscure a ship to be written. I thought I'd be the only one writing it. I have yet to write Duke/Britta fic, but this has definitely inspired me. I have written Tru Calling/Community fic where Britta "dates" Jason Priestley's character Jack, but I wasn't sure about Duke/Britta, even though I've had this idea for the pairing in my head since before Season 3.
Thank you for writing me this wonderful story! I don't have enough words to say how much I LOVED IT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! So awesome to meet a Community fan who also loves Haven. YAY! :)
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"Duke's scruffy look is the kind that takes five minutes in the morning instead of the kind that takes an hour to make it look like it took five minutes." This is the perfect juxtaposition between the 2 men. I LOVE this bit. Jeff would take an hour, lol!
I love how you demonstrated Britta's conflict. How Duke reminds her of Jeff, but then she denies it by saying "but not that much"
I can see Britta's surprise and intrigue about being invited onto a boat, especially when it's Duke's boat! And the fact that Duke sees a kind of "young rebel" side to Britta is one of the main reasons I think these two would be an interesting match (temporarily). I like that Britta's cynicism "melts away" as you've so eloquently described and I can see Britta letting her guard down in this way. It's something that is hard for both of these characters in their own way and that is why I can see them together, even if it is screwed up.
She's interesting, and he likes her. It's nice to find something that uncomplicated for once. - AGREED! YAY! They sleep together! (Wow, that makes me sound shallow. Sorry!)
More comments coming for Part 3... :)
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